Category: Movies

MUMBAI: Subhash Ghai-promoted Mukta Arts has acquired the distribution rights of six English films to be released within the next four months.

The list includes “Sanctum” coming from the production house of James Cameroon and two 3D films. All the movies will be releasing simultaneously across the world.

A distribution and exhibition division of Mukta Arts, Mukta Movies Distributors, has won the rights to distribute these movies for Western Maharashtra including Mumbai city, Gujarat, Goa, a part of Karnataka, Delhi U.P. and Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana and J&K territories.

Sanctum will release on 4 February in English and Hindi in 2D, 3D and Imax 3D version.

Mukta Movies Distributors is currently negotiating for at least 10 more films to be released before the end of 2011.

During the financial year 2010-11, Mukta Movies Distributors has released nearly 50 films so far in various territories of India including Dabangg, Robot, Phas Gaya Re Obama, Khichdi, Hello Darling as well as the forthcoming film Dil To Bachcha Hai Jee.

The English Films released include Narnia-3, Tron Legacy, Gulliver’s Travels, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Clash of The Titans, Inception and Knight and Day among others.

Through their exhibition business, Mukta Movies Distributors control programming of 160 plus theatres all over India including multiplexes of Big Cinemas, Inox, Fame, Fun, DT Cinemas, Wave, SRS Cinemas in North India and many others including number of Single screen theatres.
 

MUMBAI: Sahara Motion Pictures has roped in PVR to release its three films across the country.

In India, the audio will be released by Venus while Sahara One will handle the overseas markets.

Sahara is currently under negotiations with buyers for video distribution in India.

The first of the three, Kachcha Limboo, will be released on 4 February. Starring Taher Sutterwala, Sarika, Vinay Pathak and Atul Kulkarni, the movie is directed by Sagar Bellary while the music is by Amardeep Nijjer. 

Mumbai Cutting, the second movie, will release on 25 February. It is a multi-starrer directed by Sudhir Mishra, Anurag Kashyap, Kundan Shah, Manish Jha, Janu Barua, Ritu Parno Ghosh, Revati, Rahul Dholaki, Sushank Ghosh, Aiyush Raina and Ruchi Narayan. Ali Azmat, Sanjeev Srivastava, Jeet Gannguii, Amartya, Papon and Fuzon are music directors of the movie.

Soha Ali Khan, Pallash Sen, Samreen, Pramod, Jimmy Shergill, Neetu Chandra, Sonali kulkarni, Ranveer S, Tejaswini kolhapure, Kavita kaushik, Sachin khedekar and Raima sen among others will be seen in the movie.

Coffee Shop is the third movie to be released on 18 March through PVR. This movie stars Vishakha Singh, Kanishk Kumar, Lilet dubey and Saurabh Shukla aamong others. It is directed by A Venkatesh while the music is by Ishaan/ Rohit.

MUMBAI: Dhobi Ghat (Mumbai Diaries) has received some critical acclaim and the Aamir Khan brand has been able to get it patronage at elite multiplex properties. The film, however, had nothing for the single screen audience.

The opening weekend collection figures are Rs 88 million. Being a low budget film and having Khan in the cast, may just about manage to salvage the experiment for the producers. The collections should get a further boost on 26 January as it is a national holiday.

Meanwhile, the much hyped Yamla Pagla Deewana ended its first week with Rs 332 million, up from its opening weekend collection of Rs 225 million.

The film’s weak first half and length were its drawback. However, while Dharmendra’s charm drew the initial audience, it kept Sunny Deol fans happy too who plays his usual macho self. The title and the title song contributed a great deal to the film’s popularity. The collections took a beating on Sunday (23 January), due to the decider ODI between India and South Africa, but should more than make up on Republic Day holiday.

MUMBAI: Inox Leisure has reconstituted the board of directors of Fame following its acquisition of the multiplex chain.

Pavan Jain has been appointed as chairman while Deepak Asher will continue as director on the Fame Board as an Inox nominee. Also, Kishore Biyani and Amit Jatia will continue as independent directors.

Shyam Shroff and Shravan Shroff, the erstwhile promoter nominees, along with two independent Salim Govani and Susan Thomas, have resigned and will, accordingly, no longer be on the board of Fame.

Says Deepak Asher, “We are delighted to have taken over control over the board of Fame. We believe the revised Fame Board composition reflects eminent persons with entrepreneurship, expertise, experience and integrity, to provide Fame with stewardship and guidance, in the best interests of enhancing long term value creation for its stake-holders and upholding the highest standards of corporate governance.”

Inox holds 50.3 per cent of Fame India. The company had acquired 43.1 per cent stake from the Shroff family promoting group for Rs Rs 664.8 million. Later it acquired an additional 7.2 per cent through a block deal, executed at BSE, following which it made an open offer.

Anil Ambani-led RMW had countered Inox‘s pricing with an open offer for acquisition of 21.7 million Fame India shares, representing 53.38 per cent stake, at Rs 83 per share.

Inox said that as per the “provisions of Companies Act, 1956, Fame India has now become a subsidiary of Inox Leisure.”

Inox currently has 38 operational properties, with 144 screens and a seating capacity of 40,140 in 25 cities across India.
 

MUMBAI:Aamir Khan has been named to be part of the eight-member international jury of the 61st Berlin film festival scheduled to go underway from 10 to 20 February.

Led by Italian-American actor Isabella Rossellini, the jury also has Australian film producer Jan Chapman, German actor Nina Hoss, Canadian filmmaker Guy Maddin, Oscar-winning costume designer Sandy Powell, and Iranian director Jafar Panahi as members. 

The festival features 22 films in the main programme that includies 16 in the competition section.

One of the world‘s top film festivals, Berlinale will open with a remake of the classic — True Grit by Oscar-winning brothers Joel and Ethan Coen.

NEW DELHI: Renowned cricketers and World Cup heroes Syed Kirmani, Kapil Dev and Roger Binny are to feature in the Malayalam Film Mazhavillinnattamvare (Till the end of the rainbow), directed by veteran lyricist and well-known poet Kaithapram Damodaran Namboothiri.

Pakistan Cricketer Abbas Musthafa plays the lead character of the film. Archana Kavi, Krishna, Nedumudi Venu, Sai Kumar and Kaviyoor Ponnama also star in the film.

The story relates to a cricket coaching camp. The shooting will continue up to 3 February at Kannur and Thalassery Cricket Stadia and surrounding areas.

The cricketing greats will figure as coaches in the film. While scenes relating to Syed Kirmani have been shot as coach for Muthuappan Kadavu Cricket Academy, Kapil Dev and Roger Binny will also be shooting in the next few days.

Kaithapram Namboothiri, who has written lyrics for about 300 Malayalam films, also wrote the story, script, dialogue and songs for the movie.

MUMBAI: James Cameron’s Avatar has proven to be a source of encouragement. The noted director has shown to the Indian film industry how to harness the tri-dimensional format and it seems that the popularity of 3D is now going to add to the vibrancy of Bollywood cinema.

Filmmaker Shirish Kunder is one who has taken the format seriously. He has titled his next film Joker, a 3D film in Hindi, and hopes that his dream film would profit from the buzz and intrigue currently surrounding 3D.

The director has also been harnessing a modern Internet phenomenon that has influenced filmmakers such as Tim Burton who recently took help of the social media for his Snakes on a Plane.

Using the mediums of Facebook and Twitter, Kunder has sought opinion on who should feature in the film and who should provide the musical backdrop to what promises to be an exciting first for Bollywood.