Burt Reynolds, the moustachioed megastar who first strutted on screen more than half a century ago, has died, according to his agent. He was 82.

The Michigan native, whose easy-going charms and handsome looks drew prominent roles in films such as “Smokey and the Bandit” and “Boogie Nights,” suffered a cardiac arrest on Thursday, CNN quoted the veteran actor’s agent Todd Eisner as saying.

An iconic Hollywood sex symbol in front of the camera, Reynolds also tried his directorial hand behind it, and later earned a reputation for philanthropy after founding the Burt Reynolds Institute for Film and Theatre in Florida.

His roles over the years ranged and pivoted from Southern heart throb to tough guy to comedy, notably in his role as Rep. David Dilbeck in the 1996 film “Striptease”, which flopped at the box office but earned him widespread praise for his comedic prowess.

But it was John Boorman’s 1972 thriller “Deliverance”, which cast Reynolds as outdoorsman Lewis Medlock, that is widely credited for launching his early career.

Reynolds made an acting resurgence in recent years, appearing in numerous films and TV shows.

He was cast in the upcoming Quentin Tarantino-directed “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood”, scheduled for release next year.

Reynolds had not yet started shooting his appearance in the film.

Khudabaksh Indian Idol 9 Finalist Launched By Anu Malik In His Next Song

Khuda Baksh who hails from Punjab, & is one of the top 3 contestants from the 9th season of Indian Idol made an appearance on Sony Entertainment Television’s Indian Idol 10 along with noted film maker J P Dutta, legendary lyricist – Javed Akhtar & versatile singer Sonu Nigam for promoting their movie, Paltan. Khuda Baksh who scored a special place in the hearts of audiences across the globe with his heartfelt singing has got his 1st ever break in Bollywood! All thanks to the biggest platform for budding singers in the country, Indian Idol & Anu Malik. The young singer was overwhelmed with emotion as he expressed his gratitude to the stage for launching him in the world of music and paving the way for a bright career. Anu Malik exclaimed, “Khuda Baksh is our child and there are millions of people who love his voice. He has a unique voice that can be rightfully termed as “Naayab.” When I called him for the song he came to the studio and learnt the song there itself and performed. What a brilliant guy. I am sure he has a glorious future ahead of him and we wish him all the best!”

AR Rahman & Tabrez Noorani Come Together

After previously collaborating on Slumdog Millionaire Tabrez Noorani & composer AR Rahman come back together for Tabrez Noorani’s directorial debut Love Sonia. AR Rahman along with breakout artist Bishop Briggs will record new song entitled “I Am More” for the film. The song is penned by Rianjali. AR Rahman’s work gained him even more global prominence with the extraordinary success of his score for the film. AR Rahman will create the song along with young American-British singer Bishop Briggs who is best known for her popular single River. Says AR Rahman, “With this, Tabrez Noorani makes his directorial debut. It was a pleasure working with Tabrez Noorani, Academy nominated producer David & Bishop Briggs for the song “I Am More”.” Tabrez said, “It was a truly unique experience to work with both AR, Bishop & Rianjali who wrote a truly beautiful song.” Love Sonia, a hard-hitting story of a 17 year old girl who risks her life to rescue her sister from the sex trade, was shot in India, Hong Kong & Los Angeles. The film stars Manoj Bajpayee, Richa Chadha, Rajkummar Rao, Sai Tamhankar, Adil Hussain, Anupam Kher, Demi Moore, Mark Duplass with Freida Pinto & debutant Mrunal Thakur & Riya Sisodia.

Javed Akhtar Is Indian Music Industry’s “Person Of The Year”

Script writer, lyricist, poet & Chairman of IPRS, Javed Akhtar was recognized & awarded with the inaugural Indian Music Industry “Person Of The Year” award. At a function organized by IMI during the 1st ever “Dialogue – Indian Music Conclave”, he was presented with the award by Shridhar Subramaniam President of Sony Music India & Chairman of IMI & Seymour Stein, Co-founder/Chairman Sire Records & VP Warner Bros Records. Stakeholders in the music sector such as Vikram Mehra, MD Saregama, Devraj Sanyal MD & CEO Universal Music Group India & South Asia spoke of the immense respect that Javed Akhtar has gathered in the industry by ensuring that the creator & music business communities build bridges in an effort to work together for the success & betterment of the industry and for his role in ensuring that authors, composers settle their long standing dues with the music industry which had been festering for years. Javed Akhtar said, “This award is not only recognition of me, it is recognition for all stakeholders in the Industry – of the extremely positive & mature fashion in which the industry now conducts & views itself”.

Subhash Ghai Sets Off The 3rd Edition Of Big Cine Expo

Big Cine Expo’s 3rd edition witnessed a packed attendance from the single screen cinemas, multiplex cinemas, malls & theatrical distribution exhibition industry & Sahara Star Mumbai and proved to be the platform for discovery, collaboration & networking for cinema exhibition industry in India. It was inaugurated by Subhash Ghai, along with Saurabh Varma, Chief Marketing Officer, INOX Leisure, P V Sunil, CEO & Director, Carnival Cinemas, Yusuf S Galabhaiwala, Director, Business Development, Galalite & Raghav, Director, Big Cine Expo. “It is an honor & and pleasure for me to be a part of this magnificent event. Big Cine Expo is one of the most prominent platforms, recognized across the globe. Such initiatives are really helpful for entrepreneurs in the cinema industry & ancillary businesses,” said Subhash Ghai. The biggest names in cinema business including PVR, INOX, Mukta A2, Miraj & Cinepolis are the multiplex partners of the event. Exhibitors present at the event included top names from various B2B cinema industries like screens, digital cinema, acoustics, in-theater dining, immersive seating, etc.

Goutam Ghose & Amit Agarwal’s Bond To Wrap Film In 20 Days!

Bengali Director Goutam Ghose is back to Hindi cinema and has collaborated with his long-time friend Amit Agarwal for the Hindi film One Day In The Rains. “My relationship with Goutam Da is almost a decade & a half old now, I share a unique bonding with him.” says Amit Aggrawal. Though he was earlier planning a Bengali film with Goutam Ghose, Amit Aggrawal got very excited after hearing the narration of One Day In The Rains and within a short notice of 30 days the shooting was scheduled at fabulous unexplored areas of Jharkhand which again was the discovery of Goutam Ghose himself. The film stars Adil Hussain, Tillotama Shome, Neeraj Kabi & Onkardas Manikpuri amongst others in pivotal roles. Says Amit Aggrawal. “I had a script based on a short story and I wanted to film it during rains.” “Amit Aggrawal said we could do it immediately and we planned the film in 20 days and finished shooting in exactly 20 days thanks to the efforts of Amit Aggrawal and his team and our team of technicians & brilliant actors,” said Gotam Ghose. The innumerable National & International award-winning filmmaker Goutam Ghose has also directed Hindi films like Paar, Patang, Gudiya & Yatra. Amit Agarwal has backed films like M.S.Dhoni – The Untold Story, Simran, Astra (Bengali), Vartak Nagar (Releasing end 2018) & Ajooba The Wonder Boy (Animation, Under Production, which he is directing as well).

Aman Verma To Play A Negative Role

Aman Verma is all set to play a lawyer in Hansa – Ek Sanyog produced by Suresh Sharma & directed by Santosh Kashyap & Dhiraj Verma. It is based on the 3rd
gender (Kinnar) community and their issues for equality in the society. Aman Verma is seen playing the role of a strong headed & a very aggressive lawyer, With Hansa – Ek Sanyog the director duo are trying to showcase the struggle that the Kinnar community have to go through in order to earn their daily livelihood with dignity. The movie also stars Ayush Shrivastava, Mantra Patel, Master Ayushmann, Sharad Saxena, Sayaji Shinde, Vaishnavi Macdonald, Akhilendra Mishra, Deepshika Nagpal, Ishtiyak Khan, Bachan Pachera, Pankaj Shukla & Neelam Pandey.

ZEE5 Film Fest Screens ‘Baarish And Chowmein’

Directed by National Award-winning director, Tigmanshu Dhulia & starring Amit Sadh & Tapsee Pannu, the film Baarish And Chowmein revolves around Siraj who is unable to rent a house in Mumbai as not many are willing to accommodate a Muslim. Says Tigmanshu Dhulia, “When this initiative came along, I felt this was a great opportunity to be a part of ushering in the change that we all wish to see. Releasing the movies exclusively on the digital medium as part of the ZEE5 Film Fest will help take it to newer audiences. Also, now, people like to see movies at their homes on their laptops & mobiles.” Adds Amit Sadh, “Baarish And Chowmein is a simple love story showing how love eventually prevails. The film has been written by Kausar Munir. As part of the festival, 12 films, 6 from India & Pakistan each will be featured every Fri on a weekly basis (started 24th Aug, 2018) Given the current global scenario, it is important to bring people together. Films by directors like Aparna Sen, Bejoy Nambiar, Ketan Mehta, Tanuja Chandra, Tigmanshu Dhulia, Khalid Ahmad, Mehreen Jabbar etc & actors like Pankaj Kapur, Naseeruddin Shah, Vinay Pathak, Amit Sadh, Taapsee Pannu, Kartik Aryan, Konkona Sen Sharma, Sara Haider, Faisal Qureshi etc are a part of the ZEE5 Film Fest.

Shaan & Aditya Narayan Perform Live

The makers of upcoming movie 22 Days organized a royal musical extravaganza in Mumbai to celebrate the music of the film. The event was graced by the entire cast & crew of the film, making the musical occasion a grand celebration. Producer Adhir Gunness, Director cum Actor Shiivam Tiwari along with Music Director Parivesh singh, BJP National Spokes Personal Prem Shukla, Hemant Pandey, Deepak Sawant and singers Shaan & Aditya Narayan graced the event with their presence. Shaan & Aditya Narayan along with Shiivam Tiwari performed live for the audiences, while the cast & the crew rejoiced in the celebration. While the musical gala was an entertaining affair, this was really memorable moment that grabbed everyone’s attention.

Chris Witt Weaves A Maze-Like Film Gali Guleiyan

After creating marvels with his work in Hollywood with films like The Unraveling & Catching Fireflies to name a few, Chris Witt has now added his magic-hint to the psychological thriller Gali Guleiyan. He has edited the film at length and the film trailer was surely a proof of his art. The trailer interestingly narrates a story of a paranoid man who seemed trapped convoyed by constant flashes of incidents back and forth. The arrangement of shots in sync with a mind-bending story-line will surely leave you fascinated. Chris exults, “I’m proud to say this is my best work in over 2 decades of editing! Written, directed & produced by debutant Dipesh Jain, the film certainly is a combination of story & thrill which is then perfectly balanced by an adequate amount of special effects. There are fewer movies today designed specifically for the movie theater.” Chris has also impressed the audience with the apt editing skills he had showcased in the Oscar-nominated American-Indian short film, Kavi. Bagging 2 awards & 6 nominations in his career so far, Chris is all set with his another chef-d’oeuvre Gali Guleiyan. Produced by Shuchi Jain, Gali Guleiyan will release in India and Worldwide on 7th Sept, 2018.

Nargis Fakhri – The new Brand Ambassador of Cadini

Cadini, Italy’s premier fashion brand, is a clear essence of Italian heritage & refined craftsmanship. The brand has signed on uber stylish Nargis Fakhri to be the new face of the Cadini Power of Presence Campaign in India. The focus of the brand has been fashion forward youth who not only follow international trends but also believe in power-dressing. Nargis Fakhri averred, “Cadini has always charmed me with their fabrics, design & ensemble men’s collection. I feel men are taking fashion pretty seriously these days. Cadini reflects a power of presence with the great cut, great style & exquisite fabrics that make the Cadini man stand out in a crowd. It’s a wonderful feeling to be the brand ambassador for such a spectacular brand”.

Elnaaz Norouzi To Take Centerstage Along With Saif Ali Khan & Nawazuddin Sididdiqui

The 1st ever season of Netflix series Sacred Games met with tremendous response. And the catch phrase, “Sab marr jaayenge, sirf Trivedi bachega” almost became iconic. So much so that, it was the most shared line from the show on social media & even attracted loads of speculation as well as memes. But not many have noticed that as far as the female characters go, most of the main female characters die in the series, with the exception of Zoya, played by Elnaaz Norouzi. So can we say, “Sab marr gaye, Elnaaz bach gayee”!! The lady will have a pivotal part to play in the 2nd season. “The response to the 1st ever season was much bigger than what I had imagined. So I’m definitely looking forward to 2nd season,” says an elated Elnaaz Norouzi. Inspite of hailing from Iran and having studied in Germany, Elnaaz Norouzi is particularly proud of the fact that she has herself dubbed her dialogues in Sacred Games, where she features along with established stars like Saif Ali Khan, Nawazuddin Siddiqui & Radhika Apte. In fact, Elnaaz Norouzi who actually knows 7 languages, has perfected her Hindi diction. Directed by Anurag Kashyap & Vikramaditya Motwane, The Series Is Based On Vikram Chandra’s critically acclaimed novella of the same name.

Sunny Leone Most Engaging Actress On Facebook

Bollywood’s sensation Sunny Leone has become the Queen on FaceBook by scoring 100 points on the Score Trends India Chart. Sunny Leone has surpassed actresses like Anushka Sharma who is on 2nd position with 90 points, Madhuri Dixit Nene on 86 points with 3rd position, Priyanka Chopra with 84 points on 4th & Jacqueline Fernandez who is neck to neck with 83 points on 5th position this week. The statistics for these rankings are supplied by Score Trends, a US based media-tech agency. “What worked in Sunny Leone favour is her web series Karenjit Kaur and the buzz of forthcoming MTV Splitsvilla season 11 with Ranvijay Singha which is already a rage amongst the youth and across the digital platforms especially her popular posts on Facebook,” explains Ashwani Kaul co-founder of Score Trends. “We collect data from over 600 news sources across 14 languages in India to analyse the media. This is done from Thurs to Thurs” concludes Kaul. With Season 2 of Karenjit Kaur all set to hit the Zee 5 app soon Sunny Leone is predicted to stay a bit longer on the charts.

Gracy Singh’s Grace

Actor-Danseuse Gracy Singh performed along with her troupe at ISKCON, Juhu, on the occasion of ISKCON’s 40th anniversary celebrations. The show, organized by Kavi Narayan Agarwal, was graced by Hema Malini, Dr. Rajan Sankaran & Dr. Meghna Shah of The Other Song, Dr. Soma Ghosh, Subhankar Ghosh, Vivek Prakash amongst others. The actress who looked ethereal in every costume she wore, quipped, “This show was a particularly a tough one as I usually perform for 1 hour but this was a 2 our show. I infused Bharatnatyam, Kathak, Manipuri & Ballet styles in my performances and it was quite challenging for me. It was nonetheless a divine feeling to perform at ISKCON… the vibrations were such that I almost felt (Lord) Krishna is present on stage, dancing with us. “What could be a more beautiful way to commemorate the evening!

Pooja Bhatt’s “Delhi Hoopers 3BL” on the road to Represent India

Delhi Hoopers 3BL have qualified to participate in 2 tournaments in FIBA 3×3 World Tour Masters, the Mexico City Masters & Hyderabad Masters on 8th & 9th Sept, 2018 & 22nd & 23rd Sept, 2018 respectively. Delhi Hoopers 3BL have already represented India at an international platform in 3×3 basketball for the 1st time ever at Utsunomiya Masters in Jul, 2018 and emerged 9th in the ranking charts. They stand a chance to qualify for FIBA 3×3 World Tour Finals in Beijing, China in Oct, 2018 if they manage to be in the top 8 in both World Tour Masters in Sept, 2018. It will mark the 1st time ever, an Indian 3×3 team has reached the finals of the prestigious FIBA 3×3 World Tour Final. Actor-Filmmaker-Owner Pooja Bhatt averred, “Delhi Hoopers have been raising the bar with every single match with their talent & skills. Our players are going to make India proud at Mexico City Masters, Hyderabad Masters & eventually FIBA 3×3 World Tour Finals in Beijing as well.”

Shabana Azmi & Anmol Rodriguez Celebrate Aunty Ji With Director Adeeb Rais

Director Adeeb Rais held a special preview of his short film Aunty Ji in Mumbai. Aunty Ji is a 20 minute short film starring Shabana Azmi & Anmol Rodriguez. Shabana Azmi is playing a Parsi widow & Anmol Rodriguez is playing the struggles of an Acid attack survivor in the short film. Shabana averred, “Short films are an evolving medium that gives one the freedom to express & say their story in a short span of time. I did a short film many years ago and knew it would be a new age medium”. “Aunty Ji is essentially about following your heart & chasing your dreams. Both women Parvin (Shabana ji) & Geetika (Anmol) are charming and strong but conditioned by unnecessary restrictions & pressures from society. Like most short films, we worked on a shoe string budget but I am grateful that we could have Shabanaji on board. Anmol doesn’t come from an acting background but surprisingly she turned into Geetika effortlessly” shares Director Adeeb Rais. Anmol statedsays, “It’s my debut and to share frames with Shabanaji for a novice like me is something I never imagined. ”

Zareen Khan Supports An Initiative For Public Hygiene!

Zareen Khan has taken up the cause of ending open defecation. The actress has been invited by the Orissa Government to talk to the locals there about the issues that follow with open defecation. The actress will be traveling to Orissa this month for a few days where she will conduct special seminars to meet the locals and spread the word about not defecating in public. When asked about the same, Zareen said, “It will be a public event where I will explain the locals the benefits of not defecating in the open. The Government has already started building toilets but people still prefer to defecate in the open, giving room to endless illnesses & also spreading diseases.”

Shriya Is Excited To Work With Gurinder

Fan movie fame, Shriya Pilgaonkar will be seen playing a pivotal role alongside Tom Bateman in a British TV Series, Beecham House. Directed by Gurinder Chaddha for ITV, Shriya will be essaying the character of Chanchal, a secretive caretaker of Tom’s baby. She has a crucial love track on the show. The shoot has already begun for this 6 part series in London! Elaborating on her role, the actress expresses her excitement to be a part of the glorious cast, she says “I am thrilled to be working with a host of talented individuals & Gurinder is definitely a powerhouse! Also, I have always been fascinated by period dramas and it feels so surreal to be a part of this story.” She adds, “My character is definitely intriguing and she has many shades attached to her personality. She is ambitious, secretive, passionate as well as innocent. ”This period drama series is set on the cusp of 19th century & follows the lives of the residents of the palatial Beecham House. The show also features ensemble cast including Lesley Nicol, Bessie Carter & Marc Warren.

Kalpana Pens A Memoir On Dr. Bhupen Hazarika

Kalpana Lajmi is all set to release a memoir, “Bhupen Hazarika – As I knew him” on 8th Sept, 2018. The book contains at least 12 of his songs translated in English by Muni Kabir & Illustrated by well known artist Lalitha Lajmi. With this book, Kalpana aims to take his work of 75 years to a global platform, befitting the chair that already exists in his name at Harvard University. The book will be released on the occasion of Bhupen da’s 91st Birthday. Kalpana Lajmi, who took 1 year to write the entire book, emphasizes, “I want the world to know what a great man, artist he was. He was a painter, sculptor, poet all bundled in one. I want the world to know the depth with which Bhupen Hazarika spread himself. I am grateful to Shyam Benegal, Prasoon Joshi, Mahesh Bhatt, Adil Hussain & Huma Qureshi, who have come forward to promote the book, by reading parts of the book at the launch. Bhupenda was a legend in his own right. My book on his life & works will showcase his genius in music, verse & composition to a much larger audience and hopefully capture his life & times for posterity”. The book is being published by Harper Collins and will be released on 8th Sept, 2018.

Urvashi Rautela Making India Super Proud Internationally!

Urvashi Rautela who always has created headlines all across India but this time the diva has set the parameter too high by touching the international boundaries. Urvashi Rautela always has been in cahoots about her international contact, has yet again proved her foot digged deep down in Hollywood. Urvashi Rautela is in LA having a gala time with all the international stars also promoting India on such a level. The diva was recently spotted in a party with some big names of bollywood such as Amber Rose, Alessendra Ambrosio, Blac Chyna, Dita Von Tesse, Lexy Panterra, Apryl and many more. Urvashi Routela was caught by paparazzi internationally while the actress was meeting/greeting her friends as the diva threw a success bash of Urvashi Rautela’s app in LA for her near & dear ones.

Madhuri Murli To Launch Bollywood Dance Series In California

San Francisco based Madhuri Murli is a multi-faceted personality, a computer science engineer by degree, product marketing manager by profession at a tech company in Silicon Valley, singer, composer, writer, lyricist, choreographer & philanthropist, all rolled into one. As a founder of a philanthropic platform called Flute Theory, she has conducted many live performances & even released 6 music videos, 4 out of them being her own original compositions. Earlier, one of her live performances “Shubhaarambh & Nagada Sang Dhol” went viral and garnered over 1.5 million views. Now, along with select students of Flute Theory, Madhuri Murli is all set to launch a Bollywood dance series in California, with live song & dance performances to Bollywood style fusion music. She informs that “Flute Theory intends to donate all the funds raised from this series to the Indian Government’s homage & support initiative “Bharat Ke Veer – India’s Bravehearts”, to pay respect to the brave hearts who have laid down their lives in the line of duty.” What better than singing and dancing for a noble cause,” she adds.

Mumbai Celebrity interior designer Gauri Khan has joined hands with Pride of Cows for a limited edition bottle for the premium milk brand’s seventh anniversary celebration.

The bottle brings in some hues of gold, white and black which depicts the essence of the brand.

“With an idea of creating a design that mirrors our ‘Pride of Cows’ strategy of providing premium milk to consumers who believe in leading a high quality life, we believe this collaboration with Gauri Khan is a perfect match,” Akshali Shah, Senior Vice President, Strategy – Sales and Marketing, Parag Milk Foods Ltd., said in a statement to IANS.

Expressing her excitement, Gauri said: “Design comes with creativity and this was one of those times where I did not have to look for inspiration to wrap this white gold stunningly.

“It was a wonderful experience to design the Pride of Cows limited edition bottle. I am thrilled to be a part of their seventh anniversary celebration,” she added.

The wife of Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan has designed the interiors of houses of many Bollywood celebrities like Karan Johar, Ranbir Kapoor, Varun Dhawan and Jacqueline Fernandez.

(IANS)

Dinesh Sudarshan Soi – The Busiest Casting Director In Bollywood

Casting Director Dinesh Sudarshan Soi may be the busiest casting director in the industry. It’s not us, it’s his latest feat at India Book Of Records that’s suggesting this. The casting director has been added in the book of records for Maximum Casting In The World for having done casting for as many as 4500 projects!

Ask the busy bee about this new feat and he avers, “I never counted my projects, I just kept on doing my work. It was when I was awarded with this mention did I notice the work I’ve earned to my name has been staggering!” exclaims Dinesh modestly.

Elaborating on the countless projects Dinesh Soi has done casting for he avers, “Like I mentioned, I hadn’t actually sat down to think of it until the India Book of Records happened. Now that I look back, I may have done casting for at least 1000 films comprising of Hollywood & International films, Festival films, Short films, Punjabi films, Gujarati films and quite a few South Indian movies apart from my mainline work being in Hindi Film Industry. I have also worked on numerous ad films & 2000 plus music videos !”

Phew! But that’s not all, the casting director is in no mood to slow down! “This is just the beginning. In fact such awards & accolades motivate me more to give my off best. I am very excited about this new project I have worked on & I really want to see my work translate on screen.”

Ask him what this new project is and he mentions Family Of Thakurganj, a forthcoming multi-starrer where except for the main 14 actors, the rest of the cast which consists of 102 actors has all been roped in from Uttar Pradesh, probably the biggest casting coup after Gangs of Wasseypur.

Literature Fest To Be Held In London

Lit O Fest’ Mumbai, India’s premiere festival of Literature, Art & Culture is all set to spread its creative wings by taking the fest international. The 5th edition of the fest will be in London on 6th Sept, 2018.

“We are excited to be a part of this wonderful cultural initiative by Smita Parikh & Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC). It is doing whatever it can to support the event, said Anup Jalota who would be present during the London Chapter of Lit O Fest in Bhartiya Vidya Bhawan London & House of Lords, British Parliament, London on 6th & 7th of Sept, 2018.

“We are happy to be a part of this Lit O Fest & we will showcase Maharashtra culture & tradition averred Vijay Kumar Gautam, Principal Secretary Tourism.

Tourism Minister, Maharshtra Jaykumar Rawal wished all the best to Lit O Fest.

“We are also felicitating some dignitaries from the field of Art, Culture, music & literature in the House of Lords, British Parliament on 7th Sept, with the “Innoventure Awards” for their contribution in their respective fields during the fest. Mumbai is possibly the 1st ever such fest in india to adopt a village named Dahigaon and is taking care of the education, hygiene & skill development of the rural girls,” stated Smita Parikh, the founding Director.

Other dignitaries along with Amrita Fadnavis, Smita Parikh & Pankaj Dubey to attend the fest are tourism minister of Maharashtra Jaykumar Rawal, Lord Daljit Rana, Mahendra Singh Jadeja, Anup Jalota & Bond Girl from Hollywood Zara Adams, Parikshit Thorat, Dr Radha Krishnan Pillai & many more.

Mumbai On the ocasssion of Janmashtami on Monday, Bollywood celebrities like megastar Amitabh Bachchan, Rishi Kapoor and Shilpa Shetty Kundra sent out wishes to their social media followers.

Here’s what they tweeted:

Amitabh Bachchan: Janamashtami ki anek shubhkamanayein.

Shilpa Shetty Kundra: Jai Kanhaiya Lal ki. My little kanhaiya, Viaan Raj trying his hand at breaking the Dahi handi.

Suniel Shetty: “If you don’t fight for what you want, then don’t cry for what you lost, “says Lord Krishna. Follow the righteous path and he will help you achieve glory. Believe in Yourself. Happy Janmashtami

Farah Khan Kunder: Happy Janmashtami. At the shoot of ‘Radha teri chunri’… seven years ago… Diva was visiting after playing Radha in her play school Janmashtami function.

Sajid Khan: Happy Janmashtami to all

Pooja Batra: Believe in Yourself – Lord Krishna, Happy Janmashtami

Rishi Kapoor: Wishing everyone a Happy Janmashtami

[IANS]

The relationship between literature and cinema is mutually sustaining, say authors and filmmakers, who are sure the search for new and good content will lead to books.

The 20th Jio MAMI Mumbai Film Festival with Star brought the third edition of “Word To Screen Market” here aiming to become a common platform for authors, publishers, writers, directors and producers to exchange ideas and explore business opportunities.

“It is a win-win situation where the authors and publishers who are struggling to get a wider reach with their stories, get a chance to pitch stories to film studios as potential film story material.

“On the other hand, content creators are always struggling with new and good content for their projects, whether it is a film or web series. Word To Screen Market is bridging that gap. Also, publishers get an acquisition cost and the book gets huge mileage if a film is made out of it,” Filmmaker Kiran Rao, chairperson of Mumbai Academy of Moving Image (MAMI) Mumbai Film Festival, told IANS here.

Author Anita Nair cannot but agree. “With the growing digital platform that demands good stories and content, the possibility of adaptation of books into audio-visual story — be it film or web series — is increasing. I see it as a mutually sustaining relationship between authors, publishers and filmmakers.”

Nair feels when a story is selected from the framework of a book as opposed to a story of a film for scripting, the scriptwriter gets a lot more details of the world of the story.

“The picture is much clearer… already in the story,” said the writer of books like “The Better Man”, “Ladies Coupe”, “Mistress”, “Lesson in Forgetting Idris” and “Cut Like Wound”.

Filmmaker Kabir Khan, too, agrees. “We are almost getting a ready story that needs to be just scripted if (the story) has the potential to make a film. And a story cannot be limited to a region… If it has a universal appeal, it will travel,” he said.

However, he also pointed out the challenges.

“Since it is a change of medium, an adaptation of a book into a film comes with a challenge. Two storytellers are involved in the process — one who wrote the book and the one who is translating that into a film.

“The challenge is to maintain that essence of the story in the film,” said the “Bajrangi Bhaijaan” director.

Nair stressed that while there is an “intangible element” that intrigues a filmmaker to make a film, an “artistic integrity” needs to be maintained.

“If you lose the essence of the story in the film, that is tragic for the author, really,” she added.

While books offer good stories to filmmakers, the process of translating it to film is not as simple as it sounds. Said Rucha Pathak, the Chief Creative Officer of Fox Star Studios: “Turning a book into a script is really time-consuming and, as a studio, we really invest in writing. The process is not as easy as it looks just because we are getting a ready story.”

Citing an example, Pathak said: “We took four years to write the script of ‘Kizie Aur Manny’, the Hindi remake of ‘The Fault In Our Stars’ to get it right. But I must say that an initiative like Word to Screen Market is really bringing the world of cinema and literature together, and I am enjoying how it’s growing with each passing year.”

Does the dazzle of cinema overpower the world of literature in such collaborations?

Emphasising on the aspect of mutual respect, Nair said: “Since the idea is to complement each other in the collaboration, I think respect for the book is important.

“The filmmaker and actors should aim to make the best possible film out of the book rather than overpowering the book with commerce and marketing. If the story gets respect, the author gets her due.”

[IANS]

Anil Kapoor Attends A Special Screening “Once Again”

Anil Kapoor, Shabana Azmi, Renu Namboodiri, Mrs. Madhur Bhandarkar & Sunita Gowariker attended the Special Screening of Once Again held in Mumbai suburb recently.

The cast Neeraj Kabi, Shefali Shah, Bidita Bag, Bhagwan Tiwari were also present along with the crew, director Kanwal Sethi, producers Sanjay Gulati & Neeraj Pandey, Mohandas VP (Sound Designer) & Ajitpal Singh (dialogue writer).

The independent film fest programmer, film curator & South Asia Consultant Berlin, Meenakshi Shedde introduced the cast & the crew before the screening.

The film will be out on Netflix on 1st Sept, 2018 & will also be simultaneously releasing in Metro Cities through 1018 MB.

The love story features Shefali Shah & Neeraj Kabi in the romantic lead & stellar cast Rasika Dugal, Bidita Bag, Bhagwan Tiwari & Priyanshu Painyuli in supporting roles.

Witten & directed by Kanwal Sethi, Once Again is an unusual & mature love story of Tara, a widowed mother who runs a small restaurant & one of her customers, a popular film actor Amar, who she delivers his daily meals. Tara has never seen him, except on the big screen. A chance phone conversation becomes a ritual. They spend hours on the phone, unable to muster the courage to meet. Aware of the reality of an impossible relationship & afraid to transcend the boundaries both have drawn around themselves they live within their safe bubbles. Until one day, when Amar sets out to meet Tara What follows is a poetic journey of the two lonely hearts in Mumbai, a city of 15 million souls.

Anil Kapoor present at the special screening quipped, “When Shefali & Neeraj are in a film together it has to be good”

The music composer, Talvin Singh, who has been at the helm of fusion music & has played with the likes of Madonna creates an enchanting & melodious soundtrack.

The Indo-German film is produced by Crawling Angel Films, Jar Pictures, Neufilm in collaboration with ZDF/ARTE & is presented by
Sanjay Gulati & Neeraj Pandey.

ZDF/ARTE are the powerful channels behind films like Lunchbox, Masaan & Qissa.

Kanwal Sethi was born in Amritsar, India. After finishing school, he founded a theatre group & began to stage at varied independent theatres. He shifted to Germany & studied Political science & Economics in Dresden. Followed by his own stage productions and parallel to this he started work on his own film projects. His short films & docu dramas were screened at varied international film festivals as well as the Museum of Modern Art New York. Junction Point was his debut feature film & premiered at Max ÖphulsPreis & MAMI.

Since Neu Films successfully started producing films a decade ago, they are constantly confronted with the phenomenon of a separation of art & commerce. Arthouse & mainstream seem to be often incompatible in the industry. The aim of Neufilm is to connect these 2 poles & make the author film accessible to a broader audiences.

Crawling Angel Films is a film production company based in India that aims to tell the world unique stories through films, which have the quality to capture human emotions through their strong narratives. The dedicated team of Crawling Angel Films is all set out to dissolve the boundaries between the varied nations of the globe by getting them well versed with 1 universal language, the language of Cinema. They have produced award-winning films such as, Lajwanti (Berlin International Film Fest 2014), Ashwatthama (Busan International Film Fest 2017), Mehsampur & The Shepherdess And The Seven Songs (co-production lab in Film Bazaar & Hong Kong International Film Fest) is currently under the process of shooting.

Anmol Rodriguez, an influencer, a role model & an Instagrammar with over a hundred thousand followers makes her short film debut with Aunty ji.
Most known for her inspiring story of being an acid attack survivor she steps into a character, very much like her own self.

Aunty ji is a slice of life story of Parvin (Shabana Azmi) & Geetika (Anmol Rodriguez). It’s a story of a day in their lives where Anmol is playing the struggles of an acid attack survivor. Commenting on her experience of working with Shabana Azmi. Anmol Rodriguez Avers, “I was nervous as I am starring with a veteran actress like Shabanaji and also this is my debut film. This means a lot to me as I had never imagined something like this. Each time I shared frames with Shabanaji, I used to get even more nervous. Even though Shabanaji is so senior, she was so supportive & always motivated me. She would give me one “jaadu ki jhappi” and boost my confidence.”

Aunty Ji is directed by Adeeb Rais & has been released on YouTube on 29th Aug, 2018.

Filmmaker-producer Imtiaz Ali who is gearing up for the release of his forthcoming production ‘Laila Majnu’ feels that most of the times intense love stories become successful when you have new actors in the film.

Imtiaz Ali was interacting with media to promote the film along with his filmmaker brother Sajid Ali on Thursday in Mumbai.

Avinsh Tiwary and Tripti Dimri are making their Hindi film debut. Asked what prompted him to work with new star cast in this film, Imtiaz said, “If you look in the past, you will see that intense love stories have been successful with new cast, be it in films like Ek Duje Ke Liye, Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak, Maine Pyaar Kiya and Ashiqui series, the characters of that film are young and actors who are playing that part is also young so, it’s a plus”.

“I also think established actors have certain kind of reputation onscreen, therefore, we wanted to cast new actors because audience should feel that they are watching the characters rather than any star in the film without any preconceived notion,” he added.

Imtiaz Ali has earlier worked with actors like Shahrukh Khan, Anushka Sharma, Ranbir Kapoor and Kareena Kapoor. Asked whether he observes any difference in working with new actors and established ones, he said, “I don’t think there is any difference because each actor has been new at some stage.

“If the actor suits the character, then it becomes easier and I have enjoyed working with all the actors in the past because they were so much interested in filmmaking process. So, I can’t differentiate between new and established actors when it comes to working with them.”

Set in Kashmir, ‘Laila Majnu’ is a story that revolves around Kais (Avinash Tiwary) and Laila (Tripti Dimri) whose journey of love is filled with insurmountable obstacles.

Based on the classic story of Laila Majnu, this contemporary take on the tale has been penned by Imtiaz Ali.

The film is directed by Sajid Ali and produced by Balaji Motion Pictures and Pi Films.

It will hit the screens on 7th September.

(IANS)