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Southern Films Round Up

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Rudrama Devi

Raghava Changes Mind And Turns Corrupt

As a follow up to the blockbuster ‘Kanchana 2’ actor & director Raghava Lawrence announced 2 films ‘Motta Siva Ketta Siva’ with Kajal Agarwal as heroine and a supernatural thriller ‘Naaga’ both produced by Vendhar Movies. Now Lawrence has had a change of mind and has decided to 1st do a film for producer R. B. Chowdhary’s Super Good Films to be directed by Sai Ramani whose earlier film is the Jiiva starrer ‘Singam Puli’. Raghava has so far played the role of an innocent & loveable man but he is going for a complete makeover in this new untitled film in which he is going to appear as a corrupt cop. The film is a remake of the Telugu super hit ‘Pataas’ that had Nandamuri Kalyan Ram as the hero.

Keerthy Opts Out Of Mani Ratnam’s Film

Actor Dulquer Salman who was supposed to play one of the male leads in director Mani Ratnam’s upcoming bilingual film has been replaced by actor Naani as the latter is popular among both Tamil & Telugu audiences. Besides actress Keethy Suresh who had signed up for one of the female leads in the film has also opted out of the project. Keerhy’s father and Malayalam film producer Suresh Kumar has confirmed this and also explained the reason behind his daughter’s decision to let go off an offer that is still a dream for many actors & actresses across the country.

Amala Has The Most Dangerous Links Amongst The Tamil Celebrities

It was Dhanush In the year 2014, and now it is the much married & prettier by the day Amala Paul, who tops the list of the “Most Sensational Celebrities” according to Intel Securities Annual survey for the year 2015. Intel, the world’s largest computer chip manufacturing company keeps a watch on cyber criminals who take advantage of people’s search patterns and let loose malicious links to sites & lure unsuspecting users to reveal their sensitive information. Amala Paul’s name is linked to the maximum number of such malicious sites followed by Arya, Suriya, Vijay & Amy Jackson.

Actresss Aachi Manorama Is No More

Born as Gopishantha in Mannarugudi of Tamil Nadu, Manorama started acting in a theater group at the young age of 12. Her excellent skill of dialogue delivery won her a chance to act in films. She 1st acted in an unreleased film starring S. S. Rajendran & Devika. Then she was offered the lead heroine’s role in ‘Malaiyitta Mangai’ produced by ace lyricist Kannadasan and that became her 1st film. After that Manorama migrated to supporting characters laced with comedy and paired up with male comedians of those days like Nagesh. Cho, Thangavelu, V. K. Ramasamy, Thengai Srinivasan and many others. Her performance as Jil Jil Ramamani, a folk dancer in the Sivaji Ganesan – Padmini starrer classic film ‘Thillana Mohanambal’ was one of the highly regarded female supporting characters ever enacted in Tamil cinema and the same is also considered as the towering performance of her career in those days.

‘Rudrama Devi’ Buy 1 Get 1 In USA

Indian’s 1st and biggest historical 3D film, ‘Rudrama Devi’ is running strong in USA. It has already crossed half a million mark by collecting $570k recently and heading towards 1 million club in the overall run. Online ticketing website www.fandango.com offer a buy 1 get 1 free ticket scheme per transaction for those buying tickets and watching Rudrama Devi. This offer was valid only till 11th Oct, 2015 for ticket bought online at www.fandango.com but it was not valid at counter purchases at any other ticketing websites.

Srihari’s Statue Unveiled by Dasari

It’s been 2 years since Srihari passed away and a perfect replacement for him has been not found yet. He made a mark in Tollywood with his versatility and will be remembered forever not only for his acting skills, but also for the philanthropic activities he had done. A statue was unveiled as an honor of this late actor. Dasari Narayana Rao inaugurated the statue at Balanagar in Hyderabad on 11th Oct, 2015. A few Telangana minsters also attended the inauguration event.

Actor Raj Tarun Teams Up With Director Puri Jagannadh

Raj Tarun has now become one of the most sought after young actors in Tollywood. After acting in just 2 films, he got a chance to work with Sukumar for ‘Kumari 21F’, for which the director penned the story, the screenplay & the dialogues, apart from producing it. The latest news is that Puri Jagannadh will be producing one of Raj Tarun’s upcoming films. The ‘Temper’ director is said to have also penned the story & the dialogues for this film, which will be directed by yesteryear actress Revathi.

The Tamil Version Of ‘Akhil’ All Set To Be Released

The Tamil version of ‘Akhil’ will be released simultaneously with the Telugu version of the film on 22nd Oct, 2015. C. Kalyan bagged the Tamil rights of the film and he is planning to hold a grand event in Chennai to introduce ‘Akhil’ to the Tamil audiences. As per the latest update, the Tamil version of the film has been titled as ‘Surya Kavacham’, which is very much linked to the concept of the movie. The film will be a socio fantasy entertainer. V. V. Vinayak is the director of this film and Nithiin is the producer.

Sreenivasan in ‘Ceylon Cinema’

Versatile cine artiste Sreenivasan will play the lead role in a movie titled ‘Ceylon Cinema’. The movie has been written by M. Vineesh. He will also direct the movie. The pooja of the movie was held at Kozhikode.’Ceylon Cinema’ will also star Aju Varghese, Ramesh Pisharody, Dharmajan, Kalabhavan Shajon et al in pivotal roles. Gopi Sunder will handle the music department for this movie. Suesh Sastha is the cameraman.

‘Mulgudi Days’ Official Teaser Released

The official teaser of ‘Mulgudi Days’ has been released. The movie is based in a fictional village and revolves around a school high up in a hilly terrain. Anoop Menon & Bhama play the lead actors in the movie. The teaser of the movie depicts the actors along with school kids. Anoop Menon had gone on record saying that this was one of those movies which has changed him as a person and brought about a new dimension in him. The movie has been completed and is ready for release.

Srinivas Unhappy

Noted producer of Kannada cinema B. K. Srinivasa feels depressed for showcasing him and his Sri Harsha Productions in distasteful manner by the director of his film ‘Dove’ Alemari Santhu. B. K. Srinivasa who lives on the slogan ‘Nambikeye Jeevana’ (Belief is life) believed Alemari Santhu completely in the production of ‘Dove’ but did not know that he would project his name so poorly in his own film. In the title card his name is not spelt properly and the photo that comes with the name is not given prominence for investing crores on his film ‘Dove’. Director Santhu is solely responsible for it. Secondly his prestigious banner Sri Harsha Productions has been kept as the name of a bar & restaurant. Which has hurt B. K. Srinivasa no end.

Welcome To Anoop

A long stay in the cinema industry as producer, Kannada activist & KFCC active member Sa Ra Govindu is an anxious person today. That is because his son’s debut film ‘Dove’ is releasing all over Karnataka. It is a 1st test match for Anoop in the days of ’20:20’. Anoop’s late mother wanted to see his son in a cricket ground hitting six & fours. He has landed in another popular field of cinema. He is watched by lakhs of people like in cricket ground. This is what Sa Ra Govindu lamented when his son was introduced to media for the 1st time at Hotel Le Meredian. Anoop Sa Ra Govindu is taking birth in the profession that has given life for innumerable personalities all around the world. For the connection of a renowned father, there were several best wishes to Anoop in the print media. Anoop Sa Ra Govindu has been already invited for the 2nd film by noted producer Kanakapura Srinivas.

Review: ‘Moteram Ka Satyagrah’ is a delightful Hindi play which entertains the audiences beyond imagination

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Moteram Ka Satyagrah

Director: M. S. Sathyu
Writer & Adapter: Habib Tanveer & Safdar Hashmi
Assistant Director & Production-in-charge: Vikas Yadav
Music: Kuldeep Singh
Cast: Avinash Kumar, Paritosh Tiwari, Hempushpak Arora, Priya Sahdev, Anupam Kumar, Nishant Srivastava, Saumya Srivastav, Noman Khan, Vikas Yadav, Ishika Bachhan, Vaishnavi Fendor, Abhishek Srivastava, Kaamna Pathak, Rohit Chaudhary, Shankar Purohit, Sunraj Dev, Suresh Kumar, Ramesh Rajhans, Ravi Kumar, Aanjjan Srivastav, Nivedita Baunthiyal, Shakir Ali, Satyendra, Sunny Dixit et al.

The latest Hindi play ‘Moteram Ka Satyagrah’ is based on a story “Satyagraha” penned by Munshi Premchand, written & adapted by Habib Tanveer & Safdar Hashmi & above all directed by none other than extremely versatile director M. S. Sathyu.

This time around IPTA has offered tribute to Munshi Prem Chand one of the finest writers of Indian Subcontinent on his death anniversary by performing a play ‘Moteram Ka Satyagraha’ inspired from his own story on 8th & 9th Oct, 2015 at Prithvi Theatre, Juhu.

The play ‘Moteram Ka Satyagrah’ is a musical comic satire on governance directed by M. S. Sathyu, a National Award-winning director best known for his film ‘Garam Hawa or ‘Scorching Winds’.

Set in Benaras during the British rule the play ‘Moteram Ka Satyagrah’ highlighted the larger issues of relationship between Religion & Politics which are still relevant today.

The story is about a Brahmin from Benaras called Moteram who falls a prey to his greed. The story begins when the magistrate Sir William Parkinson got the news of a Viceroy visiting the town of Benaras that made him tense. He wishes to portray Benaras as a very smart & beautiful city and seek help from his 7 unintelligent Officers. The magistrate accepted all their suggestions which lead to a chaos in the city of Benaras. Angry by his decisions the people of Benaras decided to boycott the Viceroy’s visit and planned to declare Hartal. When the magistrate came to know about this he bribed Pandit Moteram to go on a hunger strike to control all the revolutionaries. Moteram blackmailed the people of Benaras on religious lines and tried convincing that the Bristish empire is for their good.

The play deals with whether or not Panditji succeeds in controlling his hunger? And to what extent the magistrate will go to save his position even at the cost of the people of Benaras.

The protagonist Pandit Moteram Shastri, a role enacted by Aanjjan Srivastav was undoubtedly the soul of the play. The audience was completely mesmerized by his performance. His dialogue delivery, facial expression, gestures and his looks set the stage on fire. On the other hand Nivedita Baunthiyal who played his wife supported the protagonist amazingly. She was completely into her character as a devoting wife. While Abhishek Srivastava who played Lord William Parkinson did complete justice to his character. He was stupendous and took the audience on a hilarious trip with his Hindi accent. Besides him all the characters of the play comprising of Avinash Kumar, Paritosh Tiwari, Hempushpak Arora, Priya Sahdev, Anupam Kumar, Nishant Srivastava, Saumya Srivastav, Noman Khan, Vikas Yadav, Ishika Bachhan, Vaishnavi Fendor, Kaamna Pathak, Rohit Chaudhary, Shankar Purohit, Sunraj Dev, Suresh Kumar, Ramesh Rajhans, Ravi Kumar, Shakir Ali, Satyendra, Sunny Dixit. et al complimented each other very well.

The team filled with enthusiasm & energy also lighted the stage. Costumes were done by director M. S. Sathyu himself. The costumes played an important part in the play and were selected very cautiously for reflecting the Benaras of the British rule. The costumes completed the look of every character helping the audience to understand the nature of each one’s role. They communicated the message accurately & realistically. Music Director Kuldeep Singh succeeded in expressing the characters emotions through live music and established a mood for the audiences watching the play. Lighting Department was also able to pull all the aspects on the stage and enhanced the beauty of each character & scenes. The stage was beautifully illuminated creating the right mood for the play. Assistant Director Vikas Yadav did a commendable job of bringing out the best both from debutantes & talented artists. Actually speaking the USP of the play was its huge cast and their coordination which was superb.

Director M. S. Sathyu’s vision was seen throughout the play. Truly M. S. Sathyu was the Captain of the Ship, a great director, art director & stage manager. Despite being a comical play it gave a very serious message of separating religion from politics.

The play ‘Moteram Ka Satyagraha’ beautifully portrays that religion & politics are 2 different worlds and when mixed together people’s rights are trampled upon leading to aggressive opposition amongst the masses. Though it is an old play but the problem of religion & politics still exists in our country and is hampering the growth of the people & the country. The play was not only entertaining but there was a message to take back home that is relevant even after so many years when Munshi Premchand wrote the story.

Review: ‘A Fairytale Of Rapunzel’ is one English play which mesmerized audiences of all age

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A Fairytale Of Rapunzel

Writer, Producer, Director, Set Designer, Makeup: Rashmi Sharma Music: Nitin Hivarkar Lights: Abishek Srivastav Cast: Jyoti Somaya, Eshaan Sharma, Sadiq Abbas, Ruchi Sharma, Reshma Kotian et al.

‘A Fairytale of Rapunzel’ is an English musical drama in a sing song dialogue form with comedy & action. The play is written & directed by Rashmi Sharma, a veteran theatre artist & founder of Progressive Theatre group. She has been a contributor to many acclaimed shows. The show took place at Palladium Mall, Lower Parel on 3rd Oct, 2015.

The story revolves around a beautiful girl Rapunzel who is the epitome of beauty with magnificent long blond hairs. The story begins when a pregnant woman craves for rampians that grows in a splendid garden next to her house. This left her husband shocked & troubled as that garden belonged to a witch. On seeing his wife’s condition deteriorating because of those rampians he stole them from that witch’s garden and was caught red handed by the witch. The angry witch agreed to give him rampians but asked for their baby and the man out of fear consented to it. When Rapunzel was born the witch took her away from their parents and locked her in a tower without any stairs. Her mother loses her senses and her father died owing to separation from their daughter. Rapunzel grew up mesmerizingly beautiful with profound eyes & a blessed voice. She was lonely but tried to enjoy little things in life. One day a Prince falls in love with her and she too started loving him.

What will happen to Rapunzel now? Will she be able to get out of the claws of the wicked witch? Will she ever get to meet her mother? Will she be able to marry the prince?

Director Rashmi Sharma treated the play fabulously and did a good research in terms of costumes & sets. The costumes were good and helped establish connection between the characters.

The lighting department was successful in setting the mood for the play. The enthusiasm among the children was fun to see. They were completely engrossed into the play and couldn’t take their eyes off the stage.

Overall the feel was good. Music was also the highlight of the show and transported the audiences into a world of fairytale. Audiences of all the age group attended the show and the people were nostalgic remembering their days as a child. It was truly a gala affair filled with excitement.

Nasheman.in interviews Aishwarya Rai Bachchan

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aishwarya rai jazbaa

5 years is a long time for a most beautiful & extremely talented actress like Aishwarya Rai Bachchan to remain in oblivion. To miss the glamour oriented glory is not a small thing but once again when I met her recently on the eve of the release of her comeback film ‘Jazbaa’ released this Friday, she sounded as cheerful as ever. As if she was never away from B – Town arena.

Welcome Back to B – Town. Now tell us did you really, really missed the Bollywood Fraternity in the interim phase?

Honestly & frankly speaking no, I did not miss them at all. Moreover you can say that Bollywood is omnipresent in my house in the form of my Paa (Amitabh Bachchan), my Maa (Jaya Bachchan), my darling hubby (Abhishek Bachachan) & not to forget my adorable daughter (Aradhya Bachchan) as being born in a total film family ambience she can also be counted as one of the future member of the Bollywoodian film fraternity as who knows one day she might opt for the same filmy profession like the whole Bachchan clan.

So unlike the other Hindi film actresses even the Aishwarya Rai Bachchan could not resist the temptation of making a grand comeback to the celluloid silver screen with ‘Jazbaa’. How come?

Oh! Come on. Your sarcastic comment is totally uncalled for. But you are forgetting one basic thing that “Once an actress, always an actress”. Besides haven’t you heard that all actors have this thinking that they would like to keep on wearing their acting shoes till the last breath of their life.

So what took you so long to restart your cinematic journey with ‘Jazbaa’?

You can say that I was enjoying my blissful married life. I think I could not get enough love that my maa, my paa & my hubby were showering on me. And then my darling daughter Aradhya was born and I got busy in taking care of her and showering all my love on her.

Maybe it was the lack of proper offer that delayed your comeback in the Bollywoodian arena. Am I right?

No you are totally wrong on that score. As you see during my family oriented marital break I did not think about Bollywood at all. And when I was just about to think on these lines, director Sanjay Gupta along with Nitin Keni of Essel Vision offered me this beautiful script of ‘Jazbaa’ with a tailor made role for me namely that of lawyer Anuradha Verma, a defence counsellor who only takes up the cases of hardcore criminals to defend them in the court of law. And her success ratio in this regard is 100%. Until…….and therein lies the catch.

Do you think it was a mistake to take up such a matured & deglam role as your comeback venture?

No I don’t think so. In fact the character of Defence Counsellor Anuradha Verma comes with a bonus of many colourful shades attached to it. No I don’t think it is a deglam role, it’s not that I am walking around in the movie sans make up. Yes I do agree that it is a very powerful & overtly matured role of a scarred single mother of a 10 year old daughter who is kidnapped one fine day. And then Anuradha becomes like an angry tigress venting out her anger against all concerned. The film ‘Jazbaa’ also raises a pertinent question on the teenage rape issue, besides throwing light on varied other issue’s like the broken homes & the broken nay a constantly disintegrating relationships.

How was the experience of working in ‘Jazbaa’?

It was an out of the world albeit a thrilling experience while working for this crime thriller ‘Jazba’. I was very excited while working for ‘Jazbaa’. In fact I would like to add that working for ‘Jazbaa’ was also like a fun oriented crazy experience, besides I also got a chance to do some of the most daring stunts & action sequences without the help of using a duplicate. The film ‘Jazbaa’ was not only close to my heart but to everyone connected with it. The subject of ‘Jazbaa’ was so powerful that we all related to it. I think even the fans will relate to it. In ‘Jazbaa’ I pass through a certain incident in my life, which I had to deal with both on a personal as well as on a professional level. Initially, I had no plans to do ‘Jazbaa’, but certain reasons, the extreme liking of the script was one of them, compelled me to do it. And I am most happy that finally I ended up doing ‘Jazbaa’.

You made a comeback on the celluloid silver screen after a gap of 5 years. Did you feel any specific pressure?

No, none whatsoever. In fact not at all. You see, since childhood I have always believed in multitasking. Even when I grew up I never felt any pressure both on the home & on the career front too. I can manage everything on my own and of course with the cooperation of all my near & dear ones. That apart I am very thankfully indebted to all my fans & well wishers that they have not forgotten me, gave me the warmest welcome back and still like me a lot.

And what was your families reaction towards your comeback to the celluloid silver screen that too after 5 long years?

Oh! Needless to say that they are all happy for me and feel very proud of me in the moment of my comeback glory.

What preparation did you make for the role of a defence counsellor in ‘Jazbaa’?

I think for that all the credit should go to Sanjay Gupta, the director of ‘Jazbaa’, who has a good knowledge of law and he has taken great care to depict the finer & intrinsic points of a lawyer in lieu with all their nuances. My role of a defence counsellor has been depicted by him from the point of view of today’s generation.

What is your opinion about your co – star Irrfan Khan?

Well! Irrfan Khan no doubt was an integral part of ‘Jazbaa’. Even during the shooting of ‘Jazbaa’ he had extended his fullest cooperation. On the sets of ‘Jazbaa’ I found him to be a thorough professional, which by now, I think has become his 2nd attitudinal nature.

Your opinion about Sanjay Gupta, the director of your comeback film ‘Jazbaa’?

Oh! What can I say about him. He is a par excellence director. He is too good & knows his craft too well. That apart he is a chilled out guy on the sets. What more can I say. I really, loved working with him for ‘Jazbaa’. I will cherish this experience for a long time to come.

You still look trim & fit. Have you tucked up any secret up your sleeve in this regard?

No. No secret formula. It’s just that I am extremely thankful & extremely grateful to God – The Almighty that he has always helped me to maintain my figure. I only wish that I had done some workout before the shoot. Anyways my present look matches perfectly with that of the look of the charater of Anuradha Verma.

The film industry has changed a lot since you were away. So what difference did you notice since your comeback?

In my absence too I had noticed a rapid growth in the film industry. Even the commercial cinema has been progressing beyond imagination. A lot of difference can be noted in the vision & thinking of today’s generation. As far as technology is concerned we have moved far, far ahead of its time. Besides there has been a lot of change in the marketing strategies too.

Has motherhood brought any change in you?

A lot! Which I may not be able to describe in detail but suffice it to say that I am totally enjoying every bit of it. Being a mother has enriched my experiences a lot. Every day I am learning something new from my sweetest daughter Aradhya.

As a parting shot tell us if you are ready to spring any more surprises on your fans & well wishers?

Oh! Nothing of the sort. Let them first enjoy ‘Jazbaa’ to their heart’s content. Right now the whole Bachchan family is enjoying the golden moments of life and I most happy getting back to my normal life once again.

Foriegn Films Round Up

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BBC Kids, Jamillah & Aladdin

IMIRA SHOWCASES ‘JAMILLAH & ALLADIN’

In a flurry of deals prior to Mipcom, top Spanish youth show producer & distributor Imira Entertainment has announced the sale of ‘The Hero Of Color City’ to AMC Network for its Europe, Middle & African channels. AMC has also taken pre -school series ‘Cleo’ for Poland & Benelux. Also, Imira has sold comedic vignette ‘Larva’ to Nicklodeon, for Central & Eastern Europe, Scandinavia, Germany, Austria, Netherlands & Greece. For its part, Kidoodle.TV kids’ subscription video – on. – demand service has taken rights for ‘Cleo’, ‘The Happets’, ‘Vitaminix’ in US & Canada. All the series are included on Imira plentiful slate for 2015’s Mipcom TV mart, whose flagship is live – action / toon hybrid ‘Jamillah & Aladdin’. A co -production between Live Kids Action, BBC / Ceebies, Kindle Entertainment, MediaBiz & India’s Toonz Media Group, “Jamillah” is a 52 11 – minute TV skein aimed at children aged 6 – 10.

MAKINGPROD TEAM ON ‘SALAZAR’

Madrid based Plano a Plano, Spain’s highest rating indie TV production house, is teaming with French prodco MakingProd, part of the Makever group, to develop ‘Salazar’, an epic thriller. Based on true events, the historical limited series turns on a real life, though totally forgotten hero: Inquisitor Alonso De Salazar, called the Witches’ Advocate. Plano a Plano’s 1st move into international co – production is an early milestone for the Madrid based producer, headed by the creative tandem of Cesar Benitez, an experienced, highly respected producer of hit comedy features, such as 1995 ‘Boca A Boca’, starring a young hunky Javier Bardem, pioneering teen soap “Al salir De clase and long running cop series ‘El Comisario’ and seasoned writer & producer Aitor Gabilondo, a scribe on “El comisario” and now creator & writer of Plano a Plano’s door opening hit ‘El Principe’.

FRANK TEAMS WITH BETA

Munich based sales & production house Beta Film is upping the ante in the high end TV stakes, with several new projects announced recently at TV market Mipcom in Cannes, including a fantasy series from one of the showrunners of ‘Game Of Thrones’ and a drama depicting Hitler’s life from World War I to the start of World War II. Beta chief Jan Mojto said that the number of high end TV series it was producing or co – producing, most of which will be budgeted at around Euros 2 million ($2.24 million) an hour or higher, would rise from 30 hours a year this year, to 36 hours next year and 48 hours in 2017. Beta is working with ‘Game Of Thrones’ showrunner Frank Doelger on an action & adventure fantasy series, budgeted at up to Euros 3 million ($3.36 million) an hour, titled ‘The Perished Land’.

‘FACK JU GOEHTE 2’ EARNS $48.4M IN 19 DAYS

German high school comedy ‘Fack Ju Goehte 2’, the follow up to $70 million box – office hit, has generated a theatrical gross on home turf of Euros 43.2 million ($48.4 million) in 19 days. The movie, which was released on 10 Sept, 2015 by Constantin Film, follows a renegade teacher and his delinquent class on a school trip to Thailand. It has clocked up 5.3 million admissions in Germany and a further 460,000 in Austria & Switzerland. The movie is written & directed by Bora Dagtekin, who helmed the most successful German movie of 2012, ‘Turkish For Beginners’ and is produced by Lena Schoemann & Dagtekin for Constantin. Elyas M’Barek plays the errant teacher Zeki Mueller & Karoline Herfurth is his colleague Lisi Schnabelstedt, while the students include Jella Haase as Chantal, Gizem Emre as Zeynep & Max Von Der Groeben as Danger.

AXEL BUYS BUSINESS INSIDER

Axel Springer, one of Europe’s largest digital publishing & media conglomerates, announced a deal to acquire US based news & events company Business Insider for about $343 million. The addition of Business Insider’s 76 million unique monthly visitors will increase Axel Springer’s worldwide digital audience by two – thirds, the company said, to approximately 200 million users. The move comes after Axel Springer failed in its effort to acquire UK based Financial Times, snapped up by Japan’s Nikkei Inc. in Jul, 2015 and merger talks with ProSiebenSat.1 ended without a deal. The deal values Business Insider at $442 million. Axel Springer already holds a 9% stake in BI; following the deal announced recently, it will hold a stake of approximately 97%.

FILM INDUSTRY SHOWS INTERNATIONAL AMBITIONS

The 23rd Raindance Festival’s pioneering Focus on Mexico Co-Production Forum gave a London producer audience the chance to discover the energy & ambitions of one of, challenges aside, the world’s flourishing national industries. Many of those ambitions, if the 8 projects presented by Mexican directors & producers, are anything to go on, now run through US. 5 titles are in some way Mexican – US crossovers. Though all made by Mexican filmmakers, 2 are set totally in US, one off its shore, another couple straddle Los Angeles & Latin America. 2 Raindance project directors, Grau & Ezban, have been signed up by Paradigm Talent Agency.

AVANTI PICTURES RAISES THE ANTE

Jack Zagha’s ‘A Useless Puddle’, a psychological drama selected for Raindance’s Focus on Mexico Co – Production Forum, marks Mexican Prodco Avanti Pictures’ most ambitious feature project to date. A film adaption of Spanish writer David Desola’s play ‘La Charca Inutil’, “Puddle,” which is set in the United States, following Oscar, a high school teacher who loses his job after a crazy incident with a student. Then, his old time mentor offers him a job as a private teacher to a young kid and his single mother. After accepting, Oscar learns that the boy died accidentally 3 years earlier in an infamous town massacre and his mother has created a prior – shooting world to avoid confronting her unbearable reality.

“MORPHABLEL” TAKES FORM

Mexican Jonathan Ostos presented his debut feature project ‘The Morphable Man’ at “Focus on Mexico”, the Raindance Fest’s Co -production Forum spotlighting 8 Mexican projects which unspooled recently in London. Minimart is organized in partnership with Mexico’s Guadalajara Internal Film Fest and backed by Mexico’s Imcine Film Institute. English language “Morphable” weighs in as a romcom with fantastic elements and a late adventure coming – of ager set against the background of Austin’s music scene. It turns on young Mexican Aido, a music magazine copy editor. Until now, he has managed to control his very bizarre condition that makes him transform into random objects, from bubbles to barbed wire. But he’s about to loose his gripnear entirely due to a deeper transformation, when he falls in love with a mysterious singer.

LOCAL COMPETITION HEATS UP

In a globalized international TV business, which will converge in Cannes for the Mipcom trade fair 5th to 8th Oct, 2015, there are no limits to the ambition of even the world’s smaller countries. And those ambitions can often run through alliances with and sales to US. Few examples are more eye catching than Chile, despite its relatively small size, a TV production force thanks to the export of its small -screen fiction formats in partnership with Telemundo. Chile is far from North America, Europe & Asia and with some 2.5 million households with free – to -air TV access, it ranks well below other Latin American TV territories such as Brazil (43 million FTA homes), Mexico (16 million), Colombia (7.5 million) and Argentina (5 million). However, the Chile TV market boasts one of the most cultured & educated of all Latin American societies and fierce internal competition from free – to – air TV players like pubcaster TVN.

SPT TO PRODUCE ‘ROSEANNE’ ADAPTATION

Sony Pictures Television has secured a pilot order for a Russian adaptation of ‘Roseanne’ from Russia’s leading independent media company CTC Media. Retitled ‘Katya’,the Russian redo is the 1st adaptation based on the multiple Emmy winning sitcom starring Roseanne Barr that ran in US for 9 seasons on ABC. The show was a big hit in US for ABC from 1988 – 1997. It was produced by the Carsey – Werner Co. “Our adaptation of ‘Roseanne’ will resonate with Russian audiences because it is based in truth,” enthused Jeff Lerner, executive vice president, scripted programming, international production for SPT. “The series will show a real working class family getting through each day, laughing at the trials & tribulations life sends their way and making the audience smile along with them,” he added.

NETFLIX SETS EXACT DATES & PRICING

Netflix has set exact dates & pricing for its upcoming launches in Spain, Portugal & Italy. The streaming subscription video service will bow in Spain on 20th Oct, 2015; Portugal will segue a day later on 21st Oct, 2015; followed by Italy on 22nd Oct, 2015. After a free one month trial, pricing across all 3 Southern European markets will be the same, Euros 7.99 ($8.90) per month for standard definition, basic single connection. 2 simultaneous connections in HD format will cost Euros 9.99, and a premium plan of 4 simultaneous connections in Ultra HD will cost Euros 11.99. Netflix will be available on Smart TVs, tablets, smartphones, computers and various video game consoles & set top boxes connected to the Internet, in addition to Apple TV & Google Chromecast. In Spain, Netflix will also be streaming via telecom service operated Vodafone TV. In Italy it will be available through both Telecom Italia & Vodafone.

AWESOMENESS TV PACTS WITH ENDEMOL SHINE

Teen focused digital media company Awesomeness TV is coming to at least 5 overseas markets under a multiyear deal with Endemol Shine Group. Per the pact, Endemol Shine’s Endemol Beyond digital unit will launch local language, owned & operated Awesomeness TV channels in key markets outside US, including UK, France, Germany, Spain & Brazil. Programming will encompass ATV’s popular digital video formats as well as Awesomeness TV franchises such as docu -reality series ‘Cheerleaders’, following the California All Stars coed cheerleading squad from Ventura & ‘IMO’, an interview based show for girls. In another foray outside the States, Awesomeness TV this summer inked a deal with DHX Media to license, develop & produce original shows for DHX’s Family Channel in Canada.

APPLE EXTENDS ITS REACH

Apple has expanded its reach in China, launching Apple Music, iTunes movies & iBooks in the lucrative market. China’s Apple Music, which already includes millions of songs, features music from local artists, including Eason Chan, Li Ronghao, JJ Lin & G.E.M., as well as a wide range of international musicians, such as Taylor Swift & Ed Sheeran. “Customers in China love the App Store and have made it our largest market in the world for app downloads,” said Eddy Cue, Apple’s senior vice president of Internet Software & Services, in a statement recently. “One of the top requests has been more great content and we’re thrilled to bring music, movies & books to China, curated by a local team of experts.” Apple Music will cost 10 yuan ($1.57) a month after the same 3 month free trial available in US. iTunes movies range from 5 yuan ($0.79) for HD rentals to 18 yuan ($2.83) for HD purchases. Paid iBooks start from 0.5 yuan ($0.08), although free iBooks are available as well.

KESHET FORGES PARTNERSHIP

Keshet International, the global distribution & production arm of Israeli media powerhouse Keshet, has forged a partnership with Huace Group / Croton Media, one of China’s largest production companies, on a 2 pronged deal which will see Keshet Studios optioning Huace Group / Croton Media’s ‘Dating Hunter’ for US market, marking the 1st ever Chinese format to be potentially re – versioned for American TV audiences. Huace Group / Croton Media is also developing local versions of Keshet’s award winning scripted properties ‘Traffic Light’ & ‘Loaded’ for Chinese audiences. The Keshet International projects are in pre -production in China with broadcasters yet to be attached, as is customary in the Chinese market.

‘THE VOICE’ TRAVELS A LOT

In the run up to Mipcom, Talpa’s hit talent competition format ‘The Voice’ has been picked up in 60 territories including Iceland and various African countries. ‘The Voice’ will next launch in Ecuador, Azerbaijan & South Africa. Recent deals have catapulted ‘The Voice’ to close to 65 productions worldwide. Underscoring the format’s strength amid a competitive market, ‘The Voice’ in US recently won its 2nd Emmy, meanwhile ‘The Voice’ in Holland punched high ratings which surpassed those of the past 2 seasons. Launched in Netherlands in 2010, ‘The Voice’ now airs in over 180 territories, attracting more than 500 million viewers. ‘The Voice’ is also a social media phenomenon. It has over 55 million Facebook fans and more than 10 million Twitter followers. ‘The Voice’ & ‘The Voice Kids’ nearly garners 8 billion YouTube views and over 12 million subscribers.

TELEMUNDO & HBO LATIN AMERICA UNVEIL SALES DEAL

Signaling one of the macro Latino deals at this year’s Mipcom trade fair, Telemundo Internacional & HBO Latin America Originals have inked an exclusive distribution deal giving Telemundo world sales rights outside the Americas, North, Central, South, on HBO Latin America productions. Deal involves the 2nd biggest Spanish language distributor in the world and HBO Latin America, a company on the cutting edge of upscale Spanish language TV production. It kicks in Jan, 2016 with period psychological drama ‘El Hipnotizador’, starring Leonardo Sbaraglio in the title role and HBO Latin America’s 1st ever bilingual Spanish – Portuguese series.
Also on early next year’s slate of HBO Latin American Originals from Brazilian film / TV giant Conspiraçao, ‘Magnifica 70’, about a state censor involved with a sex film actress, directed by Claudio Torres, who scored a huge hit with ‘The Invisible Woman’; now heading towards its 3rd season, ‘El negocio’, another Brazilian series, from Mixer Producciones, about 3 women who decide to apply modern marketing methods to the oldest profession in the world; quirky psychoanalyst dramedy ‘Psi’, also from Brazil.

Movie Review: ‘Sicario’ is a riveting edge of the seat thriller movie

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Sicario

Producer: Basil Iwanyk, Thad Luckinbill, Trent Luckinbill, Edward McDonell & Molly Smith
Director: Denis Villeneuve
Star Cast: Emily Blunt, Benecio Del Toro, Josh Brolin & Victor Garber
Genre: Thriller
Verdict: Good

Plot: In the lawless border area stretching between US & Mexico, an idealistic FBI agent (Emily Blunt) is enlisted by an elite Government task force official (Josh Brolin) to aid in the escalating war against drugs. Led by an enigmatic consultant with a questionable past (Benicio Del Toro), the team sets out on a clandestine journey forcing Kate to question everything that she believes in order to survive.

Aces: Director Denis Villeneuve has crafted a perfect thriller movie aided & abetted by his entire coterie of actors & technicians.

Minuses: Certainly not a mainstream fare.

Last Word: Quite a though provoking movie especially meant for the classy cine goers.

Ultra Media & Entertainment Pvt Ltd opens a new production, distribution & acquisition office

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Ultra Media & Entertainment Private Ltd

Ultra Media & Entertainment Private Ltd is a professionally managed Entertainment Conglomerate providing end to end solutions for the films & television Industry globally. It has opened a new Production, distribution & Acquisition office in Andheri (W), Mumbai. Located at Unit No 408, Sri Krishna Building, Fun Republic Lane, Link Road, Andheri (West), it covers a huge space of 1300 square feet.

This office has been exclusively put up to execute projects for Film Production: In – house as well as Co – Production, Distribution: India & Overseas & Acquisition: Outright & Marketing Acquisition in complete or in different stages of production. All these 3 verticals will be dealing with content across Feature Films, Television, Animation, Digital films in all languages & genres.

These content will be monetized in Theatrical, Television, Digital, DTH, VOD, IPTV, HITS, Internet, Mobile et al in India & all over the world. The main objective of having a new office in Andheri was to be close to the film industry hub which is fully based here. This will help the company to meet prospective clients and will also help in quick turnaround time & effective delivery.

Ultra already has a full – fledged office sprawling across 3 floors in mid town in Lower Parel (E) since 1985. The Andheri office has been an extension to provide these key services just in the heart of the film industry.

Ultra Media & Entertainment Private Ltd (Est. 1982) is a professionally managed Entertainment Conglomerate providing end to end solutions for the films & television Industry globally. It’s a fully integrated, broad based studio engaged in multiple aspects of entertainment, including full – scale film & television production & distribution, digital media & post production services.

Today the company pioneers in Content Acquisition from various production companies worldwide & Distribution of various media rights of Indian & International films, Television Programs, Animation & other content in various genres & languages.

They specialize in distributing this in various existing Physical, Non Physical and emerging formats in overseas countries. Ultra currently has an exhaustive library consisting of over 1500 titles comprising of blockbuster Indian Films, television serials and other contents and is associated with some of the leading production studios globally. To cater to the ever expanding global entertainment industry, Ultra has launched a state of the art pre & post production studio with the latest indigenous equipment & technology.

It provides a plethora of services like Scanning, Restoration, Colorization, 2D to 3D Stereoscopic Conversion et al.

Censor Board refuses to give reasons why it rejected the documentary on Modi elections

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the-battle-for-banaras

40 days after the censor board declared to the media that they have refused to give a censor certificate to Kamal Swaroop’s documentary THE 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 (BOMBAY BOYS, YELLOW, STORAGE 24) the producer of the film. “It’s outrageous that the censor board chief Pahalaj Nihalani has the time to run down the film in the media but has no time to do his duty of communicating officially the reason for the rejection of the film,” says Kumaran.

Director Kamal Swaroop adds, “It is an attempt to understand the crowd phenomenon, anthropologically, without getting into voter politics,” he argues, pointing out that people are talking not just about Arvind Kejriwal & Narendra Modi in the film but also about 40 other candidates across political parties. “Of course the main face – off is between Modi & Kejriwal with the latter having a slight edge till the polarisation happened. Then, the Muslim votes went to him while Modi swept the Hindu votes, including the Dalits.”

The film was screened for the censor board on 27th Aug, 2015. “We contest each & every claim made by Mr Nihalani in the media. The film is neither pro Kejriwal or against any politician. It is not a political satire. Kamal Swaroop has only documented what happened in the general election,” said Kumaran. “We will fight this unjust ruling of the censor board. But this can happen if instead of talking to the media, they officially issue a letter stating the reasons for rejection. This delay tactic by the censor is both unwanted & unprecedented,” says Kumaran.

Inspired by Nobel laureate Elias Canetti’s book, “Crowds And Power”, the documentary, THE BATTLE FOR BANARAS captures the excitement, the madness & the noise behind the high – octane poll battle in the holy city of Banaras, India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s parliamentary constituency.

And in the process, for the 1st time lays bare the equation & the politics of democracy called India. 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.

Movie Review: ‘Biker’s Adda’ is an interesting film and definitely worth a watch

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Biker's Adda

Producer: Pramod Maruti Lokhande & Veejay Haria
Director: Rajesh Latkar
Star Cast: Santosh Juvekar, Prarthana Behere, Shrikant Moghe, Shrikant Wattamvar, Rahulraj Dongare, Tanvie Kishore, Hrishikesh Mandke, Jai Aditya Giri, Anuradha Harrip, Devendra Bhagat & Nishi Rajshirke
Genre: Action
Verdict: Good

Hats off to producer Pramod Maruti Lokhande, Veejay Haria and director Rajesh Latkar for making a daringly different film like Biker’s Adda and not falling for the temptation to make the same old clichéd Marathi films which had almost became a staple diet of Marathi cine goers.

Plot: The story line of this movie is all about being the passionate bikers who are looking forward to pursue their career in no other field than biking and hereby biking is promoted as a sport. These are adult bike riders and cops believe that the rules for them are same too that focuses drug usage. Multiple stunts are performed in the entire movie by these riders and they race with an urge to only WIN no matter what the situation is.

Aces: Rajesh Latkar’s direction, the daredevil biking stunts and of course the performances of the principal cast.

Minuses: The clichéd inclusion of the drugs & the mafia racket and some of the routine action sequences.

Last Word: How one wishes that Biker’s Adda was just a pure adventurous sports film. Yet Biker’s Adda is worth a watch for one & all.

Movie Review: ‘The Walk’ is a daringly crafted different movie

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The Walk

Producer: Tom Rothman, Steve Starkey, Jack Rapke & Robert Zemeckis
Director: Robert Zemeckis
Star Cast: Joseph Gordon – Levitt, Ben Kingsley, Charlotte Le Bon, James Badge Dale & Ben Schwartz
Genre: Drama
Verdict: Very Good

Robert Zemeckis is known more for his films like Who Framed Roger Rabbit? Forest Gump etc. In his latest offering The Walk, a real life adventure drama based on the life & memoirs of a French Live Wire artist Philippe Petit, he has gone that extra mile to craft that edge of the seat drama.

Plot: As a boy, Philippe Petit dreams of performing daring feats for dazzled crowds. As an adult (Joseph Gordon – Levitt), his life’s ambition comes true when he becomes a high – wire artist who stares death in the face with every step. Under the guidance of mentor Papa Rudy (Ben Kingsley), the daredevil devises a plan to walk on a tightrope attached to the north & the south towers of the World Trade Center. With help from his team and against all odds, Petit attempts the seemingly impossible stunt on 7th Aug, 1974.

Aces: The film clearly belongs to Joseph Gordon – Levitt as the main protagonist Philippe Petit who has delivered an unbelievably daring & outstanding performance. Another marvellous performance comes from Ben Schwartz. Not to forget the remarkable directional skills of Robert Zemeckis barring the fact that he has heavily depended on digitalised techniques.

Minuses: The only hindrance of the movie The Walk is its exceedingly slow space which sometimes gets on your nerves.

Last word: If you are a lover of real life adventure drama, then the movie The Walk is just up your alley.

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