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Posts tagged nfdc
Cinema borns again with NFDC
05 months ago
by Fenil Seta
in Bollywood News
Although NFDC is ready with 87 restored films in time for the 100 years of Indian Cinema milestone (it cost them Rs 10 crore), it’s still time before we go giddy with pride
Anand Holla (MUMBAI MIRROR; December 9, 2012)
Since the time Dadasaheb Phalke, a modest photographer from Nashik released India’s first feature film, Raja Harishchandra in May 1913, about a king who lost his riches because he chose to keep a promise, Indian cinema has turned into the largest film industry in the world. We produce close to 900 films a year, and tickets sold annually total more than 3 billion.
That calls for celebration.
Everyone from the Information & Broadcasting Ministry — it announced the launch of an Indian cinema museum — to organisers of the just-concluded 12th Marrakech International Film Festival, where they honoured Bollywood icons, has figured a plan for the centenary party.
An owner of a film lab in Goregaon finds this funny. How does an industry that can’t be bothered about preserving film prints latch on to the 100-year gala? Jayesh Chheda of Movielabs Films is done writing reminders to producers, requesting them to collect their negatives and prints. “More than 90 per cent ignore it,” he admits. That leaves it up to film labs like his own to act as storage centres. “The negatives only get air-conditioning 14 hours a day when the labs are open. Space and maintenance costs are at a premium. Labs have no incentive to store prints, let alone maintain ideal conditions,” he More >
Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro cast upset with NFDC?
06 months ago
by Fenil Seta
in Rumour has it
Subhash K Jha (MUMBAI MIRROR; November 3, 2012)
It remains a cult classic for an entire generation of filmgoers. So,when Jaane Bhi Do Yaaron, the 1983 satire directed by Kundan Shah and produced by NFDC, was re-released this week in a new, technically enhanced avatar, it should have been cause for celebration for the cast and crew of the film. But while they are happy about the films resurrection, they aren’t too pleased with the way it was released, minus any fanfare.
Naseeruddin Shah, who played the lead along with (late) Ravi Baswani, said without mincing words, “I am pretty p*** ed off with the way the NFDC has released the film without any publicity at all.” Another member of the cast said, “No one is pleased with the cursory way the film has been released. Even the so-called restoration is not up to the mark. NFDC should check out what Martin Scorcese has done with Uday Shankar’s Kalpana .But at the end of the day, our film has been given a new lease of life, and I am happy about that. Satish Kaushik, who played a significant role in the film, said, “You wish they had applied more thrust to the marketing and release. But then you need budgets for that which NFDC of course won’t have.
NFDC’s Head Of Production Vikramjit Roy was unavailable for comment.
Gurvinder Singh’s tribute to Mani Kaul
09 months ago
by Fenil Seta
in Bollywood News
Debut feature filmmaker Gurvinder Singh dedicates his soon-to-release National Award winning Punjabi film to the late Mani Kaul
Shakti Shetty (MID-DAY; August 7, 2012)
A film on the plight of Indian farmers, which won three National Awards last year, will finally see a release in the city. Director Gurvinder Singh’s debut project Anhe Ghore Da Daan (AGDD) has been screen at various international film festivals. The film has received NFDC’s active support and is being dedicated to the late auteur Mani Kaul.
Gurvinder feels that with the rising multiplexes, smaller theatres are becoming more and more obsolete. “For films such as ours, we need an alternate pattern of film distribution. In Europe and America, they have a parallel setup for non-mainstream cinema,” he says. The reason why it took so long to release is because the film had been travelling across the globe, being screened in various cities. However, the director of the film thinks that bagging the National Award was a great fillip.
On why the project is dedicated to the memory of Mani Kaul, Gurvinder highlights the fact that the late filmmaker was his mentor as well as the creative producer of the film. He further adds, “Just two months after his passing away, AGDD became the first Punjabi film to be showcased at Venice Film Festival. His loss shall always be felt, so the dedication is but natural.”
Nina Lath Gupta of NFDC points out that the language is immaterial when the story is universal. “This film More >
Indie directors lobby for separate theatres
010 months ago
by Fenil Seta
in Bollywood News
Concerns such as service tax on actors, co-production hassles and vacuum in exhibition system discussed in a day-long forum with NFDC
Garima Sharma (BOMBAY TIMES; July 4, 2012)
A suburban five star turned into a brainstorming forum on Monday when several top filmmakers met NFDC officials for a day-long forum. Cinema biggies met National Film Development Corporation (NFDC) MD Nina Gupta and GM Vikramjit Roy to seek their assistance in producing and exhibiting quality cinema. The meeting saw names like Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra, Zoya Akhtar, Nila Madhab Panda, Onir, Sudhir Mishra, Shimit Amin and Parvin Dabas, in attendance.
BT has learnt that while NFDC has had several meetings with smaller groups to understand their concerns, this is the first time the body held a structured meeting on this scale. During the sessions, several concerns were discussed including the new service tax, complications in exploring co-productions with other countries, etc. Another suggestion came from directors of independent cinema, who said that the government consider providing separate theatres for the exhibition of their films, or at least ensure dedicated time slots for a few days a week in theatres for their films.
When we spoke to Gupta after the session, she said, “NFDC needs to address an entire gamut of issues ranging from script and talent development to exhibition. But, it’s a fact that exhibition is extremely challenging for a certain kind of cinema. An ideally successful model of More >
Shekhar’s next film with Vicky Donor writer, NFDC
010 months ago
by Fenil Seta
in Bollywood News
Vickey Lalwani (MUMBAI MIRROR; June 29, 2012)
Early this year, Shekhar Kapur, had promised to wrap up his dream project Paani in 2012. The film was formally announced at the 63rd Cannes Film Festival in 2010. However, little had been done since then. “I plead guilty for not focussing on Paani for two years. I got busy with another film and selling my tech and social media company,” Kapur had explained. And now, the filmmaker has set his heart on an altogether fresh venture. Mirror has learnt Kapur recently signed on the writer of Vicky Donor, Juhi Chaturvedi to pen a story. In fact, she has already started work on the project. Kapur confirmed the news and added, “That’s right.
I have asked Juhi to work on a film with me. I loved Vicky Donor. I like the way Juhi writes. And yes, I shall direct that film.”
Impressed with Vicky Donor, Kapur called Juhi for a meeting. An eyewitness told Mirror, “They spoke at length. Shekhar looked rather pleased with his choice.”
But Juhi already has her hands full. She is already committed to three projects with Ram Mirchandani’s Rampage Motion Pictures, Shoojit Sircar’s Rising Sun Films and John Abraham’s J A Productions respectively, the trio behind Vicky Donor. However, a source close to the three companies told Mirror, “Sircar is the captain. However, he will certainly have no issues if Juhi goes ahead with Kapur’s film first. Sircar respects Shekhar tremendously.”
Mirror has also learnt that Kapur and his team are in advance talks More >
Eight film stuck at NFDC despite ample funds
02 years ago
by Fenil Seta
in Bollywood News
Even after receiving Rs 20 crore from the Information and Broadcasting ministry, the government body fails to release films that have been lying with them for years, angering directors
Noyon Jyoti Parasara (MUMBAI MIRROR; April 26, 2011)
Even as Information and Broadcasting Minister Ambika Soni earmarked Rs 20 crore for the National Film Development Corporation, it hardly brought any smiles to the faces of the filmmakers. The reason? Films are still lying with the authorities with no release in sight.
There are as many as eight films, which include White Elephant, Bioscope, Maya Bazaar, As the River Flows and Haat (directed by Om Puri’s wife Seema Kapoor) that are stuck – some complete and a few half done.
NFDC, a government body formed in 1975 to promote filmmaking and develop the Indian Film Industry started off well with films like, Richard Attenborough’s Gandhi (1982), Kundan Shah’s Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro (1983), Ketan Mehta’s Mirch Masala (1987), Mira Nair’s Salaam Bombay (1988) and Kalpana Lajmi’s Rudaali (1993). However, in the last four-years they have managed to release just one film, Via Darjeeling (2008).
Aijaz Ahmed, director of the film White Elephant, decided to speak out, “My film is stuck with NFDC for one and half years now.
They say NDTV was supposed to release the film in India, while NFDC was looking at selling it overseas. But NDTV has withdrawn from the project.”
Anjali Menon, the director of Lucky Red Seeds, has been more More >
Kalki’s That Girl In Yellow Boots at Venice Film Fest
02 years ago
by Fenil Seta
in Bollywood News
By Bollywood Hungama News Network, July 31, 2010 – 14:13 IST
Anurag Kashyap recent film as a producer, Udaan, got lot of critical acclaim. Now, Kashyap is all set with his next directorial venture titled That Girl In Yellow Boots, the film which stars Kalki Koelchin and is co-produced by National Film Development Corporation of India (NFDC).
That Girl In Yellow Boots which in essence is a thriller tracing Ruth’s (Kalki Koechlin) search for her father – a man she hardly knew but cannot forget. Desperation drives her to work without a permit, at a massage parlour. Torn between several schisms, Mumbai becomes the alien but yet strangely familiar backdrop for Ruth’s quest. She struggles to find her independence and space even as she is sucked deeper into the labyrinthine politics of the city’s underbelly. A city that feeds on her misery, a love that eludes her and above all, a devastating truth that she must encounter. And everyone wants a piece of her. But what’s interesting is the fact that it has been selected for the esteemed 67th Venice Film Festival.
The film will be screened under Out-of-Competition section at this year’s Venice Film Festival. Under this section, important works by directors already established in previous editions of the Festival are showcased. The festival will take place from 1st to 11th September 2010 at Venice Lido.
An ecstatic Anurag Kashyap said, “I am on top of the world. Thank you NFDC to pull the project out of post production More >
