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MAMI (Mumbai Academy of the Moving Image), the most awaited film festival is back and how! The weeklong festival is in its tenth edition and getting started from March 6 and is being presented by Reliance Big Entertainment. This time, MAMI will screen 140 films from 45 countries in three theatres in the city - Adlabs Wadala (4 screens), Metro Adlabs (2 screens) and Cinemax Versova (1 screen).
This year, the newly instituted 'Global Lifetime Achievement Award' will be awarded to Carlos Saura, the internationally renowned Spanish director for his contribution to the world of cinema. MAMI is introducing a new initiative called 'Dimensions Mumbai', a short film competition, for youth below 25 from Mumbai on the theme "Metropolis of Mumbai". Under this programme, digital films of 5 minutes durations depicting various aspects of life in Mumbai are being invited. The best entry would be awarded a cash prize of Rs. 1, 50,000. The last date of submission of entries is March 1st 2008. This competition was initiated by Jaya Bachchan, one of the trustees of MAMI.
The Awards function will be held on March 13 on the closing night of the festival. Living legend Dev Anand will preside over the closing ceremony as the chief guest and will present the MAMI Awards. The best Indian films selected by a special five member's international jury will also be announced on the closing night. A three-member's FIPRESCI (International Federation of Film Critics) Jury will also announce its results on the Closing Night.
Highlights of the festival include the screening of Polish master Andrzej Wajda's latest film Katyn, nominated for an Oscar in the foreign film category. Besides that, in the closing gala night the Japanese film The Mourning Forest will be screened, a film that won the Grand Prix at the 60th edition of Cannes Film Festival in 2007.
The USP of this festival is the MAMI Awards for outstanding contribution to the Indian film industry which will be presented to subsequent:
Dharmendra (Lifetime Achievement Award)
Rishi Kapoor (Award for Significant Contribution to Cinema over 25 years to an Actor-Director)
Gulzar (Award for Outstanding Contribution to Indian Film Music as Lyrics Writer)
Hitendra Ghosh (Kodak Award for Technical Excellence). Source: Indiafm.com News | 23 Feb 2008 | 1:47 pm
MUMBAI (Reuters) - Actress Sushmita Sen, who dons the director's hat for an upcoming film about Rani Laxmi Bai, says it was destiny which made her a filmmaker.
Film: 'Michael Clayton'; Cast: George Clooney, Tom Wilkinson, Tilda Swinton, Sydney Pollack; Director: Tony Gilroy; Rating:*** Source: IndiaeNews.com: Bollywood News | 23 Feb 2008 | 12:32 pm
The woes for Ashutosh Gowarikar's magnum opus Jodhaa Akbar seem to be unending. Now it's the turn of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in Madhya Pradesh (MP), who have suspended the screening of the film. MP's Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said that the film has been suspended since they fear a law and order problem in the state.
If that wasn't enough, some theatres in Punjab and Bihar have also banned the film from being screened and a low-intensity blast was reported outside a Mumbai theatre, which was screening the film.
Meanwhile, the UTV sent out a press release stating, "We have today moved to the Madhya Pradesh (MP) High Court to lift the suspension on the screening of Jodhaa Akbar and we will take the matter to the Supreme Court if need be. The entire film industry, including producers, distributors and exhibitors are up in arms against this order of the State Government. The censor board has passed Jodhaa Akbar without any cuts and the onus is now on the respective authorities to ensure the film is screened across the country without disruption. We will fight this till the end."
The decision of the court will decide the fate of the film in MP. Source: Indiafm.com News | 23 Feb 2008 | 12:21 pm
Kevin Federline has agreed to give ex-wife Britney Spears visitation rights with their two young sons, his lawyer said on Friday. Source: Zee News : Entertainment | 23 Feb 2008 | 12:07 pm
First time father Zayed Khan is over the moon and says he is renovating the house in his son`s honour. Source: Zee News : Entertainment | 23 Feb 2008 | 12:07 pm
Saved at the 11th hour when writers ended their strike, Sunday`s Oscars promise plenty of glamour, but dark films, possible rain and a lack of splashy parties threaten to dampen the mood on Hollywood`s big night. Source: Zee News : Entertainment | 23 Feb 2008 | 12:07 pm
Anurag Kashyap, who is all set to direct his tentatively titled film Dev.D, has finally zeroed down on the actors to play the roles of Chandramukhi and Paro. Both of these roles are being played by two newcomers Kalki and Mahi, respectively.
This film which is a modern-day take on Sarat Chandra's novel, 'Devdas', is being produced by UTV Spotboy and is being written and directed by Anurag himself.
Dev.D is very much unlike the original, wherein the main lead Abhay Deol is a hypocrite who drowns himself in self-pity and is a man who cannot stand up for himself.
The film is scheduled to go on floors next week, and will be shot in London, Punjab and Delhi. Anurag is said to be leaving for London in three days and the rest of the crew is supposed to join him after that. It's going to be a start-finish affair, as the film is expected to be to getting completed by April. Source: Indiafm.com News | 23 Feb 2008 | 12:04 pm
Film: 'There Will be Blood'; Cast: Daniel Day Lewis, Paul Dano, Dillon Freasier, Kevin J. O'Connor; Director: Paul Thomas Anderson; Rating: **** Source: IndiaeNews.com: Bollywood News | 23 Feb 2008 | 12:01 pm
UTV Motion Pictures Saturday moved the Madhya Pradesh High Court to lift the ban on screening of 'Jodhaa Akbar' in the state. Source: IndiaeNews.com: Bollywood News | 23 Feb 2008 | 12:00 pm
As many as 140 films from 45 countries, a special short film segment and a retrospective of Ritwik Ghatak's works - the upcoming edition of Mumbai Academy of the Moving Image's (MAMI) International Film Festival has all this and more in store for cine buffs. Source: IndiaeNews.com: Bollywood News | 23 Feb 2008 | 12:00 pm
Madhavan is currently basking in the success of Yenalu Oruvan, the Tamil version of the award-winning Marathi film Dombivali Fast. Now the actor-director duo is all set to take the film's journey from Marathi and Tamil to Hindi. A Hindi version of the film is on the anvil.
But there's a hitch. Sanjay Gupta wants to adapt the same story of an ordinary man going on a rampage all over the city after being pushed beyond the brink. Gupta, who just returned from a biking tour that took him from Mumbai to Pune, Goa, Belgaum and then back via Pune to Mumbai, is hugely kicked by the idea. "The idea actually came to me from Joel Schumacher's 1983 drama Falling Down where a middle-aged man goes berserk with a baseball bat in Los Angeles. I want to transpose the theme to Mumbai and cast Mr. Bachchan in the lead. I don't think anyone else can do justice to the role." So, where do Gupta's plans leave Madhavan and his Hindi adaptation of Dombivali Fast which apparently Abbas-Mustan will produce?
"Right where it was before," smiles Madhavan. "I don't deny there are similarities between Nishikant's film and Falling Down. But certain themes can be interpreted in different ways. I'm sure Mr. Gupta's take on the theme will be very different from ours."
But don't be surprised if both the eager parties rush to the finishing post with their products Source: Indiafm.com News | 23 Feb 2008 | 10:15 am
She came, she saw, she 'Khan-qered'. She is none other than Jiah Khan, the pretty lass who made her debut opposite none other than the Superstar of the Millennium, Amitabh Bachchan, with Nishabd, a film that bombed at the B-O, but did make people take notice of this dynamite girl!
Jiah is yet again in the news, this time, for being on the cover of the popular UK glossy magazine 'Xeher', who had carried out an exclusive shoot in Mumbai for their current Winter-Spring edition with the Jiah chic, who is all geared up for her forthcoming film Ghajini, opposite none other than the Masterstroke himself: Aamir Khan!
Jiah stated that this was one of the most beautiful shoots she had ever done! Btw, the idea of the shoot was to show that Jiah was not at all a rebel, as she is made out to be!
Well, if you really want to know if 'Xeher' has managed to capture the lesser known side of Jiah, then, you better wait and watch out this space for moreâ¦as we spill out the real story in a few days from now! Till then, feat your eyes with the sultry Jiah Khan in our images section! Source: Indiafm.com Features | 23 Feb 2008 | 9:44 am
The inauguration of the first-ever Indian Ocean rim film festival received a lukewarm response from the media and audience alike. Source: IndiaeNews.com: Bollywood News | 23 Feb 2008 | 8:31 am
Sanjay Leela Bhansali is in Paris to direct the 1923 opera ballet 'Padmavati', written by Albert Rousselan, for the prestigious Theatre Du Chatelet and says it gives him the much-needed break from making movies. Source: IndiaeNews.com: Bollywood News | 23 Feb 2008 | 6:30 am
Film: 'Michael Clayton'; Cast: George Clooney, Tom Wilkinson, Tilda Swinton, Sydney Pollock; Director: Tony Gilroy; Ratings: *** Source: IndiaeNews.com: Bollywood News | 23 Feb 2008 | 4:32 am
Actor Ganesh's films have the knack of doing well at the box office after the first few weeks. His 'Galipata' continues the trend and tops the charts after four weeks. Source: IndiaeNews.com: Bollywood News | 23 Feb 2008 | 4:31 am
'Galipata' still rules the Kannada music market, establishing Hari Krishna as a top league composer. Source: IndiaeNews.com: Bollywood News | 23 Feb 2008 | 4:31 am
Irrfan Khan, who's currently shooting for English director Danny Boyle's much-talked-about 'Slumdog Millionaire' in Mumbai, says he enjoyed working with Arshad Warsi in 'Sunday'. Source: IndiaeNews.com: Bollywood News | 23 Feb 2008 | 3:01 am
We have today moved the Madhya Pradesh (MP) high court to lift the suspension on the screening of Jodhaa Akbar and we will take the matter to the Supreme Court if need be. Source: IndiaGlitz.com - News | 23 Feb 2008 | 12:00 am
MOVIE DETAILS
Cast: Tushar Jalota, Mrinalini Sharma, Sushant Singh, Gulshan Grover, Saurabh Shukla
Director: Raju Khan
Producer: Mukesh Bhatt
Music: Lalit Pandit
Lyrics: Sayeed Quadri
THE FILM
Showbiz was the last release of 2008 and came literally unannounced. Bhatts, who are known for promotional blitzkrieg accompanying each of the projects, remained mum till the day film hit the theaters. And when they spoke, focus was around how director debutant Raju Khan had left the film incomplete and others had to chip in to bring the film to the finishing line. Certainly not a positive messaging for a common man to look at the film positively. Result was that the film turned out to be most 'silent' film ever coming out from the production house and failed miserably at the box office.
But was the film that bad to deserve such a fate? Not really!
Dealing with invasion of media on the personal lives of celebrities, Showbiz always ran a risk of catering to a miniscule population. After all not everyone is expected to relate to the functioning of media where PR strategists, gossip columnists, journalists, promoters, news channels and media magnates come together. This Raju Khan film has it all, as a nexus is shown between news channels (ran by Gulshan Grover, Saurabh Shukla) out to boost their TRPs while getting freelance gossip columnists masquerading as journalists (Sushant Singh) on board. A celebrity (Tushar Jalota) becomes a pawn in this game which turns out to be a free for all in the end.
Showbiz has an interesting subject and quite a few moments work in the narrative too, especially the ones where the ugly side of media is showcased. In fact for media people, some of the games being played are easily identifiable too. What sticks out like a sore thumb in the film is the love story though! Relationship shared between Tushar and Mrinalini has absolutely no relevance to the film's plot and bores big time whenever camera focuses on the two of them.
In fact as an actor Tushar has quite some way too go as most of the times he is pretty awkward with only dramatic moments bringing some spark as he manages to carry a few of them well. Otherwise he maintains a deadpan expression throughout. Also, though his character is shown as a celebrity that hardly comes across on screen whether in terms of his body language, mannerisms, dance or facial expressions.
Star of the show is truly Sushant Singh here. In a performance which requires him to go over the top at numerous junctures, he is excellent with his dialogue delivery and cunning expressions. His is the most well etched character as well as he is shown as an out and out black with no semblance of remorse. Saurabh Shukla and Gulshan Grover are controlled too and justify their stature as veterans on the show.
PACKAGING
The film comes in a standard local plastic case with an ordinary cover layout. Since the DVD comes on Moser Baer, don't expect any fancy packaging.
DURATION
The film comes in a single DVD pack with the film's duration being approximately 110 minutes.
SPECIAL FEATURES
The DVD doesn't come with any special features.
TECHNICAL DETAILS
- 16:9 Anamorphic Widescreen format
- Subtitles In English
- 5.1 Dolby Digital
CONCLUSION
After watching Showbiz on DVD, one does feel that the film isn't pathetic as it was made out to be. So is Showbiz a must watch film? No. Is it the kind that makes you stand up and question the media around you? Not really. But does it make you at least sit through those 100 odd minutes once on a lazy afternoon? It does. A reasonably ok movie that does have its dramatic moments, Showbiz is an average fare.
Rating: ** Source: Indiafm.com Features | 22 Feb 2008 | 3:40 pm
A careless whisper accusing Anubhav Sinha of lifting Ajay Devgan's idea for animation film has the filmmaker completely baffled, and amused. "I believe Ajay is making an animation film named Toonpur Ka Superhero. I'm very happy for him. As far as me stealing his idea goes, I'm doing no such thing because I am not making an animation film at all. Someone somewhere started this rumour about me doing an animation film with Shah Rukh Khan. The word spread like wildfire. The film I'm doing with Shah Rukh is a feature film. So where's the point of comparison with Toonpur Ka Superhero?"
The friction between Devgan and Sinha started during the making of the director's cash-and-burn caper Cash. Things came to a point where the actor was quoted as saying he was glad Cash flopped.
Anubhav Sinha certainly won't share that feeling. "I've put Cash behind me. I'm now busy scripting my film for Shah Rukh Khan's production house. In addition I'm now looking into starting several productions this year." Source: Indiafm.com News | 22 Feb 2008 | 3:34 pm
Sanjay Leela Bhansali left for Paris on Sunday to direct an opera for the prestigious Theatre du Chatelet. Very selected filmmakers from the world-over have been invited by what's considered the world's most prestigious opera company. Among filmmakers, thus, invited is Hong Kong's Yimou Zhang of The House Of Flying Daggers. Woody Allen is also expected to direct an opera for Theatre du Chatelet in 2008.
A unique honour for an Asian filmmaker and the honour is given to Sanjay because of the operatic language that he applied so opulently and effectively to Sarat Chandra Chatterjee's Devdas.
Speaking from his 3-bedroom villa in Paris that the repertory has given to the director as his home for the next two months, Sanjay said, "After Saawariya, this is just the break from making movies that I needed. I feel any artiste needs to grow beyond home turf. And the opera has always been one of my favourite forms of musical expression. When the Theatre du Chatelet offered me a chance to direct an opera long before the release of Saawariya, I was in two minds. My entire focus was on the film. But the team from Paris was gentle and persuasive very soon I was hooked."
And why not? Since the Theatre du Chatelet offered him a chance to select his own story for the opera, though the all-French cast was pre-given by the repertory. Sanjay handpicked his team which included his old art- director Omung Kumar, costume designer Rajesh Pratap Singh and most, unusually choreographer Tanushree Shankar (daughter-in-law of the legendary dancer Uday Shankar and wife of the late choreographer-dancer Anand Shankar). Sanjay, a fan of Tanushree's father-in-law's dance ballet on celluloid Kalpana, in fact flew over to Kolkata for several meetings with Tanushree and was convinced that she was the right person to bring alive the vibrant colours and passion of Rajasthan in the French idiom.
"The challenge," says Sanjay "is to preserve the essence of Padmavati while making it connected with the European audience. It's so new and so challenging for me, I'm nervous and exhilarated." There will be six shows of the opera interspersed over March. "I'm already missing home. Two months away from Mumbai is painful. My mother will be joining me next month."
And Sanjay may take a flying visit back home for his birthday on February 24. "But what better birthday gift than to direct an opera for the world's most prestigious opera theatre?" he chuckles having attained creative nirvana. Source: Indiafm.com News | 22 Feb 2008 | 3:23 pm
BHOPAL, India (Reuters) - The Madhya Pradesh government suspended the screening of "Jodhaa Akbar" on Friday following protests against the film by the Rajput community in the state.
Saif Ali Khan inscribed lady love 'Kareena' on his hand and the whole world oogled while he tried hard to play Led Zeppelin's rock guitar. Cricketer Usman Afzal followed soon with Amrita (Arora). And now, there's another hot tattoo that's doing the rounds in Bollywood but more for pragmatic-n-professionally stylish reasons. Harman Baweja reportedly has got a big 'V' tattooed on his back. When Bollywood Hungama called up the hunk, he confirmed the news but politely apologized stating he has been asked not to speak to the press yet. Considering his big debut Love Story 2050 is awaiting release, we guess it's understandable.
Baweja's business manager, Gauri Malhotra, stated that the tattoo is meant for Harman's under production Victory. âHarman is having a big V on his back in the centre. It's a painted tattoo. It's just one of those elements in the film that heightens the character,â Gauri says. Ajit Pal, director of Victory added, âV stands for his character name Vijay. It also stands for Victory which is the title of the film.â Harman is also having Vijay inscribed in Devnagri (Hindi) script on his hand as well. Were you inspired by Saif's Kareena tattoo? âAbsolutely not. In smaller towns names are generally engraved on the hands. It is inspired from reality,â Ajit refuted.
Victory is the tale of a young man from Jaisalmer who goes on to become one of the biggest cricketers in the world. âIt is based on modern cricket.â Ajit said. An added attraction to the premise of Victory is the presence of lots of world cricketers like Wasim Akram, Ravi Shastri, Brett Lee etc. With IPL bidding creating news world over and with presence of cricketers from all the cricket playing nations in your film, do we see a league system being created in Victory to create a novelty value? âVictory is as contemporary as IPL,â Ajit Pal signs off. Source: Indiafm.com News | 22 Feb 2008 | 12:45 pm
