Category: Hindi

MUMBAI: Indian billionaire Anil Ambani is looking at writing new scripts in the global movie world. Reliance Big Entertainment, the company that he owns, has entered into a partnership with Ron Howard‘s production company Imagine Entertainment to set up a “writers lab” that will employ 10 screenwriters for a year.

Reliance will fund an undisclosed amount for the programme, which will be run by Imagine co-chairman Karen Kehela Sherwood. Reliance will have the rights to co-finance any project Imagine sets up at Universal Pictures or at other studios. Imagine has an existing first-look deal with Universal Pictures.

As per the deal, Reliance and Universal have the first rights with the lab to purchase completed screenplays.

For any script that is selected, the team of 10 will get additional fee and the main writer will be given the lion‘s share.

The lab will consist of 10 experienced scribes who will be paid to work exclusively as creative consultants, evaluating one another‘s story pitches and also penning original screenplays.

Scribes set to take part in the lab are Margaret Nagle, Michael Fitzpatrick, Lee Patterson, Glen Lakin, Michael Perry, Stacey Harman, Jason Mantzoukas, Scott Aukerman and Daniel Casey. The 10th writer has not yet been named.

Says Howard, “This is an approach to screenplay development that I have believed in and wanted to experiment with for years. The creative energy and support system the lab should stimulate is something I am incredibly eager to be a part of.”

Sherwood will oversee both the film development department of Imagine and also assign projects for the writers group.

It may be recalled that Imagine and Reliance struck a first-look film development pact in November 2009 as part of Reliance‘s aggressive push into Hollywood. Shortly after that pact was signed, Howard brought up the idea of a lab to Reliance executives.

The project came together through Amitabh Jhunjhunwala, who leads the media and entertainment business for Reliance ADA group. “When Ron and Brian brought this unique concept to Reliance, we immediately recognised its tremendous value and potential,” Jhunjhunwala said in a statement.

Hollywood production companies are impacted by the recession as studios are cutting down on their costs. This is forcing production companies to look at reducing budgets for development of projects. The market is opening up for new capital from other geographies, an opportunity which Ambani has grabbed.

MUMBAI: Director of the National Film Archives of India (NFAI), Vijay H. Jadhav, expired after he suffered a massive heart attack.

Soon after he complained of uneasiness and breathing problems, he was rushed to the Sahyadri Hospital where he expired. 

Jadhav is survived by his wife and two daughters.

From the 1995 batch of Indian Information Service, Jadhav, a chemical engineer, served with the Press Information Bureau in Pune, where he was the director.

Later, he did a stint with the Mumbai Doordarshan as news editor and as defence public relations officer in Pune. He was transferred as the National Film Archives of India in April 2008 as director and was based in Pune since then.

Jadhav was an accomplished tabla player, having trained under Ustad Allahrakha.

In a condolence message, Information and Broadcasting Minister Ambika Soni said, “I had the opportunity to observe Jadhav‘s work during our discussions on setting up of National Film Heritage Mission.

” His professionalism remained unmatched and committed to the tasks assigned to him from time to time. I was deeply impressed with his innovative ideas and his ability to lead from the front. The untimely death of Jadhav had left a void in the Ministry that would be very difficult to fill.”
 

MUMBAI: Despite a good release period, the run of bad films continues. As the making costs go up, the content and quality seems to deteriorate. While the collections are disheartening, the severe cold wave in the country is expected to further affect the box-office, especially in the night shows.

No Problem, a comedy sans comic actors and funny moments fails miserably. With big names like Anil Kapoor, Sanjay Dutt, Suniel Shetty, Akshaye Khanna, Paresh Rawal and a horde of supporting actors in the caste, none except Rawal is known for his comic timing. Hence the star cast fails the film. Also, what handicaps the film drastically is the lack of gags and funny situations; whatever few are there seem forced.

The public, having sensed what was in the offing decided to skip it as the opening day figures of Rs 40 million prove. The film‘s first weekend intake is Rs 157 million.
 
Band Baaja Baaraat, a Delhi centric romantic comedy, fails on both counts: romance as well as comedy. A poor musical score adds to the woes. With the opening day collections of Rs 11 million, the film ended the weekend with an inflow of Rs 54 million.
While attributing the failure of No Problem to poor content, Guru Shenoy of MGH Enterprises, a Bombay Circuit distributor and exhibitor calls Band Baaja Baaraat “a cheap comedy that would not appeal to good senses.”

Meanwhile, Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Se has collected less than Rs 40 million in its first week across India, less than half of many films that would collect from a single multiplex. Rakht Charitra 2 went virtually unnoticed while Phass Gaye Re Obama did enjoy favourable reports that have yet to show on its box-office collections.

MUMBAI: Matrix Media will release the Vatsal Seth, Tulip Joshi and Mukesh Tewari- starrer Hostel on 31 December. The film written and directed by Manish Gupta is a story inspired by true life events of various boys‘ hostels.
It is a film about a student who enters a notorious hostel and is ragged by his seniors. It‘s not just about one incident but a string of incidents and is a hard-hitting reality-action film. It shows how students are tortured and harassed in the name of ragging.

Gupta said, “There are many suicides that occur in Indian hostels due to ragging wherein students are beaten up, stripped, paraded naked, starved, tortured, molested and even raped by their seniors. 

“Since victims of the act find it humiliating to report sexual abuse to their parents or others, most ragging-related crimes go unreported. My film deals with the serious issue of ragging and through this film I want to show the world what actually a victim of ragging goes through.”

The film is produced by Vicky Tejwani and Gurpal Sachar of Matrix Media.

BANGALORE: Film director Bindinganavile Srinivasa Iyengar Ranga (BS Ranga), 93, passed away in Chennai last night. He is survived by three sons and a daughter.

Ranga brought colour to Sandalwood films –he produced and directed the first colour film in Kannada – Amarshili Jakkanachari.

Ranga, an ace photographer was elected an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Photographic Society after his photographs were exhibited at the Royal Salon in London.

He started his film career as a cinematographer before starting his production company under tha banner of Vikram Productions, renowned in South India during the sixties and the seventies of the last century.

Amarshili Jakkanachari and a Telugu film Tenali Ramakrishna starring the late Andhra Pradesh chief minister NT Rama Rao, the film won for Ranga the President’s film awards.

In 1963, he directed a Hindi film Pyaar Kiya To Darna Kya starring Shammi Kapoor and B Saroja Devi among others.

In all he directed 45 films in Kannada, Telugu and Hindi.

MUMBAI: Debutante director Aamir Bashir’s Harud will be screened at the 7th Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF), which started on 12 December and will run till 19 December.

The film is in the competition section of DIFF‘s Muhr Asiaaaafrica. With the screening at the DIFFCompetition and is making its Middle East premiere.

The film is a story of how a Kashmiri youth encounters the customary trappings of the term “azaadi” (freedom). In Harud, protagonists struggle to regain their dignity and in turn their humanity from the violent assaults of the state as well as the rebels.

The film will be screened on 13 and 16 December where Bashir along with his crew is expected to be present.

Bashir’s commitment to acting has seen him excel in many independent films like Clever and Lonely, Split Wide Open, The Great Indian Butterfly and the award-winning Frozen. He was nominated for best supporting actor at the 2009 Screen Awards for his role in the film A Wednesday.
 

MUMBAI:Filmmaker Sanjay Puran Singh Chauhan has roped in Hulk cinematographer Frederick Elmes for his next venture. Elmes‘ credits also include Blood Brother, Blue Velvet, Namesake and Wild at Heart.

Touted to have the finest of Hollywood and Bollywood crew, Chauhan‘s yet-to-be-titled sci-fi film will be shot at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

“The film will be very much Indian at heart. I am trying to make the most authentic sci-fi movie in India ever and the way things are shaping up, I hope and believe it will be a world level cinema,” the director said in a statement.
The film has Chauhan teaming up again with Wayne Sharpe for the background score of the film after Lahore. He has also roped in other international talent like Golden Globe winning Hollywood singer Lisa Gerrard who had crooned for films like Gladiator and Mission: Impossible II as well as Senegalese Babba Maal, the singer-guitarist who sang for Black Hawk Down.

Incidentally, Chauhan’s, Lahore won the Indira Gandhi award for best debut film by a director and the National Film Award for best supporting actor for Farooque Shaikh
 

NEW DELHI: The Government spent a total of Rs 261.1 million towards holding various international, national, Indian Panorama, children’s and documentary film festivals.

Of this, the Directorate of Film Festivals incurred Rs 195.4 million between 2007-08 and November 2010 towards organising various film festivals, selecting films for Indian Panorama, the International Film Festival of India, and conducting the National Film Awards.

This expenditure was incurred under the Plan Schemes titled Export Promotion through Film Festivals and Non-Plan heads titled National Award for Films and Film Festivals under Cultural Exchange.

In addition, the Children’s Film Society, India, incurred expenditure of Rs 33.1 million from 2007 until November 2010 for the International Children’s Film Festival and state-level children film festivals.

The Films Division spent Rs 32.6 million between 2007 and November 2010 on the Mumbai International Film Festival held in February 2008 and February 2010 and on state-level festivals of documentary films.

A total of just over 35 festivals including IFFI and retrospectives or country-based festivals were organised by the Directorate of Film Festival between 2007-08 and 2 December 2010.

The CFSI held 21 district-level children film festivals besides the ICFF held in 2007 and 2009.

Following a case in 2005, the process of the National Film Awards was held up and therefore two award functions were held in the calendar years 2009 and 2010. A total of six cases were filed in various courts with regard to the National Film Awards or Indian Panorama in 2009-10. One relating to digital films was withdrawn while another relating to Indian Panorama 2009 was disposed of. The other four are pending and, therefore, sub-judice.

MUMBAI: Soha Ali Khan will play a deaf girl in SaReGaMa’s Soundtrack, a remake of Canadian film It‘s All Gone Pete Tong. The makers have signed Soha Ali Khan to play a deaf girl in the film.

SaReGaMa incidentally has bought the remaking rights of the film.

The film is based on the true story of Czech DJ Kristov Masalin who lost his sense of hearing due to excessive noise levels at various venues in which he played. However, Kristov‘s career did not end with his total loss of hearing and used various methods to keep his music career alive.

While the original film, directed by Michael Dowse, had Paul Kaye playing the DJ, the Hindi version will have Rajeev Khandelwal playing the same.
 

MUMBAI: The repercussions of the dismal failure of Khelien Hum Jee Jaan Se is just showing. Ashutosh Gowariker, who was to direct Spice Entertainment’s ambitious film Buddha, will not direct the film anymore.

The producers are scouting for another director now. The film is quite prestigious for the producers as it has been written by Oscar nominee David Ward, who had earlier written Sleepless in Seattle.

It is reported that there have been lot of unresolved creative issues between the writer, producer and the director. Since the producers want to make it as an international film, they were unhappy with the changes Gowariker effected in the script. Hence the makers decided to look for another director. 

Talking on any creative differences, Spice head honcho B K Modi says, “Ashutosh hasn‘t been able to find the right actor for the role.” However Modi has no plans to shelve the project. “We are in talks with other directors for Buddha because they may have a different perspective on the film.”

Incidentally, Shekhar Kapur was earlier approached to direct the film. He reportedly started work on it but abandoned it midway when he was directing Elizabeth.