Banner: Spectral India Media Management Pvt Ltd
Producers: Yesudas BC, Braj Sharwari, Pankaj Agrawal, Amarjit Singh Kohli, Manu Singal, Kapil Bansal, Hardeep Singh, Ishaan Singh, Mahesh Sagar & I.D. Chugh
Director: Yesudas. BC
Star Cast: Hiten Paintal, Hrishita Bhatt, Kanwarjit Paintal, Sanjeev Rathore, Hemant Pandey, Rana Jung Bahadur, Mukesh Bhatt,
Shiva et al
Music: Jaspal Moni, Naresh Vikal, Ashok Sharma & Haroon

Debutant director Yesudas BC has tried his hardest to make an interesting film out of an interesting subject in his debut film 30 Minutes but he is bogged down heavily with a shoddy screenplay and too many unwanted songs & dance routine which is certainly not the main requisite for a thriller oriented film like 30 Minutes.

No doubt 30 Minutes is a physiological thriller and it explains the value of time. Anyways the loosely scripted scenario revolves around the continuous torture & violent beatings of a child by his father even for small & unimportant tasks in order to enforce absolute punctuality on him. These childhood experiences of Shashank (Hiten Paintal) by his father (Kanwarjit Paintal) cause a lifelong psychiatric problems in the life of the child as he grows up to adulthood. Now he is a normal person in daily life and is efficiently working in a private firm as a copy writer. Soon enough he starts having a love affair with a girl named Shivangi(Hrishita Bhatt) working in the same office but his life gets into serious troubles on many occasions due to his childhood nightmares. Tired & desperate to get over such frequent problems, he plans a very interesting, thrilling & dangerous game called “30 minutes”.

In his debut directorial effort Yesudas BC has failed to show any directorial sparks. He has neither succeeded in extracting a decent act from his line up of actors nor does he seems to have a perfect command over his behind the scenes technical team barring his musical team comprising of Jaspal Moni, Naresh Vikal, Ashok Sharma & Haroon who have at least succeeded in keeping the proceedings lively with their decent musical score.

Performance wise Hiten Paintal has got a role of his lifetime that too as the main leading man singing songs & dancing around the trees which he executes well, but his acting skills as a psychologically unbalanced man leaves much to be desired and the same can be said about the veteran actor Kanwarjit Paintal. As this time around he is not up to the mark either. While Hrishita Bhatt, even in a double role of a twin sister, fails to impress. The rest of the actors like Sanjeev Rathore, Hemant Pandey, Rana Jung Bahadur, Mukesh Bhatt, Shiva et al just help in carrying the film forward.

Tail Piece: 30 Minutes does try to address the issue of physical violence against kids, but ends up paying a mere lip service. At the Box Office turnstiles 30 Minutes may be appreciated by the multiplex cinegoers as well as the film lovers of the film festival circuit but it is certainly not a common man’s cup of tea.

Banner: Yashraj Films
Producer: Aditya Chopra
Director: Aditya Chopra
Star Cast: Ranveer Singh, Vaani Kapoor, Elisa Bachir Bay, Julie Ordon, Arman Ralhan et al
Music Vishal Dadlani – Shekhar Ravjiani & Mickey McCleary

Befikre is an urban youth centric fun entertainer with a new age theme. The scion of Yashraj Films namely director Aditya Chopra is a name in itself to be reckoned with and certainly needs no special introduction. Having made his debut with
Dilwale Dulhaniyaa Le Jaayenge he has displayed his directorial prowess with many super hit films which have been a cause for a joyous celebretion in itself and now Aditya Chopra has returned after almost a decade long hiatus in the directorial arena with his latest albeit most daring & extremely bold offering namely Befikre which happens to be a quintessential take on the Gen X’s bold & beautiful take on their own views of the ups & downs of their bitter sweet love life. So Befikre is a story that celebrates being carefree (befikre) in love.

So Befikre is a story about a couple’s ups & downs and their ultimate realization of love. The scripted scenario of Befikre kick starts with a stereotyped break up scene between Dharam (Ranveer Singh) & Shyra (Vaani Kapoor) which ends up with Dharam calling Shyra a “slut”, which hurts her the most. This is followed by a flashback of events which mirrors their yesterday and connects it with their today. The flashback sees a young & carefree Dharam landing up in Paris at the behest of his friend, who gives him a job of a stand – up comedian in his night club. On one of the party – hopping spree, Dharam meets a tour guide Shyra, a French girl of Indian origin. A couple of casual encounters later, the strong minded Dharam & Shyra decide to have a live in relationship, vowing not to say “stupid” things like “I love you”, because it will put an end to their carefree lives. Even when they break up with each other, they even land up celebrating that as well. All is well till the time a smart & well educated Anya (Armaan Ralhan) enters Shyra’s life. After a few meetings & party hopping with Shyra, Anya proposes marriage to her. When Dharam gets to know about Shyra’s marriage, he shocks Shyra by announcing his marriage to a French girl named Christine. What happens after that, are a series of events that changes everyone’s equation with each other.

Director Aditya Chopra has perhaps moved out of his comfort zone and made a very interesting film as usual and that apart he has not left any stone unturned to make Befikre as entertaining as possible barring the smooch fest which the lively Gen X will surely lap it up like nobody’s business but it surely won’t go down well with the so called over the hills age group but who cares. As I saw the film 1st time as a hardcore critic but even I enjoyed seeing it the 2nd time with the multiplex cine goers and found the patrons of my age too, just letting their hair down and totally enjoying the proceedings on the Big Screen with a totally Carefree (Befikre) attitude. The only dark cloud in the otherwise silver, or is it gold lining, was that Befikre is a pure adaptation of a French film named Love Me If You Dare and please don’t bother for the literal Hindi translation of the French title. Just go and soak yourself in the funfilled movie Befikre. As once in a while one should leave one’s indianess behind and become carefree (Befikre). Besides a special well – deserved brownie point goes to director Aditya Chopra for making a film for today’s youth which can also be appreciated even by the traditional, and not the totally orthodox indians who are still stuck with their so called indian sensitivity. Besides once again full marks to director Aditya Chopra for extracting brilliant work both from his core team of technicians as well as the entire cast comprising of Indian as well as imported foriegn actors. All of whom who have made Befikre a coming – of – age, fast paced, entertaining film and one which has more to it than just the kisses, the dares & the frivolous one – night stands as the characterisations in the film are strong and the dares forms the highpoint of the film. A special mention must also be made of the soundtracks like “Nashe Di”, “Ude Dil Befikre” and French number Je t’aime” which are already a rage all over. That apart the film’s background score by Mikey McCleary helps the film’s proceedings in a big way. While the film’s cinematography by Kaname Onoyama is outstanding. The way in which he has shot the entire locales of Paris including the famous Eiffel Tower are extremely superlative & top – notch. In other words, Befikre even appears like a blatant promotional exercise of French Tourism. And last but not the least is the film’s editing by Namrata Rao which indeed is crisp & bang -on.

Performance wise It is an out & out Ranveer Singh film all the way from “The Start” till “The End”. The film rides majorly on his sturdy shoulders, who has time & again, reinvented himself with every passing film. In one word he is “Outstanding” and deserves a standing ovation especially for his perfect comic timing, energy & freshness that he brings to the screen which in turn is extremely infectious. Even his nano second – “brief” nude scene shows his most carefree (Befikra) attitude and one which was earlier pulled off by King Khan in Maya Memsaab & Nitin Mukesh in a Madhur Bhandarkar film. Next in line is Vaani Kapoor who exhibits her screen presence in Befikre with picture perfect élan & style. The on – screen chemistry between Ranveer Singh & Vaani Kapoor is excellently brilliant. And of course Armaan Ralhan, Julie Ordon as Christine & Elisa Bachir Bay as Nathalie are one more welcome addition to the rooster of Bollywood actors & actresses. Rest of the characters in the film are good in their own way and thereby help to carry the film forward.

Tail Piece: Befikre is an urban youth centric fun entertainer with a new age theme which will find more patronage with the youth. At the Box – Office turnstiles it will be loved & appreciated by the target audiences especially in Multiplexes while the single theatres especially in the interiors maybe slightly shaky.

Wajah Tum Ho is a perfectly made and entertaining whodunit thriller movie both for the class as well as the mass audiences.

Banner: T – Series Films
Producers: Bhushan Kumar & Krishan Kumar
Director: Vishal Pandya
Star Cast: Sharman Joshi, Rajneesh Duggal, Sana Khan, Gurmeet Choudhary, Deepen Gandhi, Sherlyn Chopra, Prarthana Behere, Himmanshoo Malhotra, Zarine Khan et al
Music: Mithoon, Abhijit Vaghani & Meet Bros

Director Vishal Pandya had shown his moderate directorial prowess with his 1st 2 outings in the Hate Story franchise produced by none other than the T – Series’ most reliable banner and now in his 3rd outing Wajah Tum Ho, director Vishal Pandya has surpassed his own directorial skills. Congrats!

Wajah Tum Ho is a film that mirrors the battle between money & power vis a vis love & emotions. The scripted scenario of Wajah Tum Ho kick starts with the gruesome murder of a corrupt cop ACP Ramesh Sarnaik. Besides murdering him mercilessly, the entire “episode” of the murder gets telecasted on GTN (Global Times Network), whose CEO happens to be the highly influential Rahul Oberoi (Rajneesh Duggal). As a part of the proceedings, a sincere Inspector Kabir Deshmukh (Sharman Joshi) enters the scene as the Investigating Officer, who spares no space for doubts in the case. Because the entire murder was telecasted live on GTN channel, Kabir suspects it to be a handiwork of Rahul in his thirst of TRP’s for his channel. On the other hand, Rahul Oberoi’s case gets represented by his extremely able legal head Sia (Sana Khan). Sia happens to be in love with lawyer Ranveer Bajaj (Gurmeet Choudhary), who also happens to be Kabir’s helping hand in the complicated case. After all the hitches, glitches & twists, just when Inspector Kabir thinks that he has been able to crack the murder case, 2 more people gets murdered in the similar fashion as ACP Sarnaik. Despite the best of “legal brains” on the job, the case simply refuses to get solved. Day after day, the case gets further complicated.

Full marks to Vishal Pandya for giving such a perfect recipe of a whodunit thriller for one & all. And of course a special mention also goes to the T – Series giant Bhushan Kumar & his brother Kishan Kumar for backing such interesting & exciting projects, of course barring its extra dose of the Oomph factor in other words the overdose of the skin show. But all said and done full complement also goes to Vishal Pandya & Sammeer Arora for their taut screenplay, Rashmi Garg for lucid dialogues barring a few cheesy & corny lines, Mithoon, Abhijit Vaghani & Meet Bros for their foot tappingly excellent musical score, Prakash Kutty for his eye pleasing cinematography & above all Manish More for crisp & brisk editing.

Performance wise as usual Sharman Joshi in one word is “excellent”. While Sana Khan, the beautiful & confident actress has delivered a very “poised & dignified” performance. On the other hand Rajnish Duggal delivers a very “restrained” performance. And last but not the least Gurmeet Choudhary delivers a very “decent and a more prominent act” as a lover boy and his on – screen chemistry with Sana Khan is something that needs to be seen in order to be believed. In the end one can only say that the other cast members like Deepen Gandhi, Sherlyn Chopra, Prarthana Behere, Himmanshoo Malhotra, Zarine Khan et al have also done an “appropriate job” in taking the film forward.

Tail Piece: Wajah Tum Ho is a perfectly made and entertaining whodunit thriller movie both for the class as well as the mass audiences. In fact Wajah Tum Ho is a decent whodunit thriller with a good amount of suspense, oomph, masala & entertainment value in ample doses.

Producer: Humara Movies (YouTube)
Directors: Rahul V Chittella, Arunima Sharma, Amira Bhargava, Supriya Sharma, Pratik Rajen Kothari, Satish Raj Kasireddi & Annie Zaidi
Innovative Concept

The YouTube channel Humaramovie has come up with an innovative mentorship program that saw acclaimed filmmakers train the aspiring ones to direct 7 short films, based on the same theme, noise. So Shor Se Shuruaat happens to be a heady cocktail of 7 short films stringed together. These films have been made by budding directors, each one of whom was handpicked & mentored by some of India’s leading filmmakers. The latter include Shyam Benegal, Mira Nair, Imtiaz Ali, Zoya Akhtar & Homi Adajania.

Rahul V Chittella’s striking Azaad is about the silencing of dissenting voices. It features a terrific performance by Atul Kulkarni. Whereas Arunima Sharma’s Yellow Tin Cup Telephone is a stylized albeit a whimsical take on the sweet romance between a girl oversensitive to sound and a boy oversensitive to colour. This is the most visually inventive film in the collection. Amira Bhargava, mentored by Zoya Akhtar, tells a lovely story of a young boy on the streets of Mumbai. Aamer is hearing – impaired. His mother is finally able to gather enough money to buy him a hearing aid. The story culminates predictably but the presentation is skillful and the little boy playing Aamer is perfect. In Supriya Sharma’s Dhvani, Sanjai Mishra plays a death – row inmate who is living out his last days in solitary confinement and desperately wants to hear the sounds of life. Sanjai Mishra’s enactment of the prisoner in solitary confinement is excellent. Hell O Hello, directed by Pratik Rajen Kothari, who was mentored by Shyam Benegal, is a repetitive take on consumerism & telemarketing. Imtiaz Ali’s protégée, Satish Raj Kasireddi, gives us Mia I’m, about a young girl who becomes a viral rap sensation, which in itself is too predictable. Annie Zaidi’s Decibel, the only sci – fi story amongst the whole lot is about a dystopian future in which we need assistance to sleep. The film, mentored by Sriram Raghavan does not impress at all.

Frankly speaking Shor Se Shuruaat is not consistent it does make an impact but over – all fails to make the right noise. In some ways it’s also unsatisfying as the less successful films weigh heavily on the better ones because they wear you out. But no doubt the conceptualized idea is wonderful as it helps in nurturing new talent which in turn gives the cine goers an opportunity to discover emerging talents.

While the technical aspects of all the films are appreciable, some of the films can indeed be blamed for overindulging in the method which took away some of its interesting content.

WHY IS ALI’S NEXT DELAYED FURTHER?

Actor Ali Fazal who was shooting extensively in London for his debut Hollywood venture as a lead actor in VICTORIA & ABDUL was recently spotted in Agra shooting for the same film where the film wrapped up its final schedule. Now that Agra schedule has wrapped up for VICTORIA & ABDUL, And now he is in Delhi to shoot for the most awaited sequel of 2017, FUKREY 2. He has been shooting back to back for the last few months as he started with HAPPY BHAAG JAYEGI, followed up TAaDKA and then VICTORIA & ABDUL. Sources reveal that Prakash Raj’s TADKA in which Ali is paired opposite Taapsee Pannu, is going to be delayed further because of Ali as his schedule is completely packed till the 1st quarter of the coming year. It is going to be difficult for Ali and the director Prakash Raj to manage a common schedule suitable for all leading to further delay the portion of shoot meant to be completed in Mumbai. Nevertheless, they have now decided mutually that post the shoot of FUKREY 2 Ali will start shooting for TADKA’s remaining portions. The production tried their best to get dates which suited all but unfortunately Ali’s extensively busy schedule lead to delays & further delays. Ali too tried to shoot in between his two projects but the production of the respective films had already accommodated a lot at their end and thus finally TADKA had to move to next year.

EKTA KAPOOR CASTS RAJKUMMAR RAO IN BOSE BIOPIC!

We’ve all known Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose as the adventurous freedom fighter, you have read about him in your history books and seen his stories on television & films but there’s a larger mystery around him & his life that is still left to be unraveled. Ekta Kapoor’s ALT Balaji announces a digital series where Rajkummar Rao will essay the role of Bose. The digital show promises to showcase the untold story of his life, a biopic like never seen before. After bringing to life the story of Silk Smitha in THE DIRTY PICTURE on the big screen, Ekta now brings Subhash Chandra Bose’s life to the digital world, with an all new dimension to the storytelling. On teaming up with Ekta Kapoor for a series like this Rajkummar says, “I’m extremely excited to explore the unheard journey of Netaji on screen. It’s a great opportunity for me as an actor. I was totally blown away hearing his life story. He is one of the most mysterious & fascinating persons of our history and of course, we all know about his true love for the country and with Ekta & Synergy backing it I don’t have any doubts that our audience will get to witness something never seen before on Indian screen.” “The unknown side of events, happenings & personalities has always intrigued me, I am drawn to these mysteries! Bose is such a strong character from our history and yet there is so much about him that we don’t know, and that hasn’t been told on any medium before. The unbounded mystery around him is so fascinating and that was my trigger to tell this side of his story on the digital platform. It is edgy, fast paced & it’s everything that you don’t expect it to be!” says Ekta Kapoor. Exploring the “Altl side of Subhash Chandra Bose, Rajkummar Rao, is now spending a majority of his time researching / prepping up for the once in a lifetime kind of role! Ekta Kapoor is all set to step into the web world with her new digital foray ALT Balaji, set to launch in early 2017. The app showcases exclusive, original, and never -seen before digital shows.

MOHIT MARWAH’S FAN SURPRISES HIM WITH A HAND – PAINTED SKETCH!

Mohit Marwah’s ardent fan from Dehradun recently gifted him a hand – made sketch.
The female fan, who is a student of Foreign Research Institute in Dehradun, claims to be the biggest fan of the dashing & the talented actor. In fact, the fan also happily waited for long hours while Mohit was shooting for his upcoming film, RAAG DESH, directed by Tigmanshu Dhulia in Dehradun. When Mohit came to know about his fan waiting to meet him, he immediately invited her & accepted the sketch. Being a good host, the talented actor treated her well and offered her food and also appreciated her talent. Mohit also thanked his fan on Instagram, “What a pleasant surprise I got by this girl while shooting for RAAG DESH in Dehradun. These gestures want to make you work even harder. She really made my day.”

SHYAM BENEGAL TO BE AWARDED LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD AT IFFP 2017

New Delhi is the place for this time’s International Film Festival of Prayag. To be held during 16th Feb, 2017 – 19th Feb, 2017, veteran filmmaker Shyam Benegal will be felicitated with the Lifetime Achievement Award for his contribution towards Indian Cinema. Shyam Benegal has directed some rare piece of cinema like ANKUR, NISHANT, MANTHAN, ZUBEIDA to name a few. Manoj Bajpayee, Bhojpuri star Manoj Tiwari & Rahul Roy will grace the film festival. Varied categories like Feature Films, Documentaries, Short Fictions & Animation are open for participation. There’s also a special category called “Swachh Bharat Based Short Movie”. The last date for submitting the entries is 30th Dec, 2016. Entries will be accepted through Filmfreeway, Vimeo, Withoutabox or through courier. Hasan Haider, Founder, IFFP concluded, “We are happy to announce our 3rd edition of IIFP in Delhi. We are also happy to bring Allahabad to Delhi – the heart of India. The festival is growing with every edition and we are excited to see a large number of movies being submitted from all over the world. Bollywood Icons & celebrities are extending their support to make this an important film festival event.”

GURMEET CHOUDHARY SHARES FITNESS TIPS WITH GYM MEMBERS!

Gurmeet Choudhary is undoubtedly one of the fittest & good looking actors around. The talented actor, who is known for his dedication towards fitness & health, recently inspired a group of people to get in shape. A source says, “The gym where Gurmeet works out is frequented by a group of women who wanted to lose weight. They asked Gurmeet for tips to achieve their fitness goals. The actor gave them a few diet tips and also monitored their workout sessions to ensure they were approaching it the right way. They profusely thanked him for being a major source of inspiration to them. ”When contacted, Gurmeet said, “I’m a fitness enthusiast and like to see people being fit and in the pink of their health. I like to encourage people & create awareness about fitness. Recently, a group of girls who work out at my gym requested me to share diet tips with them to lose weight. I was pleasantly surprised to see amazing results in just a month’s time, as they took the fitness & diet regime seriously,” adding, “One of the things that I always request people & my fans is to maintain a healthy lifestyle.” “I’m not much into heavy – weight training. I prefer free – weight training & cardio exercises. I also prefer to practice martial arts,” the actor adds.

SHWETA TURNS LISA’S TUTOR

Actresses Lisa Haydon & Shweta Tripathi are currently shooting for Disney’s web series called THE TRIP along with Malika Dua & Sapna Pabbi. The show revolves around 4 girls and how they plan a bachelorette trip. Shweta Tripathi plays the bride while the other 3 girls are her best friends. The girls have been spending a lot of time together during the shoot as they are travelling across 3 countries. Since Lisa is still brushing up her Hindi skills, Shweta helps her while rehearsals and keeps on talking in Hindi to Lisa for her better performance. Lisa keeps asking Shweta if she is pronouncing the words correctly. There are times when even Lisa teaches Shweta French and they are bonding really well while teaching each other these languages. We are glad to see a new friendship emerging in Btown.

MILAN LUTHRIA’S MULTISTARRER ‘BAADSHAHO’ TO RELEASE ON 1ST SEPT 2017!!!

After films like ONE UPON A TIME IN MUMBAI & THE DIRTY PICTURE, ace director Milan Luthria is now busy shooting for one of the most anticipated films of 2017 BAADSHAHO! BAADSHAHO which stars Ajay Devgn along with Emraan Hashmi, Vidyut Jamwal, Ileana Dcruz, Esha Gupta & Sanjay Mishra and produced by Bhushan Kumar (T – Series) & Milan Luthria is all set to hit the silver screen on 1st Sept, 2017 to entertain the audiences! Milan, who has put an end to all the speculations regarding the release date, says, “We have finalized 1st Sept, 2017 as the release date keeping in mind the time needed for detailed post production and the extensive promotional activity planned by Bhushan & me” Currently, the cast has been shooting for the 2nd schedule in Jodhpur, and have created hysteria on the streets! As the movie is a multi – starrer, sources reveal that special security had to be arranged on the sets to control the crowd, who have been like civilian paparazzi with their mobile cameras. As the film is shot only on real locations, Milan has covered more than 2000 kms of extensive road recces with an international action team to lock untapped locations. Baadshaho is a rugged, rustic, rough & tough entertainer which will raise the bar and mesmerize audience from 1st Sept, 2017!!!

PANKAJ SHUKLA TO ADVISE DELHI GOVERNMENT ON ENTERTAINMENT TAX EXEMPTION FOR FILMS

State Government of National Capital Region (New Delhi) has appointed Senior Journalist & Film Maker Pankaj Shukla as member of the preview committee for entertainment tax exemption in Delhi Distribution circuit. This committee has been revised after a period of 9 years in New Delhi and is empowered to make recommendations for entertainment tax exemption in 2nd largest film distribution market of the country. Pankaj Shukla has been senior advisor to Indian Film & TV Producers’ Council for long and his recent path breaking program Folk Stars: MAATI KE LAAL made for Doordarshan this year recently got mentioned in the proceedings of Lok Sabha by Minister of State for Information & Broadcasting Rajyavardhan Rathore. His last film, a documentary, made on Self Governance in Indian Villages has won 4 International Film Awards this year. Shukla said​ that the newly formed committee is meeting next week for the 1st time and he would extend all the help to deserving film producers​ to get entertainment tax exemption from Delhi Government.

RICHA CHADDHA ROPED IN FOR TANUJA CHANDRA’S NEXT WITH IRRFAN

Irrfan Khan showed us his charming skills in PIKU opposite Deepika Padukone, making him the unconventional romantic hero. He was again in the news recently for a new road trip based romantic comedy which is all set to be directed by Tanuja Chandra. The untitled film will be shot in over 4 states in India including Rajasthan & Sikkim. Richa Chadha has been roped in for the film opposite Irrfan. This would be a new avatar of Richa Chadha in a romantic role that hasn’t been seen on screen so far. The actress who is currently shooting for FUKREY 2 in Delhi is believed to be starting shoot with Irrfan in Rajasthan by the end of Jan, 2017. This would be the 1st time Richa is paired opposite Irrfan Khan who is considered to be the encyclopaedia in the art of acting. A spokesperson of Richa said, “She is all excited working with Irrfan & Tanuja Chandra and Richa will definitely mint the opportunity by taking few acting tips from the versatile actor.”

SHILPA SHETTY INAUGURATES JEWELLERY STORE

Anchor retail store of exquisite costume jewelry, Varti Jewals was inaugurated by Shilpa Shetty Kundra in Mumbai. Shilpi Nahata, the owner said, “Women spend good amount of time in designing the costumes and always look for a complimenting jewellery, hereby we bring a heartiest collection for the same”. Shilpa Shetty admired the jewellery closely and posed with few beautiful collections, stating “This is an all occasion jewellery, any one will fall for these designs and I’m loving it”. This is the 1st of their chain of retail shops, next one will be opened soon in Chennai followed by an international shop in Dubai. Specialized in Costume / Fashion Jewelleries, “Art India’” is owned by 3 brothers Narendra Jain, Vinod Jain & Jeetu Jain under the expert guidance of Prakash Ji Mutha, this franchise is managed by Shilpi Nahata. Jain brothers are organizing various exhibitions of jewelleries since last 10 years.

AKSHAY KUMAR & VINDU DARA SINGH RELEASE THE BOOK “DEEDARA AKA DARA SINGH”

Akshay Kumar released a book written by Seema Sonik Alimchand on the late actor cum politician called “Deedara aka Dara Singh”. The book published by Westland was released in Mumbai recently. While releasing the book, Akshay Kumar stated that he had a close relationship with both Dara Singh and his actor son Vindu & Amrik since like Dara Singh, his own father Hari Om Bhatia also was a wrestler and he remembered the good old days when he used to accompany his father to Vallabh Bhai Patel Stadium to watch Dara Singh’s wrestling matches. Akshay recollected that he remembered a myth about Daraji that there was a Trishul on his back and whenever he gets angry, his 3rd eye will open. When asked if he would be a part of a biopic on Dara Singh, Akshay Kumar joked that if Vindu persisted & pushed him he was ready to act in such a huge biopic but it will entail a lot of preparation including working on his body to play the part and he would need a year or two to get into that kind of frame. Present at the venue were Shaad Randhawa with his entire family, Mukesh Rishi, Naved & Sayeeda Jafferi, Rohit Verma, Mohan Baggad, Gurbachan Singh, Mohomed, Lucky & Ali Morani, Mamik, Rajil Sayani, the son of Ameen Sayani, Rattan Aulakh, writer Mahrukh Mirza and others, Vindu Dara Singh’s wife Dina and their daughter Amelia, brothers Parduman & Amrik, Daman Maan.

FARHAN AKHTAR & SHRADDHA KAPOOR UNVEIL AKZONOBEL’S “DENIM DRIFT” AS COLOUR OF THE YEAR 2017

As a part of the 14th edition of AkzoNobel’s annual global study, Colour Futures, Farhan Akhtar & Shraddha Kapoor, brand ambassadors of Dulux in India, unveiled the colour trend – “Denim Drift” and its overriding trend: “Life in a New Light”. Every year, AkzoNobel’s colour experts, international trend watchers & authorities from varied fields of design come together at the company’s Global Aesthetic Center. Together, they research & identify the social & design trends that will influence consumers in their colour & interior decoration choices for the coming year. The brand’s overriding theme for the year ahead encourages consumers to celebrate a new look on the simple things that make life worth living. “The Colour of the Year 2017, “Denim Drift”, is an essential part of our everyday palette,” pointed out Farhan Akhtar “When teamed with rich shades it will bring your walls to life & exude energy. With lighter tones it will bring a cool, calming & airy feel.” “In fact “Denim Drift” is the must -have colour of 2017,” observed Shraddha Kapoor. “It is truly adaptable, fitting into all life & interior styles, making it the perfect choice for reflecting the mood for 2017. Rightly observed by the team researching the colour trend blue is the colour of life, of everyday life. It is familiar & yet new.”

SHEKHAR SUMAN’S NEW SHOW ‘SUCCESS STORIES’ TO AIR ON ZEE BUSINESS

Shekhar Suman is now all set to stage his grand comeback on TV with the new show SUCCESS STORIES produced by Water Entertainment by Gurudev Aneja & directed by Varun Middha. The new show which will have a duration of half an hour will air on every Sun from Jan, 2017 onwards on Zee Business. Gurudev Aneja had earlier made a film called EBN – E – BATUTA which was also directed by Varun Middha. Says Varun about the show, “It is a different kind of a show about people who have made it big in their own respective field without having any background whatsoever, on their own steam & merit. It will feature them on the show and Shekhar will talk to them about their happiness, sadness & experience. The show will feature successful people from different fields like Films, Real Estate, IT or Education, et al.” “There is no one who can beat Shekhar Suman as far as hosting a show. Shekhar & I have done a lot of shows on stage together. Shekhar knows what to talk & when & to whom. We needed someone like him to host the show as he is a multi – talented all round actor in his own right,” says Gurudev Aneja.

Babri Masjid Editing Starts

Maa Kela Devi Films Babri Masjid’s editing has started. Credits: Producer: Dhirendra Chaubey, Director: Dev Pandey, Music: Ghunguru, Lyrics: Azad Singh & Pyarelal Yadav, Writer: Manoj Khushwaha, Camera: R. R. Prince, Dance: Rikki Gupta & Pappu Khanna & Co -Producer: Rohan Chubey & Pallav Chaubey. Cast: Khesarilal Yadav, Kajal Raghwani, Awadhesh Mishra, Brijesh Tripathi, Anup Arora, Trisha Khan, Ritu Pandey, Sambhavna Seth, K. K. Goshwami, Aanara Gupta, Pappu Yadav & Dev Singh.

Love With Me (A Danger Girl) Entire shooting Complete

The entire shooting of Matarani Sherawali Entertainment Presents Love with Me (A Danger Girl) has been completed this week at Ranchi Jharkhand. Credits: Producer: Sanjay Banarasi, Manoj Jain & Ramesh Mahto, Writer: Sanjay Krishna, Director: Pankaj Sinha, Music: Chintu Mishra & Camera: Sumit Sachdeva. Cast: Ahtesham Khan Bobby, Kamna Singh, Vijay Singh, Vimal Sharma, Saiyad Salauddin, Puja, Pankaj Sinha, Vicky, Vinod Singh, Kajal, Anushka Varma Sankar Pathak, Babulal & Ramesh Mahto.

Mahua Muhurat Held At Suchana Bhavan Ranchi (Jharkhand)

The Nagpuri Film Mahua’s muhurat of Sailza Movie’s was held at Suchana Bhavan Ranchi (Jharkhand) on 13th Dec, 2016. Credits: Producer: Satyan Shrivastav, Director: Sanjay Varma, Writer: Balal Ansari, Lyrics: Vijay Prabhakar, Music: Upendra Pathak, Art: Shyam ji Sanskar & Camera: Sumit Sachdeva. Shri C. P. Singh(mantri Of Jharkhand Sarkar), Join Secretary Bidhan Sabha Of Jharkhand Shishir Jha, I. R. D. A Of Dipti Director Shalini Varma & Rashid Akhtar, were chief guest of this event. Cast: Stefi Patel, Prince Sondhi, Alli Khan, Shakti Singh, Punam Singh, Kajal Singh, Vinod Singh, Dinesh & Deva.

Action Raja Censored

Anushka Films Enterprises Action Raja has been censored with an “A” Certificate. Credits: Producer: Kamal Kishor Sahu, Director: Sanjay Shrivastav & Music: Chhote Baba. Cast: Yash Kumar, Neha Shree, Archana Singh, Sanjay Pandey, Baleshwar Singh, Rajkapoor Shahi, Raman Chaurasiya, C. P. Bhatt, Vaibhav Rai et al.

Garam Masala Editing In Progress

The editing of Dipali Films Production Presents Garam Masala is in progress in a Mumbai’s studio. Credits: Producer: Nilesh Panday & Sadhana Panday, Director: Ajay Kumar jhaa, Writer: Arvind Tiwari, Music: Om jhaa, Lyrics: Pyarelal Yadav & Shyam Dehati, Dance: Kanu Mukherjee & Anthoni, Camera: Parmod Panday & Action: Jitu Singh. Cast: Aditya ojha, Tanushree, Nehashree, Prakash jaish, Shymali Shriwastav, Sanjay verma, Ratnesh Barnwal, Ajay singh, Abhay Yadav & Sanjay Panday.

Beta Ho Ke Ta Aishan Ready For Release

Swastik Enterprises & Aar Ke Aar Films & Music Presents Beta Ho Ke Ta Aishan is now ready for release. Credits: Writer & Producer: Ravindra kumar Ravi & Music & Director: Chandrama Chandra Sahi. Cast: Kuldip Kumar, Varsha Ritu, Swati Singh, Sanjay Panday, Umesh Singh, Tarun Dhaya, Avinash, Padam Singh et al.

Ye Hamar Jaan Tohra Me Basela Pran Editing In Progress

The editing of Raise india & Jay Hind Production in association with Chaudhary Cine Vision Presents YeE Hamar Jaan Tohra Me Basela Pran. Credits: Producer: Bharat Bhushan Kumar, Director: Amit Kumar Verma, Writer: Pappu Pritam, Co – Producer: Manish Kumar, Vijay Kumar Soni & Chandan Chaudhari, Music: Chhote Baba, Lyrics: Kanhiya Prasad Shrivastav, Santosh Puri, Bibhakar Panday, Munna dubey, Premsagar Singh & Vinay Nirmal Singh, Camera: Shiva Chaudhary, Dance: Kanu Mukherjee, Action: Pradip Khadka & Art: Awadhesh Rai. Cast: Priyanka Pandit, Ritesh Panday, Anand Mohan, Brijesh Tripathi, Bandani Mishra, Ratnesh Barnwal, Pramod Gupta, Chandan Chaudhari & Prem Dubey.

Jila Champaran Shooting To Start

The shooting of Prakrati Films Jila Champaran will start from 14th Jan, 2017.
Credits: Producer: Surendra Prasad, Director: Lal Babu Pandit, Music: Madhukar Anand, Lyrics: Pyarelal Yadav & Azad Singh, Writer: Manoj Kushwaha, Camera: Ishwar Barik & Action: B. Rajesh Kann. Cast: Khesarilal Yadav.

Sanam Hamar Hau Item Song Shot

An item song for Shivnandan Films Sanam Hamar Hau was picturised on Glory. Credits:
Producer: Shivnandan Patel, Writer & Director: Kundan Shukla, Music: Anuj Tiwari & Action: Heera Yadav. Cast: Dipak Patel, Poonam Dubey, Sanjay Shukla, Umesh Singh, Ratnesh Barnwal, J. P. Singh, Baal Govind, Pappu Yadav, Manoj Mohani, Miraj Shaikh, Raj Shaikh, Akshat Raj, Shahina, Umesh Yadav, Deepak Pandey et al.

Mohabbat Shooting Complete

Krishna Entertainment & Laxmi Movie Entertainment Production’s Mohabbat shooting was completed In Mumbai. Credits: Producer: Maya Yadav, Director: Premanshu Singh, Lyrics: Azad Singh & Music: Avinash Jha Ghunghuru. Cast: Pradeep Pandey Chintu, Kajal Yadav, Aanara Gupta, Maya Yadav, Mehnaj Shroff, Santosh & Ayaz Khan.

Chir Haran Shooting To Start

Jai Ambe Entertainment’s Chir Haran’s shooting will start from 20th Dec, 2016 in Gujarat. Credits: Producer: Manish Mishra, Director: Ajay Jhaa, Writer: Bijendra Singh, Music: Madhukar Anand, Lyrics: Azad Singh & Bijendra Singh, Co -P roducer: O. P. Mishra, J. P. Mishra & Rajesh Dubey, Camera: Javed Akhtar Naik. Cast: Viraj Bhatt, Monalisha, Sanjeev Jhaa, Seema Singh, Anand Mohan, Om Gupta, Amrendra Sharma, Sandeep, Arun Tiwari et al.

Kahani Kishmat Ke Editing Starts

Shrinathj Ji Production’s Kahani Kishmat Ke’s editing has started in Mumbai. Credits: Producer: Rajesh Singh, Director: Bali, Lyrics: Vinay Bihari, Shyam Dehati & S. Kumar, Music: K. Ratnesh & Rajesh Singh, Camera: Ravi Chandan, Dance: Bali, Writer: Om Yadav & Action: Dilip Yadav & Bajirao. Cast: Viraj Bhatt, Shubhi Sharma, Arvind Akela Kallu, Enushree, Anil Yadav, Maya Yadav, Kunal Singh, Seema Singh, Rakhi Sawant et al.

India W/S Pakistan Shooting Starts

India E Commerce’s India W/S Pakistan’s shooting has started from 14th Dec, 2016.
Credits: Producer: Anil Kabra & Pradeep Singh, Writer & Director: Firoz A. R. Khan, Music: Madhukar Anand, Lyrics: Pyarelal Yadav, Action: Heera Yadav, Camera: Firoz Khan, Dance: Pappu Khanna & Rikki Gupta, Editor: Gurjant & Art: Najir. Cast: Yash Kumar, Rakesh Mishra, Priyanka Pandit, Arvind Akela Kallu, Shubham Tiwari, Gourav Jha, Raj Chauhan, Aditya Mohan, Awadhesh Mishra, Anil Yadav, Maya Yadav, Pushkar Anil Singh, Anup Arora, Dev Singh, Abhinav Kumar & Ayaz Khan.

Rudra Shooting To Start

The shooting of Sai Shraddha Motion Pictures Creations Rudra to start from 30th Dec, 2016. Credits: Producer: Laxman Gupta & Jay Prakash Sarvgalla, Director: Rakesh Bhardwaj, Music: S. Kumar, Co – Producer: Shailendra Singh & Camera: Najir Khan.
Cast: Yash Kumar, Tanushree, Nisha Dubey, Awadhesh Mishra, Manoj Tiger, Dev Singh, Manish Chaturvedi, Radhe Mishra, Kiran Yadav, Renu Pandey, Shravan Tiwari, Glory Mohanta et al.

Kasam Paida Karnewale KI Shooting Complete

The shooting of Tanvi Multimedia’s Kasam Paida Karnewale ki was completed recently in Gujarat. Credits: Producer: Deepak Shah, Director: Parag Patil, Co – Producer: Shailendra Singh, Production Controller: Monu Upadhyay, Music: Dhananjay Mishra, Lyrics: Kavi Ji, Azad Singh & Rajesh Mishra, Dance: Mayank Shrivastav, Kanu Mukherji & Ricky Gupta, Camera: Jagmindar Singh & Writer: Manoj Kushwaha. Cast: Yash Kumar, Ritu Singh, Nidhi Jha, Awadhesh Mishra, Anand Mohan, Manoj Tiger, Maya Yadav, Brajesh Tripathi, Sujan Singh, Rajeev Singh, Radhe Mishra, Sanjeev Sharma & Khesarilal Yadav (Special Appearance).

Aatankvadi Shooting Starts

Shreyash Films Aatankvadi shooting has started in Gujarat. Credits: Producer: Prem Rai, Director: M. I. Raj, Lyrics: Azad Singh & Pyarelal Yadav, Music: Madhukar Anand, Excutive Producer: Nishant Singh, Co -Producer: Niraj Sharma, Camera: Ravi Chandan, Art: Anjani Tiwari & Action: Dilip Yadav. Cast; Kheasrilal Yadav, Shubhi Sharma, Ranjeet, Awadhesh Mishra, Gopal Rai, Manoj Tiger, Karan Pandey, Anup Arora, Jai Singh, Priya Singh & Shakeela Mazid.

Mohabbat Ke Sougat Editing Complete

Pallavi Prakash International’s Mohabbat Ke Sougat’s editing is complete. Credit: Producer: Pallavi Prakash, Director: Braj Bhushan & Music: Chote Baba, Pankaj & Pritam Manish Sinha. Cast: Aditya Mohan, Shweta Yadav, Uday Shrivastav, Smita Dubey, Harish Pandit & Nitesh Kumar.

Om Har Har Mahadev Song Shooting To Be Held

Blue Fox Motion Pictures Private Limited’s Om Har Har Mahadev’s song shooting will start from 20th Dec, 2016. Credits: Producer: Blue Fox Motion Pictures Private Limited, Director: Vishnu Shankar Belu & Music: Chote Baba. Cast: Ravi Kishan, Gunjan Pant, Amrish Singh, Priyesh Sinha, Sangeeta Tiwari, Payash Pandit et al.

Veer Arjun Shooting To Start

Blue Fox Motion Pictuers Private Limited’s Veer Arjun’s shooting to started from 15th Jan, 2017. Credits: Producer: Blue Fox Motion Pictures Private Limited, Director: Raghvesh Asthana & Music: Madhukar Anand. Cast: Priyesh Sinha, Payash Pandit et al.

Gundey’s Shooting To Start

Razak Khan Film Production & DVS Entertainmnet’s Gundey’s shooting to start in Mumbai. Credits: Producer: Razak Khan & Sachin Jha, Director: Bali, Music: Shyam Dehati & Damodar Raao, Lyrics: Shyam Dehati, Writer: Indrjeet Kumar & Action: Shahbuddin. Cast: Viraj Bhatt, Rani Chatterji, Kunal Tiwari, Manoj Tiger, Sanjay Pandey, Anjana Singh, Vividha, Mahi Khan, Sahil Shaikh, Arun Suryvanshi, Soniya Mishra et al.

Dulhin Ganga Paar Ke Editing Starts

Brand Billa Production’s Dulhan Ganga Paar Ke’ editing has started. Credits: Writer & Producer: Arvind Kumar Singh, Director: Aslam Shaikh, Music: Madhukar Anand, Lyrics: Azad Singh & Pyarelal Yadav & Co -Producer: Ramashankar Pandey. Cast: Khesarilal Yadav, Kajal Raghwani, Kriti Yadav, Trisha Khan, Priyanka Maharaj, Awadhesh Mishra, Brajesh Tripathi & Ayaz Khan.

Krushna Abhishek is known more popularly as the “King of Comedy”. It is more because of his good sense of humor coupled with the spontaneous wit and humor and also his superb comic sense of timing which are all picture perfect. Caught up with Krushna in Sankraman Studio where he was doing a photo and promotional shoot for the 2nd Season of OMG! Yeh Mera India to be telecast on History TV18 Channel.

First of all enlighten us about the 2nd Season of OMG! Yeh Mera India to be telecast on History TV18 Channel?

In OMG! Yeh Mere India we will showcase the real India once again. An India which is unique as well as very beautiful too. Not only this we will show some unique stories which will be weird as well as interesting and the people involved with them are all sorts of people who are jara hatke, I mean they are also unique, intelligent as well as innovative and then people will say OMG!!! Which stands for Oh! My God India mein aise kamaal ke log bhi rehte hai aur aisi kamaal ki cheezein bhi hoti hai. For instance in Delhi there is a newspaper run by children in which they themselves do the reporting, interviewing, editing etc. At first the newspaper was of 1 page only but some organization in Delhi came to their rescue and they have not only increased the pages but it is also doing very well. There are many such unique stories but I won’t reveal more. Each episode is of half an hour and will have 4 stories and it kicked off on 6th Oct, 2016 to be telecast on every Thursday @ 8pm. We have a total of 10 episodes and the viewers will get to see 40 stories in all. Which in itself is a unique thing. And the 2nd season is also being telecast on History TV18 Channel.

OMG! Yeh Mera India also had its 1st Season. So how different will its 2nd Season be?

Yes! That’s true. History TV18 had telecast the 1st Season of OMG! Yeh Mera India in Jan, 2016. Which had proved to be very successful. At that time people from the Channel had gone to varied parts of India to scout & shoot the unique stories of India and then I used to host at least 4 stories from the Channel’s Studio. All the uniquely different stories were very well received by the viewers all over India. Normally a Channel suspends a show after the telecast of its 1st Season. But seeing the overwhelming response of the 1st Season, the Channel decided to have the 2nd Season from Oct, 2016. But this time with a difference. In spite of my over busy schedule I have personally traveled in many parts of India to scout for many more such unique stories and interact with the characters of this unique stories on a personal level and have a live telecast too after showcasing their stories. I met them, I interviewed them and also had lots of “masti” with them.

Would you like to add anything more on OMG! Yeh Mera India?

Actually when I did the 1st Season of OMG! Yeh Mera India I did not feel so much involved or attached to it. Frankly I had done the show at that particular point of time strictly on a very professional level. But when the hosting of the 2nd Season came my way I myself accompanied the team in different parts all of India and interacted with such amazing people of India and came to know their unique, weird and interesting stories and I was like shocked and surprised out of my wits and I felt Oh! My God toh hamara India aisa bhi hai!!! l was enlightened, entertained, discovered and learnt many new things about our India and today you must have seen that I am totally involved and attached to the show on a personal level too. In fact in the promos I have appealed to my fans and viewers, “If you really love me then don’t miss even a single episodes of the 2nd Season of OMG! Yeh Mera India starting 6th Oct, 2016 on every Thursday @ 8 pm.

You and Bharati were hosting the show “Comedy Nights Bachao” and now Mona Singh is the host and you both are contestants. Besides you are still making a lot of your presence felt during the show. Comment.

This is the new season of “Comedy Nights Bachao” and now it is known as “Comedy Nights Taaza” and barring me and Bharati even all the contestants are new. No doubt we were appreciated a lot during the show in its 1st Season. But we along with the channel wanted some freshness in the show and hence the 2nd Season is called “Comedy Nights Taaza”. As for everyone alleging that I am still making a lot of my presence felt then I would say yes because the show is still our baby. And with due respect to Mona Singh, who I would say is a very good host. But since the 2nd Season has just begun there are times when I feel like covering up for the minor loopholes and lapses and all for the betterment of the show. But all this arrangement is for a brief period, everything will gradually change in its due course of time.

How is your equation with Kapil Sharma now after all the verbal warfare between the two of you on account of your individual shows on different Channels Sony & Colors?

I strongly believe in letting bygones be bygones, no point in digging up the mud slinging grave, all thanks to the media. Anyways I have a great respect for Kapil Sharma and I salute him for literally elevating the status of the Stand Up Comdian’s, both on the artistic as well as the monetary level. That’s it.

You had a very harrowing struggling phase for big screen roles before you focused your attention to the small screen comic shows. Right!

Once again I would say that I always let bygones be bygones be they any issues concerning my professional as well as personal life. Yes I did have a very tough struggling phase as far as acting in films are concerned. The fault is all mine because I ended up doing some forgettable films. Then came the phase of Bhojpuri films which was also did not prove to be earth shaking although I have ended up doing dozens of Bhojpuri films with topmost Bhojpuri heroines like Rani Chatterji and Monalisa. Besides I could not make much stride in the Hindi film scenario too in spite of doing big films like Bol Bachchan and Entertainment. I do have a couple of good Hindi films to resurrect my position in the Hindi film scenario. Let’s see what future has in store for me.

Why did you give up doing Bhojpuri films, maybe by now you would have hit the Bull’s Eye even in that arena?

Maybe you are right. But at that juncture my small screen’s comic and reality shows came my way and I succeeded in carving a niche for myself through these shows. And I gave up on Bhojpuri films as I just could not spare enough time for them. But it has been a decade now and I am happy doing what I am doing as I not only got recognition but also earned a lot of name and fame through my comic shows. But I think I am going in for a new change of image since I did the 1st Season of OMG! Yeh Mera India. Since then whenever I am seen on airports or other public places, people just come up to me and thank me for enlightening them about India as they really like and appreciate me in this new avatar of the host of OMG! Yeh Mera India. Nobody talks about my comic shows at such times.

As a parting shot when I asked Krushna to spare a few words about his better half Kashmira Shah, Krushna just winked and grinned widely, then politely opened his Vanity Van’s door for me, signaling “The End” of the Interview session.

A. R. Murugadoss Signs Bharath

The shooting of A. R. Murugadoss’ new movie is happening in Ahmedabad. Telugu superstar Mahesh Babu is making his Tamil debut with this as yet untitled bilingual in which Rakul Preeth Singh is the leading lady & S. J. Surya is the baddie. Bharath is the latest star to board this high profile film and this will be his 1st ever collaboration with A. R. Murugadoss. The role which Bharath plays is said to be a pivotal one and the team is keeping it under wraps. Harris Jayaraj is scoring the music while Santhosh Sivan is taking care of the cinematography.

Amala Faces Her Old Villain Encore

Amala Paul after a gap is back doing many films one of which is a romantic thriller with Vishnu Vishal as hero directed by Ramkumar of Mundasupatti fame. The film is tentatively titled as Cinderella. The latest addition to the cast of Cinderella is Susan George, who rocked in an out & out negative role in Mynaa which was the breakthrough film for Amala Paul. Susan is said to be playing the role of a cop with negative shades.

Samantha As Nadigaiyar Thilagam

One of the most sought after actresses in the South, Samantha has Irumbu Thirai with Vishal & Arya and Aneethi Kathaigal with Vijay Sethupathi apart from a few Telugu biggies. Samantha has been approached to play the role of the legendary actress Savithiri in a biopic on her life to be directed by Nag Ashwin planned as a bilingual in Tamil & Telugu. Savithiri known as the Nadigaiyar Thilagam was and still is considered as the female equivalent of Nadigar Thilagam Sivaji Ganesan. This could be the biggest film yet for the talented Sam to portray such a giant on screen.

Silva Leaves Ajith

As we all know Thala Ajith is presently shooting for AK57 in Bulgaria along with the cast & crew that includes Bollywood actor Vivek Oberoi who makes his Tamil debut playing villain in the flick. Noted Stunt Choreographer Stunt Silva & Ganesh are designing stunt sequences in the film. Silva has recently returned to Chennai while the Bulgaria shooting is expected to go on till Jan, 2017. This has lead to a rumour that Silva has been arrested by the police in Bulgaria and Ajith had to intervene to get him released and send him back home.

Duggabatti Rana’s Ghazi Look Unveiled

Matinee Entertainment, in association with PVP Cinema, is presenting Ghazi, the 1st of its kind Indian movie based on submarine action. Starring Rana Daggubati, Taapsee Pannu & Kay Kay Menon in important roles, it is directed by Sankalp. Rana’s 1st look is out. Seen in the uniform, Rana comes across as portraying an earnest expression as a Naval Officer. “Ghazi is the 1st of its kind Indian film wholly made as an underwater movie. Thanks to the splendid reaction from pan India audience for the 1st look title poster, we are now here to unveil our hero Daggubati Rana’s 1st look from the film on the eve of his birthday,” the makers inform.
Ghazi marks a new technical revolution in Indian cinema with a never – experienced -before underwater war visuals. The world’s best technicians are working on this extravaganza to be released in Feb, 2017,” they add.

Star Villain In Om Namo Venkatesaya

Last month, the makers of Om Namo Venkatesaya had let it known that Jagapathi Babu is playing a role in the devotional flick. Latest, certain sections of the media have reported that Jaggu will be seen as a Cupid – struck king in the K Raghavendra Rao directorial. Many years after playing a guest role in Ravoyi Chandamama, Jagapathi, Nag’s friend of many years, is doing the same. Their association goes back to their teenage days. The director is once again visiting the idea of a king turning romantic upon seeing a character. It was Mohan Babu in Annamayya, in which the chemistry with Roja worked big – time with the class & mass audiences alike. It’s the turn of Jaggu now. It has to be seen if his character will come with “tamasic” traits, much as Mohan Babu’s character in the 1997 magnum opus.

Dhruva Emerges Victor

When Dhruva hit the screens on Fri last, it was almost certain that it would be one of the biggest hits of the year. Such is the strength of its content. It has turned out to be the case, with the movie passing the Mon test with flying colours. “Theaters ran to packed houses over the weekend, resulting in splendid collections. Demonetization & extreme cold haven’t been a dent. The audience’s enthusiasm for Dhruva is simply great,” the makers inform. Even as Ram Charan is touring US, the Surender Reddy film has joined the USD 1 Million figure rather effortlessly. Cherry is quite happy at this.

Kollywood Actor Bags Mahesh’s Movie

While S J Suryah is playing the antagonist’s role in Mahesh Babu’s next (which is allegedly titled as Sambhavami), there is another Tamil actor who is going to play a noteworthy role in this Rs. 100 cr bi – lingual. It’s Bharath of Boys & Premisthe fame. While the talented actor has had projects in Kollywood, he couldn’t make it in Tollywood even after the run – away success of Premisthe. With him getting to act in the Murugadoss – Mahesh movie, he may be staring at a 2nd innings in Telugu. As for the film’s progress, while the current Gujarat schedule will go on till 24th Jan, 2017, the schedule in Hyderabad will see the remainder 30% of the film being shot (pending two songs).

Srinda To Be A Tomboy

The role of actress Srinda in Fahadh Faasil starrer Role Models is revealed. It is reported that she is playing the role of a Tomboy in the film opposite to Fahadh Faasil’s character. The film is directed by Rafi and has Namitha Pramod as the heroine. Other important characters are played by Vinay Fort, Sharufudheen et al. Currently they are shooting in Goa for the film. For the character in the film, the actress is wearing lots of stylish dresses and she will be following specific mannerisms & body language. Her character is a rough one and picks up a fight with everyone she meets. She even dares to punch anyone she encounters. Srinda is quite elated in getting a chance to work with Mohanlal in Munthirivallikal Thalirkkumbol. She acted as the wife of Anoop Menon’s character in the film.

Biju Menon picks another comedy

Biju Menon is on the spree signing humorous movies, this time he has signed 1 to be directed by debutant Vinu Joseph which is sure to unveil more comic side of his acting. More & more directors now prefer Biju Menon to do such characters. According to the director it is similar to genre of movies like Nadodikattu which tells the common man’s struggle with life and is categorized as dark comedy. The pains & the sufferings of a common man are seen in a humorous view.
The film has 2 heroes, one is Biju Menon and other hero is yet – to – be – decided.

Shruthi Signs Boothayyana Maga Ayyu

One of the super hit films of yesteryears Boothayyana Maga Ayyu based on Goru Ramaswamy Iyengar’s novel directed by Siddalingaiah is back in news with the title. A title picked by Pade Pade (75 days film) & Namak Haram director Nagaraj Peenya commenced without much news. Shruthi Hariharan is in lead role of this film. She has a major role to perform with Honnavalli Krishna, Tabla Naani, Chikkanna, Sudhakar, Umesh, Manadip Rai et al. The film of 1974 was a serious film while this is a complete comedy says director Nagaraj Peenya. The protagonist looks for 99 girls to his match. The 100th girl he adores is the heroine of the film. Nandakumar is the cameraman, Varaprasad Shetty is director of this film.

Poori Jagannath To Make A Trilingual

The lavish producer from Karnataka Dr CR Manohar a sitting MLC of Jantadal Dal (S) who made the 100th film of Srikanth in Telugu namely Mahatma in Golden Lion Films banner is now on a very big project. He announced Rs.100 crores film Kali with Dr Shivarajakumar & Kichcha Sudeep in a lavish platform. The film later took a different shape and getting ready as The Villain with 2 super stars in Kannada. He is now in a trilingual Rogue in Kannada, Telugu & Tamil. The floriculturist & realtor Dr CR Manohar recently had a teaser launch bash at Hayat Hotel in Banjara Hills, Hyderabad. Ishan (Gopi) brother of Dr CR Manohar is making his debut in 3 languages, Munnar Chopra is the female lead. Sunil Kashyap is music director of this yet another lavish film.

Director Nikhil Advani’s claim to fame has been Dharma Productions Kal Ho Na Ho in the year 2003. But his directorial skills had received a jolting setback with the failure of damp squib’s like the Imran Khan – Kangana starrer Katti Batti and Suraj Pancholi – Athiya Shetty starrer, Salman Khan Productions Hero. But of late he was back in the saddle, this time as a producer with the thumping success of the Akhshay Kumar – Nimrat Kaur starrer Airlift which was directed by his good friend Raja Krishna Menon. These days he is neck deep in directing a patriotic saga for the small screen namely Star Plus’ show P.O.W Bandi Yudh Ke. Caught up with Nikhil Advani at the launch of the show in JW Marriot.

At present you are busy directing a small screen show for Star Plus Channel. So give us more insight about it.

I am bringing to the small screen, an untold story of the war. It will be about the repercussions of war but more of its aftermath reactions on the family. It will question the society at large, “Who are the real prisoners of war?”. The show is called P.O.W. Bandi Yudh Ke. It is a Pan Indian adaptation of the acclaimed Israeli Television series named Hatufim directed by Gidan Raff. It has a refreshingly ensemble cast comprising of Sandhya Mridul as Nazneen Khan, Amrita Puri as Harleen Kaur, Satyadeep Mishra as Squadron leader Imaan Khan, Manish Chaudhari as Retired Major Vikram Singh and above all Purab Kohli as Nayab Subedar Sartaj Singh.

Please narrate the gist of the plot!

I have Indianised the plot and based it on the aftermath repercussions of the Kargil War in which 527 Soldiers were killed and 1363 Soldiers were wounded and from thereon it is all about the 4 lives interrupted and 2 familes shattered. The Soldiers return after 17 long years after being held as Prisoners of War. It is an emotionally intense, gripping, fresh and edge of the seat story. The return of the Soldiers to their interrupted lives after 17 long years will keep the viewers at a razor’s edge as their whole story unfolds in the most unexpected manner. Now this is what makes the entire storyline of P.O.W. Bandi Yudh Ke a unique combination of family drama in a thrilling way. It is all set to be telecast on Star Plus Channel in this festive season.

Kindly elaborate about the actor’s respective roles!

Nazneen Khan (Sandhya Mridul) hails from Delhi who is the wife of Sqaudron leader Imaan Khan (Satyadeep Mishra) who believes that heroism is not just demonstrated on the battlefield. It brings us closer to the extraordinary heroism of the wives of the war heroes, everyday of the war and even after the war is over. Her life is stuck between the past and the present thereby leaving her like a pendulum unable to make her own choice in the wait of her husband’s return. She braves the emotion everyday as her husband still remains missing in action. No doubt she has moved on to seek companionship and support in the absence of her husband. On the other hand
Harleen Kaur (Amrita Puri) hailing from Punjab has grown from being a 17 year old girl with dreams in her eyes of a newly wed to a woman who has not lost her hope of being able to see her husband Sartaj Singh (Purab Kohli) who had left for his call of duty at Kargil War on their wedding night itself. But 17 years since war, she has turned into a strong, resilient and independent woman and she is now the pillar of Sartaj’s family still in waiting for her husband’s return.

Please go on!

While Retired Major Vikram Singh (Manish Chaudhari) has undergone 17 years of torture in captivity by Pakistan. He starts wondering whether the war heroes have been converted into terrorists? He strongly believes that 17 years is a long time and can change anybody, even an Indian Soldier for that matter. On the other hand Squadron leader Imaan Khan (Satyadeep Mishra) is a captive Indian Soldier in Pakistan for 17 long years. While imprisoned, he lived each day with just one hope that is to reunite with his family. But his patriotism was tested in Pakistan everyday and now his loyalties are being questioned everyday after his return to his own nation and then there is Sartaj Singh (Purab Kohli) who also undergoes the trauma of a prisoner of war and his story is also emotionally heart wrenching as the damage done by now is beyond measure and his scars remain for a lifetime.

By the way to what would you attribute the failures of your last two films in the recent past namely Katti Batti and Hero?

I have no misgivings at all of the failures of Katti Batti and Hero. I take the sole responsibility of the failures of both the films. Nobody else is to be blamed for the debacle of these two films. Actually speaking whatever directorial praise I had earned for the other hit films like Kal Ho Na Ho and D-Day to name just two, I lost it all with these two above mentioned films. I think Katti Batti literally failed to live up to cine goer’s expectations. Perhaps they could not identify with the film. I still believe Katti Batti was a beautiful film. My heart and soul was in it. I would still say that Imran’s performance in Katti Batti was his best till date and I don’t regret taking Imran in the film. I would still want to work with him. None of us could fathom why the film did not work because we all loved the film so much.
Whereas I think Hero was not a film made only for the purpose of earning rave reviews. It was obviously made to launch Aditya Pancholi’s son Suraj Pancholi and Sunil Shetty’s daughter Athiya Shetty. Hero was an orthodox story and had a conventional treatment, which had worked in the ’80s. It had great music. In retrospect, I should have treated it the way I wanted to. I also agree that while Sooraj Pancholi won notice, Athiya Shetty received mixed reactions. We were aware that Athiya is not a conventional looking girl. She is statuesque and has model like features. We did not know whether she would be accepted by Indian sensibilities. But we were sure she would confidently pull off the role, which she did. I don’t think both Suraj and Athiya could have got a better launch than this Salman Khan vehicle. Now in their second film, they both will have to prove their mettle even more.

Ok what are the future projects that you have lined up for yourself?

I am indeed working side by side on two directorial projects at the moment. One is Bazaar, a story based in Mumbai about the stock market. The film is about the abuse of power and the intoxication of wealth. It’s a rags – to – riches and a riches – to – rags story. The other one is based on the Hollywood film namely The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, which is currently being written. But I won’t make these two films simultaneously like Katti Batti and Hero. I do not at all wish to repeat my mistakes.

Two power house personalities namely actor -director Sajid Khan and actor-producer Riteish Deshmukh have joined hands together recently to host a celebrity talk show named Yaaron Ki Baraat on Zee TV Channel. The show premiered on 8th Oct, 2016 and it will be telecast in the prime time slotting of 9 pm every Saturday and Sunday. Yaaron Ki Baraat will span 10 weeks of rollercoaster joyride. This unique albeit first of its kind talk show will focus on Bollywood star pairs who are friends. It borders on their friendship over the years. It will be layered with wit and humor including anecdotes from their personal as well as their professional life. Caught up with Ritiesh Deshmukh, to get more info about the show in the Press Conference held at Studio 8 in Filmcity.

How did the idea about the celebrity talk show Yaaron Ki Baarat germinate?

The show Yaaron Ki Baraat has been conceptualized by Esselvision and Sajid (Khan) was roped in before me and it was Sajid who had asked them to contact me and ask me if I was interested in hosting the show along with him and most important if I would be able to spare time for the show amidst all my over busy schedule. But the moment I met them, including Sajid, and heard the concept of the show I was like game for it and gave my instant nod of approval.

Whose idea was it to have Amitabh Bachchan & Shatrughan Sinha as the first long lost Bollywood friends to appear on the show?

Once Sajid and me were up for the show. We had a sort of many joint meetings with Esselvision guys to discuss further about the game plan of the show. It was in one such meetings that both Sajid and me sounded off the idea to have both Amitji and Shatruji on the show and the moment we made this suggestion everyone in the meeting had this zapped up expression on their face and even we both were shit scared and nervous on how are we were going to achieve this impossible feat.

And then?

Then we just cooled down and we both decided to meet Amitji and Shatruji and convince them to be the first ever guests on the show. So I met Amitji and Sajid met Shatruji and narrated the concept of the show to them and once again we were shocked and surprised when they agreed to be the first guest on the show. Later on even Shatruji’s better half Poonam Sinha and his daughter Sonakshi Sinha informed us that Shatruji was too excited to be on the show with Amitji, as it was almost three and a half decades that both of them were appearing together on one platform. Yet we both could not believe that it was possible till their car reached Filmcity Studio, till they settled down in their Vanity Van and till they donned their make up. Finally we heaved a sigh of relief when we actually started shooting with them. Of course we were both nervous thinking that anything could have gone wrong and the shoot may have to be cancelled at the last moment. But thankfully everything went right, just as we had planned it. After the shoot there was appreciation galore even with a snide remarks that perhaps Amitji – Shatruji episode should have been a curtain’s down grand finale episode. But we promise to bring more excitement in the grand finale episode. In fact having both Amitji and Shatruji in the curtain raiser of Yaaron Ki Baraat was our trump card.

Maybe Sajid and you can bring together the jodi of Salman Khan – Shah Rukh Khan for the grande finale episode!

We both can’t promise the viewers on that score but we give our full assurance that we will try our level best to bring them together on the show at least in one of the episodes if not for the grand finale episode.

What exactly is the concept of the show?

We all have a Best Friend in our lives and we celebrities are no exception. Despite constant comparisons, constant cut throat competition, hectic schedules and frequent travels some of the Bollywood star friends have still managed to hold on to their friendship over the years. So for the first time ever on Indian Television, Zee TV Channel brings to the viewers this fun filled chat show Yaaron Ki Baraat.

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First of all this show will put celebrity friendships to test through a series of fun challenges and tasks. The guests will also share sepia toned memories including heartwarming anecdotes from their friendship over the years. They will also recreate the magic of their professional as well as personal lives and sometimes even spill the beans on each other. They will sportingly take on dares, parodying the most iconic scenes from their cult films and also reminiscing the good old times with pictures and videos. We will also put their compatibility to test over fun games. In fact they will let their hair down and have a good time. Our idea is to let spontaneity take over and reveal their fun sides to the viewers who will also participate with their rare Q&A sessions.

By the way who christened the show as Yaaron Ki Baraat and why only this name?

The show earlier had another working title but it was not jelling well with the real concept of the show. So on an impulse I suggested the name Yaaron Ki Baraat and it had an instant Bollywood connect with the superhit Bollywood film Yaadon Ki Baraat and the show is also about Bollywood star friends going down the memory lane and also getting nostalgic about it.

What are the exciting line – up of star friends for the show and will you both bring together even female star friends?

We will bring 20 pairs of star friends on the show in the alloted 10 weeks and if the show goes well then we may also have a second season as for now we are having a line – up of Karan Johar – Farah Khan, Sania Mirza – Pariniti Chopra, Harbhajan Singh – Yuvraaj Singh etc etc etc. Maybe we will try to bring even the current Bollywood actors like Ranveer Singh – Arjun Kapoor. We will try to bring other good friends from Business as well as Political arena and of course even other female star friends like we brought together Sania and Pariniti.

Will you also have Bollywood stars who were thick friends earlier and cannot see eye to eye now?

Sorry to say but this is not a reconciliation show. It is very difficult to make them friends again, at least not on the show. But on second thoughts you have sounded off a very good idea. Maybe we can work on it in the second season that is, if there is a second season and if we will still be hosting it. You see there are sometimes a lot of slip between the cup and the lip.

How was your experience of hosting the show?

While I have already hosted award ceremonies, Yaaron Ki Baraat will be my first time as the host of a chat show on a Hindi GEC. So to host a show celebrating friendships with a very close friend like Sajid feels apt. He has a great sense of humor, an impeccable sense of timing and together we hope to create the light hearted kind of atmosphere for the celebrities to open up and share things they have never ever spoken of. We look forward to entertaining audiences and letting them experience the friendships of their favorite stars. As for my personal experience of hosting Yaaron Ki Baraat I would say that both Sajid and me are like two old buddies who just got together for this show and had a lot of fun. In fact to be very frank we both had a real BLAST!!!