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Tag: Amole Gupte

  • Zee Cinema to air world TV premiere of ‘Saina’ on 25 July

    Zee Cinema to air world TV premiere of ‘Saina’ on 25 July

    Mumbai: ZEE Cinema is all set to bring the world television premiere of ‘Saina’ on 25 July, 12 noon.

    The biopic on badminton champion Saina Nehwal, Saina follows the dreams of a small-town girl who went on to conquer the world of badminton and become the pride of an entire nation. It also highlights the immense support system including her family, coach, and friends that turned her dreams into a reality.

    Directed by Amole Gupte, the film features Parineeti Chopra donning the role of Saina along with the remarkable Manav Kaul, Meghna Malik, and Eshan Naqvi in pivotal roles.

    Talking about the film, Saina Nehwal said, “It was surreal to see my own life on screen. Amole Gupte’s creative vision, Parineeti, and Naishaa’s portrayal of myself are both a delight to watch. This experience of rewatching my journey has made me realise that sure, hard work and talent are what drive you to live your dreams, but one of the most important aspects is the support system. I am indebted to my parents, my husband, and my coaches as without them, my life wouldn’t be the same. They constantly motivated me and pushed me to chase my dreams, and that’s what kept me going on the most difficult days. I can only hope that my story will positively motivate young dreamers to go all out in the pursuit of their dreams.

    Sharing her experience, Parineeti Chopra said, “Saina has inspired millions and it was extremely fulfilling to play her on screen. It took blood and sweat to transform myself. I vividly remember spending my days as an athlete and even crying out of pain on the court. But it was all worth it. Saina Nehwal was my initial guiding force. Priyanka Chopra even gave me pointers on how to mould myself for the role, since she played a sports character in the past. I am so excited as Zee Cinema brings the story to a much wider audience yet again with the World Television Premiere of Saina on 25 July.”

    Amole Gupte shared, “My journey with project Saina began about 6 years ago and it was no less than a rollercoaster. My passion grew with every setback faced by the film, however at one point I may have had lost hope, but, like Saina’s support system in the movie, my diligent team helped me keep the show running. I am grateful that Saina, herself, advised Parineeti which added to the authenticity of the character. We were able to tell a story that’s a must-watch for anyone driven by passion, and with the World Television Premiere of Saina on Zee Cinema, we get to achieve that.”

  • Trinity Pictures to ‘Sniff’ out success in kids’ domain

    Trinity Pictures to ‘Sniff’ out success in kids’ domain

    MUMBAI: Eros International’s Trinity Pictures has rolled out its first feature film, Sniff, a big-scale kid’s live action-adventure film this month. A fresh new genre introduced in Indian cinema, the film went on floor on September 5, the day marking the commencement of Ganesh Chaturthi and will be shot across various locations in Mumbai.

    Helmed by the acclaimed director, Amole Gupte, of Taare Zameen Par and Stanley Ka Dabba fame, the man behind several acclaimed children-centric films, reputed to spot talent in children and introduce fresh new faces in Indian film industry (Darsheel Safari in Taare Zameen Par, his son Partho in Stanley Ka Dabba, etc.), is all set to launch his next discovery Khushmeet Gill, an 8-year-old ‘wonder’ boy who plays the lead character in this family entertainer that revolves around a young Sikh boy, who is a spy in the making along with his curious gang of extraordinary cohorts.

    Gupte commenced the shoot with his young star in Mumbai with a Ganesh Aarti sung by Shankar Mahadevan. Music in the film has been composed by Mujtaba Aziz Naza, son of the famous Qawwali singer Aziz Naza.

  • Trinity Pictures to ‘Sniff’ out success in kids’ domain

    Trinity Pictures to ‘Sniff’ out success in kids’ domain

    MUMBAI: Eros International’s Trinity Pictures has rolled out its first feature film, Sniff, a big-scale kid’s live action-adventure film this month. A fresh new genre introduced in Indian cinema, the film went on floor on September 5, the day marking the commencement of Ganesh Chaturthi and will be shot across various locations in Mumbai.

    Helmed by the acclaimed director, Amole Gupte, of Taare Zameen Par and Stanley Ka Dabba fame, the man behind several acclaimed children-centric films, reputed to spot talent in children and introduce fresh new faces in Indian film industry (Darsheel Safari in Taare Zameen Par, his son Partho in Stanley Ka Dabba, etc.), is all set to launch his next discovery Khushmeet Gill, an 8-year-old ‘wonder’ boy who plays the lead character in this family entertainer that revolves around a young Sikh boy, who is a spy in the making along with his curious gang of extraordinary cohorts.

    Gupte commenced the shoot with his young star in Mumbai with a Ganesh Aarti sung by Shankar Mahadevan. Music in the film has been composed by Mujtaba Aziz Naza, son of the famous Qawwali singer Aziz Naza.

  • Trinity Pictures ropes in five directors for films; to start production in FY 2017

    Trinity Pictures ropes in five directors for films; to start production in FY 2017

    MUMBAI: Eros International’s Trinity Pictures is now ready with its first slate of films across new and exciting genres. Also it has roped in five ace directors from the industry to produce films.  In what is said to change the way films are traditionally developed, Trinity’s first slate is all about creating character-driven franchises which will be leveraged across feature films, merchandising, digital and more.

    With a focus on creating fresh concepts in new spaces, Trinity is also one of the first Bollywood studio in India that has a dedicated in-house team of writers in the ‘Trinity Writers’ Room’ who have created over ten original franchises since the Division’s inception, out of which at least four films will go into production in fiscal year 2017.

    Trinity’s initial lineup includes a range of character-driven franchises across budgets, genres and languages – from a live action elephant film, to a kid’s action film and an Indo-China project to name a few. These will be helmed by acclaimed directors from across the country including Kabir Khan, Siddharth Anand, Amole Gupte, Telugu director Krish and popular Tamil director Prabhu Solomon.

    The first feature to roll out under Trinity Pictures will be director Amole Gupte’ s favourite genre but with a difference – a kids action film, a big scale action film with a child secret agent at the centre of the story that will go on floor in the summer vacation.

    With Trinity’s launch, the studio is looking at expanding new film markets which includes opening of one of the biggest markets in the world – China. Two projects will be co-produced with a Chinese studio, based on stories organically weaving the socio-cultural worlds of India and China.

    Additionally, the films will be shot in both languages. The first Indo-China co-production to roll will be directed by Kabir Khan with A-lister cast from India and China,  a human drama exploring the central character’s journey from India to China. Other projects in the pipeline include a film by Siddharth Anand which will explore a fresh take on the spy genre in India. This genre is a global favourite with franchise potential.

    Multiple award winning Tamil director, Prabhu Solomon’s bilingual project will be an inspiration from the quintessential super hit animal film—Haathi Mere Saathi. The shooting will take place during the monsoons across India and abroad and will be mounted on a scale with never-seen-before visual effects in this genre.

    Ace director Krish’s buddy cop film will be shot in Hindi and Tamil simultaneously, featuring popular lead actors from both the South and Bollywood. This film has been co-written by Shridhar Raghavan (mentor to Trinity writers), Dheeraj Rattan and K. Subhash.

    Commenting on Trinity plans, Eros International group CEO Jyoti Deshpande said, “With Trinity, we continue our endeavour to raise the bar in revolutionizing Indian cinema. As a leading film studio, we have peaked with three out of the top four and seven out of top fifteen films in Bollywood in 2015 being Eros films. Trinity strategy is all about conceiving breakthrough big content ideas and unlocking value from that intellectual property across various distribution platforms for a very long time. We are excited about the slate under development and hope we will have a few top ten films from Trinity”.

    Trinity Pictures  CEO Ajit Thakur added, “With Trinity, there is an effort to create something absolutely new for the Indian market, an effort in investing in creating characters that open a world of possibilities – films, digital games, comics, merchandise. We have writers for the first time creating characters first and then building scripts and projects around these characters. We are the first studio to have tied up with China for co-productions and will be creating new markets with films shot in multiple languages.  There are many firsts to Trinity and only Eros could have seen the merit in a franchise set up as this and taken the risk of making Trinity Pictures happen. We are very excited that the characters and franchises we are creating will hopefully entertain Indian audiences across platforms and well beyond the first Friday”.Tamil director Prabhu Solomon.

  • Trinity Pictures ropes in five directors for films; to start production in FY 2017

    Trinity Pictures ropes in five directors for films; to start production in FY 2017

    MUMBAI: Eros International’s Trinity Pictures is now ready with its first slate of films across new and exciting genres. Also it has roped in five ace directors from the industry to produce films.  In what is said to change the way films are traditionally developed, Trinity’s first slate is all about creating character-driven franchises which will be leveraged across feature films, merchandising, digital and more.

    With a focus on creating fresh concepts in new spaces, Trinity is also one of the first Bollywood studio in India that has a dedicated in-house team of writers in the ‘Trinity Writers’ Room’ who have created over ten original franchises since the Division’s inception, out of which at least four films will go into production in fiscal year 2017.

    Trinity’s initial lineup includes a range of character-driven franchises across budgets, genres and languages – from a live action elephant film, to a kid’s action film and an Indo-China project to name a few. These will be helmed by acclaimed directors from across the country including Kabir Khan, Siddharth Anand, Amole Gupte, Telugu director Krish and popular Tamil director Prabhu Solomon.

    The first feature to roll out under Trinity Pictures will be director Amole Gupte’ s favourite genre but with a difference – a kids action film, a big scale action film with a child secret agent at the centre of the story that will go on floor in the summer vacation.

    With Trinity’s launch, the studio is looking at expanding new film markets which includes opening of one of the biggest markets in the world – China. Two projects will be co-produced with a Chinese studio, based on stories organically weaving the socio-cultural worlds of India and China.

    Additionally, the films will be shot in both languages. The first Indo-China co-production to roll will be directed by Kabir Khan with A-lister cast from India and China,  a human drama exploring the central character’s journey from India to China. Other projects in the pipeline include a film by Siddharth Anand which will explore a fresh take on the spy genre in India. This genre is a global favourite with franchise potential.

    Multiple award winning Tamil director, Prabhu Solomon’s bilingual project will be an inspiration from the quintessential super hit animal film—Haathi Mere Saathi. The shooting will take place during the monsoons across India and abroad and will be mounted on a scale with never-seen-before visual effects in this genre.

    Ace director Krish’s buddy cop film will be shot in Hindi and Tamil simultaneously, featuring popular lead actors from both the South and Bollywood. This film has been co-written by Shridhar Raghavan (mentor to Trinity writers), Dheeraj Rattan and K. Subhash.

    Commenting on Trinity plans, Eros International group CEO Jyoti Deshpande said, “With Trinity, we continue our endeavour to raise the bar in revolutionizing Indian cinema. As a leading film studio, we have peaked with three out of the top four and seven out of top fifteen films in Bollywood in 2015 being Eros films. Trinity strategy is all about conceiving breakthrough big content ideas and unlocking value from that intellectual property across various distribution platforms for a very long time. We are excited about the slate under development and hope we will have a few top ten films from Trinity”.

    Trinity Pictures  CEO Ajit Thakur added, “With Trinity, there is an effort to create something absolutely new for the Indian market, an effort in investing in creating characters that open a world of possibilities – films, digital games, comics, merchandise. We have writers for the first time creating characters first and then building scripts and projects around these characters. We are the first studio to have tied up with China for co-productions and will be creating new markets with films shot in multiple languages.  There are many firsts to Trinity and only Eros could have seen the merit in a franchise set up as this and taken the risk of making Trinity Pictures happen. We are very excited that the characters and franchises we are creating will hopefully entertain Indian audiences across platforms and well beyond the first Friday”.Tamil director Prabhu Solomon.

  • HDFC Life extends association with ‘Hawaa Hawaai’

    HDFC Life extends association with ‘Hawaa Hawaai’

    MUMBAI: HDFC Life, has extended its association with Hindi film ‘Hawaa Hawaai,’ directed by Amole Gupte and presented by Fox Star Studios, by sponsoring the education of the four children featured in the movie, who come from financially challenged backgrounds.

     

    HDFC Life senior executive vice president and head, marketing, products, digital & e-commerce Sanjay Tripathy said, “As a brand, we have always propagated ‘Independence and Self respect’ or ‘Sar Utha Ke Jiyo,’ as a way of life. In line with our brand philosophy, we were very keen to ensure that the four children featured in the movie receive quality education and any other vocational or co-curricular training required to help them build a sound foundation. We, in association with Aseema Charitable Trust, a Mumbai based NGO working for the rights of underprivileged children, are sponsoring the school education of the four financially challenged children featured in the movie.”

     

    For the three children studying in municipal schools, the sponsorship would include all educational material, complete school uniform, participation in co-curricular activities such as art, sports, computers, etc., extra classes and remedial help within and outside school hours, counseling if required, a nutritious meal in school every day. “For the fourth student studying in another school, this would include school fees, expenses for uniform and educational material and any tuition or after school support required,” added Tripathy.

     

    Fox Star Studios India CEO Vijay Singh said, “Hawaa Hawaai is a very special film for us. Amole Gupte’s magical film touched the hearts of the people of the country and we are thankful to all our partners specially HDFC Life for believing in Amole’s dream as we did and supporting it with the way they have. It’s a very special relationship that we shall continue to cherish.”

     

    Gupte concluded, “On behalf of Salman Chhote Khan, Ashfaque Khan, Maaman Memon and Thirupathi Kushnapelli, I thank HDFC Life for sparing a thought for their well being by supporting their education at Santacruz Municipal School and St. Elias High.”

  • HDFC Life, Amole Gupte join forces for ‘Hawaa Hawaai’

    HDFC Life, Amole Gupte join forces for ‘Hawaa Hawaai’

    MUMBAI: It isn’t uncommon for brands to piggyback cinema as the medium with arguably the greatest mass outreach.

     

    HDFC Life is no stranger to this strategy; having co-promoted the franchise Spiderman in 2007 and in 2010, followed it up with an association with the Hindi film, Patiala House. This time round, the brand has gone a step further with in-film placement and theme integration with director Amole Gupte’s upcoming film, Hawaa Hawaai, about the triumph of the human spirit in the face of insurmountable odds.

     

    Through this collaboration, HDFC Life wants to send out the message that strong determination and sound planning (pakka iraada and pakke plans) go a long way in helping you fulfill your personal and financial goals.

     

    Of the association, HDFC Life marketing, product, digital and e-commerce senior EVP and head, Sanjay Tripathy says: “As a brand, HDFC Life has always propagated ‘independence and self respect’ or ‘Sar utha ke jiyo’ as a way of life and the film’s core message is a perfect fit with our brand philosophy. Through this film, we are celebrating people who help fulfill others’ dreams through their efforts and live life with their head held high.”

     

    Gupte’s team has gone so far as integrating the line, Sar Utha Ke Jee, in a song from the film to bring out the strong thematic and philosophical connect.

     

    Associating with films is not new for brands across FMCG, banking, financial services, and insurance (BFSI), what with marketers constantly searching for newer and better ways to reach out and connect with customers. HDFC Life has consistently launched marketing campaigns that bring out the relevance of life insurance for consumers.

     

    “Our core brand thought – Sar Utha Ke Jiyo – is about ‘financial independence’ and ‘self respect,’ which has always been a core value for all Indians. We stand for and celebrate achievement of every individual’s dreams and aspirations, being triumphant against all odds, and thereby, living life with the head held high,” says Tripathy.

  • Deutsche Bank and PVR Nest once again bring in the festive cheer to 5000 kids from NGOs across cinemas in five cities

    Deutsche Bank and PVR Nest once again bring in the festive cheer to 5000 kids from NGOs across cinemas in five cities

    MUMBAI: After the joyful success last year, ‘5000 Popcorns’ returned to kick start the festive cheer in New Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Pune and Bengaluru, which  witnessed packed cinema auditoriums with 5000 children sitting transfixed to watch the heart-warming ‘Stanley ka Dabba’, an Amole Gupte film.

    Amole Gupte himself joined the children at PVR Goregaon, Mumbai and interacted with them amongst cheers and applause.

    In its second year ‘5000 Popcorns’, which is a joint initiative of Deutsche Bank in India and PVR Nest, a registered foundation of India’s leading multiplex chain PVR Limited, brought together 5000 children from not for profit and community schools in one of the largest simultaneous movie screenings across cities. The children enjoyed the film that takes you through the wonder years of childhood while skilfully weaving in messages for providing education to all children and opposing child labour.

    Speaking on the occasion, Shrinath Bolloju, Chief Operating Officer, for Deutsche Bank in India said “After the stirring and warm response we got from the kids last year, we at Deutsche Bank are pleased to once again bring in the Christmas and New Year’s cheer to the children through the magic of cinema, even while sharing a beautiful and inspiring social message. We are delighted with the enthusiastic response we have received from the children and NGOs.”

    Ms. Deepa Menon, Vice President- Corporate Social Responsibility at PVR Limited said “We are extremely happy to partner with Deutsche Bank through ‘5000 Popcorns’ and being able to bring entertainment to such a large number of children. Such platforms enable children to explore their talents on a broader canvas. It is not just about entertainment, PVR Nest, through its creative education programs has aimed at nourishing children’s creativity and building their capacities on film making and publishing of over 1,00,000 children  from 100 city schools each year.”

  • 18th ICFF gets over 100 films made by child directors for next edition

    18th ICFF gets over 100 films made by child directors for next edition

    NEW DELHI: A total of more than 845 entries have been received from over 70 countries for the 18th International Children’s Film Festival, India (ICFF), popularly known as ‘The Golden Elephant’, to be held in Hyderabad in November.

    The Festival, which is traditionally held every second year alternating with the Mumbai International Film Festival for short films, will also have films from twenty countries like Austria, Chile, Cuba, Lebanon, and Ghana that were not represented in the last edition in 2011. The Festival will as usual be held from 14 to 20 November.

    Chairman of the Children’s Film Society India Amole Gupte said, “We have received an overwhelming response this year and we aim to make the festival bigger and better than ever before. The number of entries for the section ‘Little Directors’ which will feature films made by children is over 100.”

    CFSI CEO and festival director Shravan Kumar added that there were many ‘firsts’ in this festival. “Some of the ICFF films have been sourced from Cannes Film Market, allowing us to pick a selection of the latest children’s films, awaiting their World/Asian Premiers. ICFF has received 26 films from south America, a region barely represented in the earlier editions. We have also received 255 animation films from around the world.”

    The Lalitha Kala Thoranam – built in 1986 for the International Film Festival of India – will be the venue for the inaugural and closing ceremony this year and the films will be screened at Prasad IMAX Multiplex and seven other theatres.

    This was decided in the first organising committee meeting held in Hyderabad recently attended among others by Andhra Pradesh chief secretary Prasanna Kumar Mohanty, Information and Broadcasting Ministry Secretary Bimal Julka, I&B Joint Secretary (Films) Raghuvendra Singh, and Dr. Shravan Kumar.

     The festival will present four competitive sections. The best film would bag the Golden Elephant trophy and Rs two lakh in cash and and the second best feature will bag the Golden Elephant Plaque with Rs one lakh in cash.

    The Festival will also focus on “Children with Special Needs” through its Open Forum, where filmmakers will interact with activists, educators and parents. Films representing children with special needs will also be screened.  

    A Master-Class Workshop on how to market Indian Children’s films internationally will be organised in collaboration with Cine-Kid, Amsterdam, the world’s most popular children’s film market.

    The festival will also be bringing the best of Czech children’s cinema in the Country Focus section, including animations created by world renowned Czech animators, in collaboration with Zlin Film Festival – the oldest children’s film festival in the world.  

    Kumar added, “We are sourcing international award winning films featured in the 20 most prestigious International children’s film festivals including Dutch nomination for the Academy Awards and other recent children’s films that have won or featured in Berlinale, Toronto, Cannes, etc.”

  • Amole Gupte casts Saqib Saleem in Hawaa Hawaai

    Amole Gupte casts Saqib Saleem in Hawaa Hawaai

    Writer-director Amole Gupte had promised to make another ‘heartwarming’ film after his masterpiece Stanley Ka Dabba. The details of the movie, to be produced by Fox Star Studios, are finally out.

     

    Titled Hawaa Hawaai, the film is about ‘dreamers’, according to Gupte. The filmmaker has roped in Bombay Talkies actor Saqib Saleem in the lead. His son Partho Gupte, who won the National Film Award for his role as Stanley, will also be seen in the film.

     

    Hawaa Hawaai is the story of how a dream can be achieved. Gupte elaborates, “Dreamers possess the might to move mountains. This dream flight is the triumph of human spirit in the wake of adversity… rooted so deep in our ethos that the identification with the protagonists of the tale is instant. I have been so lucky to have netted two magical performers ably supported by an ensemble cast that is equally talented and exciting.”

     

    Hawaa Hawaai is set to release on 18 April 2014. And considering Gupte’s contribution to films such as Taare Zameen Par and Stanley Ka Dabba, this new offering from the director would be highly anticipated.