Film – Page 118

Movie Review: Gour Hari Dastaan – The Freedom File is a brilliantly crafted film that are made once in a lifetime

August 17, 2015 by Shaheen Raaj

Banner: Siddhivinayak Cinevision
Producers: Sachin Khanolkar & Bindiya Khanolkar
Director: Ananth Narayan Mahadevan
Cast: Vinay Pathak, Konkana Sen Sharma, Ranveer Shorey, Tanishtha Chatterji, Asrani, Rajit Kapur, Vikram Gokhale, Neha Pendse, Vinay Apte, Mohan Kapur, Achint Kaur, Khusboo, Viju Khote, Vipin Sharma, Neena Kulkarni, Bharat Dhabolkar, Ganesh Yadav, Murli Sharma, Siddharth Jadhav & Gary Richardson
Music: Dr. L. Subramaniam

Anant Narayan Mahadevan, an actor – director of repute & one who has also delivered milestone gems earlier, in his latest directorial offering ‘Gour Hari Dastaan – The Freedom File’ has depicted the painstaking struggle, of over 3 decades, of an ex – freedom fighter Gour Hari Das to get his overdue rights of being properly & lawfully recognised as one of the original freedom fighter by the Indian Government. The film has been brilliantly crafted portraying all the right nuances, of a helpless man, at the right places & at the right time.

Gour Hari Das (Vinay Pathak) an ex – freedom fighter from Odisha is now residing in Mumbai & working in Khadi Kraft. He is living a happy life with his wife (Konkana Sen Sharma) & son. But somewhere along the way he is also troubled by the fact that no one believes him or takes him to be an ex – freedom fighter. So along with his Khadi Kraft job he also struggles, by running from pillar to post, to get his Tamrapatra, given by the Goverment to ex – freedom fighters in recognition of taking part in India’s struggle for Independence from the British Raj, which will ultimately prove that he was indeed an ex – freedom fighter and had also gone to jail in the process. Little did Gour Hari Das knew that he will also get viciously caught in the beaucratic web. At last his over 3 decades of the painstaking struggle ends and he ends up getting his due recognition, in the process of which he is also helped by 2 media guys namely Ranveer Shorey & Tanishtha Chatterjee and many others. While there have also been people who have discouraged him in fulfilling his mission.

As a director Ananth Narayan Mahadevan indeed deserves a salutation oriented standing ovation for presenting on the celluloid silver screen, a real life saga of an ex – freedom fighter named Gour Hari Das now residing in Dahisar. That apart the producers duo of Sachin Khanolkar & Bindiya Khanolkar also deserves full marks for backing director Ananth Narayan Mahadevan’s ambitious & heart touching project. For over a year the film ‘Gour Hari Dastaan – The Freedom File’ has been doing the Indian & global Fest circuit rounds and bagging awards & adulations galore. But though the film will be liked by the elite & the classy cine goers, its main drawback is its exceedingly slow pace Which may not appeal to the masses.

Performance wise Vinay Pathak has delivered an extraordinnaire performance by literally living the life of a forgotten hero Gour Hari Das on the celluloid silver screen. His complete transformation as the real hero Gour Hari Das is really seen to be believed and speaks volumes of his histrionic prowess. In fact he really walks away with all the acting honours. The rest of the cast comprising of veterans as well as others like Konkana Sen Sharma, Ranveer Shorey, Tanishtha Chatterji, Asrani, Rajit Kapur, Vikram Gokhale, Neha Pendse, Vinay Apte, Mohan Kapur, Achint Kaur, Khusboo, Viju Khote, Vipin Sharma, Neena Kulkarni, Bharat Dhabolkar, Ganesh Yadav, Murli Sharma, Siddharth Jadhav & Gary Richardson have formed a picture perfect foil to Vinay Pathak’s Gour Hari Das, albeit in their briefest cameo roles.

Tail Piece: As mentioned earlier ‘Gour Hari Dastaan – The Freedom File’ is primarily meant for the classes and not for the masses. Besides at the box office it may not set the cash registers ringing, but it will certainly shower awards galore for director Ananth Narayan Mahadevan.

Movie Review: Shaun The Sheep Movie is delightfully funny it is meant for cine goers of all ages

August 14, 2015 by Shaheen Raaj

Producer: Paul Kewly & Julie Lockhart
Director: Richard Starzak & Mark Burton
Star Cast: (Voice) Justin Fletcher, John Sparkes, Omid Djalili, Kate Harbour, Richard Webber, Tim Hands, Simon Greenall et al.
Genre: Comedy (Animation)
Verdict: Very Good

The director duo of Richard Starzak & Mark Burton have delivered many movies till this date especially animated comedy, but the latest offering ‘Shaun The Sheep Movie’ has surpassed all of them. Besides they have enlivened the film by using the stop animation motivated technique.

Plot: Shaun is a mischievous sheep living with his flock at Mossy Bottom Farm. Tired of the routine life on the farm, he hatches a plan for a day off, by tricking the farmer into going back to sleep by counting the sheep repeatedly. However, the travel – trailer in which they put the farmer to bed accidentally rolls away, taking him the entire way into the big city. Bitzer, the farmer’s dog, goes after him, ordering the sheep to stay on the farm until he returns.

Aces: A sweet & simple story whose punctuated silence also speaks volumes. Besides the animation has been done brilliantly.

Minuses: Some more addition of gags & wisecracks would have made the film even more lively.

Last Word: It is one up on the television series of the same name. Go for it, as it is meant for cine goers of all ages & from all walks of life.

Bollywood’s patriotic films

August 13, 2015 by Shaheen Raaj

Purab Aur Paschim

There seems to be a very thin line separating the war films, the historical films or even the patriotic films of the Hindi Cinema, in a way all these three categories are totally interlinked. As the real or even the reel life warriors have always fought the various battles out of sheer patriotism, for the intense love for their country and have then become historical figures in the process.

So some of the earliest Black & White Patriotic Films, steeped in extreme patriotism, of the Hindi Cinema have been made as early as the year 1925 onwards for i.e. ‘Charkha’ & ‘Veer Kunal’ in the year 1925, ‘Bhagwa Jhanda’ alias ‘Saffron flag’ in the year 1926, ‘Flag Of Honor’ in the year 1929, ‘Patriot’ in the year 1930, ‘The Battle’, ‘Martyr’ & ‘Sword Of Allah’ in the year 1931, ‘Shan – E – Hindustan’ & ‘Hindustan’ in the year 1932 & ‘Bharat Veer’ in the year 1933 to name just a handful of them.

And then with the advent of the color era it was Manoj Kumar, more popularly known as Mr. Bharat, who had totally dominated the patriotic scenario in 60’s & 70’s decade firstly by acting in a Black & White film titled ‘Shaheed’ in the year 1965, in which even the late Prime Minister of India Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru had made a special appearance, and secondly by going on to make more and more such patriotic films in color like ‘Upkar’, ‘Kranti’, ‘Purab Aur Paschim’ , ‘Roti Kapda Aur Makaan’ et al and of course all his films not only emphasized but also reflected his intense patriotic fervor and even his deep rooted love for his motherland, India. In fact Manoj Kumar was to Patriotic films, what the Ramsays were to Horror films.

Then it took a Hollywood director like Richard Attenborough to rekindle the patriotic loyalty of the Indian’s by making a Celluloid Masterpiece film ‘Gandhi’ starring who else but a Hollywood actor Ben Kingsley in the title role. No wonder then, that the Indian directors followed suit with Shyam Benegal leading the brigade, when he made a film titled ‘The Making Of Mahatma Gandhi’ starring Rajat Kapoor in the title role of Mahatma Gandhi.

Thereafter the decade of the 60’s also saw a few classic yet very successful Patriotic Films made by the late Producer – Director Chetan Anand titled ‘Haqueequat’ {Not to speak of the Ajay Devgn starrer of the same name but made in the 90’s decade} starring Dharmendra and the late Priya Rajvansh besides a host of other stars of that era. Then there were also films like ‘Hum Hindustani’ starring rank newcomers and Producer – Director Mehboob Khan’s film ‘Son Of India’ also starring newcomers.

While some of the other such patriotic films of the 40’s and the 50’s decade include ‘Pyara Watan’, ‘Hum Dono’ starring the evergreen Dev Anand in a double role, ‘Sher – E – Watan’, ‘Hind Ke Lal’, ‘Hamara Watan’, ‘Hamara Desh’, ‘Hindustan Hamara’, ‘Bharat Ke Lal’, ‘Bharat Ki Beti’ and the most talked about film of that era namely ‘Dharti Ke Lal’. And a series of films, of the funster duo the late Mehmood Ali – I. S. Johar starrer like ‘Johar Mehmood in Goa’, ‘Johar Mehmood In Hong Kong’ etc.. Yet all these films were like just a few drops in an ocean.

Dharti Ke Lal

Cut to the decade of the 60’s to the 90’s where apart from the Manoj Kumar brand of Patriotic Films there were other notable films too like ‘5 Rifles’, ‘Leader’, ‘Jhanda Ooncha Rahe Hamara’, ‘Desh Ke Dushman’, Rajesh Khanna starrer ‘Apna Desh’, ‘Azaad Desh Ke Ghulam’, ‘Bharat Ke Shaheed’, Mithun Chakroborty starrer ‘Watan Ke Rakhwale’, Kamal Hasan starrer ‘Mayor Saab’ {Dubbed version of the original Tamil film} and then even the mighty Big B had acted in a couple of such Deshbhakti oriented films like ‘Desh Premee’, ‘Inquilab’, ‘Main Azaad Hoon’, ‘Hindustani’, ‘Hindustan Ki Kasam’, ‘Major Sahab’ & ‘Khuda Gawah’. Besides how can one forget the midget hero Aamir Khan’s earlier film ‘Sarfarosh’, ‘Rang De Basanti’ and the last released patriotic saga ‘Lagaan’ albeit being a little off track.

Besides how can one overlook the Punjabi Jat Dharmendra & director Anil Sharma’s contributions in this field as together the duo have given quite a few of such hit films like ‘Elaan – E – Jung’, ‘Hukumat’ & ‘Tehelka’, While Dharmendra on his own did Ramanand Sagar’s films like ‘Aankhen’ & ‘Lalkar’. Next, patriotically following in the footsteps of his father even Sunny Deol has served his own doses or rather sometimes overdoses of patriotism from time to time with a few notable films like ‘Indian’, ‘The Hero’, ‘Zor’, ‘Gadar – Ek Prem Katha’ and many more besides the dud caper ‘Jaal – The Trap’. So what if terrorism had also seeped in, in some of them, by raising its ugly head.

In between there were other such highly impressive films too like the Nana Patekar starrer ‘Krantiveer’ directed by Mehul Kumar, ‘Krantishetra’ & ‘Sardar’, while one more last released patriotic film turned out to be ‘Subhashchandra Bose’. Incidentally the last 2 films both directed by Shyam Benegal had also given a great insight into the life & times of these patriotic leaders of our Nation.

A special, well deserved mention at this juncture should also be made of the Vidhu Vinod Chopra film ‘1942 – A love story’ starring Anil Kapoor & J. P. Dutta’s film ‘Border’ & ‘LoC – Kargil’ starring a galaxy of Bollywood stars. But the earlier mentioned film had also claimed quite a few of the casualties in the Capital State New Delhi, a result of a bomb explosion allegedly planted by some anti – social elements, while the devout & the patriotic patrons were engrossed in watching the same film in Uphaar theatre out there.

Border

And finally in the new millennium one also witnessed a new trend of patriotic filmmaking, in fact a mad rush to jump onto the bandwagon of simultaneously making films based on one subject, on one particular patriotic figure and this time around and in this case it was our nation’s most revered martyr Shaheed Bhagat Singh. Hence as many as 5 films were made on the legendary cult figure namely Tips films ‘The Legend Of Bhagat Singh’ starring Ajay Devgan, Dharmendra’s home production banner Vijeta films ‘1931 Shaheed Bhagat Singh’ starring Sunny Deol as Chandrashekhar Azaad & Bobby Deol in the title role, ‘Shaheed – E – Azam Bhagat Singh’ starring the then rank newcomer Sonu Sood, besides two other unreleased films with inane titles which incidentally also got dumped into the trash cans of the cine laboratories of Mumbai.

Not only this, as believe it or not there were as many as 5 films being made on another legendary political figure the late Indira Gandhi. But nothing of those films was heard after its initial launch with a big fanfare.

The Legend Of Bhagat Singh

Besides not to be left behind and out of the rat race of this patriotic wave even the small screen at that time had dabbled with its own version of the patriotic brand of tele – serials like ‘Kashmeer’ on Star Plus channel which was also later on unceremoniously pulled off the air midway and then there was ‘Mulk’ on Zee TV Channel which had also suffered the same fate.

To round it off on a patriotic note all the Satellite Channels then in the mad rush of being one up on each other, as each one of them drew up their own schedules & plans to telecast most of the past patriotic films of those times, no doubt, to commemorate the eve of the Independence day, a trend which is still followed sometimes on the small screen. Period!

Southern Movies Round Up

August 12, 2015 by Shaheen Raaj

Siddharth & Samantha to come together again

After Simbu & Nayanthara doing the impossible of acting together after their breakup in ‘Idhu Namma Aalu’, one more former couple is also coming together for a film. The pair in question is Samantha & Siddharth who had broken up a few months back and walked out of ‘Bangalore Days’ because of that. Director Sundar C is the director who has achieved this casting coup for his film ‘Aranmanai 2’. Siddharth, Trisha, Hansika & Soori are already on board for the project and reportedly Samantha has given her nod to play a leading role in the film which is getting bigger & bigger as the days pass.

Vijay Back On Duty For ‘Puli’

Illayathalapthy Vijay after a couple of weeks rest from the non-stop shoot for his fantasy film ‘Puli’ is currently dubbing for his scenes for the past couple of days and the superstar was extremely happy the way the scenes have come out. The other credits are Natty Natraj’s camera, Sreekar Prasad’s editing, T. Muthuraj’s art work & Chimbudevan’s deft direction have combined to provide stunning visuals that would provide immense satisfaction to all Vijay fans. The pace at which the post production is going on indicate that producers P. T. Selvakumar & Shibu Thameens are planning to release the movie well ahead of the scheduled 17th Sept, 2015 as a treat for Vijay fans.

Sri & Rana Shooting In Mahabalipuram

The shooting of the Tamil remake of ‘Bangalore Days’ directed by Baskar is going on in full swing and right now scenes involving ‘Kaaki Sattai’ girl Sri Divya & Rana Dagubatti are being shot in and around Mahabalipuram. PVP Cinema are the producers of this full fledged multi-starrer that has Arya, Bobby Simhaa, Rana Dagubatti, Sri Divya, Nithya Menon, Parvathy Menon & Raai Lakshmi in the cast.

Abhinaya In An Action Thriller

Abhinaya of ‘Nadodigal’ & ‘Easan’ fame is back after a break. The actress plays a key role in a film titled ‘Thudi’, an action thriller based on the Mumbai hotel attack incident. Directed by Rithun Shankar, the film has Suman, Brahmanandam and others in key roles. “Abhinaya plays a receptionist in the hotel. Her role & performance will be talked about,” says the director.

On why the title ‘Thudi’, he said, “Thudi means a music instrument in the hands of Lord Siva. Those days, it was used to communicate with people. We thought it would be the apt title for the movie.” He added that the entire story unfolds in 12 hours, from 6 pm to 6 am.

‘Ketugadu’ In Post Production

Tejus, who made his acting debut with the movie ‘Ulavacharu Biryani’, has now teamed up with a new director named Kittu Nallari for a film titled ‘Ketugadu’. Chandini Chowdary is the lead actress in this movie. Venkatesh Balasani is producing this film in association with ‘100 Crores Academy’. Famous writer VSP Thenneti is presenting this movie. Sai Karthik composed the music for this film.

The shooting was completed recently and the post production work is currently going on. The producers are planning to release the audio in the 1st week of Jun, 2015 and the film by the end of the same month.

Taapsee The Choosy Damsel

After playing an undercover agent in Hindi film ‘Baby’, Taapsee Pannu, is all set to play a cop in a Tamil film. The Delhi based model, who is currently basking in the glory of Ganga (Kanchana 2 in Tamil), will don khakis for her role in ‘Kaan’, directed by Selvaraghavan. The pretty damsel is paired opposite Simbu in the action thriller, which also features Catherine Tresa. Taapsee, who always looks for versatility in picking roles, goes deglam for a role in another Tamil film directed by Thiru. The actress would be playing a girl Tamizhchelvi who hails from Kumbakonam in the family drama. By picking roles that are diametrically opposite, Taapsee, who recently admitted that she’s choosy when it comes to roles, once again proved that she’s particular.

Rajinikanth Visits An Ashram in Coimbatore

Rajinikanth, who is known for his frequent spiritual sojourns, recently paid a visit to Arsha Vidya Gurukulam at Anaikatti in the outskirts of Coimbatore a couple of days back. The superstar has been a regular visitor to the ashram as he is a devotee of spiritual Guru Swami Dayananda Saraswati. Apparently, Rajini spent close to 2 hours at the Ashram and left for Chennai in the afternoon. Meanwhile the actor is gearing for his next film, which is said to be in a gangster backdrop and apparently, Rajini will be seen in role of a don.

Anushka Gains 15 Kgs For ‘Size Zero’

That Anushka would gain & lose weight for her forthcoming bilingual film ‘Size Zero’ is evident. The Bangalore damsel has put on 15kg weight for her role of an obese woman in the comic drama. Apparently, the actress has been on a high carbohydrate diet and has not hit the gym in the last couple of months.

Besides Anushka will put on more kilos for her role and the actress seems to be pretty happy with it. The unit is currently shooting scenes on Anushka’s hefty look and later, the actress will have to lose weight for a slim look.

Shalu To Canvas For Karthikeyan’s Son

UDF has declared its new candidate from Aruvikara and that is Karthikeyan’s son. While there is widespread dissatisfaction with this move, prompting comments of trying to bank on sympathetic votes, more bizarre incidents are unfolding. Popular actors canvassing for a political candidate is not new. But infamous actress Shalu Menon’s confirmation that she will be canvassing for the UDF has prompted quite an outburst of sarcastic reactions, considering her part in the recent solar scam case. Shalu wrote that she and actor Jagadish will go on field. She says that having the UDF government in power is essential for the survival of a common person like her. The canvassing for Sabarinathan Karthikeyan will begin soon.

Prithviraj Wishes To Turn Director

Prithviarj is a self confessed cinephile. He is someone who dabbles in the various aspects of filmmaking and takes minute interest in the behind the scene workings of a movie. He is already a sensational actor and also a successful producer. Prithviraj has revealed that he has a wish to direct a movie. He says that this is only because he is a thorough lover of cinema. He observes that the cinescape has changed from when he worked with Shymaprasad in ‘Akale’. A lot of changes have come in, including the technical aspects, he says. Prithivarj is someone who updates himself of all these changes and keeps abreast of the innovations happening in the field of cinema.

‘Galli Bakery’ Progressing

Twin Tower Entertainment Private Limited’s Mohammad Mustafa’s maiden production ‘Galli Bakery’ has completed major portions of shooting at Krishna Reddy residence in Vidyaranyapura, Uttanahalli & J P Nagar localities. In this schedule of shoot Suchindra Prasad, Yamuna Srinidi, Prajwal Poovaiah, Ramesh Bhat, Jayalakshmi, Santosh and others took part in the interior talkie portions of the shooting. K S Murthy is debut director, Ramesh Koira is cameraman & Sunad Gautham has composed music. Radhakrishna has penned screenplay, Sharanya Radhakrishna worked in the dialogues, Kaurava Venkatesh stunts, Babu Khan art, Madan & Harini’s choreography add to the technical team. Santosh & Prajju Poovaiah are in lead roles. Soorya, Pradeep and others are also in the cast.

Huge Sets Constructed For ‘Vijay 59’

Huge sets are being constructed for ‘Vijay 59’. Illayathalapathy Vijay has gone to London for a holiday with his family and is expected to return home by the end of the month in time to begin shooting for ‘Vijay 59’ produced by Kalaipuli Thanu & directed by Atlee having Samantha & Amy Jackson as heroines and Bharathiraja & Radhika Sarathkumar playing pivotal roles.

Meanwhile, under the supervision of Art Director T. Muthuraj 2 huge sets are being erected at exorbitant costs. Both the sets will take about 40 days time to be completed and Vijay will be shooting the 1st schedule here in Chennai. The team will then fly to China for a major schedule in Sept, 2015.

Arya On A Cycling Trip

Of late Arya is on a cycling trip. He recently cycled from Chennai to Pondy. It seems cycling is the latest crush of Arya and the actor is practicing what he is preaching. Just recently, he went to Puducherry from Chennai on a bicycle, to take part in the shoot of ‘Vasuvum Sivavum Onna Padichavanga’. Arya’s good friend & co-star Santhanam averred, “I learnt fitness from Arya. His love for cycling is amazing and he has been making his friends & well-wishers to follow the suit. We were surprised when he came to Puducherry on a bicycle.” ‘Vasuvum Sivavum Onna Padichavanga’ is directed by Rajesh M, who made ‘Boss Engira Baskaran’ with Arya & Santhanam earlier. Tamannah is the heroine, while Bhanu plays Santhanam’s love interest. The audio will be released soon.

24 Secrets Of Suriya Revealed

The 24 most interesting secrets of Suriya were revealed recently. Some interesting details have popped up about Suriya’s upcoming film ’24’, being helmed by Vikram Kumar. It is said that the movie is a remake of the director’s recent Telugu hit ‘Manam’.

Suriya is playing a triple role in the film namely that of a grandfather, father & son. In ‘Manam’, these roles were played by actors from the legendary Akkineni family like Nageswara Rao, Nagarjuna & Naga Chaitanya, respectively. The shooting for ’24’, produced by Suriya himself, is currently on in Mumbai. Samantha, who was part of ‘Manam’ as well, is the heroine of ’24’. Music is by Allah Rakha Rahman and the maestro is already done with a few songs.

STR Takes A Break

The hot news is that STR Takes A Break. Simbu aka STR, after shooting non-stop for over 1.5 months for 2 of his upcoming movies namely Gautham Vasudev Menon directed ‘Achcham Yenbadhu Madamaiyada’ & Selvaraghavan’s ‘Kaan’, has taken a break. “Done with a marathon of continuous shoot for more than 1 n half months for both #AYM and #KAAN … Finally a break :)” the actor wrote on his microblogging page. Also, Simbu has posted a picture of him standing in front of the famous Lord Murudeshwara temple near Mangalore. Meanwhile, he would soon join hands with director Ameer for a rural film in which he would play a rustic youngster.

Sunil-Kranthi Madhav Movie Titled

Sunil-Kranthi Madhav movie titled. Comedian turned lead actor Sunil is signing films back to back. He is currently acting in ‘Josh’ fame Vasu Varma’s direction and also in Vamsi Akella’s direction. ‘Malli Malli Idhi Rani Roju’ fame Kranthi Madhav is going to direct Sunil soon & Paruchuri Prasad will produce the film under United movies banner. The makers are considering the title ‘Santosham Sagam Balam’ for the movie and even registered it. This film will go on floors soon.

‘Rudramadevi’ Censored

‘Rudramadevi’ Censored. The censor formalities of Gunasekhar’s magnum opus, ‘Rudhramadevi’, has been completed and the film is all set for a grand release on 26th Jun, 2015 in Telugu, Tamil & Malayalam. The Central Board of Film Certification issued a clean ‘U’ certificate for the film. The Tamil trailer of the film was launched by ‘Maestro’ Ilayaraja, who also composed music for this movie.

‘Rudhramadevi’ is India’s 1st historical stereoscopic 3D film. It has Anushka, Rana Daggubati, Allu Arjun, Krishnam Raju, Nitya Menon, Catherine Tresa et al playing pivotal roles.

Disha Cast Opposite Varun Tej

Of late Disha has been cast opposite Varun Tej. Disha Patani is the latest addition to the cast of Varun Tej & Puri Jagannadh film. The former Femina Miss India runner up has been roped in as the leading lady in the breezy entertainer. The Mumbai model earlier featured in a few commercials. Meanwhile, Puri is giving final touches to the script and the film is expected to go on floors later this month.

Nikitha To Star Again With Mohanlal

Nikitha is all set to star again with Mohanlal. Nikitha who had made her Mollywood debut in the Fazil movie ‘Kaiyethum Doorthau’ is back in M’Town. The pretty actress is back with none other than Mohnalal, in the movie ‘Kanal’ which is being directed by Padmakumar. Though she has acted in a few Malayalam movies including ‘Daddy Cool’, ‘Bus Conducter’ et al, she had not been able to make much of an impact in the Malayalm film industry.
Nikitha had then gone on to do a few movies in Tamil & Telugu and her relationship with an actor was a fodder for much gossip. The actress is looking forward to take up good roles and rebuild her career. Her upcoming movie with Mohanlal in the lead is sure to help her in this respect. ‘Kanal’ stars Honey Rose & Sheelu Abraham in the leading roles.

Bhavana Missed Vijay

Bhavana really missed a Vijay movie. Bhavana of ‘Asal & ‘Deepavali’ fame has not been seen in Tamil films lately, but she is one of the most sought after leading lady in Malayalam & Kannada cinema. The actress has been in the US for a long holiday and after coming back gave an interview to a leading Tamil daily. When asked whether she is not keen on doing Tamil films Bhavana was quick to reply that she Is waiting for a good role to come her way and also revealed that she was approached for an important role in Illayathapathy Vijay’s ‘Puli’ but had to miss out due to her US commitments. Nandita Shwetha of ‘Mundasupatti’ fame did the role with Vijay that Bhavana missed out on.

‘Rikki’ Shooting Complete

The shoot of ‘Rikki’ has been completed recently. One of the acclaimed producers of Kannada cinema SV Babu has finished the shooting for ‘Rikki’ and at the same time he has commenced his next film, a remake of ‘Pataas’, in the direction of Manju Swaraj with golden star Ganesh in ‘Gani’ the boss. ‘Rikki’ the debut direction of Rishab Shetty for his story & screenplay with Rakshit Shetty & Haripriya in lead roles has finished a song shooting at Kashmir’s Dal Lake surroundings for 10 days. 3 songs were captured for the film. Jayanth Kaikini ‘Malage Malage Edeya Olage…….!, ‘Jeeva Neenu Jeeva Neenu Elli Hode Helade’ & ‘Harusha Taalade Huchche Hidide Modala Notake Hrudaya Nintide’ were captured in Imran Sardaria’s choreography by cinematographer Venkatesh Anguraj.

‘Shuruvaagide’ Goes On The Floors

The film ‘Shuruvaagide’ has gone on the floors recently. ‘Shuruvaagide’ title meaning “it has started” went on the floor at Banashankeri Temple in Basaveshwaranagar recently with 2 known technicians K. Kalyan in lyrics & music, Manohar Joshi as cinematographer. Rest of the team comprises of débutante actors. Eminent lyricist & music composer K Kalyan has suggested the title for the film. Aasare Creations young buddy Shivashanker is a realtor and other petty businessman is producer. Shivashanker friend Srikanth is débutante director. Deepak Jayaram, Sowmya & Madhuri are making debut in lead roles. Deepak Jayaram son of Mahalakshmipuram JDS political party President is the director of the film. It is a film inside a film. Growing from scratch the protagonist reaches the director spot. Fresh problems come up for him. How he counters new problems is an interesting part says director Srikanth. 2 short films, modeling and one film ‘Ugraksha’ experience is the credibility of actress Sowmya Chetan.

Ajaz Khan & Sunny Leone share a screen space in ‘Love Day’

August 12, 2015 by Shaheen Raaj

The cine goers will soon see 2 of the most controversial stars, named Ajaz Khan & Sunny Leone share a screen space in the soon to be released film ‘Love Day’. The audiences will get to see their 2 favourite stars on the celluloid silver screen. In fact Ajaz Khan and nation’s current hot favourite Sunny Leone recently featured in an item song picturized on them for ‘Love Day’.

Incidentally speaking Sunny Leone had earlier on promised Ajaz Khan that she would surely work with him, but at last Sunny Leane has kept her promise.

By the way Ajaz Khan, who rose to fame with his successful stint in a reality show ‘Bigg Boss’ Season 8 and vowed the audience with his wit, energy & Humor is all set woo the nation, in tandem with Sunny Leone, in ‘Love Day.

Nevertheless Life without friends is like living in hell but when you have friends who are no less than devils can make your life a living hell. But then, that’s what friends are for to make your life hell and then burn with you in the hell. This is what the upcoming film ‘Love Day is all about.

In fact It is a journey of 3 friends which brings out the true meaning of friendship. In a nutshell the story revolves around 3 where Monty (Ajaz Khan) débutante Harry (Harsh Nagar) & Sandy (Sahil Anand) do all the wrong things right from childhood. Sandy & Harry often fall into trouble due to Monty’s antics. Their bond of friendship is not approved by their families and even the situations arises such that it forces them to shift to Mumbai from Missouri in their childhood.

Further details of the movie are Shree Rajlaxmi Entertainment Presents ‘Love Day’. The other credits of the film are produced by Baldev Singh Bedi under the banner Shree Rajlaxmi Entertainment, written & directed by Harish Kotian & Sandeep Choudhary, music by Sumesh Himanshu, Raina Sawan, Sagar Sarkar & Vishnu Narayan, crooners are Mika Singh, Shaan, Mohit Chauhan, Bhumi Trivedi, Aneesh & Shreya Shaleen & above all media consultancy by Picture N Kraft (Parul Chawla). Its starcast includes Ajaz Khan, Sahil Anand, Harsh Nagar, Anant Mahadevan et al.

Foriegn films worldwide round up

August 10, 2015 by Shaheen Raaj

SKY STRENGTHEN TIES IN ITALY

Viacom International & Murdoch owned paybox Sky Italy have strengthened their Italo ties, adding 2 new branded channels, Teen Nick & MTV Next, following a key free – to – air deal. The Viacom pay – TV content boost on Sky follows Sky Italy’s purchase from Viacom of free – to – air channel MTV Italia, officialized on 1st Aug, 2015. Unlike US and elsewhere in Europe, MTV airs on both pay & free TV in Italy. Viacom remains the owner of Comedy Central Italia, Nickelodeon Italia & Nick Jr. Italia. While Sky Italia’s core business is pay TV, they also own & operate a local generalist free – TV channel, called Cielo, a news channel, and now, MTV Italia. The strategic Viacom / Sky partnership will also aim to boost their joint on – demand offer with the expected launch in 2016 of Nickelodeon & MTV branded apps in Italy, featuring branded content, games & interactions with cast & characters of their shows. By the end of 2015 a selection of Viacom content will also be available on Sky On Demand and a number of its channels are expected to be launched on Sky Go in Italy. The idea is to maximize Viacom’s target millennial audience in Italy.

VENICE FESTIVAL REVEALS ROBUST LINE UP

The Venice Film Festival has unveiled a potentially strong line up with enough studio / specialty titles top lining A – list stars including Jake Gyllenhaal, Johnny Depp & Oscar winner Eddie Redmayne to boost its role as a classy awards season platform, plus new works by Charlie Kaufman, Alexander Sokurov, Amos Gitai, Marco Bellocchio and many other high caliber international auteurs. As previously announced, Baltasar Kormakur’s mountain climbing thriller ‘Everest’ from Universal, starring Gyllenhaal, will open Venice out of competition on 2nd Sept, 2015 a nice coup for artistic director Alberto Barbera, segueing from ‘Birdman’ as opener last year and sci – fi thriller ‘Gravity’ in 2013. With Toronto less aggressive in its push to secure more world preems, Venice is bowing several hot titles including Cary Fukunaga’s child soldier drama ‘Beasts Of No Nation’, Atom Egoyan’s ‘Remember’ & Tom McCarthy’s ‘Spotlight’, featuring Michael Keaton’s 1st post ‘Birdman’ screen appearance that are subsequently Toronto bound.

CHINA HAD A RECORD JULY 2015 AT THE BOX OFFICE

The Chinese box office sector enjoyed its biggest Jul, 2015 of all time with a record $898 million (RMB5.49 billion) take. Ticket sales hit 159 million. China’s State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film & Television said recently that the Jul, 2015 performance lifted the cash total so far this year to RMB25.9 billion. That compares with the $4.82 billion (RMB29.6 billion) in the full 12 months of 2014. It seems likely that the 2014 total will be overtaken in late Aug, 2015 or early Sept, 2015. Chinese authorities have been operating a blackout period or “domestic film protection month,” since 19th Jun, 2015. During this time major foreign films are not allowed new releases. And SAPPRFT reported that Chinese films accounted for more than 95% of the Jul, 2015 total. Hits ‘Monster Hunt’, ‘Pancake Man’ & ‘Monkey King: Hero Is Back’ drove the total. While the blackout periods are regarded by Hollywood studios as Government orchestrated distortions of the Chinese cinema market, the current summer hiatus follows a huge 1st half for US made movies.

1ST IMAGE OF JAMIE & CILLIAN RELEASED

The 1st image has been released from the World War II movie ‘Anthropoid’, which is headlined by ‘Fifty Shades Of Grey’ star Jamie Dornan & Cillian Murphy. Director Sean Ellis is shooting the film on location in the Czech Republic. New cast members to sign up to the production include Toby Jones, Harry Lloyd, Bill Milner, Alena Mihulova & Sam Keeley. They join the previously announced cast members Charlotte Le Bon & Anna Geislerova. The movie is set in 1941, when Czechoslovakia was occupied by Nazi forces, governed by SS General Reinhard Heydrich, nicknamed ‘The Butcher Of Prague’. His reign of terror against the Czech resistance led Allied authorities in London to hatch a mission to assassinate him. 2 soldiers from Czechoslovakia’s army – in – exile were parachuted into their homeland and set out to hunt down Heydrich. Ellis is both director & cinematographer on the project, working from a script he co – wrote with Anthony Frewin. The movie is being produced by L D Entertainment.

‘FRITZ BAUER’ SOLD TO FRANCE & SWITZERLAND

France’s ARP Selection & Switzerland’s LookNow Filmdistribution have acquired local distribution rights to Lars Kraume’s Nazi hunter drama ‘The People vs. Fritz Bauer’, which world premieres at the Locarno Film Festival in the Piazza Grande next week. Munich based sales agent Beta Cinema is handling world sales on the film, which is the true story of the man who brought high ranking Nazi criminal Adolf Eichmann to justice. Further deals are in final negotiations. Alamode will release the movie in Germany on 1st Oct, 2015. The film starts in West Germany in 1957. Attorney general Fritz Bauer receives evidence about the whereabouts of Eichmann. The SS lieutenant colonel, responsible for the mass deportation of the Jews, is allegedly hiding in Buenos Aires. Bauer, himself Jewish, has been trying to take crimes from the Third Reich to court ever since his return from exile in Denmark, but without success due to the fierce German determination to repress its past. Because of his distrust in the German justice system, Bauer contacts the Israeli secret service Mossad, and, in doing so, commits treason.

IMAGINA INTERNATIONAL SALES PICKS UP ‘ISLA BONITA’

Madrid based Imagina International Sales, one of Spain’s top film & TV agencies, has picked up international distribution rights to vet Spanish filmmaker Fernando Colomo’s new comedy ‘Isla Bonita’. Colomo stars in & directs ‘Isla Bonita’, which will world preem at Sept 2 15’s San Sebastian Film Festival as part of the non -competitive Zabaltegi sidebar. In the film, Colomo plays Fer, a seasoned publicist flustered by modern times & new generations of women that travels to Menorca invited by his friend Miguel Angel, played by Spanish ad executive & writer Miguel Angel Furones. There he will meet Nuria, an anti -establishment sculptress (artist Nuria Roman) and her daughter Olivia (actress Olivia Delcan). Living with different acquaintances & new friends will bring Fer a new perspective on life and a connection with an environment that will awake his senses. Reportedly made with a firm Woody Allen feel, the characters move at an unstoppable pace as they explore the indefinable concept of perfect couple & the search for love, as per an Imagina International Sales statement.

MUNDOFOX SHUTS DOWN NEWS DIVISION

MundoFox is now MundoMax. In the wake of Fox International Channels’ mid – Jul, 2015 decision to sell its stake in the joint venture to its Colombian partner RCN TV Group, MundoFox has taken on a new name. RCN, which now owns 100% of the fledgling US Spanish language network, “is wholly committed to the success of MundoMax,” MundoMax President Ibra Morales said in a statement. The broadcast network will be officially re -branded on its 3rd anniversary, on 13 Aug, 2015, said Morales, who joined the network in Jan, 2014, replacing FIC’s Emiliano Saccone. However, MundoMax has shuttered its news division, laying off almost 40 staffers in the process. ‘Although we have cancelled ‘Noticias MundoFox,’ RCN Television Group continues its dedication to bringing quality news coverage to the vibrant & dynamic US Hispanic community,” said Morales, who expects the bulk of MundoMax’s entertainment & news programming to debut next year. “We are currently evaluating our entire portfolio of content and restructuring it with the goal of bringing maximum value to all our stakeholders, including our viewers, clients & affiliates,” he added.

GERARD BANED FROM UKRAINE

French actor Gerard Depardieu, who was granted a Russian passport from Vladimir Putin in Jan, 2013, has been banned from entering Ukraine for 5 years. The ban, ordered by the country’s culture minister Ivan Kirilenko & proclaimed by the national secret services, reportedly sanctions Depardieu for making public comments suggesting that he supported Russia’s annexation of Crimea in Mar, 2014. Earlier this month, Kirilenko had revealed that Depardieu was blacklisted along with 117 prominent entertainment figures “who have spoken out in support of the violation of Ukraine’s territorial integrity & sovereignty.” Depardieu’s decision to become a Russian citizen 2 years caused a public backlash & diplomatic incident in France where he was accused of fleeing the country to avoid paying high taxes. The actor has however demonstrated his attachment to Russia throughout the years and routinely defends Russia’s international policies in the media. At 66, the actor is still leading a dynamic career. His latest movie, Guillaume Nicloux’s ‘Valley Of Love’ world premiered in competition at Cannes and he has been cast to topline ‘Marseille’, Netflix’s 1st French language original drama series.

DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS EXPANDS FOOTPRINT

In a further sign that Turkey is a hot TV market, Discovery Communications is expanding its Turkish footprint by forging a pact to buy free – to – air news & entertainment channel CNBC – e from prominent privately owned Dogus Media Group, which will also become Discovery’s exclusive ad sales representative in the country where consumer spending is steadily increasing. The strategic alliance with Dogus Media Group comes after Discovery opened a local office in 2012 and attained full distribution across all major Turkish pay – TV platforms. CNBC – e, which offers a mixture of news, international entertainment & scripted content which makes it popular with Turkish young adults, will mark Discovery’s 1st foray into Turkey’s pay – TV segment and increase its portfolio to 13 channels. The others are dedicated to documentaries, factual entertainment & sports. 4 of Discovery Networks’ pay – Tv channels currently rank within the top 10 most frequently watched pay TV channels in Turkey. Kasia Kieli, topper of Discovery Networks Central & Eastern Europe, Middle East & Africa boasted in a statement that the move “will see us reach the next level in Turkey.”

AUSTRIA IS THE NEW HOTSPOT

This Friday’s release of ‘Mission: Impossible Rogue Nation’ will put the spotlight on Austria, one of the principal locations for the Tom Cruise movie and the country’s 25% production incentive. Later this year, the release of James Bond movie ‘Spectre’ will underscore the attractions of the Central European territory, as Austria provided key locations for that movie too. Both productions received financial support from Film Location Austria, which offers a production incentive worth up to 25% of the local spend for projects that shoot for at least 5 days on location in Austria, up to an upper limit of Euros 1.5 million ($1.65 million). “Mission: Impossible” received Euros 750,000 ($824,000) against a local spend of Euros 3 million ($3.3 million), while ‘Spectre’ received Euros 1.5 million ($1.65 million), against a local spend of Euros 6 million ($6.59 million). The funding for ‘Spectre’ came both from Film Location Austria & regional funds. “Mission: Impossible” shot a number of sequences in the Austrian capital, Vienna, last year, the most spectacular of which was on the roof of the Vienna State Opera, which was also the venue of the movie’s world premiere last week.

AXEL ENDS MERGER TALKS

German broadcasting giant ProSiebenSat.1 Media & German publishing titan Axel Springer have ended an attempt to merge, which would have created a business worth around Euros 14.4 billion ($15.9 billion). “ProSieben is not planning or contemplating a merger with Axel Springer,” Julian Geist, a ProSiebenSat.1 spokesman, said recently. Instead the companies will jointly launch a project to promote digital start – ups. The merger would have faced regulatory & anti – trust challenges. A move by Springer 10 years ago to buy ProSiebenSat.1 failed after opposition from Germany’s media watchdog KEK and the country’s anti -trust body. However, the media landscape has changed since then, with the rise of digital rivals. Last year, the Federal Administrative Court over. ruled the KEK’s objections to a merger, and the more competitive landscape would probably nullify any anti – trust concerns. Another obstacle that may have stopped the merger is that the Springer family wanted to keep control of Axel Springer even if its stake dropped under 50% from the 57% share it has now.

Foriegn films world wide round up

August 8, 2015 by Shaheen Raaj

‘COLLIDE’ REVERSES OUT OF US RELEASE

The US rights for Eran Creevy’s action thriller ‘Collide’, which was due for release Stateside by Ryan Kavanaugh’s Relativity on 30th Oct, 2015 have allegedly reverted to the producers, according to a recent report. The news follows Relativity’s entry into Chapter 11 last week. The movie, which stars Nicholas Hoult, Felicity Jones, Ben Kingsley & Anthony Hopkins, is now seeking a new US distributor. Stuart Ford’s IM Global is handling US deal. ‘Collide’, which was formerly titled ‘Autobahn’, is produced by Brian Kavanaugh – Jones, Ben Pugh & Rory Aitken. The screenplay, which was written by Creevy & F. Scott Frazier, kicks off when a heist goes terribly wrong. Casey Stein (Hoult) finds himself on the run from a ruthless gang headed by mob boss Hagen (Hopkins). Casey has a precious cargo that belongs to Hagen, who will stop at nothing to retrieve it.

HOLLYWOOD AGENCIES WORK WITH EUROPEAN COUNTERPARTS

The popularity of foreign talent in Hollywood movies & TV series has sparked a shakeup at US agencies, incentivizing them to team up with their counterparts across the globe. Most non – American stars now have 2 or 3 agents worldwide who work together on everything from reading scripts to negotiating contracts. And most important, they are willing to split commissions. “The world of acting has gotten much smaller,” says UTA’s Theresa Peters. “When a film gets made, whatever the language, casting agents are able to cast the net wider” because of Skype & digital auditions. From UTA’s Beverly Hills base, Peters reps foreign talent such as Sweden’s Alicia Vikander, Denmark’s Pilou Asbaek, France’s Tahar Rahim (“A Prophet”) & Charlotte Le Bon, a Canadian who now lives in France. Michael Douglas recently noted that Brits & Australians are taking many of the best American roles, but new waves of French & Scandinavian thesps & directors are also getting more & more work in US or on English language pictures financed in Europe.

NIKELDEON PICKS UP 2 US RIGHTS

Nickelodeon has snatched up US rights to the 1st 2 seasons of the CG -animated reboot series ‘Alvinnn’ & ‘Chipmunks’. Delivered by Bagdasarian Productions & OuiDo Productions, the series comprising of 104 episodes of 11 minutes each is penned & directed by Janice Karman. Sales outfit PGS Entertainment handles worldwide rights outside France, where the series was acquired by M6. Karman and her husband, Ross Bagdasarian, who own the franchise, also provided the voices & produced the series as well as the previous 1980s hit TV series and the three ‘Chipmunks’ movies. Bagdasarian, Karman, Sandrine Nguyen, Boris Hertzog are executive producing. ‘Alvinnn’ & ‘Chipmunks’ has been airing on Nickelodeon’s international channels since April, 2015 and has topped ratings across 20 markets since its launch. “I’m thrilled with the shows that Janice has created and excited to share them with our fans in US.” Bagdasarian said. “Nickelodeon has been amazing to support the show launch across the world and we can’t wait to extend success with them in US.” said Guillaume Soutter, who runs PGS with Philippe Soutter.

‘DAMASCUS COVER’ NOT AMONGST RELATIVITY CASUALTIES

A spokesperson for sales company Carnaby International has confirmed that espionage thriller ‘Damascus Cover’, starring Jonathan Rhys Meyers & John Hurt, is not one of the “casualties” of Relativity Media’s decision to file for Chapter 11. “As an official representative of the film, I can confirm that there are no contractual commitments in place between these 2 parties and the film is still in pre – sale negotiations with buyers worldwide,” said Carnaby’s press representative, Hayley Hamburg, director of Rave PR. Hamburg issued the statement recently in response to “inaccurate reports” in a trade publication, not Variety, and BBC. Both erroneous reports have been corrected. At the Cannes Film Festival, ‘Damascus Cover’ went to South Africa’s Crystal Brook, India’s Empire Networks, Vietnam’s Vistcom & China’s HGC. At Berlin, it had been sold to Gulf Films (Middle East), PT Prima Cinema (Indonesia), Flins y Piniculas (Spain), Discovery (former Yugoslavia) & KRU Group (Malaysia).

AMC GLOBAL ACQUIRES ‘HUMANS’

AMC Global has acquired exclusive 1st window television rights to ‘Humans’ from Endemol Shine International. The 8 x 60 mins series will debut in most AMC Global territories in Oct, 2015 with a 2nd season to premiere in 2016. The series will continue to air in UK on the Channel 4 free to air network. AMC Global said that the international broadcast of its upcoming martial arts series, ‘Into The Badlands’, will start in conjunction with AMC US’s 10 p.m. 15th Nov, 2015 launch. With the exception of UK, where it will not go to air until 2016, the show will then re – air in local time zones during primetime. The 6 x 60 mins series starring Hong Hong’s Daniel Wu was produced by AMC Studios. The channel has exclusive 1st window international TV rights to the series. Set in UK and starring William Hurt, ‘Humans’ takes place in a parallel present where the latest must have gadget for any busy family is a Synth, an artificially intelligent servant eerily similar to its living counterpart.

CHANNEL 5 ORDERS BRIT VERSION OF SPIKE’S HIT SHOW

UK’s free – to – air TV network Channel 5, which was bought by Viacom in Sept, 2014, has greenlit a British version of Spike’s US entertainment format ‘Lip Sync Battle’. The show will air in primetime. The series has been commissioned by director of programs, Ben Frow and will be produced for Channel 5 by Whizz Kid Entertainment. Steve Regan, VP, commissioning & production, MTV UK, will executive produce on behalf of Channel 5, reporting to Frow, with Whizz Kid’s chief executive, Malcolm Gerrie & Katherine Allen acting as co – executive producers. Presenting & performing talent will be announced in due course, with the series expected to premiere in UK early next year. Based on the pop -culture phenomenon of lip sync battling, the Spike original series features celebrities going head – to -head lip – syncing the song of their choice. The original US series is hosted by LL Cool J and has featured an array of A – list musical combatants. The series is the most watched original series in the network’s history, averaging nearly 3 million viewers and has been re – commissioned for 20 more episodes in 2016.

LIBERTY GLOBAL UPS ITV STAKE

John Malone’s international cable TV company Liberty Global has increased its stake in UK broadcaster ITV to 9.9%. Liberty Global bought a 6.4% stake in ITV, whose shows include ‘The X Factor’ & ‘Downton Abbey’, last year from European pay TV operator Sky. “Given ITV’s operating & stock price performance, we were able to increase our stake to 9.9% with no incremental investment by hedging our existing equity position,” Liberty Global CEO Mike Fries said. “This investment remains an opportunistic one for us in our largest market. ITV is a well run company with attractive growth potential and we are pleased to increase our position as their largest shareholder.” Liberty Global stated that it does not intend to make an offer to acquire ITV, although it reserves the right to do so in the future. Liberty Global has been steadily increasing its investments in UK. It already owns UK pay TV company Virgin Media and half of All3Media, which comprises a wide range of TV production companies, mostly in UK but also in US. ITV itself has been acquiring production companies in UK & US.

ZURICH FEST TO FOCUS ON NEW IRANIAN FILMMAKER’S

In the aftermath of the Obama administration’s nuclear deal with Iran, the Zurich Film Festival will make Iran the guest country of its New World View section, which will spotlight the latest generation of Iranian filmmakers. The nuclear deal was hammered out in the Swiss city of Geneva. The Swiss fest will showcase a dozen new features & docus by young Iranian filmmakers, who “despite strict state controls & censorship” have taken it upon themselvs “to tackle & question in an intelligent & entertaining manner the burning topics & taboos occupying Iranian society today,” it said in a statement. While Iranian cinema draws international attention largely due to established names like Abbas Kiarostami, Asghar Farhadi & Jafar Panahi, who won this year’s Berlin fest top prize for ‘Taxi’. Zurich aims to provide a platform for emerging Iranian helmers.

3 PROJECTS ENTER LOCARNO’S OPEN DOORS

Hassan Legzouli’s ‘Dieu Reconnaitra Les Siens’, Mehdi Ben Attia’s ‘L’Amour Des Hommes’ & Nejib Belkadhi’s ‘Retina’ are among 12 projects to be pitched at Locarno’s Open Doors showcase, a co – production forum focusing this year on Africa’s Maghreb countries: Morocco, Tunisia, Libya & Algeria. Taking place 8th to 11th Aug, 2015 at the Swiss fest, the event will grant an Open Doors Award, worth CHF50,000 ($51,827); a €20,000 ($22,149) 2nd cash kudo and a new plaudit granted by a new initiative of European Union’s Med Culture program ICAM (Investing in Culture & Art in the South Mediterranean). France’s CNC film – TV board & broadcaster Arte will also offer prizes. 6 out of 12 projects are debuts. The rest are mostly 2nd or 3rd features. ‘Dieu Reconnaitra Les Siens’ is the 3rd feature of Hassan Legzouli whose Celluloid Dreams sold ‘The Golden Calf’, a story about a disaffected teen, shared San Sebastian’s Cinema in Motion Award in 2012.

LOCARNO FEST REVEALS TITLES

The Locarno Film Festival has revealed 6 titles that have made the cut for its 1st look on Israeli Cinema pics – in – post showcase. Formerly known as Carte Blanche, Locarno’s 1st Look will provide Israel’s vibrant film industry with a prominent platform where directors & producers will screen their unfinished goods for buyers, sellers & fest programmers during the indie centric Swiss fest’s Industry Days informal mart. The selected titles are
‘A Quiet Heart’ (‘Lev Shaket’) by Eitan Anner, produced by Gal Greenspan (GreenProductions), ‘Ewa’, by Haim Tabakman, produced by David Silber (Metro Communication) & Ronen Ben Tal (Plan B), ‘Hope’ (‘Amal’) by Miya Hatav, produced by Elad Peleg & Haggai Arad (Daroma Productions), ‘Our Father’ (‘Avinu’) by Meni Yaesh, produced by Marek Rozenbaum (Transfax Films Production), ‘Sand Storm’ (‘Sufat Chol’) by Elite Texer, produced by Haim Mecklberg & Estee Mecklberg (2Team Productions), ‘The 90 Minute War’ (‘Milhemet 90 Hadakot’) by Eyal Halfon, produced by Assaf Amir (Norma Productions) & Steve Hudson (Gringo Films GmbH). These works – in – progress will be accessible to industry badge holders only.

DEAUVILLE FEST KICKS OFF

Baltasar Kormakur’s 3D adventure thriller ‘Everest’ is all set to open the 41st edition of the Deauville American Film Festival. Denis Villeneuve’s ‘Sicario’, which world premiered in competition at Cannes, will close the the festival. A Universal Pictures movie, ‘Everest’, which will also kick off the Venice film festival, stars Jason Clarke, Josh Brolin, John Hawkes, Robin Wright, Michael Kelly, Sam Worthington, Keira Knightley, Emily Watson & Jake Gyllenhaal. Pic is produced by Working Title’s Tim Bevan & Eric Fellner along with Kormákur, Icelandic’s biggest film producer – producer, Nicky Kentish Barnes, Brian Oliver & Tyler Thompson. Deauville is expecting ‘Everest’s “film team” to attend the premiere. Penned by William Nicholson & Simon Beaufoy, ‘Everest’ is based on the tragic 1996 expeditions to Mount Everest that left several climbers dead. ‘Everest’ will be released in US by Universal on 25th Sept, 2015. ‘Sicario’, written by Taylor Sheridan, is an action packed thriller starring Emily Blunt as an FBI field agent facing off a powerful Mexican drug cartel. Pic also toplines Benicio Del Toro, Josh Brolin, Victor Garber. ‘Sicario’ was produced by Black Label Media & Thunder Road Production. Lionsgate will release it Stateside on 18th Sept, 2015. Deauville will run 4th to 13th Sept, 2015.

YMAGIS ACQUIRES FRANCE’S OLDES FILM LAB

The French commercial court of Nanterre has greenly the acquisition of Gaul’s 108 year old film lab Eclair Group which was placed under bankruptcy protection in Jun, 2015. Priced at $742,000 (670,000 Euros), the acquisition by Ymagis covers Eclair Group’s businesses, assets & holdings in France, Germany & Morocco. Ymagis will split the company into two subsids: Eclair Media SAS, which will be dedicated to content distribution & localisation services & Eclair Cinéma SAS, which will handle post production & restoration. Out of the 320 people on Eclair Group’s payroll, 233 will join the pair of newly created Eclair Media SAS, Eclair Cinéma SAS as well as the subsidiaries acquired. Eclair Group’s businesses will complement Ymagis Group’s existing “content services” division, providing digital content delivery to movie theatres and opening the group up to new developments in video biz, such as services for TV channels & VOD platforms in international markets.

WILLEM JOINS THE CAST OF ‘WHAT HAPPENED TO MONDAY’

Willem Dafoe is all set to join Noomi Rapace & Glenn Close in Tommy Wirkola’s sci – fi action thriller ‘What Happened To Monday’. Penned by Kerry Williamson & Max Botkin, ‘What Happened To Monday’ is a dystopian thriller set in a not so distant future, where over population & famine have forced Governments to undertake a drastic one child policy. It turns on 7 identical sisters who are being tracked down by the Child Allocation Bureau which enforces a strict family planning agenda that the sisters outwit by taking turns assuming the identity of one person: Karen Settman. ‘What Happened To Monday’ is produced by Raffaella Productions’ Raffaella De Laurentiis as well as Vendôme Pictures’ Philippe Rousselet & Fabrice Gianfermi. SND handles international sales while CAA reps domestic distribution rights. “We could not have dreamt of a better team with Tommy Wirkola directing & Noomi Rapace, Glenn Close, Willem Dafoe starring to make this unique & thrilling movie,” said Rousselet. Marwan Kenzari, Christian Rubeck & Pal Sverre Hagen complete the cast. Vendôme Pictures’s Guy Stodel & SND’s Thierry Desmichelle are executive producing. The key crew includes Joseph Hodges, production designer, Jose David Montero, director of photography, Oana Paunescu, costume designer, Giannetto De Rossi, make up designer & Bryan Jones, VFX supervisor. ‘What Happened To Monday’ has just started shooting in Bucharest at the Castel Film Studios with Hester Hargett – Aupetit line producing.

VENICE DAYS ADDS ‘LOLO’ TO LINE UP

Julie Delpy’s return to French film making, ‘Lolo’, a high profile comedy starring herself & Gallic superstar Dany Boon has been added as the 11th competition title at the Venice Film Festival’s independently run Venice Days section, which is modelled on the Cannes Directors’ Fortnight. Delpy stars as Violette, a 40 year old workaholic with a career in the fashion industry who falls for a provincial computer geek, Jean – Rene (Dany Boon), while on a spa retreat with her best friend. ‘Lolo’ is produced by Michael Gentile with Wild Bunch handling international sales. “The presence of Julie Delpy gives us with 1 title 3 key elements of our section: attention for female creativity, passion for comedies & movies that mix fun & smarts and the special grace of French cinema,” enthused Venice Days topper Giorgio Gosetti in a statement. The 11th edition of Venice Days will run from 2nd to 12th Sept, 2015.

Movie Review: Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation is a brilliantly crafted thrilling entertainment

August 7, 2015 by Nasheman

Banner: Bad robot Productions, Sky Dance Productions & TC Productions
Producers: J. J. Abrams, Bryan Burk, David Ellison, Dana Goldberg, Don Granger & Tom Cruise
Director: Christopher McQuarrie
Star Cast: Tom Cruise, Jeremy Renner, Simon Pegg, Rebecca Ferguson, Ving Rhames, Sean Harris & Alec Baldwin
Genre: Action Adventure
Verdict: Blockbuster

Christopher McQuarrie is an American screenwriter, director & producer, besides being a regular collaborator of director Bryan Singer. And of course he has done a brilliant job of the latest “Missin Impossible” franchise.

Plot: With the IMF disbanded & Ethan (Tom Cruise) out in the cold, the team now faces off against a network of highly skilled special agents, the Syndicate. These highly trained operatives are hell bent on creating a new world order through an escalating series of terrorist attacks. Ethan gathers his team & joins forces with disavowed British agent Ilsa Faust (Rebecca Ferguson), who may or may not be a member of this rogue nation, as the group faces their most impossible mission yet.

Aces: Christopher McQuarrie’s perfect directional skills & powerhouse performances by Tom Cruise, the main protagonist, followed by Jeremy Renner & veteran actor Alec Baldwin.
Minuses: Amongst all the “Mission Impossible” franchises, ‘Mission Impossible – Rogue Nation” could have been crafted even more better as the “Mission Impossible” viewers expectations bar is rising with every sequel.

Last Word: Certainly not to be missed weekend fare for the entire family, in fact for one & all.

Aditya Pancholi slaps co-actor Vije Bhatia

August 6, 2015 by Shaheen Raaj

No this is not some kind of a breaking news conidering Aditya Pancholi’s temper tantrums throwing nature. But of late he seems to have sobered down a lot. It so happened that while shooting for his upcoming film ‘Lakhon hain yahan Dilwale’, Aditya Pancholi slapped the lead actor Vije Bhatia while shooting a scene.

On this eve Vije Bhatia later on averred, “Aditya sir walked up to me & without saying much slapped me in front of the entire unit, not only that he abused & insulted me for almost an hour, I was obviously annoyed & helpless at the same time, but the only choice I had was to give my best shot, for the scene I had with him.”

The scene went off so well that its one of the highlights of the film.

“It was only after we finished the scene that Aditya sir walked up to me & said that he’d done it on purpose so that I could get my anger right in the scene. He was generous enough to apologize for the incident. Since I don’t have much interaction with Aditya sir in the film, I didn’t have much of an opportunity to build a rapport with him, which was affecting the scene. Aditya sir has been the best support that I could have asked for, he’s helped me in everything, he also took keen interest in my look & grooming. I could not have asked for a better co star”.

‘Lakhon hain yahan Dilwale’ is a romantic musical with 11 super hit songs of 1960 era produced & directed by Munnawar Bhagat.

Ajaz Khan walked the ramp for the “BETI” show at IIJW’ 15

August 6, 2015 by Shaheen Raaj

Ajaz Khan Walked The Runway At India International Jewellery Week 2015 (IIJW) To Extended His Support To The “BETI” Movement.

Bollywood celebrities have become the unspoken Gods of the country. The kind of devotion the public worships them with is something beyond the level of understanding. People religiously follow their favourite film stars; therefore, Bollywood celebs have now become one of the best mediums to connect with the masses. One of the best ways in which Bollywood is affecting their lives is by spreading awareness about some of the most crucial concerns of our society.

Ajaz Khan who gears up for his next release, LOVE DAY walked the ramp for leading Jewellers of The World- Gitanjali Group in association with designer Shaina NC for the “BETI” foundation. Looking dapper in a black suit, Ajaz was overwhelmed to have got a chance to be a part of the “BETI” movement.

Standing firm in support of the cause “BETI”, Ajaz Khan averred, “Ever since we have realized our power of influence, we have been making continuous efforts in using our magnificence for a good cause. When a celebrity stands up for a cause, he does not actually stand alone! With him stand his millions of fans who blindly follow their favourite stars as the ultimate preachers”

Continuing further he averred, “Life without friends is like living in hell but when you have friends who are no less than devils can make your life a living hell. But then, that’s what friends are for to make your life hell and then burn with you in the hell. This is what the upcoming film “LOVE DAY” is all about.

It is a journey of 3 friends where we bring out the true meaning of friendship. The story revolves around these three; where Monty (Ajaz khan) introduces Harry (Harsh Nagar) & Sandy (Sahil Anand) to all the wrong things right from childhood. Sandy & Harry often fall into trouble due to Monty’s antics. Their bond of friendship is not approved by their families and even the situations such arise that it forces them to shift to Mumbai from Mussoorie in their childhood.

Shree Rajlaxmi Entertainment” presents “LOVE DAY”. Produced by Baldev Singh Bedi under the banner Shree Rajlaxmi Entertainment. The film is written & directed by Harish Kotian & Sandeep Choudhary. The Star Cast includes Ajaz Khan, Sahil Anand, Harsh Nagar & Anant Mahadevan. The music is by Sumesh Himanshu, Raina Sawan, Sagar Sarkar & Vishnu Narayan. The album consists of singers like Mika Singh, Shaan, Mohit Chauhan, Bhumi Trivedi, Aneesh, & Shreya Shaleen and above all the media consultant is Picture N Kraft (Parul Chawla).