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In Satyajit Ray’s “Nayak: The Hero” (1966), there is a very important scene set in a flashback. It is an extremely transformative moment of Arindam’s life. He is sitting by the pyre of his mentor and asks his manager, Jyoti, a question with intense apprehension. Arindam is torn between his mentor’s parting advice to him and his own desire to reach for higher success. Jyoti, who is often seen as the voice of reason in Arindam’s life, says that these anxieties about transitioning are displaced as they are in the “age of Freud and Marx.” He implies that there’s no room for traditional notions like rebirth, providence, and implies that Arindam should shed the guilt away from this transition.

Much like the scene described above, this film takes us through many transformative moments of Aridam’s life and paints the portrait of an artist’s state of mind.

Mumbai, Feb 2 (Ians) Bollywood star Anil Kapoor has summed up his journey of over 40 years in Hindi cinema, where he has been feted with numerous awards and honours.

Anil took to Instagram, where he shared a string of photographs featuring his journey of four decades in Bollywood. The pictures show Anil winning multiple award during his run in the showbiz industry.

He captioned it: “In the 4 decades that I’ve been around, tides have changed, talent has changed, tastes have changed and audiences certainly have changed… The one thing that hasn’t changed is the virtue of hard work, persistence and conviction, and they are rewards enough.. But a few awards don’t hurt.”

The 66-year-old star, who has appeared in over 100 films in his career, established himself as a leading man with his roles in ‘Meri Jung’. He was later seen in blockbusters such as ‘Karma’, ‘Mr. India’, ‘Parinda...

Tollywood‘Ala Vaikunthapuramuloo’ filmmaker Trivikram Srinivas, actors Jr Ntr, Kalyan Ram and Manchu Manoj were also fined for using tinted window shields on their vehicles.Tnm StaffTollywood star Allu Arjun has reportedly landed in trouble with the Hyderabad traffic police, as he had to pay a fine for violating traffic rules earlier this week. According to an India Today report, Allu Arjun was fined Rs 700 and a challan was issued to the actor for using tinted window shields on his Range Rover SUV. Apart from him, Telugu director Trivikram Srinivas was also fined on Monday. The Ala Vaikunthapuramuloo filmmaker's vehicle was stopped at a busy centre in Hyderabad after the police noticed tinted window shields.Trivikram Srinivas was fined by the Hyderabad police for having tinted windows, which is a violation of traffic rules, and the sheet was later removed by the director. The picture from the spot has now become viral on the Internet.

Pawan Kalyan and Rana Daggubati-starrer ‘Bheemla Nayak’ has been in the focus for quite some time. With the release date of this remake fast approaching, the anticipation around ‘Bheemla Nayak’ is increasing. As per the last official announcement from the ‘Bheemla Nayak’ team, the movie is slated for a grand release on January 12, 2022. […]...

TollywoodThe movie is the remake of the Malayalam film 'Ayyappanum Koshiyum’, which starred Biju Menon and Prithviraj Sukumaran in the lead.Tnm StaffOn the occasion of Independence Day, the title of Pawan Kalyan and Rana Daggubati’s upcoming Telugu film was announced as Bheemla Nayak. A short video was also released, giving fans the first glimpse of the film. The movie is the remake of the Malayalam film, Ayyappanum Koshiyum which starred Biju Menon and Prithviraj Sukumaran in the lead. In the Telugu remake, Pawan Kalyan will be stepping into Biju Menon's role from the original, while Rana Daggubati will be essaying the role played by Prithviraj. In the first glimpse video, Pawan Kalyan, who plays a cop called Bheemla Nayak, is wearing a black shirt and a dark grey lungi. He has an intense expression on his face and calls out to someone named Daniel (Danny), played by Rana Daggubati,...

Awards

Siân Heder’s “Coda,” an Apple original film, has won the 2021 Sundance Film Festival: London Award presented by BIFA.

The award was voted for by 40 leading professionals from the British film industry assembled by the British Independent Film Awards.

The film follows Ruby, a Coda or Child of Deaf Adults, who is torn between pursuing her love of music and her fear of abandoning her parents. The film stars Emilia Jones, Eugenio Derbez, Troy Kotsur, Ferdia Walsh-Peelo, Daniel Durant, and Marlee Matlin, and is produced by Philippe Rousselet, Fabrice Gianfermi and Patrick Wachsberger.

It had its world premiere at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival in the U.S., where it won best director U.S. dramatic, U.S. grand jury prize: dramatic and the audience award: U.S. dramatic. Walsh-Peelo attended the London event with Heder joining virtually for a Q & A.

The film will debut in cinemas and on Apple TV Plus on Aug.

Mexican cinema has found an adopted home at the Cannes Film Festival. Since 2005, Critics’ Week at Cannes has organized a strand dedicated to Mexican short films by curating and screening in Cannes some of the top shorts from Mexico’s Morelia Intl. Film Festival (Ficm), one of the most important film festivals in Latin America.

As it returned to Cannes in 2021 after the 2020 edition was cancelled, Cannes Critics’ Week selected four films from the 18th Morelia Film Festival to showcase the new generation of Mexican film talent. Cannes Critics’ Week is, after all, the event where Guillermo Del Toro and Alejandro Gonzalez Iñárritu were first discovered on the international stage through their award-winning first films.

Though these four films from Morelia all had their own distinctive voice, they all highlighted, in their own way, the role of women in Mexican society, calling attention to issues of gender violence and femicides...

Eros International just announced its current film production line up for 2017-18 and is a very exciting list of film. The company plans to produce over 50 films across multiple languages, making it the largest slate by any Indian studio this year, offering a diversified slate of marquee and content-driven films.

The company has ramped up its own productions with an exciting line-up under development through key partnerships including talented producer-director, Aanand L Rai and their joint production entity Colour Yellow Production, Viki Rajani’s NextGen Films and Trinity Pictures, Eros’ in-house franchise label.

Following the critical and commercial successes of Raanjhanaa, Tanu Weds Manu Returns, Nil Battey Sannata and Happy Bhag Jayegi, Eros continues its association with Aanand L Rai and will roll out eight more titles with Colour Yellow which include Rai’s directorial venture starring Shah Rukh Khan. As well as a quirky romantic comedy Shubh Mangal Savdhaan by south director Rs Prasanna,...

It's a surprise that Srijit Mukherji's movies don't get as much notice outside West Bengal, and outside India, as it should. Bengali commercial cinema in India was in a state of creative decadence till Mukherji burst onto the scene with Autograph, his stylishly-crafted tribute to Satyajit Ray's immortal masterpiece Nayak, in 2010. More than half a decade later, Mukherji has become arguably the most bankable director working in Kolkata's studios today. Few can bridge the rural-urban divide in Bengal as well as he does. And most of his movies--from Autograph to Rajkahini--manage to achieve the double of achieving critical acclaim and humongous box-office returns. Even as I write this, he is preparing for his big leap into the ambitious world of Hindi cinema--he is busy...

[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...

While we all are aware that Vidya Balan is the face of Indian Film Festival that is held in Melbourne every year, we hear that this time around Anil Kapoor too will be a part of it. The actor turned producer will be flying down to the city during the festival for not just attending it but will also be hoisting the prestigious Indian National Flag on August 15. Anil Kapoor, who is thrilled about representing his country, expressed his delight and pride about receiving this opportunity to hoist the Indian National Flag. It is being said that Anil Kapoor will also be hosting the screening of his latest film Dil Dhadakne Do, where he played the role of a suave businessman and father to Ranveer Singh and Priyanka Chopra as well as his iconic film Mr. India in the Master Stroke section of the festival. Apart from these films, restored...

A portrait of Satyajit Ray by Rishiraj Sahoo | Source: Wikimedia commons

Let’s start to play a game here – What is common between the 9 Bengali films listed below:

1 – Antaheen (2009, dir: Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury) advertised that this was the first film after Satyajit Ray’s Aranyer Din Ratri where Aparna Sen and Sharmila Tagore acted together. It went further stating that even the Ray masterpiece didn’t have the two pitted against each other in the same frame as this film did.

2 – Abar Aranye (2003, dir: Goutam Ghose) took three of the four characters of Aranyer Din Ratri to the forest of Dooars on a sequel train at a time when the DVD, CD version of the Ray original was not readily available.

3 – Aborto (2013, dir: Arindam Sil) flaunts that all the characters of the film have the same names as the different major characters in the master’s film oeuvre.

4 – Charulata 2011 (2012, dir:...

This coming week the oldest and largest Indian film festival in North America will inundate the cultural fabric of New York City with award-winning, cutting-edge and entertaining films from the Indian subcontinent.

The New York Indian Film Festival, now in its fourteenth edition, is set to screen more than 40 films—features, short narratives and documentaries—from at least four South Asian countries. Organized by the Indo-American Arts Council, the week-long festival will mark the New York premiere screening of director-producer Anurag Kashyap’s widely admired thriller Ugly. It will be the second time for Kashyap at the festival, whose film Gangs of Wasseypur was the closing night film two years ago.

This time the closing film is acclaimed Bengali auteur Aparna Sen’s Goynar Baksho (The Jewelry Box), a film based on a novel of the same name. The centerpiece film is Malayalam director Geethu Mohandas’ Liar’s Dice – which...

T he 64th edition of Berlin International Film Festival that kicks off today has strong Indian presence with ten Indian films screening in various sections. The festival will be held from February 6-16, 2014.

Imtiaz Ali’s Highway and Jayan Cherian’s Papilio Buddha, which is in contention for the Teddy Award, will be screened in the Panorama section.

Pushpendra Singh’s Lajwanti, K. Hariharan and Mani Kaul’s Ghashiram Kotwal (1976) and Jessica Sadana & Samarth Dikshit’s Prabhat Pheri will be screened in the Forum section.

The Forum Expanded section will see the screening of Blood Earth directed by Kush Badhwar and Mount Song directed by Shambhavi Kaul.

Avinash Arun’s Killa and Gaurav Saxena’s Rangzen will be screened in the Generation K Plus section, targeted at children and young audience of the festival.

Satyajit Ray’s Nayak will be screened as a part of the Berlinale Classics section.

Here...

Berlinale Classics was launched a year ago as part of the Retrospective section of the Berlin International Film Festival. It presents elaborately restored cinema classics and rediscovered films in brilliant picture and sound quality at premieres with prominent guests. Satyajit Ray's 1966 Bengali classic Nayak starring Uttam Kumar and Sharmila Tagore is among the six films that will be showcased in the programme this year. In 1966, at the Berlinale world premiere of the film,...

Exclusive: French outifit takes world sales rights to Tamar van den Dop’s teen drama.

Loic Magneron’s Paris-based Wide Management has snapped up world sales rights to Dutch actress/director Tamar van den Dop’s Supernova, a deal confirmed at the Rotterdam International Film Festival (Iffr) this week.

The film will premiere in the Berlinale’s Generation 14 Plus next month.

“Right away, I was so positive regarding the artistic aspects, the storyline, acting and especially the directing,” Magneron said of van den Dop’s second feature.

Supernova is about a 17-year-old girl living with her parents in a remote backwater, yearning for love, fantasy and adventure.

The film will be part of Wide’s Eye on Films promotion and distribution initiative, which Magneron said should heighten its visibility further. The film will be shown in the European Film Market next month.

Other new Wide pick-ups include Lech Majewski’s Field Of Dogs and Berlinale Forum entry N...

A still from “Nayak”

A restored version of Satyajit Ray’s Nayak will screen at the upcoming Berlin International Film Festival in the ‘Berlinale Classics’ section.

The film, that won a Special Recognition in 1966 at the same festival, has been restored by Rdb Entertainments in 2K resolution last year.

Ray’s Nayak is a film about a film star who is travelling to Delhi from Calcutta to receive his National Award and reveals a lot more about his personality to a young journalist than he intends to.

The film had also won the National Award for Best Feature in Bengali.

Five other Ray classics, including Charulata, Mahanagar, Kapurush, Mahapurush and Jai Baba Felunath had been restored earlier by Rdb Entertainments.

French sales outfit Wide Management has added a slew of titles in recent months.

Tiff contemporary world cinema premiere Ningen, about a Japanese CEO under pressure to save his company, is the second feature from Noor directors Cagla Zencirci and Guillaume Giovanetti.

Portuguese drama Bobo, by Ines Oliveira, plays in the Tiff discovery programme. The feature follows two women who unite over their mutual desire to protect a child.

Vinko Bresan’s Karlovy Vary competition comedy The Priest’s Children has sold to a number of European territories while Jean-Louis Daniel’s Paris-set Shanghai Belle, also in-demand, tells the story of young models discovering a life of drugs, sex and prostitution.

Also on the slate are Snails in the Rain by Yariv Mozer, Letters of a Portuguese Nun, Rene Feret’s The Film to Come, and Us comedy Only in New York, in which a stand-up has a novel take on the Israel-Palestine conflict.

Wide has also...

Amitava Nag reviews “Uttam Kumar and Suchitra Sen- Bengali Cinema’s First Couple” by Maitreyee B Chowdhury, the first book in English on Bengali cinema’s evergreen couple

U ttam Kumar and Suchitra Sen are the two names that any one remotely connected to Bengali cinema can associate with even today, more than three decades after they ever acted on screen. Today’s media and the cultural space which is filled up with the modern day hero and the bit-sized starlets hanging from his shoulder in all directions cannot still quite shrug off the magnetic presence of this romantic on-screen couple who swayed Bengali cinema in its golden period – the 1950s and the 1960s. Strangely, there had not been any book on the duo in English (a few are available in Bengali though but not very authentic in any sense) so far till one comes across Maitreyee B Chowdhury...

The British Film Institute (BFI) is hosting a special two-month Satyajit Ray season, the first of which will be held in August. Ray’s films will be screened throughout the month in London, in association with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

Ray received an Academy Award for Lifetime Achievement-just before his death in Calcutta-in 1992.

The films to be screened as part of Ray season in August are Pather Panchali, Aparajito, Mahanagar, Jalsaghar, Apur Sansar, Devi, Teen Kanya, Charulata, Kanchenjungha, Nayak, Kapurush, Chiriakhana, Abhijan and Parash Pathar.

Two documentaries directed by Ray– commemorating writer, artist and composer Rabindranath Tagore and Satyajit Ray’s father Sukumar Ray will also be screened.

A Masterclass will be conducted on Pather Panchali by filmmaker and teacher Mamoun Hassan, who headed the BFI in 1970s.

As reported earlier, BFI will also release Ray’s Mahanagar to mark the 50th anniversary of the film.

Google is celebrating Satyajit Ray’s 92nd birth anniversary with a special doodle depicting the famous train scene from Pather Panchali, his most famous debut film from the Apu Trilogy. The film won an award for the Best Human Document at the Cannes film festival in 1956.

A restored version of Ray’s Charulata will screen in Cannes Classics section this year.

Ray, the most critically acclaimed Indian filmmaker, was awarded an Honorary Oscar in 1992 “For his rare mastery of the art of motion pictures and for his profound humanitarian outlook, which has had an indelible influence on filmmakers and audiences throughout the world”.

Several of his films screened at Cannes, Berlin and Venice film festivals. Some of his well known films are Pather Panchali, Charulata, Shatranj Ke Khiladi, Agantuk, Aparajito, Devi and Nayak.

Sharmila Tagore has been honoured with a Doctorate of Arts from Edinburgh Napier University, UK for her contributions towards Indian cinema. The 67 year old veteran actress has the distinction of being a household name both in Hindi and Bengali cinema, a rare achievement which not many have managed to secure. Ms Tagore was awarded with her doctorate on 25 October 2012 in the presence of around 1000 students during the university’s autumn graduation ceremonies. She expressed her gratitude to the university for being presented with this prestigious award in a public statement. “It is indeed a privilege to be conferred an Honorary Degree by Edinburgh Napier University. It recognizes the significant influence of Indian Cinema on the global cultural arena and the small role that I have played in its history. As we celebrate a hundred years of Indian Cinema, this is both a happy and humbling moment.”

Edinburgh Napier University has...

Rituparno Ghosh had written and acted in Sanjoy Nag’s 2010 debut film Memories in March that deals with a mother’s (Arati) discovery that her deceased son (Sid) was a gay. The film deftly touched upon the changing dynamics of Arati and the gay partner of her son (Ornob) – Sid always remained as the backdrop. In one of the initial interactions between a female colleague of the son (Sahana) and Arati, Sahana told Arati about her crush for Sid. Then she straightened her dress and quietly challenged Sid’s mother, “Do you think I am up to the mark for him?” What Arati replied is un-important. What is important perhaps is the singular dialogue that puts the matter of Gender in perspective – the patriarchal society looks at women as a commodity even in an otherwise attempted asexual film. This preamble (and lending the content from my previous critique of Memories in March...

The 17th Kolkata Film festival to be held from November 10-17, 2011 has announced its lineup. Terrence Malick’s The Tree of Life, Alexander Sokurov’s Faust, Godard’s Film Socialism, Bela Tarr’s The Turin Horse, among others will be presented at the International Cinema section of the festival.

Joram Lürsen’s The Magicians will be the opening film of the festival.

In a Special Tribute to Uttam Kumar—Nayak directed by Satyajit Ray and documentary Mahanayak—a Superstar’s Journey directed by Swapan Das will be screened.

A Retrospective of Japanese director Shohei Imamura will showcase films like Stolen Desire, Black Rain and Vengeance is Mine, among others.

Carlo Lizzani’s Luchino Visconti: Life as in a romance, Chidananda Dasgupta’s Amodini, Mani Kaul’s Uski Roti, Luchino Visconti’s The Innocent and The Leopard will be screened in the Homage section.

Ritwik Ghatak’s Komal Gandhar and...

A still from Aag

India has much to look forward to, at the 64th edition of the Locarno International Film Festival that begins on Wednesday, July 3, 2011. The festival has lined up quite an eclectic and exciting mix of Indian films; from the masters Satyajit Ray and Ritwik Ghatak to the contemporary Umesh Kulkarni and Vikramaditya Motwane.

Locarno Open Doors, an initiative that focuses on a region where independent cinema is in developmental stage every year has its eyes set firmly on India in the 2012 edition.

A still from Udaan

Open Doors screening will present thirteen “Indian classics” which include Raj Kapoor’s Aag, Jahnu Barua’s Halodhia Choraye Baodhan Khai (The Yellow Birds), Girish Kasaravalli’s Kanasembo Kudureyaneri (Riding the Stallion of a Dream), Shyam Benegal’s Manthan, Ritwik Ghatak’s Meghe Dhaka Tara, Aparna Sen’s Mr. and Mrs. Iyer, Chetan Anand’s Neecha Nagar, Adoor Gopalakrishnan’s Nizalkkuthu...

Mr. and Mrs. Iyer

The Open Doors screening at Locarno International Film Festival 2011 will present thirteen “Indian classics” and a retrospective of Satyajit Ray, through the restored copies of his work.

Locarno Open Doors, an initiative that focuses on a different region every year—is focused on India. These screenings are open to the public.

Open Doors seeks to highlight films and filmmakers from countries in the South and East where independent cinema is still developing.

Indian classics

Aag by Raj Kapoor – India – 1948 – 138 min

Halodia Choraye Baodhan (The Yellow Birds) by Khai Jahnu Barua – India – 1987 – 120 min

Kanasembo Kudureyaneri (Riding the Stallion of a Dream) by Girish Kasaravalli – India – 2010 – 110 min

Manthan (The Churning) by Shyam Benegal – India – 1976 – 134 min

Meghe Dhaka Tara (The Cloud-Clapped Star) by Ritwik Ghatak – India – 1960 – 126 min

Mr. And Mrs. Iyer by Aparna Sen – India – 2002 – 123 min

Neecha Nagar (Lowly City) by Chetan Anand – India – 1946 – 122 min

Nizhalkkuthu (Shadow Kill) by...

Opening this Thursday and running through July 12th is the London Indian Film Festival. This is the second exciting year and once again they have quite the eclectic lineup of films to showcase. Not only is the Imran Khan starrer Delhi Belly premiering at the festival but also showing are some of the best films that are outside the classic Bollywood box and includes some of the finest independent films from all over India, not only Hindi, but also Bengali and Malayalam films.

The films presented this year cover a wide range of themes and issues not generally seen in mainstream Indian cinema. Not only are the subjects new but the treatments, the cinematic styles, the music and so much more are what make these films have a new voice and really stand out. Cary Rajinder Sawhney, Festival Director said, “Liff’S heady cocktail of films are as unpredictable as the London summer,...

Well, the 'baap' of all exclusive is here. I mean, the 'bad-boy' 'naughty' movie of the year Delhi Belly will be having its world premiere at this year's London Indian Film Festival (Liff) at Cineworld, Haymarket on 30 June. Delhi Belly will open the Liff this year. With a nod to Brit-gangster flicks such as Snatch, it tells the story of a group of hapless mates who end up being hunted by the local mafia after one of them accidently mixes up a smuggler's package with his stool sample (He ate some dodgy Tandoori chicken). The film reaches its climax in true heist style with a riot of mix-ups and high-speed chases, while unsuspecting English tourists duck for cover. Delhi Belly will have its worldwide release the next day, July 1. Other highlights of the festival include a special screening of Colours Of Passion at the V&A, homage to the revolutionary...

Click above for more movie stills Well, the 'baap' of all exclusive is here. I mean, the 'bad-boy' 'naughty' movie of the year Delhi Belly will be having its world premiere at this year's London Indian Film Festival (Liff) at Cineworld, Haymarket on 30 June. Delhi Belly will open the Liff this year. With a nod to Brit-gangster flicks such as Snatch, it tells the story of a group of hapless mates who end up being hunted by the local mafia after one of them accidently mixes up a smuggler's package with his stool sample (He ate some dodgy Tandoori chicken). The film reaches its climax in true heist style with a riot of mix-ups and high-speed chases, while unsuspecting English tourists duck for cover. Delhi Belly will have its worldwide release the next day, July 1. Other highlights of the festival include a special screening of Colours Of Passion at the V&A,...

HeyUGuys brings you the latest in World Cinema film trailers in association with Film Dates UK.

Each week we’ll be showcasing some of most anticipated foreign releases as well as highlighting a few hidden gems which may have fallen off your radar. It’s no surprise that Hollywood has turned to World Cinema for inspiration in recent years with the number of remakes getting more and more popular.

Whilst it remains to be seen how many of these remakes go on to succeed or stay true to their original story counterparts, we decided it was high-time we turned the spotlight onto the next wave of foreign films to grace our screens.

This week we have 8 new trailers for your viewing pleasure. Enjoy!

Civilization (Hævnen / In A Better World) UK Cinema Release Date: Monday 21st February 2011 – (Glasgow Film Festival)

Synopsis: Anton is a doctor who commutes between his home in an idyllic town in Denmark,...

Charlie Chaplin had been making movies for less than a month when he appeared in A Film Johnnie, a one-reel comedy about moviegoing and moviemaking set around the Keystone Studio. This genre of films with a movie background has flourished ever since, with pictures ranging from Nicholas Ray's In a Lonely Place to Satyajit Ray's Nayak. While most are set in Hollywood, three of the very best are by European directors: Fellini's 8½, Godard's Le mépris and Truffaut's Day for Night (aka La nuit américaine).

Truffaut's warm, humane film, made in 1973, can be seen as a delayed riposte to Godard's acrid attack on the commercial cinema in Le mépris, the action of which it closely parallels. A vicious letter Godard wrote to Truffaut about Day for Night effectively turned their friendship into a bitter enmity.

Set in Nice's Victorine Studios, where it was filmed, Day for Night is a touching,...

Director Srijit Mukherjee’s brainchild Autograph is all set to premiere at the Abu Dhabi Film Festival this month. The film will be released across the theaters on October 14th this year and it stars big names of the Bengali film industry like Prosenjit, nandana Sen and Indraneil Sengupta.

The upcoming movie is about three people from the world of acting, a reigning superstar, a young director and a theater actress. One day these three characters come together at a film set and their lives start to change. Autograph as a film tries to captivate the audience by giving them an inside view of a celebritie's mind. The movie has been inspired from Satyajit Ray’s Nayak and Ingrid Bergman’s Wild Strawberries.

Director Srijit Mukherjee informed us that the new movie deals with the concept of “a movie within a movie” and the narrative is split between two parts...