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Category: Movies

  • Sony Pictures unveils exciting 2015 line-up

    Sony Pictures unveils exciting 2015 line-up

    MUMBAI: Starting the year with the comedy Sharafat Gaye Tel Lene hitting theatres on 16 January 2014, Sony Pictures has a fantastic lineup of movies that include Hollywood comedy The Wedding Ringer about a best man on hire, starring top comic Kevin Hart, Josh Gad and Kaley Cuoco-Sweeting.

     

    That is not all! Neill Blomkamp’s Chappie with Sharlto Copley, Dev Patel and Hugh Jackman is next on the list, featuring a story about a robot with the ability to think and feel for himself.

    Summer releases include the successful horror franchise Insidious, which takes the story back to the beginning. This will be followed by Pixels, a unique action comedy about aliens, directed by Chris Columbus and the comedy Grimsby, co-written by Sacha Baron Cohen.

     

    After which, the film, Ricki and The Flash directed by Jonathan Demme will feature a story about an ageing rocker played by Meryl Streep.

    The last quarter of the year will see Robert Zemeckis’ The Walk starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Ben Kingsley, based on the true story of high-wire artist Philippe Petit’s attempt to cross the Twin Towers of    the World Trade Center in 1974.

     

    The year ends with a bang with the highly anticipated James Bond film, Spectre releasing in early    November, followed by the Genndy Tartakovsky-directed follow-up to the record-smashing Hotel Transylvania.

    Sony Pictures India managing director Kercy Daruwala said, “In 2014 we released the biggest film of the year with The Amazing Spiderman 2 and consolidated our leadership position with five out of the top ten Hollywood films in India of all time. Our 2015 line-up promises an even more exciting year ahead, with the distribution of some local films, the scope of a sure-shot blockbuster like Spectre plus a very rich variety of other promising titles.”

    Sony Pictures India director of marketing Divya Pathak added, “2014 was a very exciting and challenging year for us in which we took movie marketing where it’s never gone before, to all corners of the   country, with franchises like Spider-Man. We are enthusiastic about   our diverse and unique 2015 line-up and look forward to reaching new heights in marketing innovation.”

    Sony Pictures India director of sales Appu said, “Our fantastic slate in 2015 holds equal promise for both audiences and exhibitors. With the Bond film slated for a release in the next diwali season, we intend to literally light up the box office.”

  • Ashutosh Gowariker Productions celebrates 10 years

    Ashutosh Gowariker Productions celebrates 10 years

    MUMBAI: Years ago, Ashutosh told his wife Sunita that he wanted to start a production house under which he would direct his films but only on the condition that she holds the reigns of production. On 17 December 2004, their first film Swades released and it was clear that they made a formidable team and Ashutosh Gowariker Productions Pvt. Ltd.  (AGPPL) quickly became a respected production house in the industry.

     

    Celebrating its 10 year anniversary, AGPPL travelled back in time to bring the audiences the epic romance of Jodhaa Akbar. A visual big screen extravaganza with memorable performances from both Hrithik Roshan and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, the film went on to gross over Rs 100 crore at the box office, and became a popular benchmark. 

     

    AGPPL has previously produced films like Swades, Jodhaa Akbar, What’s Your Raashee?, Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Sey and the recent television production, Everest. Their recent foray into television production began this year with one of the most ambitious projects in Indian television till date. Everest is the unique combination of an emotional story with scale and action.

     

    AGPPL is now focused on what awaits them in the next decade. 2015 begins with the filming of their Hrithik Roshan starrer, Mohenjo Daro. Set during the Indus Valley Civilization, Mohenjo Daro is an epic adventure-drama love story, set in an ancient era but in a modern context. The film brings together award winning international technicians and also introduces new find Pooja Hegde, opposite Hrithik.

  • Sony permits theatres to cancel screenings of ‘The Interview’

    Sony permits theatres to cancel screenings of ‘The Interview’

    MUMBAI: Sony Pictures Entertainment has given the permission to domestic theater owners to cancel any and all the screenings of James Franco and Seth Rogen’s upcoming film,”The Interview” if they feel unsafe.

     

    The release of Sony’s upcoming film on Christmas day has been facing threats made to deliver a “9/11” attack on theatres that show the movie due to which theater owners are hysterically canceling the screenings.

     

    There have been suspicions that North Korea is behind the threats, as they are unhappy with the controversial content in the film. James and Seth play celebrity journalists who go on a mission to assassinate North Korea’s leader Kim Jong-un.

     

    Movie theaters have been cautioned, and Sony has also warned people to stay far away from places where the film may be shown. James and Seth cancelled their media appearances for the controversial comedy; the film’s New York premiere has reportedly been cancelled as well.

  • ‘Dharam Sankat Mein’ to release in March 2015

    ‘Dharam Sankat Mein’ to release in March 2015

    Mumbai: Viacom18 Motion Pictures, the studio that gave us entertaining and thought-provoking films like Queen and Mary Kom this year, has announced the release of ‘Dharam Sankat Mein’ for 13 March 2015. The movie is said to be an official adaptation of the smashing British satire, ‘The Infidel’ and will challenge stereotypes from a humorous eyeglass.

     

    Produced by Sajjad Chunawala and Shariq Patel from Trigno Media and directed by Fuwad Khan, the cast list also boasts veterans Annu Kapoor and Naseeruddin Shah in pivotal roles. The shoot schedule of Dharam Sankat Mein has culminated. The film is at post-production stage now.

     

    For the last three years, Viacom18 Motion Pictures, has delivered successful movies.

  • Sonam Kapoor dons 16 different bridal looks for a scene in ‘Dolly Ki Doli’

    Sonam Kapoor dons 16 different bridal looks for a scene in ‘Dolly Ki Doli’

     MUMBAI: The first poster of the film where Sonam Kapoor is dressed in a gorgeous lehenga with a leather jacket and liquor glass in hand has created a huge buzz amongst people and in fact after the release of other two posters, the first question which comes to everyone’s mind in is ‘Dolly Kiski’.

     

    We do not know the answer to that question yet but what we have recently come to know is that the peppy diva Sonam Kapoor will be seen donning 16 different bridal looks just for one particular scene in the film.  In fact what we also hear is that Sonam as Dolly is someone who charmingly cons men into marrying her and then dupes them.

     

    A source close to the team said, “There is a particular scene in which we show Sonam in different looks as a bride. In this scene she will be seen as a catholic bride, Maharashtrian bride, south Indian bride, Gujarati bride, muslim bride and the list goes on. It was a very tiring process that just for one scene there were so many looks but Sonam enjoyed it quite a lot.”

     

     Well, donning so many bridal looks is definitely a wish come true for any girl!!

  • ‘Interstellar’ grosses $621 million plus at the worldwide box office

    ‘Interstellar’ grosses $621 million plus at the worldwide box office

    BENGALURU:  Paramount Pictures (Paramount) and Warner Bros Pictures (WB) critically acclaimed film Interstellar has surpassed US$ 621 million (about Rs 3900 crore) at the worldwide box office to date says Viacom.

     

    Further, the movie has surpassed US$100 million (about Rs 620 crore) in Imax Theatres worldwide since its release on 5 November, marking the fourth time an Imax film has crossed the US$100 million threshold.

     

    Continuing the legacy begun by Nolan and his use of the 15 perf 65mm Imax cameras in The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Rises, more than an hour of Interstellar was shot using Imax cameras. Exclusively in Imax theatres, these sequences expand to fill the entire screen and deliver unprecedented crispness and clarity and provide audiences with a truly cinematic and immersive experience. Sequences of Interstellar shot in 35mm film have been digitally re-mastered into the image and sound quality of The Imax Experience with proprietary Imax DMR (Digital Re-mastering) technology.

     

    Directed by Christopher Nolan, Interstellar tells the story of a team of explorers that travel through a wormhole in an attempt to ensure humanity’s survival. The story is written by Jonathan Nolan and Christopher Nolan, and produced by Emma Thomas, Christopher Nolan and Lynda Obst and stars Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway, Jessica Chastain, Bill Irwin, Ellen Burstyn, John Lithgow and Michael Caine.

  • Everybody is a winner at Sansui Colors Stardust Awards

    Everybody is a winner at Sansui Colors Stardust Awards

    MUMBAI: The year 2014 has proven to be a great year for the Indian Film industry. Last year, we saw several path-breaking performances by actors, musicians, producers and directors. As the first viewer’s choice awards of the year, the Sansui Colors Stardust awards ceremony celebrated the hard work and determination of the entire Indian film fraternity in 2014. The star-studded ceremony honoured several actors across genres like mainstream, action, drama, romance-comedy and even those filmmakers who have showcased newer facets of entertainment.

    The event saw several renowned names from the industry, entertaining the audiences with stunning performances and superlative talent.  Encompassing a Persian stage theme designed by Omung Kumar, the evening was hosted by Saif Ali Khan, Karan Johar, and Riteish Deshmukh who left the audience in splits with their rib-tickling humour. Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan, Madhuri Dixit-Nene, Kareena Kapoor Khan and Parineeti Chopra set the stage on fire with some sizzling performances.

    The red carpet was graced by the host of stars such as Amitabh Bachchan, Sonam Kapoor, Bipasha Basu, Randeep Hooda, Tabu, Imtiaz Ali, Sooraj Barjatya, Huma Qureshi, Jacqueline Fernandes, Dia Mirza, Arjun Kapoor, Sonu Sood, Omung Kumar, Kunal Kohli, Pradeep Sarkar, Ramesh Sippy, Neha Dhupia, Asha Parekh and many more.

    The Sansui Colors Stardust award show is slated to air in January 2015 only on Colors.

    Here is the list of winners who walked away with top-honours:

     

  • ‘Exodus’ dethrones ‘The Hunger Games’ at the box office

    ‘Exodus’ dethrones ‘The Hunger Games’ at the box office

    MUMBAI:  Exodus: Gods and Kings, which stars Christian Bale, in the lead has topped the U.S. box office with a whopping $24.5 million debut, leaving behind The Hunger Games: Mockingjay — Part 1, which had held the No. 1 position for the past three weeks. The Hunger Games, now it its fourth week, slid only 40 per cent, earning $13.2 million for a domestic total of $277.4 million.

     

    While reviews of Exodus were not all positive as the makers faced criticism for casting mainly Caucasian actors, Fox points out that Exodus’ opening weekend audience was quite diverse, which is promising for the film’s future. The audience was 54 per cent male, and 65 per cent were over 25 years of age. 20 per cent of the audience were African-American while 18 per cent Latino. Top grossing theaters ranged from major metropolitan cities to smaller towns such as San Antonio. Exodus also opened in several international territories, earning $43.3 million around the globe.

     

    Although December openings are known for their slower starts and longer burns, Exodus, which cost $140 million to make after tax breaks, has earned exactly what box office insiders had expected for the weekend. In the upcoming weeks, the movie will face strong competition from the forthcoming movies – The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies, family musical Annie, Disney’s Into the Woods and Fox’s threequel Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb.

     

  • ‘The Badlapur Boys’ manage Rs 50 lakh at the BO

    ‘The Badlapur Boys’ manage Rs 50 lakh at the BO

    MUMBAI: The first sports film on the traditional Indian sport Kabaddi, The Badlapur Boys shows some figures worth its while collecting about Rs 50 lakh for the opening weekend.

     

    Main Aur Mr Right found no favour with the audience. Bhopal: A Prayer For Rain, a docudrama on the 1984 Bhopal gas leak tragedy, does too little too late. The film is just a past memory for most and it puts together just about Rs 1.25 crore in its first week. Sulemani Keeda has failed badly.

     

    Ungli has added Rs 60 lakh to its collections in second week taking its two week tally to Rs 15.4 crore. Zid has collected Rs 35 lakh in its second week to take its two week total to Rs 6.25 crore.

     

    Action Jackson, though counted among major productions, has failed miserably. The film with worse than mediocre content, opened badly not surprisingly ending its first week Rs 46.15 crore.

     

    Happy Ending ended its third week run with not such a happy ending. Kill/Dil managed to add Rs 10 lakh in its fourth week to take its four week tally to Rs 33.97 crore.

     

    Chaar Sahibzaade (Punjabi) is set to emerge as the biggest regional grosser of the recent times.

  • Asha Bhosle receives Lifetime Achievement at DIFF

    Asha Bhosle receives Lifetime Achievement at DIFF

    MUMBAI: At the gala opening ceremony of the prestigious Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF) held at the famous Madinat Theatre in Madinat Jumeirah Hotel Dubai, Asha Bhosle received the lifetime achievement award for her outstanding contribution to music through hands of HH Sheikh Mansour Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Makhtoom.

     

    Bhosle has been earlier honoured as the ‘most recorded artist in music history’ by the Guinness Book of World Records, and also awarded the Dadasaheb Phalke Award (2000) and the Padma Vibhushan (2008) from the Indian government.

     

    Adding another award to her list of accolades, Bhosle said, “I am delighted to receive this Lifetime Achievement Award from Dubai International Film Festival in Dubai – a place with long historic ties to my country.”

     

    In her acceptance speech, Bhosle, who also made her acting debut at the age of 80 in the 2013 film ‘Mai’, further added, “People while accepting awards thank their family, friends, pets, etc but I wish to here only thank my audience and my stars without which I would have never come so far in life.”

     

    On the popular demand by the audience, she crooned impromptu few lines of her popular “dil chiz kya hai aap meri jaan lijiye” and the evergreen classic “O mere sona re sona re sona” bringing the 3000 strong crowd at the Madinat Theatre in Jumeirah to standing ovation. 

     

    DIFF Chairman Abdulhamid Juma said, “Asha Bhosle is a stalwart of the Indian music industry and we are proud to honour her with this DIFF Lifetime Achievement Award. Her work has touched almost every corner of the world such a legend we heartily applause in DIFF.”