what we are reading – EightandHalf
We often accuse our stars of not taking a clear stand, and of being non-political. So, it makes sense that when they decide to support a cause, we highlight it too. Actor Aamir Khan has written a letter to PM Dr. Manmohan Singh and has expressed his support for Anna Hazare on Jan Lokpal Bill. And the second letter is addressed to Anna Hazare. Read on…
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.
WHAT : The 2011 Satyajit Ray Foundation’s Short Film Competition in association with the London Indian Film Festival (LIFF) is now inviting submissions. They are looking for films that show imagination and creativity and reflect the cultural diversity and experiences of South Asians within their own country or the Diaspora.
Regulations :
– All entries should be under 20 minutes.
– Films should express and inform aspects of the experiences of South Asians (Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka) either within their own countries or the Diaspora.
– All submissions must have been completed within two years prior to the closing date.
– Previously submitted entries are ineligible.
DATE : The closing deadline is Friday 29 April, 2011
PRIZE : Award of £1,000 for the winning film.
– The award will be presented and the winning film screened at the London INDIAN Film Festival’s closing night gala in July 2011.
FORMAT : The films may be shot on any standard format (film or digital), all entries for consideration should be submitted on DVD only, together with an entry form and film synopsis.
ADDRESS : Send all submissions to: Satyajit Ray Foundation Short Film Competition.
c/o London INDIAN Film Festival. 51 Tweedmouth Road. London, E13 9HT, UK
EMAIL : info@londonindianfilmfestival.co.uk
FORM : To download the entry from please click here
To know more about the Foundation and the competition, click here.
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.
If Pritam is here, can plagiarism be far behind. And the latest track added to his long list of inspired/plagiarised songs is Dum Maaro Dum is Thay Thayn. And the original is Give it to me by Timbaland featuring Nelly Furtado and Justin Timberlake.
Nt sure ? Click on the play button, play both the songs back to back and decide it for yourself.
And the story doesn’t end here. Even the Jiyein Kaun track sounds similar to Coldplay’s Fix you. Click here and here to listen to both the tracks and do let us know what you thik.
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.
For a moment, we felt that one star is missing in the title and it’s A** Is Killed. But naah, Himesbhai is just a *.
According to TaranBhai’s report, “Himesh was selected by the makers as they felt he suited the part of Sidharth Patel, who is supposed to be an Indian musician absolutely mesmerized by a superstar who is killed under mysterious circumstances. How the truth behind the superstar’s murder unfolds forms the crux of the story.”
And HimeshBhai also claims that “I am the only Indian actor in the film.”
( PS – We need LOL tags soon. For this post, will use the Bolly jokes tag. )
Patang – The debut feature of Prashant Bhargava will have its North American premiere at the 10th Tribeca Film Festival. It will be shown in the World Narrative Feature Competition and will compete with 11 other films for the Founders Award for Best Narrative Feature, Best New Narrative Director, Best Actor and Actress, Best Screenplay, and Best Cinematography.
The film was also shown at this year’s Berlin Film Festival in the International Forum of New Cinema. It stars Seema Biswas, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Sugandha Garg and Aakash Mahayera, and has been shot by Shanker Raman.
Click on the play button to check out its goregous preview trailer…
To quote from Tribeca’s official release..
A family saga set against the colorful spectacle of the Uttarayan, India’s largest kite festival, The Kite is a kaleidoscopic whirlwind of energy, romance, and turmoil. A businessman arrives in Ahmedabad for a surprise visit to his once grand family home, bringing with him his daughter and some unexpected news for the family’s future. Amongst the flurry of preparations and the energy of the festival itself, the transformative and intersecting tales of six characters unfold.
To know more about the film, click here. To read more about the other films selected for Tribeca Fest, click here.
You can also watch Prashant Bhargava’s short film Sangam at www.mubi.com. The film premiered at Sundance Film Festival in 2004.
F.i.g.h.t C.l.u.b 