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Tag: Prakash Jha

  • Prakash Jha to turn his film Satyagraha into a book

    Prakash Jha to turn his film Satyagraha into a book

    MUMBAI: Not limiting his next venture Satyagraha just to film, Prakash Jha is mulling with the idea to turn it into a book too.

    He, along with his co-writer Anjum Rajabali, is working on the script again, to modify it into a book. The film that has been written very critically includes many underlying facts which might not be known to the masses. So the director has decided to compile the script into a full-fledged book.

    However, the original script written by Anjum Rajabali was heavily modified by Jha to make it appropriate for the film. According to the co-writer the script was modified numerous times to make it apt for the film.

    In the book, the writers would include required details from the original as well as the modified film script.
    Jointly produced by UTV Motion Pictures and Prakash Jha Productions, Satyagraha examines the current socio-political system in India. It stars Amitabh Bachchan, Ajay Devgn, Kareena Kapoor, Arjun Rampal, Manoj Bajpai and Amrita Rao.

    The film is slated to release on 15 August this year.

  • A State Govt. cannot ban a film cleared by the Censors, says Tewari even as Court extends stay on Vishwaroopam

    A State Govt. cannot ban a film cleared by the Censors, says Tewari even as Court extends stay on Vishwaroopam

    NEW DELHI: The ban on Kamal Haasan‘s Vishwaroopam by the Tamil Nadu Government may turn out to be a major issue of the powers of the state vis-?-vis the Central Board of Film Certification which functions under the Union Information and Broadcasting Ministry.

    Even as I and B Minister Manish Tewari asked the Tamil Nadu government to reconsider its decision to ban the film, the Madras High Court stayed the release of the film till 28 January with the judge saying he would see the film for himself on 26 January before a final decision.

    Tewari said, “The Supreme Court of India in Prakash Jha‘s matter (relating to Aarakshan) had the occasion of considering the various provisions of the Cinematograph Act and juxtaposing them against the law and order powers which the state government has under the Constitution.”

    “And the Supreme Court was very categorical that Article 246, seventh schedule, list one, entry sixty gives the central government the powers to certify films for exhibition and once the Central Board for Film Certification has taken a particular view, it binds all the other instrumentalities of the state.”

    “I suggest that Tamil Nadu government peruse that judgment of the Supreme Court in Prakash Jha‘s case before coming to any conclusion which may fall foul of the very clear directive which the court has given,” he said.

    Haasan had approached the Court following protests from Muslim groups asking to impose a ban on the film. The film was slated for release this Friday.

    Earlier reacting to the demand for a ban, Haasan had written in a letter: “While I am touched by the voices in support for me and my film, I am appalled at how my film is construed to be against my Muslim brothers.”

    “I have been ruthlessly used as a vehicle by small groups who seek political profile. Icon bashing is a great way to be noticed when you are not one yourself. It is happening again and again. Any neutral and patriotic Muslim will surely feel pride on seeing my film. It was designed for that purpose,” Haasan‘s said.

  • OMG, Paan Singh Tomar receive awards for spreading social messages

    OMG, Paan Singh Tomar receive awards for spreading social messages

    NEW DELHI: Akshay Kumar starrer Oh My God which was a satire on religious hypocrisy has been given the best Hindi film award for its impact on Indian socio-cultural life.

    The award has been given by the Lucknow-based Institute for Research and Documentation in Social Sciences (IRDS). This is the second year that the IRDS has announced awards for films concerned primarily with social issues. A jury headed by social activist IPS officer Amitabh Thakur selected the awards.

    Actor Irrfan Khan has been named the best male character for his role as the soldier-athlete turned dacoit Paan Singh Tomar. Veteran actress Sridevi gets the best female character award for her role as the linguistically troubled Shashi Godbole in the film English Vinglish.

    Dibakar Banerjee gets the best director award for Shanghai presenting intricate web of politics, finance and society. Vicky Donor which deals with sperm donation and is written by Juhi Chaturvedi gets the best story award, while the “Mehngaai” song by A M Turaz from Prakash Jha‘s Chakravyuh has been named the best song for depicting the hardship of rising prices.

  • Bollywood releases fail in festive week

    Bollywood releases fail in festive week

    MUMBAI: Chakravyuh, a film made on the Naxal problem by Prakash Jha, could not move the box office or the male audiences despite having a festive release on Dussehra and an extended Eid holiday that followed on the weekend.

    The movie ended its five-day weekend run with Rs 108 million as multiplex audiences could not relate to a theme far away from their world. With a script that offered no scope for romance, music or effective emotions, the film could not find commercial value in the marketplace with a theme that is disturbing many pockets of India which are turning to Maoist philosophy and picking up the guns to protest against class oppression.

    Rush proved a disappointment for Emraan Hashmi fans, evident from the fact that the movie netted an opening weekend of just Rs 25 million. There was nothing to identify with the romantic thrillers that Hashmi is known for.

    Ajab Gazabb Love, though aimed at youth, does not have much to show for its first weekend at the box office as it took home just Rs 47 million.

    Student Of The Year had a smooth first week. With Dussehra holiday working to its advantage, the film collected Rs 465 million in its first week. The collections were steady in the second weekend as the three new releases proved too weak to affect its prospects.

    Shudra The Rising and Janleva 555 were very poor in performance.

    Aiyyaa collected Rs three million in its second week taking its total to Rs 58 milion.

    English Vinglish sustained its momentum and collected 35 million in its third week. The film’s three week tally stood at Rs 339 million.

    OMG Oh My God! continued to hold its own despite many new releases. The film netted Rs 51 million in its fourth week, taking its total collections to Rs 737 million (excluding Eastern circuits).

    Barfi! collected Rs 7.5 million in its sixth week to take its box office collections to Rs 1.08 billion.

  • Indian movies should focus on serious issues

    Indian movies should focus on serious issues

    NEW DELHI: Indian movies should focus on serious social issues. That is what India Against Corruption member Arvind Kejriwal wants and lauds high praise on Prakash Jha‘s ‘Chakravyuh‘.

    “Movies reflect the face of the society. By making a film on such a serious issue, Prakash Jha has shown how dedicated he is towards the issues prevailing in our society,” Kejriwal said.

    ‘Chakravyuh’, starring Arjun Rampal and Abhay Deol in the main roles, is based on Naxalism.

    He added, “I congratulate Prakash Jha and his entire team for giving us a film like ‘Chakravyuh’. The film had real good performances. I wish him great success for the film and want him to keep making such films which showcase the various issues of our society so that the people of India get to know what all is happening in their country.”

  • Chakravyuh premiered at London Film Fest

    Chakravyuh premiered at London Film Fest

    MUMBAI: Prakash Jha‘s Chakravyuh was premiered at the 56th BFI London Film Festival on Friday. It was attended by the stars of the film.

    Directed by Prakash Jha and starring Arjun Rampal, Abhay Deol and Manoj Bajpai, Chakravyuh is a political thriller highlighting the experience of India‘s Naxalite community.
    On the sidelines of the premiere, Prakash Jha said his film‘s inclusion at the BFI London Film Festival was a matter of great pride. “I am extremely happy that the London Film Festival wanted to choose a popular Bollywood film for the festival and they decided to choose mine, which is in the popular genre, but is not really a populist Bollywood film,” he said in a statement.

    “It felt that I am trying to tell this very serious story in a popular manner because it has songs, it has the big actors and a setting which is huge and it also has a cause. I‘m extremely happy that Chakravyuh has been accepted at the London Film Festival. It‘s great,” he added.

    Said Abhay Deol of the film‘s director, “Prakash Jha – he prepares a lot which just makes the process easier. This was one of the easiest films to shoot and what I mean by that is it was so well prepped we could focus on our work. Prakash has his own fan following and he‘s an experienced filmmaker. He takes you to task before you shoot the film so that while you shoot the film you are free to focus on what you need to do.”

  • Prakash Jha to turn political thriller into Graphic novel

    Prakash Jha to turn political thriller into Graphic novel

    MUMBAI: Launching graphic novels based on films seems to be the latest style in Bollywood. After Don 2, Ra.One and more recently, Saif Ali Khan‘s Agent Vinod, now Prakash Jha is planning a graphic novel on his political thriller Chakravyuh.

    This is the first time Jha is delving into the world of graphic novels. “Prakash Jha quite liked the idea of graphic novels. He felt this film has all the ingredients to be converted into a graphic novel. He intends to reach out to the youth of India with this graphic novel,” a production house insider said on condition of anonymity.

    It is being said that this graphic novel will be many notches higher than any graphic novel made in India so far. It will be more on the lines of Sin City.

    A graphic design company is working on the novel. They are finalising the sketches right now. It will have all the main characters of the film.

    The shoot of the political thriller starring Arjun Rampal, Abhay Deol, Manoj Bajpayee is complete and the first teaser will be out soon.

  • Eros International and Prakash Jha sign three-film deal

    Eros International and Prakash Jha sign three-film deal

    New Delhi: Eros International Media Ltd (EIML) has announced it will be co-producing three films with Prakash Jha Productions.

    The first of the films, ‘Chakravyuh’ directed by Prakash Jha, will star Abhay Deol, Arjun Rampal, Esha Gupta, Manoj Bajpai and others. Written by Prakash Jha, Anjum Rajabali and Sagar Pandya, it has music by Salim-Sulaiman. ‘Chakravyuh’ is scheduled to go on floor on 7 April.

    Commenting on the multi-film tie-up, EMIL Managing Director Sunil Lulla said, “It is great to be associated with good cinema and one can expect thought provoking as well as popular film content from the very talented Prakash Jha. We look forward to this association and presenting quality entertainment to film enthusiasts”.

    Prakash Jha added, “Our association with Eros goes back to ‘Mrityudand’ and we are happy to work with them on a regular and long term basis for creating content.”

  • Prakash Jha’s next based on Naxalite movement

    Prakash Jha’s next based on Naxalite movement

    MUMBAI: Known to make films on current affairs, Prakash Jha is all set to roll out his next film, Chakravyuha,, about the Naxalite movement.

    Since the veteran director has signed Abhishek Bachchan to play a Naxalite, the latter has been recommended to go through a host of Naxalite literature that would enable him to get into the skin of the character. Incidentally, for Mani Ratnam‘s Guru too, Bachchan had undertaken extensive research.

    The shooting of the film will take place in Bhopal and in the jungles of Madhya Pradesh.

    Meanwhile, Jha will also direct another film, Satyagrah, with Amitabh Bachchan and Ajay Devgn. But the film has been delayed because of unavailability of Devgn‘s dates. Apparently, the film will now roll in the second-half of this year. Satyagrah deals with politics and corruption.

    This is the first time in his career that Jha would be directing two films simultaneously.

  • Prakash Jha to make film on creative freedom

    Prakash Jha to make film on creative freedom

    MUMBAI: Inspired with his stints at the Supreme Court vis-a-vis the ban on his film Aarakshan by the UP government and the aftermath, filmmaker Prakash Jha has decided to make a film on creative freedom and the efforts to muzzle the artiste through extra-constitutional means.

    Jha‘s experience of battling various organisations and the UP government for the release of Aarakshan has inspired a script on the subject. "Why are we filmmakers constantly subjected to efforts to stifle our voices? I was provoked enough to go to the Supreme Court. A lot of filmmakers just succumb to pressure and make whatever adjustments are required of them. We shouldn‘t allow this to happen,"Jha said.

    According to the filmmaker, the Supreme Court‘s decision to lift the ban imposed on Aarakshan was historic. However, there is no sense of triumph in the victory, since the failure to release the film in Uttar Pradesh along with other states on 12 August resulted in huge losses.

    The director is happy he fought the ban. "There‘s a lesson for all filmmakers. We should not buckle under pressure. My film is not the first to face hurdles from state governments after being censored by the central board of certification. The film industry needs to collectively fight pressures from the outside," he asserted.

    Meanwhile it is learnt that Jha and Amitabh Bachchan will soon collaborate again on the former’s next film, Satyagraha, that will take on the issue of corruption in Indian politics.

    Scheduled to go on the floors in January, the film will address the ethos of a peaceful mass protest against corruption and will have Bachchan play a Anna Hazare-styled crusader who takes on the establishment in his fight against corruption.