Showing posts with label Rohit Khattar. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Rohit Khattar. Show all posts
Son Prakash to make a film on his father Vijay Amritraj
7:42 AM
Tennis ace’s son Prakash makes a film on his greatest hero
Natasha Coutinho (MUMBAI MIRROR; September 13, 2017)
Former tennis player, commentator and actor (Octopussy, Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home) Vijay Amritraj will now have a biopic tell his life story on the big screen.
The 63-year-old Padma Shri awardee’s son, Prakash, who is co-producing the film, told Mirror, “I’ve always felt blessed to have my father as my greatest hero. Everyone is aware of his numerous achievements but my brother Vikram and I have always felt that the world would be a better place with more love, inspiration, and hope after knowing him as a person and what made him who he is today.”
The film will focus on Vijay’s exploits on the court, his personal life and social work. Attributing his achievements to familial support, Vijay said, “Parents’ love, compassion and hard work under the most trying circumstances can make a child’s dream come true, even if he or she is nowhere near good enough in anything. I am humbled my story is being told but this is more about my mother, my children and their overwhelming love.”
Rohit Khattar, who is co-producing the project, points out that Vijay was the first Indian sportsman to take centre-stage on the global platform. “We are thrilled to help bring his incredibly inspiring story to the screen. People will be in awe of the challenges he faced before achieving greatness. We decided on Amritraj because his story has way too many firsts for India and Indian sports. The film will showcase his entire journey,” he promises.
In his sports career, Vijay Amritraj got the better of some of the greatest players in tennis history. After playing his first Grand Prix event in 1970, he achieved his first significant success in singles in 1973 when he reached the quarterfinals at two Grand Slam events.
In 2006, he established the Vijay Amritraj Foundation to provide aid to victims of disease, tragedy and difficult circumstances in India. He was named the United Nations messenger of peace in 2001 and awarded the Padma Shri in 1983.
He also the recipient of the Key to the City of Los Angeles and has been bestowed with UNESCO’s Pierre Coubertin Award for Fair Play.
The film is set to go on the floors next year.
I was lucky that the audience embraced my Shakesperean trilogy-Vishal Bhardwaj
10:25 AM
Vishal Bhardwaj hopes for an 'Indian Shakesperean League' as he joins an Indo-Brit initiative celebrating 400 years of the Bard
Roshmilla Bhattacharya (MUMBAI MIRROR; May 1, 2015)
Vishal Bharadwaj feels "humbled and pampered" to be part of an initiative that will celebrate 400 years of William Shakespeare in 2016 with a feature film based on or inspired by one of Shakespeare's works.
The filmmaker who completed a trilogy of Shakesperean tragedies with Haider, an adaptation of Hamlet, last year, after Maqbool (Macbeth) in 2004 and Omkara (Othello) in 2006, admits that he is not the first to bring the British playwright's works to the Indian screen.
"Gulzar saab's Angoor was inspired by The Comedy of Errors, Raj Kapoor's Aan reworked The Taming of the Shrew and I think Jairaj did a black-and-white version of Hamlet decades ago. I was lucky that the audience embraced my trilogy and feel so proud when festivals want to screen these films," says Vishal, revealing that he has a perfect setting for an Indianised King Lear.
He also has plans for a trilogy of Shakesperean comedies. "Which ones I select will depend on the state of my mind at the time," he quips.
For now, Vishal, along with two directors, Vikas Bahl (Queen) and Ritesh Batra (The Lunchbox) will be mentoring a team comprising a producer, director and script-writer for a joint initiative between UK-based Film London and India's Anand Mahindra led Cinestaan Film Company for a film which will release next year.
Five applicants from each category will be shortlisted by June 15. The script has to be a first-draft, contemporary spin on a Shakespearean work. The producers and directors need to have at least one feature to their credit. The five filmmaking teams will then be put through a five-day Microschool in London at the end of July. They will then get six weeks to repackage their projects before re-pitching them to an expert panel. One production of the five will be green-lit for a 2016 opening.
Rohit Khattar whose Indian film company will invest up to £250,000 in the feature, along with Film London and the British Council, feels the initiative, Microwave Interbnational: Shakespeare India, will be a learning experience for our talent at home. "We will produce one of the scripts but there will be four other projects ready for other producers to pick up," he points out, admitting that he would happily produce King Lear if Vishal directs it.
Vishal on his part says that if five films inspired by Shakespeare come up next year, he'll be happy to add his King Lear to make it a six-ball over. "Then we can have an Indian Shakesperean League next year," he signs off.
Anand Mahindra & passionate filmmakers raise money for the Mumbai Film Festival
8:04 AM
Ankur Pathak (MUMBAI MIRROR; September 2, 2014)
Just when world cinema
aficionados thought that it was 'The End' for the Mumbai Film Festival
organised by the Mumbai Academy of Moving Image (MAMI), there has been a
dramatic change in the story's climax. The week-long, much-anticipated
annual event will take place on schedule (beginning October 14) thanks
to a successful initiative aimed at getting donations from corporates,
cine enthusiasts and the film fraternity.
The line-up of films and dignitaries will be unveiled on September 17 which means that the campaign to raise funds will come to a close on the September 8. According to the organising committee, Rs 1.5 crore of the Rs 5 crore has already been raised in just three days.
When Reliance was
backing the festival, the budget was around Rs 6.13 crores but that has
now been sized down. Sanjeev Lamba, CEO, Reliance Entertainment, was in
the US, and could not be reached for a comment on why the company
decided to not renew the sponsorship contract for the 2014 edition. But
the organisers have found an unexpected corporate backer in Anand
Mahindra's newly founded production company which has contributed the
highest amount so far a sum of Rs 60 lakh.
Mahindra learnt about the financial crisis through social media. “A couple of people tweeted to me and suggested I get involved,“ he told Mirror. “I spoke to my partner and colleague Rohit Khattar who agreed with me that long-term sustenance could not be guaranteed by just one corporate sponsor. The idea is to make it a festival owned by Mumbai's studios and the many film enthusiasts. This is why we've made a pledge and appealed for a wider movement to gather support.“ When asked if this is a branding exercise for his newly-floated production house, he denied it vehemently, saying, “No, of course it isn't. We're a fledgling studio and there is no project we're trying to publicize. If branding was the objective, a full sponsorship would have been a better route.“ However, Mahindra adds that his support to the festival would depend on how this year's edition fares and whether this campaign gathers momentum and fulfills its objective.
Manish Mundra, the producer of last year's indie drama, Ankhon Dekhi, has also chipped in a sizeable Rs 50 lakh. “It is appalling that a city with such a vibrant cinematic culture like Mumbai can't afford to put together a film festival. As a producer, it is my duty to extend financial support to keep MAMI alive,“ he said from Dubai on phone.
Film critic Anupama Chopra, along with her filmmaker-husband Vidhu Vinod Chopra, has contributed Rs 11 lakh after hearing that the festival is on its deathbed. “I immediately called up Srinivasan Narayanan (Festival Director) and offered to pitch in. All international festivals abroad are backed by major corporate houses and that's a culture we need here as well,“ says Anupama. “Crowdfunding may work for MAMI this year but it cannot be a permanent solution.“
When we
pointed this out, Narayanan assured that a 10-year business plan has
been chalked out and it will be implemented in November for next year's
edition. “We will make cine lovers and the filmmaking fraternity
the owners of the festival from 2015 so that we won't have to depend on
one sponsor. We are happy to be able to hold the festival as scheduled,“ he told Mirror.
To honour this year's saviours, the festival's poster will have the names of all the contributors who have pledged more than Rs 10 lakh.“Their names will be prominent on the hoardings,“ said Srinivasan.
Rajkumar Hirani, Hansal Mehta and producers of the Marathi film Fandry, Vivek Kajaria and Nilesh Navlakha, are also among the contributers.
To donate, log on to: savemumbaifilmfest.org
The line-up of films and dignitaries will be unveiled on September 17 which means that the campaign to raise funds will come to a close on the September 8. According to the organising committee, Rs 1.5 crore of the Rs 5 crore has already been raised in just three days.
When Reliance was
backing the festival, the budget was around Rs 6.13 crores but that has
now been sized down. Sanjeev Lamba, CEO, Reliance Entertainment, was in
the US, and could not be reached for a comment on why the company
decided to not renew the sponsorship contract for the 2014 edition. But
the organisers have found an unexpected corporate backer in Anand
Mahindra's newly founded production company which has contributed the
highest amount so far a sum of Rs 60 lakh.Mahindra learnt about the financial crisis through social media. “A couple of people tweeted to me and suggested I get involved,“ he told Mirror. “I spoke to my partner and colleague Rohit Khattar who agreed with me that long-term sustenance could not be guaranteed by just one corporate sponsor. The idea is to make it a festival owned by Mumbai's studios and the many film enthusiasts. This is why we've made a pledge and appealed for a wider movement to gather support.“ When asked if this is a branding exercise for his newly-floated production house, he denied it vehemently, saying, “No, of course it isn't. We're a fledgling studio and there is no project we're trying to publicize. If branding was the objective, a full sponsorship would have been a better route.“ However, Mahindra adds that his support to the festival would depend on how this year's edition fares and whether this campaign gathers momentum and fulfills its objective.
Manish Mundra, the producer of last year's indie drama, Ankhon Dekhi, has also chipped in a sizeable Rs 50 lakh. “It is appalling that a city with such a vibrant cinematic culture like Mumbai can't afford to put together a film festival. As a producer, it is my duty to extend financial support to keep MAMI alive,“ he said from Dubai on phone.
Film critic Anupama Chopra, along with her filmmaker-husband Vidhu Vinod Chopra, has contributed Rs 11 lakh after hearing that the festival is on its deathbed. “I immediately called up Srinivasan Narayanan (Festival Director) and offered to pitch in. All international festivals abroad are backed by major corporate houses and that's a culture we need here as well,“ says Anupama. “Crowdfunding may work for MAMI this year but it cannot be a permanent solution.“
When we
pointed this out, Narayanan assured that a 10-year business plan has
been chalked out and it will be implemented in November for next year's
edition. “We will make cine lovers and the filmmaking fraternity
the owners of the festival from 2015 so that we won't have to depend on
one sponsor. We are happy to be able to hold the festival as scheduled,“ he told Mirror.To honour this year's saviours, the festival's poster will have the names of all the contributors who have pledged more than Rs 10 lakh.“Their names will be prominent on the hoardings,“ said Srinivasan.
Rajkumar Hirani, Hansal Mehta and producers of the Marathi film Fandry, Vivek Kajaria and Nilesh Navlakha, are also among the contributers.
To donate, log on to: savemumbaifilmfest.org
------------------------------
Bharati Dubey (MID-DAY; September 2, 2014)
With its main sponsor pulling out citing lack of profit, the 16th edition of the Mumbai Film Festival seemed to be in jeopardy.
Reports said that the Mumbai Academy of Moving Images (MAMI), that organises the fest, needs around Rs 5 crore to keep the event afloat. The latest development is that a sizeable number of filmmakers and film lovers have stepped forward to ensure that the festival takes place.
Shyam Benegal, trustee, MAMI, says, “We are keeping our fingers crossed. There appears to be light at the end of the tunnel.’’
Srinivasan Narayanan, festival director, says, “We have collected about R 1.5 crore in two days. Cinestaan Film Company, promoted by Anand Mahindra and Rohit Khattar, as also filmmakers such as Manish Mundra, Vidhu Vinod Chopra, Hansal Mehta and Rajkumar Hirani have come forward to support the festival.’’
He adds, “For the first time ever, it truly feels that the Mumbai Film Festival belongs to its patrons and lovers. I thank each and every one of those who have strived to ensure that the festival continues to present the best of world cinema to our Indian audiences.”
It may be pointed out that MAMI is still looking at raising revenue through crowdfunding. “It’s not crowdfunding as such, but we will open a contributors’ section on our website so that people can pledge support to the fest.’’
The fest gets around Rs 10 lakh from the Maharashtra government. It is slated to start on October 14 and entries from across the world have been called.
Some of the theatres where films will be screened as part of the fest include Liberty Cinema, Metro Big Cinema and PVR ECX at Andheri.
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