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Category: Hindi

  • Anushka Sharma to appear in the next PK poster

    Anushka Sharma to appear in the next PK poster

    MUMBAI: Aamir Khan is leaving no stone unturned in promoting his upcoming film PK. The first poster of PK garnered enough buzz in the market with the actor posing almost nude in the first look of the film.

    In order to keep the buzz alive, it was being speculated that Khan will be looking at releasing about seven to eight posters of the film before the trailer. The posters until now have had Khan and the recent one had Sanjay Dutt as a part of it. It is only now that the leading lady of the film, Anushka Sharma revealed that she will be giving us a glimpse of her avatar in the film’s next poster.

    Recently, the actress took to Twitter to talk about the release of the next poster of the film. She tweeted this video saying, “Mujhe tukur tukur dekhna hai? Toh pehle isse dekho” Sharma described that the next poster will be released on WhatsApp and it will only be available if you put up a phone number on a group of ten or more people.

     
    Directed by Rajkumar Hirani and also produced by Hirani in association with Vidhu Vinod Chopra and UTV, PK also stars Sushant Singh Rajput and Boman Irani. The film is slated to release on December 19.

     

  • The Lunchbox bags Star Box Office India award

    The Lunchbox bags Star Box Office India award

    MUMBAI: Described as a defining film in Indian cinema, The Lunchbox which has won numerous domestic and international accolades in its slight over a year’s run at the box office won yet another award. It was recently conferred the Film with the Best Return on Investment award at the Star Box Office India 2014 awards. DAR Motion Pictures producer Vivek Rangachari and Guneet Monga from Sikhya Entertainment were present on the occasion to receive the award.

     

    The film is a story about a mistaken delivery in Mumbai’s famously efficient lunchbox delivery system connects a young housewife to a stranger in the dusk of his life. They build a fantasy world together through notes in the lunchbox. Gradually, this fantasy threatens to overwhelm their reality. The film is an example of global collaboration with studios from India, USA, France and Germany coming together to produce a film that strikes a chord with global audiences. One of the top-rated film by critics in India this year, it was distributed in the US by Sony Classic Pictures.

     

    Commenting on the award Rangachari said “When the script of The Lunchbox came to me, I was sure this movie will do great but the kind of response we have got from India as well as globally is way beyond all expectations. DAR is really happy to be a part of the project which has created a new path for Indian cinema nationally and globally.”
    Written and directed by Ritesh Batra, the film has released globally in various countries like UK, USA, New Zealand, France, Germany, Australia, Argentina, Chile, Paraguay, Brazil, China, Columbia, Malaysia, Italy, Israel, Hungary, Hong Kong, Japan, Poland, Middle East, Singapore amongst others. Furthermore, it has been showcased in various film festivals including The Cannes Film Festival, The Telluride Film Festival, The Toronto Film Festival, The London Film Festival, etc. winning various awards like Viewers Choice Award at the International Critics’ Week, Best Film at The London Film Festival and The Filmfare awards, to name a few.

     

    Produced by Arun Rangachari of Dar Motion Pictures (India) and Guneet Monga and Anurag Kashyap of Sikhya Entertainment (India), The Lunchbox has been co-produced by Vivek Rangachari, Nina Lath Gupta of NFDC (India), Karan Johar (Dharma Productions), UTV Motion Pictures, Shanaab Alam, Sunil John, Nittin Keni, Karsten Stöter and Benny Drechsel of Rohfilm (Germany), Cedomir Kolar and Marc Baschet of ASAP Films (France), Danis Tanovic and executive produced by Lydia Dean Pilcher of CineMosaic, Irrfan and Ritesh Batra.

     

  • ‘Bang Bang’ continues to thrill the BO

    ‘Bang Bang’ continues to thrill the BO

    MUMBAI: The week saw four small-time films release in Spark, EkkeesTopon KI Salaami, Jigariya and Tamanchey. None had the face value, or could draw crowd. Also, each film catered a regional subject with scant identification for universal audience.

     

    Of the lot, EkkeesTopon KI Salaami had the best prospects and was a sincere attempt; however, it lost out balancing itself between a satire and a melodrama.
    Bang Bang opened to good houses as expected. However, the reports about its mediocre content caught up with it and the collections started dropping in a free fall. The fall which started a day after release got more pronounced as the new week began. The film, which had collected Rs 80 crore for its first five days (having opened on Thursday) managed to end its eight day week with Rs 115.3 crore.

     

    Haider has met with an indifferent response with only a few caring to talk about it. A pretentious film with a script penned on whim and fancy, it fails to identify with any sort of audience. It is as unreal as a cinema can get. The film continued to collect on the lower side of average throughout the week despite holidays to end its eight day week with Rs 35.15 crore.

     

    Daawat-e-Ishq has added just Rs 10 lakh in its third week taking its three week total to Rs 25.66 crore.

     

    Khoobsurat has added Rs 70 lakh in its third week to take its three week total to Rs 24.65 crore.

     

  • Sony Pictures acquisition Red Army to be screened at Mumbai Film Festival

    Sony Pictures acquisition Red Army to be screened at Mumbai Film Festival

    New Delhi, 13 Oct:

    The film ‘Red Army’, based on hockey, is being screened at the Mumbai Film Festival commencing tomorrow.
     
    The Festival, which continues till 21 October, is divided into nine sections: International Competition for the First Feature Films of Directors, World Cinema, Indian Frame, Dimensions Mumbai, Retrospectives, Above the Cut, New Faces in Indian Cinema and The Real Reel.
     
    Red Army is a feature documentary about the Soviet Union and the most successful dynasty in sports history, the Red Army hockey team. Told from the perspective of its captain, Slava Fetisov, the story portrays his transformation from national hero to political enemy.
     
    From the USSR to Russia, the film examines how sport mirrors social and cultural movements. It parallels the rise and fall of the Red Army team with the Soviet Union.
     
    Whether he was pitted against enemies in the political arena or on the ice, Fetisov’s story provides a rare glimpse behind the Iron Curtain of the 1970s and ’80s by mirroring the social and political forces at work in the world around him.
     
    While helping pave the way for his nation to cross over into the next century, this one man demonstrated how sports could not only be an avenue for creative expression in a world determined to suppress it, but also be something so inextricably intertwined with a nation’s cultural and political identity.
     
    The film, which has been acquired by Sony Pictures Classics, features Mark Deakins and Vyacheslav Fetisov who are among the erstwhile’s most-decorated athletes.

  • The Angry Young Man of Bollywood turns 72

    The Angry Young Man of Bollywood turns 72

    MUMBAI: Megastar Amitabh Bachchan, who turns 72 today, feels there’s no gift greater than spending time with family. The actor, who feels ‘luckiest today’ thanked all who have been in his life.

    “To them that wish for me for my 72nd moving into 73rd…I have just few words…I am blessed to have you with me still! Thank you all for your affectionate greetings and love..they shall ever remain with me…I feel today the luckiest,” he tweeted early Saturday.

    “It is that time of life when the next year in celebration of the birth is never one that needs celebration….I have none answer to the why, but so it is…I do not feel any different from this and never shall,” added the entertainer, who has been part of the Indian showbiz for over four decades now.

    Born on 1942, he started his career with Saat Hindustani. His early works were not appreciated. His rise to stardom started when Director Prakash Mehra cast him in the leading role for the film Zanjeer (1973) as Inspector Vijay Khanna. The film was a sharp contrast to the romantically themed films that had generally preceded it and established Amitabh in a new persona—the ‘angry young man’ of Bollywood cinema.

    He has appeared in more than 180 movies in his whole life span and created his own heights of success. His career started with Saat Hindustani in which he also made a debut as a narrator.

    Besides a number of Filmfare awards, he has been honoured by the Government of India with the Padma Shri award in 1984 and Padma Bhushan in 2001 for his utmost contributions to the film industry. He has also received National Film award, France’s highest civilian honour, the Knight of the Legion of Honour, among other recognitions.

    His notable works include Kabhie Kabhie,  Deewar, Chupke Chupke, Mr. Natwarlal, Kaala Patthar and The Great Gambler, Satte Pe Satta, Lawaris, Sarkar, KAbhi Khushi Kabhi Gam, Sholay, Anand among others.

     “…it is not a day to contemplate…it is a time to deliver thanks and gratefulness to all those that have been responsible for my 72 in completion and my 73 to begin,” posted Big B.

    Every year, Amitabh Bachchan’s birthday is celebrated with much fervour by fans who gather outside his residence Jalsa to wish the superstar and if possible meet him. Big B too obliges the fans by stepping among them.

     

  • Kabaddi forms the subject of new feature film being released next month

    Kabaddi forms the subject of new feature film being released next month

    NEW DELHI: With Kabaddi getting tonnes of attention as a sports format in the country, Bollywood is now set to release a feature film on the game.

     

    Set to release on 7 November, Badlapur Boys will be produced by Karrm Movie. The movie revolves around about some boys of Badlapur village, who breathe and live Kabaddi and aspire to make a name out of the game, not only for themselves, but also for their village. However, the protagonist’s dream is slightly different and it binds the film right till the end. 

     

    Annu Kapoor plays the role of a Kabaddi coach in the film. The hero of the film, Nishshan, has acted in the film David and Subhash Ghai’s Cycle Kick, along with many other Malyalam movies. Badlapur Boys also stars Sharanya Mohan, who has acted in more than 16 South Indian movies as the main lead but this is her first Hindi film. 

     

    Although this is the directorial debut of the film’s director Shailesh Verma, he has written various daily soaps and movies, including Salman Khan starrer Veer. He is also planning to start his next movie right after the release of Badlapur Boys. 

     

    Actress Kishori Shahane plays the hero’s mother and Pooja Gupta, who had starred in Vicky Donor, Mickey Virus and Oh My God, is also a part of the film. Other artistes who worked in the movie are Boloram Das, Nitin Jadhav, Shashank Udaypurkar, Mazhar Khan, Ankit Sharma, Vineet, among many more. 

     

    Music of the film has been composed by Shamir Tandon and Sachin Gupta. Words to the melodies have been given by lyricist Sameer Anjaan, which have been sung by singers Sukhwinder Singh, Shaan, Mahalaxmi Iyer, Shreya Ghoshal, Javed Ali, Ritu Pathak. Choreography has been done by Saroj Khan.   

     

    Badlapur Boys is Karrm Movies’ first Hindi film. Their Marathi film Razakar is also ready to release. 

  • Ekkees Topon Ki Salaami…20 guns too many

    Ekkees Topon Ki Salaami…20 guns too many

    Selling honesty as a theme is a tough proposal. It is considered boring and not as readily acceptable as corruption is. Ekkees Topon Ki Salaami juxtaposes one honest man who never wavered despite temptations and desperations, against a totally sold-out system including the local CM. How that honest man, in whom even his sons don’t have faith, finally gets his way is an interesting idea.

     

    Anupam Kher works for the Mumbai municipal department’s malaria control wing, setting out every day with his fogging machine diligently to do his job. His two sons, Divyendu Sharma and Manu Rishi, are totally wayward. Sharma, the dominant of the two, does hatchet jobs for the local CM and is the star of the local political branch (shakha).

     

    Divyendu holds a degree of influence over the CM, Rajesh Sharma. When he gets hurt at a pro-CM rally, the CM foots his five-star hospital bill. Divyendu’s hotline in the CM’s house is his girlfriend, Aditi Sharma. She is the trustworthy aide of the CM.

     

    There is a scandal breaking out against the CM; he is reported to have gifted a Rs 12 crore worth bungalow on sea-facing, government land to his concubine, Neha Dhupia. The news is all over and Neha has no scruples using it to gain mileage for herself. While she is busy telling the media the inside story, the CM is ashamed that he is in news for a meagre Rs 12 crore scam when anything below Rs 1000 crore is considered petty cash!

     

    Meanwhile, it is D day for Kher. He is due for retirement and goes to the office beaming for a golden handshake, a certificate and a box of sweets. Instead, what he gets is a humiliating discharge sans retirement benefits. His fault, the day before, the last day of his duty, was that he did not surrender his fog machine officially. He is accused of stealing it and selling it to cheat the municipality.

     

    Kher is humiliated and devastated, and on his deathbed as a result of the shame, but his son’s only care to scavenge on whatever little his dead bones have to offer. They want his pension and they want to inherit the municipality-allotted room. They want him to sign a letter asking for a pardon for stealing the fogging machine so his benefits are restored. Kher would sign that pardon letter on one condition; his sons should send him off with a 21-canon salute.

     

    Divyendu has sworn to fulfil his father’s last wish not knowing how!

     

    However, he sees a ray of hope. The CM’s sexual excitement with Neha has given him his third, final fatal heart attack. He is declared dead. Having died in office, he will get a state funeral along with a 21 canon salute.

     

    By this time, the sons have realised that if anybody deserved a 21 canon salute, it is Kher and not the CM. Since there is no way Kher can get that honour, things will have to be managed to make Kher take the CM’s place.

     

    This was a good idea, but, it consumes a lengthy second half and goes into too much detailing and emotional overload. By the time it happens the viewer is not emotionally connected, just relieved.

     

    The film has spoilt its bright idea by taking too long over it. The director has an eye for detail but no control over content and needed a better editor. Dialogue is funny at times and bland at others. Divyendu is impressive. Manu Rishi is a natural. Aditi is very good. Rajesh Sharma is good as always, a seasoned actor that he is. Neha is effective in a brief role. Kher plays the signature role he started off with in Saaranash. Uttara Baokar and Sudhir Pandey are fine.

     

    Ekkees Topon Ki Salaami would have been watchable had the approach had been on a lighter note towards its goal.

     

    Producers: Anurradha Prasad and Abhinav Shukla.

     

    Director: Ravindra Gautam.

     

    Cast: Divyendu Sharma, Neha Dhupia, Anupam Kher, Manu Rishi, Aditi Sharma, Rajesh Sharma, Uttara Baokar, Sudhit Pandey, Aashif Sheikh.

     

    Spark Is missing

     

    They just don’t work, these films about UP-Bihar local feudal gang lords-cum-politicians. After all, UP has one such gang lord in each village. It is the same old story: The more gun-wielding goons you have on your muster, the bigger your don-ness. Focusing on just one such gang makes things extra monotonous so Spark has some ex-loyalists from the same gang rising to form their own. Nothing you have not seen before; nothing that you have approved either.

     

    It starts like a 1970s film as some shotgun brandishing guys barge in to a haveli and shoot down two women and a man. However, because of an alert victim, a small child is hidden in a closet. He survives and makes this story into an unending saga.

     

    Rajneesh Duggal, like all other heroes, is a popular member of his college excelling at everything from dramatics to debates. During rehearsal, with the college lacking female talent, the college invites Shubhashree Ganguly. Both get acquainted but Duggal’s time in India has ended.

     

    Duggal gets into an altercation with the nephew of the biggest bahubali of the region, Ashutosh Rana, who, like in all such films and like all such bahubali types, literally runs the local governments, granting of contracts and so on. Duggal is bashed up by Rana. Ranjeet has brought up the orphan Duggal and loves him like his son. He decides to dispatch Duggal off to Germany to keep him away from trouble.

     

    As things would have it, Duggal spots Shubsharee in Germany; it is time to resume the romance because there won’t be time for that once the film moves into action mode.

     

    Back home, the villains have realised that the family they set out to kill 20 years back has one survivor, Duggal. However, they don’t know who he is, what he looks like and where is he. Only Ranjeet can reveal that.

     

    Govind Namdeo, an ex-henchman of Rana has branched out with his own ambition to be the next leader. He knows he can use Duggal against Rana by revealing to him that he is the one who ordered his family killed 20 years back.

     

    What follows are a lot of revelations you don’t really care to know, followed by too many back-stabbings. Finally it is time for the showdown where the hero deals with hundreds of gun-toting and sword-swishing goons, leaving him and Rana to fight it out alone.

     

    A very poor concept which is out of sync with any era, with direction to match. Duggal is okay while Shubshashree has a pleasant demeanour. Ranjeet supports well. Rana, Namdeo, Manoj Joshi are the loud villains performing more through decibels than acting. The musical score offers a few pleasant numbers. Some parts have been shot in Germany but it is no help.

     

    Spark is a poor film.

     

    Producer: Naresh Gupta.

     

    Director: V K Singh.

     

    Cast: Rajnees Duggal, Shubhashree Ganguly, Ashutosh Rana, Govind Namdeo, Manoj Joshi, Rati Agnihotri, Ranjeet.

  • Ankhon Dekhi to open Dharmshala Film Festival later this month

    Ankhon Dekhi to open Dharmshala Film Festival later this month

    NEW DELHI: Rajat Kapoor’s critically acclaimed film Ankhon Dekhi will open the third Dharamshala International Film Festival on 30 October.
    The four-day festival will showcase feature films, documentaries, short films and animation films. Besides, DIFF will also host Masterclasses, panel discussions and Harun Farocki Retrospective.

    Feature films to be screened at the festival include Chaitanya Tamhane’s Court, Hansal Mehta’s Citylights, Geetu Mohandas’ Liar’s Dice, Avinash Arun’s Killa, Khyentse Norbu’s Vara: A Blessing, Meenu Gaur and Farjad Nabi’s Zinda Bhaag, Hany Abu-Assad’s Omar, Gabriela Pichler’s Eat Sleep Die, Byamba Sakhya’sRemote Control, Joanna Kos-Krauze and Krzysztof Krauze’s Papusza and Jim Jarmusch’s Only Lovers Left Alive.

    Gitanjali Rao will conduct a masterclass titled Paintings in Motion where she will take the audience from the origin of the idea, to the characters – who they are, where they come from – the style and design, the animatics with sound and music and finally the film in animation through her film which featured in the Critics Week at Cannes. She will go through the different explorations of mood, colors, sounds and music that shaped the film, and how to spin these together to create an emotional experience.

    The animation section will screen films by Shilpa Ranade, Gitanjali Rao and Nina Sabnani, among others.

    Q’s Nabarun, a documentary about famous Bengali writer Nabarun Bhattacharya who passed away in July, will have its world premiere at the festival.

     

  • Special celebrations planned to commemorate 100 years of Begum Akhtar

    Special celebrations planned to commemorate 100 years of Begum Akhtar

    NEW DELHI: As the nation celebrates the year-long birth centenary celebrations of noted classical singer Begum Akhtar, commemorative coins of Rs 100 and Rs 5 were issued today by union culture minister Shripad Naik to symbolically mark the start of the celebrations.

     

    Noted singers Rita Ganguly (Dadra), Shashank Shekhar (Thumri) and Prabhati Mukherjee (Ghazal) gave an impressive performance on the occasion. 

    DD Bharati is also marking the day with an exclusively curated show, Akhtari ki Mehfil aur Kaifi Azmi at 9 pm with repeat telecast at 5 am and 1 pm.

     

    The show by Yatindra Mishra and Kumud Diwan features the Begum and celebrated Ghazal writer and reciter of that era, Kaifi Azmi and few others. Begum Akhtar’s archival performances were hand-picked and woven together for this telecast where Kafi Azmi will be personally present.

     

    Akhtar Bai Faizabadi, popularly called Begum Akhtar (07 October 1914 –30 October 1974) was a famous Indian singer of ghazal, dadra and thumri. She received the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award for vocal music and was awarded Padam Shri and Padam Bhushan by government of India. She was given the title of mallika-e-ghazal (queen of ghazals). On completion of 100 years of this versatile genius, the government has decided to commemorate the occasion. With this end in view, a National Implementation Committee (NIC) under the chairmanship of the culture minister was constituted to chalk out programmes and activities that may be taken up during the commemoration year. 

     

    Some of the initiatives which will be taken up during the commemoration period are centenary festivals in Delhi, Lucknow, Hyderabad, Bhopal and Kolkata, web portal and digitisation/ documentation etc., of the legacy of Begum Akhtar, exhibitions and workshops, publications, seminars and a scholarship to young artists.  

     

  • Shah Rukh Khan receives Britain’s Global Diversity Award

    Shah Rukh Khan receives Britain’s Global Diversity Award

    MUMBAI: Adding to his list of honours, the king of Bollywood Shah Rukh Khan was recently presented with the ‘Global Diversity Award’ at the State Room of Britain’s House of Commons in London. The award is given to an outstanding individual who has made a major contribution to Worldwide Diversity.

     

    The Award was presented by the 136th leader of the office of speaker Rt Hon John Bercow MP while Chair of the Home Affairs committee Rt Hon Keith Vaz MP conducted the ceremony. Other members of the Parliament from both houses, Commons and Lords were also present at the occasion.

     

    He was presented with the Award for his outstanding achievements in the field of cinema and his involvement in philanthropic endeavours.

     

    Khan tweeted on the occasion expressing his gratitude, “Now at the Houses of Parliament to receive the Global Diversity Award….humbled & grateful. Thank you.”

     

    The Baadshah’s Happy New Year co-star Boman Irani also congratulated him for the achievement. “Proud of you… so very proud, for being bestowed the Global Diversity Award,” Irani tweeted.

     

    Previous recipients of the award are Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan, actress Aishwarya Rai, Prime Minister of Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina, American civil rights leader Jesse Jackson, Formula One racer Lewis Hamilton, Jackie Chan, music legend Dionne Warwick among others.

     

    Shah Rukh has previously been honoured with several international awards, including Chevalier de la Legion d’Honneur (France’s highest civilian award), Wissame Al Kafaa Al Fikria (Morocco’s highest honour), Malaysian title of ‘Datuk’ (akin to the British knighthood) and several others. He has also been entrusted with being the Brand Ambassador of INTERPOL’s ‘Turn Back Crime’ Campaign recently.