Category: Movies

MUMBAI: No one can deny that there are a couple of illegal stalls outside the Andheri railway station catering to pirated discs.

T-Series, acting on a tip-off, in association with the Intellectual Property Cell of the Economic Offence Wing, Mumbai Police, helped raid a stall at the Andheri railway station recently.

The raid, conducted under the supervision of Joint Commissioner of Police (crime branch) Rakesh Maria and DCP Enforcement Sheela Sahil, was headed by the anti-piracy cell of T-Series Vijay Kamble and his team.

The seized pirated discs included those of Wanted, Blue, Main Aurr Mrs Khanna, London Dreams as well as software and MP3 CDs. 

Six people who were caught red handed trading these discs were taken to police custody. The accused were booked under Sections 51, 52(A), 63, 68(A) of Copyright Act along with sections 292(2) A of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) for sale of obscene material and section 420 of IPC.

The seizure accounted for 1855 Hindi film discs, 2645 English film discs, 490 Marathi film discs, 2040 software discs, 1040 MP3s song CDs and 490 pornographic movie discs and the value of the seized materials was to the tune of Rs 0.4 million.

Said T-Series creative director Divya Khosla Kumar, “We have always been a serious player in this industry and to make music work among the masses. It is important that it makes money for the music companies who invest so much on songs and song picturisations.

“The current matter is subjudice and hence, we will not be able to comment on it.”

MUMBAI: Sony Pictures‘ 2012, the biggest-ever Hollywood release in India that opened today in English, Hindi, Tamil and Telugu is all set to break box-office records. In its opening day, the film grossed Rs. 56 million.

With a total of 676 prints in 716 screens across the country, 2012 is already creating records of sorts with theatres in cities such as Mumbai, Pune, Bangalore, Delhi NCR, Indore, Nagpur, Jaipur, Gwalior, Hyderabad, seeing full houses throughout the day.

Cinemas like Inox, Gold, Fame, Citypride and Mangala in Pune and PVR and Inox Garuda in Bangalore have reported a full house for three days from Friday to Sunday.

Comments Sony Pictures India managing director Kercy Daruwala, “While it is too early for hard numbers, judging from the good response, we are expecting the film to be one of the top-grossing Hollywood films of all time in the country following the steps of other blockbusters from our studio such as the Spider-Man series and Bond series.

“The huge marketing campaign around the film and the major human interest in the doomsday concept seem to be the cause of this scale of response from the audience.”
 

MUMBAI: Delhi-based cinema exhibition major PVR is acquiring DLF Group‘s cinema business in a stock-and-cash deal.

PVR said Friday it has reached an agreement with DLF Group to acquire DT Cinemas on a slump sale basis.

The multiplex operator will issue 2.56 million shares to DT Cinemas representing 10 per cent of the fully diluted paid up share capital of PVR Ltd and make a payment of Rs 202 million to fund the acquisition.

DT cinemas has a current portfolio of 29 screens with 26 screens currently operational and another three screens expected to commence operations in the next six months.

All the acquired cinemas are on long term lease in various mall developments being owned and operated by DLF Group.

As part of the overall alliance, PVR shall be offered exclusive rights to operate as a key anchor multiplex partner in all future mall developments of the DLF Group.

DLF has a huge portfolio of future mall developments planned in key markets in Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad, Noida, Jallander and Lucknow.

Said PVR Ltd chairman and managing director Ajay Bijli, “The acquisition of DT Cinemas and long term strategic partnership with the prestigious DLF Group is part of our expansion strategy and will further enhance PVR‘s position as a leading multiplex operator in the country. PVR will now control 60 to 70 per cent of the market share in Delhi and Gurgaon. This will further strengthen PVR‘s position as one of the largest multiplex players in India.”

Meanwhile, PVR also said it will be issuing 2.56 million shares of the company on preferential basis at a price of Rs 165 per share, amounting to Rs 421.9 million or at a price to be determined as per SEBI (ICDR) Regulations, 2009 whichever is higher, to Major Cineplex Group Plc. of Thailand.

Major Cineplex Group Plc. is Thailand‘s leading lifestyle entertainment company with core business in multiplexes, film distribution, lifestyle neighborhood malls, bowling and karaoke, ice skating rink, fitness clubs and advertising media.

The company is also a joint venture partner with PVR in PVR bluO Entertainment Ltd.

MUMBAI: Morpheus Media Ventures (MMV), a boutique media firm, has acquired part ownership rights of Shah Rukh Khan‘s forthcoming film Dulha Mil Gaya.

MMV, that has acquired 50 per cent equity, will be the sole presenter of the film produced by Viveck Vaswani‘s Insight Productions.

“We will not only provide financial capital but also our network of distribution partners and marketing that will do justice to a film of this stature,” said MMV head Rajat Jhunjhunwala in a statement.

“While much has been said about the film, the team at Morpheus used its own judgment to evaluate the potential of movie and went ahead with the deal,” he averred.

Set in Punjab and the Caribbean, the film stars Sushmita Sen and Fardeen Khan besides Shah Rukh in a cameo. The film is the directorial debut of Muddassar Aziz.

MMV, involved in producing regional films, is exploring other avenues in the entertainment space. Currently, it has two Hindi and one Marathi films under production.

Based on true events the story is an emotional drama that transformed the city of Los Angeles.

The release of Changeling will also be promoted on Radio Mirchi. The radio partner will promote the home video launch via RJ mentions and contests.

At the retail front, exclusive offers have also been planned for women shoppers.

BIG Music & Home Entertainment CEO Kulmeet Makkar says, “We are very pleased to bring this dramatic and emotional film which is based on a true story. I am sure the Indian audiences and critics will agree that one cannot miss this excellent movie.”
 

MUMBAI: The recently concluded Mumbai Film Festival (MFF) registered more than 3,500 delegates during its 11th edition.

The number has increased by a considerable 70 per cent compared to the delegate registration last year. With the best 200 films from all over the world screening at this year‘s MFF, the response was overwhelming from delegates, guests and press alike.

Invited guests also increased this year with the festival hosting close to 100 visitors – 50 international guests (international film directors, actors, buyers, international film festival directors etc) and 40 Indian guests (Indian film directors, actors, buyers etc) that is three times the number of visitors the festival hosted last year.

Said Mumbai Film Festival Director Srinivasan Narayanan, “The robust movie line-up, ardent support from all our trustees and the cinema lovers of Mumbai have made this festival a huge success. We are extremely pleased with the overwhelming response that the 11th Mumbai Film Festival has garnered. We have successfully raised the bar and set a benchmark.” 

The Film Business Centre, in its very first year of inception, saw an overwhelming response as it facilitated business opportunities between interested parties. The India DVD rights of the most talked about international film- Antichrist was clinched by Enlighten Film Company and discussions for licensing Indian films to Greece took place in the business centre. Some visiting directors discussed production and co-production possibilities with Indian counterparts.

The UK Film Council unveiled their distribution plan for independent British films in India. Government of Meghalaya and Tourism Department of Meghalaya invited Indian and foreign filmmakers to shoot their films in the virgin locales of their State.

Lastly, the brand new initiative Mumbai Young Critics and youth-centric Dimensions Mumbai were runaway hits. The student jury interacted with the visiting filmmakers and personalities, watched the films and finally conferred the Mumbai Young Critics award on the Iranian film Whisper With The Wind.
 

MUMBAI: Anil Kapoor and Irrfan Khan will be honoured at the ongoing 33rd Cairo International Film Festival (CIFF) 2009.

The duo will be honoured along with model-turned-actor Arfie Lamba, among the stars of the multiple Oscar-award winning movie Slumdog Millionaire at the festival that got underway last Tuesday.

India being the special guest of honour at the gala, around 25 Indian films will be screened during the festival. The festival opened with Yash Raj Films‘ New York. 

Directed by Kabir Khan, the film stars John Abraham, Katrina Kaif, Neil Nitin Mukesh in the lead apart from Irrfan Khan who plays an important role.

Recently screened at the Pusan International Film Festival, New York released in over 900 screens worldwide 26 June. It is a contemporary story of three young friends whose lives are turned upside down by post-9/11 prejudices.

Malayalam filmmaker Adoor Gopalakrishnan heads the three-member jury while Victor Okhai and Nour El Sherif are the other members.

Hollywood stars like Samuel L. Jackson, Lucy Liu and Tom Berenger are also attending the festival.