Mollywood stars at a mega event

A two-day mega event held recently in the Mumbai was a starry affair. Celebs from all fields attended the do and some even performed at the function.

Bollywood star Mithun Chakraborty, who was to inaugurate the event, could not make it; instead actor Dileep did the honours. Innocent, Hibi Eden, Manjari and Mayor Tony Chammany were spotted at the inaugural function, which saw filmmaker B Unnikrishnan co-ordinating the event. Dance and music shows followed; Shobhana's dance on the second day being the highlight at the do.

Indian Film Industry becomes 100 years old in Juky

Indian cinema is celebrating its 100 years of existence  The film Industry in Mumbai celebrates the 100th birthday while South Indian Film Chamber of Commerce (SIFCC) plans a three-day event to celebrate 100 years of Indian cinema, starting July 12, according to report in News track India


Prominent personalities were also honoured as ‘People of the Year 2013’ at an event held recently at the FICCI auditorium in the New Delhi. Veteran actress Shabana Azmi, cinematographer Santosh Sivan, actor-director-choreographer Prabhu Deva, Assamese filmmaker Jahnu Barua, wildlife photographer and documentary filmmaker Mike Pandey and film editor Sreekar Prasad were among those awarded. Minister of Information and Broadcasting Manish Tewari, the chief guest for the event, gave away the honours.

Shabana, azmi said, “I have often thought of what my life would be if I wasn’t doing cinema. Indian cinema completing a 100 years is a landmark and I am but a small part of it."

Sreekar Prasad, who has edited over 500 films in more than 15 languages, dedicated the honour to all the editors of Indian film industry. Filmmaker Jahnu Barua, who is currently working on Har Pal, said that filmmaking needs to be looked at not just as a business, but a mission to safeguard the cause of humanity. “Filmmaking is like a nuclear power. If used properly, it can immensely help mankind. And if misused, it can destroy many minds,” said Barua. Bollywood heartthrob Ranbir Kapoor was thrilled to share this honour with some of the greatest names from the industry. He shared, “These celebrations commemorate the remarkable journey of Indian cinema from the first film created in 1913. My great grandfather, Prithviraj Kapoor, was part of these pioneering years of cinema and I am honoured to follow in his footsteps.” Another luminary of Indian cinema actress Tabu said, “According to me, the real box office king or queen is a good film and a good script. I am glad to have been chosen for this recognition out of so many talented artists over so many years of Indian cinema.”

Members of the film chamber of the four south Indian states, along with hundreds of film personalities from other industries, will join hands in the celebration. "We are planning to make this an august event. It's a proud moment for Indian cinema and we should all be fortunate to be present to celebrate this moment. 100 artists from four south Indian film industries will be honoured during the course of the event,"  said C. Kalyan, President, SIFCC told IANS. "The artists will be handpicked by a jury comprising members from the respective state's film chamber.

Filmmaker K. Balachander will preside over the jury committee to select artists from Tamil film industry," he added. The chief ministers of Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh are likely attend the inauguration. "We will felicitate all those who have made a difference in the Indian film industry. We are also planning to hold workshops on filmmaking along with so many other activities across all three days.

We will also invite our honourable President Pranab Mukherjee along with the chief ministers of all the four states," he added. The shooting of all Tamil films will be suspended to facilitate smooth organization of the events.

Direction is Shakeela’s new role

Shakeela got a chance to play a role in the soft-porn film, Playgirls, in 1994 in which reigning sex queen Silk Smitha was the heroine. In one scene, Shakeela had to only wear a towel and do a love-making scene. Then Smitha would enter the room, catch Shakeela in the act, and give her a slap. Before the scene could be shot, an anxious Shakeela kept asking Smitha about the slap. Smitha repeatedly said, “Don’t worry, I will only pretend that I am slapping you.”

However, when the shooting took place, Smitha gave an actual slap. A shocked Shakeela burst into tears and ran away from the set at AVM studios in Chennai. For three days she stayed away. Then the producer went to her home and told the youngster that Smitha wanted to say sorry. When Shakeela reached the set, Smitha gave a box of chocolates, and hugged her.

“Smitha told me that since I was new to acting, I probably would not know how to cry,” says Shakeela. “And since I was skimpily dressed, I would feel uncomfortable in front of the crew. So, in order to finish the shoot in one take, she slapped me. But till today, my heart is not convinced by her answer. I have been puzzled by her behaviour.” Could she have been jealous at the rise of a new competitor? “I don’t know,” says Shakeela.

Incidentally, Smitha committed suicide on September 23, 1996.

It is 2013. Shakeela, who has lost more than 20 kg, is relaxing in her hotel room at Kochi, after a day’s shooting for her latest Malayalam film, Neelakurinji Poothu, in which she is acting as well as being the director. The story is about a single mother bringing up a girl. The producer is Jaffer Kanjirapally, who has done 19 films with her. “I made a lot of money, thanks to Shakeela,” he says. “Now I am trying my luck again.”

As for Shakeela, she wanted to do something different. “To try new things like direction will help me grow as an actor,” she says. But it has been an up and down career.

For a time, from the nineties to 2000, Shakeela’s soft-porn Malayalam films were a rage in Kerala. Her film, Kinnarathumbikal, became a huge hit. She shakes her head and says, “How did this film do well? It had one of the worst background music I have heard: some scratchy remixes of Michael Jackson songs. I was wearing a blouse and a lungi. There were only two hot scenes. In one I am having a bath in a stream and, in another I make love to an older man.”

Nevertheless, the public were enamoured. Later, the films were dubbed into many other Indian languages and could also be seen in places like Nepal and Bangladesh. But once the Censor Board clamped down on the films, Shakeela’s career came to a sudden halt.

“I had been working for two years without a gap,” she says. “And when I got a break, I was so happy. For a month I was eating and relaxing. Then it became very boring. I learned cooking and passed the time by playing games on Play Station. For two years, I did not get any roles.”

Her break came when she got a comic role in Telugu director Theja’s Jeyam in 2002. Thereafter, she did similar roles in Tamil and Kannada films. However, the old request to wear revealing clothes kept cropping up. “Immediately I will say, ‘Is this a Malayalam film?’, and shut them up,” says Shakeela, with a smile.

Priyadarshan to make his acting debut in Malayalam film

Mumbai,Mar 16:Director Priyadarshan will be making his acting debut in an upcoming Malayalam film.

Priyadarshan, who has directed almost 87 films in several Indian languages including Malayalam, Hindi, Tamil and Telugu, will try his hands on acting now after being a director, producer and screenwriter.

"I am acting in a Malayalam film. It is an arty film and not a commercial one," Priyadarshan told PTI. The national award winning director will be seen in Malayalam director Blessy's next film, which reportedly is titled Kalimannu. "I am playing a director's role. It is a cameo," he said. Priyadarshan began his film career with Malayalam cinema and later ventured into other languages.

He is best known for his comedy flicks, but has also tried his hand at action and thriller films. When asked if it is easy being in front of the camera, Priyadarshan said, "In front of the camera I find it difficult. As far as the actors are concerned, it is easy for them to do it but not for me." Presently, the 56-year-old is looking forward to the release of his next Hindi directorial venture Rangrezz, a remake of Tamil hit Naadodigal. Releasing on March 21, Rangrezz stars Jackky Bhagnani and Southern actress Priya Anand in the lead.

Kollywood takes a special liking for Malayalam cinema

Call it the new generation wave crossing borders, Malayalam films are increasingly being remade into Tamil. TOI probes...

Malayalam cinema has always enjoyed a place of prominence, with filmmakers and artistes from other industries speaking high of its rich content and rooted-to-reality subjects. Interestingly, at a time when the new-generation wave is sweeping across filmdom, there has been an influx in the number of Malayalam films being remade into Tamil, like never before. TOI probes Kollywood's rising interest in Malayalam cinema.

The ever-expanding list Incidentally, Malayalam films released over the past few years have caught the fancy of Tamil filmmakers, to be remade in K'wood. While the 2011 superhit Traffic will hit the Tamil screens as Chennail Oru Naal in some time, Ordinary goes to Kollywood as Jannal Oram. Reportedly, the Fahadh Faasil-Vineeth Sreenivasan starrer, Chappa Kurishu, is the latest entrant from Mollywood to hit the Tamil screens, with actress Radhika Sharathkumar said to helm the project. Prakash Raj takes Aashiq Abu's Salt 'N Pepper to Kollywood as Uluvacharu Biriyani, with him stepping into Lal's shoes and Tabu essaying the role of the middle-aged woman Shwetha Menon played in the original. Buzz is that Anoop Menon's Beautiful will also go on floors in a Tamil avatar soon, besides his Cocktail, with the Tamil version apparently starring Bollywood actress Radhika Apte and Telugu actor Randhir Reddy.

Why Mollywood?

It's the season of remakes in tinselville; however, Malayalam has not entirely fallen into the remake wave sweeping across most film industries, and mostly sticks to home-grown subjects. This might be a major reason why Tamil filmmakers are choosing Malayalam films over other languages, experts point out. "Kollywood filmmakers mostly prefer remakes of Hindi, Telugu and Malayalam films. While the first two industries cater mostly to commercial entertainers, it's Malayalam films that they look up to for convincing storylines. Further, the Malayali and Tamil audience share a number of similarities, just as the two languages do. So it takes just a minimal tweaking of the script to suit the sensibilities of the Tamil audience," a prominent Malayalam filmmaker says.

Interestingly, directors Siddhique and Faasil have helmed most of the Tamil remakes of their Malayalam films. Siddhique's Dileep-Nayanthara starrer Bodyguard was a sleeper hit in M-Town, while its Tamil remake, Kaavalan, with Vijay and Asin in the lead, was a blockbuster. Similarly, Faasil's hit film, Aniyathipraavu, also enjoyed a good run at the Kollywood BO as Kadhalukku Mariyadhai.

Malayali stars in Tamil remakes

Interestingly, two of the recent Tamil remakes from Malayalam stars Mollywood actresses who have had a successful innings in K-Town. Malayali actress Ineya, who stars in Chennail Oru Naal, the Tamil remake of the Malayalam superhit, Traffic, says, "Malayalam films are known for their substance. Traffic is one of the most-discussed films in recent times and Tamil is just one of the languages that the film is being remade into. There has not been any major change in the script as such. I play the role essayed by Remya Nambeesan in the original."

While Remya's negative role in the film opened a new path in her career, with Chennail Oru Naal, Ineya is looking forward to breaking free from the village belle roles she's mostly been seen in, in Tamil cinema. Shamna Kasim aka Poorna stars in Jannal Oram, the Tamil remake of Ordinary. "I come in Ann Augustine's role in the remake. The film's location plays a major part in taking the story forward; so the makers have stuck to the same premises for the Tamil version as well," she states.

How to Get Rich in your own way

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The major difference between those who succeed and those who fail is simple. Successful people in every field  are action-oriented, while failures are talk-oriented. People who achieve greatly are those who ìjust do it!î while those who accomplish little spend  their lives hoping, wishing, dreaming and making excuses. By opening this  book, you have stepped forward into the ranks of those few who make things
happen, rather than the majority who continue to wait for things to happen to  them.  This book could be called Getting Rich In Canada or Australia or  New Zealand or England or any other country with a market-based  economy. It is called Getting Rich In America because the United States has  the freest economic system and the greatest number of opportunities to become wealthy of any country in the world. In 2004, according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development in Paris, fully 15% of Americans between the ages of 18 and 54 were planning to start a new business- the highest percentage in the world. As a result of this entrepreneurial climate, there are more self-made millionaires and billionaires per capita in the U.S. than in any other country. So we'll start here.


Starting With Nothing When I was growing up, my family had very little money. My father
was not always employed and my motherís work as a nurse was often the
only thing that put food on the table for myself and my three brothers. We
were raised on macaroni and cheese, and wore clothes from the Goodwill
and the Salvation Army. From the age of ten, I made my own money and
paid my own bills working at gardening and odd jobs around the
neighborhood. When I was fifteen, I began searching for the so-called secrets of
financial success. Like many young people, my goal was to be a millionaire
by the time I was thirty. However, when I turned thirty, I was just as broke
as when I was twenty. I had not even graduated from high school, and aside
from being able to sell, I had no real skills at all. It was about that time that I started to worry about my situation, and how little progress I had made in the last ten years. Many of my friends were
already doing quite well, married with children, living in nice homes, and
making good money. But I was going nowhere financially.

Malayalam movies go online

T.K. Devasia / 5 March 2013 TRIVANDRUM - Film buffs can now watch Malayalam movies online without fear of being caught by the law enforcement agencies.

Three companies engaged in the marketing DVDs of films have decided to stream films online at the same price the DVDs are sold. The three firms, Movie Channel, Cyna and Star Vision, will be uploading the films on the Internet as soon as they get the DVD rights. They will be streaming the films through http://www.myindiashopping.com, a Trivandrum-based online films library.

The charge for the new films will be between Rs90 and Rs125. The viewers will also be free to download the film. The three companies have come forward to take the films online following failure by the authorities to check the rise in the film piracy. Though the police have stepped up action against piracy, the menace continued to thrive due to difficulties in initiating criminal action against all those who have viewed films illegally.

 As the films go viral after it is uploaded on the Internet, the police will be faced with the gigantic task of taking action against thousands of people, which is not practical. According to film industry sources, more than three million people illegally viewed the film Ordinary on the net. Another film Grand Master was seen by 1.2 million people. In the first major case initiated by the police, it could register cases against only 1,010 out of more than 30,000 people, who illegally downloaded or viewed Bachelor Party within 10 days of its release. This was the biggest crackdown on Internet piracy of an Indian film. Investigations were conducted with the technical support of a Cochin-based firm, which specialises in cyber patrolling. The culprits were spread across the country and outside like the US, the UK, South Africa, China and Uganda.

 The Malayalam film industry has been complaining that Internet and video piracy is a grievous problem faced by it. The illegal uploading and downloading have been causing severe financial crisis to the industry as a whole. The CD companies have also been suffering huge loss due to piracy. The three firms have come forward to take films online hoping that a large majority of the people who view the films illegally will be encouraged to do it legally by paying a fee.

Industry sources say that the biggest chunk of people viewing the films illegally on the net are non-resident Indians, who usually do not get immediate access to the CDs of the films soon after they are released. The sources believe that the current price fixed by the online portal will be affordable to the NRIs and if a majority of them see the films through legal channels, it will give a big boost to the industry as a whole.

'Motorcycle Diaries' is Malayalam director Rajesh Pillai's next MALAYALAM NEWS, Posted on Mar 01, 2013 at 05:18pm IST

After the super hit Malayalam film 'Traffic', its director Rajesh Pillai is coming up with a new movie tiled 'Motorcycle Diaries'. Among the film's many highlights one striking highlight will be will be that the lead artist Kunchako Boban will be seen in a very different avatar. The movie penned by the debutante filmmaker Deepu Mathew, will have a surprisingly different narration.

The movie narrated through the eyes of the central character, will also feature actor Nivin Pauly in a very prominent role. However reports suggests that the film will be shot in Leh, Ladakh, Kolkata, Pondicherry,

Goa and Fort Kochi Also the Malayalam film 'Motorcycle Diaries' has background score by Prashant Pillai in it.

Working for climate justice is an 'ethical and spiritual imperative

Climate change is causing massive violations of human rights. This point was made at a side event on “human rights and climate change” during the 22nd session of the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva, Switzerland.

Organised by the World Council of Churches (WCC) programme for climate justice and care for creation, in collaboration with other Christian organisations, interfaith networks and civil society groups, the side event was held on Tuesday, 26 February.

Rémy Pagani, mayor of Geneva, was one of the main speakers. He asked participants to “commit themselves for human rights, justice and peace as well as towards struggles for the preservation of the planet.” He cited the example of Geneva as a leading host city for dialogues on human rights and climate justice.

“We need concrete actions to address climate change and bring this cause to the human rights agenda, stressing that we cannot wait any longer,” said Dr Mariyam Shakeela, minister of environment and energy, and acting minister of gender, family and human rights in the Maldives.

Shakeela spoke about the vulnerability of the Maldives to the adverse effects of climate change. She pointed out the principles of the 1992 UN Rio Declaration, explaining the concept of common but different responsibilities and equity. “We urgently need to create an international mechanism on human rights and climate change,” she added.

The permanent representative of Bolivia to the UN in Geneva, Angélica C. Navarro Llanos, addressed the consequences of climate change.

“Climate change is affecting peoples, mother earth and the economy,” she said. “In Bolivia it has meant an increase in floods and other weather hazards, making it one of the top ten countries affected by disasters.”

Navarro Llanos said that climate change is causing massive human rights violations. Therefore, in Bolivia, she added, the Human Rights Council (HRC) should ensure better collection of data on impacts of climate change, give a stronger voice to victims of climate change, raise awareness and promote international action based on international law within the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

International human rights law, she said, reinforces the commitments of the UNFCCC. The HRC should promote rights-based alternatives in climate change action to forest protection, providing an alternative to the market-based green economy.

The event was attended by more than seventy participants. It addressed the relations between climate change and economic models, the water crisis and the need for a Special Rapporteur on human rights and climate change.

The discussions were moderated by Dr Guillermo Kerber, WCC programme executive on Care for Creation and Climate Justice. In his concluding remarks, Kerber emphasized the need for visible action to protect the most vulnerable groups and all victims of climate change.

He called action for climate justice an “ethical and spiritual imperative”. From this perspective, he said, the WCC, other faith-based organisations and a broad coalition of non-governmental organisations are calling on the HRC to establish a Special Rapporteur on human rights and climate change

Regional films on the radar of Bollywood biggies

New Delhi reported in Gulf News Dubai: Realizing the huge potential of india's regional cinema, business-savvy Bollywood actors are extending their vistas and producing films in various local languages to great critical and commercial acclaim. Bollywood’s cream are shifting focus towards this direction. If Amitabh Bachchan’s AB Corp. produced Gujarati hit movie ‘Saptapadii’, Riteish Deshmukh debuted as producer with Marathi movie ‘Balak Palak’. Akshay Kumar and John Abraham are there too, looking at making films in Punjabi, Bengali and Malayalam.

AB Corp. also produced the well-made and appreciated Marathi movie ‘Vihir’ and the Hindi film ‘Paa’, which was unusual in its theme, yet successful. While ‘Saptapadii’ focuses on a couple whose life changes after a child who lost his parents in a terror attack enters their lives, ‘Vihir’ is the story of two cousins and their not-so-conventional views on life and family bonding. Big B, who hails from Uttar Pradesh, takes pride in saying that ‘Saptapadii’ is not only “running successfully” in Gujarat and Mumbai in its second week but also received the ‘Special Mention for the Green Rose at the Jaipur Film Festival’. Turning point “Everyone who has seen the film has enjoyed it much. Being talked of as the ‘turning point’ in Gujarati cinema,” the actor wrote in a post on Facebook. He urged movie buffs to appreciate regional cinema, saying: “Go and see it...!!

It will give a huge boost to the Gujarati film industry going from the cities to the deserts.” ‘Vihir’, directed by Umesh Vinayak Kulkarni and starring Mohan Agashe and Sulabha Deshpande, received a warm reception and ran to a full house at the Berlin International Film Festival in 2011. In 2010, it was also screened at the Rotterdam International Film Festival. “AB Corp. has been actively involved in producing and promoting regional cinema. Our film ‘Vihir’ in Marathi won several awards of recognition across the globe at various festivals,” Bachchan said. Another popular Bollywood actor, Deshmukh, is also supporting Marathi movies. When he decided to turn producer, his first offering was ‘Balak Palak’, a Marathi film said to be made at a shoestring budget of Rs15 million (Dh1.02 million).

It hit bull’s eye by grossing Rs80 million after its release in January this year. Directed by Ravi Jadhav, the film focuses on sex education and guides parents on how to communicate this to their children. Deshmukh’s wife and actress Genelia D’Souza is hoping the film opens the doors for Marathi cinema. “I sometimes wish that we could get all of them to a national audience.

I wish Marathi cinema grows and that’s one of the reasons why Riteish is doing a Marathi film next year and we hope to see a lot more Marathi films next year,” she said. New forays Akshay Kumar is promoting regional cinema too. He joined hands with Ashvini Yardi to launch a new production house, Grazing Goat, which not only focuses on content-oriented films but also aims to expand its reach in regional cinema.

Making Marathi, Punjabi and Bengali films is high on the company’s agenda. “Regional cinema is really growing. We have already made a Marathi film and it’s in the post-production stage,” Yardi said. “And we are looking at the Punjabi market as well because Akshay is essentially from Punjab. Since I am from a Maharashtrian background, I think I know that market well.

We are also looking to try Bengali films,” she added. John Abraham, whose unconventional debut production venture ‘Vicky Donor’ turned out to be a gold spinner, is in the field too. “I am producing a Marathi film. Definitely, I would love to produce a Malayalam film,” said Abraham, whose production house is called John Abraham Entertainment Limited.