Showing posts with label Anupama Chopra. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Anupama Chopra. Show all posts
Flower power in the Hindi heartland: Telugu masala rises as Hindi blockbusters fade
2:44 PM
What’s the secret sauce that makes viewers in Patna and Varanasi devour tales from Sheshadri Hills and Godavari Valley? Rajesh N Naidu dives into the fascinating world of Telugu masala movies and investigates the mysterious disappearance of the quintessential Hindi blockbuster
Rajesh N Naidu (THE ECONOMIC TIMES; December 8, 2024)
Crowds totalling two lakh souls, plenty perched atop light towers and hoarding scaffoldings for a better glimpse of the action, cops waving lathis across police barricades.
That was the scene at the trailer launch which flagged off the promotional tour for actor Allu Arjun’s Pushpa 2 – The Rule, the highly anticipated sequel of the Telugu movie Pushpa: The Rise - Part 01 (2021).
It isn’t just that the launch of a movie trailer drew such hordes. It is that all this was unfolding 1100 km from Hyderabad, in the quintessential heartland of Hindi - Patna - that makes it astounding.
Patna may seem a strange choice for a Telugu blockbuster’s opening salvo. Not so in the India of 2024, and not for those who have been observing the decades-in-the-making rise of Telugu potboilers in its home market and beyond, and the simultaneous weakening of mainstream Hindi movies.
ET spoke to film academics, distributors, seasoned journalists, entertainment companies and others to explain the seamlessness with which dubbed Telugu movies became the toast of Hindi heartland audiences, culminating in Allu Arjun’s party in Patna.
The prequel
The journey to Patna began in the late 1990s, and with one phenomenon - multiplexes. That was the start of the alienation of the mass audience from the mainstream Hindi cinema, which changed considerably in subsequent years.
What worked in the smaller confines of a multiplex was a certain genre of storytelling that clicked with urban audiences, which a new bunch of film-makers who grew up in urban environs could instantly identify with.
This contrasted with their predecessors, whose points of reference were different and who were far more grounded and aware of the world beyond the urban bubble.
They knew of the concerns and realities and dreams of people of almost all classes in the society and derived a great deal of their raw material from life, literature and lived experiences.
Consequently, their films cut across classes and geographies. Even movies like Vidhu Vinod Chopra’s Parinda (1989), which appealed to the urban audience, also struck a chord with the masses because of the universality of its storytelling. That’s not quite how it worked in the world of multiplex movies.
Avijit Ghosh, a veteran journalist and author of Cinema Bhojpuri, points out, “There was an explosion of a feel-good cinema which had sensibilities and style of narratives which worked with urban audiences.”
The new wave focused more on western culture and aesthetics. It also catered to Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) to a great extent.
Anupama Chopra, editor, The Hollywood Reporter India, points out, “There are mainstream Hindi films which are set abroad and speak a language which the masses cannot understand or relate to.”
For instance, the aesthetics of thriller writer James Hadley Chase showcased in Johnny Gaddaar (2007) may not work with the masses, with their markedly different language, ideological references, worldview and jargon.
Simply put, the single-screen audience could not identify with this cinema. This led to the disappearance of the commoner from mainstream Hindi films, resulting in the dwindling of those quintessential mass entertainers.
Brijesh Tandon, a film exhibitor from the Delhi and Uttar Pradesh regions, points out, “The masses want stories which contain multiple emotions, easily hummable music, and stories which can be watched along with families.”
These rich-in-imagination movies copiously incorporated the elements of Navarasa from Natyashastra, copiously mixing the nine emotions ranging from romance to peace, with each furthering the plot and complementing others.
Such movies were made solely with the intent to entertain. Movies like Ghayal (1990), Krantiveer (1994) and Ghatak (1996) are prime examples.
As Dr Sanjay Ranade, associate professor, Department of Communication and Journalism, University of Mumbai, underscores, “Hindi cinema as an alternative does not exist for the Hindi heartland. There is no entertainment in Hindi cinema. It is time for Hindi cinema to shut operations and go in a thinking mode.”
That is quite the indictment.
Mass entry
It is in the nature of economics that when there is demand, supply will find its way. The journey of dubbed Telugu films into Hindi heartland began with television, and interestingly, piracy.
Ira Bhaskar, who taught cinema studies at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), explains, “One of the reasons why dubbed Telugu films clicked with Hindi heartland audiences is piracy. They were hardly released officially in the northern region.”
But in many areas, she says, local stores supplied dubbed Telugu films on pen drives. Those who viewed one wanted more. It had the cultural elements they craved for - the larger-than-life hero, action, themes, storytelling structure. The preeminence of the hero stood out in Telugu cinema.
Author Mukesh Manjunath in his book The Age of Heroes: The Incredible World of Telugu Cinema observes, “All Indian film industries have produced stars, megastars, and superstars. But one peculiarity differentiates the Telugu film industry from others: Telugu films do not produce stars, they manufacture ‘heroes’.”
Concurring with this thought, scriptwriter Jaidev Hemmady points out, “Telugu films have a typical larger than life hero who has a devil may care attitude which strikes a chord with the North hinterland audiences whereas mainstream Bollywood has become too politically correct.”
Sarrainodu (2016) is an example of this. In that movie, Gana, the hero, played by Allu Arjun, is a former army major who does not tolerate injustice. The story contains almost every trope that clicks with the Hindi heartland. The setting is a village. Gana is a man of principles. He is fearless. He fights for the have-nots and the oppressed.
Gana is the template for the hero the Hindi heartland craved for.
Bhaskar explains, “The Hindi heartland audience go for characters rather than actors since they do not know them well. So, the narrative of oppression, fight for justice and action genre are elements in dubbed Telugu films which work.”
The angry young man for the modern age then.
Plot twist
What also worked is the folktale structure Telugu movies tend to follow.
Take for instance, the dubbed Telugu film Don No. 1 (2008), a cult hit in the Hindi heartland. The film unfolds like a folk tale. Surya, the film’s hero, kills his parents’ killer. He wins because he is righteous.
As Manjunath notes in his book, “All mainstream Telugu films are folk tales. Not just the actions of these heroes, even the themes and tropes in these films stem from and are steeped in folk traditions.” He adds, “The hero (in Telugu films) does not survive because he is the hero; he is a hero because he survives.”
This kind of storytelling gives not only a sense of rootedness but also provides a great deal of familiarity in its setting for the Hindi heartland audience.
As Avijit Ghosh, author of the book Cinema Bhojpuri, points out, “Tropes such as a Zamindar with a henchman or a mother pining for a son, seen in old Hindi films are quite present in dubbed Telugu films. These stereotypes create a sense of familiarity with the underclass as they have been missing these elements in commercial Hindi films.”
Over the years, dubbed Telugu films also have exhibited a structure which has worked very well with non-Telugu audiences, reflected in the film’s pace and editing to its music.
Sanjay Ranade of University of Mumbai reckons that there are four key parameters which make dubbed Telugu films work in the Hindi heartland. They are slapstick comedy, crisp editing, engaging music, using interesting techniques and sound and action-oriented scenes.
Add to this the not so subtle showcasing of caste and class dynamics, along with the preeminence of family as the binding unit, and the thali is complete.
Ranade says, “In this manner, dubbed Telugu films have been creating more expansive narratives which are more generalized.”
Another aspect is their production value.
Manish Shah, owner of Goldmines Telefilms, a YouTube channel with more than 101 million subscribers which showcases dubbed southern languages films shares, “In dubbed Telugu films, money is invested in films and not in stars. As a result, the production value of these films is top-notch, which enhances their entertainment quotient.”
He adds, “Largely, there is not much vulgarity which makes them suitable for collective viewing especially with family.”
Add copious amounts of dishoom dishoom. Most of these movies being action oriented also help cut across geographical boundaries of states and appeals to the Hindi belt.
As Bhaskar points out, “Telugu films focus largely on the action genre which has high engagement value and cuts across geographical boundaries.”
Ghosh adds, “Despite modern action sequences, Telugu films have retained these elements. Also, these films have a certain degree of earthiness which the Hindi heartland audience identifies. The character Pushpa is a case in point. He is a throwback to an old hero. One can imagine a person from eastern Uttar Pradesh or Bihar emulating Pushpa’s swagger.”
Climax
No wonder then, as a seasoned event management professional puts it, the Hindi heartland is now home turf for Telugu heroes. “There is nothing unusual about Allu Arjun promoting Pushpa 2 – The Rule in Patna.
Telugu films have simply managed to achieve the masala entertainer grammar seen in mainstream Hindi films of directors Manmohan Desai and Prakash Mehra.
The Hindi heartland audience is a mass audience. It helps that the composition of the audience in Telugu-speaking states is not materially different.
The undivided Andhra Pradesh has been a cinema-loving state. This is reflected in the number of single screens (largely associated with the masses) in the state. According to the Film Federation of India, the number of single screens in undivided Andhra Pradesh was 2809. The only other state with a similarly large number of single screens is Tamil Nadu (1546).
As more and more Telugu films become bolder and bigger in their technique, scale and grandeur, will this sustain?
Let’s wait for the third installment of Pushpa.
Having been in Los Angeles during award season, I can say that RRR and Gangubai were the talk of the town-Ted Sarandos
7:59 AM
THE ECONOMIC TIMES (February 20, 2023)
Netflix's viewing engagement in India grew by 30%, and revenue grew by 25% last year, said Ted Sarandos, Co-CEO, Netflix. In a conversation with Anupama Chopra, Founder & Editor, Film Companion, Sarandos spoke about growth in India, the focus on more local content and taking Indian cinema global. Edited excerpts:
So much has happened at Netflix in the last year. On January 19th, Reed Hastings formally stepped down after two decades, handing over the reins to two CEOs — you and Greg Peters. 2022 was a tough year with a steep loss in subscribers and stock price, but then in Q4 of the same year, the service added 7.5 million subscribers, beating analyst forecasts. It’s been a roller coaster ride. What is your top priority right now?
Four years ago, Reed spoke at this conference, and post-transition, this is also my first international visit to this conference. It's so good to be here today. The first half of last year was pretty rough, as we got off to a slow start recovering from Covid-19, and we had to navigate a whole lot of uncertainties, including shutting down our operation in Russia, where we had a million subscribers. But in the second half of the year, we really kept moving. I think it speaks to the company we've built, filled with incredibly smart and resilient people. We got singularly focused on reigniting growth and started to focus on content and programming around the world. We even built an ad product from scratch in six months that worked worldwide. We started with hits like Stranger Things Season 4 and rolled into big global phenomena like Wednesday, with back-to-back hits from all of our content around the world.
India has always been a priority market for Netflix, but the general perception is that it’s been a bit of a hit-and-miss experience for Netflix here. Earlier, you had said that “there is a trial-and-error period”. Being a matcher of stories to audiences is hard work, and it’s very fluid. Would you say the team is now better at it?
I believe that our original projects are improving every day, and I think it's hit or miss when entering a new market. In my experience, what works in one country may not work in another, and it's essential to be on the ground to understand consumer tastes, culture, industry, and the challenges faced by creators in that country. In India, for example, we noticed a rich cinema culture and a lack of focus on television, which led us to create Sacred Games, our first attempt at combining cinema principles with television. Now, we've produced 100 original projects in India, with 28 of them released just last year, and our upcoming slate of films and series for the next year looks stronger than ever. We've invested heavily in India, not only in production but also in having a local team that understands the local culture, storytellers, and audience. Our team running India is based in India, which gives us a big advantage over companies that try to run India from California and get frustrated early on. Our office in Mumbai has 250 people, and we also have an office in Delhi. All of this allows us to create great content in India.
There are lots of numbers and ranges floating around this industry to suggest success and scale, and the Netflix subscriber number seems smaller if we were to take these unverified standards at face value, but then there are engagement figures from credible third party sources like ComScore and App Annie, where Netflix leads the pack with 74% engagement while everyone else is declining. What is the real measure of success? And how does Netflix India measure up?
For me, as Netflix, an absolute measure of success starts with engagement. We ask ourselves, “Do people care enough to spend their viewing time with us?” Do they choose to spend their screen time with us instead of the other options out there? That's why I believe the engagement metric is so important. In India, I've had the best year of our existence. I’m proud to say that the viewing engagement in India grew by 30%, and our revenue grew by 25% last year. This wouldn't have happened if it wasn't tied to that engagement metric. I understand that a lot of measurement around subscriber numbers makes for nice headlines, but they're not a real business metric for us. We need to see what's behind that subscriber number. Is there engagement, is there revenue, and is there profit? For Netflix, the answer is yes!
One of the big successes of Netflix was taking Indian cinema global. We saw the success for RRR and Gangubai. The storytelling simply excited viewers globally.
In my opinion, what's truly remarkable about RRR and Gangubai Kathiawadi this year is that they represent an inflection point, a change in distribution or storytelling, or an alteration in audience appetite. Having been in Los Angeles during award season, I can say that RRR and Gangubai were the talk of the town. Everyone was discussing them, and there were 180 movies to watch on the voting site, yet these two were among the most watched, with many viewers discovering them on Netflix. That's the power of Netflix, pushing these movies into the cultural conversation and generating buzz. For many people I know, RRR may have been their first Indian movie, and it took them on a wild journey that left them wanting more. Squid Games did that for Korean content around the world, and again, it was all thanks to Netflix. It's not impossible to have a global hit, but it's very rare, and you need a distribution platform like Netflix and a system of curation that can surface things you may not know you're going to like. That's what we do at Netflix, and it's why RRR has been such an enormous success. The director himself acknowledged as much at the Golden Globes, noting that most people in the world found it on Netflix.
Another film that's worth mentioning is The Elephant Whisperers, which is nominated for Best Short Documentary at the Academy Awards this year. It's our second nomination in the short documentary category, with the first being Period, End of Sentence, which won the Oscar a few years ago. Both films are from India, and I'm proud to see them receiving recognition at such a prestigious event.
What's your top priority, now?
Reigniting the growth of our company, we have gotten to think about how there has been a lot of recent discussion about the streaming business. People are openly questioning whether or not this is a good business. Of course, it's a great business because this is what consumers want. The world is moving toward streaming and on-demand, away from linear television, away from pay television, and away from traditional movies.
Let's look at what success means in streaming. I really think there are only three business metrics. Number one is engagement. We clearly lead the way in this area around the world. The second one is revenue, do people pay? And then, because that can be reinvested in more content and more programming, it creates consumer joy. And then the third is profit—is it profitable? And among all of our peers, we are profitable. Our major competitors are not.
Tech guru Scott Galloway said Netflix spends more on content than the defence budget of Sweden and the truth is it's actually more than the defence budget which is at $17 billion a year. So how much of it is allocated to Netflix in India?
The key is that whenever we launched anywhere in the world, the first people who signed up for Netflix were probably western centric in their days, early adopters of technology, had wired broadband at home and a big screen TV and as you get more massy, you need to have more price points. So over the years, we've added multiple price points, we're rolling out an ad tier around the world. And then programming too, becomes a little more than the mainstream, you don't abandon the other program you have, you just add more.
Priyanka Chopra Jonas is the new Chairperson of Jio MAMI
8:11 AM
BOMBAY TIMES (August 18, 2021)
The Mumbai Academy of Moving Image (MAMI) recently unveiled its plans for the coming year and edition. The blueprint for the festival will feature new leadership and a new creative vision that is attuned to the radical changes the world has witnessed in the last two years. Taking over the reins as Chairperson is actor, producer and author Priyanka Chopra Jonas. She was nominated by MAMI’s Board of Trustees, which comprises Nita M Ambani (Co-Chairperson), Anupama Chopra (Festival Director), Ajay Bijli, Anand G Mahindra, Farhan Akhtar, Isha Ambani, Kabir Khan, Kaustubh Dhavse, Kiran Rao, Rana Daggubati, Riteish Deshmukh, Rohan Sippy, Siddharth Roy Kapur, Vikramaditya Motwane, Vishal Bhardwaj and Zoya Akhtar. The board also welcomed two new members to its fold, filmmaker Anjali Menon and filmmaker and archivist Shivendra Singh Dungarpur.
“For us, building a unique cultural space and platform for cinema like the Jio MAMI Mumbai Film Festival over six years has been immensely fulfilling. Now more than ever, we need to nurture the power of cinema and art to heal and help humanity move forward. I look forward to my dear friend Priyanka Chopra Jonas joining our team and leading the way for the festival to reach new heights. She is a multifaceted global artist and a force of nature, we are privileged to have her on board,” said Isha Ambani (Board of Trustees, MAMI).
“Continuing Jio MAMI’s strong tradition of female leadership, the indomitable Priyanka Chopra Jonas now joins as chairperson. She is a global icon. Her passion and vision will take MAMI to the next level,” said Anupama Chopra (Festival Director).
As a global icon and multi-hyphenate, Priyanka’s journey as an artiste has always demonstrated a deep connection and interest in diverse film cultures. Along with being an actor, producer and author, she has also been a staunch supporter of a wide range of social causes. She recently galvanised the international community to garner resources to support India’s Coronavirus emergency.
Priyanka’s unique perspective, international stature, artistic ethos and leadership will be instrumental to the festival’s new vision.
“I’m so proud to be taking on the role of Chairperson of the Jio MAMI Mumbai Film Festival. I’m looking forward to working alongside powerhouse women such as Isha Ambani, Anupama Chopra, Smriti Kiran and the rest of the team, to take the festival to the next level. I’ve hit the road running… with ideas, thoughts and plans on reimagining the festival to find its rightful place in a world that has changed so much in such a short time. We’re all consuming film and entertainment very differently now and in the process, we’ve expanded the footprint of the cinema that we watch. I have always been a huge supporter and believer in films from across India and together, we hope to create a strong platform to showcase Indian cinema to the world,” said Priyanka Chopra Jonas (Chairperson).
The festival’s mission since its inception has been to bring together the Indian film industry, curate the best Indian and international cinema and bring them to the widest possible audience. But over the years it has also transformed into a year-round platform with international credibility that has set a new benchmark in the impact that a film festival in India can have. Its evolving scope along with the challenges raised by the pandemic has led to Jio MAMI 2.0.
Adapting to a new paradigm, it will have an expanded timeline. Instead of a film festival that happens over a week, the festival is now going to pan out from October 2021 to March 2022. From October onward until January, under the Year Round Programme, apart from Dial M For Films, it will hold select digital screenings and masterclasses featuring talent from all over the world. The hybrid edition of the festival will take place in March depending on how the COVID-19 situation is in India. The tentative dates of the festival are March 11 to 15, 2022.
“The new course for the festival strengthens what we collectively feel should be our focus. Bolstering the creative think tank at the academy are three bright minds — Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Anjali Menon and Shivendra Singh Dungarpur. I cannot wait for us to set sail,” said Smriti Kiran (Artistic Director).
Great crises are often followed by tectonic changes. While the festival will continue to stand for the celebration of great cinema and artists, there is no doubt that this is the beginning of a new chapter in its history. Jio MAMI 2.0 will have a new and focused palette. Each section and vertical has been assessed with the lens of what creates value in the current scenario and what doesn’t. This includes creating more awards and grants for Indian films and filmmakers and letting go of the International Competition section.
Over these six months (October 2021-March 2022), the festival will focus on conversations with some of the best talent in India and abroad. It will screen all the amazing Indian films that have not gotten an opportunity to be showcased because the festival did not take place last year. The digital verticals of Jio MAMI launched in 2020 to an incredible response like Dial M For Films, Storytellers Are Us: The Origin Story, Jio MAMI Industry Programme, Rashid Irani Young Critics Lab and the MAMI Year Round Programme Home Theatre will continue to create engaging programming for its national audience.
For more information, log onto www.mumbaifilmfestival.com
Deepika Padukone is the new MAMI chairperson
8:23 AM
The actress was unanimously voted at a recent board meeting of the Jio MAMI Mumbai Film Festival
MUMBAI MIRROR (January 30, 2019)
At a recently held board meeting of the Jio MAMI Mumbai Film Festival with Star, Deepika Padukone was unanimously voted as the new chairperson of MAMI. Her notable evolution into a credible actor, her connect with the audience across the globe, especially with youth, and her incredible work to create awareness about mental health in the country played a crucial role in this decision. Deepika, who is now both an actor and a producer, has played an important role in propelling and changing the narrative around women in Indian films. The board hopes that under her leadership, the festival will continue to flourish and attract newer and younger audiences.
Former chairperson Kiran Rao has stepped down from the position to focus on a film project. The filmmaker, who has been instrumental in the new vision that the Academy has implemented, said, “It has been my privilege and pleasure to work as part of the core team of MAMI, and after four years as Chairperson of the Academy, I am delighted to welcome one of India’s most loved film stars, Deepika Padukone as the new Chairperson. Deepika has been a supporter of the festival and part of our Board of Trustees, and is a person whose ethos and work I greatly admire. I am sure that under her leadership the Academy will become stronger and more robust in serving the cinema community. I look forward to supporting her in this journey and wish her all the very best.”
Anupama Chopra, Festival Director, said: “I want to thank both these amazing women for putting their might and muscle behind the festival. For the last four years, Kiran has worked with us in the trenches and provided every level of support. We are all delighted that Deepika is now leading the team. I’m an admirer of her work and I’m really looking forward to working with and learning from her.”
Ready to take on the challenge, Deepika added, “It’s an absolute honour and a huge responsibility. I believe in MAMI’s vision and we are committed towards creating a community that cinema lovers and creators of a filmpassionate nation like ours truly deserve.”
The 20th edition of the Jio MAMI Mumbai Film Festival with Star wrapped up in November with a stellar line-up of films and filmmakers in attendance. It marked a new milestone in the history of the festival as evidenced by the kilometre-long queues of avid film lovers who turned out in record numbers to catch the most awaited films of the year and to hear cutting edge filmmakers like Darren Aronofsky, Sean Baker and Lucrecia Martel in conversation. Under the leadership team of Chairperson Kiran Rao, Festival Director Anupama Chopra, Creative Director Smriti Kiran and some of the best film professionals, thought leaders in India on its board, the Academy (Mumbai Academy of Moving Image) has in the last four years grown from strength to strength and become the premier meeting ground and platform for the Indian film industry and audience. The board of trustees of MAMI comprises of Co-chair Nita M. Ambani, Deepika Padukone, Kiran Rao, Anupama Chopra, Farhan Akhtar, Zoya Akhtar, Karan Johar, Kabir Khan, Vishal Bhardwaj, Kaustubh Dhavse, Riteish Deshmukh, Siddharth Roy Kapur, Vikramaditya Motwane, Isha Ambani, Ajay Bijli, Rohan Sippy, Rana Daggubati, Anand Mahindra and Manish Mundra.
The 21st edition of the Jio MAMI Mumbai Film Festival with Star will take place from October 17-24, 2019. The Academy’s Year Round Programme, under which it hosts weekly screenings, conversations and workshops kicked off the year by screening M Night Shyamalan’s Glass and winner of the Golden Gateway award at the festival in 2018, Rima Das’ Bulbul Can Sing.
The MAMI board of trustees: Deepika with Kabir Khan, Siddharth Roy Kapur, Kiran Rao, Zoya Akhtar, Rohan Sippy, Preet Kiran, Vishal Bhardwaj, Anupama Chopra, Kaustubh Dhavse and Vikramaditya Motwane
Rajkumar Hirani accused of sexual harassment; denies the allegations
8:25 AM
BOMBAY TIMES (January 14, 2019)
Director Rajkumar Hirani, who has made films like the Munna Bhai series, 3 Idiots, PK and Sanju, has been reportedly accused of sexually harassing a woman. She has alleged that the filmmaker sexually abused her on more than one occasion, over six months, between March and September 2018. A website has reported that the alleged incident took place during the post-production work on his last release, Sanju.
It’s learnt that the accuser in question sent out an email on November 3, 2018, addressing Rajkumar’s business associate, filmmaker Vidhu Vinod Chopra, also marking Anupama Chopra (his wife), a Director with Vinod Chopra Films Pvt. Ltd, scriptwriter Abhijat Joshi, who has often collaborated with Hirani, and Shelly Chopra, the director of their upcoming film, Ek Ladki Ko Dekha To Aisa Laga. Hirani’s lawyer has reportedly denied the allegations. The matter is being investigated.
The accusations have put considerable pressure on Chopra and Hirani’s partnership. While the June 27, 2018, teaser of Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga included Rajkumar Hirani Films as the co-producer, the trailer of the film, which released later on December 26, 2018, had no mention of him.
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MUMBAI MIRROR (January 14, 2019)
Rajkumar Hirani, one of Bollywood’s top filmmakers who has directed blockbusters like 3 Idiots, PK, and the Munna Bhai series, finds himself in the midst of the #MeToo storm with a woman he worked with accusing him of sexual abuse and harassment.
According to a report published by HuffPost India, the woman has alleged that she was targeted by Hirani while working on the Ranbir Kapoor-starrer, Sanju, last year. The assault allegedly took place on more than one occasion and continued over a six month period between March and September 2018 when post-production work on the film was in progress.
The complainant has levelled these allegations in an email, dated November 3, 2018, to Hirani’s Sanju co-producer Vidhu Vinod Chopra. She also marked the mail to Chopra’s wife and film journalist Anupama Chopra, Hirani’s co-writer Abhijat Joshi and Vidhu Vinod Chopra’s sister Shelly Chopra Dhar. Huffpost India also claimed to have verified the claims with the woman and her friends.
Hirani, on his part, refuted the allegations, calling them “false, malicious and mischievous”.
The HuffPost report says that the director “refused to answer any questions, but shared printouts of text messages and emails exchanged between him and the complainant over the course of six months, to claim that he had a normal professional relationship with the complainant.”
In response to queries sent by HuffPost India, Hirani’s lawyer Anand Desai replied on December 5, 2018, saying, “These communications establish that the allegations made against our client to you, that have given rise to your queries, are false and completely unjustified.”
Hirani also issued a statement on Sunday evening after the HuffPost article went viral.
“I was completely shocked when these allegations were brought to my notice about two months back. I had suggested immediately that it is essential to take this matter to any committee or any legal body. The complainant has chosen to go to the media instead. I want to very strongly state that this is a false, malicious and mischievous story being spread with the sole intention of destroying my reputation,” the statement read.
In her email to the Chopras, the woman claimed that Hirani first made a sexually suggestive remark to her on April 9, 2018, and then sexually assaulted her at his home-office.
She wrote: “I remember forming these words on my lips – ‘Sir. This is wrong... Because of this power structure. You being the absolute power and me being a mere assistant, a nobody — I will never be able to express myself to you’.”
The complainant further said that she always regarded Hirani as a “father figure” and that she was forced to maintain a facade of normalcy during work because her father is fighting a terminal illness and she could not give up her job. “If Hirani said I wasn’t good, my future would be in jeopardy,” she wrote in the email.
While Vidhu Vinod Chopra did not respond to the complainant’s allegations, his wife Anupama confirmed to HuffPost India that the woman had shared an account with her and Vinod Chopra Films (VCF) has since set up a committee to address complaints of sexual harassment.
“I’ve met the complainant twice. Both times, I have offered my full support and recommended that she take the complaint to a legal body or a neutral party since we cannot be arbitrators or judges on this. We also offered to set up an ICC (Internal Complaints Committee) at VCF (which we have set up since then) even though a VCF ICC could not have taken up the case since she was an RHF (Rajkumar Hirani Films) employee at the time. These are two separate companies,” Anupama was quoted as saying in the HuffPost report.
Anupama further added that the complainant stayed at “our house for two nights. We also provided the number of an expert on the issue, so she could talk to a professional. She said she needed time to think through how she will take it forward. I did not want in any way to pressurise her or steer her in any direction. As Vinod and I told her then, she has our full support and we are fully respectful of whatever decision she has taken.”
Mirror tried to contact Hirani, the Chopras and Joshi, but they were not available for comments.
Images: Stars trek to South Mumbai for Akash Ambani, Shloka Mehta
3:05 PM
PICS: SATYAJIT DESAI
MUMBAI MIRROR (June 29, 2018)
Akash Ambani and Shloka Mehta, who are reportedly set to tie the knot in December this year, got engaged in a traditional ceremony on Thursday at the former’s Altamount Road residence. The do kicked off at 5 pm and the couple exchanged rings at 6.
Vidhu Vinod and Anupama Chopra, Shah Rukh and Gauri Khan, and Brahmastra duo Ayan Mukerji and Ranbir Kapoor were among the early birds. Their leading lady Alia Bhatt, who arrived later, opted for a pink Manish Malhotra sari, while her mentor, filmmaker Karan Johar wore a red outfit by the designer. Sachin and Anjali Tendulkar were also in attendance. Musician Shankar Mahadevan arrived with son Siddharth.
Shloka, and Akash’s sister Isha Ambani, who got enagaged to beau Anand Piramal in March this year and is likely to get married in December as well, chose lehengas from Abu Jani Sandeep Khosla’s bespoke bridal line.
Priyanka Chopra, who was accompanied to Akash and Shloka’s mehendi ceremony the previous day by mother Madhu Chopra and rumoured beau Nick Jonas, was among the last guests to arrive. The 36-year-old actress who posed for pictures with the 25-year-old American singer-actor before entering the venue, opted for an Abu-Sandeep sari for the do.
According to a source close to the family, the ring ceremony was followed by a sit-down dinner that lasted over three hours. A multi-tier cake was also cut to mark the occasion. Mukesh and Nita Ambani are scheduled to host over 100 guests on Saturday to celebrate Akash and Shloka’s engagement
Breaking the myth: No Indian feature film has made it to Cannes' prestigious competition section in 24 years
8:02 AM
CANNES DO: Shyam Benegal’s Nishant was selected to compete for the Palme d’Or in 1976. Shabana Azmi, who starred in the movie, said the director had asked them to walk up and down the promenade at Cannes, wearing saris and coaxing pedestrians to watch the film
Taken in by the ‘screened at Cannes’ tag? The truth is that no Indian feature film has made it to the prestigious competition section in 24 years
Sonam Joshi (TIMES LIFE; May 27, 2018)
For more than seven decades, the who’s who of the film world — and lots of wannabes — have been heading to the French Riviera in May for the biggest event of the year: the Cannes Film Festival. Besides photos of Bollywood stars on the red carpet, the Indian press is full of headlines that declare that India is creating a “splash” or “shining” at Cannes.
Social media feeds of some directors and producers also proclaim that their movies are showing at Cannes. The reality is that it’s been 24 years since an Indian feature film made it to the festival’s ‘In Competition’ section. Kerala filmmaker Shaji Karun’s Swaham, the story of a young widow who loses her son in a stampede, was the last to make the cut in 1994.
So when filmmakers boast of ‘showing at Cannes’, they’re actually talking about the cluster of events held alongside the festival. These include the Cannes Film Market or Marché du Film, one of the world’s largest movie marketplaces.
In fact this week, filmmaker Vivek Agnihotri was called out for making misleading claims when he tweeted about a standing ovation for a screening of his forthcoming film, The Tashkent Files at Cannes. Agnihotri’s film was screened at the India Pavillion, curated by the information and broadcasting ministry at the Cannes Film Market every year, and not in the official competition lineup. Responding to the comments on social media, Agnihotri said he’d just retweeted links to news reports about his screening, and made no such claims. “How they frame their headlines is their prerogative. We are proud of our film and enthused with the overwhelming response it got. People can criticize whatever they want,” he said.
Veteran Cannes visitors point out that the lines between films that are officially selected for the festival and those promoted in the market are often conveniently blurred because of the exclusivity of the festival, which has launched the careers of many prominent filmmakers like Quentin Tarantino and Steven Soderbergh.
“It is the most prestigious film festival in the world,” says film critic Anupama Chopra. “It occupies a space in the Indian imagination because of its glamour but there isn’t a real understanding of what the official section is.”
Besides the competition section in which movies compete for the top prize, the Palme d’Or (Golden Palm), there is also Un Certain Regard for films with an “original aim and aesthetic”. This year, for example, Nandita Das’s biopic Manto was in Un Certain Regard, while another film, Rohena Gera’s Sir, was shortlisted for the sidebar, International Critics’ Week.
Film critic Gautaman Bhaskaran recalls seeing newspaper advertisements of films that had supposedly “premiered at Cannes”. “It has one of the biggest film markets where you can sell or promote your film. There are several small auditoriums that you can hire to screen your film, but it is not a part of the Cannes film festival unless it is an official selection.”
While anyone can screen a film at the official market, it means little in terms of prestige. “There are hundreds of films screened at the Cannes market, so it is not a stamp of quality,” Chopra says. More than 12,000 producers, distributors and sales agents, all looking to sell and buy movie rights, are at the market. With such a crowd, it is difficult to stand out though there are exceptions. “People saw and loved The Lunchbox, which was in one of the sidebars,” she says. “The sales agents have to see the film and love it.”
François-Xavier Durandy, who subtitles Hindi films in French, cites the example of two short films Asthi and Pournami, which were reportedly selected for Cannes, but were in fact part of the Short Film Corner. “Registering a film at the Short Film Corner, which is basically a market, is not the same feat as being selected at the festival,” says Durandy. “Two weeks before the festival, I got a message from the father of a young actor in one of these films expressing hope that his son would win an award. There are no awards at the Short Film Corner, Marché du Film or Directors’ Fortnight.”
So why doesn’t India, which produces a record number of films, make the Cannes cut? While Durandy blames it partly on substandard subtitles, Bhaskaran says that though India has great stories and a storytelling culture, “we don’t know how to present these stories to an audience that may or may not be familiar with the Indian milieu and way of life.”
Chopra, who was part of the Un Certain Regard jury in 2008, has her own take. “Mainstream films aren’t screened because filmmakers don’t want to expose the film before its release in India, while independent films are competing against the best in the world,” says Chopra. “I’m hoping someone cracks the main competition soon.” Till then, it’s more about the fashion than the films.
71st Cannes Film Festival: End of an era; Anupama Chopra writes
8:02 AM
Cancelled
press screenings, selfie ban, 82 women protesting gender disparity… in
the words of Fest director Thierry Frémaux, the event was ‘historic when
it shouldn’t be’
Anupama Chopra (MUMBAI MIRROR; May 18, 2018)
Between the official selection and the market, the 71st Cannes Film Festival screened hundreds of films but perhaps the most striking visual at the 10-day movie extravaganza was 82 women lined up on the steps on that world famous red carpet. These included Oscar-winning actress and head of the main competition jury Cate Blanchett, 89-year-old French director Agnes Varda (the only female director to be awarded an honorary Oscar by the Academy), other jury members such as Kristen Stewart and Ava duVernay, Wonder Woman director Patty Jenkins and assorted women from varying fields of film, including our very own Nandita Das and Rasika Dugal. Incredibly all of them were protesting the festival.
Why 82? It’s the number of films by female directors that have premiered in competition at Cannes in the festival’s 71-year history. By contrast, 1,645 films by male directors have received the same honour. Only one woman, Jane Campion for The Piano, has ever won the festival’s top prize — the Palme d’Or. This year too, out of 21 films in the main competition, only three were directed by women. To complicate matters more, the festival remains steeped in tradition (one of my colleagues was turned away from a red-carpet screening for wearing silver sneakers). In the era of #TimesUp and #MeToo, these rules chafe and women decided to call out the festival — on the festival steps itself. Thierry Frémaux, General Delegate of the festival, called the event “historic when it shouldn’t be.” He said, “And yet it also means that it is the end of an era, the end of a cycle.”
Change was certainly in the air at Cannes. One of the biggest was the cancellation of the 8.30 am press screenings. There are approximately 4,000 accredited journalists at the festival. Until this year, critics would see the competition films every morning and reviews would be widely circulated before the red-carpet screening in the evening. So, filmmakers and actors would be forced to smile for the flashbulbs even after a critical drubbing. Instant reactions to films on social media made the situation even more fraught. This year, the morning press screenings were cancelled. Critics were shown films at the same time as the red-carpet screenings, which led to much moaning. Selfies and photography on the red carpet were also banned.
There was an overwhelming sense that the festival was slow and subdued. There was talk of brands cutting marketing spends and fewer splashy parties and functions. Halfway through the festival, the influential trade magazine The Hollywood Reporter carried an article titled ‘Cannes: 5 Signs of a Festival in Decline.’
Hollywood studios certainly seem to be rethinking their Cannes strategy. A few weeks before the festival kicked off on May 8th, Netflix pulled out, taking with it big-ticket titles like Alfonso Cuarón’s new film Roma. Though the festival juries featured A-list talent like Blanchett, Stewart and Benicio del Toro, the films in competition were less star-heavy and therefore the red carpet, less dazzling. The only big-ticket Hollywood film at the festival was Solo: A Star Wars Story. There was chatter of several major films not being screened at Cannes by design. The studios and sales agents backing them chose instead to go for the fall festivals — Toronto, Telluride and Venice — which gives the films, a better shot at the Oscars. The only best picture Oscar winners in the past 25 years to have debuted in Cannes are The Artist and No Country For Old Men. For the Academy Awards at least, Cannes is not an essential destination.
Interestingly, while the festival might be losing its allure for the West, Cannes is fast becoming a must-be-seen-at destination for the Indian film Industry. The two Indian films in official selection — Nandita Das’ Manto (in Un Certain Regard) and Rohena Gera’s Sir (in the sidebar Critics’ Week) played to strong reviews. The stars dazzled on the red carpet — this year, the regulars Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Deepika Padukone and Sonam Kapoor were joined by Kangana Ranaut and Huma Qureshi. I met with all of them and the overarching theme seemed to be — own the red carpet by being authentic and having fun. “The endgame,” Deepika said emphatically, “is joy.”
Meanwhile Manoj Bajpayee and director Devashish Makhija were drumming up media for their new project Bhonsle. Dhanush promoted his first international venture — The Extraordinary Journey Of The Fakir. I spotted Subhash Ghai at the India Pavilion and filmmaker Q on the streets. I also bumped into a beaming Nawazuddin Siddiqui the evening before the Manto screening. Nawaz is a Cannes veteran but this time, he arrived in a new designer suit, made for the occasion by Manish Malhotra, who incidentally was also at the festival, representing an ice cream brand. CBFC chief Prasoon Joshi also attended as did representatives from over 100 Indian film establishments.
Undeniably, the Indian presence at the festival has increased exponentially since Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Devdas re-opened doors in 2002. Brands are increasingly seeing the platform as a short-cut to visibility but until more Indian films create greater traction, the impact will be limited. Because no matter how much coverage the red carpet gets, Cannes is first and foremost about cinema. To be taken seriously here, we need more films than fashion.
Frémaux, discussing the selfie ban with The Hollywood Reporter, put it eloquently — “You don’t come to Cannes to be seen, but to see.”
Between the official selection and the market, the 71st Cannes Film Festival screened hundreds of films but perhaps the most striking visual at the 10-day movie extravaganza was 82 women lined up on the steps on that world famous red carpet. These included Oscar-winning actress and head of the main competition jury Cate Blanchett, 89-year-old French director Agnes Varda (the only female director to be awarded an honorary Oscar by the Academy), other jury members such as Kristen Stewart and Ava duVernay, Wonder Woman director Patty Jenkins and assorted women from varying fields of film, including our very own Nandita Das and Rasika Dugal. Incredibly all of them were protesting the festival.
Why 82? It’s the number of films by female directors that have premiered in competition at Cannes in the festival’s 71-year history. By contrast, 1,645 films by male directors have received the same honour. Only one woman, Jane Campion for The Piano, has ever won the festival’s top prize — the Palme d’Or. This year too, out of 21 films in the main competition, only three were directed by women. To complicate matters more, the festival remains steeped in tradition (one of my colleagues was turned away from a red-carpet screening for wearing silver sneakers). In the era of #TimesUp and #MeToo, these rules chafe and women decided to call out the festival — on the festival steps itself. Thierry Frémaux, General Delegate of the festival, called the event “historic when it shouldn’t be.” He said, “And yet it also means that it is the end of an era, the end of a cycle.”
Change was certainly in the air at Cannes. One of the biggest was the cancellation of the 8.30 am press screenings. There are approximately 4,000 accredited journalists at the festival. Until this year, critics would see the competition films every morning and reviews would be widely circulated before the red-carpet screening in the evening. So, filmmakers and actors would be forced to smile for the flashbulbs even after a critical drubbing. Instant reactions to films on social media made the situation even more fraught. This year, the morning press screenings were cancelled. Critics were shown films at the same time as the red-carpet screenings, which led to much moaning. Selfies and photography on the red carpet were also banned.
There was an overwhelming sense that the festival was slow and subdued. There was talk of brands cutting marketing spends and fewer splashy parties and functions. Halfway through the festival, the influential trade magazine The Hollywood Reporter carried an article titled ‘Cannes: 5 Signs of a Festival in Decline.’
Hollywood studios certainly seem to be rethinking their Cannes strategy. A few weeks before the festival kicked off on May 8th, Netflix pulled out, taking with it big-ticket titles like Alfonso Cuarón’s new film Roma. Though the festival juries featured A-list talent like Blanchett, Stewart and Benicio del Toro, the films in competition were less star-heavy and therefore the red carpet, less dazzling. The only big-ticket Hollywood film at the festival was Solo: A Star Wars Story. There was chatter of several major films not being screened at Cannes by design. The studios and sales agents backing them chose instead to go for the fall festivals — Toronto, Telluride and Venice — which gives the films, a better shot at the Oscars. The only best picture Oscar winners in the past 25 years to have debuted in Cannes are The Artist and No Country For Old Men. For the Academy Awards at least, Cannes is not an essential destination.
Interestingly, while the festival might be losing its allure for the West, Cannes is fast becoming a must-be-seen-at destination for the Indian film Industry. The two Indian films in official selection — Nandita Das’ Manto (in Un Certain Regard) and Rohena Gera’s Sir (in the sidebar Critics’ Week) played to strong reviews. The stars dazzled on the red carpet — this year, the regulars Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Deepika Padukone and Sonam Kapoor were joined by Kangana Ranaut and Huma Qureshi. I met with all of them and the overarching theme seemed to be — own the red carpet by being authentic and having fun. “The endgame,” Deepika said emphatically, “is joy.”
Meanwhile Manoj Bajpayee and director Devashish Makhija were drumming up media for their new project Bhonsle. Dhanush promoted his first international venture — The Extraordinary Journey Of The Fakir. I spotted Subhash Ghai at the India Pavilion and filmmaker Q on the streets. I also bumped into a beaming Nawazuddin Siddiqui the evening before the Manto screening. Nawaz is a Cannes veteran but this time, he arrived in a new designer suit, made for the occasion by Manish Malhotra, who incidentally was also at the festival, representing an ice cream brand. CBFC chief Prasoon Joshi also attended as did representatives from over 100 Indian film establishments.
Undeniably, the Indian presence at the festival has increased exponentially since Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Devdas re-opened doors in 2002. Brands are increasingly seeing the platform as a short-cut to visibility but until more Indian films create greater traction, the impact will be limited. Because no matter how much coverage the red carpet gets, Cannes is first and foremost about cinema. To be taken seriously here, we need more films than fashion.
Frémaux, discussing the selfie ban with The Hollywood Reporter, put it eloquently — “You don’t come to Cannes to be seen, but to see.”
Anupama Chopra talks about the Hollywood heavyweights and Indian flicks that rocked the show at TIFF
7:50 AM
Hollywood heavyweights to newbies and hard-hitting dramas, the Toronto Film Festival this year has been a celebration of cinema and talent
Anupama Chopra (MUMBAI MIRROR; September 16, 2017)
I met Christopher Nolan – first let that sink in. On the fourth day of
the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), the iconic director of
films like Inception, Interstellar and Dunkirk, arrived for a special
screening of his latest film. Dunkirk, considered a front runner for the
Oscars, was screened at Cinesphere – the oldest IMAX screen in the
world. Cinesphere is the first screen built specifically for the IMAX
format in 1971. Nolan, a long-time proponent of the format, shot a major
portion of Dunkirk with IMAX cameras.
First, the brilliant World War II drama was shown. It was overwhelming to see it again on a six-storey screen, so large that you could see every pore in the actor’s face. It was followed by a Q-and-A session with Nolan, conducted by TIFF’s artistic director Cameron Bailey. My favourite moment was when Bailey asked Nolan if the director was concerned that audiences would find it hard to follow the unique chronology in the film – three strands of the story unfold over different timelines. The director paused and replied, “I said, f**k it.” Afterwards, Warner Bros. studio held a reception for Nolan where I had a chance to meet him and he promptly reduced me to a giddy fan-girl. I briefly considered never washing the hand he shook again.
TIFF is a massive, bustling, beast of a festival but the possibility of magic is everywhere. This year, the programming has been reduced to 339 films from 397, which includes 244 features and 84 shorts shown over 10 days, from September 7-17. TIFF, as David Fear wrote in Rolling Stone magazine, is the start of “prestige-movie dropping, Oscar-obsessing, A-listing awards season”. The festival has all the possible Oscar contenders, including Darren Aronofsky’s Mother!, Greta Gerwig’s Ladybird, Angelina Jolie’s First They Killed My Father and Alexander Payne’s Downsizing. Last year’s Best Picture winner, Moonlight, was premiered in the ‘Platform’ section. But the festival also had a terrific section for genre lovers, a great selection of documentaries, Cannes favorites, foreign-films and a TV sidebar.
TIFF has also been a longstanding champion of Indian cinema and this year there were five films. A day before the festival started, Pahuna: The Little Visitors, produced by Priyanka Chopra, had its world premiere. She was also honoured at a gala fund-raiser, the proceeds of which will go to promoting the cause of women in film. About Nepali children separated from their family, it is Priyanka’s fifth production and she said the mission of her company is “to push content-driven films and opportunities to new talent”.
The India story at TIFF was propelled by new female talent. Apart from Paakhi A Tyrewala, who makes her directorial debut with Pahuna, the festival also showcased The Hungry by Bornila Chatterjee and Village Rockstars by Rima Das. The former is a brutal and bloody retelling of one of Shakespeare’s lesser known plays, Titus Andronicus. The twisted revenge saga is transplanted in upper-class Delhi society, with Naseeruddin Shah and Tisca Chopra fighting each other to a grotesque end. I asked Bornila if she was concerned about the lack of likeable characters in her film and she retorted, “Not at all, I wanted them to do worse things!”
Rima, who shot Village Rockstars over three years in her native village in Assam, was similarly driven by the demands of the narrative. Her story is an inspiration to aspiring filmmakers. She came to Mumbai to be an actor, but when that didn’t happen, she moved on to making movies. She is a self-taught filmmaker who has directed, produced, wrote, edited and shot Village Rockstars with one camera. It narrates the story of a little girl, her mother and her group of friends. These children have little but there is a fierce joy and spirit in their lives.
Anurag Kashyap and Hansal Mehta, vanguards of Hindi independent cinema and TIFF veterans, were at the festival with Mukkabaaz and Omerta respectively. Mukkabaaz which features strong performances by the lead Vineet Kumar Singh, Ravi Kissan and Jimmy Sheirgill, is the story of a UP boxer who battles all odds for his sport and the woman he loves. The film has been co-produced by Aanand L Rai, whose company is fast becoming the premier exponent of the small-town, North India movie – think Bareilly Ki Barfi, Shubh Mangal Saavdhan, Raanjhanaa, the Tanu Weds Manu series. When I asked Anurag how Aanand has helped him to become a better director, he replied, “I just need someone to believe in me and give me freedom. Aanand has done that.”
For Hansal and his leading man, Rajkummar Rao, TIFF was a two-night stopover. Omerta is a disturbing character study of terrorist Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh who killed the Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl. The film’s biggest strength is Rao’s performances as the creepy, cold-blooded Omar. Hansal said that the existence of actors like Rao allows directors like him to think about difficult, challenging narratives.
These films and artists got a strong showcase at the festival with multiple screenings, press meets and networking opportunities. But the headlines were, not surprisingly, monopolised by the Hollywood heavyweights – Jolie, George Clooney, Matt Damon, Jennifer Lawrence – but the festival infrastructure ensured that even the smaller films thrived. This audience-driven festival is an unparalleled celebration of the movies. Beyond the movies, red carpets and flashing cameras, what stayed with me are the 3000 TIFF volunteers. They were everywhere, wearing the trademark orange T-shirts and ensuring that delegates are happy – the unique marker of a great festival.
First, the brilliant World War II drama was shown. It was overwhelming to see it again on a six-storey screen, so large that you could see every pore in the actor’s face. It was followed by a Q-and-A session with Nolan, conducted by TIFF’s artistic director Cameron Bailey. My favourite moment was when Bailey asked Nolan if the director was concerned that audiences would find it hard to follow the unique chronology in the film – three strands of the story unfold over different timelines. The director paused and replied, “I said, f**k it.” Afterwards, Warner Bros. studio held a reception for Nolan where I had a chance to meet him and he promptly reduced me to a giddy fan-girl. I briefly considered never washing the hand he shook again.
TIFF is a massive, bustling, beast of a festival but the possibility of magic is everywhere. This year, the programming has been reduced to 339 films from 397, which includes 244 features and 84 shorts shown over 10 days, from September 7-17. TIFF, as David Fear wrote in Rolling Stone magazine, is the start of “prestige-movie dropping, Oscar-obsessing, A-listing awards season”. The festival has all the possible Oscar contenders, including Darren Aronofsky’s Mother!, Greta Gerwig’s Ladybird, Angelina Jolie’s First They Killed My Father and Alexander Payne’s Downsizing. Last year’s Best Picture winner, Moonlight, was premiered in the ‘Platform’ section. But the festival also had a terrific section for genre lovers, a great selection of documentaries, Cannes favorites, foreign-films and a TV sidebar.
TIFF has also been a longstanding champion of Indian cinema and this year there were five films. A day before the festival started, Pahuna: The Little Visitors, produced by Priyanka Chopra, had its world premiere. She was also honoured at a gala fund-raiser, the proceeds of which will go to promoting the cause of women in film. About Nepali children separated from their family, it is Priyanka’s fifth production and she said the mission of her company is “to push content-driven films and opportunities to new talent”.
The India story at TIFF was propelled by new female talent. Apart from Paakhi A Tyrewala, who makes her directorial debut with Pahuna, the festival also showcased The Hungry by Bornila Chatterjee and Village Rockstars by Rima Das. The former is a brutal and bloody retelling of one of Shakespeare’s lesser known plays, Titus Andronicus. The twisted revenge saga is transplanted in upper-class Delhi society, with Naseeruddin Shah and Tisca Chopra fighting each other to a grotesque end. I asked Bornila if she was concerned about the lack of likeable characters in her film and she retorted, “Not at all, I wanted them to do worse things!”
Rima, who shot Village Rockstars over three years in her native village in Assam, was similarly driven by the demands of the narrative. Her story is an inspiration to aspiring filmmakers. She came to Mumbai to be an actor, but when that didn’t happen, she moved on to making movies. She is a self-taught filmmaker who has directed, produced, wrote, edited and shot Village Rockstars with one camera. It narrates the story of a little girl, her mother and her group of friends. These children have little but there is a fierce joy and spirit in their lives.
Anurag Kashyap and Hansal Mehta, vanguards of Hindi independent cinema and TIFF veterans, were at the festival with Mukkabaaz and Omerta respectively. Mukkabaaz which features strong performances by the lead Vineet Kumar Singh, Ravi Kissan and Jimmy Sheirgill, is the story of a UP boxer who battles all odds for his sport and the woman he loves. The film has been co-produced by Aanand L Rai, whose company is fast becoming the premier exponent of the small-town, North India movie – think Bareilly Ki Barfi, Shubh Mangal Saavdhan, Raanjhanaa, the Tanu Weds Manu series. When I asked Anurag how Aanand has helped him to become a better director, he replied, “I just need someone to believe in me and give me freedom. Aanand has done that.”
For Hansal and his leading man, Rajkummar Rao, TIFF was a two-night stopover. Omerta is a disturbing character study of terrorist Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh who killed the Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl. The film’s biggest strength is Rao’s performances as the creepy, cold-blooded Omar. Hansal said that the existence of actors like Rao allows directors like him to think about difficult, challenging narratives.
These films and artists got a strong showcase at the festival with multiple screenings, press meets and networking opportunities. But the headlines were, not surprisingly, monopolised by the Hollywood heavyweights – Jolie, George Clooney, Matt Damon, Jennifer Lawrence – but the festival infrastructure ensured that even the smaller films thrived. This audience-driven festival is an unparalleled celebration of the movies. Beyond the movies, red carpets and flashing cameras, what stayed with me are the 3000 TIFF volunteers. They were everywhere, wearing the trademark orange T-shirts and ensuring that delegates are happy – the unique marker of a great festival.
Akshay Kumar on a biopic picking spree; experts analyse why this works for him
8:27 AM
Prachita Pandey (DNA; March 29, 2017)
Akshay Kumar has announced his latest film, Mogul, based on the life of a late music baron. The biopic sees him reuniting with his Jolly LLB 2 helmer Subhash Kapoor. With the latest film, Akki has signed three biopics this year, the other two being Pad Man (based on the life of social entrepreneur Arunachalam Muruganantham) and Gold (a sports biopic on former hockey captain Balbir Singh).
Going by his recent filmography, the actor has made a habit of picking films based on real-life incidents/people. Be it Special 26 (inspired by a real-life jewellery heist conducted by a conman posing as a Central Bureau of Investigation official), Airlift (the biggest human evacuation from war-torn Kuwait) or Rustom (which revived memories of the controversial Nanavati murder case). In Special 26, he played the brains behind the heist, in Airlift, his character was inspired by Mathunny Mathews, who played a significant role in the Kuwait evacuation and in Rustom, he played the Parsi naval officer accused of killing his wife’s lover. All three turned out to be box-office grossers with Airlift and Rustom entering the coveted Rs 100 crore club.
Trade analyst Taran Adarsh explains, “When you have four releases a year you can’t be doing the same stuff again and again. Akshay balances his roles — he did a Housefull 3 with Airlift and Rustom at the same time. If you have a real character and you present it in a commercial format, it’s great. Akshay’s movies based on real incidents or characters have worked for him in the past because the common man could relate to the story as well as the format. They were presented in a commercial packaging.”
Agrees Amul Vikas Mohan, Editor, Super Cinema, “He always likes to do films that are different and he probably made a conscious decision before Special 26 to take on films which can show him in a different light and most of them have paid off really well for him. And with the kind of response he’s getting, I think it gives him more confidence to attempt more such films in a similar genre.”
While one may assume that by doing such movies Akshay has probably hit the bullseye, noted film critic Anupama Chopra opines, “I don’t think there’s any formula that if you do movies based on real-life people, it will work or that Akshay is especially good in movies based on real people. I just think that he’s selecting good stories and he’s delivering very strong performances. That’s what is making them work. As far as his upcoming reality-based films are concerned, from the little I know about the characters that he’s playing, these are obviously fascinating men and I would love to get to know them better.”
Akshay has already started shooting for Padman about a man credited for inventing low-cost sanitary napkins for women in the rural parts of the country. Next up, would be Gold, which will chronicle the story of ex-hockey captain Balbir Singh, who was also a member of three Olympic gold-winning teams from 1948-1956 and holds an unbeaten record for the maximum number of goals scored by an individual in an Olympics men’s hockey finals.
What’s interesting is that these movies are about people from different strata. While one is about a social entrepreneur, another has him playing sportsman, and the latest one is steeped in music. The actor now has as many as six movies of the genre to his credit. What remains to be seen is, if he will take a break from biopics now or find another real-life personality to bring on the celluloid.
Pyaar, Dosti, Etc 2.0: Films are reflecting changing definition of love & friendship for the youth
8:10 AM
The definition of love and friendship is changing for the youth and films are reflecting that
Chaya Unnikrishnan (DNA; November 19, 2016)
"I knew the world had shifted when Katrina Kaif and Shah Rukh Khan were shown having premarital sex in Jab Tak Hai Jaan, a Yash Chopra film. It was casual, and there was no comment on it. That’s when the landscape altered irrevocably,” declares well-known film critic Anupama Chopra.
Indeed, when Yash Chopra who’s known to epitomize romance incorporates premarital sex, it becomes a bold move, a defining moment. Something which his son Aditya Chopra has taken forward in the upcoming Befikre, the posters of which have the lead pair Ranveer Singh and Vaani Kapoor smooching in different positions! The trailers too promise some no-holds-barred make-out scenes between the two, who strike up a friendship in Paris and just hang out with sex on their minds — friends with benefits, anyone?
The recently released Ae Dil Hai Mushkil questioned the very definition of love and friendship — pyaar mein junoon hai, dosti mein sukoon — sparking a debate across generations. If in Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, his 1998 debut directorial, Karan Johar showed that you can’t be friends with someone you are in love with, in ADHM, he took a 180-degree turn and showed that a boy and girl can be friends and in love but it need not be a romantic relationship!
Clearly, pyaar and dosti have undergone a sea change in cinema and what was true just five years ago doesn’t hold water now.
Liberal outlook
Says noted film critic Raja Sen, “Earlier, there were certain things that the hero and heroine were not allowed and that line has been blurring over the years. Now, it has come to a point where audience is intrigued by more unconventional cinema, by relationships that are more casually and interestingly depicted.” Take for instance, the upcoming Dear Zindagi. From what we see in the promos, it is evident that Alia Bhatt’s character goes through three romantic relationships and later seeks the guidance of Shah Rukh Khan, who plays her life coach. As Rajeev Masand, Entertainment Editor, CNN-IBN says, “Though I can’t gauge exactly what it is about, it’s definitely a new language, very different from what we were used to seeing back in the day.”
Sex and sexuality
Sex is no longer taboo in films. Since Khwahish that was publicised as the film with 17 liplocks, and Bhatts spawned the era of erotic thrillers, steamy scenes have become de rigueur. Yet, when a Karan Johar brings a gay character in mainstream cinema — Kapoor & Sons — without making it caricaturish and saddling it with clichés, or shows an older woman hooking up with a young lover in Ae Dil Hai Mushkil, it is a turning point. Aditya Chopra moving from pure romance in Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge to casual sex in Befikre, is a paradigm shift, the genesis of which was laid in his production Neal ‘N’ Nikki. Says Anupama, “Actually it was with DDLJ that the whole exploration — the question of love and friendship — started. It’s not an overnight change, it’s an ongoing process. But yes, sexuality has definitely changed. Even the conversations that happened then (during DDLJ) have a different interpretation now.” Agrees Tushar Joshi, Editor, Bollywood Life.com, “The concept of love in 2016 is different from what it used to be. Films have overcome sexuality, genders and other boundaries set by society. The third spoke in marriage — the extramarital affair that stunned people in Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna is no longer a taboo. In Ae Dil Hai Mushkil, people talked about Aishwarya’s steamy scenes, but they were not shocked that a divorced woman is having a relationship with a younger guy.” Certainly not, when you have the oh-so-beautiful Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and the good looking Ranbir Kapoor doing the deed.
Targetting the youth
With 50 per cent of India’s population in the less-than-25 age group, youth has become omnipresent. The digital platform has already logged in with web series targetted at youth whose concept of love, relationship and marriage has undergone a radical change. Series like Bang Bajaa Baraat and Permanent Roommates which tackle issues close to them like live-in relationships, love and friendship have scored big with the youth. It’s the same demographic that is now the target audience of filmmakers. Says film exhibitor Akshaye Rathi, “Romcoms typically are focussed on the young urban market. With films like Befikre and Ae Dil Hai Mushkil, filmmakers are clearly trying to reach out to the young audience — identifying their taste-buds and catering to them — as they are the ones going to the multiplexes in a big way today.” The phenomenon began in the West eight years ago and five years back in India. Says Rajeev, “Filmmakers have recognised that the paying public is the youth. That is why you see so many superhero films, sequels and franchises in the West. These films cater to the young male demographic and the same thing is happening here.”
Alienating the older generation
While filmmakers haven’t entirely abandoned the older generation, the fact that it’s the youth which goes to the movies the most, is influencing the content. “Films make maximum business on the weekends and fortunately or unfortunately, it’s the youth that still believes in watching movies first day, first show. The elders do not want to rush or jostle for the movie, they will watch it aaram se or even wait for it to air on satellite TV and watch it at home. So, the films reflect what the young college kids want,” says Rajeev. He explains that even in the West, dramas have become fewer in number, coming during the year-end when the Oscars are closer, simply because the older generation is not going to the cinemas. But Anupama feels that all sorts of movies are being made, even dramas, “Some like Sooraj Barjatya go back to the traditional mould, which he projects in his cinema.”
Way ahead
Even as audiences debate over the daring content in cinema, and filmmakers fight with the censor board over cuts, Anupama feels that our cinema is still too timid. “It is not exactly reflecting the reality, when you look at how far urban India has moved in terms of sexuality. For me, the most startling moment was in Ae Dil Hai Mushkil when a younger lover is meeting his lover’s ex husband and the conversation flows in a somewhat mature manner. They are treating each other fine. Where do you have this in Hindi cinema?” It goes without saying that filmmakers have to move with the times and reflect what’s happening around us. As Akshaye puts it, “Kuch Kuch Hota Hai was a rage among the youngsters then, but today’s youth in their 20s with the kind of exposure they have will probably cringe at the film or find it cheesy.”
Baahubali 2's first look poster to be unveiled at Jio MAMI 18th Mumbai Film Festival
8:10 AM
BOMBAY TIMES (October 17, 2016)
As the countdown to one of
Mumbai's most loved film fests - Jio MAMI Mumbai Film Festival with Star
- begins, we put the spotlight on the interesting line-up of the second
edition of its Movie Mela, which celebrates popular cinema.“The Jio MAMI Mela is a film lover's ideal rendezvous to get inspired by some of the biggest names in the world of Indian cinema,“ says Nita Ambani (Chairperson, Reliance Foundation, and Co-Chairperson, Jio MAMI), adding, “Cinema is the 20th century's gift to the world of art and culture, and the Mela is our way of ensuring that we share the power and potential of this medium with as many people as possible.“
The Mela, which will be held on October 22 and 23, promises to be double the fun. In a mega treat for film buffs, the first look poster of the eagerly anticipated Bahubali 2: The Conclusion will be unveiled by the team behind the pan-Indian blockbuster. Prabhas, Rana Daggubati, Tamannaah, Anushka Shetty, director SS Rajamouli and producer Shobu Yarlagadda will share their vision for the sequel. They will also launch the teaser to a virtual reality spin-off film set around the world of Baahubali, and give the audience a sneak peek into a game and comic based on the epic franchise.
Also, in a major coup, the principal cast and crew of the much-loved classic Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar will reunite for the first time in 24 years at the Movie Mela. Director Mansoor Khan, Aamir Khan and Farah Khan (who made her debut as a choreographer with this film), along with Pooja Bedi, Mamik Singh, Deepak Tijori, Deven Bhojani and Aditya Lakhiya, will engage in conversation with Anupama Chopra and Rajeev Masand about the making of the film.
Festival director Anupama says, “India is crazy about cinema but there is really no platform where actors, filmmakers and their fans can connect face to face. We started the Movie Mela to rectify that and create a film festival which was truly inclusive.“
All sessions at the Mela are open to delegates of the Jio MAMI 18th Mumbai Film Festival with Star.
Sir Ian Mckellen says it with cinema and champagne in Mumbai
8:02 AM
Roshmila Bhattacharya (MUMBAI MIRROR; May 25, 2016)
A day before his conversation
with Oscar nominee and Golden Globe winner Ian Mckellen, Aamir Khan and
wife Kiran Rao hosted a dinner for him at their Bandra residence on
Sunday, May 22. The British actor popular for his role of Gandalf in the
Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit movies arrived at 8 pm with lots of
questions for the Indian actor. Aamir had his own questions too but
insisted that Sir Ian answer them during their interaction the following
evening. The one-hour-15-minute session extended by an hour necessitating
an urgent 'loo' break for Aanir who otherwise was the epitome of the
curious and informed cinema buff in the presence of a master craftsman.
Ditto, Kangana Ranaut, Sonam Kapoor, Rajkummar Rao, Riteish Deshmukh and Imran Khan who were happy to be in the audience and just listen to the two talk. For world traveller Kangana the opening of the MAMI Film Club was a way to culturally connect with her city and she was at the NCPA for three hours from 6.15 pm. Also present was Anupama Chopra with filmmaker husband Vinod Chopra who announced the opening of the film club, Neerja director Ram Madhvani, Udaan director Vikamaditya Motwane, Kabir Khan whose wife Mini Mathur was the emcee for the evening. They laughed as Aamir admitted that he had made a lot of mistakes in his first 7-8 films and hoped everyone had forgotten their names and that after an emotional scene he feels like he has run a marathon. And they heard Sir Ian say that he was in awe of Aamir's TV show Satyamev Jayate and the worst way to discover Shakespeare was to read him as he doesn't belong in a classroom. Queen director Vikas Bahl missed the talk but caught up with the legend at the Ambani residence where Nita and daughter Isha hosted a dinner for Sir Ian and select guests.
The Brit thespian complimented Nita on her
dress, making her blush, before going on to confide that this was his
first visit to Mumbai and he was dazzled. Sonam and he discussed books
while Rajkummar and Riteish were in seventh heaven in the presence of
X-Men's Magneto.The menu was strictly vegetarian. The guest of honour too is a herbivore and only eats fish. There was a mix of Indian and western dishes and he savoured both the dhoklas and the pasta. But it was the dessert section that Kiran guided him through, from pastries to kulfi, that really interested him. And the champagne with which everyone raised a toast to the man who made Macbeth a household name.
MAMI finds a hub for kids and young adults - Films Division
7:45 AM
Screenings and other activities will be hosted at the Films Division from this year during the October film fest
Roshmila Bhattacharya (MUMBAI MIRROR; April 1, 2016)
This year, the Mumbai
Academy of Moving Image (MAMI), scheduled between October 20-27, is
moving its section for children and young adults to the newly-revamped
Films Division (FD) grounds at Peddar Road. This move comes with the
promise of more space than the Cinemax theatres, where the films under
this section were screened in the morning shows.
“We were in talks with FD even last year, but at that time the venue was under construction. FD is a beautiful space. A haven for documentary and animation filmmakers. The Mumbai International Film Festival for short films, animation and documentaries is also hosted there,“ reasons Smriti Kiran, Creative Director, MAMI, adding that with this dedicated hub, the number of films screened in the section could go up from 12 in 2015 to 20-24 in 2016.
Anupama Chopra, Festival Director, informs that they signed the MoU with Films Division on Thursday, making them collaborative parties. FD will provide the venue and infrastructure while the MAMI team will curate the films and organise the activities. “The two to three day event will not only screen films all day but also conduct workshops and master classes, promising wholesome entertainment for kids in the age group of 4-17 years, which parents constantly feel the absence of in the city,“ says Anupama.
The team is confident of pulling a large audience from schools, which ferried the children in buses, giving MAMI a series of packed shows. Kiran Rao, Chairperson of MAMI, exults, “Now our ambitious plans for this section can be realised. We believe that by exposing young minds to the rich diversity or artistic and Indie films, we go a long way towards creating a better cinema culture for our future. From this year we have FD as a dedicated venue for screenings and other film related activities in the section for children and young adults.“
“MAMI is a well known event in the festival calendar of Mumbai city. Films Division is happy to partner for the 18th edition of the festival being held between 20-27 October 2016. One of the exciting and important segment of the event - a children's cinema section aptly named “Half Ticket“ will be held at the Films Division complex. I hope the partnership with MAMI will continue in the future editions of the festival,“ says Mukesh Sharma, DG, Films Division.
“We were in talks with FD even last year, but at that time the venue was under construction. FD is a beautiful space. A haven for documentary and animation filmmakers. The Mumbai International Film Festival for short films, animation and documentaries is also hosted there,“ reasons Smriti Kiran, Creative Director, MAMI, adding that with this dedicated hub, the number of films screened in the section could go up from 12 in 2015 to 20-24 in 2016.
Anupama Chopra, Festival Director, informs that they signed the MoU with Films Division on Thursday, making them collaborative parties. FD will provide the venue and infrastructure while the MAMI team will curate the films and organise the activities. “The two to three day event will not only screen films all day but also conduct workshops and master classes, promising wholesome entertainment for kids in the age group of 4-17 years, which parents constantly feel the absence of in the city,“ says Anupama.
The team is confident of pulling a large audience from schools, which ferried the children in buses, giving MAMI a series of packed shows. Kiran Rao, Chairperson of MAMI, exults, “Now our ambitious plans for this section can be realised. We believe that by exposing young minds to the rich diversity or artistic and Indie films, we go a long way towards creating a better cinema culture for our future. From this year we have FD as a dedicated venue for screenings and other film related activities in the section for children and young adults.“
“MAMI is a well known event in the festival calendar of Mumbai city. Films Division is happy to partner for the 18th edition of the festival being held between 20-27 October 2016. One of the exciting and important segment of the event - a children's cinema section aptly named “Half Ticket“ will be held at the Films Division complex. I hope the partnership with MAMI will continue in the future editions of the festival,“ says Mukesh Sharma, DG, Films Division.
When I first got in Mumbai, I took a big gulp of the sea water-Vidhu Vinod Chopra
10:20 AM
Vidhu Vinod Chopra (63), Anupama Chopra (48), Vikram Chandra (54)
An abiding interest in Mumbai brings together an acclaimed author, his journalist sister and filmmaker brother-in-law
Shreevatsa Nevatia (MUMBAI MIRROR; December 6, 2015)
Flanked by writer Vikram Chandra and filmmaker Vidhu Vinod Chopra, journalist Anupama Chopra is arguably more than just a familial bridge. Obvious affection for her brother Vikram helps make somewhat earthly his literary celebrity, while her few amused interjections render mellow her husband Vinod's many boisterous assertions. As director of this year's MAMI Festival, film critic Anupama's confessed obsession with cinema tangibly transformed into a contribution Mumbaikars could identify. Chandra speaks of their itinerant childhood — they moved from Delhi to Kolkata to Baroda — and Anupama instinctively completes his thought. "Bombay was home," they say together.
Unlike Chandra who moved here when he was in Class X, the Srinagar-born Vidhu Vinod Chopra came to the metropolis only after graduating from Pune's FTII. "I was more of a villager," the director-producer confesses. "When I first got here, I went to the sea and wondered how salty could the water possibly be. I took a big gulp. I instantly threw up." Unmistakably shaped by their experience of the city, the collective work of all three does seem to owe a certain debt to their arrival here. Chandra's gritty and masterful Sacred Games (2006), in particular, has been hailed by many as the quintessential Mumbai novel. His story of the Hindu mobster Ganesh Gaitonde and insomniac inspector Sartaj Singh appeared to make conspicuous this town's much-famed underbelly. Crime, even hardened city reporters agree, had finally, and rather definitively, been elevated to high literature.
Chandra says that in 1991, he was with his father in a car when they heard guns being fired. The Lokhandwala Complex shootout, it turned out, was unfolding nearby. "During that time, you opened the papers to read that two or three people had been shot. There were encounters. Every day, the death count resembled a cricket scorecard." A decade later, the threat from the underworld became even less abstract when Chopra received threatening calls from extortionists. After initially being "freaked out", Chandra took to discussing cricket with his brother-in-law's armed bodyguards. "It gets ordinary very quickly," admits Anupama.
For all its palpable menace, however, gang-related crime has given many a Bollywood filmmaker adequate narrative nourishment. Parinda (1989) had virtually pioneered the modern mafia movie. Chopra, though, claims his acclaimed film wasn't a by-product of lawlessness' lure. "I came from Kashmir and I had seen enough violence while growing up. Jean-Luc Godard had once said, 'You can make the film you want to make, but to make it interesting, make your lead either a cop or a gangster'. My intention was never to make something as real as Vikram's fiction." Careful research, it is evident, inspires Chandra's realism. In his essay, 'The Cult of Authenticity', the author writes about interviewing the Dagdi Chawl don Arun Gawli on the terrace of his house.
Anupama remembers she had accompanied Chandra for that meeting. "I thought I could protect him from Arun Gawli." Chandra explains his sister's courage — "She believed the power of a journalist would help."
Anupama goes on to say that much like her, Chandra, the author of Geek Sublime, was quite the nerd when growing up. "My abiding memory is Vikram with his collar in his mouth, and a book in front of him all day." Chandra remembers having signed up for science at St Xavier's College. "I lasted three weeks." Anupama breaks into a chuckle and says, "He quit, saying the chicks were damn ugly." Chandra corrects her, "It was the other way around. The art chicks were damn hot."
Credited for having worked on the story of Chopra's Mission Kashmir (2000), Chandra was also instrumental in putting together the script of the forthcoming Wazir, which the Broken Horses director and screenwriter Abhijat Joshi had imagined would be an English-language film. "We would send him these pages. He'd FedEx them back to us, saying, 'Rubbish. Bulls**t'. He once sent us our pages all torn up, with the remark, 'That explains it'. It took us four years to please him. The day he sent us one uncorrected page, Abhijat and I celebrated with wine."
Chandra, who teaches creative writing at Berkeley, blames his usual adherence to the workshop format of creation. "I must say, I am not meant to be in cinema. I am used to working on my own, and maybe then showing some pages to my wife Melanie [writer Melanie Abrams] who never pulls her punches." Anupama and her filmmaker sister Tanuja Chandra had read the early drafts of Chandra's first novel Red Earth and Pouring Rain, but the National Award-winning film writer confesses she suspends some of her critical faculties when responding to the work of both Chandra and Chopra. "I haven't read enough to be able to criticise Vikram's work, and think I am too close to the making of Vindod's films to ever be entirely objective."
Chandra's 'The Cult of Authenticity' was a response to the charge that the compulsions of a Western audience had somehow diluted his Indianness. His deconstruction of a mythical 'Real India' seems pertinent in a climate where several actors of Chopra's films are being forced to decry intolerance. "The essential question always is — what does it mean to be Indian? That just keeps reincarnating itself." Making the case for a conciliatory compromise, he adds, "If you look at Indian history, debate has always outlined public thought. But there's a difference between vivaad and samvaad. The former lays stress on winning an argument, while samvaad, by insisting on respect of one's opponent, is a more holistic search for truth." Chopra seems delighted.
"Bahut accha hai yaar. Learning hai isme. I really understood it." Anupama reaches for his hand. "Very good. Will you be calmer now?" She smiles, looks away, and adds, "Now, only if we were that lucky."
Salman Khan has the last laugh at 17th Mumbai Film Festival closing ceremony
8:08 AM
Kunal Guha (MUMBAI MIRROR; November 6, 2015)
The curtains came down on
the 17th MAMI Mumbai Film Festival. The five-day fest presented by Jio
and supported by Mumbai Mirror screened 200 films from 58 countries with
7000 delegates in attendance. Chairperson Kiran Rao admitted the
festival had been chaotic, with delays, cancellations and
double-bookings “but we learn and we'll be back better“, she promised.
Next year's MAMI is on October 20 and will wrap up on October 27.
Kalki laughed over the fact that a film about Portuguese politics was houseful at a multiplex in Ghatkopar while politician Poonam Mahajan joked, “I hope the winners don't return these awards to me.“
The first to arrive were Saif Ali Khan and Riteish Deshmukh, minus their begum and baiko. Salman Khan walked in with Jackie Shroff, got on the stage and told Kiran, “I am so happy that you introduced MAMI to me. It's the best thing after Aamir (Khan) that you could've done in your life.“
He added, straight-faced, “I cannot say the same thing for Anupama (Chopra). With Anupama here, Vinod (husband Vidhu Vinod Chopra) is definitely not going to get an award. Since, all the films will win on merit, even I will not get an award.“ He had everyone in splits.
The Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, spoke about the sorry state of infrastructure in the Valley. Sad, considering Bollywood's long journey from Shammi Kapoor's Junglee to Salman Khan's Bajrangi Bhaijaan.
Kalki laughed over the fact that a film about Portuguese politics was houseful at a multiplex in Ghatkopar while politician Poonam Mahajan joked, “I hope the winners don't return these awards to me.“
The first to arrive were Saif Ali Khan and Riteish Deshmukh, minus their begum and baiko. Salman Khan walked in with Jackie Shroff, got on the stage and told Kiran, “I am so happy that you introduced MAMI to me. It's the best thing after Aamir (Khan) that you could've done in your life.“
He added, straight-faced, “I cannot say the same thing for Anupama (Chopra). With Anupama here, Vinod (husband Vidhu Vinod Chopra) is definitely not going to get an award. Since, all the films will win on merit, even I will not get an award.“ He had everyone in splits.
The Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, spoke about the sorry state of infrastructure in the Valley. Sad, considering Bollywood's long journey from Shammi Kapoor's Junglee to Salman Khan's Bajrangi Bhaijaan.
Varun Dhawan, Alia Bhatt, Deepika Padukone, Sonam Kapoor to attend Day 3 of Mumbai Film Festival
7:58 AM
MID-DAY (October 29, 2015)
Movie buffs thronging Bandra’s Mehboob Studios attend the Mumbai Academy of Moving Image (MAMI) Film Festival will not only have the opportunity to tune into classic and contemporary cinema, but also interact with people who make and star in movies.
Day three of the festival, which kicks off today, celebrate Bollywood and have a mix of industry biggies addressing the audience. While Varun Dhawan will talk about films that changed his life, Deepika Padukone reflect on her journey in Bollywood so far.
Sonam Kapoor will attend a session with standup comic Rohan Joshi on being a celebrity in the times of social media and veteran actor Rishi Kapoor will conduct a masterclass. Alia Bhatt, Arjun Kapoor, Parineeti Chopra, Kriti Sanon and Ayushmann Khurrana will share their thoughts on how they see Bollywood changing over the next five years.
Anil Kapoor, Sridevi, Boney Kapoor and others associated with the 1987 film Mr India have also been invited for a session called Mr India Reunion. Music composer Pritam will share stories behind the making of his top 10 songs. Popular directors including Kabir Khan, Zoya Akhtar and Dibakar Banerjee will attend chat sessions while Rajkumar Hirani and Abhijat Joshi will mentor aspiring film writers on penning a block buster.
Anupama Chopra, festival director, says, “We have dreamt about creating something like this for many years because we felt we should have a ground event to celebrate Bollywood. Somehow, it never worked out earlier because it is an expensive proposition. This is a celebration of Hindi cinema. We have worked a lot and for a long time in chasing the talents and get them on board for Movie Mela. I am glad it is happening finally.”
17th Mumbai Film Fest: Salim-Javed to be honoured; Aamir Khan to attend opening ceremony
7:47 AM
Anirban Das (MID-DAY; October 8, 2015)
Hansal Mehta’s Aligarh, a real-life inspired drama which got a standing ovation at the ongoing Busan International Film Festival, will kick off the 17th Mumbai Academy of the Moving Image (MAMI) Mumbai Film Festival starting October 29. The list of films to be screened at the eight-day event was announced yesterday.
Filmmaker Dibakar Banerjee, who is part of the MAMI board of trustees, says, “The ingenuity that Anupama Chopra and Kiran Rao have brought this year is magnificent. They have got some incredible sponsors and a lot of stars for the entertainment quotient. Shyam Benegal, Aamir Khan and Kangana Ranaut will be there for the inaugural film. Many others including Amitabh Bachchan will speak for MAMI.”
The festival will host alternative cinema, which is a rare opportunity for movie buffs. He adds, “We have got a great collection of alternative films from across the country in languages many wouldn’t know exist. There are also several innovative categories like World Cinema, India Story, Children Films, Experimental Films and After Dark, to name a few.”
Anupama Chopra, festival director, says great effort has gone into listing the films to be screened this year. Among the highlights are Satyajit Ray’s Apu Trilogy and a restored version of Guru Dutt’s 1957 classic, Pyaasa. The fest will conclude with French-English film, One Plus One.
Revered writers Salim Khan and Javed Akhtar will be honoured at the fest, reveals Kiran Rao, chairperson of MAMI. The International Excellence in Cinema award will be conferred on iconic Israeli filmmaker, Amos Gitai.
Ranbir Kapoor, Alia Bhatt shoot for short film to call for entries from filmmakers for MAMI
7:52 AM
The duo is joined by Vidhu Vinod Chopra, Rajkumar Hirani, Karan Johar, Chaitanya Tamhane and festival director Anupama Chopra in a short film which calls for entries from young filmmakers
Roshmila Bhattacharya (MUMBAI MIRROR; May 15, 2015)
This year, in an effort to make the 17th edition of the Mumbai Film Festival (MAMI) the country's biggest film event, the organizing committee has come up with brainwave--a 60-second short, with a 30 second cut, calling for entries from young filmmakers. The short boasts of the star power of Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt, and also features filmmakers Vidhu Vinod Chopra, Rajkumar Hirani, Chaitanya Tamhane and film critic Anupama Chopra. It will release digitally on May 18 and play in PVR theatres from the first week of June.
Anupama, who is also the festival
director, describes this film as one of the many miracles that is
enabling this festival to survive and thrive. "Four production houses, artistes and crew gave us their talent and time free of cost and made this happen," she informs. Priyanka Ghose, who came up with a script overnight and directed the film, shot for five days over a couple of weeks to get the conversational bites she wanted from these B'town A-listers. She spent another two-three days to edit and set it to music. The support of four major production houses made the job easier.
"It's not a gimmicky film, it's hand-held, vox-populish and gets into real space. I've invaded homes, sets and even Karan Johar's cabin which no one is allowed to enter, to capture my 'stars' in their day-today life. And returned with lots of interesting takes and tales," smiles Priyanka who recalls how Alia was reluctant to take off the cap she was wearing because it would reveal the new hairstyle she sports in an upcoming film. "So we changed the lighting to ensure that the cap did not cast a shadow on her face."
The Chopras are experts at giving interviews and rock-solid opinions, so filming them was easy. But Priyanka had to chat up Raju Hirani, whom she describes as a 'sweet, humble introvert', before the shoot so he wouldn't look like he was 'acting' on screen.
"Karan was a huge surprise. I'd gone to him with a prepared script and ideas I wanted to plant in his head, but he had his own ideas about what he wanted to say and gave me a crash-course in filmmaking," she laughs.
Says the actor-filmmaker, "It's important for the city, which mothers a large part of Indian cinema, to have a festival of its own. MAMI is the largest platform endeavouring to spread the power of cinema through this city of dreams."
Ranbir and Ali too, being actors, knew exactly what Priyanka was looking for. She has five versions of the five takes she took and has used all of them in the film. "It was bizarre to see RK, a huge star and a brilliant actor, industriously rehearsing and practising his reactions before I called for 'Action'," she reminisces.
Chaitanya Tamhane whose film, Court, was adjudged Best Film in the International Competition section of MAMI in 2014, going on to win the National Award for Best Film, urges young filmmakers to showcase their works at the festival, insisting that for him MAMI is a window to the best of world cinema amidst a celebratory atmosphere and an infectious spirit.
"It's that one week in a year where film lovers from not just Mumbai, but all over India, flock to the festival venues like kids in a candy store. One is almost spoilt for choices with such a diverse and exquisite selection of films, and that too for the minimal cost of an all access pass," he points. "I think of myself as a perennial film student, and MAMI is one of the best film schools out there."
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