The Delhi High Court on Monday acquitted Mahmood Farooqui, co-director of acclaimed 2010 Hindi film Peepli Live, who was accused of raping an American woman.
Justice Ashutosh Kumar set aside the trial court order convicting Farooqui and sentencing him to seven years jail in August last year.
Farooqui had challenged the trial court order in the High Court claiming his innocence.
Farooqui was accused of raping a 35-year-old woman from Columbia University who was in India for research on her doctoral thesis.
The woman, who moved to Delhi in June 2014, was looking for contacts for her work in Gorakhpur and came in contact with Farooqui through a common friend.
The alleged incident occurred on March 28, 2015 when Farooqui invited her for dinner at his house.
According to the police chargesheet, the woman, who reached his house at 9 p.m., found Farooqui was very intoxicated, and he asked her to go to the other room which was his office.
After 20 minutes, she left the office room to smoke in the porch when he told her to come in and sit down, it said. After talking with her for a while, he suddenly kissed her and forced himself on her, the prosecution said, adding that the woman was scared after the incident.
During the trial, the American researcher stood by her complaint and alleged that Farooqui had raped her, while he denied the allegations, and claimed he was falsely implicated.
Director Sundar C will begin work on his next directorial venture, Kalakalappu 2, from October. The director has roped in Nikki Galrani, Jiiva and Catherine Tresa for this sequel. The shoot will commence from next month in Karaikudi.
A source told Silverscreen, “Sundar C will start shooting from October 4. After 10 days of filming, they will head to Kasi and after canning a major portion there, they will head to Pune for the final portion of the film.”
Kalakalappu first part had Oviya, Shiva, Vimal and Anjali in the lead roles.
With the director taking up this film, his Sanghamitra has taken a backseat. “Sanghamitra pre-production needs some more time. Meanwhile, he will complete Kalakalappu 2 and then start shooting for Sanghamitra in December.”
Sanghamitra, starring Jayam Ravi and Arya, was officially launched in Cannes Film Festival this year.
The Madras High Court on Friday ordered an interim stay on the release of Vijay-starrer, Mersal, with regard to a petition filed by AR Film Factory’s Rajendran. Following this, there were rumours that the title of Mersal will be changed to Aalaporan Tamizhan. However, sources told Silverscreen that the title has not been changed yet.
“The court has given time till October 3 for the Mersal team to give an explanation to Rajendran’s petition. Until then, there is no way the title will be changed, ” a source told Silverscreen.
Mersal is the first film to get a Twitter emoji. The title has also been trademarked by its makers recently, a first for a South Indian film.
Reportedly, Rajendran’s film Mersalaayitten is currently under production, and he had also registered the title with the TFPC. Since Vijay’s film also has a similar title, he claims that the release of Mersal might affect his film’s business. Though the title is not exactly the same, ‘Mersal’ and ‘Mersalaayitten’ are similar in meaning. The high court has hence issued a stay order on Mersal.
Filmmaker A.R. Murugadoss says forthcoming Tamil-Telugu bilingual spy thriller Spyder, which stars Mahesh Babu in the role of an Intelligence Bureau officer, was a very challenging project.
Having delivered blockbusters such as Ghajini, Thuppakki and Kaththi, Spyder marks Murugadoss’s first bona-fide bilingual. “It’s not that I never wanted to make bilinguals in the past. The plan somehow didn’t materialize. Also, most of my films get dubbed in Telugu and have had a good run. But from the beginning, the plan was to make Spyder as a bilingual,” Murugadoss told IANS.
The project marks Murugadoss’s first-time collaboration with Mahesh Babu. It has been his long-time desire to work with the Okkadu actor.
“We’ve been planning to work together for a decade now. In fact, I had even planned to remake Ghajini in Telugu with Mahesh but things didn’t fall into place and the film later got dubbed. Both of us are glad that we collaborated for Spyder,” he said.
The film marks Mahesh’s debut in the Tamil industry. Asked how it feels to launch a superstar in a new language, Murugadoss said, “Mahesh felt like a debutant, but for me, it was as important as any other film. Agreed, with him on board, there was more pressure to deliver, but it kept us motivated.”
Shooting a bilingual took a toll on the entire team. “In the beginning, the idea of a bilingual got us very excited. It was only after we started shooting, did we realize how challenging it was. Each scene and even the songs had to be shot twice. It was physically taxing, especially when most of the shooting happened at night,” he added.
Murugadoss is all praise for Mahesh Babu, who he says was very accommodating. “We had 80 days of night shoot. Not many stars would be willing to shoot through the nights so extensively. Mahesh is an exception and he never complained about night shooting. In fact, he offered to shoot extra days if needed,” he said.
Slated for release on Wednesday, Spyder also stars Rakul Preet Singh, SJ Suryah, and Bharath.
These days EVP Film City in Chembarabakkam, Chennai, is bustling with activity – after all some of the big-ticket films are being shot here. Rajinikanth’s three back-to-back films Kabali, 2.o and Kaala, massive fight sequences of Vijay’s Bairavaa, Theri, Suriya’s Singam 3 and Masss, Mahesh Babu’s Spyder, Vikram’s Sketch, Vikram Prabhu’s Neruppu Da, a massive jail set for Arya-Vijay Sethupathi starrer Purampokku – the film studio has become the hot spot for all the major film shootings.
Film shooting was stalled during the strike called by the the Film Employees Federation of South India (FEFSI). We decided to visit the film studio immediately after the strike called off. The film city has seven shooting floors, work was going on the sets of Vijay TV’s Bigg Boss show, Kaala and Pulikesi 2.
We were instructed to leave our mobile phones and camera outside. This is not the norm, but for Kaala and Bigg Boss, they didn’t want to take a chance. “We have an agreement with the Kaala and Bigg Boss team that we will not allow any outsiders inside the studio with mobile phones,” politely informs the general manager, Gokul.
Over one-km walk inside the film city, we spot a huge set resembling the slums of Dharavi, Mumbai, erected for Kaala. A commercial street of Dharavi have been created with Mumbai’s BEST buses, taxis, autos, police jeep. There is also a school and a mosque and rows of shops.
While the junior artistes were walking in and out of the set, the team was waiting for Rajini’s arrival. The set is massive, spread over 30 acres. “A set has been created which has the house of Rajini’s character in Dharavi. The director and his team are currently shooting there,” an insider informed us. Fans visiting Rajini during the shoot is unavoidable. “Of the 40-day schedule, Rajini will meet his fans in the last five days for photographs. Many among the unit members would like to take a picture with him. Even they will be allowed to take photographs on those designated days. This embargo is placed so that day-to-day work remains unaffected,” says the source.
“When the shooting of 2.0 and Kabali were happening on parallel floors here, Rajini sir used to shuttle between the two shoots. After completing Kabali, he would get into his 2.0 look in the evening. Superstar was super busy that time,” says Gokul.
Set work of Shankar’s Pulikesi 2 is mid-way. “It’s a palace. Currently, work is stalled. Maybe it will resume in a week’s time,” we were informed.
Bigg Boss’ set is completely fenced off. Even getting a glimpse of the house is impossible. “Over 70 security personnel are around all the time. No one can enter the set without prior permission, including people from the Vijay TV team,” says a source.
Movie still of 2.0
The making of Shankar’s 2.0, which was released recently, showed a grand set. “We did pre-production work for six months and started shooting on the set, which mostly consisted of huge lengthy roads,” says the film art director, Muthuraj.
The entire shoot of Kamal Haasan’s Thoongavanam took place in this film city. The set of a pub where the entire story revolved was erected and the shoot was completed in a month’s time.
File of Kamal Haasan and Trisha in Thoongaavanam
Leading actors like Kamal Haasan, Mahesh Babu, Vijay, Rajini prefer working at EVP because of the lack of crowd. Production manager, Chokkalingam, who regularly visits the film city for shoot arrangements, says, “We have a tough time managing the crowd while shooting with stars like Rajini and Kamal in a live location. We spend most of the time organising than shooting. At the film city, work is more systematic and organised.”
File photo of Kabali
This place didn’t have the same hustle and bustle a few years ago when Kollywood would head to studios in Hyderabad for bigger space and sets. “Remember the climax scene of Kabali? Where Rajini sir would fight on a rooftop restaurant… it was not shot in Malaysia, though major portions of the film were shot there. The rooftop restaurant was created here and the shooting went on for 15 days,” says art director of Kabali, Ramalingam. He is the art director of Kaala as well.
A still from 10 Endrathukulla
To erect a set, space alone is not the only thing needed, the crew needs accessories as well. Director Vijay Milton, who shot a portion of 10 Endrathukulla in EVP, explains, “We cannot erect a set on just a barren land. There needs to be other elements to make the set look real. For us, we wanted to shoot a highway sequence for our film with Vikram. This place had roads, a petrol bunk and a sight similar to the highways. We chose to create a set based on this. If we had to do everything from the scratch, the backdrop will look artificial.”
EVP film city, owned by EV Perummal Sami Reddy, used to be a theme park before it was turned into a film city. “Only four years ago, it was open to film shoots. When the amusement park was shut down, the management decided to convert the 130 acres land into a film city,” informs a source.
Shakti Soundararajan’s ambitious upcoming space film, Tik Tik Tik with Jayam Ravi, was shot in this film city where a set of a space shuttle was erected. An aircraft is already there, the film city will soon have sets looking like railway stations. “We are planning to bring in everything that a Tamil film shoot requires,” says Sathosa Reddy, managing director of the film city.
Patna-based mathematician Anand Kumar says he is confident that actor Hrithik Roshan, who has been locked to reprise the genius’ story on screen, will be able to do full justice to the part.
There was speculation around the casting of the biopic of Kumar, who is the founder of educational programme Super 30. But producers have made it official that Hrithik has been signed to play the math genius.
“I have full faith in his capabilities. I am very happy because he is the best choice for the role. I’ve seen his work and the kind of versatility and range that he exhibits as an actor is very strong. I am a rooted guy, so I feel some level of emotional quotient is required to live my life on screen. I have seen that in Hrithik – on and off screen,” Kumar said in a statement.
The biopic, which is being helmed by Vikas Bahl, will showcase the life of the mathematician, who trains 30 deserving, economically backward students for IIT-JEE – the entrance exams of IIT – each year, with a commendable success rate.
“I can totally trust Vikas Bahl with my life’s story as I’m confident he will make a heartfelt film out of my story,” Kumar said.
SS Rajamouli is not disappointed that his magnum opus Baahubali 2: The Conclusion was not chosen as India’s official entry to the Oscars for the foreign language film category this year. The filmmaker says his aim is to take stories to a wider audience, and making money for the team, instead of winning awards.
“(I am) Not at all (disappointed at losing out the race to Oscars this year). When I make a film, I never think about awards. It is not my aim. The aim is to first satisfy myself with the story and then next is to see that it reaches the maximum number of audience and makes money for everyone who has put their life in it,” Rajamouli told IANS.
“That is my most important thing. If awards come, then I am happy. If they don’t, I don’t mind that because they are not at all my criteria,” he added.
Newton, a Hindi film set against the backdrop of elections in the world’s largest democracy, has been announced as India’s official entry for the the foreign language film category at the Oscars. Baahubali 2: The Conclusion, which will have its TV premiere on Sony MAX on October 8, was also reportedly in contention.
Rajamouli attained global fame as the creator of the Baahubali universe – which went on to become India’s biggest blockbuster with worldwide earnings of over Rs 900 crore.
Starring Prabhas and Rana Daggubati as the male protagonists, the film’s story is about the battle for the ownership of an ancient kingdom between two brothers. The story is woven together in two parts with dance, music, emotion and drama. It also features Anushka Shetty, Ramya Krishnan, Tamannaah Bhatia and Sathyaraj.
The first part Baahubali: The Beginning came out in 2015 and the second Baahubali 2: The Conclusion was released earlier this year. The filmmaker says he is yet to come out of the Baahubali spell.
“It is quite a complicated spell that you cannot just say ‘Okay, I just got out of it’,” said the filmmaker, who worked with Dharma Productions to help the film transcend language barriers.
He said he was sure that the film will be successful, but its popularity in northern India stumped him.
“The total budget of both the films was Rs 150 core. If we hadn’t expected that the film will do very well and aim good result – simple economics will point out that we would not have done the movie at all,” he said.
After the success of the franchise, Rajamouli says he has “lost a little bit of privacy in the northern belt as well”. “But nothing else has changed. I am as content as I was before the film released,” the director said.
Talking about the disappointing year at the Bollywood box office in 2017, Rajamouli said: “At present, the Hindi film industry has hit a lean patch and I don’t think that it will last long. Very soon we will be able to see quite a number of successes.”
From exorbitant publicity campaigns to shrewd promotional strategy involving film festival tours, it takes a lot to prep a film for the Oscars. We revisit an earlier piece by Silverscreen that delved into the various aspects that go into bagging an Oscar nomination and what happens after.
On September 22, 2017, the Film Federation of India selected a political satire, Newton, directed by Amit Masurkar, as India’s official entry to the Foreign Language Film category of the 90th Academy Awards. The film, starring Rajkummar Rao in the titular role, is about a young government clerk who is determined to conduct fair elections in the tumultuous forest region of Chhattisgarh where insurgency issues are rampant.
The film released at around 300 screens in India on September 22, the same Friday the Oscar selection was announced.
Newton premiered at the Berlin Film Festival in February this year, and there, itwon the CICAE (International Confederation of Art Cinemas) award for best film in the Forum segment. It also won the Jury Award for Young Cinema at the Hong Kong International Film Festival in April, and was nominated for a Jury Award at the Tribeca Film Festival for Best International Narrative Feature.
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Bringing home the Oscar is not, by any means, an easy task. It is not just the film’s quality that decides its fate, but the way the country and the film’s makers market the film at the Oscars and the film festivals that precede it – a mission that involves a large amount of hard work and money.
For instance, Denmark, a country which makes less than 20 films a year, has made it to the final five 11 times, and won thrice. According to Steffen Andersen-Møller, the head of department for audiences and promotion at the Danish Film Institute, it’s about how hard you push the film to a global audience. “It’s all part of a long-term international business model. We have been very active at international film festivals like Toronto, Cannes and Berlin, and we use the festivals as effectively as we can to get our films noticed,” he recently explained in an interview.
In 2016, India sent Court, a satire on Indian judiciary, directed by Chaitanya Tamhane, to the Oscars. It had won the Best Film Award at the 62nd National Film Awards of India, and had been to over 13 international film festivals across the world where it won several awards including the Best Film Award in Horizon category at the prestigious Venice International Film Festival. However, Court lost the battle in the initial selection round itself. That year, Hungary’s dark and gritty Holocaust drama, Son Of Saul picked up the Oscar in the Foreign Language Films category.
In 2017, Visaranai, a dark, visceral Tamil film directed by Vetrimaaran was sent to the Oscars as India’s nomination. It didn’t stand a chance among the long list of high-profile films such as Desierto, a violent thriller on immigration and the border crisis, co-produced by Alphonso Cuaron, and The Sales Man, an intelligent Iranian drama on crime and vengeance helmed by the celebrated director Asghar Farhadi. The latter, which was a favourite film at all the festivals it toured that year, won the Oscar.
The Oscars selection process
First, the Academy members of the Foreign-Language Film screening committee are divided into groups. Over two months, ending mid-December, they watch and rate films. The top six films, plus three films chosen by the 20-member executive committee, make it to the next round.
In early January, the nine semi-finalists are screened for the committee members, who then vote for the final five.
On January 24, the finalists are revealed, along with finalists in other categories.
The Academy members watch these five films and vote for the winner, which is announced on February 26, Oscar night.
Marketing madness
With a lengthy, three-stage scrutiny process to select the winner, the publicity campaign becomes all the more important. First, six of the nominated films are proposed by Academy members and another three by expert advisory panels, who may not be Academy members. Of the nine films, five nominees are short-listed by a Foreign Language Film executive committee. The final voting is done by a special committee of 750. A campaign has to be built around the film to draw maximum number of Academy members to the screenings.
Courtesy: LA times
Publicity campaigning at Oscars is exorbitant. According to a New York Times report, a decent campaign costs around $50,000. According to a seasonal agent, “The really good ones, from countries like Belgium or Germany, cost around $100,000. And the money is usually eaten by the ads (in papers like Variety and The Hollywood Reporter). A couple of half-pages and a couple of full-page ads, and it’s one third of the budget.” For filmmakers from smaller, third world countries, this campaign process is a hard nut to crack.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, given the importance of the campaign, most awards have gone to European films.
Since 1947, of the 67 awards handed out by the Academy to foreign language films, 55 went to European films, six to Asian films, three to African films, and three to films from the Americas. The leading Oscar-winning country is Italy, with 11 awards.
Courtesy: Getty Images
In 2009, stand-up comedian and actress Mo’nique controversially refused to campaign for the award, publicly questioning Oscar campaigning. Being a relatively unknown actress, several experts felt that it would be the end of her Oscar journey. But, surprisingly, Mo’nique went on to win the supporting actress award, a turn of events she gratefully acknowledged in her acceptance speech, “First, I would like to thank the Academy for showing that it can be about the performance and not the politics.”
India at the Oscars
“This is a terrible mistake, because I used up all of my English.”
– Roberto Benigni, after winning his second Oscar of the night for Life is Beautiful, 1999
A Scroll report, dated September 23, quotes Jyoti Deshpande, the group chief executive of Eros International, “We are looking for publicists operating out of Los Angeles who have specifically worked on foreign films. The plan is to engage public relations agencies in order to profile the film for the Oscars and arrange screenings with opinion leaders in the field. We are also planning to release the film internationally. This will be on the lines of a major, commercial release in the American and European markets.”
In the past, many celebrities, including actor Aamir Khan, whose Lagaan was India’s official Oscar entry in 2002, have pointed out the lack of networking and publicity campaigning as the main reasons for the poor performance of Indian films at Oscars.
In 2015, the government initiated the building of a corpus fund to aid the publicity campaigns of Indian films submitted for the awards. According to the website of Directorate of Film festivals, a sum of Rs 50 lakh to Rs 1 crore could be availed from the central government by the makers of the film nominated to the Oscars for the publicity campaigns. However, Vetrimaaran told Scroll that even after a year, he was not reimbursed the money he spent on Visaranai‘s Oscar campaign. “I was following it up until April. I’ve also heard that there is a committee that decides whether a film should be reimbursed or not. Not every selection to the Oscars gets reimbursed,” he told Scroll.
Directors of the nominated films depend on publicists who handle the campaign, and publicists don’t come cheap. Publicists are people who make it their business to know the Academy members inside out. They know where to advertise the films and how to carry out the screenings. A Quartz report quotes filmmaker Geethu Mohandas, whose Liars’ Dice was India’s official Oscar entry in 2015:
“Each publicist will have at least five to six films that they represent all over the world. And it’s not like we choose them. They choose us.
They themselves do a certain amount of homework. They watch the film and then they decide if they want to be associated with this particular film.”
Lagaan_Soundtrack
In 2002, Aamir Khan almost single-handedly successfully marketed Lagaan at the Oscars. According to an India Today report, he gave a number of interviews in the US (he’s spoken to USA Today,Variety and Hollywood Reporter, among others); and commissioned full-page colour advertisements in publications like Variety and Hollywood Reporter. He literally camped at the venue for many weeks to push the campaign. The report says that each advertisement cost about $15,000 (Rs.7.2 lakh). Result: Lagaan was short-listed as one of the five films. The whole campaign cost around $2 million.
Lagaan was made on a budget of Rs 25 crore, while Court had a shoe-string budget of Rs 3.5 crore. A small film like Court cannot possibly match the amount Aamir spent marketing Lagaan, thirteen years ago. To that end, the India government’s latest efforts to form a corpus to push the country’s small-budget films at Oscars is indeed, a laudable gesture.
Bhanu Athaiya was India’s first Oscar winner of the Best Costume Design award for Gandhi (1982), along with John Mollo. She’s worked with filmmakers like Guru Dutt, Yash Chopra, Raj Kapoor, and Ashutosh Gowarikar
Satyajit Ray was given an Honorary Oscar for Lifetime Achievement in 1992. Ray was in hospital, dying, at the time. He gave his acceptance speech, crediting American films as a major influence, from the hospital bed, via live video feed. Audrey Hepburn presented the award.
The British film Slumdog Millionaire (2008) won eight out of ten Academy Awards. Two of those went to AR Rahman for Best Original Score, and the Best Original Song (‘Jai Ho’).
Kerala’s Resul Pookutty, sound designer, editor and mixer, also walked away with an Oscar that night – the Best Sound Mixing award.
And the night wasn’t over for Indians. Iconic lyricist Gulzar joined Rahman for the Best Original Song award.
Bollywood music composer Amit Trivedi is all set to make his debut in Tamil cinema with the remake of the Hindi film Queen. Titled Paris Paris, the film is directed by Ramesh Arvind, and with Kajal Aggarwal stepping into Kangana Ranaut’s shoes.
According to The Times of India, Trivedi will also compose the Kannada version of the film, also directed by Arvind.
“We are not reusing any of the songs from the original and Amit Trivedi will be composing new music that has a local flavour for these remakes. He is currently busy with a couple of projects. All the songs are background songs, unlike in most films, so, we will start working on the songs after we start shooting the film,” Arvind was quoted as saying.
While the film is a remake, Arvind at the movie’s launch on Sunday emphasised that he retained the spirit of the original but has had to revamp the characters and the locations to where the remake is set. A newcomer called Shashi Varun will take over Rajkummar Rao’s role in both the remakes.
Meanwhile, Trivedi, whose last release was Qaidi Band, has Manmarziyan, Secret Superstar, and Rukh in the pipeline.
National Award winning actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui has confirmed that he is working in a film by acclaimed filmmaker Vishal Bhardwaj, and says it’s a dream come true.
The actor was present at the closing ceremony of the 8th Jagran Film Festival on Sunday night.
Asked about the rumours that he is working with Bhardwaj for a film alongside Kriti Sanon, Nawazuddin told the media here: “Yes, I am working with Vishal ji, and it is a yet untitled project. I can’t reveal much much details about it. I don’t know who will be acting opposite me, but I am happy about this collaboration because I always wanted to work with Vishal ji. It’s a dream come true.”
The actor was honoured with the ‘Rajnigandha Achievers Award’ at the gala.
Filmmaker Vikramaditya Motwane, who is producing an upcoming film based on the 1983 world cup, says it is only actor Ranveer Singh who can portray India’s first World Cup-winning skipper Kapil Dev on screen.
“1983 is the greatest Indian underdog sports story ever and we’re delighted to be making it with Kabir and Ranveer. Taking on the mantle of playing a legend like Kapil Dev isn’t easy but if any actor can do it, it’s Ranveer,” Motwane of Phantom films, said in a statement.
In 1983, India won it’s first cricket World Cup against the West Indies. Dev served as the captain of the Indian cricket team then.
Ranveer has been roped in to portray the life of Dev in the film depicting one of the most pivotal events in Indian cricket history — the 1983 Cricket World Cup.
The film is being helmed by Kabir Khan and the scripting of the film is finished.
Motwane added: “I’m sure his portrayal is going to be endearing and brilliant and we can’t wait to see it on screen.”
Other details of the film and the star cast are still under wraps.
Actress Viola Davis and her husband Julius Tennon, who are appearing together in the new season of her hit show How to Get Away with Murder, have a joint mission to bring more diversity in Hollywood.
Hollywood remains as white and male-dominated as ever, and representation of race, gender, LGBT and disability has barely changed in the past 10 years, according to research by academics at the University of Southern California (USC), reported The Guardian.
“The reason diversity is still an issue is that everyone is not ‘put to task’,” said Davis. Stressing that it was a much bigger issue than casting and stories, she agreed with Tennon in saying that it was a “pipeline problem”.
“If a writer, director, cinematographer, actor of colour is out there, they have the talent but haven’t had the opportunities. So, when the studios start putting together their movies, they go for who they know, who they’ve worked with… the hottest, buzziest, the one with the resume… and most of them are white.”
She added: “No one says anything, because why would you? To change is to risk losing money, changing your vision, being exposed. It’s a problem that needs to be tackled from the studio heads who give the greenlight vote to filmmakers who can simply envision a role differently, to producers who can give a budding, gifted cinematographer grip, writer of colour a chance, and finally to audiences to plop down money to see a film character differently. It requires being awoke.”
Davis and Tennon, who married 14 years ago and have a seven-year-old daughter, Genesis, set up their multimedia company, JuVee Productions, in 2011 to try to tackle the problem from within. They wanted to create more suitable roles for Davis’s talent.
Tennon, 63, said: “We started it out for her career, for Viola to be more than this woman who turns a piece of baloney into a filet mignon. She was getting one or two scenes in a movie and some guest-star TV work, but after Antwone Fisher (a 2002 film starring and directed by Denzel Washington), there were a lot of eyes on her.”
Just when people were getting over the viral song ‘Jimikki Kammal’ from Velipaadinte Pusthakam, Malayalam actor Mohanlal ups the ante after he performed his rendition of the song. The actor took the Jimikki Kammal Dance Challenge, and danced along with the winners of the challenge.
The video opens with participants of the challenge practicing, while the two actors from the original song – Arun Kurian and Sharath Kumar – talk about how their efforts have gone in vain thanks to the winners of the challenge, who seem to have out-danced them. While heading to the stage, they also talk about Sheril, the teacher who danced to the song and was fairly instrumental in it going viral.
Just when the two actors start dancing, with a life-size cut-out of Mohanlal, the doors open and out comes Mohanlal clad in a mundu-veshti and his classic red shirt from the film.
The participants go berserk and scream, especially when Mohanlal starts doing his dance moves.
Jimmiki Kammal gif
“The song that has got everybody dancing have made me too to take a few steps . Here’s my version of #JimikkiKammal with the participants of dance challenge, and team Velipadinte Pusthakam,” he shares on his social media page.
It’s only been 16 hours and the video has gone viral again.
Abdul Majid, an icon of the Assamese film industry, died on Sunday morning, a hospital official said. He was 86.
Majid, a veteran actor, director and playwright, was admitted to the hospital on September 23. He died following a heart attack at GNRC hospital here at 9:30 a.m. on Sunday, a spokesman of the hospital said.
Majid, popularly known as Majidka, was a prolific dramatist who also performed different roles in over 200 plays and worked for promoting new talents.
He directed the landmark film Chameli Memsaab in the 1970s. Some of the other titles that he helmed were Banahansa, Banjui, Ponakan and Uttarkaal, through which he gave a new dimension to Assamese cinema and showed his sense of social responsibility.
Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal condoled his demise, calling it an irreparable loss to the cultural field of Assam. Sonowal also prayed for peace for the departed soul and offered his condolences to the bereaved family.
Director Utpal Borpujari mourned Majid’s death. He tweeted:
RIP Abdul Majid, filmmaker-actor-dramatist. He made the classic Chameli Memsaab, which had this haunting song https://t.co/IouKW0u0c1
This week witnessed a mixed bag of films. There was action, romance, drama, melodrama, and even a bit of slice-of-life. Right from Newton being declared as India’s official Oscar entry, to the massive hype over Junior NTR’s triple role act, here’s a look at the performances of some of the recent releases at the box office:
Jai Lava Kusa (Telugu)
Jai-Lava-Kusa-New-Photos-01
Released on September 21, Junior NTR’s film grossed Rs 30 crores in Telugu states alone, reports The Indian Express. The film’s two-day box-office collection worldwide is speculated to be Rs 60 crores.
According to trade analyst Taran Adarsh, the film’s US report includes $ 254, 309 on Friday, and made a total of $ 998, 470 [Rs 6.47 crores].
In Chennai, as of Saturday, the film has made Rs 45 Lakhs.
The film that marks actor Shoubin Shahir’s directorial debut has been received well, with many seemingly okay with the little flaws it has. With Dulquer Salmaan in an extended cameo, a lot was expected from this film.
The film had reportedly released in over 175 theatres across Kerala. Unsurprisingly, at the Kerala box office alone, Parava made Rs 2.64 crores and Rs 1.92 crores on its second day. Analysts expect the film to make Rs 9 crores at least by Monday.
The film features yesteryear actors’ sons – Shane Nigam, son of popular comedian Abi, Arjun Asokan, son of Harisree Asokan, and Zinil Sainudeen. It is produced by Anwar Rasheed under the banner Anwar Rasheed Entertainments, best known for producing Bangalore Days and Premam.
Apoorva Lakhia’s biopic on the dreaded aapa from Mumbai has had a slow start. The film released in nearly 1100 screens all over India.
According to trade analysis website KoiMoi, the film has minted Rs 1.87 crores on its first day at the box office. Starring Shraddha Kapoor, it has been critically panned with most holding the lead actress’s performance accountable for the film’s disastrous performance.
Bhoomi Trailer Starring Sanjay Dutt and Aditi Rao Hydari
Bhoomi, directed by Omung Kumar, explores the relationship between a daughter, played by Aditi Rao Hydari, and a father, portrayed by Sanjay Dutt. A revenge drama, the film marks Dutt’s comeback after he was released from jail. It also stars Sidhant Gupta, Sharad Kelkar and Shekhar Suman.
According to Taran Adarsh, the film opened to Rs 2.25 crore on its first day.
Newton (played by Rajkummar Rao) is the story of a man who does things as per the system. The film is set in the jungles of Chhattisgarh, and is about how a young man tries to conduct a free and fair election there. Pankaj Tripathi plays an Army general. The film also stars Raghubir Yadav, Sanjay Mishra and Anjali Patil.
The film opened to Rs 95 Lakhs on Friday, but is expected to do better owing to it being announced as India’s official entry to the Oscars.
Taran Adarsh reports that the film has seen a 162.5% growth, making Rs 2.52 crores on Saturday. Thus far, it has made Rs 3.48 crores in India.
Pahlaj Nihalani says that the Prasoon Joshi-led CBFC is still functioning in the same way. However, there’s no opposition now.
“Even after my exit, the functioning of the CBFC is still the same; films are still getting cuts as the guidelines are the same even today. But there is no noise about the number of cuts and no one is calling the CBFC ‘sanskari’ today,” he said, referring to allegations of moral policing that he faced while he held the office. “The lobbying was against me and not the CBFC,” Nihalani told PTI.
Nihalani alleges that a ‘few people’ wanted him to be thrown out of the CBFC. The producer said that he does not feel bad about it, and that he is happy to be back in the film industry as a producer. “I have come back to films. It is an honourable post,” he added.
The Julie 2 distributor says that he tried his hardest to bring transparency into the CBFC. Nihalani also says that under his stewardship, there was no delay in certifying films.
Pahlaj Nihalani was replaced by lyricist Prasoon Joshi earlier this year.
Days after Deepika Padukone’s first look in Padmavati was revealed, now Shahid Kapoor’s first look in Sanjay Leela Bhansali has been shared. Kohl-eyed, well-trimmed beard, and in a torn and bloodstained kurta, Shahid’s Maharawal Ratan Singh is found staring into space on battle ground. He also has a vermilion tilak on his forehead.
Jointly produced by Bhansali Productions and Viacom 18 Motion Pictures, Padmavati will also feature Ranveer Singh as Alauddin Khilji, who is motivated to kidnap Rani Padmini. The film is based on the legendary queen from the epic ‘Padmavat’ written by Malik Muhammad Jayasi in 1540 CE.
The film, which has had its share of trouble with protesters, is slated to release on December 1.
A quick look at everything making news in the world of cinema today!
Sign On
Disha Patani may play the female lead in Sangamithra
Ranveer Singh is in talks to play Kapil Dev in an upcoming biopic
Jai, Nikki Galrani will play lead roles in the sequel to Sundar C’s Kalakalappu
Mahesh Babu has confirmed that he’ll team up with SS Rajamouli for a new film
Newsworthy
Mohanlal’s Jimikki Kammal version has gone viral on social media.
SS Rajamouli has said that he is not making Mahabharata next
Spotlight
Pahlaj Nihalani believes that much of the opposition to the CBFC when he was Chief, was directed against him. To bolster his argument, Nihalani said no objections were raised now when the board asked directors to make cuts in their films. “Even after my exit, the functioning of the CBFC is still the same; films are still getting cuts as the guidelines are the same even today. But there is no noise about the number of cuts and no one is calling the CBFC ‘sanskari’ today,” he said, referring to allegations of moral policing that he faced while he held the office. “The lobbying was against me and not the CBFC,” Nihalani told PTI.
Timeout
Karni Sena activists torched posters of Deepika Padukone’s Padmavati earlier this week. They accused him of backtracking on a “promise” to screen the film before a panel of intellectuals before its release.
Karni Sena members also threatened to oppose the screening of the movie in theatres if the facts are distorted.
Let them eat cake!
Actor Divya Dutta, Will Smith, rapper T.I will all turn a year older today!
Filmmaker S.S. Rajamouli has said that he has no plans to make Mahabharata at present.
“I am not making Mahabharata. I just said that my dream is to make Mahabharata but it is a long time to get to that,” Rajamouli told IANS here.
“I haven’t started anything. I am just taking a break. It will be sometime that I will be starting to work on my next project,” he added.
Rajamouli attained global acclaim by creating Baahubali — which went on to become India’s biggest blockbuster with worldwide earnings of over Rs 900 crore.
Starring Prabhas and Rana Daggubati as the male protagonists, the film’s story is about the battle for the ownership of an ancient kingdom between two brothers. It also featured Anushka Shetty, Ramya Krishnan, Tamannaah Bhatia and Sathyaraj.
The first part Baahubali: The Beginning came out in 2015 and the second Baahubali 2: The Conclusion, which will have its TV premiere on Sony MAX on October 8, was released earlier this year.
Asked about any plans to come out with another part, Rajamouli said at the moment there is no “further” story to tell.
“We started the film with a fantastic story, and we finished it with these two films. So, there is no further story. I know we have a fantastic market and I know I will make hundreds of crore (with the franchise) but that wouldn’t be honest filmmaking.
“If we have a story, we will be very happy to all get together again,” he added.
Rajamouli said he is waiting for a “subject to touch his heart”, and he will start working soon after.
Actress Disha Patani is likely to play the lead in upcoming Tamil historic drama Sangamithra, according to a source from the film unit.
Disha has been signed as the replacement for actress Shruti Haasan, who was originally supposed to be a part of the project.
“Disha has been signed for the project. The makers will very soon make an official announcement. It’s going to be a role of a lifetime for her,” the source told IANS.
To be helmed by Sundar C and produced by Sri Thenandal Films, the film will also be released in Telugu and Hindi.
“It will be simultaneously made in Telugu. In Hindi, however, it will be made with an entirely different cast and the process will take time,” he said.
The film, which will also star Jayam Ravi and Arya, will have music by A.R. Rahman.
Earlier this year, the project was launched amidst fanfare at Cannes International Film Festival.
On signing the project, Rahman told IANS: “It’s a very ambitious film. Six months back when I heard just 30 minutes of the narration, it was good enough for me to come on board.” The project is rumoured to cost Rs 150 crore.
Rahman added that Sangamithra not only has great story but “Sundar has good vision for music too”.
“Nothing as compelling as Sangamithra came my way in recent times. The project is in rights hands,” he said, heaping praise on the makers – Sri Thenandal Studios.
Actress Mahira Khan was recently trolled online for a picture in which she was seen sharing a cigarette with Ranbir Kapoor in New York City. She was slammed on social media for smoking and wearing a short dress. Though the actress is yet to react to the controversy, Ranbir has spoken about this.
“I’ve gotten to know Mahira in a personal capacity over the last few months. She is somebody who I admire and respect, for her achievements and even more for the person she is. It is very unfair the way she is being judged and spoken about. What is also sad is the inequality in judgment just because she is a woman. I request you to stop the negativity and move on with your beautiful god gifted lives. Peace and love,” read his statement to the media.
“PS: Both smoking and hate are injurious to health,” he added.
In an interview to Hindustan Times, Ranbir’s father Rishi Kapoor said, “Ranbir is a young star, he is unmarried, he’s a bachelor. He can meet anybody whoever he wants to, and if people are going to invade in his privacy, it’s not done. And I can’t say anything about all this because he’s a young man and he has the choice of meeting any girl.”
Mahira Khan, who is a popular on Pakistani Television, made her debut in Bollywood with the Shah Rukh Khan-starrer Raees.
KR Vijaya clutches a handful of old, worn-out photographs as she takes me on a trip down memory lane. There’s one with her parents, the young Vijaya’s beaming smile instantly recognisable in the black and white photo; another in which she stares morosely into the lens, all teenage moodiness and vibrating tension. Her hair is a little unwound in the photo, and it is apparent that the young Vijaya is not too pleased.
It’s hard to reconcile with the fact that the young, sullen woman in the photo is the personification of grace and kindness that we’re used to seeing on screen. “But, I am a normal person,” Vijaya insists. “I have good days and bad days like everybody else.”
The actress, who’s in her late sixties, is in a lot of pain at the moment. Worry lines bracket her eyes and her mouth. She wears a simple cotton sari, one hand casually draped over the armrest. The other caresses a photograph of her husband, the late M Velayudhan Nair.
Everything about Vijaya’s home screams quiet elegance. Tanjore paintings adorn the wall, dainty little enamelled chairs dot the hall; the caretaker offers us tea on gold-edged bone china set.
One misstep and something just might break.
This old-world elegance is very in tune with KR Vijaya, the actress and the person. She speaks in soft, dulcet tones about an era long gone.
“Saroja akka, me and a few others are the gatekeepers to that age. There’s so much we know, so many experiences we shared that have become lost and gone away with the wind. I like to reminisce now and then. That’s when I feel my age,” Vijaya says.
A Keralite by birth, Vijaya’s army man father decided to move the family to Palani when she was “10 to 11 years old”. “My parents had a mixed marriage, which was a rarity even then. My father was from Andhra, and my mother – an orthodox Malayali woman. I grew up with the best of both worlds, in a sense. But, even as a child, I was aware that society looked at our family differently. We were a normal family, but to the outsiders, we were probably big exceptions to the norm.”
Her father, Subramanyam, had great love and passion for the stage. “He had a presence that was just hard to ignore. As children, we loved watching him act out stories from his life. He expressed with his whole body. As the eldest, I wanted to be most like him. So taking to the stage was natural.”
Poster of ‘Karpagam’ (1963). Pic: Wikipedia
At the age of 15, KR Vijaya was cast in Karpagam. “As far as roles go, it was pretty iconic… and hard hitting because I die early in the film. A lot of people cautioned me about it and told my parents that it was not a very good omen. I was convinced that I’d not get roles after that. But, somehow, here I am, 500 movies later.”
The film saw her share screenspace with ‘Gemini’ Ganesan and Savithri. “They had such a presence, and even then, had eyes only for each other. My legs used to shake every time I had a scene with Ganesan sir. It was my stage experience that gave me confidence.”
In her decades-long career, Vijaya has had the rare opportunity to be a part of a lot of devotional films. “I think it was my face that got me all those films. My features are distinctly South Indian. I am not glamorous, even though many have tried hard to make me look that way. I have a very homely appeal, and this fetched me those roles.”
Being a part of this genre is no easy task, Vijaya says. “There are a lot of rules and regulations involved. First and foremost, the actors playing Gods onscreen have to be very careful. There’s a no meat and dairy diet for everybody, and we have to be very pure in our thoughts and ideals. It is a huge responsibility. Not everyone holding a vel can become Murugan. You have to do the penance for it.”
*****
Three years after the release of Karpagam, when Vijaya turned 18, her parents decided to get her married. “Back then, it was different. Nobody asked for my opinion. All my decisions were made for me. So, I never questioned anybody. I married the man of my parents’ choice, and I must say, it was the right decision. My husband was the greatest. Without him, I feel as if I’ve lost a limb.”
With the birth of her only child, Hemalatha in 1967, Vijaya settled comfortably in married life. “I had no compunction about giving up acting. I’d done a few films, found success. And then, I officially retired from films. Or so I thought.”
But Aroor Das, dialogue writer and famous Tamil poet, was most insistent that Vijaya return. “He said that I was wasting my time and talent by retiring so early. Besides, is 19 the age to give it all up?”
Vijaya felt frustrated at not being allowed to rest. “I’d been working nonstop for years. I thought with my marriage, I’d get the time to rest a little,” she says.
That was not to be. For Vijaya, the years after her marriage proved to be her busiest. “At the time, there were ideas that a working woman was doing something wrong, sinful even, by not devoting herself to her family. The result was that I always had that niggling sense of guilt. Even though I had an opportunity others dreamed of, I didn’t really enjoy it completely. In the back of my mind, there was the idea that I was neglecting my family to be in front of the cameras.”
Like Saroja Devi, Vijaya’s career was largely guided by others. “I did not study beyond the first or second grade. I don’t remember much about my education, and I am not literate at all. First, my parents guided me. Then my husband and my mentors. I have never made a decision in life that was not guided by these people.”
So, Vijaya says, she cannot take credit for her success. “My family life was the blessing of my parents. My career was the blessing of my husband and others like Aroor Das. It is their intelligence that I reaped the benefits of. They held my hand every step of the way.”
In front of the camera too, Vijaya says she depended on her co-star to help her along. “Stars like MGR sir and Sivaji sir had that innate something that let them shine onscreen. I was just basking in their presence.”
It is not humility that makes Vijaya speak this way. She truly believes that without the people in her life and without God, she would not have been able to scale the heights that she has. “I am not humble. Without my father, I wouldn’t have found out about my love for theatre and films. Without my parents, I wouldn’t have found my husband. And without him, I would not have the life or career that I have now.”
*****
Movies of this age bore KR Vijaya. “They have so much violence. Everything is about stealing, killing, hitting someone…it’s become the trend to show the vices in life. I heard that there was a movie devoted to chain snatching. Why would people pay money to watch such unpleasant experiences onscreen? This is why I largely stay away from Tamil cinema these days.”
The actresses too, seem factory assembled, Vijaya points out. “They all look alike, dress alike. One actress will find success and then everybody will rush to change themselves to look like her. There’s no originality. In my time, every actress had a quirk, that individual something that defined them. Now, everybody seems the same. They’re all bland.”
As one of the very few actresses to reign in Tamil cinema after marriage, KR Vijaya finds the ‘unofficial’ retirement of married actresses puzzling. “We lived and worked in a far more progressive industry back then. There was no pressure to maintain our waistlines. Talent mattered. Now, a female actor is judged on the basis of her attractiveness, and not on her acting talents. What does this teach our girl children? Or even our boys?”
Marriage must never be a deterrent to career, Vijaya says. “Back then, only actresses worked after marriage. Other women largely chose to stay at home once they got a husband. Now, other women go to work after marriage. And, actresses are ‘retired’ by the industry. It’s strange how things have changed.”
Morality is also absent, Vijaya thinks. “By and large, we all lived by a code of honour. Now, the songs itself are in such bad taste. They objectify everything. It’s not something I’d personally endorse.”
As she gets older, Vijaya is often assailed by health issues. That has led to quite a few death hoaxes. Vijaya is appalled, yes. “I had to go and get a PR person to draft a statement. I’d just fractured my leg and I was in a lot of pain. But someone had written that I’d passed away. There were so many messages and calls from people who were shocked at the news. I think they were even more shocked when I picked up the calls and answered. If it weren’t so morbid, I’d have found it funny.”
It’s barely been a year since her husband passed. And it’s only now that Vijaya feels able to begin her career once again. For the first time in her life perhaps, the actress is making decisions for herself.
Up next for Vijaya is a role in Maaya Mohini, in which she plays a saint.
“I’m learning to do things on my own. It’s going to take a while to find my feet,” she says, leaning on her caretaker.
*****
The KR Vijaya interview is a Silverscreen exclusive.
Actors Rajinikanth and Kamal Haasan are in the news for different reasons today. But, earlier this week at least, the actors were celebrated for quite a different achievement. Their 16 Vayathinile completed 40 years since its release. An iconic film that established Rajinikanth – Kamal Haasan and Sri Devi as the holy trinity of Tamil cinema, the film went on to achieve cult status. On its fortieth anniversary, we took another look at this Bharathiraja directorial, and spoke to the man himself about the many ways the film shocked the audience when it released.
Tamil film industry’s fascination with sequels continues this year. With several sequels lined up for release, we took some time to find out if these films really needed to be made and if the audience were up for them.
The ladies of television emerged triumphant on Emmys night. As the likes of Lena Waithe and Nicole Kidman bagged those top awards, it was a win for women all over the world. Or so we’d like to think.
Anu Hasan, Ms Indira herself, has made that much-talked about comeback soon. The actor spoke to us about the many ways the film industry has tried to typecast her and her attempts to evade it all.
Urvashi, on the other hand, lamented the lack of comedy writers for women, and told us all about the fun she had while working with Jyothika and co. for Bramma’s Magalir Mattum
Sanjay Dutt’s Bhoomi could have been so much more, but it ended up being a standard rape-revenge feature in awe of its male lead. Its storyline deserved better treatment.
Pokkiri Simon claims to be a comedy, but the joke, for the most part, is on the film’s inability to deliver emotions right. The lead actors ham it up in every scene, and the technical departments aren’t of much help, either.
If anything, Kalavu Thozhirchalai is ambitious. It wants to be a pacy crime thriller with an ingenious plot, and to this effect, it wants to employ the ever-fascinating legacy of the Chozhas.
For a film that originally intended on chronicling Haseena’s life, it ends up focusing on irrelevant details, characters, with hurried cuts and camera work not really helping this lost cause. Of what could’ve been an interesting, maybe even a feminist take on a woman who made everybody afraid of her, falters into a caricature of the person. It’s time Bollywood revisits the whole idea of biopics.
Snehan won the golden ticket to the grand finale by scoring maximum points in the tasks that were conducted in the Bigg Boss house. With this, he has now been given the responsibility of choosing a housemate for eviction this week.
Among Aarav, Bindhu and Harish Kalyan, Ganesh and Suja,who were nominated for eviction this week, host Kamal Haasan announced that Ganesh and Suja have got the lowest votes. With this, Snehan has been tasked to save one between Suja and Ganesh. “It is up to you, Snehan. You have to decide on who has to stay and who has to go,” said Kamal.
With the finale set to happen on September 30, tonight’s episode will have the last eviction of the show. On last night’s show, contestants spoke on why they deserve the title. All the contestants of Bigg Boss, including Oviya, are expected to attend the grand finale next week.
Filmmaker Karan Johar said there is a need to stop segregating cinema into regions and start projecting, promoting and platforming Indian cinema. He underlined the need for breaking the regional barriers and bringing all Indian films under one roof.
“Bollywood is a term we have learnt to live with. It is disheartening that you have to keep using it in the world because that is our identity. We are not poor cousin of any industry. We are tall industry of our own and we have made some spectacular movies,” he said at the Indian School of Business Leadership Summit (ILS) on Saturday.
He described Bahubaali as the first real crossover movie of India which crossed all corners of the country to the extent never seen in the past.
Karan said it was an extraordinary movie and its maker SS Rajamouli, actors Prabhas, Rana Daggubati, Tamannah, and the entire crew who were not known before 2015 became future stars.
The filmmaker, however, said the film was bigger than all stars. He believes the script and the budget of a movie were important than any superstar or megastar.
Stating that the star system died in Hollywood 10 years ago, he said Bollywood was also heading towards the same phenomenon.
On his movie My Name is Khan going beyond the NRI market to reach non-Indian audiences abroad, Karan said this was possible as the movie was about misinterpretation of a global religion which resonated deeply with many countries beyond the Indian diaspora market.
He said perhaps there may not be another My Name is Khan and there was also no need to go to other markets. “Let us strengthen our domestic industry before we look anywhere else. Indian cinema is a beast of its own. It’s not like anything that you sell off the counter or any other product this country sells. We are part of this beast and victims of it, at times. If you don’t love that beast, don’t own that beast and don’t completely and passionately be absorbed by that, you should not try and sell it,” he said.
The filmmaker said if somebody was an academic professional who was well educated in business and marketing, it did not mean that he can market and sell a Hindi or Indian film.
“It’s a totally different ballgame and operates from totally different space. We have unconventional and diverse audience,” he said.
Stating that the film business is based on faith and trust, he recalled he had sent a one-page contract to Amitabh Bachchan and Shah Rukh Khan to get them on board unlike well educated young MBA professionals in the industry who are sending 80-page contracts to actors.
He believes the industry will have a golden period in another 10 years but remarked that currently it’s going through a dark tunnel.
