Archive for the ‘Story / Plot / Synopsis’ Category

In an interview to LA Times, Vidhu Vinod Chopra has revealed the plot of his new film Broken Horses. Its his first Hollywood film which he has been threatening to make for quite sometime. To quote from the feature…..

His English-language directorial debut about two brothers, one a violinist in New York, the other a hired gun, set against the drug war on the U.S.-Mexico border.

As Chopra points out, “there is nothing Indian about the movie except the director. The heart of the movie is the relationship between these two brothers, but within that is a story about how we destroy what we love. It’s about the choices we make in life.”

This sounds exactly like Vishal Bhardwaj’s Kaminey! Ok, not exactly but lot of similarities. Two brothers (Ok, not twins), there is gun, there is violin (not guitar), drug and war too! How we destroy what we love ? Its about the choices we make in life ? We might be reading too much between the lines and the words but doesnt it all sound like Guddu & Charlie’s world.

Ofourse everything else will be different. But we could not resist connecting the dots. Its written by Vidhu Vinod Chopra and Abhijaat Joshi and Jason Richman is the script consultant ( Swing Vote, Bangkok Dangerous). To give you the mood & feel of the film, VVC has already cut a trailer from the recce footage. Go to www.vinodchopra.com , click on the pic of Broken Horses and select trailer.

And to read the complete feature published in LA Times, click here. In a separate interview to Hindustan Times, he has clarified that 64 Squares and his ambitious project Talisman to be directed by Ram Madhvani is NOT happening. Other two projects, Ferrari Ki Sawaari to be directed by Rajesh Mapuskar and Paachisvi Saalgirah are in development. Click here to read the full interview.

First look of two new films are out. Priyadarshan’s Bumm Bumm Bole and Mahesh Manjrekar’s City Of Gold. Have a look.

Bumm Bumm Bole is an official adaptation of Majid Majidi’s acclaimed film Children Of Heaven. Its produced by Percept Picture Company and stars Darsheel safary. The Remake Master continues remaking.

Mahesh Manjrekar’s City Of Gold is set in Mumbai’s mills era. Here is the official synopsis of the film…

Today, there is hardly anyone who hasn’t visited the swanky shopping malls, nightclubs, lounge bars, clubs and other such lifestyle destinations that sprung up across the centre of Mumbai. However, very few know that buried deep below these glittering edifices to consumerism lies the dark, dirty and painful reality of many thousands of mill workers who once worked the cotton mills in this very same area. Rising and toiling to the wail of the mill sirens each and every day, seven days a week, these workers embodied the true unbridled zeal and unflagging spirit of the city and played a pivotal role in the evolution of Mumbai as the modern day business capital of India.

And then it suddenly was as if they never existed. Following the mill workers strike in the mid-80s, these mills began closing down rapidly and the mill-workers mysteriously disappeared. What happened to them, and where they went is one of the most shameful secrets that the city of Mumbai will have to bear for generations, one that until now has always been spoken about in hushed whispers.

City of Gold – the story of these long-forgotten masses – not only explores the apathy of these mill workers narrated through the story of one such family, but is also a take-no-prisoners account of the birth of the true underbelly of organized crime in Mumbai.

The film traces the birth of the politics of greed in Mumbai and exposes the unholy collusion between the triumvirate of big business, the political establishment and the trade union leaders who ostensibly were charged with protecting the rights of the mill workers. In the two decades that followed, the entire landscape of Central Mumbai was changed forever. Land became the currency of growth, and this began the systematic extinction of mills in Mumbai. In a matter of just a few years, hundreds of thousands of workers lost their means of livelihood. Having worked in these mills from generation to generation, this was the only vocation that they knew.

Many left Mumbai and went back to their ancestral homes, some others chose to stay back and fight what they soon realised was a losing battle, some took the extreme step of ending their miserable lives, and still some others took to a world of crime.

Truth… as is said, is stranger than fiction. But the truth that the film uncovers is not just stranger but darker and dirtier than any mind has ever imagined. Produced by DAR Motion Pictures and from the Director of dark and realistic films like Vaastav – Mr Mahesh Manjrekar, ‘City of Gold’ takes another trip down memory lane…. just that this time around the result is a much more heart wrenching, soul stirring and shocking film about human avarice and apathy.

The film doesn’t provide any direct solutions. Yet it shatters many a myth and raises many a question which only the passage of time will provide answers to.

To know more about the film, click here for the official website.

This is the first look of Badmaash Company.  Its produced by Yashraj Films, written and directed by Parmeet Sethi.  The film stars Shahid Kapoor and  Anushka Sharma. The other actors on the poster are Meiyang Chang and Vir Das. 

According to official release, Badmaas Company is an extraordinary story set in the 90’s in middle class Mumbai of four young friends who get together to start a company. Their business is an instant hit because they find a way to beat the system. Rocket Singh Redux ? Will keep you posted as soon as you get to know.

Wondering who is this Ranveer Singh ? Read on. So far only the name has come out but we are waiting for more details. Anyone, any clue ?

Dont remember when was the last time they launched a new actor. They are known for working with the stars, the biggest and the best. And so the news has come as a big surprise. Cash crunch or are they genuinely looking for new talent ? Yash Raj is all set to launch a new actor called Ranveer Singh.

The film will be directed by debutant Maneesh Sharma, associate director of Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi who also worked on Fanna & Aaja Nachle. Anushka Sharma will play the lead actress opposite the newcomer Ranveer Singh.

According to official press release, Ranveer is a complete fresher with no modelling or acting experience. He was selected after his very first audition, having impressed Aditya Chopra instantly. Hmmm.

The film is set in Delhi and revolves around Bittoo and Shruti. Just out of Delhi University, Shruti (Anushka Sharma) and Bittoo (Ranveer Singh) reluctantly set out on their tumultuous entrepreneurial venture. Together their friendship and business enters the ups and downs of the lavish world of the glamour and glitz of Delhi baaraats and weddings!

This is the first still of Ashutosh Gowariker’s new film Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Sey, which has tweeted by Abhishek Bachchan. It also stars Deepika Padukone and Sikander Kher. The film is produced by PVR Pictures and is almost complete.

The film is based on journalist Manini Chatterjee’s book Do and Die on Chittagong uprising. Its pitched as a period thriller in which Abhishek plays the title role of revolutionary Surjya Sen, popularly known as Masterda.

Click here and here to read two reviews of the book Do and Die. The first one was published in Outlook and the second is from The Sunday Tribune. The Outlook review is copy-pasted  here also. Just scroll down. The review follows….

Our history texts hardly have place today for the Chittagong armoury raids, then described by a British bureaucrat as having “no parallel in Bengal since the Mutiny of 1857”. This well researched book was thus necessary. Chatterjee has tracked down masses of documents relating to the raids and met surviving members of Surjya Sen’s (Masterda) army, to produce a gripping narrative. The book’s signal triumph is that it never tries to hide the fact that this entire amateurish adventure was a series of tragic blunders.

Sen’s men took control of the armoury, but found only arms, no ammunition; they didn’t know that arms and ammunition are never stored together. A young revolutionary forgot a simple truth – that you don’t light a matchstick while standing in a pool of petrol – and threw the entire field plan into disarray, something from which it never recovered. One of the leaders, Ananta Singh, was emotionally unstable. Another, Pritilata Waddadar, was driven by a death wish. And finally, Masterda was leading a bunch of schoolboys – the youngest was only 13 – into war against the British Army.These boys never lost faith. On Jalalabad’s hills they fought Gurkha machine-gunners with muskets. The British threw their bodies into a pit and mass-burnt them. Gandhi had not a word to say about them, reserving his commiserations for the mother of Vithaldas, who, as part of Gandhi’s anti-liquor campaign, tried chopping a toddy tree and fatally wounded himself. Chatterjee captures the injustice in one reverberating sentence: “Even martyrdom, it would seem, lies in the ideology of the bestower.” 

You could call these people suicidal fools, but their courage shines through every page of this valuable book. Only two complaints: towards the end, Chatterjee can’t keep her political biases out, and she omits the survivor’s later lives (some had very chequered careers). But overlook that. Read this book and give it to your children, so they know about these misguided warriors who briefly halted the British empire in its tracks. 

At 75, he is still going strong! After his last delightful small film Welcome To Sajjanpur, Shyam Benegal is ready with his new film titled Well Done Abba.

The film is produced by Reliance Big Picturs and stars Boman Irani in double role along with Minissha Lamba and Sammir Dattani.  Its written by Ashok Mishra and is based on two short stories – ‘Narsaiyyan Ki Bavdi’ by Jeelani Bano and ‘Phulwa Ka Pul’ by Sanjeev. The first trailer of the film is out. Have a look. Seems like its in the same space as Sajjanpur.

 And here is the official synopsis of the film…

Armaan Ali, played by comic hero Boman Irani, is a middle aged driver for a city executive. He takes a month’s leave and, when he arrives back at work three months later, his boss, understandably, threatens to sack him. To save his job, charming Armaan spins a fabulous story of why he was delayed in getting his daughter married.

Fable or truth, the boss isn’t quite sure, but the story revolves around a central question – how a well, once dug, can be stolen? Unearthed in Benegal’s part comedy, part political satire, is a hilarious and poignant depiction of the double dealing and corrupt middle men intrinsic to Indian rural politics. Meanwhile, at the heart of the story is a delightful romance between Armaan’s daughter and a young, honest mechanic who saves the day.

If others are here, can Walt Disney be far behind! In a country where there are more than half a dozen tv channels for kids, it cant be bad. Walt Disney is ready with its debut desi production titled Zokkomon.

The film is directed by Satyajit Bhatkal, Aamir Khan’s good friend and director of Chalo Chalo, the documentary on making of Lagaan. The film stars Darsheel Safary, Manjhari Phadnis and Anupam Kher. And if our sources are to be believed, the budget of the film is 22 crores! Yes, debut director, Darsheel in the lead and 22 crores!

Check it out, the teaser looks dull and boring.

According to official release, Zokkomon is is a thrilling and heart-warming action packed adventure about an ordinary boy who rises to meet extraordinary challenges.  Kunal, an orphaned boy, discovers how cruel life is when he is abandoned by his heartless uncle. Left to fend for himself, Kunal soon realizes the hero within and begins his epic journey of adventure and transformation to become Zokkomon. Ah, every formula of superhero is here!

Its all set to release on 7th May, 2010 to get its target audience during the summer vacation.

And its a thumps up!

The film has been directed by debutant Anusha Rizvi and produced by UTV & Aamir Khan. The main cast includes Omkar Das Manikpuri, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Raghubir Yadav, Shalini Vatsa, Malaika Shenoy and Farukh Jaffer. Screen Daily has published the first review of the film. You can click here or keep on reading here. The review follows..

Peepli Live is a film about land ownership and suicide that makes you laugh. Anusha Rizvi entertains with a bawdy take on the rural class struggle as she examines a serious injustice in India today.

Scripted with raunchy wit and superbly acted, Peepli Live is likely to play on the international festival circuit before reaching art houses. While its widest exposure outside India is likely to remain the Indian diaspora, critics can be expected to spread the word about this new director.

Rizvi’s first film has a huge cast, but its story focuses on everyman Natha (Omkar Das Manikpuri), a poor pot-smoking farmer in the village of Peepli who can’t pay back his government loan. Thousands of farmers in financial trouble commit suicide every year in India, and when Natha learns that the government will compensate suicide victims’ families with 100,000 rupees, he considers giving it a try.

When word gets out, the press and politicians turn his case into a frenzied spectacle, milking Natha’s dilemma for headlines and profit.

Rizvi, a television journalist, handles her subject like a veteran director. Her script comes to life in wise earthy dialogue among the most disadvantaged characters.

As Natha, Manikpuri offers the hopelessly honest observations of a bewildered man.  Malaika Shenoy is shamelessly vain as a TV reporter who stumbles onto a career-making story.  Production values are high. DP Shanker Raman’s camera takes the small village apart, much as the talented Ms. Rizvi has exposed the hypocrisy and humor of her society.

For trailer/promos/story/synopsis of the film, click here.

Yes, its official. And it was expected. Indian’s official entry to this year’s Oscar Award in the Foreign Language Film Category was Marathi film Harishchandrachi Factory. Sixty five films had originally qualified in the category.

The nine films which have been shortlisted for the next round are…

Argentina – El Secreto de Sus Ojos (Director – Juan Jose Campanella)

Australia – Samson & Delilah (Warwick Thornton ) 

Bulgaria – The World Is Big and Salvation Lurks around the Corner (Stephan Komandarev )

France – Un Prophète – (Jacques Audiard )

Germany – The White Ribbon – ( Michael Haneke )

Israel – Ajami – ( Scandar Copti and Yaron Shani )

Kazakhstan – Kelin – (Ermek Tursunov )

The Netherlands – Winter in Wartime – ( Martin Koolhoven )

Peru – The Milk of Sorrow – ( Claudia Llosa )

Out of the nine films, five will make the final cut for the nomination which will be announced on February 2nd, 2010. And the Academy Awards will be presented on March 7th, 2010.

BTW, Harishchandrachi Factory is releasing on 29th January. And do watch the film. The early reviews and the buzz from the festivals has been quite positive so far. The film is directed by Paresh Mokashi who has been doing theatre since last twenty years. Harishchandrachi Factory is Mokashi’s debut film.

The film traces the obstacles and hurdles faced by Dhundiraj Phalke (Dada Saheb Phalke),  also known as the father of Indian cinema,while he was making the first Indian film Raja Harishchandra in 1913. And here is the theatrical trailer of the film…

For more details about the film/director/promos, click on the website link http://harishchandrachifactory.com/ .

Update (29-07-2010) – The international trailer of Peepli Live is out. Pause at 1:06 and please let us know who is the culprit for such superb subtitling.

Update (26-01-2010) – The first review of Peepli Live is out. Click here to read the review.

Update (18-01-2010) – UTV Motion Pictures has blocked all the trailers/promos of the film. And this is not the first time. It happened recently with UTV’s other film Raajneeti also. There is something surely wrong with UTV! But praise the soul who did the good deed and uploaded it again. Click here to see the official Peepli Live channel on Youtube. Or scroll down here. The last three dialogue promos are working.

If 2009 belonged to actor Aamir Khan, then get ready to see him in producer’s avataar in 2010. Not one or two, but Aamir Khan Productions has three  films up for release. And the first one is Peepli Live directed by debutant Anusha Rizvi. Here is the new trailer.

And the first few dialogue promos of the film are out too. Have a look.

The film has been selected for the Sundance Film Festival and will compete with 13 other films in the World Cinema Narrative Competition. The main cast includes Omkar Das Manikpuri, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Raghubir Yadav, Shalini Vatsa, Malaika Shenoy and Farukh Jaffer.

And here is the official synopsis of the film…

Natha a poor farmer from Peepli village in the heart of rural India is about to lose his plot of land due to an unpaid government loan. A quick fix to the problem is the very same government’s program that aids the families of indebted farmers who have committed suicide. As a means of survival Farmer Natha can choose to die!!! His brother is happy to push him towards this unique ‘honor’ but Natha is reluctant. Local elections are around the corner and what might’ve been another unnoticed event turns into a ‘cause celebré’ with everyone wanting a piece of the action. Political bigwigs, high-ranking bureaucrats, local henchmen and the ever-zealous media descend upon sleepy Peepli to stake their claim. The question on everyone’s lips – “Will he or Won’t he?” As the mania escalates what will be the fate of Farmer Natha; nobody seems to care how he really feels?

The official website of the film is also up and running. Click here to go the homepage.

Will the so called marketing monster Aamir Khan turn these small films big too ? If he can, then everyone else can shut up forever. If he cant, then we know that only mainstream formulas (Fanaa, Ghajini, 3 Idiots) can become big, and you dont need any genius to deliver that! For confirmation, ask Akshay Kumar.