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More news →Meet Shreya Sharma as Biniya in 'The Blue Umbrella'
Vishal Bhardwaj's 'The Blue Umbrella' is all set to release on 5th January and the film is already arousing curiosity amongst those who want their cinema to be simple, sensible and yet entertaining. A story about a young girl who gets hold of a fascinating umbrella that becomes the object of desire of everyone in her village, 'The Blue Umbrella' brings to fore the talent of a young girl names Shreya Sharma. She plays the role of a sweet, unassuming 10-year-old girl, Biniya who leads a simple life in her village up in the mountains. She loves her family dearly and worships her older brother, Bijju, a local wrestler and village champ. Like all children, she is loyal and values her friends dearly and will defend them when they are in trouble. Wise beyond her years, Biniya possesses a maturity, which places her above the villagers, as she is the only person who can see through fellow villager Nandkishore's [Pankaj Kapur] tricks. The blue umbrella makes her popular in the village but it does not take away any of her innocence. The umbrella comes to represent her whole world. But when it goes missing, she plunges into deep despair; alienated from her perceived source of popularity, only to discover that the friends and family she has all along is what make her so special.
Vishal Bhardwaj's journey with children from 'Makdee' to 'The Blue Umbrella'
With success like 'Makdee', 'Maqbool' and 'Omkara' behind him, Vishal Bhardwaj has sealed his position as one of the more respected cinematic auteurs in the country today. He has shown an impressive range in screenwriting and visualization which have displayed his competence as a filmmaker. His films have had tremendous scope and variety to tackle themes varying from a children's film (Makdee) to searing adaptations of Shakespearean classics 'Macbeth' (Maqbool) and 'Othello' (Omkara). These films received rave reviews and performed well at the box office. 'Makdee' won the Audience Award at the Chicago Children's Film Festival and 'Maqbool' enjoyed rave reviews on the festival circuit from Berlin to Toronto. The latter also fetched actor Pankaj Kapur a National Award. And now the director who likes to touch upon different genres with each of his films arrives with a heartwarming tale 'The Blue Umbrella' that stars Pankaj Kapur and child actor Shreya in principal roles. The film releases all over on 5th January.
'Iqbal' joins the BLUE BILLION club
A leading cola company has kick started the BLUE BILLION campaign that invites cricket fans all over the world to cheer up for India. The rhythm has been kept simple - 'Hoo Haa India, Aaya India'. The first step in this direction is a Vishal Shekhar composed track 'Aaya India' that has been crooned by Sukhwinder Singh. This has been followed by Saurav Ganguly pitching for India, Shahrukh Khan and Priyanka Chopra joining the force and John Abraham & Kareena Kapoor getting inspired by all the fun. An addition to this elite group of Shreyas Talpade, commonly known as 'Iqbal' for his sensitive performance in the film of same title. A worthy inclusion to the list, what makes his presence special is that in 'Iqbal' he was a passionate cricketer who rose to fame. In the campaign, he brings to table the same persona and values while rooting for India. It's time for 'Hoo Haa India' as the nation looks forward to World Cup 2007!
"The Last Monk" being screened at MAMI
Plexus Films and Access Entertainment's maiden feature film in English, "The Last Monk", which was acclaimed at the Rotterdam film festival recently, is now being screened at the forthcoming MAMI film festival in Mumbai on 24th March. "The Last Monk" has been directed by Sudipto Sen, assistant to legendary filmmaker G.Aravindan. He has made many documentaries including "The Other Wealth", which won National Award for Best Environmental Film in 1995. It was also screened at all the major international film festivals. "The Last Monk" is a maiden venture marking his debut as a feature film director. This unique venture in the midst of contemporary Indian cinema scenario is slated to be the beginning of a new genre. As an Indian feature film in English, "The Last Monk" ventures into the hitherto uncharted territories of cultural Buddhism through breath-taking landscape of Ladakh on Indo-Tibetan plateau and a radical understanding of male-female relationship, sexuality and beyond. "The Last Monk" is the story of Swapna. Swapna's role is enacted by Rachna Shah, who has already worked in many prestigious films including Sonu Sisupal's "Kaalachakram" (Tamil), Susant Mishra's "Dharini" (Hindi), Santosh Sivan's ""Navrasa" (Tamil) and Ashok Vishwanathan's Andhkaroor Shabd - Sounds of Darkness (Bengali). Well known theatre actor and model Jimeesh Gandhi plays Pushkar, the material strength of Swapna. Sonam Stobgias Gorky, from NSD, plays Sonik, the main protagonist of the film.
The real star of '36 China Town'?
Yes, '36 China Town' is indeed special for number of reasons. On one side there is the director duo of Abbas Mustan returning with what they are best at - thrills and chills, while on the other hand real life couple of Shahid Kapoor and Kareena Kapoor aim at erasing the forgettable 'Fida' behind them. To add to the fun here is Upen Patel igniting the screens while Himesh Reshammiya's music too is much talked about. To top it all, production values are bound to be great since the film comes from Subash Ghai's Mukta Arts. But guess who is the real star of the movie that makes it a must watch? None other than Akshaye Khanna who plays an investigating cop in the film with an attire that suits his personality to the T. Enacting the role of an intelligent no-nonsense cop, he adds on the intrigue in the film and is believed to have come up with an extremely convincing performance. No doubt, the film becomes extra special due to the presence of this versatile actor!
The Big B' in romantic mood
The ultimate Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan never seems to stop growing. The older he grows, the better he becomes as an actor. And he still seems to be romantic at heart. Hold your breath, he is going to romance a girl 36 years younger to him in his next film. Ram Gopal Varma has announced his next project titled 'Nishabd', leaving his ambitious project 'Sholay' behind. It will be based on Vladimir Nakobov's novel 'Lolita'. In the film, Amitabh Bachchan will play the lead role of a 54-year old married man, who falls in love with a young girl. Interestingly, the girl will be 36 years younger to him according to the story of the film. The makers of the film have decided to cast newcomer Jia to play Amitabh's love interest so as to bring shade of reality to the film. Amitabh Bachchan is excited to be a part of the project. It is said that Varma has been thinking of doing this film for quite a while now. He said that love has nothing to do with age, as people fall in love irrespective of age. Nakobov's novel is about a 44-year old man fantasizing a 14-year-old girl but 'Nishabd' is said to be a complete love story. The film is likely to go to the floors by May 1. The makers of the film are planning to complete the whole shooting in a single schedule.