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The restored version of Indian filmmaker Shyam Benegal’s 1976 masterpiece “Manthan” (“The Churning”) is screening at the Cannes Film Festival’s Cannes Classics strand.

Shot by DoP Govind Nihalani in rural Gujarat, western India, the film is produced by 500,000 farmers who contributed towards its making, under the banner Gujarat Milk Co-Op Marketing Federation Ltd. The film is a fictionalized version of the beginnings of the dairy cooperative movement that transformed India from a milk-deficient nation to the world’s largest milk producer, inspired by Dr. Verghese Kurien. It also examines issues like caste, class, gender and economic discrimination. The cast includes Girish Karnad, Smita Patil, Anant Nag, Mohan Agashe and Naseeruddin Shah.

“The first thing we did was speak to the Gujarat Milk Co-Op Marketing Federation, and we had to make them understand that the film needs to be on 4K, we need to project it back on screen and...

Yami Gautam’s Article 370 & Vidyut Jammwal’s Crakk Ott Release Dates Out ( Photo Credit – IMDb )

Yami Gautam’s Article 370 and Vidyut Jammwal’s Crakk arrived in the theaters on the same date. While people had high hopes for Vidyut’s action film, it was Yami who survived the clash. In fact, the political drama cemented its position quite literally at the box office.

On the other hand, Jammwal’s Crakk had a disastrous run at the box office. Now, after their theatrical verdicts, the two films are all set to rule the digital world, and hopefully, Vidyut’s film will redeem its status since he is loved on Ott.

This week, the theaters are beaming with light choices such as Vidya Balan’s Do Aur Do Pyaar and Dibakar Banerjee’s Love Sex Aur Dhokha 2. Even children might enjoy the animation film Appu. But if you want to enjoy your weekends perfectly at home,...

Ajay Devgn’s Top 10 Movies Ranked. (Photo Credit – IMDb)

Ajay Devgn is yet again hitting the right chords with his latest release, Shaitaan, at the box office. The supernatural thriller also stars R Madhavan and Jyothika in the lead and presents Ajay as a helpless father struggling for his daughter’s safety and well-being.

The film has reached a great number and has been on the list of top 5 openings by the Tanhaji actor. Not only the numbers but even the performances are being hailed by the audiences.

This made us think about offering you a beautifully curated list of the best films of Ajay Devgn ranked by the audiences on IMDb. Surprisingly, while these films do not include his box office blockbusters like Singham in the top 10 categories, they definitely offer some of his finest work.

Trending HanuMan On Ott: While Fans Are Searching For Teja Sajja’s...

‘Lokshahi’, a compelling film with a powerful narrative & a gripping depiction of the political landscape & family dynamics is all set to release in theatres. It stars well-known actors like Mohan Agashe, Sameer Dharmadhikari, Girish Oak, Tejashri V Pradhan, Bhargavi Chirmule, Amit Riyaan, Ankit Mohan & others. The film is directed by ace filmmaker Sanjay Amar.

The film has 4 melodious songs sung by well-known singers, Rajalakshmee Sanjay & Jaydeep Bagvadkar. The music is composed by Sanjay- Raji.

The recently released poster, music & trailer of the film has resonated well with the audience & has built a significant excitement around the film. The engrossing trailer & the soul-stirring songs of the film have won the hearts of the fans and are getting immense response.

The trailer unveils the characters’ aspirations in the power struggle, vying for the throne at every level. While the film keeps the audience guessing about which person will take the throne, the...

Mumbai, Aug 18 (Ians) Filmmaker and veteran actor Anupam Kher, who will be soon seen in the upcoming Kangana Ranaut directorial ‘Emergency’, took to his social media on Friday to share a short video clip wishing his dear friend, legendary Hollywood star Robert De Niro on his birthday.

The clip features several pictures of Anupam Kher with De Niro from their meet-ups. Robert is considered as one of the greatest actors of Hollywood, and is best known for his versatile performance in ‘The Godfather Part II’, ‘Taxi Driver’, ‘Raging Bull’, ‘The Irishman’ and several others.

Taking to his X (erstwhile Twitter), the Indian actor shared the clip as he also penned a note: “Happy birthday to my dearest friend and world’s #BestActor Mr. #RobertDeNiro. May you have a long and healthy life and keep inspiring actors all over the continents! Your friendship means a lot to me. May God bless you always.

Veteran actor Anupam Kher, who is known for countless films like ‘Tezaab’, ‘Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge’, ‘Rang De Basanti’, and several others, recently reunited with his friend and ‘Rang De Basanti’ co-actor Mohan Agashe as he met the latter at his office.

Anupam shared a video of their interaction and casual meet on his Twitter. He wrote in the caption: “My friend Dr. #MohanAgashe is a thespian in the real sense of the word. It will be my honour to be the chief guest at the event where he will be bestowed upon with one of the highest awards in arts and entertainment #PunyaBhushan in Pune! His knowledge and humility is infectious and highly inspirational. Looking forward to the ceremony tomorrow! Jai Ho.”

The video starts off with Anupam saying: “So I’m with one of my inspirations and one of my very good friends. We don’t meet very often.

Veteran actor Mohan Agashe, who is known to the mainstream audience for playing the Defence Minister in the Aamir Khan-starrer ‘Rang De Basanti’, is also a psychiatrist by profession. The senior actor shared that both his professions of psychiatry and acting come together to give him a balanced view towards life.

The actor recently spoke about his upcoming streaming series ‘Do Gubbare’ where he also spoke about the cross-wiring between his two professions.

The veteran actor, who has countless titles in films, television and theatre under his belt, said: “When I started acting, I thought my professions as a psychiatrist and as an actor were two parallel roads which would never meet. Earlier, I treated psychiatry as my profession for survival and acting as a reason for me to live. But, as the years went by I understood that these two professions are cross-wired. I realised that both these professions...

Veteran actor Mohan Agashe, who is known for playing the Defence Minister in ‘Rang De Basanti’, is set to be seen in the upcoming streaming series ‘Do Gubbare’. The actor shared that the series celebrates connections that happen unexpectedly.

The series marks the Hindi debut of director Varun Narvekar, who is known for the Marathi film ‘Muramba’, and follows the story of Rohit, a young man who relocates from Indore to Pune and becomes a paying guest at Ajoba’s (Mohan Agashe) house. Ajoba, a grandfatherly figure who has traversed a similar path, offers guidance and support to Rohit, making his transition into adulthood a smoother journey.

Ajoba, who grapples with loneliness after his wife’s demise, finds solace and companionship in Rohit’s presence. As they navigate their new lives together, they fill the voids in each other’s lives and also bring humour to their everyday encounters until...

Malayalam actor Fahadh Faasil, who is awaiting the release of his comedy drama film ‘Pachuvum Athbutha Vilakkum’, has shared that the film presents an emotional journey peppered with comedy and drama.

Written and directed by Akhil Sathyan, the film stars Fahadh Faasil as the protagonist – Prashanth Rajan aka Pachu, with Anjana Jayaprakash, Mohan Agashe, and Indrans in pivotal roles. It narrates the story of a Mumbai-based middle-class Malayali businessman – Pachu, who travels to Kerala for an errand.

Talking about the film, Fahadh Faasil said, “My character, Pachu, is an ordinary man, who lives an ordinary life but suddenly finds himself on this extraordinary journey, which changes his perspective of life and everything in it. ‘Pachuvum Athbutha Vilakkum’ is a beautiful story of an emotional journey, sprinkled with comedy, and drama, making it a light and engaging watch for audiences of all ages.”

During Pachu’s visit, a series of unexpected...

We have an incredible sneak peek into Jio Studios exciting content slate of films and series that feature stars like Shah Rukh Khan, Shahid Kapoor, Kriti Sanon, Amitabh Bachchan and so many more! The studio has over 100+ stories across genres of films and original web series in multiple languages including Hindi, Marathi, Bengali, Gujarati, South and Bhojpuri. Collaboration with some of the best creative minds in the country including Raj Kumar Hirani, Sooraj Barjatya, Dinesh Vijan, Ali Abbas Zafar, Aditya Dhar, Prakash Jha, Amar Kaushik, Laxman Utekar to name a few. Featuring stories with some big superstars as well as new talent, be it actors or filmmakers. this slate will capture every emotion and genre of storytelling- Action, Drama, Thriller, Comedy, Romance, Biopics, Horror, and Musicals to name a few. That is just touching the surface of what’s to come.

Here’s an incredible sneak peek!

Ms. Jyoti Deshpande,...

In a star-studded event held at the prestigious Jio World Convention Centre in Mumbai, Jio Studios, the media and content arm of Reliance Industries Limited, for the first time unveiled its spectacular content slate, the single largest slate ever produced by an Indian studio in any given year. The studio has lined up ready to release over 100+ stories across genres of films and original web series in multiple languages including Hindi, Marathi, Bengali, Gujarati, South and Bhojpuri, capturing every emotion and genre of storytelling – Action, Drama, Thriller, Comedy, Romance, Biopics, Horror, Musicals et al.

The depth and width of this marquee offering promises to be a game-changer in the world of Indian entertainment, delivering high quality content that is both entertaining and thought provoking, with unheard of scale. This has been achieved through meticulous collaboration with some of the best creative minds in the country including Raj Kumar Hirani, Sooraj Barjatya,...

Jio Studios, the content arm of Reliance Industries Limited, has unveiled a huge slate of 100 new films and TV shows that will play on Reliance’s streaming platforms.

They range from the previously-announced Shah Rukh Khan-starring Bollywood movie project “Dunki,” through Adil Hussain’s Bengali-language art-house picture “The Storyteller,” which appeared at the Busan Film Festival last year, to a range of web originals and mini-series.

Contents are made as originals in a range of local languages including Marathi, Bengali, Gujarati and Bhojpuri. Genres range from action, drama, thriller and romance to horror and musicals.

The company called the lineup “the single largest slate ever produced by an Indian studio in a given year” while also calling it a “game changer” and “explosive.”

The hype may be justified as Mukesh Ambani’s Ril pushes its way further into the entertainment and streaming spaces, having already powered its way to...

Stage, film and television actor Sushma Seth will be conferred with the Mahindra Excellence in Theatre Awards (Meta) 2023 Lifetime Achievement Award. She will be felicitated during the award ceremony on March 29 at Kamani Auditorium in the national capital.

Teamwork Arts and Mahindra Group have also announced the jury members – theatre director Amal Allana; theatre and film actress Arundhati Nag; award-winning theatre director Bruce Guthrie; theatre director Neelam Mansingh Chowdhry; Sangeet Natak Akademi Award recipient actor Mohan Agashe; award-winning theatre artist and actor Shernaz Patel; and Director of India Habitat Centre and President of the Delhi Music Society Sunit Tandon.

The announcements come ahead of the week-long Meta and Festival to be held from March 23 to 28 in the Capital, during which ten-shortlisted plays will be performed.

Over 400 entries representing languages like Assamese, English, Hindi, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Marwari, and Tamil were received.

This year’s Lifetime Awardee, Sushma Seth started her career in the 1950s,...

The trailer of the much-awaited ‘Avrodh 2: The Siege Within’ was released on Tuesday and the show streams from June 24. Directed by Raj Acharya and produced by Applause Entertainment in association with Juggernaut productions the story is helmed by writers Brijesh Jayrajan, and Sudeep Nigam. The show features actors like Abir Chatterjee, Mohan Agashe, […]...

Vipul Amrutlal Shah, the director of the upcoming medical thriller series ‘Human’, reveals that it was not an easy series to make as it touches many issues with a critical story at its heart. The series which stars Shefali Shah, Kirti Kulhari, Seema Biswas, Vishal Jethwa, Ram Kapoor, Aditya Srivastava and Mohan Agashe, marks Vipul’s […]...

The inspirational sports drama Toofaan is currently streaming on Amazon Prime. The critically acclaimed film directed by the great Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra features an all-star cast, led by Farhan Akhtar along with Mrunal Thakur, Paresh Rawal, Supriya Pathak Kapur, Hussain Dalal, Dr. Mohan Agashe, Darshan Kumaar, and Vijay Raaz.

Toofaan brings alive the exhilarating nature of boxing as a sport and tells a riveting tale that follows the journey of a street fighter to a competitive boxer as he navigates through the ups and downs of life to achieve his dreams. An orphan boy born from the streets of Dongri grows up to be a local goon Ajju Bhai (Farhan Akhtar). His life changes when he meets a bright and compassionate young doctor named Ananya (Mrunal Thakur) whose belief in him motivates him to find his passion as he embarks on his journey to becoming Aziz Ali, a boxing champion.

Toofaan (Amazon Prime)

Starring Farhan Akhtar, Mrunal Thakur, Paresh Rawal

Directed by Rakesh Omprakash Mehra

This week, Amazon Prime has a lot to be proud of . Two outstanding feature films Malik in Malayalam and Toofaan in Hindi, although the language in both cases is the least vital component in its vibrant validity and renewable vitality.

Toofaan, I have to admit, starts off sluggishly . As the triumphant underdog’s saga of a goon from Dongri who becomes a national boxoffice champ, Toofaan takeson all the typical tropes of the sports genre: gruff coach, elitist decision-makers, supportive girlfriend and what–have-you.

But then suddenly Toofan changes tracks to become something much more than a sports drama, something far more relevant moving and vital. It become a testament to the power and pain of love in a growingly intolerant society powered by toxic levels of prejudice and suspicion. Following the intercaste marriage of...

Starting July 16, 2021, the exciting Boxing sports drama Toofaan will be premiering simultaneously in Hindi and English on Amazon Prime.

Toofaan features an all-star cast, led by Farhan Akhtar in the lead role along with Mrunal Thakur, Paresh Rawal, Supriya Pathak Kapur, Hussain Dalal, Dr. Mohan Agashe, Darshan Kumaar, and Vijay Raaz.

Directed by Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra, the inspiring Toofaan is a tale of hope, faith, and inner strength.

Under forced circumstances, an orphan boy born from the streets of Dongri grows up to be a local goon. His life changes when he meets a bright and compassionate young doctor named Ananya whose belief in him motivates him to find his passion as he embarks on his journey to becoming Aziz Ali, a boxing champion.

Toofaan brings alive the exhilarating nature of boxing as a sport while telling a riveting tale that follows the journey of a common man as he...

The concept of what constitutes a family has been one of the most beloved themes of cinema internationally, while movies focusing on death have been coming out of India quite intently lately (to say the least), with “Hotel Salvation” and “Outside the Burning Ghats” being the first that come to mind. Shubham Sanjau Sheavde combines the two concepts in one of his latest shorts.

“A Trial Before Monsoon” review is part of the Submit Your Film Initiative

Devdutta Deshmukh is a lung cancer patient, who has just escaped from the hospital, ending up in his daughter’s house, a lawyer with suicidal tendencies named Shrija. To her astonishment, her father wants to hire to get a divorce from his wife of 40 years, in order to be free to travel to Mexico to attend the Day of the Dead. Their dialogue becomes an argument about both their future, and the past of the family,...

As the web series "Hutatma", based on the Samyukta Maharashtra movement, is in Marathi, its director Jayprad Desai says he isn't worried about the language limiting the audience from accessing the historical story because it lends authenticity.

"I am not disheartened that the language is going to limit the propagation of such content. Rather I think that if the choice of the language makes the content more authentic and strong, I am sure it will transcend the barriers of language. I would rather concentrate on making authentic content than making it accessible to people by using a certain language," Desai told Ians here.

The show has been dubbed in Hindi too and was released on May 1 on Ott platform ZEE5.

"The subject lent itself towards Marathi context. All the actors in the show are cultural icons of Maharashtra. The essence of the Samyukta Maharashtra movement and the struggle lend itself to the Marathi language,...

Filmmaker Jayprad Desai, making his digital debut with the web series 'Hutatma', which is based on the Samyukta Maharashtra movement, says he has attempted to tell a fiction derived from reality. The Samyukta Maharashtra movement, which started in 1956, led to carving out of the state of Maharashtra from the (then-bilingual) State of Bombay on 1 May 1960.? 'Hutatma', which releases on the Ott platform ZEE5 on May 1, is loosely based on Meena Deshpandey's book of the same name.?

Asked about his research for 'Hutatma' Desai said, "We have done extensive research and read most of the works, including real life accounts, that have been written about the movement."?

Remarking that fiction is an extension of reality, he said "Our attempt was to understand the reality of that time. Thus, we tried for a story that went beyond the clash of political ideologies."

The show features celebrated Marathi cinema actors like Anjali Patil,...

?Yeh Hai India? a patriotic drama film is all set for the Indian Audience now. This film is a big hit on its world premiere and won many awards internationally and now releasing in India on 24th of May 2019. Yeh Hai India? won the best film and best director award at Fog film festival of America. It?s a story of an Nri man who came to India just to know more about his motherland. But when he came here he faces many problems and issues in society. He started working to resolve the issues. So is he got succeeded in his ambition? Let?s see in the movie. An easter egg for the audience is that this movie is not only about India it?s also about the world. You will see many surprises like this in the movie. This Movie is produced by Sandeep Chaudhary and Directed by...

Paul Cox's Force of Destiny will have its Australian premiere at the Melbourne International Film Festival in August. David Wenham stars as Robert, a renowned sculptor diagnosed with cancer of the liver. While reeling from this news he meets Maya (Shahana Goswami), an Indian marine biologist who comes from a different world, a different reality.

Robert.s passion for Maya intensifies as he confronts the agony and ecstasy of finding the love that has evaded him his entire life, just as his body is about to be taken from him. New hope comes when he.s placed on the transplant waiting list.

The love story is all the more poignant for the veteran filmmaker Cox because of the influence of his own experiences; falling in love, living with cancer, and a life-saving liver transplant.

The cast includes Jacqueline McKenzie, Hannah Fredericksen, Seema Biswas, Mohan Agashe and Terry Norris.

Cinema...

Ace action director Aejaz Gulab, has directed Ab Tak Chhappan 2, sequel to cult movie Ab Tak Chappan. The Sequel, taking forward the story of Sadhu Agashe (Nana patekar’s character in Ab Tak Chhappan), stars Nana Patekar, Gul Panag, Ashutosh Rana, Vikram Ghokhale, Mohan Agaashe, Govind Namdev, and Raj Zutshi. The film is an Alumbra entertainment production and will be distributed by Waves cinema and is slated for Feb 27th release.

Ab Tak Chappan, a cult Cop Mafia classic, was directed by Shimit Amin and had received tremendous critical acclaim and commercial success. Nana Patekar’s performance as the single minded and non corruptible cop was applauded by all. The remaining cast included Mohan Agashe, Revathi and Hrishitaa Bhatt.

Director Aejab Gulab, who has risen up the ranks in the film industry from stuntman to stunt Duplicate (Aamir Khan, Salman Khan, Sunil Shetty, Akshay Kumar, Saif Ali Khan, Hrithik Roshan,...

Amruta Subhash in Astu

The 61st National Film Festival 2014 will commence in New Delhi on June 29 with the screening of Marathi feature film Astu by Sumitra Bhave and Sunil Sukhtankar and short film Chidiya Udh by Pranjal Dua.

All the National Award winning films for the year 2013 will be screened for the public during the four-day festival. Organized by the Directorate of Film Festivals, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, at Siri Fort Auditorium Complex, the festival will screen 30 feature films and 23 non-feature films.

The festival will be inaugurated by Prakash Javadekar, Minister for Information and Broadcasting. Actors Mohan Agashe and Amruta Subhash; and filmmakers Sumitra Bhave, Sunil Sukthankar and Pranjal Dua will be present for the opening.

Entry to the screenings is free and on first come first serve basis.

Some of the other films to be screened at the festival are Ship of Theseus, Miss Lovely, Shahid, Crossing Bridges,...

Hemalkasa to close London Indian Film Festival

The 2014 London Indian Film Festival, that will be held from July 10-17, unveiled its lineup. While Jeffrey Brown’s Sold will open the festival, Marathi-language film Hemalkasa directed by Samruddhi Porey will be screened as the closing film.

Featuring Nana Patekar, Sonali Kulkarni and Mohan Agashe; the film is a biopic that follows the selfless journey of Dr. Prakash Baba Amte and his wife Dr. Mandakini Amte, a couple who dedicated their lives to a project for the development of tribal people of Maharashtra. This is the world premiere of Hemalkasa.

Praveen Morchhale’s Barefoot to Goa, Amit V Masurkar’s Sulemani Keeda, Shilpa Ranade’s Goopi Gawaiiya Bagha Bajaiiya, Anup Singh’s Qissa, Kaushik Ganguly’s Apur Panchali and Kr Manoj’s Virgin Talkies are some of the well-known films that will be screened at the festival.

Also screened will be Kannada...

Get ready London film fans! The fabulous London Indian Film Festival, running July 10th – 17th, will bring you an eclectic and cool mix of films! Now Europe’s largest platform for Indian cinema, the London Indian Film Festival returns to the Capital, in association with Pure Heaven, the British Film Institute, and official Hotel Partner Grange Hotels, celebrating the exploding movement of Indian Independent cinema and bringing to UK audiences a rare selection of cutting-edge films from some of the Indian subcontinent’s hottest independent talents. Going way beyond Bollywood, the festival presents a kaleidoscope of new films that challenge, shock, generate debate and present a more realistic view of India and the subcontinent today, in all its diversity.

The festival has many highlights and will showcase Emma Thompson’s Sold and Million Dollar Arm, which stars Jon Hamm and also boasts a bevy of Bollywood stars! The festival will stretch citywide,...

The nominations for 14th New York Indian Film Festival Awards have been announced! The festival is widely recognized as the oldest, most prestigious Indian film festival in the United States, showcasing some of the greatest talents working in the diaspora. Nyiff boasts five days of premiere screenings of feature, documentary & short films, industry panels, special events, retrospectives, red carpet galas,and an award ceremony to round out the festival. Celebrating its 14th year, Nyiff will run May 5 to 10 at a variety of prestigious New York City venues, including the Skirball Center for Performing Arts, where the opening and closing films are set to take place. Nyiff is dedicated to showcasing, promoting and building an awareness of Independent, art house, alternate and diaspora films from/about/connected to the Indian subcontinent. Their mission is to encourage filmmakers to tell their stories, to educate North America about them and their talent and...

Nagesh Kukunoor and Anurag Kashyap aren’t showing their films for the first time at the New York Indian Film Festival. But many young filmmakers are. Take a look at the opening night gala of the fourteenth edition of the festival as it kickstarts the weeklong celebration of the best of art house cinema from India. It opened on Monday, May 5 with the screening of Kashyap’s hard-hitting new film Ugly. Shelly Walia brings you the latest news and interviews from the red carpet at New York’s Skirball Center for the Performing Arts.

Festival director Aseem Chhabra smiles, but shies away from looking into the camera. Earlier in the day, he tweeted, “Are you guys ready for the… six-day movie tamasha?”

Aroon Shivdasani, executive director of Indo-American Arts Council, said the festival is an opportunity to screen films that tell a story about, say, real India. “Those films deserve to be watched.

A Still from Liar’s Dice

The 14th New York Indian Film Festival (Nyiff) announced nominations today in various categories of awards. The festival will be held from May 5 to 10 and will screen 23 narrative features and 11 documentaries.

In the Best Feature Film category; Astu, Fandry, Goynar Baksho, Liar’s Dice and Ugly will vie for the award while Anurag Kashyap, Aparna Sen, Buddhadeb Dasgupta, Gajendra Ahire and Nagraj Manjule will compete for the Best Director award.

Full List of nominations:

Best Short

Bar Stools Blouse The Corner Table Give Into the Night Nightlife

Best Documentary

An American in Madras Gulabi Gang Rangbhoomi The Auction House The Unseen Sequence

Best Screenplay

Apur Panchali As The River Flows Shesher Kobita Virgin Talkies Zinda Bhaag

Best Actor

Mohan Agashe, Astu Naseeruddin Shah, The Coffin Maker Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Liar’s Dice Rahul Bhat, Ugly Roshan Seth, Brahmin Bulls

Best Actress

Anjali Patil, With You,...

The New York Indian Film Festival (Nyiff) announced the full lineup last night for their 14th year of celebrating independent, art house, alternate, and Diaspora films from/about/connected to the Indian subcontinent (May 5 – 10) at the SoHo Tiffin Junction. Dedicated to bringing these films to a New York audience, the festival will feature 34 screenings (23 narrative, 11 documentary) –all seen for the first time in New York City.

The festival highlights various cinemas of India’s different regions – Marathi, Bengali and two films from the Northeast. In addition the festival covers cinemas from the neighboring South Asian countries – four films by Pakistani filmmakers, two from Sri Lanka – a feature and a documentary, and one from Nepal.

The festival’s Marathi films include Postcard and multiple-award winning films Astu and Fandry. Directed by Nagraj Manjule, Fandry received rave reviews in India, winning the grand jury prize at the Mumbai Film Festival in October...

Kolkata, Feb 19: A bouquet of more than 20 films offering fresh insights into lives of people with disabilities is being screened here as part of the festival of International Short Films on differently-Abled that began Tuesday.

"The Way We Live - Mark II/Indian Edition" has been brought to the city by Goethe Institut, Max Mueller Bhavan, Kolkata, in collaboration with Nandan West Bengal Film Centre.

According to a statement issued by the institute, the event has been curated by Gregor Kern, authority on disability cinema, from Germany and noted Indian theatre actor and psychiatrist Mohan Agashe.

Kern is the former.

Kaushik Ganguly’s Apur Panchali takes off on Pather Panchali and is about the child actor who played Apu in the film – Subir Banerjee – and what happened to him because he never made another film after Ray’s masterpiece.

Cinema in India has now split up into several pan-Indian categories. Apart from the mainstream Hindi film we have the ‘indie’ cinema represented by films like The Lunchbox and Ship of Theseus as well as the documentary (Fire in the Blood), which has become commercially viable, as it was not. Apart from these categories, there is the regional art film which, unlike its popular counterpart, is pan-Indian rather than local – because it is aimed at audiences at film festivals and other pan-Indian cultural gatherings, and cannot be imagined without subtitles in English. The pan-Indian art film is gaining ground across India and well-known film critics were also recommending the Indian Panorama...

Kolkata, Dec 19: A bouquet of 186 films spanning 22 countries will entertain youngsters at the third Kolkata International Children's Film Festival here beginning Friday.

The eight-day fest will focus on films from the Us and include a segment on special children, a statement said.

According to Shishu Kishore Akademi, organisers of the festival, celebrated theatre actor Mohan Agashe will be the chief guest.

The festival will open and conclude with Marathi movies and it will be inaugurated by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. The Oscar-nominated "Shwaas" kicks off the event and Nagraj.

New Delhi, Sep 23: Theatre in Motion is beginning Oct 5 in three cities - Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata and it will bring the best of theatre groups and actors on a single platform.

The nearly three-month long festival will have known names from theatre like Dada Saheb Phalke awaredee Soumitra Chatterjee, Rajit Kapur, Nadira Zaheer Babbar, Mohan Agashe, Om Katare, Manoj Mitra, Rakesh Bedi, Ashish Vidyarthi, Lilette Dubey, Ira Dubey, Shernaz Patel and Yashpal Sharma, said a statement.

In the capital, the festival will open with Nadira Babbar's Ekjute's offering "Saku Bai" starring Sarita Joshi.

Theatre lovers will also get.

Movie Review: Jolly Llb Cast: Arshad Warsi, Boman Irani, Saurabh Shukla, Amrita Rao, Harsh Chhaya, Mohan Agashe, Mohan Kapoor Director: Subhash Kapoor Reviewer: Joginder Tuteja

First things first – Even though a little over 9 months are still remaining before 2013 comes to a close, if there is one movie that has made a strong case for being India’s nomination for Oscars, it has to Read More...

Pune (Maharashtra), Jan 11: The 11th Pune International Film Festival (Piff), which commenced here on Thursday, felicitated veteran Bollywood actors for their valuable contribution to the film industry.

Actors Jeetendra Kapoor and Ramesh Deo were given lifetime achievement awards.

Jeetendra said: "I have spent so many years in the film industry with your love and affection."

Well-known film personalities, including actors Mohan Agashe, Mukta Barve, director and producer Subhash Ghai, sound designer Resul Pookutty and Jabbar Patel, director of Piff attended the festival.

Bharatiya Jan ta Party (Bjp) leader Prakash.

Kolkata, Nov 25: Indian theatre is at par with world theatre in terms of quality, despite lacking in technical standards, says thespian Mohan Agashe.

"We might not be technically as advanced, but the quality of writers, the work they produce, is excellent. We are at par with any global form of theatre. The Marathi and Bengali theatre scenario especially is very good," Agashe told Ians.

Known for critically acclaimed Marathi plays like "Ghasiram Kotwal" by Vijay Tendulkar, and Hindi films like "Nishant" and "Manthan" by Shyam Benegal, Agashe was here to star in his first Hindi play "Adhe Adhure" staged as part of the 12th Vodafone.

The Dark Knight Rises remains the top film in the country after three weeks in theatrical release.

The batman film, distributed by Warner Bros, took $4.266m in its third weekend across 619 screens for a $6,893 screen average.

However, despite its continued strength, The Dark Knight Rises hasn’t been able to top The Avengers in a three-week comparison with the Batman film on $33.047m and The Avengers on $39.033m.

In their respective opening weekends, The Dark Knight Rises was the fourth highest grossing film of all time in its opening weekend, while the Avengers was eighth. Over the first week tally, The Avengers was third highest grossing film and The Dark Knight Rises was tenth.

The Avengers currently sits at 53.339m all time box office, in third spot behind Titanic in second on 57.650, and Avatar on the massive 115.577m.

In this week’s major releases, dance film Step Up 4: Miami Heat,...

Actor Mohan Agashe will play a key role in .Jism 2″, says producer Pooja Bhatt..Delighted to announce that one of my favourite people and actors - Dr.Mohan Agashe is now part of .Jism 2′ in a key role. Welcome aboard Doc,. Bhatt posted on Twitter..Jism 2″ also features Indo-Canadian porn star Sunny Leone, and Randeep Hooda and Arunoday Singh are said to have been finalised as the two male leads in the movie.

Nandita Das describes her two-and-half year stint at the Children.s Film Society India (Cfsi) as a .challenging experience., but adds that working in a 55-year-old government structure is not easy.While her three-year tenure with the Cfsi as its chairperson will come to an end in August this year, she doesn.t mind working harder in the remaining time..It is an honorary position. You do it for the love of it. The more problems that you see, the more you want to solve them. You keep getting involved,. Nandita told Ians on the sidelines of a function here Monday..It has been a challenging experience. Working in a government structure which has been in existence for 55 years is not easy. You get to produce quality cinema. But you have limited funds and then you have the responsibility of using public money at the end of the day,. added the 42-year-old actress.

Kabeer Kaushik's film Maximum has completed its shooting and the post production is in progress.The film stars Sonu Sood, Naseeruddin Shah, Vinay Pathak, Neha Dhupia, Arya Babbar, Anjana Sukhani, Amit Sadh, Mohan Agashe, Swanand Kirkire and Rajendra Gupta. The film, an Action Drama, encapsulates the journey of two super cops and their struggle for power. "Maximum power". But they are not alone in this game. There are other players. The conspirators. Moving at every le...

Quite a few filmmakers have tried recreating yesterday's 'Bombay' in today's 'Mumbai' but with mixed results. In the recent times, Milan Luthria and Vipul Shah have tried doing that with Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai and Action Replayy. Now, when Sanjay Gupta is entering the same territory with Shootout At Wadala, he doesn't wish to take any chances. In order to lend an authentic view to his action drama, he is desperately searching for a director from the late 70s/early 80s who had made his only feature film almost quarter of a century ago. "His name is Zafar Hai who had directed this immensely engrossing dramatic thriller called The Perfect Murder (Naseeruddin Shah, Amjad Khan, Madhur Jaffrey, Annu Kapoor and Mohan Agashe)", informs a source close to Sanjay, "The film was set in (then) Bombay and the most notable aspect of the film was it's title sequence which...

Quite a few filmmakers have tried recreating yesterday's 'Bombay' in today's 'Mumbai' but with mixed results. In the recent times, Milan Luthria and Vipul Shah have tried doing that with Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai and Action Replayy. Now, when Sanjay Gupta is entering the same territory with Shootout At Wadala, he doesn't wish to take any chances. In order to lend an authentic view to his action drama, he is desperately searching for a director from the late 70s/early 80s who had made his only feature film almost quarter of a century ago. "His name is Zafar Hai who had directed this immensely engrossing dramatic thriller called The Perfect Murder (Naseeruddin Shah, Amjad Khan, Madhur Jaffrey, Annu Kapoor and Mohan Agashe)", informs a source close to Sanjay, "The film was set in (then) Bombay and the most notable aspect of the film was it's title sequence which...

He is by far, one of the most revered method actors in Bollywood. Naseeruddin Shah, who has been acclaimed for his intense acting style will be seen making his debut in a Marathi film The actor makes a special appearance as, a God-like figure alongside Nana Patekar in the Marathi film, Deool. The film that is being made for Rs. 4 crore has 35 actors featuring in it; Naseeruddin will be seen talking in Marathi for the first time on the big screen. The story of the film revolves around, a group of people from a rural area where, their lives change due to development and modernisation in villages. Nana would be playing the part of a Sarpanch in the film. The film also stars Dilip Prabhawalkar, the actor who played Mahatma Gandhi in Lage Raho Munnabhai and Mohan Agashe. The film is slated for a September release.

He is by far, one of the most revered method actors in Bollywood. Naseeruddin Shah, who has been acclaimed for his intense acting style will be seen making his debut in a Marathi film The actor makes a special appearance as, a God-like figure alongside Nana Patekar in the Marathi film, Deool. The film that is being made for Rs. 4 crore has 35 actors featuring in it; Naseeruddin will be seen talking in Marathi for the first time on the big screen. The story of the film revolves around, a group of people from a rural area where, their lives change due to development and modernisation in villages. Nana would be playing the part of a Sarpanch in the film. The film also stars Dilip Prabhawalkar, the actor who played Mahatma Gandhi in Lage Raho Munnabhai and Mohan Agashe. The film is slated for a September release.

Movie Preview: The Well (Vihir)

 

Directed by Umesh Kulkarni

India, 2009, 120 min. Us Premiere.

Marathi (with English subtitles)

Cast: Madan Deodhar, Alok Rajwade, Renuka Daftardar, Dr. Mohan Agashe, Jyoti Subhash, Sulbha Deshpande, Girish Kulkarni, Amruta Subhash, Ashwini Giri.

September 24, 2010: A story of two adolescent boys Sameer and Nachiket (cousins who are best friends) standing on the crossroads of life. They must choose between a petty, worldly, small existence and taking to the sky in a life.

Entries for the 57th National Film Awards will be invited soon. Since this year all entries will be first seen by a regional jury and only shortlisted films will be seen by the main jury. The two-tier jury system is being implemented on the recommendation of expert committee set up by the ministry of Information and Broadcasting. The committee is headed by filmmaker Shyam Benegal.

Government also planning to increase award money to a total of Rs. two crores.

Other members of the committee were: Sharmila Tagore (Actor and Cpfc chairperson), Rajiv Mehrotra (Psbt), Sai Paranjpye (Filmmaker), Ashoke Vishwanathan (Film Professor, Srftii and filmmaker), Vishal Bhardwaj (Director and producer), Nagesh Kukunoor (Filmmaker), Mohan Agashe (Actor), Waheeda Rehman (Filmmaker), Jahnu Baruah (Filmmaker), Shaji N Karun (filmmaker), D P Reddy, (Member Secretary of committee, Joint Secretary, Films I&B Ministry) and S M Khan (Festival Director, Iffi).

As per the new system,...

The Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles (Iffla) has announced the 2010 line-up of films for its 8th annual festival, which runs April 20-April 25 at ArcLight Hollywood. The six-day festival will showcase 33 films from 5 countries, including 4 world premieres and 7 Us premieres.

“This is a true celebration of the art and business of Indian film and culture as well as an opportunity to connect with the game changers and emerging filmmakers of Indian themed content,’ said Christina Marouda, Iffla’s Executive Director. “As filmmakers of Indian descent forge new relationships in Hollywood, we invite moviegoers and industry professionals to experience our unique and wide ranging program which includes thought-provoking dramas, engaging documentaries, along with a touch of light hearted fare and a taste of Bollywood.”

Kicking off the festival is the Los Angeles premiere and directorial debut of Dilip Mehta‘s Cooking With Stella, starring Seema Biswas, Lisa Ray, and Don McKellar.

Marathi film 'Vihir', produced by Amitabh Bachchan Corp Ltd (Abcl) and directed by Umesh Kulkarni, got a warm reception and ran to a full house at the Berlin International Film Festival.

'It is a great honour for me to be here in Berlin. The film is based on an autobiographical event, I lost my cousin in a well when I was 14, and I found the idea that somebody can be here one day, and be gone the next, very intriguing. It raised questions that I try to answer through the film, to search for him,' said Kulkarni, whose short film 'Three of Us' was also at Berlin in 2008.

'Vihir', meaning the well, ran at the prestigious festival Sunday. Kulkarni was there with his 10 member team, including actors Madan Deodhar, Alok Rajwade, actor-writer Girish Kulkarni and Mohan Agashe.

The film is about the friendship between two...