News

According to recent reports, actress Urmila Matondkar has allegedly filed for divorce from her husband of eight years, Mohsin Akhtar Mir. The news, shared by an anonymous source from a Mumbai court, suggests that the separation is not on mutual terms, although the reasons behind the split remain unclear. The couple, who got married on February 4, 2016, in an intimate ceremony, had drawn attention for their interfaith marriage and a significant 10-year age difference.

While Urmila is well-known in the public eye, her husband, Mohsin, has maintained a relatively lower profile. A businessman and former model, Mohsin hails from Kashmir and moved to Mumbai at 21 to pursue a career in Bollywood. He appeared in films like It’s A Man’s World (2009), Luck By Chance (2009), Mumbai Mast Kallander (2011), and B.A. Pass (2012), before shifting focus towards business. He is now reportedly associated with designer Manish Malhotra’s label, having first met Urmila at a...

Arjun Kapoor and Bhumi Pednekar are teaming up again for a crime thriller, The Ladykiller. The film, directed by Ajay Bahl, is in its final stage of production and will resume shooting post the monsoon season in North India.

The Ladykiller is a film that revolves around a serial killer who targets women and the cop who is on his trail. Arjun Kapoor plays the role of the killer, while Bhumi Pednekar plays the cop. The film is said to be a dark and gritty thriller that will keep the viewers hooked till the end.

Section 375 Trailer

The film is directed by Ajay Bahl, who has previously helmed acclaimed thrillers like Section 375 and B A Pass. The film is produced by Bhushan Kumar with Shaailesh R Singh. The film has been shot extensively in North India, as the locations provide the perfect backdrop for the story.

The Ladykiller team has...

CinemaDirector Ajay Bahl’s ‘Blurr’, starring Taapsee, will mark Outsider Films’ debut production venture.PTIfile photoActor Taapsee Pannu on Thursday announced her first production feature film Blurr, to be made under her banner Outsiders Films. Billed as an “edge-of-the-seat thriller", Blurr will be directed by Ajay Bahl, known for films like BA Pass and Section 375. Taapsee, who made the film announcement on Twitter, said she has backed the project along with Zee Studios and Echelon Productions. "And here's the first one of the slate. The chill to match the thrill ! #Blurr! @ZeeStudios_ #OutsidersFilms & @echelonmumbai come together for an edge of the seat thriller. Directed by #AjayBahl," she wrote. Ajay has co-written the story of Blurr with Pawan Sony. Param Gill and Kabir Lal are credited as co-producers. Taapsee , known for her critically-praised performances in Hindi films such as Pink, Mulk, Manmarziyaan, and Thappad, has teamed up with producer Pranjal Khandhdiya to start Outsiders Films.

Aditya Vikram Sengupta’s debut feature is all set for a world premiere at Venice Days, an independent sidebar of the Venice Film Festival, that runs from August 27 to September 6.

Aditya, who is a graduate of the National Institute of Design and dabbles in graphic design, animation and advertising, talks about his Labour of Love:

Basabdutta Chatterjee in Labour of Love

What is Labour of Love about?

Labour Of Love is set against the backdrop of a spiraling recession that has Calcutta in its grips. Several people are losing their sources of livelihood and faced with the uncertainty of losing their own jobs, the film’s two central characters are under constant pressure to sustain their livelihood. The film deals with their strained routines as well as the calmness they depict in dealing with the eventualities of their existence.

There are no dialogues in the film. What was the idea behind not having dialogues?...

Mumbai, Dec 24: "B.A. Pass" director Ajay Bahl, who is ready to roll his next film, an adaptation of Akimitsu Takagi's Japanese novel "The Informer" has decided to cast Abhay Deol as one of the leads in the thriller.

Abhay may be seen as one of the protagonists along with the Sikkimese model-turned-actress Geetanjali Thapa.

Bahl says he owes Geetanjali one project.

"After I opted out of the Bhatts' project 'City Lights', Geetanjali also opted out. She didn't have to do that. In fact, from what I know of the equations in the entertainment industry, no one turns away from a project for the sake of showing solidarity."

"Geetanjali left the Bhatts' project after I did. I owe her a role in the film that I am doing.

Hindi remakes rights of Pawan Kumar’s “Lucia” was bought by Fox Star Studios

Year 2013 turned out to be an unprecedented year for Indian indie films! While Bollywood continued to break all records riding high on star power, Indies also began a humble yet significant journey towards finding mainstream distribution. The Lunchbox piggybacked on star director Karan Johar as presenter while Ship of Theseus found support from filmmaker Kiran Rao. Shahid was backed by Disney-utv and B.A. Pass was acquired by Bollywood producer Bharat Shah. While these films enjoyed successful run in international film festivals, they also got acceptance from theatre-going audiences back home.

We’ve compiled a list of 10 indie gems that we think ruled the roost this year. At the outset, we would like to mention two remarkable films, Anand Gandhi’s Ship of Theseus and Hansal Mehta’s Shahid, which released theatrically this year but had been...

Mumbai, Dec 1: Ajay Bahl, who debuted as a director with neo noir film "B.A. Pass", will now wield the megaphone for a murder mystery, inspired by a Japanese novel.

The film is tentatively titled "Informer".

"I am scripting a film, which is inspired by a Japanese novel. It's basically a murder mystery and I am thrilled about the project," Bahl told Ians.

"We will start shooting by March 2014 and the film is tentatively titled 'Informer'," he added.

Bahl, who had teamed up with Shilpa Shukla and Shadab Kamal for "B.A. Pass", described by critics as a stark, brutal portrayal of seduction and betrayal, is yet to decide on the cast of his new film.

"We have not decided about the cast. We are still working.

Rajesh Jala’s The Spark was awarded the $16,000 (Rs1m) Incredible India award at the close of Film Bazaar (Nov 20-24), while Kanu Behl’s Titli took the Prasad Digital Intermediate prize.

The Spark, which was selected for Film Bazaar’s Screenwriters’ Lab, tells the story of a riot victim who has a plan to take revenge, but is indecisive about taking action. Jala previously directed award-winning documentary Children Of The Pyre.

Produced by Dibakar Banerjee with backing from Yash Raj Films, Titli revolves around the volatile relationship between two brothers. Currently in post-production, the film was selected for Film Bazaar’s Work-in-Progress Lab. Behl has worked as assistant and co-writer on Banerjee’s previous features.

More than 950 delegates from 35 countries attended this year’s Film Bazaar, compared to 712 from 32 countries in 2012. International visitors included four Cannes heavyweights – Thierry Fremaux, Christian Jeune, Critics Week’s Charles Tesson and Directors’ Fortnight’s Edouard Waintrop – along with delegations from Screen...

UK broadcaster Channel 4 has acquired four films that have screened at Film Bazaar including India’s submission for the Best Foreign Language Oscar.

The four titles – The Good Road, Sulemani Keeda, Fandry and B.A. Pass - will screen as part of the New Voices section within Channel 4’s Indian film season in 2014. The season of around 20 Indian titles is screened in two blocks – April and September-October.

“The idea is to make sure we cater to a wider Asian audience, so we would have a commercial movie like Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara screening alongside a Celluloid Man,” said Channel 4 Indian film programmer Nasreen Munni Kabir.

“These are young, new generation film-makers who will not get mainstream studios’ distribution support. The only downside is that sub-titled films play late at night [after 11pm] but people mostly record and watch at their convenience.”

Gyan Correa’s The Good Road is a Gujarati-language road movie revolving around three groups of people...

UK broadcaster Channel 4 had acquired four films that have screened at Film Bazaar – The Good Road, Sulemani Keeda, Fandry and B.A. Pass.

The four titles will screen as part of the New Voices section within Channel 4’s Indian film season in 2014. The season of around 20 Indian titles is screened in two blocks – April and September-October.

“The idea is to make sure we cater to a wider Asian audience, so we would have a commercial movie like Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara screening alongside a Celluloid Man,” said Channel 4 Indian film programmer Nasreen Munni Kabir.

“These are young, new generation film-makers who will not get mainstream studios’ distribution support. The only downside is that sub-titled films play late at night [after 11pm] but people mostly record and watch at their convenience.”

Gyan Correa’s The Good Road is a Gujarati-language road movie revolving around three groups of people travelling in the Rann of Kutch, while Fandry...

After the warmly-received B.A. Pass, director Ajay Bahl is on a roll. He has just been signed by Mahesh and Mukesh Bhatt to direct yet another dark tale of an urban nightmare. The yet-untitled new Bahl film is about the first harrowing month in the life of a couple which migrates from Himachal Pradesh to Mumbai. Says Ajay, who is at the moment hunting locations in the interiors of Himachal Pradesh, "It is again a dark brooding study of urban dislocation. I'll be exploring the not-too-pleasant experiences of this couple who come to Mumbai for a better life." While the very talented Rajkumar Yadav was signed to play the male lead for Ajay's Bahl second feature film, it is reliably learnt the Sikkimese model-actress Geetanjali Thapa who came into massive acclaim for her performance in Monsoon Shootout would be playing Yadav's wife. Geetanjali recently completed a film called Liar's Dice with Nawazuddin.

Mumbai, Oct 5: "Kai Po Che" actor Rajkumar Yadav is eagerly waiting to work with director Ajay Bahl in his next venture, which Yadav believes is a "different" project.

"I am very excited about my next film which is with Ajay Bahl, who directed 'B.A. Pass'. It's a very different film and I am not allowed to talk about it," he told Ians.

The actor said the hunt for the leading lady for the film is still on.

"We are hunting for the leading lady for the film as of now. We will start rolling by end of October," he added.

The yet-untitled project will be produced by Mahesh Bhatt.

Yadav is currently busy with the promotion of Hansal Mehta's "Shahid", a biopic of murdered human rights lawyer Shahid Azmi..

Gajendra Ahire’s Marathi film Touring Talkies will open the Indian Film Festival, The Hague 2013.

The festival that will be held from October 2-6, 2013 in The Netherlands will host art-house films, documentaries and popular Hindi films from India.

Full Line up:

Asha 80 by Henk Schepers and Mahindra Goercharan

B.A. Pass by Ajay Bahl

Ballad of Rustom by Ajita Suchitra Veera

Bombay Talkies by Zoya Akhtar, Dibakar Banerjee, Karan Johar and Anurag Kashyap

Celluloid Man by Shivendra Singh Dungarpur

Commando – A One Man Army by Dilip Ghosh

Fukrey by Mrigdeep Singh Lamba

Gangoobai by Priya Krishnaswamy

Jadoo by Amit Gupta

Kai Po Che by Abhishek Kapoor

Mumbai Cha Raja by Manjeet Singh

Nina’s Heavenly Delights by Pratibha Parmar

Oass – The Dew Drop by Abhinav Shiv Tiwari

Omg – Oh My God! by Umesh Shukla

Ramaiya Vastavaiya by Prabhudeva

Shahid by Hansal Mehta

Special 26 by Neeraj Pandey

Mine – Story of a...

Mumbai, Sep 21: Filmmaker Ajay Bahl's bold film "B.A. Pass" will now be remade in Malayalam and Telugu, says the director. It is already being dubbed in Telugu.

"I have received calls from two producers for the remake rights. We are still negotiating with the price and in the next two to three weeks, we will be in a position to talk much about it," Bahl told Ians.

"The film will be remade in Malayalam and Telugu as the producers are very happy with the Hindi version of 'BA Pass'," he added.

Based on Mohan Sikka's short story "The Railway Aunty", "B.A. Pass" has been screened at prestigious film festivals, including.

Bollywood earned a bonus last week with an unsuspecting success in the form of ‘B.A. Pass’. Though the film was pretty much unheard of for the longest time, it did manage to make a decent impression at the box office. The very fact that it managed to cover it’s costs must be a reason for celebration since after ‘Bhaag Milkha Bhaag’, as many as 25 films have been huge downers at the box office.

The film gathered a little over 6 crore at the box office after it’s first week and that’s decent enough considering the costs involved in its making and release. Yes, ‘Chennai Express’ has arrived this week which means any and every film would be on the backburner as the Shahrukh starrer invades the screens. Still, it is to the credit of exhibitors that a show or two of ‘B.A Pass’ have still been retained...

B.A. Pass starring Shilpa Shukla releases today and is in the buzz for having a lot of sexual content. But debutant director Ajay Bahl defends the sex in the film and says it's not for titillation. He says, "Sex as an act will always excite you. But the intention is not to titillate. It's a part of the story. B.A. Pass totally revolves around this amorous relationship. If that is not depicted properly, the story won't make any sense. It will just fall apart. So the sensuous r...

No prizes for guessing that this Friday's new release, the Rohit Shetty directed Shahrukh Khan and Deepika Padukone starrer Chennai Express, is all set to embark on one of the best starts (if not the best) of the year. The film is likely to set some new milestones, the first of which may well be the opening 3-day weekend record. The film is also expected rock the overseas, with more than 700 prints.None of the new releases of last week, except Shilpa Shukla's B.A. Pass and to...

Not many heroines would have taken up the challenge you took in B.A. Pass. It was a tough test. I'm sure you would not have said yes immediately on hearing the script. After all, it required a certain level of courage and deep reserves of acting to make the character of Sarika Aunty standout, and look believable.Sarika was not only meant to drop clothes and seduce. She has emotions too... a lot many blocked up within which at times confuse, not only her but also her husband and...

New Delhi, Aug 5: Three releases came out at the weekend, but none could set the box office afire, while director Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra's "Bhaag Milkha Bhaag", which is in its fourth weekend, continued to be the audience's favourite.

"Rabba Main Kya Karu", "Chor Chor Super Chor" and "B.A. Pass" came out this Friday.

Director Amrit Sagar's "Rabba Main Kya Karu" had Arshad Warshi as the star attraction, which talked about marriage and extra marital affairs. Even though Arshad had promised that the movie would be a treat to married men, it failed to impress either married or unmarried folks.

Next in the line.

Mumbai, Aug 3: The team of "B.A. Pass" is set to party hard to celebrate the film's release.

Directed by Ajay Bahl, the movie on male prostitution features actors Shilpa Shukla and Shadab Kamal. It released Friday.

If sources are to be believed, the cast will let their hair down Sunday night.

"Everybody is in a celebration mood as the film got 1,800 shows in a day and 750 screens, which is commendable for an independent film which has not been backed by any studio," a source close to the team, told Ians.

The film has been presented and distributed by Bharat Shah. Rs. 2 crore reportedly went into the making of the film, and Rs. 1.5 crore was spent on marketing it.

"The entire team of the film is in.

Whatever be the fate of B.A. Pass commercially, what Ajay Bahl has done for Hindi cinema is that he has shaken the status quo of enacting the scenes of sexuality and intimacy through his coveted film B.A. Pass, which has been the toast of the film festival circles all around the world. B.A. Pass shocks in the very first scene of seduction where Shilpa Shukla within a moment seduces Shadab Kamal who is playing the role of Read More...

Whatever be the fate of B.A. Pass commercially, what Ajay Bahl has done for Hindi cinema is that he has shaken the status quo of enacting the scenes of sexuality and intimacy through his coveted film B.A. Pass, which has been the toast of the film festival circles all around the world. B.A. Pass shocks in the very first scene of seduction where Shilpa Shukla within a moment seduces Shadab Kamal who is playing the role of Mukesh as this is how Cougar happens in reality but has neve...

This Friday saw multiple releases which included Shilpa Shukla's B.A. Pass, the Deepak Dobriyal and Priya Bhatija starrer Chor Chor Super Chor and the Arshad - Riya venture Rabba Main Kya Karoon etc. The outcome was quite predictable as the best performance (if one may say so!) came from B.A. Pass and Chor Chor Super Chor, both of which hovered around 10 percent. The remaining releases saw dismal collections.The new releases not only had to bear the brunt of older films (espec...

The faded, vintage glamour of the Delite Cinema provided the ideal location to host the press conference of new release B.A. Pass. We caught up with the stars and director of the film at the cinema, little more than a stone’s throw from Delhi’s Paharganj, where much of Ajay Bahl’s debut was shot.

Despite getting its theatrical release on August 2, the project has already achieved critical acclaim at film festivals from Delhi to London and Montreal to Paris. Lead actor Shadab Kamal was also the recipient of a ‘Best Actor’ award at the Osian Cinefan Festival of Asian and Arab Cinema.

“Honestly speaking, I was not expecting it. I didn’t even know Osian had an award for ‘Best Actor’.”said Kamal. “I was with my friends hanging out and enjoying myself when I got the call that I had won.”

The 25-year-old actor went on to...

If new releases of the week gone by hardly threw any impressive numbers, nothing better is expected in days to come. In fact, it is only going to get worse with as many as seven Hindi releases arriving this weekend. Astonishing, but true! These films are ‘Rabba Main Kya Karoon’, ‘B.A. Pass’, ‘Calapor’, ‘Chor Chor Super Chor’, ‘Love In Bombay’, ‘Prague’ and ‘Bhadaas’.

‘Rabba Main Kya Karoon’ should get a decent release due to the presence of Arshad Warsi. The film has seen some promotion coming its way and is directed by Amrit Sagar who is the man behind National Award winner ’1971′. With this film he has taken an altogether different route by opting for a family-comedy instead. Though one doesn’t see the huge opening footfalls on Day One itself, it is the only film which still has some chances to survive for an entire week. Its fun quotient...

This week will yet again witness multiple releases in the form of Shilpa Shukla’s B.A. Pass, the Deepak Dobriyal and Priya Bhatija starrer Chor Chor Super Chor, Rituparna Sengupta’s Calapor and the Arshad - Riya venture Rabba Main Kya Karoon. With Rohit Shetty’s Shahrukh Khan starrer Chennai Express releasing next week, the new releases of this week will face a tough challenge. Read More...

The late Joy Mukherjee jostles with 20-something year old debutant Akash Chopra in the theatres this week. It looks like a chaos of releases again.

It's the pre-Eid week when Ramzan is at its peak and a sizeable chunk of the audience stays away from movie theatres. Yet we have a very strange spectrum of releases lined up for Friday.

Joy Mukherjee who passed away last year resurfaces in Love In Bombay, a 42-year old project directed by Joy (his second directorial effort after Humsaaya) that has the distinction of every actor and technician being dead except the lovely Waheeda Rehman...God grant her a long life.

The late prolific filmmaker Ramanand Sagar's grandson Akash Chopra makes his screen debut in the wedding comedy Rabba Main Kya Karoon directed by Amrit Sagar who gave us that excellent war film 1971. The film has an interesting lineup of comic actors Arshad Warsi,...

Though the core concept of B.A. Pass may give an impression of it being an erotic tale, the fact is that the film's core genre has a different set up to it. Instead of it being designed as an out and out erotic affair, B.A. Pass is said to be carrying ample emotional quotient to it.Says a source attached to the film, "Don't even expect sleaze to fill in the narrative. Yes, of course physical proximity between the leads plays a major part of the story telling. In fact there is...

This week will yet again witness multiple releases in the form of Shilpa Shukla's B.A. Pass, the Deepak Dobriyal and Priya Bhatija starrer Chor Chor Super Chor, Rituparna Sengupta's Calapor and the Arshad - Riya venture Rabba Main Kya Karoon. With Rohit Shetty's Shahrukh Khan starrer Chennai Express releasing next week, the new releases of this week will face a tough challenge. Last Friday saw quite a predictable outcome with the Ranvir, Tusshar, Vishakha and Ravi Kissen starre...

Ajay Bahl's erotic drama B.A. Pass starring Shilpa Shukla and Shadab Kamal is continuing to impress one and all. The lucky ones who have seen the Neo Noir film can't stop raving about it.Says noted film director Vishal Bharadwaj, "Well crafted..Beautifully shot..Very brave and genuine performance by Shilpa Shukla." Filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt declares, "B.A.Pass is Outstanding! Raw! Human! Truthful! Ajay Bahl outdistances his contemporaries by miles in his debut film."A...

Film: B.A. Pass; Starring: Shilpa Shukla, Shadab Kamal; Directed by Ajay Bahl; Rating: ****

Somewhere towards the end of the protagonist Mukesh's descent into a self-created hell, we see him standing shamelessly at the roadside soliciting sex, being picked up by three drunken burly men.

A little later, Shadab Kamal sobs in the bathroom, blood dripping to his feet in a trail of tell-tale brutality.

The intense implicit violence that underlines this sequence reminded me of a similar process of sexual debasement undertaken by Mark Wahlberg in Paul Thomas Anderson's "Boogie Nights".

That was a film about the porn industry in the 1970s.

"B.A. Pass" is set in present day Delhi -- Paharganj, to be more precise..

Salman Khan and Shah Rukh Khan’s reported patch-up at an Iftaar party has impressed Mahesh Bhatt, who says it was bound to happen.

“Both have hugged each other and have sent a message across the nation that there are differences, but it’s not like that we cannot overcome them,” said Bhatt Monday on the sidelines of a press conference of Ajay Bahl’s film “B.A. Pass” here.Read More...

Mumbai, July 23: Salman Khan and Shah Rukh Khan's reported patch-up at an Iftaar party has impressed Mahesh Bhatt, who says it was bound to happen.

"Both have hugged each other and have sent a message across the nation that there are differences, but it's not like that we cannot overcome them," said Bhatt Monday on the sidelines of a press conference of Ajay Bahl's film "B.A. Pass" here.

"In the pious month of Ramzan, in which people forget their mutual differences and talk about peace and harmony, it was inevitable that at an Iftaar party people would meet and won't hug each other."

Bhatt even congratulated the two.

"I.

Mumbai, July 23: Ace filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt is highly impressed with Ajay Bahl directed forthcoming erotic drama "B.A Pass" and has termed it a "path-breaking film".

He is confident that this film will be recalled even after many years to come.

The film is said to be based on one of the stories titled "The Railway Aunty" by Mohan Sikka from the book "Delhi Noir", and it talks about male prostitution. In the film, actress Shilpa Shukla will be seen as Sarika Aunty.

"I assure you that people will talk about 'B.A. Pass' for many years. There are a lot of films, in which there are big stars, but are no where to be seen after the opening weekend of their release. But this film will be recalled even after 20-25 years down.

The release of Ajay Bahl’s B.A. Pass has been moved to August 2, 2013. It was earlier scheduled to release on July 12.

“The marketing and distribution team felt that we would get better shows on the 2nd,” said Bahl.

He added, “One of the main reasons is the length of Bhaag Milkha Bhaag, at 3 hours 10 odd minutes it will take up a huge amount of screen time. A five-screen multiplex has approximately 25 shows daily, so if they give 10 shows to Bmb (which is a bare minimum expected) it actually amounts to around 15 shows of any other film. On top of that, Pacific Rim should get 4/5 shows so that is 20 shows gone. Lootera has been holding up in Multiplexes and is expected to retain at least 3/4 shows. What is left is 1 or 2 shows and films fighting for those shows would have been B.A.Pass, 16, Shorts & Boyss Toh Boyss Hain…out of...

Yesterday we gave you an overview about the exciting London Indian Film Festival that is running from July 18th to the 24th. Today we thought we would give you the full list of films and events that will be featured at the Beyond Bollywood film festival!

Films

B.A. Pass | Dir. Ajay Bahl | Hindi, Punjabi, with English subtitles

The Graduate meets film noir in this sizzling tale of seduction and betrayal where a young man is seduced by a gorgeous cougar who leaves him entranced, that is until she farms him out to entertain her lady friends with dangerous consequences. The film’s steamy trailer drew millions of hits on YouTube and the eroticism of the film has drawn the ire of India’s moral police.

Bombay Talkies | Dirs. Karan Johar, Zoya Akhtar, Dibakar Bannerjee, Anurag Kashyap | Hindi, Marathi with English subtitles | Closing Film.

Mumbai’s spectacular homage to 100 years of...

Amit Kumar’s Monsoon Shootout will be the opening night film of the 4th edition of the London Indian Film Festival (July 18-25).

Closing the festival will be Bombay Talkies directed by Anurag Kashyap, Dibakar Banerjee, Karan Johar and Zoya Akhtar. Both these films premiered at the Cannes Film Festival this year.

The centrepiece ‘In conversation’ on Saturday 20th July at the BFI Southbank, will be with Actor Irrfan Khan talking to award winning director of Senna, Asif Kapadia. Read Irrfan Khan to conduct Masterclass at London Indian Film Festival

Adoor Gopalakrishnan will conduct a Masterclass ‘Life in Pictures’ on July 19.

The winner of the annual Satyajit Ray short film competition will be announced at the end of the festival.

Complete list of films to be screened at London Indian Film Festival:

Monsoon Shootout by Amit Kumar

Bombay Talkies by Anurag Kashyap, Dibakar Banerjee, Karan Johar and Zoya Akhtar

Pune...

Mumbai, June 26: Actress Shilpa Shukla was always the first choice for "B.A. Pass". Director Ajay Bahl wasn't sure if she would have taken it up after a debut like "Chak De! India", and that's when he approached Richa Chadda. But the deal was eventually sealed with Shilpa.

"I always had Shilpa in my mind, but she was established by then. Before approaching Shilpa, I approached Richa as she was raw," Bahl told Ians.

"At the same time, Richa was offered 'Gangs Of Wasseypur' and she told me about it. I asked her to go ahead with 'Gangs...' as it was a huge break for her. Then things fell in place and I approached Shilpa," he.

Mumbai, June 25: Debutant filmmaker Ajay Bahl's forthcoming movie "B.A. Pass" may focus on male prostitution, but he claims that he has made the film in a "dignified manner".

An adaptation of Mohan Sikka's short story "The Railway Aunty", the film is erotic in nature.

"When we choose a subject like this, there is a greater chance of moving towards obscenity. I am saying again and again that 'B.A. Pass' is not vulgar and I have made the film in a very dignified manner," Bahl told Ians in an interview here.

Bahl feels that the way he presents the story in the film, "people wouldn't have seen that in Indian cinema".

He.

Mumbai, June 25: "Chak De! India" fame actress Shilpa Shukla, who will be seen as a seductress in forthcoming film "B.A. Pass", says her theatre experience helped her a lot while preparing for her character in the film.

Directed by Ajay Bahl, "B.A. Pass" is said to be based on one of the stories, The Railway Aunty by Mohan Sikka, from the book "Delhi Noir". The film talks about male prostitution and Shilpa will be seen as Sarika Aunty in the movie.

"To relate (with that character) directly was difficult for me, but since we keep on doing theatre, so we have a sense of observing (others). Like somebody crossing the road or.

Ajay Bahl’s B.A. Pass will now release on July 12 instead of June 21, as announced earlier.

B.A. Pass won the best film award in the Indian Competition section of 12th Osian’s Cinefan Film Festival, New Delhi in 2012. Later it also won the Audience Award at the South Asian Alternative Film Festival in Paris in January this year.

The film features Shadab Kamal and Shilpa Shukla (Chak De! India) in lead roles. It revolves around 19 year old Mukesh who after losing his parents in a car accident lands up in Delhi worrying how to support himself and his two younger sisters. He then stumbles in the world of gigolos.

B.A. Pass was acquired by film producer Bharat Shah who is distributing the film under his banner VIP films.

The film is slated for a release of about 800-900 shows a day across India making it a fairly wide release for an independent film.

13th Osian’s Cinefan was scheduled to take place in July 2013

13th Osian’s Cinefan Festival of Asian and Arab Cinema won’t take place in July 2013 as announced earlier. The new dates for the festival are still being finalized.

The official Osian’s website had earlier announced that the 13th Osian’s Cinefan will take place in July 2013 and celebrate 100 years of Indian cinema.

Last year the festival had taken place from July 27th to August 5th at Siri Fort Auditorium Complex in New Delhi.

Cinefan (as it was earlier known) was started by film critic Aruna Vasudev, the founder of Asian Cinema Quarterly “Cinemaya”. She also started the Network for Promotion of Asian Cinema (Netpac) which presented the first edition of the festival in 1999.

The festival was taken over by Neville Tully’s Osian’s Connoisseurs of Art Private Limited in 2008. After celebrating the tenth edition of the...

Mumbai, May 23: Actress Shilpa Shukla, who has shot several bold scenes for "B.A. Pass", says she was skeptical before signing the movie but her father encouraged her to go for it.

"I was skeptical before going ahead with 'B.A. Pass' as it was an extremely bold role. As an actor, I didn't know how it's going to be and at the back of my mind, I wanted to do this film. So, I asked my father about it, and he said, 'You will have to go bold and take the risk'," Shilpa told Ians.

"This was his last advice that I remember. This film is dedicated to my father. He is not aware of the film industry, but he said you cannot excel without.

The ace film producer and distributor Bharat Shah has bought the global rights of Ajay Bahl's debut venture B.A. Pass starring Shilpa Shukla and a newcomer Shadab Kamal in the lead roles. The film will be presented and distributed under Mr. Shah's banner V.I.P films.

After generating a great buzz in the International film festival circuit, the erotic human drama will be out in theatres on June 21. The debutante director-cinematographer Ajay Bahl who has produced the film under his home banner, Tonga Talkies, along with Narendra Singh of Filmy Box is a happy man. "We held a special screening of B.A. Pass for Mr. Bharat Shah and he loved the film. He has acquired B.A. Pass and will be presenting and releasing it under his banner V.I.P Films on June 21. Mr Shah's presence will benefit the film immensely and go a long way in ensuring a good release.

Mumbai, May 15: After travelling to various film festivals, now "B.A. Pass" is set for commercial release. Producer-distributor Bharat Shah has bought the global rights of the movie and debutant director Ajay Bahl feels Shah's association will "benefit the film immensely".

Starring "Chak De! India" fame Shilpa Shukla and newcomer Shadab Kamal in the lead roles, "B.A. Pass" is Bahl's maiden directorial venture, which he has produced under his banner Tonga Talkies.

He held a special screening of "B.A.Pass" for Shah.

"He loved the film. He has acquired 'B.A. Pass' and will be presenting and releasing it under his banner V.I.P.

Bollywood Film financier and distributor Bharat Shah will present and distribute Ajay Bahl’s B.A. Pass under his banner VIP Films.

The film is slated for a wide release of about 800-900 shows a day across India. The release date is 21st June.

Shah has presented popular Bollywood films such as Saathiya, Baghban, Devdas, Company, Khakee and Main Hoon Naa.

B.A. Pass was adjudged the Best Film in Indian Competition at the 12th Osian’s Cinefan Film Festival and won the Audience Award at the 1st South Asian Alternative Film Festival (Saaff) in France.

The film features Shadab Kamal and Shilpa Shukla (Chak De! India) in lead roles. It revolves around 19 year old Mukesh who after losing his parents in a car accident lands up in Delhi worrying how to support himself and his two younger sisters. He then stumbles in the world of gigolos.

Read If you don’t back your own first film,...

It has been in existence since the time the Indian civilization was conceptualized, the sexual escapades that is, its forms and formats have kept on changing but as a reality it continues to evolve and morph into new dimensions perhaps factoring in the mood and tenor of the times. B.A. Pass is the latest addition which explores the genre of paid sex and the ramifications associated with it, as there always is an element of deceit and entrapment associated with it, if the things are not working to a plan. Read More...

It has been in existence since the time the Indian civilization was conceptualized, the sexual escapades that is, its forms and formats have kept on changing but as a reality it continues to evolve and morph into new dimensions perhaps factoring in the mood and tenor of the times. B.A. Pass is the latest addition which explores the genre of paid sex and the ramifications associated with it, as there always is an element of deceit and entrapment associated with it, if the things ar...

The newcomer Shadab Kamal makes a bold debut in Ajay Bahl's erotic human drama, B.A. Pass releasing on June 21. He plays a-19-year-old-boy who gets seduced by an older and married aunt, Shilpa Shukla. The Chak De girl plays his sex guru and teaches him the art of love making. Since it's an erotic film Shadab and Shilpa have shared passionate kisses and shot explicit lovemaking scenes. Read More...

The newcomer Shadab Kamal makes a bold debut in Ajay Bahl's erotic human drama, B.A. Pass releasing on June 21. He plays a-19-year-old-boy who gets seduced by an older and married aunt, Shilpa Shukla. The Chak De girl plays his sex guru and teaches him the art of love making. Since it's an erotic film Shadab and Shilpa have shared passionate kisses and shot explicit lovemaking scenes. Ajay Bahl, the director-producer and cinematographer of the film reveals...