Posts tagged Yash Raj Films
Salman Khan to do another film with Yash Raj Films?
0Kunal M Shah (MID-DAY; March 28, 2013)
Months after the release of Ek Tha Tiger comes the buzz that the star will do another project with the late Yash Chopra’s production house.
Apparently Sallu has already heard out the script and has given a go- ahead for the project, to be helmed by Ali Abbas Zafar.
A source says, “Contrary to the recent speculation that Salman had issues with Aditya Chopra’s banner and that he won’t be working with them again, rumours are that he will be doing one more film with them. Zafar had also directed Mere Brother Ki Dulhan and is currently helming Gunday for the banner.” Insiders say the film will go on the floors only next year as Salman’s timetable has films by Ramesh Taurani and Sajid Nadiadwala on priority. The official spokesperson of YRF says, “Ali is currently shooting Gunday and has nothing else planned for now.” Sallu remained unavailable for comment.
Dibakar Banerjee picks Ranvir Shorey, Amit Sial for film with YRF
0For his first production venture with YRF, he has signed the two actors who will topline the project directed by Kanu Behl
Mehul S Thakkar (MUMBAI MIRROR; March 20, 2013)
Yash Raj Films’ first joint venture with Dibakar Banerjee will go on floors by the end of April and the production house has already finalised two of its three heroes–Ranvir Shorey and Amit Sial. Hunt for the third actor is on. Kanu Behl will direct the film.
When contacted an YRF spokesperson confirmed the story and said: “Yes, Ranvir and Amit have been finalised for Kanu’s film. However, at this stage we would not like to divulge more.”
As for the two actors, while Ranvir has acted in Dibaker’s debut movie, Khosla Ka Ghosla, which went on to win the National Award, Amit has worked with him in Love Sex aur Dokha. As for Kanu, he has a long association with Dibakar. He was the lyricist and assistant director for Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye! and Love, Sex Aur Dhokha — which he also wrote.
A source close to Dibaker told Mumbai Mirror: “Dibakar’s team is creatively involved in the project.” According to the source, he will start with the subject of his next directorial as soon as this film goes on floors.
Dibakar had signed a three-film co-production deal with Yash Raj Films out of which two he is supposed to direct and for the third he had chosen his long-time associate, Kanu to helm the project.
YRF has been scouring locations for its film project in Japan
0Shaheen Parkar (MID-DAY; March 15, 2013)
Though they have not yet pinpointed which of their future projects will be shot in Japan, Yash Raj Films (YRF) folk have been scouring locations to base one of their films in the land of the rising sun.
After the premiere of their Salman Khan-Katrina Kaif production Ek Tha Tiger in Tokyo recently, YRF folk visited several spots in the city that could be possible venues for the shoot.
They included Aashish Singh vice president, (production) and Avtar Panesar, vice president (international operations). Director Kabir Khan also accompanied them.
Over the years, not too many Bollywood flicks have been shot in Japan due to the high costs involved. Tokyo is considered to be one of the most expensive cities in the world. Reason enough for production houses to stay away. But with Japan keen on luring Indian tourists and Tokyo being the candidate city for the 2020 Olympics, the authorities feel that they need to open their doors to Indian production houses.
Among the scenic locations that were checked out in Tokyo included the Hama Rikyu Gardens, a sprawling landscaped garden surrounded by a seawater moat filled by the Tokyo bay. In the 17th century it was the family garden of the ruler Tokugawa Shogun with duck hunting grounds, teahouses (which still exist!) and the flora of Japan including the cherry blossom trees. The heritage site is dotted by Tokyo’s skyline of skyscrapers and a must see for tourist with its boat rides. For any More >
Did Aamir Khan push back the Dhoom 3 schedule?
0Shaheen Parkar (MID-DAY; March 12, 2013)
There has been widespread speculation that Aamir Khan pushed back the shoot schedule of Vijay Krishna Acharya’s Dhoom 3 when he chose to shoot for Rajkumar Hirani’s P.K. in Rajasthan. The Yash Raj’s action film is presently being filmed in Switzerland with the film’s lead star Aamir Khan missing in action. Mr Perfectionist is slated to join the unit at a later date.
Aashish Singh, vice- president ( production) at Yash Raj Films states, “We had always maintained that the film would release during Christmas 2013. So there is no question of a delay on any front as the release date remains the same. The various shoot schedules have been planned in advance and Aamir will join the unit shortly.”
Considering that Switzerland was the late Yash Chopra’s favourite spot and featured in several of his films, the production house hopes to recreate the Swiss aura even though Dhoom 3 is an out-and-out action saga.
Digital to have an upper hand over reel in days to come?
0Jayoti Soor (DNA; February 17, 2013)
Hollywood leads, and Bollywood follows. After West showed the way with digitally filmed Skyfall and The Amazing Spiderman, Hindi filmmakers have started flirting with the technology. Until a few years ago, B-Town was following the old school. But after films like Amol Gupte’s Stanley Ka Dabba were well-received, it looks like the digital format is here to stay. Just as photo rolls have become redundant, it is only a matter of time before the film reel goes out of fashion.
Digital is cheaper Although many independent filmmakers were quick to adopt digital cinematography because it is cheaper, for a mainstream Bollywood directors, it’s been a question of aesthetics; to their eye, digital has not always captured the richness of film. However, with the rapid advancements in digital technology, a lot of leading filmmakers are converting. From Sudhir Mishra (Inkaar) to Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra (Bhaag Milkha Bhaag), filmmakers are increasingly adopting the digital medium. Producer Mukesh Bhatt says, “Raaz 3 was in 3D and was shot in digital. We ended up saving around Rs 30 lakh on stocks alone. In digital you shoot on tapes which is way cheaper. When you are shooting abroad lightweight digital cameras are easier to carry. All my future films will be shot in digital as it is the way forward.” Normally on a big budget film, a producer could end up saving up to Rs 2 crore per film by using the digital format.
Faster, easier and versatile Adil More >
Working for YRF was always on my bucket list-Ayushmann Khurrana
0There are many takers for Ayushmann Khurrana but the newbie treads cautiously when it comes to making career choices
Jayoti Soor (DNA; January 29, 2013)
Ayushmann Khurrana may just be one-film-old but the actor is certainly going places with both his acting and singing careers taking off. His debut film Vicky Donor which also won him two popular awards — best playback singer male and best debut male — has opened doors for him as the actor signed a three-film contract with a leading production house. We catch him to talk about his plans for the year.
How do plan to balance your twin career aspirations? Usually Punjabi songs are thought to be high-voltage peppy numbers. But Pani da rang broke that perception with its soft rock and soulful appeal. In Nautanki Saala, I have sung two songs — Sadi gali aa ja and Tu hi tu. It’s not that I have to make a choice, I love multi-tasking.
You have bagged a three-film contract with Yash Raj Films… I was cautious about signing my next film after the success of Vicky Donor. Unlike television where viewers have a small attention span, in films you are as good as your last movie. Aditya (Chopra) noticed this and offered me the contract. My first film with the banner will be directed by Nupur Asthana, with Sonam Kapoor as my co-star. It is a urban, romantic comedy about two lovers in the time of recession and will be shot in Delhi. The other two films are yet to take off.
Do you believe in aligning yourself to a clan or a group in More >
Aditya Chopra suffering from Katrina Kaif overdose?
0Jigar Shah (MID-DAY; January 25, 2013)
Look what the rumour mills are abuzz with. We’ve heard that despite securing back-to-back hits with leading lady Katrina Kaif, it’s going to take a while before she will be seen in another Yash Raj film.
While earlier YRF would only repeat actors like Shah Rukh Khan and Amitabh Bachchan in their projects, lately they have been picking actresses too for repeat projects.
With Rani Mukerji and Anushka Sharma doing eight and five YRF films respectively, Kat too had had her fair share with five big releases with the company.
But it looks like the situation might have now changed. A birdie chirps to say, “When YRF directors have suggested Katrina for lead roles in their films, Aditya Chopra has referred replacement actresses.” An industry insider points out to two instances when Adi roped in other leading ladies in place of Kat. A bitchy actress says, “When Ali Abbas Zaffar announced his second film Gunday with YRF after Mere Brother Ki Dulhan, it was expected that Katrina would be his heroine just like his first project. Instead, they went for Priyanka Chopra.”
And then Adi shot down having Kat too in their next Ayushmann Khurrana starrer, and instead picked Sonam Kapoor.
Another source says, “Kat has featured in YRF’s biggest blockbusters, and that too back-to-back. Maybe he is suffering from a Katrina overdose!”
Honey Singh’s song to be retained in YRF’s Mere Dad Ki Maruti
0Soumyadipta Banerjee (MUMBA MIRROR; January 19, 2013)
It might seem rather strange that Yash Raj Films, known for romanticising their heroines, would throw their weight behind Yo Yo Honey Singh, who has been universally condemned for penning explicit lyrics that allegedly encourage sexual violence against women.
Initially, the intense backlash from all quarters had forced the production company, known to make films for a family audience, to axe Honey Singh’s song, Punjabiyandi Battery, from their upcoming film Mere Dad Ki Maruti. However, in a meeting held yesterday, the production house announced the reversal of that decision.
Ashish Patil, Vice-President of Yash Raj Films’s division, Y-Films, told Mumbai Mirror that the studio has decided to keep Honey Singh on the credit roll as they feel that the singer was unnecessarily dragged into a controversy for no fault of his. Patil explained, “We spoke to Honey Singh and realised that the whole thing was blown out of proportion. He never wrote any lyrics that were vulgar. It would have been an injustice not to keep his song in the film since we have already recorded it”. Apart from being the Vice-President, he is also credited as the producer of the film.
The lyrics of the song penned for the movie include edgy phrases like: “batteries are always charged” and who “always drinks a lot of alcohol”.
“We realise that Honey Singh is known for a certain kind of songs and we cannot ask him to sing something that is not his genre. More >
I want to die making films-Dibakar Banerjee
0Known for his hard-hitting films, Dibakar Banerjee defends his decision to collaborate with a big banner
Shakti Shetty (MID-DAY; January 17, 2013)
Over the past few years, he has been touted as the face of intelligent cinema.
However, Dibakar Banerjee maintains that art and commerce do need to get married — sooner or later — for the former’s sake! This philosophy probably explains his decision to sign a three-film deal with a big media house like Yash Raj Films. He’ll be directing two of those projects. In a freewheeling chat, Dibakar shares his thoughts on filmmaking…
Tell us what motivates you to make films? I know nothing else. I’m overcoming my loneliness as well as the audience’s. For instance, when I made Shanghai, somebody just randomly called me up at 11 in the night and spoke for 45 minutes about the film! The connection your film makes is very surreal. I want to die making films.
Your three-film deal came as a surprise… I’ve always maintained that I want to do commercial films within the realm of popular cinema. A studio’s backing makes business viable and there are several distribution channels to tap on. If you ignore business, art won’t survive. Besides, my last two films were co- productions too.
And when exactly did you agree to this deal? Adi (Chopra) made it very clear that we’re looking forward to a director-driven co-production. Like me, he too wants to work with different people with same professional standards. To be frank, I wasn’t expecting him to More >