Category: Hindi

MUMBAI: The release of Dharma Productions‘ Kajol, Kareena Kapoor and Arjun Rampal-starrer We Are Family has been rescheduled once again.

The film that was scheduled to release on 3 September will now arrive a day ahead, the day when the country would be celebrating Janmashthami.

The rescheduling has been done because Janamashtami is a holiday across most parts of India. This would help the film in terms of extended weekend footfalls.

Earlier the film was to release on 10 September, the day the Salman Khan-starrer Dabaang was to launch. But to avert a clash, We Are Family launch was preponed to 3 September.

Titling the film, a remake of the Susan Sarandon-Julia Roberts starrer Stepmom, took producer Karan Johar a year to fix. “It was one of the toughest titles to pin down,” Johar avers. “We moved on between hundreds of titles, including Thank You Ma. The Hindi ones sounded too archaic and the English ones were alienating.”

But once the title was decided, Rahul Nanda hopped on board and wove a campaign around it through a sequence of scenes that would justify the three simple English words. You wonder if it isn‘t too anglicized and targets the multiplex audience and Johar came to a conclusion that family is a commonly used word across the country.

MUMBAI: Bollywood film personalities will attend I-View Film 2010, one of the biggest film festivals that explores the issues of ‘gender, sexuality, culture and religion‘.

The festival that goes underway at Asia Society, Tribeca Cinemas, Big Cinemas Manhattan on 18 September, will close on 26 September.

Those film personalities who have confirmed their attendance include Vishal Bharadwaj, Rohan Sippy, Abhishek Choubey, Dibakar Banerjee, Rahul Bose, Juhi Chawla, Aparna Sen, Rituparni Sengupta Arshad Warsi, Zeenat Aman, Helen among others. Attendees will talk on issues concerning alternative sexuality. 

Says an official of the festival who did not want his name to be revealed, “We have scheduled live interactions between the actors, filmmakers and their audience and fans. All of them have agreed to talk upon the complex issues of gender and alternative sexuality and the complex issues that the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people) community faces in the country.”

While I am would be the opening day attraction, Mirch would close the festival. The festival will be the venue of the US premiere of DUNNO Y.. NA JAANE KYUN, New York premiere of Aparna Sen‘s The Japanese Wife, world premiere of Sanjoy Nag‘s Memories in March (Asamapt) and the North American premiere of Just Another Love Story.
 

NEW DELHI: India and Australia have decided to launch negotiations on a film co-production agreement so that filmmakers of both countries can work together.

Information and Broadcasting Ministry sources said the agreement will cover a wide range of audio-visual formats.

The sources said the agreement could lead to increase in use of Indian locales for shooting by Australian filmmakers, leading to greater generation of employment and income generation.

The benefits also include the sharing of risks and there is a wider natural audience base. Producers from both countries will get an opportunity to pool their creative, artistic, technical, financial and marketing resources to co-produce films.

There is also possibility of outsourcing of animation and post-production work to Indian companies, the sources added
 

MUMBAI: The Walt Disney Company India is set to release its first Hindi live action film Do Dooni Chaar, starring the husband-wife team of Rishi and Neetu Kapoor, on 8 October.

Financed by Disney and produced by Planman Motion Pictures, the film is an inspiring story of a middle-class family.

Rishi and Neetu Kapoor will be seen in a full fledged role together after almost 30 years. Directed by Habib Faisal, the film also stars Aditi Vasudev and Archit Krishna. 

“Storytelling is at the heart of Disney‘s creative heritage and Do Dooni Chaar is the best representation of this with its delightful and touching narrative that will resonate with every Indian family and features characters to fall in love with,” said Walt Disney Studios International Production (India) executive director – theatrical productions and acquisitions Swati Shetty.

“Do Dooni Chaar has been an incredible experience for us and we are thrilled to be working with Disney to enable more Indian movie lovers the opportunity to see this film that we are extremely proud of. The story of the Duggal family is one that will resonate strongly with Indian audiences and is one of universal heartache and triumph that represents the very best of the coming together of family,” averred Planman Motion Pictures CEO and creative director Shubho Shekhar Bhattacharjee.

Disney will also be distributing its co-produced Telugu film. “Do Dooni Chaar and the recently announced Telugu fantasy adventure film Anaganaga – O – Dheerudu (Once Upon A Warrior), made for our southern audiences, highlights great film making, timeless stories and the versatility of our Studios business to produce across different languages and genres,” added Shetty.

Anaganaga – O – Dheerudu, starring Siddharth, Shruti Haasan, Lakshmi Manchu and Harshitha, will release in January 2011 and is directed by Prakash Rao Kovelamudi. The film will also be dubbed in Tamil.

Walt Disney India is also producing a live action Hindi feature film called Zokkomon. The movie is directed by Satyajit Bhatkal and stars Darsheel Safary and Anupam Kher.
 

MUMBAI: Yash Raj Films (YRF) has partnered with Big Cinemas to release its movie Lafangey Parindey in the US across the cinema chain‘s nine properties.
In the US, Big Cinemas has 190 screens across 20 cities.

Said Reliance MediaWorks CEO Anil Arjun, “Some of the most notable Indian movies have been released over the years by the YRF banner and it is a privilege for us to be an exclusive partner for the release of Lafangey Parindey in the US.” 

Directed by Pradeep Sarkar, Lafangey Parindey, an edgy love story about the never-say-die spirit, travels in the grungy streets of Mumbai. The film‘s story revolves around a blindfolded street fighter (Neil) and a blind dancer (Deepika) who, along with four friends, set out to achieve the impossible.

A division of Reliance MediaWorks and member of the Reliance Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group, the cinema chain is also conducting a Lafangey Parindey sweepstakes contest, where the audiences have a chance to win autographed merchandise and select movie apparel by registering on Big Cinemas‘ website.

MUMBAI: Peepli Live has grossed Rs 230 million at the box office, according to data provided by UTV Motion Pictures till Tuesday evening.

In India, the film grossed Rs 205 million from 750 screens while the remaining portion came from overseas markets across 100 screens.

With 64 prints in the US, the film has collected $364000 in the opening weekend, which is higher than many mainstream commercial films with a big cast, UTV said.

Meanwhile, in the Middle East the film released during Ramzaan and has opened at $175,000 on 18 prints. In Australia, Peepli Live ranked 4th in the Limited release Australian box office and has collected 47900 Australian dollars on six screens. 

From countries like South Africa, Pakistan, Singapore, Benelux, Kenya and others, the total contribution was to the tune of $59,000 in the opening weekend.

The movie was released on 13 August. Said UTV Motion Pictures CEO Siddharth Roy Kapur, “It’s great to witness what would usually be considered a ‘a small’ film like Peepli Live, receive such a tremendous response from audiences in India and overseas. The film has set a benchmark for the highest opening ever for a non-cast film. The complete support and involvement from Aamir at every stage of the process, has helped the marketing and distribution team at UTV to rewrite the definition of what constitutes commercially viable cinema. We look forward to making Peepli Live the ‘biggest small film’ in the history of Indian cinema.”

Peepli Live, co-produced by Aamir Khan Productions and UTV Motion Pictures and directed by Anusha Rizvi, follows the mayhem that results on account of a farmer threatening to commit sucide.
 

MUMBAI: Sajid Nadiadwala is ready to launch three major films on a budget of Rs 1.5 billion.

The first film starring Saif Ali Khan will be directed by Siddharth Anand. Right now Katrina Kaif and Priyanka Chopra are in the race to play the female lead. Siddharth and Saif have worked together in YRF’s Salaam Namaste and Tara Rum Pum.

Then there’s a sequel of Housefull to be directed by Sajid Khan that will have Akshay Kumar, Riteish Deshmukh, Arjun Rampal and Boman Irani in the cast. The females are yet to be signed, but Deepika Padukone could definitely be one of them.

The third film coming from the Nadiawala Grandsons banner is Kick with his buddy Salman Khan in the lead. The leading lady. in all likelihood, would be Salman’s Dabaang co-star Sonakshi Sinha.

Admits Nadiadwala, “You have the names of the leading men right. As for the leading ladies, it’s suspense! I am talking to all the girls that you mention.”
 

MUMBAI: Malaysia‘s 3D animation film Geng-The Adventure Begins is set to release in India on 27 August.

The film is being distributed in India by Ken Films in association with Les‘ Copaque and IndiaTales Media.

Geng is about a gang that embarks a journey of action and adventure set upon the warm atmosphere of a village. Set against the Indian backdrop and with Indian characters, the movie is an adventurous story that is bound to appeal both to kids and adults.

Unlike other films, Geng seeks to promote Asian Culture globally. Apart from Malaysian characters, it has several Indian characters that is bound to strongly connect with the Indian audience.

While making this 3D film, the producers always had the Indian audience in their mind and hence the storyline and characters were based in India.

This film has won many awards like best director, best animated film, best short film (animated) at the International Film Festival for Children, Indonesia, 22nd Malaysian Film Festival – 2 Jury‘s Choice Awards (box-office, animated feature film with distinctive characters), MSC Malaysia Kre8tif! Industry Awards- best editor, best music/score.

Avers Ken Film chaiman Aneesh Singhal, “After smashing box office records in Malaysia, 3D animation film GENG will become the first Malaysian movie to get a commercial theatrical release in India when it opens here in the last week of August.”

MUMBAI: After Aamir Khan‘s Peepli Live focussed on the farmer issues faced by rural India, it is now the turn of National Award winning film Antardwand, based on groom kidnapping, to reveal the blatant truth going on in the interiors to moviegoers.

The film is a peep into the reality that is mofussil India, a feudal India refusing to die. It‘s a story where everybody involved pay a heavy price for the ugly patriarchal power play. It‘s a society rotting while the country surges ahead to be a global power. 

The film is based on a true story of the film‘s director Sushil Rajpal‘s closest friend, who still suffers from the psychological scars of being kidnapped and forcibly married to someone, he didn‘t intent to get wedded to.

Though he later escaped and lives in an urban city presently, the case is in Court because he is still legally married.

Rajpal felt it was his moral duty and sacrificed his entire savings to bring this issue of ‘Groom Kidnapping‘ to urban India, which had closed its eyes to rural India and the twin social evil of ‘Groom Kidnapping‘ and related issue of ‘Dowry‘.

It is still surprising that because ‘groom kidnapping‘ has got a social sanction amongst the upper caste, in states like Bihar, where potential bridegrooms who have done their IAS, engineering etc are targets, because the bride family can‘t afford the high dowry rates. It‘s a society where human beings are ‘traded‘ as animals, with social sanction, wherein its ‘acceptable.‘

Comments Rajpal, “This is just one side of the larger story that propelled the director in me and more moving was part of the story. Such forced marriages wreak huge emotional damage on both the girl and the boy. More for the voiceless girl who is deeply entrenched in a male dominated feudalistic society where she has nothing else to fall back on. Whether deserted or divorced -the life of a hapless girl in such a claustrophobic society becomes a hellish and endless journey. She bears the stigma of ‘being married but not married‘.”

The film is set to hit the silver screen on 27 August.
 

MUMBAI: Aamir Khan is making further inroads into movieland with his banner. After a successful run with Taare Zamin Par and Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na, the Khan has done it once again. His latest co-production with UTV, Peepli Live, has garnered good footfalls over its first weekend of release. Estimates are that it grossed around Rs 160 million nationally.

Says veteran distributor and box office statistician Tolu Bajaj, “Peepli Live had a super strong Saturday and continued to pull in movie goers even on Sunday. I would classify it as more than a hit.”

The film, which was made on a small budget without the A-listers of Bollywood, follows the mayhem that results on account of a farmer threatening to commit sucide.

“Aamir Khan pulled out all the stops to make the film which can be considered as an independent cinema piece of work into a commercial success,” says a trade analyst. “The Aamir brand has worked its magic. Any commercial film maker too would have been more than happy with the box office that Peepli Live has generated so far. Had it been any other film maker, the office results might have been much lower.” Peepli Live was released in 600 screens across the country.