Highlighting Indian theatre’s magnanimity, the COLORS Khidkiyaan Theatre Festival 2017 kicked off at Mumbai’s Sathaye College at Vile Parle (East) this week. Organized by Mukesh Chhabra Casting Company with Viacom18’s Hindi General Entertainment Channel COLORS & Hindi film channel Rishtey Cineplex as its partner. The festival brings together theatre professionals & the Bollywood fraternity to celebrate captivating theatrical par excellence.

The COLORS Khidkiyaan Theatre Festival 2017 opened to a welcome note by actor Ragini Khanna. The evening also witnessed a musical performance, Ballimaaraan by Piyush Mishra followed by a Shraddhanjali to the Late Shri Om Puri by veteran actor’s contemporaries along with Raj Nayak (CEO – Hindi Mass Entertainment, Viacom18) and Mukesh Chhabra, and 2 theatre presentations of Smita Bharti’s play Jug Jug Jiyo featuring Dolly Ahluwalia, Ankita Bhargava, Meghna Malik & Amit Dolawat. The 1st – of – its – kind red carpet for theatre professionals witnessed the strong support of the industry with aficionados like Sidharth Malhotra, Imtiaz Ali, Naseeruddin Shah, Vikas Bahl, Nitesh Tiwari, Dia Mirza, Prachee Shah Pandya, Karuna Pandey, Suchitra Pillai & Dheeraj Dhoopar amongst others stepping out in support.

Commenting on the opening day, organizer Mukesh Chhabra averred, “We are very excited that our humble little festival is growing. I’m thankful to all our partners and my team, and hope to have a successful festival this year as well. We are looking forward to welcoming our guests and getting in the mood of watching some amazing plays.”

Speaking about COLORS’ association with this festival, Raj Nayak, CEO – Hindi Mass Entertainment, Viacom18 averred, “Theatre is a form of expression which has, in a major way, contributed towards the development of Indian television and its entertainment avenues by providing artists & talents across. COLORS & Rishtey Cineplex have always strived to bring the choicest content options to its viewers, and with COLORS Khidkiyaan Theatre Festival 2017 we are furthering this vision by creating a window into a parallel entertainment universe. We would like to congratulate Mukesh Chhabra and his team for developing Khidkiyaan, an endeavour bringing Indian theatre to the forefront, and hope to strengthen this association in the years to come.”

The 5 day long festival, to be held between 1st Mar, 2017 to 5th Mar, 2017, will witness a mix of superlative theatre productions & workshops, panel discussions moderated by Anupama Chopra & The Viral Fever’s Arunabh Kumar, a Masterclass by Casting Director & Acting Coach Mukesh Chhabra, script – reading sessions and a short film corner by Humaara Movie, and a special tribute to celebrated theatre actor, Late Shri Om Puri featuring his fellow NSD alumni and other colleagues.

Some of the Celebrity Quotes present on this ocassion

Siddharth Malhotra – “Mukesh is a good acting coach, a great casting director and is profoundly involved in theatre so it’s really great to be a part of this.”

Imtiaz Ali – “I’m really happy that there is a festival which is a confluence of theatre & films. Especially for me, coming from theatre and going into films; it feels like home each time I come here. I’d like to encourage all the people who are aspiring actors or filmmakers to indulge themselves in theatre as it gives certain attributes and certain strengths that will always be beneficial in both theatre & films and in life in general.”

Nawazuddin Siddiqui – “I come to this festival every year because I started off with theatre and it feels so good that Mukesh is encouraging it.”

Yami Gautam – “I think it’s amazing! It’s an amazing platform for all the theatre lovers and not just them but even for people like us who aren’t in theatre. We get to experience it under 1 roof and to bring it together in such a way to celebrate it is amazing!”

Vikas Bahl- “I think it’s a great way to encourage theatre in the country. I’m so glad that people are here to support theatre because there is no better art form than theatre and the fact that it gives too much to the other industries is the next big thing that it does.”

NISHANTH TO MAKE HIS DEBUT

The noted villain of South Indian films Sathyaprakash (seen in Saikumar films in Kannada) was up in joy as his son Nishanth is introduced in the Kannada movie Manasu Mallige by Rockline Venkatesh & Zee TV. He came down for the audio release with his friends to watch the songs of his son Nishanth. He felt very happy for the gesture extended by Rockline Venkatesh. Nishanth on the other hand looked fit for the tender love story in Manasu Mallige. After the audio release, screening of songs & guests speeches actor Sathyaprakash honored producer Rockline Venkatesh, Zee TV’s Akash Chawla & director S Narayan with a shawl & Shirdi Saibaba idol at Sri Chamundeswari studio in Bengaluru.

2 FILMS ANNOUNCED ON DARSHAN’S BIRTHDAY

The box office Ustaad of Kannada cinema, challenging star Darshan celebrated his birthday on 16th Feb, 2017. While the release of his film Chakravarthy is not yet known. However 2 films were announced on Darshan’s birthday. They did not go on the floors on his birthday. From last year he stopped such practice. As Chakravarthy, his 48th film is counting days for release, the 49th film of Darshan is titled as Tharak. Meanwhile Tharak is the rechristened name of Ajaramara Kannada film hero Ranavir. Successful director in Kannada cinema Milana Prakash (Milana was one year screened Kannada film starring Puneeth Rajakumar & Parvathi) is commencing shooting from 1st Mar, 2017. Prakash close to Dr Rajakumar family made debut in Khushi in 2003. He directed Rishi, Shree, Vamshi, Gokula, Siddartha & Milana has been an all time hit film. What is the 50th film of Darshan is the issue cropped in the minds of fans. It is not Sarvantharyami announced earlier. It is Tamil remake of Ajith starring Veeram in the direction of Tarun Kishor Sudhir, son of popular villain Sudhir. Tarun’s debut movie Chowka is receiving good results on the Box – Office turnstiles. Tamil super star Ajith’s Veeram was released in 2014.

SUMAN & GOWDA MAKE THEIR DEBUT

In a film that focuses on a simple philosophy Arishadwargas, director Srinivas is paired with 2 heroines Nikila Suman & Kavitha Gowda. As of now the dialogues in the trailer for Nikila has made a big talk for using such words. I am from conservative family and the need for such dialogue was director prerogative says Nikila a stage artist in her debut film Srinivasa Kalyana. Although she has tough role the inner senses are soft. She is from a conservative family and such dialogues are not her cup of tea. She has delivered it because it is for her role Radha. A multi talented & multi tasking personality Srini cleverly added “Devranege Devru Cinema Alla” as caption and that worked out. Later a trailer long ago did not fetch him much publicity. A song Gap Gapalli….and another dialogue oriented trailer brought good mileage for the film. On whether such dialogues will be part of the film or it was just to get curiosity for the film, Srini keeps quiet. He says watching cinema would answer the doubts.

VICKY MAKES A COMEBACK

Vicky Varun a talented team member of director Dhuniya Soori who suddenly turned hero from Kenda Sampige 100 days run successful film is back after a small hibernation. From the writing & direction department to acting, Vicky signed his next film for director of Alemaari, Dove And Darling Santhu. Apparently Vicky with good looks & physique, proving his ability as actor in Kenda Sampige has rejected nearly 30 scripts that came to him. This subject of director Santhu is about a boy from city returning to village. Vicky suits this role precisely says Santhu. After getting a good beginning from Kenda Sampige it was my intention to wait for a good subject for 2nd journey. Now the time has come he says. In short & sweet Santhu explained the story for me. I am convinced that my next move is right says Vicky.

DIVYA MAKES HER DEBUT ON THE BIG SCREEN

Small Screen is the stepping stone for most of the actors on Big Screen. For Divya of Huliraya Kannada cinema the offer was waiting for her. It is journey from Shivamogga based to Mangaluru and stopover in Bengaluru for Divya. She completed her studies in Mangaluru and was in Bengaluru when the offer from Chitte Hejje of well known director Vinu Balanja came. She started off as a sister and later went on with Sapthapadi, Ambaari, Om Shakthi Om Shanthi. She is now female lead in Huliraya that stars debutant Balu Nagendra in Aravind Kaushik’s direction. Divya does not care for emotions and moves ahead with bold nature in her debut film Huliraya. Remembering her experience of shoot in a deep forest says it was a thrilling experience. There is a lot of difference in shooting from TV to cinema she says. She has got good support from family members to continue in this mass media.

GANESH IN ORANGE, ZOOM TEAM FILM

A Kannada film title launch at the famous temple of Shirdi Sai Saba in Shirdi is for the 1st time ever. The title of new Kannada film Orange was announced after a ritual at the Shirdi Temple recently. Ganesh & his wife Shilpa were present with director Prashanth Raj, producer Naveen, Mugul Nage producer Rachana, Syed Salaam and others. This has nothing to do with Ram Charan’s 2010 film Orange Telugu film. Prashanth clarifies that the subject is totally different and Zoom team is working in this film. The title launch of the film Orange coincided with the marriage anniversary celebration day of Golden Star Ganesh & Shilpa. With an orange in the hand, the film title was launched with a few guests on this occasion. It is Nimma Cinema banner film. Off late vegetables & fruits names are kept for the titles in Kannada cinema.

MOHANLAL TO DO A FILM WITH NIVIN PAULY!!!

Mohanlal & Nivin Pauly, it seems, have been approached to play the lead roles in an upcoming project. It is heard that the movie will be produced by K K Rajagopal, who had earlier associated with Mohanlal for the 2010 release Shikkar. However, there is no official announcement on the project yet. Earlier on, Nivin Pauly was indeed approached to play an important role in Mohanlal’s movie Geethanjali, but the actor had turned down the offer due to date clashes. As both the stars are undisputed kings of the Box – Office turnstiles down south if the movie materializes it will be a SURE hit on the Box – Office turnstiles.

DULQUER SALMAAN’S NEW LOOK LEAKED!!!

Dulquer Salmaan who is basking in the success of his latest release Jomonte Suviseshangal has recently joined the sets of Soubin Sahir’s debut directorial Parava, in which the actor is playing a cameo role. Interestingly, the actor sports a never seen before avatar for the film. His new look leaked online and has gone viral in no time. In the pictures, the actor is spotted with no moustache, but with a thick beard in his latest get -up. The actor will be seen in the role of a native of Mattancherry in this film. Parava marks to be 2nd time association of Dulquer Salman & Soubin Sahir after blockbusters Charlie & Kali. Parava mainly features Shane Nigam, Zain Sainuddeen & Arjun Ashokan in & pivotal roles. The shoot of the film is currently progressing in Mattancherry, Kochi.

MANJU REPLACES VIDYA

After Vidya Balan opted out of Aami, the biopic of poet & writer Madhavi Kutty, many actresses’ names have been coming up including Parvathy & Tabu. And now, it looks like the long wait has come to an end to find the women who have the facial features of Aami. Director Kamal has confirmed that actress Manju Warrier will be playing the most challenging role of Aami in the movie. To get into the character of a middle – aged Madhavi Kutty, Manju Warrier will be gaining a few kilos too. Apart from Manju Warrier, the film also has Murali Gopy, Anoop Menon & Prithviraj in important roles. The movie’s shoot will begin on 20th Mar, 2017 at Ottapalam.

PRITHVIRAJ MAKES A HUMBLE REQUEST!!!

Prithviraj’s horror thriller, Ezra hit the big screens this week and has opened to positive responses. Ezra has been raved about for its unusual plot & spine chilling narrative style! However, few sections of the social media are engaged in finding weird pleasure by revealing the plot & suspense of the movie. Reportedly, few netizens are disclosing the suspense element of the movie through What’s app & Facebook posts. Reacting to this, Prithviraj made a humble request to audiences to stop doing this low minded act. The actor took to his official social media page to put forward his request – “A big thank you and a humble request! There are numerous forwards floating around FB, WhatsApp and other platforms revealing the plot and the suspense of #EZRA. I fail to understand the motivation behind this want to spoil the experience for people yet to watch the movie. As an actor proud to have taken a step to try something truly different in Malayalam, I would be greatly obliged if this is stopped and discouraged. And THANK YOU…….for presenting EZRA with one among the biggest ever openings for a film in Kerala and for all the support and appreciation. Cheers!” wrote Prithviraj.

THE GREAT FATHER TEASER OUT

After a long wait, the 1st ever teaser of Mammootty’s most awaited movie The Great father is out! The teaser was screened along with Prithviraj’s Ezra, which hit the big screens this week. The 20 seconds long video gives a glimpse about Mammootty’s character David Ninan, who is also a smoker, in the Haneef Adeni directorial. The intriguing teaser hit the cyber space exactly at 11.11 am and has already created waves on social media. “#TheGreatFather intro teaser..YouTube release at 11:11 am! Also catch David on the big screen with #EZRA! #Mammukka #M_Swag [sic],” wrote Prithviraj, who has co – produced The Great Father, on his social media page. The Great Father marks to be the reunion of Mammootty & Sneha after 6 years. The actress essays the role Michelle David, wife of Megastar’s character in the movie. Child artiste Anikha stars as the couple’s daughter Sara David. The movie also has Kollywood star Arya in a significant role. Bankrolled by August Cinema, co – owned by Prithviraj, Arya, Santhosh Sivan & Shaji Natesan, The Great Father is expected to hit the screens in Mar, 2017. Stay tuned!!!

FAHADH & VINAYAKAN ARE CLASSMATES!!!

Fahadh Faasil who was last seen in Maheshinte Prathikaaram, is all busy with director Rafi’s upcoming movie, Role Model. The movie will have actor Vinayakan, in the role of Fahadh’s class mate. As Vinayakan has garnered a huge fan base in Kerala with his power packed performance (PPP) in Kamattipaadam, expectations from the movie are sky high. Touted to be a campus movie, Role Model has Namitha Pramod in the female lead. The comedy entertainer marks the 1st time ever association of Fahadh, Namitha & Vinayakan. Coming from a power packed combination of actors, we can expect something BIG!. The comedy entertainer emphasizes on how friendships play an important role in shaping a person in the different phases of his life. The movie also stars Vinay Forrt, Sharafudheen, Seetha and many others in significant roles.

VANANGAMUDI COMMENCED IN CHENNAI

Arvind Swamy’s cop thriller Vanangamudi has commenced with an auspicious Pooja event in Chennai. To be directed by Selva, who earlier made Pudhayal (1997) with Arvind Swamy, Vanangamudi has Ritika Singh, Nandita Swetha, Chandini, Thambi Ramaiah & Harish Uttaman in important roles. Daniel Balaji was initially approached to play the baddie in the film but the actor has now opted out due to unavailability of dates. Magic Box Ganesh is producing Vanangamudi and Imman has been roped in to compose music. The shoot of the film will be happening in Kodaikanal, Tuticorin & Chennai. Besides Vanangamudi, Arvind Swamy also has Sathuranga Vettai 2 & Naragasooran with Karthick Naren.

CHIYAAN STARTS SHOOTING FOR HIS NEW FILM

Chiyaan Vikram has commenced shooting for his new film with director Vijay Chander of Vaalu fame. “1st day shoot of 2nd film. #vjchander#DOPsukumar#chiyaan54″, wrote Vikram on his official Instagram page. To be produced by Silverline Film Factory, the yet untitled film also has Tamannaah as Vikram’s pair. The entire film will be shot in North Chennai backdrop. Sukumar of Mynaa fame is cranking the film, where Vikram is said to be playing a local gangster & Tamannaah plays a homely girl. Vikram is also planning to simultaneously shoot for both Dhruva Natchathiram & Vijay Chander film as both characters demand the similar bearded look.

STR’S NEW LOOK UNVEILED

A glimpse of STR’s aged look for the Ashwin Thatha’s character in Anbanavan Asaradhavan Adangadhavan was unveiled by the makers recently. STR’s hairstyle & mannerisms remind us of Superstar Rajinikanth, which has been lapped up by his ardent fans & movie buffs alike. In an earlier interaction, Anbanavan Asaradhavan Adangadhavan director Adhik Ravichandran has revealed Ashwin Thatha’s character will be energetic that despite his aged look, STR will be seen performing risky action sequences. Produced by Michael Rayappan of Global Infotainment, the film also has 2 heroines — Shriya Saran & Tamannaah Bhatia. Besides Michael & Ashwin, STR will also be seen in 1 more look for which the actor will be reducing nearly 15 kilos. Curently, STR who was paid a bomb to be the music director for Santhanam’s new film has completed composing 5 songs and is busy with recordings.

MANJIMA TO ROMANCE VISHNU

Vishnu Vishal is on a roll, his Kathanayagan is getting ready for release and he is also busy shooting for his yet – untitled action thriller with Mundasupatti director Ram, where Amala Paul plays the actor’s romantic interest. Vishnu Vishal has also started his 3rd production venture with debutante director Chella, a former associate of Ezhil & Regina Cassandra has been roped in to play the female lead. The actor has also signed a new film with Eshaan Productions, who earlier produced Meen Kuzhambum Mannpaanaiyum. Kathanayagan’s director Muruganandham will be helming the new project of Eshaan Productions. The latest update is that Manjima Mohan is officially on board for the film, Vishnu Vishal tweeted “Happy to share screen space with the happening @mohan_manjima for ESHAN PRODUCTIONS @dusshyanth film directed by Muruganandham (kathanayagan)”

KARTHI: ‘KAATRU VELIYIDAI’ WILL BE A CLASSIC LOVE STORY

In his recent media interaction, Karthi revealed that his upcoming film Kaatru Veliyidai will be a classic love story like Alaipayuthey. “Even before the shoot, Mani sir clearly told me, ‘I don’t want a boy, I want a man’. “Kaatru Veliyidai deals with human relationships, it’s a love story between a fighter pilot & a doctor”, said Karthi. The actor also clarified that the film will not have any terrorism backdrop as reported by a section of the media. Ravivarman of Vettaiyadu Vilayadu fame is the DOP of Kaatru Veliyidai and major portions were canned in Kashmir. Already, the Azhagiyey single number composed by A R Rahman received positive reviews & the Vaan song was also out on Valentine’s Day. The film will be distributed by Sri Thenandal Films on 7th Apr, 2017.

YAMAN GETS A RELEASE DATE!!!

In their previous interactions, Lyca Productions & Vijay Antony have confirmed that their political action entertainer Yaman will be releasing for Sivarathiri weekend. Now, as the film has been censored with a clean “U” certificate, the makers have confirmed that Yaman will be hitting the screens on 24th Feb, 2017. In Yaman, Vijay Antony will be seen playing a dual role, Miya George plays an actress & Prashanth’s dad Thiagarajan essays the role of a selfish politician. Jeeva Shankar, who directed Vijay Antony’s 1st hit film Naan has helmed the film, which also has Charlie, Marimuthu & Sangili Murugan in pivotal roles. Yaman’s Telugu version will also be simultaneously releasing along with the Tamil version on 24th Feb, 2017.

MANISHA TIES THE KNOT WITN A BUSINESSMAN!!!

Manisha Yadav made her debut in Balaji Shakthivel’s critically acclaimed film Vazhakku En 18 / 9, the actress later acted in many films including Suseenthiran’s Aadhalal Kaadhal Seiveer, GV Prakash Kumar’s Trisha Ilana Nayanthara & she has also appeared as the glam Soppana Sundari in Venkat Prabhu’s Chennai 28 II innings. The actress has recently got married to her longtime boyfriend, a Bengaluru based businessman at a private event in Bangalore. Posting pics from the wedding, Manisha tweeted “Thanks to family friends, well – wishers who stood by us rock solid in our 7 year relationship turning into a beautiful wedding. I thank the media also for respecting this as a private affair between families. Thank every director / actor for their blessings & fans for their love”.

SHRUTI TO STAR IN & AS SANGAMITHRA

Of late Shruti Haasan has officially signed on the dotted line to play the female lead in Sundar C’s big budget Sangamithra. Apart from the massive budget & promising technical team, Shruti is said to be super impressed with her character and believes that it’s a great chance to put forward her acting skills she will also undergo aggressive training in martial arts & horse riding to make her role better. Director Sundar C is planning to shoot the Tamil & the Telugu versions with Arya, Jayam Ravi & Shruti but the Hindi version will have a different cast. To be produced by Sri Thenandal Films, A R Rahman will be composing the music for the film & Sudeep Chatterjee of Bajirao Mastani fame will be cranking the camera.

AMY SHOOTS FOR LAST SCEDULE OF 2.O

The last schedule of maverick director Shankar’s magnum opus 2.o is progressing at a brisk pace in the outskirts of Chennai city. “Great shoot with #Shankar for Robot 2.0. Only a few more days left to shoot with the #2point0 Team. Next stop Mumbai”, updated the film’s heroine Amy Jackson on her Instagram page. Superstar Rajinikanth plays the lead role in 2.o & Bollywood’s Khiladi Akshay Kumar playing the deadly baddie. The film also has Sudhanshu Pandey & Adil Hussain essaying the other important roles. The 1st look teaser of 2.o will be unveiled on 14th Apr, 2017 and the film will be releasing in Tamil, Telugu & Hindi for this Diwali. Produced by Lyca, A R Rahman is composing the music for the film & Nirav Shah is handling the cinematography department.

NAREN CONFIRMS SWAMY FOR NARAGA SOORAN

Dhuruvangal Pathinaaru director Karthick Naren approached Arvind Swamy for his upcoming gangster film Naraga Sooran. Recently, Arvind Swamy stated that discussions are on but nothing has been finalized. Now Karthick Naren has took to his Facebook page to confirm the buzz. “Tried my level best to keep this under the wraps. Yes, met Arvind Swamy sir before couple of weeks & we discussed about a script called Naragasooran. He is really excited about the script & as a director I’m very keen to work with him. The discussion is in its early stages. will update once the project goes on paper. Hoping for the best “, wrote Karthick. a leading Kollywood director will be bankrolling the film.

JAYAM WRAPS UP VANAMAGAN

The shoot of Jayam Ravi’s forest based action adventure film Vanamagan is wrapped up & the team held a cake cutting ceremony. Vijay is directing Vanamagan, which also has Sayyeshaa as Ravi’s romantic interest while Varun, Thambi Ramaiah & Sam Paul will also be seen playing pivotal roles. Produced by Vijay’s Think Big Studios, Harris Jayaraj is scoring the music for the film & Thiru has cranked the camera. As Ravi has completed Vanamagan, he will now be resuming 45 days shoot of his space thriller Tik Tik Tik with Shakti Rajan. A large set has been erected at EVP city & the film’s director Shakti Rajan is planning to shoot there for 45 days. Nivetha Pethuraj of Oru Naal Koothu fame plays the female lead in Tik Tik Tik and interestingly, Ravi’s son Aarav will also be making his acting debut in the film. Produced by Hitesh Jhabak & Nemichand Jhabak, Imman has been roped in to compose music for Tik Tik Tik.
Tamizha Adhi In conversation!!!
The band “Hiphop Tamizha” was formed by both Adhi & Jeeva. However, the former only appears in the media & film related events while the latter has his own reasons to stay away from the limelight. “When Jeeva & I started composing independent songs, we were skeptical about the initial reactions from our middle class families. We even thought that they would scold & wallop us for doing something, which is completely irrelevant to what we studied. So we created a generic yet catchy name “Hiphop Tamizha”. Averred Adhi, who is from Coimbatore. When asked Adhi on why his partner Jeeva doesn’t show up at film events, he says “During Aambala audio launch, Vishal compelled Jeeva and his face turned pink that he struggled to speak in front of the huge crowd”. “Jeeva always tells me that if music assistants & many other people, who are helping us to create music does not like to appear in front of the public, why bother him? Jeeva is someone who is outspoken that once he told Sundar C that the “lemon” comedy in Aranmanai was mokkai. As Sundar sir loves Jeeva, he was able to take it but just imagine what would happen if he shares similar thoughts to the media. In one of the interviews, a reporter asked Jeeva to choose his favorite music composer in Kollywood, he listed out people but told him that he doesn’t feel like choosing 1 music composer. Guess Jeeva himself knows that his frank talk might create controversies and stayed out of the limelight. But all my directors love Jeeva, they would have long conversations with him, they love his honesty”.

DHANUSH BACK ON THE SETS!!!

Dhanush, who was busy shooting for VIP2 has now donned the director’s cap & resumed Power Paandi. “Power paandi last 5 days shoot 🙂 #dd1 #directormode #april142017release”, posted the actor on his Twitter page. Touted to be a heart – warming film on the lives of stunt artists, Rajkiran plays the lead role in Power Paandi. The film also has an ensemble cast of actors including Prasanna, Chaya Singh, Delhi Ganesh, Robo Shankar & Vidyu Raman. Dhanush plays the younger version of Rajkiran in the film while Gautham Menon & Madonna Sebastian will be seen in special cameos. Produced by Dhanush’s Wunderbar Films, Velraj is cranking the camera for the film & Sean Roldan is taking care of the songs & the background score. After Power Paandi, Dhanush is expected to join the sets of Vetri Maaran’s Vada Chennai in Mar, 2017.

SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA PLANS VIKRAM’S NEXT!!!

Though Thaman is extremely talented, lady luck is not very kind to him in Tamil cinema. He is yet to compose for big hero projects so far. But in Telugu, he is a big music director with many hits in his kitty. Currently, Thaman is busy with the composition of Chiyaan Vikram’s new film with Vaalu director Vijay Chander. Talking about the film Thaman says “It will be a very interesting project from Vijay Chander. Apart from Vikram, Tamannaah has also got a powerful character”. Regarding the songs & BGM, the composer says “We are planning for a mass symphony kind of BGM for the film in Bulgaria. I’ve already delivered the 1st song”. The shoot of the yet untitled film is progressing at a brisk pace in Chennai. Thaman has also recently met Ilayathalapathy Vijay and the duo will be soon joining hands for a film.

DATE FIXED FOR 1ST TEASER

Top league heroine Nayanthara’s 1st release of the year will be Dora the fantasy horror flick directed by Dass Ramasamy. The teaser of Dora will be released on 17th Feb, 2017 and it is expected to be a treat for horror movie buffs & fans of Nayanthara. Apart from the lead character Pavalakodi, played by Nayan, the film also stars Harish Uthaman, Thambi Ramaiah and many others. Thambi Ramaiah plays Nayan’ father in the film. Dora has been produced by Nemichand Jhabak & Presented by V. Hitesh Jhabak. Sarkunam Cinemas has made the film on behalf of Nemichand Jhabak. Vivek – Mervin duo has rendered the music score for this film.

SURIYA & HARI TO DELIVER 2 MORE FILMS

The Combo of actor Suriya & director Hari have delivered there 5th film Si3 as a huge success. The 3rd part of the blockbuster Singam series has been doing great business at all centers across the globe & the worldwide collections so far has crossed Rs.77 crores as per trade sources. Suriya commands a tremendous market in Telugu speaking states of Andhra & Telangana. Si3 has been simultaneously released as Yamudu in Telugu and the film has taken a big opening as expected. Recently the success party of Yamudu was held in Hyderabad. Speaking in the event director Hari has confirmed that he will be teaming up with Suriya again for not just 1 but 2 films. 1 will be of course Singam 4 and the other 1 will be a fresh film out of the franchise. Hari & Suriya have so far worked together in Aaru, Vel, Singam, Singam 2 & Si3 and all the films are super hits.

5 HEROES FOR JAI & ANJALI

The pair that is making news currently in Kollywood, Jai & Anjali are the leads in Balloon directed by Sinish. The film has music by Yuvan Shankar Raja & produced by Dileep Subbarayan, Kandhaswamy Nandakumar & T. N. Arunbalaji. The Balloon team has announced that 5 leading Kollywood heroes will reveal 4 1st look posters & a prelude to a teaser. The names of the A Listers have not been revealed yet but the unveiling has started from 15th Feb, 2017 and will go on till 19th Feb, 2017.

96 FILM LAUNCH DATE & TIME

Vijay Sethupathi & Trisha will be pairing up for the 1st time for a film titled as 96. This film will be directed by Prem Kumar, the cinematographer of Naduvula Konjam Pakkatha Kanom. While the talks about this exciting projects has been doing rounds for long, the film was officially launched through a Project Launch Announcement at around 7 pm on Valentine’s Day. The film will be bankrolled by S. Nandagopal of Madras Enterprises banner. Govinda Menon will be rendering the musical score.

With the launch of new music label, SSJ Productions is set to release 22 albums with different artists and genres of music

Bengaluru: Sahil Suraj Jagtiani, the renowned spiritual composer, singer, guitarist, keyboardist producer & music director launched his own music label ‘SSJ Productions’ today to scale up his work and give meaningful music to the world under the genre of Bhajans, Spiritual Chants, Hindustani Classical, Western Classical, Pop and Rock with many other passionate artists.

Sahil Jagtiani is a senior faculty member with the Art of Living Foundation and an ardent follower of Sri Sri Ravi Shankarji, who has been committed to spread message of love and peace through different workshops and contemporary spiritual music across the globe for almost two decades. This led him to have a mass appeal amongst a universal audience, especially the youth.

Under the music label of ‘SSJ Productions’, Sahil Jagtiani is embarking on a new journey and ready to launch 22 music albums into the market for music lovers. In the past, he has released 17 studio albums as a singer / artist and 14 albums as a composer, producer and music director.

Sahil Jagtiani, Founder of SSJ Productions said, “With the Grace of Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankarji, Music has created wonder in my life and I aim to create the same experience through my music for listeners across the globe.”

About the Album Launch & Concert:

With the launch of a new music label, ‘SSJ Productions’ is bringing together a 6 member band for a one of its kind English folk rock live music concert called ‘Wondernow’ on 3rd of March at Shankara Foundation, Kanakpura Road. The ‘Wondernow’ music concert will be Sahil’s 22nd studio album in his capacity of a lead singer and debut to mainstream English album with engaging unreleased material spanning the last 20 years. ‘Wondernow’ aims to redefine rock music for youth and inspire & sensitize youth towards persisting issues within and around them.

Sahil’s Journey:

Sahil Jagtiani, a graduate of King’s College of London and a well-travelled global spiritual artist is now embarking on a new journey by releasing his first ever English folk rock music album called “Wondernow!” under his own Music Label “SSJ Productions” to scale up his work and give meaningful music to the world. Sahil found his true calling under the guidance of his Gurudev H. H. Sri Sri Ravi Shankarji at an early age of 20. He was already dabbling with Music from High school. When he met Guruji, he chose to devote his life in spreading Guruji’s message of love and peace through his music. Someone who grew up listening and playing to Pop, Rock and Trance; Sahil composed music that gave meaning to his very existence. Earlier influence of western music combined with the devotional learning gave birth to Sahil’s fusion contemporary style of music. Transforming lives of thousands of youth through meditation and rocking them with mesmerizing concerts, he soon became the youth icon of the Art of Living Foundation. Sahil’s albums have seen him taking the role of lead singer, guitarist, composer, music director, keyboardist, sound engineer and programmer. He has travelled extensively with his band performing in Russia, Taiwan, Africa, Hong Kong to name a few countries. His Debut album Avataran: Unite Within Yourself launched with Times Music sold more than 100,000 copies worldwide topping the spiritual charts.

About SSJ Productions:

SSJ Productions is the one stop solution for all your music production needs. We can work on a varying number of styles and genres catering to AD Film Music, Music Album Recordings, Film Scoring, Theme Songs, Mastering Audio, Vocal Enhancement, Session Work & 5.1 Surround Sound Film Songs. We even help artists to distribute their content digitally through popular stores & apps.

SSJ Productions is the app creation and distribution partner for GIRI Trading Agency Private Limited and our founder, Sahil Jagtiani, has in the past created & distributed apps for companies such as Universal Music India Private Limited, Manorama Music, INRECO & artists including Indus Creed. SSJ Productions can help monetize your label’s content through free apps and you can contact us today for a very competitive quote. SSJ Productions android apps have had close to 500,000 downloads from Google Play & the pre-release videos on YouTube have had close to 1 million views.

Bobby Vatsa happens to be an extremely talented actor who has really proved his mettle both on the small screen as well as big screen since the last 2 decades. But the turning point in his career was his association with director Y P Singh and his film Kya Yehi Sach Hai? which was released half a decade ago. And this particular Y P Singh’s film Kya Yehi Sach Hai? has got 2 million hits on YouTube within a period of just 3 months. That apart Bobby Vatsa’s performance in Kya Yehi Sach Hai? has really earned hIm a lot of critical appreciation from celebrity albeit hardcore critics.

Bobby, both Y P Singh & you really deserve a huge round of applause for the greatest response that your film Kya Yehi Sach Hai?, directed by Y P Singh, is garnering tremendous response on YouTube Channel, that too after its runaway theatrical success half a decade ago.

Thanks Shaheen I am glad that Kya Yahi Sach Hai has got such a tremendous response, Can you beat it? 2 million hits on YouTube Channel that too just within 3 months, and as you already mentioned it Kya Yehi Sach Hai? had also proved to be a runaway success in its theatrical round half a decade ago. Not only this Shahrukh Khan had also highly appreciated the film on social media platforms when it was released then.

Indeed Kya Yehi Sach Hai? has proved to be a milestone film of your illustrious career spanning almost 2 decades. What say?

Yes you are right! Indeed Kya Yehi Sach Hai? had really proved to be a milestone film of my career and a very special film of my filmic journey till this date. More especially because Kya Yehi Sach Hai? happens to be the most authentic & hard hitting film about the police department. In fact it had also proved to be a benchmark film on the corruption aspect of the politics, the police & the Government department’s honest & dishonest chaotic state. Which was shown beautifully in the film. Based on the real life account of Y P Singh and his times in the police department and his will to fight the corrupt system at that time. The history seems to repeat itself that after 5 years of release the antagonist shown (based on politician Chhagan Bhujbal) is now arrested on the charges of corruption and how corruption became the major disease which still remains incurable. Of course the film had made a lot of affect at that time. Besides Kya Yehi Sach Hai? was highly appreciated then. But now even after a lapse of 5 years, its release on Youtube Channel has created a great response and has got nearly 2 million hits that too in just 3 months. So I would say that Kya Yehi Sach Hai? is a film that represents and still makes people aware about the demonic impact of the corrupt system rampant everywhere.
Kya Yehi Sach Hai? is based on a novel “Carnage By Angels” written by Y P Singh himself who has also directed the film. Apart from myself Shalini, Raju Mavani et al have also enacted key roles in Kya Yehi Sach Hai?.

Ok now time to tell us which are your forthcoming films?

I have just completed 2 films titled The Last Rave & Delhi 47 Kms. The Last Rave is based on real life incident centering around a rave party which was held in Pune. In this film I have enacted the role of a detective who is honest. He is appointed to end corruption in the department. Flora Saini is opposite me. In Delhi 47 Kms I have enacted the role of a Don and Sanya Singh is opposite me.

It seems that you are also really active in events now.

Yes! I am doing a lot of social events. Recently I did 2 Eye Gazing events. In this 2 unknown persons have to sit & stare in each other’s eyes. The message is don’t judge anybody without knowing the real person. It is very relaxing. After this one would not hesitate to connect with anybody. It is a human connection movement. Eye Gazing started in Australia and now it is being organized globally in India and I am organizing it. It is a good platform to connect with people.

And you have also made a short film. Right?

Right again! I have made a short film titled The Cure based on the theme of blood phobia and it has bee made under my own company named Creative Karma. It is an 18 minute short film in English with international actors acting in it. The film was also appreciated globally & ended up bagging 5 varied international awards in US.

Do you think your filmic journey till this date has been satisfactory? And what do you think on reflecting back on this 2 decades of journey?

I would say that indeed my filmic journey till this date has been very interesting, riveting & fruitful. As I have ended up doing films, plays, TV shows, events, social awareness campaigns et al. I had started my career with Shyam Benegal’s Tv show titled Discovery Of India. Not only this I have also ended up working with the best of directors in the best of films. But I think that I am still a kid and would love to remain like a kid forever.

What change have you noticed in all these years?

Down the years I have noticed that the whole industry has changed. The digital change that has come in the last few years is the future & the largest medium to reach the audiences. Now we can’t deny it.

So what have stored up your histrionics sleeves? And as a parting shot also tell us more about your dream of playing 15 varied roles?

Yeah! I am really keen to enact 15 varied roles in a single film. The Late Sanjeev Kumar happens to be my favorite actor who had enacted 9 roles. Then Kamal Hassan Sir had enacted 10 roles in Dashavataram. I am really looking forward to break these records. Of course I am in search of a good script for one of my forthcoming films in order to fulfill my long cherished dream.

CUPID STRIKES NANA & MAHIE DANCING TO “ITTEFAQAN” – THE VALENTINE WALTZ

Shekhar S. Jha’s film WEDDING ANNIVERSARY captures the essence of cupid this Valentine as Nana Patekar does exquisite steps with Mahie Gill in a dance sequence from this romantic drama. “Every lover meets by chance is this whole wide world and suddenly 2 hearts start beating together. So romance happens “Ittefaqan” says singer – composer of this Valentine Waltz, Abhishek Ray. The 3 beat rhythm of blues – jazz composition is picturised by the director in an old Portuguese bungalow by the Sea at Goa. Nana & Mahie form an interesting couple looking into each other’s eyes, cutting a cake and dancing away to glory celebrating the quintessential spirit of Valentine. This romantic film capturing the journey of an unlikely couple on one fateful night is all set to release on 24th of this month. By the way, the producers of the film have spent a fortune shooting the dancy trance number “The Rainbow Song” on the roof of a cruise ship at Goa. This EDM track features the sultry Mahie Gill & Abhishek Ray (also the singer – composer) performing with a trippy crowd of a thousand foreign dancers. The snazzy electro sounds used in this foot tapping track with tight vocals by Abhishek Ray & Bhoomi Trivedi is catching up with the youth as a trendsetter.

PRIYANKA RAINA MAKES SHORT FILM PRIOR ‘ZINDAGI’ STARRING SAHILA CHADDHA

This time it is romantic cult comedy between 2 girls falling for the same boy. Dialogues are written by Monjoy Mukherji & story by Amarjeet. The movie is produced by Tanmay Bharadwaj & Online Media Partners BCR News, FilmyTown, Just Bollywood, Universal Newsline et al. “I sat on dialogues for more than a week before we could lock our script. Also then came the cast, and I announced Auditions (Exclusive only for Theater actors) at studio to get my cast. My movie Love Lust And Locha is a performance based act and I am lucky to have got the best cast from my auditions. Lead actors are Sabir Shaikh, Nandini & Ankita”, Priyanka Raina adds.

WHY DEEPIKA & SHAHID WILL SET THE SCREEN ABLAZE WITH THEIR CHEMISTRY

We cannot wait for Deepika & Shahid’s sizzling chemistry in PADMAVATI. It will be very interesting to see them opposite Ranveer Singh who has wooed Deepika on screen in RAMLEELAA and off screen as well. Bhansali has officially clarified that there is no dream sequence or any objectionable scene between Rani Padmavati (Deepika Padukone) & Allauddin Khilji (Ranveer Singh). After Shahid posted his picture with an award Deepika commented “Congratulations” followed by “I love you.” Not to mention, Shahid had also attended the special premiere of Deepika’s XXX: RETURN OF XANDER CAGE and appreciated her on social media as well. Both the stars are looking in great shape right now and to see them paired together will definitely set the screen on fire. Both the stars are known for the extra effort they put in the roles they take up. Whats more? Bhansali is known for working out magic between his actors. Shahid & Deepika’s fresh pairing will give the industry a never – seen – before Jodi. Padmavati & Rawal Ratan Singh have got our hearts racing already!

SHEMAROO & GREEN APPLE MEDIA TO PRESENT ‘MIRZA JUULIET’!

The film MIRZA JUULIET is produced by Falansha Media Pvt Ltd and is being presented jointly by Shemaroo Entertainment Pvt Ltd & Green Apple Media. MIRZA JUULIET is a unique love story of the lead pair Dharshan Kumar & Pia Bajpai in the backdrop of Banaras and cast also includes Chandan Roy Sanyal & Priyanshu Chatterjee in important roles. Director of the film is Rajesh Ram Singh. Ketan Maru the Senior Vice President of Film Production Division says, “I saw the film and related with the genre of the film. We have presented films like DEDH ISHQIYA & HUNTER which were unique subjects. I believe in the content of MIRZA JUULIET and has the potential to click with masses. Neeraj Kumar Burman of Green Apple Media says, “It is a unique subject & I am co – presenting it with Shemaroo Entertainment and intend to make more films with Shemaroo. It is my 1st venture in the entertainment industry.” The film is slated to release in Apr, 2017.

MAHESH BHATT SAYS DON’T WATCH THE FILM ‘MONA_DARLING’

The industry is known to be a tight knit family but it came as a surprise when Mahesh Bhatt stated “dont watch” Anshuman Jha & Sanjay Suri’s MONA_DARLING which is releasing on 24th Feb, 2017. Mahesh Bhatt was overheard saying in an interview with Anshuman Jha, who stars in the film, to not watch this Social Media based whodunnit thriller. The irony being he had said the same thing for SADAK 26 ago where he quoted “that don’t watch my film SADAK if you dont have the stomach for it”. With actors backing each other and promoting their films, this one comes as a shocker with Bhatt Saab saying not to watch this young film by probably the youngest producer in Bollywood. On touching base with an amused Anshuman Jha, he stated, ‘I am shocked & happy – Shocked because he said “Don’t” watch MONA_DARLING & Happy because he compared us with SADAK. I would love to show him our film.”​

CHANDAN ROY SANYAL IN NANDITA DAS’ ‘MANTO’

Chandan Roy Sanyal has been roped in to play a crucial role in MANTO, directed by Nandita Das. Last seen in Sanjay Gupta’s
JAZBAA where he was seen playing a rapist, Chandan will now be seen essaying the role of a very dear friend of Manto’s who affected his life majorly. “It’s a great opportunity to playing a pivotal role in MANTO. I have always been a big fan of his short stories. So when Nandita Das called me and offered me the role in her film I was ecstatic. I am trying to define my career now and give it a definite shape & structure.”
Nandita Das says, “Chandan plays a writer of great repute and I am convinced that he will bring great amount of authenticity & dignity to the character”. Chandan will also be seen this year playing John Leguizamo’s character from the film CHEF in the Indian adaptation of the Hollywood movie where Saif Ali Khan
will be seen playing Jon Favreau’s character. The actor also has a crucial role in Imtiaz Ali’s next REHNUMA which stars Shah Rukh Khan & Anushka Sharma in the lead. “The year starts with MIRZAA JUULIET which releases in Apr, 2017. Followed by Adhikari Brother’s film their first film production directed by debutante Ravi Adhikari. After which I have CHEF with Saif Ali Khan & REHNUMA by Imtiaz Ali and my very favourite Shah Rukh Khan. They are all roles of different kinds, age & emotional graphs.” shares Chandan.

MUSIC ALBUM ‘CHUBHAN – EK EHSAAS’ LAUNCHED

Ssan Media & Entertainment’s music album, CHUBHAN – EK EHSAAS, was launched on 7th Feb, 2017 at Wave & Frame Studios. It will be a compilation of 5 songs. The 1st song was rendered by Sa Ra Ga Ma 2010 runner up Nazim K. Ali under the supervision of music director Raj Inder Raj. The song was penned by well – known writer & poet Sanjay ‘Amaan’. The album is produced by Anita S. Sharma, Samiksha S. Sharma & Abdul Qadeer. The launching saw many celebrity guests like pop singer Parvati Khan, veteran ghazal singer Chandan Dass, actor & stand -up comedian Sunil Pal, actress Leena Kapoor et al.

‘HAADSA – BY CHANCE’ ANNOUNCED

Filmmaker Deep Sharma is all geared up to launch his maiden Hindi directorial debut with a racy new age cinema HAADSA – BY CHANCE under the banner of P. C. Entertainment. The announcement was made recently at Hotel Orritel. Deep Sharma has earlier made a Punjabi film, DAUD…….
RACE FOR LOVE. He was an associate writer with Lalit Mahajan and assisted director Raj Kumar Kohli too. After short stints in television & ad commercials, he is back with this film as a writer – director. Television actor Harshad Chopra mainly recognized for his role of Prem Juneja in Balaji’s KIS DESH MEIN HAI MERAA DIL plays the lead opposite new comer Aayat Sheikh. Umesh Rai is the director of photography. Karishma Ramnani & Rajkumar Singh of ATE (Academy of Training & Enhancement) are business consultants of this film. Other cast featuring veteran actors & technicians are under finalization. The shooting schedule for the film will be held from the end of Mar, 2017 in Agra and the balance portions will be shot in Mumbai.

MADHURI DIXIT NENE TEACHES VARUN & ALIA THE “TAMMA TAMMA” STEP

Alia says that she was “super excited & nervous“about her meeting with the dancing diva. “People don’t want you to mess with iconic songs and an entire generation has grown up on “Tamma Tamma“. It’s back again but the idea is not to recreate it but pay our homage to it. It’s integrated in the story. Fortunately, Madhuri was really cool about it. And I am so glad she found it to be cute & fresh, and said, “I like it”. We also had the privilege of learning the original hook step from her. It was too much fun,“ Varun says that It was amazing to see how she noticed which were the steps we took from the original and how the song has been shot. She really enjoyed the new mix and the mannequin challenge..She was happy with the way we presented it since we had our own take and then we asked her a lot of questions about how many days they shot the original in. She was really sweet & infected then we learnt the original step from her. Varun Dhawan & Alia Bhatt also showed them the video of the song “Tamma Tamma” Again, a re – created version of the latter’s original hit as a mark of love & respect, Varun Dhawan & Alia Bhatt showed the video of their song “Tamma Tamma” Again (from BADRINATH KI DULHANIA) to Sanjay Dutt, after showing it to Madhuri Dixit – Nene. The “Tamma Tamma” track was originally composed by Bappi Lahiri for THANEDAAR (1990), starring Sanju & Mads in the lead. Varun has grown up watching Sanju on the sets of his dad David Dhawan’s films. Dutt had done a cameo in Rohit Dhawan’s debut film DESI BOYZ, while Mads had done the item song “Makhna” in David’s BADE MIYAN CHOTE MIYAN. Alia, too, has a emotional connect with Sanju Baba as her father Mahesh Bhatt has been a mentor of sorts to him.”

THE RUSSIAN ACTION EXTRAVAGANZA ‘GUARDIANS – THE SUPERHEROES’ TO RELEASE IN INDIA

Following the Indo – Russian cultural pact sealed in Oct last year, many Russian films are expected to make their way in India. The 1st ever Russian film to have a day & a date release will be a superhero action extravaganza titled GUARDIANS – THE SUPERHEROES. The film directed by Sarik Andreasyan, the Armenian behind hits like EARTHQUAKE & AMERICAN HEIST; stars
Russian actors Alina Lanina, Sebastien Sisak, Sanzhar Madiyev & Anton Pampushnyy. Confirming the film’s release in India, Murli Chhatwani of Muviwale Entertainment, the firm that has acquired the film for its theatrical release in India, said, “We have received a huge response for the trailer of the film & will release the film in Hindi, English, Tamil & Telugu on 24th Feb, 2017. ”Jiten Hemdev, of Star Entertainment Pvt Ltd who bought the rights from the Russian Production house for India said, “The film was in news from the time of its inception and has been creating a lot of positive buzz. Hence we decided to bring it here for our Indian audiences.” Touted as one of the biggest superhero films internationally and in the same league as Hollywood superhero franchises, the film will release in around 50 countries including USA, UK, Germany, China, South Africa to name a few. Looking at the buzz the film has created, a sequel has already been green – lit”.

AMANDA SODHI DROPS DEBUT HINDI SINGLE “MAIN KHAALI” MALVIKA SUBHASH SIRUR

After a catchy R & B single “Behind My Sunglasses,” which even A R Rahman Tweeted about, singer – songwriter – filmmaker Amanda Sodhi has now dropped her debut Hindi single, “Main Khaali”. Malvika Subhash Sirur, which those going through heartbreak will relate to.”Main Khaali” is a song that will always be close to my heart for all it signifies personally & professionally – it took just a little under 2 years for this 3 – minute song to see the light of the day, but it has been worth it,” said Amanda Sodhi. “Main Khaali” explores the perfect fairy tale that never happens and the idea of setting yourself up for failure when you look for traces of your past in new people you meet.” “It has been a roller coaster ride in making “Main Khaali” reach where it is today” said Malvika Subhash Sirur, who has recorded guitar for the song and features in the music video.” She is currently in post – production for a documentary about the independent music scene called “Attention Please”, which she co – directed with K. J. Singh, and is gearing up for the release of another Hindi single and an English rap. Her earlier releases “Behind My Sunglasses” & “Jigsaw Puzzle” made it to OK Listen’s top charts within a matter of weeks.

CARNIVAL CINEMAS LAUNCHES ITS NEWEST 2 SCREEN PROPERTY IN MANDSAUR, MP

Dr Shrikant Bhasi led Carnival Cinemas launched its newest 2 screens property in Mandsaur on 10th Feb, 2017 in association with Tirupati Plaza. Renowned actress Sanaa Khan inaugurated it with much fanfare. Having the seating capacity of 310 seats, Carnival Cinemas Mandsaur is equipped with world class 2K Digital Projection Technology, Dolby 7.1 surround sound, high luminosity 3D screens, lavish interiors, luxurious seating arrangements, a wide array of F&B and the best – in – class services at pocket friendly prices. PV Sunil, Director & CEO, Carnival Cinemas, said, “With Carnival opening at Mandsaur with JOLLY LLB2, we are very happy to dedicate it to the citizens of the city. The residents of Mandsaur don’t need to travel long hours to get the premium movie watching experience. Our aim is to provide state – of -the – art technology & services to our patrons at a reasonable price. We are planning to open 150 screens in the state by 2017. In line with our international & national expansion plans, we have some serious growth plans in Madhya Pradesh as well. In sync with our current growth plans, we have signed up MoU’s with Governments of Jharkhand & Odisha for setting up 75 theatres – cum – recreation zones and 150 screens in the respective states. It will enable the Group’s vision of holding 1000 screens globally by 2017.”

ANUSHKA & DILJIT LAUNCH NEW ‘PHILLAURI’
POSTER!!!

The PHILLAURI trailer broke the internet with an unprecedented, more than 10 million views in less than a day on digital platforms (Facebook & YouTube), the highest for any romantic (genre) Hindi film!!! The entertaining & engaging said PHILLAURI’s
unique story got the audience completely hooked on. The most popular parts of the trailer are Anushka’s role as that of a friendly ghost who inadvertently gets entangled in a typically crazy Punjabi wedding & Diljit Dosanjh with whom the spirit has a deep, beautiful love story from the past. The 1st time on – screen pairing of Anushka Sharma & Diljit Dosanjh has become an instant hit. With PHILLAURI, Diljit Dosanjh acts in his 1st mainstream lead role in Hindi film, having made a huge mark in UDTA PUNJAB last year. Co – producers, Fox Star Studios & Clean Slate Films stated, “The PHILLAURI trailer has worked with audiences because it’s refreshing & entertaining. Together, their chemistry & spark extend the film’s reach and will appeal to audiences universally.” The makers have now released another poster of the film PHILLAURI, directed by debutante Anshai Lal & written by Anvita Dutt, has been produced by Fox Star Studios & Clean Slate Films (Anushka’s production banner with brother Karnesh Sharma), is set to release on 24th Mar, 2017.

AMOL GUPTE’S ‘SNIFF’ SLATED FOR RELEASE ON 5TH MAY 2017

The official poster of Amole Gupte directed, a Trinity Pictures franchise, SNIFF is slated to release on 5th May, 2017. A fun promotional video has been especially shot to introduce the lead character Sunny Gill and his squad, Agents of SNIFF. Sunny Gill, India’s youngest spy super hero is all set to hit theaters on 5th May, 2017 with the release of Trinity Pictures’ SNIFF directed by Amole Gupte. The makers got the cast of the film to shoot a fun promotional digital video on what it takes to sniff out crime. From the PM being on your speed dial to drug syndicates gunning for them, Sunny Gill and his agents of sniff make it look all too easy.

AYUSHMANN & BHUMI IN QUIRKY ROM – COM ‘SHUBH MANGAL SAAVDHAN’

2 years since their 1st outing, Ayushmann & Bhumi will come together again for another quirky love story titled SHUBH MANGAL SAAVDHAN, directed by R S Prasanna, that will be jointly produced by Aanand L Rai & Eros International. The film will be shot in Delhi & Haridwar in a start – to – finish schedule and will release in Aug this year. Coincidentally , the lead pair’s 1st film was also set in Haridwar. Producer Aanand L Rai says, “SHUBH MANGAL SAAVDHAN is a funny & layered story. These are the kind of stories I’ve identified with, right from the time I made TANU WEDS MANU. It is a simple narrative with an interesting bend and the reason I cast Ayushmann & Bhumi is that they fit the bill perfectly for this part. They are the sort of actors I could be friends with even if they didn’t belong to the fraternity. They are simple & humble.“

SIBLINGS COME TOGETHER FOR A PLAY ‘HELLO DARLING’

Shaad Randhawa, son of Sardar Singh Randhawa (younger brother of Dara Singh) who made his debut with Mohit Suri’s WOH LAMHE will be seen together with his cousin brother Vindu Dara Singh for the 1st time on stage. The actor who has excelled in varied roles is playing the lead in a hilarious comedy drama HELLO DARLING which is now becoming a play with a brilliant starcast.
DHOOM DADAKKA was Shaad’s 1st film where he played the lead. He was also seen in AWARAPAN, AASHIQUI 2, EK VILLAIN & MASTIZAADE which fetched him accolades & critical appreciation. Vindu Dara Singh who is remembered as Titu in SON OF SARDAAR too has an important role in this fun drama. The BIGG BOSS 3 winner in 2009 has featured in many films & TV series too. Both seasoned actors will have the audiences in splits with their comic timings. The play too has an ensemble of talented cast featuring Sheeba, Payal Goga Kapoor & Vibha Bhagat. Produced & directed by Yogesh Sanghvi, HELLO DARLING is a play which most married couples will co – relate with. It is a drama between a Husband & a Wife. The message that carries with this show is that a married couple should trust each other and should not be unfaithful.

DIRECTOR DINESH VIJAN WRAPS UP THE SHOOT OF ‘RAABTA’ IN AMRITSAR

One of the most anticipated romantic films of 2017, RAABTA staring Sushant Singh Rajput & Kriti Sanon recently wrapped up their shoot in Amritsar at the Golden Temple. Director Dinesh Vijan, who is a strong believer in Golden Temple wrapped the shoot of his film with the end shot at Golden Temple which was a high energy song – “Sadda Move”, choreographed by Ahmed Khan & composed by Pritam. Interestingly, the 1st shot of the film was also at Golden Temple. The cast & the crew had a great time shooting on the streets of Amritsar. RAABTA is produced by Dinesh Vijan & Bhushan Kumar & presented by T – Series & Maddock films. The film is all set to release on 9th Jun, 2017.

FARAH KHAN LEADS THE TALK ON INFERTILITY WITH MERCK’S “PARENTS OF FERTILITY” INITIATIVE

Farah Khan, ace director, actor & choreographer in association with Merck, pioneers & world leaders in Fertility recently released a video on infertility. The video, a personal memoir of Farah’s journey to parenthood is a vivid recollection of her fears, challenges, doubts and ultimately her story of hope, belief & positivity towards IVF that led her to become a mother. Merck released this video as part of their “Parents of Fertility” awareness initiative that helps & supports couples in India through this journey of parenthood. Talking about her experience of going through IVF, Farah Khan said, “IVF is a blessing and I am really thankful as it has changed my life. A lot of factors today make it difficult for some couples to conceive; but we have solutions in the form of treatments. And I strongly believe in IVF, it helped me conceive my angels. Being persistent, positive & patient towards the procedure paid off. And if IVF can change my life, it could change yours too.” Farah & her husband Shirish tried for 2 years for a baby but were unable to conceive naturally. However, with the help of Fertility specialists, at the age of 43, they were able to become parents giving birth to daughters Diva, Anya & son Czar safely through IVF. Since then she has been very vocal about the treatment being a fantastic option for those who have not been able to conceive. The video is a medium through which Farah Khan & Merck have come together to drive awareness around infertility.

BADRINATH, HIS DULHANIA & RED FM DRIVE AWAY MUMBAI’S MONDAY BLUES

Badrinath aka Varun Dhawan and his beautiful dulhania Alia Bhatt took Mumbaikars, stuck in traffic by surprise. Red FM’s RJ Malishka along with the stars decided to spread some happiness on Monday morning when they went on to the streets of Mumbai and made the people dance to the tunes of “Tamma Tamma”.The “tour” began at Bandstand where Varun, Alia along with their gang exited a car began to perform. People were astonished to find themselves suddenly amidst celebrities who had actually come to dance with them. The vehicle then went on areas around National College giving the students something to smile about on the usually mundane 1st day of the week and ended with a last dance at base outside the Dharma Productions office. A number of people got out of their cars and shook their legs to the beats of BADRINATH KI DULHANIA’s latest song “tamma tamma” which is slowly catching on as the number one song on all party playlists.

SIDHARTH MALHOTRA INAUGURATES THE NATIONAL INCLUSION CUP

Sidharth Malhotra, along with the senior management of Sony Pictures Networks India (SPN) and the founding team of Slum Soccer, inaugurated The National Inclusion Cup in Mumbai. Supporting the cause of empowering India’s underprivileged youth through sports, Sony Pictures Networks India (SPN) has partnered with the NGO “Slum Soccer” for this CSR initiative. The 5 – day football tournament is being held in Mumbai for the 1st time. This year, teams from Maharashtra, West Bengal, Assam, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Karnataka, Vidharbha, Orissa, Gujarat, Delhi, Jammu & Kashmir & Uttar Pradesh are participating. Once the tournament in India concludes, the final selected teams comprising of 8 men & 8 women players each, will represent India at the 15th Homeless World Cup in Oslo, Norway from Aug, 2017. I truly believe in Nelson Mandela’s saying that “Sports has the power to change the world”. This is 29 to 5th Sept, 2017. Says Sidharth Malhotra, “”Everyone is equal in sport irrespective of your background a very exciting & empowering initiative and I really hope that our “Slum Soccer” team wins the world cup for us and makes India proud.”

‘TRISHUL’ READY FOR RELEASE

Dipak Shah Present & Aarji Film Production’s TRISHUL is ready for release. Producer: Rakesh Gupta. Writer & director: Baljit Singh. Co – Producer: Prakesh Kumar. Lyrics: Aar Pankaj, Abhishek Bhojpuriya & Pintu Giri. Music: Damodar Raw. D.O.P: Harish Patel. Editor: Himanshu Tiwari. Dances: Anthoni, Mahesh Aacharya & Santosh Kumar. Cast: Viraj Bhatt, Arvind Akela ‘Kallu’, Rakesh Gupta, Monu, Anjana Singh, Tanushree, Shilpi Shukla, Prem Dubey, Sanjay Verma & Sanjay Panday.

‘BETA HOKE TA AISHAN’ TO RELEASE ON 24TH FEB 2017 IN BIHAR

Swastik Enterprises & Aar Ke Aar Films & Music Presents’ BETA HOKE TA AISHAN all set to be released on 24th Feb, 2017 in Bihar. Writer & Producer: Ravindra Kumar Ravi. Music Composer & Director: Chandrama Chandra Sahi. Cast: Kuldip Kumar, Varsha Ritu, Swati Singh, Sanjay Panday, Umesh Singh, Tarun Dhaya, Avinsh, Padam Singh et al.

‘TU BEWAFA BADU’ SHOOTING PROGESSES

A 25 days start to finish shooting schedule of Abhimanyu Film’s BETA HOKE TA AISHAN is currently in progress at Dhanbad. Writer & Director: Rajendra Pandey (Raaj). Producer: Abhimanyu Singh. Music: Aman Shlok. Lyrics: Dharmendra Ehsaas, Muni Lal & Santosh Puri. Dances: Kedar Subba. D.O.P.: Masood Qureshi. Cast: Debutante Amit Singh, Afsar Khan, Sahiba, Neelima Pandey, Pankaj Singh, Sunita Singh, Ila Pandey et al.

‘RATIYA KAHAN BITAWALA NAA’ BG MUSIC COMPLETED

The background music of Indian Music’s RATIYA KAHAN BITAWALA NAA has been completed at Guru Kripa Studio recently. Writer – Producer – Director : Avinash Tripathi. Lyrics & Music: R. S. Pritam. Dances: J. K. Tiwari. Action: Heeralal Yadav. Editor: Vinod Chaurasia. D.O.P.: Gyan Yadav. Co – Producer: Radhe Shyam Tiwari. Cast: Samar Singh (Bhojpuri Singing Star), Dishka Singh, Rashmi Sharma, Deepak Singh, Saheb Laldhari & Santosh Pahalwan (as main villain).

‘GAON KE LAL’ RELEASING ON 24TH FEB 2017 IN BiHAR

Jainub Art Movies’ GAON KE LAL
is all set to be released on 24th Feb, 2017 in Bihar & Jharkhand at many cinemas. Producer: Er. A. N. Tripathi & M. A. Siwani. Director: Jagdish Singh. Story: A. N. Tripathi. Screenplay & Dialogues: Santram. Music: Vijay Nanda. Lyrics: Subhash Yadav, Vishwanath Rajpuri & Durgesh Tiwari. Action: Pradip Khadka. Editor: Kamal Sahgal. Dances: Santosh Sarvadarshi. D.O.P.: D. K. Sharma. Associate Director: Santram. Cast: Satyendra Singh, Priya Kapoor, Bipin Singh, Santosh Shrivastav, Judy Michael, Babloo Singh, Tyagi, Vedprakash Dube, Jay Tilak, Reena Mishra, Nazar, Neelam Pandey & Seema Singh.

‘JAAN HAMAAR’ MIXING PROGRESSES

The mixing of Koyal Films’ JAAN HAMAAR is currently in progress by Anup Mukherjee. Producer & Director: Kashinath Jaiswal. Writer & Lyricist: Mritunjay Shrivastav. Music: Raja Bhattacharya. Action: Baban. Dances: Kailash Sharma. D.O.P.: Shahbaaz Khan “Pappu”. Creative director: Paras N. Singh. Cast: Shahbaz Khan, Kalpana Shah, Ali Khan, Poonam Verma, Vandana Singh, Seema Singh & debutante Prem Singh.

‘RANI HUM HO GAEELI TOHAR’ MIXING

The mixing of Birajishri Balaji Art Films’ RANI HUM HO GAEELI TOHAR has been completed at A. B. Studio. Producer: Raja Ram Kanojia. Writer & Director: Prakash Anand. Music: Sahil. Lyrics: Prakash Anand & Sagar. Action: Pradip Khadka. Dances: Ashok – Mayank. D. O. P.: Ashwini Mishra. Associate Director: Satya Dubey. Cast: Gaurav Jha, Neha Shree, Ram Mishra, Baleshwar Singh, Nagendra Yadav, Sanjay Verma, Alisha Rawat, Dharmendra Singh, Shama, Harish Gupta, T. N. Tripathi, Manoj Gupta, Glory & Ranu Pandey.

Allahabad Se Islamabad Editing Starts

The editing of Tush Entertainment’s
Allahabad Se Islamabad has started this week. The credits of the film are produced by Nasif Niruddin Ibrahim, lyrics -music – direction by Sahil Sunny & cinematography by Firoj Khan. It stars Rani Chatterjee, Awadhesh Mishra, Priyanka Pandit, Shradha Sharma, Sahil Sheikh, Seema Singh, Archana Parjapati et al.

Yeh Kaisa Pesha 1st Look Launched

The 1st Look of Maa Sudama Production & Shakuntalam Studio’s Yeh Kaisa Pesha has been launched in Mumbai this week. The credits of the film are produced by Suresh Kumar Malakar, directed by Alokk Srivastava, music by Abhijeet Jha, lyrics by Fanindar Rao, singers are Khoosbu Jain, Manoj Mishra & Abhijeet, cinematography by Pramod Pandey, choreography by Chetna, story & screenplay by Rajesh Pandey, editing by Vinod Kumar & Sudeep Suman & executive produced by Usha Malakar. It stars Arpita Mali, Raveesh Chaudhary, Meraj Ansari et al.

Yudh Shankh Announced

Nishad Production Presents & GML Teleservices Pvt Ltd’s Yudh Shankh has been announced recently. The film is being produced by Sanjay Nishad & Gautam Nishad and directed by Iqbal Baksh. The film will mount the sets on 6th March with a regular shooting schedule. It has music by Chhote Baba. The film stars, Som Lal Yadav, Sushil Singh, Payesh Pandit, Kajal Nishad, Prakash Jaish, Gopal Rai, Kiran Mallah, Pushpak Chawla and Shivam Sharma.

Takrao Announced

Nishad Production Presents & GML Teleservices Pvt Ltd’s Takrao has been announced recently. The film is being produced by Sanjay Nishad & Gautam Nishad and directed by Iqbal Baksh. It has music by Chhote Baba. The film will mount the sets on 6th Mar, 2016 with a regular shooting schedule. The film stars Sushil Singh, Som Lal Yadav, Amrish Singh, Payesh Pandit, Sangeeta Tiwari, Prakash Jaish, Sanjay Pandey, Gopal Rai, Kiran Mallah, Pushpak Chawla, Shivam Sharma and Kajal Nishad.

Raam Lakhan Song Recording Complete

Nirahua Entertainment Pvt Ltd Presents Raam Lakhan’s song recording was recently completed under the supervision of music composer Rajnish Mishra in the voice of Dineshlal Yadav, Praveshlal Yadav, Kalpana,Indu Sonali, Rajneesh Mishra. The credits of the film are produced by Praveshlal Yadav, story -screenplay – direction by Satish Jain, lyrics by Pyarelal Yadav & Shyam Dehati, music by Rajnish Mishra & dialogues by Santosh Mishra. It stars Dineshlal Yadav “Nirahua”, Praveshlal Yadav, Aamrapali Dubey, Subhi Sharma et al.

Gharwali Baaharwali Shooting Starts

Abhay Sinha Presents Saurabh Films Gharwaali Baaharwali’s shooting started. The credits of the film are produced by Kamlesh Chauhan, Chandu Gupta, written & directed by Ajay Srivastva, music by Chhote Baba, lyrics by Ashok Kumar Deep & cinematography by Devendra Tiwari. It stars Namit Tiwari “Chintu”, Rani Chatterji, Monalisa, Anoop Arora, CP Bhatt et al.

Dilwala Shooting Complete

Kiran Picture House’ Dilwala’s shooting is has now been completed at raipur (Chattisgarh). The credits of the film are produced by Guddu j. Pal, directed by Satish Jain, music by Ghunghroo, lyrcis by Pyarelal Yadav, Azad Singh & Shyam Dehati, cinematography by Pramod Pandey, action by Andalib Pathan & choreography by Kanu Mukharjee. It stars Khesarilal Yadav, Akshara Singh,Kiran Yadav, Ranjeet Singh, Manoj Sharma, Shikha, Priya Singh, Rajnish Jhajhi, Sudhir, Sanjay Mahanand, Nilima Singh, Priya Pandey & Sanjay Pandey.