Showing posts with label Ruchikaa Kapoor. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ruchikaa Kapoor. Show all posts
We had a robust strategy to compete with 174 movies, says Bittu director Karishma Dev Dube
8:05 AM
Even as Jallikattu is out of Oscars 2021 race, IWR founders Ekta, Guneet, Tahira thrilled that their short film Bittu has made the cut to the shortlist
Mohar Basu (MID-DAY; February 11, 2021)
On Wednesday, our wait for the golden statuette for Best International Feature Film was extended by a year as Malayalam film Jallikattu, India’s official entry to the 93rd Academy Awards, failed to make the cut. However, there was much to cheer about as Karishma Dev Dube’s Bittu earned a spot in the shortlist of the Short Film in Live Action category. The Student Oscar-winning film competed against 174 shorts across the globe, including Vidya Balan’s Natkhat and Sayani Gupta’s Shameless, to emerge among the top 10 chosen stories.
Dube, who based her story on the 2013 food poisoning tragedy in Bihar, is “overwhelmed” by the recognition. “It’s every filmmaker’s dream to be recognised by the Academy. I remember there was a lot of media attention on the 2013 incident, and too many images available [online]. I [decided to] re-imagine the incident without going into how or why it happened. Ultimately, the film became about my boarding school experiences, my relationship with authority, and my friendships,” says the director, a recipient of the Dean’s Fellowship in New York University.
The short film is the maiden venture of Indian Women Rising (IWR), the collective founded by Ekta Kapoor, Guneet Monga, Tahira Kashyap Khurrana and Ruchikaa Kapoor. When mid-day reached out to them, the presenters said, “Firsts are always special, and Bittu holds a unique place in our endeavour. We are proud to represent India at the awards with a film that is so deeply rooted in our homeland.”
Elated as they are, the presenters are aware that they have crossed only the first hurdle. The second round of voting, which will determine the final five nominations, will begin on March 5. Knowing that lobbying plays a big role in a film’s graduation to the final shortlist, they are in the process of charting out an aggressive marketing plan. “We had a robust strategy to compete with 174 movies across the globe. The film’s festival runs were an added advantage, along with the support from NYU. Going forward, we will continue to focus on dedicated outreach towards the Academy voters.”
Ekta Kapoor to celebrate her and BFF Ruchikaa Kapoor's birthday in Bangkok
7:52 AM
Meena Iyer (MUMBAI MIRROR; June 10, 2017)
Ekta Kapoor, who turned 41 on June 7, marked the occasion with a quiet dinner with family and bestie, TV actress Mona Singh. Now, the filmmaker and TV czarina is headed to Bangkok on June 16 for a belated birthday vacation with three-four close friends. “Balaji has a Punjabi film called Super Singh releasing next week so we will be leaving for Thailand on June 16 and return on June 21,” the birthday girl said.
Buzz is that Ekta also has grand plans to bring in her BFF Ruchikaa Kapoor’s birthday on June 21.
Ruchikaa, who is the marketing head at Balaji, has also not had a break in a long time because the girls were busy working on Mohit Suri’s Arjun Kapoor and Shraddha Kapoor-starrer love story, Half Girlfriend, which was followed by Super Singh, which features Diljit Dosanjh in the lead.
An insider revealed to Mirror, “Ekta was keen on making Ruchikaa’s birthday special and so she planned the break along with few of her friends. The girl gang plans to just let their hair down, hang out by the beach and of course, indulge in some much-needed retail therapy."
Upon return, the team gets busy once again with the Kareena Kapoor Khan, Sonam Kapoor-starrer Veerey Di Wedding, which is directed by Shashanka Ghosh and also features Swara Bhaskar and Shikha Talsania in significant roles.
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