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Tag: Abhay Deol

  • Happy Weekend on Romedy Now with ‘Happy Bhaag Jayegi’

    Happy Weekend on Romedy Now with ‘Happy Bhaag Jayegi’

    MUMBAI: Romedy Now, the only hybrid channel of its kind in the English Entertainment space, has partnered to promote their Happy Weekend property, with the upcoming Bollywood release, Happy Bhaag Jayegi. The property that airs every Saturday and Sunday, from 9am to 9pm, will be promoted by the stars of the movie – Abhay Deol and Diana Penty; who have recently shot for the promo.

    The promo, which has been airing on the channel, shows great chemistry between Abhay Deol and Diana Penty, as they talk about a list of things that make them happy. This leading pair will promote the theme of being happy, which merges beautifully with the property of Romedy Now.

    Commenting on partnering with Romedy Now, Deol said, “Romedy is comedy and a whole lot more, just like Happy is a film about love, laughter and living your life to the fullest. The film has one clear message and that is, that one should do what makes them happy. The channel too promotes love, laughter and living a happy life through its shows and movies. We couldn’t have got a better platform to promote Happy Bhaag Jayegi.”

    Penty added, “Romedy Now plays movies/series that are light hearted, fun and at the same time, kindle the spirit of true love and romance. Our film is also an entertaining romantic comedy; actually a runcom and I feel that we couldn’t have got a better opportunity to connect with our audience.”

    Happy Bhaag Jayegi is a story of a girl who sprinted across to Pakistan; only to fall in love with the boy of a rival country. The film stars Ali Fazal also alongside Deol and Penty and is produced by director, Anand L. Rai of the Ranjhana fame.

    The movie is slated to release on August 19, 2016. ‘

  • Happy Weekend on Romedy Now with ‘Happy Bhaag Jayegi’

    Happy Weekend on Romedy Now with ‘Happy Bhaag Jayegi’

    MUMBAI: Romedy Now, the only hybrid channel of its kind in the English Entertainment space, has partnered to promote their Happy Weekend property, with the upcoming Bollywood release, Happy Bhaag Jayegi. The property that airs every Saturday and Sunday, from 9am to 9pm, will be promoted by the stars of the movie – Abhay Deol and Diana Penty; who have recently shot for the promo.

    The promo, which has been airing on the channel, shows great chemistry between Abhay Deol and Diana Penty, as they talk about a list of things that make them happy. This leading pair will promote the theme of being happy, which merges beautifully with the property of Romedy Now.

    Commenting on partnering with Romedy Now, Deol said, “Romedy is comedy and a whole lot more, just like Happy is a film about love, laughter and living your life to the fullest. The film has one clear message and that is, that one should do what makes them happy. The channel too promotes love, laughter and living a happy life through its shows and movies. We couldn’t have got a better platform to promote Happy Bhaag Jayegi.”

    Penty added, “Romedy Now plays movies/series that are light hearted, fun and at the same time, kindle the spirit of true love and romance. Our film is also an entertaining romantic comedy; actually a runcom and I feel that we couldn’t have got a better opportunity to connect with our audience.”

    Happy Bhaag Jayegi is a story of a girl who sprinted across to Pakistan; only to fall in love with the boy of a rival country. The film stars Ali Fazal also alongside Deol and Penty and is produced by director, Anand L. Rai of the Ranjhana fame.

    The movie is slated to release on August 19, 2016. ‘

  • Eros joins hands with Aanand L Rai to co-produce ‘Happy Bhaag Jayegi’

    Eros joins hands with Aanand L Rai to co-produce ‘Happy Bhaag Jayegi’

    MUMBAI: Post their successful innings with Raanjhanaa and Tanu Weds Manu Returns, Eros International Media has teamed up with Aanand L. Rai’s Colour Yellow Productions yet again for their next film Happy Bhaag Jayegi starring Abhay Deol and Diana Penty.

     

    The cross-border romantic comedy is written and directed by Mudassar Aziz.

     

    Happy Bhaag Jayegi keeps to Rai’s trend of unusual pairing even as a producer and will see the Deol and Penty being paired opposite each other for the first time. Happy Bhaag Jayegi also stars Ali Fazal, Jimmy Shergill, Piyush Mishra, Kanwaljit Singh and Momal Sheikh. The film is currently on floor in Amritsar.

     

    Speaking on the new venture, producer Krishika Lulla said, “With Happy Bhaag Jayegi, we want to continue backing fresh new talent, strong appealing scripts and unique stories.”

     

    Rai added, “I believe the audience always likes to see something unusual and different on screen. Other than the story, perhaps the one thing that catches everyone’s attention is the actors featuring in the project. Both Abhay and Diana are talented actors and they are apt for the roles that they will be playing in Happy Bhaag Jayegi.”

     

    A comic tale of errors, the film revolves around a young runaway bride who crosses over the border to land up in Pakistan and the following eventful series of crazy episodes.

  • Abhay Deol and Omi Vaidya to attend Asian American Heritage Festival

    Abhay Deol and Omi Vaidya to attend Asian American Heritage Festival

    MUMBAI: Indian actors Abhay Deol and Omi Vaidya will be attending the Asian American Heritage Festival, which is being presented by Ultimate Media and Sony Entertainment Television Asia.

     

    The two actors will also be interacting with the audience at the festival, which is being held on 31 May, 2015 at the NJ Expo and Convention Center in Edison, NJ. The event marks the celebration of the Asian American Heritage month of May in the US. 

     

    The highlights of the Festival are as follows:

     

    • Dance performances by top dance academies from the area

     

    • Over 20 corporate sponsors and 100 vendors showcasing their products and services.

     

    • A focus on the real estate market featuring builders from India and the US, realtors, brokers and mortgage lenders. The Asian Realtors Association of America (AREAA), the trade organization that promotes homeownership opportunities within the Asian American community, is one of the Festival’s sponsors.

     

    • A wide range of food choices to go with free wine tasting by NJ’s very own Balic Winery.

     

    • Free medical check-up by Robert Wood Johnson Hospital

     

    • An array of shopping options – Asian American clothing, jewelry, art and handicrafts.

     

    “Our goal was to create a unique experience for the members of the Asian American community, our corporate client and vendor partners. While there are several festivals and events targeted at individual segments of this vast community, for the first time, we are putting together an event of this scale and size that caters to the entire Asian American population,” said Ultimate Media CEO Mamta Narula.

     

    “We have created a unique forum that combines the three things that appeals most to the Asian American population – entertainment, food and shopping. We have experienced an overwhelming response for the Festival as evidenced by the large number of corporate sponsors and vendors who have signed up, Sony Entertainment Television agreeing to be the grand media sponsor and the top dance schools agreeing to showcase their performances and acts,” added Narula.

  • Around 25 films including biopic on maestro AR Rahman screened at IFFLA

    Around 25 films including biopic on maestro AR Rahman screened at IFFLA

    NEW DELHI: A total of around 25 films including sixteen features – among them the opening film Haraamkhor by Shlok Sharma and several shorts including the acclaimed Jai Ho on maestro AR Rahman by Delhi-based filmmaker Umesh Aggarwal are being screened at the ongoing 13th annual Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles.

     

    The Festival which started on 8 April will go on till 12 April at the ArcLight Hollywood.

     

    Starring Nawazuddin Siddiqui, the opening film has been produced by Anurag Kashyap known for many acclaimed films including The Gangs of Wasseypur and Guneet Monga of the Lunchbox fame.

    The closing film is Dhanak, a coming-of-age film directed by Nagesh Kukunoor, and the centerpiece film is the British comedy One Crazy Thing directed by Amit Gupta. The movie stars Ray Panthaki and Daisy Bevan and centers on a man struggling to overcome the notoriety from his sex tape. 

     

    Actor-producer Abhay Deol has been included in the jury and the other narrative jury members are filmmaker Sean Baker, HFPA member and frequent Board director Yoram Kahana, Warner Bros executive vice president (Physical Production) Ravi Mehta, and author and film curator Berenice Reynaud.

    The shorts jury includes actor Danny Pudi, Outfest director of programming Lucy Mukerjee-Brown, Sundance Shorts programmer Lisa Ogdie, and Universal manager of the Emerging Writers Fellowship Heather Morris Washington.

    Aditya Vikram Sengupta’s debut feature Labour Of Love following one day in the life of a married couple is also being screened.

      

    Other highlights are Danis Tanovic’s Tigers, Cannes entry Titli by Kanu Behl and the Los Angeles premiere of Miss India America.

     

    The films, including four world premieres, seven North American bows, two American and 10 Los Angeles preems from not just India, but also the US, the United Kingdom, France, Germany and Cuba, in 10 languages including English, Spanish and German.

     

    Tanovic’s Tigers stars Emraan Hashmi and is about the true-life tale of the salesman who took on a drug company that marketed a deadly baby formula. 

     

    Titli  is a coming-of-age story starring Shashank Arora; while Miss India America stars Tiya Sircar (The Internship) and Hannah Simone (New Girl) in the story of a woman who enters a beauty pageant after losing her boyfriend to a former Miss India America.

     

    Apart from the films, there will be an Emerging Writers Program designed to identify and cultivate new and unique voices with a passion for storytelling. Talented screenwriters who have the potential to thrive, but do not have access to or visibility within the industry are taking part. Writers chosen for the programme will work exclusively with the NBC Universal studio for one year to hone their skills. 

  • Abhay Deol in IFFLA jury

    Abhay Deol in IFFLA jury

    NEW DELHI: Actor-producer Abhay Deol has been included in the jury for the 13th annual Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles.

     

    The Festival is being held from 8 to 12 April at the ArcLight Hollywood.

     

    The other narrative jury members are filmmaker Sean Baker, HFPA member and frequent Board director Yoram Kahana, Warner Bros executive vice president (physical production) Ravi Mehta, and author and film curator Berenice Reynaud.

     

    The shorts jury include actor Danny Pudi, Outfest Director of Programming Lucy Mukerjee-Brown, Sundance Shorts Programmer Lisa Ogdie, and Heather Morris Washington, Manager of the Emerging Writers Fellowship at Universal.

    Aditya Vikram Sengupta’s debut feature Labour Of Love following one day in the life of a married couple has been added to the festival’s lineup. It screens on 10 April.
     

    Other films include Jai Ho by Delhi-based filmmaker Umesh Aggarwal who had attended the premiere of the film in New York earlier this year.

     

    The world premiere of British comedy One Crazy Thing is the centerpiece this year. The opening night film is Haraamkhor, helmer Shlok Sharma’s debut starring Nawazuddin Siddiqui, and the closing film is Dhanak by Nagesh Kukunoor.

     

    Other highlights are Danis Tanovic’s Tigers, Cannes entry Titli by Kanu Behl and the Los Angeles premiere of Miss India America.

     

    IFFLA will unspool 25 films, including four world premieres, seven North American bows, two American and 10 Los Angeles preems from not just India, but also the US, the United Kingdom, France, Germany and Cuba, in 10 languages including English, Spanish and German.

     

    Directed by Amit Gupta, One Crazy Thing stars Ray Panthaki and Daisy Bevan and centers on a man struggling to overcome the notoriety from his sex tape. 

     

    Tanovic’s Tigers stars Bollywood star Emraan Hashmi and is about the true-life tale of the salesman who took on a drug company that marketed a deadly baby formula. 

     

    Titli is a coming-of-age story starring Shashank Arora; while Miss India Americastars Tiya Sircar and Hannah Simone in the story of a woman who enters a beauty pageant after losing her boyfriend to a former Miss India America.

     

    IFFLA Artistic Director Jasmine Jaisinghani said, “Many of the films at this year’s IFFLA look at contemporary youth from diverse backgrounds, united in their creative ways of overcoming life’s situations. The palpable energy of youth spirit runs throughout our film lineup, and these stories take you on an adventurous journey.”

  • Digital: A complement or challenge for existing platforms?

    Digital: A complement or challenge for existing platforms?

    MUMBAI: FICCI Frames 2015 laid the stage for a open discussion on the 360 degree disruption, which the digital ecosystem has effected upon the entertainment sector. The session also had panelists analysing future and current trends in the digital business in order for these platforms to become growth drivers in truest sense. The emergence of the digital platform can become a threat to the other established platforms as all the platforms share the same source of revenue.

     

    The session was moderated by Filmkaravan founder Pooja Kohli and the panel comprised producer and actor Abhay Deol, Tata Sky chief content and business developing officer Paolo Matteo Agosstinelli, Facebook Wallla president Eric St. Anthony Pence and LA digital media advisor James Veraldi.

     

    Supporting the theory that content is king, Agostinelli said, “The emergence of the digital platform is not a threat but an opportunity for the enterprises willing to serve creative content. We are here to deliver content and sensible content in any platform will find relevance and generate revenue. We have to put efforts in understanding the change in behaviour and nature of our target audience and adapt as per need. The millennium youth in India is an encouragement for content makers and we have to utilise that by providing captivating content.”

     

    Technology is evolving with time and the existing platforms are challenged by the new ones. The battle for the old ones is to still be relevant. Commenting on the evolution, Veraldi said, “DVD came into existence in 1999 and saw huge success till 2005. Now the digital platform is growing and is poised to grow even bigger. There are various platforms that enable creators to deliver content and the challenge is in finding a way to monetise those platforms. If we keep earning money and devote it on quality content and the demand of consumer is taken care of, the new revolutions won’t make a difference. The biggest challenge is not how you adapt with the emerging challenge but is to keep meeting the demand of audience.”

     

    Digital has given unconventional content makers a platform to exhibit their excellence and offer new options to the audience. Traditional content finds producers easily, while the out of the box or breaking stereotype concepts are portrayed as risky. Hence financiers more often avoid such risks. Moreover global distribution of content is another tough challenge, which finds digital as a big solution.

     

    Deol produced movie One By Two was released on the internet for global audience the same day as it was released in Indian theatres. “I was sure of the fact that I won’t manage to get screens abroad but at the same time I also wanted the audience to have the option of watching the content and that’s when I took the decision of launching it online. The other reason was that whenever I have been to United States, I saw the willingness in people to see the unconventional but the option was not available for them. They used to ask me why we can’t make more unconventional content. When a theatre is three hours away and the pirated DVD seller is nearby, people opt for the pirated version but when we gave the same person option of watching it online by paying certain premium, they opted for it. That’s the beauty of the digital platform,” said Deol.

     

    While Pence was of the opinion that change complements other existing platforms. “The digital platform will complement the existing ones and the biggest beneficiary of that will be consumers. Every platform will try to provide as high quality content as possible and that’s the best part. With development of bandwidth and online payment infrastructure digital will grow but the traditional platforms will co-exist.”

     

    While the number of smartphone user is an encouragement for the digital platforms, low bandwidth and high tariffs are the major challenges that the venture has to tackle.

  • Zoya Akhtar to get Hrithik Roshan and Katrina Kaif together again

    Zoya Akhtar to get Hrithik Roshan and Katrina Kaif together again

    MUMBAI: After creating wonders in Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara (ZNMD), one of the most popular on-screen jodis – Hrithik Roshan and Katrina Kaif is all set to be seen together again after Bang Bang.

     

    According to media reports, the duo will be seen in Zoya Akhtar’s next- Road.

     

    The movie is also said to reprise the hit ZNMD troika of Hrithik Roshan, Farhan Akhtar and Abhay Deol. Speculations are that Abhay and Farhan would not have a romantic backup in the film, hence it will only have one heroine.

     

    Even though there is no official confirmation yet, reports add that Hrithik Roshan is already on board and Katrina Kaif is in the running to play the lead.

     

    While Zoya Akhtar is currently directing Dil Dhadakne Do; Hrithik Roshan and Katrina Kaif are presently busy with their upcoming film Bang Bang. The two actors will soon start the promotion of the film which is all set to release on 2 October.

     

    Already, Bang Bang has created a record with its trailer by becoming the fastest promo to cross one million mark in 13 hours and 2 million in 18 hours of its release. And now the two songs ‘Tu Meri’ and ‘Meherbaan’ have also gone viral online.

     

    The high-on-action flick, which is a remake of the Hollywood movie Knight and Day, also features Danny Denzongpa and Jaaved Jaffrey in key roles.

     

    Dil Dhadakne Do is a story about a dysfunctional family starring Anil Kapoor, Priyanka Chopra, Farhan Akhtar, Ranveer Singh and Anushka Sharma.

  • Puja Gupta to feature opposite Abhay Deol in ‘SNAFU’

    Puja Gupta to feature opposite Abhay Deol in ‘SNAFU’

    MUMBAI: After a mega search for the leading lady opposite Abhay Deol in SNAFU, the makers have zeroed in on Puja Gupta. More than 50 fresh faces were auditioned over 20 days, pushing the shoot by a month. Every last member in the unit used their contacts and connections to contribute to the hunt. The director, Sethu Sriram really liked Puja for the role but had two more names in mind.  He discussed the situation with Abhay and in a joint call Puja Gupta got the highest votes.

     

    Puja essays the role of Aaniya who shares center stage with Abhay, closing business deals for him. She is an ambitious corporate highflyer who hails from a small town and moved to the city of dreams to pursue her career. After winning the Miss India crown in 2007, Puja made her debut in Bollywood with F.A.L. T.U helmed by Remo D’Souza and most recently she was seen in the zom com Go Goa Gone.

     

    Director, Sethu Sriram said, “It’s a relief that the hunt is over. This role is very critical to the storyline and the girl had to be much more than singing, dancing and looking good. After a lot of deliberations we have decided upon Puja.  Aaniya is an ambitious small town girl so we needed the vulnerability of a small towner along with high glam quotient who would be a head turner. I have auditioned a lot of promising fresh faces and a few upcoming names, some of them were brilliant but Puja fits the bill naturally.  With all humility, I want to thank Abhay who helped me in streamlining the process.”

     

    The shoot begins on 12 July and with no time left the crew is moving at a rocket speed, especially to put Puja’s fashion forward costumes together.

  • NDTV grundfos mission energy sessions

    NDTV grundfos mission energy sessions

    MUMBAI: NDTV and Grundfos Pumps India Pvt Ltd (Grundfos India) turned the spotlight on the looming energy crisis this World Environment Day with the Mission Energy Sessions – a platform for prominent energy experts, policy makers and industry leaders to highlight issues; recommend solutions for industry and the new government; and focus on energy efficient ideas for the future. Actor Abhay Deol felicitated winners of the NDTV Grundfos Mission Energy Challenge, which saw 100 contenders competing to achieve highest energy and monetary savings. This was India’s first televised eco-challenge, conducted in association with CII, and winners included Larsen & Toubro Ltd, Vadodara; Indian School of Business, Mohali; Kesoram Industries Ltd [Cement Division], Sedam and homeowner Ameetsinh Vaghela.

    Held at the Taj Palace, New Delhi, many prominent personalities including actor Abhay Deol, who is building an eco-home in Goa; Dr Ajay Mathur, Director General-  Bureau of Energy Efficiency, Government of India; Saurabh Kumar, Managing Director – Energy Efficiency Services Ltd (EESL); Naina Lal Kidwai, Executive Director & Country Head – HSBC and Former President – FICCI; Ranganath N K, Managing Director –  Grundfos Pumps India; Jorgen Bjelskou, Group Public Affairs Director – Grundfos; Dr Sunita Narain, Director General – Centre for Science and Environment (CSE); Mili Majumdar, Director, Sustainable Habitat Division – TERI; Beroz Gazdar, Head Sustainability – Mahindra and Mahindra; Krishan Dhawan, Chief Executive Officer – Shakti Sustainable Energy Foundation; Dr Prem Jain, Chairman – IGBC – CII; Samit Aich, Executive Director – Greenpeace, amongst others participated in the informative sessions.

    Supporting the cause, Abhay Deol, said, “It is a great initiative by NDTV and what I liked most about it was it showcased great innovations, which gives so much encouragement to these people. I already have a shopping list for my home after coming here. It’s inspired me and if I am investing in it myself then it will encourage those who are making these.”

    Vikram Chandra, Group CEO, NDTV said, “Over the years NDTV’s programming has brought focus on a number of social issues through a multitude of campaigns. This campaign is an attempt by us to create awareness around energy conservation and I am glad that we are able to highlight viable solutions that can be adopted, both at an individual level as well as at a national level.”

    Ranganath N K, Managing Director, Grundfos India said “We partnered with NDTV to promote energy efficiency in India through the Mission Energy campaign on TV. This is a first of its kind initiative and was aimed at sensitizing all the stakeholders on the importance of energy conservation.  In the last five months, this campaign has had a considerable impact on various stakeholders like the Government, industry, educational institutions, as well as individuals. People are waking up to the fact that energy conservation is critical to ensure we bridge the demand – supply gap in India. Not only this, there are savings in costs as well – for the individual and for the nation. India has still a long way to go till it can completely bridge the energy deficit. Being energy efficient will help us achieve this at a lower cost to the country. We at Grundfos along with NDTV are happy to have helped increase the awareness and the momentum through Mission Energy.”

    The event marked the culmination of the NDTV-Grundfos Mission Energy Campaign, which was launched earlier this year to create awareness about the importance of energy efficiency and encourage individual efforts towards conservation. The Grundfos Mission Energy Sessions were conducted with the aim to not only discuss issues but also suggest plausible solutions. While the first session focussed on highlighting gruelling current issues, suggestions from the panellists on policy changes etc, the second session drew attention to innovations in energy efficiency that can play a vital role in solving some of India’s energy problems. This session showcased some unique and viable innovations to facilitate energy efficiency in your homes and organisations. The last session concluded with shortlisted participants from the Mission Energy Challenge (conducted by NDTV in association with CII) discussing “It’s All About ME – The Power of An Individual” and presentation of awards to winners and Runners Up.

    NDTV-Grundfos Mission Energy is supported by CII as Knowledge Partner, TERI as Content Partner and Shakti Sustainable Energy Foundation and AEEE as Energy Efficiency Partners.