Love Sonia gets rave reviews at the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne

Love Sonia continues its winning streak with an opening night at Indian Film Festival of Melbourne last night.

After the success of its premiere in UK, the Melbourne screening received standing ovation as well. Director Tabrez Noorani was present with his leading ladies Mrunal Thakur, Richa Chadha  and Freida Pinto and was lauded for making a ‘heart wrenching, hard hitting and disturbingly moving’ film as mentioned by most audience members present for the screening.

The film which is a hard-hitting story of a 17 year old girl who risks her life to rescue her sister from the sex trade is shot in India, Hong Kong and Los Angeles.

The film has a strong ensemble cast including Freida Pinto, Manoj Bajpayee, Rajkummar Rao, Richa Chadha, Anupam Kher, Adil Hussain, Sai Tamhankar, Sunny Parwar, Demi Moore, Mark Duplass, Noorani is introducing Mrunal Thakur as the lead character, as well as Riya Sisodiya.

Director Tabrez Noorani says, "It’s exciting and such a privilege to bring Love Sonia to the Indian Film Festival Of Melbourne. We hope the movie resonates with audiences here as it has in London and I look forward to being able to interact with the audience here on the opening night."

Producer David Womark shares, "Both Tabrez and I are proud to have Love Sonia opening the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne. Ang Lee has said that when there is a strong woman character in a story--it always grabs him. We are very fortunate in Love Sonia to tell the powerful story of a strong woman’s journey.”

Co-Producer Amar Butala said, "After a standing ovation in London, I am extremely happy that Love Sonia has opened another prestigious festival and has again been loved by the audience. We are now gearing up after London and Melbourne to bring the film back home, to India.”

After watching Love Sonia at IFFM 2018 last night filmmaker Rajkumar Hirani expressed, “The most disturbing film I have ever seen in life and I am saying it in a good way. It requires tremendous courage and empathy to do this, Big salute to the entire team of Love Sonia.”

After watching Love Sonia Actor Vicky Kaushal shared, “Stunned and shocked and so moved after watching Love Sonia. Its one of those rare movie experiences where you don’t wish to break the illusion that it was a film you were watching after you are done with it. Every moment, every performance is as real as it can get. Kudos to Tabrez for his brilliant research and direction and to each and every actor in the film.

Love Sonia is scheduled to release in India in September.

Rani Mukerji, Rajkumar Hirani, Freida Pinto, Richa Chadha, Ali Fazal, Vicky Kaushal kick off the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne

The Indian Film Festival of Melbourne has officially begun, and the first event of the festival is the opening press conference that took place this morning at Melbourne’s central business district. IFFM, the award winning largest film festival in the southern hemisphere kicked off the festivities by bringing all the actors and the Minister of arts and culture, Martin Foley to announce the start of the festival.

Mitu Bhowmick Lange, director of the festival introduced all the actors present at the press conference. They were Rani Mukerji, Freida Pinto, Richa Chadha, Ali Fazal, Rajkumar Hirani, Vicky Kaushal, Abhijaat Joshi, Mrunal Thakur and comedian Saadiya Ali.

Rani Mukerji spoke about being the guest of honour and what coming to the festival means to her, “I’m really happy to be here representing my country, my film and my fraternity. A big Thank you to the Victorian government for supporting the Indian film fraternity The Indian film fraternity is so diverse, So many languages and cultures so it’s great to see films from various cultures under one roof. I thank Mitu inviting me. And  this trip is special because I’m coming here with my daughter. It’s the first time she’s seeing Melbourne”

Freida Pinto who has done magnificent work internationally not just in Film and music but also with her humanitarian efforts added on about the premiere of her next Love Sonia and said, “Love Sonia gives you a glimpse into the world of oval sex trafficking But it still doesn’t show the entire world of it. Also we didn’t want to make a gratuitous film. At the end of the day we want people to to understand the sense of what really happens in this part of the world and how much of it is kept away from us. So as an artist when you get an Opportunity to be part of such a film That can raise a global conversation, it’s fun to adapt to the character but it’s also but More than that you’re raising a very important topic which will leave the audiences with something to ponder on”.

Speaking about his attendance and his film Sanju being a part of the festival, director Rajkumar Hirani said, “Mitu is an inspiration for many. She’s always been kind to have me here and I’m looking to IFFM. Australia is a great country and with Melbourne being such an amazing city, I’m looking forward to meeting people here”.

The Indian Film Festival of Melbourne will go on from the 10th of August to the 22nd August in Melbourne, Australia. The festival will screen over 60 films from all across India and the subcontinent in over 22 languages. Film lovers will get to interact with their favourite actors, directors and writers at the festival in event like Panel Discussions and Q&As post the screening.

The festival has become an integral part of Melbourne’s cultural calendar promoting Indian cinema and allowing Australians to take in all that the film industry has to offer.

Jawaharlal Nehru's Tryst with Destiny speech

71 years after India gained independence, the ideas put forth by some of the most enterprising leaders remain both relevant, and important for understanding the story of independent India. EPIC Channel presents “Bharat Ki Awaaz” series that showcase India’s most iconic and independent voices that literally moved a nation.

[Speech delivered in the Constituent Assembly, New Delhi, August 14, 1947, on the eve of the attainment of Independence]

"Long years ago, we made a tryst with destiny, and now the time comes when we shall redeem our pledge, not wholly or in full measure, but very substantially. At the stroke of the midnight hour, when the world sleeps, India will awake to life and freedom. A moment comes, which comes but rarely in history, when we step out from the old to the new, when an age ends, and when the soul of a nation, long suppressed, finds utterance.

It is fitting that at this solemn moment, we take the pledge of dedication to the service of India and her people and to the still larger cause of humanity. At the dawn of history, India started on her unending quest, and trackless centuries are filled with her striving and the grandeur of her success and her failures. Through good and ill fortune alike, she has never lost sight of that quest or forgotten the ideals which gave her strength. We end today a period of ill fortune, and India discovers herself again. The achievement we celebrate today is but a step, an opening of opportunity, to the greater triumphs and achievements that await us. Are we brave enough and wise enough to grasp this opportunity and accept the challenge of the future?

Freedom and power bring responsibility. The responsibility rests upon this Assembly, a sovereign body representing the sovereign people of India. Before the birth of freedom, we have endured all the pains of labour, and our hearts are heavy with the memory of this sorrow. Some of those pains continue even now. Nevertheless, the past is over, and it is the future that beckons to us now.

That future is not one of ease or resting but of incessant striving so that we may fulfil the pledges we have so often taken and the one we shall take today. The service of India means the service of the millions who suffer. It means the ending of poverty and ignorance and disease and inequality of opportunity. The ambition of the greatest man of our generation has been to wipe every tear from every eye. That may be beyond us, but as long as there are tears and suffering, so long our work will not be over.

And so, we have to labour and to work, and work hard, to give reality to our dreams. Those dreams are for India, but they are also for the world, for all the nations and peoples are too closely knit together today for any one of them to imagine that it can live apart. Peace has been said to be indivisible; so is freedom, so is prosperity now, and so also is disaster in this one world that can no longer be split into isolated fragments.

To the people of India, whose representatives we are, we make an appeal to join us with faith and confidence in this great adventure. This is no time for petty and destructive criticism, no time for ill-will or blaming others. We have to build the noble mansion of free India where all her children may dwell."

The speech was delivered to the Constituent Assembly of India in New Delhi on August 14th 1947 and EPIC will run the speech along with important unknown facts 71 years later on EPIC Channel on 15th August at 10 pm.

Sonu Sood’s tryst with Marathi for Simmba

Sonu Sood, who is eagerly anticipating the release of his forthcoming war drama, J P Dutta’s PALTAN, will be seen playing an antagonist in Rohit Shetty’s Simmba alongside Ranveer Singh.

The big-ticket flick will not just witness Sonu perform heavy-duty action scenes, but the fitness enthusiast will also recite Marathi dialogues in the movie for the first time!

In order to speak Marathi fluently for his role, Sonu will learn the language and work on his accent. Accordingly, he has got the best Marathi tutor to help him learn the diction and nuances.

A source says, “Sonu, who has proved his mettle as an actor not just in Bollywood but also South industry including Tamil, Telugu and Kannada language films, is fond of learning new languages and so he specially hired a tutor to help him master and gain command over the language.”

“Sonu will be working closely with the Marathi tutor on the set and also interact with the Maharashtrian crew in Marathi. Not to forget that Sonu rejected an offer to star in a Marathi film sometime back since he was not well-versed with the language,” the source adds.

Sonu informs, “It’s a role I’m quite excited to portray. Since my character has to mouth couple of dialogues in Marathi, I need to get the right accent and body language to make it appear relatable and interesting. I had learnt Tamil and Telugu before working in films from the respective film industries. Similarly, I'm looking forward to learn Marathi for Simmba.” 

Upcoming biopics on controversial public figures

The latest trend in Bollywood is the race of making a successful biopic. In the last few years, Bollywood has seen many biopics being made and a dozen filmmakers are in the process of making many more of them. A biopic is normally made on the life of an influential person who has impacted society with their work. As per the trade analysts, biopics if told honestly onscreen are bound to be well received by audiences. While most filmmakers who have played it safe with biopics have made a lot of money at the box office, there have been several biopics that have been made on politicians, criminals, sports personalities, influencers, businessmen and even on Bollywood stars. Some of these biopics have done well even when the protagonist was an anti-hero or had a few controversies attached to them even though they were public figures. Lets us look into some of the biopics that have been made or are being made on controversial public figures who even after having dark truths attached to them make for an interesting tale to witness.

Shakeela 

Fukrey’s Bholi Punjaban, Richa Chadha has some interesting projects lined up this year. Other than Amazon Prime’s original series Inside Edge season 2, Richa will be also be seen in Anubhav Sinha’s Abhi Toh Party Shuru Hui. She has also recently started shooting for Indrajit Lankesh’s Shakeela Khan, a biopic on the immensely popular Malayalam adult film superstar. Shakeela was considered as one of the most controversial figures in the south film industry. She started off her film career at an early age and went on to becoming stiff competition for many popular Malayalam superstars, because nobody could compete with her. The film is controversial not just because of her foray into adult films but her choices in life, the difficulties she had to face, the producers and actors who have either belittled her or misused her and how she triumphed through it all. Richa is currently shooting for the film in the remote village of Karnataka and the film is slated to release mid-2019.

Manto 

Actor and director Nandita Das’ upcoming biopic on the life and works of Urdu’s most celebrated poet and writer Saadat Hasan Manto is one the most awaited films of the year. The title character Manto enacted by versatile actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui and his wife Safiya Manto enacted by Rasika Dugal is one of the biggest reasons audiences have been keenly awaiting the release of the film. Manto’s life and writing have always been into controversy. His writings were so controversial that he was forced to leave the country. His stories were deemed obscene by the courts and he spent his last years fighting legal battles to defend his right to write.

Sasikala

One of the most controversial and immensely talented filmmakers Ram Gopal Verma aka RGV after delivering the third instalment of Sarkar movie series, last year announced a biopic on late Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa's close confidant VK Sasikala. Convicted former AIADMK leader VK Sasikala, who is currently lodged in Bengaluru’s Parappanna Agrahara Jail, has many controversies attached to her attracting filmmakers to helm a biopic on her. Sasikala is convicted by Karnataka High Court in the Disproportionate Assets Case. RGV is yet to announce the cast of the film but if he chooses to plan the film it would make an interesting plot to see on celluloid.

The Accidental Prime Minister

One of the most awaited films of the year is The Accidental Prime Minister an upcoming Indian biographical political drama film directed by Vijay Ratnakar Gutte and written by Mayank Tewari. Anupam Kher will be seen playing as the former prime minister of India Manmohan Singh, the economist and politician who served as the Prime Minister of India from 2004 to 2014 under the United Progressive Alliance. The film is based on the 2014 memoir of the same name by Sanjaya Baru. The film is slated to release on 21 December 2018. The film already attracted multiple controversies around it due its bold content as mentioned in the book. The book says Manmohan Singh during his tenure turned a blind eye to corruption by his colleagues in Congress. He was often blamed by press that Sonia Gandhi was the power in the centre and took all the major decision undermining the authority of Prime Minister. Manmohan had no control over his Cabinet colleagues in his second terms. This biopic would make an interesting plot to see the real life political drama on one of the most controversial figures of current time. The rest of the cast includes Akshaye Khanna, Suzanne Bernert, and Aahana Kumra amongst others.

Osho 

The man who needs no introduction, Osho, was a guru and cult leader. A commune that began as forward thinking and progressive ended up being a shocking dictatorship with a private army, cases of poisoning, silencing rebels etc. His followers were world over and flocked to his Pune ashram and then to Oregon too. While there is a Netflix series on the guru, news has been doing the rounds that Aamir Khan, our favourite perfectionist might be doing the role of Osho in an upcoming biopic on the guru. We are yet to hear an official announcement but if there ever was a life filled with controversies that needed to be made into a film, it has to be Osho’s and who better than Aamir to play it.