Revered Indian actor and filmmaker Aparna Sen is the subject of Suman Ghosh’s documentary “Parama: A Journey with Aparna Sen,” which has its world premiere at International Film Festival Rotterdam‘s Cinema Regained strand.
Sen came to notice as an actor with the “Samapti” segment in Oscar winner Satyajit Ray’s “Three Daughters” (1961). She acted in several more films by Ray and also worked with Indian cinema greats Mrinal Sen, Tapan Sinha and Rituparno Ghosh. Her acting credits also include Merchant-Ivory films “The Guru” (1969) and “Bombay Talkie” (1970).
“36 Chowringhee Lane” (1981), Sen’s directorial debut, won her best director at India’s National Film Awards. She has directed several acclaimed films since, including “Paroma” (1984), “Sati” (1989), “Paromitar Ek Din” (2000), “Mr. and Mrs. Iyer” (2002), “Goynar Baksho” (2013) and “The Rapist,” which won the Kim Jiseok prize at Busan in 2021.
Sen starred in Ghosh’s “The Bose Family” (2019). Ghosh is a prolific filmmaker who is...
Sen came to notice as an actor with the “Samapti” segment in Oscar winner Satyajit Ray’s “Three Daughters” (1961). She acted in several more films by Ray and also worked with Indian cinema greats Mrinal Sen, Tapan Sinha and Rituparno Ghosh. Her acting credits also include Merchant-Ivory films “The Guru” (1969) and “Bombay Talkie” (1970).
“36 Chowringhee Lane” (1981), Sen’s directorial debut, won her best director at India’s National Film Awards. She has directed several acclaimed films since, including “Paroma” (1984), “Sati” (1989), “Paromitar Ek Din” (2000), “Mr. and Mrs. Iyer” (2002), “Goynar Baksho” (2013) and “The Rapist,” which won the Kim Jiseok prize at Busan in 2021.
Sen starred in Ghosh’s “The Bose Family” (2019). Ghosh is a prolific filmmaker who is...
- 1/24/2024
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
Actor turned director-producer Parambrata Chatterjee is riding high with an impressive body of work and juggling between projects with equal enthusiasm. This year the prolific actor-filmmaker Parambrata Chatterjee will be keeping busy throughout the year with a number of movies in his kitty and become one busy actor in 2024, shooting for several films, web series for different Ott platforms and directing and producing movies at the same time.
The multi talented actor was juggling between shoots and packed schedules hopping from one city to another in 2023 and we thought the actor will seem a little free in 2024, as he was working back to back schedules for his various projects in 2023 But the multi talented actor Parambrata Chatterjee has a busy year ahead and is living every actor’s dream.
Parambrata currently has some interesting line up of films in his kitty and year 2024, will be the busiest year for Parambrata...
The multi talented actor was juggling between shoots and packed schedules hopping from one city to another in 2023 and we thought the actor will seem a little free in 2024, as he was working back to back schedules for his various projects in 2023 But the multi talented actor Parambrata Chatterjee has a busy year ahead and is living every actor’s dream.
Parambrata currently has some interesting line up of films in his kitty and year 2024, will be the busiest year for Parambrata...
- 1/9/2024
- by Editorial Desk
- GlamSham
The Jio Mami Mumbai Film Festival is set to return from October 27 for 10 days of a loaded line-up of films from across the world to treat the cinephiles. It will feature 250 films from October 27 to November 5. Farhan Akhtar, Rana Daggubati, Siddharth Roy Kapur, Vikramaditya Motwane, Zoya Akhtar, Rohan Sippy, Ajay Bijli and Anupama Chopra unveiled line-up whhich includes over 40 World Premieres, 45 Asia Premieres, and 70+ South Asia Premieres.
This time, the festival received over 1000 submissions for the South Asia programme. The festival promises to spotlight contemporary films and new cinematic voices from South Asia. The main competition at the festival this year is the South Asia Competition.
This competitive section aims to showcase breakthrough contemporary South Asian films, will see 14 films from debutant and second-time filmmakers from across India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, and Nepal, as well as diaspora filmmakers from the UK and Germany. South Asian films are also part of a...
This time, the festival received over 1000 submissions for the South Asia programme. The festival promises to spotlight contemporary films and new cinematic voices from South Asia. The main competition at the festival this year is the South Asia Competition.
This competitive section aims to showcase breakthrough contemporary South Asian films, will see 14 films from debutant and second-time filmmakers from across India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, and Nepal, as well as diaspora filmmakers from the UK and Germany. South Asian films are also part of a...
- 10/9/2023
- by Agency News Desk
- GlamSham
The Jio Mami Mumbai Film Festival is set to return from October 27 for 10 days of a loaded line-up of films from across the world to treat the cinephiles. It will feature 250 films from October 27 to November 5. Farhan Akhtar, Rana Daggubati, Siddharth Roy Kapur, Vikramaditya Motwane, Zoya Akhtar, Rohan Sippy, Ajay Bijli and Anupama Chopra unveiled line-up whhich includes over 40 World Premieres, 45 Asia Premieres, and 70+ South Asia Premieres.
This time, the festival received over 1000 submissions for the South Asia programme. The festival promises to spotlight contemporary films and new cinematic voices from South Asia. The main competition at the festival this year is the South Asia Competition.
This competitive section aims to showcase breakthrough contemporary South Asian films, will see 14 films from debutant and second-time filmmakers from across India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, and Nepal, as well as diaspora filmmakers from the UK and Germany. South Asian films are also part of a...
This time, the festival received over 1000 submissions for the South Asia programme. The festival promises to spotlight contemporary films and new cinematic voices from South Asia. The main competition at the festival this year is the South Asia Competition.
This competitive section aims to showcase breakthrough contemporary South Asian films, will see 14 films from debutant and second-time filmmakers from across India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, and Nepal, as well as diaspora filmmakers from the UK and Germany. South Asian films are also part of a...
- 10/9/2023
- by Agency News Desk
Exclusive: Applause Entertainment and Zee’s Zindagi will try on The Pink Shirt together at South By Southwest Sydney this month.
The South Asian powerhouses have lined up the streaming series as the second production out of a recently struck content partnership, and will be taking it to the Palace Central Cinema on October 16 for the film strand of South by SouthwestSydney.
The eight-episode show will star Sajal Aly and Wahaj Ali, and is billed as “a riveting take on modern-day relationships, their love, challenges, and struggles in a raw and real way, and as a “simple and confusing, tragic yet funny tale of broken and complex relationships.”
The drama revolves around the journey of Sophia (Aly) and Umer (Ali), who are stuck in respective toxic relationships only to discover an alluring intensity for each other and embark on a transformative journey towards love that mends them as people.
The...
The South Asian powerhouses have lined up the streaming series as the second production out of a recently struck content partnership, and will be taking it to the Palace Central Cinema on October 16 for the film strand of South by SouthwestSydney.
The eight-episode show will star Sajal Aly and Wahaj Ali, and is billed as “a riveting take on modern-day relationships, their love, challenges, and struggles in a raw and real way, and as a “simple and confusing, tragic yet funny tale of broken and complex relationships.”
The drama revolves around the journey of Sophia (Aly) and Umer (Ali), who are stuck in respective toxic relationships only to discover an alluring intensity for each other and embark on a transformative journey towards love that mends them as people.
The...
- 10/4/2023
- by Jesse Whittock
- Deadline Film + TV
Revered Indian actor Waheeda Rehman has been accorded the Dadasaheb Phalke award, India’s highest film honor.
The award is given for lifetime contribution to Indian cinema and is named after Phalke, director of “Raja Harischandra” (1913), India’s first full-length feature, who is considered the father of Indian cinema.
Rehman, the 85-year-old grande dame of Indian cinema has worked with most of the legendary filmmakers of her country during her career and the roles she chose were in films that are considered classics in the annals of Indian cinema. She worked with Guru Dutt in “Pyaasa” (1957) and “Kaagaz Ke Phool” (1959), Satyajit Ray in “Abhijaan” (1962), Basu Bhattacharya in “Teesri Kasam” (1966) and Yash Chopra in “Kabhie Kabhie” (1976), among many other memorable roles.
But it is her role as Rosie in Vijay Anand’s “Guide” (1965) that Rehman remembers with the greatest fondness. “When I signed ‘Guide’ more than 50 years ago, my friends told...
The award is given for lifetime contribution to Indian cinema and is named after Phalke, director of “Raja Harischandra” (1913), India’s first full-length feature, who is considered the father of Indian cinema.
Rehman, the 85-year-old grande dame of Indian cinema has worked with most of the legendary filmmakers of her country during her career and the roles she chose were in films that are considered classics in the annals of Indian cinema. She worked with Guru Dutt in “Pyaasa” (1957) and “Kaagaz Ke Phool” (1959), Satyajit Ray in “Abhijaan” (1962), Basu Bhattacharya in “Teesri Kasam” (1966) and Yash Chopra in “Kabhie Kabhie” (1976), among many other memorable roles.
But it is her role as Rosie in Vijay Anand’s “Guide” (1965) that Rehman remembers with the greatest fondness. “When I signed ‘Guide’ more than 50 years ago, my friends told...
- 9/26/2023
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
Mumbai, July 16 (Ians) Veteran star Saira Banu shared a glimpse of her personal favourite scene from late star Dilip Kumar’s performance in the 1974 film ‘Sagina’, which she said was one of the legendary actor’s ‘most spell-binding, enthralling performances’.
‘Sagina’ is directed by Tapan Sinha, the film stars Dilip Kumar, Saira Banu, Aparna Sen, Om Prakash. It was a remake of 1970 Bengali movie Sagina Mahato directed by Tapan Sinha with the same lead pair in the cast.
The film revolved around Dilip Kumar’s character Sagina, a factory laborer, and an aggressive, honest and lovable character who was the first to fight against the tyranny of the British bosses in the tea gardens of North-Eastern India.
Saira Bano took to Instagram, where she shared a few glimpses and captioned the post: “Sagina is one of my most loved films. It is based on the true story of the labour movement.
‘Sagina’ is directed by Tapan Sinha, the film stars Dilip Kumar, Saira Banu, Aparna Sen, Om Prakash. It was a remake of 1970 Bengali movie Sagina Mahato directed by Tapan Sinha with the same lead pair in the cast.
The film revolved around Dilip Kumar’s character Sagina, a factory laborer, and an aggressive, honest and lovable character who was the first to fight against the tyranny of the British bosses in the tea gardens of North-Eastern India.
Saira Bano took to Instagram, where she shared a few glimpses and captioned the post: “Sagina is one of my most loved films. It is based on the true story of the labour movement.
- 7/16/2023
- by Agency News Desk
- GlamSham
Applause Entertainment, is set to debut in Tamil cinema with the release of a taut, edge-of-the-seat investigative thriller, ‘Por Thozhil’ in collaboration with E4 Experiments and Eprius Studio. The movie, directed by debutant Vignesh Raja, stars Ashok Selvan and Sarath Kumar in the lead roles, with Nikhila Vimal in a pivotal role.
The makers today released an intriguing title reveal with a chilling animation and haunting musical score, leading to much anticipation. ‘Por Thozhil’ translated as ‘The Art of War’, promises to be an intriguing thriller and is slated to release soon in cinemas.
The content studio has earlier produced several popular series, including ‘Humble Politician Nograj’ (Kannada), ‘Vadham’ (Tamil), ‘Kuruthi Kalam’ (Tamil), and ‘Iru Dhuruvam’ (Tamil). With a strong commitment to building a diverse content slate in all southern markets, Applause Entertainment is focused on creating a range of movies and premium series across different languages.
View this post...
The makers today released an intriguing title reveal with a chilling animation and haunting musical score, leading to much anticipation. ‘Por Thozhil’ translated as ‘The Art of War’, promises to be an intriguing thriller and is slated to release soon in cinemas.
The content studio has earlier produced several popular series, including ‘Humble Politician Nograj’ (Kannada), ‘Vadham’ (Tamil), ‘Kuruthi Kalam’ (Tamil), and ‘Iru Dhuruvam’ (Tamil). With a strong commitment to building a diverse content slate in all southern markets, Applause Entertainment is focused on creating a range of movies and premium series across different languages.
View this post...
- 4/18/2023
- by Editorial Desk
- GlamSham
Indian filmmaker Subhrajit Mitra’s latest venture “Bandit Queen of Bengal” (aka “Devi Chowdhurani”) will start principal photography in the final quarter of the year.
The film is based on Mitra’s own research into the the advent and invasion of the British East India Company in India, the battles of Plassey (1757) and Buxar (1764), the great Bengal famine of 1770, the Sannyasi and Fakir rebellion (1770-77) and Bankim Chandra Chatterjee’s 1884 Bengali-language novel “Devi Chowdhurani,” which features a female freedom fighter protagonist.
The film will follow the journey of a villager who eventually becomes the first Indian woman freedom fighter. It will also tell the story of the Hindu monks who had no other option but to take up arms against their British colonial rulers to save the country and their people. It was the first armed revolution by the Indians, led by Bhavani Charan Pathak, against the British East India Company.
The film is based on Mitra’s own research into the the advent and invasion of the British East India Company in India, the battles of Plassey (1757) and Buxar (1764), the great Bengal famine of 1770, the Sannyasi and Fakir rebellion (1770-77) and Bankim Chandra Chatterjee’s 1884 Bengali-language novel “Devi Chowdhurani,” which features a female freedom fighter protagonist.
The film will follow the journey of a villager who eventually becomes the first Indian woman freedom fighter. It will also tell the story of the Hindu monks who had no other option but to take up arms against their British colonial rulers to save the country and their people. It was the first armed revolution by the Indians, led by Bhavani Charan Pathak, against the British East India Company.
- 4/6/2023
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
The youngest of Bollywood’s famous Kapoor brothers, he did not have their one defining and enduring cinematic image – Raj’s naive "tramp" identity in the Charlie Chaplin tradition or Shammi’s Elvis-like jiving, rebellious "playboy" persona, but went to surpass both in sheer diversity of his acting.
With his copybook good looks, rakish smile, infectious charm, toothy grin and languid drawl, or the air of earnestness, playing romantic roles, be they of businessmen, police inspectors, college students, et al came naturally to him, but Shashi Kapoor went on to play more ‘common man’ roles, decadent princes, aging poets and even angels with the same charm and intensity.
Born on March 18, 1938 in the then Calcutta to Prithviraj Kapoor and Ramsarn ‘Rama’ Devi, Balbir Raj ‘Shashi’ Kapoor was destined to walk in his family’s footsteps on the silver screen.
Though he first appeared on screen as a child artiste in...
With his copybook good looks, rakish smile, infectious charm, toothy grin and languid drawl, or the air of earnestness, playing romantic roles, be they of businessmen, police inspectors, college students, et al came naturally to him, but Shashi Kapoor went on to play more ‘common man’ roles, decadent princes, aging poets and even angels with the same charm and intensity.
Born on March 18, 1938 in the then Calcutta to Prithviraj Kapoor and Ramsarn ‘Rama’ Devi, Balbir Raj ‘Shashi’ Kapoor was destined to walk in his family’s footsteps on the silver screen.
Though he first appeared on screen as a child artiste in...
- 3/18/2023
- by News Bureau
- GlamSham
The Berlin Film Festival has revealed a raft of titles across strands and also 33 film projects vying for coin at the coproduction market.
Selections for the topical Perspektive Deutsches Kino strand from emerging German talent include “Seven Winters in Tehran” by Steffi Niederzoll, “Elaha” by Milena Aboyan, “Ararat” by Engin Kundag, “The Kidnapping of the Bride” by Sophia Mocorrea, Fabian Stumm’s “Bones and Names,” “Long Long Kiss” by Lukas Röder, Tanja Egen’s “On Mothers and Daughters,” “Ash Wednesday,” by João Pedro Prado and Bárbara Santos, “Nuclear Nomads” by Kilian Armando Friedrich and Tizian Stromp Zargari and “Lonely Oaks” by Fabiana Fragale, Kilian Kuhlendahl and Jens Mühlhoff.
All the selected films in the strand will compete for the Heiner Carow Prize and the Compass-Perspektive-Award, both of which are endowed with €5,000.
A 4K restoration of David Cronenberg’s “Naked Lunch” will open the Berlinale Classics section, which also includes Oliver Schmitz’ “Mapantsula,...
Selections for the topical Perspektive Deutsches Kino strand from emerging German talent include “Seven Winters in Tehran” by Steffi Niederzoll, “Elaha” by Milena Aboyan, “Ararat” by Engin Kundag, “The Kidnapping of the Bride” by Sophia Mocorrea, Fabian Stumm’s “Bones and Names,” “Long Long Kiss” by Lukas Röder, Tanja Egen’s “On Mothers and Daughters,” “Ash Wednesday,” by João Pedro Prado and Bárbara Santos, “Nuclear Nomads” by Kilian Armando Friedrich and Tizian Stromp Zargari and “Lonely Oaks” by Fabiana Fragale, Kilian Kuhlendahl and Jens Mühlhoff.
All the selected films in the strand will compete for the Heiner Carow Prize and the Compass-Perspektive-Award, both of which are endowed with €5,000.
A 4K restoration of David Cronenberg’s “Naked Lunch” will open the Berlinale Classics section, which also includes Oliver Schmitz’ “Mapantsula,...
- 1/9/2023
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
The Berlin Film Festival today unveiled the titles selected for its retrospective section chosen by a collection of international directors and actors, including Martin Scorsese, Wes Anderson, Nadine Labaki, and Tilda Swinton.
This year the theme of the retrospective sidebar is “Coming of Age at the Movies,” and each invited artist was tasked with submitting their personal favorite film that either deals with “being young and growing up” or had a “decisive role in the evolution or development” of their own artistic practice. The retrospective section will also exclusively screen films that have been newly restored.
The full list of invited artists includes Maren Ade, Pedro Almodóvar, Wes Anderson, Juliette Binoche, Lav Diaz, Alice Diop, Ava DuVernay, Nora Fingscheidt, Luca Guadagnino, Ryūsuke Hamaguchi, Ethan Hawke, Karoline Herfurth, Niki Karimi, Nadine Labaki, Nadav Lapid, Sergei Loznitsa, Mohammad Rasoulof, Céline Sciamma, Martin Scorsese, Aparna Sen, M. Night Shyamalan, Carla Simón, Abderrahmane Sissako,...
This year the theme of the retrospective sidebar is “Coming of Age at the Movies,” and each invited artist was tasked with submitting their personal favorite film that either deals with “being young and growing up” or had a “decisive role in the evolution or development” of their own artistic practice. The retrospective section will also exclusively screen films that have been newly restored.
The full list of invited artists includes Maren Ade, Pedro Almodóvar, Wes Anderson, Juliette Binoche, Lav Diaz, Alice Diop, Ava DuVernay, Nora Fingscheidt, Luca Guadagnino, Ryūsuke Hamaguchi, Ethan Hawke, Karoline Herfurth, Niki Karimi, Nadine Labaki, Nadav Lapid, Sergei Loznitsa, Mohammad Rasoulof, Céline Sciamma, Martin Scorsese, Aparna Sen, M. Night Shyamalan, Carla Simón, Abderrahmane Sissako,...
- 1/9/2023
- by Zac Ntim
- Deadline Film + TV
OpinionWhether it boils down to the habit of being spoon-fed facts or the disinterest in a culture that is not one’s own, critic reviews of ‘Ponniyin Selvan’ from the north of the Vindhyas have mostly been patronising and ignorant.Subha J RaoIf you grew up in Tamil Nadu, you have most likely at least heard of Kalki’s epic historical fiction novel Ponniyin Selvan, if not read it. The book being almost a rite of passage for Tamilians, the elevated anticipation surrounding Mani Ratnam’s two-part on-screen adaptation comes as no surprise. Add to this the bevy of popular stars such as Vikram, Karthi, Aishwarya Rai, Trisha, Jayam Ravi and Aishwarya Lekshmi, promising to bring alive the grandeur of Kalki’s historical fiction celebrating the Chola kingdom, and the hype knew no bounds. Predictably, the response to the film from those familiar with the book fell into two categories...
- 10/8/2022
- by LakshmiP
- The News Minute
After its world premiere in Toronto, Nandita Das’ “Zwigato” has its Asian premiere in Busan’s A Window on Asian Cinema strand.
An acclaimed actor with credits including “Fire,” “Kannathil Muthamittal” and “Kamli,” Das made her directorial debut with “Firaaq” (2008), which debuted at Toronto. Her next film as director, “Manto” (2018), bowed at Cannes.
“Zwigato,” her third outing in the director’s seat, also bowed at Toronto. It began life as a short film that was to be part of an anthology produced by India’s Applause Entertainment. That project didn’t come to fruition, but Applause chief Sameer Nair convinced Das to expand the idea into a feature, which she did during the course of India’s first two Covid-19 lockdowns. The film, a satire on the gig economy, follows a factory manager, who after losing his job, becomes a courier for the food delivery app Zwigato.
“As I began to delve deeper into it,...
An acclaimed actor with credits including “Fire,” “Kannathil Muthamittal” and “Kamli,” Das made her directorial debut with “Firaaq” (2008), which debuted at Toronto. Her next film as director, “Manto” (2018), bowed at Cannes.
“Zwigato,” her third outing in the director’s seat, also bowed at Toronto. It began life as a short film that was to be part of an anthology produced by India’s Applause Entertainment. That project didn’t come to fruition, but Applause chief Sameer Nair convinced Das to expand the idea into a feature, which she did during the course of India’s first two Covid-19 lockdowns. The film, a satire on the gig economy, follows a factory manager, who after losing his job, becomes a courier for the food delivery app Zwigato.
“As I began to delve deeper into it,...
- 10/6/2022
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: Arjun Rampal is on his way to a shoot in Poland after a week’s work in London and a short stop in his home country India when he sits down for a chat with Deadline.
“It’s better to be busy than not busy in my line of work,” he says shrugging off the jetlag.
The veteran actor’s schedule is the result of a late-career renaissance, which he recently kicked off with an acclaimed performance in Aparna Sen’s latest film, The Rapist. Produced by Applause Entertainment in association with Quest Films Pvt. Ltd, the film chronicles the journey of three protagonists as their lives become entwined after one horrific incident. The movie picked up the Kim Jesouk Award at the Busan Film Festival and was shown at the Kerala Film Festival, the Kolkata film festival of India, and the London Indian Film Festival.
“When I read the script,...
“It’s better to be busy than not busy in my line of work,” he says shrugging off the jetlag.
The veteran actor’s schedule is the result of a late-career renaissance, which he recently kicked off with an acclaimed performance in Aparna Sen’s latest film, The Rapist. Produced by Applause Entertainment in association with Quest Films Pvt. Ltd, the film chronicles the journey of three protagonists as their lives become entwined after one horrific incident. The movie picked up the Kim Jesouk Award at the Busan Film Festival and was shown at the Kerala Film Festival, the Kolkata film festival of India, and the London Indian Film Festival.
“When I read the script,...
- 8/29/2022
- by Zac Ntim
- Deadline Film + TV
Prolific Indian studio Applause Entertainment is celebrating its fifth anniversary with a flourishing streaming slate, several films, an ambitious expansion model and a doubling down on investment.
The company is led by CEO Sameer Nair, a pioneer of Indian television with previous stints at Star TV, Ndtv Imagine, Turner General Entertainment, and Balaji Telefilms.
On the film front, Applause’s Hindi-language “The Rapist,” by Aparna Sen, won the prestigious Kim Jiseok award at Busan in 2021. Next up is a film by actor-director Nandita Das, whose last film “Manto” was at Cannes. The film, which has the working title “Zwigato” and is a social satire about the Indian food delivery gig economy, is currently in post. It stars popular TV host Kapil Sharma and Shahana Goswami (“A Suitable Boy”).
Tahira Kashyap Khurrana’s feature debut, the Hindi-language “Sharmajee Ki Beti” is a social comedy that follows five women from different age...
The company is led by CEO Sameer Nair, a pioneer of Indian television with previous stints at Star TV, Ndtv Imagine, Turner General Entertainment, and Balaji Telefilms.
On the film front, Applause’s Hindi-language “The Rapist,” by Aparna Sen, won the prestigious Kim Jiseok award at Busan in 2021. Next up is a film by actor-director Nandita Das, whose last film “Manto” was at Cannes. The film, which has the working title “Zwigato” and is a social satire about the Indian food delivery gig economy, is currently in post. It stars popular TV host Kapil Sharma and Shahana Goswami (“A Suitable Boy”).
Tahira Kashyap Khurrana’s feature debut, the Hindi-language “Sharmajee Ki Beti” is a social comedy that follows five women from different age...
- 8/15/2022
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
It’s not entertainment, if there’s no ‘applause’ and Applause Entertainment’s maiden feature film ‘The Rapist’ received one that was nothing short of a thunderous response. The film will be screened at the prestigious Indian Film Festival of Melbourne 2022 on Aug 20 this month.
Marking a great start and in what can be classified as the best timing, The Rapist came home with a huge win at the prestigious festival. Aparna Sen bagged the award for ‘Best Director’ for this hard-hitting film. Adding another feather to the cap, the win was even more special as it coincided with India’s 75th year of Independence.
After being celebrated across festivals including the Busan International Film Festival, London Indian Film Festival, Kolkata International Film festival, International Film festival of Kerala, ‘The Rapist’ was screened at the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne in August. The Rapist had previously won the prestigious Kim Jiseok Award at Busan.
Marking a great start and in what can be classified as the best timing, The Rapist came home with a huge win at the prestigious festival. Aparna Sen bagged the award for ‘Best Director’ for this hard-hitting film. Adding another feather to the cap, the win was even more special as it coincided with India’s 75th year of Independence.
After being celebrated across festivals including the Busan International Film Festival, London Indian Film Festival, Kolkata International Film festival, International Film festival of Kerala, ‘The Rapist’ was screened at the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne in August. The Rapist had previously won the prestigious Kim Jiseok Award at Busan.
- 8/15/2022
- by Glamsham Editorial
- GlamSham
Bollywood celebrities such as Abhishek Bachchan, Taapsee Pannu, Vaani Kapoor, Tamannaah Bhatia, Shefali Shah, among many others, flagged off the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne to its physical form in Australia with its 13th edition.
Other personalities who were a part of this include singer Sona Mohapatra, former cricketer and ex captain of India Kapil Dev and filmmakers Anurag Kashyap, Kabir Khan, Aparna Sen, Nikkhil Advani and Shoojit Sircar.
The festival, which kicked off on Friday (August 12), will conclude on August 20.
Commenting on the occasion, Abhishek Bachchan, who is “absolutely loving” being in the moment in Melbourne, is excited to watch the screening of his ‘Manmarziyaan’ co-star Taapsee Pannu’s upcoming film ‘Dobaaraa’.
He said, “I’m looking forward to watching ‘Dobaaraa’. My almost entire family has represented India here and I’m very proud of it. I’m looking forward to being part of all the celebrations and I...
Other personalities who were a part of this include singer Sona Mohapatra, former cricketer and ex captain of India Kapil Dev and filmmakers Anurag Kashyap, Kabir Khan, Aparna Sen, Nikkhil Advani and Shoojit Sircar.
The festival, which kicked off on Friday (August 12), will conclude on August 20.
Commenting on the occasion, Abhishek Bachchan, who is “absolutely loving” being in the moment in Melbourne, is excited to watch the screening of his ‘Manmarziyaan’ co-star Taapsee Pannu’s upcoming film ‘Dobaaraa’.
He said, “I’m looking forward to watching ‘Dobaaraa’. My almost entire family has represented India here and I’m very proud of it. I’m looking forward to being part of all the celebrations and I...
- 8/12/2022
- by Glamsham Bureau
- GlamSham
The curtain has closed on another brilliant London Indian Film Festival! Running over two weeks and four cities – London, Birmingham, Manchester, and Leeds – The Blue Orchid Hotels London Indian Film Festival (Liff) delivered another outstanding slate of films, Q&a sessions, and special in-conversations and panels with actors, directors, and more. It was a record year with huge audiences, and many of the films had sold-out screenings.
Festival Director Cary Rajinder Sawhney MBE says: “We are delighted that the festival’s drive to return fully to cinemas in London, Birmingham, and Manchester has been responded to by record audiences. Certain cinemas, such as the BFI Southbank, described the festival as their best seller over the period. There is clearly an appetite to return to the big screen, especially with a festival cocktail of high-quality premieres with frequent guest appearances. What is notable this year is that comedies such as A Fishy Trip,...
Festival Director Cary Rajinder Sawhney MBE says: “We are delighted that the festival’s drive to return fully to cinemas in London, Birmingham, and Manchester has been responded to by record audiences. Certain cinemas, such as the BFI Southbank, described the festival as their best seller over the period. There is clearly an appetite to return to the big screen, especially with a festival cocktail of high-quality premieres with frequent guest appearances. What is notable this year is that comedies such as A Fishy Trip,...
- 7/16/2022
- by Stacey Yount
- Bollyspice
Pan Nalin’s ode to cinema “Last Film Show” (aka “Chhello Show”) earned the audience award at The Blue Orchid Hotels London Indian Film Festival, which took place in London, but also traveled to Birmingham, Manchester and Leeds between June 23 and July 8, 2022.
Nalin has previously enjoyed success at the festival with his other award-winning films including “Samsara,” “Valley of the Flowers” and “Angry Indian Goddess.”
In the Satayjit Ray short film category “Jaagran,” co-directed by Ritviq Joshi and Hardik Sadhwani, won the Liff Jury Prize. Jury judges awarded the film for its “engaging, relatable and witty exploration of a serious issue everyone can identify with.” They also said they found it, “socially and politically astute, brilliantly acted and hilariously funny.”
“ ‘Jaagran’ was an over-ambitious 20 page dream that we saw together,” said Joshi and Sadhwani. “Miraculously, we put together an experienced team who believed in the script, helped us learn and turn our dream into reality.
Nalin has previously enjoyed success at the festival with his other award-winning films including “Samsara,” “Valley of the Flowers” and “Angry Indian Goddess.”
In the Satayjit Ray short film category “Jaagran,” co-directed by Ritviq Joshi and Hardik Sadhwani, won the Liff Jury Prize. Jury judges awarded the film for its “engaging, relatable and witty exploration of a serious issue everyone can identify with.” They also said they found it, “socially and politically astute, brilliantly acted and hilariously funny.”
“ ‘Jaagran’ was an over-ambitious 20 page dream that we saw together,” said Joshi and Sadhwani. “Miraculously, we put together an experienced team who believed in the script, helped us learn and turn our dream into reality.
- 7/12/2022
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
Kummatty (1979).In May of this year, Martin Scorsese's The Film Foundation launched its virtual theater, Restoration Screening Room, with a beautiful digital version of I Know Where I'm Going! (1945) by Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger, which was followed the next month by Federico Fellini's La Strada (1954). Showing next after these mid-century classics of Western cinema is Kummatty by Aravindan Govindan, a selection in keeping with the foundation's World Cinema Project, which endeavors to preserve and restore neglected films from around the world. Nevertheless, the selection is an unusual choice, as the Indian filmmaker, an avant-garde artist at the vanguard of the Parallel Cinema movement in his native state, is relatively unknown outside of Kerala, let alone the country. Tadao Sato, one of Japan's foremost film scholars and critics, saw Kummatty for the first time in 1982 and stated that he had not seen a more beautiful film.Kummatty’s...
- 7/8/2022
- MUBI
Film FestivalTIFF 2022 will run from September 8 to 18 without any of the restrictions of the last two years. Prior to the festival, notable works from Satyajit Ray and his contemporaries will be presented between August 4 and 27.Suresh NellikodeYouTube screenshotAfter a long patch of lockdowns and pandemic-inflicted restrictions, it’s time for Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) fans to get spoiled for choice. While the 47th edition of the film festival is two months away, the organisers have planned a wonderful line-up of events and TIFF looks poised for an opulent comeback this year. TIFF 2022 will run from September 8 to 18 without any of the restrictions that were in place in the previous two years. It’ll spring back to its previous normal with added surprises to make good for what was lost in the last couple of years. There were only 50 films in 2020 and 150 in 2021, with fewer in-person shows and more hybrid online shows.
- 7/3/2022
- by Vidya
- The News Minute
Soon the prestigious London Indian Film Festival will begin! Running from 23 June – 5 July 2022 you can go to the festival in cinemas in London, Birmingham, Manchester and Leeds or experience it on your own sofa, at home, via the digital site www.LoveLIFFatHome.com.
As always, showcasing the best independent films from South Asia, this year’s lineup looks to be amazing! From the opening night film Dobaaraa to the closing night gala screening of Superfan: The Nav Bhatia Story and every film, in the intriguing and exciting strands, Liff is shining the light on brilliant and thought-provoking cinema.
One of the highlights every year are the special and always fascinating In-conversation events, and for Liff 2022, they boast some incredible women.
Taapsee Pannu, the lead protagonist of Liff’s Opening film Dobaaraa, talks about the film and her fantastic career as an actress on June 25th.
The actress has been lauded...
As always, showcasing the best independent films from South Asia, this year’s lineup looks to be amazing! From the opening night film Dobaaraa to the closing night gala screening of Superfan: The Nav Bhatia Story and every film, in the intriguing and exciting strands, Liff is shining the light on brilliant and thought-provoking cinema.
One of the highlights every year are the special and always fascinating In-conversation events, and for Liff 2022, they boast some incredible women.
Taapsee Pannu, the lead protagonist of Liff’s Opening film Dobaaraa, talks about the film and her fantastic career as an actress on June 25th.
The actress has been lauded...
- 6/5/2022
- by Stacey Yount
- Bollyspice
The late Govindan Aravindan’s 1978 masterpiece “Thamp̄” (“The Circus Tent”) is one of two Indian films at this year’s Cannes Classics selection, alongside Satyajit Ray’s “Pratidwandi” (“The Adversary”) from 1970.
“Thamp̄” was painstakingly restored by India’s Film Heritage Foundation (Fhf), an organization founded by filmmaker Shivendra Singh Dungarpur in 2014. Dungarpur facilitated the restoration of Uday Shankar’s landmark film “Kalpana” (1948) by Martin Scorsese’s World Cinema Foundation, the restored version of which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in 2012. He also collaborated with the World Cinema Foundation again for the restoration of the 1972 Sinhalese film “Nidhanaya” directed by eminent Sri Lankan filmmaker Lester James Peries. The restoration premiered at Venice in 2013.
The restoration of “Thamp̄” was a process that took eight months to achieve. Fhf, as a member of the International Federation of Film Archives, also put out a call to all the 171 member institutions around the world...
“Thamp̄” was painstakingly restored by India’s Film Heritage Foundation (Fhf), an organization founded by filmmaker Shivendra Singh Dungarpur in 2014. Dungarpur facilitated the restoration of Uday Shankar’s landmark film “Kalpana” (1948) by Martin Scorsese’s World Cinema Foundation, the restored version of which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in 2012. He also collaborated with the World Cinema Foundation again for the restoration of the 1972 Sinhalese film “Nidhanaya” directed by eminent Sri Lankan filmmaker Lester James Peries. The restoration premiered at Venice in 2013.
The restoration of “Thamp̄” was a process that took eight months to achieve. Fhf, as a member of the International Federation of Film Archives, also put out a call to all the 171 member institutions around the world...
- 5/25/2022
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
Toronto-based filmmaker Deepa Mehta has been making films since the 1970s, including the Oscar-nominated “Water,” part of her elements trilogy; “Bollywood/Hollywood” and “Funny Boy.” Her TV credits include “Yellowjackets,” “Little America” and “Leila.”
As an immigrant to Canada from India, I felt “seen” twice in my life. And both those moments, ironically, were diametrically antithetical to each other.
It was my first foray into North America as a young newlywed documentary filmmaker. I missed my home and family, had no work, couldn’t get the fuss about ice hockey and was frankly surprised at the general questions thrown my way by well-meaning, educated young and old white folk. One lot expressed wonderment at my grasp of the English language. “Where did you learn such good English?” My answer usually was, “on the flight from Delhi to Toronto.” While the other lot expressed complete pity that I came from such an impoverished country,...
As an immigrant to Canada from India, I felt “seen” twice in my life. And both those moments, ironically, were diametrically antithetical to each other.
It was my first foray into North America as a young newlywed documentary filmmaker. I missed my home and family, had no work, couldn’t get the fuss about ice hockey and was frankly surprised at the general questions thrown my way by well-meaning, educated young and old white folk. One lot expressed wonderment at my grasp of the English language. “Where did you learn such good English?” My answer usually was, “on the flight from Delhi to Toronto.” While the other lot expressed complete pity that I came from such an impoverished country,...
- 5/16/2022
- by Deepa Mehta
- Variety Film + TV
The London Indian Film Festival (Liff), is back for its 13th year and we have a sneak peek into the exciting films that will be showcased at the prestigious festival! This year’s Liff spans 14 days from 23rd June – 6th July, screening in various cinemas across London as well as regionally in Manchester, Birmingham, and Leeds. Plus the BFI Player will host a selection of short films. Plus there will be films available at LoveLIFFatHome.com but more to come on that later.
As with every year, the festival strives to bring thought-provoking, unique viewpoints and outstanding independent films to audiences with the selection of films Liff brings to the screen. Not only featuring world premieres, and special screenings, Liff also features masterclasses and incredible Q&a events after the screenings. Liff brings an in-depth look into cinema.
Festival Director Cary Rajinder Sawhney MBE says, “We are delighted at the...
As with every year, the festival strives to bring thought-provoking, unique viewpoints and outstanding independent films to audiences with the selection of films Liff brings to the screen. Not only featuring world premieres, and special screenings, Liff also features masterclasses and incredible Q&a events after the screenings. Liff brings an in-depth look into cinema.
Festival Director Cary Rajinder Sawhney MBE says, “We are delighted at the...
- 5/12/2022
- by Stacey Yount
- Bollyspice
Anurag Kashyap’s “Dobaaraa” has been set as the opening night film of the London Indian Film Festival. Despite its name, the festival will play at venues across the U.K., and will present 24 features and 18 shorts.
“Dobaaraa” is a supernatural thriller that Liff describes as involving a young woman trapped between two lives in different decades. Kashyap has previously told Variety that “Dobaaraa” is a Hindi-language adaptation of Oriol Paulo’s 2018 Spanish-language film “Mirage.” It stars Taapsee Pannu, an actor known for her eclectic choice of projects.
In “Mirage,” a 12-year-old boy witnesses a death during a thunderstorm and is killed himself. Twenty-five years later the woman who moves into the same apartment is connected to the boy through a television set during a similar storm and has the opportunity to save his life.
“Dobaaraa” was produced by Shobha Kapoor and Ektaa R Kapoor, through Cult Movies, a new...
“Dobaaraa” is a supernatural thriller that Liff describes as involving a young woman trapped between two lives in different decades. Kashyap has previously told Variety that “Dobaaraa” is a Hindi-language adaptation of Oriol Paulo’s 2018 Spanish-language film “Mirage.” It stars Taapsee Pannu, an actor known for her eclectic choice of projects.
In “Mirage,” a 12-year-old boy witnesses a death during a thunderstorm and is killed himself. Twenty-five years later the woman who moves into the same apartment is connected to the boy through a television set during a similar storm and has the opportunity to save his life.
“Dobaaraa” was produced by Shobha Kapoor and Ektaa R Kapoor, through Cult Movies, a new...
- 5/10/2022
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
36 Farmhouse(Zee5)
Starring Vijay Raaz, Sanjay Mishra Madhuri Bhatia, Amol Parasher, Barkha Singh, Ashwini Kalsekar, Flora Saini
Directed by Ram Ramesh Sharma
“Chutiyon se bhara padaa hai yeh ghar,” Vijay Raaz observes midway through this mishmash of the worse and the worst. That Subhash Ghai should come to this is a tragedy of Shakespearean proportions.
Not that anyone in this , hands-down Ghai’s worst production to date, has ever heard of Shakespeare. The characters are a bunch of buffoons and clowns , titivated with no redeeming qualities except that they can keep a straight face even when confronted with one of the dumbest most witless screenplays that actors have ever been given to read ever seen the motion picture was invented.
If Lumiere were to see what his dream has come to , he would slash his wrist.
Did actors like Vijay Raaz and Sanjay Mishra actually read the script before...
Starring Vijay Raaz, Sanjay Mishra Madhuri Bhatia, Amol Parasher, Barkha Singh, Ashwini Kalsekar, Flora Saini
Directed by Ram Ramesh Sharma
“Chutiyon se bhara padaa hai yeh ghar,” Vijay Raaz observes midway through this mishmash of the worse and the worst. That Subhash Ghai should come to this is a tragedy of Shakespearean proportions.
Not that anyone in this , hands-down Ghai’s worst production to date, has ever heard of Shakespeare. The characters are a bunch of buffoons and clowns , titivated with no redeeming qualities except that they can keep a straight face even when confronted with one of the dumbest most witless screenplays that actors have ever been given to read ever seen the motion picture was invented.
If Lumiere were to see what his dream has come to , he would slash his wrist.
Did actors like Vijay Raaz and Sanjay Mishra actually read the script before...
- 1/25/2022
- by Subhash K Jha
- Bollyspice
The festival has learned of one confirmed case of Covid-19 amongst its attendees to the opening ceremony.
The 26th Busan International Film Festival (Biff) wrapped today (October 15) with Wang Er Zhuo’s Chinese film Farewell, My Hometown and Kim Se-in’s Korean title The Apartment With Two Women winning the two New Currents awards.
The latter film picked up four other awards including actress of the year for Im Jee-ho.
The socially-distanced festival, which required Pcr tests and/or proof of full vaccination from guests, learned of one confirmed case of Covid-19 amongst its attendees to the opening ceremony, October...
The 26th Busan International Film Festival (Biff) wrapped today (October 15) with Wang Er Zhuo’s Chinese film Farewell, My Hometown and Kim Se-in’s Korean title The Apartment With Two Women winning the two New Currents awards.
The latter film picked up four other awards including actress of the year for Im Jee-ho.
The socially-distanced festival, which required Pcr tests and/or proof of full vaccination from guests, learned of one confirmed case of Covid-19 amongst its attendees to the opening ceremony, October...
- 10/15/2021
- by Jean Noh
- ScreenDaily
Prolific Filipino filmmaker Brillante Ma Mendoza steps into the boxing ring with the heartfelt if rather thin drama “Gensan Punch.” Inspired by the true story of Naozumi Tsuchiyama, an amputee who was denied a license to box professionally in Japan and traveled to the Philippines in pursuit of his dreams, “Gensan” lands solid punches for the rights of disabled athletes and excels with its depiction of rigorous training and fierce combat. But we learn very little about the fighter’s life when he’s not wearing gloves. Following its world premiere at Busan, where it shared the Kim Ji-seok Award with Aparna Sen’s “The Rapist”, and its November screening in Tokyo, “Gensan Punch” will launch online as an HBO Asia Original.
With his chiseled features and steely gaze, handsome model-turned-action star Shogen (“Street Fighter: Assassin’s Fist”) certainly looks the part as Nao, a boxer from Okinawa who has been...
With his chiseled features and steely gaze, handsome model-turned-action star Shogen (“Street Fighter: Assassin’s Fist”) certainly looks the part as Nao, a boxer from Okinawa who has been...
- 10/15/2021
- by Richard Kuipers
- Variety Film + TV
The Busan International Film Festival announced joint winners in both of its prestige sections, the New Currents competition for emerging Asian filmmakers and the Kim Jiseok showcase for works by the region’s more established directors.
Korean-made “The Apartment With Two Women” and Chinese film “Farewell, My Hometown,” both first features, shared the New Currents award.
In the Kim Jiseok award section Brillante Mendoza’s boxing drama “Gensan Punch” split the first prize with Aparna Sen’s “The Rapist.” In the same section, a special mention was made for “The Bargain,” by China’s Wang Qi.
The announcements were made on Friday morning at a press conference at which festival organizers critiqued matters such as levels of audience attendance, two delayed screenings and a new community outreach program.
They confirmed that just one guest tested preliminary positive for Covid-19 while in Busan. Festival staff will be subjected to a further two weeks of additional testing.
Korean-made “The Apartment With Two Women” and Chinese film “Farewell, My Hometown,” both first features, shared the New Currents award.
In the Kim Jiseok award section Brillante Mendoza’s boxing drama “Gensan Punch” split the first prize with Aparna Sen’s “The Rapist.” In the same section, a special mention was made for “The Bargain,” by China’s Wang Qi.
The announcements were made on Friday morning at a press conference at which festival organizers critiqued matters such as levels of audience attendance, two delayed screenings and a new community outreach program.
They confirmed that just one guest tested preliminary positive for Covid-19 while in Busan. Festival staff will be subjected to a further two weeks of additional testing.
- 10/15/2021
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
Questions that must be asked and truths that must be told are the driving forces of “The Rapist,” a gripping Indian social drama about a middle-class academic who wants her rapist — who has been sentenced to death and to whom she has fallen pregnant — to tell her exactly why he committed such a crime. One of the best works directed by veteran filmmaker-actor Aparna Sen, “The Rapist” is a deeply affecting portrait of personal trauma and an intelligent examination of social and cultural factors fueling the horrifying prevalence of sexual violence in India.
Featuring a standout central performance by Konkona Sen Sharma, “The Rapist” is sure to make a strong impact domestically and deserves to be widely seen elsewhere following its world premiere at the Busan Film Festival. With the full re-opening of Indian cinemas still some time away, “The Rapist” appears most likely to go straight to streaming. That said,...
Featuring a standout central performance by Konkona Sen Sharma, “The Rapist” is sure to make a strong impact domestically and deserves to be widely seen elsewhere following its world premiere at the Busan Film Festival. With the full re-opening of Indian cinemas still some time away, “The Rapist” appears most likely to go straight to streaming. That said,...
- 10/11/2021
- by Richard Kuipers
- Variety Film + TV
“The Rapist,” which has its premiere next month at the Busan International Film Festival is the hardest hitting film that Indian filmmaker Aparna Sen has ever made.
A chronicler of different aspects of Indian life, Sen has previously won global acclaim for her eclectic body of work, which includes “36 Chowringhee Lane” (1981), “Paroma” (1985) and “Iti Mrinalini” (2010) as a director.
Sen is also one of India’s most feted actors who has worked with the stalwarts of the country’s cinema including Satyajit Ray, Mrinal Sen and Rituparno Ghosh and internationally with Ismail Merchant and James Ivory.
Sen had the idea for “The Rapist” some 15 years ago, and decided to revisit the subject after the recent spate of rape incidents in India. “I began to wonder about why men rape. No one is born a rapist. They go through infancy, through the toddler stage and through boyhood in all innocence,” Sen tells Variety.
A chronicler of different aspects of Indian life, Sen has previously won global acclaim for her eclectic body of work, which includes “36 Chowringhee Lane” (1981), “Paroma” (1985) and “Iti Mrinalini” (2010) as a director.
Sen is also one of India’s most feted actors who has worked with the stalwarts of the country’s cinema including Satyajit Ray, Mrinal Sen and Rituparno Ghosh and internationally with Ismail Merchant and James Ivory.
Sen had the idea for “The Rapist” some 15 years ago, and decided to revisit the subject after the recent spate of rape incidents in India. “I began to wonder about why men rape. No one is born a rapist. They go through infancy, through the toddler stage and through boyhood in all innocence,” Sen tells Variety.
- 9/28/2021
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
The 26th Busan International Film Festival (Biff), which will be held from October 6 (Wed) to October 15 (Fri), has selected 7 nominees for the Kim Jiseok Award.
The Kim Jiseok Award is celebrating its 4th year at the 26th Biff, and was established in respectful memory of the late program director Kim Jiseok in 2017. The award will be given to the most attractive films that reflect the contemporary standing of Asian cinema in accordance with the late Kim’s intent. Among the films in the A Window on Asian Cinema section, seven candidates are selected to compete for the award. Two award recipients will be chosen by jurors and be given a cash prize of 10,000 Usd each.
The Kim Jiseok Award marks its 4th anniversary this year
New films directed by renowned cineastes such as Mostofa Sarwar Farooki, Brillante Mendoza, Ogigami Naoko, Aparna Sen, and many more are coming to Busan!
This...
The Kim Jiseok Award is celebrating its 4th year at the 26th Biff, and was established in respectful memory of the late program director Kim Jiseok in 2017. The award will be given to the most attractive films that reflect the contemporary standing of Asian cinema in accordance with the late Kim’s intent. Among the films in the A Window on Asian Cinema section, seven candidates are selected to compete for the award. Two award recipients will be chosen by jurors and be given a cash prize of 10,000 Usd each.
The Kim Jiseok Award marks its 4th anniversary this year
New films directed by renowned cineastes such as Mostofa Sarwar Farooki, Brillante Mendoza, Ogigami Naoko, Aparna Sen, and many more are coming to Busan!
This...
- 9/9/2021
- by Rhythm Zaveri
- AsianMoviePulse
Veteran composer Vanraj Bhatia, who provided the soundtrack to India’s new age cinema movement of the 1970s and 1980s, has died in Mumbai. He was 93 and is understood to have been in poor health for some time.
Born in Bombay, as the metropolis was known as then, in 1927, Bhatia studied at the Royal Academy of Music in London and at the Conservatoire de Paris in the 1950s.
Upon his return to India, Bhatia enjoyed a successful career as a composer for advertising commercials through the 1960s. During this time, he also composed scores for several documentaries.
Bhatia debuted as a composer for feature films with “Ankur” (1974) directed by Shyam Benegal, a pioneer of India’s New Wave cinema movement, an independent alternative to mainstream commercial cinema. The pair formed a fruitful partnership and worked together on a total of 16 films including “Nishant” (1975), “Manthan” (1976), “Bhumika” (1977), “Kondura” (1978), “Junoon” (1978), “Kalyug” (1981), “Mandi” (1983) and...
Born in Bombay, as the metropolis was known as then, in 1927, Bhatia studied at the Royal Academy of Music in London and at the Conservatoire de Paris in the 1950s.
Upon his return to India, Bhatia enjoyed a successful career as a composer for advertising commercials through the 1960s. During this time, he also composed scores for several documentaries.
Bhatia debuted as a composer for feature films with “Ankur” (1974) directed by Shyam Benegal, a pioneer of India’s New Wave cinema movement, an independent alternative to mainstream commercial cinema. The pair formed a fruitful partnership and worked together on a total of 16 films including “Nishant” (1975), “Manthan” (1976), “Bhumika” (1977), “Kondura” (1978), “Junoon” (1978), “Kalyug” (1981), “Mandi” (1983) and...
- 5/7/2021
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
In the sweltering heat of Delhi, Aparna Sen who last directed a version of Rabindranath Tagore Ghaire Bhaire entitled Ghawre Bairey Aaj is now readying her next feature film which promises to be one of the finest cinematic experiences of 2021.
Entitled The Rapist the shooting of the film was completed in Delhi earlier this week. The film stars Arjun Rampal, Rada-trained Tanmay Dhanania and Aparna’s daughter Konkona Sen Sharma who reunites with her director-mother for the sixth venture.
Those who have seen the rushes say The Rapist is Aparna’s finest work in many years with the three actors giving their careers’ best performances.
A source close to the project says, “The Rapist is Aparna Sen’s most hardhitting film to date. It looks at the heinous crime from angles which we’ve never explored before, at least not in Indian cinema. The film will shake up a lot...
Entitled The Rapist the shooting of the film was completed in Delhi earlier this week. The film stars Arjun Rampal, Rada-trained Tanmay Dhanania and Aparna’s daughter Konkona Sen Sharma who reunites with her director-mother for the sixth venture.
Those who have seen the rushes say The Rapist is Aparna’s finest work in many years with the three actors giving their careers’ best performances.
A source close to the project says, “The Rapist is Aparna Sen’s most hardhitting film to date. It looks at the heinous crime from angles which we’ve never explored before, at least not in Indian cinema. The film will shake up a lot...
- 4/7/2021
- by Subhash K Jha
- Bollyspice
Actor Arjun Rampal has a busy year ahead, going by his upcoming line-up of films. After starting the year with the courtroom drama Nail Polish, he tells you there are five projects as of now to keep him occupied in the months ahead.
"I have completed shooting of one film with Abbas-Mustan ji called 'Penthouse', and now I will start shooting for 'Dhaakad'. After that, I will resume shooting 'The Battle Of Bhima Koregaon'. I started shooting for that film before I was diagnosed with Covid-19, so now I will complete the shoot. After that, I will start working for the second season of 'The Final Call' and then, there is a film with Aparna Sen called 'The Rapist'," Arjun told Ians.
From the ramp to the screen, he has been around for two decades now. "It's been a great journey. I got the...
"I have completed shooting of one film with Abbas-Mustan ji called 'Penthouse', and now I will start shooting for 'Dhaakad'. After that, I will resume shooting 'The Battle Of Bhima Koregaon'. I started shooting for that film before I was diagnosed with Covid-19, so now I will complete the shoot. After that, I will start working for the second season of 'The Final Call' and then, there is a film with Aparna Sen called 'The Rapist'," Arjun told Ians.
From the ramp to the screen, he has been around for two decades now. "It's been a great journey. I got the...
- 1/8/2021
- by Glamsham Editorial
- GlamSham
Seven South Asian film festivals in the U.S. and Canada have decided to merge their efforts into one online event running Oct. 3-17.
According to a statement from the coalition, for 15 days the virtual festival will stream films and host Q&As with filmmakers, as well as other conversations on industry topics and relating to the South Asian community.
The festivals that are merging their efforts are: Tasveer South Asian Film Festival in Seattle; Chicago and Washington, D.C., and Vancouver fests; Mosaic Intl. festival in Toronto; Nepal America fest in Maryland; and the South Asian Film Festival of Montreal.
These festivals showcase films from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Afghanistan, Bhutan, Maldives, Tibet and Sri Lanka. The films that unspool are not mainstream Hindi films, otherwise known as Bollywood movies, but rather smaller indie movies.
In a statement the Coalition of South Asian Film Festivals said it is curating cutting-edge,...
According to a statement from the coalition, for 15 days the virtual festival will stream films and host Q&As with filmmakers, as well as other conversations on industry topics and relating to the South Asian community.
The festivals that are merging their efforts are: Tasveer South Asian Film Festival in Seattle; Chicago and Washington, D.C., and Vancouver fests; Mosaic Intl. festival in Toronto; Nepal America fest in Maryland; and the South Asian Film Festival of Montreal.
These festivals showcase films from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Afghanistan, Bhutan, Maldives, Tibet and Sri Lanka. The films that unspool are not mainstream Hindi films, otherwise known as Bollywood movies, but rather smaller indie movies.
In a statement the Coalition of South Asian Film Festivals said it is curating cutting-edge,...
- 7/14/2020
- by Shalini Dore
- Variety Film + TV
by Atanu Roy
“I’m Irrfan, just Irrfan. I’ve taken out Khan from my name. I don’t want to be known by my religion, surname or lineage.” – Irrfan
It’s untimely, it’s hurting me, still, his words resonate within me, “The day I become conventional, something inside me will die.” And today, I’ll not make this obituary conventional for sure. Dedicating my pure love and respect for the magician called Irrfan, I will not allow something inside me to die.
Irrfan somehow gave birth to a parallel Bollywood, which started growing with him. Like in every field, cinema too has an invisible guard wall. However, when you start running through it, often you get hurt, and on the rarest of occasions, you end up victorious. Irrfan represented that rarest species who end up with a smile and with no scars on their body of work. One...
“I’m Irrfan, just Irrfan. I’ve taken out Khan from my name. I don’t want to be known by my religion, surname or lineage.” – Irrfan
It’s untimely, it’s hurting me, still, his words resonate within me, “The day I become conventional, something inside me will die.” And today, I’ll not make this obituary conventional for sure. Dedicating my pure love and respect for the magician called Irrfan, I will not allow something inside me to die.
Irrfan somehow gave birth to a parallel Bollywood, which started growing with him. Like in every field, cinema too has an invisible guard wall. However, when you start running through it, often you get hurt, and on the rarest of occasions, you end up victorious. Irrfan represented that rarest species who end up with a smile and with no scars on their body of work. One...
- 5/1/2020
- by Guest Writer
- AsianMoviePulse
Aparna Sen’s adaptation of Rabindranath Tagore’s classic novel ‘Ghare Baire’ (Home and the World) has a contemporary setting, in as much as the glimpses of nationalism that were present in Tagore’s novel have now taken an uglier, bolder and – if one might say so – more urgent shape in the film. As all artists must do, Sen alludes to a number of ongoing issues of conservative supremacy in India, and chooses to use merely the structure of the novel as her source material. Which is good. Which is relevant, and the need of the hour. Which is exactly what one would and could do in setting the story in modern times. Which is why the film finally works, despite some flaws in its writing that cannot be ignored. The film is a statement of protest first, and an exploration of themes such as faith, adultery and guilt much later.
- 1/30/2020
- by Bhaskar Chattopadhyay
- AsianMoviePulse
National Award-winning actress and filmmaker Konkona Sen Sharma says she loves to watch and share films at film festivals because she feels the audience comprises pure movielovers and she belongs to that "moviewatching" community.
Konkona was present at Jio Mami 21st Mumbai Film Festival with Star, where Seema Pahwa's directorial debut "Ramprasad Ki Tehrvi", which features her, was screened.
"I have been attending Mami from even before I shifted base to Mumbai. I was so young then, I would come here with friends, sit in a bus and run around to watch films from one venue to another. I love film festivals because I feel that I belong to the film-watching community. These people, standing in long queues and watching films one after another, are the true filmlovers," Konkona told a publication:
She added: "They do not care about box-office numbers and other commercial aspects. What matters to them is...
Konkona was present at Jio Mami 21st Mumbai Film Festival with Star, where Seema Pahwa's directorial debut "Ramprasad Ki Tehrvi", which features her, was screened.
"I have been attending Mami from even before I shifted base to Mumbai. I was so young then, I would come here with friends, sit in a bus and run around to watch films from one venue to another. I love film festivals because I feel that I belong to the film-watching community. These people, standing in long queues and watching films one after another, are the true filmlovers," Konkona told a publication:
She added: "They do not care about box-office numbers and other commercial aspects. What matters to them is...
- 10/24/2019
- GlamSham
The sparkling female stars of Alankrita Shrivastava’s “Dolly Kitty and Those Twinkling Stars,” produced by Ekta Kapoor’s Balaji Telefilms, have plenty going on in their careers.
Bhumi Pednekar has had a very brief career so far, but she has made each role count. She made her debut in 2015’s “Dum Laga Ke Haisha” as an overweight housewife dealing with an arranged marriage, and went on to star in 2017’s “Toilet – Ek Prem Katha” where she refuses to defecate in the fields and demands a toilet at home.
Also in 2017, she starred in “Shubh Mangal Savdhan” where she played a bride whose groom suffers from erectile dysfunction, while in 2018 Netflix Original anthology film “Lust Stories” she plays a maid in a sexual relationship with a bachelor, who suffers silently when his parents seek an arranged marriage for him. In 2019 bandit drama “Sonchiriya” she plays a strong-willed woman who braves...
Bhumi Pednekar has had a very brief career so far, but she has made each role count. She made her debut in 2015’s “Dum Laga Ke Haisha” as an overweight housewife dealing with an arranged marriage, and went on to star in 2017’s “Toilet – Ek Prem Katha” where she refuses to defecate in the fields and demands a toilet at home.
Also in 2017, she starred in “Shubh Mangal Savdhan” where she played a bride whose groom suffers from erectile dysfunction, while in 2018 Netflix Original anthology film “Lust Stories” she plays a maid in a sexual relationship with a bachelor, who suffers silently when his parents seek an arranged marriage for him. In 2019 bandit drama “Sonchiriya” she plays a strong-willed woman who braves...
- 10/6/2019
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
An Fir has been lodged against the 49 celebrities celebrities, including the likes of Mani Ratnam, Anurag Kashyap, Aparna Sen, Shyam Benegal and Shubha Mudgal, who had written an open letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi raising concern over the growing incidents of mob lynching.
The case was lodged on Thursday after an order was passed by Chief Judicial Magistrate Surya Kant Tiwari two months ago on a petition filed by local advocate Sudhir Kumar Ojha.
Also Read:?A.R Rahman, Pm Modi lend support to Nat Geo's 'planet over plastic' initiative
"The Cjm had passed the order on August 20, accepting my petition upon the receipt of which an Fir was lodged today at the Sadar police station here," Ojha said, according to a News 18 report.
Ojha said signatories of the letter were named as accused in his petition, in which they allegedly "tarnished the image of the country and undermined...
The case was lodged on Thursday after an order was passed by Chief Judicial Magistrate Surya Kant Tiwari two months ago on a petition filed by local advocate Sudhir Kumar Ojha.
Also Read:?A.R Rahman, Pm Modi lend support to Nat Geo's 'planet over plastic' initiative
"The Cjm had passed the order on August 20, accepting my petition upon the receipt of which an Fir was lodged today at the Sadar police station here," Ojha said, according to a News 18 report.
Ojha said signatories of the letter were named as accused in his petition, in which they allegedly "tarnished the image of the country and undermined...
- 10/5/2019
- GlamSham
The Film Federation of India has chosen Zoya Akhtar’s “Gully Boy” as its entry in the Academy Awards’ international feature film category.
The picture, a coming of age tale about an aspiring rapper in Mumbai’s Dharavi slum premiered at the Berlin film festival in February before opening to a wave of acclaim at home in India.
Starring Bollywood A-listers Ranveer Singh and Alia Bhatt, the film grossed some $37 million worldwide.
Excel Entertainment produced alongside Tiger Baby Productions.
The selection jury was chaired by veteran actress and filmmaker Aparna Sen (“Sonata”)
India has been submitting to the category formerly known as foreign language film since 1957.
The country has been nominated three times, beginning with its first entry “Mother India” in 1957, followed by “Salaam Bombay” in 1988 and “Lagan” in 2001. It is yet to win the category.
The picture, a coming of age tale about an aspiring rapper in Mumbai’s Dharavi slum premiered at the Berlin film festival in February before opening to a wave of acclaim at home in India.
Starring Bollywood A-listers Ranveer Singh and Alia Bhatt, the film grossed some $37 million worldwide.
Excel Entertainment produced alongside Tiger Baby Productions.
The selection jury was chaired by veteran actress and filmmaker Aparna Sen (“Sonata”)
India has been submitting to the category formerly known as foreign language film since 1957.
The country has been nominated three times, beginning with its first entry “Mother India” in 1957, followed by “Salaam Bombay” in 1988 and “Lagan” in 2001. It is yet to win the category.
- 9/21/2019
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
Sixty-two celebrities, including actress Kangana Ranaut and writer-lyricist Prasoon Joshi, on Friday came out with a counter open letter slamming an earlier open letter submitted to Prime Minister Narendra Modi by 49 film personalities, which expressed concern over the growing number of lynchings across India.
The counter open letter questioned the selective outrage and false narratives that the earlier letter allegedly propagates.
Also Read:?Entertainment Journalists' Guild boycott Kangana Ranaut
The 62 personalities include Sonal Mansingh, Pandit Vishwa Mohan Bhatt, Madhur Bhandarkar, Vivek Agnihotri, Ashoke Pandit, Pallavi Joshi, Manoj Joshi and Biswajit Chatterjee. Their letter starts with subject: "Against selective outrage and false narratives".
"An open letter, which has been published on July 23, 2019 and addressed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has astonished us. Forty-nine self-styled guardians and conscience keepers of the nation and of democratic values have once again expressed selective concern and demonstrated a clear political bias and motive," the letter reads.
The counter open letter questioned the selective outrage and false narratives that the earlier letter allegedly propagates.
Also Read:?Entertainment Journalists' Guild boycott Kangana Ranaut
The 62 personalities include Sonal Mansingh, Pandit Vishwa Mohan Bhatt, Madhur Bhandarkar, Vivek Agnihotri, Ashoke Pandit, Pallavi Joshi, Manoj Joshi and Biswajit Chatterjee. Their letter starts with subject: "Against selective outrage and false narratives".
"An open letter, which has been published on July 23, 2019 and addressed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has astonished us. Forty-nine self-styled guardians and conscience keepers of the nation and of democratic values have once again expressed selective concern and demonstrated a clear political bias and motive," the letter reads.
- 7/26/2019
- GlamSham
After working in Aparna Sen?s National Award-winning 15 Park Avenue, the actresses are gearing up to feature in a show that draws from real-life occurrences in hospitals. Interestingly, Vipul Shah wanted to take this subject on the silver screen but its interesting storyline made Vipul Shah opt for Television or Ott platform.
A source shares, ?Vipul Shah felt that the content was so relevant and interesting that it would not fit well in a two and a half hour film. Then he decided to create a show that could go either on the TV or on the Ott platform which would do justice to the subject?.?
After featuring in Aparna Sen?s National Award-winning 2005 directorial ?15 Park Avenue?, Shabana Azmi and Shefali Shah are reuniting for an interesting a medical-thriller which will be released most likely on the digital space. However, the platform is not yet decided.?
?Shefali is playing a...
A source shares, ?Vipul Shah felt that the content was so relevant and interesting that it would not fit well in a two and a half hour film. Then he decided to create a show that could go either on the TV or on the Ott platform which would do justice to the subject?.?
After featuring in Aparna Sen?s National Award-winning 2005 directorial ?15 Park Avenue?, Shabana Azmi and Shefali Shah are reuniting for an interesting a medical-thriller which will be released most likely on the digital space. However, the platform is not yet decided.?
?Shefali is playing a...
- 6/25/2019
- GlamSham
Celebrated Bengali singer-actress Ruma Guha Thakurta died at her residence here on Monday following old age-related problems, family sources said. She was 84.
Born Ruma Ghosh in Kolkata in 1934, she married legendary singer Kishore Kumar in 1951 and the couple's only child Amit Kumar was born next year. The couple divorced in 1958 and that year Guha Thakurta formed the Cyc with composer Salil Chowdhury and Ray.
Founder of the Calcutta Youth Choir (Cyc), which played a stellar role in popularising 'Gana sangeet' or mass songs in Bengal, she showcased her talent in a number of Hindi and Bengali movies working with celebrated directors like Satyajit Ray, Tapan Sinha, and Tarun Majumdar.
The choir rendered with aplomb the Bengali translations of popular mass songs from various languages. Their discs were lapped up by music lovers.
In 1974, the Cyc, under her direction, won the first prize at the Copenhagen Youth Festival.
After her divorce from Kishore Kumar,...
Born Ruma Ghosh in Kolkata in 1934, she married legendary singer Kishore Kumar in 1951 and the couple's only child Amit Kumar was born next year. The couple divorced in 1958 and that year Guha Thakurta formed the Cyc with composer Salil Chowdhury and Ray.
Founder of the Calcutta Youth Choir (Cyc), which played a stellar role in popularising 'Gana sangeet' or mass songs in Bengal, she showcased her talent in a number of Hindi and Bengali movies working with celebrated directors like Satyajit Ray, Tapan Sinha, and Tarun Majumdar.
The choir rendered with aplomb the Bengali translations of popular mass songs from various languages. Their discs were lapped up by music lovers.
In 1974, the Cyc, under her direction, won the first prize at the Copenhagen Youth Festival.
After her divorce from Kishore Kumar,...
- 6/3/2019
- GlamSham
Actor Jisshu Sengupta, who is balancing a film career in multiple languages and is geared up for his sci-fi web series "Skyfire", says slowly but surely Bengali cinema is reaching out to the national audience as the theatrical release of regional films has expanded.
Bengali cinema has had an impact at international film festivals with the work of iconic filmmakers like Satyajit Ray, Mrinal Sen, and Ritwik Ghatak among others, apart from movies by filmmakers like Rituparno Ghosh, Aparna Sen, and Goutam Ghose or Kaushik Ganguly and Srijit Mukerji. But now across India also, movies are getting a platform for release.
On the changing scenario, Jisshu told Ians here: "I think slowly, but surely Bengali cinema is reaching out to the national audience as regional films are getting a wider theatrical release. When it comes to the global audience, our presence is very much there. For ages, Bengali cinema holds...
Bengali cinema has had an impact at international film festivals with the work of iconic filmmakers like Satyajit Ray, Mrinal Sen, and Ritwik Ghatak among others, apart from movies by filmmakers like Rituparno Ghosh, Aparna Sen, and Goutam Ghose or Kaushik Ganguly and Srijit Mukerji. But now across India also, movies are getting a platform for release.
On the changing scenario, Jisshu told Ians here: "I think slowly, but surely Bengali cinema is reaching out to the national audience as regional films are getting a wider theatrical release. When it comes to the global audience, our presence is very much there. For ages, Bengali cinema holds...
- 5/22/2019
- GlamSham
Rohena Gera’s Sir has achieved glory all over the world. Its most recent victory has been in the 19th Annual New York Indian Film Festival held recently. The film has won the award for the Best Film while lead actress Tillotama Shome has bagged the Best Actress award at the festival.
An elated Rohena says, “I am just so delighted! The audience response was fantastic and that means the world. Winning an award in New York feels really special because I had my first film job in Manhattan at Paramount Pictures and then on the sets of Tony Gerber’s 5-Borough Film side streets. So coming back with a film feels like a full circle.”
She adds, “I am particularly pleased about Tillotama’s award because her portrayal of Ratna brought out the complexities of the situation and script, bringing alive an optimistic and intelligent character who has had...
An elated Rohena says, “I am just so delighted! The audience response was fantastic and that means the world. Winning an award in New York feels really special because I had my first film job in Manhattan at Paramount Pictures and then on the sets of Tony Gerber’s 5-Borough Film side streets. So coming back with a film feels like a full circle.”
She adds, “I am particularly pleased about Tillotama’s award because her portrayal of Ratna brought out the complexities of the situation and script, bringing alive an optimistic and intelligent character who has had...
- 5/15/2019
- by Stacey Yount
- Bollyspice
Actress Tillotama Shome is excited to have won the Best Actress award at the New York Indian Film Festival (Nyiff) for her performance in 'Sir', which was adjudged the Best Film.
The movie, which has been widely lauded at film festival, features Tillotama with Vivek Gomber and Geetanjali Kulkarni. Directed by Rohena Gera, it tells a love story of a servant and the son of her upper-class employer.
For Tillotama, to be nominated at Nyiff along with "greats" like Aparna Sen, Seema Biswas, Neena Gupta and Rasika Dugal is "an insane memory to have and is the mental picture that I shall save".
"For us to win best film and best actress is completely the cherry atop a very groovy cake. I am very grateful to the jury and the festival," Tillotama told Ians.
'Sir' is yet to release in India, but it may happen soon.
"The director is really...
The movie, which has been widely lauded at film festival, features Tillotama with Vivek Gomber and Geetanjali Kulkarni. Directed by Rohena Gera, it tells a love story of a servant and the son of her upper-class employer.
For Tillotama, to be nominated at Nyiff along with "greats" like Aparna Sen, Seema Biswas, Neena Gupta and Rasika Dugal is "an insane memory to have and is the mental picture that I shall save".
"For us to win best film and best actress is completely the cherry atop a very groovy cake. I am very grateful to the jury and the festival," Tillotama told Ians.
'Sir' is yet to release in India, but it may happen soon.
"The director is really...
- 5/13/2019
- GlamSham
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