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Posts tagged nandita das
Bollywood beauties on Day 1 of 66th Cannes Film Festival
11 month ago
SONAM KAPOOR
VIDYA BALAN
VIDYA BALAN
NANDITA DAS
FREIDA PINTO
MALLIKA SHERAWAT
YAHOO
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More and more Bollywood actresses are flaunting their ‘desi’ side on the red carpet at Cannes
Sujata Chakrabarti (MD-DAY; May 17, 2013)
Last year when Anurag Kashyap and Co (read cast of Gangs of Wasseypur) draped gamchas around their necks to beam at the global media at Cannes, the world sat up and took notice. Unarguably, desi fashion was having its spot in the sun amidst the razzle-dazzle of designer couture draped on the Hollywood biggies at the French Riviera. And with Sonam Kapoor sporting a classic ornate nath (nose ring) with her lace saree on the red carpet the day before, the quintessential elements associated with the Indian woman are out there for everyone to see.
There is no denying the popular argument these days how Bollywood has mostly graced Cannes on the red carpet instead of at the marquee. But a girl’s got to do what a girl got to do, some would argue. So from parading with a head- to- toe desi touch, our Bollywood girls have definitely put India on the world fashion map.
Back in 2005, when actress- filmmaker Nandita Das walked the red carpet in the French Riviera in a plain red silk saree, gajra, chokernecklace, maang tika, et al, fashion critics almost jumped out of their chairs.
There was a lone woman among hundreds of Gucci or Dolce and Gabbana clad ladies who had dared to walk off the much trodden path of shimmering gowns and party frocks.
Cannes More >
There is something for every cinephile at 66th Cannes Film Festival
01 month ago
by Fenil Seta
in Bollywood News
Uma Da Cunha (MID-DAY; May 16, 2013)
The 66th Cannes has richness in store for movie lovers. The international jury makes a headstart here, led by a director of the stature of Steven Spielberg.
For the first time since 2005, his nine-member jury has a majority of film directors.
Steven Spielberg is joined by Ang Lee from Taiwan, the Romanian Christian Mungiu, Scottish Lynne Ramsay and Japanese Naomi Kawase. The four actors on the jury, Nicole Kidman, Christoph Waltz, Daniel Auteuil and from India, Vidya Balan, are also unusual, combining star power with critical acclaim.
Except for newcomer Balan, the others are Cannes regulars.
Palme d’Or winner Jane Campion will oversee the Cinéfondation and short film jury with Nandita Das as fellow juror. Danish director Thomas Vinterberg leads the jury for the popular Un Certain Regard sidebar, which opens with Sofia Coppola’s The Bling Ring. This section also features a Filipino film and the latest film by French auteur Claire Denis.
Cannes veterans Soderbergh, Polanski, Payne and the Coen brothers are part of the Competition line- up alongside other notables such as James Gray (The Immigrant), Alexander Payne (Nebraska) and from America Nicolas Winding Refn ( Only God Forgives), Arnaud Desplechin ( Jimmy P) and Baz Luhrmann with his opening night film ( The Great Gatsby). Out of competition films include J Chandor’s ( All Is Lost) which has no dialogue.
Following the universal hurrah for his film A Separation, Iranian director More >
Vidya Balan joins Nicole Kidman, Steven Spielberg on Cannes jury
11 month ago
by Fenil Seta
in Bollywood News
Garima Sharma (BOMBAY TIMES; April 25, 2013)
Powerhouse actress Vidya Balan will join the ranks of Oscar winners Nicole Kidman and Ang Lee on the jury of the 66th Cannes Film Festival this May. The actress, with a spate of successful women-oriented films in her kitty, will be present alongside other big names like Steven Spielberg and Christoph Waltz. Nandita Das is also a jury member, but on another section — the Cinefondation Short Film Jury. The festival at the French Riviera will be celebrating 100 years of Indian cinema, and is expected to have a strong Indian presence.
Since the 2000, five Indian names have been part of the jury — Arundhati Roy (2000), Aishwarya Rai Bachchan (2003), Nandita Das (2005), Sharmila Tagore (2009) and Shekhar Kapur (2010).
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Anxious Vidya calls up Sabya to work out a slam-proof look for her Red Carpet stint
Mehul S Thakkar (MUMBAI MIRROR; April 25, 2013)
On Wednesday morning, Vidya Balan was chosen to be a part of the nine-member jury, headed by Steven Spielberg, at this year’s Cannes Film Festival.
The actress, who was busy shooting for a special song at Filmalaya studio for Ghanchakkar, did not have enough time to field media queries about the honour. But she did have time to make that one very critical call: to the man who has turned her into the biggest brand ambassador of the saree. Sabyasachi.
Given that Vidya has never had an easy relationship with the fashion police, and how the Cannes red carpet comes under the More >
Nandita Das to direct another film
01 month ago
by Fenil Seta
in Bollywood News
Subhash K Jha (DNA; April 21, 2013)
Mothering her three-year-old son is Nandita Das’ primary passion. But she continues to wear many hats as a screen and theatre actress, and a social activist. In 2008 Nandita turned director with the stunning drama Firaaq, a semi-fictional account of communal riots in Gujarat. Four years later, she is finally ready to direct another film. Though she isn’t willing to reveal details at this juncture, the actress-filmmaker-activist-homemaker admits, “I’ve finally found a story idea. I will start working on my second directorial venture as soon as I return from Cannes. It’s a long journey ahead. But I am glad it has finally begun again.” Next month Nandita heads to the Cannes Film Festival to be part of the jury to evaluate short-films. Says Nandita excitedly, “I feel truly honoured that they have called me again to be part of their jury. I had earlier been invited to be on the Cannes jury in 2005. This time I will be going with my husband Subodh and son Vihaan. So the whole family will be part of the Festival. I’m very much looking forward to it.”
The ‘Gay’teway To Bollywood
02 months ago
by Fenil Seta
in Bollywood News
Depiction of gay characters in Bollywood continues to be steeped in stereotype, even as realism’s struggling to rear its head
Aakanksha Naval-Shetye (DNA; March 28, 2013)
At a recent Gay and Lesbian Center gala held in LA, studio mogul (Sony Pictures) Amy Pascal, in her speech highlighted the stereotypical depiction of LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community) characters in Hollywood films. She insisted that studio bosses scrutinise and make an attempt to eliminate gay slurs. She said, “How about next time, when any of us are reading a script and it says words like fag, faggot, homo, dyke — take a pencil and just cross it out.” The studio honcho also pointed out that not every gay character on screen needed to be defined by his or her sexuality. She quipped, “Can’t we depict men and women who just so happen to be gay — perhaps a lawyer or soldier or business executive or scientist or engineer…”
While the issue was raised about the depiction of LGBT characters in Hollywood, things are as bad, if not worse in Bollywood.
No laughing matter this! Filmmakers in popular cinema here continue to use characters of alternate sexuality seeped in stereotypical images as crutches to provide comic relief. Few will forget Kantaben’s shocked expression on seeing Saif Ali Khan and Shah Rukh Khan in bed together in Kal Ho Naa Ho or Abhishek Bachchan’s effeminate act in Bol Bachchan. John Abraham’s flirty act with Boman Irani’s character in Dostana had the audience in splits, More >
Amole Gupte to head Children’s Film Society of India
06 months ago
by Fenil Seta
in Bollywood News
Subhash K Jha (MUMBAI MIRROR; December 12, 2012)
After Nandita Das, Amole Gupte has been chosen as the chairperson of the Children’s Film Society of India (CFSI), said sources from the Information and Broadcasting Ministry. Having met the I&B minister Manish Tiwary and accepted the offer earlier, the Stanley Ka Dabba maker received the official letter yesterday afternoon.
With an experience in children’s film (including Taare Zameen Par and his own directorial Stanley Ka Dabba), Gupte sees the new responsibility as an extension of his work.
“I need to sort out my ideas about how I’ll initiate my stint with the CFSI. My predecessor Nandita Das has been doing a very good job. The CFSI’s recent film Gattu was exemplary. I hope to bring forth many more Gattus and Stanleys. But first let me catch my breath,” said Amole, who already has a zillion ideas swimming in his head about children’s cinema.
This play is a casting couch in reality-Nandita Das’ hubby
08 months ago
by Fenil Seta
in Interviews
Real-life couple Subodh Maskara and Nandita Das’ first play together, which was staged in the city this weekend, will also be taken to Bangladesh soon
Garima Sharma (BOMBAY TIMES; October 8, 2012)
It’s the story of a lawyer couple fighting a case against each other, and real-life couple Subodh Maskara and Nandita Das, co-collaborators on the play, say that it borrows from their life. Called Between The Lines, the English play, the first creative project from their production house, marks the debut of Nandita as a writer-director and Subodh as a producer and actor. In a chat with BT, they talk about working together and how work on the play had started as a romantic idea of doing something creative together.
So, when did you first think of working together? Nandita: Subodh always had a desire to explore something creative and he wanted to start with theatre. We also wanted to do a film and I am sure he’ll be a great film producer as well. So, we thought of setting up a small company, which will do quality work without compromises and yet make it viable. Our son was small and I was the chairperson of the Children’s Film Society, India, but I wasn’t doing anything creatively stimulating. So, I said, ‘Why don’t we do a play?’ and I chanced upon this script that was offered to me long back as an actor. I started working on it, but realised I didn’t have enough discipline to work on it alone and that I needed a collaborator. Subodh: The acting part came in a bit later. More >
Nandita Das back in Tamil films
01 year ago
by Fenil Seta
in Bollywood News
M Suganth (BOMBAY TIMES; April 21, 2012)
Udhayanidhi’s next production Neer Paravai might be a small film in terms of budget, but it looks like the project is attracting big names. We hear that Bollywood actress and director, Nandita Das, has been cast in a crucial role in the film directed by Seenuramasamy, whose previous film Thenmerku Paruvakkatru won the National Award last year.
Talking about his coup, Seenu says, “As is my previous film, which had Saranya Ponvannan in a crucial role (for which she bagged the National Award for Best Supporting Actress), Neer Paravai too has a character that required an actress of substance; I felt that Nandita would be apt for the role.” However, he declines to reveal the nature of her role and only mentions that it will be strikingly different from what the actress has done so far.
The director had met the actress when she was in Bangalore some time back and had narrated the script to her. “I was elated when Nandita agreed at once after hearing about the role as she is known to be very choosy in selecting her projects. She will be shooting for 10 days in May,” he reveals. This will be the fourth Tamil film for the award winning actress, who earlier did in films Thankar Bachan’s Azhagi, Mani Ratnam’s Kannathil Muthamittal and the critically-acclaimed Vishwa Thulasi. She was recently part of Santosh Sivan’s English film Before The Rains.
Neer Paravai, which stars Vishnu and Sunaina in the lead, was supposed to start shoot by More >
‘I Am’ is not about homosexuality-Onir
02 years ago
by Fenil Seta
in Interviews
MM.com had an exclusive chat with filmmaker Onir on his latest film ‘I Am’, an alleged cold war with Rahul Bose, and what makes a film ‘commercial’
Varun Vazir | MM Online Bureau (May 02, 2011)Onir, whose film I Am released last Friday, confesses that he did not have money to pay his actors yet managed to assemble a strong cast comprising Nandita Das, Juhi Chawla, Rahul Bose, Sanjay Suri and Abhimanyu Singh.
The film was shot in a mere 24 days at a budget of Rs 3 crores. Excerpts from an interview:
I Am released on Friday along with four other films. Does that make you apprehensive?
Each film is of a different genre and defines its own audience. Anything good will find its audience. Footfall in the theatres has been increasing as there is a good buzz surrounding the film.
How did you manage to assemble such a cast?
We did not have money to offer the actors. Each of the cast members did this film only because the script excited them.
Which is your favorite story out of the four?
‘I Am Megha’ is very special to me as it is based on the loss of home and identity. I was born and brought up in Bhutan and had to leave the country due to political situations. Loss of home is a subject that touches me personally.
Rahul Bose was annoyed with you because you used his kissing scene with Arjun Mathur for publicity.
Rahul and I have a different take on that. I feel a scene of two people kissing is a beautiful emotion. There is no drama between me and Rahul. We respect More >