RIVER TO RIVER Festival: A Bridge Between India and Italy

This past week saw the end of the 14th edition of River to River Florence Indian Film Festival. The Festival is part of the 50 days of International Cinema Festival in Florence.For the third consecutive year, the festival was also taken to Rome with screenings at Nuovo Cinema Aquila. The festival hosted 15 guests this year, with the Guest of Honor being actor Irrfan Khan, who was in Florence The star was honored during the festival with a retrospective of his films, which delighted the audience and the press. Irrfan Khan was also given the keys to the city of Florence by Mayor Dario Nardella, a gesture that touched the actor as well as the town's festival-goers.

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JAVED AKHTAR: A Poet in Paris

Javed Akhtar, award-winning writer and lyricist of popular Indian cinema, a staunch defender of the feminist cause and a supporter of secularism, is also one of the most captivating contemporary voices in Urdu poetry.

Javed Akhtar wrote his first poem in 1979 and published his first collection, Tarkash in 1995 ; his second collection, Lava, being published in 2012.

The poet released a bilingual collection of his poetry translated to French on November 12th in Paris. The book has been published by Janus Publishing House and is entitled D’autres Mondes (Of Other Worlds). Akhtar will be addressing students at the Sorbonne University English Language Institute later today, November 13th and will also be speaking at the Maison de la Poésie (House of Poetry) in the City of Light on 14 November at 7pm, together with Shumona Sinha, author of book Calcutta.

If you happen to be in Paris, don't miss this opportunity.

SORBONNE UNIVERSITY:

Nov 13, from 5:30pm.

Venue: Grand Amphi, Institute Anglophone, 5 , rue de l' Ecole de Medecine, 75006 Paris

MAISON DE LA POESIE Nov 14, from 7pm

157 Rue Saint-Martin, 75003 Paris

HAIDER Rocks Rome Film Festival

Image: |PTI

Vishal Bhardwaj's Haider has been the talk of the town since October 2nd in India, but it is in Rome that the film has bagged its first award, the People's Choice Award in the World Cinema category, becoming the very first Indian film to be granted that honor. Actors Shahid Kapoor and Shraddha Kapoor attended the festival along with director Vishal Bhardwaj to represent the film based on Shakespeare play Hamlet, adapted to the Kashmiri conflict.
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After making a mark in the country, Vishal Bharadwaj’s Haider has wowed international audiences. The film had an Italian premiere on October 24, at the Rome Film Festival, and won the People’s Choice Award in the Mondo Genre (World genre). Haider was the only Asian film selected from among the seven contenders. Produced by UTV Motion Pictures and VB Pictures, Haider is a modern-day adaptation of William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, set in the backdrop of Kashmir, starring Shahid Kapoor, Shraddha Kapoor, Tabu, Kay Kay Menon and Irrfan. - See more at: http://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/screen/haider-wins-peoples-choice-award-at-rome-film-festival/#sthash.RuS7Epw4.dpuf

After making a mark in the country, Vishal Bharadwaj’s Haider has wowed international audiences. The film had an Italian premiere on October 24, at the Rome Film Festival, and won the People’s Choice Award in the Mondo Genre (World genre). Haider was the only Asian film selected from among the seven contenders. Produced by UTV Motion Pictures and VB Pictures, Haider is a modern-day adaptation of William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, set in the backdrop of Kashmir, starring Shahid Kapoor, Shraddha Kapoor, Tabu, Kay Kay Menon and Irrfan. - See more at: http://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/screen/haider-wins-peoples-choice-award-at-rome-film-festival/#sthash.RuS7Epw4.dpuf

FILM FESTIVAL PROMOTES SOCIAL CHANGE

 

YES! I am the CHANGE, initiated by YES FOUNDATION, the social development arm of YES BANK, has emerged as the largest filmmaking challenge in India and one of the biggest short-filmmaking movements in the world, with 1750+ films made by over 50,000 citizen film makers from 1,000 cities and towns across all states of India. The films were made on current issues of national importance including women’s safety, child rights and education, livelihood, environmental sustainability, women’s empowerment and elderly care.

Prerana Langa, CEO of YES Foundation, shares her views and how the initiative is creating inner transformation of youth through exposure to social causes.

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A.R. Rahman Turns Hindi Film Producer

Diwali has had its host of topics to write about, from news on a French film based on the Mumbai 2008 terrorist attacks to commenting on the Shah Rukh Khan - Deepika Padukone starrer Happy New Year or reviewing Katrina Kaif and Hrithik Roshan's Bang Bang... However, the following piece of news seems personally more noteworthy and therefore I will give all above-mentioned topics the skip.

After recently working for television with Ashutosh Gowariker, AR Rahman is looking forward to starting the production of his maiden film, following in the footsteps of celebrated Vishal Bhardwaj who successfully transitioned from the music industry into film making.

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10 Indian Films to Anticipate - MUMBAI FILM FESTIVAL 2014

Following a hurried crowd funding campaign recently organized by the MAMI, the Mumbai Film Festival has successfully avoided falling short of the budget necessary to open its 2014 edition, bound to take place from October 14 to 21. The support of the festival's friends but also that of the Indian film industry played a pivotal role in recovering the odds of enjoying one of the city's flagship events.
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SATYAMEV JAYATE New Autumn Season 2014

It's that time of the year again and Aamir Khan fans will be happy to know Satyamev Jayate is up for a new season starting this 5th October 2014. Check this post for updates and share your feedback for the show on their website, Facebook, Twitter or email!

SHAH RUKH goes SLAM! in America

Following a long hiatus of 10 years, Shah Rukh Khan is ready to conquer Canadian and American shores this September with the SLAM! tour.

A star cast comprising Deepika Padukone, Abhishek Bachchan, Malaika Arora Khan, Farah Khan, Boman Irani, Sonu Sood, Vivaan Shah, Yo Yo Honey Singh and Kanika Kapoort will join the baadshah to entertain foreign audiences as well as the director and the cast of  Happy New Year, which is pending release in Diwali. The tour will start in Houston and will include New Jersey, Toronto, Chicago, San Jose and Vancouver.

Find an organizer near you and head to have a musical and exciting time at the SLAM! TOUR.

FOOTBALL and ANIMAL WELFARE Unite Glitterati

The football match everyone was waiting for during Mumbai's monsoon season took place without the much feared rain and mud at the Cooperage Football Ground. Fans, family and friends came to watch stars battle it on the field with a due introduction to TIGI Foundation and the event's cause by Imran Khan and Ira Khan.

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LOVE IS A FOOTBALL FIELD: Embrace Animal Welfare

The FIFA World Cup might have finished cheering its winner but gear up to support an upcoming football match in Mumbai featuring some of Bollywood's coolest celebrities such as Abhishek Bachchan, Aamir Khan, Imran Khan, Hrithik Roshan, Priyanka Chopra, Tiger Shroff, Aditya Roy Kapoor, Sohail Khan, Kunal Kapoor, Dino Morea, Nargis Fakhri and more...

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PABLO TRAPERO and VIKAS SWARUP: An Indian Mystery

Anyone tuned into the world cinema scene and particularly Latin American cinema is surely familiar with Pablo Trapero's socially relevant films. Almost twenty years of his work have been applauded throughout the world, with films such as Rolling Family, Lion's Den, and White Elephant (featuring superstar Ricardo Darín). He was named President of the Un Certain Regard category at the Cannes Film Festival 2014. His newest project has taken him to Delhi and Mumbai to film the adaptation of Vikas Swarup's novel Six Suspects. Vikas Swarup is better known to literature lovers as the author of the book having inspired Slumdog Millionaire by Danny Boyle. The author read the script and expressed satisfaction with how the adaptation of his book was carried out.

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SHAH RUKH KHAN: #1 on FORBES Leadership List

“Forbes Middle-East made me feel special with their special edition cover story on my work in entertainment. Off to Dubai for the launch. Thank you all,” Shahrukh Khan recently tweeted, following the decision of Forbes Magazine to declare Shah Rukh Khan the top Indian leader in the Arab World after having topped Forbes' India Celebrity 100 List in 2013.

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VISHAL BHARDWAJ charms Paris in the Springtime

“I love Paris in the springtime” says a well-known song. It is indeed through song and music that Paris has taken on new colours this month of May, thanks to John Adams’ opera A Flowering Tree, still showing at Chatelêt Theatre until May 13 (read our informative article on A Flowering Tree here). 

Vishal Bhardwaj has beautifully directed a southern Indian folk tale by Indian writer AK Ramanujan in one of the world’s most renowned theatres. As a member of the audience, the experience of watching A Flowering Tree has definitely been emotional and enlightening.

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Wedding in Italy: RANI MUKHERJEE and ADITYA CHOPRA

After long years of denying any sort of romantic connection, actress Rani Mukherjee and writer/director Aditya Chopra from the Yash Raj production banner, have held their private wedding in Italy, turning social media and later other news vectors ablaze.

Aditya Chopra has always been known in the media for being particularly private. Rani Mukherjee has also been able to maintain tabloids from speculating too much around her life outside the sets.

The Hindi Cinema Blog joins the various social and news media enthusiasts wishing the couple a long and happy marriage.

VISHAL BHARDWAJ's Flowering Tree in PARIS

 

Words lack to describe the talent of musician, director, writer and producer Vishal Bhardwaj. I have been a long time admirer of his work (and that of his wife, Rekha Bhardwaj), particularly in the music branch, and have thus greeted the news that he will be visiting Paris in April with great excitement.

Bhardwaj has been honored with multiple awards in India both as a film and as a music director. He has refinedly scored the music of films such as Ishqiya, 7 Khoon Maaf, Kaminey and Omkara. He has also been largely applauded for directing and writing The Blue Umbrella and Kaminey, among others, and has worked with the likes of Francis Ford Coppola and Mira Nair.  

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HONG KONG wooed by DEV BENEGAL and SATISH KAUSHIK

 

The Hong Kong International Film Festival was held this week alongside the 12th Hong Kong Asia Film Financing Forum (Haf). The forum evaluated 29 film projects across 11 countries for international collaboration. The event gathered industry investors, producers and distributors and resulted in Dev Benegal and Satish Kaushik's film script Dead End being awarded the Network of Asian Fantastic Film Award.
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R.I.P. NANDA JI - A Bombay Evening

 

It was one of those breezy and humid winter evenings in Bombay back in 2011 when I was generously invited to Ketnav Studio for the private screening of Hum Dono Rangeen. Although I had already been to watch the film in a multiplex, it had enchanted me so deeply that I considered watching it again a splendid way to spend another of my Bombay evenings.

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VIDYA BALAN and AAMIR KHAN: Women at the Forefront

Image: www.satyamevjayate.in

This past Sunday saw the start of Aamir Khan's  socially relevant show Satyamev Jayate Season 2 with the topic of fighting rape and how to most effectively provide support to the victims of such a crime (read our review of Satyamev Jayate Season 1 here). As women of all ages and stories expressed their concern or told their stories on national television, the audience reacted and applauded their bravery, solidity and activism. 

Image: Apunkachoice

As International Women's Day approaches, STAR network will also be honoring women through a special Women's Day show: No More Kamzor, which will be hosted one of India's most talented actresses, Vidya Balan.
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"KILLA" (Marathi Film) HONOURED AT BERLINALE

First time director Avinash Arun's Marathi feature Killa premiered at this year's 64th Berlinale. It has not only received the Special Mention from the Children's Jury in the Generation KPlus competition category having touched a jury comprising 7 teenagers and 11 children, but has also been awarded the Crystal Bear for Best Feature Film.  
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PADMA AWARDS HONOR 2014 FILM PERSONALITIES

Each year on the occasion of Republic Day, a selection of civilians are honored for their hard work and distinguished service in various industries. Cinema has received its prestigious Padma awards for 2014 through the following recipients, the first three I believe not requiring any introductions whatsoever:

Ms. Vidya Balan Mr. Paresh Rawal Mr. Kamal Haasan
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