Eros International & Hansal Mehta’s ‘Aligarh’ selected to open the 17th Jio MAMI Mumbai Film Festival

Eros International’s ‘Aligarh’, the latest film from National award-winning filmmaker Hansal Mehta, has been selected as the opening film at the 17^th Jio MAMI Mumbai Film Festival on October 30^th 2015. This pivotal film marks the first time that a Hindi film will open the festival since 1997, the inaugural year of the Jio MAMI Mumbai Film Festival.

 Set in a small town in Uttar Pradesh from which the film takes its name, ‘Aligarh’ is the story of a professor (Manoj Bajpayee) fired for his sexuality and a young journalist (Rajkummar Rao) who tells his story to the world. Based on true events, the film follows Dr. S R Siras, a professor at the Aligarh Muslim University who, when discovered to be homosexual, was fired from his position.  The film depicts the unlikely friendship between Dr. Siras and a reporter investigating his first big story, a relationship that will change them both forever.

 Aligarh has been selected to screen at the 20^th Busan International Film Festival in South Korea and the 59^th BFI London Film Festival, this October. This will mark the first time in almost two decades that a Hindi film will open the Jio MAMI Mumbai Film Festival.

 "I am overjoyed that Aligarh, my first film about a city other than Mumbai is the opening film of the Jio MAMI Mumbai Film Festival. This is a befitting reward for a team that has worked selflessly to make a film they are passionate about. This festival holds a very special place in my heart as it began a journey of awards for Shahid which was until then an unheralded dark horse in a year of sparkling indies. We (Eros International, my team and me) are looking forward to the night and to sharing this special film with the amazing MAMI audience," said  Hansal Mehta, who won the National Award for Best Direction in 2013 with his critically acclaimed Shahid.

 Producer Sunil Lulla, Managing Director, Eros International added, "We are delighted at the selection of Aligarh for this recognition at a significant film platform like Jio MAMI Mumbai Film Festival. This strengthens our belief at Eros International in backing the vision of directors like Hansal who tell meaningful, humane stories through their films." 

 Upon announcing the decision to open the festival with Aligarh, Anupama Chopra, Festival Director, said, “Aligarh is a powerful film that tells an important story on a sensitive subject. Hansal Mehta has a unique ability to tell uncommon human stories on the celluloid screen. Our mission is to showcase exciting and thought-provoking stories and I am sure our audience will enjoy our festival opener.”

 Hansal Mehta’s illustrious career began in television, where he directed the cooking show Khana Khazana (1993–2000) starring Sanjeev Kapoor. Mehta made his feature film debut with  Jayate (1999), which screened at the International Film Festival of India in Hyderabad as part of the Indian Panorama (1999-2000).  He followed up his debut with the cult hit Dil Pe Mat Le Yaar in 2000, and spent the next decade making feature length and short films. He is best known for his moving biopic Shahid in 2013. The film, starring Rajkummar Rao, chronicles the life of Shahid Azmi, a human rights lawyer murdered in 2010. Mehta and Rao continued to collaborate in Mehta’s next film, City Lights, an adaptation of Metro Manila, a British independent film.   

The 17th Jio MAMI’s Mumbai Film Festival will be held in Mumbai from October 29^th to November 5^th 2015. The film screenings will take place at PVR Versova, PVR Citi Mall, Andheri, PVR LP, Phoenix Mills and Regal – Colaba. To attend the festival, viewers can register online at http://in.bookmyshow.com/mami/ or visit registration counters at the festival venues listed above.

Along with Chairperson Kiran Rao and Festival Director Anupama Chopra, the members of the new Board of Trustees of MAMI are Filmmakers Farhan Akhtar, Karan Johar and Vikramaditya Motwane, Actors Riteish Deshmukh and Deepika Padukone, Mr. Anand Mahindra, Chairman & MD, The Mahindra Group, Mr. Ajay Bijli, Chairman and MD, PVR Ltd, Mr. Siddharth Roy Kapur, MD, Disney and Mr. Manish Mundra, Founder and CEO, Drishyam Films. These eminent personalities, outstanding achievers in their respective fields, are bringing together their expertise and experience to give Mumbai and India a bigger, better and even more exciting 17th edition of the Jio MAMI Mumbai Film Festival.

Jio MAMI VISION 2015

The Jio MAMI Mumbai Film Festival is an inclusive movie feast. We showcase the latest cutting-edge independent cinema, cult international films and art house fare alongside genre movies from Bollywood and Hollywood. We offer the best of world cinema to the people of Mumbai and the best of Indian cinema to the world. The festival is run by the Mumbai Academy of Moving Image, popularly known as MAMI. This is a space where we revel in the sheer pleasure of cinema, the joy it gives us and the way it enhances our lives. Our goal is to nurture and ignite a passion for movies. We want Jio MAMI to be shorthand for excellence in cinema.

ABOUT Jio MAMI

Mumbai - the financial capital of India is also the epicentre of the Indian film industry. The city plays such a major role in production and dissemination of Indian films and television programs that it is widely known by its acronym 'Bollywood'. In 1997, a group of film industry stalwarts headed by late Hrishikesh Mukherjee founded the Mumbai Academy of Moving Image (MAMI) as a not-for-profit Trust. Their main objective was to organize an annual International Film Festival of which the film industry and the country could be proud . MAMI has been organizing the festival for the last 16 years and aims to foster a climate of good cinema. MAMI engages people from all walks of life across the city and country who enjoy and love good cinema. It is Mumbai’s only film festival that is entirely created and run by film professionals and a group of members from corporate India. Appreciation of good cinema, stripped of all the limiting labels of art and commercial, can only come about through exposure to the best of films the world has to offer. The Festival is the first step in that direction.

In their Mission Statement in 1997, the MAMI Board of Trustees said, "We feel it is the need of the hour to disseminate and inculcate good cinema among Indian audiences. The only way to achieve this is to celebrate cinema by hosting an International Film Festival in Mumbai, India's film and entertainment capital. MAMI (Mumbai Academy of Moving Image) is committed to start Mumbai's first independent international film festival organised by practicing film makers."

For more information on the 17^th Jio MAMI Mumbai Film Festival scheduled to be held from 29th October- 5th November 2015, do visit our MAMI Website, Twitter handle, Facebook Page, Instagram and YouTube as follows: 

Website: www.mumbaifilmfestival.com

#JioMAMI2015

Twitter: @Mumbaifilmfest

Facebook: /MumbaiFilmFestival

Instagram: /mumbaifilmfestival

YouTube: Mumbai Film Festival

Singh is Bliing becomes Akshay Kumar highest opening ever at the box office!!

Collects Rs 20.67 cr on its first day! 

One of the most anticipated films of 2015, Singh is Bliing has hit the theaters and how! The audience and critics have gone gaga about it and cannot stop appreciating the film.

Just day one and the box office records are already soaring high with figures.

The film has opened to a whooping amount of Rs 20.67 cr on Friday making it its first day collection. It is also Akshay Kumar’s biggest opening at the box office uptil now!

Infact, we hear that many theatres are already house full till Sunday and many fans are still awaited to watch the movie, all thanks to its superhit music and extensive marketing.

The entire team of Singh is Bliing is already in awe with all the love and support they have been getting from their fans all over the world.

Produced by Ashvini Yardi and Co- produced by Akshay Jayantilal Gada, Kushal Kantilal Gada and Reshmaa Kadakia. Dhaval Jayantilal Gada (Pen) & Grazing Goat pictures LLP Presents, starring Akshay Kumar and Amy Jackson in lead roles, Singh is Bliing directed by Prabhudheva. The film released on 2^nd October 2015.

Singh Is Bliing – Official Mobile Game Released

Director Prabhu Deva’s much anticipated action comedy Singh Is Bliing is scheduled to be released on 2 October 2015. The film features Akshay Kumar, Amy Jackson, Lara Dutta and Kay Kay Menon in lead roles. Accompanying the film’s theatrical release is the movie’s official mobile game. 

The official Singh Is Bliing game is published & distributed by FunOnGo Entertainment Pvt. Ltd., a digital entertainment specialist across movies, music, games and applications. The company provides customized platform and managed services to clients such as Samsung, Micromax, Karbonn, Intex, Spice& Gionee.

The game publishers have designed the game in a manner that gamers get a real good feel of being in the shoes of their favorite action hero Akshay Kumar. The run up to the castle and the fight sequences on the floor are evocative of the fast pace, taut action that Akshay is famed for.  On completion, the game was showcased to Akshay; He said “I really liked the game, the fights were so good that I ended up playing the game for most of the day”

The interactive mobile actiongame requires Rafttaar Singh to go on a mission to save Sara, who has been captured and held captive in a castle.

The gamer plays as Rafttaar Singh and can unlock up to three stages of game play as he succeeds from one level to another.

In the first level of the game, Rafttaar Singh is expected to run up towards the castle jumping over hurdles, avoiding obstacles and dodging oncoming threats. The gamers will really like the slide kick play action to counter attack their on screen enemies.

The level two takes Rafttaar Singh inside the castle, fighting here the gamer could find health levels drop with the onslaught of enemy punches, but they have the use of a life line too! The fight controls are intelligently placed on screen in the second level.

The third level is the more advance level and here Raftaar Singh gets to rescue the lovely Sara.

The official game is available across most of the popular feature and smart phones in India.

Speaking about the release of the official Singh is Bliing game, Vijay Singh CEO of FunOnGo Entertainment said; “We see the mobile phone as a fantastic gateway for film makers to reach their potential consumer. Our team plays an active role in publishing, marketing and distribution of the games we do. Mobile games provide for an immersive experience and turn curious bystanders to engaged fans.

Adding to Vijay’s point of view Shibasish Sarkar, COO of Reliance Big Entertainment added; “In the business of entertainment fans create customers and this impacts box office performance. Our alliance with FunOnGo to publish the official game is with the view to provide the customer a value added cinematic experience”The Singh Is Bliing – Official Mobile Gameis available for users downloads on Android, IOS marketplace and other popular app stores online.

About Big Reliance Entertainment Pvt. Ltd.

Reliance Big Entertainment Pvt. Ltd has either produced or distributed and released more than 170 films in multiple Indian languages, including Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada, Bengali, etc. Films from Reliance’s stable includes highly successful commercial films like Singham, Singham Returns, Bodyguard, Don 2, Attarintiki Daaredi (Telugu), to name a few, and also critically acclaimed National Award winning films like Paa, Abohoman (Bengali), Jaatishwar (Bengali), Shob Choritra Kalponik (Bengali), Kutty Shrank (Malayalam), Ijjodu (Kannada), etc.

Reliance Big Entertainment Pvt. Ltd. recently announced a joint venture with Phantom Films for its Film Production and Distribution business. The combination of Reliance and Phantom Films plans to develop and produce at least 5 to 6 films every year, apart from distribution of films in India and overseas, and syndication of rights from the Reliance Entertainment library.

Internationally, Reliance Entertainment has partnered for the past over 5 years with iconic film producer and director, Steven Spielberg, in a 50:50 joint venture, DreamWorks Studios, which has produced award winning and highly successful films, such as The Help, War Horse, Lincoln and The Hundred Foot Journey.

The company is also the exclusive Home Video licensee to prestigious studios including Universal Pictures Int. Ent., Paramount Home Ent. Global, DreamWorks Pictures, BBC Worldwide Ltd and other independent film studios.  With its robust pan India distribution network, the company has ensured reach for Bollywood and Hollywood products, not only in urban market but also mass markets. The Home video division has launched blockbusters such as Piku, PK, Singham Returns, Holiday, Kick, Lunchbox and 2 States besides International franchise films such as Transformers, Fast and Furious, Jurassic Park etc. on home video. The company is also the licensee to leading developer and publisher Codemasters for their gaming software for PC & Console. 

Through its New Media and Digital Distribution arm, the company provides Video on Demand content to ISPs, Telecom Companies, VAS aggregators, online retailers, platforms and devices. 

Akshay Kumar along with Singh is Bliing team visits BSF Jawans in Delhi!!

The team of Singh is Bliing was recently spotted in the capital city to promote their upcoming film.

Akshay Kumar, Prabhudheva, Lara Dutta and Amy Jackson also visited the BSF (Border Security Force) Jawans in Delhi and had a gala time with them. Akshay Kumar even played volleyball with the jawans. He also grooved to the music of the film along with Prabhudheva.

Well, looks like the jawans were thoroughly entertained by Team Singh is Bliing!

Produced by Ashvini Yardi and Co- produced by Akshay Jayantilal Gada, Kushal Kantilal Gada and Reshmaa Kadakia. Dhaval Jayantilal Gada (Pen) & Grazing Goat pictures LLP Presents, starring Akshay Kumar and Amy Jackson in lead roles, Singh is Bliing directed by Prabhudheva is all set to release on 2nd October!!

Indian Film & Television Directors’ Association to organize ‘Meet The Director’ Master Class Session

First master class with director Aanand L. Rai to be moderated by renowned film maker Sudhir Mishra

Indian Film and Television Directors’ Association (IFTDA) has undertaken an initiative to organize an engaging director’s master class session called ‘Meet The Director’. With aim to bringing together two maters- one who will share his expertise and another who will moderate the session, ‘Meet The Director’ is poised to be an enriching experience.

The very first master class session will be conducted with Anand L. Rai and moderated by renowned film maker Sudhir Mishra. It is scheduled to be held on Sunday, 4^th October at Carnival Cinemas, Goregaon.

Commenting on this IFTDA program, film maker and social activist, Ashoke Pandit said, “With the initiative of Meet The Director master class sessions, IFTDA has extended its activities beyond trade union affairs. We are extremely excited about building this creative property that brings together our talented force of directors to inspire aspiring film makers and create a valuable property for the IFTDA library.”

This program will be organized on a monthly basis from October onwards. ‘Meet The Director’ has been conceptualized by the existing committee members of IFTDA and will be organized with the support of it’s supremely talent director members.

Director Aanand L. Rai said, “I am looking forward to sharing my experiences through this interactive and engaging program designed by IFTDA. In fact, the master class initiative by IFTDA is one of its kinds to be organized by a director’s association and I am excited to be a part of it."

Director Sudhir Mishra added, “Over the years, IFTDA has worked conscientiously towards the welfare of its members. With the aim of bringing established and aspiring creative minds together under one roof, this master class is also a unique initiative and I am looking forward to moderating its very first session.”   

Every session will be held for duration of two hours and it will also comprise a Q&A session with the audience. These master classes can be attended by students, assistant directors, aspirants and general public for free of cost.

About IFTDA: Established in 1950, Indian Film and Television Directors’ Association (IFTDA) is the only legitimate organization that collectively represents film and television directors from India. It encapsulates within itself formidable talents of Indian cinema irrespective of region and language. IFTDA prides itself of having more than 10,000 active members.