All articles by Bhuvan Lall – Page 10
-
News
New Indian outlet formed for Miramax-style films
Mumbai-based film production company Numero Uno has teamed up with both leading Indian film distributor Shringar Films and New York-based Rossellini Associates in a venture to distribute specialist foreign titles across the Indian sub-continent.The first film tto be released in India through the venture is Life Is Beautiful, a Miramax ...
-
News
Indian epic to be most expensive ever
Hindi film star, director and producer Sanjay Khan hasannounced a multi million dollar historical feature film, which will roll inNovember. The film, titled Maryada Purshottam Ram and based on the epic RamaYana will be made on an international scale and will be the most expensivefilm ever made in Mumbai. Kahn ...
-
News
Pentamedia goes big with Little John
Chennai-based Pentamedia Gaphics Ltd has announced a $20mfeature film Little John about the adventures of an American Tourist inIndia who gets accidentally miniaturized. The company has already made its mark in the digitalentertainment sector with a slew of full length digital animation moviesincluding The Pandavas, a complete animation story based ...
-
News
Stealthily, Secretly causes rioting in India
Delhi High Court has directed City Government and PoliceCommissioner to provide adequate security to the capital's cinema halls wherethe controversial film financed by Bharat Shah and produced by Nazim HassanRazvi Chori Chori Chupke Chupke (Stealthily, Secretly) is playing. Thefilm's distributor Manpreet Singh Chadha, had received threats from certainreligious, political and ...
-
News
Indian bank to finance films
The Industrial Development Bank of India (IDBI) has announced that a scheme to finance commercial films will be available by the end of this month (March 2001).The offer of financial assistance, not exceeding 50 per cent of a film's budget comes with a number of conditions. According to the details ...
-
News
Hamlet to be made by The Cell's Tarsem Singh
Indian born filmmaker Tarsem Singh, who made it to Hollywood's A-list with the sellout, The Cell is producing an Indian version of Hamlet. The film, titled Aditya, will be produced by Los Angeles based James Killough and New Delhi based William Gains. Killough had earlier written scripts for Indian films ...
-
News
New tax relief heralds Indian multiplex boom
The Indian exhibition industry is on the brink of a multiplex revolution following finance minister Yashwant Sinha's reduction of customs duty on cinematography equipment from 25 to 15 percent on 28 Febuary.India's exorbitant entertainment tax structure has always been the major obstacle to Western exhibition companies investing in the territory. ...
-
News
India's Toonz lines up Taj Mahal animation
India's Toonz Animation is producing a 70-minute animated feature, aimed at international audiences, based on the tragic love story between Shah Jahan and his wife Mumtaz Mahal. The Shah built the Taj Mahal when Mumtaz died.Canada-based animator Ishu Patel will oversee the project, which according to Toonz president and CEO ...
-
News
Hindi mogul arrested
In the biggest scandal to hit the Hindi cinema in recent years, police have arrested leading film financier Bharat Shah under the Organized Crime Act. Police swooped as part of investigations into links between the Karachi based underworld and the makers of the film Chori Chori Chupke Chupke - a ...
-
News
Indian film business signs biggest music contract
Music company Saregama India has signed the biggest ever music contract with the Indian film industry, striking a $6m accord with leading production company Puja Entertainment.Saregama, formerly named the Gramophone Company of India, takes the music rights to the next five films from Puja, one of the top Hindi film ...
-
News
Pakistan suspends Star TV licence
The Pakistan government has suspended the licence it recently granted to Rupert Murdoch's Asian satellite platform Star TV, claiming that the company had fixed tariffs without its approval.The licence enabled Star to distribute decoders and market its network to cable operators across Pakistan. "They have been directed to get their ...
-
News
Mumbai police hunt for mafia money in film
The police in the Indian city of Mumbai have reportedly launched a crackdown on the involvement of criminal organisations in Hindi film financing.Mumbai joint police commissioner D. Sivanandan spoke to journalists about "the deep involvement" of "a majority of the members of the film industry" with local mafia. "We ...
-
News
India's Adlabs to raise $12m via flotation
Mumbai-based film processing laboratory, Adlabs Films Ltd, which is opening India's first IMAX theatre in partnership with the Canadian large-format pioneer, plans to raise $12m via an IPO on the Mumbai Stock Exchange.Adlabs said it would use the proceeds of the issue to part-finance the Mumbai IMAX complex, which is ...
-
News
Indian producer Sippy honoured at Mumbai fest
Veteran Indian film producer G.P. Sippy received a life-time achievement award from the Mumbai Academy of Moving Images (MAMI) at the third edition of the increasingly important Mumbai International Film Festival (November 23-30). Sippy, who produced India's biggest hit Sholay in 1975, said he had never received a life-time achievement ...
-
News
India's Maya Entertainment plans IPO
Indian computer graphics company Maya Entertainment, owned by producer-director Ketan Mehta, is planning an initial public offering (IPO) on the Mumbai stock exchange within the next few months. Indian investment companies, Intel Capital and Enam Securities, have picked up substantial stakes in the company ahead of the float. Proceeds from ...
-
News
Star to invest over $400m in Indian DTH service
Rupert Murdoch's Star TV has said it will invest more than $400m on setting up a direct-to-home (DTH) satellite platform in India, following the Indian government's decision to open its doors to such services earlier this month.However, Star has denied reports that it is talking to Indian state broadcaster Doordarshan ...
-
News
Indian film star Rajkumar released by bandit
Indian film star Rajkumar has finally been released by bandit king Veerappan after 108 days in captivity in the jungles of the southern state of Karnataka.The 72-year-old actor's fans let off fireworks and handed out sweets in the streets of Bangalore when they heard of his release. The news of ...
-
News
India's Doordarshan, Hinduja reveal DTH plans
India's Hinduja group and state broadcaster Doordarshan have unveiled separate plans to follow rival Zee Telefilms into India's fledgling direct-to-home (DTH) broadcasting sector.The Hinduja group is planning to launch a 100-channel bouquet of DTH services by December 2001. This will include at least 25 specialist channels, along with a host ...
-
News
Sony to step up Indian operations
Sony Entertainment Television (SET) is eyeing a grand entry into Bollywood after executives made a fact-finding mission to India last week.Sony executives led by Michael Grindon, chairman of Sony Television International, are now evaluating an entry into movie production as part of an expansion in exhibition and TV channels across ...
-
News
UTV in talks for broadband, DTH partnerships
Leading Indian content and animation producer United Television (UTV) is in talks with a raft of local broadband players as it readies to scale up its broadband streaming service and launch four niche channels for DTH telecast.UTV is discussing plans for the move, which is expected to cost $11m, with ...