Category: Movies

MUMBAI: PVR Ltd, through its 100 per cent subsidiary PVR Pictures, is ramping up its content creation activity as a part of its backward integration in the filmed entertainment space.PVR has charted out an investment of Rs 1 billion for film production.

PVR has teamed up with veteran director Rajkumar Santoshi for two films and is planning to make a historic epic “Ashoka – The Great” with Ajay Devgan.

The other film, a romantic comedy, will mark the return of Rajkumar Santoshi to comedy 13 years after his cult classic Andaz Apna Apna, and will have Shahid Kapoor and Katrina Kaif in lead roles. Both these films are slated for release by August 2008 and March 2009 respectively.

The company had earlier ventured into film production with a two-film deal with Aamir Khan, out of which Taare Zameen Par, which also marks the directorial debut of ‘Mr Perfectionist‘, is slated for release this year during Christmas. The other film Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na is scheduled for release in February 2009.

PVR Pictures is also on the verge of signing more deals with other directors and is strengthening its management base. PVR Pictures has appointed Ashoka Holla as COO of their film production cell. Holla will be spearheading PVR Pictures’ content creation (Production) in Movies, International business & Home Entertainment.

Sanjeev Kumar Bijli, joint MD, PVR said, “With a proven track-record in the exhibition and distribution of films, we at PVR felt the need to expand in the entertainment space through content creation, and thus are venturing into production. To begin with we aim to produce five-six films out of which two are co-productions with Aamir Khan Productions and two will be directed by Rajkumar Santoshi.”

Commenting on his association with PVR pictures, Rajkumar Santoshi said, “In PVR, I found a combination of the desire for good cinema and a very keen sense of movie business. We are looking forward not only towards success but also, towards an amazing experience of making films together.”

MUMBAI: The film Jab We Met has already piqued viewer interest for various reasons. The Shahid-Kareena break-up being one of them. One more good reason that may attract audiences is the unique way the film is being marketed.

The producers Shri Ashtavinayak Cinevision have painted two entire trains, from the Western and Central lines respectively with Jab We Met posters.

Shahid Kapoor, the hero in the film, eagerly expressed his wish to travel by those trains. The producers took the necessary permission from the railway authorities and Shahid along with the director Imtiaz made a late night journey yesterday.

Despite the fact that this journey was deliberately unpublicised to avoid a stampede, an enormous crowd showed up on learning that they had a surprise celebrity guest at the station.
Incidentally, Jab We Met is a story of how two individuals set out on a journey after they miss their train, which explains the rationale behind using the train journey as a publicity tool.

Talking about the different phases of the pre-release publicity, media consultant to Ashtavinayak, Parag Desai says, “We have divided the publicity into three phases. The first phase (three months prior to release) was flagged off with a contest for selecting the title of the film. We invited response via email, sms, radio and then zeroed in on the title, Jab We Met.

“The second phase offered the first look of the film. And the final phase is the current one where the stars are making appearances at important events like dandiyas to generate the required eyeballs. This phase includes routine out-of-door activities like hoardings and taking space on 900 Best buses and unusual stuff like the painting of the two trains.”

The movie, directed by Imtiaz Ali, hits the screens this Friday (26 November).

Lets wait and watch if all of this brings the crowds to the theatres.

ANTALYA: Hollywood has been thrown into total confusion because of the advent of movies on the Internet and the studios are losing control, renowned American filmmaker Andrew Davis said here.
One advantage was that filmmakers who were unable to put up the money to sell their films – since advertising a film could cost as much as $20 million – could find a way of getting finance by putting up their films on the Internet, Davis added.

Referring to a question about films on television, he quipped: “The channels would be happier just showing the commercials and not any programmes.”

Davis told a Masters Meet at the ongoing Third Eurasian Film Festival here that with increasing globalisation and the ‘homogenisation‘ of world cultures through cinema, people are ‘hungry‘ for movies based on their own cultures.

Films had the ability to ‘commonalise‘ the trials and tribulations of people all over the world, he added.

Davis said audiences in the United States were so ‘depressed‘ that they wanted to run away from reality and that was why there was a spurt of films based on fantasy using modern technology to create special effects.

But it was more important for a filmmaker to say something than to just rely on technology. This was unfortunately a major problem in the US, he added. Another problem was that uniquely American films were not being made anymore since the aim was to hit a global market.

He said that adult dramas were not succeeding at the present time and there was need to make more movies for families.

Andrew Davis, 60, is not only a film director and producer but also a cinematographer, noted for the action films The Fugitive and Under Siege. Born on the South Side of Chicago, Davis has directed several films using Chicago as a backdrop.

Though he had trained as a journalist initially, he says he gave up the profession when he realised that the media was not telling the truth about the Vietnam war. He thought he would be able to tell the truth in his own way through the medium of cinema. His parents involvement in the stage and in politics and interest in civil rights and anti-war issues converged with his growing interest in film-making. He said this had helped him and exhorted young filmmakers to gain expertise in some subjects.

Working with acclaimed cinematographer Haskell Wexler on Medium Cool, Davis began his film career as a cameraman on films like The Hit Man, Cool Breeze and The Slams in the 1970s. His first feature film as a director was the semi-biographical story, Stony Island. Davis then went on to direct such films as The Fugitive, Under Siege, Above the Law, Holes, The Package, and The Guardian starring Ashton Kutcher and Kevin Costner.

Referring to his plan to make a film from a fusion of two novels – Miguel de Cervantes‘s Don Quixote and Henry Fielding‘s Tom Jones – he said that the intention was to see Quixote in a modern context in today‘s world.

He revealed that he had not been able to recoup much money from his first film Stony Island and had now decided to re-release it after re-mixing it in Dolby sound.

ANTALYA: Television is really the main market for foreign films in Turkey and cinema is gradually only beginning to take the second place to the small screen, according to Deniz Ziya Temeltas who is director of the Eurasian Film Market at the ongoing Third International Eurasian Film Festival here.Temeltas told Indiantelevision.com in an interview that Turkey at present had 13 national, 14 regional and two local channels, and therefore it was natural that these channels would form the main buyers at the market, which opened this morning.

He said apart from two digital platforms, there was the thriving Turkish cable sector, apart from the free-to-air channels. Furthermore, Turkey was strategically placed and could receive most of the East European channels. Five or six of the local channels were very popular and showed foreign programmes at non-prime times. Channels like the CNBC and CNN had local programming for Turkey. He said around $4 billion was spent on television advertisement annually in Turkey.

Of the 125 foreign buyers expected to attend the market, he said the maximum were likely to be from the TV sector. He emphasised that the market was complementary to other world markets like MIPCOM and Cannes, and helped to create a link between the United States and Europe on the one hand and Asia on the other. A total of around 500 buyers and sellers from around 48 countries are expected to come to the market.

He said that TV channels from Germany and France were participating as these countries had large Turkish populations.

The market set up at the Hillside Su Hotel in the upmarket area of this town on the Mediterranean Sea has around 70 stalls of which eight are being shared by more than one party.

He clarified in answer to a question that no fee or commission was being charged from any of the participants in the market. The first market last year had resulted in over 50 deals and 40 sales. The second edition of the Eurasia Film Market expects to increase the number of its exhibitors by 25 per cent and buyers by 200 per cent.

He said that the popularity of the market which was now in its infancy was evident from the fact that there were at least 25 co-productions as a result of the efforts of the Festival. A total of 125 buyers had already registered for taking part in the market.

Answering questions about the Turkish film industry, he admitted that piracy was a major problem. He also said that the aim was to create a climate that could lead to a change in laws and reduction of red tape in dealing with violators. The number of films produced in Turkey has jumped from 19 to 74 in one year.

MUMBAI: Inox Leisure has posted a net profit of Rs 83 million for the quarter ended 30 September 2007, up 19 per cent as compared to Rs 69.6 million in the corresponding quarter last fiscal.

MUMBAI: Eros International‘s latest release Bhool Bhulaiyaa has had a record opening overseas.In its opening weekend, the film has shown collections of $512,000 on 55 prints climbing to US top 25 on the charts.

The film has also entered the UK Top 10 grossing over ?290,000.
According to estimates, this is the biggest opening any Indian film has received in 2007 in the US and UK markets.

The film starring Akshay Kumar, Vidya Balan, Shiney Ahuja, Paresh Rawal, Amisha Patel and Rajpal Yadav released across cinemas worldwide on 12 October.

Eros International president (India) Sunil Lulla said, “Audience reactions world-wide to Bhool Bhulaiyaa have been extremely encouraging. With Akshay Kumar’s star on the rise and enjoying a huge fan base overseas, we were confident that Bhool Bhulaiyaa would be an instant hit. Also, the mystery element, catchy music and special effects all added together to produce another success from Priyadarshan.”

Bhool Bhulaiyaa is a thriller-comedy directed by Priyadarshan, the director behind hit comedies like Hungama, Hulchul, Bhagam Bhag and Malamaal Weekly.

The film tells the story of a young couple arriving at an ancestral mansion. Ignoring the protests of their superstitious uncle, they move into the mansion, where unusual and supernatural events begin to happen.

MUMBAI: A total of 45 films will compete for the top award in the International Competition and 20 for the award in the Asian Panorama in the forthcoming International Children‘s Film Festival, The Golden Elephant – 15, taking place in Hyderabad next month.

Over 300 films were submitted from about 40 countries for the Festival, which is organised by the Children‘s Film Society, India, and the information and broadcasting ministry in collaboration with the state government of Andhra Pradesh. The Festival, which takes place every second year, will be held from Children‘s Day 14 November, which marks the birth anniversary of the country‘s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and will continue till 20 November.

An international jury headed by renowned short filmmaker Mike Pandey will judge the films in the International competition.

The Golden Elephant has many interesting sections such as International Competition, Asian Panorama, the Children‘s World, Retrospectives/Special screenings, Creative workshops (animation), and Special events for children. There are 26 films in the non-competitive Children‘s World and 20 films in the special screenings.

CSFI is presently headed by Nafisa Ali, a film artiste and social worker. Veteran filmmaker Kuldeep Sinha, Chief Producer of the Films Division, is Director of the Golden Elephant – 15.

The International Jury will award the following prizes for films included in the International Competition Section:

1. The Golden Elephant plus Rs 200,000 for the Best Feature Length film-live action fiction (more than 60 mins)

2. The Silver Elephant plus Rs 100,000 for the Best Feature Length film – live action fiction (more than 60 mins)

3. The Silver Elephant plus Rs100,000 for the second Best Short film – live action fiction (60 mins or less)

4. The Silver Elephant plus Rs 100,000 for the Best Animation Film (both feature length & short film)

5. The Silver Elephant plus Rs 100,000 for the Best Non-fiction film (information, research/ documentation/entertainment) film.

6. The Silver Elephant plus Rs 100,000 for the Best Director.

7. The Silver Elephant plus Rs 100,000 for best music score (either background score or songs)

8. The Silver Elephant plus Rs 100,000 to the Best Child Artist from a film in the International Competition Section.

The Children‘s Jury will award a Golden Plaque plus Rs 100,000 for the film from the International Competition Section.

The awards in the Asian Panorama section, comprising the best of films from Asia and the Asia-Pacific Region, are:

1.The Silver Elephant plus Rs 100,000 for the Best Feature Length Film in the Asian Panorama Section.

2.The Silver Elephant plus Rs 100,000 for the Best Short Film in the Asian Panorama Section.

3.The Silver Elephant plus Rs 100,000 for the Best Child Artiste from a Film in the Asian Panorama Section.

MUMBAI: Eros International has announced the acquisition of the international rights of Rakesh Roshan’s Krazzy 4.

NEW DELHI: Twenty one features and 15 non-features have been shortlisted for the Indian Panorama section of the forthcoming 38th International Film Festival of India (IFFI) in Goa next month.

The juries for the Indian Panorama Section recommended that Lenin Rajendran’s Ratri Mazha (Night Rain – Malayalam) and Samir Chanda’s Ek Nadir Galpo (Bengali) will represent the country at the Asian, African and Latin American Competition of the Festival.

The two juries for feature and non feature films were headed by renowned filmmakers K S Sethumadhavan and Arun Khopkar respectively.

Ore Kadal (Malayalam) directed by Shyamaprasad will open the Indian Panorama feature film section, while Bagher Bacha (Bengali) directed by Bishnu Dev Halder will open the non-feature section.

The films in the features selection include five Malayalam, four Marathi, three each in Kannada and Bengali, two each in Hindi and Tamil, and one each in Assamese and Manipuri. The non-features include six in Hindi, four in Malayalam, three in English, and one each in Bengali and Manipuri.

Both renowned filmmakers Buddhadeb Dasgupta and Adoor Gopalakrishnan have films in both the feature and non-feature sections. The films by Dasgupta are Ami, Iyasin ar Amar Madhubala and Naushad Ali – The Melody Continues, and those by Gopalakrishnan are Naalu Pennungal and The Dance Of The Enchantress.

The selections were made out of 119 feature and 149 non-feature films. The members of the feature film jury were filmmakers Manju Borah from Guwahati, Leslie Carvalho from Bangalore, Abhijeet Dasgupta from Kolkata, Dr Mrunalinni Patil Dayal from Mumbai, and film critic Shubhra Gupta.

The non-feature film jury comprised Delhi filmmaker Pankaj Butalia, Mumbai filmmaker Kavita Chaudhary and Guwahati filmmaker Gautam Saikia.

MUMBAI: Eros International has set up a subsidiary company to foray into visual effects in association with leading international talent Charles Darby.

Charles Darby