Category: Hindi

MUMBAI: SRS Group intends to invest Rs 500 million as it plans to add 22 screens this year.

SRS has just launched its first ever multiplex in Bijnor under the brand name of SRS Cinemas. The Group currently has nine multiplexes around the country with 23 screens and a total seating capacity of 7,694.

Spread across approximately 20,000 sq. ft. area, the new multiplex has two screens with a capacity of 458 seats. Films to be screened at SRS Cinemas in the inaugural week are Sadiyan, Shaapit and Atithi Tum Kab Jaoge?

Says SRS Group chairman and managing director Anil Jindal, “Remaining true to our focus on Uttar Pradesh, we are extremely happy to extend the reach of our most vibrant brand, SRS Cinemas, to the residents of Bijnor.”

MUMBAI: Sajid Nadiadwala has been served legal notice over the inclusion of a song from Laawaris in his latest Akshay Kumar starrer Housefull that is to hit the screen on 30 April.

The notice has been served by Prakash Mehra Productions since it feels that the makers of the movie have violated the copyright act by including a hit song from their film without their permission. 

Confirming that the legal notice has been served on him, Nadiadwala says that he is hopeful that this issue will be put to rest amicably between the two parties soon.

It must be recalled that the said song penned by Prakash Mehra, Apne to jaise taise, was picturised on Amitabh Bachchan in Laawaris.
 

MUMBAI: The promoters of Shree Ashtavinayak Cine Vision are planning to up their stake and the board is meeting on 6 April to consider a buyback proposal.

The promoter holding has fallen from 48.32 per cent in 30 September to 31.52 per cent, according to data provided by the BSE till 31 December 2009.

The shares of Shree Ashtavinayak jumped 4.9 per cent to Rs 12.06 after the company announced its plans to consider a buyback proposal.

The company also said that it has allotted 6.82 million shares (of Re 1 each), at the issue price of Rs 43.98 per share on conversion of FCCBs amounting to $7.623 million.
 

MUMBAI: Whistling Woods International (WWI) has introduced the WWI Short Course Unit with an aim to give professionals, students and amateurs an opportunity to explore specific aspects of television and motion picture production.

The first six short courses starting in the month of April, the duration ranging between three to twelve months, will be in multi-cam production (Rs 25,000), production design (Rs 20,000), fundamentals of film appreciation (Rs 7,500), tools of method acting (Rs 20,000), still photography (Rs 13,000) and fundamentals of pro-tool (Rs 25,000). The courses will start in the month of 15 April. 

The fees for the regular two-year diploma courses and workshops that offer a range of technical and creative options that combine teaching with hands down training in acting, cinematography, direction, editing, producing, screenwriting, sound recording and design costs Rs 1.66 million.

In addition to the Short Course Unit, Whistling Woods International has also launched an online screenwriting course.

WWI has also introduced a diploma in screenwriting for Television and a diploma in acting.

MUMBAI: In the absence of Sebi approvals, the bidding process of the acquisition of Fame India that was to have started on 1 April has been postponed.

In the process, Fame India shareholders who want to participate in the bidding war between Inox Leisure and Reliance Media World (RMW) have faced a roadblock.

Meanwhile, ICCI Securities Limited, in a BSE announcement, has clarified that the draft Letter of Offer, that Reliance Capital Partners and Reliance Capital Limited had, through insertions in a couple of dailies, offered to the public shareholders of Fame India Limited (FIL) to acquire 2,17,00,000 fully paid-up equity shares of FIL at a price of Rs 83.40 per fully paid-up equity share of face value of Rs 10 each, will now not open on 1 April, the ‘Date of opening of the Offer‘.

The revised schedule of activities in respect of the offer will be announced only after receiving Sebi‘s approval.

MUMBAI: Multiplex chain operator Cinemax has launched its first multiplex property in Kerala. With this launch, Kerala also gets its first-ever and only multiplex till date.

The four-screen multiplex at Oberon Mall Kochi was launched with a special screening of Malayalam film Thantonni.

Said Cinemax India SVP Devang Sampat, “Cinemax has established its presence with a strong emphasis on screen size, picture and sound quality and innovative consumer offers, offering viewers a variety which keeps them coming back for more. The launch of our first property in Kochi is a fortification of our promise of providing a state-of-the-art entertainment experience to all movie-enthusiasts and also strengths our presence in Southern India.”

The new property is a step towards the reinforcement of Cinemax‘s commitment of providing the best of Indian and International Cinema to all its viewers across the country.

With the launch of this property, Cinemax now has 94 operational screens and is poised to take the count to 100 with its forthcoming launches in Kolkata, Ahmedabad and Baroda.
 

MUMBAI: Paramount Films of India is set to release four films in the month of April.
The first two films to release on 16 April are Green Zone and How To Train Your Dragon.

Green Zone is directed by Paul Greengrass and stars Matt Damon, Greg Kinnear, Amy Ryan, Brendan Gleeson, Jason Isaacs and Khalid Abdalla. DreamWorks Animation‘s How To Train Your Dragon, on the other hand, is directed by Chris Sanders and Dean DeBlois.

The third film to release would be Martin Scorsese‘s Shutter Island, starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Mark Ruffalo, Ben Kingsley, Michelle Williams and Max Von Sydow.

And finally on 30 April, Paramount will release Iron Man 2 that stars Robert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, Don Cheadle, Scarlett Johansson, Sam Rockwell, Jon Favreau, Clark Gregg, John Slattery, Mickey Rourke and Samuel L. Jackson. The film has been directed by Jon Favreau.

MUMBAI: Inox Leisure has launched its first multiplex in Thane at Korum Mall today. The new multiplex has four screens with a total capacity of 1089 seats.

With this, Inox now has 32 multiplexes and 119 screens in 23 cities across India.

As part of its expansion plans, Inox will also open multiplexes in Vizag (4 screens), Kanpur (4 screens) and Bangalore (6 screens) over the next few days.

Says Inox Leisure CEO Alok Tandon, “We are happy to bring a quality multiplex to Thane. We have ensured that movie lovers in Thane enjoy the top of the line Inox experience. With Inox‘s convenient location, easy accessibility and modern comforts, we aim to revolutionise movie watching experience in Thane.”
 

MUMBAI: This year‘s Houston International Film Festival will feature not one but two films from the PNC stable.

The first, Ek Tho Chance, has been directed by filmmaker Saeed Akhtar Mirza while the second would be Saluun made by debut director Nikhil Bhat. Both the films have been nominated for the prestigious REMI awards in the feature film category at this year‘s festival.

“Saluun definitely represents the fresh breed of Indian filmmakers and it‘s a great pleasure for us to screen the film at the Festival,” says WorldFest Houston International Film Festival chairman and founding Director J. Hunter Todd. 

“Saluun is funny, clever, heart-warming and it introduces a new director, Nikhil Bhat, who brings fresh insight into where popular Bollywood cinema can go. We are also very excited about Saeed Akhtar Mirza‘s Ek Tho Chance, which has been already acclaimed at various international platforms,” Todd adds.

Avers PNC Chairman Pritish Nandy, “Ek Tho Chance marks the return of the master, Saeed Akhtar Mirza (Albert Pinto Ko Gussa Kyun Aata Hain, Salim Lande Pe Mat Ro, Mohan Joshi Haazir Ho, Nukkad). Ek Tho Chance is a delightful new take on Mumbai, the City of Dreams.

“Saluun is based on a true incident and it brings the magic of India to our screens. The film is about middle-class, middle India that you rarely see in today‘s Bollywood movies. It‘s a narrative of hope and magic.”

The ten-day festival starts on 9 April.
 

MUMBAI: B4U Pictures is ready to release its third Tamil film, Paiyaa, on 2 April. The film stars Karthik in the lead role with Tamanna Bhatia as the female protagonist.

Produced and directed by N Linguswamy, Paiyaa is based around a three-day journey that takes place on a drive from Bangalore to Mumbai, a travelogue action adventure full of suspense.

Prior to this, since their expansion into film distribution, B4U Pictures has distributed the hit Tamil films – Vettaikaaran and Vinnai Thaandi Varuvaya.

Avers B4U vice president and general manager Film Division Raja Subramanium, “Though we acquire films of other South Indian languages like Malayalam and Telugu, we prefer Tamil films because they have a huge market. 

“Besides India, most of the people in Sri Lanka speak Tamil. Moreover, the
number of Tamil-speaking people in the UK is also large. That makes for a huge market. Hence, we lay more emphasis on Tamil films and going by that we have, in principle, decided to release 12 films a year,” Subramanium adds.

Meanwhile, B4U is also gearing up to release their fourth Tamil film Sura, starring Vijay and Tammana Bhatia, shortly.