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Time Studios has signed on to produce a feature documentary about Indian tennis legend Vijay Amritraj. Sami Khan, Oscar nominee for “St. Louis Superman” and Emmy winner for “The Last Out,” is directing. The project aims to bring the inspiring story of one of tennis’ most beloved figures to a global audience.

The film will chronicle Amritraj’s remarkable journey from a sickly child in Chennai, India to his ascension as a tennis star and Hollywood figure. Amritraj’s recent induction into the Tennis Hall of Fame, where him and compatriot Leander Paes became the first Asian men to receive the honor, serves as a fitting backdrop to this celebration of his life and career.

“My life’s journey has been nothing short of a miracle,” Amritraj said. “I always wanted to share it with youngsters in India and around the world and I am absolutely thrilled that Time has...

Three tennis legends are set for induction into the International Tennis Hall of Fame on Saturday, July 20 and The Tennis Channel will broadcast the entire ceremony beginning at 6 p.m. Et. Eight-time Grand Slam champion Leander Paes, player and broadcaster Vijay Amritraj, and tennis historian Richard Evans make up this year’s class. Don’t miss any of the memories, speeches, and tears with a three-day free trial to Hulu + Live TV.

How to Watch the 2024 International Tennis Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony When: Saturday, July 20 at 6 p.m. Et TV: Tennis Channel Stream: Watch with a three-day free trial to Hulu + Live TV. Free 3-Day Trio Trial $76.99+ / month hulu.com About the 2024 International Tennis Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony

The Tennis Channel will kick off its 2024 International Tennis Hall of Fame coverage with a special episode of “Tennis Channel Live” at 5 p.m. Et on Saturday, July 20. The program...

Bollywood superstar Aamir Khan is currently adding a touch of glamour to Wimbledon 2024. During his visit to the prestigious tennis tournament in London, Aamir revealed a surprising personal connection to the sport. In an interview shared by Star Sports India, he talked to former tennis player and commentator Vijay Amritraj about his past as a tennis player and why he had to quit at a young age.

Aamir reminisced about his days as a tennis player, mentioning that he was a “very good player at the junior level” and even became the Maharashtra State Champion. However, his tennis journey was cut short when his father asked him to stop playing. Reflecting on this, Aamir said, “I don’t think I could have ever made it to any significant level but I really enjoyed the game so I had a lot of fun while playing it. And then one fine day,...

Exclusive: Calabasas Films + Media and Sterling Road Films are partnering to produce the first official documentary about former tennis player and actor Vijay Amritraj.

Directed by Oscar-nominated filmmaker Sami Khan (St. Louis Superman), the currently untitled feature is being executive-produced by Calabasas partners Kapil Mahendra and Paul Beahan, alongside Prakash Amritraj and Dhaval Desai.

The documentary will chart Amritraj’s rise from his childhood in India, overcoming serious health issues, to his emergence as a top player in the 1970s and 1980s, defeating Jimmy Connors, Bjorn Borg, and John McEnroe in their primes.

Along with older brother Anand, Vijay Amritraj was an integral part of the Indian team that boycotted the 1974 Davis Cup Finals against South Africa to protest Apartheid. Vijay is also the older brother of Ashok Amritraj (himself a former tennis player), the long-time film producer who is currently CEO of Hyde Park Entertainment and was formerly CEO of National Geographic Films.

By Ishwar Nath Jha New Delhi, March 9 (Ians) One of India’s greatest tennis players, Vijay Amritraj says it’s incredibly disappointing to see that tennis’ serve-and-volley style is dying as most of the tournaments around the world happen on hard and clay courts. The 68-year-old Amritraj who had five career wins over one of the […]...

New Delhi, Feb 17 (Ians) Tennis legend Vijay Amritraj feels that the Indian team will be ‘favourites’ to win against Denmark in the Davis Cup tie, scheduled to be played on the grass courts of Delhi Gymkhana Club (Dgc), here. India will lock horns with Denmark on March 4 and 5 in a World Group-1 […]...

New Delhi, Feb 7 (Ians) Tennis great Vijay Amritraj was among those from the sport who paid tribute to late former player and coach Akhtar Ali, who died on Sunday aged 81. Ali coached Amritraj, along with the likes of Leander Paes, Ramesh Krishnan and his son and India's Davis Cup coach Zeeshan Ali among others.

"Aktar Ali was terrific as a coach both when I was a junior as well as coach of our India Davis Cup team. Always pushed hard n kept the team relaxed. He did great service to Indian Tennis. Rip dear Aktar. Sincere condolences to Zeeshan n his lovely family," said Amritraj in his tweet.

Former singles player Somdev Devvarman said that Akhtar Ali always taught his wards to give it their best. "One of the first times I threw up during practice was with Akhtar sir at the South club in the summer of 1999. He aways...

New Delhi, Feb 7 (Ians) Renowned Indian tennis player and coach Akhtar Ali died on Sunday, aged 81. His family members were at his bedside when he passed away at around 2.30 a.m. at his residence in Kolkata, informed his daughter Nilofer.

Ali's son and former Davis Cup player Zeeshan Ali was in Delhi, conducting a camp, when he heard the news. He would be reaching Kolkata before the burial, which is scheduled to take place at Sola Ana graveyard in Khidirpur, Kolkata, after Asar namaaz, the last one before sunset.

"Father had dinner last evening and went to sleep. At around 2 a.m. I went to see him and at 2.30 a.m. he suddenly showed a sign of some breathing problem and we just watched as he passed away," Nilofer, one of the three siblings, told Ians, answering the call on late Ali's mobile number.

"He has a urine infection and...

By Qaiser Mohammad Ali

New Delhi, Feb 7 (Ians) Tennis legend Akhtar Ali, who passed away on Sunday aged 81, was a "great person" and we had a "good rapport", said Jaidip Mukherjea, his Davis Cup doubles partner and former national champion.

"He was a great person. Our rapport was very good. I last met him about two weeks ago; he was not keeping well. He had dementia, and probably knew that his days were numbered," former national champion Mukherjea told Ians from Kolkata, also the home city of Ali.

"He was three years older than me. We started playing tennis together as youngsters, at South Club here in Kolkata, and we, along with Premjit Lall, practiced together at the club. He was my Davis Cup teammate and my Davis Cup coach. He was a national champion before I became one. On my first tour of England he was there with me as a player,...

India's celebrated tennis player and legendary coach Akhtar Ali died on Sunday. Born on July 5, 1939, Ali was a member of the Indian Davis Cup team continuously from 1958 to 1964.

According to his family members, he passed away at 2:30 a.m.

The All India Tennis Association condoled his demise in a statement and said: "The All India Tennis Association mourns the demise of Mr. Akhtar Ali who passed away today on 7th February 2021 at Kolkata, India."

"All members, officer bearers, affiliates and representatives of Aita come together to offer their heartfelt condolences and prayers in this moment of grief."

A member of India's Davis Cup teams from the late 1950s to the mid 1960s, Ali held an enviable 9-2 win-loss record in the tourney - rated as the World Cup of the sport.

Proficient in both singles and doubles, he played alongside the country's legends like Ramanathan Krishnan, Naresh Kumar, Premjit Lall and Jaidip Mukerjea.

New Delhi, Jan 14 (Ians) The history of Indian tennis begins in the late 19th century, soon after it was established as a competitive sport in England. The sport quickly caught the imagination of the colonised just as much as it had of the colonisers. In those early years, Mohammed Sleem, the Fyzee brothers, S.M. Jacob and Ghaus Mohammed (whose genius was sadly curtailed by the Second World War) were the heroes tennis needed, claiming it for India.

After independence, a new set of players set the courts ablaze: Dilip Bose, Sumant Misra, Naresh Kumar and the dazzling Ramanathan Krishnan, who remains one of India's biggest icons. In the 1970s and '80s, Vijay Amritraj and Ramesh Krishnan established India as a regular on the international stage, until finally in the mid-1990s, Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi earned the country its first Grand Slam titles.

Today, tennis is deeply entrenched in India,...

Exclusive: Byron Allen’s Freestyle Digital Media has picked up the North American distribution rights to Untogether, the Emma Forrest directorial debut film starring Jamie Dornan (50 Shades Of Grey), Jemima Kirke (HBO’s Girls), Ben Mendelsohn (Rogue One), Lola Kirke (Amazon’s Mozart in the Jungle), and Billy Crystal (When Harry Met Sally). Premiering earlier this year at the Tribeca Film Festival, the dramatic comedy will have a day-and-date release on February 8.

Written by Forrest, the story follows Nick (Dornan) and Andrea (Jemima Kirke) whose one nightstand evolves into something more. He’s a doctor and author whose heroics in the Middle East gained him international fame. She is a writing prodigy fully consumed with destructive vices, navigating Los Angeles without a driver’s license or credit card and sharing a home with her sister Tara (Lola Kirke), who is dealing with relationship issues of her own. Tara slowly slips...

Octopussy

Directed by John Glen

Written by George Macdonald Fraser, Richard Maibaum, and Michael G. Wilson

United Kingdom, 1983

1983 presented a unique challenge for the Bond franchise. For the first time since Ursula Andress strolled out of the water, there were going to be two Bond films in theatres in the same year. As if that wasn’t enough, Never Say Never Again was also going to see Sean Connery, the first man to ever play Bond and who had handed the reigns off to the current incarnation, reprise the role once again, pitting the two men most known for playing Bond, Connery and Roger Moore (George Lazenby’s one-time outing as the agent notwithstanding) against each other. It is against these conditions that Octopussy was made, with the necessity of having to prove itself anew. Fortunately, the movie delivers on several fronts, making for a thrilling film, albeit one with a curious third act.

We've arrived at Roger Moore's penultimate Bond. But isn't it about time somebody fought Octopussy's corner?

After the comedown of For Your Eyes Only, the series is back on a high. A very good-natured, occasionally thrilling escapade that boasts an impressive roster of villains, a finely developed heroine, unusually meaty roles for series stalwarts General Gogol and Q, a nuclear bomb and a gloriously stupid title. Yes, Roger Moore has aged to the point where counting the wrinkles is a legitimate distraction. And many valid criticisms can be levelled about plot and credibility. But the good outweighs, or certainly overwhelms, the bad in Octopussy. Still, he really should have quit after this one.

The Villain: Kamal Khan got his break by winning the talent competition Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Singing Superstar - and that was just the beginning. 2012 hit Ishk Sufiana launched Khan into stardom and he bagged...

Ajay Devgn along with businessman Sanjeev Kassal announced their co-ownership of the Delhi franchisee of the Champions Tennis League (Ctl)

The ‘Delhi Dream’ was launched in the presence of Vijay Amritraj, who is the brain behind this league.

Ajay Devgn,is very proud to be a co-owner of the Delhi Dreams and said that the competition will be very strong for others. Mr. Kassal, Director of First Serve Sports Private Ltd, said that Delhi was a “city of aspirations” so they chose such a name for their team.

Bollywood and Sports connection began with Indian Premiere League (Ipl) and over the years it has spread to other sports including football, hockey, kabaddi, badminton and now with Tennis.

Well, the actor has also invested in a solar power plant in India and has a successful production house ‘Ajay Devgn Ffilms’, we are quite sure that ‘Delhi Dreams’ too will prove to...

With Shah Rukh Khan, Abhishek Bachchan, Akshay Kumar, yet another actor who has joined the bandwagon of investing in sports is Ajay Devgn. The actor has been announced as the co-owner of the team Delhi Dreams along with partner Sanjeev Kassal who are participating in the Champions Tennis League. The launch of the team Delhi Dreams was held at the capital recently but Ajay Devgn unfortunately could not make it to the event owing to the extensive promotions of Action Jackson. However, the actor in order to encourage and support his team had apparently sent a video message to the launch which was held in the presence of Vijay Amritraj, the head of Champions Tennis League. Ajay Devgn mentioned that he was proud to be the co-owner of the team and promised that he will be making the competition a nightmare for the other teams in the league. Extending his support,...

Exclusive: The heart-wrenching story of Raju the Elephant — the animal who had been kept in chains and abused for 50 years and cried when he was freed — is going to be made into a feature film. The rights have just been acquired by U.S.-based manager-producer Larry Brezner along with the father/son team of Vijay and Prakash Amritraj who will also be producing. Raju the Elephant is now in a sanctuary after a daring, middle-of-the-night rescue by a team at the Wildlife Sos Conservation and Care Center in India. His story went viral, capturing international attention.

The deal for the rights comes as the previous handler of the elephant is now trying to sue to get the animal back at the same time the government is weighing animal cruelty charges against him. A court is ruling on whether the handler can get the animal back on Sept. 4th.

When...

Once again, Cinema Retro is proud to bring you behind the scenes on a world-class retro movie event.

By Matthew Field

It seemed only appropriate that Octopussy, the only James Bond film with a tenuous link to Wimbledon, should be the theme of BondStars’ summer barbeque on the very day Andy Murray became champion. (Octopussy actor and former tennis player Vijay Amritraj was semi-finalist in the men’s doubles in 1976!)

On a sweltering summer’s day, Octopussy At 30, re-united cast and crew from the 13th James Bond movie at Pinewood Studios where the movie was made back in 1982/83.

The day kicked off with a screening of the Blu-ray master (kindly lent by Eon Productions) in Theatre 7. Director John Glen, assistant director Anthony Waye and stars Maud Adams and Kristina Wayborn, were on hand to introduce the film to fans at the sold out event. Glen told the audience that Octopussy...

Octopussy

Directed by John Glen

Written by George Macdonald Fraser, Richard Maibaum, and Michael G. Wilson

United Kingdom, 1983

1983 presented a unique challenge for the Bond franchise. For the first time since Ursula Andress strolled out of the water, there were going to be two Bond films in theatres in the same year. As if that wasn’t enough, Never Say Never Again was also going to see Sean Connery, the first man to ever play Bond and who had handed the reigns off to the current incarnation, reprise the role once again, pitting the two men most known for playing Bond, Connery and Roger Moore (George Lazenby’s one-time outing as the agent notwithstanding) against each other. It is against these conditions that Octopussy was made, with the necessity of having to prove itself anew. Fortunately, the movie delivers on several fronts, making for a thrilling film, albeit one with a curious third act.

New Delhi, Sep 20: Playboy chief Hugh Hefner says initially he wanted to call his world-famous magazine Stag Party but decided to change it to Playboy at the last minute.

It was Hefner's associate Eldon Sellers who suggested the title Playboy, the 86-year-old revealed in an interview to legendary tennis player Vijay Amritraj on CNN Ibn's show "Dimensions".

"I wasn't going to call the magazine Playboy. I wanted to call the magazine Stag.

New Delhi, Aug 16: Legendary tennis player Vijay Amritraj makes his debut as a talk show host with "Dimensions". A first-of-its-kind, the show will feature global icons. Excited about his new journey, Amritraj says the show is a face to reality.

"It gives me immense pleasure to be the host of 'Dimensions'. The show will surely uncover the facts and lives of many eminent personalities. It is not just a regular talk show, it's a face to reality,".

Two Bollywood actresses are vying to be the first Indian Bond girl as rumours spread that the next 007 film will be shot in the country.Producers of the film, expected to be directed by Sam Mendes, have been scouting locations in India.The plot is believed to be set in Afghanistan in landscapes similar to India's Rajasthan deserts and the arid mountains of Ladakh, close to the border with Tibet.In 1983 the Bond film Octopussy featured the Indian tennis player Vijay Amritraj in a plot centred on a cult of "octopus" women on a floating island in Udaipur, the "city of lakes" in Rajasthan in western India.Last week Freida Pinto, who played Latika in the Oscar-winning film Slumdog Millionaire, was linked to the new film in which Daniel Craig will play 007. Her latest film, You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger, directed by Woody Allen,...

Last week, buzz was rife that Slumdog Millionaire star Freida Pinto had been snapped up as the next Bond girl. However, the actress issued a statement saying that she had not been approached for the role. However, sources close to director Sam Mendes have hinted that the rumours were fuelled because producers had been hunting for shooting locations in India, as the next Bond film is set in our backyard. And now, the same sources have said that our very own Ashwarya Rai Bachchan, India’s most famous export, is to play the Bond girl.

“Aishwarya Rai Bachchan is a recognisable face not only in Hollywood, but also in Europe,” said our source, “and after films like Pink Panther 2, The Last Legion and Provoked, she has proved that she can hold her own in front of an international audience, and with an international star cast.

The producers wanted an Indian...