Megastar Amitabh Bachchan has revealed he has begun preparing for his next collaboration with filmmaker Shoojit Sircar. The yet-untitled film will also star "Baby" actress Tapsee Pannu.The 73-year-old actor calls the movie "dramatic".
"Preparing for the next one... dramatic! for Shoojit Sirkar...," Bachchan wrote on Twitter. Alongside the post, the actor shared a picture of probably his look in the movie, produced by Sircar and directed by National award-winner Aniruddha Roy Chowdhary.
Wearing glasses and a suit-tie, Bachchan seemingly sports a corporate look. This is Bachchan's third outing with Sircar after "Shoebite" and "Piku".
While "Shoebite" is yet to see the light of day, Bachchan earned numerous best actor awards for his performance of a cranky ageing father in last year's "Piku".
Both the movies were directed by Sircar but did not have as a producer.
Irrfan to star in Mostofa Sarwar Farooki's 'No Bed Of Roses'
Mumbai, Mar 3, 2016 (PTI)
Irrfan Khan is all set to play the lead role in international film 'No Bed Of Roses', to be directed by acclaimed Bangladeshi director Mostofa Sarwar Farooki. The bilingual (Bengali and English language) film, titled "Doob" in Bengali, is produced by Kolkata's Eskay Movies and Bangladesh's Jazz Multimedia.
Irrfan's production company IK will be co-producing the film. This is his second venture as a producer after Ishaan Nair's "Kaash".
Apart from Khan, the main cast includes Bangladeshi actress Nusrat Imroz Tisha who starred in Farooki's "Third Person Singular Number" (Bangladesh's entry to the 2011 Oscars) and "Television" (Bangladesh's entry to the 2014 Oscars), Parno Mitra and Rokeya Prachy.
The film will go on the floors in March end and will be shot in one schedule of 35 days across the hill station in Bangladesh and North Bengal. Some portions will be shot in Dhaka.
"My earlier films had all very different tone. This one is my first attempt to Ozu Kingdom, which is 'family story'. I got a good set of cast and good team. Getting Irrfan as a co-producer was a big boost for us. I believe if everything goes well, we will be able to offer an engaging film," Farooki said in a statement.
Irrfan said he was touched by the humane angle that Farooki adapts in his stories, making them engaging to the audience.
"When I saw his first film 'Ant Story', it immediately got me interested. I was Impressed with his approach, style, and the way he unravels the story. His selection of cast and the way they behave are something that touched me immensely.
"His works carry a strong humane angle, which is why his characters are multi layered. I am eagerly looking forward to collaborate and explore with him in the film 'No Bed of Roses'. Hope this will be a good addition to the changing landscape of world cinema."
'PRDP', 'Singh is Bliing' top nominees at Golden Kela Awards
New Delhi, Mar 3, 2016 (PTI)
Salman Khan's 'Prem Ratan Dhan Paayo' and 'Singh Is Bliing', starring Akshay Kumar, are leading this year's nomination list at the Annual Golden Kela Awards with four nods each. Shah Rukh Khan-Kajol starrer "Dilwale" has received three nominations including worst film, worst director (Rohit Shetty) and most annoying song ('Gerua').
"Prem Ratan Dhan Paayo", directed by Sooraj Barjatya, has bagged nomination in worst actress for Sonam Kapoor, worst director and most atrocious lyrics for 'Aaj Unse Milna Hai' categories.
The film's title track, which became a rage online, has been nominated in the most annoying song section.
"Singh is Bliing" star Amy Jackson has landed a worst actress nod, besides the film getting nomination for worst director (Prabhu Deva), worst film and the 'Baawra Ho Gaya Hai Ke Award' for its title.
Arjun Kapoor-Sonakshi Sinha-starrer "Tevar" has also received four nominations in the worst actor, worst actress, most atrocious lyrics ('Superman') and pointless sequel/remake.
Other worst actor nominees are Arjun Rampal for "Roy", Filmfare best debut winner Sooraj Pancholi for "Hero" and Imran Khan for "Katti Batti".
Shraddha Kapoor has been nominated in the worst actress category for "ABCD 2". Anurag Kashyap's "Bombay Velvet" and "Shaandaar" are also worst film nominees.
The 'Why Are You Still Trying' award nomination list has Imran Khan, Pulkit Samrat, Madhur Bhandarkar, Nikhil Advani and Kartik Aryan.
"Ab Tak Chappan 2", "Pyaar ka Punchnama 2", "Hate Story 3", "ABCD 2", "Welcome Back", "Tanu Weds Manu Returns", "MSG 2", "Drishyam", "Brothers" and "Hero" are part of the most pointless sequel/remake award list.
The Indian version of Razzies, the 8th Golden Kela Awards, which honours the worst in Indian cinema every year, will be held on April 2016.
Priyanka Chopra reaches 13 million Twitter followers
Mumbai, Mar 4, 2016 (PTI)
Actress Priyanka Chopra has reached 13 million followers on Twitter and she celebrated the milestone by leaping on the beach in Boca Raton, Florida, where she has been shooting "Baywatch" movie.
The 33-year-old actress thanked all her fans and hoped that her "crazy ride" continues. "13 million and counting... Blessed! Here's to continuing our mad, crazy ride," Priyanka posted.
The former Miss World rose to international fame with last year's ABC thriller "Quantico", which has been now renewed for a second season, thanks to its positive reception by the audience.
The actress plays the main villain in "Baywatch", which also stars Dwayne Johnson. She recently made a successful red carpet appearance at the Oscars, where she also presented an award.
Salman shoots with kids for 'Sultan'
Mumbai, March 4, 2016 (PTI)
Bollywood actor Salman Khan has shot with children for his upcoming wrestling-drama "Sultan". The 50-year-old actor, who is training hard with real wrestlers for the Ali Abbas Zafar-directed movie, posted a picture on Twitter with a group of kids.
"Sets of 'Sultan'. Shot with these kids," Salman wrote in the caption.
The photo features the superstar wearing red kurta and holding a tiny tot in his arms with children dressed in school uniform posing excitedly with the him.
Salman has been fond of children. His performance and on-screen camaraderie with seven-year-old Harshaali Malhotra in "Bajrangi Bhaijaan" was appreciated.
Produced by Yash Raj Film, the movie stars Anushka Sharma as female lead.
The sports drama is set to release this Eid.
Dwayne Johnson thanks Priyanka for 'strong work week'
Los Angeles, March 4, 2016 (PTI)
WWE wrestler-turned-actor Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson is bowled over with the charm and talent of Indian actress Priyanka Chopra.
The 43-year-old actor and Priyanka are working together in the "Baywatch" movie reboot, with the "Quantico" star playing villainous Victoria Deeds.
Johnson shared an on-set picture with the 33-year-old actress on Instagram.
"Every great story starts with a great villain... My sistah @priyankachopra is one of the biggest and most beloved stars in the world," he wrote in the caption.
"When I asked her how she felt about playing opposite me as our main #BAYWATCH villain she simply said with a sly and seductively evil smile, "Oh you're going down..." Cool is the rule, but sometimes bad is bad. Thank you PC for the strong work week and see you on the rebound in GA," Johnson added.
"Baywatch" also stars Zac Efron, Alexandra Daddario, Jon Bass, Kelly Rohrbach, Ilfenesh Hadera and Hannibal Buress.
The movie is all set to hit screens on May 19, 2017.
I like to be an underdog: John Abraham
Mumbai, March 4, 2016 (PTI)
Bollywood actor John Abraham has carved a niche for himself in the industry yet the 'Madras Cafe' star feels he is an underdog.
"I have always been an underdog. I like being that way. I like playing that role. I have always been influenced by films like that (of underdogs). We root for them. I know my audience will root for me," John told reporters here at the trailer launch of "Rocky Handsome".
"After my first film, I was told I need to go back but I have been here for 13 years or so, and it is because of audience. I will always struggle," he said.
John sees Sylvester Stallone as his idol and was disappointed when the Hollywood legend did not win awards at the Oscars this year for "Creed".
"I was in Abu Dhabi. I did not follow Oscars. When you like somebody you expect them to win. He is like an underdog. John Abraham is an underdog," he added.
The film "Rocky Handsome" has some hardcore action sequences and the "Welcome Back" actor has worked very hard on it.
"I did prepare for the action part. I got hurt as well. Our director Nishikant Kamat wanted the action to be of some calibre and we have achieved that. It's real action. It is not Kung Fu, Karate. It is real. We wanted to stick to realism."
The 43-year-old actor feels India doesn't have real good action heroes.
"I think our country is missing real action heroes. Internationally, we have Sylvester Stallone, The Rock...these are big action heroes," he said.
"It is not just about action but attitude as well. We have tried to maintain good balance between action, attitude and body," he added.
John thinks action films needs to be backed by strong emotions to connect with the audience.
"Any amount of action doesn't make sense if not backed by strong emotions. Our film has good balance of it. When villian of the film is strong by his mind it is more dangerous than anything else," he adds.
This is the second time Nishikant and John have come together for a film. Their first film "Force" was a huge hit.
"He (Nishikant) is amazing. We look at each other and understand. It's a special relationship. I an big fan of his films "Dombivali Fast", "Mumbai Meri Jaan", "Lai Bhaari", "Force", "Drishyam" and others. I love his films," he said.
"He is a fantastic director. He is the strongest director in getting emotions right in the film," he added.
'Celluloid Man' P K Nair, the legendary archivist, no more
Pune, March 4, 2016 (PTI)
P K Nair, the founder and director of Pune-based National Film Archive of India whose passion and dedication for preserving movies led to the setting up of the NFAI, passed away today after a brief illness. Nair, 83, breathed his last in a city hospital where he was admitted for old age-related ailments on February 22, hospital sources said.
He is survived by two sons and a daughter.
Fondly called the 'celluloid man' of Indian film industry, Paramesh Krishnan Nair carved a niche for himself as a pioneering archivist who founded the National Film Archives of India (NFAI) to preserve for posterity the country's cinematic heritage.
Hoping to build a film career, he came to Mumbai in 1953 after graduating from the Kerala University. He worked in association with veterans of the time like Mehboob Khan, Bimal Roy and Hrishikesh Mukherjee.
However, later he turned his focus to the academic side of cinema and became an assistant film curator of Pune's Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) in 1965.
It was out of his passion for movies and deep knowledge of Indian film industry that the NFAI was set up. As part of this process, he travelled extensively abroad, including Europe, America and the then Soviet Union.
After starting his quest for films as a research assistant at the FTII, Nair founded NFAI in 1964 which he built brick-by-brick with acquisition of rare films prints and served as its director for a decade.
Like a haunted man consumed by the cause dear to his heart, Nair acquired over 12,000 films, including 8,000 Indian movies and the rest foreign, which he preserved in NFAI. He avidly screened and watched the old films in the NFAI's mini-theatre which he could recount reel by reel with its contents.
NFAI's present director Prakash Magdum paid tributes to Nair, saying his contribution to the archives was immense.
"He took films to the common man and encouraged formation of film societies to promote appreciation of cinema", he told PTI.
The mortal remains of Nair will be kept at NFAI tomorrow morning before cremation for the people to pay their respects, Magdum said.
A notable feature of his work was the nine silent movies made in India which he acquired and archived notwithstanding the ravages of time that had taken toll on the film prints.
These included "Raja Harishchandra" and "Kalia Mardan" made by father of Indian film industry Dadasaheb Phalke.
Manoj Kumar chosen for Phalke award
New Delhi, March 4, 2016 (PTI)
Veteran actor and director Manoj Kumar has been chosen for the 47th Dadasaheb Phalke award, the Information and Broadcasting Ministry announced here on Friday.
His name was approved for the prestigious award by a five-member jury comprising legendry singers Lata Mangeshkar and Asha Bhosle.
“Salim Khan, Nitin Mukesh and Anup Jalota were also members in the jury which unanimously recommended Manoj Kumar for the prestigious Award,” the ministry stated. I&B Minister Arun Jaitley spoke to Kumar and congratulated him on being conferred the prestigious award, the highest recognition in Indian cinema.
The award consists of a Swarn Kamal (Golden Lotus), a cash prize of Rs 10 lakh and a shawl. The 78-year-old actor, who was a recipient of National Film Award for his role in his directorial debut “Upkaar”, is remembered for many of his popular films.
Fun for all at the zoo
Robert L Sungte, March 5, 2016, DHNS:
Zootopia English (U) Ratings: **** Directors: Byron Howard, Rich Moore, Jared Bush Voice: Ginnifer Goodwin, Jason Bateman, Idris Elba
Disney’s 3D animation flicks are known for their excellent visuals and moral lessons. “Zootopia” is no different as a young and unlikely bunny cop tries to solve the mystery behind peaceful predators suddenly going wild in the dream city where all animals have been living peacefully together for years. This fast-paced movie happens in a civilised setup and it covers issues like dreams, friendship, parenting, trusts, bullying, peace, tolerance and animal instinct which adults and children alike can relate to. There are plenty of funny scenes and catchy dialogues. Besides, you have Gazelle — a sexy animated version of Shakira. Grown-ups will enjoy a recap of similar dialogues from the “The Godfather”.
Overall, “Zootopia” is smart and heart-touching. The storyline is simple and clear, but not so childish when it comes to the vibrant visuals and its social message on stereotyping ‘people’ based on their origin and DNA.
A wholesome family movie with the right dose of fun.
More blasts, less substance
Robert L Sungte, March 5, 2016, DHNS:
London Has Fallen English (U/A) Cast: Morgan Freeman, Gerard Butler, Aaron Eckhart Director: Babak Najafi Rating: **
If you have seen “Olympus Has Fallen”, you may want to watch “London has Fallen” as it is a sequel to the 2013 action blockbuster. Serving faithfully as a Secret Service Agent, Mike (Butler) is on the edge of calling it a day at a time his wife is expecting their first child.
However, when the British prime minister dies under mysterious circumstances, Mike is assigned to accompany US president Asher (Eckhart) to join other world leaders in paying homage to the UK leader in London. And as you can imagine, some terror group has their own evil design in the city and Mike must do everything to save the president.
Action movies are great entertainers, but “London Has Fallen” makes you feel like you have been served the same dish some time back. The action sequences are repetitive with small bits of realistic London settings. There is too much chaos and director Najafi fails to leave some space for imagination for the audience.
Butler as an action hero is good, but for a sequel that has a similar plot like the original, it is asking him too much. With sloppy dialogues, he and his co-stars like Morgan Freeman are reduced to showpieces devoid of anything to connect the characters with the audience. If you still insist on watching good guys smacking down terrorists despite the poor presentation, go for it.
Back to the badlands
Angel Rani, March 5, 2016, DHNS:
Jai Gangaajal Hindi (UA) Cast: Priyanka Chopra, Prakash Jha, Manav Kaul Director: Prakash Jha Rating: **
Priyanka Chopra is all guns blazing when she wields the lathi. As IPS officer Abha Mathur, she gives a piece of her mind — and muscle — as she takes on the “naamards” of the system (way too many here).
Welcome back to the badlands of Bihar. Corrupt leaders, evil cops, gullible villagers and a few activists screaming into the microphone — it’s the familiar Prakash Jha set-up. The only surprise is Jha himself.
The director plays a corrupt cop who is at the service of an MLA (a perfectly restrained Manav Kaul). The politician and his cronies are out to gobble every business pie in Bankipur and are forcibly acquiring land for a thermal power station. Now, the project has already driven many farmers up the tree, taking the suicide graph further north.
Jha impresses initially with his know-all demeanour and intense stares, but his broody ways stretch the second half by yards. And it doesn’t help that a sudden change of heart is left unexplained. Another aspect that the movie dwells on is mob justice, with many villagers keen to see their perpetrators dangling from trees and posts.
Jai Gangaajal makes a pitch for land rights and several other issues, but the movie rarely connects as the emotional threads are too loose.
Priyanka Chopra tries hard, and partly succeeds, in bringing the no-nonsense officer to life. The make-up does some damage though. With not a hair out of place, Chopra struggles to bring in that raw appeal the Jha stable is famous for.
