what we are reading – EightandHalf
It’s been quite sometime since Tigmanshu Dhulia has been silently making movies but there is no news of the release dates. First Shagird, then Pan Singh Tomar and now he is busy with his next film. The first look of Dhulia’s Shagird has been released. It stars Nana Patekar, Mohil Ahlawat and kohl-eyed Anurag Kashyap.
And here’s the theatrical trailer…
Amole Gupte, the writer and creative director of Taare Zameen Par, is ready with his directorial debut titled Stanley Ka Dabba. The film is distributed by Fox Star India. Amole has not only written and directed it but has also composed one of the songs, written the lyrics and has acted in it. It also stars Divya Dutta and Divya Jagdale.
Here’s the first trailer of the film…
And here’s the official synopsis..
Imagine this boy in your mind’s eye. He arrives in school much before any of his classmates to drum away his blues on empty benches. He stuffs himself with water instead of the nutritious food that his schoolmates relish during the lunch break. He covers up for his lack of social rank with the finesse of the most seasoned diplomat. Who is this child? What is he like? Why is he anything like he is? Wouldn’t you like to know? Meet Stanley, the protagonist of the much awaited ‘Stanley Ka Dabba
‘Stanley Ka Dabba’ is the latest offering from the insightful writer-director, Amole Gupte that throws light on the everyday life of a school going child. The character, Stanley, tugs at your heartstrings with his indomitable spirit, while warding off the hostile world he is surrounded by at all times, everywhere. The film reveals how this is child-soldier, rises above his choking real life situation on the way setting a template for all whiners to learn from, even emulate.
Like most others his ilk, Stanley loves to be amongst friends and win the appreciation of his peers and colleagues. He uses his sparkling wit and innocent wisdom to impress everyone he touches. At times spinning-a-yarn amongst friends about his mother’s flight, while on occasion conjuring some heartfelt poetry to impress the lovely English teacher, Rosy Miss (Divya Dutta). There are though teachers like the pungent Science Madam, Ms Iyer (Divya Jagdale) whose rigid beliefs smother Stanley’s innovative science experiment with all the contempt at her disposal. Then there is the gluttonous Hindi master, Verma Sir (Amole Gupte) who emerges as the catalyst in helping the boys bond for Stanley’s dignity and rightful place in the school.
The camaraderie between the boys comes to the fore when they thwart Verma Sir’s desperate attempts to polish off their dabbas with all the guile at their disposal. The gang makes the ‘invincible’ Verma show his true vulnerable self for once as he marches from one possible hideout to another in the school premises trying to binge upon their home made food.
Stanley, the little protagonist of Amole Gupte’s, latest film ‘Stanley Ka Dabba’ shows how, like the proverbial lotus, can one rise above all the filth around and make the world a better, beautiful place to live in.
The way he goes about bringing cheer to his colleagues and his little friends is what makes him the Stanley we all need to be in today’s day and age. Wise and sensitive, loving and mischievous: living every moment as if there is no tomorrow.
Dear Amole, open the Dabba soon! Can’t wait. All the best.
( PS – Geetanjali Rao has done the opening credits for the film )
( PPS – According to Vishal Bhardwaj, if that was Taare Zameen Par, this one is Chand Zameen Par)
Click here to know more about the film.
It’s raining trailers and how! Two new trailers are out. Chali Dilli is directed by Sashant Shah ( Dasvidaniya) and stars Lara Dutta and Vinay Pathank. It is also the first producetion of Bheegi Basanti, the banner of Lara Dutta. And it’s written by Arshad Syed ( Dasvidaniya, again).
The second trailer is of Always Kabhi Kabhi (weird title), which marks the directorial debut of Roshan Abbas. It’s produced by Red Chillies and so Shah Rukh Khan is there in the trailer too. But the buzz is that Karim Morani, father of Zoa Morani, is close to SRK and so it’s all about the Moranis. SRK is just the face.
Two new trailers are out. Luv Ka The End – the first film of YRF’s new banner Y Films. It starrs Shraddha Kapoor and has been directed by Bumpy ( Remember Roadies?). Will put a separate post with more details about Y Films.
And here is the theatrical trailer of Dum Maaro Dum. Directed by Rohan Sippy, it stars Abhishek Bachchan, Bipasha Basu, Rana Daggubati and Prateik. It’s written by Shridhar Raghavan, shot by Amit Roy and has Pritam’s Music. And click here to read its official synopsis.
If LSD was camera and sex, add paranormal to it and you have Ragini MMS – the new film produced by Ekta Kapoor. and directed by debutant Pawan Kripalani. According to official synopsis, it’s based on true incidents and the film is about an MMS that captures things beyond the realm of human understanding.
The first trailer of Onir’s I Am is out. It stars Juhi Chawla, Manisha Koirala, Nandita Das, Rahul Bose, Sanjay Suri, Purab Kohli, Abhimanyu Singh, Arjun Mathur, Shernaz Patel, Radhika Apte, Anurag Basu and Anurag Kashyap.
To quote from the official release, I AM is about people with fractured lives held together by unbroken dreams.
Click on the play button to watch the trailer..
And here is the official synopsis…
I AM is about issues and dilemmas that bruise the modern Indian society. Unraveling and exploring these tribulations, the film unfolds many a tale of individuals struggling to find their identity, and uphold their dignity in a world that is callous, cold and unsympathetic.
Shot in four different cities across India, I AM is a fusion of stories where the protagonists share a common dream – a desire to regain their lives, to regain an identity which has been taken away from them.I AM AFIA is the story of a single woman who feels her identity will be made whole through the singularly feminine experience of motherhood. Unable to trust or even wait for a man, she is frustrated by a society that demands a “husband” to have a child. Thus her search is defined – does motherhood necessarily require the burden of a man?
I AM MEGHA is a story of two friends – a Kashmiri Pandit woman and a Muslim woman – separated by conflict. Against the backdrop of the ethnic cleansing in Kashmir in early 90’s, this story tells of loss of home and identity. If your own home rejects you, where do you go and where are you “from”?
I AM ABHIMANYU is the story of a broken man, with a proud mask. Abhimanyu is trapped by the demons of his past, a past of sexual abuse. To move forward he must first go back, into a world where hi childhood was stolen from him.
I AM OMAR is a horrific tale of sexual discrimination; blackmail and prejudice is part of the torrid fabric. It reveals how the police use Article 377 (law under Indian Penal code which criminalizes homosexuality) to harass and blackmail gay men. In the current climate of media sensationalism, perhaps this story gains even more poignancy.
And having seen the film, we definitely recco this one. Our favourites – Afia and Megha. You don’t need a Lamhaa to know the Kashmir story, you can do it in a much simpler and better way, and without all the dhoom-dhaam-dhadaap. Megha proves that.
Afia is a story about unique friendship between two strangers. Nandita Das and Purab Kohli bring such a natural charm to it, and bet you never knew that Anurag Basu can act too. Do watch.
Click here to know more about the film.
Earlier it was just Shor and now it’s Shor In The City. Reason – No clue. And here is the first look of the film which is trying hard to project Tushar Kapoor as the new Dude in the town.
The film is written and directed by Raj Nidimoru and Krishna DK and produced by Balaji Telefilms’ ALT Entertainment. It stars Tusshar Kapoor, Sendhil Ramamurthy, Nikhil Dwivedi, Radhika Apte and Preeti Desai.
And here is the official synopsis….
When the noise is deafening, can you really hear yourself ? That is the underlying thought that runs through this gritty, grounded film that revolves around three loosely interconnected stories set in the midst of the noise and grime of Mumbai during the Ganpati festival.
Abhay, an outsider, is forced to come to terms with the fact that he is alone in an unwelcoming city, which he thought was home. Living in a comfortable shell, he soon discovers that he might not be different from the thousands that mill around the city.
Tilak, an honest bootlegger, who pulls scams with his unruly buddies, chances upon a rare loot on a local train, which opens up new, dangerous avenues for them. He is pulled into the unlikely adventure of findings an empty place in the overpopulated city where they can blast a bomb….. For kicks!
Young Sawan has one goal, and more importantly, the only option – to get into the Mumbai Junior Cricket team. In a city where corruption is a way of life, the goal comes at a price1 he needs to find the money first.
In the overcrowded urban landscape that forms the backdrop of this film, the right and wrong are blurred, giving way to the more basic need to survive and succeed. As the characters come to grips with the noise – from within and outside – you realize that in this city, which runs on its own ad hoc rules, you don’t need an excuse to be good or bad; especially bad!
Click on the play button to check out the trailer of the film. It was cut during the MIAAC Fest. They might release a new trailer now.
Abhay Kumar – the name sounds familiar. Little bit of searching and i realised that it’s the same Abhay whose short Udaan was in the news when Dibakar Bannerjee’s LSD released. His short was suspiciously similar to one of the stories in LSD and we wrote about it earlier here.
Abhay is ready with his new film and it’s titled Just That Sort Of A Day. Well, when i first heard the title, it felt like just that sort of a title that doesn’t say anything. No emotions attached, no nothing attached. And then i read the official synopsis…
.. Just that sort of a day is a 14 minute short film which follows seemingly random characters as they go about their day to day activities, watching the dense cloud of nothingness which surrounds their lives…
Aha, nothingness again!
And the IMDB synopsis tells you little more or just say, little more about the objects in the film…to quote…
Peeps into the lives of random characters, with their doubts, quirks and misgivings. As these characters hang in a timeless space- they gaze at the universe through letters, galaxies, parapets, and fishbowls
Finally saw the film and it was love at first sight. Quickly wanted to watch it again because it’s just BRILLIANT.
No actors, no names, random characters, all moving around in that very familiar atmosphere with those very familiar emotions. Difficult to put a finger where exactly you connect with them and start flowing with their emotions because it moves fast and jumps from one character to another. Add to that, some biutiful images and you are easily lost in that maze called life.
Made over a period of 9 months and shot on a handycam with zero budget, the film is a Must-Watch for those who have been cribbing about the death of new ideas. Without explaining much, will just say that it also works as mixed art form installation, and i was grinning from ear to ear while watching it. Pure joy!
The film premiered at the Rotterdam Film Festival, is also in competition at the IFFLA and has now been selected for the Tribeca Film Festival.Watch it, whenever you can.
You must have seen the video announcing the launch of Y-Films by Yash Raj Films. If you are still clueless about it, in simple words, Yash Raj is going U-25, and wants to pocket all the ‘new money’. Or in simpler words, for fans of Twilight, or say, Justin Bieber – it’s about the demography now. Why ? Because 70% of India is below the age of 35 and it’s too big an audience to ignore.
So, the first thing they did was to hire the head honcho of MTv – Ashish Patil. Roadies, here they come!
According to official release, Y-Films promises to deliver kick ass films of the youth, by the youth, for the youth. And be a platform for new talent – both on screen and behind the scenes – who will challenge, break and set new rules of story telling. Get ready to spread the Y-rus! The films will be laser-focused on the universe of the young covering all genres – thrillers, comedies, chick-flicks, capers – with some really fresh music.
And Y-Films is ready with its first production – Luv Ka The End, an ‘anti-rom-com’, which will release on 6th May, 2011. It stars Shraddha Kapoor and a bunch of new faces.
Click here to know more about Y-Films.
F.i.g.h.t C.l.u.b 