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.

Gulshan Devaiah took on his most physically challenging role immediately after his knee surgery

Actor Gulshan Devaiah after giving an impeccable performance as JJ in his latest release Smoke an Eros Now Original is all geared up with his next Vasan Bala's Mard Ko Dard Nahi Hota which has already won several praises globally across festivals. Gulshan admits it was his most challenging role till date that strained him physically and mentally to play the role of a martial arts expert. The film Mard Ko Dard Nahi Hota was offered to Gulshan immediately after his knee surgery for which he had taken an involuntary break owing to the doctor's recommendations. Gulshan went through reconstructive knee surgery of his right leg. He was at a stage when he was going through immense pain and on road to recovery post the surgery. He wasn't taking up any work and was advised complete rest up to one year. But destiny has something else decided for the talented actor Gulshan. Ankur Khanna, the producer from RSVP offered MKDNH to be directed by Vasant Bala which was an offer that Gulshan couldn't deny.

Gulshan has collaborated with Vasan before too in the critically acclaimed film, Peddlers. It was a difficult decision for Gulshan to make, it involved huge risk since he was supposed to do his own high octane martial art stunts. As an actor for Gulshan, it was worth taking the risk for agreeing on the film. The immense trust from the producer and the director on him and working again with Vasan was enough to bring back the zing in him to play the part in Mard Ko Dard Nahi Hota soon after his knee injury.

Discovery Channel to premiere epic Docu-Drama ‘First Man'

Who are we? Where did we come from? What makes us human? The two hour special First Man, premiering on Discovery Channel on January 15 at 9:00 pm, takes viewers on a journey back 25 million years to explore the ancestral roots of man at the time of the great apes. Featuring stunning cinematography and incredibly realistic and accurate portrayals, First Man follows the story of one primate tribe with exceptional skills, highlighting the social, cultural and biological constructs that shaped their evolution into modern man.

First Man takes us back 25 million years, bringing the stages of evolution to life through the story of a tribe of great apes. Which of our ancestors took that first step toward becoming the First Man?

Drawing on some of the most recent, spectacular scientific discoveries, First Man provides a new perspective on humanity's common history. Among the startling new revelations: most of the great apes began walking on two legs in the trees, much earlier than previous theories had indicated; laughter is a primal characteristic, with the great apes guffawing long before modern man; and that familial and social structure were important, with evidence indicating the great apes valued relationships and were the first politicians of sorts.

The captivating film is directed by Frédéric Fougea and Jérome Guiot, with scientific direction from Pascal Picq, the renowned paleoanthropologist at France's elite Collége de France. It features strikingly realistic characters brought to life through prosthetics and makeup based on authentic fossilized skulls and teeth and performed by the special effects makeup team who worked on 2015's The Revenant, starring Leonardo DiCaprio.

“We are very excited to offer our viewers this fascinating docu drama which reveals that there’s much more to human being’s collective history than we ever thought,” said, Zulfia Waris, V.P Premium & Digital networks, Discovery Communications India.

First Man is produced by France's Nilaya Productions, led by Patricia Boutinard Rouelle. The 90-minute film is a follow-up to the Odyssey of the Species, Homo Sapiens and Rise of Man trilogy, which Rouelle conceived for French public television and went on to attract top audience ratings in 40 countries.

"In the decade since our first groundbreaking look at the origins of man, both the scientific knowledge and technology we have to depict this story have progressed so much. It's thrilling to present this new look at our ancestors in such realistic detail," Rouelle said. "This is the story of us, and for the first time, thanks to these incredible advances, we can truly see glimpses of ourselves in these early primates." 

About Discovery Communications India 

Discovery Communications India, the country’s leading infotainment player, is dedicated to satisfying curiosity, engaging and entertaining viewers with high-quality content through its portfolio of 12 channels including Discovery Channel, TLC, Animal Planet, Discovery HD World, Discovery Science, Discovery Turbo, Discovery Kids, Discovery JEET, Animal Planet HD World, TLC HD World, Discovery Tamil and a premium sports channel DSPORT. From survival to natural history, wonders of science to extreme jobs, motoring to travel and lifestyle, and the latest engineering marvels to live sporting events, each channel offers distinct must-watch programming to engage viewers across the country. 

Discovery Communications India is a division of Discovery Networks Asia Pacific (DNAP). For more information, please visit www.discoverycommunications.com

ARMY DAY SPECIAL - EPIC CHANNEL ANNOUNCES EXCLUSIVE PROGRAMMING LINE-UP TO HONOUR OUR SOLDIERS

For Army Day, celebrated on the 15th of January, EPIC Channel, India Ka Apna Infotainment has just announced an engaging programming line-up. The day shall feature exclusive series that includes documentaries that celebrate the Indian army, its history and traditions, and recounts the brave who earned everlasting glory through supreme sacrifice.

The day-long special airs 1 pm onwards and features episodes from the popular show ‘Regiment Diaries’; that documents the story of the various regiments that constitute the India Army. The one hour episodes included in the line-up are Punjab Regiment, Madras Engineers Group, Rajput Regiment and the Jat Regiment.

Also featuring in the programming mix are two riveting documentaries narrated by, and featuring Kargil war veteran Major General G.D Bakshi. ‘Fall of Dhaka’ based on the Bangladesh  Liberation War of 1971, and ‘Turning Point At Tololing’ that walks viewers through the capture of the Tololing Peak during the 1999 Kargil War; are the two specials that will be featured in the curated line-up.

Content and Programming Head, EPIC Channel, Akul Tripathi said “Reality is a scriptwriter beyond compare; and the stories about the Indian army and the triumphant feats of our soldiers in times of peace and war, are more compelling than anything that could be scripted. This is our small tribute to our men in uniform.”

Tune in to EPIC Channel on 15th January from 1 pm onwards to watch stories of the legends of Indian Army.

Aaya Re Thackeray heralds the arrival of the Sena Supremo – superflick music

Orange was the colour of the day when Taj Lands End, Mumbai, was transformed into Thackeray Land with the Shiv Sena Supremo Balasaheb Thackeray, looking down at us with grace, infusing courage and raw energy. Cheerful faces in orange fetas, pretty women in nine-yard sarees, the sound of tutaris and the vibrance of Nashik dhol resonated the hall as the thunderous applause of the audience, surprised by the flash mob, followed.

'Aaya Re Thackeray', the song that heralds the arrival of the Roaring Tiger Thackeray took the stage and the nation by storm. The contagious energy of the Shiv Sena Supremo who transformed the common man into superman took over. The Marathi version Apale Saheb Thackeray was equally powerful. The next song, Saheb Tu took the audience on a journey into the times of Balasaheb.

Said MP – Rajya Sabha, eminent journalist and filmmaker, Sanjay Raut, "When both Uddhav Thackeray and Aaditya Thackeray heard Saheb Tu, they were both very emotional as much as they enjoyed the song. At one point, they just were totally into the song, such was the depth that all else we felt was nothingness. They saw Balasaheb in his true spirit standing in front of them... Uddhav Saheb kept getting emotional as the song moved forward. And the first thing that he said after the song was over is these lyrics are so powerful.”

Shiv Sena Chief Uddhav Thackeray laughed at how Sanjay Raut had sneaked him a mobile recorded version of the song in its initial stages. Uddhav Thackeray stated how the song floored him completely! "Anyone who listens to Aaya re Thackeray will not be able to resist grooving to the tune. At the same time, the lyrics are very intense and meaningful. It moved me. I felt the presence of Balasaheb." The audience couldn’t agree more!

Ajit Andhare, COO – Viacom18 Studios declared that the film will release with the highest number of screens in the history of Marathi cinema. "There are many reasons for us to be associated with Thackeray -- the character and the subject is amazing, our unified vision with Sanjay Raut and most importantly, it is our milestone film, being our 75th Hindi film and 10th Marathi film. We are called the biopic factory, but  this is something completely different. Thackeray doesn't make you nervous; it scares you as you want to do cinematic justice to his persona. At the same time, the excitement element overrides all else."

Dr.Shrikant Bhasi, Chairman & Founder, Carnival Group, added the film has received an amazing reception worldwide, including the Middle East. Enthused he, "We have screens in Bahrain, Qatar, Saudi Arabia-- in fact more than 200 screens. That is bigger than the biggest blockbusters of 2018. We will also have over 500-600 screens all over Asia including Singapore and Malaysia except China."

Actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui expressed that he was astounded by the picturization of the song Aaya Re Thackeray that captured the essence of Balasaheb, while Amrita Rao shared the incident where on the first day of shoot, she encountered Nawazuddin Siddiqui on the sets and he did not recognize. “Nawaz was standing right next to me. But he did not recognize me as I was Meenatai at 60!”

Aaditya Thackeray echoed the sentiments of everyone in the hall as he expressed, “Thackeray is the biggest film of 2019.” Touche!

Thackeray, presented by Sanjay Raut, produced by Raut’ers Entertainment LLP, Viacom18 Motion Pictures and Carnival Motion Pictures and is directed by Abhijit Panse. The music is by young composer-duo Rohan-Rohan with lyrics by Padma Shri Sunil Jogi  (Aaya Re Thackeray), Manoj Yadav (Saheb Tu) and Mandar Cholkar (Apale Saheb Thackeray) with music production by Aditya Paudwal, set to voice by Nakash Aziz (Aaya Re Thackeray), Sukhwinder Singh (Saheb Tu) and Avadhoot Gupte (Apale Saheb Thackeray). The special song Aaya Re Thackeray has been choreographed by Ahmed Khan.