What made you decide to go into producing and make this film?

Well, it was the fact that I had done 26 films and there was a time when I was doing films non-stop and suddenly, I just felt, ‘Okay, now what? I need to do something different’.  So I went into cricket.  Now cricket was a choice, which felt absolutely natural and normal to me, but crazy to everyone else. Then after a couple of years in cricket, suddenly one fine day, sitting next to the Dalai Lama, it just came up to me that I want to do a movie.  I was talking with my business partner and I said I want to do a movie. He said, ‘I think you should produce it’. I was like, ‘Why would I want to that?’  He said, ‘Look, how much money have you made in entertainment? I am sure you must have made money out of entertainment, so why don’t you invest back?  Think of it as a reinvestment and just do it. If you think about it your films are made from your heart.  I was like; ‘Yes, I think I will do it.’  That is how it all started.

Tell us about creating the story of the film.

Well, that was the fun part.  Prem and me, we did the dialogues, the story, the screenplay, everything. It was fun working with Prem. I reckon we made a really good team together.  We had this thing that we would have no ego and were going to make it as a group, so if anyone made a really bad suggestion, you have to tell each other that it was a bad suggestion. Of course, I would say something and Prem would flinch and his eyes would bug out and I just read it in his face. (Laughs)

Tell us about your character.

My character is called Ishkq; she is half Indian-half French. She is a fashion photographer. There is a certain depth to her. She is not just a frivolous character. When they talk about her in the film, they say she is a photographer. She loves photographs – they are perfect. They always remain perfect; they don’t change with time. Just that line see, gives her a lot of depth. She is of the generation today, you know, which is very technology savvy, very social, but through the internet – let’s say, through Facebook, through Twitter. The world is getting smaller for them because they have friends all over, but at the same time they feel a bit lonelier. Very career oriented. She is not looking for love because probably she has fallen before. So not to be a perfect kind of heroine, she is a more real kind of character who is slightly imperfect.

I think, as a story, we have attempted to write something that is contemporary, which reflects very much today and also, of course, be fun and entertaining, because it is a romantic comedy.  But also have something for people to take back from there, you know?  Something positive, because film is such a powerful medium, it influences people. So we wanted make a film or we tried, we tried to make this film, which is fun but also something that you would take back with you.

Tell us about shooting in Paris.

We’ve gone through some really heavy things in the film. It has been hard and oh yes… it was cold.  You know, we can say we have been there in the cold and harsh weather.  It was -23 degrees °C for the shoot in Paris.  Yes, it was the coldest winter in Europe in 65 years.  We couldn’t imagine that was going to happen.  And of course, we, the Indian crew, were there with the camera and saying, ‘NO! We are not leaving! No! We are not freezing! We are going to shoot this movie!!’ (Laughs)

Starring opposite you is Rhehan Malliek, and Ishkq in Paris is his first film. What was it like to work with a new actor and what was it like to work with him?

Very tough – in a good way. I don’t want to lie. You know what I did after the first three days of shooting with him?  I called Shah Rukh, who was the first actor I worked with, and I called Manisha, both of whom I worked with in Dil Se. I called them and I said, Thank you.  Thank you for being so wonderful to me when I was a newcomer.  Because I realized how much work you have to do when you are working with a newcomer. You know acting is talent, definitely talent, but it also is talent fused with technique.  You can give the most amazing shots, but if you don’t understand the technique: like where and how you have to stand or if you are not in the light with the way you are facing, the camera can’t see it… all those secrets you have to know. These are things you have to learn on set and it is difficult. Somebody has to be very graceful and help you with that. For me I was VERY lucky to have Shah Rukh and Manisha, they were so amazing with me.

Rhehan, I tell you, he has done so well in the film. He has picked up things, he has been like a big sponge. The only good thing about shooting in the cold in France is a). It looks stunning on film and b). Rhehan did his dialogues in one take or two takes!  He was so cold that he just wanted to get it right. (Laughs) He was so focused, I can promise you, because he was sooo cold! (Laughs) He would look at me and he would say aren’t you cold? You are wearing a skirt, aren’t you cold? I would just look straight into his eyes and say, ‘Rhehan, it is 42 degrees and I am feeling really hot! Mind over matter!’ He would just look at me and not say anything after that!  But, I was SO cold! You expect to be 0 degrees, -4 degrees, you don’t expect -20 degrees. It stuns you!  The first day was -23 degrees and that is how I like to say Ishkq in Paris started.

I would say to Rhehan, you know films are forever.  You are not going to live, I am not going to live, none of us are going to be around, but films are going to be forever.  You cannot put down in the frame that it is -21, so let’s just do it. Please, if there is a will and your will is strong to do something, it doesn’t matter what’s in front of you.  We can do it! I think that is the greatest positive to come out of it. Having said that…

I really don’t want to do a retake back again and do it because once was good enough!  DON’T WANT TO DO IT AGAIN! I just want to make that absolutely clear!! (Laughs)

Tell us about working with the French actress in the film, Isabelle Adjani.

Oh My God, she was awesome! I think I have known her from some life before.  We sent her the script and she said, Yes! (Preity’s voice rises on this!)  For her to be a part of this film, she is so graceful, so beautiful and so wonderful.  I was just over the moon!  She is gorgeous and she is such a great actor, it was amazing to share screen space with her.  She is so, so sweet – just wonderful.

What was the brief you gave Sajid-Wajid for creating the music of Ishqk in Paris?

Sajid-Wajid are so amazing, I can’t tell you. They are so talented. First of all, I have to send out a thank you for Salman Khan, who I LOVE dearly. He is one of my closest friends. He’s so wonderful!  He taught me how to do a music sitting. I didn’t know how to do a music sitting. He called Sajid-Wajid to his home and also me and my brother. At 10 pm we sat down and at 5 am we had done just 2 songs, ‘Saiyaan’ and ‘Kudiye Di Kurti’.

‘Saiyaan’ is song that is just so beautiful. It is our tribute to Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan Saab.  It is very Sufi. If he was alive, I would have definitely gone to him and said sir, please sing it. But Rahat has sung it and he has done a fabulous job in that song. Every time I hear it, it just stirs and pulls something inside me. It is a very moving and very powerful song.

Then there is ‘Jaane Bhi De’, which is the love song ballad.  It is really, really beautiful. It is a song you can sit in the car and drive and listen to it. It is the song to sit with that someone and have a coffee: not being able to say something you want to say and we both know what you want to say… it is that moment, you know? There are certain moments in life that are beautiful, really beautiful til you accept them, you know?  ‘Jaane Bhi De’ is a song for that.

Then there is the club song, which is ‘It’s All About Tonight’.  That is about every night.  It just says Tonight is every night!  It is the first time of a mix of French/Indian music, of course adapted to Bollywood sounds.  Sunidhi Chauhan has sung it and she has been incredible. I mean Sunidhi is Sunidhi; I don’t have to say much about her. She ROCKS!  That is a real party song; it has a very European, very club sound.

Then there is the song, which I think is the song of the album, which is ‘Teri Choodiyan Da Crazy Crazy Sound Soniye’, which is a mad Punjabi, up-beat, peppy wedding song. I reckon it is going to play at all the weddings.

And last and not the least is ‘Kudiye Di Kurti’ with Salman. What I am going to tell you has nothing to do with the song in the film, but there is a time when it was so cold and we were SO freezing and people would look out their windows and say who are these crazy people out in the cold. They would say what are doing? And we would say Hi, we are making a movie and we are from India. They would go “Bollywooooood (she says with French accent, I really wish you could hear this -ed) I love Bollywoooood.” Everywhere we went in France, they would say, “I love Bollywoooood.” So we put that in the song.  It is the whole essence of loving cinema and loving my films. Of course Salman is…  he is beautiful in it.  He is gorgeous! He danced and smiled! He Rocked it!

What are audiences going to love about Ishkq in Paris?

I hope its originality.  When Prem and me started to write the film, there were three points that I put down and said to Prem, this is my wish list.

A). It should be an original story, original screenplay.  I don’t want it to be inspired or based or copied from anywhere. There is a lot you can pull out of life; there is so much there so let’s make it original.

B). I wanted it to be dignified and respectful. I didn’t want it to be tacky or cute or have double meanings. I wanted it to be for the family, you know? I have little nieces and nephews and kids, they have strong impressions so I wanted a film that I could bring and it be for the whole family.

C). It has to be very contemporary and reflect 2013 and the kind of love you would find today and the kind of people you would find today. Be really true to who we are!

What are your thoughts on Hindi cinema today?

Hindi cinema has changed a lot. It will always keep changing because it is growing and there are so many different kinds of fans we have of Indian cinema. One point of Hindi cinema is it is very escapist, very large, very hero-worshipping, grand and crazy. It is just fantasy.  People, they have tough lives.  Of course, there are a lot of rich people in India but there are a lot of people that are very, very poor.  And for them, they want to escape from their lives and their hardships and cinema is what does this for them. So there is cinema for them.  Of course there is a lot more contemporary cinema coming up, younger filmmakers who are experimenting with things. That is the very exciting part of Indian cinema as well. There are so many angles and so many movies; it really is incredible how many movies this country makes!

A message to your many fans?

The 24th of May is when the movie is coming, please go watch it! I would LOVE to hear your opinions!  Good or bad, I am happy to hear everything. This is my baby. I am a little nervous, but it is for all the people to enjoy. You don’t have to leave your brains behind!  You can take your brains with you to see the movie and your wallets of course. (Laughs) You have to buy your tickets! (Laughs)  I am excited that it is now coming out for the whole world to see.  I hope you all will like it.

Saying thank you, it was fun to chat with you after this crazy, hectic long day; the actress was off to catch her flight. But before signing off, she said one more thing to me: Now remember the movie comes out on the 24th and you better see it. Because the next time I talk or do an interview with you, I am definitely going to quiz you and if you fail, then God Help you! (Laughs) So you better watch! (Laughs)!

So, after promising I would, I know where I will be tonight, seeing Ishkq in Paris! You should too!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rqwSWLjChSs

Preity Zinta talks Ishkq In Paris in this Exclusive Interview is a post from: BollySpice

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Addressing the mammoth crowd of college students, Akhtar described his bicycle entrance sarcastically stating “the budget of the movie is so big that we invested everything in it. So with the leftover money, we could only afford horses.”

Music director Ram Sampath performed two tracks from the film while singer Sona Mohapatra performed a Punjabi song. The audience partied hard to the live music show and the launch event also featured Akhtar performing his hit song “Rock On” from the film of the same name which he produced and starred in.

Your college days are said to be the best of your life – fun, frivolous and filled with friendship. But this is far from true in the new “rogue-trip” film ‘Fukrey’.

Fukrey is a twisted coming-of-age drama and deliciously hilarious tale of four young, hapless ‘nobodies’ [‘Fukreys’], running after their individual desires, brought together by one dream. Their lives are turned upside down when they chase that elusive ‘get rich quick’ scheme. The film combines the crazy antics and madcap mishaps of four loser college friends, as their paths cross with an array of colourful characters, from a tough-talking Punjabi female don to a Jugaad Baaz college watchman. Mayhem ensues with predictably hilarious and unexpected results.

Fukrey stars a bevy of talented stars in the Bollywood arena - Richa Chadda [‘Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye!’, ‘Gangs of Wasseypur’]; Ali Fazal [3 Idiots, The Other End Of The Line] Manjot Singh [‘Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye!’, ‘Udaan’], Pulkit Samrat [‘Bittoo Boss’] and Varun Sharma, amongst others.

The film is directed by Mrighdeep Singh Lamba, [‘Teen Thay Bhai’], who also shares screenplay adaptation and writing credits with Vipul Vig. The vibrant and eclectic soundtrack is by composer, musician and producer Ram Sampath, noted for his musical scores on such films as: Delhi Belly, Talaash andKhakee.

The acclaimed producer duo Farhan Akhtar and Ritesh Sidhwani lend their sizable producer talents to the film under their production banner Excel Entertainment. The company was founded in 1999 with a vision to make contemporary Indian cinema. With modest beginnings nine years ago, today Excel is considered iconic in changing the sensibilities of Indian viewers, and for pushing the boundaries of ‘reel’ entertainment across the world. Some of Excel Entertainment’s cult classic projects include: Dil Chahta Hai, Lakshya [the official entry for the Rio International Film Festival], Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara and Don 1 and 2 [screened at the Berlin Film Festival].

Join the ‘four Fukrey’s’ to see if they save the day with their biggest gamble from obscurity to popularity in life and love. Hold on tight to your seats! Excel Entertainment’s Fukrey releases nationwide on 14^th June 2013.

Check out the cool pics from the fab event!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0A6gpPuw9ak

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Andrew Friedenberg, Director of the Cinema Society of San Diego announced that English Vinglish was voted as the BEST VISITING ARTIST and what is even cooler is that it dominated the voting.

Directed by Gauri Shinde, English Vinglish is the story of Shashi, a woman who doesn’t know English and is made to feel insecure about this by her family and society at large. The film though light-hearted is about the touching and transformational journey of Shashi. Circumstances make her determined to overcome this insecurity, master the language, teach the world a lesson on the way to becoming a self assured and confident woman.

The film is shot mostly in New York and captures the inherent struggle of many people all over the world with the English Language. Hilarious, touching, sensitive, this film marks the come back of India’s biggest female star, Sridevi.

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9UDkYz64ehA

Your college days are said to be the best of your life – fun, frivolous and filled with friendship. But this is far from true in the new “rogue-trip” film ‘Fukrey’. Fukrey is a twisted coming-of-age drama and deliciously hilarious tale of four young, hapless ‘nobodies’ [‘Fukreys’], running after their individual desires, brought together by one dream. Their lives are turned upside down when they chase that elusive ‘get rich quick’ scheme. The film combines the crazy antics and madcap mishaps of four loser college friends, as their paths cross with an array of colourful characters, from a tough-talking Punjabi female don to a Jugaad Baaz college watchman. Mayhem ensues with predictably hilarious and unexpected results.
Fukrey stars a bevy of talented stars in the Bollywood arena – Richa Chadda [‘Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye!’, ‘Gangs of Wasseypur’]; Ali Fazal [3 Idiots, The Other End Of The Line] Manjot Singh [‘Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye!’, ‘Udaan’], Pulkit Samrat [‘Bittoo Boss’] and Varun Sharma, amongst others.

The film is directed by Mrighdeep Singh Lamba, [‘Teen Thay Bhai’], who also shares screenplay adaptation and writing credits with Vipul Vig.

Join the ‘four Fukrey’s’ to see if they save the day with their biggest gamble from obscurity to popularity in life and love. Hold on tight to your seats! Excel Entertainment’s Fukrey releases worldwide on 14th June 2013.

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Many a fan loved the first song ‘Sawara Loon’ and now we have a behind the scenes look into the making of the beautiful tune with the classic touch!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c_F7WA0V2o4

Synopsis: The year is 1953. A visiting archaeologist called Varun Shrivastav comes to the village of Manikpur in West Bengal to excavate the temple grounds of the local Zamindar. With knowledge and experience beyond his young demeanour, Varun greatly impresses the Zamindar and his family. Especially Pakhi, the Zamindar’s feisty and only daughter, who finds herself irrevocably drawn towards him.

But Varun isn’t all he seems on the surface. And as the simmering attraction between him and Pakhi leads to a tender and deep love, he is forced to choose between her and his past.

Making his choice, Varun disappears. Pakhi struggles to move on with her life, determined to forget him and their relationship. Until one day, when he returns under the most extraordinary circumstances.

Inspired from O. Henry’s “The Last Leaf”, Lootera is the uplifting story of two lovers. Of heartbreak, betrayal… and ultimate redemption.

Come fall in love with love!

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cxLgOJz81Ck

Opening on May 24th, Ishkq in Paris is a light hearted romantic comedy with lots of humour, wit, style & fun starring Preity Zinta and directed by Prem Soni!

Do Ajnabi, Ek Raat, Sheher Paris.

Akash (Rhehan Malliek) and Ishkq (Preity Zinta), two complete strangers, after having met on a train from Rome to Paris, end up spending the evening together in the romantic city.

However, owing to a ‘no baggage’ pact set by Ishkq, the two part ways the next morning without a proper goodbye. Ishkq, being the strong-headed independent girl, moves on, while Akash ends up falling for the girl he spent the evening with. They cross paths once again in Paris but will there be ‘Ishkq In Paris’?

Stay tuned we have interviews coming up with both director Prem Soni and star Preity Zinta!

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Check out this sneak peek with a sneak hear into the song “Zinda” from the much awaited movie!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IMedgCJZtyQ

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Of the 14 Awards, Anurag Basu’s Barfi! has garnered the highest number of awards in the technical category, a grand total of 9, bagging the award for Best Cinematography (Ravi Varman I.S.C.), Best Screenplay (Anurag Basu &Tani Basu), Best Production Design (Rajat Poddar), Best Sound Design (Shajith Koyeri), Best Song Recording (Eric Pillai – Future Sound Of Bombay) for Ala Barfi, Best Sound Mixing (Debajit Changmai), Best Background Score (Pritam), Best Costume Designing (Aki Narula and Shefalina) and Best Make-Up (Uday Serali).

Following that Anurag Kashyap’s Gangs of Wasseypur – 1 won two awards, one for Best Action (Shyam Kaushal) and the other for Best Dialogue (Zeishan Quadri, Akhilesh, Sachin Ladia & Anurag Kashyap) is shared with Juhi Chaturvedi for Vicky Donor.

The award for Best Editing went to the Vidya Balan starrer, Kahaani (Namrata Rao) and Best Choreography was won by Ganesh Acharya for the film, Agneepath for the song, ‘Chikni Chameli’.

Salman Khan starrer Ek Tha Tiger bagged the award for Best Special Effects (Pankaj Khandpur, Sherry Bharda & Vishal Anand – Tata Elxsi)

The winners will receive their trophies at the VIDEOCON DDB iifa Weekend.

Film Cinematography
Ravi Varman I.S.C – Barfi!

Screenplay
Anurag Basu &Tani Basu – Barfi!

Dialogue
Zeishan Quadri, Akhilesh, Sachin Ladia & Anurag Kashyap – Gangs of Wasseypur 1
Juhi Chaturvedi – Vicky Donor

Editing
Namrata Rao – Kahaani

Production Design
Rajat Poddar – Barfi!

Choreography
Ganesh Acharya – ‘Chikni Chameli’ – Agneepath

Action
Sham Kaushal – Gangs of Wasseypur – 1

Sound Design
Shajith Koyeri – Barfi!

Song Recording
Eric Pillai (Future Sound Of Bombay) – ‘Ala Barfi’- Barfi!

IIFA Technical Awards 2013 – Barfi! Takes home 9! is a post from: BollySpice

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The screening was attended by all of the film’s directors and producers, and celebrated 100 years of Indian Cinema. Bombay Talkies encapsulates the array of emotions through which millions of fans across the country are unanimously connected. It includes an exceptional cast featuring Rani Mukherji, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Randeep Hooda and Saqib Saleem, with cameos by Amitabh Bachchan and Katrina Kaif. The film has opened to rave reviews in India and received appreciation from critics, celebrities and audiences alike.

In the presence of the French Minister for Culture Aurélie Filippetti and the Indian Minister of Tourism and Culture, the official speaker said that ‘There are three official flags this year in Cannes: the flag of France, the flag of Europe and the flag of India. This is not just a tribute to a country, but a celebration to another Indian Cinema, which goes alongside Bollywood and auteur cinema. This is the first Indian cinema which we are hosting and four representatives of that new cinema are present here tonight.’

After a vibrant introduction for the directors and the film, the four directors spoke about their excitement and pride at having Bombay Talkies showcased at the Cannes Film Festival 2013.

Anurag Kashyap said: ‘For years we’ve all been trying to break out and express ourselves in cinema and being here tonight underlines we are breaking new ground. Tonight means that we’re doing something right.’

Karan Johar added: ‘It was always a dream of mine and my fathers to be here in Cannes with a film. Walking out tonight with three of the most important filmmakers I know is a dream come true.’

Zoya Akhtar said: ‘Thank you all for celebrating our birthday. This is more than a dream come true and I hope you will enjoy the film.’

Dibakar Banerjee concluded: ‘To add to this wonderful introduction, I would just like to say that the four of us have struggled to get here like any other director out there: Anurag spent seven years struggling, now he has five films here. Karan single-handedly resurrected his father’s film business and became a director by chance. Zoya comes from a film family but struggled for six years before getting a script made into a big film. As for me, my father wanted me to be an engineer and that’s it.’

Ajit Andhare, COO Viacom18 Motion Pictures explained, ‘It’s second in a row for Viacom18 Motion Pictures at Cannes. We presented Gangs of Wasseypur last year and now it’s Bombay Talkies at the Gala screening. That the anthology film has been loved in India shows a certain coming of age of the Indian audience. This film is therefore a fitting tribute to 100 years of Indian Cinema.’

Ashi Dua of Flying Unicorn Entertainment, the co-producer of the film added: ‘Our film Bombay Talkies has made it to one of the most prestigious film festivals – Cannes. I am extremely happy that the film has received such an overwhelming response internationally. This means many more people across the globe will be celebrating 100 years of Indian Cinema with us.’

Check out these cool pictures from the event!

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Check out these cool candid pictures of the 4 esteemed directors!

Four directors – One story! These stories are the ones they always wanted to say! What happens when they all meet up to direct one? The 4 director have come together to tell you a story like never before to celebrate 100 years of Indian cinema. A film about love, sorrow, pain and desire. A film to celebrate the emotion of Cinema. Bombay Talkies

From our 4 star review: In Karan Johar’s short, Rani Mukherjee and Randeep Hooda, husband-wife duo both working in media spaces, share a marriage of respect and adoration but one that’s bereft of physical intimacy. A friendly intern (Saqib Saleem) enters their life, nudges at their relationship’s surface and skeletons tumble out.

Dibakar Banerjee’s protagonist Nawazuddin Siddiqui, a sluggish theatre actor, regales his bedridden daughter with tales of Bollywood and Bollywood-walas, whilst he is forced to question his passion and the purpose of his life.

In Zoya Akhtar’s film, school-going Vicky (Naman Jain) allured by the latka-jhatkas of onscreen Sheela i.e. Katrina Kaif, confides his dream of pursuing dance with his sibling-comrade (Khushi Dubey) against the wishes of his tyrant father (Ranveer Shorey) who instead coaxes him to practice sports.

Lastly, Anurag Kashyap’s tale of the common fan’s blind faith in the power of superstars has his leading actor Vijay (Vineet Kumar Singh) travel from Allahabad upon the insistence of his father to meet Amitabh Bachchan!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=njzTBH8mZLU

Stay tuned we will have much more coming from Cannes!

Photo credit: Nick Wall

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