Mumbai, June 29 (Ians) ‘Rrr’ star Ntr Jr, who is currently busy with the shooting of his film ‘Devara’, has been invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the organisation behind the Oscars, as a new member along with Ram Charan, Karan Johar2, Siddharth Roy Kapur, Mani Ratnam and Chaitanya Tamhane, M.M. Keeravani, Chandrabose, K.K. Senthil Kumar and documentary filmmaker Shaunak Sen.
As members, they all will have several roles including but not limited to voting for the nominees for the annual Oscars ceremony. The Academy has also added international stars like Taylor Swift and Ke Huy Qwan.
Meanwhile, Ntr Jr is reuniting with ace filmmaker Koratala Siva for ‘Devara’ which is currently being shot in Hyderabad. The film, which also stars actors Saif Ali Khan and Janhvi Kapoor, is slated to hit the screens on April 5, 2024.
He will also be working with Kgf director Prashant Neel...
As members, they all will have several roles including but not limited to voting for the nominees for the annual Oscars ceremony. The Academy has also added international stars like Taylor Swift and Ke Huy Qwan.
Meanwhile, Ntr Jr is reuniting with ace filmmaker Koratala Siva for ‘Devara’ which is currently being shot in Hyderabad. The film, which also stars actors Saif Ali Khan and Janhvi Kapoor, is slated to hit the screens on April 5, 2024.
He will also be working with Kgf director Prashant Neel...
- 6/29/2023
- by Agency News Desk
- GlamSham
NewsFilmmaker Karan Johar and music composer Mm Keeravani are also among those invited to be Academy members who will be eligible to vote for films and artists competing for the Oscars. A total of 398 artists and executives across the world were extended invitations to become members of The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in 2023. The Academy is the organisation that presents the annual Academy Awards or the Oscars. Among those who received the prestigious invitations from India include actors Ram Charan and Jr Ntr, filmmakers Mani Ratnam, Karan Johar, Chaitanya Tamhane, and Shaunak Sen, production designer Sabu Cyril, cinematographer Kk Senthil Kumar, producer Siddharth Roy Kapur, music composer Mm Keeravani, and lyricist Chandrabose. Telugu actors Ram Charan and Jr Ntr garnered global fame for their film Rrr, which bagged several international awards including the Oscar for best original song for ‘Naatu Naatu’. The two of them have been invited under the ‘Actors’ category.
- 6/29/2023
- by Balakrishna
- The News Minute
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is expanding its membership.
According to a press release, the organization that hands out Oscars each year at the Academy Awards has extended invitations to join the Academy to 398 artists and executives who have made notable contributions to the motion picture industry.
“The Academy is proud to welcome these artists and professionals into our membership. They represent extraordinary global talent across cinematic disciplines and have made a vital impact on the arts and sciences of motion pictures and on movie fans worldwide,” said Academy CEO Bill Kramer and Academy President Janet Yang in a joint statement.
Read More: The Academy Announces 2024 Oscars Date As Well As Submission Deadline
There are some big names and familiar faces among the invitees, including musicians Taylor Swift and David Byrne, and numerous actors, ranging from Selma Blair to Keke Palmer to “Elvis” Oscar nominee Austin Butler.
According to a press release, the organization that hands out Oscars each year at the Academy Awards has extended invitations to join the Academy to 398 artists and executives who have made notable contributions to the motion picture industry.
“The Academy is proud to welcome these artists and professionals into our membership. They represent extraordinary global talent across cinematic disciplines and have made a vital impact on the arts and sciences of motion pictures and on movie fans worldwide,” said Academy CEO Bill Kramer and Academy President Janet Yang in a joint statement.
Read More: The Academy Announces 2024 Oscars Date As Well As Submission Deadline
There are some big names and familiar faces among the invitees, including musicians Taylor Swift and David Byrne, and numerous actors, ranging from Selma Blair to Keke Palmer to “Elvis” Oscar nominee Austin Butler.
- 6/28/2023
- by Brent Furdyk
- ET Canada
Those who accept will be only additions to Academy’s membership in 2023.
Vicky Krieps, Paul Mescal, Warner Bros Discovery head David Zaslav, Aftersun writer-director Charlotte Wells, She Said director Maria Schrader, and Kerry Condon are among 398 who have been invited to join the Academy.
Some 40% of the 2023 class identify as women, 34% belong to underrepresented ethnic/racial communities, and 52% are from 50 countries and territories outside the United States. There are 76 Oscar nominees including 22 winners among the invitees.
Those who accept the invitations will be the only additions to the Academy’s membership. Should they all accept, the total number of members...
Vicky Krieps, Paul Mescal, Warner Bros Discovery head David Zaslav, Aftersun writer-director Charlotte Wells, She Said director Maria Schrader, and Kerry Condon are among 398 who have been invited to join the Academy.
Some 40% of the 2023 class identify as women, 34% belong to underrepresented ethnic/racial communities, and 52% are from 50 countries and territories outside the United States. There are 76 Oscar nominees including 22 winners among the invitees.
Those who accept the invitations will be the only additions to the Academy’s membership. Should they all accept, the total number of members...
- 6/28/2023
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
“Everything Everywhere All At Once” Oscar winners Ke Huy Quan, Daniel Kwan, and Daniel Scheinert, recent acting nominees Austin Butler, Paul Mescal, and Stephanie Hsu, and bold-face names for the extremely online like Taylor Swift, Abel Tesfaye (a.k.a. The Weeknd), and Warner Bros. Discovery boss David Zaslav were among the 398 people announced as new members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences on Wednesday.
“The academy is proud to welcome these artists and professionals into our membership. They represent extraordinary global talent across cinematic disciplines and have made a vital impact on the arts and sciences of motion pictures and on movie fans worldwide,” said academy CEO Bill Kramer and academy president Janet Yang in a joint statement.
This year’s class of new members is heavy on 2022 breakouts, like the aforementioned Kwan and Scheinert – invitees in both the directors’ brand and the producers’ branch. In keeping with academy practice,...
“The academy is proud to welcome these artists and professionals into our membership. They represent extraordinary global talent across cinematic disciplines and have made a vital impact on the arts and sciences of motion pictures and on movie fans worldwide,” said academy CEO Bill Kramer and academy president Janet Yang in a joint statement.
This year’s class of new members is heavy on 2022 breakouts, like the aforementioned Kwan and Scheinert – invitees in both the directors’ brand and the producers’ branch. In keeping with academy practice,...
- 6/28/2023
- by Christopher Rosen
- Gold Derby
Austin Butler, Ke Huy Quan, Keke Palmer, Nt Rama Rao Jr and music superstar Taylor Swift are among the 398 artists and executives invited to join the membership of the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences. If all of this year’s invitees accept membership, it will bring the total number of overall Academy members to 10,817, with 9,375 eligible to vote for the 96th Oscars, set to take place on March 10, 2024.
The 2023 class is 40% women. 34% belong to underrepresented ethnic/racial communities and 52% hail from 51 countries and territories outside the United States. There are many recent Oscar nominees among the invitees, such as Austin Butler (“Elvis”), Paul Mescal (“Aftersun”), Stephanie Hsu (“Everything Everywhere All at Once”) and Kerry Condon (“The Banshees of Inisherin”). The list also includes many of the 95th ceremony’s winners, such as Ke Huy Quan (supporting actor for “Everything Everywhere All at Once”) cinematographer James Friend (“All Quiet on the Western Front...
The 2023 class is 40% women. 34% belong to underrepresented ethnic/racial communities and 52% hail from 51 countries and territories outside the United States. There are many recent Oscar nominees among the invitees, such as Austin Butler (“Elvis”), Paul Mescal (“Aftersun”), Stephanie Hsu (“Everything Everywhere All at Once”) and Kerry Condon (“The Banshees of Inisherin”). The list also includes many of the 95th ceremony’s winners, such as Ke Huy Quan (supporting actor for “Everything Everywhere All at Once”) cinematographer James Friend (“All Quiet on the Western Front...
- 6/28/2023
- by Clayton Davis
- Variety Film + TV
Singer-songwriters Taylor Swift and David Byrne, Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav, Netflix chief content officer Bela Bajaria, Everything Everywhere All at Once filmmakers Daniels (Kwan and Scheinert), Nobel Prize-winning writer Kazuo Ishiguro, former SXSW chief Janet Pierson, WME co-chairs Christian Muirhead and Richard Weitz, and actors including Selma Blair, Austin Butler, Bill Hader, Paul Mescal, Nicholas Hoult, Keke Palmer, Ke Huy Quan and Rrr stars Ram Charan and N.T. Rama Rao Jr. are among the 398 artists and executives from around the world who have been invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences this year, the Oscar-dispensing organization announced Wednesday.
“The Academy is proud to welcome these artists and professionals into our membership,” Academy CEO Bill Kramer and president Janet Yang said in a statement. “They represent extraordinary global talent across cinematic disciplines and have made a vital impact on the arts and sciences of motion...
“The Academy is proud to welcome these artists and professionals into our membership,” Academy CEO Bill Kramer and president Janet Yang said in a statement. “They represent extraordinary global talent across cinematic disciplines and have made a vital impact on the arts and sciences of motion...
- 6/28/2023
- by Scott Feinberg
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
It’s that time of year again — the break between Cannes and the fall festivals, when the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences makes its membership invitations. The Oscars group said today that it has extended offers to 398 artists and execs — one more than last year — who have distinguished themselves by their contributions to motion pictures.
The list includes actors, directors, writers, producers, musicians, executives, artist reps, publicists and below-the-liners such as casting directors, cinematographers, costume designers, film editors, makeup artists and hairstylists, production designers and sound pros.
“The Academy is proud to welcome these artists and professionals into our membership,” Academy CEO Bill Kramer and Academy President Janet Yang said in a statement. “They represent extraordinary global talent across cinematic disciplines and have made a vital impact on the arts and sciences of motion pictures and on movie fans worldwide.”
As usual, the invitees include newly minted Oscar winners,...
The list includes actors, directors, writers, producers, musicians, executives, artist reps, publicists and below-the-liners such as casting directors, cinematographers, costume designers, film editors, makeup artists and hairstylists, production designers and sound pros.
“The Academy is proud to welcome these artists and professionals into our membership,” Academy CEO Bill Kramer and Academy President Janet Yang said in a statement. “They represent extraordinary global talent across cinematic disciplines and have made a vital impact on the arts and sciences of motion pictures and on movie fans worldwide.”
As usual, the invitees include newly minted Oscar winners,...
- 6/28/2023
- by Erik Pedersen
- Deadline Film + TV
TollywoodRam Charan celebrated his 38th birthday on March 27 at his father Chiranjeevi’s residence, with many Tollywood stars and filmmakers in attendance. Actor Ram Charan, who turned 38 on Monday, March 27, celebrated his birthday with a star-studded party in Hyderabad. Hosted at his father and Telugu star Chiranjeevi’s residence, the event was attended by many popular stars and filmmakers including director of Rrr SS Rajamouli, and Oscar-winning music composer of the song ‘Naatu Naatu’ Mm Keeravani. Actors Vijay Deverakonda, Venkatesh, Ram Charan's long-time friend Rana Daggubati and his wife Miheeka were also in attendance. Nagarjuna and Amala Akkineni too attended the event along with Naga Chaitanya and Akhil Akkineni. Filmmakers Prashanth Neel and Sukumar also made it to the party. The Rrr team, including producer Dvv Danayya, cinematographer Kk Senthil Kumar, singers Rahul Sipligunj and Kaala Bhairava, and SS Karthikeya were also present. Actor Ram Charan and his wife Upasana...
- 3/28/2023
- by RajeswariP
- The News Minute
The ‘Variety’ editor responsible for making the Hollywood bible’s predictions for the Oscars and Emmys has a lot of good news for the makers of ‘Rrr’.
If Clayton Davis had the casting vote at the Academy, ‘Rrr’ would be a close runner-up to ‘Close’, Lukas Ghont’s 2022 Cannes Grand Prix-winning coming-of-age movie, in the Best Picture and the International Feature categories.
And if Davis were the God of All Things at the Academy, music composer M.M. Keeravaani, along with playback singers Suddala Ashok Teja and Kala Bhairava, would come home with the Oscar for ‘Komuram Bheemudo ‘, staving off a challenge from ‘Naatu Naatu’.
The period drama’s director, S.S. Rajamouli, is in the running for Best Director, but he gets an honourable mention, in a field topped by Todd Field, the helmer of the highly anticipated film, ‘Tar’.
Also to land an honourable mention is ‘Rrr’ star Jr...
If Clayton Davis had the casting vote at the Academy, ‘Rrr’ would be a close runner-up to ‘Close’, Lukas Ghont’s 2022 Cannes Grand Prix-winning coming-of-age movie, in the Best Picture and the International Feature categories.
And if Davis were the God of All Things at the Academy, music composer M.M. Keeravaani, along with playback singers Suddala Ashok Teja and Kala Bhairava, would come home with the Oscar for ‘Komuram Bheemudo ‘, staving off a challenge from ‘Naatu Naatu’.
The period drama’s director, S.S. Rajamouli, is in the running for Best Director, but he gets an honourable mention, in a field topped by Todd Field, the helmer of the highly anticipated film, ‘Tar’.
Also to land an honourable mention is ‘Rrr’ star Jr...
- 1/5/2023
- by News Bureau
- GlamSham
Bellary mining baron and former Karnataka minister Gali Janardhana Reddy’s son Kireeti Reddy is all set to announce his entry into the film industry with the launch of his upcoming bilingual movie. The movie is being made in Kannada and Telugu on a grand scale. Sources explain that Janardhana Reddy has ensured that no efforts are spared to make it a success. He even revealed the name of the movie, ‘Junior’.
Talking to the media, he said Kireeti had chosen cinema over politics. He added that 80 per cent of the movie had been shot and the remaining schedules will be completed in Mysuru and Bengaluru. “My son wants to pursue his career in the land of films,” Reddy declared.
Director S S Rajamouli sounded the clapboard for the first shot of the Kannada-Telugu film. Devi Sri Prasad, best known for ‘Pushpa: The Rise’, is the music composer, Peter Hein...
Talking to the media, he said Kireeti had chosen cinema over politics. He added that 80 per cent of the movie had been shot and the remaining schedules will be completed in Mysuru and Bengaluru. “My son wants to pursue his career in the land of films,” Reddy declared.
Director S S Rajamouli sounded the clapboard for the first shot of the Kannada-Telugu film. Devi Sri Prasad, best known for ‘Pushpa: The Rise’, is the music composer, Peter Hein...
- 12/20/2022
- by Glamsham Bureau
- GlamSham
We're entering awards season, a time when studios compete to release all their Oscar-bait movies, the films that are often prestige character dramas and/or historical period pieces that have "something to say," lavish sets and costumes, nuanced acting, and intimate stories.
We don't necessarily need those films, however, because we have movies like "Rrr," a feature that can send a shock through the Hollywood awards system by being one of the best movie-watching experiences you can have this year. There are no small performances in the movie, no subtext, and no attempt at historical accuracy. That's because filmmaker S.S. Rajamouli aims for maximum entertainment and delivers a film that delivers on all cylinders by taking the best lesson from Quentin Tarantino's "Inglourious Basterds" — create a revisionist historical four-quadrant crowd-pleasing blockbuster. Who needs subtext when you literally end the climax with a shot of the words, "The sun never sets on the British Empire,...
We don't necessarily need those films, however, because we have movies like "Rrr," a feature that can send a shock through the Hollywood awards system by being one of the best movie-watching experiences you can have this year. There are no small performances in the movie, no subtext, and no attempt at historical accuracy. That's because filmmaker S.S. Rajamouli aims for maximum entertainment and delivers a film that delivers on all cylinders by taking the best lesson from Quentin Tarantino's "Inglourious Basterds" — create a revisionist historical four-quadrant crowd-pleasing blockbuster. Who needs subtext when you literally end the climax with a shot of the words, "The sun never sets on the British Empire,...
- 12/1/2022
- by Rafael Motamayor
- Slash Film
During a dry spell of blockbuster spectacle, S. S. Rajamouli's "Rrr" electrified audiences when it was first released on March 24, 2022, on over 10,000 screens worldwide — the record for highest distribution "for any Indian film." Though it was released earlier than most notable 2022 films, it has not lost any ounce of hype from its devoted fans thanks to its Netflix release and strong word of mouth. "Rrr" is simply everything you could ever want in one movie. It's a "maximalist epic" that features top-notch action sequences, infectious musical numbers, and a revisionist historical edge that cathartically points a middle finger at British Imperialism.
N.T. Rama Rao Jr. and Ram Charan play fictionalized versions of Indian revolutionaries, Komaram Bheem and Alluri Sitarama Raju, two men on opposing paths that make one unlikely but unstoppable pair. This core relationship between Bheem, a fierce tribal leader, and Raju, a fearsome member of the British police force,...
N.T. Rama Rao Jr. and Ram Charan play fictionalized versions of Indian revolutionaries, Komaram Bheem and Alluri Sitarama Raju, two men on opposing paths that make one unlikely but unstoppable pair. This core relationship between Bheem, a fierce tribal leader, and Raju, a fearsome member of the British police force,...
- 12/1/2022
- by Tyler Llewyn Taing
- Slash Film
I have always been an admitted junkie of blockbuster cinema. Yes, I am absolutely here for your awards season contenders just like the next lover of movies, but even in that realm, I'm more "No Country for Old Men" than "Atonement." Popcorn movies are my thing. It's what gets me out of bed in the morning. All of this to say, I thought I had just about seen it all when it came to this form of entertainment. Then I saw "Rrr," and came to understand just how wrong I was.
The Indian blockbuster became a global phenomenon earlier this year, and as a man who saw it in a packed, rowdy theater, I can confidently say it achieved that status with good reason. Director S.S. Rajamouli assembled an absolutely bonkers popcorn movie for the ages that is an action spectacle, a musical (and I hate musicals), a love story,...
The Indian blockbuster became a global phenomenon earlier this year, and as a man who saw it in a packed, rowdy theater, I can confidently say it achieved that status with good reason. Director S.S. Rajamouli assembled an absolutely bonkers popcorn movie for the ages that is an action spectacle, a musical (and I hate musicals), a love story,...
- 12/1/2022
- by Ryan Scott
- Slash Film
Buriram (Thailand), Nov 20 (Ians) Making a significant mark on international soil, the Idemitsu Honda Racing India – a solo Indian team in Fim Asia Road Racing Championship (Arrc) finished the 2022 season on a positive note.
Showcasing consistent performance and brining laurels to the country, India’s ace rider Rajiv Sethu finished the final race of Asia Production 250cc (AP250cc) class of Arrc in top 10.
After 18th position start on the grid, Rajiv moved up by a position in lap 1 itself. Taking advantage of the wet race and few crashes, he continued to gain positions and reached at 10th spot in Lap 8.
From thereon, he maintained positive momentum and crossed the chequered line at 10th position, thus adding 6 points in his kitty.
Meanwhile, today was a day of struggle and then a massive recovery for Senthil Kumar who after his 7th position start went out of track in Lap 2. But Senthil...
Showcasing consistent performance and brining laurels to the country, India’s ace rider Rajiv Sethu finished the final race of Asia Production 250cc (AP250cc) class of Arrc in top 10.
After 18th position start on the grid, Rajiv moved up by a position in lap 1 itself. Taking advantage of the wet race and few crashes, he continued to gain positions and reached at 10th spot in Lap 8.
From thereon, he maintained positive momentum and crossed the chequered line at 10th position, thus adding 6 points in his kitty.
Meanwhile, today was a day of struggle and then a massive recovery for Senthil Kumar who after his 7th position start went out of track in Lap 2. But Senthil...
- 11/20/2022
- by Glamsham Bureau
- GlamSham
One of the biggest cinematic action-adventures of the year is Telugu-language “Rrr,” which follows real-life 1920s Indian free-dom fighters Komaram Bheem (N.T. Rama Rao Jr.) and Alluri Sitarama Raju (Ram Charan).
Directed by S.S. Rajamouli, the three-hour-plus filled is stuffed end-to-end with action choreography, stunt work, pyrotechxnics and VFX.
One standout sequence unfolds in the middle of the film when Bheem unleashes wild animals from a truck to attack the British in a wild scene with tigers, leopards and other assorted beasts flying through the air, leaping on soldiers and creating havoc.
Rajamouli knew the sequence would be one of the most important moments in the film. “He wanted something out of this world,” cinematographer K.K. Senthil Kumar says.
To pull it off, Kumar collaborated closely with production designer Sabu Cyril and VFX supervisor V. Srinivas Mohan early in the filmmaking process.
In addition to the wild animals, the team...
Directed by S.S. Rajamouli, the three-hour-plus filled is stuffed end-to-end with action choreography, stunt work, pyrotechxnics and VFX.
One standout sequence unfolds in the middle of the film when Bheem unleashes wild animals from a truck to attack the British in a wild scene with tigers, leopards and other assorted beasts flying through the air, leaping on soldiers and creating havoc.
Rajamouli knew the sequence would be one of the most important moments in the film. “He wanted something out of this world,” cinematographer K.K. Senthil Kumar says.
To pull it off, Kumar collaborated closely with production designer Sabu Cyril and VFX supervisor V. Srinivas Mohan early in the filmmaking process.
In addition to the wild animals, the team...
- 11/10/2022
- by Jazz Tangcay
- Variety Film + TV
Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia), Oct 8 (Ians) Showcasing the consistent performance along with gaining points for the team, Honda Racing India team’s rider duo Rajiv Sethu and Senthil Kumar bagged another achievement in the first race of Round 4 of Fim Asia Road Racing Championship (Arrc) 2022 at the Sepang International Circuit on Saturday.
Bringing laurels for the country on international soil, both the riders secured three points while maintaining steadiness and complete focus till the last lap.
Starting 14th from the grid, Rajiv slipped to 17th position after the first lap. However, showing positive momentum in the race and competing fearlessly with the other international riders, he moved up to the 14th position in the final lap and completed the race with a total time of 20:32.048, earning two points for the team.
In Saturday’s race, Senthil Kumar showcased his best skills and competed well to earn points for the team.
Bringing laurels for the country on international soil, both the riders secured three points while maintaining steadiness and complete focus till the last lap.
Starting 14th from the grid, Rajiv slipped to 17th position after the first lap. However, showing positive momentum in the race and competing fearlessly with the other international riders, he moved up to the 14th position in the final lap and completed the race with a total time of 20:32.048, earning two points for the team.
In Saturday’s race, Senthil Kumar showcased his best skills and competed well to earn points for the team.
- 10/8/2022
- by Glamsham Bureau
- GlamSham
AwardDylan Marchetti of Variance Films, which was the official US distributor of Rrr, said that he will submit the film in all categories of Academy Awards. Tnm StaffScreengrab/YoutubeAfter the release of SS Rajamouli’s magnum opus Rrr earlier this year, there was speculation that it may make it to the Oscars as India’s official entry. However, though the Film Federation of India (Ffi) has chosen the Gujarati film Chhello Show as its official entry for the 95th Academy Awards, reports state that Dylan Marchetti — the US distributor of Rrr — has decided to submit Rrr for all categories and has launched a campaign seeking votes for the same. Rrr is a Telugu action drama film set in the pre-independence era in India in the 1920s, starring Junior Ntr and Ram Charan in the lead roles, along with Alia Bhatt, Ajay Devgn, Olivia Morris and others. The film tells an...
- 9/22/2022
- by AzeefaF
- The News Minute
Sportsland Sugo (Japan), Aug 14 (Ians) Idemitsu Honda Racing India team rider Senthil Kumar scored a point in Race 2 during round 3 of the 2022 Fim Asia Road Racing Championship (Arrc), here on Sunday.
In his first stint at the Sportsland Sugo international circuit, Senthil managed to display true rigor as he bounced back from a Dnf in race 1 to claim a point for the team.
It was a gripping race till the very end as the leaderboard saw a lot of movement in the order. With four riders crashing out in the last lap, it proved to be a challenging race for everyone.
However, Senthil took advantage and sped up to jump ahead on the leaderboard to come in contention for winning some coveted points. But, his teammate Rajiv Sethu could not recover from the mistake in the initial laps and finished the race in 17th position.
The duo of Senthil and...
In his first stint at the Sportsland Sugo international circuit, Senthil managed to display true rigor as he bounced back from a Dnf in race 1 to claim a point for the team.
It was a gripping race till the very end as the leaderboard saw a lot of movement in the order. With four riders crashing out in the last lap, it proved to be a challenging race for everyone.
However, Senthil took advantage and sped up to jump ahead on the leaderboard to come in contention for winning some coveted points. But, his teammate Rajiv Sethu could not recover from the mistake in the initial laps and finished the race in 17th position.
The duo of Senthil and...
- 8/14/2022
- by Glamsham Bureau
- GlamSham
Sportsland Sugo (Japan), Aug 13 (Ians) Honda Racing India celebrated its best ever performance in the Asia Road Racing Championship 2022 (Arrc). It is the first time that India’s solo team secured top 5 position at Asia’s toughest road race championship.
Saturday’s AP250 race was one of the toughest races of the season with 5 riders crashing out in first lap. Starting the wet 12-lap race 1 from 14th on the grid, Indian rider Rajiv Sethu quickly moved to 6th place after lap 1. From thereon, he continued to maintain his position until he fell in lap 5 due to wet racetrack. Determined to finish the race, Rajiv challenged himself and immediately re-joined the race to finally cross the chequered line at 5th place.
Masterful race performance by Rajiv in his very first outing at Sportsland Sugo International Circuit resulted in the team realizing its next step up by securing top 5 position in the...
Saturday’s AP250 race was one of the toughest races of the season with 5 riders crashing out in first lap. Starting the wet 12-lap race 1 from 14th on the grid, Indian rider Rajiv Sethu quickly moved to 6th place after lap 1. From thereon, he continued to maintain his position until he fell in lap 5 due to wet racetrack. Determined to finish the race, Rajiv challenged himself and immediately re-joined the race to finally cross the chequered line at 5th place.
Masterful race performance by Rajiv in his very first outing at Sportsland Sugo International Circuit resulted in the team realizing its next step up by securing top 5 position in the...
- 8/14/2022
- by Glamsham Bureau
- GlamSham
Considering the local and international success of the “Baahubali” duology, S.S. Rajamouli’s next film was much anticipated, with the question of if he would be able to continue with the same level of entertainment he offered with the two, being a rather prevalent one. Thankfully, the Indian blockbuster master does not disappoint once more, with “Rrr”, the most expensive local film to date becoming the second highest-grossing film in India and the third highest-grossing Indian film until it was surpassed by “K.G.F: Chapter 2”
The fictional story revolves around two men, Raju and Bheem, and is set in 1920, when tyrannical governor Scott Buxton and his sadistic wife Catherine are exploiting locals left and right, essentially considering them animals, an opinion that is permeating the whole Raj at the time. As the movie begins, the two visit a forest in Adilabad and forcefully take away Malli, a young girl with a gift for singing,...
The fictional story revolves around two men, Raju and Bheem, and is set in 1920, when tyrannical governor Scott Buxton and his sadistic wife Catherine are exploiting locals left and right, essentially considering them animals, an opinion that is permeating the whole Raj at the time. As the movie begins, the two visit a forest in Adilabad and forcefully take away Malli, a young girl with a gift for singing,...
- 6/30/2022
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
ControversyWhile the DSPs have agreed to waive off the Vpf for the month of November, when theatres will reopen, the fight is far from over.Sowmya RajendranImage for representation only/Pixcy.com/PrudhviChowdaryThe conflict over the Virtual Print Fee or Vpf has once again come up in the Tamil film industry even as theatres have been allowed to reopen after they were shut down in March this year. Vpf is the fee that producers agreed to pay for theatres to acquire digital cinema equipment when the film industry moved from film reels to digital prints, and is paid per screen. Since 2018, Tamil film producers have been saying that they do not want to pay the Vpf any more. Following a standoff that lasted for over a month in 2018, the two parties came to an agreement with a reduction in the Vpf. But now, the producers want to do away with the fee entirely.
- 11/11/2020
- by Sowmya
- The News Minute
ControversyThe actor, on Monday, announced that he will not be a part of ‘800’, a biopic of cricketer Muthiah Muralidaran.Tnm StaffHours after actor Vijay Sethupathi announced that he will not be acting in 800, a biopic of Sri Lankan cricketer Muthiah Muralidaran, a social media user issued rape threats against his minor daughter. Several social media users came down heavily on the offending person and demanded that they be arrested for advocating violence against a child. The Twitter user, who goes by the name Rithik (Handle: @ItsRithikRajh), tweeted with pictures of Vijay Sethupathi and his underage daughter and said she should be sexually assaulted, “in order for her father to understand the difficult lives led by Tamils in Sri Lanka.” Several users shared the tweet demanding that the person behind the handle be arrested and jailed. Dmk MP S Senthil Kumar tweeted, “Are they human beings? Kindly track this...
- 10/20/2020
- by Meghak
- The News Minute
Historical novel “Suheldev – The King Who Saved India,” by bestselling Indian author Amish Tripathi, who goes just by Amish as a pen name, will be adapted as a feature film.
The film, set in the 11th century, when Turkic armies led by ruler Mahmud of Ghazni repeatedly invaded northern India, will follow Suheldev, an Indian king who fought the invaders.
The book was published in June by Westland Publications and quickly joined the ranks of Amish’s bestsellers that includes the “Shiva” trilogy and the “Ram Chandra” series. The author’s eight published titles have sold 5.5 million copies so far. This will be the first film adaptation of his work.
Senthil Kumar, chief creative officer of advertising agency Wunderman Thompson India, will make his feature debut as director.
Indian audiences have historically thrilled to spectacular war sequences, most recently in “Tanhaji: The Unsung Warrior” and “Padmaavat,” and the “Suheldev” production...
The film, set in the 11th century, when Turkic armies led by ruler Mahmud of Ghazni repeatedly invaded northern India, will follow Suheldev, an Indian king who fought the invaders.
The book was published in June by Westland Publications and quickly joined the ranks of Amish’s bestsellers that includes the “Shiva” trilogy and the “Ram Chandra” series. The author’s eight published titles have sold 5.5 million copies so far. This will be the first film adaptation of his work.
Senthil Kumar, chief creative officer of advertising agency Wunderman Thompson India, will make his feature debut as director.
Indian audiences have historically thrilled to spectacular war sequences, most recently in “Tanhaji: The Unsung Warrior” and “Padmaavat,” and the “Suheldev” production...
- 9/25/2020
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
PiracyIn the last three years, the Tamil film industry has declared war on movie piracy. But like a multi-headed hydra, the problem keeps coming back, and in different forms.Anjana ShekarImage for RepresentationIn November 2017, when Tamil movie Ippadai Vellum, starring Udhayanidhi Stalin and Manjima Mohan hit the theatres, a team of eight techies working out of Anna Nagar in Chennai, got busy. Sharath Kumar, former Operations Head of Tamil Film Producers Anti-Piracy cell, recalls that a few hours before the release, they started scouring through social media, messaging platforms and scores of websites to see if the film had been leaked online. Within hours, as expected, TamilRockers — the most notorious movie piracy website — had uploaded a camera quality print of the film. Sharath and his team had their work cut out. They used takedown tools to block the prints, appealed to various domain registries to block as many sites, found...
- 8/27/2020
- by Anjana
- The News Minute
CinemaThe Academy has invited 819 new members this year.Tnm StaffThe Academy of Motion Pictures has announced the list of actors, directors and others associated with cinema who have been invited to join them as members in the year 2020. Every year, the Academy members nominate and vote for the Oscar Awards which are given in different categories. V Senthil Kumar, co-founder of Chennai-based digital services provider Qube Cinema Technologies, is among the list of 819 new members. Others from India include Bollywood actors Alia Bhatt and Hrithik Roshan, casting directors Nandini Shrikent and Tess Joseph, documentary filmmakers Nishtha Jain and Amit Madheshiya, costume designer Neeta Lulla, visual effects supervisors Vishal Anand and Sandeep Kamal, and film composer Nainita Desai. Qube Cinema provides end-to-end digital cinema technology and solutions. With seven offices across India and a subsidiary in Los Angeles, the company reportedly has digital cinema operations in 4,000 cinema screens across India and 7,000 installations across 48 countries.
- 7/1/2020
- by Sowmya
- The News Minute
Refresh for updates… The movie world is mourning legendary Indian actor Irrfan Khan today. The Slumdog Millionaire, Life of Pi and Bollywood star died this morning of a colon infection at a Mumbai Hospital. He was 51.
Tributes came pouring in from around the world from fans, fellow actors, filmmakers, the Movie Academ and even Indian politicians including the president and prime minister.
Here is a sampling of how people are remembering Khan. We will update as more tributes come in:
Ang Lee, filmmaker
“Irrfan was a great artist, a true gentleman and a brave fighter. His passing away is cinema’s loss. We will miss him dearly. May you Rest In Peace my dear friend.”
Marc Webb, filmmaker
“Irrfan made it clear that power and gentleness could co-exist in a perfect balance. When he sings that song to his new wife at the bathroom door in The Namesake, it speaks...
Tributes came pouring in from around the world from fans, fellow actors, filmmakers, the Movie Academ and even Indian politicians including the president and prime minister.
Here is a sampling of how people are remembering Khan. We will update as more tributes come in:
Ang Lee, filmmaker
“Irrfan was a great artist, a true gentleman and a brave fighter. His passing away is cinema’s loss. We will miss him dearly. May you Rest In Peace my dear friend.”
Marc Webb, filmmaker
“Irrfan made it clear that power and gentleness could co-exist in a perfect balance. When he sings that song to his new wife at the bathroom door in The Namesake, it speaks...
- 4/29/2020
- by Erik Pedersen
- Deadline Film + TV
KollywoodVijay Sethupathi has many films in different stages of production currently. Digital NativeTamil director and actor Cheran’s Thavamai Thavamirundhu was screened on television recently and it went on to receive positive comments. The film about a father’s unconditional love for his children which goes unreciprocated went on to do well at the box office when it released in 2005. Written and directed by Cheran, who also played the lead role, Thavamai Thavamirundhu starred Padma Priya as the female lead. Raj Kiran, Saranya, Senthil Kumar, Meenal, Ilavarasu and Karthick V formed the supporting cast of this flick. The technical crew included Sabesh - Murali for music, M. S. Prabhu for cinematography and B Lenin for editing. While thanking everyone who appreciated Thavamai Thavamirundhu, Cheran rued that his film with Vijay Sethupathi was getting delayed due to unknown reasons. He took to twitter and stated, “The screenplay of my film with...
- 4/7/2020
- by vignesh@thenewsminute.com
- The News Minute
KollywoodThough the project was announced several months ago, the shooting began on the Republic Day this year.Digital NativeLast seen playing an accidental gangster in Vada Chennai, Dhanush is teaming up with Director Vetrimaran for Asuran, for the third time. The reputation of Dhanush-Vetrimaaran combo is very high owing to their previous associations. Though the project was announced several months ago, the shooting began on the Republic Day this year, January 26, and is currently progressing at a brisk pace. The latest update is that Dhanush has kickstarted shooting for the final schedule of the film. The film stars Dhanush playing the role of a father and son in the revenge-thriller based on Tamil novel Vekkai by writer Poomani. Dhanush will be seen playing a daily wage laborer and he will be seen in a fierce avatar. The film will be bankrolled by Kalaipuli S Thanu, who had recently bankrolled VIP 2. Also,...
- 5/3/2019
- by Anjana
- The News Minute
KollywoodCurrently busy with three projects, the remake might take time to materialise if Dhanush gives his nod. Digital NativeActor Dhanush, according to the industry grapevine, may star in the Tamil remake of recent Telugu blockbuster Majili, which featured Naga Chaitanya and Samantha Akkineni in the lead. The film, which has been doing exceptionally well at the box-office, has already had its remake rights sold and a leading producer is keen on roping in Dhanush. While the actor has expressed interest, he is yet to watch the film and take a call on whether he wants to star in the remake. Currently busy with three projects, the remake might take time to materialise if Dhanush gives his nod. Directed by Shiva Nirvana, who rose to fame with Ninnu Kori, Majili is centered on Naga Chaitanya’s character and his life’s journey seen through the eyes of three women. Samantha plays...
- 4/20/2019
- by Geetika
- The News Minute
Film'Asuran' features popular filmmaker Balaji Sakthivel, best known for directing the Bharath and Sandhya starrer 'Kadhal', as the antagonist.Digital NativeDigital NativeActor Dhanush, who has a busy lineup of films this year in his kitty, will be seen playing dual roles in his next two releases – Asuran and the yet-to-titled project with director Durai Senthil Kumar. What’s even more interesting is that Dhanush will be seen essaying father-son roles in both these films, according to reliable sources. In Asuran, a revenge-based thriller based on Tamil novel Vekkai, Dhanush will avenge the death of his father. Asuran marks the reunion of Dhanush and Vetrimaaran for the fourth time and the project was recently wrapped up. Asuran features popular filmmaker Balaji Sakthivel, best known for directing the Bharath and Sandhya starrer Kadhal, as the antagonist. This project marks the Tamil debut of Manju Warrier, who has paired up with Dhanush for the first time.
- 3/30/2019
- by Manasa
- The News Minute
KollywoodDirected by Karthik Venugopalan, Rio Raj and Shirin Kanchwala play the lead pair.Digital NativeSivakarthikeyan turned producer with Kanaa, a sports drama which hit the marquee last year. The movie revolved around women’s cricket and was well-received at the box office. Aishwarya Rajesh and Sathyaraj played the lead roles in this Arunraja Kamaraj directorial. Following the massive success of Kanaa, Sivakarthikeyan is bankrolling another film titled Nenjam Undu Nermai Undu Oodu Raja. Incidentally, the title is picked from one of Mgr’s hit numbers.The film is written and directed by Karthik Venugopalan and bankrolled by Siva Kathikeyan under his banner Siva Karthikeyan Productions. Rio Raj and Shirin Kanchwala play the lead pair in this film with Rj Vigneshkanth, Nanjil Sampath and Radha Ravi in the supporting cast. The technical crew of this film include Shabir as the music director with UK Senthil Kumar cranking the camera and Fenny Oliver in charge of editing.
- 3/21/2019
- by Priyankar
- The News Minute
TollywoodThe film has Jr Ntr and Ram Charan playing pivotal roles.Digital NativeThe second schedule of SS Rajamouli directorial Rrr, starring Jr Ntr and Ram Charan, kicked off on Monday. The film was announced last year and the shooting commenced in December with the team filming an action-block. After a month long break, Rajamouli is back resuming work with his team. During the schedule the team will film some crucial scenes in specially erected sets and both Jr.Ntr and Charan will shoot for the sequences. Announcing the second schedule, Rrr producers Dvv Entertainments took to social media and wrote, “Back on the sets! The second schedule starts, today. #Rrr @tarak9999 #RamCharan @ssrajamouli @dvvmovies@rrrmovie.” Cinematographer Kk Senthil Kumar took to Twitter and shared an interesting tidbit about the film,“One of the first films in India to be shot on Arri Alexa Lf and Arri Signature Prime Lens. Starting our second schedule today,...
- 1/24/2019
- by Priyankar
- The News Minute
KollywoodTheatre owners say that the Tamil film industry has vested interests and is taking an unreasonable stance in the standoff.Sowmya RajendranThe standoff between the south Indian film industries and Digital Service Providers has thawed somewhat. The Kannada and Malayalam film industries showed their solidarity with a one-day strike but permitted new releases from then on. However, the Telugu and Tamil film industries decided that no new release would hit the screens from March 1. On Thursday, the Telugu film industry came around and a resolution has been reached between the DSPs and the producers. The Tamil film industry is nevertheless still holding out, a stand that's severely affecting the theatre owners in the state. Many of them believe that there is a hidden agenda behind the Tamil industry's decision. Speaking to Tnm, Venkatesh of Woodlands Theatre in Chennai, says that the Tamil film industry's stance is unreasonable. "When digital cinema came in lieu of film print, the costs went down from Rs 60,000 to Rs 20,000 per print per theatre. The releases also went up manifold, from 100 screens to around 300 screens," he says. However, Venkatesh alleges that the Tamil film industry, while ignoring 97% of the production cost, is focusing on the 3% spent on Virtual Print Fee (Vpf) and wants to go back in time. "They want us to go back to the days of elementary cinema technology which is obsolete and piracy-prone. The world has moved ahead and if we don't move with the times, we will become obsolete, too," he says. Calling the situation a tragedy, Vekatesh says, "Revenue from a film is now only 40% from India, 60% is from the rest of the world. Foreign standards accept only 2K cinema and they're willing to pay the DSPs there. But in Tamil Nadu, they don't want to pay. If Tamil cinema is played in other states, they're saying DSPs can charge but not if they're played in Tamil Nadu - I don't know what's the logic here!" he exclaims. Venkatesh points out that technology is constantly changing and instead of adapting, the Tamil film industry wants to use "primitive" tech. "To compete with the world, we also have to be advanced. Otherwise, India will become digitally obsolete. People who don't understand technology or software, to save 3%, they are trying to stop advancement," he says. Venkatesh believes that there are vested interests involved in the prolonged strike and says the idea is to break the control that DSPs like UFO and Qube currently enjoy, in order to introduce new players who don't have the required credentials. "There are about 60 Tamil films waiting to be released. What's the point in this strike?" he asks. Theatre owners worry that this could mean people will stop going to the theatres entirely. As it is, footfalls have come down thanks to online piracy and Internet platforms like Netflix and Amazon Prime. History Film prints, which used to cost around Rs 60,000 before digital technology, came down to Rs 20,000 and is currently at about Rs 15,000 on an average. While traditional film projectors were low cost, low maintenance and lasted long, producers had to pay high costs for the print and also ensure security through armed guards. When the digital technology came in, theatres had to invest in equipment with high maintenance costs and frequent expensive upgrades. Producers, on the other hand, enjoyed the benefit of low print costs and ensure a wider release for their films. Since most theatres didn't have the capital, risk-taking ability or technical knowledge to switch to digital technology, the transformation wasn't immediate. The theatre owners were not quite taken by the idea of having to spend their money so producers could enjoy the benefits. DSPs stepped in to resolve the problem. They financed the equipment for theatres and offered technical services to producers. They collected a Virtual Print Fee or Vpf to cover costs. The DSPs also took care of the infrastructure needed to facilitate digital print technology. From ownership, theatres shifted to a service model. DSPs argue that films now enjoy a much wider release (including overseas screens) at low costs, compared to earlier times when film prints were used. Speaking to Tnm, Senthil Kumar of Qube Cinema, a leading Dsp, denied that any agreement signed between Qube and theatres had been violated. Tracing the history of how theatres converted to digital technology, Senthil Kumar said, "We offered an alternative to film prints at a much lower cost. 1/4th the cost of a film print which has now become 1/5th of the film print. Producers chose to use these services when all the time they had film prints - it's not as if anybody deprived them of film prints. We set up a system where even though there were film prints and projectors required to play them in theatres, we offered a parallel path of digital projection and digital print. And they chose to use that all these years. Even today, film prints are available at around Rs 90,000 of Prasad Labs and Film Labs in Bombay. So there's no reason why you have to say this has become expensive because we've become cheaper over time. We've introduced more flexible structures but we've not increased prices by a rupee in 10 years." With the three other south Indian film industries moving away from the strike, it remains to be seen for how long the Tamil industry will hold out. Given that films are made at huge financial expenditure which often comes at high interest rates, experts opine that this stance could end up hurting the industry very badly.
- 3/8/2018
- by Editor
- The News Minute
StrikeSpeaking to Tnm, Senthil Kumar of Qube says that the DSPs are speaking to smaller groups from both industries and that the issue might be resolved soon.Sowmya RajendranThe stand-off between the south Indian film industries and digital service providers (DSPs) has resulted in no new Tamil or Telugu film releasing since March 1. The Kannada and Malayalam film industries have decided to participate in a one-day strike to show their solidarity but have continued to permit new releases. The last round of official talks was conducted in Bengaluru on February 23. However, efforts are still being made to break the logjam. Speaking to Tnm, Senthil Kumar of Qube Cinema, one of the major DSPs in India, says, "Even on Friday, we were in discussions for the whole day in Hyderabad with a small group and the day before that, we were in discussions with a small group in Chennai. We thought we'd reached an agreement but the next day, they told us that it didn't work for them. In Hyderabad, they wanted some more tweaking, so I'm actually heading there now." The groups Senthil Kumar refers to consists of producers and film industry people in Tamil Nadu and Andhra, Telangana. Asked about producer Sr Prabhu's allegations that DSPs in India had cheated theatre owners and the film industry, Senthil Kumar says, "We operate on the basis of agreements on paper and we stick to the letter of the agreement. We've never violated an agreement or been accused of violating an agreement by anybody in life." Also read: What's inflating the costs of south film industry? DSPs or exorbitant star salaries? Senthil Kumar further says that his company had never promised producers anything that's not part of the agreement. "We offered an alternative to film prints at a much lower cost. 1/4th the cost of a film print which has now become 1/5th of the film print. Producers chose to use these services when all the time they had film prints - it's not as if anybody deprived them of film prints. We set up a system where even though there were film prints and projectors required to play them in theatres, we offered a parallel path of digital projection and digital print. And they chose to use that all these years. Even today, film prints are available at around Rs 90,000 of Prasad Labs and Film Labs in Bombay. So there's no reason why you have to say this has become expensive because we've become cheaper over time. We've introduced more flexible structures but we've not increased prices by a rupee in 10 years," he says. Senthil Kumar points out that in the meantime, the dollar has gone up from Rs 39 to Rs 65, and that their spares for projectors are imported. "Fortunately, we're a company that has been making technology in India, far before 'Make in India' became such an important part of the government's plan," he says, adding that Qube exports to fifty other countries. According to the grapevine, there are vested interests involved in the film industries' decision to call for a strike against DSPs. Rumours say that the strike is to break the hold that companies like Qube and UFO have in order to introduce new players. Speaking to Tnm, Malayalam producer Renjith said, "One reason why Telugu and Tamil film industries are strongly taking part in the strike is because they are essentially larger industries. They have more number of theatres and the stake for them is larger as compared to us." Asked for how long he feels the strike will go on, Senthil Kumar says, "We're really hoping that we solve the problem today. Of course till it's over, it's not over. We're cooperating in every way to try and solve this. But whatever happens, we too have share-holders and we have to make sure that we are not unfair to them. We've done good for the industry in every way we can. We've brought technology after technology to India and this is the last thing we'd like to be remembered for as a company." Currently, theatres in Tamil Nadu are playing old films while single screens in Andhra and Telangana have closed. Multiplexes in the two Telugu states are playing films from other languages. Also read: Strike on, Vijay's 'Mersal' and Madhavan's 'Vikram Vedha' to hit screens again...
- 3/3/2018
- by Editor
- The News Minute
StrikeWhile the Telugu and Tamil film industries have gone on an indefinite strike starting March 1, Kannada and Malayalam film industries will observe only a one-day strike. Tnm StaffImage for representation onlyThe Tamil and Telugu film industries have gone on an indefinite strike starting Thursday, protesting against Digital Services Providers (DSPs) related to their pricing. This, after the differences between the south Indian film industries and Digital Service Providers (DSPs) were not resolved, despite three rounds of talks in the past few weeks. While the Tamil and Telugu film industries will see an indefinite shutdown, two of the other industries - Malayalam and Kannada - will see a one-day shutdown. What is the strike about? According to the four film industries, the DSPs who deliver content straight to theatres via satellite for digital projection, charge rates that are too high. DSPs such as Qube and UFO are believed to charge around Rs 22,500 per screen for digital projection. This includes the cost of hiring and delivery of content via digital distribution in theatres. However, speaking to The Hindu, Senthil Kumar, co-founder of Qube Cinema, a leading Dsp, said: “Our Vpf rates are the lowest in the world and the most flexible. Apart from the flat rate of ₹22,000, we have multiple options as low as ₹325/show. Like mobile phone plans, producers and distributors choose what’s best for each of their release theatres, thus bringing their effective cost down to just half the flat rate. What’s more, we offer digital cinema mastering services, content delivery, digital rights management and long-term archival... all for free. These are all considerable costs in the rest of the world. Finally, the digital cinema release costs here are between 0.3% to 1.7% of a movie’s total costs, so to suggest that these are draining the industry’s profits is preposterous.” Representatives of both Malayalam and Kannada film industries have confirmed to Tnm that the theatres in both the states will be open after observing a one-day shut down. While theatres in Karnataka are shut on Thursday, theatres in Kerala will close down on March 2 as a solidarity to the larger strike. So while a strike against the DSPs has been kick-started under the Joint Action Committee of the Southern Indian Film Industry, why have these two industries decided not to go ahead with a prolonged strike? Speaking to Tnm, Sa Ra Govindu of Karnataka Film Chamber said: "Kannada film industry has not yet finalised but as per initial plan, we will strike only on March 1. The final decision will be taken tomorrow (Friday) afternoon. But we are a smaller film industry and there are issues. It's a minimum market industry and there are schedules [to stick to]." Malayalam producer Renjith, who is part of the producers' association, says that the one-day strike on March 2 will be conducted to express solidarity with the larger strike. "But we will not strike work for more than that. One reason why Telugu and Tamil film industries are strongly taking part in the strike is because they are essentially larger industries. They have more number of theatres and the stake for them is larger as compared to us," Renjith argues. However, sources point out that the Malayalam film industry cannot afford to go into an indefinite strike at this point, considering that the industry had faced a near total shut-down a few months ago. Last year had seen one of the biggest fall-outs between the producers' association and the film exhibitors' association headed by Liberty Basheer, with the release of new films stalled for weeks together. The strike began with the exhibitors' demand that the revenue share must be upped to 50-50. While it its being reported is that the representatives of the Malayalam film industry want the crisis to be resolved amicably, Liberty Basheer criticised the move. "The Malayalam industry should also ideally take part in the indefinite strike, but there's no unity within the industry; be it between the producers' association or the theatre owners' association," he alleged. He pointed out that there are no major releases scheduled on March 2 and that the two films that were supposed to be released on Friday have been postponed to a later date.
- 3/1/2018
- by Megha
- The News Minute
CinemaWhile producer Sr Prabhu has detailed the stance of the south Indian film industries, a distributor has hit back at the claims he's made.Tnm StaffPTI/ Image for representation onlyThe ongoing standoff between the south Indian film industries and digital service providers (DSPs) has thrown film releases into uncertainty. While the film industry representatives claim that DSPs overcharge them for their services, not everyone is convinced. Why film industries are protesting Producer Sr Prabhu of Dream Warrior Pictures had recently written a detailed post on Facebook about changing technology and the increasing costs over the years. Starting from the time when theatres used to play film reels on projectors to the present era when DSPs transfer content through satellite, he explains how costs went down with the advent of technology initially. However, Sr Prabhu goes on to say that this situation did not last for long. He alleges that certain companies exploited the ignorance of producers, distributors, and theatre owners. "In the last 10 years, in spite of investing 1500 crores, 90% of theatres don't have their own projectors, they've also lost the revenue they used to earn from advertising for generations. I consider this to be the biggest scam to have taken place in the film world in recent times." Detailing the history of how digital service providers convinced theatre owners to shift to the new technology, Sr Prabhu says that the Visual Projection Fee (Vpf) for a stipulated period was the agreement reached by the two parties world-over. By this agreement, a certain amount would be paid to DSPs for five years, after which the theatre owners could consider the newly installed digital projectors to be their own. However, he claims that certain DSPs catering to the Indian film industry did not play fair and that apart from eating into ad revenue, they've also increased the Vpf. Apparently, when theatre owners and industry people asked the DSPs why they were still charging Vpf, the DSPs claimed that the agreements signed did not mean transfer of ownership and were only related to providing services. He further alleges that DSPs have "bought" the silence of some theatre owners by giving them incentives, thereby keeping them off the battle. Claiming that the cost due to Vpf was way too high to bear, Sr Prabhu asserts that this is why the film industries are standing united to combat the DSPs. The other side In response to Sr Prabhu, distributor Tirupur Subramaniam has issued a WhatsApp voice message, hitting back at his post. "You've spoken about Vpf, which forms 2-3% of the total cost incurred by a producer, in such detail, Sr Prabhu, why didn't you say anything about the production cost which forms 70%? No, I won't say production cost - it is the salary of the top stars and technicians. The reason why the film industry is going towards destruction is this salary and you haven't spoken about this even once," he says. Tirupur Subramaniam further adds that previously, actors used to charge the same amount for even a period of 8 years but these days, rates escalate to exorbitant amounts in very short periods of time. "Those who were asking for 10 lakhs are now asking for 20 crores!" he exclaims. The distributor says that Sr Prabhu wouldn't speak about this because he's a producer and cannot afford to discuss actors or technicians. "You say you want transparency, so why aren't you speaking about this?" he asks. He further adds that if there should be true transparency, the Producers' Council should be willing to share true details about how much money a film had made at the box-office. "Let's show real figures, let's not deal with black money. Let's all have peace of mind. You don't ask why it's so difficult to make a film but you talk about Qube," he says. Subramaniam adds that he hasn't taken money to speak this way and that he has no connection with Qube beyond a professional relationship. Senthil Kumar, co-founder of Qube, has rubbished the claims of the film industries. Speaking to Sreedhar Pillai for The Hindu, Senthil Kumar has said, "Our Vpf rates are the lowest in the world and the most flexible. Apart from the flat rate of ₹22,000, we have multiple options as low as ₹325/show. Like mobile phone plans, producers and distributors choose what’s best for each of their release theatres, thus bringing their effective cost down to just half the flat rate. What’s more, we offer digital cinema mastering services, content delivery, digital rights management and long-term archival... all for free. These are all considerable costs in the rest of the world. Finally, the digital cinema release costs here are between 0.3% to 1.7% of a movie’s total costs, so to suggest that these are draining the industry’s profits is preposterous.” According to the grapevine, the current stand-off is also because some producers themselves are interested in getting into the Dsp business and that this is an attempt to break the stronghold of companies like Qube and UFO. The last round of talks between the film industries and the Dsp will take place on February 23. If these talks fail as well, there will not be any new south Indian film release from March 1.
- 2/23/2018
- by Editor
- The News Minute
Good things come to those who wait is the saying. Director S.S.Rajamouli has surely made us live that phrase with his latest offering Makkhi. After announcing the film, the director decided to let our imagination run wild when he explained the story was simple. A guy gets reborn to avenge his death and save his girlfriend from the high profile bad guy. A common story that not only Hindi cinema but the entire Indian Film Industry would have tried to depict at least once. But the killer appeal for the audience this time is our guy is reborn as the common house fly. Now are the pieces falling into a tiny sequence in your mind? Intrigue peaked? Trust me when I say this writer went berserk looking out for clippings, promos and the ultimate trailer before this movie (finally!!) released as a bilingual, shot simultaneously in Tamil – Naan Ee and Telugu – Eega.
- 10/25/2012
- by Githa Vanan
- Bollyspice
Just three days after Dabangg 2 went on floors, cinematographer Senthil Kumar, famous for his outstanding cinematography in Telegu films like Yamadonga, Arundhati and Magadheera has been replaced by cinematographer Aseem Kumar. Arbaaz Khan impressed with Senthil's work in Telugu cinema, had asked him to be a part of his maiden directorial venture. In fact Senthil had flown in much before the film went on floors to be involved in the pre-production as well. Senthil was to make his Bollywood debut with Dabangg 2 but reportedly Salman Khan was not to happy with his work and got him replaced with Aseem Kumar, who is the cinematographer of his film Ek The Tiger. The story goes that after shooting for three days, Salman and Senthil realized that they were not on the same page. Salman was not happy with Senthil's cinematography pace and since Aseem Kumar's work in Ek The Tiger really impressed him,...
- 3/19/2012
- by Bollywood Hungama News Network
- BollywoodHungama
A Screenwriting Workshop, “The Six Layers of a Great Film and Great Character” will be conducted by Hollywood’s renowned screenwriter David Freeman at the upcoming Ficci Frames 2011. Ficci Frames 2011, the annual convention of the media and entertainment industry, will be held through March 23-25, 2011in Mumbai.
A session on marketing Indian films abroad, “Gateways to the European Market” will be conducted by Juliane Schulze, Senior Partner, Peacefulfish , Germany. The session which will also include consultation, will involve detailed presentation on European film financing covering the core European markets (treaties, EU funding, national & regional funding, specialized funds and cash rebates.)
To register, visit http://www.ficci-frames.com/registration.htm.
Some other things of interest: (As stated in Ficci Frames Press Release, subject to change)
Making Cinema with Global Appeal: A Session with the Stalwarts
What goes into creating movies which appeal to a worldwide audience and can captivate countries together?...
A session on marketing Indian films abroad, “Gateways to the European Market” will be conducted by Juliane Schulze, Senior Partner, Peacefulfish , Germany. The session which will also include consultation, will involve detailed presentation on European film financing covering the core European markets (treaties, EU funding, national & regional funding, specialized funds and cash rebates.)
To register, visit http://www.ficci-frames.com/registration.htm.
Some other things of interest: (As stated in Ficci Frames Press Release, subject to change)
Making Cinema with Global Appeal: A Session with the Stalwarts
What goes into creating movies which appeal to a worldwide audience and can captivate countries together?...
- 3/19/2011
- by NewsDesk
- DearCinema.com
Magadheera, one of the highest grossing Telugu films of all time, has just come up big at two different Indian awards shows! You may remember the film from its jeep-crashes-into-helicopter/flying-machete-dismemberment appearance as the first of the Twitch Top Kills series, but it was so much more to South Asians all over the world. The director, S.S. Rajamouli, is widely regarded as the finest director working in Telugu language films. The star, Ram Charan Teja, is yet another in the sea of Indian film scions, in this case, he is the son of the biggest star of modern Tollywood, Chiranjeevi, who makes a brief appearance in the video below. This was a major blockbuster. While it was heckled on "The Soup" by no less than Robert Rodriguez on a press tour for Machete, this is high tech stuff for South India.
At the recent South Scope Cine Awards in Hyderabad,...
At the recent South Scope Cine Awards in Hyderabad,...
- 9/21/2010
- Screen Anarchy
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