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With Black, Hindi cinema has turned a corner. And it will never be the same again. Veering passionately away from the norm, creating an entirely new definition of entertainment, and giving us a work of art that transcends every given qualification of the motion-picture experience, Sanjay Leela Bhansali has created a work that freezes all superlatives and permanently relocates our perceptions of high-quality, intellectually and emotionally stimulating art.

From the opening when the blind-and-deaf Michelle (Rani Mukherjee) runs into her old blind and dying teacher Debraj (Amitabh Bachchan), Black clamps its emotional tentacles around our heart and refuses to release us until its last dying breath exhales on screen, permeating the film’s fragrant and irradiant aura with fumes that we have never smelt before…

Black unleashes a fury of never-felt emotions. Watching the actors at work, we feel them undergoing the kind of emotional flagellation that actors seldom do.

Film producer Madhu Mantena and author and yoga teacher Ira Trivedi officially tied the knot on Sunday night and the who’s who of Bollywood came to bless the newly-wedded couple. Mantena, who was previously married to fashion designer Masaba Gupta, and Trivedi kickstarted their wedding festivities with the mehndi on Saturday night. Their marriage ceremony was followed by a grand reception for their industry friends and colleagues.

The celebrities who came to bless the couple spanned generations. They included Aamir Khan, who was the lead star in Mantena’s ‘Ghajini’, Hrithik Roshan (with Saba Azad), Allu Arjun, Kartik Aaryan, Rajkummar Rao and Patralekha, Vivek Oberoi, Sara Ali Khan, Huma Qureshi, Sonakshi Sinha and Rakul Preet Singh.

The seniors were also there in full force: Anil Kapoor, Jackie Shroff, Anupam Kher, Rakesh and Pashmina Roshan, Subhash Ghai, Boney Kapoor, Sonali Bendre, Chunky Pandey and Goldie Behl. Madhur Bhandarkar and his wife were present too,...

Earlier this year, Nandana Sen represented India on the International Jury of the Pune Film Festival; Nandana is now in Austria, serving on the World Feature Film Jury of the Innsbruck International Film Festival, the largest festival of the region. But being elected to film juries is not new to Nandana, who has previously served on prestigious juries such as the Roma Fiction Fest, and Abu Dhabi International Film Festival (along with Abbas Kiarostami, no less).

Coincidentally, the only Indian film selected by Innsbruck is Ketan Mehta’s recently released critical success Rang Rasiya, starring Randeep Hooda and Nandana Sen, which earned the controversial actress a Kalakar Award for Best Actress. When asked why he selected Rang Rasiya, Festival Director Helmut Groschup responded, “Rang Rasiya is the best Indian film I saw in the last year. It opens our European eyes to Indian culture in a non-exotic way, and the...

Swastika Mukherjee has become the talk of the town because of her bold scenes and hotness quotient in Detective Byomkesh Bakshy! which is a periodic Bengali film. But this is not the first time that a bong bombshell has spiced up a movie. We bring you four more such Bengali actresses, who scorched the screen with their sizzling acts. Take a look...

Bipasha Basu

Who can forget the steamy romance between John Abraham and Bipasha Basu in Jism?

Kajol

She may have maintained the image of a sweet romantic actress, but Kajol went a step ahead with Aamir Khan as she bared it all in Fanaa.

Rani Mukerji

Often known for her brazen dialogues and ruthless persona on-screen, Rani has never shied away from doing bold scenes in her movies. Infact, Rani's debut movie had one such scene.

Nandana Sen

Her latest movie with Randeep Hooda- Rang Rasiya clearly...

Dukhtar, Margarita With A Straw and Bhopal: A Prayer for Rain among outstanding schedule of independent South Asian films to be screened as part of 17th annual Laff.

Organizers have announced the full roster of films and special events for this year’s London Asian Film Festival (Laff) – Europe’s oldest showcase for South Asian cinema.

The Festival takes place across London from 19 March to 28 March and features a string of exciting and acclaimed independent feature films, master classes, special screenings, debates and the Festival’s celebrated short films competition.

This year’s Festival highlights include critically acclaimed films such as Margarita With A Straw, Bhopal – A Prayer for Rain, Dukhtar, Rang Rasiya, The World Before Her and Haider.

The 17th edition London Asian Film Festival is once again organized by Tongues on Fire, which has built an unparalleled reputation for promoting independent cinema as well as providing a showcase for female filmmakers.

Nandana Sen made Charlie Hebdo the star of the show in an award ceremony. The feisty actress, who is also a well-known human-rights activist, was recently honoured with the prestigious Kalakar Award for Best Actress, previously won by sensitive actresses like Nandita Das, Deepti Naval, and Rani Mukherjee.

In her acceptance speech for the Best Actress Award for her much-lauded performance in Ketan Mehta’s Rang Rasiya, whose theme is creative freedom, Nandana stated that “by honouring Rang Rasiya, this award honours not just a performance but the greater cause of free speech and expression, now under enormous threat everywhere, as shown by the horrifying Charlie Hebdo killings in Paris. The need to protect our creative freedom – whether we are painters or political cartoonists, actors or journalists, film-makers or novelists – is more urgent now than ever.”

Great to meet an actress with a social conscience, who lives in the real world,...

Rang Rasiya based on Ranjit Desai’s Marathi novel which depicts the love and life of India’s renowned painter Raja Ravi Varma, is finally hitting the theatres today. The film has won audience choice awards in many countries, has been one of the most awaited releases.

Actor Randeep Hooda, who plays the reel artist, says “I think it will be one of the most important films of my career. I’m glad it’s releasing now because had it come out before, it would have been ahead of its time.”

Nandana Sen, who portrays the role of legendary painter’s muse Sugandha, says, “When the content is so beautiful and your belief in it is strong, the courage to do it comes naturally.” Director Ketan Mehta says, “The reactions to the film made me feel that the journey has been worth it. Due to my family which has had freedom fighters,...

Post the screening of the film Rang Rasiya, the Royal family of the illustrious Maharaja Sayajirao Gaekwad III of Baroda, were the most impressed audience.

Given it was Sayajirao Gaekwad III who had built the studio for the artist in the palace grounds, their opinion brought smiles all over. Rajmata Shubhanginiraje who played host to the grand premiere for the film in Baroda, admitted the film left her feeling very emotional, “I remember six years back when Ketan had come to meet my husband about the film. Today, while seeing the film, I thought of my husband a lot. He was an artist and I wondered what his take would have been and I am sure he would have had his own sensitive outlook on it. It’s a very nice film.”

Alongside Rajmata, were her son Maharaja Samarjitsinh Gaekwad and his wife Radhikaraje Gaekwad.

While Radhikaraje was left impressed by Nanada Sen’s character,...

Ketan Mehta’s Rang Rasiya, which is soon to hit the theatres is said to be one of the most ambitious project the filmmaker has ever made. While he has made sure he ensure the best of everything for the project, the filmmaker recently confirmed the film had not one but two DOPs (Director of Photography) in the film. When asked what about the film based on Ranjit Desai’s book, Raja Ravi Varma, featuring Randeep Hooda and Nandana Sen needed two Dops, Mehta said that they didn’t want to compromise on the cinematography of the film. Given it is a film based on the artistic, Raja Ravi Varma, a celebrated painter and his muse, the director was positive he wanted no one other than Rali Raltchev for the film.

“Ravi Varma is such a part of our consciousness that I wanted a fresh pair of eyes to see,...

Rang Rasiya has been a victim of controversy since six years, from the time the film was completed. While earlier there were no takers who were ready to distribute the film, now that the film is finally getting a release, we hear that it has caught up in a legal issue owing to its content.

Raja Ravi Varma, a renowned artist who captured the beauty of Indian Goddesses and mythological characters in his paintings, is the central protagonist of Rang Rasiya. The film is based on a book named after the painter and this seems to be the point of conflict. According to the granddaughter of Raja Ravi Varma, Indira Devi Kunjamma, the film has portrayed Raja Ravi Varma in the wrong light and has termed his image in the film as 'erotic' and 'playboy'. Hence, she has sent a legal notice to Ketan Mehta and the producers asked them...

Lyricist Manoj Muntashir is very upset over the fact that he has not been mentioned in the credits of Rang Rasiya despite composing the lyrics for the film. Manoj Muntashir claimed that he had penned the lyrics for the Ketan Mehta directorial six years ago after which the film was stuck. But now, that the film will finally see the light of the day, the lyricist is miffed about his work not being acknowledged. Recalling a similar experience, Manoj further added that when he had written the lyrics for Ketan Mehta's another film Tere Mere Phere, his credits were missing from the film's print and when he had discussed the matter with the filmmaker, it was dismissed as an error. So Manoj decided to stay mum but once again, the error has been repeated and Manoj believes that this time around, the missing credits seems to be a consequence...

It was the trailer and music launch of the much awaited film Rang Rasiya and it turned out to be one of the most memorable event for the media. On this occasion Producer Anand Mahendroo and Deepa Sahi, Director Ketan Mehta and Presenter Jayantilal Gada were present. The cast of the film with actor Randeep Hooda playing the protagonist, and his three supporting ladies, actresses Trupta Parashar, Ferena Wazir and Rachna Shah made the event distinctly glitzy.

Also present were melody maestros Sonu Nigam, Kailash Kher, Roopkumar Rathod, Sunidhi Chauhan, Rajeshwari Pathak and Anwarbhai (King of Rajasthani Folk) with his team.

Staying true to the title of the film, Rang Rasiya music launched filled the evening was music and literature that colored the senses. Live performances by Sunidhi Chauhan and Roopkumar Rathod who did a duet with ‘Chaliya’, and Anwar Purkshis who came together with Kailash Kher and turned on...

It was reported that Nandana Sen, lead actress of Rang Rasiya, would have to give Noc (no objection certificate) to the makers of the film before releasing the erotic content of the film. Rang Rasiya, directed by Ketan Mehta, has finally got a clearance from the Censor Board to release.

Nandana is amused by the reports, she says, “This is not true at all. Ketan and I were both bewildered to read about this fictitious Noc! From the start of our talks, it was as much Ketan’s choice as mine that I should be comfortable with the content of the sensitive scenes. I took time to think it over and discuss it with my extremely supportive family, before making a decision. It would be deeply ironic to censor myself in a film that criticises censorship, wouldn’t it? Incidentally, no one from the producer’s, director’s or distributor...

Check out the official teaser of the most awaited movie Rang Rasiya presented by Jayantilal Gada (Pen), starring Randeep Hooda and Nandana Sen.

Written and directed by one of India’s most acclaimed directors Ketan Mehta, Rang Rasiya is based on a classic Indian novel ‘Raja Ravi Varma’ written by the award winning novelist and playwright ‘Ranjit Desai’.

The movie is a sensuous love story of the great Indian painter Raja Ravi Varma and his muse. Both strikingly beautiful and audacious, the film charts the life of the great Indian artist from his early days under the patronage of a King of Kerala in the mid 1800s, moving on to British Bombay, where he makes his fortune. Here the genius gives birth to Indian modern art, helps inspire the independence movement and the dawning of Indian cinema with his depictions which bring to life the Hindu gods and goddesses.

On Twitter,...

After five years of completion, Rang Rasiya finally got a green signal for its release and the film will hit the silver screen during the festive season of Diwali. The Randeep Hooda starrer that has Nandana Sen playing the leading lady and it was caught in a controversy owing to bold sexual content and nudity. Nandana who is currently happily married to the business tycoon John Makinson and settled in New York has taken an Noc (No Objection Certificate) from the makers of the film, stating that they will not release any publicity material of the film without her consent. When Rang Rasiya was slated to release years ago, Nandana Sen then had stated that she was fine with the bold content and nudity and had maintained that the portrayal of a woman is very aesthetic in this film and represents the power of womanhood and not vulgarity that is...

Randeep Hooda’s Rang Rasiya, a period drama based on the life Raja Ravi Varma, will be released on October 23rd, 2014 by Jayantilal Gada of Pen India. Rang Rasiya is directed by Ketan Mehta.

On Monday Jayantilal Gada met director Ketan Mehta, according to sources close to the film, “It was Ketan’s birthday and Gada’s thumbsup to his film was the perfect birthday gift. Ketan has waited six years for the movie to see the light of day.”

On asking about the clash with Shah Rukh Khan’s Happy New Year, Gada said, “Shah Rukh is a big star and I’m not competing with him. But there is an angle in the film which justifies a Diwali release.”

When Jayantilal Gada was asked if he was going to use the intimate scenes between the Randeep and Nandana to bring in the crowds he added, “No, that’s not the plan.

After being caught up in controversies, it seems that finally the Randeep Hooda - Nandana Sen starrer Rang Rasiya will see the light of the day. The film is a period drama based on the 19th Century popular painter Raja Ravi Verma. Rang Rasiya's bold trailer had faced many censor issues when it was slated to release in 2008. However now after a span of six years, the film is all set to release during Diwali this year. Apparently, Jayantilal Gada of Pen Entertainment met the director of the film Ketan Mehta recently and the two discussed the strategy to be adopted further for the film. The reason behind this decision is said to be the growing popularity of Randeep as a star. Randeep has been climbing the ladder of success with films like Highway and the actor is also playing a prominent role in the upcoming Salman Khan - Jacqueline Fernandez starrer Kick too.

Wift (Women in Film and Television) India Rising hosted an evening honoring women from the film industry who have contributed to the growth and development of films, TV and media industry. Wift India took the initiative of bringing this year’s women National Award winners together to felicitate them and support women whose films have been selected for Cannes Film Festival.

The women who were felicitated were Geetanjali Thapa, Shabnam Sukhdev, Anjali Patil, Amruta Subhash, Sumitra Bhave, Shweta Ghosh, Bela Shende, Aarti Shrivastava, Akanksha Sood Singh, Gauri Gadgil, Sanjana Rai, Charu Shree Roy, Alaka Sahani, Kavita Bahl and Padma Shri recipient Sooni Taraporewala who is also advisory board member with Wift India was also honoured.

Wift India is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to provide a dynamic platform to facilitate the exchange of ideas, accelerate the professional development and recognize the achievement of women in film, television and other screen based...

Mumbai, August 19: Ketan Mehta's much delayed "Rang Rasiya", which has been ready since 2008, is expected to come out by the end of the year.

"It was stuck for three years in some kind of a dispute...but now it will come out by the end of the year," Mehta, who has just completed "Majhi - The Mountain Man", told Ians.

He denied reprots that the film, a tribute to 19th century painter Raja Ravi Varma, was delayed due to the bold scenes picturised on the lead pair - Randeep Hooda and Nandana Sen.

"It was not because of the bold scenes. The film was passed by the censor board some three years ago. There were legal disputes,.

Beleaguered Bjp behemoth Shatrughan Sinha has made peace with his party bosses who objected to his objections to Narendra Modi as a prime ministerial candidate. But Shatrughan Sinha stands against the vilification of Prof Amartya Sen and daughter Nandana Sen for Prof Sen's firm stand against Mr Modi's prime ministerial ambitions. Reacting sharply to a Facebook page-entry allegedly belonging to the Gujarat wing of the Bjp that displayed a semi-nude picture of a woman whom they (the alleged Bjp representatives) claim to be Prof Amartya Sen's daughter Nandana, Shatruji says, "Yeh bahot ghalat hai. Whoever is responsible for this must apologize to both Prof Sen and his daughter. I've said this before and I say it again. Prof Sen is a globally revered economist. No one has the right to target him or his family, and to ask him to return the Bharat Ratna except Atal Bihari Vajpayeeji who gave it to him.

Nandana Sen, who was last seen in Jhootha Hi Sahi with John Abraham, recently tied the knot with the Chairman of Penguin Publishers and CEO John Makinson on June 22 in a private ceremony in Shelter Island, U.S.

Nandana was dating producer Madhu Mantena for about nine years and apparently broke up with him in May. She met Makinson in November 2012 and the question was popped in February. While Nandana is high on marriage celebrations, Mantena who is currently working with Phantom Films, is quite happy for her and expressed his grief for not making it to the wedding as he was too busy with Lootera's promotions.

More than 150 people gathered at the Dream Downtown Hotel during the weekend to glean “insider” information about directing, producing, writing, and financing Bollywood films from A-list Indian filmmakers Imtiaz Ali, Zoya Akhtar, and screenwriter Anuraadha Tewari. Presented by Dar Motion Pictures (a division of Dar Media Pvt. Ltd.) and Mumbai and New York based Molecule Communications and supported by Vikram Chatwal the two-day educational conference titled Ticket2Bollywood was themed Bollywood: Beyond the Song and Dance. The event provided a platform for aspiring and established actors, directors, and producers to learn how they could potentially break into Bollywood.

“So many Bollywood directors are choosing to shoot their films abroad, whether in New York or other major cities around the world,” says Kiren Shrivastav, Director and CEO of Molecule Communications. “These filmmakers are always looking for local talent, production crews, writers, directors, and music composers to give their films an international flare and perspective.

Mumbai, May 22: Beautiful Nandana Sen shot bold scenes for "Rang Rasiya" unabashedly, but she feels boldness is treated with double standards in the industry.

The daughter of Nobel laureate Amartya Sen, Nandana, who has never feared skin show, says it is important for filmmakers to portray intimacy and women in an artistic way.

"I do think boldness is a complicated issue, and needs careful consideration and treatment. Female bodies are often ruthlessly and ingloriously treated as objects in showbiz, and I'd never agree to that. It would take away my humanity.

Mumbai, May 15: Actress Nandana Sen and producer Madhu Mantena have ended their nine-year-long relationship. The former is shifting to New York and the couple felt that a long-distance relationship is impractical, but they admit that they will work together on a movie.

This, coming in the wake of Mantena's marriage proposal in Paris last year, is a rude shock.

"Madhu and I had been planning to move to New York together, but given the pace and zest with which his work in Bombay is growing it doesn't make sense for him to move away. We love each other deeply,.

New York, May 15: Nandana Sen might be a rare name to find in Bollywood A-listers, her last film being "Prince" starring Vivek Oberoi in 2010. It seems she is much more engrossed in her other work rather than Bollywood. She was in a relationship with producer Madhu Mantena for 9 long years. And now as Nandana has bought a house in the States, and decided to settle down there, she has put an end to their relationship.

We got to know, Madhu last year proposed her for getting married, but Sen did not agree for marriage. Common friends of this ex-couple are still hoping that the relationship will be revived again, but no.

Mumbai, May 10: Nandana Sen says that her character of Radha in Ashvin Kumar's "The Forest", is the oldest she has ever played and one which is "silk and steel", displaying both a sharp tongue and a soft heart.

"The Forest" is an ecological thriller which deals with the dynamics of human relationships against the dangerous and wild background of a forest. The plot of the story revolves around a couple who meet the wife's ex-lover while on vacation in a forest. They are also haunted by the presence of a man-eating leopard in the background.

"In 'The Forest' I played.

She made her Bollywood debut with Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Black, where she played Rani Mukherjee's younger sister. Yes we are talking about the gorgeous Nandana Sen, who was later seen in films like My Wife's Murder, Stranger and Prince. Nandana now returns to silver screen with director Ashvin Kumar's psychological thriller The Forest, which releases tomorrow. Bollywood Hungama gives you a chance to have a video chat with Nandana Sen on Friday, May 11, at 1600 hrs Ist. Don't miss!

The Forest will now be released by PVR Directors Rare in theaters across India on 11 May, 2012, according to a press release. The film was earlier scheduled to release on 4th May. The film is an 'eco-thriller' and a chilling tale of a man-eating leopard. It stars Nandana Sen, Javed Jaffery, and Ankur Vikal. The film premiered at Cinequest Film Festival in San Jose in February 2009, and had its market premiere at Cannes Market '09. The youngest Indian writer/director with an...

The Forest is the debut feature film of Ashwin Kumar. His Little Terrorist was nominated for 2004 Academy Awards (Oscars) in live action short film category. The Horror-Sex drama is finally being released by PVR under its Directors Rare initiative on 4th May 2012. The film stars Jaaved Jafferi, Nandana Sen, and Ankur Vikal (Slumdog Millionaire). The film's trailer is on line and it looks like an exciting mix of gory horror and sizzling sex with busty bong actress Nandana Sen...

New Delhi, April 4: Ashvin Kumar's feature film "The Forest", which was earlier sceheduled for April 13 release, will now hit the screens May 4.

Known for making issue-based documentaries, Kumar has has merged complications of human relationship with wildlife in "The Forest", a love triangle with a subplot of a man-eating leopard.

The 86-minute movie featuring Javed Jafferi, Nandana Sen, Ankur Vikal and Salim Ali Zaidi will be released by PVR cinemas across the country.

"The Forest" has been premiered at Cinequest Film Festival in San Jose in February 2009 and it was also show at the Cannes Market in 2009.

Kumar,.

The programming for this year.s ReelWorld Film Festival was announced at the opening press conference in Toronto this morning. Marking the 12th annual edition of the festival and this year features twenty-five films from Canada, United Stated, Mexico, Germany, South Africa, Brazil and India. Featured amongst this year.s film programme is The Forest, an Indian horror film with an environmental message directed by Ashvin Kumar and starring Javed Jaffrey and Nandana Sen. Another interesting film to keep an eye out for is The Golden Pen, a documentary based on the life and times of the writer of Shammi Kapoor starrer Junglee, Aghajani Kashmeri. The film also includes the last living interviews of cinematic greats Shammi Kapoor and Joy Mukherjee before they passed away.The closing night gala of the festival will be Imran Khan and Kareena Kapoor starrer Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu. The director of the film,...

Nandana Sen has revealed that she received hate mail over her nude scenes in 2008's Rang Rasiya. The actress starred as life model and muse Sugandha Bai, who posed for controversial 19th century painter Raja Ravi Verma, played by Randeep Hooda. Sen told DNA India: "Without knowing what the film was all about, or why I had done the scene, I received hate mail for the scenes. There were objections from different quarters also. "Nudity can be (more)...

Kolkata, Nov 17: Actress Nandana Sen feels nudity portrayed by her in the film 'Rang Rasiya' symbolises woman power.

'Nudity can be depicted in two ways - when you present a women's body as an object then it's demeaning to a women. The way a woman's body has been presented in this film ('Rang Rasiya'), it celebrates the power of women,' said Nandana here.

The actress said she received hate mail after news of her role was leaked.

'Without knowing what the film was all about, or why I had done the scene, I received hate mail for the scenes. There were objections from different quarters also,' she said.

Based.

Bollywood restricts itself when it comes to going bold. Bollywood is indeed inspired by Hollywood but when it comes to the nudity part the views of Indian audiences vary.

Apparently, actress Nandana Sen on Wednesday said she received hate mail and faced objections from different quarters for a nude scene in the period drama Rang Rasiya where she plays the muse for 19th century painter Raja Ravi Varma.

Nandana who created uproar four or five years ago after a portrait in which she posed as ...

Actress Nandana Sen feels nudity portrayed by her in the film .Rang Rasiya. symbolises woman power..Nudity can be depicted in two ways . when you present a women.s body as an object then it.s demeaning to a women. The way a woman.s body has been presented in this film (.Rang Rasiya.), it celebrates the power of women,. said Nandana here.The actress said she received hate mail after news of her role was leaked..Without knowing what the film was all about, or why I had done the scene, I received hate mail for the scenes. There were objections from different quarters also,. she said.Based on the 19th century Indian painter Raja Ravi Verma, played by Randeep Hooda, and his muse Sugandha Bai played by Nandana Sen, the film shows how the legendary painter.s partially nude portraits irked priests of that era and kicked a controversy.

Kolkata, Nov 16: Actress Nandana Sen is overwhelmed at the response that her film 'Rang Rasiya' received at a special screening at the ongoing 17th Kolkata Film festival.

The film was screened at an over-crowded theatre here and those who couldn't get a seat watched the entire movie while standing.

'I am simply overwhelmed at the response that the audience of Kolkata has given to my film. The audience was fantastic. People from every walk of life came to the film festival to watch the movie. Several people even watched the whole movie standing as they couldn't manage to get a seat,' said Nandana while talking to reporters.

Kolkata: Shah Rukh Khan who is the owner of the Kolkata Knight Riders has developed a special interest in the city. He has agreed to take part in the Kolkata Film Festival without any fees. The festival is being inaugurated at the Netaji Indoor Stadium on Thursday.

Srk agreed to be a special guest as per the request of Mamata Banerjee who is the Chief Minister of West Bengal. This was informed by Nandini Chakraborty who is the Cultural Department Secretary. The budget of the festival is Rs 2.75 crore.

Along with Srk, Sharmila Tagore, Santhosh Sivan, Nandana Sen, Ananth Mahadevan and Ketan Mehta will be present.

Bollywood `baadshah` Shahrukh Khan, who charges a hefty fee even for a few minutes of dance at high-profile weddings, has agreed to be a part of the upcoming Kolkata Film Festival (Kff) for free.On the insistence of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, the superstar agreed to be one of the special guests at the inauguration of the state sponsored film fest to be held at the Netaji Indoor Stadium this Thursday."We are not paying him anything at all due to budgetary constraints. He has agreed to come on his own," said information and cultural department secretary Nandini Chakraborty.With Rs 2.75 crore, Kff`s budget has however taken a massive jump this year.Last year, the erstwhile Left Front government had alloted only Rs one crore.The state government has provided Rs 60 lakh while the rest of the amount has been rasied through corporate sponsorships from PSUs like Sail,...

As the Bollywood presence continues to establish itself in the Us, the city of Chicago continues to show itself as one of the strongest influences of promoting South Asian content. The Chicago South Asian Film Festival premiered last year, and 2011 has already brought us the first ever Chicago Global Runway, which was a fashion experience with a very strong South Asian influence.

The Chicago South Asian Film Festival took place this year over the weekend of September 30 to October 2nd. Just as it had been done the year before, on the opening night there was a Red Carpet ceremony followed by a feature film, and a drinks and appetizer gala immediately after.

For the second straight year, the venue of choice was the Chicago Cultural Center in the heart of Chicago. This year there were some last minute cancellations by some of the bigger names that were supposed to be in attendance,...

Mumbai, Sep 15: Ketan Mehta says his long-pending 'Rang Rasiya' will hit the screens in Novemeber as he has found a distributor who is willing the release the film, based on legendary painter Raja Ravi Varma's life.

''Rang Rasiya' will be released in November. We are working on the dates,' Mehta told Ians.

The movie is a sensuous love story about the great painter and his muse, a woman called Sugandhabai. Randeep Hooda plays Ravi Varma, while Nandana Sen will be seen as the muse. Ready for release since 2008, the bilingual 'Rang Rasiya' courted.

Ketan Mehta says his long-pending .Rang Rasiya. will hit the screens in Novemeber as he has found a distributor who is willing the release the film, based on legendary painter Raja Ravi Varma`s life."`Rang Rasiya` will be released in November. We are working on the dates," Mehta told reporters.The movie is a sensuous love story about the great painter and his muse, a woman called Sugandhabai. Randeep Hooda plays Ravi Varma, while Nandana Sen will be seen as the muse. Ready for release since 2008, the bilingual "Rang Rasiya" courted controversy for the number of sensuous scenes."It`s a controversial subject and it`s a not an economical film. It`s a historical drama, a big film with a relatively new star cast, so releasing it was a challenge and finally we have found a distributor who is taking up the challenge and is courageous enough to release the film,...

Indian independent cinema's groundbreaking director Ketan Mehta's Rang Rasiya (Colours Of Passion) has won the Audience Award at the 2nd London Indian Film Festival (June 30 - July 12). Audiences voted for their favourite films across 28 screenings during the festival. Mehta said, "I am thrilled that my passion project has won the coveted audience award at the London Indian Film Festival. The premiere in the historic surroundings of the Victoria & Albert museum was wonderful and the interaction with London audiences was great. This award is the icing on the cake." The Satyajit Ray Foundation's Short Film Award for 2011 goes to a film that the judges felt was a well crafted, beautifully observed and honest 'day-in-the-life' portrait of a poor but aspirational young boy - "Amar" by filmmaker Andrew Hinton. Hinton said that he would share his £1,000 prize money with the boy. Jury member Menhaj Huda (director of "Kidulthood" and "Everywhere and Nowhere") presented the award.

Click above for more stills Indian independent cinema's groundbreaking director Ketan Mehta's Rang Rasiya (Colours Of Passion) has won the Audience Award at the 2nd London Indian Film Festival (June 30 - July 12). Audiences voted for their favourite films across 28 screenings during the festival. Mehta said, "I am thrilled that my passion project has won the coveted audience award at the London Indian Film Festival. The premiere in the historic surroundings of the Victoria & Albert museum was wonderful and the interaction with London audiences was great. This award is the icing on the cake." The Satyajit Ray Foundation's Short Film Award for 2011 goes to a film that the judges felt was a well crafted, beautifully observed and honest 'day-in-the-life' portrait of a poor but aspirational young boy - "Amar" by filmmaker Andrew Hinton. Hinton said that he would share his £1,000 prize money with the boy. Jury member Menhaj Huda (director...

The second annual London Indian Film Festival has drawn to a close on another very successful year. Over the course of June 30 to July 12th, screenings of some of the best “Beyond Bollywood” films were showcased. Audiences voted for their favourite films across 28 screenings during the festival and the winner was Indian independent cinema’s groundbreaking director Ketan Mehta’s Rang Rasiya (Colours of Passion).

Mehta said: “I am thrilled that my passion project has won the coveted audience award at the London Indian Film Festival. The premiere in the historic surroundings of the Victoria & Albert museum was wonderful and the interaction with London audiences was great. This award is the icing on the cake.”

Also announced was the winner of The Satyajit Ray Foundation’s Short Film Award for 2011, which went to a film that the judges felt was a well crafted, beautifully observed and honest ‘day-in-the-life’ portrait of...

Opening this Thursday and running through July 12th is the London Indian Film Festival. This is the second exciting year and once again they have quite the eclectic lineup of films to showcase. Not only is the Imran Khan starrer Delhi Belly premiering at the festival but also showing are some of the best films that are outside the classic Bollywood box and includes some of the finest independent films from all over India, not only Hindi, but also Bengali and Malayalam films.

The films presented this year cover a wide range of themes and issues not generally seen in mainstream Indian cinema. Not only are the subjects new but the treatments, the cinematic styles, the music and so much more are what make these films have a new voice and really stand out. Cary Rajinder Sawhney, Festival Director said, “Liff’S heady cocktail of films are as unpredictable as the London summer,...

Sachin Khedekar-Bose, Aamir Khan-Mangal Pandey, Randeep Hooda-Raja Ravi Varma, Dilip Prabhavalkar-Gandhi

Most youngsters may remember Aishwarya Rai Bachchan walking the Cannes red carpet for the nth time, but ask them who the Flying Sikh is and they maybe lost for an answer. Until of course Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra releases his next film. In spite of a plethora of nonsensical front-bencher movies, Bollywood has managed to produce some inspired biopics every now and then. Dolanchapa Chakrabarty revisits Bollywood’s biopic history…

Interpretation:

Gandhi

Coming from different schools of thought, Bollywood filmmakers have interpreted the same story in several distinctive ways. Different aspects of M.K. Gandhi’s life were exploited in movies of varying genres. The Indian father figure appeared in the form of thespian Naseeruddin Shah in the dark assassination film, Hey Ram (2000). He was later seen in a humorous avatar in Rajkumar Hirani’s...

They(Cannes) have a very Euro-us centric view of cinema which we cannot conform to. We are neither the Far-east like Japan, nor the West in that sense. We are the in-between world. Our culture is very little understood in the West. To appreciate the cinema, you have to understand the culture and the people–Adoor Gopalakrishnan

Come May and the time seems rife for a critical analysis of the state of Indian cinema. The country that churns out the largest number of films in the world in a year doesn’t figure in the list of countries which will have their films presented at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival. Does that reflect anything about the cinema in our country? The debate is pursued with a renewed interest and vigour every year. Well, some believe that our films are just not good enough while there are others who question the...

A host of Bollywood actors like Rahul Bose and Genelia D'souza attended a music concert in Mumbai on International Women's Day on Tuesday. The event was a fundraiser for an Ngo that works for the education of underprivileged girls. The event had rock bands including Soul Mate performing popular numbers. Rahul Bose said he supported the special day for women to celebrate their rights. Among the other actors who attended the event were Nandana Sen, Monica Dogra and music composer Vishal Dadlani.

The first ever Guess & Kwan W.E Rock Concert for Women.s Empowerment was held tonight at Hard Rock Café, Mumbai. Playing host to an energetic and party-loving crowd was the host for the evening, the feisty and energetic Genelia D.Souza. This fundraiser held in aid of the Akshara Centre was put together by well known fashion brand Guess by Guess Marciano and Kwan, India.s premier talent management agency with support from Hard Rock Café.Dressed by Guess for the evening in an uber cool dress in denim hues, Genelia was the perfect youth icon and a fitting host to the evening and spoke passionately about women.s empowerment as a cause close to her heart. Personally aiding in the fundraising and mingling with the guests, she was the paragon of an inspiring and empowered woman. Shaa.ir + Func and Soulmate were dressed by Guess as well, keeping in mind their independent,...

Click above for more movie stills When the torrent of torridity gets high, the level of drama rises in proportion. This was proven on location at the hamlet called Baria in Gujarat where Randeep Hooda and Mahie Gill were shooting last month for two months for Tigmanshu Dhulia's Sahib Bibi Aur Gangster. Apparently, things got too close for comfort between Mahie and Randeep. When the news of their new-found intimacy reached her boyfriend, he caught the first train to Baria to check out the temperature. Says a source from the location, "Mahie and Randeep have a lot of intimate passionate scenes in Sahib Bibi Aur Gangster. Their hot on-screen vibes began to get to them and they were often seen spending time together. Randeep laughs off all suggestions of torridity. "Mahie is a wonderful girl and a really good actress. We play a couple locked in a desperate passion.