Category: Hindi

MUMBAI: Karan Johar‘s recent hit My Name Is Khan (MNIK) won two awards from the Los Angeles-based Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC); one for the film and the other for the director for celebrating the spirit of the film.

The MPAC is a body that addresses the causes of Muslim especially from the Western perspective. 

The Council chose to honour My Name Is Khan and a TV show Grey‘s Anatomy as both had a Muslim character in them.

The awards were handed out at the 19th Annual Voices of Courage and Conscience Media Award in Los Angeles on 1 May.

Additionally, as part of the honour, a two-hour version of MNIK specially cut for the North American audience will be screened at the prestigious art house, The Angelika, in New York.
 

MUMBAI: Firoze Nadiawala‘s The Outsider, directed by Raj Kumar Santoshi, has been postponed for lack of proper permission to shoot at the wanted location in the US.

Rather than allowing Amitabh Bachchan‘s dates to go to waste, Santoshi has designed a new mega project. He will soon embark on a crime thriller under the same banner that will also feature Ajay Devgn and Sanjay Dutt in stellar roles.

Explaining the overnight shift in plot location and project Santoshi said, “The other project, The Outsider, was not working out on time. It has become very difficult for Indian filmmakers to shoot in the US. Rather than allow the dates to go to waste, I put forward the new project. It‘s a thriller about a vigilante. And yes Devgn and Dutt are also part of the project.”

The shooting starts in the next couple of months to coincide with the dates that Bachchan had allotted for the other project.

This is the first time that Santoshi would be working with Sanjay Dutt. They were to collaborate on a historical about the Partition. But since period films don‘t work these days, the project had to be shelved.

Remarked Santoshi, “The responsibility of doing justice to Amitji and Ajay, whom I‘ve worked with earlier, and Dutt with whom I‘m working with for the first time, is the same.”
 

MUMBAI: Dar Motion Pictures has announced the remake of Mahesh Manjrekar‘s Mee Shivajiraje Bhosale Boltoy in Bengali.

The film that is still in its pre-production stage is part of the three-film deal that Dar Motion Pictures had earlier struck with director Mahesh Manjrekar.

The director who has so far directed films in Hindi and Marathi, is now trying his hand in Bengali films.

In the Bengali film, Mithun Chakraborty will essay the role that Sachin Khedekar had essayed in the Marathi film.

Manjrekar had himself essayed the pivotal role of Shivaji Maharaj in the Marathi version.
 

MUMBAI: If there was 3 Idiots, why not 4th Idiot? Yes, this is the name of an animated film produced and directed by Guinness world record holder for strong memory and maximum push-ups, Biswaroop Roy Chowdhury.

Made at a budget of Rs.20 million, the film will be screened in World Unity Convention Center in Lucknow.

The film starts where 3 Idiots ends – at the school of Phunsuk Wangdu. It gives an insight that if Phunsuk Wangdu was the school principal, then what will that school be like? 

4th Idiot is the story of a boy, Pappu, who, by using the techniques taught by Ranchordas Chanchar in 3 Idiots, achieved his otherwise seemingly unachievable goals like topping in school, winning his dream girl and even going to the moon.
With two melodious songs and narration by Omi Vaidya (Chatur Ramalingam of 3 Idiots), the film is supposed to be not only entertaining but also a journey to our brain to understand its hidden potential.

Omi Vaidya has anchored the film.

The premiere will be held on 9 May and the movie will be showcased to 100000 students where Vaidya, Chowdhury and the complete team of The 4th Idiot would be present.
 

MUMBAI: Reliance MediaWorks Ltd. will have a major presence in the Cannes Film Festival that is to be held from 12 to 23 May and will showcase its global team and advanced film and media services.

At its office at the Relais de la Reine, the post-production unit is hosting an ‘open house’ throughout the Cannes International Film Festival, encouraging press and industry alike to meet the Global team. 

The team will be showcasing technological demonstrations (3D and film restoration), announcing significant news, speaking on various festival panels and are available for interview to discuss 3D, emergency film work, global strategy, new film-making methodology, digital technology, film restoration and the future of digital film.

Working with filmmkers from inception to release, Reliance MediaWorks helps take stories to screen as technology and filming-making practice changes. Reliance MediaWorks provided film support and the technology for Alice In Wonferland, Avatar, James Bond films, The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button and many other films.

MUMBAI: As a tribute to Mrinal Sen, the Cannes International Film Festival will screen Kandahar (The Ruins), the filmmaker’s newly restored masterpiece, at the Cannes Film Festival that goes underway from 12 Mayto 23 May.

The film will be screened in the ‘Cannes Classic‘ section. The section, which was introduced in Cannes in 2004, will screen 12 films by various filmmakers the world over including late Jean Renoir and Alfred Hitchcock.

Sen‘s Kharij got the Cannes jury prize in 1983 and ‘Kandahar‘ got the special jury prize at the Montreal film fest in 1984.

Most of Sen‘s film negatives, including the Kolkata trilogy namely Interview, Calcutta 71 and Padatik, were found to be in poor shape last year. As a result, a mini-retrospective of his films at 2009 Cannes could not take place.

Following reports in the media about the poor condition of Sen‘s films last March, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had asked the Information and Broadcasting Ministry to restore the classics. Seventeen of the films are now being restored at the Pune archives.

The restoration of Kandahar starring Shabana Azmi has been completed by Reliance Mediaworks that had won the bid for restoration of hundreds of Indian classics from the National Film Archive.

“They had undertaken a pristine restoration process removing dust, dirt and scratches frame by frame making it fit for screening at the section,” Sen said. Restoration work of Sen‘s 16 other films was also underway but in patches.
 

MUMBAI: Two grandsons of the late Prithiviraj Kapoor, Randhir Kapoor and Aditya Raj Kapoor will play cameo roles in Rahul Dholakia‘s film, Society.

While Randhir Kapoor is son of the late Raj Kapoor, Aditya is the son of Shammi Kapoor. This will be the first time that these two Kapoors will be seen together in the same frame.

Dimple Kapadia will also be making a small appearance in the film.

Aditya Raj Kapoor plays the role of an art collector while Dimple and Randhir are a couple who like to play pranks. In one such prank, the couple tries and sells a book of Kamasutra to him.
 

MUMBAI: Star Box-Office is set to release Vroom Adventures of Smarty, the Magical Car, set on an adventurous journey of Smarty the magical car, on 14 May. The film has been directed by debutant director Savin Tuscano.

Vroom, Adventures of Smarty, the Magical Car is the story of Smarty, a naughty car with a mind of its own. The story is about a scientist, Dr Ramanujam, who is working on a secret artificial intelligence chip which an evil goon, Mr X, wishes to acquire. 

Mr X sends his henchmen to steal the chip, but Dr Ramanujam manages to escape with it and puts it in a car. It is this car that then gets a mind of its own and starts playing tricks on his new owner and the people around him. What follows is a series of fun filled events that make Smarty the star attraction.

Speaking about the film, Star India GM Sameer Rao says, “Through Vroom, Adventures of Smarty, the magical car, we have tried to bring back the concept of kids and parents going together to theatres to watch movies. Vroom will prove to be an entertaining film for the entire family.”
 

MUMBAI: The three-month drought at the box-office has ended with Sajid Nadiawala‘s Housefull, an episodic comedy that has garnered Rs 640 million in the opening weekend.

Among the first of the summer releases post IPL, Housefull collected Rs 480 million in India and Rs 160 million overseas in its opening weekend.

The film, which opened across 2000-plus screens worldwide, has taken a flying start in UK and is positioned at No 11 in that market, having grossed ?2.7 million in three days.

Says Eros International Media senior VP Nandu Ahuja, “Housefull being the first major release post 45 days of IPL cricket frenzy, we were confident that it will open very well. With its excellent weekend performance, the biggest of the year so far, Housefull has lived up to its name”.

Cinemax senior vice president Devang Sampat agrees that the movie has had a strong start. “Housefull has taken a good opening across all our theatres. It should do well in the coming days too,” he says.

Produced by Sajid Nadiadwala, Housefull is the result of an output deal signed between Eros International Media Ltd and Nadiadwala Grandson Entertainment with whom Eros has enjoyed a long association.

A comic caper in Sajid Khan style, Housefull stars a mix of actors including Akshay Kumar and Riteish Deshmukh along with Deepika Padukone, Lara Dutta, Arjun Rampal and Jiah Khan.

Shah Rukh Khan‘s My Name is Khan is the last significant movie release in the year to have moved the box-office, mopping up Rs 1.92 billion after 17 weeks.

BANGALORE: After a beak of 12 years, Mysore Srinivas Sathyu (M S Sathyu) returns to cinema with his Kannada film on the Devadasi theme ‘Ijjodu’, which has has released today.

Reliance Big Pictures (RBP) the producer and distributor of the film, has planned a small release in just five to six theaters in Bangalore initially. RBP expects the film’s popularity to spread by word-of-mouth. Depending upon the fate of the film in Bangalore, the film will be released in other cities in Karnataka.

Ijjodu has been screened at four domestic film festivals and has already received immense critical acclaim.

Reliance BIG Pictures CEO Sanjeev Lamba said, “Ijjodu not only marks the return of a director par excellence but also explores a social practice which has officially been banned from our society. Reliance Big Pictures is proud to be associated with such meaningful cinema.”

The film, scripted by Sathyu himself, has noted South Indian actress Meera Jasmine playing the female lead “Chenni”. Meera was the recipient of the National Award in 2004. The film also stars popular Kannada actor Aniruddha Jatkar as the male protagonist. The film’s music has been composed by Manikanth Kadri and cinematography is by GS Bhaskar.

The sound rights for the film have been purchased by Sony BMG.