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Category: Hindi

  • I am scared of not living up to the audiences’ expectations: Amitabh Bachchan

    I am scared of not living up to the audiences’ expectations: Amitabh Bachchan

    NEW DELHI: Megastar Amitabh Bachchan has one fear: “I am still scared of not living up to the expectations of the people,” he says.

     

    Now in his early seventies, the star says box office figures do not affect him so much as what people say about a film in which he has enacted a role since the expectations from him have grown over the years.

     

    Bachchan also denied that he overawes other stars on a film set and he has confidence in his fellow stars. However, he admitted that he does help them feel comfortable, even as he denied ever giving tips to directors or interfering with their vision of a film. He said he liked working with children as he found them very ‘uninhibited’. “It is a wrong premise that I direct other directors or stars,” he reiterated.

     

    The star was speaking at a press meet about his latest film, ‘Bhootnath Returns’ directed by Nitesh Tiwari and produced by Bhushan Kumar and Krishan Kumar of T-Series and Abhay Chopra, Kapil Chopra, and Renu Ravi Chopra of BR Films.

     

    Being released on 11 April, the film has been presented in the name of the late B R Chopra and the late Gulshan Kumar. Others in the film are Boman Irani, child actor Parth Bhalerao, and Usha Jadhav, though there are guest appearances by Ranbir Kapoor and Shah Rukh Khan.

     

    Although the story to a large extent deals with elections, Bachchan denied that it was in any way made to capitalize on the poll season, adding that the story had been related to him more than eighteen months earlier. He also said the same actors could not be taken as it was a completely new story.

     

    Tiwari said he had taken up the film as a sequel to the first film as ‘Bhootnath’ had captivated the audiences even as it left a strong message-oriented impact. “I cannot give any assurance about a sequel of ‘Bhoothnath Returns.’ There was a lot of pressure working with Amitabh Bachchan, and two big production banners but they really made me feel comfortable with them.”

     

    Bachchan particularly praised Yo Yo Honey Singh who had sung a song in the film. “You do not need to put a lot of efforts working with him,” Bachchan added.

     

    Bachchan said the film takes off from where the first film ended, when Bhootnath lands in heaven but is a butt of humour as he could not frighten even a child (Banku in the earlier film) so he is sent to earth again in the slum colony Dharavi where he meets Akhrot who is the only human who can see him. The film then goes on to comment on elections and Khan and Kapoor make appearances to encourage people to exercise their franchise.

     

    While reiterating that he had retreated from politics as that was not his arena, Bachchan said “every vote makes a difference, and it is in any case the democratic right of citizens.”

     

    Bachchan said in answer to a question that AB Corp was still in the business of making films, but did so in collaboration with other filmmakers. Insisting that he was doing films that could be seen by the family, he was also doing a series with Sony which is being overlooked by Anurag Kashyap, apart from coming for another season of ‘Kaun Banega Crorepati’.  

     

    Bhushan Kumar said he had been very excited when he heard the story and had immediately agreed to come on board as producer as it had been his dream to do a film with Bachchan.

     

    Parth, who is a child star from Marathi cinema, said he had been frightened at first when told he would have to act with Amitabh Bachchan. But later he enjoyed working as he had a lot of fun with him.

  • Akshay Kumar, Ashvini Yardi unveil lead stars and trailer for ‘Fugly’

    Akshay Kumar, Ashvini Yardi unveil lead stars and trailer for ‘Fugly’

    MUMBAI: Actor Akshay Kumar and partner Ashvini Yardi have together launched the trailer for their forthcoming film Fugly, the latest big-screen initiative from their production company Grazing Goat Pictures. The event took place at Reliance Digital Express store in Prabhadevi.  

     

    The launch was special made special for the media as they were encouraged to take a fugly ‘selfie’ (fuglies) with the props as well as be a part of the poster.

     

    During the event, Akshay gave a quick insight into the plot of the film to the media and showcased the film’s stylish poster. 

     

     The trailer has already received a roaring applause from various Bollywood celebrities and veteran media. Bollywood star Abhishek Bachchan, tweeted his comments on the trailer saying “Loved the trailer of @FuglyTheFilm well done @Kabirsadanand and @AshviniYardi and all the best.” 

     

    Speaking about the event, Akshay Kumar said, “I am so thrilled to have been here today. It is a great moment for Ashvini and I and all those involved in the Fugly project.”

     

     Ashvini Yardi added, “Fugly is a film that is very close to all of our hearts. It is a vibrant, youth centric entertainer. It is funny and witty and packs a major punch. Akshay and I are delighted to introduce such a talented cast in this film, and feel that they have done a fantastic job in the film. We are all very proud of Fugly, and we hope audiences will love it as much as we do.”

     

    “Fugly is a script which has been very close to me and my team of writers. It’s an awesome feeling and we are glad that Akshay Kumar came on board as he brings the edge and with Ashvini came the focus to target good content. Fugly represents today’s independent youth who are ready to take a stand and challenge the status quo. We have had a phenomenal time making this film and the response we have received on the trailer and poster has been overwhelming. This is just the beginning of our journey called Fugly!” announced director Kabir Sadanand.

     

    There is already tremendous buzz in the industry around Mohit, Kiara, Arfi and Vijender’s film debut.

     

    Speaking about their debuts, they jointly said, “We are delighted to have had the opportunity to be part of Fugly and are thrilled with the response we have had on the trailer and poster – it’s really encouraging. Kabir is an excellent director and no one else could have done better justice to the script. We had a superb time working with each other and learnt so much from Jimmy. Akshay and Ashvini have been extremely inspiring for all of us and we have learnt a lot from them. We are fortunate to be launched by them.” 

     

     Fugly releases on 13 June 2014. 

  • The Dhawan’s strong run at the box office

    The Dhawan’s strong run at the box office

    MUMBAI: Father-son combination of director David and actor Varun Dhavan has given a fair entertainer in Main Tera Hero, a movie worth watching after a gap since Queen. Also, the opposition in the form of Jal lacked commercial approach. While Main Tera Hero did not get a great opening but the word of mouth has gone in its favour. The film collected Rs 21.5 crore over the weekend, getting better each day. The collections could have been better still, were it not for the T20 World Cup matches on Friday and Sunday involving India.

     

     Jal started off badly with ‘No audience No show tags’ at the cinemas. Youngistaan has struggled to collect Rs 5.3 crore in its first week.

     

    While, O Teri has been poor all the way with Rs 3.2 crore to show for its first week, Dishkiyaon has collected Rs 5.25 crore in its first week.

     

    Sunny Leone starrer Ragini MMS2 has held on well in its second week to collect Rs 8.75 crore to take its two week collections to Rs 45.85 crore.

     

    Queen continues its strong hold on the box office by adding Rs 5.6 crore in its fourth week thus taking its four week tally to Rs 54.1 crore.

  • Bengali sensation Rii to star in Q and Nikon’s ‘Ludo’

    Bengali sensation Rii to star in Q and Nikon’s ‘Ludo’

    MUMBAI: Acclaimed Bengali actress Rii will be starring in Q and Nikon’s next film ‘Ludo’. She had earlier acted in films like ‘Gandu’, ‘Bishh’ and ‘Love in India’, which were also directed by Q. She also won the best actress award at Osian’s Cinefan Festival of Asian and Arab Cinema for her movie ‘Cosmic Sex’.

    Rii plays a character yet to be seen on the Indian screens in ‘Ludo’. The film is being made under the banner of Overdose Joint, Q’s production house, a progressive art platform making original films, music and design and is co-produced by Idyabooster and Starfire Movies.

    ‘Ludo’ is the latest by director Q, who made the critically acclaimed and controversial film ‘Gandu’, which was banned from a theatrical release in India but became a cult phenomenon, both in India and across the globe. Q’s films have always found festival and critical appreciation internationally, with BBC calling him the ‘most subversive Indian filmmaker’. His latest film, ‘Tasher Desh’, premiered in Rome, and has been received very well.

     

    Nikon is Q’s collaborator and editor, an alumnus of SRFTI and Emily Carr, Vancouver. He has edited ‘Tasher Desh’, ‘Bishh’ and ‘Love in India’.

  • IIFA to premiere Anupam Kher’s short ‘I went shopping for Robert de Niro’

    IIFA to premiere Anupam Kher’s short ‘I went shopping for Robert de Niro’

    MUMBAI: Recognising the immense potential of Indian movies to cross boundaries and gain recognition as world class cinema, the International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) will screen the directorial venture of renowned Indian and international actor, Anupam Kher which would be preceded by an acting workshop for the students of the University of South Florida.

     

    One of India’s biggest celebration of cinema – the 15th Videocon d2h IIFA Weekend and the Tata Motors IIFA Awards is all set to take place at Tampa Bay, Florida from 23 to 26 April, 2014.

     

    Titled I went shopping for Robert de Niro, Anupam Kher’s short film will have a World Premiere at IIFA on the second day of the Videocon d2h IIFA Weekend. The premiere will be open to celebrities from the Indian film fraternity, who will be seen attending the screening and lending support to the veteran actor. Through the film, Kher has paid tribute to iconic Hollywood actor Robert De Niro, his co-star from the Oscar nominated film – Silver Linings Playbook. The film’s writer and main actor, Shivangi Kshirsagar, who actually did go shopping for De Niro describes the film as wild, feminine, and brazen. She portrays the role of the girl who goes shopping for De Niro in the short-film and has tried to best represent what she has seen of De Niro’s work in the 29-minute short film.  

     

    Actor, Anupam Kher spoke of the film saying, “The film has had an exciting journey which came a sort of full circle for us on 10 November, 2013, when De Niro visited our (acting) school and met the team. It was a very special occasion and I invited some prominent actors and directors from the Indian film industry to meet him. It was fun to watch some of our biggest stars sit around him – like students who crowd around their guru – while De Niro patiently answered questions about his work, characters, scripts, co-actors, his films, his associations with filmmakers, etc. He graciously signed books, pictures and DVDs for everyone. It was such a memorable evening. He wrote a note for my students and teachers as well.” 

     

    Having contributed immensely to the world of cinema in the last 30 years, Anupam Kher is undoubtedly one of the finest actors Indian cinema has ever seen. Kher has proved his mettle time and again playing diverse roles in over 460 films and numerous theatre productions. He has been a part of many Hindi-cinema classics, including A Wednesday, Lamhe, Khosla Ka Ghosla, Special 26, Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge among others. Kher has also been a part of a number of crossover and mainstream Hollywood films including Midnight’s Children, Bend It Like Beckham, Bride & Prejudice, Woody Allen’s You Will Meet A Tall Dark Stranger and the Oscar nominated movie, Silver Linings Playbook.

     

     “Having the World Premiere at IIFA in Tampa, Florida, showcases in essence the spirit of the short film, where a group of Indian artists pay tribute to the American legend, as India celebrates the centenary of Indian Cinema this year,” added Kher, who is sharing his craft through the acting workshop at IIFA Awards 2014, Tampa Florida.

     

    The workshop will also throw light on various topics on Indian cinema and will provide guidance to those seeking a professional career within the acting fraternity. The workshop on 24 April is open to students of USF.

     

    Speaking on the acting workshop and premiere, Wizcraft International and IIFA director Andre Timmins said, “IIFA has long endeavoured to introduce the short film into the Weekend. We want to promote different films and give opportunities to students to be a part of the Indian cinema and IIFA experience. We look forward to screening ‘I went shopping for Robert De Niro’. We believe it will showcase both Indian and American aspects, making it a perfect premiere for IIFA in the United States and a catalyst for cinematic exchange.”  

  • ‘Main Tera Hero’: David & Dhavan

    ‘Main Tera Hero’: David & Dhavan

    MUMBAI: When watching a David Dhavan film, remember he is a Manmohan Desai fan and believes in making films to entertain. Ergo, don’t look for logic or argue about the last scene and the next being not connected. As long as the film gives you ‘time pass’ his agenda has been met. A father directing his son is a rare privilege enjoyed by very few filmmakers. Here, David directs his son, Varun Dhavan.

    Varun is a good-for-nothing boy studying in Coonoor and, obviously, finds it hard to get through his class. Many of his fellow students go to Bengaluru to study and come back with better results. Varun also decides to do that. Once in a Bengaluru college, the inevitable happens. He spots Ileana D’Cruz and, for him, it is love at first sight. Since this is a remake of the Telugu film, Kandireega, what follows is bizarre! It happens only in South Indian films and that is, Ileana is being watched over by a bunch of goons delegated by Arunoday Singh, a local cop who is in love with her and overtly possessive about her so no one dare look at her, let alone come anywhere near her or love her. Arunoday is always accompanied by a fellow cop and his sidekick, Rajpal Yadav.

    Well, Varun has already fallen for her and is not scared of Arunoday which he proves at first opportunity by thrashing his goons. Next he should be thrashing Arunoday and that would be the end of the story. But that would also mean the end of the film less than hour into it. For the sake of affording the film its full 2-hours-plus run, Arunoday challenges Varun to win over Ileana in the next three days or else face his wrath.

    Varun wins over Ileana even before he starts and Arunoday should not be a hurdle anymore.  And he is not, but there is a bigger challenge for Varun now. His lady love, Ileana is kidnapped and the man behind it is the father of a girl who fell for Varun when he was on his way to Bengaluru. It so happened that he fought some rowdy boys on the way and a girl, Nargis Fakhri, who captured his actions on her handycam had fallen for him. She happens to be the daughter of the biggest don operating between Asia and Africa, Anupam Kher. Ileana has been kidnapped by the don’s man so that Varun follows her and Kher can then make him marry his daughter, Nargis!

    Producers: Ekta Kapoor, Shobha Kapoor.

    Director: David Dhavan.

    Cast: Varun Dhawa,Ileana D’Cruz, Nargis Fakhri, Arunoday Singh, Anupam Kher, Evelyn Sharma, Raju Kher.

    Anupam is supposed to be sinister, pulling out a gun at the drop of a hat. But for the sake of entertainment, he is more of a caricature, with Saurabh Shukla as his sidekick. As if that were not enough, Arunoday, along with his sidekick, Rajpal, has also followed Varun to Anupam’s den. Varun has ten days to marry Nargis. Meanwhile, he has to pretend to be in love with Nargis while trying to get her out of his hair so he can romance with his true love, Ileana. The only help he has is from lord Ganesh and Jesus Christ, their statues talking back to him. Finally, Nargis finds her true love in Arunoday with some help and prodding from Varun.

    While the first half is fun and dance and battles of one-upmanship with Arunoday, the film gathers more pace in second half as more characters are added in the form of Anupam, Saurabh and Nargis. Being a Telugu remake, some aspects may seem farfetched: like the character of Arunoday, a mere inspector who terrorises a girl and her parents as he plans to marry her, that too in a metro like Bengaluru.

    David Dhavan directs his son and has rightly chosen to make a light entertainer which usually don’t backfire and fit the slot of a typical David film. As usual, he also does not get carried away with length and restricts the film to 128 minutes. The film has peppy music and provides scope for Varun to showcase his dancing prowess. However, the background score is full of pieces from RD Burman and Bappi Lahiri repertoire. Cinematography is good. Varun has an easy job of playing a carefree young man with the role requiring no drama. But why is he imitating Govinda and Anil Kapoor? Ileana is okay while Nargis has little to do. Anupam and Saurabh are in their element providing much of the fun. Shakti Kapoor in guest role lends his presence.

    On the whole, Main Tera Hero is a fair entertainer with a reasonably good opening response. While the T20 may affect its collections on Friday and Sunday (if India qualifies for the finals), in many parts it will have the advantage of Ram Navami and election day holidays.

    Jal: Dry run…

    Kutch, the deserted district of north-west Gujarat, seems to have become the flavour of the season for both commercial as well as offbeat films. Jal is the latest film based in Kutch, dealing with its water problems. The film is about a clairvoyant who can pinpoint a spot where a well can be dug to find water. Now that Narmada waters have reached far-flung corners of Kutch including the borders manned by the army, the subject may seem a bit out of sync but mattered a lot not very long ago.

    Producers: Puneet Singh, Girish Malik, Sumit Kapoor, Yogesh Mittal.

    Director: Girish Malik.

    Cast: Purab H Kohli, Kirti Kulhari, Saidha Jules, Mukul Dev, Tannishtha Chatterjee, Yashpal

    Sharma, Ravi Gossain, Vicky Ahuja.

    Purab Kohli is Bakka who is gifted with this instinct of spotting water underground with the help of his two brass sticks. He is right 60 per cent of the time by his own admission and his village counts on him in the absence of an alternative. When he isolates a spot, they just dig! This is his livelihood. On a personal front, Bakka loves the daughter of the mukhiya of the neighbouring village, Kirti Kulhari, with which his village has a running feud because that village has abundant water while his village has no source of water. Bakka is also loved by his best friend’s sister in his own village, Tannishtha Chatterjee.

    Things change for Bakka and his villagers when a researcher, Saidha Jules, arrives. She sets up her base on the waterfront where thousands of flamingos arrive each year. Soon she notices that the young ones of these flamingos die because of excess salt content in the water. The salt dries up in their wings rendering them flightless. She realises that sweet water needs to be added to this flow of water. Drilling machines are brought in and spots isolated where water could be found. This also provides labour to villagers who are engaged to take the dug sand away. However, despite the drill and the computer, the team fails to find water.

    Bakka’s skills are called upon to identify spots with water. All the three spots he earmarks give water. Bakka becomes a small celebrity and also gets employment from the government. Now the neighbouring village mukhiya is ready to give his daughter to Bakka in marriage. All is going well when his own villagers expect Bakka to borrow the drilling machine from Saidha and her colleague Gary Richardson. But, before he could raise the subject with Saidha she has left having finished her job. Gary also feels he has no use for Bakka now and ignores him. It is while Gary and his team are away that Bakka lures their middleman, Yashpal Sharma, with gold collected from the villagers. But, tragedy strikes, the machine breaks down and all hell breaks loose.

    The happy days are over for Bakka. His efforts to manually dig for water fail. The gold is stolen and he is blamed and thrown out of the village along with his heavily pregnant wife. When, finally, good news comes in the form of an article on his skills and a cheque as a reward, Bakka is nowhere around to collect it.

    While the first half is light with a lot of bonhomie and humour among the villagers, the second half, especially towards the end, becomes heavy with some forced tragedy. Direction is generally good. Background score as well as the choice of folk songs is effective. The highlight of the film is cinematography by Sunita Radia who captures vast vistas of the desert beautifully while also excelling otherwise. Purab is impressive with another good performance coming from Tannishtha. The rest, cast as village folk are natural.

    Jal will find a lot of appreciation from critics as well as on the festival circuit but not find many takers in cinema halls.

  • Dev Benegal wins at Hong Kong Film Bazaar

    Dev Benegal wins at Hong Kong Film Bazaar

    NEW DELHI: Dev Benegal’s Dead, End has won the the Network of Asian Fantastic Films (NAFF) prize at this year’s Hong Kong Asia Film Financing Forum (HAF) awards.

     

    Network of Asian Fantastic Films (NAFF) prize is sponsored by the Puchon International Fantastic Film Festival (PiFan).

     

    Benegal’s film is being directed in collaboration with actor-filmmaker Satish Kaushik as producer and actor. It revolves around the story of Lal Bihari, a farmer from Uttar Pradesh, who was declared dead from 1976 to 1994. After a relative, in a bid to usurp his land, proved that Bihari had died, the latter had to fight against the bureaucracy to prove that he is alive.

     

    Kaushik had planned to make the film a decade earlier with Anil Kapoor and took on Benegal because of the manner in which the latter developed the screenplay.

     

    This year, the HAF received around 300 submissions from 11 countries and regions. Each winner receives a HK$150,000 (US$19,300) cash prize.

     

    The forum, that connects Asian filmmakers and their upcoming film projects with film financiers worldwide, was held from 24 to 26 March at the Hong Kong convention and exhibition centre.

     

    Hong Kong’s Angel Whispers and Taiwan’s Private Eyes:1 picked up the main awards at the HAF.

     

    Actress Carrie NG’s directorial debut, a murder mystery about the disappearance of a prostitute, won the HAF Award for a Hong Kong project. She is set to co-direct with Shirley Yung. Chang Jung-chi’s Private Eyes, about a playwright who becomes a private detective, won the award for a non-Hong Kong project. The director’s Touch of the Light (2012) was a HAF project in 2009.

     

    The HAF Script Development Award went to Jack Shih’s The Solitary Pier, an animated film about a fisherman in a small seaside village. The HAF/Fox Chinese Film Development Fund, which comes with a HK$100,000 (US$12,900) prize and a development contract with Fox, went to Shu Haolun’s romance drama Love is Speaking.

     

    The Wouter Barendrecht Award named after the late Fortissimo Films co-founder that comes with a cash prize of HK$50,000 (US$6,440), went to Fazila AmiriI’s documentary Hip Hop Kabul. Presenters Michael J. Werner and Nelleke Driessen praised the project as “very daring”.

     

    Established for the first time this year, the Fushan Documentary Award went to Zhao Liang’s Dust about the coal mines of Inner Mongolia. Zhao will receive a HK$100,000 (US$12,900) cash prize and a development contract with the newly formed Fushan Features.

  • Viacom18 Motion Pictures’ 2014 movie slate

    Viacom18 Motion Pictures’ 2014 movie slate

    MUMBAI: The first studio model based motion picture business in India , Viacom18 Motion Pictures, a part of Viacom18 (a Viacom and Network 18 joint venture) is now treading on unchartered territories by getting into crowd funding.

    The studio recently released the trailer of its first crowd funded motion picture – Manjunath – which is to hit theatres on 9 May. The film is inspired by the real-life story of a young IIM graduate, who strived to fight against corruption in Uttar Pradesh and was murdered for sealing a corrupt petrol station in Lakhimpur Kheri, UP.

    Speaking on the choice of the story Viacom18 Motion Pictures COO Ajit Andhare says: “The story may be of a common man, but what we look for when scouting for scripts is extraordinary or uncommon stories, and Manjunath fits the bill perfectly. His sacrifice spurred people on to take measures and that’s the kind of stories we support.”

    On the aspect of getting crowd funding for the biopic he adds: “It’s a film in one sense where everyone takes responsibility and can play a role in the message coming out from Manjunath’s story. So, the crowd funding idea came to us because we felt that would be best suited to involve people and anyone can voluntarily come and support the film.”

    Click here to watch the trailer

    With operations that involve acquisition, production, syndication, marketing and worldwide distribution of full-length feature films, the studio’s first movie was Halla Bol in 2008. And ever since, it has forayed into various genres of cinema, right from drama, comedy, romance, action to biopics with Bhaag Milkha Bhaag in 2013.

    “As a studio we look for content that stands out and that has not been usually told; even an OMG and Gangs of Wasseypur were good prospects. And with Bhaag Milkha Bhaag, we have proven that with a strong script and performance any film can cross the Rs 100 crore barrier at the box office. Even Queen has crossed Rs 100 crore (global collections) this year,” quips Andhare.

    Manjunath will be the first biopic made on the life of a common man and has been supported by acclaimed actors like Divya Dutta, Seema Biswas and Yashpal Sharma, among others. They have been touched by Manjunath’s story and worked for a nominal fee. The movie has been directed by Sandeep Varma, reputed to be an ad-film maker and the MD of ICOMO. Further to its credit; the music in the film has been composed by the Delhi rock band Parikrama.

    “The film is completely to the credit of Sandeep and it has been his journey, along with NFDC and ICOMO to mount this film. We came on board once we saw the journey and witnessed what he has managed to pull-off being a debutant director and we wanted to support this movie and the director with the vision to pull off such a challenging story,” says he.

    Viacom18 Motion Pictures will be distributing the film, and is currently focused on building anticipation around the film. “It’s a bit too early to talk about how wide will the release be and decisions around that would be made more closer to the release date after tracking how the market responds to it and likewise the theatres and multiplex chains,” explains Andhare.

    With recent films being distributed entirely on digital these days, irrespective of the budget or genre and an increasing trend of tying up with online streaming services like Spuul to release the movie online parallel to the theatrical release. Such a film may look at such avenues for better reach and viewership as well.

    Scheduled for a release amidst elections and IPL, are there any concerns? “I feel the time is right when the country is looking for their next leader and government, a story like this will have more traction,” answers Andhare.

    The studio believes that if the content is strong and the film has something to offer the audience then the film will make a connect with the viewers. “Bhaag Milkha Bhaag offered inspiration of a different kind to the audience; Queen on the other hand offered the experience of a coming of age to the audience, with travel and transformation. So what we look to do is to offer something extra. Because sitting in a dark room for three hours with only one break, the audience should not feel punished,” he expounds.

    The slate for already released films in 2014 include: The Royal Bengal Tiger (Bengali); One by Two; Queen; Nee Enge En Anbe (Tamil); Anamika (Telugu) and Noah (Hollywood). And the rest of the year is packed with a real good mix of movies like: Manjunath (9 May); Margarita with a straw; Transformers 4; Hercules 3D; Turtles; Gabbar; Mary Kom and Dharam Sankat Mein.

    “We always aim to have a balanced portfolio for the calendar year, where the risks are well balanced out for the studio. And we believe in reaching out to get all kinds of movies to the audience creatively as well,” expounds Andhare. “We want to serve the best spread that can be served to the audience in the calendar year. Only doing large films will not enable reducing the risk level, and this will lead to either big blockbusters or major flops. Thus, smaller films help in calibrating losses.”

    The studio has some major releases in its Hollywood slate for the year as well, and will be pushing and promoting it aggressively when the time is right. “Plans are afoot really drive our Hollywood slate and we have a really powerful line-up for this year. Transformers as a franchise is a highly anticipated film and over the years the English language film entertainment market has also been growing steadily and we have a long term commitment to build this market and continue to do so.”

  • Neeraj Pandey’s ‘Ghalib Danger’ soon to be a major motion picture

    Neeraj Pandey’s ‘Ghalib Danger’ soon to be a major motion picture

    MUMBAI: Abundantia Entertainment and Neeraj Pandey recently announced a strategic deal in which the former would acquire rights to remake the Neeraj Pandey penned, best-selling novel ‘Ghalib Danger’ into a major Hindi film. The deal aims at the creation of a franchise for brand ‘Ghalib Danger’ and also includes the acquisition of rights to adapt the book as entertainment content across multiple platforms spanning television, digital & online media, graphic novels and gaming. 

     

    After earning widespread critical and commercial acclaim for super-hit films like A Wednesday and Special 26, Neeraj Pandey turned author to pen the gangster saga ‘Ghalib Danger’. The book, which was launched in December 2013, met with instant success to attain best-seller status in bookshops across the nation and is underway with its second print run to cater to the ever-growing demand amongst readers and fans of Pandey’s work. 

     

    The book revolves around the life of its protagonist Kamran Ali. A young taxi driver by profession, Kamran stays in Mumbai and dreams of making it big someday. A twist of fate awaits him on an eventful day as his life transforms when he saves the notorious underworld don Mirza from near death at the hands of a rival gang. As an act of gratitude and faith, Mirza takes Kamran under his wing and thus starts the journey of a small-town boy becoming the feared and revered ‘Ghalib Danger’. The lead character is a complete work of fiction and the story itself draws upon extensive research on the genre conducted by Neeraj Pandey and his team. 

     

    Speaking on the announcement and plans for the franchise, Neeraj Pandey said: “It’s always wonderful to collaborate with like-minded people and Ghalib Danger was a fantastic opportunity for Friday Filmworks and Abundantia to come together. It will be interesting to see this content getting exploited across entertainment platforms.” 

     

    Talking about this development, Abundantia Entertainment founder and CEO Vikram Malhotra added: “Abundantia is founded with the vision to support and promote progressive and clutter-breaking content. The ability to adapt a best-seller like ‘Ghalib Danger’ into a major movie and to partner with Neeraj on the film represented a significant opportunity. The gangster-thriller genre that Ghalib Danger boasts of has met with consistent success across platforms and we are delighted that we will be able to bring alivethe book for its fans all over the world”.  

     

    In a first-of-its-kind deal, Abundantia would partner with Friday Filmworks to co-produce the film and also leverage on Pandey’s and Friday Filmworks’ capability to custom-create and adapt the book across content consumption platforms.

     

    Production for the film is set to commence in the second-half of 2015 and is envisaged as a big-scale, ensemble cast entertainer.

  • Kamal Haasan honoured with Padma Bhushan, Vidya Balan with Padma Shri

    Kamal Haasan honoured with Padma Bhushan, Vidya Balan with Padma Shri

    NEW DELHI: Acting genius Kamal Haasan, renowned vocalist Parveen Sultana and popular lyricist and poet Vairamuthu have been awarded with the Padma Bhushan while the versatile Vidya Balan has been honoured with the Padma Shri by President Pranab Mukherjee.

     

    The dignified ceremony held at Rashtrapati Bhavan was attended by Vice President M Hamid Ansari, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde, among others.

     

    Renowned ghatam percussionist T H Vikku Vinayakram also received the Padma Bhushan, which is the third highest national civilian award.

     

    Recipients of the Padma Shri include famed Bangla actor Sabitri Chatterji, actor Naina Apte Joshi, celebrated theatre director Bansi Kaul and filmmaker Sooni Taraporevala.

     

    Others awarded include popular humour poet and satirist Ashok Chakradhar, Manipuri dancer Elam Indira Devi, Odissi dancer Geeta Mahalik and squash player Dipika Rebecca.