Category: Hindi

MUMBAI: IDream Production will release its forthcoming film Fired, directed by debutant director Sajit Warrier, on 29 January next year.

The film, a 90-minute psychological horror Hindi film, stars Rahul Bose, British Model Militza Radmilovic and Dinesh Lamba.

Based in London, the film is the shocking tale of a man who pays a steep price for his cold-blooded actions.

Joy Mittal, the arrogant CEO of a company, in a hardnosed decision to repair his scandal ridden work record and prove his ability to emerge as a pioneering leader in times of financial crisis, fires 121 employees from his London office to cope with the global economic slowdown.

Amongst the sacked employees is Ruby Herminson, 29, an alluring, sophisticated, career-driven woman, with whom a married Joy is having a long affair.

Joy fires Ruby along with the rest of the people he considers expendable. After a tiring day, Joy decides to finish off some paperwork before heading home, but soon realizes that the only possible means of leaving is the one he least bargained for.

Cornered in a deserted office, Joy soon realizes that there is a gruesome super-natural force in the building, which is hell-bent on extracting revenge for his ruthless actions.

The film has already drawn ire from the Censor Board for its gory scenes and steamy kissing and lovemaking scenes between Rahul Bose and Militza.

MUMBAI: The seventh Chennai International Film Festival that will be held from 16 December will have films from over 140 countries.

The festival would be inaugurated by the Union Minister of State for Information Jaghathratchagan.

The opening film of Spain‘s Broken Embraces is directed by Pedro Amodovar.

The jury for the Tamil film section comprises actress Revathy, cinematographer-director B Kannan and journalist Bharath (News Today). The movies competing for honours at the festival include Achamundu Achamundu, Kandaswamy, Pasanga, Nadodigal, Ayan, Pokkisham, Eesa and Thiru Thiru Thuru Thuru.

The jury will announce the winners on 24 December.

Other films to be screened at the festival include those from countries like Albania, Germany, The Netherlands, Spain, Romania, China and Japan.

For the first time a competition for Tamil films has also been arranged.
 

MUMBAI: World Cupp 2011, a movie based on match-fixing in cricket and starring two former cricketers Saba Karim and Nikhil Chopra, is being released on 18 December with 500 prints.

Producer-director Ravi Kapoor who also plays the central role told indiantelevision.com that he had taken actual situations and given the real names of 15 bookies and members of the underworld in Mumbai.

As a result, he had received a threatening call from gangster Ravi Pujari who has accused him of working at the behest of Chhota Rajan. The charge is that Kapoor has shown Pujari’s wife Padma as part of the betting.

Similarly, he had used the name Shobhan for the main bookie, knowing fully well that there is a match-fixer of that name operating in Mumbai. Karim and Chopra are playing themselves in the film.

Kapoor said his film will trace the genesis of match-fixing as a cornered underworld finds a new source of revenue after their weekly income from dance bars stopped when these were banned.

 
He said that he had not spared parties like the Shiv Sena which had made a lot of hue and cry about cheerleaders, but said nothing about match-fixing.

Asked about the title, he said he had been advised by a numerologist to spell Cup with a double ‘p’ for luck.

Asked what inspired him to make the film, he said that when India lost to Bangladesh in the 2007 World Cup, he was convinced that the standard of the ‘Men in Blue‘ could not have fallen so low after a defeat against Australia. He, therefore, suspected match-fixing to be the cause of this.

He said the research on the subject had taken him two years. He met a lot of bookies and also police personnel and sat with bookies when they were accepting betting.

He said he had noticed times when a team which was 100 for no loss was suddenly all out for 120. He said if the excuse was that the pitch was turning, why was it that it suddenly became placid when the other side came in to play.

Asked why he wanted to start his career with such a risky theme, he said “I wanted to start my career with a realistic subject.”

NEW DELHI: Clearly hit by recession and the resultant fall in viewer attendance, Spice cinemas situated in Spice World in Noida has reduced the Morning show ticket prices till 10 am down to 30 and 40 rupees throughout the week including the weekend with immediate effect.

Earlier, the theatre had announced a reduction in the cost of their Gold Class tickets for the morning shows from Rs 500 to Rs 200.

 
Spice World CEO Subhojit Lahiri said: ‘Now everyone can enjoy the international quality and ambience of our theatres without paying an arm or a leg for it. What is even better is that we offer the low prices throughout the week including the weekend.”

Spice Cinemas is North India’s biggest multiplex with eight screens having over 1800 seats, offering over 43 shows in a day.

NEW DELHI: Following an assurance given earlier this year, the I&B ministry has set up two expert committees for upgradation of the National Film Awards (NFA) and the International Film Festival of India (IFFI).

I&B Minister Ambika Soni had reiterated her promise at the inauguration on 23 November of the IFFI 2009 that concluded in Goa last week.

For the National Film Awards, the Expert Committee consists of filmmakers Shyam Benegal, Ashoke Vishwanathan, Vishal Bhardwaj, Nagesh Kukunoor, Mohan Agashe, Jahnu Barua, Shaji Karun, Ms. Sai Paranjape, Ms Waheeda Rehman, Central Board of Film Certification Chairperson Sharmila Tagore and Rajiv Mehrotra (of Public Service Broadcasting Trust). The Ministry would be represented by the Joint Secretary (Films) V B Pyarelal, as Member Secretary and Directorate of Film Festivals Director S M Khan.

This Committee will make recommendations for changes to be made in the Regulations for the Awards as well as the Dadasaheb Phalke award. The Committee will elect its own chairperson in its first meeting.

 
The IFFI Expert Committee will have film personalities like Govind Nihalani, Karan Johar, Pritish Nandy, Prasoon Joshi, Kamal Haasan, A K Bir, Laxmikant Shetgaonkar, Ms. Shabana Azmi, Ms Pooja Shetty Deora, Kishwar Desai, mediaperson Maithili Rao, Children’s Film Society, India, Chairperson Nandita Das and Maharashtra Legislative Council member Charanjit Singh Sapra. The Ministry will be represented by Joint Secretary (Films) V B Pyarelel as Member Secretary, and Mr S M Khan, apart from the Chief Secretary of Goa Sanjeev Srivastava.

This Committee will also recommend changes on the lines of other reputed International Festivals. It will also make recommendations regarding the changes to be made in the selection of Indian Panorama films. The Committee will elect its own Chairperson in the first meeting.

The National Film Awards were instituted by the Government in 1954 and need to be changed to keep pace with technological growth in filmmaking. Soni wants IFFI to be profiled higher to be recognized as one amongst the best film festivals of the world comparable to the Cannes Film Festival and the Berlin Film Festival etc.

MUMBAI: Reliance Big Pictures is co-producing Mani Ratnam directed film Raavan along with Madras Talkies, the production house of the noted director.

Denying a media report that had stated that the production house had withdrawn from the venture, Reliance Big Pictures CEO Sanjeev Lamba said, “We are associated with the film from day one and we are proud to be associated with Mani Ratnam, one of the finest directors in the country.”

The film is now in the post-production stage and will be released globally by March-April next year,” added Lamba.

Raavan starts with Abhishek’s sister getting publicly disgraced by the role played by South star Vikram. To take revenge, a raged Abhishek enters Vikram’s house but doesn‘t find him there. In order to teach Vikram a lesson, Abhishek kidnaps Vikram‘s wife, played by Aishwarya Rai. Knowing that the police was chasing him, Abhishek hides in the nearby jungle. And here the story takes an ‘U’ turn, when both Abhi-Ash fall in love.

The film has been shot in the jungles of Kochi and later in Jhansi.

Raavan, said to be a modern take on Ramayana, also stars Manisha Koirala, Govinda, Ravi Kishan, Tejaswini Kolhapure and Ajay Gehi.

MUMBAI: Keeping everyone guessing about the location of the 2010 edition, the organizers of IIFA have gone ahead and announced the venue of the 2011 edition of International Indian Film Academy Awards.

Canada will play host to the 2011 IIFA. The IIFA weekend and IDEA IIFA Awards ceremony will be held in the Greater Toronto Area from 16 to 19 June.

Canada has an Indo-Canadian and Asian population of over 960,000, from which the Greater Toronto Area has a population of 550,000 Indians. Having traveled to over 9 countries and 3 continents in the last decade, it will be IIFA‘s premiere in North America in Canada‘s largest city, Toronto.

The IIFA Weekend caps a four-day celebration of Indian Cinema, including a Film Festival, various film briefings, a world-wide film premiere, a trade and business Forum, an IIFA Foundation event and escalate into the night of nights, the IDEA IIFA Awards.

Speaking on hosting IIFA 2011 in Ontario, Dalton McGuinty, Premier of Ontario said, “Ontario is thrilled to host the 2011 International Indian Academy Awards. I thank IIFA for the great honor of hosting the weekend in Toronto.

“With so many film buffs living in Ontario, Indian film stars and executives will feel right at home. We look forward to an eventful and successful Weekend and Awards.”

Known for its cultural, entertainment and metropolitan scene, Toronto is an ideal choice for IIFA 2011. As Canada‘s economic capital, Toronto is considered a global city and is one of the top financial centres in the world. The Toronto International Film Festival welcomes more than 450,000 people every year, including film executives, movie buffs and everyday citizens in a celebration of film.

The International Indian Film Academy is also looking at fringe activities that will take place in parts of Brampton and Mississauga and will work very closely with the Toronto International Film Festival, Luminato – The Toronto Festival of Arts and the Rogers Centre, where the IDEA IIFA Awards 2011 will be held.

Averred IIFA Director Viraf Sarkari, “We are pleased to announce IIFA‘s North American premiere in Toronto, Ontario in 2011. The city has much to offer and the Weekend and Awards promise to be bigger than ever as IIFA steps into Canada.
We have earlier experienced a great response in Toronto with The Unforgettable Tour and hope to find the same experience with IIFA 2011.”

The decision for the 2010 edition of the awards will be announced soon.

MUMBAI: Even before its worldwide release on 11 December, Yash Raj Films‘ Rocket Singh- Salesman of the Year has bagged an important laurel. The film has been invited to the 6th edition of the Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF) that takes place in Dubai from 9 to 16 December.

The film will be part of the Gala Celebration of Indian Cinema section of the Out of Competition DIFF programme. In a way this would mean that the film would have its world premiere at the festival.

The film is likely to be screened on 10 December in Madinat Arena Cinema.
Lead player Ranbir Kapoor, director Shimit Amin and Jaideep Sahni have been invited to be part of the festival this year.

Now in its sixth year, DIFF 2009 is held in association with Dubai Studio City and supported by Dubai Culture and Arts Authority. Since its first edition in 2004, DIFF has established itself as an important cultural event in Dubai and the UAE.

MUMBAI: UTV has made an half-hour documentary on the Chandrayaan-1 mission for the XP Division of Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India.

With the successful launch of Chandrayaan-1 mission on 22 October, 2008, India became a coveted member of the Space Club. It was a first in many ways for the Indian Space Programme, when an indigenous spacecraft was launched beyond the earth‘s orbit.

The Chandrayaan documentary celebrates this successful venture. It will be sent to opinion leaders, NGOs, High Commissions and Embassies across the globe to promote India‘s space capabilities.

Showcasing the Chandrayaan-1 mission, the film encapsulates its various facets starting from the idea being mooted for the moon mission to the objectives of the mission and the scientific marvel that the project is.

Shot extensively at the ISRO establishments, it is one of the rare and exclusive insights which the UTV team has gathered on the entire Chandrayaan-1 mission. Beyond this, the film also talks about the ground facilities of the mission wherein the information being sent by the spacecraft are being collected and collated for an in-depth analysis of the moon, not only in India, but across the global scientific community.

The film also features the top scientists associated with the project including
G Madhvan Nair, former Chairman-ISRO, G Kasturirangan, former Chairman-ISRO and other key members of the mission, sharing their apprehensions, journey and the excitement of the successful project. Former president APJ Abdul Kalam also shares his views on the Chandrayaan-1 mission.

Said Rahul Bhatia, Vice President, dubbing and North TV, UTV Television, “It is an honour for us to be associated with the Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India and a delight to be a part of the Chandrayaan mission.”

The film also talks about what led to aborting the mission in August 2009, almost a year before its schedule.

The path-breaking finding that evolved from the detailed analysis of the data obtained from M3, carried out by a joint team of scientists from US and India, was the most significant of them.

The film finally talks about the next phase of the Chandrayaan Mission and the future of Indian Space exploration.

MUMBAI: The Asian Film Foundation felicitated Amitabh Bachchan with the the Asian Film Culture Award on 7 December.

Producer-director Ramesh Sippy was the chief guest of the evening. Other dignitaries present on the occasion were Asian Film Foundation chairman Kiran Shantaram, Festival director Sudhir Nandgoankar and Abhishek Bachchan.

The Asian Film Festival aims to bridge the gap between the Asian Film fraternities and promote Asian cinema. This award is given each year to a master of Asian Cinema, alternatively to an Indian and a non-Indian stalwart.

Amitabh Bachchan was voted the star of the millennium in a BBC news poll, ahead of such luminaries as Charlie Chaplin, Sir Lawerence Olivier and Marlon Brando.

With a success record so consistent, over a period of time, Bachchan has come to symbolize the Indian film industry to viewers in the country abroad.

Bachchan has won many major awards including 3 National Film Awards and 12 Filmfare Awards. He holds the record for most number of best actor nominations at Filmfare Awards.

Previous recipients of the Asian Film Culture Award have been personalities like
Adoor Gopalakrishnan, Park Kwang – su, Tapan Sinha, Majid Majidi, Kanneto Shindo, Mrinal Sen and Lester Junes Peries.