Ramachandran India: Celebs Rumors

Naman Ramachandran India’s official entry to the 2023 Oscars, Pan Nalin’s “Last Film Show,” and Rima Das’ acclaimed 2017 festival favorite “Village Rockstars,” are amongst the films screening at the inaugural Nirvana – Festival de la Culture et du Cinema Indiens. Taking place in Saint-Tropez May 26-28, the festival will also screen Shubhashish Bhutiani’s 2016 Venice winner “Hotel Salvation” and Rajat Kapoor’s “RK/RKAY” (2022). On the occasion of the 75th anniversary of India’s independence, the director’s cut of the international version of Ketan Mehta’s freedom fight themed “The Rising” (2005) will be screened. Indian filmmakers Sundaram Tagore, Deepa Sahi, Surina Narula and Sanjay Bhutiani will speak at a roundtable on Indo-French cinema.

Naman Ramachandran Indian streamer Sony LIV and production house Applause Entertainment have extended their existing partnership with two new series and renewals for four more. Among the new series, “36 Days,” produced in association with BBC Studios India is a suspense thriller, directed by Vishal Furia, featuring an ensemble cast including Neha Sharma, Purab Kohli, Shruti Seth, Chandan Roy Sanyal, Amruta Khanvilkar, Sharib Hashmi, Shernaz Patel, Faishal Rashid, Chahat Vig and Kenneth Desai. “Kafas” (“Cage”) is a social drama series starring Sharman Joshi, Mona Singh, Vivan Bhathena, Preeti Jhangiani and Mikail Gandhi in lead roles and directed by Sahil Sangha.

Naman Ramachandran Indian auteur Anurag Kashyap is back in Cannes with thriller “Kennedy,” starring Rahul Bhat in the title role. The film, which also stars Sunny Leone, will play in the Midnight Screenings strand of the festival. Several films directed by Kashyap have played at Cannes, including “Psycho Raman” (2016), “Ugly” (2013), “Bombay Talkies” (2013) and “Gangs of Wasseypur” (2012). In addition, several films produced by him have made it to the Croisette, including “Masaan” (2015), “The Lunchbox” (2013), “Monsoon Shootout” (2013), “The Congress” (2013) and “Udaan” (2010). The plot of “Kennedy” is being kept under wraps at the moment. “Kennedy is a ghost in the system looking for redemption,” is how Kashyap describes the film to Variety.

Naman Ramachandran Indian cinema legend Amitabh Bachchan will headline Ribhu Dasgupta’s courtroom drama thriller “Section 84.” The film is produced by Reliance Entertainment, Film Hangar and Saraswati Entertainment in association with Jio Studios. This film will mark Bachchan and Dasgupta’s third collaboration after the critical success of Sony Entertainment Television India’s 2014 miniseries “Yudh” and 2016 film “Te3n.” Bachchan’s last release was Sooraj Barjatya’s “Uunchai,” one of the few box office hits in a 2022 that was otherwise dull for Bollywood.

Naman Ramachandran India’s Zee Studios and Emmay Entertainment have released the first trailer for “Mrs. Chatterjee Vs Norway,” starring Rani Mukerji. The film, directed by Ashima Chibber and written by Rahul Handa, Sameer Satija and Chibber, is based on the true story of an Indian couple whose children were taken away from them by Norwegian welfare services in 2011. Mukerji plays the titular Mrs. Chatterjee who battles with the Norwegian government to reunite with her children. The film is produced by Zee Studios and Monisha Advani, Madhu Bhojwani and Nikkhil Advani’s Emmay Entertainment (“Bellbottom”). It is part of Zee Studios’ extensive 2023 slate. The company has a film, “Aatmapamphlet,” and series “Brown” at the ongoing Berlin Film Festival and Berlin Series Market respectively.

Naman Ramachandran India’s Platoon One Films, co-producers of Berlin Film Festival Panorama strand title “Ghaath” (“Ambush”), has seven films in the works. Four films are in advanced development. Police procedural “Bayan” by Bikas Mishra (“Chauranga”) was developed at Film Independent’s Global Media Makers program in Los Angeles and the film is supported by the International Film Festival Rotterdam’s Hubert Bals Fund. Drama “Kadminche,” the feature directorial debut of Tushar Paranjape, writer of Berlin Crystal Bear winner “Killa,” has Rinku Rajguru (“Sairat”) attached to star. Action fantasy film “Don’t Sleep” will mark the Hindi-language debut of Arun Bose (Malayalam-language “Luca”). And Agrim Joshi and Debojit Das Purkayastha, creators of series “Candy” for Viacom18 streamer Voot Select, will make their feature directorial debut with psychological thriller “Influenzaa.”

Naman Ramachandran India’s Clapstem Entertainment, led by director-producer Girish Malik and producer Amardeep S. Reen, has completed film “Band of Maharajas,” which is set for a market screening at Berlin’s European Film Market (EFM). Malik’s directorial debut, ecological drama “Jal” (2013), was in Busan’s New Currents competition. His sophomore feature, refugee and sports themed “Torbaaz” (2020), headlined by Bollywood star Sanjay Dutt, was a Netflix original film. His third film “Band of Maharajas” is the story of three clueless young folk musicians from a remote border village in India who undertake an unplanned and unusual journey to Pakistan that changes their lives and music. The film has the tagline “While countries divide us, music unites us.”

Naman Ramachandran India’s Yoodlee Films is expanding its Malayalam-language slate with “Kaapa,” starring Prithviraj Sukumaran (“Driving License”), one of the top stars of the industry.Directed by veteran Shaji Kailas (“August 15”), the film, billed as an action thriller, also stars Asif Ali (“Kuttavum Shikshayum”), Aparna Balamurali, who recently won India’s national film award for best actress for “Soorarai Pottru,” and Anna Ben (“Helen”).“Kaapa,” which has started principal photography, is co-produced by Jinu V. Abraham and Dolwin Kuriakose for Theatre of Dreams and the Film Employees Federation of Kerala (FEFKA) Writers Union, the first ever film backed by FEFKA.

Naman Ramachandran India’s Kamal Haasan is a true multi-hyphenate. Beginning as a child actor in 1960, he is one of the country’s most consummate actors with films like “Pathinaru Vayathinile” (1977) “Moondram Pirai” (1982) “Nayakan” (1987), “Thevar Magan” (1992) and “Vishwaroopam” (2013) behind him.He also produces via his Raajkamal Films International (RKFI), writes, directs, and runs the  Makkal Needhi Maiam political party.The upcoming “Vikram,” directed by Lokesh Kanagaraj (“Master”) and costarring Fahadh Fasil (“Maalik”) Vijay Sethupathi (“Kadaisi Vivasayi”), will be Haasan’s first release since 2018’s “Vishwaroopam 2.” It is produced by RKFI.Haasan was at the Cannes Market to launch NFTs based on “Vikram” from Fantico, a digital licensed platform of Singapore’s Vistas Media Capital.

Naman Ramachandran India’s Mithila Palkar (Netflix’s “Little Things”) and Jaaved Jaaferi (“Sooryavanshi”) and Bangladesh’s Siam Ahmed (“Shaan”) have joined the cast of “In the Ring (Story of a Burqa Boxer).”Set in the female Muslim boxing community of Khidderpore, Kolkata, India, the film is a psychological thriller about Shama, a 17-year-old boxer who exchanges places with her double to fight in the national championship when she is framed in her aunt’s murder.The cast also includes Razia Shabnam, one of the first Indian women to become an international boxing referee and coach.The Hindi-language film will be directed by U.S.-based filmmaker Alka Raghuram, who previously directed the acclaimed documentary “Burqa Boxers,” about Muslim women boxers in Kolkata. The project is being produced by Sreyashii Sengupta for Singapore-based Darpan Global and Souvikk Dasgupta for Oriizon Global in India, with Los Angles-based Rick Ambros serving as executive producer.Raghuram said: “I started writing this script while I was filming the documentary ‘Burqa Boxers.’ While the immersion into their world allowed me to tell the documentary story in the style of realism, it also made me want to explore the interior [worlds] of the characters via a more stylized narrative and style.

Naman Ramachandran India’s long awaited location shooting incentive scheme is now a reality. At the Cannes Film Market on Wednesday, Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur revealed a 30% reimbursement scheme for international productions shooting in India.The Indian federal government will reimburse up to 30% of qualifying production expenditure to a maximum of INR20 million ($260,000).

Naman Ramachandran Indian origin, U.S.-born Belgian actor Rumana Molla (“Irada”) will make her directorial debut with Belgium-set Indian immigrant drama “Minimum,” which will commence principal photography in June.The film will follow newly-wed immigrant Fauzia, whose mother-in-law Ruxana keeps her captive. She finds out that everything she had been told about her husband Ali was a lie and loses hope until a French tutor, Laurie, is hired to teach her the basics.

Naman Ramachandran India’s T-Series, Reliance Entertainment and Match Cut Productions have teamed on Srijit Mukherji’s Hindi-language satire “Sherdil: The Pilibhit Saga.”Inspired by true events, the film is about the adverse effects of urbanization, human-animal conflict and poverty, leading to a bizarre practice in a village located on the edge of a forest.It stars Pankaj Tripathi (“Sacred Games”), Neeraj Kabi (“Paatal Lok”) and Sayani Gupta “(Four More Shots Please”).Mukherji’s credits include Bengali-language films “Autograph” (2010), which was a Glasgow International Film Festival and Abu Dhabi International Film Festival selection, “Jaatishwar” (2014), “Chotushkone” (2015), “Rajkahini (2015) and “Ek Je Chilo Raja” (2019), which played at the Palm Springs International Film Festival. “Sherdil” will be his second Hindi film after the 2017’s “Begum Jaan,” the remake of “Rajkahini.” Mukherji said: “I got inspired by the real incident of tragic practises in villages bordering the Pilibhit Tiger Reserve and I knew I had to capture it in my next.

Naman Ramachandran India will be the official country of honor for the Cannes Film Market (May 17-25) this year.This is the first time the market is having an official country of honor and the new tradition will be continued annually with different nations at future editions.There s a neat coincidence: India is celebrating its 75th year of independence from British rule. The Cannes festival is also celebrating its 75th anniversary.The market celebrations will lick off on May 18 at the Majestic Beach with an introduction from market executive directors Jérôme Paillard and Guillaume Esmiol and a welcome address from Anurag Singh Thakur, India’s Minister of Information and Broadcasting.India will be prominently visible throughout the festival this year.

Naman Ramachandran India’s Reliance and Viacom18 have entered a strategic partnership with Bodhi Tree Systems, a platform of James Murdoch’s Lupa Systems and former Disney president Uday Shankar, to form a giant TV and digital streaming company in India.Bodhi Tree is fundraising with a consortium of investors to invest $1.78 billion in Viacom18, to “jointly build India’s leading entertainment platform and pioneer the Indian media landscape’s transformation to a ‘streaming-first’ approach,” the companies said in a statement. Viacom 18 is a joint venture of Network 18, the media group controlled by billionaire Mukesh Ambani, and U.S.

Naman Ramachandran Indian star Nandamuri Taraka Rama Rao Jr., popularly known as NTR Jr, is elated with the success of S.S. Rajamouli’s “RRR.”An action-drama set in the 1920s, the historical fiction story by Vijayendra Prasad and Rajamouli makes real-life Indian freedom fighters Alluri Sitarama Raju (played by Ram Charan) and Komaram Bheem (NTR Jr) meet and become fast friends. The occupying colonial British are their common enemy.The film opened March 25 with $65 million, making it the leading film globally that weekend.

Naman Ramachandran Indian star Ram Charan is revelling in the success of S.S. Rajamouli’s period action drama “RRR” (“Rise Roar Revolt”). The film released March 25 worldwide and scored a $65 million opening weekend, debuting in third place in the U.S.

Naman Ramachandran Indian blockbuster “RRR,” directed by S.S. Rajamouli and starring NTR Jr and Ram Charan, has roared to a mighty INR5 billion ($65.6 million) opening weekend, according to numbers provided to Variety by producer DVV Entertainment.“RRR” (“Rise Roar Revolt”), a period action drama, debuted in third position at the U.S. box office with a $9.5 million opening weekend and has emerged as one of the top grossing films worldwide during this period.The film released on March 25 worldwide in the Telugu, Tamil, Hindi and Malayalam languages and collected $29.2 million on its opening day.Rajamouli’s previous films, “Baahubali: The Beginning” (2015) and “Baahubali 2: The Conclusion” (2017) were also global box office successes and grossed $370 million combined.

Naman Ramachandran India’s Super Cassettes Industries, operating under the label T-Series, has revealed plans for a 100-film slate across various Indian languages.The company was founded by the late Gulshan Kumar in 1983 as a music business. He soon grew it into India’s biggest music label.

Naman Ramachandran Indian acting powerhouses Vidya Balan (“Kahaani”) and Shefali Shah (“Delhi Crime”) headline film “Jalsa,” which will bow on Amazon Prime Video.The film is a tale of conflict narrated through the life of a celebrated journalist and her cook. The cast also includes Manav Kaul (“The Fame Game”), Rohini Hattangadi (“Gandhi”), Iqbal Khan (“Crackdown”), Vidhatri Bandi (“Shiddat”), Srikant Mohan Yadav (“Inside Edge”), Shafeen Patel and Surya Kasibhatla.“Jalsa” is directed by Suresh Triveni who previously worked with Balan on the critically acclaimed “Tumhari Sulu” (2017).

Naman Ramachandran Indian streamer SonyLIV has revealed a robust slate of twenty 2022 original series, which includes its first ever Tamil-language shows “Accidental Farmer,” “Meme boys” and “Tamil Stalkers,” with Telugu and Malayalam-language shows also in the works.Coming up on the Hindi-language slate is Nikkhil Advani and Abhay Pannu’s period drama “Rocket Boys,” produced by Roy Kapur Films and Emmay Entertainment, the story of the scientists behind India’s nuclear program. It stars Jim Sarbh (“Made in Heaven”), Ishwak Singh (“Paatal Lok”) and Regina Cassandra (“Thalaivi”).The slate also has series from a who’s who of Bollywood including “Doctor Arora” by Imtiaz Ali (“Rockstar”), “Jehabanaad” by Sudhir Mishra (“Serious Men”), “Garmi” by Tigmanshu Dhulia (“Paan Singh Tomar”) and “Faadu” by Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari (“Bareilly Ki Barfi”).

Naman Ramachandran India’s annual Film Bazaar market has revealed the five projects chosen for its work-in-progress lab. The selected projects are Jaicheng Zxai Dohutia’s Assamese and Moran-language “Baghjan”; Shailendra Sahu’s Hindi and Chattisgarhi-language “Bailadila; Ektara Collective’s Hindi-language “Ek Jagah Apni; Harshad Nalawade’s Marathi, Kannada and Hindi-language “Follower”; and Jai Shankar’s Kannada-language “Shivamma.”The director and editor of the selected films show their rough cuts to the panel of mentors and receive in-depth one-on-one feedback.

Naman Ramachandran Indian studio Excel Entertainment is on a roll. There are several films in the works, including the long-awaited return to direction from company co-founder Farhan Akhtar; a continuing relationship with Amazon Prime Video; and a new deal with Netflix.Excel was founded by Akhtar and Ritesh Sidhwani, schoolmates with very different backgrounds, in 2001.

Naman Ramachandran India’s Zee Entertainment Enterprises finally agreed on Thursday to investment firm Invesco’s long-pending demand for an extraordinary general meeting (EGM) of shareholders, after the Bombay high court agreed to allow the group a week to contest the resolution passed.Zee will set a date for the meeting on Friday.The Atlanta-based Invesco fund, which holds 18% of Zee shares has been calling since Sept. 11 for an EGM that would remove CEO Punit Goenka, who, along with his family holds a 4% share in the company, and add six directors of its choosing to the board.However, on Sept.

Naman Ramachandran Indian star Tamannaah Bhatia is a rarity in that she has projects across global streamers Disney Plus Hotstar, Netflix and Amazon. On top of that, she is a top box office draw in the Telugu and Tamil-language film industries.Bhatia was one of the leads, playing a warrior princess, in S.S.

Naman Ramachandran India’s Viacom18 Studios and media personality Karan Johar’s Dharma Productions have partnered for a theatrical and broadcast distribution slate.The two entities will collaborate on a range of Hindi-language films, which are in various stages of production and are expected to release over the next 18 – 24 months.

Naman Ramachandran Indian studios T-Series and Reliance Entertainment have partnered for a slate of more than 10 films with a total investment of INR10 billion ($136.2 million). The films will be across across genres and will be a mix of big budget tentpoles as well as mid and small budget films.

Naman Ramachandran India is slowly emerging from the pandemic and cinemas have reopened, but the release model will remain disrupted, says Vijay Subramaniam, director and head, content, at Amazon Prime Video India.Amazon has just had a massive success with war film “Shershaah,” starring Sidharth Malhotra, Kiara Advani and Shiv Panditt.

Naman Ramachandran Indian Media Entertainment Network (IMEN) has revealed a robust film and series slate that will keep it busy through 2023.First up is action film, Nilesh Sahay’s “Squad,” introducing Rinzing Denzongpa, which was shot extensively in Belarus. When the six-year-old granddaughter of India’s leading scientist is kidnapped, India sends a crack team led by a man (Denzongpa) who must battle PTSD and his own demons to save her.IMEN had entered into a first look deal with the ZEE group in 2018 and “Squad” will bow on the global ZEE5 streaming platform in October during the Diwali holiday frame.

Naman Ramachandran India’s largest multiplex chain PVR Cinemas will reopen July 30 across the country, wherever the Ministry of Home Affairs has allowed a relaxation in COVID-19 restrictions.All PVR staff are fully vaccinated. The cinemas will reopen with a Hollywood slate including “Mortal Kombat,” “The Suicide Squad,” “Promising Young Woman,” “The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It” and “Old” in the first three weeks of reopening.

Naman Ramachandran India’s leading streamer Disney Plus Hotstar has revealed a star-studded slate of 16 original series and four films.

Naman Ramachandran Indian auteur Anurag Kashyap’s Good Bad Films (“Choked”) has boarded debutant Indian filmmaker Suman Sen’s “Eka” (“Solo”) as a producer.The project was selected as one of the participant’s at this year’s La Fabrique Cinéma de l’Institut Français, a tailored program helping talented young directors from emerging countries increase their international exposure.France’s Dominique Welinski (“House of my Fathers”) is already on board as a producer via outfit DW, as are Bangladesh’s Arifur Rahman and Bijon Imtiaz through their company Goopy Bagha Productions (“Kingdom of Clay Subjects”).The film follows Biplab, a 56-year-old long-term diabetic insurance agent.

Naman Ramachandran India’s Payal Kapadia is back at Cannes with her debut feature, “A Night of Knowing Nothing,” a Directors’ Fortnight selection.A graduate of the Film and Television Institute of India, Kapadia’s 2017 short “Afternoon Clouds” premiered at Cannes as a Cinéfondation selection.For “A Night of Knowing Nothing” Kapadia and the film’s cinematographer and editor Ranabir Das began shooting footage of their friends in 2017 on a small camera without a concrete plan and also gathered footage from their friends. In 2019, Kapadia showed the footage to the project’s French producers Petit Chaos, and they were excited by the images.“This is when we started to really conceive the film,” Kapadia said.

Naman Ramachandran Indian video streaming platform SonyLIV is set to go global by October and has a robust slate of 40 shows in the works.In the last four weeks, the service has been given a soft launch across 28 global territories including the European Union, U.K., the Middle East and North Africa, Singapore, Australia and New Zealand. In the U.S.

Naman Ramachandran India is celebrating the birth centenary of one of her greatest sons, Satyajit Ray, in a variety of ways.Sunday (May 2, 2021), marks the centenary of Ray, the Indian master who won an honorary Oscar in 1992, shortly before his death, and remains the country’s best known filmmaker internationally.Ray debuted with “Pather Panchali” (1955) the first part of the magisterial Apu Trilogy, which won best human document at Cannes. The Trilogy includes “Aparajito” (1956) and “Apur Sansar” (1959).

Naman Ramachandran Indian cinema superstar Rajinikanth, 70, will be the 2021 recipient of the Dadasaheb Phalke award, India’s highest film honor.The award is given for lifetime contribution to Indian cinema and is named after Phalke, director of “Raja Harischandra” (1913), India’s first full-length feature, who is considered the father of Indian cinema. It carries a cash prize of INR 1 million ($13,600).Announcing the award on Thursday, Prakash Javadekar, India’s information and broadcasting minister tweeted: “Happy to announce #Dadasaheb Phalke award for 2019 to one of the greatest actors in history of Indian cinema Rajnikant ji.