Sayani Gupta's film Axone on a festival spree

 

After garnering immense love for her breakthrough performance in recently released Zee5 film Posham Pa and Article 15 actor Sayani Gupta is all set for the World Premiere of her next film Axone at 63rd BFI London Film Festival 2019 which will be followed by the Asia Premiere at MAMI 2019.

Axone- a bittersweet comedy satire follows immigrants in Delhi who are attempting to organise a wedding party but soon find everything going wrong. Written and Directed by Nicholas Kharkongor, the film stars Sayani Gupta, Lin Laishram, Tenzin Dalha, Vinay Pathak, Dolly Ahluwalia, in lead roles.

Sources shares, "This will be the first time that Sayani will be seen portraying the role of a Nepali girl in the film. One of the difficult things about this character was to adapt the Nepali accent and language and Sayani left no stones unturned to get it right."

Sharing her excitement Sayani Gupta said, "It is super exciting to have Axone premiering at two of BFI and Mami. I have a long association of premiers at both these prestigious film festivals and feels like Homecoming. Axone is a very special film and talks about inclusivity. It's about a group of Northerner kids in Delhi who are trying to cook a special dish with Axone for their friend's wedding and are faces with bizarre hilarious ironical situations over the course of one day. It was particularly wonderful to collaborate with such amazing actors and creative people from the North-East part of India and also discover the enormously varied delectable cuisine. Naga food has become my favourite! Playing a Nepali girl from Manipur was challenging because I had to get the accent, body language, tonality correctly.  I knew people would be looking at me with extra care and I had to do justice to the authenticity of the part. I have very close friends who speak Nepali and I had to justice to them as well. I was super nervous but also worked extra hard to be as authentic tic as possible. Also, my friends Cephas and my hairdresser Marya were my Nepali coaches. It's a film that  Nicholas made with a great deal of love and honesty and we hope it reaches put to everyone and people from the Northern part of our country who are never really represented in our popular medium and cinema, get to watch it!"

'Axone' will be showcased under the 'Laugh' strand of the  BFI London Film festival and will be showcased under the Indian Story section at MAMI 2019.

Gully Boy, Andhadhun bags big; as Tabu, Vijay Sethupathi and Shah Rukh walk off with top honours at IFFM Awards 2019

It is that evening of the year in Melbourne, when the annual awards night marked its gala presence in the cultural melting pot. 2019’s award function at the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne was a special one for many reasons.

Zoya Akhtar's Gully Boy walked away with the top gong of Best Film honour, whereas Vijay Sethupathi won the Best Actor for his widely acclaimed film Tamil film Super Deluxe and Tabu was named Best Actress for her performance in Andhadhun.

Zoya said, “I am so excited. I am not going to forget this evening. This is my first award in the capacity of a producer. Gully boy was our first production. This is a good start. No one makes a movie alone and this wouldn’t be possible without my producers, my co-writer, my incredible actors and every member of my cast and crew. 54 invincible artists worked on this album. I owe this night to all of them.”

Sriram said on his win as best director, “I am thankful and overwhelmed with the response to Andhadhun and this award. A French short film inspired this movie. It was 7 years ago and the movie took a long time to make.”

Upon receiving her award, Tabu said, “It’s my first time in Australia but I will remember it for the rest of my life. Thank you Sriram for writing this for me.  This character is catalyst for change of roles for women that are being written and will be written in future. Thank you for trusting me with this character”.

Additionally, IFFM bestowed upon superstar Shah Rukh Khan - the  'Excellence In Cinema' award.

Shah Rukh Khan, in his usual candour, said, “Thank you all of you in Melbourne. It’s an honour and privilege for me. Awards are odd because to me an art form be judged for its quality feels counter intuitive. Art is an expression and cinema is the ability to create emotions and share experiences through stories. To be an actor, is to live to know that each one is a mere illusion. When you are making a movie you can change a lot by changing the angle of the light and it strikes you that life is a lot like that as well. It’s the simple things that can alter your journey and pondering makes your story worth telling. I shot a film here 12 years ago and it was a straightforward film about a man who has lost hope in life picks on a team of girls and then they go on to win a world championship. This city had the simplicity I had seen nowhere else. When you get older like me, you realise things. I realised that film changed my life. It’s not the awards you get, it’s just the part of creating process that is an exhilarating experience for an artiste.”

Here’s a complete list of winners -

IFFM Best Short Film : MY NAME IS MOHAMED AND RAGHAD, WE DON’T EXIST HERE ANYMORE by Ali Mousawi

BE MY BROTHER by Genevieve Clay

IFFM Diversity Award: Onir

Telstra People’s Choice Award: Simmba

Celebrating 20 years of Kuch Kuch Hota Hai: Karan Johar

IFFM Best Director : Sriram Raghavan for ANDHADHUN

IFFM Best Actor : Vijay Sethupathi for SUPER DELUXE

IFFM Best Actress : Tabu for ANDHADHUN

IFFM Best Indie film : BULBUL CAN SING

IFFM Best Film : GULLY BOY

PWC Equality in Cinema award an honorary award) - CHUSKIT & SUPER DELUXE

IFFM Excellence in Cinema - Shah Rukh Khan

filkThe Sky Is Pink’ selected for a worldwide premiere at the 44th Toronto International Film Festival

‘The Sky Is Pink’, directed by Shonali Bose, has been selected for the 44th Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). The film will have its world premiere as part of the Gala Presentation at TIFF. Previous films that have held Gala presentation slots include Warner Bros. box-office hit ’A Star is Born’ and Universal Studios Academy Award-winning ‘Green Book’. 

Starring Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Farhan Akhtar and Zaira Wasim, the film will premiere at TIFF on September 13th. TIFF is one of the largest and most prestigious film festivals in the world. Only 20 films get selected for the Gala Presentation from around the world each year. ‘The Sky Is Pink’ has the distinct honour of being the only film selected from all of Asia. The film is produced by RSVP and Roy Kapur Films, in association with Ivanhoe Pictures and Purple Pebble Pictures.

Director Shonali Bose shared, "The Sky Is Pink is a deeply personal and an incredibly special film for me. At its core, this is an extraordinary story of what it means to be a family. I am honored that the film will premiere at TIFF – my third film to premiere at TIFF and I cannot wait.” 

Producer Ronnie Screwvala, whose film 'Mard Ko Dard Nahin Hota' garnered immense acclaim at TIFF 2018 shared, "It is great to be back especially after the love we received last year. The Sky Is Pink is a story for audiences across the globe. We take great pride in presenting our film at TIFF and look forward to sharing this film with everyone." 

Talking about the world premiere at the Festival, Producer Siddharth Roy Kapur said, “I am thrilled that our first production at Roy Kapur Films has been selected to have its worldwide premiere at TIFF. From the moment that Shonali shared this incredible story with us, we knew that it had the potential to resonate with audiences around the world.”

Ivanhoe Pictures Co-CEO John Penotti and Head of Production for India Kilian Kerwin stated, “We are incredibly happy to share this news. At Ivanhoe, we believe in supporting stories that have the ability to touch people worldwide, and 'The Sky Is Pink' is a true example of such impactful storytelling. We are delighted to be backing such an extraordinary film and showcasing it at TIFF.”

National Award winning actor Priyanka Chopra Jonas who essays the lead role along with actor Farhan Akhtar, and whose Purple Pebble Pictures is co-producing the film stated, “The Sky Is Pink is a story that I connected with from the minute I heard it and in Shonali’s hands, it’s been crafted into a moving, beautiful film that will renew our faith in love and life.  It’s what led me to not only take on the challenging role of Aditi Chaudhary but also to co-produce it with Ronnie and Siddharth.  I am so proud of this film and am honoured that the film’s world premiere will take place at the Gala Presentation at TIFF 2019.  I’m looking forward to being back at TIFF once again to showcase our a small package of love to the world."

Produced by RSVP and Roy Kapur Films in association with Ivanhoe Pictures and Purple Pebble Pictures, 'The Sky Is Pink' is the incredible love story of a couple – Aditi and Niren Chaudhary - spanning 25 years, told through the lens of their spunky teenage daughter – Aisha Chaudhary, who was diagnosed with a terminal illness. The film is slated to release worldwide on 11th October 2019. 

The Toronto International Film Festival is being held from September 5 till September 15 2019.

National Award Winning Rima Das 'Bulbul Can Sing' heads to be the opening night film of the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne

Rima Das has proven her mettle as an Indian director travelling with her cinema globally, earning several honours and accolades. Her most popular film, Village Rockstars was an Assamese language film which won the National Award for Best Feature Film in 2018 and was even India’s official entry from the country to the Oscars. Rima Das has since then been a leading name globally taking Indian cinema to new heights and accomplishing new feats.

Now her new feature, Bulbul Can Sing is all set to be the opening night film of the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne 2019. The annual festival which takes place in the cultural capital of he Victorian state in Australia will be celebrating its decade long initiative to promote Indian cinema in the land down under. After a successful nine editions, for its opening night the festival will be showcasing Das’ film which showcases the stories of three teenagers who are trying to come to terms with their sexual identities while dealing with the ideals and morales of the villagers.

Rima’s Bulbul Can Sing will be officially opening the festival with a screening on 8th August. The festival will be celebrating its 10th year with the central theme of courage this year and will commence on 8th August and concluding on 17th August.

When asked Rima she said, "I love the enthusiasm and exuberance of an opening night. So excited that Bulbul Can Sing is the opening night film at Indian Film Festival of Melbourne. Special thanks to the organisers. The film has truly been special for me as a filmmaker. I’m looking forward to the Australian premiere of the film and interacting with the audiences there and having  a conversation with them on cinema”.

Mindshare wins ‘Media Network of the Year’ award at Cannes 2019

Mindshare, the media agency network and part of WPP, recently got awarded ‘Media Network of the Year’ at one of the most coveted festival of creativity, Cannes Lions 2019. The agency won a Silver in the Media Lions category for HUL Lifebuoy’s ‘Infection Alert System’ and a Bronze in the Creative Data Lions category for the same campaign.

79% of rural consumers use the basic ‘Feature Phone’ which has no internet connectivity. This medium has 6 times higher reach than any other medium in rural areas. The solution was to create a data-led Infection Alert System that would act as a lighthouse to alert the rural consumers when they were most vulnerable to fatal diseases. This was done by leveraging data and the reach of mobile phones in traditionally media dark geographies. Over 64 million Outbound Dialler (OBD) calls were made over a period of 8 weeks to warn the locals on the outbreak of a particular communicable disease in their area and the necessary preventive measures that should be taken.

The Infection Alert System (IAS) also known as ‘Adaptive Data Lighthouse’ was created by Mindshare and used Government of India data on disease outbreaks which was collected from 34,000 rural community health centres across 822 sub-districts/villages of Uttar Pradesh & Bihar. The challenges with this data were that it was unstructured, maintained in paper-forms, in local languages with no metadata standards. Old paper records were digitized and then algorithms used to read and load data into a structured database of 21 communicable diseases. Historical disease incidence was modelled to arrive at predictive incidence rates at a village level, using time series models. If predicted severity of disease incidence for villages were above a certain threshold then warning calls would be activated for those villages only and not the entire state.

The insight behind the campaign was that most Indians eat and feed food using their hands and wash hands without soap. This practise is rampant in rural areas in India which make them susceptible to various communicable diseases. Mindshare’s campaign is a bright example of purpose-driven marketing.  The driving force behind the Lifebuoy brand is an inspiring vision for more hygienic, healthier environment and to create vital communities which the campaign embodied.

Commenting on the win MA Parthasarathy (MAPS), CEO South Asia said, “Reaching out to rural consumers has always been a challenge for brands. 70 per cent of Lifebuoy’s sales come from rural India. Building on Lifebuoy’s identity of being a purpose-driven brand, we utilised two of Mindshare’s core pillars- data and technology to create an innovation which made scalable difference. Awards like these motivate teams who were heavily invested in making this a success and also assure us that we are doing some great work.”

“The Lifebuoy “Infection Alert System” brings together some really sharp brand insight with deep media expertise to deliver relevant messaging in a precise fashion to the target audience. The collaboration across various teams on the brand side, media agency and extended partners who helped us land this at a tremendous scale is truly noteworthy.  And, the impact along with the recognition is the true testimony of the power of the idea and the validation of the flawless execution by the teams. The Cannes wins make the winning streak of Lifebuoy “Infection Alert System” even more special.” said Gaurav Jeet Singh , General Manager - Media (South Asia) , Hindustan Unilever Limited.

“It’s a proud moment for HUL and Mindshare on the recent Cannes Lions wins for the Lifebuoy Infection Alert System.

 A fine realisation of data-driven marketing, the campaign made the best use of unstructured data on disease outbreaks and institutionalise an infection alert system in the hinterland. This warning system would alert consumers most at risk of life-threatening diseases through an automatic calling system. Being contextual to the prevalent disease in their village, consumer receptivity was high resulting in high recall.

It's been quite a journey putting this together and implementing it at scale. This award is a fantastic recognition of the effort that Mindshare, the media and brand teams have put in.” commented Sandeep Kohli, Executive Director, Beauty and Personal Care, Hindustan Unilever Limited 

“The purpose of our brand Lifebuoy, India’s largest selling soap, is to help millions of mothers stay one step ahead of infections so that their children fall sick less often. We were able to do this through ‘our infection alert system’, which has won at Cannes, by leveraging data and the reach of mobile phones in traditionally media dark geographies, to ensure we live our purpose.” commented Harman Dhillon, Vice President – Marketing, Hindustan Unilever Limited

Sui Dhaaga Competing At The Shanghai International Film Festival The Belt and Road Film Week

Varun Dhawan and Anushka Sharma’s hit film Sui Dhaaga - Made in India has been selected in the competition category at the prestigious The Shanghai International Film Festival The Belt and Road Film Week. Sui Dhaaga is the only Indian film in competition in this category.A film about finding love and respect through self-reliance, the film's heart touching story moved audiences deeply as it became a solid hit in India. Sui Dhaaga won huge critical acclaim with Varun and Anushka’s performance being hailed as one of their careers best acting pieces. The film narrated the story of an innocent village couple Mauji and Mamta who dream big to start their own business together.

Sui Dhaaga – Made in India also brought together National Award-winning producer-director combo of Maneesh Sharma and Sharat Katariya after their super hit film Dum Laga Ke Haisha. 

Speaking on this, producer Maneesh Sharma said, “The story of Sui Dhaaga – Made in India is a special salute to the inherent entrepreneurial spirit of local artisans in India. An engaging tale about self-reliance seen through a young couple’s determination against all odds, we believe this very human theme has universal appeal across the globe. I eagerly look forward to the audience response at a platform as prestigious as The Shanghai International Film Festival The Belt and Road Film Week.”

The actors of the film too are ecstatic with this announcement. Varun says, “Sui Dhaaga - Made in India was made with a lot of heart and is a story about a working class man who fights for self-respect. I’m hoping the film will win hearts in this festival as well and they will like our made in India film.”

Anushka adds, “Sui Dhaaga is an incredible story of human triumph and I’m certain that its universal storyline has the potential to appeal to audiences across the globe. It is quite special that our film has been selected in the competition category at the The Shanghai International Film Festival The Belt and Road Film Week, which indicates that power of good content can cut across language and cultures.”

The Shanghai International Film Festival The Belt and Road Film Week begins today,15th June and will host some of the most eclectic and applauded films from across the world.

Eros Now’s original short movie ‘A Monsoon Date’ to be screened at 10th Kashish Mumbai International Queer Film Festival

Eros Now’s original short film ‘A Monsoon Date’ is directed by acclaimed filmmaker Tanuja Chandra and written by Gazal Dhaliwal. Revolving around love, friendship and acceptance, ‘A Monsoon Date’ featuring Konkona Sen Sharma is a moving story of a woman who is set to reveal her most personal secret to her lover.

The original short film streaming on Eros Now has been already making waves at prestigious film festivals, which certainly speaks volume of the Konkona Sen Sharma-starrer.

The short movie which was premiered at MAMI Film Festival last year was recently screened at the prestigious DFW South Asian Film Festival 2019, one of the largest South Asian fests in North America, held from May 16 to 19, 2019.

The original short film has been selected for screening at 10th Kashish Mumbai International Queer Film Festival in the non-competitive category scheduled from 12th-16th June, 2019.

Commenting on the short film’s popularity, director Tanuja Chandra says, “The next one is Kashish Mumbai International Queer Film Festival which we are really looking forward to as it marks their 10th anniversary this year. I think short films internationally are far more respected and loved as a format than in India. But with digital platforms emerging in India, short films will gain popularity in India. That was the intention of showcasing it at as many festivals as possible.”

Eros Now, the cutting-edge digital over-the-top (OTT) South Asian entertainment platform owned by Eros International Plc, a Global Indian Entertainment Company. Eros Now is known to offer diversified, engaging and entertaining content for its massive consumer base in India as well as globally.

Indian Film Festival of Melbourne to complete a decade this year, to celebrate “Courage” at its central theme

Indian Film Festival of Melbourne was incepted in 2010 and was founded by its director, Mitu Bhowmick Lange. Mitu has had an illustrious career spanning across production-filmmaking and has been the pioneering force behind the festival. In 2012 the Victorian government and Film Victoria board officially backed the festival. Since its inception, the festival has grown; pillar-to-pillar attracting some of the most celebrated Indian films over the past decade to the festival and has hosted some of the biggest Indian stars from the subcontinent. 2019 is a big year for the festival as it completes a decade and this year the festival will take place from August 8th to August 17th.

IFFM has not only grown from a small compact festival into a major annual cultural event in Melbourne but has also been honoured with some major accolades and has officially become the largest Indian festival in the southern hemisphere.  The festival in its 10 years of existence has seen the who’s who of Indian cinema in attendance, from Amitabh Bachchan to Priyanka Chopra, Karan Johar, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Vidya Balan, Kangana Ranaut, Rajkumar Hirani, Kabir Khan, Nikhil Advani, Rani Mukerji, Sushant Singh Rajput, Rajkummar Rao, Freida Pinto, Richa Chadha, Konkona Sen Sharma, Ali Fazal and many others.

Each year the festival celebrates a core theme and in 2019 the theme of the festival has been selected to be courage. Courage as a term has come to be true to the cinema, especially in the last few years. Be it on screen and off, Indian cinema’s content has chosen to tell stories of subjects, which have been brave, tough and have given us some heroic icons. The theme is in lieu with a celebration of this element of modern day cinema, which will be celebrated at the 10th Indian Film Festival of Melbourne.

Aanand L Rai’s Zero to close the Beijing International Film Festival

Aanand L Rai’s Zero starring Shah Rukh Khan, Katrina Kaif & Anushka Sharma was praised unanimously for its ground breaking visual effects. The movie has now been selected as the closing film at the Beijing International Film Festival.

With this Zero joins legendary filmmaker Satyajit Ray’s classic Pather Panchali as one of the five Indian films that have been listed to be screened at China's premier international film festival. Other films expected to be screened include the Mad Max series, Jason Bourne, Alfonso Cuaron's Gravity and Children of Men and Casey Affleck's Light of My Life among others.

Representing Zero at the prestigious film festival, Indian superstar Shah Rukh Khan will also participate in a dialogue segment as an effort to forge ways for the development of Chinese and Indian films as well as creation of opportunities to strengthen film cooperation between the two countries.

While Shah Rukh Khan continues to remain one of the most loved names in China, audiences will also be treated to a fine performance by Katrina Kaif, who walked away with rave reviews and awards for the film

Says director & producer Aanand L Rai, “ I’m so happy that Zero has been selected as the closing film at the Beijing International Film Festival. The film is very special to me and this news is very encouraging. I hope the audience there enjoys the film”.

London Indian Film Festival Beckons 'Code Blue'

After receiving a standing ovation at Berlinale, where Code Blue, a film on triple talaaq was recently had its World Premiere to global audiences, filmmaker Aleena Khan’s Code Blue has been invited by London Indian Film Festival, Europe’s largest Indian and South Asian film festival with a reach of 160 million last year.

Being a medical professional and a debutante filmmaker, Aleena Khan is elated that her film on such a sensitive Triple Talaaq, an inhuman practice of three words where a Muslim man can utter three words in an instance, ruins the lives of innocent girls. Says Aleena Khan, “religious clergymen, some not even educated, exploit loopholes.” The maker has also written to the PM of India, urging him to ban all sorts of Talaaq because “I’ve seen women suffer and it is always sad and a shattering sight to watch.”

World media also acknowledges the maker’s vision and goal. According to moviereviewz.co.uk, “Aleena has a clear vision for her movie which is to clearly top the practice and not create unfair bias when a Muslim couple divorce or separate.” Adds bizasialive.com, “the title Code blue signifies the storytelling of bringing her (the protagonist) back to life after the words of Triple Talaaq leave her soul shattered.”

Khan aims to take Code Blue, the world over and make a difference in the lives of millions of innocent women. “My protagonist is the face of millions of faceless Muslim women who have no say in their own divorce. When marriage is with Qubool in Islam, Talaq should also be with equal consent,” says Khan who believes that if you want to see change, then be the change.

Starring Rishi Bhutani, Sushmita Mukherji, Aleena Khan and Alok Nath, Code Blue, in association with Rahat Kazmi Films, is all set for a worldwide release soon.

Award winning Rakkhosh at OCIFF 2019

India’s first POV film (a film where the camera is rigged to see everyone and everyone is seen talking to the camera) Rakkhosh - set entirely at the Nagpur Mental Asylum, won the Best Director Award at the Rajasthan International Film Festival (RIFF) 2019 last week and will now show at OCIFF. 

Team Rakkhosh, consisting of Producer Sayali Deshpande, Creative Producer Prashen Kyawal, Writer and Director Sri Vinay Salian, actress Sonamoni Jayant were part of the award winning team. Deshpande accepted the award on behalf of the directors. 

“When I heard the script, I knew I wanted the world to hear this story. So I decided to bankroll it,” says Sayali. 

Sri Vinay Salian who was then supposed to be just the writer for the film, got a narration of this story called Patient No 302, by Narayan 'Tummbbad' Dharap, and was asked to write it. “I didn’t want to read the story and I said that I would write it first and if they didn’t like it, I would then read the book and then modify my script. Thankfully, they liked the story,” says Salian who has co directed the film along with Abhijit Kokate. 

Rakkhosh produced by Santosh and Sayali Deshpande also Sanjay Mishra, Priyanka Bose, Tannishtha Chatterjee among others with Prashen Kyawal as the Creative Producer and Dinesh Poojari as the editor. 

It also got full house response at Pune International Film Festival (PIFF) 2019 and is going to be screened at Orange City International Film Festival (OCIFF) 2019 on 10th Feb at Nagpur.

2 BAND RADIO World Premiere at UK Asian Film Festival

Rahat Kazmi and his group has garnered respect and found a niche among the international audience with their films like Identity Card, Mantostaan and Lihaaf. Now, Rahat Kazmi Films, Tariq Khan Production and Zeba Sajid Films come together again to produce a unique satirical feature film. 2 Band Radio, a film set in the 1970’s, is written by Rahat Kazmi and Kunwar Shakti Singh and directed by debutant Saki Shah.

The film is set in a Himalayan village where people have never seen a radio and how the journey of the first radio in the village becomes the reason for a big mess. Actor Pradhuman Singh of Tere Bin Laden fame, shall be seen in the main lead in this film with NSD's senior actress Neelu Dogra, Miss India Tourism-Supermodel Sneha Jagiasi as the female lead and UK based actor Jitendra Rai, while Rahat Kazmi, Ritu Rajput, Zahid Qureshi, Tariq Khan, Hussain Khan and Pankaj Kanta will be seen in supporting roles.

"The film is relevant in today's times because it is about greed and how it leads to frustration and depression,” says director Saki Shah.

The cast and crew of 2 Band Radio are excited about their first successful milestone, that is, their film’s selection in the prestigious UK Asian Film Festival, and are gearing up for their trip to London to attend the World Premiere of '2 Band Radio'. The film is set for a commercial release later this year.

VARTAK NAGAR Wins big at Jharkhand International Film Festival 2019

‘VARTAK NAGAR’ – a Hindi feature film produced by Amit Agarwal, under his banner Adarsh Telemedia, screened as the opening film at JIFF (Jharkhand International Film Festival), 2019 and film has won 3 prestigious awards at the festival. The film has won Best Motivational Film, Best Director and Best Editor awards at the festival. The awards were presented by Hon. Minister of sports and culture Amar Kumar Bauri and Arbaaz Khan. The film, directed by Atul Taishete, features Jimmy Sheirgil and Raghu Ram in pivotal roles. It is a story of four kids and their friendship against the backdrop of the Bombay Mills strike that took place in the 1980s.

VARTAK NAGAR is ready for release and is on festival rounds at the moment. Already screened at CINEQUEST FILM FESTIVAL (San Jose, California, USA) and KOLKATA INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL (Kolkata, India) the film got selected as the Opening Film at JIFF – JHARKHAND INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL (Ranchi, Jharkhand).

Amit Agarwal started Adarsh Telemedia in 2005 in Kolkata and from a film post-production studio in Kolkata, he ventured into film production. Beginning with Bengali Film ASTRA in 2012, Amit graduated to Bollywood when he initiated as producer the Hindi film M.S. DHONI - THE UNTOLD STORY. Later he produced the film SIMRAN starring Kangana Ranaut which was released in 2017.

He is also the Producer of Hindi Film RAAHGIR being directed by internationally acclaimed filmmaker GOUTAM GHOSE. RAAHGIR was entirely shot in Jharkhand (Ranchi surroundings and Netarhat). The film would travel to various film festivals across the globe and thereafter would have its theatrical release.

Amit is also working as the Director of AJOOBA, an animation film in Hindi which has Gulshan Grover, Tisca Chopra and Mukesh Khanna as the lead voice cast.

Amit Agarwal feels that Jharkhand has immense scope of development in this segment. It has very talented artistes and technicians who just need little motivation and support to showcase themselves. Amit also feels that Jharkhand has beautiful natural locations which are very rare and filmmakers around the world should be made aware of this. He is very thankful to Jharkhand Film Development Corporation for coming up with the idea of Subsidy Policy which according to him is one of the biggest opportunities for all genres of filmmakers.

He is also very thankful to JIFF – Jharkhand International Film Festival for starting an event of such a scale, where filmmakers, both national and international are participating to screen their films.

Rakkhosh receives thundering response at world premiere at PIFF

India’s first POV film (a film where the camera is rigged to see everyone and everyone is seen talking to the camera) Rakkhosh, was screened to a thundering ovation at the Pune International Film Festival over the weekend after which famed journalist Sameer Nakhate interviewed Team Rakkhosh, consisting of producer Sayali Deshpande, Creative Producer Prashen Kyawal, writer and director Srinivinay Salian, film strategist S. Ramachandran and actors Barun Chandra, Sonamoni Jayant and Atul Mahale.

“When I heard the script, I knew I wanted the world to hear this story. So I decided to bankroll is,” says Sayali. Srivinay Salian who was then supposed to be just the writer for the film, got a narration of this story called Patient No 302, by Narayan Dharap, and was asked to write it. “I didn’t want to read the story and I said that I would write it first and if they didn’t like it, I would then read the book and then modify my script. Thankfully, they liked the story,” says Salian.

Rakkhosh produced by Santosh and Sayali Deshpande also Sanjay Mishra, Priyanka Bose, Tannishtha Chatterjee among others,

Creative Producer Prashen Kyawal says that the uniqueness of the film also got him hooked. “I liked the idea of the camera being the hero of the film. Normally actors are trained to look away from the cameras when saying their dialogues. But then this film needed the actors to look into the camera while saying their lines,” says Kyawal.

Barun Chanda who has worked in over 50 films including Seemabaddha directed by Satyajit Ray says, “I was given the script and as I read it, I could not put it down. It was a tough script, but I wanted to read it. I am sure, no one has ever made this kind of a film ever in India before,” says Chanda who essays the role of Dr Idris in the film.

Actor Sonomoni has a unique distinction. All the films she has worked in have bagged national awards. Be it films like Traffic Signal, Bose, Chillar Party, Shamitabh, Mukhabinay and Ventilator among others have gone to win national awards. “When I was narrated the script, the director knew the character very well and he exactly narrated what he wanted from the actor. And that was the reason why I did the film and it was a very unique project in itself,” says Sonomoni who plays a nurse in the film.

Actor Atul Mahale from Nagpur who has an important role in the film also talked about the challenges one has while doing a film in mental asylum. “If you see the film there are 150 people in the asylum, but each of them has a different character brief,” says Mahale.

Asked how he would describe the film, S Ramachandran says, "It is a film which tells you that there is an insane in every 'insaan'!'"

The film has been edited by Filmfare award winning editor Dinesh Poojari.

Kanika Maheshwari To Travel To Chicago For Her Short Film Forever Whim

Television actress Kanika Maheshwari who rose to fame with her role in the hit show Diya Aur Baati Hum recently made her debut as a writer- producer with her short film Forever Whim. The movie revolving around a mother-daughter relationship after the former has been detected with cancer won an award at the Melbourne City Independent Film Awards & we hear now stands a nomination at the Chicago South Asian Film Festival to be held next week on the 20th of September.

Kanika with a career spanning over a decade & a variety of shows to her credit went on a brief sabbatical to embrace motherhood & she is making a comeback with her short film starring herself that has been sent to film festivals worldwide & will be released in India in the next couple of months.

An excited Kanika shares, 'I didn't see this coming. I'm ecstatic to get an official entry in the nominations. I just learnt that my movie has been lined up for the premier slot & will be screened at the  Oakbrook auditorium, which is a mean achievement for any film maker.'

'The festival manager, Jigar Shah sent across the flyer & I got so excited with my name alongside some bigwigs of short film makers, he also watched my film & sent me a message on how touched he was. All one aspiring film maker needs it acknowledgement & appreciation. They have extended the invite & I can't wait to touchdown Chicago &  to see the reaction of the audience in real time.'

The 3rd edition of Lonavala International Film Festival India 2018 (LIFFI) is all set to enthrall film lovers from 7th to 9th September 2018 at ‘Triose Plaza, Lonavala’

An engaging and captivating International Film Festival for film enthusiasts, providing them with a platform to explore and experience different genres of films under one roof

The festival will kickstart with Bimal Roy’s epic “ Sujata “ & Sridhar Rangayan’s “Evening Shadows” followed with 16 Films,3 Master Class & Interactive seminars will  be conducted to impart learning and an enriching experience for film students and enthusiasts.

As a tribute to the ace Director Bimal Roy’s unparalleled contribution to Indian Cinema, six of his widely acclaimed films will be showcased. A short documentary on him will also be screened on the occasion. This section will be curated by his daughter Ms. Rinki Roy Bhattacharya.

As a precursor to the festival, there will be an exhibition of Bimal Roy’s film posters, stills, memorabilia, and artifacts from 1st September onwards at Triose Plaza. Books about him authored / edited by his daughter will be on sale at special prices.

The 1st and 2nd editions of LIFFI witnessed immense interest and participation from all over. The 3rd edition of LIFFI 2018 is all set to enthrall cinema lovers with its  wide range of films. LIFFI 2018 is setting the right tone to offer its visitors and patrons a completely different and a memorable “Cinematic Experience”. The Festival which has been scaling new heights since its inception, will have a variety of add-ons this time. This includes Q&A sessions after each screening, workshops, master classes etc.

Bimal Roy’s classics films like Devdas,Bandini, Madhumati’and others. Marathi films like ‘Nude, Kachcha Limboo, Dr. Rakhmabai’ will also be screened. Other engaging activities include an interactive session with Director Ananth Mahadevan on his remarkable movie Life is Good and Dr. Rakhmabai. Director and Producer Viveck Vaswani will conduct a thought provoking workshop with the media students. Due to popular demand, his film Rough Book screened in LIFFI 2016 has been included once again. Other films like Iqbal, Joggers Park, Kashmakash ,“The Genius – Ramanujan” and the 1st Ukrainian English Animation film "The Stolen Princess’ will also be screened at the venue in English & Hindi.

Students from reputed  media schools from Mumbai, Lonavala and Pune have been invited for this festival with a view to help them improve their skills and gain knowledge. LIFFI 2018 aims to provide a unique and everlasting experience to all its visitors through this entertaining medium.

Poster of the film festival along with the collage of all the films that will be screened : http://www.ultraindia.com/files/flex_updated.jpg

Bimal Roy’s Documentary link : https://www.dropbox.com/s/dwcw90odjvodt81/VTS_01_1.VOB?dl=0

Links of the movie posters -

Nude ( Marathi) : http://www.ultraindia.com/files/nude.jpg

Iqbal (Hindi) : http://www.ultraindia.com/files/iqbal.jpg

Devdas (Hindi) : http://www.ultraindia.com/files/devdas.jpg

Evening Shadows (Hindi ) : http://www.ultraindia.com/files/es_poster.jpg

The Stolen Princess (English + Hindi) : http://www.ultraindia.com/files/THE-STOLEN-PRINCESS-ENGLISH-POSTER.jpg

“Lonavala International Film Festival India 2018” is organized by Triose Plaza. Mr. Madhav Todi is the Festival Director. Mr. Viveck Vaswani is the curator of the festival. The Chief Patron for the festival is Mr. Sushil Kumar Agrawal, Managing Director, Ultra Media and Entertainment Pvt Ltd.”