Category: Movies

MUMBAI: After directing him in two films, Cheeni Kum and Paa, Balki now wants Amitabh Bachchan to try something different and diverse, though not unique.

The ebulent director wants to see Bachchan in the role of a cricket commentrator. “It is my wish to see Amitabh Bachchan essaying the role of a cricket commentator in one of my films. I want to see and hear him giving commentary because in my opinion, Amitabh would excel at it,” he said.

The man behind several super successful ads like Surf Excel ‘Daag Achche Hain‘, Tata Tea ‘Jaago Re‘ and Idea‘s ‘Walk And Talk‘, not only spoke about advertisements but also his second passion, films and his favourite star Bachchan.

The director was addressing the media at IIM Lucknow and talking about the effects of advisements and ad films in general.
 

MUMBAI: For the first time in the history of Marathi films, debutante filmmaker Samrouddhi Porey has cast Americans in stellar roles.

The film titled Mala Aai Vhayacha Ahe is made on the issue of surrogacy in India. The subject is about India becoming the hotspot for childless foreigners looking for surrogate mother.

The movie has four-year old lead actor Aiden Barkley speaking Marathi throughout the film. There are two other foreigners in the film, Stacy Bee and Mat Barkley, father of Aiden.

Porey hesitates to divulge any details of the story saying that ‘the issue is very sensitive’. To a query as to how did she spot Aiden, Porey says, “ I spotted the boy in the market and immediately knew he was my lead. Though everyone tried to dissuade me doubting Aiden’s ability to speak Marathi, I went ahead and managed to convince his parents to give it a shot. And the rest is history.”

After months of working, Porey came to know that Aiden was born through a surrogate mother. Wasn’t she afraid that the touchy topic might hurt local sentiments? Porey explains, “ When making a film, we don’t intentionally want to hurt anybody’s feelings. However, it’s possible that after release, some people might get offended.”
 

MUMBAI: Multiplex operator Cinemax India has posted a net profit of Rs 10.9 million for the three months ended 30 June, a turnaround from a net loss of Rs 5.8 million in the year ago period.

Income from operations rose 106.47 per cent to Rs 523.2 million during the quarter under review, compared to Rs 253.4 million a year ago. The main reason behind last fiscal’s poor performance was no movie releases because of strike.

Total expenditure surged 56.1 per cent to Rs 438.8 million, as against Rs 277.9 million. Profit before tax (PBT) stood at Rs 5.9 million, as against a loss of Rs 90 million from the year ago period.

The company at present has 28 properties with 91 screens while it plans to open 10 more properties this fiscal with 38 screens.

Cinemax earned a revenue of Rs 507.3 million from theatrical exhibition and entertainment, as compared to Rs 240.9 million a year ago. It posted an operating profit of Rs 10.8 million (from operating loss of Rs 86 million) in the quarter. Capital deployed in the segment was Rs 1.89 billion.
 

MUMBAI: Mallika Sherawat has bagged her third Hollywood film. She has been signed to play the lead role in a film called the Politics of Love with Brian White, an African-American actor, dancer, football player, lacrosse player, stock broker and youth activist.

SeT during the 2008 US Presidential election in which Obama made history by becoming the country’s first black President, the film is about a romance between a black Republican (White) and an idealistic, Obama-worshipping Democrat (Mallika).

In 2009, Sherawat finished shooting for her first Hollywood film, Hissss, also starring Irrfan Khan and directed by Jennifer Lynch. The film, based on the legend of Naga, is an independent co-production between the United States and India.

Sherawat also finished shooting for another Hollywood film, Love, Barack in which she plays Aretha Gupta, a devoted local Obama volunteer coordinator. The film is a romantic comedy set during Barack Obama‘s campaign for the US Presidency.

The actress won the 2008 Renaissance Artist Award at the 16th Annual Diversity Awards held in California while on 14 August 2009, Sherawat received a career recognition Honorary Citizenship of Los Angeles for her career achievements and charitable efforts.

MUMBAI: Aamir Khan‘s Dhobi Ghat will have its world premiere at this year‘s Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF).

Set in Mumbai, Dhobi Ghat revolves around four people who are separated by class and language but drawn together in compelling relationships. Directed by wife Kiran Rao, the film will have Khan playing the lead role of a painter.

Shai, an affluent investment banker on holiday, strikes up an unusual friendship with Munna, a young and beautiful laundry boy with ambitions of being a Bollywood actor, and also has a brief dalliance with Arun. As they come closer together, their complicated relationship no more remains a secret.

 The 35th TIFF that runs from 9 to 19 September will have 15 galas and 35 special presentations this year.

Apart from Dhobi Ghat, films by Robert Redford, Michael Winterbottom, Guillaume Canet, John Cameron Mitchell, Mike Mills and Andrucha Waddington will have their world premiere at the festival.

Top filmmakers like Woody Allen, Sylvain Chomet, Mahamat-Saleh Haroun, Tran Anh Hung, Mike Leigh, Julian Schnabel and Im Sang-Soo will also their presence felt this year.
 

MUMBAI: China and Singapore have signed a film co-production agreement on the sidelines of the 7th China-Singapore Joint Council for Bilateral Co-operation (CSJCBC) in Beijing, China.

The agreement was signed by Singapore’s Parliamentary Secretary for Trade and Industry and Information, Communications and the Arts, Sam Tan, and Vice Minister Zhang Pimin, from China’s State Administration of Radio, Film and Television (Sarft).

The co-chairs of CSJCBC, Singapore’s Deputy Prime Minister Wong Kan Seng and China’s Vice Premier Wang Qishan, witnessed the signing.

The China-Singapore Film Co-production Agreement covers theatrical feature films and telemovies, across live-action, animation and documentaries. It is expected to pave the way for more film tie-ups between the two countries as co-productions will enjoy the same access to government funding and incentives as do national productions in each country.

Official co-productions are also treated as national productions in each country for the purposes of content regulation.

Sarft Vice Minister of China’s State Administration of Radio, Film and Television Zhang Pimin says, “In recent years, both countries have embarked on film-related exchanges such as importing each other’s films and co-organising film festivals, which set the foundation for closer collaboration in the future. The signing of the China-Singapore Film Co-production Agreement provides direction and guidance for filmmakers from both countries to pursue co-productions, and creates favourable conditions for partnerships in content and technology development.”

Parliamentary Secretary, Ministry of Trade and Industry and Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts Sam Tan says, “With a rising global interest in Asian media content, this Film Co-Production Agreement presents immense opportunities for filmmakers in China and Singapore to collaborate, as well as share experiences and resources to showcase the rich heritage and culture in our two countries internationally through films. There is also potential for filmmakers from both countries to collaborate in new growth areas, such as stereoscopic 3D productions”.

The negotiations for the Agreement started in late 2008 and took about one-and-a-half years to conclude, a relatively short time for such agreements, and a testament of the longstanding and special relations between Singapore and China.

The Film Co-production Agreement will be administered by Sarft Film Bureau and Media Development Authority (MDA), on behalf of China and Singapore, respectively.

To facilitate greater exchanges between filmmakers from both countries, the Sarft Film Bureau and MDA plan to embark on a regular China-Singapore Film Festival Exchange. This follows a successful pilot that saw the inaugural Singapore Film Festival in Beijing and Shanghai in 2007, and the first China Film Festival in Singapore in 2008. In addition to reaching out to the movie-going public, these film festivals will serve as platforms for filmmakers from both sides to meet and exchange ideas.

Sarft Film Bureau deputy DG La Peikang says, “In line with our common goal of promoting cultures and mutual development, Sarft and MDA co-hosted film festivals in 2007 and 2008. The first Singapore Film Festival held at Beijing and Shanghai in 2007 was well-received by Chinese audiences; similarly, the China Film Festival in Singapore in 2008 was equally a success. We hope the China-Singapore Film Festival Exchange would promote the development of the two countries’ film industries, and contribute toward enhancing the friendship between the peoples of the two nations”.

MDA CEO Dr Christopher Chia says, “The China-Singapore Film Co-production Agreement is a landmark agreement that will spur greater industry collaborations between the two countries. It facilitates filmmakers from China and Singapore to pool resources and create a larger distribution network for the international market. China and Singapore share deep historical and cultural connections. This affinity in language and culture, warmed by many decades of friendly collaboration, will allow filmmakers from both countries to pursue common themes and unearth uniquely Asian storylines that can resonate with global audiences”.

MUMBAI: Walkwater Media‘s Tere Bin Laden is being readied to have a wide US release.

The spoof on the Osama Bin Laden tapes that appeared intermittently on TV channels and bagged attention after the 9/11 US terrorist attacks, hasn‘t faced any opposition from the US censors. Besides, going by the inquisitiveness among viewers there, the producers have decided to prepone the film‘s release.

States producer Aarti Shetty, “We wanted to give the film a mainstream release in the US after two months, but our international distributors advised us to release it right away since the buzz in the US markets was very strong.”

Tere Bin Laden has pocketed more than Rs 56 million in its first week from across 344 screens in India. The film that was released earlier in the UK, UAE and Australian markets has fetched over Rs 14 million overseas.
 

MUMBAI: Not cowed down by his age, Dev Anand, 86, is going to remake his 1971 hit, Hare Rama Hare Krishna, soon.

“I will shoot a new version of Hare Rama Hare Krishna in Nepal very soon. The script is ready. People want another ‘Hare Rama Hare Krishna‘ I know that,” Anand told reporters who were there to have a first look of his upcoming directorial venture Chargesheet.

“If people can make remakes and biopics, why can‘t there be a remake of this film, Anand asked. The film will be made keeping in perspective the present generation,”‘ the actor said, adding that his film was about drugs and hippies.
Anand‘s last few directorial ventures, Censor (2001), Love at Times Square (2003) and Mr Prime Minister (2005), sank at the box office. But the legendary filmmaker is not disheartened.

Produced by Navketan films,‘Chargsheet is a suspense thriller where the evergreen star plays a pivotal role. The film also features ex-Samajwadi party leader Amar Singh as a home minister in the film.

Anand also spoke of his classic Hum Dono that would be soon released in a colour version. “Hum Dono has been coloured and it will be out very soon. It looks fantastic, as if it has been shot in colour,” Anand remarked.