MUMBAI: US director Steven Spielberg is planning to produce a film set partly on the de facto border between India and Pakistan in the disputed Kashmir region, a report said Tuesday.

Spielberg, who is currently in India’s entertainment capital Mumbai, told The Times of India that the film would be produced by his DreamWorks Studios and its Indian partner Reliance Entertainment, which is headed by tycoon Anil Ambani.

“We have finalised a script for a movie,” Spielberg said.

“Part of it will take place on the India-Pakistan border in Kashmir. But we’re still trying to figure out the casting, locations and who’s going to direct it.”

On Monday night, Spielberg spoke to a gathering of Indian directors at an event moderated by Amitabh Bachchan in Mumbai.

Bachchan later said on Twitter that he had “a scintillating evening with Mr Steven Spielberg”, describing the acclaimed director’s comments as “simple, honest and with immense candor”.

The 66-year-old is reportedly on his first visit to Mumbai partly to celebrate the success of his film “Lincoln”, which was co-produced by Reliance Entertainment.

Spielberg, known for classic hits such as “Jaws”, “E.T.” and “Jurassic Park”, was seen by AFP leaving Ambani’s office on Monday afternoon.

Reports said billionaire Ambani and his wife Tina were throwing a lavish party in honour of the director during his visit.

MUMBAI: Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan’s meeting with acclaimed Hollywood film-maker Steven Spielberg, whom he calls an “institution”, was one full of talks on the state of Indian cinema and the future of cinema at large.

“An evening with an institution… an evening spent in conversation in the presence of selected fraternity and press… an evening of sharing cinema with the prolific maker, inventor, story teller, innovator and one who continues to surprise us with his genius,” the 70-year-old posted on his blog srbachchan.tumblr.com, after meeting Spielberg Monday evening in Mumbai.

Amitabh is particularly in awe of Spielberg’s E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial, which he feels was “endearing”.

Spielberg, who is in India to celebrate the success of his Oscar-winning film Lincoln, Monday interacted with as many as 61 personalities from Indian cinema and shared tips on film-making.

Lincoln is a co-production between Spielberg’s DreamWorks and Indian business tycoon Anil Ambani’s Reliance Entertainment.

Expressing his views on the new trend where Hollywood studios are collaborating with Indian production houses, Big B wrote: “The interest in the US and in particular Hollywood in holding hands with entertainment companies in India, because you felt that the world was ‘diminishing in size’ due to the ease of communication, and that the idea really was to bring communities closer, build bridges of understanding and sharing, because impressions, thoughts were now instant, thanks to the internet and its various social networking programmes.

“My own argument on the subject though was somewhat different; that ever since the opening up of the economy in India, the sheer volume of the demographics of the region, 1.2 billion, or every 63rd person in the universe being an Indian, was too attractive a consumer base to ignore!

“…So the argument being that when a country did well economically, its politics, finance, food, music, clothing … and film, became suddenly, very attractive too, which was why the mention of India, Indian references, presence of Indian actors, albeit in minuscule roles, gained relevance in Hollywood and in American TV.”

Among the Indian film-makers present at the event were Rajkumar Hirani, Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra, Anurag Kashyap, Ramesh Sippy, Shyam Benegal, Ashutosh Gowariker, Sudhir Mishra, Nagesh Kukunoor, Madhur Bhandarkar, Zoya Akhtar, Kiran Rao, Reema Kagti, Rajshree Ojha, Gauri Shinde, Homi Adajania, Abbas-Mustan, Rohan Sippy, Prabhudheva, R Balki and Kunal Kohli.

“You have to be true to the script. When I made Gandhi My Father, I was true to the script. I didn’t think about its commercial value. Whether it is a commercial film, a mainstream film or a good script, you just have to be convinced,” the 53-year-old said on Sunday.

“I am one of those producers, who when likes a script, leaves it to the director — he makes the story. I really don’t interfere in the film,” he added.

Anil turned producer with Badhaai Ho Badhaai in 2002 and later produced films like My Wife’s Murder, Aisha and No Problem besides Gandhi My Father.

Anil believes that actors are in need of good scriptwriters to further their career.

“The time has come when scriptwriters will overshadow the actors because actors also need the scripts. In fact, that’s the first thing they want,” he said.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 13^th, 2013.

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KOLKATA: Observing that art films have no takers, popular Bollywood actor Bipasha Basu has decided to stick to entertaining roles in mainstream cinema.

The 34-year-old tried her luck with art films as she featured in Shob Charitro Kalponik and Pankh.

“As an actor, I want to do good roles — and I want to do good roles in entertaining films. I don’t want to do good roles in art house cinema, which no one is going to watch,” Bipasha told reporters on Monday.

“I have done that in a particular year. I was only trying to do artistic films and I really worked hard on them, but nobody watched them except me,” she added. “So I want to do films where I entertain people — where people will come to the theatre and yet I have scope for performing as well.”

In the city to promote her upcoming horror flick Aatma, Bipasha clarified that she is not shunning art house movies.

“I never said that I won’t be doing any art films,” said Bipasha. “At this moment, I am focusing on films which will earn money and at the same time, films I will get to perform in.”

And the actor was on the back foot when media bombarded her with questions related to her previous comment “nobody watches art films”.

“The division between art and mainstream cinema is shrinking. Things are changing and audiences are opening out to watch all kinds of films. So it is actually moving to better times now,” she explained.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 13^th, 2013.

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While critics despised the cheesy one-liners and the pointless plot of the film, the saucy combination of actors Deepika Padukone and Jacqueline Fernandez did wonders at the Pakistani box office. The Abbas-Mustan sequel to Race, which was released late February, has smashed all previous box office records of Indian films in Pakistan. Previously, Salman Khan starrer Dabangg had grossed Rs80 million, while Bodyguard and Don 2 earned (Rs60 million and Rs80 million), respectively.

Managing Director of Atrium Cinemas, Nadeem Mandviwalla, believes that the business of Race 2 at the box office is a breath of fresh air for the Pakistani cinema industry. “The cinema industry has achieved 50% of its ‘ultimate target’ in five years and the remaining 50% will be achieved sooner than that,” Mandviwalla told The Express Tribune.

While elaborating upon this statement, he said that the ultimate goal of Pakistani cinema is to make the market lucrative for foreign films. “This can only happen if blockbusters like Race 2, Dabangg, Avengers and The Dark Knight Rises gross Rs200 million in their entire running, while average films like Special 26 do a business of Rs100 million — something that has so far been achieved by blockbusters only. This is the reason why the cinema industry is halfway through in achieving its goal,” Mandviwalla continued.

Mandviwalla is hopeful about the revenue generated at local cinemas and thinks that the business Race 2 has done is a great achievement. “We should not forget that the bar is always set by the biggest product. Race 2 is just one milestone and I am optimistic that the next one will come sooner than anticipated,” he said.

“A film cannot gross more than Race 2 in the present setup of the Pakistani cinema industry, we have reached our market’s threshold with it,” the managing director explained. “More screens and multiplexes are needed to grow beyond this limit and the pace with which screens are being multiplied, I am sure we will be able to double our market potential in less than five years,” he claimed.

Based on Marvel comics, Avengers led the charts among Hollywood movies released last year and earned Rs70 million in its entire running, however, The Dark Knight Rises failed to meet its commercial expectations.

Mandviwalla indicates that there is a link between a film’s earnings and its time of release. “The Dark Night Rises was released all over the world during Ramazan and was officially released in Pakistan weeks after its world premiere, as a result of which it suffered a lot at the box office,” said Mandviwalla. “Race 2 was released at a time where there was hardly any significant Indian film playing at cinemas, hence it got such a healthy economic return,” he asserted.

The box office returns are equally shared between the distributor and the exhibitor, with each getting a 50% share, which leaves little room for profits. However, if the revenue is Rs200 million then film-making and distribution can become a profitable business in Pakistan.

The success of Race 2 tells our own film-makers that cinema culture is going strong and that audiences crave big screen entertainment. Now is the time that they need to up their quality and output!

Published in The Express Tribune, March 13^th, 2013.

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“If a girl loves someone and gets married, it doesn’t mean that people will not love her or her role on-screen. These [films and marriage] are two different aspects and we should not try and club them. Anyway, falling in love or getting married is not a crime,” the 32-year-old said Tuesday during an event.

“I think people are talking more about it now. Earlier, be it Waheeda [Rehman] jee or Sharmila [Tagore] jee, they were all married and they all acted in films like Daag, Amar Prem and Guide. It has been happening ever since,” said the actor.

Kareena and Saif tied the knot on October 16, 2012.

While her fellow actors like Lara Dutta, Dia Mirza and Preity Zinta have tried their hand at film production, Kareena has no such plans. She says she is all for acting and hopes she is on the set even when she takes her last breath.

“I have never been interested in production, direction or writing. I have been interested in acting since childhood and I will continue doing so till I grow old. I will keep on visiting the sets and hope I will even die on the sets,” expressed the actor.

Kareena comes from Bollywood’s famed Kapoor family, which has produced legendary actors like her great grandfather Prithviraj Kapoor and grandfather Raj Kapoor. Her parents Randhir Kapoor and Babita made their mark as popular actors, too, and Kareena’s elder sister Karisma Kapoor was among the top actors of 1990s. Her cousin Ranbir Kapoor is also touted as Bollywood’s latest youth icon.

Kareena herself is one of the top-rated talents and is currently busy shooting for Prakash Jha’s Satyagraha and Karan Johar’s Gori Tere Pyaar Mein.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 14^th, 2013.

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The adaptation of F Scott Fitzgerald’s account of Roaring Twenties America combines serious literary heritage and A-list star power, with actor Leonardo DiCaprio in the lead role.

DiCaprio will make an appearance at the festival on the famous Croisette waterfront for the first time since 2007.

The opening gala, preceded by a glitzy red carpet fashion parade and followed by parties along the palm-lined Riviera, will also be attended by Bollywood star Amitabh Bachchan and US rapper Jay-Z.

“It is a great honor for all those who have worked on The Great Gatsby to open the Cannes film festival,” Luhrmann, whose first film Strictly Ballroom was screened at the festival 21 years ago, said in a statement.

“F Scott Fitzgerald wrote some of the most poignant and beautiful passages of his extraordinary novel just a short distance away at a villa outside St Raphael,” he added.

DiCaprio plays Jay Gatsby in the 3D movie, Carey Mulligan is Daisy Buchanan and Tobey Maguire is Nick Carraway, the narrator.

The festival runs from May 15 to 26 and US director Steven Spielberg is head of this year’s jury.

Last year’s winner of the coveted Palme d’Or for best picture was Austrian film-maker Michael Haneke for the drama Amour.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 14^th, 2013.

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Pakistani horror flick Siyaah will be screened at select cinemas in Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad on March 15.

Siyaah, which revolves around the use of black magic, has been directed by Asfar Jafri and written by Islamabad’s local celebrity, comedian Osman Khalid Butt. Producer Imran Raza Kazmi said, “Our entire team is extremely passionate about Siyaah and we have put our 110%into it. We believe that its success will push Pakistani cinema in a new direction and support the efforts of new local film-makers like us who put everything they have into their projects.”

Kazmi hopes that Siyaah will revive our film industry and we will see many new movies in cinemas in the future.

The Islamabad-based cast consists of Hareem Farooq, Qazi Jabbar, Mahnoor Usman, Ahmed Ali Akbar, Aslam Rana, Sofia Wanchoo Mir, Rizwana, Sarwar Salimi, and Amy Saleh — aspiring young actors that are aiming to make a mark with the release of this film.

The movie ticket is priced between Rs350 to Rs400, while the film is expected to run for two weeks. A red carpet event, featuring the cast and crew, will be held in Karachi on March 16. Go buy your tickets to support Pakistani cinema!

Published in The Express Tribune, March 15^th, 2013.                

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MUMBAI: The INR10 billion mark for a blockbuster may seem like a distant dream right now, but it is not impossible, says film-maker Karan Johar.

“The figure of INR10 billion is aspirational at the moment. It looks like a dream, but we are not far from achieving it. I feel that we are limiting ourselves with the INR10 billion mark,” Johar said.

He was talking to reporters post moderating a session “Planning and making a Rs1,000 crore [INR10 billion] blockbuster” on the second day of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) Frames, an illustrious media and entertainment event.

However, Johar candidly admitted that there is no fixed formula to achieve it.

“3 Idiots did so well – it had a subject based on education. It was a feel good movie. Sholay was a masala film and Hum Aapke Hain Koun! was a family film. So you can’t pick a specific theme,” he said. “You need to make a good film, which is universal. And there is no science to pick a theme.”

The session had panelists such as Greg Foster, Chairman and President of IMAX Entertainment; Vijay Singh, CEO of Fox Star India; Siddharth Roy Kapoor, MD of Disney UTV Studios; Ajay Bijli, MD at PVR; and Vikram Malhotra, COO at Viacom.

All of them pointed out various problems that need to be tackled to fulfill the INR10 billion dreams.

Kapoor pointed out that there aren’t sufficient screens in the country.

“The maximum width is 3000 to 3500 screens – places like Uttar Pradesh, most populated state in the country, has just 150 screens and Bihar has 300 screens. We are an under-screened market,” said Kapoor.

“Also, there is a cap on ticket prices in the south. The entertainment tax is also huge. If we make a universal blockbuster like it was made in the ‘80s and ‘90s, then this INR10 billion might be possible,” he added.

Bijli agreed to this and said multiplexes needs to perforate in untapped areas to help achieve the goal.

“Multiplexes need to perforate into other areas and enhance cinema experience. Movies need to be made with a higher appeal and if cinemas continue to grow like this, then tweaking the ticket prices, change in the entertainment tax and reducing piracy can help achieve this goal,” he said.

The number of screens needs to go up by a multiple of three, said Singh.

“Ang Lee took four years for his film Life of Pi. We need to have an approach to film-making that ensures that a lot is being invested in a film. Directors want to make a film every four to six months, then how can you deliver a blockbuster?,” Singh added.

Movie watching should be promoted as a quality experience, insists Foster from IMAX.

“The focus should be that it has to be a quality version. You need to justify to someone as to why you want them to leave the comfort of their homes, travel through traffic and come watch a film,” he said.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 16^th, 2013.                

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While sources maintain the move may yet be delayed as the Election Commission is still in the process of vetting his appointment, the news has created a stir amongst the film fraternity. Many believe Khwaja’s appointment creates a conflict of interest due to his close relationship with film distributor Nadeem Mandviwalla, especially given the latter’s position on film imports. The producer is also closely related to Finance Minister Saleem Mandviwalla.

Talking to The Express Tribune, producer and director Syed Noor condemned the move, claiming Khwaja was part of the Indian lobby and had interests in the neighbour country’s film industry.

“People in the industry are deeply worried by his appointment because he is a controversial figure,” Noor contended. He explained the previous chairman, Dr Raja Pervaiz Hyder, had either banned or cut several films coming in from India and had taken a hardline stance against pro-Indian content. This, he claimed, threatened several film importers and distributors in the country, which include Nadeem Mandviwalla.

“He is part of the pro-Indian lobby, that has historically been against the Pakistani film industry… he is the cousin of Mandviwalla as well, who himself is an importer.”

Nadeem Mandviwalla, however, welcomed Khwaja’s appointment as chairman of the censor board. He said he had been advocating the appointment of someone from the industry to the position, adding that Khwaja had made two local films and had worked for the betterment of the local industry.

“Dealing with films and cinema is a specialised task and needs people connected with the industry,” Mandviwalla maintained.

“There is no conflict of interest here since Khwaja is not an importer… He has produced two local films, which shows his commitment to the local industry…  He will be able to understand the industry’s issues.”

Addressing whether the check on the import of films had prevented people from accessing banned films, Mandviwalla said piracy prevailed in the country in any case and people were able to see any such film.

“They (the bureaucrats) have not really helped… Ek tha tiger was banned (from cinemas), but was available on every other medium… the idea is to promote legitimate avenues to control piracy and the circulation of illegal content,” he asserted.

Meanwhile, the Adviser to the Ministry of National Regulation and Services Iftikhar Durrani sought to dispel apprehensions that Khwaja lacked the qualifications necessary to head the censor board. He maintained educational requirements were only necessary for other departments of the government.

“The censor board and importers enjoy a positive relationship, and there is no tension over the role the censor board plays in censoring films,” said Durrani. “All the films that had been banned were done by the approval of the board, and had been referred to the full-board on each occasion… there was no controversy over the board’s role in that matter.”

Despite the revelation, Khwaja himself maintained the media had leaked the premier’s directives prematurely, adding that he had yet to receive an official notification of his appointment. He did, however, said he believed that the position should be occupied by a personality connected to film.

“I think that there has to be someone (in the position) who has an understanding of film,” said Khwaja, whose film Salakhain was the first Pakistani film censored in India. He cited the neighbour country’s example, whose censor board has been headed by notable film personalities like Sharmila Tagore and Anupam Kher.

The censor board, which was recently reformed under the purview of the Ministry of Rules and Regulation, was previously headed by Dr Raja Pervaiz Hyder and Rai Akbar, who had been given an additional charge. During their temporary reign, they reconstituted the board, introduced a rating system and created a revenue mechanism for it. The board also hosted a critical policy meeting regarding the country’s future film framework during their tenure.

According to insiders, the changes made by Hyder and Akbar included stricter censoring models, under which films with content deemed against national interest, were censored.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 16^th, 2013.

Released under the PVR Director’s rare banner, All I Want Is Everything is probably inspired by Farhan Akthar’s film Dil Chahta Hai, but unlike Dil Chahta Hai, this one is a low budget chick-film, where three outstation female students who were total strangers before, bond over a period of a month at their hostel, during a film appreciation course in Hyderabad.

The film takes us straight to Vaijayanthi (Sagari), Nidhi (Sampada) and Trisha (Iantha). The three classmates open up and share their little secrets when they are not too busy with their class work, which was quite often. Vaijayanthi comes from a conservative family, Nidhi from a broken home raised by a single lawyer mother, and Trisha is raised by a single doting father.

The graph of the film is on an even keel. There are no major conflicts between the three protagonists. The only issue here is that they have their personal problems to deal with. Vaijayanthi is in constant dilemma of how to deal with her conservative south Indian family, an over-bearing difficult boyfriend Vivek and her dream of becoming a filmmaker. Trisha suffers from somnambulism, which she can’t help and isolophobia – a fear that she would be left alone in this world if her father dies, so she is in a hurry to get married to her steady beau Shashank. And Nidhi is a closeted lesbian.

These complications are revealed and sorted out over casual conversations that take place within the parameters of the hostel life. And over a period of time, you realise that this is a very talky film. The conversation goes on and on, non-stop. The dialogues are ordinary, yet lively. The camera angles capturing these conversations make it a delight to watch.

As for music, there is one song with nice lyrics which holds your attention and also the effective use of the sitar as the background score, adds to the charm of this film.

Tying up all possible women-related issues, writer-director Shital Morjaria in her maiden venture, has kept her story simple, uncomplicated and clear. She did dwell on her characters, but has not explored the layers beneath, that could reveal a thousand more tales, thus making this attempt look very amateurish. But she has managed to extract decent performances from her entire crew, who probably are first timers.

Unfortunately, due to the simplicity of the subject, the plot drags making you feel that you are watching a lengthy short-film. Moreover, due to lack of resources, the final output does seem to have the look and feel of a well-made documentary for television.

Nevertheless, there is some freshness to this narration and a promise to excel.

After playing a communist in Zila Ghaziabad, Arshad is seen as a lawyer in Jolly LLB, a Subhash Kapoor-directed satirical drama which came out on Friday. His films Chambal Safari, Dedh Isqiya and Joe B Carvalho will release soon — but he won’t mind adding a TV project to his kitty.

“Though films are my priority, I am also open to doing TV. I would love to appear as a judge on reality shows,” said Arshad, who hosted the first season of Bigg Boss. “Television industry is growing like anything. TV actors are getting their due recognition,” added the actor, who is also planning a break during summer.

Dedh Ishqiya, which also stars Madhuri Dixit, is in its post-production stage and that it may release in April. “I’ll be taking a break in May and June because I want to work on a script,” he said and added: “It’s Maqbool Khan’s Chambal Safari, a satire on dacoits. I never do research work, but for this film I’ll have to study to give my best.”

“Though comedy is my favourite genre, I can never say no to politics, action, romance or thrillers,” said the actor, who showed his serious side in Sehar and won appreciation for it.

The 44-year-old also shared that while selecting a film, he doesn’t worry about the budget.

“The script has to be strong. And a director should be clear about what he wants,” said Arshad, known for his performance in films like the Munnabhai series, the Golmaal franchise and Ishqiya.

Arshad feels that he has grown as an actor. “When I started my career, I wasn’t satisfied and used to think that I am not a good actor,” said Arshad. “I even thought of leaving the industry. But gradually I started getting good films. And people started loving my work.” 

Published in The Express Tribune, March 17^th, 2013.

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Lamha (Seedlings) was screened in London after its first Pakistani screening in Lahore. Just like it did at the New York International Film Festival, Seedlings left the audience enthralled with beautiful performances. It is unfortunate that the film has not had a nationwide be release in Pakistan, due to a lack of sponsors.

London-based blogger Somaya Khan, who watched Seedlings in London, writes about it:

I am generally sceptical of creative output from Pakistan. I have no doubt about the talent in the country, but due to lack of finances and facilities there (and hence, international-level experience), I find myself dumbing down my expectations, which makes it difficult to assess the quality of work, impartially. So, just imagine my surprise when my worst fears were laid to rest and I realised I had no need to dumb down my appraisal.

Seedlings (Lamha) revolves around three main characters: a married couple — Raza (Mohib Mirza) and Maliha (Aamina Sheikh) — and a rickshaw driver Anil (Gohar Rasheed). All three seem to be in a state of melancholy, grieving over some deep sorrow. As the film progresses, it is clear that Raza and Maliha have been driven apart by an unbearable personal tragedy and that Anil played a very important role in that. Will any one of them be able to forgive one another, or more importantly, themselves? Is there any redemption for a mistake, a ‘moment’ that destroys lives? Is there any way to move forward when your core being has been ripped to shreds? How can you hope, when there is no hope to speak of?

The best thing about Seedlings is that it does not preach, for even a moment. There is no lengthy dialogue to explain the situation to the audience. It is not an overly complex film, but the emotions it deals with can be difficult to understand. Also, the film does not spend extra energy on making it simple for anyone. It is a journey of self-discovery for the characters and the deepest insights come from short conversations with the secondary characters.

Customary and redundant words have been replaced with lengthy silences in the movie, aided by a very appropriate background score by musician Usman Riaz. There are long scenes, where nothing happens, but you can feel an over-arching loneliness. This is something which is not seen in Pakistani dramas, wherein shouting is considered a must to express emotions — even that is used very sparingly in the film. Less is definitely more for Seedlings.

The acting is very mature. While Sheikh has already won accolades for her portrayal of a woman in constant emotional pain, Mirza and Rasheed are excellent, too. They did not overact or cross the lines of believability, throughout the film.

Unfortunately, what the film confidently achieves in scripting (film-maker Summer Nicks), direction (Mansoor Mujahid) and acting, it loses in production values. The budget is quite apparently limited and that is obvious in some technical aspects like cinematography and sound recording and, at some points, in the editing, too. There is a slight amateurish quality to it all, which makes it less palatable to an audience used to slicker products. I am also curious about why Seedlings was filmed on a 4:3 aspect ratio, a frame which more suitable to an older television format, than cinema today — but honestly, these are all minor issues.

The lack of sophistication is made up for, by a strong script, a detail-oriented direction and very involved performances. If a case can be made for independent cinema in Pakistan, then Seedlings is definitely a role model.

Unfortunately, as film-maker Meher Jaffri informed the audience after the screening, finding a distributor to release the film in Pakistan is proving difficult. So yet again, an excellent effort may never see the light of day in its country of birth.

The writer has an MA degree in Media & Communications from Goldsmiths College and blogs about films as it’s her passion.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 17^th, 2013.

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Directed by Azfar Jafri and written by Osman Khalid Butt, Siyaah is a potpourri inspired by numerous films that depict exorcisms. It could best be described as a suspense thriller rather than a horror film. The story revolves around journalist Ahad Sultan (Ahmed Ali Akbar), who meets Sara (Hareem Farooq) to investigate a story on supernatural happenings and religious connotations attached to it.

The movie then goes back to past events, and Sara and her husband Bilal (Jabbar Naeem) are seen moving to a new home in a secluded area of Islamabad. Initially, they ignore the sound of footsteps heard in the new house and the frantic barking of the dog. Since Sara and Bilal are both disturbed and hurt by the miscarriage of their daughter Maheen, they decide to adopt a child. The series of events which take place after the adopted 10-year-old Natasha (Mahnoor Usman) comes home to her foster parents is the reason to watch this film.

While scary movie buffs will enjoy the suspense, aesthetically, Siyaah leaves you wanting more. It is a feature film backed by theatre artists, a detail reflected in its theatrical treatment of every aspect of film-making. As a result, the larger-than-life cinematic experience is missing.

With due respect to Butt’s work, the inclusion of creative YouTube antics and comedy makes the screenplay a disappointing aspect of the film. The screenplay and dialogues lack magnetism and failed to engage, but manage to give away unnecessary information in words; this could better be seen through actions. First world jokes and needless pop-culture references take away the little attention to what could have been an eerie, dark story. The darkness of the film, ironically, is reserved for the visuals — they are unnecessarily dim and shadowy. The most visually appealing shot is of a ticking clock, but sadly, it’s shown only twice.

Though, Islamabad is the perfect city for scenes in horror films, the handful of shots that are shown in Siyaah make the colour of the visuals bleed. The sound fails to create the desired impact of a horror film, despite a decent sound design. Perhaps it was not mastered for cinema and hence the sounds come from the whole surround sound system in a theatre.

Having said that, the director deserves a round of applause for making the actors work to their maximum potential. And while the possessed child Mahnoor is extraordinary in the film, it’s Hareem’s clinical performance that wins the trophy. She is beautiful, confident and knows her character well. Hareem operates well within the domain of her character’s dilemma and despite a bland screenplay and poor lighting, still manages to lighten up a few scenes.

Verdict

Kudos to the director who chose to cast theatre actors in the film. There are technical issues that could have made the film a much better experience, but the story is complete and acting commendable. So do your part for Pakistani indie cinema and go watch Siyaah!

Published in The Express Tribune, March 17^th, 2013.

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NEW DEHLI: He believes his unique choice of work made it tough for film-makers to “fit” him in a “box”. But acclaimed actor Irrfan Khan genuinely feels Hindi cinema needs to pay attention and give more importance to character artists just as they do in Hollywood, where, he feels, “India is currently in fashion”.

“When you’re doing a Hollywood film, you are treated like a character actor. You are an intrinsic part of the story and your role is defined,” says Irrfan. “When you are doing one such role here [in Bollywood], you are just a character. You are there to support the protagonists’ crisis or dilemma.”

“We misuse character actors here for the main lead. That is why being a character actor here is no fun,” Irrfan continues.

Having starred in over 100 TV and film assignments, Irrfan is currently riding high on the success of his films — Bollywood projects like Paan Singh Tomar and Saheb Biwi Aur Gangster Returns, as well as Hollywood project Life of Pi, which won four Oscar awards recently.

The movie was widely shot in India with Indian actor Suraj Sharma in the lead, and Tabu in a key part.

India, as a whole, is currently in fashion in Hollywood, said Irrfan, who has also worked in international projects like Warrior, A Mighty Heart, New York, I Love You, Slumdog Millionaire and The Amazing Spider-Man.

“Hollywood is the biggest market. They know how to expand it and they have been doing for years,” he adds. “Spain was in fashion, so they got actors from there, then China came into the picture — they are trying to see different possibilities and give variety to the audience.”

“India is in fashion there right now and there are going to be a lot of films which will be made in India — the story will be based in India and actors will be from India,” he said.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 18^th, 2013.                

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MUMBAI: Her period drama Lootera is set in the ‘50s and to play her role perfectly, actor Sonakshi Sinha has taken yesteryear’s actors Madhubala and Waheeda Rehman as her reference points.

While many say she resembles Reena Roy, Sonakshi has a reason to think about the two legends of Indian cinema. “I think she [Roy] came after the ‘50s in the industry. I would think of Madhubala jee, Waheeda Rehman jee and Suchitra Sen. I can only think of these faces. I am quite excited about the film. I am really looking forward to it,” Sonakhi told reporters at the first look of Lootera on Friday.

Speaking about her character in the film, Sonakshi said, “The role has been the most difficult I have done till now. It was quite challenging.” She added that she would like to do the kind of roles she did in Rowdy Rathore, Dabangg and Lootera.

Filmed in West Bengal, Lootera is film-maker Vikramaditya Motwane’s second directorial venture after much acclaimed Udaan. Thanks to his technique and freshness in the narrative, Motwane made his niche in the film industry after the success of Udaan, which had also wowed cinemagoers at the Cannes Film Festival.

But he doesn’t feel he’s pressured, “I do not feel the pressure; I am not bothered. I am rather very proud of the film and hope that people like it. I want everyone to enjoy the film,” said Motwane.

Lootera is said to be inspired by American author O Henry’s famous story The Last Leaf, but Motwane clarified, “The book has inspired the film, but we have not adapted it. We have made changes in it and it is a fresh film.”

For the male lead, Motwane has cast Ranveer Singh. Jointly produced by Phantom Films and Balaji Motion Pictures, Lootera is scheduled to release on July 5, this year.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 18^th, 2013.

Earlier this week, director Shahzad Nawaz returned to the location to inaugurate Chambaili Chowk as a token to the residents who played a role in the film’s shooting.

“This area was not worth living in,” says Shakeel Ahmed, a resident whose excitement about the film is bubbling. “They cleaned up the place and infused energy and excitement that we have never seen before. They took the whole neighbourhood on board with this project.”

The crew had spent nearly 10 to 12 days shooting major portions of the film. Residents of the colony helped with security and other minor roles in the film, making it a learning experience for everyone involved. Like other residents, Ahmed is pleased about being connected to the project.

“Many of the actors were new, but there were a lot of scenes shot here,” says Nasir Raza, an elderly gentleman from the area. “I remember this one scene in which everyone was gathered together. The police was cracking down on [people] and there was a baton charge— it was quite entertaining for a lot of us,” he adds.

With the film in its promotional phase after the recently released OST soundtrack in Karachi last week, the inauguration of the chowk is Nawaz’s attempt to go back to where the film started.“The people who lived here had become a part of the making of this film, so this is our way of thanking the people,” says Nawaz.

Nawaz says that the film is a patriotic one and will appeal to everyone who feels anything for the country. “The concept of loving Pakistan has declined,” says Nawaz. “The land is missing its patriots and the concept of being nationalist has become outdated — this film will really help that.”

Despite its reputation, the Pakistan Railways has done a service to the country by allowing the film to be shot on its property, Nawaz explained. Such initiatives help promote positive culture and arts. Nawaz also said that the film’s total crew had almost 8,000 people and hoped that the film would turn around the fortunes for the film industry.

He explained that the film would be released in 25 multiplexes and cineplexes in the county, in what he calls the A-circuit. He says that the environment is set for a film that will show a “positive image” of the country, while also being entertaining.

The film stars Mehreen Syed, Umair Rana, Salmaan Peerzada, Shafqat Cheema and an array of other actors. It is expected to release sometime in April but a confirmed date will be announced at the end of the month.

Merchandise

CEO of Meta-tags Shahzad Saheb, explained that accessories for the film would be available online. He said that since Chambaili is the national flower of Pakistan, merchandising will let fans see it as a symbol of nationalism.

“Making this flower into a symbol is where I come in,” says Saheb. “There is a sort of suspense of what the movie is about. Merchandising will be very important after the release, as it helps in making it into a symbol that is long-lasting and not forgotten.”

Published in The Express Tribune, March 18^th, 2013.                

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Don’t be put off by the trailers: the movie is very accessible, even to those who know nothing about video games.

Wreck-It Ralph is the story of Ralph (John C. Reilly), the bad guy in the arcade game ‘Fix-It Felix Jr’. Unfortunately, because of his villainous status, Ralph is ignored and feared by the other video game characters and has to live in a dump full of bricks. Ralph is sick of being a villain and longs to be like the perfect good guy, Fix-It Felix (Jack McBrayer). At some point, he realises that winning a medal is the only way to fame. After a brief spell in a sci-fi shoot-em up, he meets Vanellope von Schweetz (Sarah Silverman), a ‘glitching’ character who is not allowed to race, in the kiddie friendly ‘Sugar Rush’. Together they make a deal: if Ralph helps Vanellope enter a race, she will win him the medal he is so desperately after.

The film is careful with the use of the bevy of real-world video game characters it managed to license. While many gamers will easily recognise Bowser, Dr Robotnik, Zangief, and the Pac-man from the opening scenes, the real fun is in spotting the countless “blink and you’ll miss it” cameos. If you look closely, you can spot Street Fighter’s Chun Li, an “exclamation point” icon from Metal Gear Solid and “Aerith Lives”, a reference to Final Fantasy VII,  scrawled on one of the walls.

The top-notch animation of Wreck-It Ralph feels like a Pixar creation but it was made by Disney Animation Studios. What really sets the movie apart is the different styles of animation used in the different games. ‘Fix-It Felix Jr’ is an 8-bit game and so all the characters move in stuttered pixellated spurts. Their legs don’t move and they bounce around in an abrupt, hilarious way. In the sci-fi shooter ‘Hero’s Duty’ everyone is real life proportioned, while in overly-sweet ‘Sugar Rush’ all the characters are like miniature Bratz dolls.

The voice acting is superb. Reilly is perfect as the hulking Ralph and Silverman is great as the sweet but sassy Vanellope. If you are a fan of 30 Rock, you will instantly recognise Felix as Kenneth Parcell the NBC Page. Jane Lynch steals the film as the no-nonsense bossy, space marine sergeant.

Wreck-It Ralph is a great film for the family. The plot might be a little predictable but there is a twist in the end which will really throw you off. Stick around for the closing credits as it features the heroes popping up in several classic games. It is truly worth the quarters.

Published in The Express Tribune, Sunday Magazine, March 17^th, 2013.

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NEW DEHLI: Actor Ajay Devgn will be seen speaking in five languages in his forthcoming movie Himmatwala. The actor will speak the various languages during an action scene in the remake film of 1983 blockbuster of the same name.

In the film, five goons from five different states come to beat Ajay, and all of them speak a dialogue. After bashing them up, Ajay repeats their dialogues in their language. “I have kept subtitles so that people can understand it,” said director Sajid Khan in a group interview.

“I wrote the lines in English and Ajay mugged them up like a parrot and delivered them,” said Sajid while also adding that for dubbing, Ajay took his assistants’ help. “We got in two or three different people. One of my assistants speaks Punjabi, another who is Tamil and one of them is a Bengali — they helped him [Ajay] with correct pronunciation. They are proper dialogues,” he added.

For Sajid, who has given blockbusters like Heyy Baby, Housefull and Housefull 2 in the past, there is a reason for adding so many languages in the movie.

“I believe in Manmohan Desai school [of film-making]; his kind of masala,” said the young director. Sajid also added that he grew up in a multi-cultural environment.

“I am a Muslim, my mom is a Parsi, I went to Gujarati school, I grew up with Maharashtrian friends and my neighbours were Bengali, Sindhi, Punjabi, Sardar and Catholic. So we can talk in other languages,” said Sajid while sharing his multicultural environment. “That is the reason I keep colloquial language in my films.”

Himmatwala also stars South Indian female actor Tammannah and is set to release March 29.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 19^th, 2013.                

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NEW YORK: Walt Disney Company’s Oz the Great and Powerful worked more box office magic in its second weekend, following up its strong debut a week earlier with $42.2 million in US and Canadian ticket sales.

The Wizard of Oz prequel starring James Franco topped a stronger-than-expected performance from The Call, a new thriller about a 911 operator played by actor Halle Berry who tries to save a kidnapped teenager. The Call earned $17.1 million from Friday through Sunday, according to studio estimates.

The Incredible Burt Wonderstone, a new comedy featuring Steve Carrell and Jim Carrey as dueling Las Vegas magicians, finished the weekend in third place. It conjured up $10.3 million at North American (US and Canadian) theatres — several million less than expected.

Domestic ticket sales for the big-budget, effects-filled Oz dropped 47% from its opening weekend, according to the box office division of Hollywood.com. Movies typically see a 40% to 60% decline in their second weekend of release.

Oz added $46.6 million over the weekend from international markets. Its global total after 10 days reached $282 million, a strong start for a movie that cost $200 million to make plus up to $100 million more to market.

The Call handily beat pre-weekend forecasts of a debut of around $10 million. The $15 million production over-performed on strong word-of-mouth, showing itself to be “a real crowd-pleaser,” said Rory Bruer, president of worldwide distribution for Sony Corp’s Sony Pictures studio, which acquired the film from Troika Pictures.

“People like this film a lot, and it’s going to be a big success for us,” Bruer said, adding that “the film could end up doing anywhere from $40 million to $50 million, which would be huge.”

Burt Wonderstone, meanwhile, fell short of some pre-weekend forecasts, which had pegged the debut at $12 million to $15 million. The film had a modest budget of about $30 million, according to Warner Bros.

Rounding out the top of the charts, the big-budget film Jack the Giant Slayer took fourth place with $6.2 million domestically. The global total for the March 1 release, which is trying to make back a $189 million production cost, reached nearly $90 million.

In fifth place, Melissa McCarthy comedy Identity Thief added $4.5 million to its impressive $123.7 million total.

Jack the Giant Slayer was released by Warner Bros and Identity Thief was distributed by Universal Pictures, a unit of Comcast Corporation.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 19^th, 2013.                

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