Category: Hindi

MUMBAI: New movie releases are facing tough competition from the Indian Premier League. The preference to stay at home and watch IPL matches rather than go out to the theaters to watch the week‘s weak releases like Well Done Abba, Hum Tum Aur Ghost, Prem Kaa Game, Mittal vs Mittal and My Friend Ganesha 3 suggest that the IPL is a much stronger brand than films in the current scenario.

While Well Done Abba and Hum Tum Aur Ghost had an average opening with around 25 to 30 per cent occupancy, industry sources say the former drew in Rs 3 million and the latter garnered anywhere between Rs 6.5-7 million on the opening day.

The week‘s other three releases fared poorly at the box-office. Said Fun Cinemas CEO Vikas Kapur, “‘While both Hum Tum Aur Ghost and Well Done Abba have had average openings, the collections of Well Done Abba has picked up slightly after positive reviews.”

Surprisingly Ekta Kapoor‘s Love Sex Aur Dokha is doing moderate business in its second week and has so far registered a net business of approximately Rs 62.5 million.

Multiplexes are now looking forward to the semi-finals and finals when they will screen IPL matches in 3D format. Says UFO Moviez‘s founder and managing director Sanjay Gaikwad, “The IPL matches in 3D will be an amazing experience for all cricket fans. We would be soon starting with pilot projects in select theatres and then go ahead to show the semi-finals and finals in 3D. We are tying up with 3ality, a California based company, for 3D production of these matches. Our ultimate aim is to up the excitement and fun quotient of cricket and entertainment.”

Hope this strategy revives box-office gains for the multiplexes.

This week‘s releases include Sadiyaan that marks the debut of Shatrughan Sinha‘s son Luv and features veterans Rishi Kapoor, Rekha and Hema Malini. Tum Milo To Sahi brings together Nana Patekar and Dimple Kapadia after more than a decade.

Another highlight of the week is the release of Warner Bos.‘ Clash Of The Titans in 3D.
 

MUMBAI: Multiplex chain operator PVR Limited has launched two new properties in Ghaziabad, UP.

Called PVR Opulent and PVR Mahagun, these multiplexes comprise three and four screens respectively and are fitted with upgraded digital projectors.

With this, PVR now operates 123 screens in 30 locations across 16 cities in 10 states and one union territory.

Additionally, the cinema chain will shortly open new multiplexes at Chennai and Ahmedabad.

MUMBAI: The Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles (IFFLA) has announced that writer director Dilip Mehta‘s Cooking With Stella will be screened as the opening night film of its eighth annual festival on 20 April.

Mehta makes his feature film directorial debut with this film, a warm-hearted comedy about scheming cook Stella (Seema Biswas) who uses her long-term service as the personal chef to the Canadian High Commission in New Delhi to run an elaborate grey market import business.

Leading lady Lisa Ray reunites with Mehta and producer and co-writer Deepa Mehta after Hollywood/Bollywood and the 2007 Academy Award nominated film Water both of which were directed by Deepa Mehta.

Says Screen Actors Guild National Executive Director David White, “We are thrilled to support the Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles in its efforts to expand the relationship between Hollywood and the Indian film community and it is our distinct honour to celebrate the artistic and social contributions of our member Lisa Ray.”

Lisa Ray, Dilip and Deepa Mehta will be in attendance at the film‘s Los Angeles premiere.

The festival runs from 20 to 25 April.
 

MUMBAI: UFO Moviez, which owns the theatrical rights of the Indian Premier League (IPL) for india, has tied up with California-based company Threeality, to bring the last four matches of the tourney in 3D.

The last four matches of the cash-rich game will air in 3D across select cinema halls in the country.

IPL chairman and commissioner Lalit Modi said, “This would be the first time in the country that any sport event will be screened with 3D effect. The four matches would be the two semi-finals, finals and the match for the third position. People will have a unique experience watching it in 3D. For example, in 3D you will feel that the ball is passing over your head.”

Added UFO Moviez CEO Sanjay Gaikwad, “We will soon start a pilot in some select theatres and then move on to show the last four matches in a number of theatres that have the 3D facility.”

This is the first that any sports event in India will air in 3D.

MUMBAI: Reliance Big Pictures has devised a unique way to launch the music of Rakesh Roshan’s Kites that has Hrithik Roshan croon for the first time in his career.

On this occasion, Reliance Big Pictures has created a roadblock on 40 national television channels on 29 March at 9.30 pm when Hrithik’s debut song Kites in the Sky in English would be aired.

Reliance Big Pictures CEO Sanjeev Lamba, says, “We are delighted to bring to fans across the globe the wonderful music of Kites and Hrithik‘s debut as a singer. This roadblock across all major channels is our way to commemorate this unprecedented occasion”.

Avers Hrithik Roshan, “I was nervous to make my debut as a singer considering I come from a family that is well known in the world of music, but for this very reason my chacha (Rajesh Roshan) and Anurag were most certain that I could sing. I have given this song my best and honest shot, but I still don’t consider myself a professional singer.”

At the same time on 29 March, the promo will be simultaneously streamed on the official website of Kites- www.kites– the film.com, facebook.com and youtube.com.

Shah Rukh Khan starrer My Name Is Khan was the first film that used the roadblock strategy to promote the film. Star India channels including Star Plus, Star One, Star Gold, Channel V and Star Pravah telecast a three-minute trailer of the film across the network’s audience in 70 countries.
 

MUMBAI: This year the International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) awards will be held in Colombo from 2 to 4 July.

Announcing the awards iterinary, the country‘s Minister for Tourism, Achala Jagoda said that out of the several countries that had evinced interest to host the event, Sri Lanka finally got the nod.

The minister hailed it as an international achievement, and added that several events such as an Indian business meeting would be held on the sidelines of IIFA.
The IIFA Awards, are presented annually by the International Indian Film Academy to honour both artistic and technical excellence of professionals in Bollywood, the Hindi language film industry. 

Instituted in 2000, the ceremony is held in different countries around the world every year. The first ceremony was held in London at The Millennium Dome. From then on the awards were held at locations around the world signifying the international purpose of Hindi cinema.

It has been held in South Africa (twice), Malaysia, Singapore, The Netherlands, the United Arab Emirates, England, Thailand and Macau.

While Sri Lanka will host the event in 2010, the 2011 event will be held in Toronto.
 

MUMBAI: UTV World Movies will start the theatrical releases of films from the first week of April. The channel, which had announced the plan of venturing into the theatrical release and home video segments at the time of launch, had deferred the plans due to exhibition hassles.

The channel has lined up a slew of movies to release in theatres across Mumbai, Delhi and Mangalore over a span of two months.

The movies to be screened in theatres are The Song of Sparrows (4 April), The Counterfeiters, La Zona, Murderers, I Always Wanted To Be A Gangster, Wrap Up and A Ton Of Luck. 

Says UTV World Movies business head Sameer Ganapathy, “When we started the UTV World Cinema channel, we had decided to tap the other two verticals. Though the Home Video section was launched last year, we had to defer theatrical release due to the exhibition problems in the wake of the multiplex strike.”

Meanwhile, UTV World Movies will also hold Arties festival in association with NCPA on 26 and 27 March, wherein an international band is scheduled to perform.

Adds Ganapathy, “It is a matter of privilege for UTV World Movies to be associated with this unique endeavour. Music lovers are in for a delight with the celebrated band Quatuor Eben of France belting out their finest numbers.”

MUMBAI: Reliance MediaWorks (RMW) has entered into a strategic partnership with UFO Moviez to create a wider platform for film releases on digital screens.

UFO Moviez will set up an additional encoding and encryption facility in the premises of RMW, the largest multiplex chain operator with 250 screens across the country.

RMW CEO Anil Arjun said, “The alliance will accelerate the creation of a secure digital ecosystem that facilitates a wider reach for digital distribution of movies, delivering to movie consumers a superior experience, more content, with greater reliability and lower costs. That’s where we can make a real difference.”

UFO Moviez India joint MD Kapil Agarwal added, “The alliance would help us focus on our core business of technology development and greater proliferation of digital systems across cinemas, while creating a significant platform for producers and distributors to optimise their print costs and spend more on marketing and publicity within the overall release cost, resulting into accelerating of the recovery process.”
 

MUMBAI: Eros International Media Ltd. has struck a deal with Shri Ashtavinayak Cine Vision to co-produce Rockstar directed by Imtiaz Ali and starring Ranbir Kapoor.

The film will go on the floors in May this year and is scheduled for a December release. 

Commenting on the announcement, Executive Vice Chairman & Managing Director, India – Eros International Sunil Lulla said “Eros and Imtiaz Ali have had a fabulous and successful working relationship in the past and we are proud to take our association to the next level with Rockstar in this association with Shri Ashtavinayak. The very talented Ranbir Kapoor had worked for us earlier during our first film Anjana Anjanee releasing this July.”
 

MUMBAI: Within days of the launch of an anti-piracy coalition by the Hindi film industry and the Motion Picture Distributors Association (India) that represents Hollywood studios, several raids were conducted by the Mumbai police along with AA Khan & Associates resulting in the seizure of 25,292 pirated CDs and DVDs worth Rs. 2.19 million.

The raids were conducted at Andheri (East and West), Mumbai Central, and Fort areas.

The pirated CDs and DVDs included those of Lahore, Road-The Movie, Right Yaa Wrong, Atithi Tum Kab Jaoge, My Name Is Khan and English films like Alice in Wonderland, Gamer, Young Victoria, Beauty And The Beast, The Toothed Fairy, The legion, and Edge for Darkness among others.

Former IPS officer and former ATS chief A A Khan said “Piracy is a serious offence and is rampant in major parts of the city. The recent announcement of the anti-piracy coalition between Hollywood studios and Hindi studios will help us push this initiative further.”

“People need to remember that besides denying the creators of the content their fair share, earnings from such sales fund are put into several illegal activities including terrorism in India and abroad.”

In the last few months, goods over Rs 5 million have been seized and over 50 arrests made.