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Tag: Sanjay Leela Bhansali

  • Viacom 18 Motion Pictures lines up seven Hindi films for 2015

    Viacom 18 Motion Pictures lines up seven Hindi films for 2015

    MUMBAI: After a successful 2014 with films like Queen and Mary Kom, Viacom18 Motion Pictures (VMP) is all set to release a slew of films this year.

    The studio has lined up as many as seven Hindi movies as well as two big Hollywood franchise films.

    The first movie to release from VMP’s stable is Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s action drama titled Main Gabbar, starring Akshay Kumar. The movie is set to release on 1 May.

    The second film is the Ajay Devgn starrer Drishayam, which is directed by Nishikant Kamath. The movie is the Hindi remake of the highly acclaimed and box office trailblazer wherein the same lead role has been essayed by likes of Mohanlal (Kannada), Venkatesh (Telugu) and Kamal Hassan (Tamil). The film is slated to go on floors in March and will release in September – October this year.

    Additionally, VMP will also release the Kalki Koechlin starrer Margarita with a Straw that has already been creating ripples on the international film circuit with its TIFF and NETPAC Best Asian Film Awards world premiere, BFI London European premiere, BIFF Asian premiere. The movie also won Kalki the Best Actress award at 18th Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival in Estonia.

    Furthermore, building upon the success of OMG – Oh My God, VMP is now producing its sequel titled Dharam IN Sankat, which is a satirical drama. The movie stars Paresh Rawal, Naseeruddin Shah and Anu Kapoor.

    The studio is also readying a sequel to Pyaar Ka Punchnama as the battle of sexes continues in Pyaar Ka Punchnama 2, a film that rocked the youth with its first edition.

    Next in line is the comeback film of veteran director – Ramesh Sippy, who is donning the director’s hat after 15 long years. Catering to the youth as well as the family audiences, the studio’s next offering is Sippy’s Shimla Mirchi. The movie stars Hema Malini along with Rajkumar Rao and Rakul Preet.

    VMP will also be releasing the story of the mountain man – Manjhi starring Nawazuddin Siddique in the lead directed by Ketan Mehta.

    On the Hollywood front, the studio will be hosting two epic franchises – Terminator – Genisys starring Arnold Schwarzenegger and Mission Impossible 5 starring Tom Cruise.

    Viacom18 Motion Pictures COO Ajit Andhare said, “VMP’s choice of films are centered around content that the new India wants to watch. This studio has consistently produced films that are shaping the new age Indian cinema whether it was Kahaani and Gangs of Wasseypur in the past or films like Bhaag Milkha, Madras Café, Queen and Mary Kom recently. These films have found box office success and also emerged as winners in best film category across various awards. As a studio we are constantly looking to define and shape a new mainstream that does not see box office success and acclaim as two different goalposts but one seamless outcome, our films in 2014 demonstrated this and our slate for 2015 further builds on that approach.”

  • Dilip Kumar, Amitabh Bachchan get Padma Vibhushan

    Dilip Kumar, Amitabh Bachchan get Padma Vibhushan

    MUMBAI: Legendary Bollywood actor Dilip Kumar and megastar Amitabh Bachchan have been conferred with the second highest national honour – the Padma Vibhushan – in the Republic Day honours this year.

     

    A former Information and Broadcasting Minister, veteran Bharatiya Janata Party leader LK Advani has also been honoured with the Padma Vibhushan.

     

    India TV’s Rajat Sharma, Assamese filmmaker Jahnu Barua, carnatic composer and vocalist Sudha Raghunathan, and khayal and dhrupad classical vocalist Dr. (Pandit) Gokulotsavji Maharaj are also among the recipients of the Padma Bhushan.

     

    The Padma Shri awardees include filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali, wildlife and natural life filmmaker Naresh Bedi, veteran music director Ravindra Jain, lyricist Prasoon Joshi and author Tarak Mehta on whose writings the popular television series ‘Tarak Mehta Ka Ulta Chashma’ is based.

     

    Recipients of Padma Shri from the music field include carnatic music vocalist A. Kanyakumari, Oriya singer and musician Prafulla Kar, Shillong Chamber Choir founder Neil Herbert Nongkynrih, music composer and singer Shekhar Sen and Hindustani classical vocalist Tripti Mukherjee, who is now based in the United States.

     

    Cartoonist and ‘Chacha Choudhary’ creator Pran Kumar Sharma who died in August last year has also been named posthumously for the Padma Shri.

     

    The Bachchan family now boasts of six Padma awards: Amitabh has earlier received the Padma Shri and Padma Bhushan; his late father Harivansh Rai Bachchan received the Padma Bhushan, and his daughter-in-law Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and his wife Jaya Bachchan have also received the Padma Shri.

  • ‘Main Gabbar’ to hit theatres on 1 May, 2015

    ‘Main Gabbar’ to hit theatres on 1 May, 2015

    MUMBAI: Viacom18 Motion Pictures (VMP) and Sanjay Leela Bhansali (SLB) will be releasing their multi-starrer action thriller, Main Gabbar this summer. The film is slated for release on 1 May, 2015 and stars Akshay Kumar in the lead.

     

    Shruti Hassan, Sunil Grover and Suman Talwar essay pivotal roles in this movie along with a special guest appearance by Kareena Kapoor Khan.

     

    Viacom18 Motion Pictures COO Ajit Andhare said, “Main Gabbar has the makings of a potential blockbuster film that is the perfect amalgamation of an ensemble cast and an engaging narrative. Hoping to leverage the May Day holiday for an extended opening, we have slated the film for release on 1 May.”

     

    Bhansali added, “Main Gabbar is a film I truly find entertaining both as a film-maker and as an audience, Bhansali Productions is happy to associate with Viacom18 Motion Pictures on Main Gabbar. I am also excited to partner with my friend Shabinaa Khan after Rowdy Rathore.”

     

    An action thriller, the film showcases a villain who is really a hero… cornered. With larger than life action sequences and a gripping storyline, the film will witness Akshay Kumar in a never seen before avatar.

     

  • Aamir Khan all praise for Star India CEO Uday Shankar

    Aamir Khan all praise for Star India CEO Uday Shankar

    MUMBAI: Film star Aamir Khan has been passionate about Satyamev Jayate, and it was thanks to his passion and the great platform and tremendous support he received from Star India, that today, his show has turned out to be India’s most meaningful and impactful TV show for positive social change.

    So it was understandable that Aamir Khan was delighted when Star India CEO Uday Shankar was named the Impact Person of The Decade – an award he received from the Governor of Maharashtra, C V Rao, in Mumbai.

    The prestigious award recognizes the one individual who has made maximum and far-reaching impact on and influenced and helped shape the media, marketing and advertising industry tremendously over the last 10 years. And obviously, amongst the many initiatives that Star India leader Uday Shankar has rolled out over the past decade, one of the most significant, with tremendous positive social impact, has been Satyamev Jayate with Aamir Khan.

    “I’ve known Uday for about five years now — his razor-sharp mind, his intelligence, his courage, his boldness to take difficult decisions…” Aamir Khan told a galaxy of top professionals through a recorded message at the award ceremony, adding, “Uday believes in the impossible! That is why he achieves the impossible!”

    An initiative of the scale of Satyamev Jayate could never have been executed to perfection unless both leaders of the show – Aamir Khan and Uday Shankar – did not have the same kind of passionate belief in and commitment to working for social good through the show.

    This shared passion and commitment was obvious when Uday Shankar, who believes strongly in collaboration,  told the audience in his acceptance speech, that “The willingness to collaborate has been built on solid conviction to do the right thing – not just for Star but for the entire industry and society.  The conviction to not do regressive content, the conviction to not compromise the larger interest of community and the conviction to be not bogged down by fear of failure.”

    Referring to three other top, acclaimed Bollywood film directors whom Star India brought to television, Uday Shankar said, “If at Star we have been able to change the content landscape, that’s happened largely because Star has shown a better ability to attract and work with an eclectic spectrum of talent – be it the likes of Aamir Khan or Karan Johar or Ashutosh Gowarikar or Sanjay Leela Bhansali.  Together we have all raised the bar for content at Star.”

  • Mary Kom:..for…. awards.Kom

    Mary Kom:..for…. awards.Kom

    MUMBAI: Sports films are not the best bets on the Indian screen, least of all biopics. Bhaag Milkha Bhaag worked thanks to its climax where Milkha outruns a Pakistani champ in Pakistan. Indians may lose to all of world but winning against Pakistan matters the most.  Mary Kom offers no such satisfaction. It remains a sports biopic drama.

    Mary Kom was in news in 2012 when she won an Olympic bronze, which was not much when one thinks about her six world amateur wins; five gold and one silver medals. She would, hence, be expected to win a Gold at the Olympics.

    However, it is a story of grit and determination of a young woman from Manipur, who finds a boxing glove one curfew-imposed night in the trouble-torn Manipur state, far removed from rest of India and the comforts and facilities the rest of India enjoys. Mary’s and other Manipuri’s valid grouse is that they are proud of India but most of the Indians don’t even consider ‘us’ as Indians.

    Priyanka Chopra plays Chungneijang, as she was christened at birth and rechristened M C Mary Kom by M Narjit Singh (played by Sunil Thapa), the state boxing coach. Mary Kom has been fascinated by the sport of boxing since finding that glove in her childhood. Since then, boxing becomes her aim and ambition in life. She is a rebel, the eldest of three children in her family, and she always does what she wants to do for herself.

    Producers: Viacom 18, Sanjay Leela Bhansali.

    Director: Omung Kumar.

    Cast: Priyanka Chopra, Darshan Kumaar, Sunil Thapa.

    One day, Chopra discovers a boxing academy where the coach is a stickler and reluctant to accept her. She has to pass a one month test sitting on bench and watching others training before she is accepted. Eventually, her determination gets her through and the coach accepts her as his ward. This is where the legend of Mary Kom begins. Soon, she is on the national boxing scene, followed by the Asian and later international scene.

    The rest of the film is about Mary Kom’s travails through family resistance, her marriage and children that follow; balancing between her boxing life and bringing up her twin children, one of whom is seriously afflicted with a heart problem. Yet, her husband, Onler (played by Darshan Kumaar), is her mainstay, who realises that boxing is her life and goes all out to support her to continue her boxing even after marriage with a promise to look after the children.

    After her marriage and children, Mary Kom returned to boxing due to coaxing by her husband with eight years gone by. What follows is well-known and is not covered in the film except her return.

    The film also points to the poor conditions and diet of tea and bananas that the Boxing Federation provides, the high-handedness of politicians controlling the Federation and their manipulations in team selections. The film dwells deeply on the rigorous training and endurance tests that Mary Kom goes through, which one was not aware a boxer needed to do.

    Like with other recent heroine-oriented films, here too all except Chopra are new faces. This is supposed to not only balance the budget but also land a touch of reality as the co-performers have no set image. Thus, Thapa, Kumaar and others make a perfect foil to the protagonist, Chopra, trying to get under the skin of a living character, Mary Kom. Chopra, on her part, gives her best to this film and excels. Her performance is sure to be lauded by critics and rewarded with awards.

    Direction is praiseworthy this being Omung Kumar’s first film and a tough one at that being a biography. The film does sag at times but that is inevitable. The last fight, as she fights in China while her little child is undergoing a heart surgery is cliche like a 70s film where the protagonist ONLY takes punches and a miracle happens as the operation in Gurgaon is successful, fuelling Mary Kom with a newfound determination to win the fight in the third round. Dialogue is earthy and laced with humour at times. The film has too many songs for the kind of film it is; some relate the state of mind of Mary Kom while the lullaby is meant to show her balancing her career and family ties. Cinematography by Keiko Nakahara is excellent.

    Mary Kom is being released on a big scale at multiple screens wanting to cash in on the huge hype created in the media. The film will find patronage mainly at elite multiplexes while it has no appeal for the typical single screen patrons. The film has been exempted from paying entertainment tax while some other states are expected to follow but that won’t be much help.

  • ‘Mary Kom’ is the most awaited film of 2014!

    ‘Mary Kom’ is the most awaited film of 2014!

    MUMBAI: With the release date just three days away, Priyanka Chopra starrer Mary Kom is already being received with raging enthusiasm across the country. The movie has been listed by various media firms as a film to look out for.

     

    Mary Kom has received immense support from every corner of the Indian film industry. Actors like Arjun Kapoor and Ranveer Singh hailed Priyanka as the ‘#RagingBulbul’ and veteran filmmakers like Madhur Bhandarkar, Kunal Kohli have also expressed their eagerness to watch the film. With elements of intense ferocity intertwined with heart-warming romance, ‘Mary Kom’ is definitely the most awaited movie of 2014.

     

    Talking about the movie, Priyanka Chopra said that Mary Kom has been the “hardest movie of her life.” She trained for hours in the gym despite 18 hours of shooting for other projects over two years to achieve the body and body language of a boxer. All her hard work is paying off as every aspect of the film has been lapped up by fans and media alike.

     

    The movie has also taken social media by storm. Social media is alive with appreciation for the film; the first trailer having received over 45 lakh views on YouTube so far. Every music video has been widely shared and talked about, and #MaryKomFirstLook was the top trend on Twitter as early as 14 July 2014.

     

    ‘Mary Kom’, the film is about the Indian Boxer and Olympic Bronze medallist MC Mary Kom. Depicting her life, struggles, family and her perseverance to be the best – Priyanka Chopra stars as Mary Kom along with Darshan Kumaar, Sunil Thapa, Shishir Sharma and American actor Zachary Coffin. Directed by Omung Kumar, ‘Mary Kom’ is produced by Viacom18 Motion Pictures & Sanjay Leela Bhansali. The film is scheduled for release on 5 September 2014.

  • ‘Mary Kom’ declared tax-free in Maharashtra

    ‘Mary Kom’ declared tax-free in Maharashtra

    MUMBAI: National Award winning actress Priyanka Chopra’s much-awaited movie Mary Kom has been declared tax free in Maharashtra a week before its scheduled release date.

     

    “Yay! #MaryKom declared tax free in Maharashtra a week before release! Amazing!! #Sept5,” Priyanka posted on Twitter.

     

    The movie is a biopic on the five-time World Champion boxer Mary Kom and is slated to release on Teacher’s Day 5 September. It has been produced by filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali and directed by Omung Kumar.

     

    The biopic on Mary Kom has been in the limelight ever since the first look was launched. The trailer received an overwhelming response and has recently received ‘U’ certificate from the censor board.

     

    The biopic narrates the journey of Mary Kom who gave up her sporting career when it was at its peak to enjoy the pleasures of motherhood. But after giving birth to two children, she made her comeback in the ring and went on to make history.

     

    Feeling ecstatic about the news, Chopra said, “It is wonderful news. We have a compelling story to tell of a strong, determined woman who has made the nation proud. It is our tribute to all the unsung sports people who give so much to see the Indian flag flying high. If this can act as a catalyst of hope for them, then it’s something we can all be proud of.”

     

    “We are grateful to Revenue Minister Balasaheb Thorat and government of Maharashtra for lending their support to the film. This exemption right from release day will allow large segments of society to experience the spirit of magnificent Mary,” said Viacom18 Motion Pictures COO Ajit Andhare.

     

    While Bhansali’s spokesperson said that the tax free status will encourage audience to recognise and support the spirit of the film.

     

    Recently, various state governments granted tax exemption to Rani Mukherji starrer Mardaani based on the issue of child trafficking in India.

  • Movies use social media to gain traction

    Movies use social media to gain traction

    NEW DELHI: At a time when feature films are lucky if they last one week at the theatres, the social media has made it possible for them to reach more people through mediums like YouTube, Twitter, Facebook and just plain e-mail.

     

    Two forthcoming movies have already broken records as far the popularity of their trailers on social media goes: Viacom18 Motion Pictures and Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Mary Kom, and Red Chillies Entertainments and Farah Khan directed Happy New Year.  

    The trailer of Mary Kom has had a current viewership of over 4.3 million. The trailer of the biopic based on the life of the five-time World Championship and Olympic medalist is one of the most successful trailers of all time.

     

    Overwhelmed with the response, Omung Kumar who makes his directorial debut with the film said, “First we were overwhelmed with the response to the first look of the film. The trailer touched people and many people called to tell me that they cried after seeing it. The most touching response for me was from a lady from the north east, who had somehow found out my mobile number and called to say how seeing the trailer, she felt so proud and felt grateful for what it was attempting to do for women, sports and most importantly, people from the region.” 

    Priyanka Chopra who has enacted the title role said, “I was in shock after the response to the first look of the poster itself! I remember we were shooting in Turkey and I tweeted it and went back to shooting. By the time I came back, my phone was flooded with SMSs and over 3,500 Twitter messages loving it. I thought my phone would explode. The nicest response I got post the trailer was when Mary called me and said, `My kids saw you and thought it is me.’ For me, if I could convince a mother’s children despite not looking like her, it made me proud.” The biggest compliment that came the actress’ way however was from Farhan Akhtar when he said, `Mary ko Milkha ka salaam.”

    Producer Sanjay Leela Bhansali said, “Mary Kom’s story is an inspiring one that touched my heart. Not many films are based on biopics of living people, so this is a rare experiment. I am extremely proud of it.”

     
    Produced by Viacom18 Motion Pictures and Sanjay Leela Bhansali, Mary Kom stars Priyanka Chopra and Darshan Kumar in the lead. The movie will be released on 5 September.

     

    Red Chillies Entertainments claimed that the views of the trailer of its Happy New Year from all platforms crossed a record breaking number of four million in 24 hours.

     

    The first trailer to be launched on Facebook, became the most viewed movie trailer on Facebook Native Player across the globe with 1.5 million trailer views, 2.8 million post interaction and over 18 million FB users reached, and over 360,000 likes for the trailer which is the highest ever.

     

    On Twitter, it had 1.5 billion impressions only on 14 August and five hashtags trending of Happy New Year.

     

    It had over two million views across various YouTube partner channels. It became the first film to send a trailer via WhatsApp.

     

    The trailer on the DTH platform Tata Sky reached over 13 million subscribers and each one had to watch the channel 100 when they switched on their TV sets before they could go to any other channel of their choice.

     

    Airtel WAP had over 15 million visitors every day while over 300,000 fans received it via SMS service (missed call facility). Over 25,000 fans received the trailer via email.

    While most of the films opt for the conventional YouTube platform, the trailer of Happy New Year slated to release around Diwali was first launched on Facebook’s native video player using an application wherein the trailer was not only launched on the Facebook page of the film but also the timelines of all the users who subscribed to the app. 

     

    “In keeping with the tradition of innovation established by Red Chillies, we were delighted to launch the trailer of HNY for the first time across multiple platforms. This was also done to meet the demands of fans who are consuming talent in ways that suit them. This has given the trailer an unprecedented footprint and delighted the fans,” said RCE CEO Venky Mysore.

     

    The trailer was launched on the native video player of Twitter with personalised messages from the cast of the film. “Red Chillies and the cast of Happy New Year understand the value of developing live, personal and interactive connections with their audience, which is only possible on Twitter. From the entire cast and crew sharing every moment of film production on Twitter via their personal handles to their launching personalised trailers and posters on Twitter, Happy New Year has set a new national and global standard in the movie business,” said Twitter India market director Rishi Jaitley.

     

    The trailer was also launched on the conventional platform of YouTube on all channels of the partners (Music distributors T-Series and film distributors Yash Raj Films) of the film along with Red Chillies’ official channel.

  • Mary Kom’s latest song ‘Sukoon Mila’ available exclusively on Hungama.com

    Mary Kom’s latest song ‘Sukoon Mila’ available exclusively on Hungama.com

    MUMBAI: The most awaited biopic on the Olympic Medalist ‘Mary Kom’ released its second song today. ‘Sukoon Mila’ the latest track from the Priyanka Chopra starrer has been launched exclusively on Hungama.com and on Hungama music app. Sung by music sensation Arijit Singh the beautiful and soulful number depicts the romance between reel-life Mary Kom and her husband.

     

    Commenting on the release, Siddhartha Roy, Chief Operating Officer (Consumer Business & Allied Services) at Hungama Digital said, “We at Hungama always look forward to offer exclusive and fresh content to our consumers. With Mary Kom being one of the most awaited movies of this year, we are sure that our consumers will be enthralled by the release of this song exclusively on Hungama.com and Hungama music app.”

     

    Mary Kom is an upcoming 2014 Indian biographical sports drama film directed by Omung Kumar and produced by Sanjay Leela Bhansali. Based on the life of the Indian boxer Mary Kom, the film stars Priyanka Chopra in the lead, along with Danny Denzongpa, Minakkshi Kalitaa, Bijou Thaangjam, Darshan Kumar, Shishir Sharma and Zachary Coffin in the movie.

     

    Link to Android app:

     

    https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.hungama.myplay.activity&hl=en

     

    Link to iOS app:

     

    https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/hungama-music-videos-radio/id414009038?mt=8

  • Viacom18 Motion Pictures set to give a big break to Bollywood with ‘Cineshorts’

    Viacom18 Motion Pictures set to give a big break to Bollywood with ‘Cineshorts’

    MUMBAI:  Are you a movie maker waiting to debut on the silver screen? Viacom18 Motion Pictures (VMP) is giving you an opportunity to be the one. It takes the lead to recognise talent in movies by providing an exclusive opportunity for budding filmmakers to showcase their talent through a visionary initiative christened – ‘Cineshorts.’

     

    The contest requires participants to submit a short film of five minutes, based on a theme that resonates with the upcoming film of the studio.

     

    To up the credits, VMP is all set to flag off this engaging enterprise with its upcoming mega release Mary Kom on the theme “Against All Odds”, which celebrates the unbreakable and resilient spirit of Mary Kom. An eminent jury comprising Sanjay Leela Bhansali, Omung Kumar along with VMP COO Ajit Andhare among others will judge the competition.

     

    Andhare believes that there is a need to democratise the entertainment space so that anyone with the vision, drive and talent can find an ecosystem of support and nurturing to make a film.  “Cineshorts is a platform that ventures into empowering talent by mentoring and showcasing their promising work. We are certain that this will usher in a new talent pool for the industry.”

     

    Filmmaker, Bhansali echoed the sentiment. “It’s a wonderful platform, I mean, when I started off in 1994, with Khamoshi it was a very difficult process. Today’s youth come out with new ways of looking at life. They bring in a new perspective, their whole take on a story, screenplay, edit or shot taking is completely different from mine. So this is an amazing opportunity for me to see what you have to offer.”

     

    Expressing her support of this mega platform, actress Chopra said, “When you want to establish yourself in life, you do not always need somebody to aid you but what you need is immense belief and a strong confidence in yourself. So, if I did and so did Mary Kom, why can’t you? When you have a platform like Cineshorts why don’t you just go out there and show them your talent so the whole world knows about it?”

     

    Marking the winning edge, the top five winning films will be officially premiered on Pepsi MTV Indies, along with winning significant cash prizes. The contest ends on 30 September 2014.