Veteran actor Hemanta Das, popularly known as the Ashok Kumar of Oriya cinema, died Tuesday, family friends said. He was 76.
Das had lost his wife and son long ago. The death took place in Khamaranga, his village in the district of Cuttack, some 30 km from here.
Das had acted in more than 40 Oriya movies.
Some of the films he featured in include 'Sesa Srabana', 'Jajabara', 'Chilika Tire', 'Nirab Jhada', 'Danda Balunga' and 'Hakima Babu'. He also played a role in Hindi film 'Shodh' that won a national award in 1979.
'His death is a great loss to the Oriya film industry,' film critic Dilip Hali told IANS.
After a slew of internationally popular shows making their way to Indian television, American dance reality show 'So You Think You Can Dance?' is also set to get a desi twist on Imagine TV very soon.
'We have been doing very well on the reality TV space with new and different formats. So we are making all efforts to strengthen our position through that. We are bringing down a massive dance show. Basically an Indian version of 'So You Think You Can Dance?',' Nikhil Madhok of Imagine TV told IANS.
The show is known for getting ace salsa, ballroom, hip hop, contemporary, jazz, ballet and many other types of dancers on one stage.
While the Indian version will be in tune with the original format of the show, whether the title will be changed to something more 'desi' is a decision that will be taken in due course.
'For now, we are going to say 'So You Think You Can Dance? Now in India' but we should be able to decide and announce something about it in five to seven weeks from now,' added Madhok, who was here to announce the launch of new reality show 'Desi Girl'.
'Desi Girl', which will go on air later this year, has eight celebrity women who will undertake everyday tasks of the villagers such as milking cows, making cow dung cakes, cleaning the house and cooking food for the family to prove that they aren't just about glamour and style but also have it in them to be a true 'Desi Girl'.
Meanwhile, the channel is also planning to bring on the second season of 'RaazPichhle Janam Ka' and the third season of their infamous 'Swayamvar'.
Though Bhojpuri star Ravi Kishan has confirmed that he will make a comeback on the next season of 'RaazPichhle Janam Ka' which took many people back into their past lives, Madhok says nothing is finalised yet.
'Ravi worked very well for us last time and we will be more than happy to have him back on board, but no decision has been taken yet. Shooting schedules have to be worked out and accordingly, we should come up with something around the second half of August,' he revealed.
There is also a strong buzz that after the 'Swayamvar' of item girl Rakhi Sawant and Rahul Mahajan, the channel is going to hunt for a spouse for a popular cricketer.
'We won't take any names. But yes, we are in advance talks with a cricketer. We are also in talks with two Bollywood actors and one Bollywood actress. Let's see who gets a chance this time,' said Madhok.
He said no matter who the celebrity bride or groom would be in the next season, the channel will ensure that it eventually ends with a marriage on screen - just the way it happened with Rahul Mahajan, son of slain BJP leader Pramod Mahajan.
'We realised that there was a lot of disappointment among viewers when Rakhi did not get married in the finale of her 'Swayamvar'. But they didn't feel cheated when Rahul fulfilled his promise of taking his 'dulhaniya' home. If we don't continue the format, the audience won't stay,' he said.
'Phoonk 2' is definitely not the scariest film we've seen. Ram Gopal Varma's terror theme has clearly run its course.
Perched somewhere between crowing (ahem ahem) about the supernatural and crying over the nerve-wracking disruption of domestic harmony by a ghost which just won't go away, 'Phoonk 2' is like that promised roller-coaster ride which gets aborted in the first lap because of a short circuit.
It's not really Varma or his director Milind Gadagkar's fault. It's the nature of the material. Varma's love for horror has never extended beyond there's-something-under-the-bed kind of unwarranted foreboding that we all feel in a new environment. In a majority of his horror films, a family moves into a new haunted home and experiences the eerie.
Ironically, Varma's best effort in the horror genre was 'Kaun' where the victim of terror (Urmila Matondkar) was stalked by unseen forces in her own home. The terror, it turned out was not under the bed, but in the mentally disturbed girl's head.
There wasn't much terror, let alone horror, in 'Phoonk'. Under the bed, or in the head. In 'Phoonk 2' the characters' screeching plea to have us believe they are under immediate peril is sadly not communicated to the viewers. We remain tragically detached from the trauma of Kannada star Sudeep's family.
Haven't we seen it all? By now the trademark Varma camera movements, here manoeuvred with emphatic energy by cinematographer Charles Meher, and the intricate cluttered but effective sound design by Jayesh Dhakkan and Jayant Vajpayee do nothing to suck us into the plot.
The technique remains unfastened to the characters. Their desperate attempts to get away from the supernatural remain desperately detached from the audience.
At the end of the two hours into the zone of error-terror we are left wondering why Varma threw open a contest inviting any viewer to undergo an ECG to check his heart beats.
It is this film that needs a respiratory system. Varma's last horror outing 'Agyaat' with its spooky ominous wide-open jungles was far more gripping. In 'Phoonk 2', you wonder what the fuss is about. These people have nothing to fear except fear itself.
And yes, Varma was right. The crow does come up with the best performance. And that's nothing to crow about.
Actress Neetu Chandra doesn't like to be called a bold actress and says her much-in-news bathing scene in Jagmohan Mundhra's 'Apartment' is not at all vulgar.
'There is no vulgarity or cheapness in the shower scene. The shot gives an illusion that I am not wearing anything but it is a trick of the camera. It's an illusion that the filmmakers have created because I wasn't comfortable shooting otherwise,' Neetu, 25, told IANS in an interview.
The actress, who made an appearance as a temptress on UTV Bindass' 'Emotional Atyachaar' to promote her film, says she feels disturbed when people react strongly to such scenes.
'I play a hostel girl in the movie and in that particular scene I am just thinking about something while bathing. Now this is something so many of us do and can connect with. Besides, you can't wear a lehenga in the bathroom. What's realistic cinema then?' said Neetu.
Comparisons are being drawn between her bathing scene and a similar scene by veteran actress Smita Patil in 1980 film 'Chakra'.
Commenting upon that, Neetu said: 'Back then even Smita Patil knew what she was doing. It's not wrong. I don't do films because they have bold scenes. I do bold scenes if the script demands,' she said.
The mention of her being known as a bold actress in Bollywood ticks off Neetu, who drew the ire of Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) activists for her girl-on-girl photo shoot for a magazine last year.
'Where have I done bold roles? I have not done any bold role. In 'Traffic Signal', I played a simple girl, in 'One Two Three' I played a police officer and was covered in uniform throughout.'
'Then in 'Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye!' also I am not wearing revealing clothes and neither have I done anything shocking in 'Rann' in which I play a model. So what is bold? Even in 'Apartment' this is just a scene which you won't even care about when you see the film,' she said in an agitated tone.
For Neetu, who has worked in films like 'Traffic Signal', 'Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye!', '13 B' and 'Rann', selecting a project primarily depends on director.
'When a story is narrated and executed - a lot of things change. So for me, it is my director who should be good. Then I see the production house. Luckily, I have worked with some of the best people like Priyadarshan, Mahur Bhandarkar and now will be working with Anees Bazmee and Vipul Shah,' she said.
Among her upcoming movies are 'Khusar Prasad Ka Bhoot', 'Love Jaisa Kuch' and Anees Bazmee's 'No Problem'.
Her film 'Apartment', which also features Tanushree Dutta, will release April 23.
Vivek Oberoi starrer 'Prince' has proved to be a shot in the arm for the actor as the film has got above average response at the box office. The film has also elbowed out Ritesh Deshmukh-starrer 'Jaane Kahan Se Aayi Hai' that fell flat courtesy its weak content.
''Prince' has met our expectations with close to 35 percent occupancy across different properties over the weekend. While 'Jaane Kahan...' has proven to be a below average kind of movie with just around 12 percent occupancy,' Deepak Taluja, senior vice president (business and operations) Fun Cinemas, told IANS.
'People are appreciating the content of 'Prince'. 'The Japanese Wife' on the other hand has done lukewarm business,' he added.
Piyush Raizada, director, Delite Cinema, an upgraded two-screener in the capital, also shared similar sentiments.
''Prince' has done very good business and the occupancy has been more than 50 percent. However 'Jaane Kahan...' has been very very poor with less than 20 percent occupancy,' said Raizada.
Made at a budget of over Rs.40 crore (Rs.400 million) by producer Kumar Taurani, the two-hour-six-minute venture boasts of action sequences exceeding an hour. It released with over 1,000 prints worldwide.
Directed by debutant Kooki V. Gulati, 'Prince' also stars Nandana Sen, Aruna Shields and Neeru Singh in the female lead.
Meanwhile, 'Jaane Kahan...' is the directorial debut of Milap Zaveri. Made on a budget of about Rs.10 crore (Rs.100 million), the fantasy romantic comedy released worldwide with around 600 prints.
Distributed by Warner Bros Pictures India, it has been co-produced by Mukesh Talreja and Nikhil Advani. It teamed up Riteish with Jacqueline Fernandez again after 'Aladdin'.
'The Japanese Wife', on the other hand, released with only 32 prints in India. Directed by Aparna Sen, it stars Rahul Bose, Raima Sen, Moushumi Chatterjee and Japanese actress Chingusa Takaku.
Munish Sharma, general manager (marketing), Satyam Cineplex, had positive reports for 'Prince' and 'Jaane Kahan Se...'.
'Both 'Prince' and 'Jaane Kahan...' did fairly well with close to 30-40 percent occupancy. Both are average movies but because there is a dearth of content these days, people are hungry for movies. 'The Japanese Wife', on the other hand, was a little lukewarm because of a niche audience value,' said Sharma.
PVR cinemas, however, was disappointed with the commercial potboilers.
'Both the movies have been disappointing. The content of 'Prince' has no value and fetched no footfall. It had close to just 20 percent occupancy while 'Jaane Kahan...' didn't do any magic on the big screen with below 10 percent occupancy,' said a source from PVR.
'However, 'The Japanese Wife' that released with limited prints and limited shows has got good reports with almost 40 percent occupancy,' the source added.
According to a statement released by Saregama Films Monday, the producers of 'The Japanese Wife', the movie has got 'a very promising start off at 88 percent initial collection'.
Do you want to talk to Amitabh Bachchan? Well, you may get an opportunity to do so as the Bollywood megastar is going to call up his fans through vogging or voice blogging.
The 67-year-old will call back those who grab his attention with their feedback or questions through a new talk-back feature on his blog - Bachchan Bol, launched a week ago.
Fans can leave their messages, opinions, feedback or suggestions by calling Bachchan Bol on 505678910 and tapping into the 'talkback mechanism'. Amitabh will listen in and comment on his favourite messages and play it out to the nation.
'The talk-back feature on Bachchan Bol makes it truly the first of its kind interactive service where consumers can leave their messages, feedback and anything they want to talk to Mr. Bachchan about... Mr. Bachchan will call back a select few people that grab his attention with their messages for him,' Rahul Merchant, director operations-Asia, Inside India Ltd, told IANS over e-mail from Mumbai.
'The same will be played back onto the portal for others,' he added.
The talk-back feature has earned wide interest from the actor's fans. A lady, who dropped in a message for Big B, claims to have married her husband only because his voice was similar to the megastar.
Director Anurag Kashyap says the Hindi film industry lacks integrity and that if Bollywood had united, the ruckus created by the Shiv Sena over Shah Rukh Khan's 'My Name is Khan' could have been avoided.
'If it is considered to be an industry, people should have unity among themselves. At least once, they should unite and show that we are working, we are also professionals. They never do that so these people dare and take advantage of it,' Kashyap told IANS.
The Shiv Sena had opposed the film's release after Shah Rukh Khan refused to apologise for saying that Pakistani cricketers should have been included in the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) matches. Sena activists had vandalised several theatres in Mumbai that were to screen 'My Name Is Khan', which also stars Kajol.
'Bigger the star you fight with, higher the media attention you draw. They make use of it too. Nothing...you need not to go to Australia or Pakistan and die in their hands, stay in Mumbai, Shiv Sena will kill you,' said Kashyap, who has made films like 'Black Friday' and 'Dev D'.
Asked if he was tagging the Shiv Sena as terrorist, he said: 'What to say...people are scared of them, they are pelting stones on cinema halls, breaking glasses, incurring damages. What is their standpoint?
'Shah Rukh Khan said that teams should be allowed to hire Pakistani players and they say that Pakistan had attacked us, how could Shah Rukh advocate their inclusion in the IPL teams? We are subjected to more attacks from insiders here. You need not go anywhere and have an unfortunate death, stay in Mumbai,' Kashyap added.
Many of Shah Rukh Khan's fans in Mumbai vowed Saturday to watch 'My Name is Khan', saying the superstar hadn't make any mistake by remarking against the exclusion of Pakistani cricketers from the Indian Premier League (IPL).
'We were always with him. No one should have pointed a finger at Shah Rukh Khan who has given so much to Mumbai and is a big Bollywood star. I have seen his movies since childhood and I am planning to go to watch this one as well. All I want to say is that he didn't do anything wrong,' Shaukat Ali, 36, a bag vendor in Bandra, told IANS.
The Shiv Sena had opposed the release of 'My Name Is Khan' after Shah Rukh refused to apologise for saying Pakistani cricketers should have been included in this year's IPL.
Despite Sena activists vandalising several theatres in Mumbai that were to screen 'My Name Is Khan', fans of 'King Khan' thronged cinema halls where the film released Friday.
But there were certain areas where the movie wasn't shown, leaving his fans disappointed.
'On Friday, there was adequate security in the Navi Mumbai theatres and the crowd was there to watch the movie, yet it was not screened. Hope to watch it this weekend,' said Apar Mathur, 23, a medical intern.
'I am not sure whether it is being screened yet but I am very keen to watch it,' he added.
Ketaki Mishra, a resident, pointed out that the format of IPL matches was such that players from all countries were allowed to participate in it and what Shah Rukh said about the inclusion of Pakistani cricketers made sense.
'Frankly speaking, what Shah Rukh Khan had said didn't call for such ruckus and controversies. It was a generic statement and the issue has been blown out of proportion. He didn't say anything wrong or make any mistake. Why such a big fuss?' she asked.
Shopkeeper Aayaz Khan said: 'I am a big fan of Shah Rukh Khan and Salman Khan. I will watch the movie next week.'
No fights, no melodrama. Macho man Sunny Deol is set to make people laugh. And he will do it with 'Yamla, Pagla, Deewana', also starring his dad Dharmendra and brother Bobby.
'It's more on the lighter side and we love the script. In fact, we loved the script extremely; so we wanted to do it straightaway. It's one of those hilarious films which people will love,' Sunny told IANS in an interview here.
After 'Apne', he was supposed to do 'Cheers - Celebrate Life' first, but he has pushed the project to a later date.
' 'Cheers' will go a little later. We've still not started that yet because there is 'Yamla Pagla Deewana'. That's the film which we are starting in another 10-15 days with dad, Bob and me.' Sunny said.
'It's a great subject and as the title says it's absolutely opposite to what 'Apne' was.'
Sunny is also contemplating new banner names to present the film, which will be directed by Samir Karnik.
'At the moment we are working on a couple of banners, but mostly it will be Vijeta Films (home banner),' said the actor. He was in the capital to launch the third gym under the health club chain Club Fitline. He is the brand ambassador and is also on the board of directors of the chain.
'We are going to finish 'Yamla...' by May and it will come out this year itself. It's a kind of breather which we all are doing, thinking 'let's do it right now',' he said.
Though the movie title seems to have been inspired from the popular song 'Main jatt yamla pagla deewana', which was picturised on his father in the 1975 movie 'Pratiggya', Sunny hasn't 'thought about using' it in the new film.
And the female lead for the movie hasn't been finalised yet.
'Nothing has been decided at the moment, but a couple of them have been looked at and they will be finalised in a week's time,' said the actor, who was seen in just two films in the last two years 'Heroes' (2008) and 'Fox' (2009).
Asked about his impending second directorial venture, 'The Man', with Shilpa Shetty, he said: 'That has got a little technical hedge and we're trying to sort it out.
'Hopefully, we'll be putting it on the floor and completing it once we're finished with the story. It's got a very good momentum of the script right now. We'll launch it this year.'
And what about the untitled Bhusan Kumar venture with Kangana Ranaut?
'We had started it earlier and were supposed to begin shooting, but because the industry has been in (recession), there has been a little rectification. We're now starting it somewhere in June-July,' he said.
The actor-turned-filmmaker, who wielded the megaphone for 'Dillagi', is also not sure about his future directorial ventures.
'At the moment I am only looking at 'Yamla Pagla Deewana'. We are just working on that and then I am doing my other films,' he said.
Sunny also has another project, 'Right Yaa Wrong', releasing this year.
P. Sheshadri, whose 'Vimukthi' has bagged the National Award for best regional film, is the only Kannada film director to have won five awards for all the five films he has directed so far.
Voicing happiness at bagging the award yet again, Sheshadri said it is difficult to get producers to back film scripts dwelling on contemporary social issues.
Unable to get the right producers, Sheshadri organises the finance for his own films.
'Getting a good producer to back my scripts is not all that easy. Girish Kasaravalli sir is a big name and he has been backed by producers who are committed and are convinced of his ability to make internationally acclaimed films,' Sheshadri told IANS.
'The only exception is actor Jayamala who produced a film like Thuththoori', which won the best film on environmental issues National Award,' Sheshadri said. He has released all his films in theatres.
'I know I cannot market my films with the limited resources in my command. But still I want to release all my films in theatres and want people interested in such ventures to get an opportunity to see the films in theatres,' says Sheshadri.
His first film 'Munnudi' (2000) had won the best film on social issues National Award. He got a big recognition for his first film as it was able to win a similar award from the state government too. His other films 'Athithi', 'Thuththoori', 'Beru' and 'Vimukthi' have won him National Awards.
It is significant that actor Prakash Raj who won last year's National Award had acted in 'Athithi' without taking any money.
'I was inspired by Sheshadri's script. I just accepted the offer and told him that he should not pay me anything since his script was invaluable,' said Prakash Raj, who had played the role of a terrorist in the film.
Sheshadri has been making and directing television serials and his films are getting wide recognition in the country and also abroad for the way he handles sensitive themes.
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