Khel Khel Mein Stars, Akshay Kumar, Tapsee Pannu, Vaani Kapoor, Fardeen Khan In Pivotal Roles, and Is produced by Bhushan Kumar(Photo Credit –Instagram)
Akshay Kumar does not stop for success or failure; he keeps going. Khiladi Kumar returns to his victory genre, comedy, and comedy ensembles. After reuniting with his hit directors like Anees Bazmee and more for comedy quips, he is surprising fans with another comedy caper in the pipeline. Bhushan Kumar’s Khel Khel Mein reunites Kumar with Fardeen Khan after 17 years, and the movie finally has a release date.
Akshay and Fardeen go way back; not only did the two star in the buddy comedy Heyy Baby back in 2007, but they have been friends for a long time. This movie would mark his official comeback to the big screen. Khel Khel Mein is a comedy ensemble that stars Tapsee Pannu, Vaani Kapoor, Aditya Seal, Ammy Virk,...
Akshay Kumar does not stop for success or failure; he keeps going. Khiladi Kumar returns to his victory genre, comedy, and comedy ensembles. After reuniting with his hit directors like Anees Bazmee and more for comedy quips, he is surprising fans with another comedy caper in the pipeline. Bhushan Kumar’s Khel Khel Mein reunites Kumar with Fardeen Khan after 17 years, and the movie finally has a release date.
Akshay and Fardeen go way back; not only did the two star in the buddy comedy Heyy Baby back in 2007, but they have been friends for a long time. This movie would mark his official comeback to the big screen. Khel Khel Mein is a comedy ensemble that stars Tapsee Pannu, Vaani Kapoor, Aditya Seal, Ammy Virk,...
- 4/27/2024
- by Aayushi Hemnani
- KoiMoi
The highly anticipated film, “Khel Khel Mein,” featuring a star-studded cast including Akshay Kumar, Taapsee Pannu, Vaani Kapoor, Ammy Virk, Aditya Seal, Pragya Jaiswal, and Fardeen Khan, has wrapped up filming. Directed and written by Mudassar Aziz, the movie is produced by a collaborative effort from Bhushan Kumar, Krishan Kumar, Vipul D Shah, Ashwin Varde, Rajesh Bahl, Shashi Sinha, and Ajay Rai.
With its ensemble cast and talented crew, “Khel Khel Mein” promises to be a thrilling cinematic experience. The film’s completion marks a milestone in the journey of this intriguing project, leaving fans eager for its release.
Akshay Kumar: ‘Khel Khel Mein’ Filming Complete… It’s a wrap for #KhelKhelMein, starring #AkshayKumar, #TaapseePannu, #VaaniKapoor, #AmmyVirk, #AdityaSeal, #PragyaJaiswal and #FardeenKhan.
Written and directed by Mudassar Aziz, the film is produced by Bhushan Kumar, Krishan… pic.twitter.com/fTJLwsrqki
— taran adarsh (@taran_adarsh) March 29, 2024
Akshay Kumar, known for his...
With its ensemble cast and talented crew, “Khel Khel Mein” promises to be a thrilling cinematic experience. The film’s completion marks a milestone in the journey of this intriguing project, leaving fans eager for its release.
Akshay Kumar: ‘Khel Khel Mein’ Filming Complete… It’s a wrap for #KhelKhelMein, starring #AkshayKumar, #TaapseePannu, #VaaniKapoor, #AmmyVirk, #AdityaSeal, #PragyaJaiswal and #FardeenKhan.
Written and directed by Mudassar Aziz, the film is produced by Bhushan Kumar, Krishan… pic.twitter.com/fTJLwsrqki
— taran adarsh (@taran_adarsh) March 29, 2024
Akshay Kumar, known for his...
- 3/30/2024
- by Anshu Harvansh
- ReferSMS
Actors Mohit Raina, Roshan Mathew and Sarah Jane Dias will headline the Indian remake of Israeli drama Magpie, which has been titled ‘Kan Khajura’. The show will also star Mahesh Shetty, Ninad Kamat, Trinetra Haldar, Heeba Shah, and Usha Nadkarni, reports deadline.com.
SonyLIV is remaking thriller Magpie in-house after licensing the rights from Israel‘s Yes Studios. Ajay Rai is producing and Chandan Arora is the director.
The original Israeli series follows a convicted murderer, who gets early release after 17 years on the condition that he continues to cooperate with the police as an informant.
“Being part of a thriller is always exciting yet demanding for any actor,” said Mohit.
He added: “My character has various shades associated with it and that has been a great responsibility to portray. To get into the skin of the character, we tried on various looks that brought out a well-etched character.”
“Magpie,...
SonyLIV is remaking thriller Magpie in-house after licensing the rights from Israel‘s Yes Studios. Ajay Rai is producing and Chandan Arora is the director.
The original Israeli series follows a convicted murderer, who gets early release after 17 years on the condition that he continues to cooperate with the police as an informant.
“Being part of a thriller is always exciting yet demanding for any actor,” said Mohit.
He added: “My character has various shades associated with it and that has been a great responsibility to portray. To get into the skin of the character, we tried on various looks that brought out a well-etched character.”
“Magpie,...
- 1/17/2024
- by Agency News Desk
- GlamSham
Indian film project “Notun Gur – A New Sweetness” has attracted a host of international co-producers.
Fran Borgia of Akanga Film Asia, Singapore, Camera d’Or winner Vimukthi Jayasundara of Film Council Productions, Sri Lanka, Ivy Yu-Hua Shen of Betula Films, Taiwan and Ajay Rai of In Front Films, U.K. have boarded the project as international co-producers.
The script is by Deyali Mukherjee, who will also direct. The producer is Sriram Raja of India’s Srdm Productions. Indian producers on board include Prateek Chakravorty of Pramod Films and Samir Sarkar of Magic Hour Films. The film is currently in the financing stage.
Raja was selected at the Asian Producers Network (Apn), an initiative of the Singapore International Film Festival (Sgiff) Film Academy, as an emerging producer. The mentors are Borgia, Lorna Tee and Park Heeseong of the Korean Film Council (Kofic).
“This is an exclusive program for independent producers who...
Fran Borgia of Akanga Film Asia, Singapore, Camera d’Or winner Vimukthi Jayasundara of Film Council Productions, Sri Lanka, Ivy Yu-Hua Shen of Betula Films, Taiwan and Ajay Rai of In Front Films, U.K. have boarded the project as international co-producers.
The script is by Deyali Mukherjee, who will also direct. The producer is Sriram Raja of India’s Srdm Productions. Indian producers on board include Prateek Chakravorty of Pramod Films and Samir Sarkar of Magic Hour Films. The film is currently in the financing stage.
Raja was selected at the Asian Producers Network (Apn), an initiative of the Singapore International Film Festival (Sgiff) Film Academy, as an emerging producer. The mentors are Borgia, Lorna Tee and Park Heeseong of the Korean Film Council (Kofic).
“This is an exclusive program for independent producers who...
- 12/10/2023
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
As the 1997 romantic action comedy drama ‘Ishq’ has completed 26 years of its release on Tuesday, the lead actress of the movie Kajol shared a throwback picture with co-stars Ajay Devgn, Juhi Chawla and Aamir Khan, calling themselves ‘fab actors’.
Directed by Indra Kumar, the flick stars Aamir, Ajay, Juhi and Kajol along with Dalip Tahil, Sadashiv Amrapurkar, Johnny Lever and Mohan Joshi in supporting roles.
Aamir played the role of Raja Ahlawat, Ajay portrayed as Ajay Rai, Kajol was Kajal Sharma, while Juhi played Madhu Saxena.
Taking to Instagram, Kajol, who have a fan base of 15.5 million followers, took a stroll down the memory lane, and shared a still from the movie.
Along with it the actress wrote: “This picture was taken once we had finished stomping on the hills of Switzerland for the day… You can’t see how zapped we were or how we were like ‘Why does...
Directed by Indra Kumar, the flick stars Aamir, Ajay, Juhi and Kajol along with Dalip Tahil, Sadashiv Amrapurkar, Johnny Lever and Mohan Joshi in supporting roles.
Aamir played the role of Raja Ahlawat, Ajay portrayed as Ajay Rai, Kajol was Kajal Sharma, while Juhi played Madhu Saxena.
Taking to Instagram, Kajol, who have a fan base of 15.5 million followers, took a stroll down the memory lane, and shared a still from the movie.
Along with it the actress wrote: “This picture was taken once we had finished stomping on the hills of Switzerland for the day… You can’t see how zapped we were or how we were like ‘Why does...
- 11/28/2023
- by Agency News Desk
As the 1997 romantic action comedy drama ‘Ishq’ has completed 26 years of its release on Tuesday, the lead actress of the movie Kajol shared a throwback picture with co-stars Ajay Devgn, Juhi Chawla and Aamir Khan, calling themselves ‘fab actors’.
Directed by Indra Kumar, the flick stars Aamir, Ajay, Juhi and Kajol along with Dalip Tahil, Sadashiv Amrapurkar, Johnny Lever and Mohan Joshi in supporting roles.
Aamir played the role of Raja Ahlawat, Ajay portrayed as Ajay Rai, Kajol was Kajal Sharma, while Juhi played Madhu Saxena.
Taking to Instagram, Kajol, who have a fan base of 15.5 million followers, took a stroll down the memory lane, and shared a still from the movie.
Along with it the actress wrote: “This picture was taken once we had finished stomping on the hills of Switzerland for the day… You can’t see how zapped we were or how we were like ‘Why does...
Directed by Indra Kumar, the flick stars Aamir, Ajay, Juhi and Kajol along with Dalip Tahil, Sadashiv Amrapurkar, Johnny Lever and Mohan Joshi in supporting roles.
Aamir played the role of Raja Ahlawat, Ajay portrayed as Ajay Rai, Kajol was Kajal Sharma, while Juhi played Madhu Saxena.
Taking to Instagram, Kajol, who have a fan base of 15.5 million followers, took a stroll down the memory lane, and shared a still from the movie.
Along with it the actress wrote: “This picture was taken once we had finished stomping on the hills of Switzerland for the day… You can’t see how zapped we were or how we were like ‘Why does...
- 11/28/2023
- by Agency News Desk
- GlamSham
ProducerLAND, a curated training and networking program for producers from South Asia, is bowing Ascent – a project accelerator designed to help experienced producers by providing them with global expertise and support to maximize their project’s potential.
Ascent is an immersive three-module program where six selected producers will develop their projects for international markets and audiences. The modules will focus on creative producing, audiences, funding, coproductions, positioning, markets and impact producing.
The first module is a residency in Goa, India from Jan. 29 – Feb. 5 where participants will interact with mentors and industry experts that have been brought on board to suit their specific projects, and develop them to be mounted as international projects.
The program’s lead mentor and curator is France’s Tanja Meissner, who was previously VP International Sales at Celluloid, and head of international sales at Memento.
Mentors also include Ajay Rai, U.K.-based producer and faculty...
Ascent is an immersive three-module program where six selected producers will develop their projects for international markets and audiences. The modules will focus on creative producing, audiences, funding, coproductions, positioning, markets and impact producing.
The first module is a residency in Goa, India from Jan. 29 – Feb. 5 where participants will interact with mentors and industry experts that have been brought on board to suit their specific projects, and develop them to be mounted as international projects.
The program’s lead mentor and curator is France’s Tanja Meissner, who was previously VP International Sales at Celluloid, and head of international sales at Memento.
Mentors also include Ajay Rai, U.K.-based producer and faculty...
- 1/23/2023
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s Drive My Car triumphed this eve at the 14th Asia Pacific Screen Awards. The movie scooped best film, which Japanese filmmaker Hamaguchi shared with producer Teruhisa Yamamoto, and best screenplay, which the director shared with Oe Takamasa. Scroll down for the full list of winners on the night.
Further winners included Asghar Farhadi, who took Best Director for A Hero, and Hogir Hirori’s Sabaya, which win Best Documentary Feature Film.
Two Jury Grand Prizes were awarded this year, one to Abdullah Mohammad Saad, director of Rehana, and Leah Purcell for The Drover’s Wife The Legend of Molly Johnson.
Best Performance by an Actor was awarded to Georgian actor Merab Ninidze for Alexey German Jr’s House Arrest, while Best Performance by an Actress went to Azmeri Haque Badhon for Rehana. Nguyễn Vinh Phúc won achievement in cinematography for Taste.
This was Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s...
Further winners included Asghar Farhadi, who took Best Director for A Hero, and Hogir Hirori’s Sabaya, which win Best Documentary Feature Film.
Two Jury Grand Prizes were awarded this year, one to Abdullah Mohammad Saad, director of Rehana, and Leah Purcell for The Drover’s Wife The Legend of Molly Johnson.
Best Performance by an Actor was awarded to Georgian actor Merab Ninidze for Alexey German Jr’s House Arrest, while Best Performance by an Actress went to Azmeri Haque Badhon for Rehana. Nguyễn Vinh Phúc won achievement in cinematography for Taste.
This was Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s...
- 11/11/2021
- by Tom Grater
- Deadline Film + TV
Grahan(Disney-Hotstar, 8 episodes)
Starring Pawan Malhotra,Zoya Hussain,Anshuman Pushkar, Wamiqua Gabbi
Directed by Ranjan Chandel
I was a shocked teenager when the 1984 genocide wiped away thousands of Sikhs. Well- known politicians and even politically motivated celebrities from the entertainment world provoked and incited the mobs to go out and take revenge against an entire community for their beloved prime minister’s assassination.
I haven’t forgotten the dance of death that started on the night of October 31 and continued till my birthday on November 2. Quality conscious producer Ajay Rai(who has invested in many a significant cinematic project from the Marathi masterpiece Kill in 2014 to the most recent achievement Fire In The Mountains) opens up the wounds of the 1984 genocide, wounds that never healed, wrongs that were never righted.
Directed by Ranjan Chandel, the 8 episodes have a certain consistent momentum in the storytelling, and though it moves through two time zones,...
Starring Pawan Malhotra,Zoya Hussain,Anshuman Pushkar, Wamiqua Gabbi
Directed by Ranjan Chandel
I was a shocked teenager when the 1984 genocide wiped away thousands of Sikhs. Well- known politicians and even politically motivated celebrities from the entertainment world provoked and incited the mobs to go out and take revenge against an entire community for their beloved prime minister’s assassination.
I haven’t forgotten the dance of death that started on the night of October 31 and continued till my birthday on November 2. Quality conscious producer Ajay Rai(who has invested in many a significant cinematic project from the Marathi masterpiece Kill in 2014 to the most recent achievement Fire In The Mountains) opens up the wounds of the 1984 genocide, wounds that never healed, wrongs that were never righted.
Directed by Ranjan Chandel, the 8 episodes have a certain consistent momentum in the storytelling, and though it moves through two time zones,...
- 6/26/2021
- by Subhash K Jha
- Bollyspice
The Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles (Iffla) announced today its full lineup of narrative and documentary features, and shorts for the festival’s 19th edition, which will be held virtually and geo-blocked to California, on May 20-27.
“This is a very special year for Iffla. Taking the festival online has given us the freedom to curate programs we would not have been able to present in a physical setting. We have expanded our reach to all California residents, doubled the shorts program with a strong representation of films from the diaspora, added special programs like “Childhood on Edge”, and curated discussions on timely and pressing topics, celebrating the independent film community from India and the Indian diaspora,” said Christina Marouda, Executive Director.
Iffla will open with the Los Angeles premiere of the powerful female-centric film, Fire in the Mountains, the 2021 Sundance-selected debut feature by Ajitpal Singh that immerses audiences...
“This is a very special year for Iffla. Taking the festival online has given us the freedom to curate programs we would not have been able to present in a physical setting. We have expanded our reach to all California residents, doubled the shorts program with a strong representation of films from the diaspora, added special programs like “Childhood on Edge”, and curated discussions on timely and pressing topics, celebrating the independent film community from India and the Indian diaspora,” said Christina Marouda, Executive Director.
Iffla will open with the Los Angeles premiere of the powerful female-centric film, Fire in the Mountains, the 2021 Sundance-selected debut feature by Ajitpal Singh that immerses audiences...
- 4/16/2021
- by Adriana Rosati
- AsianMoviePulse
The Sundance Film Festival, the largest independent film festival in the United States, celebrates bold, creative, and distinctive voices. The upcoming 2021’s edition will offer an online platform featuring seven days of premieres, events, artist talks, and cutting-edge Xr exhibitions. It will also be partnering with independent cinema communities across the U.S. to safely host in-person events. From January 28 through February 3, adventurous audiences and indie film lovers everywhere will come together to be the first to discover exciting new creative visions that people will be talking about all year.
This year the Festival will downsize to 72 feature films (from last year’s 128) but still including a 50% of the total of female directors, more than 50% of the total of filmmakers of color and a number of genderqueer artists.
The full line-up includes few interesting Asian titles. Here they are:
“Fire in the Mountains“
a searing portrait of the power dynamics...
This year the Festival will downsize to 72 feature films (from last year’s 128) but still including a 50% of the total of female directors, more than 50% of the total of filmmakers of color and a number of genderqueer artists.
The full line-up includes few interesting Asian titles. Here they are:
“Fire in the Mountains“
a searing portrait of the power dynamics...
- 12/17/2020
- by Adriana Rosati
- AsianMoviePulse
EntertainmentThe show will be telecast on a sports channel to celebrate three decades of WWE.Digital NativeRana Daggubati will be on a talk show with the WWE (World Wresting Entertainment) legend 'The Undertaker'. The show will be telecast on a sports channel to celebrate three decades of WWE. On his show with 'The Undertaker', Rana had said, “I have been a fan of WWE and have been following the journey of The Undertaker since childhood.” Rana Daggubati recently ventured into content creation. The actor will launch his digital platform South Bay on November 15. It is a YouTube channel that is expected to host varied content including music, unscripted celebrity content and animation. Rana Daggubati is currently awaiting the release of Haathi Meri Saathi / Aranya / Kadaan. Directed by Prabhu Solomon, the film will be released in three languages – Tamil, Telugu and Hindi. It is titled Kaadan in Tamil and Aranya in Telugu.
- 11/13/2020
- by Luke
- The News Minute
EntertainmentRana and Miheeka, who got married in August, appear to be on holiday at a beach.Digital Native In August, Tollywood star Rana Daggubati married his fiancé Miheeka Bajaj in a close-knit wedding ceremony organised at the Ramanaidu Studios in Hyderabad. The ceremony took place with less than 50 people in attendance. On Saturday, Miheeka posted a picture of herself and Rana Daggubati holidaying at a beach on her social media. The caption read, "Just because @ranadaggubati". View this post on Instagram Just because @ranadaggubati A post shared by miheeka (@miheeka) on Oct 17, 2020 at 12:52am Pdt Miheeka and Rana first met in Mumbai at a Bollywood party, where they hit it off instantly since they already shared the same friend circle. In the month of May, Rana took to social media to introduce Mihika as his girlfriend to fans. He shared a photo of the two of them with the caption,...
- 10/17/2020
- by Balakrishna
- The News Minute
TollywoodThis film also marks Nandita Das’s comeback into the Telugu film industry.Digital NativeBy ArrangementVirata Parvam: 1992, the Telugu film starring Rana Daggubati and Sai Pallavi, has been in the making for more than a year. Only 50% of the film has been completed; however, plans have been made to resume shooting in November. The film has Rana Daggubati playing a cop while Sai Pallavi will be seen as a Naxalite in love with him. It is directed by Venu Udugula of Needi Naadi Oke Katha fame. Nandita Das will also make her comeback into the Telugu film industry with this project. The ongoing coronavirus outbreak has delayed the shooting of the film, which impacted its summer release. Recently there were reports that it may release on an Ott platform soon. However, these reports were refuted by the makers of Virata Parvam: 1992, saying it will only release in theatres. The film also stars Priyamani,...
- 9/26/2020
- by Rajeswari
- The News Minute
Actress Mouni Roy, who will soon be seen in the digital film, London Confidential, opposite Purab Kohli, says that lockdown taught her some of the greatest lessons in life.
The actress, who is currently in Dubai, told, "I realized a few things during lockdown that we otherwise never get a chance to sit down and analyze. I have understood that, in reality we need very little to feel happy because happiness is there in the small things of life. At times we just gather a lot of stuff in our house for no reason. In normal life, we tend to engage ourselves in many things that are otherwise irrelevant! If we want, we actually can stay away from such things!"
"I have also realized that as human beings we will come across different emotions like anger and being upset, but it is also very easy to drop these negative emotions if we work on these.
The actress, who is currently in Dubai, told, "I realized a few things during lockdown that we otherwise never get a chance to sit down and analyze. I have understood that, in reality we need very little to feel happy because happiness is there in the small things of life. At times we just gather a lot of stuff in our house for no reason. In normal life, we tend to engage ourselves in many things that are otherwise irrelevant! If we want, we actually can stay away from such things!"
"I have also realized that as human beings we will come across different emotions like anger and being upset, but it is also very easy to drop these negative emotions if we work on these.
- 9/22/2020
- by Glamsham Editorial
- GlamSham
TollywoodThe star will be collaborating with director Milind Rau of ‘Gruham’ fame for this yet to be titled film.Digital NativeDigital NativeRana Daggubati’s next film in the pipeline is a supernatural action adventure. Reports from Tollywood confirm that the star will be collaborating with director Milind Rau of Gruham fame for this yet to be titled film. The film will be bankrolled by Rana’s home banner Suresh Productions in association with Gopi Achanta. With Rana giving his consent to star in the film, the director is currently busy assembling the cast and crew. The highlights of this film will be the use of the latest VFX techniques and some gravity-defying stunts. Rana currently has Virata Parvam: 1992 and Aranya in his kitty. Virata Parvam, which stars Sai Pallavi as the female lead, is touted to be a romance with a heavy dose of action and politics. The filmmakers have...
- 9/1/2020
- by Vidya
- The News Minute
Haf, New Horizons, Thessaloniki and Nfdc Film Bazaar have each contributed five.
Twenty works-in-progress from four international film events have been selected for the online Marché du Film’s Goes To Cannes showcase, which runs from June 22-24.
Five titles will be presented by each of Hong Kong Asia Film Financing Forum (Haf); Poland’s New Horizons International Film Festival; Greece’s Thessaloniki International Film Festival (Tiff); and for the first time, India’s Nfdc Film Bazaar.
The projects will be presented during two-hour online screenings from June 22-23. Industry professionals who attend the online screenings will be able to...
Twenty works-in-progress from four international film events have been selected for the online Marché du Film’s Goes To Cannes showcase, which runs from June 22-24.
Five titles will be presented by each of Hong Kong Asia Film Financing Forum (Haf); Poland’s New Horizons International Film Festival; Greece’s Thessaloniki International Film Festival (Tiff); and for the first time, India’s Nfdc Film Bazaar.
The projects will be presented during two-hour online screenings from June 22-23. Industry professionals who attend the online screenings will be able to...
- 5/26/2020
- by 1101321¦Ben Dalton¦26¦
- ScreenDaily
TollywoodThe films are titled ‘Rakshasa Raju Ravanasurudu’ and ‘Alimelu Manga Venkata Ramana’.Digital NativeDigital NativeDirector Teja recently registered titles for two new films – Rakshasa Raju Ravanasurudu and Alimelu Manga Venkata Ramana – on the occasion of his birthday. And reports suggest that the director has finalised the heroes as well. Gopichand and Rana Daggubati have been roped in to play the lead roles in these films. While the director revealed the names of the two films and two heroes, there is no clear indication of who has been assigned which film. On Birthday of Director @tejagaru today, two films titles are registered #Alivelumangavenkatarama & #raksharajuravanasurudu Hunk @RanaDaggubati and Macho @YoursGopichand will be the leads of the films #HBDTeja More details will reveal soon pic.twitter.com/fhwGtH0XGI — BARaju (@baraju_SuperHit) February 22, 2020 Incidentally, there were reports some months ago that Rana would be playing the lead role in Rakshasa Raju Ravanasurudu, which...
- 2/25/2020
- by Vidya
- The News Minute
Rana is currently busy with Venu Udugula's 'Virata Parvam'. Digital NativeVeteran filmmaker K Madhu had announced several months ago that he will be making a film on the lives of Travancore’s legendary kings, Marthanda Varma and Karthika Varma, in two parts. At that time it was disclosed that Rana Daggubati will be starring in the first part, Anizham Thirunal Marthanda Varma – The King of Travancore. But for many months now there have been no updates. According to Cinema Express, actor Rana cleared rumors that this project has been put on hold. The actor, who was in Kerala recently to promote his new Tamil film, said at an event that the groundwork is on. The project, being a historical one, requires extensive research which is the reason for the delay, he had said. Robin Thirumala is scripting the film. The technical crew of this film includes sound engineer Resul Pookutty...
- 2/21/2020
- by Manasa
- The News Minute
TollywoodThe film is being released in Tamil as ‘Kaadan’.Digital NativeFrom what we got to see of Rana Daggubati in Haathi Meri Saathi, we can tell that the star has undergone a lot of physical changes to get into the skin of the character he plays. A lot of efforts have gone into this film which will be released in three languages - Haathi Meri Saathi in Hindi, Aranya in Telugu and Kaadan in Tamil. Reports are that this trilingual has been shot extensively in two countries and four forests located in Kerala, Mahabaleshwar, Mumbai and Thailand. The film was shot over a period of 250 days with 145 cast and crew members involved in the making. Besides Rana Daggubati, it also stars Zoya Hussain, Kalki Koechlin, Vishnu Vishal and Pulkit Samrat in the lead roles. Rana Daggubati will be seen in all three versions of the film along with Zoya Hussein...
- 2/20/2020
- by Nimeshika
- The News Minute
TollywoodThe film will be released in Hindi, Tamil and Telugu.Digital NativeRana Daggubati’s Haathi Mere Saathi has been in the making for a long time now. The wait is finally over for fans, with filmmakers having announced that the movie will hit the marquee on April 2. The film has reached the final mode of post-production and the promos will begin soon, we hear. Directed by Prabhu Solomon, Haathi Mere Saathi will be released in three languages – Tamil, Telugu and Hindi. It is titled Kaadan in Tamil and Aranya in Telugu. Besides Rana Daggubati, it also has Zoya Hussain, Kalki Koechlin, Vishnu Vishal and Pulkit Samrat in the lead roles. Haathi Mere Saathi is bankrolled by Inder Singh Bariya, Omshankar Bhagat, Ajay Rai and Sushil Tirwadkar under the banner Trinity Pictures. Rana Daggubati will be seen in all three versions of the film along with Zoya Hussein and Kalki Koechlin...
- 2/11/2020
- by Nimeshika
- The News Minute
Tollywood The duo had worked together in Nene Raja Nene Mantri earlier and the director has now reportedly impressed the star with a new script.Digital NativeReliable sources in Tollywood suggest that Rana Daggubati and director Teja may be teaming up again. The duo had worked together in Nene Raja Nene Mantri earlier and the director has now impressed the star with a new script. An official announcement regarding the same will be out soon. If everything goes as per schedule, this film will go on floors after Rana wraps up the shoot of his current assignment. Meanwhile, Rana is busy with Virata Parvam 1992. The shooting of this film is currently in progress at the forests in Kerala. According to reports, it will be a romance film, but will also have a lot of action and politics elements. The film has Rana Daggubati playing a police officer, while Sai Pallavi...
- 1/25/2020
- by Geetika
- The News Minute
Tollywood The film is touted to be a romance with Rana playing a cop and Sai Pallavi a naxalite. Digital NativeReports that Rana Daggubati is getting ready to join the sets of Virata Parvam has been confirmed with the actor joining the shooting spot in Kerala. Sources in the know say that Rana and Sai Pallavi are currently camping in a forest in Kerala where the shooting is happening. The team is planning on shooting some very important scenes in this forest, we hear. Touted to be a romance film with a heavy dose of action and politics, reports have surfaced that the filmmakers have roped in the Hollywood stunt director Stefan Richter to choreograph the action sequences. The film is directed by Venu Udugula of Naadi Needi Oke Kadha fame. Tabu, Priyamani, Eswari Rao and Zareena Wahab have been roped in to play the supporting roles in it. The...
- 1/18/2020
- by Sreedevi
- The News Minute
Selected projects include four debut features and the second fiction feature from Pushpendra Singh.
Film Bazaar, organised by India’s National Film Development Corp (Nfdc), has selected five projects to participate in this year’s Work-in-Progress (Wip) Lab, four of which are from first-time directors.
The four debut features are Kannada-language Pedro, directed by Natesh Hegde, and Hindi-language titles Shankar’s Fairies, directed by Irfana Majumdar, Switzerland, from Ajitpal Singh, and The Knot (Uljhan), from Ashish Pant. The one project from a returning director is the Gujari-language The Shepherdess And The Seven Songs, directed by Pushpendra Singh (Lajwanti).
The mentors...
Film Bazaar, organised by India’s National Film Development Corp (Nfdc), has selected five projects to participate in this year’s Work-in-Progress (Wip) Lab, four of which are from first-time directors.
The four debut features are Kannada-language Pedro, directed by Natesh Hegde, and Hindi-language titles Shankar’s Fairies, directed by Irfana Majumdar, Switzerland, from Ajitpal Singh, and The Knot (Uljhan), from Ashish Pant. The one project from a returning director is the Gujari-language The Shepherdess And The Seven Songs, directed by Pushpendra Singh (Lajwanti).
The mentors...
- 11/4/2019
- by 89¦Liz Shackleton¦0¦
- ScreenDaily
MollywoodActor Dhyan Sreenivasan wrote and directed the film.Digital NativeNivin Pauly-Nayanthara starrer Love Action Drama which hit the screens last month during the Onam season has crossed the Rs 50 crore mark worldwide. The makers have released an official teaser declaring the film's collection. Reportedly, the film has been performing well in all the centers not only in Kerala but also in Bengaluru, Chennai and the UAE. Taking to his social media handle Nivin wrote, "#LoveActionDrama crosses 50 crore plus worldwide! Thank you so much for accepting Dineshan & Shobha! Love you all!" He also shared a new teaser from the film. With this, Nivin Pauly has added yet another movie to the prestigious 50-crore club. Earlier, his movies like Bangalore Days, Premam, Kayamkulam Kochunni, etc., have entered the 50-crore club at the worldwide box office. Actor Dhyan Sreenivasan wrote and directed the film. According to the director, it is a modern-day take on the 1989 film Vadakkunokkiyanthram,...
- 10/2/2019
- by Cris
- The News Minute
Film Anurag Kashyap, who has co-produced the film, was also present.Tnm StaffMoothon - Nivin Pauly’s much awaited bilingual crime thriller is off to a great start. The film, directed by Geetu Mohandas, had its world premiere at the prestigious Toronto International Film Festival (Tiff) on Wednesday, September 11. The main cast and crew of the film, which includes Geetu, Nivin, Roshan Matthew, Sobhita Dhulipala, Sanjana Dipu and others had flown down to Canada to attend the premiere in Toronto. Accompanying them was ace director Anurag Kashyap who has co-produced the film along with Ajay Rai and Alan McAlex. In an interview to the Indian Express on his film premiering at Tiff, Nivin Pauly said that it was ‘his dream come true’. “It is an absolute honour to have my film Moothon premiering at the Toronto Film Festival. I must say it is a dream come true moment,” he stated in the interview.
- 9/12/2019
- by Sreedevi
- The News Minute
TollywoodThe shooting of the film is currently progressing in jungles in Kerala.Digital NativeA pic of Rana Daggubati from the sets of his upcoming film Haathi Mere Saathi has sent shockwaves among his fans. The Baahubali actor, known for his well-chiseled physique, is seen sporting an unkempt look with a beard. The unkempt look of the star has fans waiting to know more about his role and why such a transformation was needed. Well, for that, we will have to wait for the film release. The shooting of this film has been progressing for quite some time now, with the team currently stationed in the jungles in Kerala for a schedule. This Prabhu Solomon directorial is a trilingual that is made in Hindi, Tamil and Telugu simultaneously. In Hindi it is titled Haathi Mere Saathi, while in Tamil it is Kaadan and in Telugu it is Aranya. Rana Daggubati will...
- 5/17/2019
- by Priyankar
- The News Minute
TollywoodThe shooting of the film is currently progressing in jungles in Kerala.Digital NativeA pic of Rana Daggubati from the sets of his upcoming film Haathi Mere Saathi has sent shockwaves among his fans. The Baahubali actor, known for his well-chiseled physique, is seen sporting an unkempt look with a beard. The unkempt look of the star has fans waiting to know more about his role and why such a transformation was needed. Well, for that, we will have to wait for the film release. The shooting of this film has been progressing for quite some time now, with the team currently stationed in the jungles in Kerala for a schedule. This Prabhu Solomon directorial is a trilingual that is made in Hindi, Tamil and Telugu simultaneously. In Hindi it is titled Haathi Mere Saathi, while in Tamil it is Kaadan and in Telugu it is Aranya. Rana Daggubati will...
- 5/17/2019
- by Priyankar
- The News Minute
TollywoodThe film stars Rana Daggubati as a cop and Sai Pallavi as a Naxalite in the lead roles.Digital NativeAward-winning actor Priyamani has been signed up to play an important role in the upcoming Telugu movie Virata Parvam 1992. The director of the film impressed the actor with a performance-oriented role that she agreed immediately, say sources. Priyamani, who is currently in Dubai, will be heading to Hyderabad to join the team. The actor who made her debut with the Tamil film Ullam, hogged the limelight with the role Muthazhagu in Paruthiveeran. She went on to win the National Film Award for Best Actress (2006), Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Actress, Filmfare Award for Best Actress – Tamil (2007) and Vijay Award for Best Actress (2007) for her characterisation of Muthazhagu. According to reports, Virata Parvam 1992 will be a romance film, but will also have a lot of action and politics included to make the narration interesting.
- 5/3/2019
- by Nimeshika
- The News Minute
Mohamed Siam, Emre Akay and Myriam El Hajj will be among the filmmakers heading to Turkey.
Mohamed Siam, Emre Akay and Myriam El Hajj will be among the filmmakers heading to Turkey for the 14th edition of the Meetings on the Bridge project meeting, running April 11-12 within the framework of the 38th Istanbul Film Festival (April 5-16).
Egyptian documentarian Mohamed Siam, whose last feature Amal opened the International Documentary Festival Amsterdam (Idfa) in 2017, will present his first fiction feature project, Blood And Honey (Carnaval).
Siam describes it as comedy mixing ingredients from Amal – which followed a young female revolutionary...
Mohamed Siam, Emre Akay and Myriam El Hajj will be among the filmmakers heading to Turkey for the 14th edition of the Meetings on the Bridge project meeting, running April 11-12 within the framework of the 38th Istanbul Film Festival (April 5-16).
Egyptian documentarian Mohamed Siam, whose last feature Amal opened the International Documentary Festival Amsterdam (Idfa) in 2017, will present his first fiction feature project, Blood And Honey (Carnaval).
Siam describes it as comedy mixing ingredients from Amal – which followed a young female revolutionary...
- 3/22/2019
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- ScreenDaily
TollywoodAccording to sources, the actor, who is now busy filming for 'Haathi Mere Saathi', has been approached to play a role in a Hollywood movie. Digital NativeTelugu star Rana Daggubati, who is an established actor in the industry and has also forayed into Hindi, is all set to make his Hollywood debut soon. According to sources, Rana is in talks with the makers of a film for a role. However, nothing has been finalised yet. The Baahubali star already has a list of films in the pipeline including Haathi Mere Saathi, a trilingual in Hindi, Tamil and Telugu, Houseful 4 in Hindi and Enai Nokki Paayum Thotta in Tamil where he plays a cameo. Meanwhile, there is news doing the rounds that his Telugu film with Venu Udugula has been shelved for various reasons. Haathi Mere Saathi, a trilingual film, is keeping Rana Daggubati busy. Currently, the film crew...
- 2/2/2019
- by Meghak
- The News Minute
CinemaA trilingual, the film is titled ‘Kaadan’ in Tamil and ‘Aranya’ in Telugu.Digital NativeRana Daggubati is a star with a pan Indian appeal, having acted in Hindi, Telugu and Tamil films so far, and his portrayal of Bhallaladeva in the blockbuster Baahubali is unforgettable. The star is now all set to enthral movie buffs with his new film, a trilingual that is titled Haathi Mere Saathi in Hindi, Kaadan in Tamil and Aranya in Telugu. The shooting of this film is currently underway and recently the actor had announced on Twitter that he will be off to the jungles of Kerala for the film shoot. His tweet read: “Morning... Off into the jungles of Kerala for filming Haathi Mere Saathi.” Morning....Off into the jungles of Kerala for filming #HaathiMereSaathi — Rana Daggubati (@RanaDaggubati) January 7, 2019 The trilingual is directed by Prabhu Solomon, who has directed critically acclaimed Tamil films such as Myna and Kumki.
- 1/9/2019
- by Vidya
- The News Minute
TollywoodThe actor is apparently gaining weight for the movie to make his character look convincing. Digital NativeRana Daggubati is one of the finest actors in Tollywood. The star has been selecting his roles carefully in order to build a successful career, no doubt. His roles in films such Baahubali and The Ghazi Attack has earned him a huge fan base across India. Also, Rana puts in a lot of effort to get in to the skin of the character he plays in each of the film he chooses. For Baahubali, he had to put on a lot of weight to look older than his age and for the Ntr biopic in which he plays the Chief Minister of Andhra, N Chandra Babu Naidu, he shed weight to play the role convincingly. Reports are that, he will be gaining a lot of weight for his upcoming Hindi flick titled Haathi Mere Saathi.
- 12/26/2018
- by Priyankar
- The News Minute
Eros International just announced its current film production line up for 2017-18 and is a very exciting list of film. The company plans to produce over 50 films across multiple languages, making it the largest slate by any Indian studio this year, offering a diversified slate of marquee and content-driven films.
The company has ramped up its own productions with an exciting line-up under development through key partnerships including talented producer-director, Aanand L Rai and their joint production entity Colour Yellow Production, Viki Rajani’s NextGen Films and Trinity Pictures, Eros’ in-house franchise label.
Following the critical and commercial successes of Raanjhanaa, Tanu Weds Manu Returns, Nil Battey Sannata and Happy Bhag Jayegi, Eros continues its association with Aanand L Rai and will roll out eight more titles with Colour Yellow which include Rai’s directorial venture starring Shah Rukh Khan. As well as a quirky romantic comedy Shubh Mangal Savdhaan by south director Rs Prasanna,...
The company has ramped up its own productions with an exciting line-up under development through key partnerships including talented producer-director, Aanand L Rai and their joint production entity Colour Yellow Production, Viki Rajani’s NextGen Films and Trinity Pictures, Eros’ in-house franchise label.
Following the critical and commercial successes of Raanjhanaa, Tanu Weds Manu Returns, Nil Battey Sannata and Happy Bhag Jayegi, Eros continues its association with Aanand L Rai and will roll out eight more titles with Colour Yellow which include Rai’s directorial venture starring Shah Rukh Khan. As well as a quirky romantic comedy Shubh Mangal Savdhaan by south director Rs Prasanna,...
- 1/13/2017
- by Stacey Yount
- Bollyspice
Aanand L Rai whose love for cinema encouraged him to launch his own home production banner, Colour Yellow Productions in association with Eros International has always stressed on the importance of creative processes and people behind the camera as the first vital steps towards good content. Last year saw a very well acclaimed Nil Battey Sannata and a hit family entertainer Happy Bhag Jayegi from this production banner.
This year, the director-producer is also collaborating with some immensely talented directors from across the board.
Apart from working one of the most anticipated films – Rai’s directorial next with Shah Rukh Khan, which goes on floors this year, he recently joined hands with Anurag Kashyap, who will work on two films. Buzz is one of them is an intense love story-musical, set in a small town. Expect a bouquet of versatile genres this year as Aanand L Rai will also be...
This year, the director-producer is also collaborating with some immensely talented directors from across the board.
Apart from working one of the most anticipated films – Rai’s directorial next with Shah Rukh Khan, which goes on floors this year, he recently joined hands with Anurag Kashyap, who will work on two films. Buzz is one of them is an intense love story-musical, set in a small town. Expect a bouquet of versatile genres this year as Aanand L Rai will also be...
- 1/7/2017
- by Press Releases
- Bollyspice
Line-up includes projects from Geetu Mohandas, Mostofa S. Farooki and Haobam Paban Kumar, along with the event’s first ever animation projects.
India’s National Film Development Corp (Nfdc) has unveiled the 18 projects selected for the Co-production Market at this year’s Film Bazaar, including new works from Geetu Mohandas, Mostofa S. Farooki [pictured] and Haobam Paban Kumar.
Mohandas, whose first feature Liar’s Dice screened at Sundance and won six international awards, is bringing her new project Insha’allah to Film Bazaar, with Jar Pictures attached as producer. Farooki, whose credits as director include Television and Ant Story, is producing fellow Bangladeshi director Abu Shahed Emon’s A Foolish Man.
Manipuri filmmaker Haobam Paban Kumar, whose debut Lady Of The Lake premieres in New Currents at Busan this week, is again working with Oli Pictures on Joseph’s Son.
The Film Bazaar line-up also includes the event’s first two animation projects –Soumitra Ranade’s Kabuliwala, to be...
India’s National Film Development Corp (Nfdc) has unveiled the 18 projects selected for the Co-production Market at this year’s Film Bazaar, including new works from Geetu Mohandas, Mostofa S. Farooki [pictured] and Haobam Paban Kumar.
Mohandas, whose first feature Liar’s Dice screened at Sundance and won six international awards, is bringing her new project Insha’allah to Film Bazaar, with Jar Pictures attached as producer. Farooki, whose credits as director include Television and Ant Story, is producing fellow Bangladeshi director Abu Shahed Emon’s A Foolish Man.
Manipuri filmmaker Haobam Paban Kumar, whose debut Lady Of The Lake premieres in New Currents at Busan this week, is again working with Oli Pictures on Joseph’s Son.
The Film Bazaar line-up also includes the event’s first two animation projects –Soumitra Ranade’s Kabuliwala, to be...
- 10/4/2016
- by lizshackleton@gmail.com (Liz Shackleton)
- ScreenDaily
Mumbai-based Jar Pictures is attending Film Bazaar with a busy, multiple-language slate, including Ajitpal Singh’s The Man Who Broke The Mountain, to be co-produced by Mexican writer-producer Guillermo Arriaga [pictured].
The Hindi-language drama, based on the true story of India’s “Mountain Man” Dashrath Manjhi, was selected for the Mumbai Mantra/Sundance Screenwriters Lab in 2012.
Arriaga, who wrote Babel and produced Venice Golden Lion winner From Afar, was a mentor at the lab.
Jar’s Alan McAlex and his partner Ajay G. Rai are also producing the next film from Liar’s Dice director Geetu Mohandas, Malayalam-language Mulakoya, which will shoot next year in Lakshadweep Islands, Kerala and Mumbai. The project was selected for this year’s Drishyam/Sundance Screenwriters Lab.
Following its success with Avinash Arun’s award-winning Killa, which opened in France last month, Jar is also producing Arun’s next Marathi-language film, Boomerang.
The company will also produce the next project from Crossing Bridges director...
The Hindi-language drama, based on the true story of India’s “Mountain Man” Dashrath Manjhi, was selected for the Mumbai Mantra/Sundance Screenwriters Lab in 2012.
Arriaga, who wrote Babel and produced Venice Golden Lion winner From Afar, was a mentor at the lab.
Jar’s Alan McAlex and his partner Ajay G. Rai are also producing the next film from Liar’s Dice director Geetu Mohandas, Malayalam-language Mulakoya, which will shoot next year in Lakshadweep Islands, Kerala and Mumbai. The project was selected for this year’s Drishyam/Sundance Screenwriters Lab.
Following its success with Avinash Arun’s award-winning Killa, which opened in France last month, Jar is also producing Arun’s next Marathi-language film, Boomerang.
The company will also produce the next project from Crossing Bridges director...
- 11/23/2015
- by lizshackleton@gmail.com (Liz Shackleton)
- ScreenDaily
Mumbai-based Jar Pictures is attending Film Bazaar with a busy, multiple-language slate, including Ajitpal Singh’s The Man Who Broke The Mountain, to be co-produced by Mexican writer-producer Guillermo Arriaga [pictured].
The Hindi-language drama, based on the true story of India’s “Mountain Man” Dashrath Manjhi, was selected for the Mumbai Mantra/Sundance Screenwriters Lab in 2012. Arriaga, who wrote Babel and produced Venice Golden Lion winner From Afar, was a mentor at the lab.
Jar’s Alan McAlex and his partner Ajay G. Rai are also producing the next film from Liar’s Dice director Geetu Mohandas, Malayalam-language Mulakoya, which will shoot next year in Lakshadweep Islands, Kerala and Mumbai. The project was selected for this year’s Drishyam/Sundance Screenwriters Lab.
Following its success with Avinash Arun’s award-winning Killa, which opened in France last month, Jar is also producing Arun’s next Marathi-language film, Boomerang. The company will also produce the next project from Crossing Bridges director...
The Hindi-language drama, based on the true story of India’s “Mountain Man” Dashrath Manjhi, was selected for the Mumbai Mantra/Sundance Screenwriters Lab in 2012. Arriaga, who wrote Babel and produced Venice Golden Lion winner From Afar, was a mentor at the lab.
Jar’s Alan McAlex and his partner Ajay G. Rai are also producing the next film from Liar’s Dice director Geetu Mohandas, Malayalam-language Mulakoya, which will shoot next year in Lakshadweep Islands, Kerala and Mumbai. The project was selected for this year’s Drishyam/Sundance Screenwriters Lab.
Following its success with Avinash Arun’s award-winning Killa, which opened in France last month, Jar is also producing Arun’s next Marathi-language film, Boomerang. The company will also produce the next project from Crossing Bridges director...
- 11/23/2015
- by lizshackleton@gmail.com (Liz Shackleton)
- ScreenDaily
The UK firm will raise around $310,000 (£200,000) in UK production finance for Microwave International: Shakespeare India; projects, teams, mentors announced.
Media investment firm Bob & Co is the latest company to invest in Film London’s mentoring and development scheme Microwave International: Shakespeare India.
Bob & Co will raise UK production finance for the project through an Enterprise Investment Scheme (Eis).
The scheme’s aim is to finance one feature with significant Asian and British Asian involvement with up to $780,000 (£500,000) and to theatrically release the film in 2016.
Andy Brunskill, of Bob & Co’s subsidiary Sums London, brokered the deal and will executive produce the selected feature.
Bob & Co will raise money through the Eis scheme, along with India’s Cinestaan Film Company, who partnered with Film London on the initiative in April.
The project will involve six teams of Asian writers, directors and producers from the UK and India honing ideas for Shakespeare-themed features in an intensive week-long microschool, which...
Media investment firm Bob & Co is the latest company to invest in Film London’s mentoring and development scheme Microwave International: Shakespeare India.
Bob & Co will raise UK production finance for the project through an Enterprise Investment Scheme (Eis).
The scheme’s aim is to finance one feature with significant Asian and British Asian involvement with up to $780,000 (£500,000) and to theatrically release the film in 2016.
Andy Brunskill, of Bob & Co’s subsidiary Sums London, brokered the deal and will executive produce the selected feature.
Bob & Co will raise money through the Eis scheme, along with India’s Cinestaan Film Company, who partnered with Film London on the initiative in April.
The project will involve six teams of Asian writers, directors and producers from the UK and India honing ideas for Shakespeare-themed features in an intensive week-long microschool, which...
- 7/21/2015
- ScreenDaily
The eighth season of the Indian Premier League has begun and people seem to be enjoying it just like the previous seasons. It isn't a hidden fact that Indians are die-hard cricket fans and Bollywood movies releasing during the Ipl season have suffered. During the initial seasons, there were not many releases during the tournament, but now there are around nine movies releasing. Here is a list of the Bollywood films releasing during the Ipl season, check them out...
Ek Paheli Leela and Dharam Sankat Mein
Both the films Ek Paheli Leela and Dharam Sankat Mein release today i.e the 10th April, 2015.
Ek Paheli Leela stars Sunny Leone, Jay Bhanushali, Rajniesh Duggal, Mohit Ahlawat, Jas Arora, Rahul Dev and others is directed by Bobby Khan and produced by Bhushan Kumar, Krishan Kumar, Ahmed Khan and Shaira Khan.
Dharam Sankat Mein stars Paresh Rawal, Naseeruddin Shah, Annu Kapoor, Murli Sharma and others.
Ek Paheli Leela and Dharam Sankat Mein
Both the films Ek Paheli Leela and Dharam Sankat Mein release today i.e the 10th April, 2015.
Ek Paheli Leela stars Sunny Leone, Jay Bhanushali, Rajniesh Duggal, Mohit Ahlawat, Jas Arora, Rahul Dev and others is directed by Bobby Khan and produced by Bhushan Kumar, Krishan Kumar, Ahmed Khan and Shaira Khan.
Dharam Sankat Mein stars Paresh Rawal, Naseeruddin Shah, Annu Kapoor, Murli Sharma and others.
- 4/10/2015
- GlamSham
2015 is proving to be more and more lucky for Akshay Oberoi… After Abhishek Kapoor’s Fitoor, Indo-Brit film Bombairiya and bagging a special appearance with Deepika in Piku, Akshay Oberoi has been signed for yet another interesting film called Gurgaon as the lead.
Gurgaon, directed by national award winning cinematographer Shanker Raman is co produced by Ajay G Rai and Alan McAlex of Jar films and Mukesh Chhabra. Jar also produced India’s official entry to Oscars – Liar’s Dice starring Nawazuddin and Mukesh Chhabra. Interestingly, while Akshay was shooting for Fitoor in Kashmir, Ajay Rai, who is the line producer on Fitoor liked his work and recommended his name to the director of the film. Shanker saw few scenes from Akshay’s film Pizza and the public service ad he had done and liked him instantly.
Akshay will be seen a totally new look and role in the film.
Gurgaon, directed by national award winning cinematographer Shanker Raman is co produced by Ajay G Rai and Alan McAlex of Jar films and Mukesh Chhabra. Jar also produced India’s official entry to Oscars – Liar’s Dice starring Nawazuddin and Mukesh Chhabra. Interestingly, while Akshay was shooting for Fitoor in Kashmir, Ajay Rai, who is the line producer on Fitoor liked his work and recommended his name to the director of the film. Shanker saw few scenes from Akshay’s film Pizza and the public service ad he had done and liked him instantly.
Akshay will be seen a totally new look and role in the film.
- 1/25/2015
- by Press Releases
- Bollyspice
Leviathan leads contenders; 36 films from 21 countries in the running.
Films in the running for the 2014 Apsa for Best Feature Film include Winter Sleep (Turkey, France, Germany), Leviathan (Russia), I’m Not Angry (Iran), The Owners (Kazakhstan), and Memories on Stone (Iraqi Kurdistan, Germany).
Leviathan, also nominated for Achievement in Cinematography for Mikhail Krichman, has received three nominations in total, the most for any film.
In total, 36 films from 21 countries are in the running for awards.
Nominees vying for the award in the Achievement in Directing category are: Rolf de Heer (Charlie’s Country, Australia), Andrey Zvyagintsev (Leviathan, Russia), Im Kwon-taek (Revivre, South Korea), Rakhshan Banietemad (Tales, Iran) and Nuri Bilge Ceylan (Winter Sleep, Turkey, France, Germany).
For the first time, a film from Syria has received a nomination, with Silvered Water, Syria Self-portrait (Syria, France) nominated for the Apsa for Best Feature Documentary.
Films from the China and Russia lead the nominations with six each, closely followed...
Films in the running for the 2014 Apsa for Best Feature Film include Winter Sleep (Turkey, France, Germany), Leviathan (Russia), I’m Not Angry (Iran), The Owners (Kazakhstan), and Memories on Stone (Iraqi Kurdistan, Germany).
Leviathan, also nominated for Achievement in Cinematography for Mikhail Krichman, has received three nominations in total, the most for any film.
In total, 36 films from 21 countries are in the running for awards.
Nominees vying for the award in the Achievement in Directing category are: Rolf de Heer (Charlie’s Country, Australia), Andrey Zvyagintsev (Leviathan, Russia), Im Kwon-taek (Revivre, South Korea), Rakhshan Banietemad (Tales, Iran) and Nuri Bilge Ceylan (Winter Sleep, Turkey, France, Germany).
For the first time, a film from Syria has received a nomination, with Silvered Water, Syria Self-portrait (Syria, France) nominated for the Apsa for Best Feature Documentary.
Films from the China and Russia lead the nominations with six each, closely followed...
- 10/28/2014
- ScreenDaily
This year the 12th edition of the Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles (Iffla) includes a lineup of narrative and documentary features and short films. The impressive program reflects the rich diversity of Indian cinema, as well as the future of Indian filmmaking, with cutting-edge filmmakers and emerging voices bringing their acclaimed films to Los Angeles.
The festival is widely recognized as the premiere showcase of groundbreaking Indian cinema globally. Iffla will run April 8-13 at ArcLight Hollywood in Los Angeles, the festival’s home since its inception. Jadoo, an exploration of family bonds amidst two feuding brothers’ restaurants in England, will screen as the festival’s Closing Night Gala. The film is written and directed by Iffla alum Amit Gupta, and first premiered at the 2013 Berlinale. It features a wonderful ensemble cast that includes Kulvinder Ghir, Amara Karan, Harish Patel, Tom Mison, and Madhur Jaffrey. As previously announced, Iffla will open with Jeffrey D. Brown’s Sold, produced by Jane Charles and executive produced by Emma Thompson.
Iffla 2014 wil l present more than 33 films, including three world premieres, six North American premieres, six U.S. premieres, and 16 Los Angeles premieres. The films feature 10 different languages, from Hindi to Marathi, to Russian to Bengali. Additionally, Iffla supports American, Australian, British, Canadian, and European diaspora filmmakers from nine different countries telling their stories.
“I'm thrilled and proud that Iffla's line-up this year includes an especially diverse range of cinematic experiences, covering many regions of India and the diaspora,” said Iffla’s Artistic Director Jasmine Jaisinghani. "We would like to thank our Programming Advisor in India, Uma Da Cunha, for helping our programming team source some of these exceptional films."
Program highlights include: the North American premiere of Anurag Kashyap’s latest, Ugly an intense, masterfully directed psychological thriller that premiered in the 2013 Director’s Fortnight section of Cannes; Liar's Dice, the remarkable directorial debut of South Indian actress Geetu Mohandas that premiered at this year’s Sundance Film Festival; Anup Singh’s latest feature Qissa: The Tale of a Lonely Ghost, starring Irrfan Khan (Life of Pi, Slumdog Millionaire), winner of Netpac Award at the Toronto International Film Festival, and Dioraphte Award at the International Film Festival Rotterdam; the Audience Award winner at the 2013 Slamdance Film Festival Hank and Asha , an exploratory, romantic look at two people bonding in the digital age by newcomer James E. Duff; Nagraj Manjule’s Fandry, a highly praised debut feature for its multilayered emotion and realism on the subject of caste discrimination; Brahmin Bulls starring Roshan Seth (Gandhi, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, Mississippi Masala) and Sendhil Ramamurthy (Beauty and the Beast, Heroes) as an estranged father and son unexpectedly brought together to confront the family’s past; and Siddharth, a nuanced look at a family whose son goes missing, by lauded Canadian director and Iffla alum Richie Mehta (Amal).
The festival's feature documentary competition includes an eclectic mix of films from established and upcoming filmmakers that consider India's unique traditions and dynamic future. The films include: the world premiere of
The Auction House , an intimate and funny look at two brothers trying to keep their anachronistic family business going in the digital age; festival favorite Powerless, which depicts intense struggles over electricity in a mid-size Indian city; Faith Connections, Iffla alum Pan Nalin's beautiful and rare look at the Kumbh Mela; and the National Award-winning Shepherds of Paradise, about an arduous, mountainous trek through an animal drive in the Kashmiri winter.
The Bollywood by Night series returns this year with Bombay Talkies and Monsoon Shootout. Premiering at last year’s Cannes Film Festival, Bombay Talkies is a quartet of short films that celebrates 100 years of Indian cinema. The omnibus film features work by four of India’s most exciting contemporary directors: Karan Johar, Dibakar Banerjee, Zoya Akhtar, and Anurag Kashyap, as well as a stellar cast that includes Amitabh Bachchan, Rani Mukerji, and Katrina Kaif. Monsoon Shoutout is a thrilling debut by Iffla alum writer/director Amit Kumar about how a split-second decision made by a rookie police officer has rippling effects in his life and the lives of those around him.
The shorts competition showcases a diverse selection of 15 films that include narrative, documentary, experimental, and animated works. Highlights of this year’s program include Academy Award® shortlisted Kush; Sundance award winner Love.Love.Love.; and the world premiere of acclaimed director Umesh Kulkarni’s The Fly.
Festival Passes and Gala tickets are currently on sale at the festival's website.
For more information, please visit:
Website: www.indianfilmfestival.org.
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/ indianfilmfestival
Twitter: https://twitter.com /iffla
Tumblr: http://indianfilmfestival.tumblr.com/
About Iffla
Now in its 12th year, the Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles (Iffla) is a nonprofit organization devoted to a greater appreciation of Indian cinema and culture by showcasing films, honoring entertainment industry business executives, and promoting the diverse perspectives of the Indian diaspora.
Opening Night Gala
Sold
Los Angeles Premiere
USA/2014/97min
Director: Jeffrey D. Brown
Producer: Jane Charles
Executive Producer: Emma Thompson
Screenwriters: Joseph Kwong, Jeffrey D. Brown
Composer: John McDowell, Sammy Chand, Salim & Sulaiman Merchant
Cast: Susmita Mukherjee, Seema Biswas, Tillotama Shome, Niyar Saikia, Priyanka Bose, Ankur Vikal, Parambrata Chatterjee, Gillian Anderson, David Arquette
Academy Award®-winning filmmaker Jeffrey D. Brown adapts Patricia McCormick’s novel Sold – a National Book Award finalist – into a vivid, harrowing and inspiring story of a young girl’s resilience in the face of unspeakable cruelty.
Closing Night
Jadoo
Los Angeles Premiere
UK/2013/84 mins
Director: Amit Gupta
Producers: Amanda Faber, Isabelle Georgeaux, Richard Holmes, Nikki Parrott
Screenwriter: Amit Gupta
Composer: Stephen Warbeck
Cast: Kulvinder Ghir, Amara Karan, Harish Patel, Tom Mison, Madhur Jaffrey
Set in Leicester, England, Amit Gupta’s culinary comedy charts the chaos that ensues when young Shalini gets engaged to her longtime boyfriend Mark. The fact that Mark is not Indian is the least of Shalini’s concerns. Her father Raja and uncle Jagi have been at war for years. After a legendary falling out that caused them to close their family restaurant, each man opened his own establishment – directly across the street from one another! Shalini’s dream wedding would see both men put aside their differences and prepare the feast together, but resentment runs deep and neither man can hear mention of the other’s name without a spike in blood pressure. Both the prospect of disappointing their beloved Shalini and the threat of a new, hip restaurant opening in the area force Raja and Jagi to work together – but for how long? In this uproariously funny and heartfelt exploration of family bonds, shared history and gastronomic perfection, Gupta’s cast is endlessly appealing. Plus, there’s enough mouth-watering Indian food on display to have your stomach growling before the credits roll.
Feature Films
Before My Eyes (Ankhon Dekhi)
Los Angeles Premiere
India/2013/107min
Director: Rajat Kapoor Producer: Manish Mundra
Screenwriter: Rajat Kapoor
Cast: Sanjay Sanjay Mishra, Seema Pahwa, Rajat Kapoor, Taranjeet, Maya Sarao
Celebrated writer, director, and actor Rajat Kapoor (Midnight’s Children, Monsoon Wedding, Mixed Doubles, Mithya) paints an offbeat yet thought-provoking portrait of domestic life in modern day Delhi when an incident prompts head of the family Bauji to reject anything he himself has not experienced, much to the exasperation of his extended family but to the delight of his newfound philosopher disciples. Balancing the comical and the existential, both Bauji and the film ask the basic question, ‘Can you know truth without true experience?’
Brahmin Bulls
Los Angeles Premiere
USA/96min/2013
Director: Mahesh Pailoor
Producer: Yoshinobu Tsuji
Screenwriters: Anu Pradhan, Mahesh Pailoor
Cast: Sendhil Ramamurthy, Roshan Seth, Mary Steenburgen, Justin Bartha, Cassidy Freeman, Monica Raymund, Michael Lerner
Mahesh Pailoor's tender, funny, and touching debut tells the story of estranged father and son Ashok and Sid, who reunite at Sid's Los Angeles home when Ashok arrives unexpectedly. Each man is keeping secrets from one another, and when the truth is revealed, parent and child must work even harder to close the rift between them.
Fandry
North American Premiere
India/2013/103min
Director: Nagraj Manjule
Producers: Vivek Kajaria, Nilesh Navalakha
Screenwriter: Nagraj Manjule
Cast: Kishor Kadam, Chhaya Kadam, Somnath Awghade, Suraj Pawar, Rajshree Kharat, Sakshi Vyavhare, Aishvarya Shinde, Nagraj Manjule
Marathi poet Nagraj Manjule's impressive debut feature tells the story of Jabya, a Dalit boy, and his family's struggle against daily prejudice in their Maharashtra village. Jabya's carefree childhood desires and antics are soon stifled by his family's "untouchable" status, and the film's gradual transformation into an insightful and damning look at caste discrimination builds from a murmur to a defiant roar. Refusing to reduce his Dalit characters to victims – most explicitly at the film's explosive conclusion - Manjule's socially reflective film has received critical acclaim in India.
Hank and Asha
Los Angeles Premiere
USA/2013/73min
Director: James E. Duff
Producers: James E. Duff, Julia Morrison
Screenwriters: James E. Duff, Julia Morrison
Cast: Mahira Kakkar, Andrew Pastides
James E. Duff's feature directorial debut, the Audience Award winner at the 2013 Slamdance Film Festival, is an endearing tale of a long-distance connection in the digital age. Hank and Asha, two aspiring filmmakers separated by an ocean, connect with one another through video messages and quickly find themselves heading towards romance. That is, until Asha reveals some surprising news. Duff has created a captivating ode to the new possibilities open to us now that the world's gotten smaller.
Liar's Dice
Los Angeles Premiere
India/2013/104min
Director: Geetu Mohandas
Producers: Alan McAlex, Ajay G. Rai
Screenwriter: Geetu Mohandas
Cast: Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Geetanjali Thapa, Manya Gupta
Established actress Geetu Mohandas steps behind the lens for her bracing directorial debut. A woman named Kamala and her daughter journey from their remote Himalayan village to Delhi in search of Kamala's missing husband. They find a guide in an unfriendly wanderer whose interest may lie more in his personal gain than in any help he can offer them. Beautifully shot by Rajeev Ravi (Gangs of Wasseypur), Mohandas' film evokes a hazardous world where answers may never be clear and a helping hand always comes at a price.
Phoring
North American Premiere
India/2013/128min
Director: Indranil Roychowdhury
Producers: Anasua Roychowdury, Sugata Bal
Screenwriters: Indranil Roychowdhury, Sugata Sinha
Cast: Akash Adhikary, Sohini Sarkar, Sourav Basak, Ritwick Charaborty, Shankar Debnath, Senjuti Roymukherjee
Indranil Roychowdhury's stunning feature debut is an evocative, unpredictable tale of confused adolescence in a struggling North Bengal town. Phoring, an imaginative adolescent boy, and his beautiful new teacher Doel form a close friendship that soon arouses doubt and suspicion when Doel's presence in the town is revealed to have less-than-noble origins. Roychowdhury accomplishes a tricky feat with his first film by luring us with the promise of an inspirational teacher-student story before ultimately delivering a much more complex and truthful account of the joys and pains of growing up.
Qissa: The Tale of a Lonely Ghost (2013)
Los Angeles Premiere Germany-India-Netherlands/2013/109min
Director: Anup Singh
Producers: Bero Beyer, Johannes Rexin, Bettina Brokemper, Thierry Lenouvel
Screenwriter: Anup Singh, Madhuja Mukherjee
Cast: Irrfan Khan, Tisca Chopra, Tillotama Shome, Rasika Dugal
Set in 1940s Punjab, Anup Singh’s latest feature Qissa details the aftermath of the Indo-Pakistan Partition through the experiences of one Sikh family, headed by Umber (Irrfan Khan). Following the family’s forceful displacement from their village, Umber’s desire for a male heir is stronger than ever. When his wife gives birth to their fourth daughter, Kanwar, Umber makes the fateful decision to raise her as a boy. This tragic choice ends up dividing the family in violent ways, and provokes a series of increasingly unsettling situations for Kanwar as she grows up. While in a sense a ghost story, the source of pain and suffering is all too real.
Siddharth
Los Angeles Premiere
Canada-India/2013/96min
Director: Richie Mehta
Producers: David Miller, Steven N. Bray
Screenwriter: Richie Mehta
Cast: Rajesh Tailang, Tannishtha Chatterjee
A celebrated Iffla alum, Canadian director Richie Mehta returns to the festival with a heartbreaking story of parents Mahendra and Suman, whose son goes missing after being sent to work 200 miles north of Delhi. Carried by powerful yet restrained performances from Rajesh Tailang and Tannishtha Chatterjee as the parents, Mehta and cast capture the dignity of those facing the unthinkable. Mehta's chance encounter with a man searching for his lost son alerted him to the underreported plight of the families of 44,000 children estimated missing in India every year.
Ugly
North American Premiere
India/2013/128mins/Dcp
Director: Anurag Kashyap
Writer: Anurag Kashyap
Producers: Vikas Bahl, Madhu Mantena, Vikramaditya Motwane, Vivek Rangachari, Arun Rangachari
Cast: Rahul Bhatt, Ronit Roy, Tejaswini Kolhapure, Anshika Shrivastava
When ten-year-old Kali disappears from her father Rahul's car on the busy streets of Mumbai, the events that follow quickly spiral out of control and plunge into a morass of corruption and violence. Rahul and Kali's mother, Shalini, are divorced. Shalini is now married to Shoumik, the local police chief. When Shoumik learns that his stepdaughter is missing, he and Rahul clash in a breathless race to find the girl. With intricate plotting and vivid characterizations, Iffla alum Anurag Kashyap fashions a story that's sure to keep the heart racing.
Writers (Sulemani Keeda)
North American Premiere
India/2013/90min
Director: Amit V Masurkar
Writer: Amit V Masurkar
Producer: Datta Dave
Cast: Naveen Kasturia, Mayank Tewari, Aditi Vasudev and Karan Mirchandani
Writing partners Dulal and Mainak dream of shaking up Bollywood in director Amit Masurkar's slacker comedy. The two young men take a job from the wealthy, oddball son of a famous B-movie producer, but soon fear they're on the path to selling out. Masurkar's film captures the creative spirit of Andheri West, a Mumbai suburb where writers, directors, and actors come from all over India with the dream of working in the film industry, and is a sweet taste of things to come from the new "hindie" cinema.
Documentary Features
The Auction House: A Tale of Two Brothers
World Premiere
UK/2014/85min
Director: Ed Owles
Producers: Ed Owles, Giovanna Stopponi
The auction houses of Kolkata used to be where the rich and famous found the right high-end objects to decorate their homes. Today, the family-owned Russell Exchange is the last, and oldest, one to remain in India. Director Ed Owles follows two brothers, with the older brother moving back to Kolkata from London with hopes of using his Western business acumen to bring the Exchange into the 21st century. However, in a country radically transformed by technology and a rising youth culture, it may already be too late.
Faith Connections
Los Angeles Premiere
France-India/2013/115min/Dcp
Director: Pan Nalin
Producers: Raphaël Berdugo, Gaurav Dhingra, Pan Nalin, Virginie Lacombe
Every three years, Hindus gather at one of four rotating sites for Kumbh Mela, a religious celebration of faith and devotion marked by bathing in the sacred waters of the Ganges. With 100 million people at the 2013 Kumbh Mela, the pilgrimage is said to be the largest gathering on the planet. Iffla alum Pan Nalin crafts a moving and unique view of the mass gathering and presents unique stories of how individuals came to be there to share in the belief of the divine.
Powerless (Katiyabaaz)
Los Angeles Premiere
India/2013/82min
Director: Fahad Mustafa and Deepti Kakkar
Producers: Fahad Mustafa, Deepti Kakkar, Judy Tam, Leopold Koegler
Screenwriter: Fahad Mustafa
In Kanpur, a city of three million that has seen better days, one of the only ways for many residents to get electricity is to steal it. Co-directors Fahad Mustafa and Deepti Kakkar focus their attention on the likes of pirate engineers like Loha Singh and first female CEO at the local power authority Ritu Maheshwari. Coupled with beautiful photography of the intricately tied together powerlines of the city and a pulsating original score, they present a unique documentary about current-day India and its future battles over limited resources.
Shepherds of Paradise
U.S. Premiere
India/2013/50min
Director/Producer/Screenwriter/Cinematographer/Editor: Raja Shabir Khan
Composer: Bilal Iran
Nomadic herder Gafoor has to lead his large flock of goats, sheep, cows and horses across Jammu all the way to Kashmir so they can graze. Director Raja Shabir Khan presents lives few have ever seen, let alone lived, with simple beauty and real terror in a film that has won major National Awards in India. A cinematic wonder that must be seen to truly understand, Shepherds of Paradise is a testament of the power of film to transport us to other lands and experiences.
Bollywood By Night
Bombay Talkies
North American Premiere
India/117min/2013
Directors: Karan Johar, Dibakar Banerjee, Zoya Akhtar, Anurag Kashyap
Producers: Ritesh Sidhwani, Farhan Akhtar, Guneet Monga
Screenwriters: Karan Johar, Dibakar Banerjee, Zoya Akhtar, Reema Kagti, Anurag Kashyap
Cast: Amitabh Bachchan , Rani Mukerji, Katrina Kaif, Randeep Hooda, Saqib Saleem, Nawazuddin Siddiqui
A quartet of short films directed by four of India’s most exciting contemporary filmmakers celebrates 100 years of Indian cinema in this omnibus film. Karan Johar, Dibakar Banerjee, Zoya Akhtar and Anurag Kashyap crafts a tale of ordinary people whose love of movies profoundly alters the course of their lives. Each story beautifully captures how lovers of cinema can’t help but carry that fascination into their day-to-day life. Haven’t we all wished, at one time or another, that our lives were more like a film?
Monsoon Shootout
Los Angeles Premiere
India-uk-Netherlands/2013/88min
Director: Amit Kumar
Producers: Trevor Ingman, Guneet Monga, Martijn De Grunt
Screenwriter: Amit Kumar
Cast: Vijay Varma, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Tannishtha Chatterjee, Geetanjali Thapa
A split-second decision made by a rookie police officer propels writer/director Amit Kumar’s debut feature, which fascinatingly splinters into three separate, equally pulse-pounding scenarios. In a secluded alley drenched in the pouring rain, principled cop Adi aims his gun at Shiva, a vicious gangster on the run. What Adi decides to do next will reverberate throughout his personal and professional life in ways he could never imagine. Kumar thus explores the ripple effect our choices have, and how we unknowingly alter the lives of those around us.
Shorts
Aarti
Shorts Program 2
World Premiere
USA/2013/4min
Director: David Walter Lech
Producer: Terrie Samundra
A hypnotic look into the nightly “ceremony of light” ritual in a Hindu temple in Sheikhupur, Punjab.
Alchemy
Shorts Program 2
U.S. Premiere
India/2013/5min
Directors: Pranay Patwardhan, Shivangi Ranawat, Janmeet Singh
Producer: Pritesh Varia
A bold and vibrant song to the intricate fabric of modern day India, a kaleidoscope of voices, colors and traditions.
Bhiwani Junction
Shorts Program 1
Los Angeles Premiere
USA/2013/18min
Director: Abhi Singh
Producer: Abhi Singh
A poignant documentary portrait of Himanshu, a 12-year old boxer, whose formidable commitment to the sport makes his lofty dreams to become an Olympic champion appear well within reach.
Black Rock (Kaatal)
Shorts Program 1
U.S. Premiere
India/2012/22min
Director: Vikrant Pawar
Producer: Film and Television Institute of India
Two young lovers spend one last afternoon together. A beautiful meditation on the ephemeral nature of young love that has won three of India’s National Film Awards.
The Fly (Makhi)
Shorts Program 2
World Premiere
India/2013/31min
Director: Umesh Vinayak Kulkarni
Producer: Film and Television Institute of India
Employed as a Fly Killer in an upscale restaurant, Pipal must ensure a fly-free environment by smacking dead the flies that buzz over the patrons’ heads. When a nearby drainage is closed and the source of the fly infestation eradicated, Pipal must find a way to produce enough live flies to save his job, in this delightfully absurdist commentary on urban India’s emerging work culture.
Beloved (Humsafar)
Shorts Program 2
U.S. Premiere
India/2012/6min
Directors/Writers: Swapnil Awate, Laura Erbacher
Producer: Dsk Supinfocom
A sweeping single shot takes us on the breathtaking animated journey of two lovers and their eternal pursuit of harmony.
Jaya
Shorts Program 2
USA/2013/19min
Director: Puja Maewal
Producer: Puja Maewal
Young Jaya is able to survive the gruesome gang life in the unforgiving streets of Mumbai by posing as a boy. When she meets a wealthy businessman who looks like he could be the father who abandoned her, she sets out to reclaim her identity, in this engrossing drama that was shortlisted for a Student Academy Award®.
Kush
Shorts Program 1
India/2013/25min
Director: Shubhashish Bhutiani
Producer: Shubhashish Bhutiani
A bus full of schoolchildren boisterously makes its way back from a field trip when the news of Indira Gandhi’s assassination by her Sikh bodyguards breaks. As violence quickly erupts across the country, Kush, the only Sikh student in the class, must find a way to escape the unquenchable fury of retribution, in this gripping drama that was shortlisted for an Academy Award®.
Little Gypsy (Kachho Gadulo)
Shorts Program 1
Los Angeles Premiere
India/2012/6min
Directors: Saptesh Chaubal, Pranay Patwardhan, Shivangi Ranawat
Producer: D.S.K. Supinfocom
Inspired by the folk traditions of various parts of India, this stunning animated film sweeps us into a mythical journey that celebrates the power of play and imagination.
Love.Love.Love.
Shorts Program 2
Los Angeles Premiere
Russian Federation/2013/12min
Director: Sandhya Daisy Sundaram
Producers: Tanya Petrik, Guillaume Protsenko
An intimate ode to the wondrous force of love, as it takes new shapes and forms through the endless Russian winters. Love. Love.Love. won the Short Film Special Jury Award for Non-Fiction at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival.
Outpost
Shorts Program 1
U.S. Premiere
India-usa/2013/17min
Director: Shiva Shankar Bajpai
Producer: Aditi Anand
In the barren desert of the India-Pakistan border, two lone army guards on the opposite sides of the line yearn for booze, mosquito repellent and some human contact, in this humorous glimpse into the absurdity of rigid immaterial divides.
Presence
Shorts Program 2
U.S. Premiere
India/2012/17min
Directors: Ekta Mittal, Yashaswini Raghunandan
Producers: Ekta Mittal, Yashaswini Raghunandan
Long days and nights spent within the bellies of the rising structural beasts that rapidly transform the city of Bangalore bring on visions of ghosts that speak of the construction workers’ memories, longings and fears, in this haunting meditation on the migrant experience.
Skin Deep
Screens with Writers
U.S. Premiere
India/2013/20min
Director: Hardik Mehta
Producers: Devang Bhavsar, Niraj Kothari
Sanjay and Sushma plan to elope to escape a looming arranged marriage. They are in love and their future together shines bright and perfect and filled with possibility--that is, as long as an extra piece of skin that complicates their sex life gets fixed in what should be a routine medical procedure. But Mumbai’s electricity gods have other plans in store for them.
Small Yellow Field (Tau Seru)
Shorts Program 1
Los Angeles Premiere
Australia-India/2013/8min
Director: Rodd Rathjen
Producer: Rodd Rathjen
In the remote vastness of the Himalayas, a young nomad's curiosity lies beyond the horizon. This stunningly photographed film made its world premiere at Cannes Critics’ Week.
The Puppet (Tamaash)
Screens with Shepherds Of Paradise
Los Angeles Premiere
India/2013/32min
Directors: Devanshu Singh, Satyanshu Singh
Producers: Datta Dave, Chaitanya Hegde, Omar Nissar Paul, Devanshu Singh, Satyanshu Singh
A mysterious puppet offers young Anzar the chance to escape his father’s relentless punishments over his poor school grades by granting him the power to inflict misfortune on his nemesis, his brilliant classmate, Sadat. However, his newfound peace is short-lived as Sadat falls severely ill and Anzar comes to realize that the puppet’s powers are spiraling out of his control...
The festival is widely recognized as the premiere showcase of groundbreaking Indian cinema globally. Iffla will run April 8-13 at ArcLight Hollywood in Los Angeles, the festival’s home since its inception. Jadoo, an exploration of family bonds amidst two feuding brothers’ restaurants in England, will screen as the festival’s Closing Night Gala. The film is written and directed by Iffla alum Amit Gupta, and first premiered at the 2013 Berlinale. It features a wonderful ensemble cast that includes Kulvinder Ghir, Amara Karan, Harish Patel, Tom Mison, and Madhur Jaffrey. As previously announced, Iffla will open with Jeffrey D. Brown’s Sold, produced by Jane Charles and executive produced by Emma Thompson.
Iffla 2014 wil l present more than 33 films, including three world premieres, six North American premieres, six U.S. premieres, and 16 Los Angeles premieres. The films feature 10 different languages, from Hindi to Marathi, to Russian to Bengali. Additionally, Iffla supports American, Australian, British, Canadian, and European diaspora filmmakers from nine different countries telling their stories.
“I'm thrilled and proud that Iffla's line-up this year includes an especially diverse range of cinematic experiences, covering many regions of India and the diaspora,” said Iffla’s Artistic Director Jasmine Jaisinghani. "We would like to thank our Programming Advisor in India, Uma Da Cunha, for helping our programming team source some of these exceptional films."
Program highlights include: the North American premiere of Anurag Kashyap’s latest, Ugly an intense, masterfully directed psychological thriller that premiered in the 2013 Director’s Fortnight section of Cannes; Liar's Dice, the remarkable directorial debut of South Indian actress Geetu Mohandas that premiered at this year’s Sundance Film Festival; Anup Singh’s latest feature Qissa: The Tale of a Lonely Ghost, starring Irrfan Khan (Life of Pi, Slumdog Millionaire), winner of Netpac Award at the Toronto International Film Festival, and Dioraphte Award at the International Film Festival Rotterdam; the Audience Award winner at the 2013 Slamdance Film Festival Hank and Asha , an exploratory, romantic look at two people bonding in the digital age by newcomer James E. Duff; Nagraj Manjule’s Fandry, a highly praised debut feature for its multilayered emotion and realism on the subject of caste discrimination; Brahmin Bulls starring Roshan Seth (Gandhi, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, Mississippi Masala) and Sendhil Ramamurthy (Beauty and the Beast, Heroes) as an estranged father and son unexpectedly brought together to confront the family’s past; and Siddharth, a nuanced look at a family whose son goes missing, by lauded Canadian director and Iffla alum Richie Mehta (Amal).
The festival's feature documentary competition includes an eclectic mix of films from established and upcoming filmmakers that consider India's unique traditions and dynamic future. The films include: the world premiere of
The Auction House , an intimate and funny look at two brothers trying to keep their anachronistic family business going in the digital age; festival favorite Powerless, which depicts intense struggles over electricity in a mid-size Indian city; Faith Connections, Iffla alum Pan Nalin's beautiful and rare look at the Kumbh Mela; and the National Award-winning Shepherds of Paradise, about an arduous, mountainous trek through an animal drive in the Kashmiri winter.
The Bollywood by Night series returns this year with Bombay Talkies and Monsoon Shootout. Premiering at last year’s Cannes Film Festival, Bombay Talkies is a quartet of short films that celebrates 100 years of Indian cinema. The omnibus film features work by four of India’s most exciting contemporary directors: Karan Johar, Dibakar Banerjee, Zoya Akhtar, and Anurag Kashyap, as well as a stellar cast that includes Amitabh Bachchan, Rani Mukerji, and Katrina Kaif. Monsoon Shoutout is a thrilling debut by Iffla alum writer/director Amit Kumar about how a split-second decision made by a rookie police officer has rippling effects in his life and the lives of those around him.
The shorts competition showcases a diverse selection of 15 films that include narrative, documentary, experimental, and animated works. Highlights of this year’s program include Academy Award® shortlisted Kush; Sundance award winner Love.Love.Love.; and the world premiere of acclaimed director Umesh Kulkarni’s The Fly.
Festival Passes and Gala tickets are currently on sale at the festival's website.
For more information, please visit:
Website: www.indianfilmfestival.org.
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/ indianfilmfestival
Twitter: https://twitter.com /iffla
Tumblr: http://indianfilmfestival.tumblr.com/
About Iffla
Now in its 12th year, the Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles (Iffla) is a nonprofit organization devoted to a greater appreciation of Indian cinema and culture by showcasing films, honoring entertainment industry business executives, and promoting the diverse perspectives of the Indian diaspora.
Opening Night Gala
Sold
Los Angeles Premiere
USA/2014/97min
Director: Jeffrey D. Brown
Producer: Jane Charles
Executive Producer: Emma Thompson
Screenwriters: Joseph Kwong, Jeffrey D. Brown
Composer: John McDowell, Sammy Chand, Salim & Sulaiman Merchant
Cast: Susmita Mukherjee, Seema Biswas, Tillotama Shome, Niyar Saikia, Priyanka Bose, Ankur Vikal, Parambrata Chatterjee, Gillian Anderson, David Arquette
Academy Award®-winning filmmaker Jeffrey D. Brown adapts Patricia McCormick’s novel Sold – a National Book Award finalist – into a vivid, harrowing and inspiring story of a young girl’s resilience in the face of unspeakable cruelty.
Closing Night
Jadoo
Los Angeles Premiere
UK/2013/84 mins
Director: Amit Gupta
Producers: Amanda Faber, Isabelle Georgeaux, Richard Holmes, Nikki Parrott
Screenwriter: Amit Gupta
Composer: Stephen Warbeck
Cast: Kulvinder Ghir, Amara Karan, Harish Patel, Tom Mison, Madhur Jaffrey
Set in Leicester, England, Amit Gupta’s culinary comedy charts the chaos that ensues when young Shalini gets engaged to her longtime boyfriend Mark. The fact that Mark is not Indian is the least of Shalini’s concerns. Her father Raja and uncle Jagi have been at war for years. After a legendary falling out that caused them to close their family restaurant, each man opened his own establishment – directly across the street from one another! Shalini’s dream wedding would see both men put aside their differences and prepare the feast together, but resentment runs deep and neither man can hear mention of the other’s name without a spike in blood pressure. Both the prospect of disappointing their beloved Shalini and the threat of a new, hip restaurant opening in the area force Raja and Jagi to work together – but for how long? In this uproariously funny and heartfelt exploration of family bonds, shared history and gastronomic perfection, Gupta’s cast is endlessly appealing. Plus, there’s enough mouth-watering Indian food on display to have your stomach growling before the credits roll.
Feature Films
Before My Eyes (Ankhon Dekhi)
Los Angeles Premiere
India/2013/107min
Director: Rajat Kapoor Producer: Manish Mundra
Screenwriter: Rajat Kapoor
Cast: Sanjay Sanjay Mishra, Seema Pahwa, Rajat Kapoor, Taranjeet, Maya Sarao
Celebrated writer, director, and actor Rajat Kapoor (Midnight’s Children, Monsoon Wedding, Mixed Doubles, Mithya) paints an offbeat yet thought-provoking portrait of domestic life in modern day Delhi when an incident prompts head of the family Bauji to reject anything he himself has not experienced, much to the exasperation of his extended family but to the delight of his newfound philosopher disciples. Balancing the comical and the existential, both Bauji and the film ask the basic question, ‘Can you know truth without true experience?’
Brahmin Bulls
Los Angeles Premiere
USA/96min/2013
Director: Mahesh Pailoor
Producer: Yoshinobu Tsuji
Screenwriters: Anu Pradhan, Mahesh Pailoor
Cast: Sendhil Ramamurthy, Roshan Seth, Mary Steenburgen, Justin Bartha, Cassidy Freeman, Monica Raymund, Michael Lerner
Mahesh Pailoor's tender, funny, and touching debut tells the story of estranged father and son Ashok and Sid, who reunite at Sid's Los Angeles home when Ashok arrives unexpectedly. Each man is keeping secrets from one another, and when the truth is revealed, parent and child must work even harder to close the rift between them.
Fandry
North American Premiere
India/2013/103min
Director: Nagraj Manjule
Producers: Vivek Kajaria, Nilesh Navalakha
Screenwriter: Nagraj Manjule
Cast: Kishor Kadam, Chhaya Kadam, Somnath Awghade, Suraj Pawar, Rajshree Kharat, Sakshi Vyavhare, Aishvarya Shinde, Nagraj Manjule
Marathi poet Nagraj Manjule's impressive debut feature tells the story of Jabya, a Dalit boy, and his family's struggle against daily prejudice in their Maharashtra village. Jabya's carefree childhood desires and antics are soon stifled by his family's "untouchable" status, and the film's gradual transformation into an insightful and damning look at caste discrimination builds from a murmur to a defiant roar. Refusing to reduce his Dalit characters to victims – most explicitly at the film's explosive conclusion - Manjule's socially reflective film has received critical acclaim in India.
Hank and Asha
Los Angeles Premiere
USA/2013/73min
Director: James E. Duff
Producers: James E. Duff, Julia Morrison
Screenwriters: James E. Duff, Julia Morrison
Cast: Mahira Kakkar, Andrew Pastides
James E. Duff's feature directorial debut, the Audience Award winner at the 2013 Slamdance Film Festival, is an endearing tale of a long-distance connection in the digital age. Hank and Asha, two aspiring filmmakers separated by an ocean, connect with one another through video messages and quickly find themselves heading towards romance. That is, until Asha reveals some surprising news. Duff has created a captivating ode to the new possibilities open to us now that the world's gotten smaller.
Liar's Dice
Los Angeles Premiere
India/2013/104min
Director: Geetu Mohandas
Producers: Alan McAlex, Ajay G. Rai
Screenwriter: Geetu Mohandas
Cast: Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Geetanjali Thapa, Manya Gupta
Established actress Geetu Mohandas steps behind the lens for her bracing directorial debut. A woman named Kamala and her daughter journey from their remote Himalayan village to Delhi in search of Kamala's missing husband. They find a guide in an unfriendly wanderer whose interest may lie more in his personal gain than in any help he can offer them. Beautifully shot by Rajeev Ravi (Gangs of Wasseypur), Mohandas' film evokes a hazardous world where answers may never be clear and a helping hand always comes at a price.
Phoring
North American Premiere
India/2013/128min
Director: Indranil Roychowdhury
Producers: Anasua Roychowdury, Sugata Bal
Screenwriters: Indranil Roychowdhury, Sugata Sinha
Cast: Akash Adhikary, Sohini Sarkar, Sourav Basak, Ritwick Charaborty, Shankar Debnath, Senjuti Roymukherjee
Indranil Roychowdhury's stunning feature debut is an evocative, unpredictable tale of confused adolescence in a struggling North Bengal town. Phoring, an imaginative adolescent boy, and his beautiful new teacher Doel form a close friendship that soon arouses doubt and suspicion when Doel's presence in the town is revealed to have less-than-noble origins. Roychowdhury accomplishes a tricky feat with his first film by luring us with the promise of an inspirational teacher-student story before ultimately delivering a much more complex and truthful account of the joys and pains of growing up.
Qissa: The Tale of a Lonely Ghost (2013)
Los Angeles Premiere Germany-India-Netherlands/2013/109min
Director: Anup Singh
Producers: Bero Beyer, Johannes Rexin, Bettina Brokemper, Thierry Lenouvel
Screenwriter: Anup Singh, Madhuja Mukherjee
Cast: Irrfan Khan, Tisca Chopra, Tillotama Shome, Rasika Dugal
Set in 1940s Punjab, Anup Singh’s latest feature Qissa details the aftermath of the Indo-Pakistan Partition through the experiences of one Sikh family, headed by Umber (Irrfan Khan). Following the family’s forceful displacement from their village, Umber’s desire for a male heir is stronger than ever. When his wife gives birth to their fourth daughter, Kanwar, Umber makes the fateful decision to raise her as a boy. This tragic choice ends up dividing the family in violent ways, and provokes a series of increasingly unsettling situations for Kanwar as she grows up. While in a sense a ghost story, the source of pain and suffering is all too real.
Siddharth
Los Angeles Premiere
Canada-India/2013/96min
Director: Richie Mehta
Producers: David Miller, Steven N. Bray
Screenwriter: Richie Mehta
Cast: Rajesh Tailang, Tannishtha Chatterjee
A celebrated Iffla alum, Canadian director Richie Mehta returns to the festival with a heartbreaking story of parents Mahendra and Suman, whose son goes missing after being sent to work 200 miles north of Delhi. Carried by powerful yet restrained performances from Rajesh Tailang and Tannishtha Chatterjee as the parents, Mehta and cast capture the dignity of those facing the unthinkable. Mehta's chance encounter with a man searching for his lost son alerted him to the underreported plight of the families of 44,000 children estimated missing in India every year.
Ugly
North American Premiere
India/2013/128mins/Dcp
Director: Anurag Kashyap
Writer: Anurag Kashyap
Producers: Vikas Bahl, Madhu Mantena, Vikramaditya Motwane, Vivek Rangachari, Arun Rangachari
Cast: Rahul Bhatt, Ronit Roy, Tejaswini Kolhapure, Anshika Shrivastava
When ten-year-old Kali disappears from her father Rahul's car on the busy streets of Mumbai, the events that follow quickly spiral out of control and plunge into a morass of corruption and violence. Rahul and Kali's mother, Shalini, are divorced. Shalini is now married to Shoumik, the local police chief. When Shoumik learns that his stepdaughter is missing, he and Rahul clash in a breathless race to find the girl. With intricate plotting and vivid characterizations, Iffla alum Anurag Kashyap fashions a story that's sure to keep the heart racing.
Writers (Sulemani Keeda)
North American Premiere
India/2013/90min
Director: Amit V Masurkar
Writer: Amit V Masurkar
Producer: Datta Dave
Cast: Naveen Kasturia, Mayank Tewari, Aditi Vasudev and Karan Mirchandani
Writing partners Dulal and Mainak dream of shaking up Bollywood in director Amit Masurkar's slacker comedy. The two young men take a job from the wealthy, oddball son of a famous B-movie producer, but soon fear they're on the path to selling out. Masurkar's film captures the creative spirit of Andheri West, a Mumbai suburb where writers, directors, and actors come from all over India with the dream of working in the film industry, and is a sweet taste of things to come from the new "hindie" cinema.
Documentary Features
The Auction House: A Tale of Two Brothers
World Premiere
UK/2014/85min
Director: Ed Owles
Producers: Ed Owles, Giovanna Stopponi
The auction houses of Kolkata used to be where the rich and famous found the right high-end objects to decorate their homes. Today, the family-owned Russell Exchange is the last, and oldest, one to remain in India. Director Ed Owles follows two brothers, with the older brother moving back to Kolkata from London with hopes of using his Western business acumen to bring the Exchange into the 21st century. However, in a country radically transformed by technology and a rising youth culture, it may already be too late.
Faith Connections
Los Angeles Premiere
France-India/2013/115min/Dcp
Director: Pan Nalin
Producers: Raphaël Berdugo, Gaurav Dhingra, Pan Nalin, Virginie Lacombe
Every three years, Hindus gather at one of four rotating sites for Kumbh Mela, a religious celebration of faith and devotion marked by bathing in the sacred waters of the Ganges. With 100 million people at the 2013 Kumbh Mela, the pilgrimage is said to be the largest gathering on the planet. Iffla alum Pan Nalin crafts a moving and unique view of the mass gathering and presents unique stories of how individuals came to be there to share in the belief of the divine.
Powerless (Katiyabaaz)
Los Angeles Premiere
India/2013/82min
Director: Fahad Mustafa and Deepti Kakkar
Producers: Fahad Mustafa, Deepti Kakkar, Judy Tam, Leopold Koegler
Screenwriter: Fahad Mustafa
In Kanpur, a city of three million that has seen better days, one of the only ways for many residents to get electricity is to steal it. Co-directors Fahad Mustafa and Deepti Kakkar focus their attention on the likes of pirate engineers like Loha Singh and first female CEO at the local power authority Ritu Maheshwari. Coupled with beautiful photography of the intricately tied together powerlines of the city and a pulsating original score, they present a unique documentary about current-day India and its future battles over limited resources.
Shepherds of Paradise
U.S. Premiere
India/2013/50min
Director/Producer/Screenwriter/Cinematographer/Editor: Raja Shabir Khan
Composer: Bilal Iran
Nomadic herder Gafoor has to lead his large flock of goats, sheep, cows and horses across Jammu all the way to Kashmir so they can graze. Director Raja Shabir Khan presents lives few have ever seen, let alone lived, with simple beauty and real terror in a film that has won major National Awards in India. A cinematic wonder that must be seen to truly understand, Shepherds of Paradise is a testament of the power of film to transport us to other lands and experiences.
Bollywood By Night
Bombay Talkies
North American Premiere
India/117min/2013
Directors: Karan Johar, Dibakar Banerjee, Zoya Akhtar, Anurag Kashyap
Producers: Ritesh Sidhwani, Farhan Akhtar, Guneet Monga
Screenwriters: Karan Johar, Dibakar Banerjee, Zoya Akhtar, Reema Kagti, Anurag Kashyap
Cast: Amitabh Bachchan , Rani Mukerji, Katrina Kaif, Randeep Hooda, Saqib Saleem, Nawazuddin Siddiqui
A quartet of short films directed by four of India’s most exciting contemporary filmmakers celebrates 100 years of Indian cinema in this omnibus film. Karan Johar, Dibakar Banerjee, Zoya Akhtar and Anurag Kashyap crafts a tale of ordinary people whose love of movies profoundly alters the course of their lives. Each story beautifully captures how lovers of cinema can’t help but carry that fascination into their day-to-day life. Haven’t we all wished, at one time or another, that our lives were more like a film?
Monsoon Shootout
Los Angeles Premiere
India-uk-Netherlands/2013/88min
Director: Amit Kumar
Producers: Trevor Ingman, Guneet Monga, Martijn De Grunt
Screenwriter: Amit Kumar
Cast: Vijay Varma, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Tannishtha Chatterjee, Geetanjali Thapa
A split-second decision made by a rookie police officer propels writer/director Amit Kumar’s debut feature, which fascinatingly splinters into three separate, equally pulse-pounding scenarios. In a secluded alley drenched in the pouring rain, principled cop Adi aims his gun at Shiva, a vicious gangster on the run. What Adi decides to do next will reverberate throughout his personal and professional life in ways he could never imagine. Kumar thus explores the ripple effect our choices have, and how we unknowingly alter the lives of those around us.
Shorts
Aarti
Shorts Program 2
World Premiere
USA/2013/4min
Director: David Walter Lech
Producer: Terrie Samundra
A hypnotic look into the nightly “ceremony of light” ritual in a Hindu temple in Sheikhupur, Punjab.
Alchemy
Shorts Program 2
U.S. Premiere
India/2013/5min
Directors: Pranay Patwardhan, Shivangi Ranawat, Janmeet Singh
Producer: Pritesh Varia
A bold and vibrant song to the intricate fabric of modern day India, a kaleidoscope of voices, colors and traditions.
Bhiwani Junction
Shorts Program 1
Los Angeles Premiere
USA/2013/18min
Director: Abhi Singh
Producer: Abhi Singh
A poignant documentary portrait of Himanshu, a 12-year old boxer, whose formidable commitment to the sport makes his lofty dreams to become an Olympic champion appear well within reach.
Black Rock (Kaatal)
Shorts Program 1
U.S. Premiere
India/2012/22min
Director: Vikrant Pawar
Producer: Film and Television Institute of India
Two young lovers spend one last afternoon together. A beautiful meditation on the ephemeral nature of young love that has won three of India’s National Film Awards.
The Fly (Makhi)
Shorts Program 2
World Premiere
India/2013/31min
Director: Umesh Vinayak Kulkarni
Producer: Film and Television Institute of India
Employed as a Fly Killer in an upscale restaurant, Pipal must ensure a fly-free environment by smacking dead the flies that buzz over the patrons’ heads. When a nearby drainage is closed and the source of the fly infestation eradicated, Pipal must find a way to produce enough live flies to save his job, in this delightfully absurdist commentary on urban India’s emerging work culture.
Beloved (Humsafar)
Shorts Program 2
U.S. Premiere
India/2012/6min
Directors/Writers: Swapnil Awate, Laura Erbacher
Producer: Dsk Supinfocom
A sweeping single shot takes us on the breathtaking animated journey of two lovers and their eternal pursuit of harmony.
Jaya
Shorts Program 2
USA/2013/19min
Director: Puja Maewal
Producer: Puja Maewal
Young Jaya is able to survive the gruesome gang life in the unforgiving streets of Mumbai by posing as a boy. When she meets a wealthy businessman who looks like he could be the father who abandoned her, she sets out to reclaim her identity, in this engrossing drama that was shortlisted for a Student Academy Award®.
Kush
Shorts Program 1
India/2013/25min
Director: Shubhashish Bhutiani
Producer: Shubhashish Bhutiani
A bus full of schoolchildren boisterously makes its way back from a field trip when the news of Indira Gandhi’s assassination by her Sikh bodyguards breaks. As violence quickly erupts across the country, Kush, the only Sikh student in the class, must find a way to escape the unquenchable fury of retribution, in this gripping drama that was shortlisted for an Academy Award®.
Little Gypsy (Kachho Gadulo)
Shorts Program 1
Los Angeles Premiere
India/2012/6min
Directors: Saptesh Chaubal, Pranay Patwardhan, Shivangi Ranawat
Producer: D.S.K. Supinfocom
Inspired by the folk traditions of various parts of India, this stunning animated film sweeps us into a mythical journey that celebrates the power of play and imagination.
Love.Love.Love.
Shorts Program 2
Los Angeles Premiere
Russian Federation/2013/12min
Director: Sandhya Daisy Sundaram
Producers: Tanya Petrik, Guillaume Protsenko
An intimate ode to the wondrous force of love, as it takes new shapes and forms through the endless Russian winters. Love. Love.Love. won the Short Film Special Jury Award for Non-Fiction at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival.
Outpost
Shorts Program 1
U.S. Premiere
India-usa/2013/17min
Director: Shiva Shankar Bajpai
Producer: Aditi Anand
In the barren desert of the India-Pakistan border, two lone army guards on the opposite sides of the line yearn for booze, mosquito repellent and some human contact, in this humorous glimpse into the absurdity of rigid immaterial divides.
Presence
Shorts Program 2
U.S. Premiere
India/2012/17min
Directors: Ekta Mittal, Yashaswini Raghunandan
Producers: Ekta Mittal, Yashaswini Raghunandan
Long days and nights spent within the bellies of the rising structural beasts that rapidly transform the city of Bangalore bring on visions of ghosts that speak of the construction workers’ memories, longings and fears, in this haunting meditation on the migrant experience.
Skin Deep
Screens with Writers
U.S. Premiere
India/2013/20min
Director: Hardik Mehta
Producers: Devang Bhavsar, Niraj Kothari
Sanjay and Sushma plan to elope to escape a looming arranged marriage. They are in love and their future together shines bright and perfect and filled with possibility--that is, as long as an extra piece of skin that complicates their sex life gets fixed in what should be a routine medical procedure. But Mumbai’s electricity gods have other plans in store for them.
Small Yellow Field (Tau Seru)
Shorts Program 1
Los Angeles Premiere
Australia-India/2013/8min
Director: Rodd Rathjen
Producer: Rodd Rathjen
In the remote vastness of the Himalayas, a young nomad's curiosity lies beyond the horizon. This stunningly photographed film made its world premiere at Cannes Critics’ Week.
The Puppet (Tamaash)
Screens with Shepherds Of Paradise
Los Angeles Premiere
India/2013/32min
Directors: Devanshu Singh, Satyanshu Singh
Producers: Datta Dave, Chaitanya Hegde, Omar Nissar Paul, Devanshu Singh, Satyanshu Singh
A mysterious puppet offers young Anzar the chance to escape his father’s relentless punishments over his poor school grades by granting him the power to inflict misfortune on his nemesis, his brilliant classmate, Sadat. However, his newfound peace is short-lived as Sadat falls severely ill and Anzar comes to realize that the puppet’s powers are spiraling out of his control...
- 4/8/2014
- by Carlos Aguilar
- Sydney's Buzz
From April 8th to the 11th, Indian films will once again be showcased in the Us at the Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles (Iffla). In its 12th year, Iffla boasts an incredible lineup of fabulous films that reflects the rich diversity of Indian cinema. Iffla’s Artistic Director Jasmine Jaisinghani says, “I’m thrilled and proud that Iffla’s line-up this year includes an especially diverse range of cinematic experiences, covering many regions of India and the diaspora.”
Iffla 2014 presents 33 films that include feature films, documentaries and shorts. The festival will have three world premieres, six North American premieres, six U.S. premieres, and 16 Los Angeles premieres. The films feature 10 different languages, from Hindi to Marathi, to Russian to Bengali. Additionally, Iffla supports American, Australian, British, Canadian, and European diaspora filmmakers from nine different countries telling their stories.
Bollywood will be well represented with three outstanding films all showing during the festival’s run.
Iffla 2014 presents 33 films that include feature films, documentaries and shorts. The festival will have three world premieres, six North American premieres, six U.S. premieres, and 16 Los Angeles premieres. The films feature 10 different languages, from Hindi to Marathi, to Russian to Bengali. Additionally, Iffla supports American, Australian, British, Canadian, and European diaspora filmmakers from nine different countries telling their stories.
Bollywood will be well represented with three outstanding films all showing during the festival’s run.
- 3/21/2014
- by Stacey Yount
- Bollyspice
Avinash Arun’s “Killa”
Avinash Arun’s debut film Killa, won the Crystal Bear at the 64th Berlin International Film Festival in the Generation KPlus section. Killa is about an 11 year old child who is coping with the death of his father and finds it difficult to adapt to a new place he has migrated to. Director Avinash Arun tells us more about the film.
You’ve been describing Killa as autobiographical. In what sense is it so?
I come from a small town called Solapur in Maharashtra. My father kept getting transferred from one place to another. It was very difficult for me to make friends in one place and suddenly, do it all over again. This went on and on. Later, I realized that it is necessary to explore. So this nostalgia resulted in the genesis of the idea of Killa while I was still at the Ftii.
Avinash Arun’s debut film Killa, won the Crystal Bear at the 64th Berlin International Film Festival in the Generation KPlus section. Killa is about an 11 year old child who is coping with the death of his father and finds it difficult to adapt to a new place he has migrated to. Director Avinash Arun tells us more about the film.
You’ve been describing Killa as autobiographical. In what sense is it so?
I come from a small town called Solapur in Maharashtra. My father kept getting transferred from one place to another. It was very difficult for me to make friends in one place and suddenly, do it all over again. This went on and on. Later, I realized that it is necessary to explore. So this nostalgia resulted in the genesis of the idea of Killa while I was still at the Ftii.
- 2/19/2014
- by Amit Upadhyaya
- DearCinema.com
K illa is one of the five projects selected for the Work In Progress Lab of Film Bazaar 2013. We spoke to the director Avinash Arun:
Avinash Arun
Tell us about your project. What language will it be in?
Killa is about a child who is coping with the death of his father. An 11-year-old boy finds it difficult to adapt to a new place he has migrated to. He experiences some life changing events; which a new place, people and destiny offer. It is a film about those experiences which shape up your life and make you the person you are today. It is a Marathi film.
Which stage of development is it in currently?
Principal photography is complete. It is in the post production process, mainly sound design and music.
The cast of the film.
In the lead are Amruta Subhash, Archit Deodhar, Parth Bhalerao, Shrikant Yadav.
Tell...
Avinash Arun
Tell us about your project. What language will it be in?
Killa is about a child who is coping with the death of his father. An 11-year-old boy finds it difficult to adapt to a new place he has migrated to. He experiences some life changing events; which a new place, people and destiny offer. It is a film about those experiences which shape up your life and make you the person you are today. It is a Marathi film.
Which stage of development is it in currently?
Principal photography is complete. It is in the post production process, mainly sound design and music.
The cast of the film.
In the lead are Amruta Subhash, Archit Deodhar, Parth Bhalerao, Shrikant Yadav.
Tell...
- 11/19/2013
- by Editorial Team
- DearCinema.com
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