Posts Tagged ‘synopsis’

I know, I have been going on and on and on about it since I saw the film. But trust me, it deserves all that and more. The film had a limited release in Mumbai and so, those of you who missed it, here’s one more chance. Dont miss it this time and don’t crib later.  Details follows.

(BTW, here is the post that I wrote after watching the film. )

The screening is organised by GraFTII Adda.

Date: Saturday, 08 May 2010

Time: 18:00 – 21:00

Location: Movielabs, Near Goregaon Flyover, Opposite Image Restaurant, S.V.Road, Goregaon, Mumbai.

Tickets :  75/- for FTII alumni, and 100/- for non-FTII viewers, to cover the projection costs.

According to the official release, the synopsis of Vihir is as follows…

A story of two adolescent boys Sameer and Nachiket (cousins who are best friends) standing on the crossroads of life… to choose between the life that leads to petty worldly small existence or the life of free existence that would let them spread their wings and soar high in open skies…

They play a game of hide and seek in a rather unusual way. Where one cousin hides in death and the other is looking for him in the life around him. . . . Samir’s search leads him towards the experience of oneness where he can unite with Nachiket again!

The cast and the crew of the film will also be there. It includes…

Director : Umesh Kulkarni.  DoP :  Sudheer Palsane. Editor :  Niraj Voralia

Music Director : Mangesh Dhakde.  Sound Designer :  Anthony B J Ruban

ReRecordist : Pramod Thomas

Click on the play button to see the opening scene of Vihir

The first trailer of Mahesh Manjrekar’s new film City Of Gold is out. Check it out.

This one had lot of promise, till we saw the trailer. The premise, setting, time, incidents and an untold story. But from the trailer it looks too tacky! 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.

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.

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.

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.

The trailer of Leena Yadav’s new film Teen Patti is finally out. Earlier Bachchan had put out the trailer on his blog and the makers were not too  happy about it. More about the fiasco here.

The new promo is bit different from the old one. It seems Ben Kingsley is completely missing or may be, they  think that Kingsleysaab doesnt have much charm on desi audience. The earlier trailer was for the international distributors.

Looks much similar to Kevin Spacey starrer 21 ?

The film also stars R Madhavan and newcomers include Dhruv Ganesh,  Shraddha Kapoor (Shakti Kapoor’s daughter), Siddharth Kher, Vaibhav Talwar and Saira Mohan.

And if you are curious to know more about the film, click here to know the plot/story/synopsis.

The first trailer of Gurinder Chadha’s It’s A Wonderful Afterlife is out. The film is going to have its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival. With Shabana Azmi in the lead, it also stars Sally Hawkins, Goldy Notay and Sendhil Ramamurthy. Have a look.

Its a Wonderful Afterlife is a comedy, about an Indian mother who takes her obsession with marriage into the world of serial murder. Its billed as My Big Fat Greek Wedding meets Shaun of the Dead.

For story/plot/synopsis of the film, click here.

After a superb debut with Manorama Six Feet Under (though inspired/copied..whatever suits your sanity), Navdeep Singh is all set to roll his new film titled Basra. Earlier Akshaye Khanna and R Madhavan were supposed to star in it and Nikhil Advani was producing it. But now the film has a new cast and  a new producer too.

Abhay Deol is not only starring in it but is also producing the film under his banner Forbidden Films. Chitrangada Singh, Shahana Goswami, Nikhil Dwivedi and Soniya Mehra (Vinod Mehra’s daughter. Debut with Anant Mahadevan’s Victoria No 203) are also part of it. TOI has confirmed the cast and got the plot details of the film. You can click here or scroll down.

It is an out-and-out action film based on the drug racket and human trafficking. Basra is an edgy and dark film. Soniya will play a teenage hippie who is involved in drugs and eventually becomes a victim of human trafficking after being kidnapped. Shahana plays a journalist, while Nikhil is a cop. It is an ensemble cast and script.

The film is an action thriller. Abhay’s role is that of a secret agent. You can call him an undercover cop who exposes the entire racket. The movie has its base in Basra, a city in Iraq, notorious for its involvement in drugs. It will be shot in Dubai, Kuwait, Delhi and Mumbai.

The title Basra was chosen as it is a city in Iraq which is apt to the subject of the film. Probably the film will also be shot in one of the cities in Iraq. The movie will go on the floors in January and most probably release by the end of next year.

With that school boy looks and kiddie way of dialogue delivery, its bit difficult to imagine Abhay Deol as a secret agent in an action thriller. Or is he also going for those six-eight-dozen packs ? The rugged look with the moustache and disheveled hair did the trick in Manorama Six Feet Under. Hopefully we will be proved wrong. We trust Singhsaab! 

Gurinder Chadha is ready with her new film – Its A Wonderful Afterlife and the film is going to have its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival. The festival starts from January 21st, 2010. Chadha’s earlier films Bend it Like Beckham (2003) and What’s Cooking? (2000) were also screened at the Sundance. With Shabana Azmi in the lead, it also stars Sally Hawkins, Goldy Notay and Sendhil Ramamurthy.

Its a Wonderful Afterlife is a comedy, about an Indian mother who takes her obsession with marriage into the world of serial murder. Its billed as My Big Fat Greek Wedding meets Shaun of the Dead. And here is the story/plot/synopsis of the film….

Mrs Sethi, a widow, can’t bear the thought of her daughter being alone and unhappy. Okay, she’s a little plump and opinionated&but she’d make a great wife for some lucky man, if only she were given a chance. When Mrs Sethi can no longer stomach the rudeness of families who refuse her daughter, she takes matters into her own hands with the only way she knows…

Suddenly a police hunt begins for a serial murderer who cooks a killer curry. Mrs. Sethi doesn’t feel too guilty until the SPIRITS of her victims come back to haunt her – complete with tandooried bodies and kebab skewered heads, they’re unable to be reincarnated until their murderer dies.

Mrs. Sethi has no problem killing herself she’ll get to see her dead husband again but how can she go before her daughter is married? The SPIRITS realize that helping Mrs Sethi daughter find a suitable husband before the police catch her is their only chance for a wonderful afterlife.

It’s a big bloody wedding and a comic feast which takes the phrase ‘I could murder a curry’ to hysterical new heights.

Seems like a day dedicated to My Name Is Khan. First, the Berlin Film Festival news, then a new poster and now finally its here. The first official trailer of Karan Johar’s new film My Name Is Khan. And it could not have been better. The Star Network block at 10 pm and then the theatrical trailer attached with James Cameron’s Avtaar. As Dhoni says, Aur bolo ? Karan Johar is back after four years. And the hit pair of Shah Rukh Khan-Kajol is also back, after eight years! Aur bolo ?

Fox Star India is pulling all possible strings to make sure that it doesnt get bigger than this. They bought the worldwide rights of the film for Rs 100 crore. And here it is….

And here is the unofficial synopsis of the film…

My Name is Khan is the story of Rizwan Khan, a man with asperger syndrome, whose son gets killed in a racial attack and he is branded as a terrorist. Rizwan then decides to  meet the President to clear his stand. Eventually it turns out to be a big campaign across the country and makes him famous. Rizwan’s punchline says it all – My Name is Khan & I am not terrorist! The story starts in Mumbai, with a middle class muslim family and then shifts to USA.

Having read the script, we are willing to bet that it has blockbuster written all over it. The big question is can Karan Johar pull it of ?