Y-Films Makes A Li'l Film With A Big Heart

Y-Films, the team that loves pushing big boundaries, be it for the cause of gender equality (Man’s World), transgender equality (the Cannes’ Lion Grand Prix winner 6-Pack Band), feminism (Ladies Room), sex education (Sex Chat with Pappu and Papa), or, umm, weddings (Bang Baaja Baaraat), makes a li’l film that will pull your heartstrings. 

What happens when kids read all the atrocious sexist rubbish that adults (mostly men) land up saying... from Trump to Indian politicians? Y-Films decided to actually put that to test with a bunch of really bright kids, who teach us all a thing or two about why it’s important that we don’t judge, label or discriminate by gender. They beautifully drive home the point Y-Films has always been hammering - Don’t Grow Up! 

The short film also marks the directorial debut of Y-Films’ Nikhil Taneja and has been produced by Y-Films for India Today. The film was launched at the recent India Today Women’s Summit under the #BigShorts umbrella. It is part of a series of commissioned ‘big short’ videos with some of the best filmmakers of the country including Imtiaz Ali, Meghna Gulzar, Hansal Mehta, Rohan Sippy and Pradeep Sarkar last year besides Tigmanshu Dhulia, Ram Madhvani, Nandita Das and Sudhir Mishra this year. 

We’re totally chuffed to be keeping such great company. Hopefully people will enjoy this as much as we did making it!

A STAR-STUDDED AFFAIR AT DAY 2 OF IIFA UTSAVAM WEEKEND AND AWARDS 2017 -TELUGU & KANNADA CINEMA

The biggest celebration of South Indian cinema, Fortune Sunflower Oil IIFA Utsavam Co-Presented by Hero Maestro Edge Powered by Renault witnessed an outstanding event on the 2nd day as biggest superstars of the Telugu and Kannada Film Industries came together on 29th March 2017 at HICC in Hyderabad. With some of the year’s biggest films taking home the significant awards, the evening came alive as the most prolific names in the South Indian film industry revel in the success of Telugu and Kannada Cinema. 

South Indian cinema fans and enthusiasts from around the world saw their favorite film stars descend on Hyderabad during the weekend for the magnificent extravaganza envisioned to honor and showcase the best of South Indian cinema. 

IIFA Utsavam 2017 celebrations will air exclusively on Broadcast Partners, Sun Network, while the Title Sponsor is Fortune Sunflower Oil, Co-presenting Sponsor, Hero Maestro Edge, Powered by Renault. The Destination Partner is the Govt. of Telangana, Telangana Tourism, Telangana Police,and Happening Hyderabad. Brand Partner Big C, Park Hyatt Hyderabad is the Luxury Partner while HICC is the Venue Partner. Mirrors is the Hair and Makeup Partner, Gifting Partner for IIFA Utsavam 2017 are Tiraa and Spa Ceylon. The Cause Partner is Horlicks, Key Partner Neerus, Celebrations Partner is Kingfisher Premium, Virtual Vision is the Technical Partner, Digital Partner Ellanar Group. 

The charming duo, Rana Daggubati and Nani hosted the Telugu segment, while Akul Balaji and Meghana Gaonkar hosted the Kannada award celebrations. 

In the Telugu Film Awards, Janatha Garage took home the highest number of accolades with a total tally of six awards in Best Picture, Best Direction, Leading Role Male, Best Lyrics, Music Direction and Playback Singer Female categories. For the Kannada Film Awards, Kirik Party took home the highest number of accolades with a total tally of five awards including Best Picture, Leading Role Male, Best Lyrics, Music Direction and Best Playback Singer Male. 

Nandamuri Taraka Rama Rao won the award for Leading Role (Male) for his performance in Janatha Garage (Telugu) while Samantha Ruth Prabhu walked away with the award for Leading Role (Female) for A Aa (Telugu). 

Rakshit Shetty won the award for Leading Role (Male) for his performance in Kirik Party (Kannada) while Parul Yadav walked away with the award for Leading Role (Female) for Killing Veerappan (Kannada). 

Ravi Chandran names opened the evening with a fantastic routine. Superstar divas Raashi Khanna, Laxmi Raai, Rachita Ram and Ritika Singh held the audience spell-bound with a stunning performance. Akhil and Sai Dharam Tej lit the stage on fire with some incredible moves. 

K. Raghavendra Rao won the Outstanding Contribution award to the Indian Cinema in Telugu Segment while Dwarakish won the Outstanding Contribution award to the Indian Cinema in Kannada Segment 

Speaking on the occasion, Rana Daggubati said, “IIFA Utsavam is a unique endeavor that raises South Indian cinema to a global platform, allowing the immense talent of the South to be admired universally. I am excited to host the IIFA Utsavam 2017 in Hyderabad and share the stage with some of the most successful actors and technicians from our film industry. As we get set to honour their contributions to cinema, I invite you to join us to celebrate and applaud your favourite stars. I’m certain that IIFA Utsavam will surpass your expectations this year!”  -This is approved (Same quote as the Chennai PC)

Sai Dharam Tej commented “The first year of IIFA Utsavam was an exhilarating experience as it was the first time ever that the South Indian cinema was celebrated at such a grand and large scale. I’m phenomenally excited as my performance got a roaring response from the audience. The second edition of this celebration as this initiative taken by the International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) is something I highly commend.” 

Commenting on the occasion, Mr. Angshu Mallick, COO, Adani Wilmar Ltd. Said, “Adani Wilmar Ltd.is one of India’s fastest growing food company with a turnover of more than 3.50 billion USD. Fortune – India’s No 1 edible oil brand, is proud to associate and present IIFA, the International Indian Film Academy into South Indian cinema beginning from 2015. Proud to be called as IIFA Utsavam, we have chosen Fortune Sunflower Oil, one of our most prominent brands in the South Indian market which is also acclaimed to be “very very Light “   Oil in the Sunflower Oil category to bring forth this partnership. With our wide Range of product portfolio of Edible oils, Basmati Rice, Pulses, Soya chunks & Besan, we look forward to being the preferred brand of every South Indian consumer by reaching out with an array of celebrity engagements as a result of our partnership with Utsavam. With the legacy of IIFA in the Indian entertainment space, we proudly look forward to the best entertainment extravaganza the South of India is going to witness." 

Mr. Ashok Bhasin Head of Sales, Marketing & Consumer Care, Hero MotoCorp Ltd, said "Brand Hero has always connected very well with the youth through multiple platforms including - sports, music and movies. Our leading Portfolio of Brands has a very large and growing consumer base in South India. We are now very proud that Hero MotoCorp is associated with IIFA Utsavam 2017 through our stylish new scooter Maestro Edge as the Co-Presenter. The Bold New Maestro Edge is fast emerging as the style icon - with its new aesthetics; value-added features and great on-road performance. The IIFA Utsavam 2017 Awards recognize performance & style, and naturally provide the perfect stage for the New Maestro Edge to showcase its style quotient." 

Sumit Sawhney, Country CEO and Managing Director, Renault India Operations said, “Renault is one of the youngest and fastest growing brands in the Indian automotive industry, driven by our brand ideology, ‘Passion for life’ which is clearly reflected in our offerings and the platforms we partner with. Our association with the prestigious IIFA Utsavam, which honours the talent, excellence and dynamism of South Indian cinema, is in sync with Renault’s passion for celebrating life with elements of culture, entertainment, films, music, creativity and above all people.” 

P Kiran, Gemini TV, Broadcast Partners, Sun Network said “It's a great honour to be a part of the second edition of IIFA Utsavam 2017. It was a privilege of getting associated with the biggest celebration of South.” 

Prashant Pandey, Area Marketing Lead Nutrition, Consumer Healthcare Indian Subcontinent, Horlicks said, “We at GSK are committed to helping people do more, feel better and live longer. Dietary micronutrient deficiency is commonly found in India across diverse socio economic background and we have been taking several initiatives to drive awareness in this area. We are delighted to partner IIFA to further help drive awareness about this in India and specifically connect with mothers who are the gatekeepers of nutrition in every family.” 

IIFA Utsavam Director, Andre Timmins said, “We are pleased to host the second edition of IIFA Utsavam Weekend And Awards in Hyderabad after the phenomenal success last year. IIFA Utsavam aims at celebrating the excellence and diversity of the South Indian cinema and it’s an honor to felicitate commendable individuals for their talent and hard work. IIFA from the beginning has promoted Indian cinema across the world to a global platform and with IIFA Utsavam we are looking forward to bring together four massive film industries of South India on one platform as a single entity. We are happy to receive enormous support from the Govt. of Telangana who are the first to recognize this initiative and assist us in the smooth functioning of the event.”

The Fortune Sunflower Oil IIFA UTSAVAM 2017 night had extravagant sets coupled with lasers, special effects, lighting and acoustics to create a magnificent audio and visual impact. The ambience and the excitement through the evening truly took the audience on a fabulous ride, one that they’d never want to end.

Sonakshi is NOTEworthy, says astrologer

Sonakshi Sinha had once been told by an astrologer that books are lucky for her. She isn’t much of a reader or even superstitious but, the statement amused her.

Sonakshi was not sure if the astrologer meant religious books or was recommending her to buy some book, so she let it pass without giving it much thought but the statement stuck with her.

Now, looking back on what the astrologer said has piqued her curiosity since Lootera and Noor are both book adaptations.

Her character Pakhi in Lootera got her a lot of love and appreciation from the audiences. It is a film that is really close to her heart and Pakhi is a role she is yet fondly remembered for.

With Noor's trailer and songs receiving positive reactions, Sonakshi has been really excited for the film. It baffles Sonakshi that what the Astrologer had said is actually true or is the thought just playing on her mind. She shares "I don't believe in these things but, it is a happy coincidence. Noor and Lootera both are films very close to my heart."

Let’s hope what the astrologer had said is true because we too, are really excited about Noor.

'Haseena’ Shooting Wrapped Up By Shraddha Kapoor And Siddhanth Kapoor

Siblings Shraddha Kapoor and Siddhanth Kapoor will be seen playing reel siblings Haseena Parkar and Dawood Ibrahim respectively in Apoorva Lakhia’s upcoming gangland drama ‘Haseena’ and we have recently learned that the Kapoor siblings have wrapped up the shooting of the film.Parkar, who had 88 cases registered against her, but was taken to court only once in her life, was rumoured to have single-handedly run her brother's Rs.1000-crore underworld empire in the city. The film, which was completed in 45 days, will see Shraddha portraying Haseena’s life from being a 17-year-old teenager to being the 43-year-old Queen of Mumbai. Director Apoorva Lakhia said, “As it was impossible to shoot on real locations, our job became more difficult as we had to recreate the exact sets as per the photos we had over 4 decades. Shraddha and Siddhanth were amazing together and their scenes have turned out to be fantastic. They were both committed to their roles and never complained even when Shraddha had to sit for hours in make-up.” 

Directed by Apoorva Lakhia, the film is being presented by Swiss Entertainment and has been produced by Nahid Khan. Haseena is slated to release on July 14.

Check out the first look of Ekta Kapoor’s ALTBalaji

After conquering television and making a strong mark in films, Balaji Telefilms Limited has forayed into the digital entertainment space with ALTBalaji that aims to reach out directly to Indian audiences by providing them with original, exclusive and premium content that they can access at their fingertips. 

The shows that will be available on the app soon include the much-awaited Karrle Tu Bhi Mohabbat featuring Ram Kapoor and Sakshi Tanwar, Nimrat Kaur-Juhi Chawla starrer The Test Case, Once Upon A Night, DEV DD, Romil and Jugal, Boygiri and

regional show Maya Thirai (Tamil) among several others.

Manav Sethi, CMO, ALTBalaji says, “ALTBalaji’s vision is to acquire leadership position in digital entertainment space in India and globally. We are launching ALTBalaji platform formally in April 2017 with original shows at the time of launch in Hindi and other Indian languages. This hasn’t been done before by any other OTT platform thus far. This content is created & curated by Ekta Kapoor diligently for Indian masses. It’s no secret that we Indians have humongous appetite for non-English entertainment content and mobile as a personal device has acquired that platform advantage to view content, location and time that is personal to every 200Mn smartphone owner. This huge potential is what motivates us and we would strive to create such mass appeal shows. Our brand are our shows and we would do everything to learn and invest in creating best consumer experiences.” 

The shows will be streaming on the 

ALTBalaji app from the 16th of April, 2017.​