KAUFMAN - "Or cramming in sex, or car chases, or guns. Or characters learning profound life lessons. Or characters growing or characters changing or characters learning to like each other or characters overcoming obstacles to succeed in the end. Y'know ? Movie shit."
Kaufman is sweating like crazy now. Valerie is quiet for a moment - from "Adaptation".
We are all about CINEMA. That movie shit.
NOTHING is sacred.
NOBODY is spared.
Because we talk about films, dammit.
Not your sex life.
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Bejoy Nambiar is ready with his new film, David. Interestingly, this film is in both Hindi and Tamil, and strangely, there’s a mismatch in the number of Davids in the two versions; while the Hindi one has three, Tamil version has only two Davids.
The hindi one has Vikram, Tabu, Neil Nitin Mukesh, Vinay Virmani, Lara Dutta, Isha Sharvani and Monica Dogra in the lead. The Tamil version has almost the same cast but has Jeeva instead of Vinay and Neil.
First, the hindi trailer
And now, the Tamil Trailer
The trailers look very interesting. And though they don’t tell you much about the story but the visual montage looks powerful. What we saw in Shaitan, seems Nambiar is going to deliver more of it in this film – those slo-mo action sequences drenched in blood, rain and bullets. Also, the romantic portions bear a clear stamp of Ratnam-ish playfulness, and more so in the Tamil version.
And here are the two posters…
And the official synopsis (Hindi version)….
The story revolves around the lives of 3 Davids in 3 different parts of the world in 3 different eras.
1975 London- 30 year old David works for Iqbal Ghani, a dreaded Mafia don who controls the entire Asian community. He is a protege who is poised to take over the empire until a revelation which changes the course of his future.
1999 Mumbai- 19 year old David is a musician born into a family of devout Christians. A happy go lucky teenager who loses all semblance of his peaceful existence when his family gets dragged into a political issue.
2010 Goa – 40 year old David is a fisherman living in the small fishing village of Betul in Goa. He falls in love with the deaf and mute Roma- the only hitch is that she is engaged to be married to his best friend Peter in 10 days!
All 3 Davids are about to take a step which is going to change their lives forever. 3 LIVES, 3 DESTINIES, CONNECTED BY 1 NAME – ‘DAVID’.
And like everyone else, if you are still wondering about this 3 and 2 Davids, the director clarified about it to Anurag Kashyap on Twitter..
@ankash1009 the 3rd one (neil’s) didn’t fit into the tamil mileu. Would have had to re imagine it completely which was not feasible.
The first trailer of Vishal Bhardwaj’s new film Matru Ki Bijlee Ka Mandola is out. The film stars Imran Khan, Anushka Sharma, Pankaj Kapoor and Shabana Azmi.
Now, this looks like Entertainment, Entertianment, Entertainment. (Ok, blame that overdose on Vidya Balan) It surely looks like great fun – mad characters, rustic setting, colourful elements and dhinchak music.
But what is it about? It says almost nothing.
If it’s a Vishal Bhardwaj, it just can’t be boy-meets-girl, right? Some of us have read the script and the same two words comes to mind again – great fun. Only issue is the hotchpotch climax.
We can also tell you that there is a serious political issue in it but the trailer has masked it completely. Because they want your bums on the seats in the first weekend itself.
So see the trailer again. And see if can you connect the dots and guess the basic plot.
The treatment and the mood reminds me of Johnny Gaddar meets Manorama Six Feet Under. Also, like the fact that the makers have realised that their films have the potential to go beyond Maharashtra and so have subtitles in the trailer. Hope from Marathi filmakers start doing the same.
And here’s the official synopsis…
In this engrossing thriller, Amar Apte is a private detective who gets his business from suspicious spouses out to catch their cheating partners in the act. When a femme fatale client enters his life, Apte snaps out of his uninspired domesticity-complete with a nagging wife and mounting bills-and finds himself in dangerous territory.
Set in Pune and against the backdrop of the financial reforms in 1992, Pune 52 juxtaposes the impact of globalization on a city with one man’s inner struggle. With a nod to Raymond Chandler and a hypnotic and ferocious performance by Girish Kulkarni, Mahajan’s debut fiction feature explores the aspirations and frustrations of a small man dreaming big.
The film will be screened at the Mumbai Film Festival where it will compete in India Gold category. It will have a theatrical release on 12th December.
Cast & Credit :
Starring: Girish Kulkarni, Sonali Kulkarni, Sai Tamhankar, Kiran Karmarkar
Editing: Abhijeet Deshpande
Sound Design: Baylon Fonseca
Director of Photography: Jeremy Reagan
Produced by: Abhay Gadgil, Shrirang Godbole, Girish Kulkarni, Umesh Kulkarni
Original Story, Screenplay and Directed by: Nikhil Mahajan
It’s produced by the makers of films such as Valu, Vihir, Deool and Harishchandrachi Factory and is the debut feature of writer/director Nikhil Mahajan.
To read the director’s note, click here for our previous post on the film.
Pairon Talle, written & directed by Sidharth Srinivasan, will finally have a theatrical release in India on 5th October. The film is released via PVR Director’s Rare.
To quote from the official release, it tells the story of a simple watchman, who is so devoted to protecting his master’s property, that he has lost the very ability to safeguard himself. When realization of his enslavement finally dawns on him, it does so at a bloody price. Will the watchman take destiny into his own hands or will justice be denied him forever?
The stark contrasts of the rapidly urbanizing NCR (National Capital Region) provide the violent backdrop to the film – this is a Delhi you’ve never been shown before.
– It stars Dibyendu Bhattacharya, Saba Joshi, Avtar Sahni and Geeta Bisht in lead roles.
– The film received the prestigious Hubert Bals Fund from Rotterdam Fest and it premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2010.
And here’s the trailer of the film…
– To know more about the film, click here for it FB page. And to know more about the director, click here.
We have been hearing a lot about Anand Gandhi’s debut feature Ship Of Theseus, and for a long time. Having seen his shorts, Right Here Right Now and Continuum, we can easily bet that he is an exciting talent to watch out for. The film is going to have its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival this year.
The poster, few stills and official synopsis of the film is out. Read it, have a look and you can decide if it looks/sounds exciting or not.
And here’s the official synopsis…
If the parts of a ship are replaced, bit-by-bit, is it still the same ship?
An unusual photographer, celebrated for her intuitive work, successfully captures the essence of her experience in her photography. However, she also struggles with insecurities over authorship in the context of larger questions about subjectivity and intent in art.
An erudite monk, who is an ideologue and practitioner of non-violence, and involved in animal rights activism, is forced to make a choice between death and medicine – medicine that is either derived from, or tested on animals. As death closes in, he re-questions all the ideas that he has always taken for granted.
A young stockbroker has a frictional relationship with his grandmother, whom he nurses in a hospital. When it is discovered that a neighbouring patient has had his kidney stolen, he starts out on a trail that leads him to a kidney tourism racket. Altruism and concern leads him to confront the recipient of the kidney, eventually making him discover how intricate morality could be.
Following the separate strands of their philosophical journeys, and their eventual convergence, Ship of Theseus explores questions of identity, justice, beauty, meaning and death.
The cast and the credit list…
Director: Anand Gandhi
Language: English, Hindi, Arabic
Runtime: 139 minutes
Exec. Producer: Mitesh Shah, Ruchi Bhimani
Producer: Mukesh Shah
Production Co.: Recyclewala Films
Principal Cast: Neeraj Kabi, Sohum Shah, Aida Elkashef, Faraz Khan, Vinay Shukla, Amba Sanyal
Screenplay: Anand Gandhi
Cinematographer: Pankaj Kumar
Editor: Adesh Prasad, Sanyukta Kaza, Satchit Puranik, Reka Lemhenyi
Sound: Gábor Erdélyi, Tamás Székely
Music: Rohit Sharma, Naren Chandavarkar, Benedict Taylor
Thanks to TIFF, few stills of Hansal Mehta‘s new film Shahid is finally online. Also, the official synopsis and the cast and crew list. The film is going to have its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival in its “City To City” programme where “Mumbai” is in focus this year.
The stills look stark and powerful and creates a deadly mood. And now the official synopsis of the film…
Shahid is the remarkable true story of slain human rights activist and lawyer Shahid Azmi, who was killed in 2010 by unidentified assailants in his office. From attempting to become a terrorist, to being wrongly imprisoned under a draconian anti-terrorism law, to becoming a champion of human rights (particularly of the Muslim minorities in India), Shahid traces the inspiring personal journey of a boy who became an unlikely messiah for human rights, while following the rise of communal violence in India. This story of an impoverished Muslim struggling to come to terms with injustice and inequality, whilerising above his circumstances is an inspiring testament to the human spirit. Starring Raj Kumar, Prabhleen Sandhu and Baljinder Kaur.
And here’s the cast and crew list…
Director: Hansal Mehta
Language: Hindi
Runtime: 123 minutes
Exec. Producer: Jai Mehta, Kunal Rohra
Producer: Sunil Bohra, Shailesh Singh, Guneet Monga and Anurag Kashyap
Production Co: Bohra Bros Pvt. Ltd. and Anurag Kashyap Films Pvt. Ltd.
Principal Cast: Raj Kumar, Prabhleen Sandhu, Baljinder Kaur, Tigmanshu Dhulia, K K Menon, Yusuf Husain, Prabal Panjabi, Vinod Rawat, Vipin Sharma, Shalini Vatsa, Paritosh Sand, Pavan Kumar, Vivek Ghamande, Akash Sinha, Mohd Zeeshan Ayyub, Mukesh Chhabra
Produced by NFDC and directed by debutant Gurvinder Singh, Punjabi film Anhey Ghorhey Da Daan (Alms for a Blind Horse) will be released by PVR Director’s Rare on August 10.
It will have theatrical release in Delhi, Mumbai, Jalandhar, Chandigarh and Ludhiana.
Anhey Ghorhey Da Daan was selected in the Orizzonti Section (which showcases ‘New Trends in World Cinema’) of Venice International Film festival, 2011. After this the film was showcased at the 55th British Film Institute, London Film Festival, and the Busan International Film Festival. The film won the Special Jury Mention and the Black Pearl Trophy at the 5th Abu Dhabi Film Festival and the Special Jury Award at the International Film Festival, Rotterdam for its lyrical and scenic narration.
It also bagged three National Awards – for Best Direction, Cinematography and for Best Feature Film in Punjabi.
And here’s the official synopsis…
On a foggy winter morning a family in a village in Punjab wakes up to the news of the demolition of a house on the outskirts of the village. The father, a silent sympathizer, joins the community in demand for justice for the affected family. The same day his son Melu, a cycle-rickshaw puller rickshaw puller in the city, is participating in a strike by his union. Injured and alienated, Melu spends the day quietly resting and hesitantly drinks with friends in the night as they debate the meaning of their existence.
Cycling through the city streets, Melu feels lost and wonders where to go and what to do. Back in the village, his mother feels humiliated at the treatment meted out by the landlords in whose fields she works. Gunshots are heard in the night and the village is tense. It’s the night of the lunar eclipse. A man wanders asking for the traditional alms while Father decides to visit the city with a friend, even as his daughter Dayalo walks through the village streets in the night.
Anhey Ghorhey Da Daan speaks about the margins where the socially repressed and exploited have been conveniently cast away. This is also a film about the signs of simmering fire and about cleft tongues that want to rise in unison, about the possibility of inchoate desire and the first cry of love.
And the Director’s comment…
The human face is a landscape. The lived reality of the face reflects time: endured, lived and suffered. Cinema unravels time through the movement in space. The visible evokes the invisible through relationships, contexts, gestures, and conflicts. There is the immediate invisible, off screen: the image confronting sound, space confronting space, time confronting time. Then there is the larger cosmic invisible, devoid of cause and effect paradigm, layered through centuries.
Anhey Ghorhey Da Daan tries to evoke the effect of years of subordination of the struggling classes reflected in the macrocosm of events spinning beyond their control. It’s about silent witnesses devoid of power to change or influence the course of destiny, about the invisible violence of power equation and simmering discontent reflected on their faces.
The cast & crew list…
Cast: Mal Singh, Samuel John, Serbjeet Kaur, Dharminder Kaur, Emmanuel Singh, Kulwinder Kaur, Lakha Singh, Gurvinder Makhna
Script & Direction: Gurvinder Singh
Story: Gurdial Singh (based on the novel of the same name)
Dialogues: Gurdial Singh, Jasdeep Singh
Music: Catherine Lamb
Camera: Satya Rai Nagpaul
Sound: Mandar Kulkarni
Editing: Ujjwal Chandra
Production Design: Pankaj Dhimaan
Line Producer: Kartikeya Narayan Singh
Executive Producers: Neena Lath Gupta & Vikramjit Roy
Creative Producer: Mani Kaul
Producer: National Film Development Corporation Limited
So what’s common between all three? Desi connect and all female directors. Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) unveiled it’s official selection list for this year. And here are more details about these three films.
One of the most anticipated films of the year is Deepa Mehta’s adaptation of Salman Rushdie’s novel Midnight’s Children. It stars Satya Bhabha, Shahana Goswami, Rajat Kapoor, Seema Biswas, Shriya Saran, Siddharth, Ronit Roy, Rahul Bose, Anita Majumdar and Zaib Shaikh. The 148-minute long film has a screenplay by Rushdie himself. And here are some new stills. Click on one of the pics to view the slide show and make the images bigger.
To quote from the TIFF page…
Spanning decades and generations, celebrated Canadian filmmaker Deepa Mehta’s highly anticipated adaptation of Salman Rushdie’s Booker Prize®–winning novel is an engrossing allegorical fantasy in which children born on the cusp of India’s independence from Britain are endowed with strange, magical abilities.
If Deepa Mehta is here, can Mira Nair be far behind? She is also ready with her new film – an adaptation of Mohsin Hamid’s acclaimed book, The Reluctant Fundamentalist. The principal cast includes Riz Ahmed, Kate Hudson, Kiefer Sutherland, Liev Schreiber and Nelsan Ellis. The film is also opening the Venice Film Festival.
To quote from the TIFF page…
Kiefer Sutherland, Liev Schreiber and Kate Hudson co-star in this adaptation of Mohsin Hamid’s international best-selling novel, about a young Pakistani man (Riz Ahmed) whose pursuit of corporate success on Wall Street leads him on a strange path back to the world he had left behind.
And the third film which is completely desi is debutant Gauri Shinde’s English Vinglish starring Sridevi, Adil Hussain, Mehdi Nebbou and Priya Anand. To quote from the official release…
Legendary Indian actress Sridevi returns to the screen after a fifteen-year absence in this funny and touching story about an Indian woman who struggles to learn the English language in order to help provide for her family.
But fest insider tells us that isn’t all. There’s more to come in TIFF 2012! We will keep you posted about all the Desi connect.
Blame it on that thing called life, we have been bit irregular with that other thing called cinema, and so the updates have been missing. Here’s a fresh start with a new film called Prague.
Prague is the directorial debut of Ashish Shukla. And since Ashish is a good friend, we might be bit biased. But that doesn’t take away anything from his talent and his previous works which we have seen and loved. And hopefully you all will agree soon. Here’s the first look of Prague – an interesting poster and some stills from the film.
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And here’s the official synopsis….
A city with a history of heritage, myth and superstition. A passionate architect with hang ups and delusions about love and life. A Czech gypsy girl looking for her identity and love. Add to that a mean friend you can’t get away with and can’t trust. And a left out- left over of someone who isn’t really there but doesn’t leave you alone. All of them come together, interfering, manipulating, coaxing and torturing each other as their search for peace, freedom and love continues.
This film is a psychological thrilling ride which takes you to the darkest corners of your mind, the shut down alleys of your soul and the graveyard of your heart.
– It stars Chandan Roy Sanyal, Arfi Lamba, Mayank Kumar, Sonia Bindra, Elena Kazan, Lucien Zell & Vaibhav Suman.
– Interestingly, it’s the debut feature for most of them which includes the Producer, Director, DP, Composer, Cast (Arfi Lamba, Sonia Bindra, Mayank Kumar), Costume Designer, Production designer.
Other credits and details are as follows….
Title : PRAGUE
Language : Hindi/ Czech/ English
Duration : 105mins
Genre : Psychological Drama, Romance
Songs : Background Scores/ OST
Shooting Locales : Prague/ Mumbai/ New Delhi
Produced by : Rohit Khaitan, Sunil Pathare
Executive Producer : Bombay Berlin Film Production
Cinematographer : Udaysingh Mohite
Editor : Meghna Manchanda Sen
Sound : Sanjay Chaturvedi
Music : Atif Afzal, Daniela Fojtu (Czech original Score)
Lyrics : Varun Grover
Concept : Rohit Khaitan
Story : Ashish R. Shukla
Screenplay & Dialogues : Sumit Saxena & Ashish R. Shukla
– The film will have its world premiere in the “Indian Competition” section of the Osian’s Cinefan Film Festival. For more details, click here and here.
Sandeep Mohan‘s directoral debut, an indie feature titled Love, Wrinkle-free is releasing this friday. It stars Ash Chandler, Shernaz Patel, Seema Rahmani, Sohrab Ardeshir, Ashwin Mushran, Marianne Borgo, Arika Silaichia, Giju John and Theron Carmine.
Making an independent film is a difficult task for sure. But releasing it is almost impossible. Thanks to PVR Directors Rare section, the film is getting a limited release. But what is the director thinking? Will he survive? Over to a casual conversation between his Right Brain (RB) and Left Brain (LB).
LEFT RIGHT LOVE WRINKLE FREE…
Right Brain Sandeep (RB):
Hey bugger, heard that your movie Love, Wrinkle-free is releasing today or something?
Left Brain Sandeep(LB):
Yeah man, labour of love of 2 years…
RB:
…even I have a story….you wanna listen…see it is about racism, discrimination between white dogs and black dogs…
LB:
Not today ya…you know, I worked bloody hard on Love, Wrinkle-free for 2 years..do you even know what that means…two fucking years of my youth…
RB:
ok, now you are telling me that you are in your youth?!!
LB:
See, precisely why i wanted to make Love, Wrinkle-free…how can one stay young forever…why this obsession to photoshop every damn wrinkle out of your butt..i mean why…
RB:
but why blame Adobe Photoshop bugger…they are not like some Taliban…
LB:
love, wrinkle-free is for people like you…Seriously man, Love, Wrinkle-free is the Hyderabad Blues of this generation…
RB:
it is good to be an optimist, but don’t be stupid bugger…
LB:
What stupid…If a middle class guy like me could make a movie, things are changing in india and Indian films…
RB:
Yeah but the roads to the Love, Wrinkle-free theatres are full of craters…
LB:
Fuck roads ya…roads will soon be obsolete…helicopters will be the norm…people will go to watch movies in helicopters soon…
RB thinks about it…
RB:
Are you planning to make a Love, Wrinkle-free part 2
LB gives him a cold stare…
LB:
i hate sequels…the only sequel i liked was Waisa Bhi hota hai part 2! in any case, does life have a sequel?
RB:
deepak chopra thinks so…
LB (ignoring him):
…the reviews have just started coming in yaar…
RB:
Does it matter if they say good or bad…you still have to take care of your 2 year old daughter when your wife goes to work tomorrow no?
LB (ignoring it again):
The initial reviews have been pretty good…
RB:
Come bugger, don’t stress yourself, let’s go and have a fruit salad now
LB:
Here I am talking of my dreams, and you are thinking of Fruit Salad?!!!
RB:
…why can’t you dream of Angelica Jolie’s bee stung lips instead?!
LB:
Movies are my passion idiot…passion…you know what that word means?!!! Bee stung lips it seems?!
RB:
Eating fruit salad is my passion…what is wrong?!
LB:
…my movie, I am setting her free today to be judged by the world….i feel naked…
RB:
Put on some edible lingerie….
LB smacks RB on his head.
LB: i hope…Word of mouth is going to take Love, Wrinkle-free to a lot of people. It is a fun film man…and there have been so few fun films in the indie space…
RB(Moaning):
Who do you think you are…some kinda indie-saint to spread happiness all around…anyways, don’t worry, not many know about your movie? There is not even a bloody hoarding…even underwear companies have hoardings these days
LB:
Love, Wrinkle-free is not an underwear…it is my movie…my dream can’t be hung up there in some bloody hoarding for all and sundry to stare at…
RB:
You are losing it bugger, big time you are losing it…
LB:
I can feel it…lakhs of people are waiting for the Box Office to open tomorrow, and just like when the new version of the iPhone hits the stores, there will be a stampede to buy tickets…I can feel it…there is like a love, wrinkle-free wave out there…
RB(looks around):
Where?!
LB feels the air around him. Closes his eyes
LB:
Feel it…and you can feel it only when you stop talking…
RB closes his eyes and tries hard to feel it
RB:
..ok ok…now let’s go…even your bloody uncle Woody Allen never said that you can’t have feni or fruit salad on the day of the release..
LB:
Watch your words!!! And don’t get Woody Allen into this mess man…
RB:
…Everyone should pick their own nose….or Everyone should wear their own underwear
LB:
What is that?!
RB:
i have quotes too…like Allen
LB:
Allen is classy man…you are cheap…
RB:
Hey how are you guys related?!
LB gives him that look….and walks away hurt
RB:
Bugger, I was just kidding of course,…chill ..where are you going?
LB:
I am going home…I think I have some edible lingerie at home…i am starving…
RB:
Got some feny?
LB nods. RB runs after him and joins him…
RB:
…you did your best bugger…put your heart, soul, brain and groin into the film, now let’s have some feni and edible…whatever that thingy is…, dig into your next script, and soon you will be into your second film mode….c’mon man…this is the 21st century, you gotta be cool..
So who will have the last laugh – Sandeep Mohan’s Right Brain or Left Brain? It all depends entirely on you.
To know more about the film, you can click here for its FB page or click here for its website.
And here’s the list of theatres and the show timings for Love,Wrinkle-free:
F.i.g.h.t C.l.u.b 