Category: Hindi

MUMBAI: With a prominent southern producer requesting the remake rights of Phas Gaye Re Obama, director Subhash Kapoor is a happy man that his small budget film would be made in Telugu.

Confirms Kapoor, “Yes, it is true. Sayed Ayub, who runs a prominent production house in the south, has approached us with an offer to remake the film in Telugu.” 

Kapoor assures that a film with a universal storyline can be made in any language by observing, “I strongly feel that while the basic concept and the storyline of the film is fresh, the film‘s simplicity can be adapted in any language. The terms and conditions of the remake would be finalised by next week.”

The story of a millionaire getting kidnapped and people making money out of it can fit in any language and culture, Kapoor feels.
 

MUMBAI: T-Series Ready is set to release on 27 May next year.

Directed by Anees Bazmee, the film promises action and comedy. It stars Salman Khan and Asin in lead roles. Besides, the film also stars Paresh Rawal, Mahesh Manjrekar and Sudesh Lahiri.

Avers T -Series head honcho Bhushan Kumar, “The schedule of Ready is moving smoothly and it‘s been great fun working with Salman. We share a great friendship not to mention a fantastic working equation. It‘s overwhelming to see his commitment towards the movie. He is a thorough professional and is always there with interesting inputs wherever need be.”

Ready is a remake of a Telugu film of the same name made in 2008. The original starring Ram and Genelia was directed by Srinu Vytla.

According to Kumar, his film has just the right ingredients that would have audiences asking for more. The film has lots of humour, there are 2-3 action sequences which Salman fans will love and there are a lot of dramatic sequences, he adds.
 

MUMBAI: Bollywood actor Fardeen Khan is mulling with the idea of reviving his father Feroz Khan‘s production banner F. K. International.

Once, he‘s done with the re-launch, Khan is planning to remake some of his father‘s films of which Qurbani would be one. He is currently going through scripts that he would probably turn into films from the F.K. international stable.

Going by a not-so-good career in acting so far, Khan is not taking up any new films. But he is completing Boney Kapoor‘s sequel to No Entry titled Be Positive.

F.K. International has produced films like Dharmatma, Jaambaaz and Dayaavan amongst others.
 

MUMBAI: Music Maestro AR Rahman has been nominated for the 68th Annual Golden Globe Awards, which were announced last evening. He is nominated in the Best Music category for Danny Boyle‘s 127 Hours.

127 Hours also bagged nominations for Best Actor (Drama) and Best Screenplay.

After the success of Slumdog Millionaire, Boyle had once again teamed up with Fox Searchlight Pictures, producer Christian Colson, writer Simon Beaufoy and Rahman for the action drama starring James Franco.

The film is the true story of mountain climber Aron Ralston‘s (played by Franco) adventure to save himself after a fallen boulder crashes on his arm and traps him in an isolated canyon in Utah.

Over the next five days Ralston examines his life and survives the elements to finally discover he has the courage and the wherewithal to extricate himself by any means necessary, scale a 65 foot wall and hike over eight miles before he is finally rescued.

Throughout his journey, Ralston recalls friends, lovers (Clemence Poesy), family, and the two hikers (Amber Tamblyn and Kate Mara) he met before his accident; wondering if they will be the last two people he ever had the chance to meet.

127 Hours is slated for release in India in January 2011 by Fox Star India.

Fox Star Studios India CEO Vijay Singh said, “AR Rahman being nominated once again for his brilliant music score in the film makes it very special for every Indian. We are looking forward to the January release and believe that the Indian audiences will appreciate this film just like Slumdog Millionaire.
 

MUMBAI: Film production company True Cinema has signed a three-year deal for five films, with Hollywood-based studio Black Satellite and their production wing Media Distribution Partners.

The films include Indian Autumn, Amrit Kumbh, Gora, Devi and Legend Of Rafailov.

Amid reports, Hollywood stars Cameron Diaz and Drew Barrymore are to visit India in January to announce the tie-up with True Cinema.

Meanwhile, True Cinema has also signed Mithun Chakraborty to star opposite Michael Caine in Indian Autumn. Apart from Chakraborty, the film will also see Indian stars like Moushmi Chatterjee and Soumitra Chatterjee.

Says True Cinema head honcho Sudipto Sen, “Diaz and the entire Hollywood team will be visiting important Indian cities including Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata and Haridwar in January to formally announce the first ever Hollywood-Bollywood long term joint venture.”

The film, directed by Sen will be shot in Los Angeles from March next year.
Reports say that Russell Crowe will feature in Amrit Kumbh and will join the other celebrities in India later.

MUMBAI: The film, television, animation and media arts institute, Whistling Woods International (WWI), has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the National Institute of Film and Media Arts, Buenos Aires (INCAA).

The MoU will allow both WWI and INCAA in assisting each other in the dissemination of films of both the countries as well as developing programmes, projects and tasks together to encourage co-production between the two countries and the enrichment of student filmmakers from both the nations.

The agreement aims at bringing together two cultures that share a passion for film-making, WWI said in a statement. This exchange will not only bring worldwide recognition and global exposure but also aid students of both countries to evaluate and reflect on the cultural realities, differences and limitations which inhibit today‘s filmmakers, it said.

By providing tools for dialogue and democratic participation, WWI and INCAA aspire to promote critical thinking and skills that can be used to create spaces for expression and exchange of ideas.

INCAA GM Romulo Nestor Pullol said, “We aim to reach all places of the Argentine territory where there is room to work around our films through screenings, film discussions, recreation, among others. This alliance with Whistling Woods International will provide our students with a world-class experience of how meaningful cinema can be created with the right guidance and excellent.

WWI dean John J Lee Jr added, “We at Whistling Woods International constantly endeavour to associate ourselves with world-renowned film institutes so that our students are not only exposed to global standards of filmmaking but also get an opportunity to exhibit their talent on an international platform.

“We are honored with this alliance as INCAA arguably has a competitive advantage in segments within creative industries, notably screen production and post-production, and enjoys a growing recognition across a number of various arenas.”
 

MUMBAI: Gone are the days when classical songs used to be a part of every second film. Who will forget those ear-catching songs in films like Mughal-e-Azam and Pakeezah and scores of other films.

To fill in this void, singer-turned-anchor Durga Jasraj daughter of music icon Pandit Jasraj is contemplating to produce a Hindi film with a number of classical songs. The film based on classical music will be made under her production and event Management Company ‘Art and Artistes.‘

“These days no one in Bollywood is making films like Baiju Bawra or Tansen, where classical music is part of the storyline. The last such film was Sanjay Leela Bhansali‘s Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam that had songs with references to classical music,” Durga said. She is, however, yet to finalise a script and casting for the project.

Born and brought up in a musical household, Durga always had music in her blood and started her career at the age of seven as a classical vocalist, before turning into other music-related ventures.

Her reality show Jalsa on Doordarshan brought together classical music and reality show. The show had young maestros, selected through a talent hunt, and legendary artists performing in all genres of Indian music like Hindustani, Ghazal, Carnatic, Bhajan, Sufi, folk.

Produced by her company, the programme begun as a concert tour spread across 40 cities in India in 2006 but was later spinned into a reality show.
 

MUMBAI: Opening a week ahead of its US release, The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader has reported a gross collection of Rs 205 million.

Fox Star Studios India, the distributor of the movie that has shaken audiences across the globe, said the India collection was in 10 days across four languages.

“We are delighted that Indian audiences have embraced the magical world of Narnia with such enthusiasm. The film is holding strong across the country,” commented Fox Star Studios India CEO Vijay Singh.

The movie opened in the US and other international markets to a collection of $105.5 million, according to box office reports.

The third part of the popular Narnia film series is directed by Michael Apted.
 

MUMBAI: MUMBAI: Eros International Media‘s No Problem has reported a gross collection of Rs 295 million worldwide in the opening weekend, according to box-office data provided by the company.

India has contributed to Rs 250 million while the other Rs 45 million has come from overseas.

The film, produced by Anil Kapoor Film Company, Rawail Grandsons Entertainment & Software and Spice Entertainment, released across cinemas on 10 December in more than 1,200 screens worldwide. Eros has acquired the distribution rights of the movie.

Speaking on the film‘s opening, Eros International Media SVP, Distribution, Nandu Ahuja said, “No Problem opened reasonably well on Friday and picked up over the weekend. Despite the cold wave in North India, the film picked up well over the weekend. We are anticipating a steady run for the film over the week.”

Averred Eros International plc President – Distribution Pranab Kapadia, “In line with the current flavour at the box office, Eros International tastes success yet again with No Problem. A multi star cast comedy – Anees Bazmee style with fun filled entertainment for the whole family, the film has grossed remarkable collections in US, UK, UAE, Australia, Mauritius, Fiji and Pakistan. With school holidays and the festive season starting this week, we expect the film to continue its hold on the box office.”

No Problem stars Anil Kapoor, Sanjay Dutt and Akshaye Khanna along with Sushmita Sen, Kangna Ranaut and Neetu Chandra.
 

MUMBAI:The distributors of Tees Maar Khan (UTV) and Toonpur Ka Superhero (Eros) have decided to release the films worldwide two days before they hit the screens in India.

To capitalise on the Christmas festive period, both the films will be released in US and UK on 22 December and in the Middle East on 23 December. They will release in the rest of the world including India on 24 December.

Over the years, the Christmas weekend has yielded excellent returns. In 2007, this period marked the release of Taare Zameen Par and Welcome; in 2008 it was Ghajini while 2009 saw the release of 3 Idiots.

Since the world is in a celebratory mood, with people enjoying the birth of Christ and New Year festivities, the Christmas weekend is considered the most lucrative period for release of films.