Mumbai Archive

Mumbai, Nov 4 – Bollywood director Anurag Kashyap feels there should be no film censorship at all. Even as he tries to push the boundaries, he says in India it’s not easy to make films criticising real life politicians or to even use the term ‘sex’.

‘There shouldn’t be any censorship on making a film. We are still very conservative about the term sex,’ Kashyap, known for experimental films like ‘Dev D’, told IANS on the sidelines of the 11th Mumbai Film Festival (MFF).

‘I am trying to push my boundaries so that everything in the film looks real.’

Kashyap, who has always framed real life incidents through his film like ‘Black Friday’ and ‘Gulaal’, wonders if he could make a film like Gabriel Range’s ‘Death of A President’.

”Death of A President’ was made with President George Bush still alive, but we can’t introduce a scene where four people are chatting over tea and cursing politician Raj Thackeray,’ says Kashyap.

The 37-year-old director believes recession has been good for Bollywood.

‘Recession has cut Bollywood into shape. Miscellaneous expenses were more than the actual cost of the film. Recession helped in cutting down the fat,’ says Kashyap.

He believes there are fewer producers for bold or out-of-the-box movies.

‘There is a scarcity of producers who can risk new ideas. Most of the producers are businessmen and they look for recovery. So they invest only if they are convinced that the story will sell,’ says Kashyap.

‘I always make a film on a tight budget, so UTV has signed me for nine films,’ said Kashyap. When asked about his forthcoming project, ‘Udaan’, he says, ‘I have finished shooting the film.’

Talking about the ongoing Mumbai festival, where he is planning to see a couple of movies, he regretted that movies were getting only one screening there.

‘At any other film festival there is at least two to three screenings of every film. MFF is the first place where there is only one screening. People should complain about it,’ says Kashyap.

(Dibyojyoti Baksi can be contacted at dibyojyoti.b@ians.in)

Mumbai, Nov 4 – Bollywood actors often describe their shooting schedule as a picnic. But ‘cold and depressing’ is what Saif Ali Khan has to say about the US shoot of ‘Kurbaan’, speaking for not just himself but also girlfriend and co-star Kareena Kapoor.

‘ ‘Kurbaan’ was hard work. Period. In fact, the Philadelphia schedule was plain hell. It wasn’t anything like a picnic shooting for the film,’ shudders Saif, who is glad that the film is complete and ready for release.

Saif says, ‘It gets dark there at 4 p.m. itself. Moreover, it’s so cold and at minus 10 degrees it can actually get really depressing. Since we were shooting in sync sound, it was extremely difficult to get the pitch and tone right while delivering our dialogues.’

The film by Rensil D’Souza also stars Vivek Oberoi, Dia Mirza, Om Puri and Kirron Kher and will be released Nov 20.

It was during the shoot of the film that Saif and Kareena got news of the terror attack in Mumbai last year. ‘Because of that, it was so difficult to concentrate on the film’s shoot. Thankfully, Bebo (Kareena Kapoor) was there with me at that time but still both of us were very depressed,’ says Saif.

As it was quite cold in Philadelphia, Saif and Kareena were required to wear layers of clothing. Later, for continuity purpose, they had to wear the same clothes in the summer of Mumbai.

Saif and others also had a hard time adjusting to the locations chosen for the film’s shoot.

‘We were shooting in a tube and that’s anything but fun,’ he remembers. ‘We had to shoot a subway sequence but being in a tube for hours at a stretch is like being in an underground prison. Really, it is very disorienting. Who says shooting for a film is like being in a picnic? ‘Kurbaan’ certainly wasn’t one.’

When asked to name one film which was fun to shoot, Saif talks of Abbas-Mustan-directed ‘Race’.

‘Now that’s what I call as a real picnic’, he says. ‘Doing the film was quite easy since the working hours were quite comfortable while locations were nice, easy and comfortable. It was really simple work and I enjoyed a lot. It was really entertaining to drive fast cars, saying cool lines, be a hero and stuff alike.

‘On the other hand, ‘Kurbaan’ has me playing this complicated character which only makes it further difficult for an actor.’

Mumbai, Nov 3 – The ‘From Blighty with Love’ Festival to showcase recent independent British films across Indian screens will commence Feb 26 next year.

Announced at the ongoing Mumbai Film Festival (MFF), which runs Oct 29-Nov 5, the British-Indian film distribution initiative will be held simultaneously across Mumbai, Bangalore and Pune till March 11, 2010.

The gala will also see a ‘virtual’ in-conversation with key talents from each film via the Skype technology.

”From Blighty with Love’ is an exciting example of the UK Film Council’s drive to open up UK film to international markets and audiences. It will showcase some of the best UK independent features of the last 18 months none of which have ever been seen on the big screen before in India,’ Sarah McKenzie, senior executive for export development of the UK Film Council, said in a statement.

Some of the movies that will be screened at the event include ‘Easy Virtue’, ‘Brideshead Revisited’, ‘Man On Wire’ and ‘In the Loop’, etc apart from those of renowned filmmakers like Michael Winterbottom, Sally Potter and Danny Boyle.

‘From Blighty with Love’ will be delivered by the UK Film Council with the help of project partners, UK Trade and Investment, MFF, Book My Show and Reliance Media Works. Property partners for the same include Big and Fame Cinemas.

‘Blighty’ is an English term for Britain, deriving from the Hindustani word vilayati.

Mumbai, Nov 3 – Meghalaya Chief Minister D.D. Lapang has agreed to come on board the Mumbai Academy of the Moving Image (MAMI) so that his state becomes the next Bollywood destination for shooting films.

Manoj Rastogi, managing director and chief executive officer of Television Media and Communications and event associate of the 11th Mumbai Film Festival, had taken the initiative to approach Lapang.

‘This initiative was taken during the ongoing 11th Mumbai Film Festival (MFF) to promote the underutilised location of Meghalaya as worldwide film tourism,’ Rastogi told IANS.

Rastogi explained that Meghalaya was not exploited by the film industry as there wasn’t proper infrastructure in the state.

‘This place remained untouched by the industry as there wasn’t proper infrastructure or communication system. Now the infrastructure has improved manifold so instead of shooting in foreign destinations, they can use the virgin beauty of India as their shooting destination,’ said Rastogi.

Lapang is planning to build a committee or task force, keeping some renowned names from the industry as its members. He mentioned that this task force is essential as it is not easy to get into Meghalaya and shoot films.

The chief minister also aims to open an office in Mumbai so that any production house interested in shooting a film in Meghalaya can approach them.

‘I am looking forward to make Meghalaya the next Bollywood destination. I am not directly involved though, Manoj and Anish Gandhi (advisors to chief minister) are in talking terms with renowned celebrities of Bollywood,’ said Lapang.

When asked to name whom he thinks fits best as the committee member, he said: ‘I have Yash Chopra and Shabana Azmi in my mind, but I couldn’t speak to them in my last visit to Mumbai. Once the committee is formed I will sit with them in Meghalaya.’

Mumbai Nov 3 – Amitabh Bachchan Corporation Limited’s (ABCL) debut Marathi production ‘Vihir’ (The Well) was screened at the 11th Mumbai Film Festival here Tuesday.

‘Jaya Bachchan was my senior in Film and Television Institute of India (FFTII) and when I approached her with my script, she liked it and agreed to produce the film,’ said its director Umesh Vinayak Kulkarni.

The film narrates the story of an boy whose cousin dies and how he reacts to the first death he has seen in his life.

Madan Deodhar, Alok Deodhar, Renuka Daftardar, Mohan Agashe, Jyoti Subhash, Sulbha Deshpande, Girish Kulkarni, Amruta Subhash and Ashwini Giri play important roles in the film.

‘This is an autobiographical story and I was very keen to make a film on it. I have of course added some fictional elements in it,’ Kulkarni said.

When asked on how he thought the public might react to the film, he said: ‘The success of the film is not on how many people watch the film, rather on how deep a impression it makes.’

The world premier of ‘Vihir’ was held at the Pusan International Film Festival 2009.

‘I am lucky to have got a chance to show the film at Pusan,’ Kulkarni said.

Kulkarni’s first film was ‘Valu’ (The Wild Bear) in 2008.

When Mohan Agashe was asked about his role in ‘Vihir’, he said: ‘My character shows how a dominating approach can be oppressive for family members.’

Mumbai, Nov 3 – Bollywood veteran and politician Shatrughan Sinha, who has maintained his moustache throughout his 36-year-old film career, has now got rid of it for Ram Gopal Varma’s ‘Rakta Charitra’.

According to a unit source, it wasn’t easy for the actor to make up his mind to shave off his moustache as many of his family members, friends and associates were against the idea. But keeping in mind the look of his character, Shatrughan decided on the fresh look.

The Hindi-Telugu biopic is based on the life of the alleged outlaw Paritala Ravi and Shatrughan essays a pivotal role based on superstar-turned-politician N.T. Rama Rao, former Andhra Pradesh chief minister.

Actor Vivek Oberoi plays the lead in the movie and he will sport a moustache unlike in his real life.