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Category: Hindi

  • CBFC’s Nihalani defends diktat banning use of certain words & scenes in films

    CBFC’s Nihalani defends diktat banning use of certain words & scenes in films

    NEW DELHI: Even as film bodies are yet to react on the issue, several members of the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) have reacted strongly to the diktat by chairman Pahlaj Nihalani banning use of certain English and Hindi words in films.

     

    While some members tweeted that they had not been consulted and another termed him a moron, Nihalani told Indiantelevision.com that he was very much within the Certification Guidelines in issuing the directive.

     

    In a note sent to producers associations and some prominent individual producers apart from his own CBFC members, Nihalani has banned the use of 11 English words, and 10 Hindi words, which are almost literal translations of these words that, according to him were obscene.

     

    In addition, he said films should avoid scenes of violence against women, glorification of violence, double-meaning words, and the use of the name Bombay instead of Mumbai.

     

    In a series of tweets, CBFC member and filmmaker Ashoke Pandit said, “I as a Filmmaker & #CBFC board member do not endorse the list issued by the Chairperson on words not to be used in films. I was not consulted. Does the #ChairpersonCBFC endorse other bad words, which are not in this list can be used in the films? #Antifilmmakers. The list of words ‘not to be used in films’ issued by the Chairperson is against the freedom & creative liberty of a filmmaker. If I am portraying the character of Dawood in my film, he will use the language as per his character & not what a saint would use. Does the #ChairpersonCBFC endorse other bad words which are not in this list can be used in the films?”

     

    Reacting to the tweets, Nihalani said he stood by his directive and wondered why such obscenities had been permitted so far. He said this made it difficult not only for family audiences to see such films, but added the burden of ‘bleeping’ out these words when the films were shown on television. 

  • Kukunoor bags Grand Prix for children’s film at Berlinale

    Kukunoor bags Grand Prix for children’s film at Berlinale

    NEW DELHI: International award-winning filmmaker Nagesh Kukunoor’s Dhanak (Rainbow) has won the Grand Prix for Best Feature given by the International Jury in the Generation KPlus section for children, as well as a Special Mention of the Children’s Jury in the same section, at the Berlin Film Festival.

     

    Kukunoor has directed and written the film, which is a fable-like story of a young girl in Rajasthan who is determined to have vision restored to her blind brother before his ninth birthday.

     

    “This dynamically-directed film delivers joy and heartbreak in equal measure – the young brother and sister at its heart and the unbreakable love between them is irresistible… Filled with colour, magic, music, spontaneity and a plenty of emotion, this film lives up to its name and delivers a celebration of life to savor long after the end credits roll,” a statement from the International Jury said.

     

    Dhanak, produced by Manish Mundra, also won prize money of 7,500 euros that comes with the Grand Prix. 

     

    This is Kukunoor’s 14th film since Hyderabad Blues. He was on the red carpet at the Berlin Film Festival along with Mundra, co-producer Elahe Hiptoola, sound designer Vipin Bhati and music composer Tapas Relia.

     

    “Actually when I met Manish, I went to pitch a film about a boxer,” Kukunoor recalled. “In passing, I also mentioned a small, sweet film – as a filler – about a brother and sister set in Rajasthan, and he said let’s do this one.” 

     

    Mundra grew up in Jodhpur and for Kukunoor too, it is the third film in Rajasthan after Dor and Yeh Honsla. “I am repeatedly drawn to Rajasthan because I’m fascinated by how small and insignificant humans become in vast open spaces,” said the director. “The moment I had this image of a brother and sister against the desert landscape, I rushed to my computer and wrote the script right away. I couldn’t stop,” he added.

     

    Dhanak also conveys a message. “I wanted to say that life is good and there are good people too. When I was growing up in Hyderabad, you could trust people. You could go over to a stranger’s house and they would be kind to you. WithDhanak, I’m kind of returning to my childhood and a kinder world,” Kukunoor said.

     

    Kukunoor’s work reveals a lively keenness to experiment with genres and subjects, varying wildly from homegrown romance Hyderabad Blues to thrillers Teen Deewarein and 8×10 Tasveer, inspirational drama Iqbal, to Dhanak. “The process of filmmaking is what I live for, and the day the print comes out, my fun ends,” said the director. 

     

    One of the revelations of Dhanak is how confidently its young blind protagonist moves, unlike the cane-tapping, champion hobblers of Bollywood. Kukunoor says he knew he wanted to make it as a road movie, so he needed to know “how the kid moves.” 

     

    Kukunoor said, “I’m extremely impatient and immediately asked my assistant director Ranjeet Jha to bring me phone camera footage of blind children. He followed some blind kids in the slums of Ghatkopar. The blind kids moved so fast and confidently, not stumbling or even touching walls, I said, ‘Wow, what the hell is this?’ The characters, featuring Krrish Chhabria and Hetal Gada, were worked out accordingly.” 

     

    For the success of Dhanak, Kukunoor duly credits co-producer Elahe Hiptoola. “Elahe is always invaluable. I had hired her as an actress two days before we shot Hyderabad Blues, but her skills were so good, she was an assistant director on Hyderabad Blues, and then we formed SIC Productions, and she has been my creative producer since. She totally gets my back, above and beyond the call of duty.”

  • Film banned in India to release in North America; may later come to India via alternate channels

    Film banned in India to release in North America; may later come to India via alternate channels

    NEW DELHI:  Raj Amit Kumar’s new film Unfreedom, which has been banned in India, will be released in North American theaters on 29 May and simultaneously on digital channels via Film Buff. 

     

    The film is being distributed by Dark Frames, founded by Kumar, which is dedicated to bringing high-quality, non-Bollywood Indian films to North American and international audiences through theatrical and digital channels.

     

    Veteran film marketer and distributor Mark Urman of Paladin is partnering with Dark Frames to lead the marketing and distribution of Unfreedom. 

     

    The film was banned in India, where homosexuality was criminalized in 2013, by the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) rendering much of its content too controversial for general audiences. Kumar is mounting an appeal at the same time that he is launching a crowd-funding campaign to finance a release in India via alternative methods.

     

    Unfreedom tells two powerful and unflinching contemporary stories about religious fundamentalism and intolerance that ultimately come merge. Shifting between New York and New Delhi, one tale follows a Muslim terrorist who kidnaps a liberal Muslim scholar in order to silence him, while the other charts the travails of a young woman whose devout father tries to force her into an arranged marriage which she resists because she is secretly in love with another woman. The four characters come face to face with gruesome acts of violence in battles of identity, sexuality, religion, love, and family.

     

    Written and directed by Kumar, the film stars Victor Banerjee, Bhanu Uday, Bhavani Lee, Preeti Gupta, Seema Rahmani, Ankur Vikal, Samrat Chakrabarti and Adil Hussain.

  • ‘Roy’: Shot in the dark

    ‘Roy’: Shot in the dark

    MUMBAI: The title often shows a lack of imagination and is an indication of what is to follow. Roy, as it turns out after eons through the film, is the name Ranbir Kapoor goes by. Roy looks like a film inspired by watching a lot of the last century’s Hollywood and European films.

    Arjun Rampal is a film maker, who is on his third version of a series, Guns III, having earlier made two very successful versions. His inspiration comes from a suave robber, Ranbir Kapoor, who steals antiques and paintings. Having bumped into Ranbir once, he puts Ranbir’s exploits on screen.

    This once, Rampal is stuck for ideas and keeps working on his antique typewriter but nothing comes across on paper that he can go with. He realizes he needs inspiration. He proceeds to Malaysia without a script and starts shooting the film at random. No wonder then that what he comes up with through the Roy’s first part looks like a film to promote Malaysian tourism.

    Soon, Rampal finds his inspiration in Jacqueline Fernandez. She is in Malaysia to shoot a short film. Rampal makes her a part of his story. Roy is out to steal a part of a portrait of which the other part is with his handler. There is a huge offer if both the parts are available together to complete the portrait. Rampal manipulates his story idea where now the part of the portrait is in Jacqueline’s possession from where Ranbir will steal it. For this purpose, he also finds an actress who is Jacqueline’s lookalike.

    Producers: Divya Khosla Kumar, Bhushan Kumar, Krishan Kumar
    Director: Vikramjit Singh
    Cast: Arjun Rampal, Jacqueline Frenandez, Ranbir Kapoor, Anupam Kher (guest role), Shibani Dandekar

    As in most of the film, what happens thereafter is beyond understanding. The job is made easy for Ranbir as the actress has lured Ranbir to her bed and he just has to pick up the portrait hanging on the wall and make an early departure. Actually, it is all quite confusing.

    This is a film of whims and fancy. There is no script and a thin line about a thief inspiring film stories, which qualifies as cock and bull stuff. The director has no clue what he wants to make and seems to think that shooting low light dark scenes makes one a genius. The film, however, has excellent visual value backed by a good background score. Mumbling passes as dialogue and is not easy to catch. Songs are good but orchestra overpowers the lyrics.

    There is little in this film for actors: Rampal is lovelorn but hardly looks it. Ranbir Kapoor sleepwalks through his brief role. Jacqueline emerges the most sincere of the lot. Anupam Kher has a brief role, which is irrelevant.

    Roy is a waste of lot of resources with no hope of returns.

     

     

     

    ‘MSG: The Messenger’: Of self-gratification

    Having gained some recognition through media because of his numerous controversies, Sant Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh Ji Insan, as he calls himself, decides to use his film watching hobby to help promote him and his cult, Dera Sacha Sauda, on a national level. The result is MSG: The Messenger, a film for the janata.

    Producer: Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh Ji Insan

    Director: Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh Ji Insan

    Cast: Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh Ji Insan

    And, no he does need stars to project him on screen; he can do it himself. So the Insan plays himself as a pure hearted person who is clean of thoughts and deeds, full of energy and preaches others to be like himself.

    Insan does all the things NGOs around the world do: organises de-addiction programmes, blood donation camps, cleans streets, plants trees, rescues women from prostitution and also resettles eunuchs.

    Insan also has a cure for his followers’ ailments through his ‘Ruhaani jaam,’ which is his own concoction. Insan also fights the evils of the world as he can fly, throw a mean punch and do all the stunts seen in Hollywood and Indian films.

    The film, all of its 190+ minutes has Insan, each and every frame of it. What else would you expect? His costumes are garish and loud but that he has been seen to wear even in his real life.

    Insan has done everything in this film from producing, directing, scripting, cinematography et al.

    To make further sure his ‘hard work’ pays, Insan has also bought out tickets worth crores to make sure his followers don’t miss it!

  • ‘Dolly Ki Doli’ a hit in Pakistan; earns 50 lakh on Day 1

    ‘Dolly Ki Doli’ a hit in Pakistan; earns 50 lakh on Day 1

    NEW DELHI: The film Dolly Ki Dolly starring Sonam Kapoor with Pulkit Samrt, Rajkumar Rao and Varun Sharma has become a major hit in Pakistan earning Rs 50 lakh in its opening day on the big screen.

     

    Produced by Kinesis Films and Arbaaz Khan Productions, the film also did good business in the United Arab Emirates.

     

    The hilarious comedy was screened at 35 cinemas on 65 plus screens (68-70 screens approximately in total including e-print and DCP) in cinemas nationwide.

     

    The success of the film in Pakistan could be due to the wholesome family entertainment quotient and the song “Mere Naina Kafir Ho Gaye” by Rahat Fateh Ali Khan- a hightlight in the film.

     

    Malaika Arora Khan’s item number and Saif Ali Khan’s guest appearance all add to the Bollywood masala the film has to offer.

     

    Kinesis Films director Samir Gupta said, “The film has performed very well in Pakistan in week 2 despite the other releases and is continuing in 30 cinemas even in week 3. While Khoobsurat had the advantage of the popular Pakistani actor Fawad Khan, this has been a super effort by Sonam and the rest of the cast to bring in family audiences and keep them entertained.”

  • After much controversy, ‘MSG’ becomes ‘The Messenger’

    After much controversy, ‘MSG’ becomes ‘The Messenger’

    NEW DELHI: Following controversy over the film, which was cleared by the Film Certification Appellate Tribunal, self-proclaimed Saint Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh Insan’s much hyped film has been renamed MSG – The Messenger. 

     

    The film was initially named MSG: Messenger of God, and had reportedly provided the fuel to the mass resignations from the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) whose members had alleged interference from the Government.

     

    The new name was revealed in a tweet sent by Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh Insan himself, clarifying that the film had been cleared by the CBFC with a new name. 

     

    He said the film is targeted at cleansing the worldly evils that have plagued society recently and threatened to corrupt it. It develops an insight into the exploration of spirituality with the entertainment factor remaining intact.

     

    A first in its kind, the film has been trending all over social media creating a huge interest. The music with most songs sung by Singh has become an instant hit after its release online through the trailers and promos.

     

    Slated or release on 13 February, the film has been produced by Hakikat Entertainment Pvt. Ltd., co-directed by Saint Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh Insan and Jeetu Arora Insan with and music directed by Saint Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh Insan.

     

    At the release function last month of the music, Singh who is head of Indian social-spiritual welfare organization Dera Sacha Sauda, had said that he would be using the earnings from the film for the betterment of the community. He will support a new research initiative for Thalassemia patients and also donate most of the proceeds towards research on HIV.

  • Sony files copyright infringement case against ‘Badmashiyaan’; Delhi HC restraints release

    Sony files copyright infringement case against ‘Badmashiyaan’; Delhi HC restraints release

    MUMBAI: The Delhi High Court today has put on hold the release of the Bollywood film Badmashiyaan on a plea filed by Multi Screen Media (MSM), which is the Indian subsidiary of Sony Entertainment Television, alleging copyright infringement by the movie’s producers.

     

    Justice Indermeet Kaur has restrained the producers of the film from airing trailers of the movie, which according to MSM, is a copy of a Korean film titled Couples as well as its own production Mango, which is yet to be released.

     

    The court, in its interim ex-parte order, also issued notice to VRG Motion Pictures, which has produced the film as well as Sidus FNH Corporation, the producer and copyright owner of the Korean film, and has sought their replies by 22 May, 2015.

     

    MSM, in its petition has also sought damages of Rs 25 lakh from VRG for infringing its copyright. It has contended that rights to make a Hindi remake of Couples was obtained by co-producer Kaleidoscope Entertainment (KEPL) from Sidus FNH in March 2013. Thereafter, MSM and KEPL entered into a film production agreement, before commencement of production of the film, and “hence MSM is the first owner of copyright in and to the said film,” the petition claimed.

     

    Mango, was produced in 2013-2014 while its trailers were exhibited in February-March 2014. In January this year MSM and KEPL had come across trailers of Badmashiyaan on YouTube and found that the movie was an adaptation of the Korean movie as well as that of Mango.

     

    It was also alleged that the producer of Badmashiyaan copied the plot, treatment and screenplay of Couples as well as Mango. Badmashiyaan, starring Suzanna Mukherjee, Sharib Hashmi, Siddhant Gupta, Gunjan Malhotra and Karan Mehra, was slated for release on 27 February.

  • Eros International inks deal with Thirrupathi Brothers

    Eros International inks deal with Thirrupathi Brothers

    MUMBAI: Eros International Media has joined hands with N Lingusamy’s Thirrupathi Brothers Media. As part of the tie-up, Eros will release two of the most anticipated films in Tamil cinema with Telugu dub namely Kamal Haasan’s Uttama Villain and Shiva Karthikeyan’s Rajini Murugan.

     

    Uttama Villain, the first of the two films under this deal, also starring Anushka Shetty is a comedy written by Haasan and directed by Ramesh Aravind. The trailer of the film released on Pongal 2015 and the release is slated for 2 April.

     

    Rajini Murugan, is also a comedy, starring Sivakarthikeyan and directed by Ponram, whose last venture with the actor was the hit film Varuthapadatha Valibar Sangam.

     

    Eros International Media managing director Sunil Lulla said, “We are delighted to partner with ace director N. Lingusamy’s Thirrupathi Brothers on these exciting films with the legendary Kamal Haasan and upcoming talent like Sivakarthikeyan. The films will be high on the entertainment quotient and promise to connect with fans and audiences.”

     

    Thirrupathi Brothers Film Media managing director Lingusamy added, “We are extremely proud to associate with Eros, the most powerful and successful name in contemporary Indian cinema to co-produce our prestigious Uttama Villain starring Kamal Hassan and Rajini Murugan starring the emerging popular hero of Tamil Cinema Sivakarthikeyan only to mark the beginning of a long and successful journey with Eros.”

  • ‘Shamitabh’ delivers weak opening at box office

    ‘Shamitabh’ delivers weak opening at box office

    MUMBAI: Director R Balki does come up with new ideas and his earlier two film, Cheeni Kam and Paa have been appreciated. This time though the idea may be different from the run of the mill but its execution is messed up. The drawbacks lie in right from a long winding script to execution and editing.

     

    Instead of cashing in on the idea, Shamitabh tries to cash in on Amitabh Bachchan’s histrionics and then going overboard with it. There seemed to be no curiosity for the film as the weak opening day audience response and the collections reflected this. The film had a slight improvement on Saturday and was better on Sunday but the slide has begun as the new week started. The film ended its opening weekend with a figure of Rs 12.45 crore, which is not enough to help it recoup its high price.

     

    The other two releases, Jai Jawan Jai Kisaan and Hum Tum Dushman, failed to find enough audience needed for a screening.

     

    Rahashya has managed to collect only about Rs 70 lakh in its first week.

     

    Baby reaped the benefit of poor oppositions and collected a reasonable Rs 16.7 crore in its second week to take its two week tally to Rs 68.8 crore.

     

    Khamoshiyan remains poor as the film adds precious little to its weekend collection of Rs 5.75 crore in the next four days as it ends its first week with figures of Rs 9.15 crore.

     

    Hawaizaada meets with a disastrous fate at the box office. Following its poor opening, it only goes downhill to end its first week with a meager Rs 3.55 crore.

     

    Dolly Ki Doli also gets to survive in its second week thanks to poor oppositions by adding Rs 1.1 crore in its second week to take its two week total to Rs 13 crore.

     

    PK collects approximately Rs 45 lakh in its seventh week for a seven week total of Rs 329.75 crore.

  • Viacom18 partners with Film Heritage Foundation

    Viacom18 partners with Film Heritage Foundation

    MUMBAI: Viacom18 has partnered with the Film Heritage Foundation to save India’s cinematic heritage. As a step towards this cause, the Film Heritage Foundation will be setting up a week-long school from 22 – 28 February, 2015 at Films Division Mumbai. 

     

    This is for the first time that an academic initiative of this nature focused on film preservation and restoration is being conducted in India. The school will consist of lectures, presentations and practical classes on film preservation and restoration that will be conducted by international experts in the field. There will also be a daily screening of a restored classic preceded by an introductory talk on the restoration. This is in line with the vision to create an indigenous resource of film archivists and restorers that will work towards preserving India’s legacy of cinema.

     

    With over a 100 years of cinematic heritage, India is the world’s largest producer of films. India produces more than 1700 movies a year in over 32 languages. However by 1950, the industry had lost 70-80 per cent of the films including India’s first talkie Alam Ara due to lack of proper preservation. Understanding the importance of creating awareness to safeguard India’s unique cinematic history, Viacom18 has pledged its support to the Film Heritage Foundation, mobilizing the film fraternity and industry veterans to come forward to join this initiative.

     

    Extending support to this unique initiative, Viacom18 Media group CEO and CII National Committee on Media & Entertainment chairman Sudhanshu Vats said, “At Viacom18, we don’t just create entertainment but also believe in preserving our cultural heritage for the benefit of our audience. Our partnership with the Film Heritage Foundation is an indication of how we truly support and honour the hard work that goes behind the making of a film. Our objective for this partnership is to create awareness about the importance of preserving our glorious cinematic past because if we don’t restore films, we will lose the opportunity to document the creativity of the golden age of Indian cinema. We invite each one of you to join this movement to help restore our legacy of cinema for generations to come.”

     

    Film Heritage Foundation founder director Shivendra Singh Dungarpur added, “Most people are not aware that India has an endangered cinematic legacy. We have lost a colossal amount of our cinematic heritage and we continue to lose more every day — even recent films dating from as late as the ’90s. We need to recognize that cinema is an integral part of our social and cultural heritage that must be preserved and restored like any other art form. The idea behind the Film Preservation & Restoration School India was to create awareness about the importance of film preservation and restoration and to take the first step in training future archivists and restorers to save our cinematic heritage. Sudhanshu Vats of Viacom 18 was the first person from the film industry who had the foresight to recognize the importance and urgency of our cause and to offer his support for this pioneering educational initiative.”

     

    The Film Heritage Foundation has collaborated with Martin Scorsese’s Film Foundation, Cineteca di Bologna, L’Immagine Ritrovata and FIAF for this course, which is certified by FIAF – the International Federation of Film Archives. Pre-registered participants from across India, Sri Lanka and Nepal will be part of this course.