Film – Page 116

Foriegn films round up

September 4, 2015 by Shaheen Raaj

‘PRECIOUS PEARL’ DEBUT ON TELEMUNDO

Globo’s 2014 International Emmy winning telenovela ‘Precious Pearl’ had its US debut on 31 Aug, 2015 on NBCU’s Spanish language network, Telemundo. A mega production by the Brazilian media giant that was shot in the locales in Himalayas and features period sets & costumes, ‘Precious Pearl’ reached an average of 26 million viewers a day in Brazil, per audience measurement org Ibope. It takes over the 12 pm ET slot of ‘The Clone’, the original Brazilian production that was also remade into a groundbreaking co -production between Globo & Telemundo, the biggest production in Telemundo’s history. Produced by Bogota based RTI Prods, ‘The Clone’ remake, which aired at primetime on Telemundo, was shot in HD in Morocco, Miami & Colombia. Both companies have also co – produced ‘My Dear Handyman’, a re – telling of “Looks & Essence” by Aguinaldo Silva. ‘Precious Pearl’ centers on a love story between working class Amelia (Bianca Bin) & millionaire Franz Hauser (Bruno Gagliasso) & little Pearl, the daughter they have despite opposition from both families & society.

WRITERS GUILD JOINS THE BLACK LIST

Spain’s writers’ guild ALMA Sindicato de Guionistas as of today has become officially partnered with The Black List, marking the 2nd non English language writers’ org after Italy’s Writers Guild Italia whose members’ scripts will have the opportunity to appear on the prestigious Hollywood based online scripts database. The agreement, which will open up new avenues for Spanish scribes, follows similar partnerships The Black List has with Writers Guild of America, West (WGAW), Writers Guild of America, East (WGAE), Writers Guild of Great Britain (WGGB), Writers Guild of Canada (WGC) & Writers Guild of Ireland (WGIR). All ALMA members will now be able to list their scripts online in The Black List, adding their script titles, loglines, tags & representative information and also monitor their work’s ratings & user traffic. They will also receive a 20% discount on all Black List paid services, which are script hosting & evaluations.

LONDON FILM FEST UNVEILS LINEUP

Netflix’s ‘Beasts Of No Nation’ is set to continue its festivals run with a slot in the official competition section of the BFI London Film Festival, which runs 7th to 18 Oct, 2015. The full program for 59th edition of LFF was revealed recently by fest director Clare Stewart and will include the European premieres of Jay Roach’s ‘Trumbo’, John Crowley’s ‘Brooklyn’ & Nicholas Hytner’s ‘The Lady In The Van’ as sponsor gala screenings. Ben Wheatley’s ‘High – Rise’ & Scott Cooper’s ‘Black Mass’ were also announced to receive sponsor galas, while the fest will see special presentations of Guy Maddin & Evan Johnson’s ‘The Forbidden Room’ and the European premiere of Davis Guggenheim’s documentary ‘He Named Me Malala’. As previously announced, the fest will open & close with European premieres of Sarah Gavron’s ‘Suffragette’ & Danny Boyle’s ‘Steve Jobs’, respectively. Anthony Asquith’s 1928 silent film ‘Shooting Stars’ is the Archive Gala.

PECCADILLO TO RELEASE ‘CHEMSEX’

Distributor Peccadillo Pictures is to give a theatrical release to Vice Media’s hard hitting documentary film ‘Chemsex’ in UK & Ireland in Nov, 2015. Traversing a dark underworld of intravenous drug use & weekend long sex parties, ‘Chemsex’ tells the story of a group of men battling with HIV, drug addiction and finding acceptance in a changing world and one health worker who has made it his mission to save them. The film, directed by Vice’s Will Fairman & Max Gogarty, explores the lives & fortunes of a group of men actively taking part in the chemsex lifestyle and those who have come out the other end and survived. With unprecedented access to chemsex parties UK health service’s only chemsex support clinic, 56 Dean Street in London, the film seeks to understand complex issues at heart of the story, exploring notions such as internalized shame, cycles of self destruction & redemption. Peccadillo chairman Tom Abell said: “The chemsex issue is relatively unknown amongst audiences and we hope that by bringing it to light, it will push more healthcare professionals, like 56 Dean Street’s David Stuart, to take note & enable change.”

6 MALE TEENS ARRESTED

British law enforcement officials have arrested 6 male teenagers suspected of being members of the Lizard Squad hacking crew that disabled Sony’s PlayStation Network & Microsoft’s Xbox Live last year. UK’s National Crime Agency, equivalent to US’ Federal Bureau of Investigation, said the suspects used a tool to launch distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks to cripple online servers of “gaming companies” as well as e -retailers, a national British newspaper and a school. The NCA did not identify the targeted companies but reports said that the arrests are related to several attacks on PlayStation & Xbox networks last year. Amazon also was among the sites attacked by the group, Bloomberg reported. The NCA’s Operation Vivarium tracked down individuals who bought Lizard Stresser, software for launching DDoS attacks that flood servers with bogus data, using payment services such as Bitcoin to remain anonymous. The suspects detained for questioning this week are all between the ages of 15 & 18. “This multiagency operation illustrates the commitment of NCA and its partners to pursuing people who think they can criminally disrupt important public services or legitimate businesses.”

ARMANDO URGES UK POLITICIANS

British satirist Armando Lannucci the creator of HBO show ‘Veep’ & co -creator of Alan Partridge has warned that the British Government risks undermining UK TV sector through its sustained attack on BBC. He urged UK politicians to stop ignoring TV production sector and called on the British television business to become more commercial overseas. Delivering MacTaggart lecture at the Edinburgh International Fest, Lannucci, who was born in Scotland, said that Americans to whom he’s spoken think the British are “going mad” as they read daily stories of “powering down” UK’s television service. Dismantling BBC is “madness,” said the program maker, who has spent the majority of his career working for public broadcaster and to which he said he owed his professional life. Repeating his view that BBC’s commercial arm, BBC Worldwide, should be privatized, Lannucci warned that the new UK Conservative Government risked sapping the strength of a world class content industry.

CHANNEL 4 ORDERS SERIES ON CELEBRITY SEX ABUSE SCANDAL

UK broadcaster Channel 4 hopes to boost its credentials for challenging drama with a new show that fictionalizes sexual abuse in showbiz. “National Treasure” announced at the Edinburgh Television Festival by Channel 4’s chief creative officer Jay Hunt, is a 4 part series examining accusations of sexual misconduct against a fictional aging TV celeb. It is written by the BAFTA & Royal Television Society award winning playwright Jack Thorne and executive produced by long standing UK drama producer George Faber. Story focuses on the fictional Paul Finchley, one half of a much loved comedy double act, a national treasure despite Finchley’s career being on the wane. One day his world changes forever when he is accused of raping a woman in the 1970s. Said Thorne: “‘National Treasure’ is a piece about doubt, about the smell of abuse…….Paul is a man who could be innocent or guilty. We’re going to examine him from all sides and ask that big question how well do we know the people closest to us?” Faber added: “In recent years we’ve been bombarded with revelations about the historic sex offences of people in the public eye and the lives that they’ve destroyed. This fictional drama explores the emotional impact on both a family that finds itself in the eye of such a media story, and on the accuser.

EUROPE

‘DAYS’ SET TO RETURN TO EUROPEAN FILM MARKET

The European Film Market will host a 2nd iteration of its Drama Series ‘Days’ initiative in 2016, following its launch in Berlin in Feb this year. The sophomore edition will once again be hosted by the EFM, the industry platform of the Berlin International Film Festival, with its Berlinale Co -Production Market division and is set to take place on 15th & 16th Feb. 15 next year. The 2016 Drama Series ‘Days’ will introduce high quality documentary series as part of its program of screenings & events, which will cater to the interest of documentary industry delegates at the EFM’s Meet the Docs platform. The 1st edition in 2015 included a panel program, market screenings & networking events and was met with enthusiasm by both film & television delegates in Berlin. The 2016 edition will follow a similar format offering further opportunities to strengthen connections within the rapidly developing network of the European & international television industries, in cooperation with partners such as Film- und Medienstiftung NRW & Series Mania Co – production Forum in Paris.

NBCU RESTRUCTURES BIZ IN EUROPE

NBCUniversal International has created a multi – territory, regional hub aligning its distribution & networks business in Europe, Middle East & Africa. This follows the creation of regional hubs in Latin America & Asia. Satpal Brainch has been promoted to the newly created role of managing director, distribution & networks, EMEA. In this role, Brainch will lead the company’s television business across Europe, Middle East & Africa; he’ll drive both content distribution & channels for the region from the company’s London headquarters. Carolyn Stalins has been appointed senior VP, distribution, EMEA. Stalins will relocate from Paris to the company’s London headquarters to lead NBCUI’s content distribution across the region, reporting to Brainch. “Evolving our EMEA structure is a key milestone aligning with our successful approach in Latin America & Asia ensuring that we are optimally positioned to harness opportunities across the region for both distribution & networks” said Belinda Menendez, president, NBCUI distribution & networks. Don McGregor, exec VP, international distribution who continues to lead & oversee NBCU International’s distribution & new media business will “bring focus to maximizing the company’s sales strategy” by taking on the additional responsibility of “driving sales solutions.” In this expanded role, McGregor will relocate from London to Los Angeles in Nov, 2015, where he’ll work more closely with the company’s L.A based functions, including product, marketing & research. Brainch was previously executive VP & managing director, NBCU International Networks, responsible for the overall business strategy of NBCUniversal International Networks’ portfolio including Universal Channel, E!, Syfy, 13th Street, Studio Universal & Diva.

SPAIN

FORTISSIMO PICKS UP ‘THE BRIDE’

Fortissimo Films has acquired international sales rights to Paula Ortiz’s Spanish epic tragedy ‘La Novia”, which world preems at the upcoming San Sebastian Film Fest’s Zabaltegi sidebar. A free adaptation of Federico Garcia Lorca’s acclaimed stage play “Blood Wedding”, ‘The Bride’ transposes to the white desert of Turkey’s Cappadocia the tragic story of the illicit & passionate love triangle between a bride who abandons her groom, unable to ignore her growing desire for her lover Leonardo. They escape into the forest pursued by the groom, who seeks violent revenge. Pic toplines Spanish thesps Inma Cuesta, Asier Etxeandia & Alex Garcia. The feature debut of Get in the Picture Productions, a Barcelona based outfit launched in 2012 by partners Paula Ortiz, Alex Lafuente & Rosana Tomas, ‘The Bride’ is co – produced with Spain’s REC Films, Turkey’s Mantar Film & Cine Chromatix in Germany.

TELEFE INTERNATIONAL BRINGS ‘STORY OF A CLAN’

Awaited real life inspired crime miniseries ‘Story Of A Clan’ figures among the highlights of Argentine distribution house Telefe International’s lineup at October’s Mipcom TV. A 11 episode 1 hour skein, ‘Story Of A Clan’ turns on the Puccio family which, in the early ’80s, perpetrated a string of abduction / murders against people they knew in a high profile case that shocked Argentina at the time. Produced by Sebastian Ortega’s TV outfit Underground Producciones, whose credits include 2007’s global TV hit comedy ‘Lalola’, miniseries is set to be aired by Argentine’s broadcaster Telefe in Sept, 2015 as one of country’s biggest TV fiction bets of the fall. ‘Story Of A Clan’ stars Cecilia Roth, Chino Darín, Ricardo Darin’s son; Alejandro Awada & Nazareno Casero. Expectations on the miniseries have increased after the theatrical release on 13Aug, of Pablo Trapero’s feature film ‘El Clan’, also based on the family Puccio, that, handled by Twentieth Century Fox, sold 1.13 million tickets in its 1st 9 days, scoring an all time record in Argentina.

GERMANY

‘LABYRINTH OF LIES’ TO BE ACADEMY AWARDS ENTRY

‘Labyrinth Of Lies’ will represent Germany as its entry for foreign language film Oscar. Giulio Ricciarelli’s debut feature, which is distributed in US by Sony Pictures Classics, centers on a young public prosecutor, Johann Radmann, who sets out in the 1950s to expose the full story behind the mass killings at Auschwitz. This led to the 1st Auschwitz trial in Frankfurt, in the face of great political & social opposition in West Germany. Alexander Fehling plays Radmann, for which he won the Bavarian Film Award for “Best Actor”. The decision was made by an independent 9 person jury appointed by German Films and announced by jury representative Dagmar Hirtz in Munich recently. In a statement, the jury described the film as a “precisely researched” drama that is both “gripping & touching.” It added: “Alexander Fehling convinces with his intensive performance as a public prosecutor searching for truth & justice in the film.” The film’s producers are Uli Putz & Jakob Claussen for Claussen+Putz Filmproduktion & Sabine Lamby for Naked Eye Filmproduction. It received its world premiere at the Toronto Film Fest last year. Beta Cinema, which is handling international sales, has sold the film to 118 countries. Sony Pictures Classics is planning a US theatrical release on 30th Sept, 2015.

NICO APPOINTED CO – CEO

FremantleMedia has appointed German film producer Nico Hofmann as co – CEO of UFA Group, the company’s German production arm. Hofmann will form a new joint leadership team for UFA with current CEO Wolf Bauer, with Hofmann set to take over as sole CEO in Sept, 2017. The pair will both serve on the FremantleMedia Operating Board. Hofmann & Bauer will share overall management responsibilities with dedicated responsibilities for certain operations & units. They will have joint responsibility for the holding company and will both play a key role within the FremantleMedia global network, working closely with the global production, licensing & sales operations. “After 25 years of leading UFA to its outstanding market position, Wolf proposed to me a succession plan which made sense for both Wolf and the business and I happily accepted,” said FremantleMedia CEO, Cecile Frot -Coutaz.

BERTELSMANN REPORTS HIGHEST FIGURES

European media giant Bertelsmann has seen a strong 1st half of the year in 2015, reporting revenues at €8.04 billion ($9 billion), the company’s highest figure since 2007. It’s a 2.5% year – on – year hike for German media conglom, which owns Europe’s largest broadcaster RTL Group, music rights company BMG, book publisher Penguin Random House, magazine publisher Gruner + Jahr and FremantleMedia, which produces & distributes shows like ‘X – Factor’, ‘Idol’ & ‘Got Talent’. “Group profits were up nearly 55% at $446 million (€398 million) in the 1st half of 2015, driven by RTL Group’s good business in Germany and its continued digital expansion while numerous bestsellers from Penguin Random House such as Paula Hawkins’ debut tome “The Girl On The Train” & E. L. James’ newest publication “Grey” also helped boost group figures. RTL Group, which owns FremantleMedia, accounted for $3.13 billion in revenues for Bertelsmann. The subsidiary has been moving aggressively into the digital arena, having recently acquired French online outfit Oxygem.

Movie Review: ‘The Path of Zarathustra’ is a very relevant film on the exploration of one’s religious faith

September 4, 2015 by Shaheen Raaj

Producer: Sorab Irani
Director: Oorvazi Irani
Star Cast: Oorvazi Irani, Tom Alter, Rushad Rana, Darius Shroff, Firdausi Jussawalla & Vivek Tandon
Genre: Docudrama
Verdict: Good

Parsis are a minority community which is mostly steeped in myths galore. and director Oorvazi Irani has tried her best to clear all the misconceptions prevalent about the Parsis in lieu with their religion.

Plot: The film tells the journey of a young woman born into Zoroastrianism, the religion of her forefathers. Her journey starts with a remote village where she sees her grandfather die, to Mumbai, where she is welcomed by her aunt’s adopted son who confesses that he still loves her.

Aces: A laudable effort by a 1st time director Oorvazi Irani. Besides she has succeeded in extracting good work from her technicians.

Minuses: The performance of all the actors including the director Oorvazi Irani in the central role leaves much to be desired.

Last Word: A very relevant film on the exploration of one’s religious faith.

Movie Review: ‘Kaun Kitne Paani Mein’ is a very mediocre movie

September 2, 2015 by Shaheen Raaj

Producers: One Drop Foundation & Eleeanora Images Pvt Ltd
Director: Nila Madhab Panda
Cast: Kunal Kapoor, Radhika Apte, Gulshan Grover, Saurabh Shukla et al

What one really fails to understand is that how come a brilliant director like Nila Madhab Panda, who has earlier made excellently outstanding film like ‘I Am Kalam’ come with such a mediocre film like ‘Kaun Kitne Paani Mein’. Which is a satirical take revolving around water politics in a fictional Odisha village.

The film opens with an honour killing where the king of a village (nestled in the hills) shoots his daughter and the low caste man she has fallen in love with and banishes the man’s poor family to the foothills of the village. 3 decades later, the rich wastrels of the king’s part of the village (known as Upri) and the hardworking commoners who now reside in the foothills (Bairi) lead starkly & starkingly different lives. While Upri, once fertile, is rendered barren over the years due to lack of water, Bairi has been transformed into lush agricultural land thanks to its enterprising residents as they are well – versed in water conservation methods and manage to store all the rain water that trickles down to them from Upri every year.
Heading these warring sub – villages are Raja Braj Singh Deo (Saurabh Shukla) & Kharu Pehelwan (Gulshan Grover) respectively. While the film mostly consists of satirical set pieces to stress just how water politics takes shape, the film’s story only gains momentum with the entrance of the film’s protagonists Deo’s son Raj (Kunal Kapoor) & Kharu’s daughter Paro (Radhika Apte).

The Odisha Director Nila Madhab Panda seriously needs to take an escapism break to hone up & sharpen his directorial skills.

Performance wise all the actors right from the youngsters (Kunal Kapoor & Radhika Apte) to the veteran & seasoned actors (Gulshan Grover & Saurabh) have just sleep walked through the film. Need anything more be said.

Tail Piece: If you have nothing better to do than settle down in front of your small screen (idiot box) or just go for a stroll.

Movie Review: ‘Phantom’ is a good movie in tandem with its around the world visual treat

September 2, 2015 by Shaheen Raaj

Banner: Nadiadwala Grandson Entertainment
Producer: Sajid Nadiadwala & Siddharth Roy Kapur
Director: Kabir Khan
Cast: Saif Ali Khan, Katrina Kaif, Sabyasaachi Chakraborty, Rajesh Tailang, Shahnawaz Pradhan & Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub
Music: Pritam & Julius Packiam

Director Kabir Khan has had several outings in Bollywood like ‘Kabul Express’, ‘New York’, Ek Tha Tiger’ et al and now ‘Phantom’ based on journo turned author S. Hussein Zaidi’s best selling novella ‘Mumbai Avengers’ which details the behind the scenes graphic accounts of the terrorist attack of 26 / 11 in & around Mumbai’s Taj Hotel.

The plotted scenario of ‘Phantom’ kick starts with the visuals of the 26 / 11 Mumbai attack. This is immediately followed by a high octane car chase sequence between Daniyal Khan (Saif Ali Khan) and an unknown man in Chicago (US) who bangs his car and tries to drive away. Daniyal finally gets hold of him but accidentally kicks him off the bridge into the river below. This, then, leads to an array of flashback events, which establishes the connection between Daniyal Khan’s past to his present day life. The flashback states that, after being dismissed from the Indian army, Daniyal goes into a hibernation of sorts, living an isolated & secluded life of his own. In the meanwhile, when India’s RAW (Research & Analysis Wing) learns about Pakistan based terrorist group Lashkar’s yet another plan of attacking India, they plan a secret operation, off the books, to take down all the accused & masterminds behind Mumbai attacks. After much research they decided on hiring Daniyal Khan for this job. The RAW officials believe that Khan is like a ‘Phantom’, he has no records and is completely off the radar. As a part of the mission, he meets up with the beautiful & talented Nawaz (Katrina Kaif) in UK where she works as a ‘Security Consultant’. The duo however gel well after Daniyal’s 1st 2 missions in UK & US. Thereafter this duo’s journey traverses from Beirut, Syria and finally Pakistan. Even though Daniyal Khan’s mission happens to be a ‘top secret’ and ‘highly confidential’ one, the Pakistani officials sniff out his plan before Daniyal Khan reaches his ultimate goal of killing Hariz Saeed (Shahnawaz Pradhan), the mastermind behind the 26/11 attacks.

Surprisingly director Kabir Khan is getting totally seeped in the terrrorism genre of filmmaking barring his most emotional outing in ‘Bajrangi Bhaijaan’. Besides an incredible job has also been done by Julius Packiam (Background Scorer), Aseem Sharma (Cinematographer – who has brilliantly captured the global foreign locales), Aarif Sheikh (Editor). Kabir Khan & Parveez Shaikh (Screenplay Writer) & Peter Pedrero (Action). But composer Pritam has delivered a totally disappointing musical fare.

Performance wise it is Saif Ali Khan who shines all through the film with Katrina Kaif lending him adequate support by matching him step by step abeit in a deglamourised avatar. The other actors like Sabyasachi Chakrabarty, Rajesh Tailang and above all Shahnawaz Pradhan & Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub are first rate.

Tail Piece: All in all ‘Phantom’ is a good movie in tandem with its around the world visual treat.

Movie Review: ‘Manjhi – The Mountain Man’ is mainly for art house cinema lover

September 1, 2015 by Shaheen Raaj

Banner: Viacom 18 Motion Pictures & NFDC India
Producers: Nina Lath Gupta & Deepa Sahi
Director: Ketan Mehta
Cast: Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Radhika Apte, Tigmanshu Dhulia, Gaurav Dwivedi et al

Director Ketan Mehta’s last colourful outing was the Randeep Hooda starrer ‘Rang Rasiya’ which had fetched critical acclaim galore. He is more Known for delivering gems & milestone movies in his career. Ketan has now come up with an out of the world movie like ‘Manjhi – The Mountain Man’, an Indian biographical film, based on the life of Dashrath Manjhi, who was widely known as the “Mountain Man”.

The plotted scenario starts off with a ‘conversation’ between Dashrath Maanjhi (Nawazuddin Siddiqui) and a humongous mountain, in which he cries his heart out before the mountain with all the aggression. The ‘heat’ of his conversation is so much that it (quite literally) sparks off a fire. The story then gets into a flashback mode wherein it shows all the events that lead him to the present day situation. The flashback shows Dashrath, who hails from a totally backward class, getting married to Phaguniya (Radhika Apte) during childhood itself. Because of his father’s inability to pay the debts, he plans to leave Dashrath with the village’s merciless Mukhiya (Tigmanshu Dhulia) as his domestic help. But the self respecting Dashrath bites off his father’s hand and runs away from the village itself…….only to return after a gap of 7 long years. While he sees that things haven’t changed much in the village in terms of progress, his love life blooms the very moment he sets his eyes on Phaguniya. His joy knows no end when he discovers that Phaguniya is no one else but the same girl whom he had got married to in his childhood. After all the drama that takes place because of his unemployment, Dashrath & Phaguniya run away from the ‘clutches’ of their parents, only to live a peaceful life forever. Dashrath loves her so much that his life becomes impossible without her. After the delivery of their 1st child, Phaguniya conceives for the 2nd time. The dutiful wife that she is, she climbs the hilly mountains to bring lunch for Dashrath, who works incessantly in order to give his family a happy life. One day, pregnant Phaguniya, while climbing the hills, slips from there and passes away after delivering her 2nd child. Unable to bear the grief of the sudden death of her wife, Dashrath feels that the hilly ‘egoistic’ mountains are the killers. In order to teach these mountains a lesson that they will never forget, he starts cutting them with an axe…….all single handedly.

Producers Viacom 18 Picture & NFDC deserves kudos & full marks for backing Ketan Mehta’s courageous act of coming up with such realistic docu drama as ‘Manjhi – The Mountain Man’.

Nawazuddin Siddiqui & Radhika Apte have delivered a very heart warming & flawless performance. The rest of the film’s characters in the form of Tigmanshu Dhulia, Pankaj Tripathi, Gaurav Dwiwedi et al, offer their support in taking the film to its well deserving climax. A special mention must be made of Deepa Sahi, in a cameo, who is perfection personified.

Tail Piece: ‘Manjhi – The Mountain Main’ is a once in a lifetime made par excellent film albeit which will appeal mainly to art house cinema lovers.

Movie Review: ‘All is Well’ is an entertaining film both for the classy as well as mass audiences

August 31, 2015 by Shaheen Raaj

Banner: Allchemy Productions & T – Series
Producers: Shyam Bajaj, Varun Bajaj, Bhushan Kumar & Krishan Kumar
Director: Umesh Shukla
Cast: Abhishek Bachchan, Asin, Rishi Kapoor & Supriya Pathak
Music: Meet Bros Anjjan, Amaal Mallik, Mithoon & Himesh Reshammiya

Director Umesh Shukla in his debut directorial offering ‘OMG – Oh My God!’ had displayed a fair sense of his directorial finesse. And in his 2nd directorial outing ‘All is Well’ he has surpassed his own directorial skills by giving a gift of a beautifully entertaining film.

The plotted scenario of ‘All is Well’ depicts Indar (Abhishek Bachchan) is a musician based in Bangkok. Nimmi (Asin), a true blue romantic at heart (in the literal sense) loves Indar but the angry young man can’t reciprocate her feelings as he belongs to a dysfunctional family where his father Bhallasahab (Rishi Kapoor) & mom (Supriya Pathak) were always at loggerheads. As he didn’t want to be a part of his father’s fledgling bakery business, Indar had been asked to leave the house. Quirky fate proves instrumental in bringing Indar back to his home town Kasol where his dad was under enormous debt while his mom was unwell. The local moneylender Cheema (Zeeshan Ayyub) makes Bhalla & Son run for their money and madness unleashes relentlessly.

All in all, ‘All is Well’ proves Umesh Shukla’s mastery over his directorial treatment. Not only the cast, but also the entire technical crew of ‘All is Well’, especially music composer Amaal Mallik, deserves a pat on their back for living up to not only Umesh Shukla but also the cine goers expectations.

Performance wise Abhishek Bachchan has delivered a marvellous performance. Rishi Kapoor is brilliance personified. Zeeshan Ayyub’s act is the most entertaining. Asin looks glamorous. Supriya Pathak is competent. While Seema Pahwa is hilarious.

Tail Piece: ‘All is Well’ is one fun filled family entertainment which is not to be missed at any cost.

Southern Films Round Up

August 31, 2015 by Shaheen Raaj

Keerthi Suresh To Be Replaced

Jiiva & Bobby Simha are coming together for a new film ‘Kavalai Vendaam’ produced by Elred Kumar of R. S. Infotainment & directed by Deekay, who gave the sleeper hit ‘Yamirkka Bayamey’. The film had Keerthi Suresh & Nikki Galrani as the 2 heroines with Karunakaran in a pivotal role. But Keerti Suresh is not a part of the project any more due to issues with dates and the team is on the lookout for a suitable replacement.

’10 Endrathukulla’ Packs Up From Rajasthan

Renowned for his action thrillers, director ARM has always held the audience spellbound, waiting in anticipation of his next adventure biggie, ’10 Endrathukulla’. The rugged scenes from the teaser has built further on the anticipation quotient of the movie and the team has reported to us that they are almost done with the shooting. Some risky shots, including a high adrenaline train fight sequence, were shot in Rajasthan and the team has wrapped up and returned back to Chennai. Back home, ’10 Endrathukulla’ will complete the shooting for patches, in localess in & around Chennai. The film stars Vikram & Samantha in the lead, while Charmee will be seen again on Kolly screens after a long hiatus, for a cameo in a song.

Vidhya Balan Replaced by Lakshmi Menon

After ‘Maari’, Dhanush is a busy man, he has been shuttling between the sets of an untitled movie with Prabhu Solomon, ‘VIP 2’ and yet another flick with Durai of ‘Kaakisattai’ & ‘Ethirneechal’ fame. Its rumored that the movie will figure Dhanush in a dual role, that of brothers, the 1st for the remarkable actor. Earlier on Vidya Balan was supposed to be playing the heroine, however due to dates clashes the actress might be replaced by Lakshmi Menon. With ‘Thala56’ almost nearing its end, Lakshmi Menon’s inclusion for Dhanush’s next looks to be a reality however the makers are in full flow to sign the actress up.

The New Title Of Suriya’s Film Is ‘Pasanga 2’

The title of ‘Haikku’ directed by Pandiraj & produced by Suriya’s 2 D Entertainment has been changed to ‘Pasanga 2’ and is expected to hit the screens in Sept, 2015. Bindu Madhavi & Karthik Kumar are playing important supporting roles for the 3 children Kavin, Nayana & Abhiman who are the heroes of the film. Suriya & Amala Paul pair up as a psychologist & a teacher respectively and also appear in supporting roles. Cinematography is by Balasubramaniam, editing by Praveen K L & music by Arrol Corelli.

Ram Charan’s ‘Bruce Lee’ 1st Look Poster Revealed

Finally, the makers of Ram Charan’s 9th film has fixed the title ‘Bruce Lee’ for the film, with the tagline ‘The Fighter’. Cherry plays a stuntman in this Sreenu Vaitla directorial and the teaser is intriguing. Rakul Preet Singh is playing the leading lady & Kriti Karbhanda will be seen as Charan’s sister in this action entertainer, which is being produced by D. V. V. Danayya on D V V Entertainment’s banner as production no.1. Thaman is the music director.

Manchu Adopts 10 Villages

Tollywood actors are showing their philanthropic side of late. It’s been only a few days since Mahesh Babu announced that he is going to adopt a Telangana Village apart from his native village Burripalem. Now it’s the turn of Manchu Vishnu. The ‘Dynamite’ actor revealed that he has adopted 10 villages in Chandragiri Mandal in Chittoor district and he will be providing basic amenities for those villages, apart from building toilets for girls studying in Government schools. The Manchu hero will meet Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu soon and will discuss about his plan of action.

Sudeep To Turn Rajamouli

Kannada actor Sudeep, who made his Telugu debut with ‘Eega’ says that he’s lucky to be a part of Telugu’s ‘Baahubali’. He further hopes to direct his own epic drama like ‘Baahubali’ in 5 languages sometime next year. Sudeep, who was also part of ‘Baahubali’ & Tamil film ‘Puli’ says that he was fortunate to be a part of such epic fantasies. The actor says that Telugu & Tamil industries have grown over the years and while budgets in Kannada are much smaller, they have shown us that it is not impossible to grow.

Sanjjanaa’s Next Is ‘Happy Birthday’

Sanjjanaa has began shooting for her next Telugu film, a female oriented horror thriller titled ‘Happy Birthday’. The actress is pretty kicked up about it as she believes the role gives her scope to show off her acting chops.

Sanjjanaa has also recently shot for another horror film in Kannada titled ‘She Is Deadly Dangerous’. “Horror films offer a lot of thrill and when the makers cast a good looking woman in such a film, it adds to the appeal visually,” believes Sanjjanaa.

Parineethi Chopra To Enact The Role Of Malar

Bollywood actress Parineethi Chopra has signed a Telugu movie which is the remake of Mollywood’s hit movie ‘Premam’, The actress will reprise Sai Pallavi’s role in the movie. Parineethi’s role as Malar will be the one to watch out for, since the actress has not appeared in so toned down a role.

The Telugu version will have Nagachaitanya essaying the role of George played by Nivin Pauly in the original. There is also a buzz that Anupama Prameshwaran, who played the role of Mary has been approached to reprise the role in Telugu also.

Mohanlal In Telugu Movie After Nearly 2 decades

Mohanlal will play the lead role in a Telugu movie after a gap of more than 21 years, He was last seen in a Telugu movie directed by Priyadarshan titled ‘Gandheevan’ in which he played a small yet significant part. Mohanlal’s upcoming Telugu movie is being directed by Suresh Vamshi. The actor will don the role of a police officer in it. Suresh believes that the role would be apt for the actor and that he had to wait a while to get Mohanlal on board for the project.

‘Jwalantham’ Ready

An archeologist on a hunt for a new discovery is himself hunted with strange developments in ‘Jwalantham’. The protagonist on the way to his discoveries traces strange moments in this Divine Developers Organization ‘Jwalantham’ that has completed shooting. Anu Rao maiden venture ‘Jwalantham’ is at the dubbing stage. The shoot was held in Bengaluru, Channapattana, Karkala, Honnavara, Karawara and other places. Ambarish is making his debut as a story, screenplay & dialogue writer besides being the director. Vikram Subramanyam has scored music for 4 songs & Kurinan F are composing music, Srinivas is cinematographer, Vinod is stunt director, Arasu Anthare has penned the songs.

‘Kanchana’ Gets ‘A’

Amarchand Jain Presents, Om Shanthi Vijay Productions ‘Kanchana’ has been cleared by regional censor board with ‘A’ certificate recently. The film was referred to Revising Committee when regional censor board had given ‘A’ certificate. Similar certificate was granted in the Revising Committee also. The film’s producer Vijay Surana also story & screenplay writer besides a director is now content with the certificate and he is making arrangements for the release of the film. Rahul is making debut with Roopa Nataraj of ‘Miss Mallige’ fame. Hemanth, Hanumanthe Gowda, Vijay Chendur, Geetha are also in the cast.

Movie Review: Ricki And The Flash will emotionally enrich your weekend

August 28, 2015 by Shaheen Raaj

Producers: Mason Novick & Marc Platt
Director: Jonathan Demme
Star Cast: Meryl Streep, Kevin Kline, Mamie Gummer, Audra McDonald, Sebastian Stan & Rick Springfield
Genre: Comedy Drama
Verdict: VERY GOOD

Robert Jonathan Demme is an American filmmaker, producer & screenwriter. Demme rose to prominence with his films like ‘Melvin’, ‘Howard’, ‘Swing Shift’, ‘Something Wild’, ‘Married To The Mob’, ‘The Silence Of The Lambs’, ‘Philadelphia’, ‘Rachel Getting Married’ et al.

Plot: Meryl Streep goes electric and takes on a whole new gig as a hard rocking singer / guitarist. She stars as Ricki, a guitar heroine who gave up everything for her dream of rock & roll stardom, but is now returning home to make things right with her family. She stars opposite her real life daughter Mamie Gummer, who plays her fictional daughter; Rick Springfield, takes on the role of a Flash member in love with Ricki & Kevin Kline, portrays Ricki’s long suffering ex – husband.

Aces: It’s a Meryl Streep film all the way. And it’s a delight to watch her magical performance even at this age & stage.

Minuses: The comic elements are seriously missing. The audiences may feel more of an emotional connect rather than being amused.

Last Word: An emotional trip down your nearest theatre will emotionally enrich your weekend.

Movie Review: The Man from U.N.C.L.E. is a refreshing entertainment that is worth watching

August 28, 2015 by Shaheen Raaj

Producer: John Davis, Steve Clark – Hall, Lionel Wigram & Guy Ritchie
Director: Guy Ritchie
Star Cast: Henry Cavill, Armie Hammer, Alicia Vikander, Elizabeth Debicki, Jarred Harris, Luca Calvani & Hugh Grant.
Genre: Mystery & Suspense
Verdict: Good

Guy Stuart Ritchie is a filmmaker known for his crime films like Lock Stock And Two Smoking Barrels, Snatch, Swept Revolver, RocknRolla, Sherlock Holmes and its sequel Sherlock Holmes: A Game Of Shadows and now in his latest offering The Man From U.N.C.L.E. He seems to have traversed the same mysterious path.

Plot: Guy Ritchie’s The Man from U.N.C.L.E is a fresh take on the hugely popular 1960s television series. Set against the backdrop of the early 1960s, at the height of the Cold War, The Man from U.N.C.L.E centers on CIA agent Napolean Solo (Henry Cavill) & KGB agent Illya Kuryakin (Armie Hammer). Forced to put aside longstanding hostilities, the 2 team up on a joint mission to stop a mysterious international criminal organization, which is hell bent on destabilizing the fragile balance of power through the proliferation of nuclear weapons & technology.

Aces: Guy RItchie’s in your face directorial style, that apart the cool & funny chemistry exhibited by Henry Cavill as Napolean Solo & Armie Hammer as Illya Kuryakin.

Minuses: If only it could have been more stylish & more entertaining like its TV series of the same name from which it has been adapted.

Last Word: This refreshing fare is worth watching at least once.

Nasheman.in interviews music composer & singer Abhishek Ray

August 27, 2015 by Shaheen Raaj

Abhishek Ray handles mainstream commercial & intellectual cinema with equal ease.

How did you manage to capture the spirit of ‘Welcome Back’?

Composing the theme song for ‘Welcome Back’ was a huge challenge as the film is a pot pourri of various powerful characters coming together to create a comical extravaganza of epic proportions. So the song had to capture the soul of the tapori (John Abraham), the dangerous (Nana Patekar & Anil Kapoor), the glamorous (Shruti Hasan), the fabulous (Ankita & Dimple Kapadia), the ferocious (Naseeruddin Shah) etc. So I came up with this unusual funk – jazz kind of melody which captures the quirky comedy of the film as well as the mafia element.

Besides composing music, you have sung the song too?

The title song needed a unique & fresh vocal timbre. It also needed a brazen, experimental jazz – blues kind of singing. Owing to my background in the jazz piano & western classical, this kind of singing comes naturally and everybody loved it. I wanted to avoid the cliche of overused playback voices. Sometimes they take away from the uniqueness of the song.

Must have been a radical shift for you as a music composer from ‘Paan Singh Tomar’ to ‘Welcome Back’?

Unfortunately we live in times of mediocrity where one musician does only one repetitive kind of style and Bollywood is quick to recognize that and slot him. But the true quality of a film composer lies in versatility. He should have the knowledge & talent bank to capture the essence of the film and deliver a sound canvas accordingly. After composing & singing for national award winning films like ‘Paan Singh Tomar’ & ‘I Am Kalam’ and critically acclaimed films like ‘Saheb Biwi Aur Gangster’, ‘Yeh Saali Zindagi’, I felt the inner need to drift away and exhibit the mainstream commercial side of my melodies.

And how did you make this transition?

The trick I think is to hold on and have the power to say no. I had many film offers after ‘Paan Singh Tomar’ but did not pick up most of them. I waited patiently till Anees Bhai heard me and was gracious & kind to pick me up for such a gigantic production. There are very few directors in the industry who deviate from the obvious and show the courage & insight to introduce a radical sound in an extravagant mainstream production with 9 stars.

So do you think star power works for music?

For film music, invariably yes…Many people may be evasive on this but experience has taught me to be candid. Apart from composing good music, it is important to release that music on a robust platform. How well the director uses your music and what visuals carry it forward makes a world of difference. A lot of beautiful songs don’t reach out to the target audience due to lack of promotions and visibility. I have faced that far too often.

What about non – film music?

I was brought into the industry by Gulzar Saheb. I began my career with a solo album with Gulzar Saheb called “Udaas Paani”. This experimental album was a musical saga of poetic moods and did exceedingly well. The success of “Udaas Paani” led us to collaborate on another eclectic album called ‘Raat Chand Aur Main”. After that there was no stopping and in the last decade, I have sung & composed the prestigious “Amazing India” series for music today, “Ritu” the magic of the 6 Indian seasons, “Raga Rendezvous” etc. Being a hard core musician at heart, albums give me extreme satisfaction but unfortunately the current market scenario is too Bollywood specific. Most albums today don’t get to release & reach out respectfully today.

What are your inspirations in music?

Mother Nature and a constantly nomadic free – spirited lifestyle have been my greatest inspirations. I am crazy about exploring untamed places, wilderness areas, old dilapidated structures, remote villages & sagas of unusual human lives etc. Such places have an uncanny aura & silver notes of melodies come running to my mind like droplets of rain. I am an active wildlife activist and I am also a Government bona fide tiger & leopard tracker. I run my own wildlife conservation project near Corbett National Park called sitabaniwildlifereserve.com.

What films are you looking forward to?

I have done some soul – stirring songs for a film called ‘Marriage Anniversary’ featuring Nana Patekar & Mahie Gill. I have also composed for ‘Saat Uchchakey’ produced by Neeraj Pandey & Tigmanshu Dhulia’s ‘Yaara’. Apart from these which will release shortly, I am currently working on 4 interesting films with diverse subjects.