Film – Page 111

Movie Review: ‘The Last Witch Hunter’ is a hardly convincing movie

October 27, 2015 by Shaheen Raaj

Producer: Mark Canton & Bernie Goodman
Director: Breck Eisner
Star Cast: Vin Diesel, Rosie Leslie, Elijah Wood, Isreal Baldecanas & Micheal Caine
Genre: Fantasy
Verdict: Poor

Plot: The modern world holds many secrets, but the most astounding secret of all is that witches still live amongst us; vicious supernatural creatures intent on unleashing the Black Death upon the world. Armies of witch hunters battled the unnatural enemy across the globe for centuries, including Kaulder, a valiant warrior who managed to slay the all – powerful Queen Witch, decimating her followers in the process. In the moments right before her death, the Queen curses Kaulder with her own immortality, forever separating him from his beloved wife and daughter in the afterlife. Today Kaulder is the only one of his kind remaining, and has spent centuries hunting down rogue witches, all the while yearning for his long – lost loved ones. However, unbeknownst to Kaulder, the Queen Witch is resurrected and seeks revenge on her killer causing an epic battle that will determine the survival of the human race.

Aces: Two gigantic actors like Vin Diesel & Micheal Caine deliver an astoundingly par excellence performance but that’s all there is to a dumbest movie The Last Witch Hunter.

Minuses: The hardly convincing storyline topped with the hardly convincing direction of Breck Eisner.

Last Word: Even the fantasy and horror lover fans are advised to stay miles away from the so called movie The Last Witch Hunter.

Bollywood Newswatch

October 27, 2015 by Shaheen Raaj

50 Cr Copyright Infringement Case Filed Against Bajrangi Bhaijaan

The makers of ‘Bajrangi Bhaijaan’ which created waves at the box office are facing a Rs. 50 crore copyright infringement law suit that claims the entire plot line & even some locales were blatantly inspired from another script. The suit filed in the Bombay High Court by director & TV producer Mahim Joshi, alleges the infringement is `career damaging’, si1950y. As per Joshi’s claims, the story of ‘Bajrangi Bhaijaan’ is grounds for a 100% infringement along with prominent similarities in the screenplay & locales. Along with his petition to the High Court, Joshi has also furbished documents that include detailed comparisons of the film’s scenes and the sequences shot by Joshi. Following this, in its hearing held recently, the High Court bench presided by Justice Gautam Patel, has directed all parties including producers Rockline Venkatesh, Rajessh Bhatt and Salman Khan, a co – producer, writer KV Vijayendra Prasad & director Kabir Khan, to maintain accounts of business with respect to the movie. It also directed all respondents to file their replies by 21st Oct, 2015.

SRK To Perform At A Fundraiser Event

Shah Rukh Khan of late has decided to do his share for the farmers. He has decided to become a part of a fundraiser event, organized by Anubhav Sinha titled ‘Son Of Soil’. Filmmaker Anubhav Sinha & Shah Rukh Khan, who previously collaborated for the sci – fi superhero drama ‘Ra.One’, will now come together for this charity show. Anubhav Sinha, who denied the buzz about the alleged fallout between him & SRK after ‘Ra.One’, stated that Shah Rukh Khan immediately agreed to the event, even before he could finish giving him all the details about it. Apart from the actor, others who will be a part of this concert include composers Vishal -Shekhar, singer Ankit Tiwari, anchor Manish Paul amongst others and the director further revealed that all of them will be performing without remuneration.

Censor Board Refuses To Give Reasons

40 days after the censor board declared to the media that they have refused to give a censor certificate to Kamal Swaroop’s documentary ‘Battle For Banaras’, the censor board is yet to officially communicate to the producer the reason for the rejection of the film. The documentary was officially invited to play at the 17th Jio Mami Mumbai Film Festival but the invitation was withdrawn in the absence of clarity on the censor certificate. “This lack of clarity & communication from the censor board is irresponsible,” says Manu Kumaran,the producer of the film. The film was screened for the censor board on 27th August. Inspired by Nobel laureate Elias Canetti’s book, “Crowds And Power”, the documentary, ‘Battle For Banaras’ captures the excitement, the madness & the noise behind the high octane poll battle in the holy city of Banaras, Produced by Manu Kumaran & Mediente International Films, the documentary was shot in 4K, over a 44 day schedule in Banaras during the 2014 Lok Sabha elections.

‘Angry Indian Goddesses’ Lapped Up

‘Angry Indian Goddesses’ has been receiving appreciation across film festivals and is being loved by audiences at large. Followed by its sale to GAS (Germany – Austria -Switzerland), France, Benelux (Belgium -Netherlands – Luxembourg), Spain, Portugal & Canadian territories at Toronto International Film Festival 2015, the film went on to win the 1st Runner Up at the Grolsch People’s Choice Award at TIFF. With packed public screenings and positive word of mouth, the film has now been lapped up by Italia Film (Disney affiliated company)for the Middle East market. It includes 15 countries namely, Lebanon, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Bahrain, Qatar, Oman, Kuwait, Syria, Libya, Sudan, Ethiopia, Iraq, Iran, Yemen & Sudan. It is a great feat for an Indian Film as it continues to travel to other international festival including this years prestigious Rome International Film Festival (16th Oct, 2015 to 23rd Oct, 2015), where it is the lone Indian film. Rome film festival line up includes 37 films from across 24 countries. The film was also a special screening at the 35th Atlantic Film Festival in Halifax and recently had it’s European Premiere at the 11th edition of the Zurich Film Festival (ZFF) on 28th Sept, 2015.

James Bond Poster Exhibition Held At Liberty Cinema

While the world awaits the 24th James Bond Film ‘Spectre’, the cult fiction spy James Bond was in Mumbai through his ageless posters. And met his fans at Osianama at Liberty Cinema, from 6th Oct, 2015 till 11th Oct, 2015. For, The Shaken But Not Stirred exhibition at Osianama Part 1 opened on 6th Oct, 2015 to mark the 53rd Anniversary of 1st Bond Film ‘Dr. No’ starring Sean Connery. With this exhibition of original, timeless Landmark Bond posters from the US to Japanese to French to Italian versions, The Osian’s Film Archive begins to share its vast Hollywood Collection with the masses.

‘Court’ To Compete With Films From 80 Countries At The Oscars

India’s official entry to the Oscars, ‘Court’, will be competing with films from 80 countries in the Foreign Language Film category for the 88th Academy Awards. The Oscars have this year received film entries from 81 countries in this category including Paraguay, which is a 1st time entrant. The Marathi language film ‘Court’ is directed by Chaitanya Tamhane. Giving ‘Court’ a tough competition will also be renowned director Majid Majidi’s Iranian film ‘Muhammad: The Messenger Of God’, which is Iran’s official entry to the Oscars this year. On the other hand, Paraguay’s maiden film entry for the Oscars is titled ‘Cloudy Times’, directed by Arami Ullón.

Eros International Media’s Proposal Approved

The Government has cleared Eros International Media’s proposal of setting up a Limited Liability Partnership (LLP). The approval followed recommendation of the Foreign Investments Promotion Board (FIBP) and will involve a foreign direct investment (FDI) of Rs 49.90 lakh. The Government cleared as many as 11 FDI proposals worth Rs 1,567.91 crore, including that of Eros International Media. Additionally, approval was also granted to Amar Ujala Publications Limited for foreign shareholding in the company up to 26% of the post issue paid up equity share capital pursuant to proposed initial public offering, issue of equity shares to FIIs / FPIs / NRIs and transfer of 26,90,234 shares by existing shareholders for an aggregate consideration of Rs 50 crore.

‘Kadambari’ Bags Top Award

Bengali film ‘Kadambari’ by Suman Ghosh about Kadambari Devi, sister – in – law of Rabindranath Tagore with whom he is supposed to have had a close personal relationship and who eventually committed suicide, won the Best Film award at the 4th Washington South Asian Film Festival.

Chaitanya Tamhane won the “Best Director” award for ‘Court’, a Hindi and Marathi film, which is India’s official entry for the Academy Awards. Aparna Sen received the “Special Achievement Award”, while Huma Beg from Pakistan got the “Special Appreciation Award Documentary”. ‘Sarmad Khoosat’ received the Special Award for Contribution to Pakistan TV & Films. The Festival of independent alternate cinema on the theme of “Art and culture transcend boundaries” had 14 features, 10 shorts & 1 documentary from India, Pakistan, United States & Canada.

Vir & Soha’s Film ’31 October’ In Censor Trouble

Soha Ali Khan & Vir Das’ next release ’31 October’ is in Censor trouble. The film was recently submitted to the Board for certification. However, they have raised objections on certain scenes.”The makers are considering the changes that have been suggested but since these are integral to the film’s narrative, they are trying to figure out how to go about it. They can’t afford to lose the core essence of the film by incorporating any random cuts. All of this would mean that the film may not really make it for its 30th Oct, 2015 release.

Censor Board Allows Producers To Modify ‘A’ films to ‘UA’ for television

In a significant move to end the deadlock between the producers and the censor board over the conversion of Adults films to ‘UA’ to make them suitable for television viewing, the Central Board Of Film Certification (CBFC) has decided to let producers voluntarily cut their films and submit them for censor certification. Explaining the important decision to allow filmmakers the liberty to decide on how to cut their films for re -certification the CBFC chairperson Pahlaj Nihalani says, “As we all know, all Adult films have to be re -certified before telecast. However producers complained about a delay in the re -certification process as the CBFC often found the material unpalatable for family viewing on the home medium. Now we’ll allow producers to make the cuts that would make their ‘A’ films eligible for a ‘UA’ certificate and bring their films to us.” This is not to say that the films would become automatically eligible when submitted.

Movie Review: ‘Rock The Kasbah’ is an interesting, entertaining & enjoyable movie

October 26, 2015 by Shaheen Raaj

Producers: Steve Bing, Bill Block & Jacob Pechenik
Director: Barry Levinson
Star Cast: Bill Murray, Kate Hudson, Zooey Deschanel, Danny McBride, Scott Caan, Leem Lubany, Kelly Lynch, Arian Moayed, Taylor Kinny, Beejan Land & Bruce Willis
Genre: Comedy
Verdict: GOOD

Plot: Rock The Kasbah is the story of Richie Vance, a has-been rock manager who takes his last remaining client on a USO tour of Afghanistan. When Richie finds himself in Kabul, abandoned, penniless and without his passport, he discovers a young girl with an extraordinary voice and manages her through Afghanistan’s version of “American Idol” the wildly popular “Afghan Star.”

Aces: The mesmerizing performance of Zooey Deschanel in the main role of an aspiring singer and an equally catchy cameo act of Beejan Land as the host of the show Afghan Star.

Minuses: The lacklustre direction of Barry Levinson and its slow space. The editing part of it could have been crisper. And pray what was Bill Murray & Bruce Willis, both spent force, doing in the whole scheme of things or were they just taken on board as ex – veteran actors.

Last Word: A really interesting film made on the myth & the truth of a reality show. If only director Barry Levinson had paid more attention to the scattered script of Rock The Kasbah, it would have enlivened the proceedings.

Global Film Newsline

October 23, 2015 by Shaheen Raaj

NANDITA DAS, MANAV KAUL & SAURABH SHUKLA LET GO OFF THEIR FEE FOR THE REMAKE OF THE CULT FILM ‘ALBERT PINTO KO GUSSA KYUN AATA HAI’

Nandita Das, Manav Kaul & Saurabh Shukla, who play the lead roles in the remake of the cult film ALBERT PINTO KO GUSSA KYUN AATA HAI, did not charge a penny as remuneration. Since it’s an independent film directed & produced by Soumitra Ranade (who directed JAJANTARAM MAMANTARAM and wrote GOOPY GAWAIYA BAGHA BAJAIYA) there were budget constraints. The actors fell in love with the script and offered to work for free. Touched by their gesture, Soumitra has made them partners on the project and will be sharing the box office profit with the 3 actors once the film is released. The film is raising 30 lakhs through a 2 month long crowdfunding campaign on Wishberry which will cease on 2nd Oct, 2015. The campaign started on 3rd Aug, 2015 to collect money for the post production, animation & VFX of the film. The original film directed by Saeed Akhtar Mirza was released in 1980 and starred Naseeruddin Shah, Shabana Azmi, Smita Patil & Om Puri in the lead roles. Soumitra says, “It was a very challenging film but I could pull it off only because of my supportive actors who worked for free.”“This is the 1st script I read that grabbed me so much that I couldn’t put it down. It was such an amazing script. I know the director very well and I knew it was straight from his heart. I told him we have to make this film anyhow, even if we have to do it for free. Such roles don’t come your way often and I didn’t want to let go this brilliant opportunity.” Says Manav Kaul. Says Nandita Das, ““Firstly I don’t equate money with work. There is a lot of work that I do without charging anything. Films ofcourse, help me pay my bills and hence I don’t do them without any fees. But seldom do you get a project or a director where you know that they genuinely don’t have the money – and they just want to make a good film!So you want to participate in that. I think we all have to support each other especially those who are doing things with great honesty, with great integrity.”Says Saurabh Shukla, “Soumitra approached me and told me that there is no money but you be a partner. So all of us are partners in this project and I think it is great idea, because there are scripts in which the ‘mainstream market’ doesn’t believe in. But as artists we know that it has content and also has commercial possibilities. So what should we do? Should we be slaves to the market and not do these films? Or should we try it? So when we try it, we have to cut down costs. Soumitra has put in his own money and how much can a normal person invest in a film. So in such a scenario actors and the crewmembers come on board and say we will work free for you and share the profits later. So infact this is my chance to buy my Jaguar !”

TANIMA BAGS THE BEST ACTRESS AWARD

Tanima Bhattacharya wins the Best Actress Award for her role of ‘Abeera’ in SAANKAL – Shackle at the 20th Indie Gathering International Film Festival. It’s a proud moment for Pisceann Pictures as their debut Hindi film SAANKAL – Shackle is winning accolades and awards at various international film festivals. An excited Tanima shared her thoughts by saying, “I am really blessed and honored that our film “SAANKAL – Shackle” has won the Best Lead Actress Award at 20th International Indie Gathering Film Festival 2015.” The actress further added, “I am really blessed and honored that our film ” SAANKAL ( Shackle)” has won 2nd Best Foreign Feature Drama Award and I have won the Best Lead Actress Award at 20th International Indie Gathering Film Festival 2015. I am really proud of my director Dedipya Joshii Ji because he is the man who gave birth to Abeera & Kesar. Thanks to him for keeping faith in me that I can do justice to the role of Abeera. This is true that Tanima Bhattacharya has got this award but I want to dedicate the award to ABEERA in “SAANKAL”. SAANKAL – Shackle brings light on the still followed malpractice of elder women forcefully marrying off to younger boys in the state of Rajasthan. A tradition like this has several ill-effects however it still exists in the Thar desert. “SAANKAL – Shackle” features Chetan Sharma, Tanima Bhattacharya, Harish Kumar, Jagat Singh, Samarth Shandilya & Milind Gunaji. The film is produced by Aanand Rathore & Dedipya Joshii and directed & written by Dedipya Joshii.

FWICE’s GENERAL COUNCIL HAS DECIDED TO GO ON A STRIKE

The General Council of the Federation of Western India Cine Employees (FWICE) has decided unanimously to strike work across the Film & TV sectors as the negotiations between the TV producers & FWICE failed without coming to an agreement on even a single point. Speaking to us the President Shri Kamlesh Pandey stated “We are extremely disillusioned with the lack basic respect for human rights & liberties. Technicians are being compelled to sign draconian contracts that are illegal and anti worker” Amit Behl who is the Sr. Vice President (FWICE) and represents the interests of actors too stated “CINTAA is 100% supporting the strike and no actor will report for duty. Actors, Technicians & workers are being forced to work for over 12 hours a day regularly at remote locations with no breaks and they are on the brink of collapse” The FWICE General Secretary Dilip Pithva said that the trust the FWICE had placed in the producer bodies had been misplaced and all their commitments had proved shallow and been a time wasting exercise.
With the All India Film Employees Confederation having unanimously shown their support to the strike and with the Core Committee of AIFEC meeting on Oct 1st 2015 to express National Solidarity with the FWICE the situation is set for a showdown. With this current situation of chaos prevalent in the Film industry it remains to be seen as to whether the workers succeed in their fight for their rights.

DVD COLLECTION OF THE HISTORICAL MAGNUM OPUS ‘BUDDHA – THE KING OF KINGS’ RELEASED BY ULTRA MEDIA & ENTERTAINMENT PVT LTD

BUDDHA – THE KING OF KINGS was a famous historical serial on the life of Buddha produced on a scale & grandeur never before seen on Indian Television. It was telecasted in DD National & Zee TV every Sun at 11 am from 8th Sept, 2013 onwards. It was an instant success from its very 1st episode itself & enjoyed a high TRP rating throughout its tenure of 55 weeks.

FILMING TAKES OFF ON ‘SULLY’ DIRECTED BY CLINT EASTWOOD & STARRING TOM HANKS

Production is underway on Warner Bros. Pictures’ drama SULLY starring Oscar winner Tom Hanks as Captain Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger, under the direction of Oscar winner Clint Eastwood. On 15th Jan, 2009, the world witnessed the “Miracle on the Hudson” when Captain “Sully” Sullenberger (Hanks) glided his disabled plane onto the frigid waters of the Hudson River, saving the lives of all 155 aboard. However, even as Sully was being heralded by the public & the media for his unprecedented feat of aviation skill, an investigation was unfolding that threatened to destroy his reputation and his career. SULLY also stars Aaron Eckhart as Sully’s co – pilot, Jeff Skiles & Oscar nominee Laura Linney as Sully’s wife, Lorraine Sullenberger. Eastwood is directing the film from a screenplay by Todd Komarnicki, based on the book “Highest Duty: My Search for What Really Matters” by Sullenberger & Jeffrey Zaslow. The project is being produced by Eastwood, Frank Marshall, Allyn Stewart & Tim Moore, with Kipp Nelson serving as executive producer. The film reunites Eastwood with several of his longtime collaborators, who most recently worked with the director on the worldwide hit AMERICAN SNIPER: director of photography Tom Stern & production designer James J. Murakami, who were both Oscar nominated for their work on THE CHANGELING; costume designer Deborah Hopper & editor Blu Murray. Principal photography began on 28th Sept, 2015, in New York, where the water landing that instantly made Sully a household name was achieved. Filming will also take place in North Carolina, Atlanta & Los Angeles. A Malpaso, Flashlight Films, Kennedy / Marshall Company production, SULLY will be distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company.

JAMES WAN BEGINS SHOOTING NEW LINE CINEMA’S HIGHLY ANTICIPATED ‘THE CONJURING 2’

Principal photography has begun in Los Angeles on New Line Cinema’s THE CONJURING 2 with James Wan once again at the helm, following the record breaking success of THE CONJURING. The supernatural thriller brings to the screen another real case from the files of renowned demonologists Ed & Lorraine Warren.

Reprising their roles, Oscar nominee Vera Farmiga & Patrick Wilson, star as Lorraine & Ed Warren, who, in one of their most terrifying paranormal investigations, travel to North London to help a single mother raising 4 children alone in a house plagued by malicious spirits. The film follows the phenomenal worldwide reception of Wan’s THE CONJURING which marked the largest opening ever for an original horror movie. The film went on to make more than $319 million worldwide and still remains the 2nd highest grossing original horror movie of all time, 2nd only to THE EXORCIST. Rounding out the cast are Frances O’Connor as the single mom, with Madison Wolfe & debutantes Lauren Esposito, Patrick McAuley & Benjamin Haigh as her children; Maria Doyle Kennedy; Simon Delaney; Franka Potente & Simon McBurney. In addition to directing the film, Wan wrote the screenplay with Carey Hayes & Chad Hayes & David Leslie Johnson. Peter Safran, Wan & Rob Cowan, who previously collaborated on THE CONJURING are producing. Collaborating with Wan behind – the – scenes is Oscar nominated director of photography Don Burgess. Reuniting with the director from THE CONJURING are production designer Julie Berghoff, editor Kirk Morri, costume designer Kristin Burke & composer Joseph Bishara. Scheduled for worldwide release beginning 10th Jun, 2016, THE CONJURING 2 is a New Line Cinema Presentation and will be distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures.

‘PREM RATAN DHAN PAYO’ TRAILER LAUNCHED

The trailer launch of film PREM RATAN DHAN PAYO, presented by Fox Star Studios, produced by Rajshri Productions (P) Ltd., directed by Sooraj Barjatya, held at PVR, Juhu, was a star studded affair. Seen in attendance were Salman Khan, Sonam Kapoor, Sooraj Barjatya, Vidhi Kasliwal, Anupam Kher, Neil Nitin Mukesh, Rajkumar Barjatya, Bhushan Kumar, Ajay Kapoor, Deepak Dobriyal, Swara Bhaskar, Armaan Kohli, Ajaz Khan among many others.

‘DILWALE’ HEADS TO NEPAL

With every release of his, Shah Rukh Khan is known to open up newer markets for Bollywood and DILWALE seems to be no exception. While the film’s promotional campaign is yet to take off, Red Chillies Entertainment which is venturing into distribution with this one has already locked a lucrative deal for the film in Nepal. Darshan Arts, has bagged the screening rights for DILWALE at an unprecedented number and will be distributing the film here. Despite the earthquake that badly hit the movie business in Nepal, the exhibitors & the distributors showed phenomenal response to DILWALE which was bought at a record price higher than the other competing releases.

DAVANGERE BAGS RIGHTS FOR DILWALE

Davangere exhibitor, which forms a part of the Mysore distribution circuit has paid record MG for procuring the screening rights of DILWALE. Here the film is being distributed by Bahar Films. Such promising feedback from the film trade in South India where Hindi films are still trying to make a headway clearly indicates the tremendous buzz around DILWALE even before the 1st promo has been released.

‘SINGH IS BLIING‘ OFFICIAL MOBILE GAME RELEASED

Director Prabhu Dheva’s much anticipated action comedy SINGH IS BLIING was released on 2nd Oct, 2015. The film features Akshay Kumar, Amy Jackson, Lara Dutta & Kay Kay Menon in lead roles. Accompanying the film’s theatrical release is the movie’s official mobile game. The official SINGH IS BLIING game is published & distributed by FunOnGo Entertainment Pvt Ltd, a digital entertainment specialist across movies, music, games & applications. The company provides customized platform & managed services to clients such as Samsung, Micromax, Karbonn, Intex, Spice & Gionee. The game publishers have designed the game in a manner that gamers get a real good feel of being in the shoes of their favorite action hero Akshay Kumar. The run up to the castle and the fight sequences on the floor are evocative of the fast pace, taut action that Akshay is famed for. On completion, the game was showcased to Akshay; He said “I really liked the game, the fights were so good that I ended up playing the game for most of the day” The interactive mobile action game requires Rafttaar Singh to go on a mission to save Sara, who has been captured & held captive in a castle. The gamer plays as Rafttaar Singh and can unlock up to three stages of game play as he succeeds from one level to another. In the 1st level of the game, Rafttaar Singh is expected to run up towards the castle jumping over hurdles, avoiding obstacles & dodging oncoming threats. The gamers will really like the slide kick play action to counter attack their on screen enemies. The level 2 takes Rafttaar Singh inside the castle, fighting here the gamer could find health levels drop with the onslaught of enemy punches, but they have the use of a life line too! The fight controls are intelligently placed on screen in the 2nd level. The third level is the more advance level and here Raftaar Singh gets to rescue the lovely Sara. The official game is available across most of the popular feature & smart phones in India. The SINGH IS BLIING official Mobile Games are available for users downloads on Android, IOS marketplace and other popular app stores online.

EROS INTERNATIONAL TIES UP WITH JHOOM JHOOM PRODUCTIONS & SOHAM ROCKSTAR ENTERTAINMENT FOR ‘SANAM TERI KASAM

Eros International, the leading global company in the Indian film industry shall release Jhoom Jhoom Productions’ & Soham Rockstar’s musical love story SANAM TERI KASAM on 8th Jan, 2016. Produced by Deepak Mukut & directed by well – known director duo Radhika Rao & Vinay Sapru, the film stars debutante Harshvardhan Rane & Pakistani actress Mawra Hocane as the romantic leads. The director duo, who have earlier directed Salman Khan’s LUCKY…….. NO TIME FOR LOVE and is synonymous with super hit music videos & chart topping numbers from DABANGG, DABANGG 2, JAI HO and others is set to present the newest romantic pairing in Bollywood with Telugu actor Harshvardhan Rane, best known for Telugu hits TAKITA TAKITA, AVUNU, MAAYA and the immensely popular Pakistani actress, Mawra Hocane known for her hit Pakistani dramas “Ahista Ahista”, “Maryam” & “Main Bushra”. Bringing alive the story through his soulful musical renditions is music director, Himesh Reshammiya.

SHEFALI BHUSHAN’S ‘JUGNI’ TO RELEASE ON 29TH JAN 2016

JUGNI (Firefly), written & directed by Shefali Bhushan, is all set to hit the silver screen on 29th Jan, 2016. Produced by Karan Grover, Manas Malhotra & Shefali Bhushan, the film revolves around Vibhavari, a music director, who is working on her 1st big break in the Hindi film industry. With the star cast of Sugandha Garg, Siddhant Behl, Anurita Jha, Sadhana Singh, Samir Sharma, JUGNI is all about striking balances & dealing with the unpredictability of life, while finding the place one can call home; home of the heart, where the firefly is at her brightest! Other Credits of the film include Music: Clinton Cerejo

TRAILER LAUNCH EVENT OF ‘CHARLIE KAY CHAKKER MEIN’

The trailer of film CHARLIE KAY CHAKKER MEIN was launched at a suburban theatre recently. Naseeruddin Shah and the whole cast & crew interacted with the media talking about their experience shooting the film. Produced by Karan Arora under Picture Thoughts Production & directed by Manish Srivastav, the film is an investigative thriller starring Naseeruddin Shah, Amit Sial, Anand Tiwari, Subrat Dutta & Manasi Rachh slated to release on 6th Nov this year.

ALIA TO BE THE NEW FACE OF STANDARD

Standard, a well-known brand of $1.4 billion Havells India Limited, today roped in Bollywood actress Alia Bhatt, one of the most stylish & dynamic star and youth icon as its brand ambassador. As part of this association, Alia Bhatt will endorse products through an aggressive advertising campaign, which was slated to be launched by end of Sept, 2015. The advertisement campaign will have a series of 3 TV commercials which is conceptualized & executed by India’s leading advertising agency Mullen Lintas. Over the years, Standard has been serving the Indian customers with superior quality products and has established itself as a key player in the electrical products segment by constantly creating best in class, innovative & trend setting products. Last year the brand entered into the consumer segment by launching range of fans. To keep pace with the modern times, changing consumer preferences and enhancing brand appeal to younger consumers, the brand unveiled its new identity earlier this year. Anil Rai Gupta, Chairman & Managing Director, Havells India Limited said “We are delighted to have Alia Bhatt as the brand ambassador for ‘Standard’ brand. She truly represents the ‘Young Energy of India’ which will be the new positioning for the brand. We firmly believe in fulfilling the aspirations of modern day consumers who are confident, independent and do not want to settle for less. She aptly represents our brand’s ideology of style with substance and is a perfect blend of everything that the brand stands for”.Alia Bhatt said, “I love the positioning of “built for young energy” since I can completely relate to this. I believe today’s youth symbolize confidence, trust & intelligence and deserve the best in class products. Brand Standard is making that possible by fulfilling the aspirations of today’s contemporary consumers with world class products and wonderful product range. I am happy to be associated with the brand Standard.”

TRAILER OF ‘LOVE EXCHANGE’ LAUNCHED

Considered as the Lord of Success, the director and the cast of the film LOVE EXCHANGE launched the poster of their film in the presence of Ganpati Bappa at Andheri Cha Raja. As the God of beginnings, the director & the cast of the film performed the rituals in order to seek the blessings of Lord Ganesha followed by the launch of the poster. The launch of the film witnessed the presence of the Director – Raj. V. Shetty and the cast comprising of Mohit Madan, Jyoti Sharma; distributor Girish Wankhede, producer Nadia & Director of the film Raj. V. Shetty who says, “Love can be a tornado or a gentle breeze” LOVE EXCHANGE is a rom com produced by Nadia Ali Shirazi which deals with 2 youngsters Sid & Shanoo who meet at the work place and develop deep love for each other. Everything looks just right but no love is strong enough if it does not stand the test of obstacles. And the obstacle is the clash of cultures. Sid is the son of Mr. Sathe & Shanoo is the daughter of Mr. Kapoor . Before they can announce their love to their parents, the parents are ready with a plan to separate the lovers. Mr. Sathe & Mr. Kapoor get together as a team and set a condition for Sid & Shanoo. Sid will live in Punjabi Mr. Kapoor’s house & Shanoo will live in Maharashtrian Mr. Sathe’s house for 3 months. Let’s wait & watch what happens next. The film stars Mohit Madan, Jyoti Sharma, Manoj Pahwa, Neelu Kohli, Shama Deshpande & Raju Kher

Foreign Films Round Up

October 21, 2015 by Shaheen Raaj

IRAN PICKS RISE OF ISLAM EPIC ‘MUHAMMED: THE MESSENGER OF GOD’

Iran has selected ‘Muhammad: The Messenger Of God’, the controversial blockbuster about the birth & the rise of Islam directed by Majid Majidi, as its entry for the foreign language Academy Award. Considered the most expensive Iranian movie ever made, the $40 million epic was lensed by Vittorio Storaro and features a score by Indian composer Allah Rakha Rahman. The film recently prompted a fatwa from a Muslim group in India and has also sparked other forms of disapproval from Sunni religious authorities. Many Muslims consider any depiction of Muhammad to be taboo, even fleeting glimpses, such as those in the film. Iran is largely Islam, with the vast majority belonging to the Shiite sect. The partly Government financed ‘Muhammad: The Messenger Of God’ is playing on more than half of Iran’s roughly 320 screens after opening the Montreal Film Festival on 27 Aug, 2015. Box office receipts have hit over 70 billion Iranian Rials, roughly $2 million in 1 month, according to the Government controlled Tehran Times. If that figure is accurate, it’s a nice haul. The Muslim ban on images of Muhammad caused concern in Iran during the 7 year gestation of the religious blockbuster, which depicts the future prophet from birth through the age of 12. In her review, Variety critic Alissa Simon wrote, “Majidi respects Islamic convention by never showing Muhammad’s face and shooting him mostly from the back.” Majidi has said that through the biopic, he aimed to remove the “violent image” of Islam created by jihadist groups.

“PLAYMOBIL” PRODUCTION LAUNCHED

Backed by Wild Bunch & Pathe, Dimitri Rassam & Aton Soumache’s Paris based ON Animation Studios has launched the production of $75 million franchise based movie ‘Playmobil: Robbers, Thieves & Rebels’ on the heels of Toronto, where the project was snatched up by a flurry of international distributors. Cross Creek has acquired distribution rights to ‘Playmobil: Robbers, Thieves & Rebels’ for a wide release in US. The tiny – toy movie follows Lego’s big screen lead. ‘The Lego Movie’ opened to a whopping $69.1 million and grossed $468.8 million worldwide last year. Following a short story presentation at Toronto, ‘Playmobil: Robbers, Thieves & Rebels’, the ambitious 1st animated feature based on the iconic toy brand, locked pre -sales in other major territories, including Germany (Concorde), Latin America (Leda), Benelux (Belga), Switzerland (Impuls) & Middle East (Shooting Stars). Pathe will release the movie in France, while Vincent Maraval’s Wild Bunch handles international sales and will seal more deals at AFM in Nov, 2015.

LANTICA TO CO – PRODUCE ‘GRAN HOTEL’

Driving into higher end international drama under Chris Philip, tapped Jan, 2015 to head up production & distribution, Televisa USA is teaming with Lantica Media to adapt & co -produce TV series format ‘Gran Hotel’. From an original screenplay by Stephen Kornish, Televisa USA’s ‘Gran Hotel’ will be transposed from the original’s Spanish Belle Epoque milieu to the licentious 1950s pre -Castro Havana. Series will be shot at Lantica’s Pinewood Dominican Republic Studios. Lantica are now all set to co -develop & co – finance multiple projects with global producer & distributor Televisa USA. “We are thrilled to be in business with Televisa USA on this and future projects, said Antonio Gennari, CEO of Lantica Media. A romantic murder mystery melding danger & passion, Televisa USA’s ‘Gran Hotel’ 1950s Havana will forseebly amp up format’s crime gristle & licentiousness: Many Havana hotels were built by the mob, including Cuban kingpin Meyer Lansky, taking advantage of lax Cuban gambling laws. In plot, ‘Gran Hotel’ will turn on Julio who, following his sister’s disappearance, ends up searching for her at the opulent Gran Hotel in Havana, where he falls into the arms of the sexy daughter of its wealthy owner.

‘THE WALK’ HEADS TO ROME

Robert Zemeckis’ ‘The Walk’ which opens the New York Film Festival this Sat, will launch into Italy from the Rome Film Festival which has secured several other Italo bows of pics with Oscar buzz and will honor hot Chilean auteur Pablo Larrain with a complete retro. ‘The Walk’, which stars Joseph Gordon – Levitt as famous high wire artist Philippe Petit who performed on a tightrope connecting the Twin Towers of New York’s World Trade Center, will screen at the Rome fest in 3D, ahead of its 22nd Oct, 2015 Italian release via Warner Bros. Ben Kingsley, James Badge Dale, Ben Schwartz & Charlotte Le Bon also star. As previously announced, James Vanderbilt’s ‘Truth’, starring Robert Redford as Dan Rather & Cate Blanchett as his producer Mary Mapes, in a depiction of the “Memogate” controversy that ended Rather’s career as CBS News anchorman, will open the recently reconfigured Rome fest on 16th Oct, 2015. The 16th – 20th Oct, 2015 Eternal City event has a new artistic director, Antonio Monda, who is New York based Italian jouro, writer & academic and also boasts a beefed up market component called MIA – an acronym for Mercato Internazionale Audiovisivo. Pablo Larrain, who is 39, will be on hand for the 1st complete retro of his works comprising of ‘Tony Manero’, ‘Post Mortem’ & ‘No’, which form a trilogy on the rise & fall of Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet. His ‘El Club’, which is about Catholic Church abuses in Chile, won the Silver Bear this year in Berlin and is Chile’s candidate in the foreign language category at the upcoming Academy Awards.

‘JUNUN’ TO DEBUT ON STREAMING PLATFORM MUBI

Paul Thomas Anderson’s new film ‘Junun’ will have its exclusive worldwide premiere on subscription streaming platform MUBI on 9th Oct, 2015 following its 8th Oct, 2015 opening at New York Film Festival. Earlier this year, Anderson, whose credits include ‘Inherent Vice’, ‘There Will Be Blood’ & ‘The Master’, joined his friend & collaborator Jonny Greenwood, guitarist with the band Radiohead & Israeli musician, composer & poet Shye Ben Tzur on a trip to Rajasthan in North – Western India, where they were hosted by the Maharaja of Jodhpur. Their destination was the 15th century Mehrangarh Fort, where Greenwood, with the help of Radiohead producer Nigel Godrich and a group of musicians drawn from across the Indian sub – continent, worked on Ben Tzur’s album, which will be released by Nonesuch in Nov, 2015. The band assembled a makeshift studio at the fort and over the following 3 weeks created the collaboration that became the music and film of ‘Junun’. (The word “junun” is an alternate spelling of “junoon” the Arabic, Persian, Urdu & Hindi word for “mania,” or “the madness of love”).

‘ANGELO RULES’ SEAON 3 LAUNCHED

UK kids / family entertainment distributors Cake Entertainment & France’s TeamTO, one of its leading CGI animation studios, will unveil Season 3 of ‘Angelo Rules’, one of TeamTO’s evergreen franchises, at this weekend’s Mip Junior. Launch comes as the partners confirmed recently that toon series’ 3rd season had sold to prestige partners: Super RTL for Germany & Cartoon Network EMEA for Europe, Middle East & Africa.

Cake will screen 1 episode of Season 3 in Mip Junior’s video library. Others will be available at its stand. Animated series will be ready for delivery by late 2015 and air in 2016 in France, Germany and around Europe. Going into production in 2008 and a TeamTO / Cake co – production for Gallic pubcaster France Televisions & Teletoon Plus, ‘Angelo Rules’, was an instant hit selling to over 100 countries. In 2010, over 1 million viewers in France watched its 1st episode, which punched a 30% 4 – 14s market share. Skein snagged a Pucinella Award for Best Kids TV Series at the 2010 Cartoons on the Bay Festival and a 2013 Emmy Kids Awards nomination. Season 3 once more turns on Angelo, aged 11, a sweet talking genius who, along with best friends Sherwood & Lola, uses planning, irreverence, a rebellious nature, optimism and above all charisma to extricate them from trouble.

SWIPE PICKS UK RIGHTS

Independent distributor Swipe Films has acquired UK rights to Maeve Murphy’s comic crime drama ‘Taking Stock’, which has its world premiere at Raindance Film Festival on 4th Oct, 2015. The 3rd feature by Belfast born director, the film stars Kelly Brook as a struggling actress who is inspired by the legend of gangsters Bonnie Parker & Clyde Barrow to rob the furniture store where she works part time. Star Brook, who recently landed a major role in NBC’s ‘One Big Happy’, produced by Ellen DeGeneres, is a UK actress & model whose diverse screen credits include ‘School for Seduction’, ‘Smallville’, ‘Piranha 3D’ & ‘Keith Lemon: The Film’, alongside West End stage appearances in ‘Calendar Girls’ and Neil La Bute’s ‘Fat Pig’. Murphy said: “I’m so pleased that ‘Taking Stock’ is premiering at Raindance Film Festival and will get released. The festival’s joyous indie spirit fits ‘Taking Stock’ very well. Kelly really shines and it’s a good platform for people to see it. Essentially it is a fun film which shows, in a light hearted way, some of the issues & dilemmas young people are currently facing in UK today.” Swipe, which handled TV sales for Murphy’s 2nd feature ‘Beyond The Fire’ in 2009, plans to release the film in Dec, 2015 subject to Brook’s availability. Known for its alternative marketing strategies, for its recent release of Mohsen Makhmalbaf’s ‘The President’.

GOVERNMENT CONSIDERS SALE OF CHANNEL 4

The UK Government is considering a sale of the publicly owned broadcaster Channel 4, it emerged recently, when a Government official was photographed holding a document identifying privatization as an option. Culture secretary John Whittingdale, who is in charge of UK broadcasting policy, has previously denied that a sale is being considered at present. Last month, he said at the Edinburgh Internal Television Festival: “The ownership of Channel 4 is not currently under debate. Do I say there are no circumstances in which I would ever consider it? No I don’t.” He added: “What I do say is the remit of Channel 4 is a priority and it’s not going to change.” Contradicting Whittingdale’s statement, the photographed document indicates that a sale is being considered. It states: “Work should proceed to examine the options for extracting greater public value from Channel 4 Corporation, focusing on privatization options in particular, while protecting its ability to deliver against its remit.” An insider with the governing Conservative Party commented: “John Whittingdale is interested and wants to do it,” the Guardian newspaper reported recently.

SONY & DISCOVERY INK A PACT

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment & Discovery Communications have inked a multi – year physical home entertainment distribution pact for Discovery’s catalog and future release slate. Beginning this fall, SPHE will distribute Discovery content on physical formats for the home entertainment marketplace throughout Europe, Middle East & Africa. Discovery’s upcoming release slate includes ‘Racing Extinction’, a politically charged documentary from the Oscar winning director of ‘The Cove’, Louie Psihoyos, as well as ‘Bear Grylls: Breaking Point’, in which the survival expert takes ordinary people on a journey to face their fears & ‘Manhunt’, which pits former Navy SEAL Joel Lambert against some of the world’s most experienced hunting & tracking units. Additional releases will include returning franchises such as ‘Through The Wormhole’, ‘Deadliest Catch’ & ‘How the Universe Works’. “We look forward to leveraging our strong distribution channels throughout the EMEA for Discovery’s distinct slate of world class product,” said Man Jit Singh, president, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment.

BARRY ON SHOOTING ‘NEWCOMER’

Extraordinarily for an opening night film and extremely heartening for aspiring filmmakers everywhere, Kai Barry’s 1st feature ‘Newcomer’ came to Raindance Film Festival programmers’ attention though open submissions. But after his film’s debut at the festival, Barry won’t be under the radar for much longer. Filmed in Belgrade and starring ‘My Brother The Devil’s James Floyd, ‘Newcomer’ tells the story of Alex, an apparently bright young man who finds himself over his head when he applies for a job with a private firm protecting secret information. Barry says: “The original thing was, I read a stat that said, in US, 70% of the intelligent budget goes on independent contractors. Just reading that statistic, I thought, ‘There’s got to be a lot of confusion here, right?’ And I started to wonder: what is that world? Obviously there’s the James Bond world, but what about this world, where nobody knows who anybody really is? Misinformation can be as powerful as shooting people, or blowing things up, and that was the side of the spy world that I wanted to play with and I wanted to keep everything as real as possible from that point forward.”

‘AURORA BOREALIS’ RECEIVES $2 MILLION

The Hungarian National Film Fund, which backed Cannes’ Grand Prix winner ‘Son Of Saul’, has granted 580 million HUF ($2.07 million) in production funding to Marta Meszaros’ ‘Aurora Borealis’. The feature film project starts to shoot next month. Meszaros is the director of ‘Adoption’, which won the Golden Bear at the Berlin Film Festival in 1975, ‘Nine Months’, which won the Prix Fipresci at Cannes in 1977 and ‘Diary For My Children’, winner of the Grand Prix Special Du Jury at Cannes in 1984. ‘Aurora Borealis’ stars Mari Torocsik, who toplined last year’s local box – office hit ‘Swing’ by Csaba Fazekas. Torocsik won best actress at Cannes with ‘A Locsei Feher Asszony’ in 1976. As in her previous films, Meszaros examines a social taboo in ‘Aurora Borealis’, this time the story of children fathered by occupying Russian soldiers. It centers on Olga, who lives in Vienna. She realizes that there are secrets in her family past and she will not be able to put her own life in order until she works out the truth of what happened. After returning to Hungary, her elderly mother did everything in her power to keep the past a secret from her daughter and lied to her for years, but when she falls into a coma, Olga finds a mysterious photograph and starts to search for the truth.

‘NO LONGER HEROINE’ OVERTAKES “ATTACK ON TITAN”

‘Heroine Shikkaku’ (“No Longer Heroine”), climbed atop the Japanese box office this weekend in its 2nd week of release. Based on a best – selling comic by Momoko Koda about the love troubles of its title teen heroine, the film earned $1.95 million on 196,496 admissions from 268 screens, with Warner Japan distributing. This was only 12% down from last weekend, with teenaged girls accounting for most of the audience. ‘No Longer Heroine’ is now expected to finish near $25 million mark. ‘No Longer Heroine’ bumped ‘Attack On Titan: End Of The World’, the 2nd of a 2 part action / fantasy epic, distributed by Toho, after only 1 week at No. 1. Playing on 427 screens, the film took in $1.3 million from 112,487 admissions, compared with $2.7 million from 237,016 tickets for its opening frame. Even this latter figure was down 45.7% from the opening weekend of the 1st film, which bowed on 1st Aug, 2015. Also in its 2nd week of release, Disney’s ‘Ant – Man’ recorded $1.1 million on 96,575 admissions to hold onto the number 3 slot. There were no new entries to the top 10, reflecting distributors’ decisions to open their strongest films prior to the Silver Week holiday, which ran from 19th Sept, 2015 to 23rd Sept, 2015.

Mungala is the perfect depiction of a villager’s life in a rural ambience: Producer Gaurav Bhanushali

October 19, 2015 by Shaheen Raaj

Producer Gaurav Bhanushali deserves a pat on his back for presenting a perfect picture of a village in times of drought. And how the villager’s suffer more due to the politician’s mean game of using the villagers to win the so called elections. That apart they also become the victims of a natural calamity.

So how would you describe your film Mungala?

My film Mungala is the perfect depiction of a villager’s life in a rural ambience. First of all the main protagonist Kisan has just returned from the city after being sacked by an American IT company due to recession.

And then?

And then on his return to the village Kisan discovers that the villagers are also passing through a phase of drought, the villagers are now solely depending on tanker’s everyday to fulfill their necessity of water. While they are also being used as a crowd puller for an election rally time & again by the political workers. So Kisan also whiles away his time with his coterie of friends. And then there were news reports in the papers that there was a rainfall due to a research being done on the moon. Instantly Kisan & his friends devise a plan to end the sufferings of the villagers.

This almost sounds like Mungala is an off beat venture. What say?

Maybe you are right but I think the audiences all over will like it. Rural audiences will lap up Mungala, but I firmly believe that even the urban audiences will have a lot of food for thought to ponder upon.

What according to you are the main highlights of Mungala?

First of all I would like to say that it is Vijay Devkar’s excellent directional skills that will keep the audiences all over spell bind. No we don’t want their sympathy, we just want them to realize the villager’s problem minutely & offer us a concrete solution. That apart I would like to mention the names of all my artistes like Lokesh Gupte, Jyoti Joshi, Suhas Palshikar, Ganesh Yadav, Chetan Dalvi etc for going through all the grind and literally getting into the skin of the charater and literally living their roles and lastly I would like to make a mention of my music composers Vijay Gawande & Atul Lohar who have also delivered the goods expected of them.

By the way what was the need to include an item song in such an off beat film?

Mungala is not just an off beat venture, it is also a thoroughly entertaining film. So instead of keeping a tamasha oriented lavani as usual I thought of including a proper item song which would enliven the audiences.

So what’s next on your agenda?

Frankly speaking right now Mungala is my top priority. I am seriously considering of sending Mungala to global fests as in India it has already been an official selection for Sahayadri Cine Awards for “Best Choreography” & also an official selection with 4 nominations for Nashik International Film Festival where it ultimately bagged the Golden Camera Award for “Best Rural Cinema”.

Movie Review: ‘Crimson Peak’ is entertaingly enjoyable albeit not so scary

October 19, 2015 by Shaheen Raaj

Producer: Callum Greene, Jon Jashni, Thomas Tull & Guillermo Del Toro
Director: Guillermo Del Toro
Star Cast: Mia Wasikowaka, Jessika Chastian, Tom Hiddleston, Jim Beaver & Charlie Hunnam,
Genre: Horror
Verdict: AVERAGE

The most famous works of director Guillermo Del Toro were The Hobbit series, The Orphanage, Hell Boy series, The Devil’s Backbone, Pan’s Labyrinth, Pacific Rim, Blade series et al all which falls into the Horror oriented category. In short Guillermo Del Toro happens to be one director who has hardly deviated his film making attention from one particular genre.

Plot: When her heart is stolen by a seductive stranger, a young woman is swept away to a house atop a mountain of blood – red clay: a place ﬁlled with secrets that will haunt her forever. Between desire & darkness, between mystery & madness, lies the truth behind Crimson Peak. So from the imagination of director Guillermo Del Toro comes a supernatural mystery starring Tom Hiddleston, Jessica Chastain, Mia Wasikowska & Charlie Hunnam.

Aces: The only redeeming factor of Crimson Peak are the par excellence performance of its male brigade of actors like Tom Hiddleton, Jim Beaver & above all Charlie Hunnan who is simply superb.

Minuses: Wonder why a master of the horror genre like Guillermo Del Toro has seriously failed to live up to audiences expectations.

Last Word: Tom tomed as the most scary fare Crimson Peak fails to catch your most scary fancy.

Movie Review: ‘Jazbaa’ is a captivating thriller with good performances that makes it a decent watch

October 15, 2015 by Shaheen Raaj

Banner: White Feather Films & Viiking Media & Entertaiment
Producer: Sanjay Gupta, Aishwarya Rai, Anuradha Gupta, Nittin Keni, Akash Chawla, Sachin R. Joshi & Raina Sachin R. Joshi
Director: Sanjay Gupta
Cast: Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Irrfan Khan, Shabana Azmi, Chandan Roy Sanyal, Jackie Shroff, Atul Kulkarni, Siddhanth Kapoor, Priya Banerjee, Sara Arjun, Abhimanyu Singh et al
Music: Amjad – Nadeem Arko, Pravo Mukherjee & Amar Mohile
Distribution: Essel Vision Productions

Director Sanjay Gupta is more famous for his thriller movies genre in the past. And once again he has delivered the goods in his latest offering ‘Jazbaa’ albeit this time he has laced the movie with a bit of emotionalism too, probably to tug at the viewer’s heart strings too.

The intricatly plotted scenerio of ‘Jazbaa’ kicks off with Anuradha Verma (Aishwarya Rai Bachchan), a prominent criminal lawyer and a single mother who has never lost a case. One day her daughter Sanaya (Sara Arjun) is kidnapped and no ransom is demanded, but instead the kidnapper contacts her and tells her that she has to defend a convicted felon to get her daughter back. The felon is Miyaaz Shaikh (Chandan Roy Sanyal) who is convicted for rape & murder of a young woman and the case against him is set for judgement in 4 days. The kidnapper keeps track of Anuradha very closely to make sure she complies with his demand. With the pressure of time against her, Anuradha tries to get help from her suspended police friend Yohan (Irrfan Khan) who has been suspended from the police force for flaunting the rules & the regulations too often. The case against Miyaaz Shaikh is handled by a renowned public prosecutor (Atul Kulkarni) who has been defeated by Anuradha time & again and hence has a long time professional rivalry against her.

Director Sanjay Gupta has officially made ‘Jazbaa’ as the indianised version of the Korean movie ‘Seven Days’ packing in all the edge – of – the – seat punches topped with his par excellence directional skills. In fact the movie ‘Jazbaa’ sounds almost like a perfectly crafted slick Hollywood thriller, yet the film lacks in its repeat value deviod of any mass entertainment value. The film also proves weak in its proper romanticism depiction & musical treatment barring the first rate backgrond score of Amar Mohile. That apart his other behind – the – scenes technicians have also given a first rate account of their unsurpassed talent perfectly living upto his directorial expectations and that includes each & every bit role playing actors too. A word of extreme praise also goes to all the producers backing the project and of course last but not the least to Nittin Keni too for his distributional vision through his Essel Vision Company.

Performance wise the film ‘Jazbaa’ clearly belongs to Aishwarya Rai Bachchan as her overtly perfect comback launch pad after 5 long years. She delivers a towering performance despite the towering presence of a superbly talented performer like Irrfan Khan. But sadly speaking this time around Irrfan Khan could not stand tall with his volcano of talent with his half the time dopey act, against an equally talented performer like Aishwarya Rai Bachchan. Yet all said & done the duo has perfecty matched their talent in a few scenes at least. And for that the entire credit goes to director Sanjay Gupta for capturing & extracting a raw & stunning performance from the duo. Next in line the veteran actress Shabana Azmi, on the other hand, comes up with yet another sterling performance. The remaining actors like Jackie Shroff, Priya Banerjee, Siddhant Kapoor, Chandan Roy Sanyal & Atul Kulkarni too have excelled beyond imagination in their respectively brief cameo roles.

Tail Piece: ‘Jabaa’ is a captivating thriller with good performances that makes it a decent watch for the entire family audiences.

‘Ranveer – The Maarshal’ is completely based on 8 kinds of unique martial arts”: Milind Ukey

October 15, 2015 by Shaheen Raaj

Director Milind Ukey had 1st gained a recognized limelight with a Shahid Kapoor & Nana Patekar starrer movie ‘Pathshaala’. And then he came into his own with varied language films made every once in 2 years and he is still around with many more filmy martial arts tucked up his directorial sleeves. At present, he is ready with his extraordinaire martial art movie named ‘Ranviir – The Martial’, whose imminent release is just round the corner.

To start off with, how about giving us a brief lowdown on your pre -filmic background?

I am from Nagpur. I am basically a Mechanical Engineer from VNIT. I had done my 3 year Film Direction Course from FTII Pune.

Now tell us how & from where did your cinematic journey begin?

I had started off as an associate director for Sanjay Leela Bhansali in ‘Khamoshi’ & ‘Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam’. I had made my 1st independent feature film in Marathi named ‘Devaki’ which had won 27 awards. Then I had made films like ‘Hanuman’ the 1st animation film, ‘Paathshaala’ with Shahid Kapoor & Nana Patekar, ‘Dehradun Diary’ with Adhyayan Suman. Then I had made 2 more films in between namely ‘Deshdevi’ & ‘Humne Jeena Seekh Liya’. I was also a creative director for ‘Naina’.

Fine! By the way, why was there such a long gap in your directional arena?

I have made 1 feature film every 2 years for the last 10 years. Hence, there is not much gap in the directional arena. Making good films from conception to release does take around 1.5 to 2 years.

Time to reveal about your upcoming film ‘Ranviir – The Marshal’ in a nutshell’?

‘Ranviir – The Marshal’ is the 1st of its kind film in India which is completely based on 8 kinds of martial arts. All artists are expert professional martial artists. Every character , story, backdrop, twists & turns deals with only martial arts. The fights are choreographed by professional martial artists, supported by International Taekwondo Federations of India. The feel, the structure & the execution of this film is on the lines of the international martial arts films.

What according to you are the highlights of ‘Ranviir – The Marshall’?

The great martial arts fights of the lead hero and the professional martial artists, the arena fights, the pure martial arts competition fights involving 800 students, the international look of the characters & the backdrops and above all 8 kind of martial arts in the finale and above all 6 International fighters are the highlights of the film.

Scores of martial art movies are being made time & again, so what’s so special about ‘Ranviir – The Marshal?

You see full-fledged martial arts films are not made in India. There is specific writing, designing & fight composition of martial arts films, which nobody understands in India. I myself practiced martial arts. I studied martial arts cinema from ‘Enter The Dragon’ to the recent ‘Grandmastar’. Besides I also learnt some cinematic fight technique from Hong Kong fight master in London. So I can proudly claim that ‘Ranviir – The Marshal’ is a 1st of its kind of martial arts film completely based on art, culture, skills & designs of only martial arts.

When is the movie finally releasing and what was the specific reasons for its delay?

It is finally releasing on 23rd Oct, 2015 and there was no delay in the film as such. Its only that lots of post production work takes time as much as ground level marketing does. We had long connect programme with 5000 martial arts clubs all over India. So it takes time.

Is your film a message oriented one and what message are you trying to impart?

This is a sports film based on martial arts sports. Today’s children are too absorbed in electronic gadgets, video games, internets,
smart phones et al, thereby restricting their physical growth. This film will inspire them to come out of their closets & play ground games. The Guru in my film says, “Martial arts ek jeene ki kala hai, ek aam aadmi se ek kabil insaan banane tak ka safar” It will also inspire girls to learn the self-defence techniques.

How was it moulding & working with debutante artistes. Did they deliver the goods and finally are you satisfied as a director?

Every actor has delivered a superb performance. Rishy as Ranviir is outstanding in fighting as well as emotional & dramatic sequences. Rajesh as a stylized villain is unique. Shibani Kashyap debuting as a vamp with a hunter is too good to be true. NSD Guru of acting Robin Das adds the spiritual angle to the film. Viswajeet Pradhan as composed guide & Ratiji as over powering mother are amazing. The professional martial artists Sameer Khan, Vinod Koomang, Prateek Parmar are outstanding in their fights of international standards.

As a parting shot tell us what is next on your filmmaking agenda?

I am busy making 3 films at the moment. Firstly I am working on the next level of martial arts film. Another project is a true international story about Gomla village. Period!

Small Screen Round Up

October 14, 2015 by Shaheen Raaj

Danny The BBC Television Director Resigns

After a stint of 8 years, BBC director of television Danny Cohen has stepped down from his post to pursue a new leadership challenge.
Cohen will leave the pubcaster at the end of Nov, 2015. BBC controller of entertainment commissioning Mark Linsey will take on his responsibilities until an appointment is made.

Zee Cafe launches ‘The Criminal Minds’

America’s suspense – thriller show ‘The Criminal Minds is all set to get you to #ThinkLikeACriminal starting on 14th Oct, 2015 at 10pm on Zee Cafe. Led by special agent Aaron “Hotch” Hotchner, each member of the BAU (Behavioral Analysis Unit) brings in their unique art of profiling to track – the predators’ motivations and identify their emotional triggers in an attempt to stop them. Based in Quantico, Virginia, the BAU is a subsection of the FBI and are called in by the local police departments to assist with crimes that are of an extremely violent nature where the perpetrator is unknown. The highlight of the show is the fact that, viewers not only get to watch the profilers solve the crime, but also get to understand the criminal’s psychological intention while he commits it. The BAU uses evidence from the case and matches that information to historic precedents & psychological analyses as a means to solve the case.

Ashish The Executive Director & CEO Of ZMC Resigns

Zee Media Corporation’s executive director & CEO Ashish Kirpal Pandit has resigned from the company with effect from 12 Oct, 2015. He handled senior management roles for more than 27 years in industries ranging from telecom to retail. He has been associated with brands like Alcatel, Efirst Technologies, Fortis Healthcare Limited, Reliance Webstore & Tata Teleservices. Pandit joined Zee Media Corporation in Oct, 2014 and looked after senior management team. Pandit was with Digicall Global for 3 years before joining Zee.

Colors Firms Up Weekend Programming

After launching the new season of Bigg Boss, Colors is gearing up to firm up its weekend programming with the launch of another show titled ‘Naagin’starting from 31st Oct, 2015 the show will be aired on Sat & Sun at 8 pm. It will replace the channel’s celebrity talk show ‘The Anupam Kher Show – Kuch Bhi Ho Sakta Hai’ at 8 pm hosted by Anupam Kher. The concept of ‘Naagin’ is not new to India. There have been multiple movies based on the Ichhadhari Naagin like the Sridevi starrer ‘Naagin’, ‘Nagina’,’Sheshnaag’ and more recently, Mallika Sherawat’s Hiss. Moreover, in 2007 Zee TV launched a show on the same concept titled ‘Naagin – Waadon Ki Agnipariksha’, which was produced by A K Films. The series ran for 3 years and completed 219 episodes.

Big Magic & Big FM All Set To Launch ‘Fakebook With Kavita’

Reliance Broadcast Network’s entertainment channel Big Magic & 92.7 Big FM is all set to launch an integrated satirical comedy show called ‘Fakebook With Kavita’ with TV actress Kavita Kaushik. The show, which will be aired as a simulcast on television & radio for the 1st time in the industry, is a fresh take on the hypocritical Indian society, focusing on topical issues, which make you sit up, think & introspect, albeit with a pinch of humor. Starting from 19th Oct, 2015 ‘Fakebook With Kavita’ will be aired at 9 pm on Mons & Tues on Big Magic & from Mons to Thurs on 92.7 Big FM. In line with the programming strategy, the content will be sarcastic, irreverent, relatable & cutting edge. Kaushik will be seen doing sketches where her character will vary depending on the situations.

Sony Turns 20 In India

Glory, agony, poison, panacea…….As Multi Screen Media (MSM) (erstwhile Sony Entertainment Television India) completes 2 decades in the Indian broadcast space, it has witnessed it all. The broadcasting company, which started with 1 channel, is now 16 channels strong with even more additions in the pipeline. In a rapidly changing scenario, where the entire ecosystem is moving towards the digital platform, there are challenges & opportunities alike. And MSM CEO N P Singh is ready to take them all head on. A Sony veteran, Singh has been privy to the business affairs of the company for as many as 16 years since first joining the organisation in 1999 as chief financial officer (CFO).

Epic To Celebrate 1 Year Mark

In the entertainment world abound with clutter, niche television channels have to fight an uphill battle in order to get the necessary traction from viewers. As the Indian cable & satellite industry slowly but surely moves towards digital addressable systems (DAS), more & more niche channels will be viable with digitisation cutting distribution costs. One such niche channel that’s in it for the long haul, is The Epic Channel, which is on the brink of completing a year on air. Launched on 19th Nov, 2014, The Epic Channel will be celebrating its 1st anniversary by offering 2 news shows to its viewers. What’s more the channel also went High Definition (HD) on the Tata Sky DTH platform recently.

‘Aaj Ki Raat Hai Zindagi’ All Set To Air From 18th Oct 2015

Star India’s Hindi General Entertainment Channel (GEC) Star Plus is all set to launch its new show ‘Aaj Ki Raat Hai Zindagi’ (AKRHZ) with Amitabh Bachchan as the host on 18th Oct, 2015. The show will be aired on Suns at 8 pm. AKRHZ will replace the channel’s reality show Dance+, which concluded on 11th Oct, 2015. On Suns at 8 pm, Star Plus’ AKRHZ will be pitted against the following programmes across other Hindi GECs: While Colors’ airs ‘The Anupam Kher Show – Kucch Bhi Ho Sakta Hai’ in the 8 pm slot on Suns, Zee TV airs Hindi movies from 7.30 pm onwards. On the other hand, Star’s other Hindi GEC Life OK airs ‘Dafa 420’, Sab airs ‘Police Factory’, &TV airs the game show ‘Deal Or No Deal’ hosted by Ronit Roy & Sony Entertainment Television airs ‘Deva Shree Ganesha’.

Zing Launches ‘Bad Company’

Zee Entertainment Enterprises’ youth entertainment channel Zing launched a talk show called ‘Bad Company’ that will bring Indian television stars closer to the viewers. The show started airing from 10th Oct, 2015 in the 7 pm slot every Saturday. The no-holds barred talk show is being hosted by Vikas Gupta. The show will feature television stars like Ranvijay Singh, Gurmeet Choudhary, Karanvir Bohra, Kushal Tandon, Divyanka Tripathi & Prathyusha Banerjee amongst others.

Zee Pledges To Go Green

ZEE Entertainment Enterprises Limited (ZEEL) once again leads the way by pledging to go Green with the launch of its ‘ZEE Is Green’ initiative recently. As a pilot project, ZEE has successfully transformed the set of &TV’s ‘Gangaa’ as a ‘Green’ set.