ITV

Tag: Indian Cinema

  • MOMI honours Om Puri

    MOMI honours Om Puri

    NEW DELHI: Veteran actor Om Puri, has been feted by Museum of the Moving Image (MOMI) in the US for his contribution to the Indian cinema. The honour was given to the 63-year old actor on the eve of release of his next international release, The Hundred Foot Journey co-starring Helen Mirren, which is opening on 8 August.

     

    The actor, who has made a name for himself in Indian and international cinema, discussed his long journey to stardom at a conversation moderated by actress Madhur Jaffrey. This was followed by a screening of his latest film.

     

    Based on the book by Richard C Morais and directed by Lasse Hallström, The Hundred-Foot Journey is about the cultural war that ensues the opening of an Indian restaurant in the south of France next to a famous Michelin-starred eatery. Puri plays the role of a patriarch of a family displaced from their native India. The movie also stars Manish Dayal, Charlotte Le Bon and Bollywood actress Juhi Chawla. It is produced by Steven Spielberg, Oprah Winfrey, and Juliet Blake.

     

    During the conversation with Jaffrey, Puri revealed that when he first came to Delhi nearly four decades ago with only Rs 120 in his pockets to try his luck in theatre, he could not anticipate the success that lay ahead of him. A versatile theater and film actor, Puri, has made a name for himself in Hollywood as well. The actor also added that he and Naseeruddin Shah were the ‘two idiots’ who joined the Film and Television Institute of India in Pune.

     

    Puri made his debut with the Marathi film Ghasiram Kotwal based on a Marathi play of the same name by Vijay Tendulkar. The film was directed by K Hariharan and Mani Kaul in cooperation with 16 graduates of the FTII.

     

    Jaffrey also discussed Puri’s big break in Bollywood – Ardh Satya portraying Puri as a policeman struggling to deal with the evils around and inside him. “This was my lottery in the Hindi film industry. Everybody sort of sat back and noticed me,” Puri said. He also received the National Film Award for Best Actor for the film.

     

    Puri considers himself to be introverted, but he believes acting gave him a voice to convey his emotions. “I had a lot feelings looking at the world around me, particularly, the disparities in society used to disturb me,” he said.

  • Madhur Bhandarkar attends the Indian Film Week in Russia

    Madhur Bhandarkar attends the Indian Film Week in Russia

    MUMBAI: Filmmaker Madhur Bhandarkar, who has quite a few awards and critical acclaims in his kitty including a National Award for his film Fashion, recently got another appreciation.

     

    The filmmaker, who visited Russia to attended The Indian Film Week In Russia from 25 November to 3 December, 2013 organised by the Indian Embassy, Moscow in association with the Jawaharlal Nehru Cultural Center, Moscow, was felicitated by the Indian Ambassador of Russia, Ajai Malhotra in Moscow for his contribution to Indian Cinema.

     

    Besides, two of Bhandarkar’s films, Heroine and Page 3 were also screened during the week.

  • France 24 readies itself for Indian audiences

    France 24 readies itself for Indian audiences

    MUMBAI: This week, France 24, the international English news channel has lined up a number of shows that are focused on India, as part of its campaign to boost viewership in the country.

     

     The channel launched on two DTH platforms earlier this month – DD Direct+ and Dish TV making it available to an additional 31 million households in the country. Seven million homes already receive it through cable.

     

    A cultural show depicting the Rajasthan International Folk Festival, 100 years of Indian cinema and Indian gastronomy along with three personalities speaking – fashion designer Ritu Beri, actress Nandita Das, Impresario restaurant CEO Gresham Fernandes – was telecasted yesterday with repeats throughout today.

     

    A debate on ‘at the heart of the next world power’ will see the likes of HRD minister Shashi Tharoor, BJP spokesperson Nirmala Sitaraman, founder of Kali Urvashi Butalia and Sunstone Business school co-founder Rajul Garg on the show tonight. Interviews with Godrej group chairman Adi Godrej, screenwriter Anand Gandhi, JSW Steel chairman Sajjan Jindal and Future Group CEO Kishore Biyani will be shown this week.

     

    Reports on the rollout of the UIDAI (Unique Identification Authority of India) in the country and an online platform called Digital Green will also be a part of their upcoming FCP (Fixed Chart Point).

     

    The channel wants to make a space for itself in the heart of Indian audiences. The channel was officially launched in Delhi yesterday.

  • DD strengthens its movie library; to screen acclaimed films twice a week

    DD strengthens its movie library; to screen acclaimed films twice a week

    NEW DELHI: The national broadcaster – Doordarshan – is launching a new slot for acclaimed Indian feature films in all languages that have either won national or international honours, featured in the Indian Panorama, or been part of competition sections of 16 renowned international film festivals.

     

    The films will be screened on Sunday and Monday nights at 11:00 pm from the coming weekend and will be subtitled in English. With revenue earnings of Rs 15 lakh per screening and holding the rights for three years; the pubcaster clarified that the rights were not exclusive.

     

    In the event of a film being offered for a premiere on DD, the amount to be paid will go up to Rs 25 lakh.

     

    Doordarshan Director General Tripurari Sharan told indiantelevision.com that the ‘Best of Indian Cinema’ initiative was part of the celebrations on the centenary of Indian cinema.

     

    Answering a question, he said a similar slot for such films in the eighties and early nineties had fizzled out for various reasons including the fact that the prime time was restricted to around 9:00 pm and viewers generally did not watch television after that. But the entry of the private channels had changed the scenario.

     

    He claimed that DD was the only channel showing such films. However, Lok Sabha TV also has a similar slot on Sundays, though the window for the kind of films it will take is not as large as the one DD is embarking upon.

     

    Sharan clarified that as most films had a U/A certification, they could not be shown before 11:00 pm.

     

    Initially, DD had decided to keep this slot for one year with a total of 104 films. He added that DD had decided to have a cut-off date, and so the slot will only screen films made post the year 2000.

     

    Sharan said that there was need to support these films as they are meant for niche audiences.

     

    However, this slot will mean that the popular Bioscope slot in which meaningful films are shown in three parts from Monday to Wednesday at 11:00 pm will now be curtailed to Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

     

    Answering questions at an informal press meet, he said that other time slots could be considered for these films in the event of viewers demand. Furthermore, DD could also consider increasing the frequency of the screening of such films from twice a week to more days. Referring to Sunday afternoons, he added that the slot was already reserved for retrospectives of eminent film personalities.

     

    On the marketing front, there are already print advertisements that would begin appearing from this weekend, e-flyers to several thousand persons on the list of DD, and social media like Facebook.

     

    The first four films in this slot are the Malayalam movie Nizhalkkuthu by the famed Adoor Gopalakrishnan on 10 November, the Marathi drama Deeol by Umesh Kulkarni on 11 November, the Konkani film Digant by Dyanesh Moghe on 17 November, and the Bangla Nisshabd by Jahar Kanungo on 18 November.

  • FICCI – MEBC 2013 to kick off on 29 October at Bengaluru

    FICCI – MEBC 2013 to kick off on 29 October at Bengaluru

    BENGALURU: The Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) annual Media and Entertainment Business Conclave (MEBC) will be held at the Garden City this year on 29 and 30 October. Previous editions of the conclave have been held in Chennai and Hyderabad.

     

    Some of the key sessions of MEBC 2013 include (1) Formulating and Implementing a viable Media and Entertainment policy for a State: The panel comprising of state government representatives and industry stake holders will discuss various scopes to develop infrastructure, local skills, technology and explore possibilities on how to develop the media & entertainment eco system for a State.

     

     (2) Emerging Technologies and the impact on Indian Cinema? The Indian film industry enters its next phase of production and distribution where digital technologies are taking very important roles. In this session we bring in experts from the field of creative industry and technology to understand what the future lies for Indian cinema.

     

    (3) The Broadcasting Ecosystem in the Digital Era: What are the experts thinking after the implementation of Digitization of Cable TV in India? In the era of convergence with integrated Apps, Broadband, wireless, VOD, pay TV and Multiplatform distribution how will the ecosystem look like. Let’s discuss.  

     

    (4) Session on Visual Effects (5) Emerging Trends of Indian IP in Animation & its exploitation (6) The War for News: Defining No. 1 in The Dizzying Newscape: Are there any winners in the plethora of news be it TV or Print, despite the TAM, NRS/IRS figures? Is it all the same content packaged in different formats which finally just confuses the viewer? What are our news media’s aiming for – Ratings or Pure Journalism? Can we learn anything from the international newsgathering model in content and standards?

     

    (7)  Reshaping Mobile entertainment in the era of Digital Revolution:  A session on display of the upcoming latest Apps in Mobile Entertainment, the transformation from 3G to 4G redefining mobile entertainment (8) Changing Trends in Regional TV: Ratings, Content, Formats: Regional TV programming are constantly evolving in terms of contents and formats keeping in mind the audience tastes and the cut throat competition with national televisions channels. In this session let’s listen to the stalwarts giving their perspectives from GEC to news following a peek into the state of the much-debated ratings systems.  

     

    (8) Marketing & Distribution of films in Multiplatform Ecosystem (9) Making movie through Crowd funding – The case study of Lucia:  A case study on the Kannada Film Lucia will be conducted by Film Director Pawan Kumar. Lucia is the first crowd funded film in India. The case study will emphasise on how best new script and ideas can receive funds through social networking sites without depending on producers for fund (11) The Emerging Gaming Industry in southern India.

    Among the speakers  at the concvlave include Kamal Haasan, Chairman, Media & Entertainment Business Conclave, FICCI; Biren Ghose , Convener  MEBC & President ABAI & Country Head- Technicolor India; Srivatsa Krishna , Secretary , Department of IT , Bt and S&T , Govt. Of Karnataka;  Kumud Srinivasan , President , Intel India; Ashish Kulkarni ,Co  Chairman , FICCI AVGC Forum & CEO, Big Animation; Neeraj Roy , CEO , Hungama Digital Media;  Anup Chandrashekar , Business Head , Asianet & Star Suvarna ; Shruthi Naidu , Director TV serials; LV Krishnan , CEO , TAM India; Jawhar Sircar, CEO, Prasar Bharti; Preet Dhupar, COO India , BBC World News; Ravi Hegde , Group Editor, Udayvani among others
     

  • Wift in conversation with Anupama Chopra and Zoya Akhtar

    Wift in conversation with Anupama Chopra and Zoya Akhtar

    MUMBAI: The name is Chopra, Anupama Chopra. Yes, if you are a movie buff then you know whom we are talking about.

     

    The author, journalist and film critic has written several books on Indian cinema and the latest addition to this long list is ‘100 Films To See Before You Die’. With Indian cinema completing hundred years in 2013, it is a perfect guide for cinema enthusiasts.

     

    Wift Mumbai Chapter, a not-for-profit organisation dedicated to providing a dynamic platform to facilitate the exchange of ideas, accelerate the professional development and recognise the achievement of women in film, television and other screen based media, is giving an opportunity to such enthusiasts to have conversation with the author herself.

     

    The event is a networking evening for women who get to interact with other professionals from the industry. “They get an opportunity to meet Anupama Chopra who has written the book and director Zoya Akhtar. The biggest challenge is to meet the right people. Wift gives them the opportunity through workshops like these with leading industry professionals,” says founder Petrina M D’Rozario.

     

    The organisation aims to have one such event every month. It also has an initiative called SNF (Saturday Night Fever) which is a relaxed evening one Saturday of the month with a theme over vino and cheese!

     

    Unlike some of the other events held by the organsiation which are only for the members, today’s event is open for all but will come with a charge of Rs 300 per head. “Only to be fair to our members who pay for the events and to pay for the F&B served at the event do we charge people,” clarifies Petrina.
    So, on a Friday evening head out to Le Sutra (Khar) to mingle with the industry professionals as well as to get an insight on the biggest churner of entertainment – Bollywood – from 6.30 pm onwards.

  • Bollywood finds a new found fan in Kelly Rowland

    Bollywood finds a new found fan in Kelly Rowland

    MUMBAI: Indian music and Indian cinema has been receiving worldwide recognition lately with more and more Indian artists carving a niche for themselves on the international scene. Hence, it is no surprise that former Destiny’s Child and global singing sensation Kelly Rowland is all praises for Bollywood and Punjabi music in particular. The new judge of The X Factor USA, which currently airs on Big CBS Love, recently spoke about ‘Bhangra’ and ‘desi’ movies amongst other things.

     

    On the topic of Bollywood movies, the singer-turned-actress surprisingly revealed, “I watch Bollywood films, I mean I love Bollywood films! They are some of the best films. How detailed they are, how much fun they are, how much colour there is and how there’s so much going on, it’s just really entertaining.” On plans of being a part of the Indian film industry in the near future? To this the Commando singer excitedly replied, “That would be very cool!”

     

    Next up, she talked about her area of expertise – music – and revealed that Punjabi music has grown on her. Commenting on the Punjabi tracks she had recently heard she added, “Across the board it’s like jamming. If I hear this, I will start dancing, that’s fun! I don’t know what the lyrics say but whatever it is it has a nice little swing to it. I love the beats in between”, she said.

    By the looks of it Indian fans might just catch a Honey Singh style chart topper from the Grammy- Award winning artist.  Kelly will be the new judge on The X Factor USA season 3, every weekend exclusively on Big CBS Love premiering on 21 September every Saturday and Sunday at 10:00 pm.

  • Focus on Spanish delegation at Mumbai Film Mart

    Focus on Spanish delegation at Mumbai Film Mart

    With a reputation of being the platform for opening up new non-traditional markets for Indian cinema, the Mumbai Film Mart (MFM), held during the Mumbai Film Festival, is all set to further fuel the business of films. MFM 2013 will be held at Vivanta by Taj President, Cuffe Parade, Colaba between 18-20 October 2013.

     

    Among the numerous initiatives being launched this year, the MFM will welcome and host the official Spanish delegation for co-productions with a delegation from the Spanish Federation of Producers (FAPAE) along with senior decision makers from the Spanish Ministry, Tourism and Film Commission.

     

    As a founder trustee of MAMI, ex-president of the Film & Television Producers Guild of India and ex-chairman of Reliance Entertainment, Amit Khanna said, “As we move towards a global cinema, co-production and collaborative cinema achieve a huge significance. Spain and India share a passion for cinema and make natural partners to work together in the field of cinema and TV for mutual advantage.”

     

    Indian producers, directors, investors and film commissions who may have projects they wish to develop and co-produce in Spain or if keen on co-producing the official delegation’s projects set in India, have been invited to register for the Mumbai Film Mart and attend a special presentation on 18 October followed by one-to-one meetings over the next two days at the MFM.

     

    Speaking on the same, MFF festival director Srinivasan Narayanan said, “Our aim with this initiative is to foster greater cultural and cinematic ties with Spain through an exchange of ideas between the visiting Spanish producers and film commissioners with their Indian counterparts.”

    Additionally, registered MFM delegates will have the opportunity to promote, meet and interact with leading global buyers, broadcasters, exhibitors, festival programmers, producers and sales agents amongst others. As an added advantage, MFM delegates can submit DVDs of up to four projects to ‘The Filmy Room’, an exclusive viewing facility accessible to the invited guests and buyers of the MFM.

  • Indian cinema has always showered me with immense love; sometimes even beyond my expectations: Amitabh Bachchan at IBC2013

    Indian cinema has always showered me with immense love; sometimes even beyond my expectations: Amitabh Bachchan at IBC2013

    In a candid conversation with Mohinder Walia, MD, Mumbai Media City at the Convention Keynote of IBC2013 (International Broadcasting Convention) in Amsterdam, Amitabh Bachchan’s opening line on his relationship with Indian Cinema created tremendous buzz, reaffirming what can only be described as “the power of his super stardom” and the humility that he accepts it with.

     

    Amitabh Bachchan, the greatest legend of Indian Cinema, was felicitated with the Judges’ Prize in addition to speaking on 100 Years of Indian Cinema: Creative Evolution and Global Markets. Mohinder Walia hosted the conversation and shared insights on the Indian Film Industry along with Amitabh Bachchan.

     

    Mohinder Walia said, “The Indian Film Industry today sees over 1,000 films released each year. According to a just released industry report, showbiz is set to grow at 18% in five years. Globally, there is a lot more interest in Indian Films. Having the iconic Amitabh Bachchan at IBC2013 adds perspective on what the Industry can offer the world”.

     

    About Mumbai Media City:

    MUMBAI MEDIA CITY is India’s largest Studio, Broadcast, Media Asset Management (MAM), and Media School Facility. Benchmarked to Hollywood standards, this facility will be a world class “One-stop shop” for all requirements connected to Film and TV Production, Post-production, VFX, Animation, Preview and Rehearsal Theatres, Auditorium, Make-up Rooms and Allied Services, Hotel, Digital Media Asset Management (MAM), Broadcast Play-out and Up-linking/Down-linking, Equipment, Training, and Hosting of Industry events. Mumbai Media City will commence operations in 2014 to be the first-of-its-kind-in-India facility conveniently located in the heart of Mumbai, while bring competitively priced.
    To know more, visit www.goldenbirdentertainment.com

  • Indian cinema has always showered me with immense love; sometimes even beyond my expectations : Amitabh Bachchan

    Indian cinema has always showered me with immense love; sometimes even beyond my expectations : Amitabh Bachchan

    MUMBAI, September 13, 2013: In a candid conversation with Mohinder Walia, MD, Mumbai Media City at the Convention Keynote of IBC 2013 (International Broadcasting Convention)in Amsterdam, Amitabh Bachchan’s opening line on his relationship with Indian Cinema created tremendous buzz, reaffirming what can only be described as “the power of his super stardom” and the humility that he accepts it with.

     

    Amitabh Bachchan, the greatest legend of Indian Cinema, was felicitated with the Judges’ Prize in addition to speaking on 100 Years of Indian Cinema: Creative Evolution and Global Markets. Mohinder Walia hosted the conversation and shared insights on the Indian Film Industry along with Amitabh Bachchan.

     

    Mohinder Walia, said, “The Indian Film Industry today sees over 1,000 films released each year. According to a just released industry report, the Indian media and entertainment market is set to grow at 18% in five years. Globally, there is a lot more interest in Indian Films. Having the iconic Amitabh Bachchan at the IBC 2013 adds perspective on what the Industry can offer the world”.