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Tag: Salaam Bombay

  • It’s the golden age of content: Sooni Taraporevala

    It’s the golden age of content: Sooni Taraporevala

    MUMBAI: Sooni Taraporevala, an Indian screenwriter, photographer and filmmaker best known for her work in Mississippi Masala, spoke on ‘The Golden Age of Content’ at The Content Hub 2020 organised by indiantelevision.com.

    Taraporevala was the screenwriter for the movie Namesake and Oscar-nominated Salaam Bombay, both directed by Meera Nair. Speaking on her friendship with Nair and her most difficult movie she said: “Meera and I wanted to work together for the longest time. Seven years after we graduated, she had several acclaimed documentaries under her belt and wanted to make her first feature. We embarked on what was to become Salaam Bombay.”

    Yeh Ballet, currently on Netflix, proved to be a game-changer for the filmmaker. A Harvard University student, Taraporevala came to movies both by chance and destiny. Her biggest lesson, ‘Never hear the naysayers and never give up’, made her successful and relevant in the industry.

    She said, “Like in screenplays real life does have turning points and this was mine. At Harvard, I discovered two things – photography and films. I initially felt I don’t have the personality to be a filmmaker. I was happy with my crew of one person and a camera. I returned to India and started working as a professional photographer.”

    Taraporevala has progressed a lot since those initial days. “I remember when I wrote the Salaam Bombay script I didn’t know what ad structures are. My script was research mixed with imagination. Everything I have learned helped me in writing. From literature, I moved to narrative, character, point of view, plots and sub-plots. Certain stories didn’t work out well. Later, I moved to Bombay. That time I was also writing Mississippi Masala, Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar, directed by Dr Jabbar Patel and later started Namesake. Dr Ambedkar with Jabbar Patel took ten years. It was one of the most difficult movies I did.”

    While addressing the audience, Tarporevala spoke at length about her foray into filmmaking. In 2005, the writer, after completing her shoot for Namesake, was all set to take a big leap in her life. “Now I had time for myself because before that I was writing for other people. So I wrote Little Zizou in ten days. It was a story that took place in my backyard. The main locations were the lane where I grew up as a kid.”

    Taraporevala made her directorial debut with Little Zizou. The movie had an ensemble star cast of Boman Irani and John Abraham in the main lead.

    Taraporevala believes it is the golden age of content because content providers, writers and producers are in demand. “There’s a lot of work for everybody. There is diversity of storytelling and scale. There’s never been a better time for medium-sized stories and web series to be in the business,” she concluded.

  • Monsoon Filmfest: NFDC launches weekly radio programme

    NEW DELHI: In a new initiative to reach out to the people to see meaningful cinema, the National Film Development Corporation has launched a weekly Film Aaj Kal in association with 92.7 Big FM to coincide with its summer Festival of of NFDC Classics.

    The Ground-Activation event – Film Aaj Kal Screenings and Conversations from 15 July to 15 August is aimed at building film communities and empower the viewer.

    92.7 Big FM in ‘Film Aaj Kal’ is aimed at Cinema Education and Awareness programme which has the filmmakers discuss movie classics bringing these films back to the fore.

    The exhibition partners are Harkat Studios in Aram Nagar and G5A Centre for Contemporary Culture at Lower Parel (both, in Mumbai) and the online booking partner is 1018mb.

    Film Aaj Kal is not just about exploring alternative audiences. It’s also about exploring alternate spaces, alternate distribution platforms, and booking and communication platforms.

    The radio show which has already aired six episodes as of 3 July 2017 plays on Sundays on 92.7 Big FM from 4pm to 6pm is hosted by a hugely popular star RJ and cinephile, Siddharth Mishra, and is designed as a series of conversations between filmmakers discussing about the NFDC classics evoking a renewed interest in the films.

    One of the episodes showcased ‘Gaman & Taxi No. 9211’ as films that look at Mumbai through the eyes of a cab driver – both from different eras, in varied styles, addressing different class issues as well – but with an underlying subtext of the immigrant. Another episode was around Salaam Bombay and Chameli – Mira Nair and Sudhir Mishra chatted about the way they approached the Brothel and the Underbelly story.

    ​The programmes broadcast so far:

    1. 28th May – Gaman and Taxi No.9211. Speakers – Muzaffar Ali (telephonic) and Milan Luthria
    2. 4th June – Gandhi and Hey Ram. Speakers – Alyque Padamsee (telephonic) and Kamal Haasan (telephonic)
    3. 11th June – Salaam Bombay and Chameli. Speakers – Mira Nair (telephonic) and Sudhir Mishra
    4. 18th June – Raghu Romeo and Phas Gaye re Obama. Speakers – Rajat Kapoor and Subhash Kapoor
    5. 25th June – Dharavi and Slumdog Millionaire. Speakers – Sudhir Mishra and Saurabh Shukla
    6. 2nd July – Pestonjee and Being Cyrus. Speakers – Vijaya Mehta and Homi Adajania

    This idea is to bring together the community to watch films together and then talk cinema over a glass of Nimbu paani, a cup of tea/coffee or those chutney sandwiches. Film Aaj Kal Screenings and Conversations gives not just the viewers but also the discerning filmmaker and cineastes an opportunity to explore alternate film destinations and also actively engage in conversations around cinema – and not just limit those discussions to a Master-Class or a workshop.

    The current schedule for the event is:

    Venue – Harkat Studios
    ·​15 July​, Sat ​- 7.00 pm – Opening Session & Screening of Om Dar-B-Dar
    ·16 July, Sun – 4.00 PM – Mammo
    ·21 July – Fri – 7.00 PM – Dharavi
    ·22 July – Sat – 12.00 PM – Salaam Bombay
    ·22 July – Sat – 4.00 PM – Gaman
    ·22 July – Sat – 7.30 PM – Mirch Masala
    ·23 July – Sun – 4.00 PM – Jaane bhi do yaaron
    ·30 July – Sun – 12.00 PM – Raghu Romeo

    ​Venue – G5A Foundation for Contemporary Culture
    29· July – 4.00 PM – ​Inauguration of the Saeed Akhtar Mirza Retrospective and ​screening of the Opening Film
    ​30· July – 12.00 PM – Arvind Desai ki ajeeb dastaan
    30· July – 4.00 PM – Naseem
    30· July – 6.00 PM – Salim Langde Pe Mat Ro

    NFDC took care to choose alternate exhibition spaces – not the traditional theatres with the hugely expensive box office: HARKAT studios in Aram Nagar for the Suburbian Junta and G5A Centre for Contemporary Culture in Lower Parel for the Townies.

    Harkat Studios is a boutique arts studio and a co-working space in the bustling area of Aram Nagar, Andheri West. Harkat has collaborated with numerous brands including Unilever, Walt Disney, UTV, Fox Star Studio (to name a few) to create innovative video content. The studio also hosts live performances, screenings, workshops etc. and has been a popular center for arts and artists coming from the indie space.

    When the quirky Bungalow is not hosting events, the place doubles as a co-working space for independent professionals looking for an Office space. The work and vibe of Harkat Studios suits perfectly with the community building nature and Indie spirit that Film Aaj Kal Screenings and Conversations is seeking to promote for cinephiles.

    G5A Foundation for Contemporary Culture is a not-for profit organisation which houses a Blackbox and hosts a range of events and programmes including but not limited to Screenings, Theatre performances, exhibitions and Launch Events. G5A has endeavored to and has slowly emerged as important alternate venue in the Town area of Mumbai as a community space for artists and professionals to work around. G5A. last year, was the venue for the Mumbai chapter of the New York Indian Film Festival which screened curated films followed by discussions with the filmmakers.

    1018mb.com portal evolved from the phenomenon of ‘Four-eyed Monsters’, a 2005 US film which became a financial success and a cult-classic by its innovative distribution strategy of an audience demanding a screening. A film gets screened at a certain city if enough audience pledge viewership for the film. A trick, films like Paranormal Activity have used to great effect. Plus, it’s a revolutionary community building exercise for like-minded cinephiles and geeks.

    Keeping with the concept of community-based screenings and keeping with the times technologically, 1018mb.com is an online ticket booking portal which enables users to create and schedule screenings of films of their choice from the site’s extensive catalogue of films and make available to other like-minded audience to attend.

  • Zee Classic promotes parallel cinema with ‘India’s Finest Films’

    Zee Classic promotes parallel cinema with ‘India’s Finest Films’

    MUMBAI: Zee Classic boasts of an outstanding library of Indian cinematic classics and it has recently associated with National Film Development Corporation of India (NFDC). Starting July 16, every Saturday at 10 pm, Zee Classic will premiere ‘India’s Finest Films’, a distinguished property showcasing masterpieces like ‘Mirch Masala’, ‘Ek Doctor ki Maut’, ’27 Down’ and ‘Salaam Bombay’ amongst many other such gems from the NFDC library. These movies mark the debut of icons like Irrfan Khan, Pankaj Kapur, Naseeruddin Shah and many more. This festival kickstarts with ‘Salaam Bombay!’ directed by Mira Nair on this Saturday.

    Zee Entertainment Enterprises Chief Business Officer Sunil Buch said, “A Hindi movie channel as distinct as Zee Classic has seen growing viewership with every property that we have showcased. In line with its brand positioning ‘Woh Zamaana Kare Deewana’, we have enriched the channel’s library to present our viewers with some never-seen-before timeless classics. Zee Classic will soon telecast the crème de la crème of landmark cinema under its latest property – ‘India’s Finest Films’. It offers a mix of critically acclaimed independent and award winning films that are treasures of Indian cinema. We have associated with NFDC to create this property and today, with new age films setting new benchmarks in parallel cinema, the films that are a part of ‘India’s Finest Films’ represent the semantics of Indian culture over the years and have carved the way for realism in films. With films such Gandhi, Mirch Masala, 27 Down, it is for the discerning cinema lover who likes to be challenged. This property will present films that brings life to so many iconic characters and thought provoking narratives.”

    To acquaint the youth of India with parallel cinema and enhance their movie-viewing experience, Zee Classic has also curated an hour long special feature called ‘India’s Finest Films – A Parallel Journey.’ It includes views of stalwarts of Indian cinema like Shyam Benegal, Mahesh Bhatt, Saeed Mirza, Kundan Shah, Rohini Hattangadi amongst others. It had an extravagant digital release and premiered on the Zee Classic YouTube channel on Tuesday, 12 July at 12 noon. Audiences can also catch it on television as a prelude to ‘India’s Finest Films’. Excerpts of this feature along with additional exclusive interviews will be showcased during the telecast of movies on Zee Classic. The channel has also launched a 360 degree marketing campaign including Outdoor, Radio, Print and exclusive screenings of these titles with influencers.

    Zee Hindi Movies Cluster, Business Head, Ruchir Tiwari said, “With the success of properties like ‘The Bimal Roy Festival with Boman Irani’ and ‘The Golden Years with Javed Akhtar’, we are constantly innovating with content on Zee Classic to entertain its audiences. We have acquired 49 path breaking titles produced by NFDC and some of them will be showcased for the very first time on television. The sheer brilliance and uniqueness of these films is that they have no shelf life as they are timeless genius masterpieces! The promotional campaign has already kick started across mediums. The prelude, ‘India’s Finest films – A Parallel Journey’ has luminaries from the industry share their unrivalled expertise and insights of these classics and is a content goldmine for lovers of parallel cinema. While this genre of films is not commercial, the work of many superstars and filmmakers in them has increased the popularity of these masterpieces and will surely entertain viewers across age groups.”

    NFDC spokesperson, Director (Finance) Nazhat J. Shaikh said, “Over the last few years NFDC has developed and nurtured not only Indie cinema and fresh film talent but also audiences that would be groomed to connect with the same. Our Best of Indian Cinema initiative with Zee Classic is a step further in that direction. The viewer will experience over the next few months a selection of some of our landmark films packaged with some interesting trivia. A true spread for the Cineaste ! This is also a great moment to acknowledge the contribution made by the filmmakers and the film talent who walked with us on this journey and created these endearing works of cinematic expression.”

    Talking about India’s Finest Films and Zee Classic, Shyam Benegal too added, “Rabindranath Tagore once said that every art seeks to find its own independent manner of expression within the world it creates, and no creative genius has yet arrived to deliver it from its bondage. Having said that, television has always been a very effective medium, particularly for films that may or may not have the opportunity to do well in cinema houses. This is because televisions reaches homes and you do not pay individually for movies. I personally feel Zee Classic’s initiative is a very good one. It will help to keep alive the film culture of our country and Zee Classic is in the ideal position to do this.”

  • Zee Classic promotes parallel cinema with ‘India’s Finest Films’

    Zee Classic promotes parallel cinema with ‘India’s Finest Films’

    MUMBAI: Zee Classic boasts of an outstanding library of Indian cinematic classics and it has recently associated with National Film Development Corporation of India (NFDC). Starting July 16, every Saturday at 10 pm, Zee Classic will premiere ‘India’s Finest Films’, a distinguished property showcasing masterpieces like ‘Mirch Masala’, ‘Ek Doctor ki Maut’, ’27 Down’ and ‘Salaam Bombay’ amongst many other such gems from the NFDC library. These movies mark the debut of icons like Irrfan Khan, Pankaj Kapur, Naseeruddin Shah and many more. This festival kickstarts with ‘Salaam Bombay!’ directed by Mira Nair on this Saturday.

    Zee Entertainment Enterprises Chief Business Officer Sunil Buch said, “A Hindi movie channel as distinct as Zee Classic has seen growing viewership with every property that we have showcased. In line with its brand positioning ‘Woh Zamaana Kare Deewana’, we have enriched the channel’s library to present our viewers with some never-seen-before timeless classics. Zee Classic will soon telecast the crème de la crème of landmark cinema under its latest property – ‘India’s Finest Films’. It offers a mix of critically acclaimed independent and award winning films that are treasures of Indian cinema. We have associated with NFDC to create this property and today, with new age films setting new benchmarks in parallel cinema, the films that are a part of ‘India’s Finest Films’ represent the semantics of Indian culture over the years and have carved the way for realism in films. With films such Gandhi, Mirch Masala, 27 Down, it is for the discerning cinema lover who likes to be challenged. This property will present films that brings life to so many iconic characters and thought provoking narratives.”

    To acquaint the youth of India with parallel cinema and enhance their movie-viewing experience, Zee Classic has also curated an hour long special feature called ‘India’s Finest Films – A Parallel Journey.’ It includes views of stalwarts of Indian cinema like Shyam Benegal, Mahesh Bhatt, Saeed Mirza, Kundan Shah, Rohini Hattangadi amongst others. It had an extravagant digital release and premiered on the Zee Classic YouTube channel on Tuesday, 12 July at 12 noon. Audiences can also catch it on television as a prelude to ‘India’s Finest Films’. Excerpts of this feature along with additional exclusive interviews will be showcased during the telecast of movies on Zee Classic. The channel has also launched a 360 degree marketing campaign including Outdoor, Radio, Print and exclusive screenings of these titles with influencers.

    Zee Hindi Movies Cluster, Business Head, Ruchir Tiwari said, “With the success of properties like ‘The Bimal Roy Festival with Boman Irani’ and ‘The Golden Years with Javed Akhtar’, we are constantly innovating with content on Zee Classic to entertain its audiences. We have acquired 49 path breaking titles produced by NFDC and some of them will be showcased for the very first time on television. The sheer brilliance and uniqueness of these films is that they have no shelf life as they are timeless genius masterpieces! The promotional campaign has already kick started across mediums. The prelude, ‘India’s Finest films – A Parallel Journey’ has luminaries from the industry share their unrivalled expertise and insights of these classics and is a content goldmine for lovers of parallel cinema. While this genre of films is not commercial, the work of many superstars and filmmakers in them has increased the popularity of these masterpieces and will surely entertain viewers across age groups.”

    NFDC spokesperson, Director (Finance) Nazhat J. Shaikh said, “Over the last few years NFDC has developed and nurtured not only Indie cinema and fresh film talent but also audiences that would be groomed to connect with the same. Our Best of Indian Cinema initiative with Zee Classic is a step further in that direction. The viewer will experience over the next few months a selection of some of our landmark films packaged with some interesting trivia. A true spread for the Cineaste ! This is also a great moment to acknowledge the contribution made by the filmmakers and the film talent who walked with us on this journey and created these endearing works of cinematic expression.”

    Talking about India’s Finest Films and Zee Classic, Shyam Benegal too added, “Rabindranath Tagore once said that every art seeks to find its own independent manner of expression within the world it creates, and no creative genius has yet arrived to deliver it from its bondage. Having said that, television has always been a very effective medium, particularly for films that may or may not have the opportunity to do well in cinema houses. This is because televisions reaches homes and you do not pay individually for movies. I personally feel Zee Classic’s initiative is a very good one. It will help to keep alive the film culture of our country and Zee Classic is in the ideal position to do this.”

  • ‘The Lunchbox’ gets nominated at BAFTAS

    ‘The Lunchbox’ gets nominated at BAFTAS

    NEW DELHI: The internationally lauded and awarded The Lunchbox by Ritesh Batra has become the first Indian film since 1990 to be nominated at the BAFTA awards since Salaam Bombay.

     

    The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) nominated the film in the ‘Best film not in the English language category.

     

    Producer Guneet Monga was ecstatic at this nomination. “We are so happy that our faith in Ritesh and The Lunchbox is paying off so beautifully. It’s a film we are very proud of and earning a Foreign Film nomination is yet another reassurance that great content will always go a long way. I would like to say a big thank you to the HFPA (Hollywood Foreign Press Association) and the BAFTA jury,” said Monga.

     

    The award ceremony will be held on 8 February in London.

     

    The Lunchbox is a 2013 Indian epistolary romantic film written and directed by Ritesh Batra, and produced by Guneet Monga, Anurag Kashyap, and Arun Rangachari. The film was jointly produced by various studios including DAR motion pictures, UTV Motion Pictures, Dharma Productions, Sikhya Entertainment, NFDC (India), ROH Films (Germany), ASAP Films (France), and the Cine Mosaic (United States).

     

    It stars Irrfan Khan, Nimrat Kaur and Nawazuddin Siddiqui in lead roles. The film was screened at International Critics’ Week at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival, and later won the Critics Week Viewers Choice Award also known as Grand Rail d’Or.

     

    It was shown at the 2013 Toronto International Film Festival. The film was released in India on 20 September 2013.

     

  • PVR Director’s Rare to re-release Mira Nair’s Salaam Bombay on 22 March

    PVR Director’s Rare to re-release Mira Nair’s Salaam Bombay on 22 March

    MUMBAI: PVR Director‘s Rare is all set to re-release Mira Nair‘s multiple awards winning film, Salaam Bombay on 22 March in its zest to commemorate twenty five years of the film that brought innumerable accolades to India.

    Speaking on the re-release, PVR Ltd JMD Sanjeev Kumar Bijli said, "I am immensely pleased to announce the re-release of Salaam Bombay through PVR Director‘s Rare. The movie is a stunning chronicle that opened doors for Indian cinema globally. Through our platform PVR Director‘s Rare, it is an excellent opportunity to revive Salaam Bombay for today‘s audiences. Mira Nair has effectively captured the struggle of the street children and the true essence of a city like Mumbai. We hope to continue bringing such meaningful cinema to our patrons in the future too."

    Salaam Bombay is a gritty tale set in the red light district in Mumbai and chronicles the day-to-day life of street children, drug-pushers, pimps & prostitutes. It follows the life of a young kid Krishna who has come to the big city to earn Rs. 500 and is nurturing the dream of going back to his mother someday. The actors in the movie were real prostitutes and the street kids of the city.

    It won the National Award for Best Film and 25 international awards, including two at Cannes- the Camera D‘Or and the Prix Publique (the most popular film in the festival). It was selected as one of the best 1,000 movies ever made by a leading publication in New York. It was also nominated for the Academy Award for best foreign language film.

    The film will release on 22 March in PVR Cinemas and Cinemax at Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Pune and Gurgaon through the PVR Director‘s Rare banner.

  • NFDC ties up with Shemaroo to releases classics on home video

    NFDC ties up with Shemaroo to releases classics on home video

    MUMBAI: After the resounding success of its six DVD pack of ‘Tagore Stories on film, NFDC has now joined hands with Shemaroo Entertainment and released the home video of classic Jaane Bhi Do Yaaron by Kundan Shah, Ketan Mehta’s rustic Mirch Masala, the multi-ensemble Party by Govind Nihalani, Sudhir Mishra’s Dharavi and the satirical take on the modern-day Devdas in Suraj Ka Satvan Ghoda by Shyam Benegal under the title of ‘Cinemas of India’.

    These titles have been digitally restored for the first time and are re-released in the market with an enhanced viewing experience for the audience. The first five home video releases will be followed by notable titles like Tapan Sinha’s Ek Doctor ki Maut, Arun Kaul’s Dikhsha besides two regional titles by KM Madhusudanan and A K Bir among others.

    Said Shemaroo Entertainment director Hiren Gada, “We are glad to work in association with NFDC and distribute few of the most acclaimed titles in Hindi Cinema. These critically and commercially acclaimed films are a must-watch for every generation.”

    Over the years, NFDC has worked with critically acclaimed filmmakers like Satyajit Ray, Mira Nair, Aparna Sen, Shyam Benegal, Richard Attenborough, Govind Nihalani and Mrinal Sen to name a few. In addition to having produced and financed more than 300 films in 18 Indian languages, it has also co-produced 15 award-winning international films including Gandhi, Salaam Bombay, Massey Sahib, Making of Mahatma and Train to Pakistan.

    Averred NFDC managing director Nina Lath Gupta, “We are happy to launch home videos of these classic movies under the brand ‘Cinemas of India’. The release of the home videos is a subset of the brand, which, besides these releases, focuses on international promotion of Indian films, and filmmakers in major world platforms like Cannes for instance and will also include theatrical releases and promotion of regional films domestically and internationally.”