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Category: Hindi

  • ‘Federation of Western India Cine Employees’ conducts a successful conclave with 22 crafts union’s association

    ‘Federation of Western India Cine Employees’ conducts a successful conclave with 22 crafts union’s association

    Mumbai: The Federation of Western India Cine Employees (FWICE), the nodal body for all cine employees hosted a formal get-together and benevolence meeting with the leaders of the 22 crafts union’s associations affiliated to it on 7th March 2018 at Pathare Prabhu Hall, Andheri (West), Mumbai.FWICE President B.N. Tiwari and General Secretary Ashok Dubey with their office bearers representing the rights and privileges of cine workers had initiated this meeting over sumptuous food to discuss to the key policies pertaining to the welfare of the cine artistes, technicians and workers with film and television producers’ union leaders too.

    The gathering even witnessed union that had separated from the federation earlier like Asia’s largest film labour union, ‘Film Studios Setting & Allied Mazdoor Union’ (FSSAMU) whose ex-chairman was veteran actor Mithun Chakraborty and now is chaired by the dynamic and dashing MLA Ram Kadam. Gangeshwarlal Shrivastav a.k.a. Sanju, the brave and undaunted General Secretary of FSSAMU attended this meeting which was well received.

    T.P. Aggarwal – filmmaker and President of Indian Motion Pictures Producers’ Association (IMPPA), Ashoke Pandit – a filmmaker and social activist and the Vice President of (IMPPA) and ex-president of Indian Films & Television Directors’ Association (IFTDA), Sushant Singh – actor and General Secretary of Cine & TV Artistes Association (CINTAA), Gajendra Chauhan – actor and ex-chairman of the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), Prabhat Pandey – secretary of Western India Film Producers’ Association (WIFPA), actor Abhimanyu Singh, Mahamandelshwar Sanjay Giri Maharaj, Ashfaque Khopekar – President of Dadasaheb Phalke Film Foundation Awards, Sharad Devram Shelar – filmmaker and hotelier and many other prominent office bearers of the association were also present on the occasion.

    The threesome viz B.N. Tiwari, Gangeshwarlal Shrivastav and Ashok Dubey took turns in felicitating and honoring all the union leaders and guest with bouquets and glory. The combination of these three men looked like a power of strength who together will successfully maneuver the herculean task of providing the rights and welfare of cine employees of FWICE and taking it to greater heights by leaving no stone unturned.

    Speaking on the occasion, B.N. Tiwari, the President of FWICE said, “We all are like a family and stay bonded. Together we have organized this mammoth gathering for harboring proper and effective communications like a joint family and help each other in their needs.” He further added, “We do not intend to harass any film or television producers. We would like to co-operate and work in hands like a team. We would not stop the shooting, but will negotiate our cine workers genuine demand and work conditions. Thus we should think of each other and come to terms.”

    Apart from the President and General Secretary of FWICE, their Senior Vice President – Raja Khan, Vice President Sangam Upadhyay, Joint Secretaries – Stalin D’souza and Rajan Singh, Treasurer – Wasim Quresh and all the respective heads of all the affiliated 22 unions came together under one roof to make the event a grand and memorable one.

  • New York Film Academy announces expansion in India to keep pace with growth of the indian film industry as well as digital media & entertainment genres

    New York Film Academy announces expansion in India to keep pace with growth of the indian film industry as well as digital media & entertainment genres

    MUMBAI: York Film Academy (NYFA) is one of the leading film schools of the world. It was founded on the philosophy that “learning by doing” combined with best industry practices is more valuable than years of theoretical study for filmmakers and actors. This educational model allows students to achieve more in less time than at all other film or acting schools in the world.

    The film school’s programs balance the study of the craft with practical experience to train students to be the best they can be. This is achieved by a rigorous schedule of classroom instruction, hands-on workshops and immediate experience.

    NYFA conducts programs at its three full-fledged USA campuses as well as at 16 locations across the globe from Australia to Europe. NYFA has enjoyed immense support from India’s film and entertainment industry. From conducting its first workshop in India in May 2011, NYFA went on to open its doors in Mumbai in 2017.

    Over the years many Indian students have been a part of the NYFA campus in New York, Los Angeles and Mumbai. Notable alumni include Kangana Ranaut (of Queen), Gauri Shinde (of English Vinglish) and Rakesh Varre (of Baahubali) among many others.

    David Klein, Senior Executive Vice President of New York Film Academy, who has taught filmmaking for over two decades, is visiting from the New York to take classes on film direction and storytelling. He also met with young students in four metros. David Klein said, “New York Film Academy is very excited to be in India. There is immense creative talent amongst the youth. We look forward to working with bright and creative young minds and fostering their talents in the new-age, digital world.The media and entertainment landscape is rapidly evolving and calls for several new skill sets which we are well placed to teach.” He went on to say that the response to NYFA Mumbai has been very encouraging. Salman Khans new discovery, Warina Hussain has just completed an acting program in Mumbai prior to her acting debut.

    David Klein added, “In response to demands from students for acting and film making workshops during the summer vacation, NYFA will hold Teen Camps for the first time in India. These programs are very popular in other markets, due to YouTube, social media and OTT platforms which offer huge scope to the youth.It gives us immense pleasure to launch this concept in India.”

    NYFA, Mumbai offers various acting and filmmaking workshops and camps for all age ranges where the subject matter covers the entire gamut of production, script writing, technicals and post-production in addition to acting and direction.

  • UTV action packs in more power for fans

    UTV action packs in more power for fans

    MUMBAI: Home to a wide-range of high-octane movies across Hollywood, Bollywood, Asian and Regional cinema, UTV ACTION is the go-to linear channel offering uninterrupted dhamakedar entertainment to film aficionados. Now, the channel is all set to offer 100 plus new, adrenaline-rushing titles to its robust library to enhance an action lover’s movie watching experience further this month.

    UTV ACTION is already home to Marvel and offers the largest collection of titles from this universe in Hindi, featuring everyone’s favourite Super Heroes including The Avengers, Iron Man, Thor, Captain America, Spider-Man and more. Now, the channel has licensed rights to a diverse range of action flicks across genres.

    For fans who enjoy high-voltage drama, there’s a new, stellar line-up of dubbed versions of ‘South Indian hits’ featuring some of the biggest stars like Darshan, Dhanush, Sai Dharam Tej, Naga Chaitanya, Sudeep, Dhruva Sarja and more.

    In the ‘Martial Arts’ genre, there’s a slew of super hits by action legends Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan and Jet Li, and latest titles in the ‘Fantasy Action/ Adventure’ series is Stephen Chow’s Journey To The West 2, whose previous films, The Mermaid and Journey To The West 1, are among the most popular movies on UTV ACTION.

    That’s not all. Be prepared for more action as thrilling titles from popular franchises like Transformers, Pirates of the Caribbean, Men in Black and Star Trek will be added to the extensive collection of UTV ACTION to keep action lovers glued to their cushy couches.

  • Why Padmaavat in 3D almost didn’t happen

    Why Padmaavat in 3D almost didn’t happen

    ​​Fans can’t stop raving about the 3D version of Padmaavat and how it drew them right into the world of Queen Padmavati. However, it is a little known fact that director Sanjay Leela Bhansali had long been considering the idea of releasing his films in 3D. “We wanted to try 3D with Guzaarish and we’d also tested a few shots for Bajirao Mastani which looked fantastic but it eventually didn’t happen,” share​d DoP Sudeep Chatterjee.​

    ​​​The splendid colour grading and stereo conversion services for Padmaavat were handed over to Prime Focus World (PFW). Jimmy Philip, PFW Stereo Supervisor worked closely with Padmaavat’s DoP – Sudeep Chatterjee and Director Sanjay Leela Bhansali to deliver the 3D version of the magnum opus.

    Sudeep also went on to reveal how Padmaavat in 3D almost didn’t happen. He said, “Padmaavat in 3D was always an idea but it was only sometime in July-August when we got a nod for 3D conversion. Although a major apprehension was that there was very less time and we weren’t sure if we’d be able to pull it off. There are many things that can go wrong during 3D conversion – ideas can shift, dimensions can shift, with one character appearing bigger than the other.  So naturally, a lot of work was put into the conversion of the film.”

    Sharing details about the behind-the-scenes efforts that went into making the 3D version a reality, ​​

    PFW Stereo Supervisor, ​​Jimmy Philip said, “There are lots of 3D moments in this scene, with floating embers, dust drifting across the battlefield and arrows flying towards camera – it’s a great sequence and a fittingly dramatic climax for the film. We leveraged our extensive elements library to recreate most of these FX elements, while also carrying out additional comping to enhance the overall effect.”

    Talking about the enormity of the task, Jimmy shared, “Over 2000 stereo shots that we delivered for the movie were completed in a tight timeframe of just 2 months.”

    As they say, hard-work always pays and Padmaavat emerged strong amidst controversies to give the audiences an unforgettable visual treat. 

  • Let Vidya Balan charm you with her simplicity with the world television premiere of ‘Tumhari Sulu’ on Sony MAX

    Let Vidya Balan charm you with her simplicity with the world television premiere of ‘Tumhari Sulu’ on Sony MAX

    Sony MAX, the leading Hindi movies channel from Sony Pictures Networks is all set give you a sneak peek into the lives of middle-class suburban Indian households with the world television premiere of ‘Tumhari Sulu’ on 25th February at 12 noon. Vidya Balan and Manav Kaul’s portrayal of Sulochana and Manav will definitely strike chord in your heart while narrating the story of finding the extraordinary within the seemingly ordinary.

    Directed by Suresh Triveni, Tumhari Sulu is a slice of life story of a middle-aged housewife, Sulochana Dubey who lives happily ever after with her husband Ashok and a son in a middle-class locality in Mumbai. Sulu is an enthusiastic independent woman who is all ready to give up her freedom for the sake of her family. In amidst of her day-to-day life, she ends up at a radio station after which her life turns into a roller-coaster ride as she gets an offer to become a RJ. Her decision to take up the job brings a drastic change in her life as she has to balance between her overnight fame and her domestic demands towards family.

  • Sony MAX2 to air Amitabh Bachchan’s iconic movie ‘Don’

    Sony MAX2 to air Amitabh Bachchan’s iconic movie ‘Don’

    MUMBAI: Who can forget the blockbuster songs like ‘Yeh Mera Dil’, ‘Khaike Pan Banaraswala’ and the gripping plot of crime thriller Don? It’s still one of the most loved movie of Amitabh Bachchan fans across the country. Sony MAX2, India’s iconic Hindi movie channel from Sony Pictures Networks is all set to take you back to that era as it airs the iconic movie Don on Friday, 16th February, 2018 at 7pm. 

    Written by the duo Salim-Javed and music given by Kalyanji Anandji, Don stars Amitabh Bachchan and Zeenat Aman as the lead, along with Pran. Iftekhar, Helen, Om Shivpuri and Satyen Kappu in supporting roles. Amitabh Bachchan plays a double role, as Bombay underworld boss Don and his lookalike Vijay. The film’s plot revolves around Vijay, a Bombay slum-dweller who resembles the powerful crime boss Don, being asked by law enforcement officer DSP D’Silva (Iftekhar) to masquerade as Don, in order to act as an informant for the police and track down the root of the criminal organization. Will Vijay be successful in helping police to find the master mind behind all the crime?

  • Biopics & sports-based films help popularise sporting culture in India

    Biopics & sports-based films help popularise sporting culture in India

    MUMBAI: “Sattar minute, sattar minute hai tumhare paas … shayad tumhari zindagi ke sabse khaas sattar minute … (Seventy minutes, seventy minutes is what you have … may be the most important seventy minutes of your life..)”.

    These famous lines spoken in true Shah Rukh Khan style and many other such nuggets woven into a drama with various twists and turns, and ups and downs went on to make the 2007 Hindi film Chak De India — loosely based on real life incidents highlighting the Indian women’s hockey team’s journey from outcasts to gold and glory having being coached by a disgraced goalkeeper — one of the biggest hits of that decade. It also gave India an iconic phrase: ‘chak de India’, denoting winning against odds.

    Though India is primarily a cricket-crazy nation and success of sports theme based films like Chak De and later Pan Singh Tomar (a national athlete’s life story from the sports tracks to that of an outlaw ultimately shot down by police) notwithstanding, the local film industry put more faith in action and romantic flicks. Unlike Hollywood that always turned to the sports field to get inspiration for gut-wrenching and raw drama. Remember Raging Bull, the Rocky series or flicks based on boxing legend Muhammad Ali’s life and footballer Pele? Or, for that matter, Escape to Victory?

    However, India has witnessed a trend of late: movies being made on both popular and not-so-popular sports and sports personalities. The rationale being viewers convert into fans boosting the popularity of non-cricket sports desperately needed in India. 

    Bollywood suddenly discovered that biopics of sports personalities do get the cash registers ringing in theatres and, later, when the rights were sold to TV channels. Stars who won medals to empty stands or forgotten are now getting the glory they deserve.

    If Chak De India pitchforked the much-neglected-in-need-of-a-boost hockey into limelight and also conceiving of fast-paced hockey leagues with foreign and domestic players, films like MS Dhoni, Sachin: A Billion Dreams,Azhar and Jannat capitalised on popular cricketers and the darker side of betting and match-fixing, respectively. Dangal and Sultan (wrestling), Mary Kom (boxing), Bhaag Milkha Bhaag (athletics) not only turned out to be box-office hits, but also did a lot of good to lesser followed sports, creating newer fan bases.

    “Sports biopics have played an important role in inspiring generations of youth not just in India, but globally. They help in channelising youth’s energies positively and in a way that contributes towards society building. It also drives home a deeper message on life and showcases the pain and toil that go behind the achievement of fame, popularity and, above all, respect,” says Sportscomm Co-Founder Abhoy Chattopadhyay.

    In recent years Dangal, undoubtedly, is the most popular sports films, highlighting the travails and glory of Haryana’s Phogat sisters, trained by their former national champ wrestler-father for the big stage and medals. Launched in December 2017 with a budget of Rs 70 crore, the box office collection went to clock Rs 2,122 crore worldwide, out of which more than Rs 1,300 crore was made only from the Chinese market where most viewers saw sub-titled versions to experience the true flavour and energy of the local language. The film has also been watched over 345 million times on Chinese streaming platforms.

    The Broadcast Audience Research Council viewership of some of the top sports biopics premiered on TV includes Dangal (16.2 million impressions) followed by MS Dhoni (8 million impressions).

    The movie Mary Kom helped boxing increase its reach and popularity in India as people started watching and following the game more fervently as they connected with players like Mary Kom and now-turned pro boxer Vijender Singh.

    According to Chattopadhyay, by reproducing the life journey of a successful athlete on the silver screen, the target audience is “taught to appreciate the years of dedication and hard-work behind all that glitz and glamour” and the fact that there are no short-cuts to success – and in life.

    Said a sports executive: “In a country bereft of a sports culture, sports biopics help in creating an ecosystem for the future where parents encourage children to take up a particular sport as a career option — a support system so vital to producing sporting champions — simply because movies play a huge influencing role in society.”

    Chak De, for example, gave women’s hockey a new lease of life as well as contributed towards the growth of women sports in the country. Dangal too played a very critical role in helping wrestling reach out to various corners of the country and encourage many more girls to take up the sport in what is still a patriarchal society. Movies like MSD may not have boosted the popularity of cricket, already a craze, but, according to the sports executive, it helped many youngsters from smaller towns gather the courage to take up sports as a career option, including cricket that was earlier looked upon as an urban game with most cricketers coming from big cities and metros.

    Speaking to Hindustan Times newspaper in September last, the 43-year-old actor Farhan Akhtar, who essayed the role of the Flying Sikh Milkha Singh in  Bhaag Milkha Bhaag admitted that the film was a “turning point” for him with the rigorous training and strict diet for the shoot having positive side effects. “I have not been able to go back to the way I used to eat or drink before I started training for the film,” Akhtar explained, adding, “Working on the movie made me realise the true meaning of fitness and the value of getting enough rest.”

    More biopics and sports-based films in the pipeline include Gold and Soorma on some now-forgotten Indian hockey stars, flicks based on the life and times of Indian badminton stars Saina Nehwal and PV Sindhu, and the country’s lone individual Olympics gold-finger shooter Abhinav Bindra.

    A three-language biopic is also being readied on former badminton champ P Gopichand, the mentor of quite a few current sensations like Sindhu, Nehwal and K. Srikanth, in Telugu, Hindi and English. Another movie is dedicated to the great all-rounder and India’s first cricket World Cup lifting captain Kapil Dev.

    Viacom18 Motion Pictures last year announced that it had acquired the rights of a film on the life and times of Indian woman cricket team captain and legend Mithila Raj, who also happens to be the highest run-getter in the world. It was under her captaincy that India went to reach the final in the women’s cricket World Cup 2017.

    While Viacom18 Motion Pictures COO Ajit Andhare said the studio had always showcased content with strong women characters and was proud to be collaborating with the “young and inspirational” Raj, Varun Chopra, Director, Medallin Sports, who facilitated the Raj-Viacom association, went a step further to opine the proposed film would inspire and motivate future generations [of young girls]. 

    Sports biopics nudge people’s interest in newer sports in a cricket-crazy nation. However, the sport on which no biopic has been made yet, but the game itself is a hit on TV (Pro Kabbadi League on Star Sports) is kabbadi. We hope that too will happen soon.

    Also Read :

    The year of big switch in sports broadcasting

    PKL season 6 and 7 dates announced

    Star ushers in IPL’s new era with a bang

    Launch of 1st indian sports radio channel – sports flashes 

  • PVR numbers up on higher ticket price in third quarter

    PVR numbers up on higher ticket price in third quarter

    BENGALURU: Despite lower admits and occupancy during the quarter ended 31 December 2017 (Q3 2018, the quarter under review), Indian entertainment and exhibition company PVR Ltd (PVR) reported higher revenue due to higher ticket prices. In its investor presentation, the company reported 2.8 per cent year-on-year (yoy) drop in admits during Q3 2018 at 1.74 crore as compared with Rs 1.79 crore in Q2 2017 and a yoy decline in occupancy to 29.1 per cent from 32 per cent. The company reported an increase in average ticket price per show to Rs 212 during the quarter under review from Rs 199 during the corresponding year ago quarter. PVR says that the top-five movies contributed 50 per cent to the gross box office in Q3 2018 as against 52 per cent in Q3 2017. The occupancy of top-five movies in Q3 2018 was 37 per cent as against 41 per cent in Q3 2017.

    PVR’s revenue from operations increased 5 per cent yoy in Q3 2018 to Rs 557.25 crore from Rs 530.88 crore. Total Income increased 3.4 per cent yoy to Rs 560.46 crore in Q3 2018 from Rs542.02 crore. The company says that other operating income in Q3 2017 included government subsidy of Rs 8.61 crore provided by various state governments. In the quarter under review, this component has not been accounted for on account of lack of clarity on refund mechanism for the tax exemptions under the new GST regime.

    PVR’s EBIDTA (including other income) increased 13.7 per cent yoy during the quarter under review to Rs 103.55 crore (18.8 per cent margin of total revenue) from Rs 91.10 crore (16.8 per cent margin of Total revenue). Net profit after tax (PAT) increased 24 per cent yoy in Q3 2018 to Rs 29.16 crore from Rs 23,52 crore. Total comprehensive income during the quarter under review increased 20.8 per cent yoy to Rs 28.87 crore from Rs 23.89 crore.

    Let us look at the other numbers reported by PVR

    PVR reports revenue from two segments–movie exhibition and others. The movie exhibition segment saw 6.9 per cent yoy increase in operating revenue to Rs 546.01 crore from Rs 510.94 crore. The segment had 17.4 per cent yoy increase in operating results at Rs 41.44 crore from Rs 35.27 crore. Others segment revenue saw 51.9 per cent yoy decline in revenue to Rs 17.85 crore from Rs 37.08 crore. Others segment operating profit grew 220.8 per cent to Rs 3.08 crore from Rs 0.96 crore during corresponding year ago quarter.

    PVR’s total expenditure during the quarter under review was up by 1.9 per cent yoy at Rs 515.55 crore as compared to Rs 505.77 crore. Finance cost was up 3.8 per cent yoy to Rs 21.17 crore in Q3 2018 from Rs 20.40 crore.

    Movie exhibition cost in Q3 2018 increased 13.4 per cent yoy to Rs 132.28 crore from Rs 116.69 crore. Cost of consumption of food and beverages in the quarter rose by 9.3 per cent yoy to Rs 37.90 crore from Rs 34.66 crore.

    Employee benefits expense in Q3 2018 increased by 8 per cent yoy to Rs 62.17 crore from Rs 57.57 crore. Rent expenses during the quarter were almost flat (increased by 0.2 per cent) yoy to Rs 99.356 crore from Rs 99.13 crore. Other expenses in Q2 2018 declined by 12.4 per cent yoy to Rs 125.21 crore from Rs 142.87 crore.

  • Zee Cinema airs Akshay Kumar and Amitabh Bachchan’s superhit film Ek Rishtaa: The Bond of Love

    Zee Cinema airs Akshay Kumar and Amitabh Bachchan’s superhit film Ek Rishtaa: The Bond of Love

    Zee Cinema, Home of Blockbusters, brings you the power-packed emotional drama, ‘Ek Rishtaa: The Bond of Love’ that airs on the channel on Saturday, 3rd February at 8 PM. With performances that truly touch the heart and India’s acting power-houses – ‘Big B’ and the ‘Khiladi of Bollywood’, this movie showcases varying relationships that exist between the members of a household and how familial ties truly bind individuals to each other. The two superstars, Amitabh Bachchan and Akshay Kumar were seen sharing screen space for the very first time in ‘Ek Rishtaa: The Bond of Love.’ 

    Directed by Suneel Darshan, this family drama features melodious songs like Ek Dil Hai and Hum Khush Hue by music composing duo of the 90s – Nadeem-Shravan. With Karisma Kapoor, Juhi Chawla and Mohnish Behl in pivotal roles, grab your loved ones and get ready for an emotional roller-coaster that will captivate the whole family.

    Ek Rishtaa: The Bond of Love is the story of Ajay (Akshay Kumar) who returns to India after completing his education overseas. His father Vijay Kapoor (Amitabh Bachchan), who is a successful businessman, expects him to join the family business. While Ajay chooses to follow his own path, Rajesh, an orphan in search of a job (Mohnish Behl) enters their family and tries to influence Vijay. Oblivious to his hidden motives and infuriated by Ajay’s decision, Vijay hands over the power of attorney to Rajesh and marries his daughter Priti (Juhi Chawla) to him. As a result of this, the family goes through a complete upheaval at Rajesh’s hands. 

    Will Ajay return to his family and help them get out of this mess? Is blood really thicker than water?  

  • Cast & crew of 21 sarfarosh: saragarhi 1897 celebrate army day with the 7th Battalion of sikh regiment of the indian army

    Cast & crew of 21 sarfarosh: saragarhi 1897 celebrate army day with the 7th Battalion of sikh regiment of the indian army

    MUMBAI: The cast & crew of 21 Sarfarosh: Saragarhi 1897 commemorated the Army day with the Soldiers of Sikh regiment of Indian army.  Actors Mohit Raina & Mukul Dev personally took the soldiers of the Sikh regiment on the tour of the set in Aamgaon where the epic battle of Saragarhi is currently being filmed. 21 Sarfarosh: Saragarhi 1897 is a fiction show inspired by the real-life story of 21 brave soldiers of the 36th Sikh regiment of the British Indian Army.

    In September 1897, a contingent of 21 soldiers from the 36th Sikh Regiment of the British Indian Army led by Havildar Ishar Singh successfully defended a remote outpost in the North West Frontier Province from an attack by over 10,000 Afghan tribesmen in what has been called one of the bravest last stands in military history. Produced by Contiloe Productions, 21 Sarfarosh:Saragarhi 1897 will be aired on the new entertainment channel Discovery Jeet starting February 12.

    Speaking on the occasion Contiloe Pictures, CEO, Abhimanyu Singh said, “We are honored to have the Soldiers of Sikh regiment in our studio on this special day, where the bravest of the country are celebrated. Battle of Saragarhi is considered as one of the bravest day in the Indian history, we salute them in the admiration of their bravery and show gratitude in recognition of their courage.”

    Star actor Mohit Raina, added, “It was an absolute delight to host soldiers of the Sikh regiment, along with their families, on the special occasion of the Army day. Playing the role of Havildar Ishar Singh has helped me appreciate the spirit, the ethos of Indian soldier even more than ever before. It is a supreme emotion when an individual elevates his thoughts to such a high that life itself becomes immaterial as he is ready to give it all to the motherland. Our soldiers defy every odd, face every challenge, so that we all can enjoy our lives. I salute this spirit.”