Category: Movies

Apart from distributing the video on DVDs and VCDs , Shemaroo will also be bringing in exclusive content of the Rajasthan Royals to mobile phones. As part of the intiative, fans will be able to download the team‘s anthem ‘Halla Bol, The Road to Victory‘, see glimpses of last year‘s matches and also catch upon this year‘s matches on their mobile phones.

On the price front, Gada avers, “We are still working on the pricing and will come out with it in a couple of days.”

The Film and Television Producers Guild of India has received a letter from the Consulate General in this connection.

The content on sikandar.bigflix.com includes trailers, synopsis, video gallery and music from the film.

Sikandar is a suspense thriller featuring Parzaan Dastur, Ayesha Kapoor, R Madhavan, Sanjay Suri and Arunoday Singh.

Says Shemaroo Entertainment director Hiren Gada, “We have come out with a 2-Disc collector‘s edition DVD pack costing Rs 499 that includes the making of the film, deleted scenes, Slumdog dreams (a kind of Director‘s Cut) by director Danny Boyle, the premiere footage, a six-minute screener encompassing the gist of the film and theatrical trailers.”

The single-disc DVDs and VCDs of both the English and Hindi versions of the film are priced at Rs 399 and Rs 299 respectively.

Relating how difficult it was to get the home video rights of Slumdog Millionaire, Gada adds, “The film being an international hit, we were all out to bag its home video rights for India. But it was indeed a difficult task as there were other players too who wanted to acquire the rights.”

The plex owners hope that Anjan Dutt‘s new film would follow his earlier hits like Mr & Mrs Iyer, Bow Baracks Forever and The Bong Connection. “We are of the opinion that his Chowrasta -Crossroads of Love should be a good film since it is based on the Gorkhaland issue,” says Shroff.

The boost may also come from the Marathi film Bokya Saatbande. The last Marathi release Mi Shivajiraje Bhosle Boltoy is still running to full capacity on the multiplexes and single screens.

“The English film Monsters vs Aliens, that is also releasing in the 3D format, should also do well as it is the first computer-animated movie which was directly produced in stereoscopic 3-D. The expected performance of these films should come as a shot in the arm for us multiplex owners who have been petrifed with the last week‘s releases that were a washout,” says Shroff.

Agrees 24 Karat Multiplex CEO Padam Sacheti, “A Kamal Haasan film always has a good draw at the box-office and hence I don‘t think Dashavtar will perform badly. As for Bokya Saatbande, we have taken the film because there are lots of Maharashtrian locals in the vicinity of our multiplex. Moreover, there is an option: viewers who don‘t get tickets for the Mahesh Manjrekar film Mi Shivajiraje Bhosle Boltoy can opt for the new release.”

Things are a little different up North. Says PVR CEO Amitabh Bardhan, “In Delhi and other parts around, we are releasing two films: Dashavtar and Monsters vs Aliens. I think both these films have the potential to draw in crowds, the first being kids-centric while the second being a lavishly made film starring Kamal Haasan.”

The online piracy has been a big jolt to the studio’s plans as it has approximately $100 million riding on the project.

Fox is now trying to urge the audience not to view the film online. In a statement Fox said, “The version that made its way around the internet was missing special effects and several scenes, and included temporary sound and music.”

Talking about educating the masses about the anti-piracy initiative, Dalal avers, “A film celebrity pleading his fans to stop buying pirated CDs/VCDs is very much prevalent in the South and has been working effectively. I don‘t see any reason why such an initiative wouldn‘t work here in Maharashtra.”

The Motion Picture Dist. Association comprising Hollywood Studios like Paramount Pictures Corporation, Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc., Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation, Universal City Studios LLLP, Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. and Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, has been, all along, working closely with local industry, government, law enforcement authorities and educational institutions to protect the film and television industry. It has also been rigorously playing an important role in eradicating piracy across the world.

Established by Crooke in 2008, WebMovieNow.com is a website platform managed by and for the independent film production community where the end-user can stream, download and burn movies.

Said Crooke, “This acquisition is important to the strategic growth of Osiris that already has a strong library of films for DVD, digital media and broadcast. Our goal is to acquire the best films and make such films while empowering filmmakers to participate in a more sensible form of distribution than the traditional ones. By acquiring the bulk of the Westlake Entertainment library, we are now better-positioned to attract new producers and titles.”

Based in Woodland Hills, California, Osiris Entertainment was created in 2008 by filmmaker Evan Crooke, who established the company to initially serve the independent film and music community. The company has two distinct divisions including WebMovieNow, an online digital film platform, and WebMusicNow, which is an online music destination.

Meanwhile, the company has also clarified on rumours about the actress being dropped from Ken Gosh‘s next Yahoo with UTV. “Speculations in the industry about Jiah being dropped from Ken‘s project are completely erroneous. It was a mutual decision whereby Jiah opted out of the project with the character not suiting her,” said UTV Rampage Motion Pictures COO Ram Mirchandani.

Clearing her stance, Jiah said, “After the changes they made in the script, I felt that I don‘t suit the character.”

In Yahoo, Shahid Kapur features as the lead protagonist.