Cast: Parvin Dabas, Suhasini Mulay, Tannishtha Chatterjee, Harsh Mayar, Lehar Khan and Krishang Trivedi
Director: Nila Madhab Panda
Rating: 3 out of 5.
In spite of its flaws, of which there are many, 'Jalpari: The Desert Mermaid' wins your heart with its simple fluid storytelling and characters who seem to have taken birth in the deserted village in Haryana, long before the camera was switched on....
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02:42 PM, Aug 31, 2012
New Delhi: After the success of I Am Kalam, director Nila Madhab Panda's Jalpari: The Desert Mermaid is another film with a social message. The film is largely based on the issue of female foeticide, but has been treated as an adventure thriller and journey film. Produced by Sushil Kumar Agrawal of Ultra Distributors Pvt. Ltd., it features child actors Lehar Khan and Krishang Trivedi as protagonists along with I...
07:37 PM, Aug 30, 2012
New Delhi: Gulshan Grover, who has worked in international movies, says that the acceptability of Indian movies and actors abroad is bare minimum. "Acceptability of Indian stars and acceptability of Indian films is very marginal," Gulshan told IANS, adding that Hollywood stars' "love for India is genuine, but the rest all is said by the PR machinery". "If you have an opportunity, please ask them if they have seen any...
05:10 PM, Jul 08, 2012
New Delhi: (Will Chillar Party's National Award inspire a more chilled mood towards children's films? Monojit Lahiri attempts a freeze frame of a genre consistently ignored in star-obsessed and movie-mad India.) As a nation, we are passionately committed and engaged in the manufacture of children. Presently, rolling out one billion plus population, we are riding high and hot on the global record register. This automatically means that we have a...
04:41 PM, Jun 30, 2012
Cannes: Director Nila Madhab Panda, remembered for 'I Am Kalam', showcased his new feature film 'Jalpari: The Desert Mermaid' at Marche du Cannes (Cannes Film Market) at the ongoing 65th Cannes International Film Festival. The film is said to have received a positive response. Producer Sushilkumar Agrawal of Ultra Distributors Pvt Ltd is delighted with the response to the film from buyers and other participants at the fest after its...
11:50 AM, May 23, 2012
New Delhi: DearCinema brings to you a few voices that define the Indie scene in India today, ruminating over what independent cinema means to them. Straight from the horse's mouth. Following Q, Shonali Bose, Onir and Shivajee Chandrabhushan, in the fifth in the series, filmmaker Nila Madhab Panda whose debut feature film 'I Am Kalam' won a national award and much critical acclaim speaks his mind on indie filmmaking: Recently,...
01:32 PM, Feb 28, 2012
New Delhi: Though the possibility of Richard Gere featuring in his future project seems to overshadow everything else that's worth talking, there is a lot this filmmaker has to tell. Nila Madhab Panda has taken the indie route and tasted success with his debut feature film I Am Kalam. And he is now ready with his next film Jal Bin Jal Pari (The Desert Mermaid). Six months after this interview...
06:18 PM, Jan 27, 2012
These are little gems that didn't have big stars or big budgets. They were honest, well-made films that didn't make a lot of money at the box-office. You may have missed them in the cinema, but check them out on DVD: 'I Am', directed by Onir An honest film that wove together four stories based on betrayal and starting afresh, 'I Am' addressed relevant themes, but with a silent grace...
07:36 PM, Dec 30, 2011
Hyderabad: It was in the 20th century that Children's Film Society, India (CFSI) last released a film in the theatres. The millennium has changed, and so have the kids and the business of cinema. CFSI, sadly, seemed to have lost touch. Some of the best children's films of the new millennium -- 'Taare Zameen Par', 'Makdee', 'Chillar Party' and 'I Am Kalam' -- first came to CFSI, but were surprisingly...
12:35 PM, Nov 20, 2011
Chicago: Filmmaker Ketan Mehta's controversial film "Rang Rasiya" has been selected to open the Chicago South Asian Film Festival, which is starting on September 30th. "Rang Rasiya" is the story of artist Raja Ravi Varma's passions, obsessions and his fierce struggle for creative freedom. He hurt the religious sentiments of the people by painting nudes of Indian mythological characters. Later on, his muse Sugandha inspired him to create exquisite paintings...
06:14 PM, Aug 18, 2011
13-year-old Hash Mayar who has wowed critics with his portrayal of the young, enterprising and ambitious kid, Chhotu in Bollywood debut director Nila Madhab Pandas award-winning film I Am Kalam, likes to describe an amalgamation of emotions that he has undergone since winning the National Award, meeting former president APJ Abdul Kalam and Amitabh Bachchan " simply put as 'great fun'. The boy, who grew up in one corner of...
12:58 PM, Aug 07, 2011
This week on 'Now Showing', Rajeev Masand reviews 'I am Kalam' and 'Rise of the Planet of the Apes'. ...
08:15 AM, Aug 06, 2011
Cast: Harsh Mayar, Gulshan Grover, Pitobash Director: Nila Madhab Panda Inspirational and humorous in equal measure, 'I am Kalam' is the heartwarming story of a poor boy who aspires to learn; a young dreamer determined to rise above his humble roots and carve his own destiny. Directed sensitively by debutant Nila Madhab Panda, the film avoids melodrama while delivering an important message about children and the importance of education. Harsh...
11:28 PM, Aug 05, 2011
Rajeev Masand says, 'I am Kalam' is a charming little film. What do you feel? Write your review and win prizes.
11:18 PM, Aug 05, 2011
Directed by Nila Madhab Panda, 'I Am Kalam' is the tale of a young buy Chhotu who is inspired by former Indian president APJ Abdul Kalam to chase his dreams. ...
11:15 PM, Aug 05, 2011
New Delhi: Former President APJ Abdul Kalam is the inspiration behind 'I am Kalam' while actor Pankaj Kapoor reprises a popular television role in Chala Mussaddi Office Office as a slew of small budget films hit the theatres this weekend. Pankaj Kapoor, television's self-effacing school master, is seeking a return to big screen with the quirky 'Chala Mussaddi Office Office' that has him confronting a curious problem as the 'common...
06:12 PM, Aug 05, 2011
Two Bollywood films 'Chala Musaddi Office Office' and 'I am Kalam' and Hollywood film 'Rise of the Planet of the Apes' release this Friday. ...
10:09 AM, Aug 05, 2011
