Category: Movies

NEW DELHI: Pyramid Saimira Entertainment Limited, Singapore, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Pyramid Saimira Group, has bagged the worldwide distribution rights of the Tamil and Telugu versions of Hindi film, Taare Zameen Par.

The Tamil version of the movie will be called “Val Natchattiram”, while the Telugu version of the movie will be called “Nelameedi Tharalu”.

Pyramid Saimira Ddstribution head Mukesh Metha said, “Taare Zameen Par is one of the most sensitively made films in recent times. Barring a few, not many children-oriented films have done very well in India. The movie in Hindi has proved that even unconventional themes and good stories can become a commercial hit. Pyramid Saimira has been consistently bringing good films and we feel that this film will prove a major success in Tamil and Telugu as well.”

The movie, dubbed into Tamil and Telugu, will be released in September 2008.

MUMBAI: Cinemax India has launched a three-screen multiplex in Faridabad, Haryana. The multiplex, which has a capacity of 730 seats, will open to the audiences with the screening of Singh is Kinng. Cinemax‘s distribution arm has acquired the sole distributorship for Singh is Kinng in Haryana.

With this addition, Cinemax India now has a total of 21 theatre properties, 62 screens, and 16778 seats.

Cinemax India senior vice president Devang Sampat said, “With Cinemax Faridabad, we are aiming to make an entry into the North of the country, which is a very important market for us. We are here to provide the movie enthusiasts of Faridabad, a state-of-the-art entertainment complex as entertainment and comfort are the hallmarks of Cinemax and will be for years to come.”

NEW DELHI: Director and producer Anil Goyal‘s Ice ‘n’ Spicy, the country’s first mainstream ‘non-mythological’ feature-length 3-D animation film using high–tech computer hardware, has been released across 15 screens in Mumbai and Delhi on 9 August.

Ice ‘n’ Spicy has eight songs tuned by Dilip Sen. Scripted by Harvinder Makkar, the 90-minute film has voice-over by Akash Ahuja, Babla Kochhar, Siraaj Khaan, Vijahat, and Deepa. The creative visualisation is by Ritu Goyal, Parizat Saurabh, Jatin Goyal, Deepak Chetry and Manoj Kumar. The music album of the film has been released by T-Series.

The film has cost around Rs 20 million, and though initially made in Hindi, it will also be released in English for the international market.

Anil Goyal told indiantelevision.com,“This is the first animation film made in the country which has a modern storyline and is not based on mythology or folk tales. However, it has a character, Gantoo, who is inspired by Lord Ganesha. The film is a totally Indian endeavor right from conception, characterisation, animation on the computers, audio and music.”

Explaining the technology, he said that he termed the animation as 3-D because every scene had depth in it and the technology did not need the use of special glasses.

The film is the story of two characters, Icy and his friend Spicy, who meet the magical Gantoo, who has come from another planet. They have several adventures that are funny and emotional, but then they have to encounter the villain Jindaan who is out to get their Gantoo.

The film has one item song rendered by Indipop singer Vasundhra Das. Other singers are Udit Narayan, Shaan, Hariharan, Pomela Jain, Madhushree, Javed Ali and Vani Babbar.

MUMBAI: The Dark Knight, which became the fastest movie ever to pass the $300m barrier last week, has broken all records by crossing the $400 million mark in North America within 18 days of its release.

According to reports the film, a sequel to 2005‘s Batman Begins which has had only seven theatrical releases so far, had generated $400.03 million by the end of Monday.

Meanwhile, the box office record collection is topped by 1998 release Titanic, with $600.8 million. This is followed by 1977 classic Star Wars, with $461 million.

Directed by Britain‘s Christopher Nolan, The Dark Knight has spent three weeks at the theatres.

MUMBAI: In an attempt to promote its forthcoming film, Bachna Ae Haseeno, Yash Raj Films has tied up with Star India, wherein the star cast of the film namely Ranbir Kapoor, Bipassha Basu, Minissha Lamba and Deepika Padukone will make an appearance on two reality shows, Aja Mahi Ve and Zara Nach Ke Dikha.

Aja Mahi Ve will air the special episode with the star cast on 9 August at 8 pm while Zara Nach Ke Dikha will air its episode on 11 August at 9:30 pm.

In addition to the star appearances on the shows, the network is creating and airing tune-in promos to these shows, featuring the film and its stars.

The promos and the packaging for these shows on the network will take on a Bachna Ae Haseeno look and feel. Also, the making of the film will be aired on the network too.

MUMBAI: Palador Pictures, in association with the Embassy of Sweden, has unveiled Ingmar Bergman Collector’s Edition 5 DVD Box Set and a film festival, Remembering Bergman- A Retrospective.

This initiative marks a tribute to Ingmar Bergman, on his first death anniversary.

The films which are available to audiences on the DVD Box Set are: Music in Darkness, Summer With Monika, Through a Glass Darkly, Winter Light and The Silence, with Intermezzo – a freewheeling interview with Ingmar Bergman – as a special feature. The festival will showcase, in addition to some of the films on the DVD box, Wild Strawberries, Summer Interludeand Devil’s Eye.

A six-city screening tour, from 8 August to 18 September, will kick off in Delhi. The movies will also be screened in Bangalore, Pune, Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata.

Elaborating on the rationale behind the Bergman Retrospective, Palador Pictures founder and MD Gautam Sikhnis said, “Ingmar Bergman’s films have moved, inspired and influenced a host of filmmakers and audiences across the world. It is no wonder that he is often called the greatest cinematic artist ever. It is only just that the nation that makes the largest quantity of films in the world each year, should also get the best quality films from across the world. On the first death anniversary of Bergman, this festival and box set is this nation’s tribute to the great master.”

Another high point of the Retrospective is the presence of Gunnar Bergdahl, director of two documentaries made on Bergman – Intermezzo: Ingmar Bergman and The Voices of Bergman as well as a close friend of the filmmaker. Intermezzo will be screened for students of film and general public at workshops conducted by Bergdahl in Delhi and Mumbai.

Palador Pictures joint MD Mohan Polamar said, “Bergman stormed into the World Cinema scene with two masterpieces in the same year, 1957. Such was the genius of this prolific director without whose name no discussion of cinema would ever be complete. It hurt us to know that masterpieces made by him and other great directors had never been available in this country to the masses. With this festival, I personally feel a sense of satisfaction about the number of people it is reaching out to across the country. When quality cinema as embodied by Bergman is widely seen and appreciated, quality cinema would end up being made as well.”

Supporting this endeavour of making world cinema accessible to the Indian audiences, are partners ICICI, iMint, Indiaplaza, Inox, People Magazine, Myntra and Bright Advertising in India, and The Swedish Institute and the Swedish Film Institute in Sweden.

MUMBAI: Ultra will foray into regional movies and is planning to invest Rs 200 million towards this over one year.

The company, whose core business lies in acquiring and marketing of home video rights of Bollywood films, is looking at Marathi and Gujarati movies.

Ultra has plans to produce 10 films by the end of this fiscal. “We are investing Rs 20 crore in the making of these films which will also be distributed by us. The investment amount will encapsulate all the production, marketing and publicity costs,” Ultra Group managing director Sushilkumar Agarwal told Indiantelevision.com.

The company has already completed producing one Gujarati and one Marathi film, which are slated for August and September release respectively. The films will be released across 30 cinemas, most of which will be single screens.

“While the Marathi film, Langda Martai Tangta directed by Pitambar Kale, will be released on 15 August in Maharashtra, Subhash Shah’s Guajarati film Baap Dhamal Dikra Kamal will hit the theatres on 12 September. The film will be distributed and released by us only in Gujrat,” said Agarwal.

Also, apart from distributing its own films, Ultra Group is also looking at acquiring Marathi films from other producers for distribution. “The regional market space, which has a huge growth potential, currently does not have any organized players in this sector. Hence, we have decided to foray into this space for distribution. Presently we are still looking at proposals and have not acquired anything yet,” stated Agarwal.

MUMBAI: US software major Microsoft‘s network for video game advertising Massive, Paramount Pictures and Ubisoft Entertainment have teamed up to create an in-game advertising to promote the upcoming film Tropic Thunder.

The companies have placed an interactive scavenger hunt in Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six: Vegas 2 published by Ubisoft, which encourages gamers to actively interact with the in-game campaign, take action from the clues, and get rewarded at the final stage of the hunt.

Paramount Pictures senior VP interactive marketing Amy Powell says, “This innovative scavenger hunt enables us to reward our target audience and give them a direct call to action to go see Tropic Thunder.

“We’ve had a track record of success working with Massive since the business started. This is taking our in-game advertising campaigns to the next level by making them interactive and actionable. Gamers are motivated to seek out the next ad, which is an amazing way for us to build awareness and excitement for our new release.”

Gamers see a series of nine branded ‘clues‘ within Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six: Vegas 2, each leading them to the next clue, until they successfully reach the end of the scavenger hunt. Everyone who completes the scavenger hunt will receive an invitation to join Ubisoft’s VIP club and the chance to download a free digital VIP map for Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six: Vegas 2,and will be entered into two prize drawings.

MUMBAI: Amu, a film based on the ’84 Sikh riots, is being released on DVD by Excel Home Videos. Directed by Shonali Bose and produced by Bedabrata Pain, the movie will be unveiled on DVD by Aamir Khan in Mumbai on 9 August.

The film stars Konkona Sensharma, Brinda Karat, Yashpal Sharma and Ankur Khanna in lead roles.

Amu premiered at the Berlin Film Festival and the Toronto Film Festival in 2005. Since then, it has won numerous awards and accolades.

The DVD of Amu has great significance since the film will never be released on television as there is a law that prohibits films with an “A” certificate to be shown on television. With an aim to air the film on TV, the makers reapplied for a new censor certificate but were asked to cut 10 minutes from the film – including any verbal reference to the riots.

Say Bose and Pain, “With such changes, the film is meaningless. As a result we will not be showing the film on Indian television, thus losing a significant audience which we hope to make up with the DVD.”

Amu is the story of Kaju (Konkona Sensharma), a 21-year-old Indian American woman who returns to India to visit her family. She is blocked at every turn when she begins asking simple questions about her past. Aided by Kabir, a young man who is deeply attracted to her and her quest, she embarks on an unstoppable journey to seek the truth. She soon learns that the genocide against the Sikhs in the capital city over 20 years ago, might hold the key to her mysterious origins. The Hollywood Reporter describes Amu as a first rate detective story.

Amu also marks the acting debut of communist leader and activist Brinda Karat, who is playing a key role in the film.

The DVD, has a host of bonus material. Says Excel Home Videos MD MN Kapasi, “We have made the DVD true to the essence of the film with deleted scenes, director’s commentary – recounting the numerous obstacles encountered during the making of the film. The DVD also has stalwarts and actors from the industry including Aamir Khan, Shyam Benegal, Mira Nair, Naseeruddin Shah, Jaya Bachchan, Hema Malini, Ketan Mehta, Gulzar, Aparna Sen, Vishal Bharadwaj, Vivek Oberoi, Shaad Ali and others publicly endorsing the film.”

MUMBAI: UTV has roped in Shoojit Sarkar to direct a film on the legendery playback singer and actor Kishore Kumar.

The script of the film will be penned by Renzil D‘Selva, writer of Rang De Basanti.

The announcement was made by the singer’s family while remembering his 79th birth anniversary.

The movie will portray all the real life incidents from Kumar’s life, encapsulating his journey “from birth till death”.

The project will be officially announced after the casting and other formalities are completed.