ITV

Category: Hindi

  • MSM Motion Pictures announces their next venture ‘PIKU’

    MSM Motion Pictures announces their next venture ‘PIKU’

    MUMBAI: MSM Motion Pictures in association with Saraswati Entertainment Creations (SECL) and Shoojit Sircar & Ronnie Lahiri’s Rising Sun Films have announced their next feature film ‘Piku’.

     

    In the lead roles, ‘Piku’ will star Amitabh Bachchan along with Deepika Padukone and Irfan Khan. The first schedule of ‘Piku’ will go on the floors in August 2014. The film is slated to release on 30 April 2015.

     

    MSM Motion Pictures dy president & head Sneha Rajani said, “We at MSM Motion Pictures are endeavoring to create content that engages, evokes & entertains.’Piku’ gives us just that opportunity to co-create engaging and high quality content which we believe will entertain our audience the world over. Working with Mr. Amitabh Bachchan yet again in my new role is an absolute honour. As for Shoojit, I have been an admirer of his work since Yahaan and I am really looking forward to working with him and the delightful ensemble cast which includes the very talented Deepika, Irfan and many others. We are very excited to team up with Saraswati Entertainment Creations Ltd and Rising Sun Films for Piku.”

     

    Added Sircar, “The charisma of Mr. Bachchan, seamless acting of Deepika with the versatile flair of Irfan Khan and the evergreen Moushami Chaterjee will make Piku an experience for me. I am looking forward to this fantastic opportunity of working together with such gifted talent from the industry. We are very happy to partner with MSM Motion Pictures and Saraswati Entertainment Creations Ltd. to bring this wonderful film to the audience, early next year.”

  • Government keen on promoting children’s films: Prakash Javadekar

    Government keen on promoting children’s films: Prakash Javadekar

    NEW DELHI: Information and Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar has said that the government is keen on promoting children’s’ films by facilitating expansion of their reach as this would help in the all-round development of the young.  

     

    The Minister was speaking at a review meeting with the Children’s Film Society India (CFSI), in Mumbai on 21 June. He also held review meetings of media units like the National Film Development Corporation (NFDC), the Films Division and the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC).

     

    The Minister said the films produced by the CFSI needs to be promoted and marketed well. “If the films are made and we are not able to release them, then the end result will be nil,” he observed.   

     

    Agreeing with a suggestion, Javadekar said the budget for promotion and marketing should be a built-in component of CFSI films’ overall budget. The minister observed that though CFSI films win national and international awards, they fail to reach wider audience due to weak distribution “We need to explore all options, including outsourcing of distribution to make our films  reach far and wide,” he added.

     

    The Minister complimented CFSI for organising the biennial Golden Elephant International Children’s Film Festival in Hyderabad, but said that there was a need to take the children’s film festival culture to many other cities and states. He said his Ministry would lend support to organising such film festivals in all the states of the country.

     

    Besides promoting films through conventional distribution channels, Javadekar also stressed on distributing them through informal rural communication channels with the help of Directorate of Field Publicity, supported by the Song and Drama Division. He said for this purpose, various religious and community fairs, jatras etc could be targeted to reach out to maximum audience.

     

    The Minister also held a meeting with a group of film producers and television industry leaders. Those participating in the meeting briefed the minister about various challenges being faced by the film industry and drew his attention to action required from his Ministry. Additional secretary (Films) Raghavendra Singh was also present in the meeting coordinated by Shaina N C and attended by Dalip Tahil, Durga Jasraj, Manish Goswami, and Raveen Kohli among others.

  • ‘Humshakals’…Dumbshakals

    ‘Humshakals’…Dumbshakals

    MUMBAI: In Humshakals, Sajid Khan tries to do one better on the Royal bard, William Shakespeare. Shakespeare’s one of the earliest plays was Comedy Of Errors, a play about two sets of identical twins. That was a short play about mistaken identity. On a mistaken notion that he can do better than Shakespeare, Sajid makes a film about a set of three identical sets of people who are not related. They are not separated at birth twins or triplets; they are just identical. Having taken this suicidal step, Sajid goes on to create a comedy.

     Sajid has had a successful debut and follow-up in his rise as a director of films from a standup comedian of a kind who regaled in running down film folks on TV. He had a great start with Heyy Babyy! Followed by Housefull and Housefull2. Disaster caught up with him soon after when he delivered a dud in the remake of 1983 Jeetendra hit, Himmatwala; he made the mistake of trying to better it.

    This time he makes the mistake of trying to improve on Shakespeare and that is quite a task. Gulzar presented a fairly decent version of the Shakespeare story in Angoor in 1982 where he had the advantage of two among the best artistes playing lead roles in Sanjeev Kumar and Deven Verma.

    Saif Ali Khan is Ashok and Riteish Deshmukh is Kumar, both childhood friends. Like Ashok is the ward of a Tata or Birla kind of family whose father is in coma and the business empire is left to him to handle. His hobby is to gather people over free drinks and tell them PJs. It does not matter that he is an heir to an empire, he still wants to be known as a standup comedian. Actually, if that has nothing to do with the film’s script thereafter, nothing or no sequence has relevance. Sajid Khan just tries to put together a feature film of 159 minutes together with whatever content he comes across, relevance being immaterial.

    Producer: Vashu Bhagnani.

    Director: Sajid Khan.

    Cast: Saif Ali Khan, Riteish Deshmukh, Ram Kapoor, Bipasha Basu, Tamannaah Bhatia, Esha Gupta, Satish Shah.111

    So, Humshakals goes on to being one marathon jamboree of poor jokes, sick jokes, dated jokes and no jokes at all. And, the film is shot in UK where even the whites speak Hindi dutifully, an asylum has Indian attendants and doctors and it is India Raj in UK, a sort of payback for the British Raj in India.

    If Angoor had great talents in Sanjeev Kumar and Deven Verma handling two roles each, here we have two limited actors in Saif and Riteish trying to better them with three each. Yes, not to forget Ram Kapoor. I mean, how many nails can you add to a coffin?

    Till most of the first half, the film has one Saif and one Riteish after which another pair is added, both with same names and the third comes in the form of a villainous doctor’s handiwork who gives a face change to two of his assistants. Mercifully, the writer director are a easy with three Ram Kapoors, introducing them gradually.

    What do these three humshakals do? They do buffoonery in the absence of scope for showing any histrionics. But, even in buffoonery, Satish Kaushik takes the cake as he excesses by all accounts as even Akash Khurana joins in at the end. The three girls, Bipasha Basu, Esha Gupta and Tamannaah Bhatia remain at the director’s back and call to make an appearance when he can’t think of anything else.

    There is nothing such a script here but just an attempt to put together gags which, sadly, are dated and PJs. Direction is juvenile. Music is poor with no song carrying appeal. The use of foreign locations is not justified.

    There is nothing that works for Humshakals and, this rather costly film, will be a big jolt for its investors.

  • ‘Ludo’ makers trademark the film title, create history

    ‘Ludo’ makers trademark the film title, create history

    MUMBAI: Bengali cinema’s controversial duo, Nikon and Q are ready with their latest film – Ludo. A film entering the unchartered territory of fantasy thrillers, the movie is bound to both – shock and leave audiences awestruck – with its brand new storytelling.

    The makers of the movie have gone ahead and applied for registering the film’s title Ludo as a trademark, as an entertainment idea after sensing its strong potential of building a franchise around the movie/concept.

    Idyabooster co-producer Nandini Mansinghka says, “To acquire/own a film title, one needs to register it with a film association, in this case we have done with EIMPA (Eastern Indian Motion Pictures Association). But that’s not enough in case of a dispute. If one trademarks the title, which is registering it with the government, it protects our interest and refrain others in the country from using it (in that category) as a film name.”

    The film features the sensuous Rii Sen, Joyraj, Subholina, Ronodeep, Ananya and Soumendra. Q and Nikon are already looking forward to a sequel, especially after the strong buzz the film has created at Cannes Festival this year.

  • HDFC Life extends association with ‘Hawaa Hawaai’

    HDFC Life extends association with ‘Hawaa Hawaai’

    MUMBAI: HDFC Life, has extended its association with Hindi film ‘Hawaa Hawaai,’ directed by Amole Gupte and presented by Fox Star Studios, by sponsoring the education of the four children featured in the movie, who come from financially challenged backgrounds.

     

    HDFC Life senior executive vice president and head, marketing, products, digital & e-commerce Sanjay Tripathy said, “As a brand, we have always propagated ‘Independence and Self respect’ or ‘Sar Utha Ke Jiyo,’ as a way of life. In line with our brand philosophy, we were very keen to ensure that the four children featured in the movie receive quality education and any other vocational or co-curricular training required to help them build a sound foundation. We, in association with Aseema Charitable Trust, a Mumbai based NGO working for the rights of underprivileged children, are sponsoring the school education of the four financially challenged children featured in the movie.”

     

    For the three children studying in municipal schools, the sponsorship would include all educational material, complete school uniform, participation in co-curricular activities such as art, sports, computers, etc., extra classes and remedial help within and outside school hours, counseling if required, a nutritious meal in school every day. “For the fourth student studying in another school, this would include school fees, expenses for uniform and educational material and any tuition or after school support required,” added Tripathy.

     

    Fox Star Studios India CEO Vijay Singh said, “Hawaa Hawaai is a very special film for us. Amole Gupte’s magical film touched the hearts of the people of the country and we are thankful to all our partners specially HDFC Life for believing in Amole’s dream as we did and supporting it with the way they have. It’s a very special relationship that we shall continue to cherish.”

     

    Gupte concluded, “On behalf of Salman Chhote Khan, Ashfaque Khan, Maaman Memon and Thirupathi Kushnapelli, I thank HDFC Life for sparing a thought for their well being by supporting their education at Santacruz Municipal School and St. Elias High.”

  • 61st Idea Filmfare Awards 2013 to be held in July

    61st Idea Filmfare Awards 2013 to be held in July

    MUMBAI: The 61st Idea Filmfare Awards 2013 (south) will be held at the Sports Development Authority of Tamil Nadu (Nehru Indoor Stadium), Chennai on 12 July 2014. It is expected to be an evening where the luminaries of Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada cinema come together to celebrate and honour the best in their fields.

     

    The Filmfare Awards have always strived for a perfect balance of public opinion and critical appreciation. This year too Filmfare readers and movie buffs around the world have already voted for their favourites across 10 categories in Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam films. The list of nominees will be chosen after carefully tabulating the data from the vote count. Subsequently, a specially-appointed jury will pick the winners from among the nominees, in each regional category.

     

    Speaking on the announcement Worldwide Media chief executive officer Tarun Rai said, “We are proud of our 60 years association with south Indian cinema. And in these years the industry here has grown tremendously. From just a handful of films in the initial years we have over 607 films competing to get the, much sought after, Black Lady this year.”

     

    Commenting on the association with the property Idea Cellular chief corporate affairs officer Rajat Mukarji said, “In the sixth year of our association, we will once again honour and recognise talent from diverse southern film industry. Idea is a champion brand in AP and Kerala and a strong challenger brand in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, with 25 per cent of our subscribers coming from these markets. The Idea Filmfare Awards South gives us an unique opportunity to connect with our millions of consumers with innovative marketing and engagement programs.”

     

    The first Filmfare Awards (south) were held at the prestigious Kalaivanar Arangam in Chennai and the venue was then shifted to the distinctive Music Academy. Initially, only Tamil and Telugu films were considered for the awards, but Malayalam and Kannada films became part of the event in 1966 and 1969 respectively. The film fraternity and all its fans consider Filmfare Awards (south) as the ultimate form of recognition in cinema excellence. The thought of winning a Black Lady is still as alluring as ever.

  • Big B sponsors coaching of women athletes for Commonwealth, World Championship and Asian Games

    Big B sponsors coaching of women athletes for Commonwealth, World Championship and Asian Games

    NEW DELHI: Global cinema icon and champion of various social causes Amitabh Bachchan has decided to sponsor the training and coaching of two female sportspersons for the upcoming Commonwealth, World Championship and Asian Games in 2014.

     

    As UN ambassador of girl child, Bachchan has often taken initiatives towards the betterment of society such Polio Eradication and ridding the country of the malaise of discrimination against women.

     

    The megastar has sponsored women athletes Ayonika Paul and Pooja Ghatkar (both Rifle Shooting) as part of the Medals4India campaign initiated by the NGO Olympic Gold Quest. Olympic Gold Quest is a program of the Foundation of Sports And Games (founded in 2001) started by Indian sporting icons to identify and support Indian athletes with a proven track record and with a potential to win Olympic gold medals. 

     

    These athletes will be participating in the upcoming Commonwealth, World Championship, and Asian Games in 2014, the main goal being to help them win at the 2016 Rio Olympics. The funds will help with their training and equipment in preparation for their respective competitions.

  • Movies go unnoticed this week at BO

    Movies go unnoticed this week at BO

    MUMBAI: This week saw a number of inconsequential films which had no draw and meant total lack of creativity. The highly-publicised Fugly directed by  third time helmer Kabir Sadanand managed to collect Rs 6.5 crore over the weekend. Described as a comedy, it was nowhere near being one – it rather resorted to hyperbole, hoping it would make us laugh! But it failed miserably as my lips were not curled upwards even during one scene throughout the film.

     

    Chal Bhaag could attract no audience. Machhli Jal Ki Raani Hai faced no audience no show status as well.

     

    There were a few other releases which went unnoticed but mentioned here for the record. 18.11 Code Of Secrecy, Unforgettable and Naari Teri Shakti Anokhi lost without a trace.

     

    Holiday, though opened to a mixed response, got some good word of mouth to consolidate itself. The open run sans any major opposition helped too. The film ended its first week with a total of Rs 66.25 crore. With poor opposition in its second week, the film may hold on well to put together another Rs 22-25 crore or so. However, its high price tag may never see it through to plus side.

     

    Filmistan has been exempted from entertainment tax in Maharashtra. The film is monotonously poor and has barely managed to collect Rs 4.25 crore for its first week. Citilights has collected Rs 90 lakh in its second week taking its two week total to Rs 5.9 crore and Heropanti has collected Rs 2.20 crore in its third week to take its three week tally to Rs 52.45 crore.

  • Europe’s Largest South Asian Film Event is Back!

    Europe’s Largest South Asian Film Event is Back!

    MUMBAI: Executive produced by actor Emma Thompson, Sold will be the red carpet European Premiere opening night film of the Fifth annual London INDIAN Film Festival (July 10-17). This film is a powerful, survival against the odds tale about a young Nepali girl who is trafficked to Kolkata, India. Gillian Anderson stars with a great Indian and Nepali ensemble cast including Seema Biswas (Bandit Queen). Central highlights of the festival will be the UK Premiere of the true story Million Dollar Arm, from The Walt Disney Company, starring Jon Hamm (Mad Men) and Suraj Sharma (Life of Pi). Bollywood’s hottest actor Farhan Akhtar and South Indian cinematography supremo Santosh Sivan will be giving rare screen talks at the BFI Southbank. Closing the festival will be the World Premiere of Hemalkasa, an homage to the revolutionary human rights leader Prakash Baba Amte, starring Bollywood hero Nana Patekar. Many other special guests are expected to a packed week of UK first screenings.

    Now Europe’s largest platform for Indian cinema, the London Indian Film Festival returns to the Capital, in association with Pure Heaven, the British Film Institute, and official Hotel Partner Grange Hotels, celebrating the exploding movement of Indian Independent cinema and bringing to UK audiences a rare selection of cutting-edge films from some of the Indian subcontinent’s hottest independent talents. Going way beyond Bollywood, the festival presents a kaleidoscope of new films that challenge, shock, generate debate and present a more realistic view of India and the subcontinent today, in all its diversity. The festival will stretch citywide, opening in the West End at the historic Cineworld Haymarket, and continuing at BFI Southbank, Cineworld cinemas Wembley, Wood Green, Wandsworth and O2 in Royal Greenwich and ICA near the Pall Mall, so there is a screening near you.

    The first weekend of this high-impact festival launches with Sold, on 10th July which explores the controversial theme of child trafficking; one school girl’s battle against the odds and the dangerous journey to liberate her from the Kolkata mafia; expect a glamorous line up of celebs to follow X Files and The Fall actress Gillian Anderson down the red carpet.

    On 12th July Rotterdam Film Festival headliner Qissa: Tale of a Lonely Ghost, has its UK Premiere, Irrfan Khan (Slumdog Millionaire, Life of Pi) plays a rural Punjabi father hell bent on having a son and heir, no matter what the consequences. Apur Panchali, based on a true-life story, is an emotionally charged homage to Satyajit Ray’s impoverished child character Apu and the real-life person who played one of the most famous child roles in world cinema. It screens on 13th July. By contrast Slamdance audience winner Hank and Asha explores a new generation of trans-global online romance, at ICA and Cineworlds across London. The festival’s Central Gala is the inspirational true story Million Dollar Arm that follows the uplifting journey of two Indian boys whose lives are transformed by a national TV contest and against the odds end up going to the US to train to become major sports stars.

     

    As well as films in the Hindi, Punjabi, Tamil, Kannada and Malayalam languages, and UK/Pakistani film Anima State, in Urdu, the festival previews its first Bangladesh based film Shongram (Struggle) directed by Munsur Ali. In terms of special talks, India’s most celebrated cinematographer and acclaimed director Santosh Sivan gives a unique Masterclass at BFI Southbank, 11th July. The multi-talented singer, actor and director Farhan Akhtar rocks into town on 15th July and offers an insight on his high-octane career so far, including his iconic recent role as muscle rippling athletics hero Milkha Singh in Bhaag Milkha Bhaag. Expect lots of female fans! Bollywood icon Nana Patekar stars in the festival’s uplifting closing World Premiere of Hemalkasa. Directed by Samruddhi Porey it’s guaranteed to make you cry and smile at the same time.

    London Indian Film Festival also includes industry events at BAFTA, exploring UK and Indian subcontinent co-productions. The winner of the annual Satyajit Ray Short Film Competition will be announced at the end of the festival, with short-listed contenders battling it out at the ICA on 15th July. We are delighted to announce that our Major Sponsors this year will include Queen’s Award for Enterprise International Trade winner Sunmark Ltd, producers of Pure Heaven brand and founding sponsor Grange Hotels. The festival is also grant funded for by the BFI Film Festival Fund.

    Emma Thompson comments: “It is wonderful to have our film premiered at London Indian Film Festival, to raise awareness of child-trafficking, which is an issue close to my heart and is shockingly on the increase world-wide. We hope that this film will make people think and highlight the support for key charities such as The Helen Bamber Foundation and others working in this difficult area in India, Nepal and elsewhere”.
    Says Farhan Akhtar: “At its heart, Cinema is about sharing ones culture with the world. Be it on screen or in representation of ones work. I look forward to sharing my experiences, memories and motivations.”

    Cary Rajinder Sawhney, Festival Director comments: “We are delighted that the festival is now firmly established on the London and international scene after five amazing years. If you want to find out more about South Asian cinema, come to London and soak yourself in a week of magnificent, world class cinema”.

  • Subhash Ghai to get Lifetime Achievement Award at Delhi International Filmfest

    Subhash Ghai to get Lifetime Achievement Award at Delhi International Filmfest

    NEW DELHI: Even as the entries for the third edition of the Delhi International Film Festival (DIFF), to be held in December this year, were called for, one thing which is clear is that versatile showman Subhash Ghai will be honoured with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Festival.

     

    The Minar-e-Dilli Award is proposed to be presented to Ghazal Maestro Gulam Ali, and Pakistan is expected to be the partner country for the festival to be held from 20-27 December.

     

    DIFF 2014 is an initiative by “The Social Circle, A Society for Cause and – A step toward inclusiveness” to showcase the best of Cinema, Art and Literature from across the globe.

     

    Started in 2012, the advisory board for this festival is headed by Dada Saheb Phalke awardee Adoor Gopalakrishnan. Working closely with him are some of the greats of Indian Cinema including the national award winning directors Tigmanshu Dhulia, Anurag Kashyap and Anooj Kapoor, Mohan Agashe, Manoj Bajpai, Mandira Bedi, Shriram Raghwan, Jimmy Shergill, N. Chandra, Sandeep Marwah, Shailesh Lodha, Yashpal Sharma and Arvind Gaur, apart from Satish Anand from Pakistan.

     

    Now in its third edition, the festival hopes to showcase 200 films from around 45 countries as against 170 in the previous years.

     

    The earlier editions also showcased 100 paintings and sculptures from India. The two editions also had a literature section with 100 NRI poets displaying their work at the venue. The second edition of the festival saw the addition of Fashion, Singing, Band events and Sufi night by Nizami Brothers, thus making DIFF the only festival in the world with so many sections and live events every evening during the seven days of the festival.

     

    The other events during the festival include ‘Band of the Year’ with participation of more than 25 bands from all over India; ‘Singer of the Year’, a tribute to Mohammed Rafi, ‘Face and Designer of the Year’, daily seminars and workshops and book launches on various aspects of cinema, art and literature.

     

     To promote cinema, art and culture, the festival has associated itself with French and Israeli Embassies in New Delhi along with HUNERKADAA, well known Visual Arts and Performance Institute and EVEREADY GROUP, one of the leading film distribution company from Pakistan.