Deepti Naval's documentary on Balraj Sahni hits roadblock
by IANS
Mumbai: Films about Indian cinema's legendary personalities are still a rarity. And one of those rare attempts is being made by Deepti Naval - she is keenly interested in making a non-fictional film on the life and times of that amazingly naturalistic actor Balraj Sahni, but facing certain problems.

Deepti, who is aesthetically motivated by Balraj Sahni's effortless performances, has been researching his life for years. Just when she was ready to put all her research material on screen for the immortal actor's birth centenary this month, a hurdle has placed in Deepti's plans by Balraj Sahni's son Parikshat Sahni.

Explains Deepti, "I was really keen on making a film on Balraj Sahni. But when I approached his son Parikshat for his consent, he told me he had already given the filming rights on his father's life to another producer. He didn't think it was right for me to do a film when someone else is committed to do the same. I agree. But we're trying to find a solution to the deadlock, because I'm really keen to do do this."

Years ago, Simi Garewal made a documentarly called 'Living Legend Raj Kapoor' and Sandip Ray did one on Kishore Kumar. ...more    
04:03 PM, May 26, 2013

Camera rolling for documentary on Kolkata's Jews
by IANS
Kolkata: A new documentary is on its way to showcasing the status of the dwindling number of Jews in the city through the eyes of the youngest member of the community. Filmed by director duo Jaydip Mukherjee and Aloke Banerjee, the documentary will focus on Shalom Israel, caretaker of the Jewish cemetery and the juniormost of the now remaining 26 Jews of the city. "I chose Shalom as he is...  
11:02 AM, May 22, 2013

'Celluloid Man' review: Make the time for it Director: Shivendra Singh Dungarpur We celebrate 100 years of Indian cinema, yet we're little aware of the man who painstakingly restored Dadasaheb Phalke's work as well as several other silent pictures and talkies, and then built our country's moving pictures archive, one film can at a time. The documentary 'Celluloid Man', directed by Shivendra Singh Dungarpur, introduces us to that man Paramesh Krishnan Nair, or PK Nair - India's film...  
11:33 PM, May 03, 2013

100 years of Indian cinema: The amazing story of 'Celluloid Man' In feature films the director is God; in documentary films God is the director - Alfred Hitchcock. With due respect to Alfred Hitchcock's ideas, I dare say that here is a documentary which is far more relevant and heavier in content than most of the feature films where god is not the director. In fact, Shivendra Singh Dungarpur's National Award winning documentary 'Celluloid Man' is a film appreciation course in...  
11:36 AM, May 03, 2013

Filmmaker who rescued Romanian orphans is killed John Charles Upton Jr., 56, was found dead Thursday on a dirt path in the yard of his Encinitas home. ...  
11:00 AM, Mar 30, 2013

Abhinav Tiwari's next features father-daughter relationship Tiwari is looking for a Korean actor to play the role of the 'father' in his next film. ...  
03:31 PM, Mar 29, 2013

Shormishtha Panja

Delhi Musings |

Today is International Women's Day. In spite of being in the middle of a three-day international Shakespeare seminar, when CNN-IBN asked me to do a ...
01:52 PM, Mar 08, 2013

Documentary film festival 'Signs' begins on Feb 10 The international documentary and short film festival 'Signs,' being conducted by the Federation of Film Societies of India, would begin here from February 10. ...  
09:54 AM, Feb 06, 2013

Film on farmers' suicide being shown in Vidarbha Nagpur: 'Bitter Seeds', a documentary film produced by US-based filmmaker Micha Peled on the agrarian crisis of cotton growers and their plight, is being shown in Vidarbha region. "Every 30 minutes, a farmer in the country kills himself in despair because he no longer can provide for his family. The documentary film takes the viewers to a village at the centre of suicide crisis region in Vidarbha to explore what's...  
05:17 PM, Nov 16, 2012

Bond documentary to premiere at Mumbai Film Fest Mumbai: Bond documentary 'Everything Or Nothing', made to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of 007 films, will be premiered at the 14th Mumbai Film Festival. The new feature film 'Everything or Nothing: The Untold Story of 007' is produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures, Columbia Pictures, Passion Pictures and Red Box Films. It will be shown on October 19. The limited-release critically-acclaimed documentary has only been released in the UK so far. Directed...  
03:53 PM, Oct 16, 2012

Can get you any drug, give me 24 hours: Brad Pitt
by IANS
Los Angeles: Hollywood star Brad Pitt is not into drugs anymore, but says he can still get his hands on anything he wants. The 48-year-old opened up about his former marijuana habit earlier this year, and is no longer suffering the addiction. However, he admits he can arrange any drugs anywhere within 24 hours. "My drugs days are long since passed but it's certainly true that I could probably land...  
03:16 PM, Oct 14, 2012

'Possession' takes control in slow movie weekend Los Angeles: The fright flick The Possession has scared up a No. 1 debut with $17.7 million over the long Labor Day weekend. The Lionsgate release led the last weekend of a fairly quiet season for Hollywood, with attendance down 4 percent from summer 2011, according to box-office tracker Hollywood.com. Opening in second-place with $9.7 million was the Weinstein Co. bootlegging drama Lawless, starring Shia LaBeouf. The Expendables 2 pulled...  
11:44 AM, Sep 03, 2012

The saga of Yamuna's coin divers caught on film New Delhi: Faith is an integral part of the Indian culture but did you know that a section of homeless people eke out their daily living from the modest coins dropped as offerings into the Yamuna river? A nearly 22 minute-long documentary titled 'In Search of Destiny (Coin Divers)' by Aakash Arun attempts to throw light into the lives of coin divers numbering around 400-500 and living near the much...  
04:40 PM, Aug 23, 2012

I-Day: What 'Jana Gana Mana' means to you
by IANS
Mumbai: National anthems worldwide often become ritualised with its adherents paying little attention to the words or their underlying meaning. As India prepares to celebrate its 65th Independence Day Wednesday, a new documentary seeks to search for the essence of the country's national anthem. "Bharat Bhagya Vidhataa: The Architects of India's Destiny" is filmmaker Shashi Vyas's way to 'explore the spirit' of the Indian national anthem. It will hold its...  
01:11 PM, Aug 14, 2012

Celebrating 50 years of The Rolling Stones Los Angeles: U.S. cable channel HBO will air a new documentary about The Rolling Stones this fall to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the British rock band. HBO programming president Michael Lombardo told journalists that the documentary, which has no title yet, was being directed by Brett Morgan. "This is all done as part of the band's 50th anniversary. This documentary has the full involvement of the four current band...  
12:42 PM, Aug 02, 2012

Nearly 100 films to compete in IDSFFK -2012 Thiruvananthapuram :Around 100 short films and documentaries would vie for honours under different categories in the competition section of the Fifth International Documentary and Short Film Festival of Kerala(IDSFFK-2012), to be held here from June 8 to 12. The films, chosen from among 620 entries, will be screened in six categories in the competition section, according to sources at the Kerala State Chalachitra Academy, organisers of the event. Short films...  
12:34 PM, May 24, 2012

'Marley' to stream on Facebook while in theaters New York: The Bob Marley documentary 'Marley' will stream on Facebook simultaneously during its theatrical opening, a signal that social media may also play a role in shifting movie release windows. Such day-and-date releases have become increasingly common in recent years for smaller independent films. But this will be the first such US film to stream concurrently on the social media behemoth while opening in theaters. The film, directed by...  
05:01 PM, Apr 12, 2012

A documentary capturing the life and times of Bob Marley

The new Bob Marley documentary is a tribute by the legendary star's family and friends. ...
10:46 AM, Apr 11, 2012

Oscars: Backstage speech for Best Documentary  New Delhi: Daniel Junge and Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy won the Oscars for the Best Documentary (Short Subject) - 'Saving Face'. 'Saving Face' tells the stories of two acid-attack survivors - Zakia and Rukhsana, their arduous attempts to bring their assailants to justice, and the charitable work of London-based, Pakistani-born plastic surgeon Dr Mohammad Jawad, who strives to help these women put this horrific act behind them and move on with their...  
02:36 PM, Feb 27, 2012

Oscars: Best documentary (Short Subject) speech New Delhi: 'Saving Face' the documentary on the rehabilitation of acid attack victims in Pakistan won the Best Documentary (Short Subject)at the Oscars. 'Saving Face' tells the stories of two acid-attack survivors - Zakia and Rukhsana, their arduous attempts to bring their assailants to justice, and the charitable work of London-based, Pakistani-born plastic surgeon Dr Mohammad Jawad, who strives to help these women put this horrific act behind them and...  
02:21 PM, Feb 27, 2012