Huma 'over the moon' to be directed by Deepa Mehta
Actress Huma Qureshi can't contain her excitement about being directed by acclaimed filmmaker Deepa Mehta for the Leila web series.
Huma on Saturday took to Instagram to share a selfie moment from the sets of the Netflix series. Deepa and Huma are joined by the actress' mother in the frame.
"As you can see... I'm clearly over-the-moon, working on my first series, with Netflix's 'Leila' directed by none other than Deepa Mehta, Shankar Raman, and Pawan Kumar. As you can see, so excited to be directed by the legend Deepa Mehta... and mommy dearest dropped in on set to give us her duas and pyaar?"
Leila is a part of a slate of 17 original made-in-Asia shows announced by Netflix at a conference in Singapore.
The video on demand platform used the second night of its See What's Next: Asia content gathering to unveil eight new original films for its India market, including Hotel Mumbai, sports drama Selection Day, adaptations of books Midnight's Children and Bard of Blood, Baahubali: Before the Beginning, a spin-off of the iconic film franchise, feature film Rajma Chawal, a regional release for Bleecker Street, and Leila.
In Leila, Huma will be joined by Siddharth Suryanarayan.
Adapted from an eponymous novel by writer and executive producer Urmi Juvekar, the series is set in the near future and tells the story of a mother's search for her daughter, from whom she has separated 16 years ago, read a statement.
'Thugs Of Hindostan' crosses Rs 52.25 crore on opening day
Amitabh Bachchan and Aamir Khan-starrer Thugs Of Hindustan surpassed Rs 50 crore on its opening day. A majority of critics gave it a thumbs down, but the team is humbled by the film's box office numbers.
The film minted Rs 52.25 crore net when it released on Thursday.
According to a statement from its makers, Yash Raj Films, the film's Hindi version amassed Rs 50.75 crore and Rs 1.50 crore came in from Tamil and Telugu dubs.
Director Vijay Krishna Acharya said, "Thugs of Hindostan is the quintessential Hindi movie that we love to watch with our friends and families. We were lucky to get two of the biggest stars of our generation to come together for an out-and-out masala Diwali entertainer and we are humbled and ecstatic with the love and appreciation that audiences have showered on 'Thugs...' to help the film create box office history on day one.
"We are thrilled to see that audiences across age groups, across India, are loving Thugs of Hindostan and have made our film a part of their Diwali plans. We made Thugs... with a vision to provide a pure festive entertainer for the entire family and this result is extremely gratifying for all of us at YRF."
The action-packed adventure is set on the high seas.
Aamir, who plays the character of Firangi, said, "I am humbled by the love and affection of the audience."
On the contrary, trade experts did not give promising reviews to the movie.
Film trade analyst Girish Johar told media that the feedback is mixed.
"The feedback is neither good nor great as people were expecting huge and strong content from a deadly combo of Amitabh Bachchan sir, Aamir, and YRF, so there's a letdown in there certainly," Johar said.
All in all, critics were not impressed by the "juvenile storytelling" of the film, which also stars Katrina Kaif and Fatima Sana Shaikh.
Since this is the first time that Amitabh and Aamir have shared screen space, asked if the cast will contribute to footfalls in theatres, trade analyst Atul Mohan told to media publications, "Yes, the loyalists of Big B and Aamir Khan might just go and watch the film once but that will not help the film to survive for the longest because there is no good screenplay."
The period film is fictional and created an expectation to offer a big canvas experience to the audience, with its trailer.
Asked if the visual effects are engaging enough for the audience to watch the film again, Mohan said, "I see no reason whatsoever to invest huge money on a Hindi film to watch VFX... and something that people can watch in the international cinema."
While the film was expected to utilize the festive weekend, trade expert Taran Adarsh tweeted, "Thugs Of Hindostan may reap the benefit of the holiday period + tremendous hype + impressive names in its cast... But will find it difficult to sustain after the initial euphoria settles down."
He called the film "a golden opportunity lost" and "a king-sized disappointment".
Faced with the threat, Sarkar undergoes voluntary cuts, muting of dialogue
With the ruling AIAMDK opposed to the Vijay-starring Sarkar over certain scenes and a character's name, the producer and director of the Tamil movie have obtained CBFC's permission to voluntarily delete some visuals and mute some dialogues, said an official.
The Central Board of Film Certification said excisions and modifications carried out in the originally certified movie were: (a) deletion of visuals of throwing a mixie and grinder into fire; (b) muting the name 'Komala' from the full name of the character 'Komalavalli' and removing the same from subtitles; and (c) muting the dialogue 'Podhuppaniththuraia' (PWD) and '56 Varusham' (56 years) and the removal of those words from subtitles.
Tamil Nadu Minister for Information and Publicity Kadambur Raju said the issue has been settled as the film unit "has agreed to our demand of removing the objectionable scene."
The AIADMK's objection was to the scene that showed the actor throwing out mixie and grinder -- given free by the government to the poor -- into the fire.
The AIAMDK government under late J. Jayalalithaa offered free mixer, grinder, laptops, and others to the poor.
The other reason for the ruling party opposing the movie is the name of a character 'Komalavalli' which they say is the birth name of their late leader Jayalalithaa.
On Thursday state Law Minister C.Ve. Shanmugam compared the scenes (burning of freebies) in the movie with terrorist activity aimed at instigating violence against the state government.
Party cadres protested outside the theatres which screened the movie in several places and damaged the banners on Thursday and Friday morning.
Earlier in the day, actor-turned-politician Kamal Haasan tweeted, "It is nothing new for the state government to exert illegal political pressure on movies that got proper certification."
"Governments that do not have the guts to accept criticisms will derail. The businessmen group will go and the good people who would come to power will win," Kamal Haasan said.
Similarly, actor Rajinikanth tweeted in support of the movie condemning damage to the film's banners.
Meanwhile, the Madras High Court ordered the Tamil Nadu police not to arrest Sarkar movie Director A.R. Murugadoss who had approached it seeking anticipatory bail.
He had approached the court after state ministers voiced their opposition to the movie with Law Minister Shanmugam threatening legal action.
Aamir Khan calls 'Thugs of Hindostan' role one of his toughest
Actor Aamir Khan, whose new film Thugs of Hindostan is getting mixed reactions, says that his role in the Vijay Krishna Acharya directorial is one of the toughest that he did.
Aamir, who will co-host a show on BIG FM for a week, spoke at length about his challenging role in the latest release.
"It is one of the toughest roles I have taken up. Not only this, but this is a very unreliable character who can do anything at any time especially for the money, and this is entertaining and fun to watch," he said in a statement.
Speaking about sharing space with megastar Amitabh Bachchan in the movie, he said, "It is the first time that we have shared a screen together. I am a huge fan of Amit Ji. In fact, I was so nervous for the first shot. It's been like 30 years and I was really looking forward to work together. He is such a warm and generous person, and I loved working with him."
The multi-talented actor has turned into 'BIG MJ of the Week' and will be co-hosting a show in the evening time band.
Commenting on donning the role of a Radio Jockey for the first time, he shared, "I am really excited about this as my fans will get to see another side of mine.
"The role of a Radio Jockey seems very fascinating from the outside but it's actually the opposite. It not only requires good communication skills but also requires a lot of hard work, research, perseverance and not to forget a good sense of humor. I really had an amazing time co-hosting the show with BIG MJ Dilip."
Talking about his journey in the industry so far, he said that it was a "very wonderful experience."
"I had never thought that I would stay this long in the industry considering the shelf life for actors which is usually six-eight years.
"Moreover, I am happy about the fact that I have been able to form great relationships in the industry; I also understand my audience and have developed a kind of deep and non-tangible connection with them," he said.
BIG MJ of the Week witnesses well-known personalities from the film industry becoming co-jocks and hosting a show with other MJs from the radio station.
Submerge to launch a music label
Mumbai-based dance music booking agency, curator and artist management company Submerge, which has clocked 15 years, is launching a music label.
Founded in 2003 by Nikhil Chinapa and Pearl and Hermit Sethi, Submerge brought together dance music heads in India. It manages multiple artists and curates popular dance music events in India like Satellite Beachside in Goa.
The label, to be called Submerge Music, will provide Indian producers an opportunity to catch the attention of international listeners.
"We just felt it was time, not just for us at Submerge but also for the wealth of talent India has begun to produce in the electronic music space," Nikhil, one of the Submerge founders and music entrepreneur, said in a statement on the decision to launch Submerge Music.
"Over the years, we've promoted electronic music, regardless of its sub-genre. However, at the label, we're starting by focusing on underground music before we expand our horizons and our repertoire, both of which will happen in time.
"While we encourage Indian artists to push boundaries, we are also going to actively engage in Artistes and Repertoire work, encouraging collaborations between local and international artists. The world truly is our oyster and we're going to explore it to the fullest," he added.
The first release on the label is by Manny and Ajmal, who have performed together in the past as BLaNK. The 11-track album called "11:11" will release on Sunday when the label goes live.
Malaysian-Tamil music artiste joins hands with Anuradha Sriram
Malaysian-Tamil reggae artiste-music producer Sasi The Don has recorded a song with singer Anuradha Sriram, who has frequently collaborated with popular musicians like A.R. Rahman and Shankar Ehsaan Loy.
The Reggae artiste's latest album Timeless features a track titled ABCD, which has him singing alongside Anuradha.
The track that celebrates life everyday will release on 20 November.
"ABCD are the basics of education and with the basics, we discover the world and life as we grow older.
"We might fail or have a turning point in life...just take all the experience and start from the basics again," The Don told to the media publications.
He first had the opportunity to interact with Anuradha during a show in 2001 where he did the opening act of a show headlined by her and Shankar Mahadevan.
"Watching her record the song was such a privilege. She is such a positive and dedicated person. We felt so comfortable and that brought out the best," he said.
His next single will be Daddy don. "I am in the process of recording it in Malaysia," he shared.
Katrina Kaif shares her idea of love
Actress Katrina Kaif believes love should be liberating and that people should free themselves from judging themselves based on how their partner makes them feel.
Katrina shared the love advice in a chat with filmmaker Karan Johar on a forthcoming episode of Star World's Koffee with Karan Season 6, read a statement.
The actress and Karan spoke about how it is widely accepted that it is necessary for a woman to have a man while she believes that this is not true for everyone. She feels people tend to burden their partners with the responsibility of making them happy and that's where relationships go wrong.
"You somehow always judge yourself based on how much love or attention you're getting from your partner. Your relationship suffers just a little bit, and your self esteem and your image take a beating, which is not a good thing," said the actress, whose latest film to release is Thugs Of Hindostan.
Both Katrina and Karan were in agreement that one shouldn't feel anything on the basis of how somebody else is trying to make them feel.
She said her singleton period has got her to be really comfortable with "who she is", which she didn't think she was for a large part of her life.
Sharing her personal interpretation of love, Katrina said, "When neither of you need each other, when there's no great dependency on the other person. There's just admiration, there's respect, there's companionship and there's a space of ease between you."
Katrina was joined on the show by actor Varun Dhawan, with whom she will star in the upcoming movie ABCD 3. They will spill the beans on their experience of working together.
Every story must have a message: Filmmaker Vinod Kapri
National Award-winning filmmaker Vinod Kapri, whose forthcoming movie Pihu centres on a two-year-old child left alone by her parents, believes all stories should leave their audience with a message.
Pihu was screened for politicians here on Friday.
"For me, every story should have a message to convey. Pihu is a story of every household and this was a very important story to tell. The most difficult part was to bring this story to the audience and I thank (producer) Siddharth Roy Kapur and Ronnie Screwvala for supporting me and my film. People who love their family should go a watch this film."
The film's narrative is about a two-year-old girl trapped in an apartment alone. It has just this one character throughout the narrative.
Kapur, who has produced the movie, it is this uniqueness that drew him to get associated with the project.
"He (Kapri) has kept it so gripping, so edge of the seat... It's like a thriller but a very emotional film at the same time and I think our audience will find it a very unique experience. Ronnie Screwvala and I both watched it and decided that this is something we would definitely have to back."
The special screening of the film here saw Union Science and Technology Minister Harsh Vardhan Harsh Vardha, Congress leader Rajeev Shukla, BJP's Delhi chief Manoj Tiwari, Rajya Sabha MP Amar Singh and more in attendance.
According to a statement, Shukla said after the screening, "I was not expecting that this film will be such a shocker; it takes time for you to absorb the incidents happening in the film. The girl has done a fantastic job and it is worth showing on an international platform."
Pihu, starring Myra Vishwakarma, will release on 16 November.
Shah Rukh Khan's Zero beats Rajinikanth's 2.0 by a huge margin
Thugs of Hindostan has opened to mixed reviews but the audience seems to be lapping up the film. It has the highest opening figures ever for a film (above Rs 52 crore) crossing the previous record held by Shah Rukh Khan's Happy New Year. The film was in the news as it was the first collaboration between Big B and Aamir Khan. However, the poor screenplay, predictable plot and disappointing music have left many viewers unimpressed. The real test will be on Monday, when the week begins. Now, in a huge setback, the full movie has been apparently leaked by a website, which is famous for piracy.
AbRam Khan twins with mama Gauri Khan; Shah Rukh Khan has the sweetest comment on it
We have often seen Shah Rukh Khan twinning his youngest son, Abram Khan. Well, Gauri Khan was heading off today morning for a weekend trip to their Alibaug home. She was accompanied by a few family friends. Mom and son wore white and blue. Gauri Khan was in a blue top with white pants and AbRam wore the same combo. Now, his tee had Mama Is My Queen written on it. It was a rather cute message. How could SRK not comment on it? The superstar commented saying that if everyone’s mom was a Queen then their son automatically becomes the prince.
For all the sons of the world...If your Mama is your Queen then there is no stopping you from being The Happy Prince. ( and an iPad loaded with games helps too ) pic.twitter.com/9VUo5Qwh79
— Shah Rukh Khan (@iamsrk) November 9, 2018
Salman Khan off to Punjab to shoot for the next schedule of Bharat
Salman Khan has left for Punjab this morning for the shooting of the next schedule of Bharat. Salman has been prepping for the film since quite some time and the cast has already started shooting a month and a half earlier.
Sidharth Malhotra and Aditya Roy Kapur come together on Koffee with Karan Season 6
Koffee with Karan season 6 has begun and one of the episodes will feature Sidharth Malhotra and Aditya Roy Kapur. And that is not a conjecture. The first pictures of the two dashing men shooting for their episode with Karan Johar have come out. This episode is certainly going to be a treat for the women. Two of the hottest Bollywood men with the highest fan following will be seated on the coveted couch.
Aditya Roy Kapur and @S1dharthM on the sets of #KoffeeWithKaran. We can’t wait to have a cup of coffee with thempic.twitter.com/sKEmRgNXyT
— Aditya Roy Kapur FC (@ARKfanatics) November 10, 2018
‘Dola re Dola’ song from Devdas voted greatest Bollywood dance number in UK Poll
Aishwarya Rai and Madhuri Dixit dance face-off from the 2002 box-office hit Devdas has been voted the greatest Bollywood dance number of all time in a new UK poll released on Friday. Dola Re Dola from the Sanjay Leela Bhansali directed film, which was choreographed by Saroj Khan, beat tough competition from dance numbers across the decades to top a new list published by UK-based ‘Eastern Eye' newspaper.
Salman Khan's talent management company UBT collaborates with KWAN
Salman Khan's talent management company namely, Uniworld Being Talent (UBT), has merged with another major talent company. Salman's UBT has major stakes in Big Bang Media Ventures, in turn, known talent management company KWAN. It also looks over Mantena Film Ventures which has a prime role in the field of distribution of films and TV shows as well as music label. The collaboration is said to be a win-win situation for both the parties in the near future.
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