ITV

Tag: Suchitra Sen

  • Aakash Aath treats music lovers with ‘The Legend’

    Aakash Aath treats music lovers with ‘The Legend’

    KOLKATA: In a move to stand out from the clutter, Aakash Aath, a Bengali general entertainment channel (GEC), has launched ‘The Legends’, a show where songs of the ‘golden era’ are sung by the current singers.

    The show, which was launched on 3 November and airs Monday to Friday at 9.30pm, pays tribute to legends like RD Burman, SD Burman, Kishore Kumar, Manna Dey, Uttam Kumar, Suchitra Sen and Md. Rafi.

     “The show has an up market and classy look on the lines of Coke Studio wherein songs from the golden era will be sung in both Bengali and Hindi,” highlights Aakash Aath director Eshita Surana.

    On what made the channel launch a music show at primetime, she says that old songs are an all-time hit. “We feel at this time of the day people want something soothing and light, hence, we came up with this idea. Game shows are a tried and tested thing in this time slot and we did not want to become a ‘me too’,” she adds.

     After airing 12 episodes so far, the channel is happy with the response. “Many artists are calling us because they want to perform on the show. Renowned artists like Srikanto Acharya, Madhura Bhattacharya and Raghab have gone on record to say that till now they have not gotten a better platform to perform on. We have attempted to take music to the next level,” says Surana.

    Apart from OOH and print ads, the channel is also using mass media like WhatsApp to promote the programme.  

     

  • 20th Kolkata International Film Festival begins

    20th Kolkata International Film Festival begins

    KOLKATA: The 20th Kolkata International Film Festival (KIFF), which opened on 10 November, saw the heavyweights of Bollywood and Hollywood attending it.

     

    The eight-day extravaganza saw Amitabh Bachchan and his celebrated family, superstar Shah Rukh Khan, the state’s brand ambassador and a host of film personalities at the Netaji Indoor Stadium at Central Kolkata.

     

    The inaugural ceremony will be presided by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee along with the Bachchan clan, SRK, Deepika Padukone, Tanuja and Irrfan Khan.

     

    Boasting of a rich oeuvre of around 137 films from 60 countries, the fest will see 40 international delegates and 15 segments. There will be 31 Indian films, including 13 Bengali films.

     

    For the first time, the fest will see 15 films by women directors from across the globe, competing for the top jury award, the Golden Royal Bengal Tiger trophy in the Women Directors segment.

     

    Headed by award-winning Australian filmmaker Paul Cox, the jury will comprise Iranian director Nikki Karimi and Indian filmmaker Amol Palekar and others.

     

    It should be noted that this year there is no private sponsorship.

     

    The focus will be on cinema from Arab nations too and a special section has been earmarked as a tribute to legendary Bengali actress Suchitra Sen, who died on January 17 this year in Kolkata. Seven of her films will be screened as part of this.

    Hollywood classics such as Guns of Navarone, The Sound of Music and Jighangsa by Ajoy Kar will be screened in the ‘Centenary Tribute’ section.

     

    The Satyajit Ray Memorial lecture will be delivered by director Govind Nihalani and the screening locations will be spread across 12 venues.

     

    Other highlights include ‘Children Screening’ section and ‘French Classics’ segments, apart from contemporary world films of 2013 and 2014.

     

    The inaugural film selected is the Italian movie Italo Barocco by Alessia Scarso.

     

  • Suchitra Sen’s life gets ‘booked’

    Suchitra Sen’s life gets ‘booked’

    KOLKATA: She romanced the big screen. She was probably one of the first Bengali actresses to become popular for her romantic roles. After few weeks’ after the actor’s demise, a book titled – Mahanayika – has been released on the late Bengali cinema icon Suchitra Sen.

     

    The 500-page book offers a peep into the life of the elusive actress through rare photographs, replica of posters and insights offered by renowned filmmakers. It has write-ups on Sen by director Ritwik Ghatak, Ajay Kar and Asit Sen, among others. It also carries an article by Sen’s biographer and friend Gopal Krishna Roy.

     

    “Besides photographs and posters, there is a collection of news clippings reporting her death,” the film makers said.

     

    The 82-year-old actress Suchitra Sen died at a nursing home in Kolkata 17 Jan after a massive cardiac arrest.

  • President, PM condole passing away of legendary actress Suchitra Sen

    President, PM condole passing away of legendary actress Suchitra Sen

    NEW DELHI: President Pranab Mukherjee and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh have condoled the passing away of legendary actress Suchitra Sen.

     

    In a condolence message to her daughter, Moon Moon Sen, the President has said, “In the passing away of Smt. Suchitra Sen, the film industry has lost a highly talented and acclaimed actress who played memorable roles in a number of Bengali as well as Hindi films. She shall always be remembered by her countless fans for her versatile acting which brought life into the celluloid characters she played in films.”

     

    Sen was a legendary actress who ruled Bengali cinema for decades. Her powerful roles in films were highly acclaimed and will be remembered by generations of film lovers. During her illustrious career she was not only a recipient of Padma Shri Award, but also became the first Bengali actress who was awarded ‘Best Actress Award’ at an international film festival. Her sad demise is a huge loss to the Indian film industry, particularly Bengali cinema”.

     

    In his message, the Prime Minister said, “Ms. Sen had carved a special niche in the hearts of millions of Indians through her graceful cinematic presence. She was one of the first Indian artistes to win an international award at Moscow in 1963. Ms Sen’s versatility and range of performances, in a career spanning nearly three decades, mark a unique contribution to Indian cinema, and to Bengali films in particular.”