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Category: Movies

  • ‘Hunger Games’ actress to direct Pitch Perfect 2

    ‘Hunger Games’ actress to direct Pitch Perfect 2

    MUMBAI: Elizabeth Banks, the actor, who brought life to the Capitol-born chaperone in the Hunger Games film franchise, is all set to make her directorial debut with Pitch Perfect 2, the highly anticipated sequel to the 2012 instant hit – Pitch Perfect.

     

    According to Variety, Elizabeth Banks has been targeted to head the project after directing a segment of last year’s sketch comedy – Movie 43. The actress worked as a co-producer on Pitch Perfect and starred as commentator Gail Abernathy-McKadden.

     

    Banks will produce the sequel alongside Max Handelman (Surrogates) through their Brownstone Productions. Gold Circle Films’ Paul Brooks (The Wedding Date, Over Her Dead Body) and Jeff Levine will co-produce, while Scott Niemeyer (The Haunting in Conneticut, Life as We Know It) will be the executive producer. Anna Kendrick and Rebel Wilson are both expected to reprise their roles in the sequel.

     

    Banks recently reprised her roles as Effie Trinket in The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, which has grossed over $850 million worldwide, and is one of the voice artists in The Lego Movie, which opens 7 February in India.

  • Sony bags the rights to Facebook COO Sandberg’s ‘Lean In’

    Sony bags the rights to Facebook COO Sandberg’s ‘Lean In’

    MUMBAI: Sony Pictures has confirmed that it has acquired the rights to make the Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg’s book into a movie.

     

    Published in March 2013, Lean In: Women, Work and the Will to Lead encourages women to advance their careers. If the film is able to capture the essence of the book, it won’t be so much a biography of Sandberg, who recently became one of the youngest female billionaires ever, as a manifesto advising women on how to achieve professional success.

     

    Sandberg also launched an organisation, Lean In, to further promote her message. She will donate her proceeds from the film to the foundation, according to Deadline, 

    which reported the story earlier.

     

    While there were few specifics available about the movie or the deal, Deadline said Sony Pictures, which made The Social Network about Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg – tapped Nell Scovell to write the script. Scovell helped Sandberg write the book as well.

  • Salman’s ‘Jai Ho’ gets a lukewarm response at BO

    Salman’s ‘Jai Ho’ gets a lukewarm response at BO

    MUMBAI: Jai Ho, having opened to a weak response, picks up for a day on Sunday to drop again today (Monday). The film’s opening at single screens was average while at multiplexes it was below average and showed improvement on Sunday only to find its level again as the new week began. The film has collected 57.2 crore for its opening weekend.

     

    Karle Pyar Karle has fared badly, barely managing to cross one crore mark in its first week.

     

    The other two releases, Paranthe Wali Gali and Miss Lovely are disastrously poor.

     

    Yaariyan will go down as a mini hit. The film maintained well in its second week with collections of 5.8 crore; the film’s two week total stands at 32.05 crore.

     

    Dedh Ishqiya kept steady pace in its second week with figures of 6.3 crore but not enough to salvage the situation. The film’s two week tally stands at 24.6 crore.

     

    Sholay 3-D has collected one crore in its third week to take its three week total to 11.3 crore.

  • Alfonso Cuaron honoured at the 66th Annual Directors Guild of America

    Alfonso Cuaron honoured at the 66th Annual Directors Guild of America

    MUMBAI: Hosted by Jane Lynch, the 66th Annual Director’s Guild of America Awards held at the Hyatt Regency center Plaza, Los Angeles on 25 January was a grand affair honoring the behind-the-scenes folks that shape our viewing experience.

     

    Academy Award nominee and Golden Globe Award winning director, Alfonso Cuaron (Pan’s Labyrinth, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban) snagged up his first Outstanding Directorial Achievement in a Feature Film award for the Sandra Bullock and George Clooney starrer space epic, Gravity.

     

    Steven Soderbergh (Ocean’s Eleven, Erin Brockovich, Magic Mike) took home not one, but two DGA awards as his debut win. One for Outstanding Directorial achievement in Movies for Television and Mini-Series in the Golden Globe winning HBO Original Movie, Behind the Candelabra starring Michael Douglas and Matt Damon. Soderbergh was also awarded the Robert B. Aldrich Service Award in recognition of extraordinary service to the Directors Guild of America and to its membership.

     

    In the Television category, Vince Gilligan won the Outstanding Directorial Achievement in a Dramatic Series for Breaking Bad, while Beth McCarthy-Miller won the Outstanding Directorial Achievement in a Comedy Series for 30 Rock.

     

    Grey’s Anatomy creator Shonda Rhimes and Betsy Beers (Casanova, The Hoax) won the DGA Diversity Award in recognition of commitment to diversity hiring and providing jobs and opportunities to women and minorities in DGA-covered categories.

  • Imtiaz Ali launches Tisca Chopra’s debut book ‘Acting Smart’

    Imtiaz Ali launches Tisca Chopra’s debut book ‘Acting Smart’

    MUMBAI: With few character roles on TV and films, actor Tisca Chopra has proved her worth to the entertainment fraternity of the country.  It was time for her to tell the world that she is much more than that and thus Tisca took to writing. The pre-launch of the actor’s book, Acting Smart was held at the Indian Non-Friction Literature festival with director Imtiaz Ali.

     

    Tisca has always been a book lover and voracious reader with her favourites including the likes of PG Wodehouse, Oscar Wilde and Stephen King. However, her book, Acting Smart is more of a guide for all the newbies in the industry, cinegoers and movie buffs. The actor took over a few months to come up with ideas that are fresh and unique.

     

    Imtiaz Ali, who is a very dear friend of Tisca not only unveiled the book but has also contributed a few episodes and anecdotes in the book along with Raju Hirani, Shabana Azmi, Boman Irani and many more. 

     

    The event saw Tisca Chopra and Imtiaz Ali talking to the audiences and sharing few of their personal and interesting experiences which they have come across in the course of their careers.

     

    Also present at the event was Tisca Chopra’s husband Sanjay Chopra who is also a writer and cheered and supported Tisca throughout the event.

  • Kamal Haasan, Paresh Rawal and Sooni Taraporewala among Padma Awardees

    Kamal Haasan, Paresh Rawal and Sooni Taraporewala among Padma Awardees

    NEW DELHI: Veteran actor Kamal Hassan and vocal artiste Begum Parveen Sultana have been conferred the Padma Bhushan while actors Paresh Rawal, Vidya Balan, and filmmaker Santosh Sivan have been named for the Padma Shri awards in the Republic Day Honours this year.

     

    Renowned Ghatam artiste T H Vinayakaram has also been named for a Padma Bhushan in the list announced by the President late this evening.

     

    Veteran animation filmmaker Ram Mohan, actors Supriya Devi and Sabitri Chatterji from West Bengal and script writer and director Sooni Taraporewala have also been named for Padma Shri.

     

    Renowned Tabla player Vijay Ghate, Sarangi exponent Ustad Moinuddin Khan of Rajasthan, pauna manjha music artiste Musafir Ram Bhardwaj, wellknown theatre exponent Bansi Kaul of Kashmir, eminent poet Ashok Chakradhar, eminent authors Ruskin Bond and Manorama Jafa are also among the Padma Shri recipients.

     

    The late Justice J S Verma who had headed the News Broadcasting Standards Authority and later the inquiry into the rape of a medical student in December 2012 has been named posthumously for the Padma Shri.

     

    Tennis ace Leader Paes, badminton player Pullela Gopichand, cricketer Yuvraj Singh from Haryana and Anjum Chopra of Delhi, kabaddi star Sunil Dabbas of Haryana, Delhi mountaineering enthusiast Love Raj Singh Dharmshaktu, squash player Dipika Rebecca Pallikal, wheelchair tennis player H Boniface Prabhu of Karnataka, and mountaineer Mamta Sodhna of Haryana figured among the sports persons who received the Padma Shri. 

  • Salman walks the red carpet of Filmfare Awards after 15 Years

    Salman walks the red carpet of Filmfare Awards after 15 Years

    MUMBAI: The most awaited awards function of the season, the 59th Idea Filmfare awards will see the entertainment quotient rise to new levels as bollywood’s top superstars will decorate the evening with their heart stopping performances. History will be made when industry’s dabangg star Salman Khan will walk the red carpet after 15 years. This is not all! Salman will also be seen setting the stage on fire with his adrenaline filled performance on his hit songs.

    The entertainment doesn’t stop here! The very cool Ranbir Kapoor and the very sexy Priyanka Chopra will have everyone in splits with their wacky chemistry and outstanding hosting skills. Ranveer Singh, Deepika Padukone, Katrina Kaif, Shahid Kapoor will sizzle the stage when they perform to their hit songs from their latest films. The audience will be left asking for more when dhak dhak girl Madhuri Dixit will perform mujra on her famous numbers like Maar daala and her latest hit Atariya from Dedh Ishqiya.

    The evening’s big winners will see Rakesh Om Prakash Mehra walk away with the best film title for Bhaag Milkha Bhaag. Deepika Padukone and Farhan Akhtar will be seen teary eyed walking away with the black lady for the best actor male and female in a leading role award in their film Ram Leela and Bhaag Milkha Bhaag respectively.

    So get ready for a star studded evening filled with some unforgettable performances this Sunday, January 26 2013 at 8pm only on Sony Entertainment Television.

  • Farhan Akhtar turns jingle writer in ‘Shaadi Ke Side/Effects’

    Farhan Akhtar turns jingle writer in ‘Shaadi Ke Side/Effects’

    MUMBAI: Time and again Farhan Akhtar has caught the fancy of many fans interested in poetry with lyrical lines on the social networking sites. However, in his upcoming film, Shaadi Ke Side/Effects the actor-director-producer plays a struggling musician Sid who takes up the job of a jingle writer-composer to pay his bills.

     

    However, since Farhan loves music and his guitar, the role was special to Farhan and thus he gave a spin to the featured jingles.

     

    Director Saket Chaudhary and the brand team of Skore condoms, an in-film sponsor in Shaadi Ke Side/Effects whose jingle Farhan’s character in the film was supposed to sing in the film, were in for a pleasant surprise when Farhan added his own lines to the jingle. He included the line – ‘I love my mother-in-law!’ referring to Rati Agnihotri who plays Vidya’s mother in the film.

     

    While this part has now been edited out of the film, Producer Rangita Pritish Nandy says: “Watch out for it in the gag-reel at the end of the film!”

     

    She adds: “This was massively funny while we were shooting! The whole unit cracked up and we almost kept it in the film as well but then decided against it. But watch out for it in the gag-reel at the end of the film which also features the reprised version Tauba Mein Pyaar Karke Pachtaya now re-christened Tauba Mein Vyaah Karke Pachtaya!”

     

    Shaadi Ke Side/Effects, produced by Balaji Motion Pictures and Pritish Nandy Communications, releases on February 28, 2014.

  • Hugh Jackman to play Blackbeard in the upcoming film Pan

    Hugh Jackman to play Blackbeard in the upcoming film Pan

    MUMBAI: Hugh Jackman, the actor known for his portrayal of one the major classic X-Men characters in the X-Men and Wolverine movie franchise, has been signed on to play the role of the nefarious pirate Blackbeard in Warner Bros’ upcoming film on Peter Pan, based on J. M. Barrie’s classic character.

     

    Pan, scheduled to be released in the US on 17 July 2015, is to be directed by Joe Wright (Anna Karenina, Atonement, Pride & Prejudice) with a screenplay by Jason Fuchs (Ice Age: Continental Drift) and is being produced by Greg Berlanti (Green Lantern, Arrow, The Tomorrow People), Eric Fellner (Rush, Les Misérables) and Paul Webster (Salmon Fishing in the Yemen, Miss Pettigrew Lives For a Day).

     

    Hugh Jackman, last seen in the psychological thriller Prisoners with Jake Gyllenhaal, will next be seen in Chappie, a sci-fi thriller directed by Neill Blomkamp (District 9), and reprising the character of Wolverine in X-Men: Days of Future Past, which according to MTV, may be the last time he puts on the claws.

     

    According to the Internet Movie Database (IMDB), X-Men: Days of Future Past will be released in India on 23 May 2014.

  • Producers Forum, MIFF Hub to coincide with MIFF 2014 next month to help short filmmakers

    Producers Forum, MIFF Hub to coincide with MIFF 2014 next month to help short filmmakers

    NEW DELHI:  The cinephiles are in for a gala time as a Producers’ Forum will be held during the Mumbai International Film Festival of Documentary, Short and animation films for selected participants to interact in closed-group sessions with Festival Representatives, Funders, Distributors, Directors, Producers and other experts.

     

    The aim of the Forum, according to a Films Division spokesperson, will be to share their experiences and expertise with the funding, making and distributing of documentaries. The last date for the Producers’ Forum has been extended to 29 January. 

     

    Funding and distribution are considered among the major problems facing the documentary film segment, since theatre and private television channels are averse to showing these films. At present, only Doordarshan and NDTV show these films, and the cinema halls have refused to show the films despite an order of the Supreme Court relating to the Films Division.

     

    MIFF, commencing on 3 February, will also have a ‘MIFF HUB’ for the first time to provide a vibrant platform and meeting point for documentary filmmakers to network, interact and develop productive contacts with Global and Indian funders, broadcasters, distributors, co- producers and mentors. The Hub will be held on 6 February and will be about festival strategy, funding, modes of distribution and co-productions.

     

    MIFF delegates and attending filmmakers can register without any additional fee for the MIFF HUB with their film projects: in-development, under-production and completed films seeking distribution.  

     

    Meetings will be set up through pre-scheduled appointments or through Speed Dating for on-the-spot matchmaking. Registered film projects will be approved and accepted for discussion by attending international and Indian experts based on relevance to their role and organisation. 

     

    Registered Delegates at the MIFF HUB can also attend and gain insights from Round Table discussions and Group Mentorships on a first come basis.

     

    Applicants to the Producers Forum can write to miffproducersforum@gmail.com with the following details: Name, DOB, Address, Phone Number, Email, Company Name (if relevant), latest CV, list of documentaries directed or produced so far, reason for applying (no longer than 350 words).

     

    The Festival organised by the Films Division of the Information & Broadcasting Ministry will be held as usual at the NCPA, Mumbai, (also known as Tata Centre) from 3 to 9 February. The Government of Maharashtra and the Indian Documentary Producers’ Association (IDPA) are the partners of MIFF 2014.

     

    A total of 793 entries had been received from 34 countries for Festival. Of the entries, 588 are for the National Section and 205 for the International Section. 

     

    MIFF is the oldest and the largest international film festival for the non-feature and animation films in Asia, and is often held at par with internationally renowned short film festivals like Berlin, Leipzig, Krakow (Poland) and Tampere (Finland).

     

    The total number of awards for MIFF 2014 has gone up from 22 to 32. Apart from the regular awards, new awards have been introduced for producer, cinematographer, editor, sound recordist and animator. Awards for the most innovative film (named after Pramod Pati who was an experimental filmmaker and head of the Films Division) and most popular film of the festival have also been instituted.

     

    A veteran Indian documentary filmmaker will be honoured with the V Shantaram Lifetime Achievement Award. MIFF will distribute cash awards worth Rs. 55 lakhs apart from Golden Conches, trophies and certificates to the winners in different categories.

     

    MIFF 2014 will also see an increased international participation. As part of an initiative to take cinema to the students, Cinekids, Amsterdam and Lennep Media will hold a ‘Dutch Children’s film festival-cum-students film workshop’ for school children of Mumbai. ActionAid will hold a film festival on ‘Our City Ourselves’ as part of MIFF 2014. 

     

    An attempt is being made to hold a Film Market for documentary films, which will be a first of its kind initiative in India.

     

    In another new initiative, the Festival Directorate has decided to hold parallel screenings of national competition films in Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai, Bangalore, Guwahati and Nagpur, for the benefit of documentary film lovers, who are unable to travel to Mumbai to participate in the festival.

     

    The festival will pay tribute to the acclaimed Canadian documentary filmmaker Peter Wintonick who passed away on 18 November 2013 by screening his select works. Besides, the festival will have panel discussions, directors’ adda, retrospectives, homages, curated film  packages, seminars, workshops and master classes to make MIFF-2014 a rich and wholesome experience for filmmakers, students and cinephiles.