|
-: Advertisement :-
-: Advertisement :-
Headlines
|
News:
Shiv Sena demands immediate ban on film "Lajja"
Amitabh Bachchan will be honoured with "actor of the century" award
Rangmahal Theatre destroyed in a fire
Star hunt uncovers eight new faces
Role call has Anil Kapoor getting under Nayak's skin
Film-makers question real worth of Indian Panorama
|
News
|
Shiv Sena demands immediate ban on film "Lajja"
New Delhi : The New Delhi faction of the Shiv Sena demanded an
immediate ban on the film "Lajja". They said that it has insulted the
religious sentiments of Hindus.
The Party's Delhi President, Jai Bhagwan Goel, said : "The film should
be banned immediately, failing which the Shiv Sainiks will enforce the
ban in their own way." He said the Information and Broadcasting
Minister, Sushma Swaraj, should take steps to stop the screening of
the movie, in which the "great character" of the Hindu Goddess Sita
has been "insulted".
BJP workers burn an effigy of filmmaker Rajkumar and posters of
actress Madhuri to express their protest
Bhopal : A group of BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) workers burnt an
effigy of the Bollywood filmmaker, Rajkumar Santoshi, and posters of
the film actress, Madhuri Dixit, to express their protest against what
they described as "objectionable dialogues" against Hindu gods and
goddesses in Santoshi's latest movie "Lajja". According to BJP workers,
Madhuri's posters were burnt because the "objectionable dialogues"
against
Hindu gods and goddesses were uttered by her in the movie. "Lajja"
is also being screened at the local Sangam cinema hall, but no
demonstration was held there. This is the second time this year that a
demonstration against a Hindi film has been staged in the city.
Top
Amitabh Bachchan will be honoured with "actor of the century" award
Dubai : Indian superstar Amitabh Bachchan will be honoured with the
"actor of the century" award at the Alexandria international film
festival in Egypt in recognition of his contribution to the world of
cinema. Amitabh will be given the award at the concluding ceremony of
the festival to be held in the historic city from September 5-10. Jaya
Bachchan is the president of the jury of the festival. She said the
festival will largely screen films from the Mediterranean region. In
all, 18 films will be participating in the festival, the largest
representation being from France and Italy. Jaya said : "There were
cultural commonalties between India and Egypt, which would help in
understanding the themes of the participating films better." On a
question regarding the dominance of American films that threatened
regional cinema including Indian cinema, Jaya said there was no threat
to Indian and Egyptian cinema as the countries had a rich historical
and cultural heritage of their own.
Top
Rangmahal Theatre destroyed in a fire
Kolkata : Rangmahal Theatre was destroyed in a fire here. The caretaker
and two employees
of the theatre were arrested. The flames turned to ashes the
auditorium and the Kolkata's first revolving stage. There was no
casualty. Police and Fire Brigade personnel say a short circuit
sparked the flames. On the other hand, a committee of Kolkata police
had inspected seven to eight cinema halls in the city. Among them four
in central and north Kolkata have been issued show-cause notices as
the "overall amenities, including safety" were found unsatisfactory.
The notices are to be answered within 15 days.
Top
Star hunt uncovers eight new faces
After months of trekking the length and breadth of India and sifting through
15,000 entries, the MTV Coca-Cola Star Hunt presented by indiatimes.com has
discovered eight talented and enthusiastic young people to star in Ken
Ghosh's debut film, Ishq Vishq Pyaar Vyaar, a Tips Films production.
Two more have been selected from the star hunt for cameo roles in the film.
But for Mr Ghosh, director of the film, the hunt still goes on as he looks
for three more female faces to star in the film.
Daman Deep, Dipti Gujral, Jyoti Rana, Kapil Zaveri, Shabbir Ali, Shahid
Kapur, Vishal Malhotra and Yash Tonk are winners of the Star Hunt, while
Mehul Nisar and Nitin Arora have cameo roles in the film.
Assisted by Satyadev Dubey, Mickey Contractor and Longy Fernandes, the cast
was selected by Ken Ghosh and Tips Films. "I am extremely excited with our
find from the Star Hunt. I now look forward to starting work on the film and
drawing the best from my new cast," Mr Ghosh said.
All entrants were selected on the basis of how closely they fit the
characters in the story, their ability to act, dance and improvise.
Ishq Vishq Pyaar Vyaar, a romantic, teenage musical comedy, will have music
by Anu Malik. The movie revolves around a year in the lives of a group of
friends tackling teenage issues. Shooting for the film will begin some time
in December.
Top
Role call has Anil Kapoor getting under Nayak's skin
There is a hero in all of us. All we have to do is discover him within
ourselves,'' said the original 'Nayak' Anil Kapoor. He, along with his
co-star Rani Mukherjee, spoke at a press conference organised by indiatimes,
which is doing a special promotion for the Shankar-directed Tamil remake,
Nayak.
The movie, which was originally slated for a release on August 24, will now
hit cinema halls across the country on September 7. "The release of the film
has been delayed because of technical reasons. This is Shankar's first
attempt at making a Hindi film, so he wanted a technically superior product.
That's why the delay,'' explained Mr Kapoor.
When asked whether the film would be able to generate enough curiousity
among audiences since it was already a hit in Tamil and Telugu, Mr Kapoor
said the film was aimed at the world market. "The content of the film is
very powerful. We have incorporated several scenes, so that audiences
worldwide can identify with them. The film has been adapted, not copied shot
by shot, from the original movie."
He likened Nayak's script to the famous television programme, 'Who wants to
be a millionaire'. "The programme has been successfully adapted in 68
countries. And the anchor of the show is responsible for the success.
Shankar is a complete director, a great story teller who also has brilliant
music and visual sense,'' he said.
In the movie, Mr Kapoor plays the role of a television journalist of a news
channel who gets an opportunity to become a chief minister for 24 hours.
Perfectionist that he is, the actor attended a ten-day workshop with theatre
director Feroz Khan to get under the skin of his character as a journalist.
"For a five-minute interview shot in the movie, I observed the nuances of
well-known television anchors like Prannoy Roy, Karan Thapar, Vir Sanghvi
and Rajat Sharma for nearly ten days,'' he said.
According to the actor, getting under the skin of his character comes easily
to him. What, however, is extremely difficult is the physical transformation
that the character demands. I was expected to take off my shirt for a mud
fight sequence.
"Now, I have always been nervous about facing the camera without my shirt
on. But Shankar had made it very clear in the beginning itself that the
fight scene was essential to the film's script and that he was willing to
change the hero but not the scene. So, I was left with no other option but
to do the fight scene without my shirt on. I worked out in the gym for seven
months. And by the time I was confident about facing the camera shirtless,
the film was in its last schedule."
When asked to pick the best roles he has played so far, Mr Kapoor said he
could identify with a few scenes he had enacted in some of his movies. "Like
the drunken scene in Pukar or the one in Lamhe where the hero makes a
painful discovery that the woman he loved was in love with another man. I
can completely identify with the character in Nayak. The hero is the son of
lower middle- class parents and starts off in life as a nobody. I also
started my life in a one-room tenement in a Chembur chawl where eight of us
were forced to stay and share common toilets with the entire janta.''
Defending his decision not to endorse brands like his contemporaries, Mr
Kapoor said that he wanted to preserve himself for the film-makers. "Script
writers and directors should be able to mould me according to the needs of a
character without any preconceived notions. In the process, I have had to
refuse a few good advertisements and a helluva lot of money. But I am not
overtly ambitious. I believe in doing my job sincerely."
Describing her role in the film, Ms Mukherjee said she played a village
belle and that she and Johnny Lever provided the comic relief in this
intense film. "It's been a great experience. We travelled across the
country, from Kanyakumari to Ladakh, for the film's shooting. In fact, for
the song 'Chale Chale Mitwa', we wanted the best shots of the earth and sky,
so we went to Ladakh. For a shot of gusty winds, we went to Coimbatore and
for a shot of gushing waters, Guntur was selected,'' the talented actress
said.
Top
Film-makers question real worth of Indian Panorama
"It's a huge honour to be included in the Indian Panorama," exults Ashutosh
Gowariker, director of Lagaan. "Now, I'm brushing shoulders with the greats
of Indian cinema today." Lagaan is one of 30 films chosen for this year's
Indian Panorama, which will showcase the best of Indian cinema at the
International Film Festival of India (IFFI) to be held in Bangalore in
October.
The Panorama, selected by a jury headed by Shaji Karun, spans a wide
spectrum, including Govind Nihalani's Deham, Rituparno Ghosh's Bariwali, B.
Lenin's Ooruku Nooruper, Jayaraj's Shantham, Buddhadeb Dasgupta's Uttara,
Goutam Ghose's Dekha, Mahesh Manjrekar's Astitva, Amol Palekar's Dhyass
Parva and Gul Bahar Singh's The Goal.
Primarily screened for foreign delegates, such as film festival directors
and film critics, the Panorama is intended to kick-start the international
life cycle of its films. Ironically, some of the Panorama films, including
Uttara and Bawandar, have each already been to more than 20 film festivals
worldwide. Says Jagmohan Mundhra, director of Bawandar, "It is a validation
of my work as a serious film-maker. But all its festival participation so
far has been because of my own initiative." Naturally, it casts a shadow on
the worth, in real terms, of the Panorama.
The delay in finalising the Panorama is, in part, because the IFFI was
postponed from January to October. The Panorama films which have already
garnered international awards include Uttara (Best Director prize in Venice
last year), Bariwali (NETPAC Award in Berlin in 2000) and Ashutosh
Gowariker's Lagaan (Audience Award in Locarno). Moreover, Govind Nihalani's
Deham has just been invited to the London film festival in November.
With increasing competition and globalisation, as film-makers themselves
take the initiative to promote their films worldwide, the industry is
divided on the true worth of the Panorama. Says Govind Nihalani, "The
Panorama continues to be an important platform for new films, especially by
younger film-makers. However, I cannot say that the Panorama has had a
particular impact on my career. But in the face of the tremendous pressure
exerted by mainstream cinema, the Panorama has encouraged me to pursue a
certain kind of cinema and reach audiences who appreciate it."
But Shyam Benegal, whose every film has been in the Panorama, except Hari
Bhari, thinks otherwise. He says, "The Panorama means recognition, rather
than promotion. Certainly, our films are invited to festivals abroad because
of the Panorama. But its commercial benefits over the years are still to be
proved. I don't know anyone who has come to our Panorama and bought a film
of any significance."
Meanwhile, when Sushma Swaraj, minister for information and broadcasting,
consciously includes mainstream Indian cinema in its overseas promotions,
will it be at the cost of the non-mainstream films? Says Nihalani, "It is
non-mainstream films that have brought Indian cinema international
recognition. When we are squeezed into the same market system as mainstream
cinema, non-mainstream cinema is bound to suffer. Today, those making good
cinema are made to feel embarrassed because the mainstreamwallas make fun of
them.''
As Benegal observes, "The mainstream films have rarely crossed over to a
mainstream audience overseas, but Lagaan has managed that. Even Zubeidaa,
which has been distributed by Yashraj Films, has crossed over to some
extent, from the South Asian audience to some mainstream theatres and the
arthouse theatrical circuit.''
Of the five NFDC films in the Panorama, a majority is by debut or younger
film-makers. Says P.K. Nair, former director of the National Film Archives,
"The Panorama must reserve, say, one-third of its films for debut and
younger film-makers. They may not stand a chance when competing with
stalwarts, yet they may be great talents who would flounder without Panorama
support. Besides, many festival directors prefer to pick fresher talent. For
instance, Santosh Sivan's Asoka is going to premiere in Venice.''
Not that the Panorama alone is a ticket to success. As P.K. Nair points out,
"Susant Misra's Indradhanura Chhai, which never made it to the Panorama, was
at the Cannes and other film festivals.'' No wonder many film-makers feel
that while it is best to push one's film oneself, the Panorama is a little
like a message in a bottle. You never know whether it will reach its
intended destination.
Top
|
-: Advertisement :-
-: Advertisement :-
|
Admin Message
Features
Do you own an Internet cafe or provide internet access for web surfing?
If so, please contact us.
Ganapati Bappa morya!
Gallery of over 40 Ganesh images
Irani Chai Wala - an evocative
description of a typical Irani restaurant in Bombay
Wanted:
Information on Sion-talao. If you have the information please
send it to us.
new!
Online hotel reservations for all
the major Indian cities.
new!
Rakhee - a poem by Rajababu
new!
Never Again - a poem by Sanjeev Naik
Easier procedure for non-immigrant U.S. visas - via the Mumbai Grapevine
Latest Bollywood news
Puraani
yaadein - lyrics of old Films Division cartoons (via nukkad).
The wonder that is the Mumbai
tiffinwalla
Mumbai Us Zamaney Ka
- a walk down memory lane (via nukkad)
Refuse, Reduce, Re-use, Re-cycle plastics
List of places to see in Mumbai (with pics). Any corrections/additions/suggestions? Send them in.
Make Mumbai Central your start page! Step-by-step instructions here.
Message boards
Open forum: req accom
Bollywood Masala: Review: Dil Chahta Hai
Business and Money: Data Entry Jobs
Education: direct 2nd year engineering admission
News and Media: bombay magazine
Twentysomething: Bars and Clubs in Mumbai
Singles scene: LONELY LOOKING FOR FEMALE FRIENDSHIP
nukkad
Re: Terrorism
Autonomy in India - Good or Bad ?
Re: Kabhse Maharashtra?
Re: Terrorism
I am off the list.
A quandry
(More info on the 'nukkad' mailing list, including subscription info is at:
http://www.mumbai-central.com/nukkad/ )
About the Mumbai Grapevine
The Mumbai Grapevine is a daily newsletter with news and info
from the city of Mumbai, formerly Bombay. The newsletter also
has weekly editions of international news.
To express your opinion about a particular story or news item,
write to:
news-editor@mumbai-central.com
These opinions may be published on the newsletter. If you do
not want your name/address to be published along with your
letter, please indicate clearly.
Instructions to unsubscribe are at the end of the newsletter.
Please feel free to forward this message to your friends and co-workers
who might be interested in it. The instructions to join the Mumbai
Grapevine are at the end of the message.
|