ITV

Category: Movies

  • Dvortsevoy bags Golden Peacock at IIFI ’08

    MUMBAI: Director Sergei Dvortsevoy bagged the best film award with the Golden Peacock and a cash award of Rs 4 million for the Kazakhstan film Tulpan at the 39th International Film Festival of India that closed today with the screening of Iranian film The Song of the Sparrows, directed by Majid Majidi.

    The director also got the most promising director award for the film. The award comprises the Silver Peacock and a cash award of Rs 1.5 million.



    The special jury award went to Sri Lankan actress Malini Fonseka whose film Akasa Kusum featured in the competition section. The winner was presented a Silver Peacock, a cash prize of Rs 1.5 million and a certificate. Fonseka said that her film was an India-Sri Lanka co-production and the time has come for a closer relationship between the two countries. She also hoped for peace and happiness everywhere in these troubled times.








    The five-member competition-jury was headed by noted Director from Hong Kong Peter Chan. Other members of the jury were Marco Mueller (Venice), Niki Karimi (Iran), Lav Diaz (Philippines) and Tabassum Hashmi (Tabu- India).


    Two Indian entries — S Priyadarshan’s Tamil film Kanchivaram and Ramesh Laxman More’s Marathi film Mahasatta —were in the “competition” section among 13 other films chosen from Bangladesh, Russia, New Zealand, Malaysia, Kazakhstan, Sri Lanka, Iran, the Philippines, Argentina, China and Japan.



    Chief Minister of Goa, Shri Digambar Kamat in his remarks said that IFFI 2008 was a landmark event. He said that the government of Goa is keen to develop the state as a hub for the entertainment industry. More multiplexes and other facilities are being created in Mudgaon, he added.



    Joint Secretary (films) Ministry of Information & Broadcasting V.B.Pyarelal said that the festival gave us an opportunity to experience the visual interpretation of the various facets of life. He said that the occupancy remained very high throughout the festival as compared to last year.



    During the 11-day festival, which began on 22 November, with the screening of Peter Chan’s Warlords, a total of 185 movies were shown from 44 countries. Films from Russia, Switzerland and Iran were screened under Country Focus section. The films of Aki Kaurusmaki (Finland), John Landis (USA) and Wong Kar Wai (Hong Kong) were screened in Foreign Retrospective. Eight restored heritage film classics were included in the Film Heritage – Thematic “Women” section. Five films were shown in Film India Worldwide.



    Also, 83 Indian movies including 47 in the Indian Panorama were screened.

  • Excel Home Videos releases Wall-E on DVD


    MUMBAI: Disney – Pixar‘s Wall-E has been released on DVD by Excel Home Videos.



    Wall-E, from academy award-winning writer-director Andrew Stanton, is a computer-animated cosmic comedy-romance about a curious and lovable robot Wall-E.








    Wall-E ranked No. 1 with a $62.5 million gross for its opening weekend. The film has become Pixar‘s ninth consecutive movie to land No.1 and is the studio‘s third highest grossing movie after The Incredibles and Finding Nemo. Additionally, Wall-E is Pixar‘s biggest opening day movie scoring $23.1 million from its 27 July screening.



    Says Excel Home Videos CEO Roby Abraham, “The DVD is loaded with bonus features as well. Viewers can enjoy the all-new animated short film Burn-E about another lovable, fixit robot whose seemingly simple task of fixing a space station sensor is constantly foiled by the paralleling adventures of Wall-E and Eve. Offering something for movie freaks, youngsters and also adults, Wall-E’s DVD will be available for Rs 599 across all DVD stores.”

  • Subhash Ghai ups stake in Mukta Arts

    MUMBAI : Mukta Arts promoter Subhash Ghai has purchased 10,000 equity shares to up his stake in the company to 54.92 per cent.

    Before the market purchase, Ghai‘s holding in the company was 54.88 per cent.








    Shares of Mukta Arts surged from the 52-week lowest at Rs 38 on 28 November to Rs 46 on Tuesday, at the time of filing this report.

  • UTV’s ‘Oye Lucky’ grosses Rs 46 mn in opening week

    MUMBAI: UTV Motion Pictures‘ Oye Lucky Lucky Oye (OLLO), which was released on 28 November in India, has grossed Rs 46.1 million at the box office during its opening weekend.

    “The film has garnered Rs 46.1 million in India during its first weekend. As far as the overseas collection goes, we have not compiled it as yet,” said UTV Motion Pictures CEO Siddharth Roy Kapur.


    OLLO hit the US theatres on 26 November, two days prior to its India release where the film opened with 200 prints.


    Directed by Dibakar Banerjee (Khosla Ka Ghosla fame), the movie was released in the UK with 15 prints.


    OLLO casts Abhay Deol, Neetu Chandra, Archana Puran Singh and Paresh Rawal in a triple role. OLLO is inspired by true events and is a buddy movie as well as a satire.


    “Despite the depressing mood all around us, Oye Lucky Lucky Oye has managed to do steady business over the weekend. While Friday was slow, collections picked up dramatically over the weekend driven by rave reviews and positive word of mouth. We are confident that the film will hold and have a long sustained run in theatres,” opines Kapur.

  • IFFI celebrates 75 years of Kannada cinema

    MUMBAI: The International Film Festival of India launched a retrospective of Kannada cinema today on completion of 75 years. IFFI programmed a selection of five films covering the seven decades of Kannada cinema.

    From its beginning in 1934 to a full grown industry producing more than 150 films this year, the Kannada cinema industry has tread a long path creating impression on the minds of the people of Karnataka.








    It is on the verge of celebrating its platinum jubilee, recapturing, reviewing and assessing its 75 years of existence in the service of the people whose cultural aspirations it has all through represented.


    Films in the section are Babruvahana (Hunsur Krishnamurthi), Bhoothayyana Magga Aiyyu (Siddalingaiah), Ondaondu Kaladalli (Girish Karnad), Nagamandala (T S Nagabharna) and Dweepa (Girish Kasaravalli), an official statement said.


    The early Kannada cinema relied, like their counterparts in other parts of the country, mostly on theatrical productions which themselves were heavily dependent on historical and mythological stories and forms. The social themes were the post independence phenomenon in Indian cultural scene and so are in the Kannada cinema.


    The decade of the ‘50s predominantly brought in the modernity and modern social themes into Kannada cinema. The decade of sixties and seventies are considered the golden age of Kannada cinema for its representation of Kannada culture. The seventies was also the period that witnessed the birth of an alternate cinema in Kannada.


    The next 20 years saw consolidation of Kannada film industry in terms of business and technology. Number of productions increased and Karnataka emerged as a film production centre with its own infrastructure of studios and labs. The Karnataka government pitched in to bring the entire industry to Karnataka from Chennai through building infrastructure and providing incentives through subsidies and awards under various categories. The 21st century saw emergence of new breed of film makers who could feel the pulse of the new generation of audiences in the changing cultural scenario of Karnataka.

  • IFFI felicitates Dev Anand

    MUMBAI: The ongoing International Film Festival of India (IFFI) 2008 on Saturday honoured Bollywood’s legendary actor and evergreen hero Dev Anand for his contribution in Indian cinema.

    Goa CM Digambar Kamat felicitated Dev Anand with a shawl and a cheque of Rs 51,000 at Kala Acadamy in Panji. Bollywood actor Jackie Shroff presented a citation to Dev Anand.


    Dev Anand expressed his gratitude for the nationwide support during his six decade long career in the film industry.

  • Terror strike hits entertainment industry

    MUMBAI: The terror attacks in Mumbai have hit the entertainment industry.The single screen movie halls and multiplexes were closed on Thursday after Mumbai police commissioner asked the management to keep their properties shut amid security concerns.

    Even TV shoots were largely off in Mumbai.








    On Friday, however, TV shoots were on and major cinemas and multiplexes have reopened. Among those who stayed shut include Regal, Eros, Metro Big Cinema, Liberty, New Excelsior, New Empire and Inox situated in South Mumbai.



    Out of the three films that were scheduled for release today, Rohan Sippy’s English flick The President Is Coming is set for a new deadline.


    UTV Motion Pictures and Sanjay Suri, however, have gone ahead with their release of Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye and Sorry Bhai.



    UTV‘s Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye and Sorry Bhai released all over India, including Mumbai. The film will also be available in the closed theatres once they open up for screenings. “We have released the film all over India and Mumbai, wherever the cinemas are open,” says UTV Motion Pictures CEO Siddharth Roy Kapur.

  • Husain’s film to be screened at IFFI

    PANAJI: Through the Eyes of a Painter, the film made for the Films Division by controversial artist M F Hussain, is back in the 39th International Film Festival of India (IFFI) despite protests from Hindu groups.


    After firm protests from filmmakers about intrusions on their freedom of speech, the Films Division has got the necessary clearance and the film is being screened as part of the ‘Framing Time’ event of the Films Division at 3 pm tomorrow.


    Earlier the Goa government had requested the film to be withdrawn from the festival following complaints from Hindu groups.


    Through the Eyes… is an award-winning 18-minute film directed by Husain around four decades earlier. It won the Golden Bear at the Berlin Film festival in 1967. The film is a depiction of Rajasthan through Husain‘s eyes.









    Meanwhile, the National Film Development Corporation Film Bazaar at Marriott Resort in Goa opened today and will continue till 29 November.


    The Film Bazaar aims at creating opportunities for networking and business for producers, filmmakers and distributors from across the world.


    This year, the Bazaar provides an interactive platform to promote co-production market by facilitating collaboration among potential domestic and international partners in the realms of production and distribution.



    Fifteen pre-selected film projects and ten documentary projects, a new feature to be introduced this year will be presented at Bazaar.


    The attraction of the Bazaar will be presence of international sales agencies and producers whose work has won critics‘ acclaim and commercial success. There will be a business lounge open throughout the day for the meeting and video screening, in order to enhance collaboration in the field of co-production and distribution.

  • Golmaal Returns rakes in Rs 920 million in three weeks

    MUMBAI: Golmaal Returns has managed to collect Rs 920 million, according to an official release.

    The total collections are after three weeks of theatrical release.








    Produced by Shree Ashtavinayak Cine Vision, the movie was released at 1,050 locations worldwide.


    The film, directed by Rohit Shetty, starrs Ajay Devgan, Tusshar Kapoor, Arshad Warsi and Shreyas Talpade reprising the role originally played by Sharman Joshi. Also, Kareena Kapoor


    , Anjana Sukhani, Amrita Arora and Celina Jaitley are new additions to the cast.

  • IFFI Goa pays centenary tributes to Bimal Roy, Devika Rani and LV Prasad



    MUMBAI: The ongoing International Film Festival of India (IFFI) is paying tributes to Bimal Roy, Devika Rani and LV Prasad in a special section of ‘Centenary Tributes’.



    In total, eight movies are being screened in the Centenary Tributes section.


    Retrospective of Bimal Roy opened with his classic Do Bigha Zamin on the first day of the festival preceded by Remembering Bimal Roy, a non-feature film and Indian Panorama entry by his son Joy Bimal Roy. 11 July, 2009 will mark the birth centenary of the legendary film maker Bimal Roy.



    Roy had ushered a new chapter in Indian cinema in terms of both, a deeply human content and a realistic style of film-making, with films like Udayer Pathey and Do Bigha Zamin, says festival brochure of Indian Panorama.








    Also, the Retrospective includes Bandini, Devdas and Gautama the Buddha.


    Among the others are Devika Rani and LV Prasad. Rani had been a dominant presence on the Indian film scenario in the early years of Indian cinema. She, along with her husband Himansu Rai, contributed significantly through collaboration on international projects and professionally run Bombay Talkies. In the festival, Karma, a 1933 classic produced by Himansu Rai and directed by JL Freerhunt (casting both Himansu and Devika), is being screened as a tribute.


    Akkineni Lakshmi Varaprasada Rao, popularly known as LV Prasad, was a Dada Saheb Phalke Award winner with a huge repertoire in Hindi, Telugu, Tamil and Kannada. His Dadi Maa and Ek Duje Ke Liye are being featured as tribute to the doyen.