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Tag: Karan Johar

  • The Lunchbox bags Star Box Office India award

    The Lunchbox bags Star Box Office India award

    MUMBAI: Described as a defining film in Indian cinema, The Lunchbox which has won numerous domestic and international accolades in its slight over a year’s run at the box office won yet another award. It was recently conferred the Film with the Best Return on Investment award at the Star Box Office India 2014 awards. DAR Motion Pictures producer Vivek Rangachari and Guneet Monga from Sikhya Entertainment were present on the occasion to receive the award.

     

    The film is a story about a mistaken delivery in Mumbai’s famously efficient lunchbox delivery system connects a young housewife to a stranger in the dusk of his life. They build a fantasy world together through notes in the lunchbox. Gradually, this fantasy threatens to overwhelm their reality. The film is an example of global collaboration with studios from India, USA, France and Germany coming together to produce a film that strikes a chord with global audiences. One of the top-rated film by critics in India this year, it was distributed in the US by Sony Classic Pictures.

     

    Commenting on the award Rangachari said “When the script of The Lunchbox came to me, I was sure this movie will do great but the kind of response we have got from India as well as globally is way beyond all expectations. DAR is really happy to be a part of the project which has created a new path for Indian cinema nationally and globally.”
    Written and directed by Ritesh Batra, the film has released globally in various countries like UK, USA, New Zealand, France, Germany, Australia, Argentina, Chile, Paraguay, Brazil, China, Columbia, Malaysia, Italy, Israel, Hungary, Hong Kong, Japan, Poland, Middle East, Singapore amongst others. Furthermore, it has been showcased in various film festivals including The Cannes Film Festival, The Telluride Film Festival, The Toronto Film Festival, The London Film Festival, etc. winning various awards like Viewers Choice Award at the International Critics’ Week, Best Film at The London Film Festival and The Filmfare awards, to name a few.

     

    Produced by Arun Rangachari of Dar Motion Pictures (India) and Guneet Monga and Anurag Kashyap of Sikhya Entertainment (India), The Lunchbox has been co-produced by Vivek Rangachari, Nina Lath Gupta of NFDC (India), Karan Johar (Dharma Productions), UTV Motion Pictures, Shanaab Alam, Sunil John, Nittin Keni, Karsten Stöter and Benny Drechsel of Rohfilm (Germany), Cedomir Kolar and Marc Baschet of ASAP Films (France), Danis Tanovic and executive produced by Lydia Dean Pilcher of CineMosaic, Irrfan and Ritesh Batra.

     

  • Karan Johar dons designer’s hat for a women’s collection

    Karan Johar dons designer’s hat for a women’s collection

    MUMBAI: After designing for his friends, Karan Johar is now taking his love for fashion a step further. The filmmaker is all set to make a grand debut as women’s wear designer with fashion brand Vero Moda.

     

    The brand synonymous with contemporary international fashion for women in India is collaborating with the film maker to create the Vero Moda Marquee collection, which will be unveiled by him at Mehboob Studio on 19 September.

     

    “Through the years, I have used my films as an outlet to showcase my own sense of fashion, which is luxurious and grand, yet functional at the same time. This is my first attempt to recreate my own distinct style by putting together a collection for a women’s fashion brand. The fact that I get to do it for a brand like this one makes it very exciting for me,” the film maker said in a statement.

     

    Back in 2010, Johar launched his eponymous menswear label in collaboration with designer Varun Bahl which received very good response.

    On the Bollywood front, Johar is currently focusing on Brothers starring Akshay Kumar, Sidharth Malhotra; which is a remake of the Hollywood film Warriors. He will also be remaking the cult film Ram Lakhan which will be directed by Rohit Shetty. Also, Salman Khan starrer Shuddhi is in the pipeline for Dharma Productions.

  • #fame to invest 10 million dollars across six countries

    #fame to invest 10 million dollars across six countries

    MUMBAI: To The New (TTN), an end-to-end digital services network, through its digital content platform #fame will be investing $10 million in the next couple of years as it sets a target to reach out to 5000 channels and 50,000 content creators across six countries in south east Asia.

     

    #fame CEO Saket Saurabh, who was previously working with the Network18 group, says the company will follow a three pronged strategy for its talent-first programmes. Saurabh elaborates, “In the first stage it will focus on emerging talent and to establish them and help them promote and build digital communities.  In the second stage, content through digital IPs’ will be created via innovative digital shows in genres such as food, fashion, music, comedy and technology and in the third stage the company will monetise by helping brands reach out and engage with audiences through digital conversations via digital video services.”

     

    The digital agency has adopted a multi-platform approach when it comes to distribution on social platforms like YouTube, Facebook, WeChat etc. “We are screen agnostic. We are looking at mobiles, movies, airports, television screens etc,” says Saurabh.

     

    #fame, which was formerly known as Four Cross Creative Services, in the last few months decided to redefine its business operations and thus ideated to come up with its multi-tier talent management programme, which is designed to help talented youngsters grow their presence digitally and evolve as performers.

     

    TTN Ventures MD Puneet Johar feels that video is the new language for consumers on internet. “It is combining powerfully with the smartphone explosion and the rise of social sharing across screens to inspire a new wave of talent. We have built a strong ecosystem of digital businesses well positioned to create value in such a landscape,” he informs.

     

    #fame has identified six key markets – India, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand and Philippines. It will now focus on creating Indian-based IPs and will begin its local businesses in other five countries in the coming six to eight months.

     

    To create talent inflow, it has partnered with Blogmint which is a fast growing network of bloggers. It currently has 5000 content creators and this figure is expected to reach 10,000 by the end of the year. It will also build a network of alliances with talent hubs such as comedy clubs, film and music schools, art and culinary academies.

     

    #fame announced a slew of digital shows like School of Style which it claims to be India’s first online hunt for top stylists and will be hosted by celebrated entertainment and fashion icon Karan Johar who will be the host, judge and mentor. Others include, Websinger which seeks promising young singing talent, Gang No 1 a search for top comedy collectives and the second season of Webchef the country’s largest online hunt for amateur chefs.

     

     When asked if the IPs will rest with either #fame or the hosts, Saurabh says it will be dealt on a case to case basis.

     

    Celebrities that have signed up with #fame include TV star Maria Goretti, child comic star Saloni, top fashionista Anusha Dandekar, celebrity chef Ajay Chopra, singing sensation Shibani Kashyap and style guru VJ Andy.

  • Sidharth Malhotra to travel time in his next film

    Sidharth Malhotra to travel time in his next film

    MUMBAI: Karan Johar’s student of the year Sidharth Malhotra is already a hit among the ‘cinemagoers.’ After back to back hits like Hasee Toh Phasee and Ek Villain, the actor has become one of the most successful newcomers in the industry. As he prepares to take on Akshay Kumar in the boxing ring in Karan Malhotra’s Brothers, a remake of ‘Warriors’ and cloak himself as a vigilante superhero in Vikramaditya Motwane’s Bhavesh Joshi, Sidharth Malhotra has another interesting movie in his bag.

     

    According to media reports, Farhan Akhtar and Ritesh Sidhwani has roped in Sidharth Malhotra to act in their next film which will be co-produced by the actor’s mentor Karan Johar. The movie was initially offered to Aamir Khan but the actor and the studio failed to agree on the remuneration and other commercial clauses.

     

    The yet untitled film is said to be a love story with a twist, about a time-traveller, with a romance which spans across timelines and will be directed by debutante Nitya Mehra.

     

    Confirming the news to media Sidhwani said, “Yes, Sidharth is on board and Karan too. Karan is a good friend and we’ve been talking about collaborating on a film for quite some time now. It was a conversation with the film’s hero which eventually brought Karan onboard. He heard about this film from Sid and asked us for the script. He loved it so much that he said he would be happy to get involved in any capacity. Farhan and I have never co-produced before, Karan is our first partner.”

     

    The film is expected to go on floors by April 2015, the leading lady will be locked in another four-five days.

  • Alia Bhatt becomes ‘Genius of the Year’

    Alia Bhatt becomes ‘Genius of the Year’

    MUMBAI: She tried altering India’s political landscape through ignorant replies during her appearance on the chat show Koffee with Karan. Bollywood actress Alia Bhatt then went on to become the reigning queen of santa-banta jokes on social media.

    But that hasn’t deterred the 21 year old who used her half witted comments into an opportunity to get back at everyone who laughed at her. In a new video put up by comedy group All India Backchod, the actress has truly become the ‘Genius of the Year.’

    The hilarious video begins with a short message- In 2014 a documentary crew followed ‘Alia Bhatt in the aftermath of her Koffee with Karan debacle.’ She is then seen visiting Dumb Belle Mental Gym which offers her to transform her from ‘Dolce and Gabbana to Smart like Shabana (Azmi)’

    Here, she is recommended a healthy diet consisting of newspapers and novels and is made to do away from junk food like Bollywood gossip. Her BMI (Brain Mein IQ) which was nearly nonexistent receives a boost of knowledge through music. Bhatt then finds herself again on the gossip show Koffee with Karan and stuns the cold soul host Johar with her sharp replies.

    The documentary also features other Bollywood actors like Arjun Kapoor, Parineeti Chopra, her father and filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt and mentor Karan Johar. Her two famous songs;

    ‘Saturday Saturday’ from Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania has been changed to ‘Faraday Faraday’, while ‘Radha On The Dance Floor’ has been made into ‘Sodium On The Dance Floor’.

    Available online, it’s indeed a treat for both her fans and critics and is directed by Shakun Batra.

    Click here to watch the video

     

  • Akshay Kumar to star in the ‘Warrior’ remake- ‘Brothers’

    Akshay Kumar to star in the ‘Warrior’ remake- ‘Brothers’

    MUMBAI:  Finally making it official, Karan Johar has announced the Hindi remake of Gavin O’Connor’s 2011 contact sports drama Warrior. Named Brothers, the movie stars Akshay Kumar, Sidharth Malhotra, Jacqueline Fernandez and Jackie Shroff and will be produced by Dharma Productions and Lionsgate, Endemol India.

     

    Tweeting about the same, Karan Johar posted, “Dharma Productions, Lionsgate, Endemol India present Brothers directed by Karan Malhotra and starring Akshay Kumar, Sidharth Malhotra, Jacqueline Fernandez and Jackie Shroff. Releasing Oct 2nd, 2015.”

     

    The original film shows the story of two brothers, one a former Marine and the other a former UFC fighter-turned-school teacher. Driven by their own motives, the siblings eventually find themselves competing in the same mixed martial arts tournament with the grand prize of 5 million dollars. It starred Nick Nolte, Tom Hardy and Joel Edgerton.

     

    Lead star Akshay Kumar who will be seen playing the role originally played by Tom Hardy posted on Facebook, “My first association with @karanjohar…Brothers”

     

    Going on floors on 2 October 2015, the movie will be directed by the Agneepath famed Karan Malhotra.

     

    Interestingly, this will be Sidharth Malhotra’s third film with the Dharma banner after his debut Student of The Year and Hasee Toh Phasee. In the meanwhile, director Karan Malhotra’s next release however is the much-talked about film Shuddhi which stars Salman Khan in the lead.

     

  • ‘Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania’…Join the party

    ‘Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania’…Join the party

    MUMBAI: The title may sound confusing. Who is this Humpty Sharma? He is no legendary lover on whom tomes may have been written. It does not give away much except that the story/ scenario would obviously be set against the background of a Delhi Punjabi family. And perhaps that is something about the Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge to it? Why not. After all, Dil Wale Dulhania… was an all-time hit, so what’s wrong with borrowing a bit from there?

    Varun Dhawan shyly confesses that he was a very fat child and that is how he was nicknamed Humpty. Not bad considering he could have been nicknamed Sweety or Dimppy, which could be gender defying. Varun heads a gang of three including himself in a Delhi college. The other two are Gaurav Pandey and Sahil Vaid. As in all filmy colleges, you only have a campus with a loosely hung signboard declaring that the premises is a college. He is popular with girls around for no apparent reason except that he is the hero of the story. Despite being in Delhi, for a change, he is not the son of a halwai but, as he says, the only ‘waris of the famous Vidhya Book Store’ which caters to college students’ requirements.

    For a change, Varun does not find his lady love from a college coed. She is an Ambala girl, Alia Bhatt, who is in Delhi to attend her friend’s wedding. Actually, no Punjabi love story can be told without involving a wedding. There she meets Varun who wants to date her, which she does not mind until she gets married to an NRI a few week hence. A little net practice never hurt anybody.

    This is the first man Alia has ever been exposed to. All her life she has been brought up to believe in following the family tradition: marry the guy dad chooses. Dad, Ashutosh Rana, himself has had a love marriage but since then, he has had a reason not to trust such a liaison. But apart from that, Rana is okay with giving his daughter all the freedom she wants. So she takes off for Delhi to spend time with her friend, Guncha Narula, who is due to marry soon as well as to buy a Rs 5 lakh wedding dress for herself—because Guncha has bought one worth Rs 2.5 lakh!

    Producers: Hiroo Johar, Karan Johar.

    Director: Shashank Khaitan.

    Cast: Varun Dhawan, Alia Bhatt, Ashutosh Rana, Siddharth Shukla, Kenneth Desai, Gaurav Pandey, Sahil Vaid, Mahnaz Damania, Deepika Amin, Guncha Narula, Jaswant Daman.

    Varun, quite popular in college, sees this new girl in town and as is wont of any Delhi boy, piles on. Alia is the kind who can take a Delhi boy in her stride but quite enjoys Varun’s company. Varun, on his part, has fallen head over heels. The happy days are over and Alia has to return to Ambala as her NRI fiancé is due to arrive. That is when Alia also owns up to her deep love for Varun.

    Back in Ambala, Alia has only one option and that is to forget Varun and get ready for her marriage with this NRI doctor, Siddharth Shukla. Varun chases Alia to Ambala only to be beaten black and blue by her brother and his goons. Varun is unrelenting. Shukla is arriving and Rana decides to offer Varun a chance so as to avoid any tamasha during the wedding. It is five days till wedding, Varun’s job is to hang around Shukla and find some fault in him for Rana to call off Alia’s wedding with him. But, one look at the fiancé and Varun loses all hope. He is a perfect stud with no blemish at all. Since Gaurav and Sahil are also with Varun, the fun and repartees continue. 

    Despite the latter half of the film revisiting Yashraj Films’ all-time hit, Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, it is all well done. The film’s writer/director deserve all the credit for coming up with a very plausible take on Dilwale…., with a taut script peppered with witty exchanges between characters. There are some loose ends like disappearance of Shukla from the scene suddenly! The film also has the advantage of some peppy numbers in ‘Saturday Saturday’…., ‘Lucky tu lucky me’…. and a melody in ‘Samjhawan’…albeit all with heavy Punjabi flavour.

    Varun along with Gaurav and Sahil make sure one stays entertained. Alia does well, not going overboard in dramatic scenes. Rana is good while Shukla makes an impact despite a brief role. The supporting cast is adequate.

    Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania is a joyride for youth and an entertainer that also caters to other age groups. While its business may be affected to a degree due to Ramzan month, it is generally a moneymaker.

  • Bollywood’s three most dapper men spotted on Niranjan Iyengar’s ‘Look Who’s Talking’

    Bollywood’s three most dapper men spotted on Niranjan Iyengar’s ‘Look Who’s Talking’

    MUMBAI: Bollywood’s most eligible bachelors – Karan Johar, Arjun Kapoor and Siddharth Malhotra were spotted on Niranjan Iyengar’s ALL ACCESS, ALL REVEALING talk show, Look Who’s Talking. Niranjan got them to open up and spill the beans on their love lives and a lot more! All three of them had quite interesting things to say. You can catch their interviews when the show makes its debut during the first week of August on Zee Café. Here’s a little glimpse of all the madness you can expect from Look Who’s Talking.

     

    Karan Johar being his usual self as was quite upbeat, witty and humorous throughout his interview with Niranjan. Karan revealed his worries and fears. Quite a refreshing change from him prodding other celebs into answering his questions, don’t you think? He said that nothing frightens him anymore, not even death. However, growing old or dying alone scares him the most. Karan also went on to say that he has tried everything, to find his special someone but he cannot put himself out there like a prostitute. Trust Mr. Johar to find humor even in such situations in his own life!
     

    Arjun Kapoor aka Fubu was his charming, naughty self on the show. Interestingly, a 140 kilo weighing Arjun’s inspiration to become fit was the idea of getting laid! More than the looks, Arjun is looking for someone who can keep him engaged in great conversations. Some prerequisites Arjun’s ideal woman must have – she has to be intellectual, have a great sense of humour, should play hard to get and most importantly, should be fond of kissing! Ladies, are you listening?
     

    We all know Sidharth Malhotra as the hottie with the chiseled wash-board abs, but we hear that wasn’t the case while he was growing up. He opened up about his one true love in life – his love for food! Did you see that coming? Neither did we! Apparently, the Ek Villian star had a french-fry obsession as a child, that left him slightly on the chubby side. He recalls having them for breakfast, lunch and dinner. We don’t know what made him lose all that weight, but we sure can thank god he did!
     

    Want to know more? Make sure to catch the all new series, Look Who’s Talking on Zee Café.
     

  • Jabong partners with Humpty Sharma ki Dulhania

    Jabong partners with Humpty Sharma ki Dulhania

    MUMBAI: Jabong, partners with the new upbeat movie by Karan Johar under Dharma Production – Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania. A part of the tie-up, Jabong  will unveil an exclusive collection defining the new age fashion exuding elan, a range inspired by the movie and the looks of the lead star cast – Bollywood’s new heartthrobs  – Varun Dhawan  playing Humpty Sharma and Alia Bhatt playing Kavya Pratap at Crown Plaza, Okhla in Delhi.

    Jabong founder and managing director Praveen Sinha said, “We are highly elated to launch this stylish and chic Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania collection on Jabong. We are only growing strength to strength in the e-commerce sector, and this collaboration exemplifies the stature we hold in the market. When such magnum opus brand names show an inclination in getting associated with us, it exudes nothing, but power of e commerce and Jabong. The fashion industry draws heavily from Bollywood; we at Jabong cater to such eclectic needs of people. From international apparel honchos to the classic Bollywood fashion parade, Jabong.com now has everything under one roof.”

    Dharma Productions marketing head Siddharth Kadam said, “Movies and shopping are the two experiences people of India not only enjoy but also celebrate. Witnessing the boom in online retail, such associations are going to become more popular with a Bollywood style collection inspired by the movies. There is a huge market of young, fashionable buyers wanting to dress like film stars. We are happy to partner with Jabong for our film Humpty Sharma ki Dhulhania.”

    Bottomline Media managing director Tanaaz Bhatia said, “Our association with Jabong.com goes far back and it has been a wonderful experience to work with them. We believe the Humpty Sharma collection will create a new trend amongst the youth especially after the movie is proving to be a hit already! We look forward to create many such associations with Jabong.com and our upcoming films.”

    Click here for event pictures

  • &pictures takes interactivity a notch higher!

    &pictures takes interactivity a notch higher!

    MUMBAI: &pictures, the channel known for providing ground-breaking interactive content to its viewers since its launch, created a first time record of a LIVE interactive initiative with Bollywood’s superstar, Aamir Khan. Taking interactivity to the next level, &pictures hosted Aamir Khan in a LIVE event where he interacted with his fans through calls, tweets and sms. Separately, the channel also gave an opportunity to select lucky winners across India to watch the film with Mr. Perfectionist himself in Mumbai.

     

    During the interactions, Aamir disclosed that ‘Chale Chalo’ – the making of ‘Lagaan’ is very close to his heart. It was not only the story and script that appealed to him but also the on-set experiences that made this film special for him. Interestingly, while Lagaan was directed by Ashutosh Gowariker who is known for his remarkable cinematic style, ‘Chale Chalo’ was shot by an amateur cinematographer. Supremely talented director-producer and TV chat show host, Karan Johar added to the excitement as he came with Aamir to curate the event and the screening of the movie. Karan Johar who once said that ‘Aamir Khan is Indian Cinema’s game-changer’ was truly excited himself as he found the real life drama and content of Chale Chalo really intriguing.

     

    Mr. Akash Chawla, ZEEL Marketing Head, National Channels, said, “&pictures being a true reflection of the subtle evolution of movies and movie viewing experience, has its positioning revolving around two keywords- interactivity and engagement. For this movie, we built up an extensive curiosity campaign to intrigue our audiences and we are very excited with the response we have received. It has been a pleasure to work with Mr. Aamir Khan and we look forward to creating any more such interactive experiences for our viewers in the future on &pictures”.

     

    Mr. Ruchir Tiwari, Vice President -Head of Programming, ZEEL – Hindi Movie Channels, said, “At &pictures we always aim at providing interactive content and Chale Chalo is the proof of the pudding. While the movie was an enthralling experience in itself, the live segments, tweets and sms’ by Aamir himself took created very exciting break content.”

     

    A very excited Aamir Khan said “This movie is closest to my heart. When we were making the film, we were not thinking of releasing it at all… we just made it out of passion. I am really excited that I have got this opportunity with &pictures to showcase my film to the television audiences.”

     

    Hurdles, obstacles, tears of joy, real emotions and feelings – ‘Chale Chalo’ had it all; and so did Aamir. &pictures gave its audiences a one of its kind opportunity to watch the film and have a t?te-e-t?te with their favourite star, the one and only, Aamir Khan!