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Posted: 18 May 2013 04:20 AM PDT

CANNES, France: A decades-old rivalry between a Bollywood wannabe and a brutal police chief shines a light on Mumbai's dark side, in Indian director Anurag Kashyap's fast-moving psychological thriller "Ugly" about the kidnapping of a young girl.

Enthusiastically received at the Cannes Film Festival on Friday, the aptly titled film was inspired by real events in a city blighted by child trafficking and prostitution.

A suicidal woman sets the scene in an upmarket apartment as she contemplates a concoction of pills and alcohol; she eyes a scarf hanging from a ceiling fan before putting a gun in her month.

About to pull the trigger, she is interrupted by her young daughter, full of life.

Fast forward and a police inspector mocks and toys with the girl's father and his producer friend as they try to report her abduction from his car.

"They are divorced, that's the problem - divorce," he tells the actor. Turning to the producer, he reels off the names of some of Bollywood's biggest stars.

"I suppose it's you who decides (to cast them)," he sneers, surrounded by sniggering subordinates.

But his menacing tone turns to panic when he realises that the girl is the step-daughter of his police commissioner.

Kashyap says he drew on the "insecurity" he experienced after he separated from his first wife and daughter to write the film.

For years he discussed the script with anyone who would listen but was constantly told it could never be made.

When he finally got the go-ahead, Kashyap was wary of showing the screenplay to anyone.

As a result all the actors had to sign up blind for the film.

"I refused to share the script with anyone. I said I'm making the film and if you want to come with me and do it....

"I had this feeling that if they read the script they would not allow me to make it so for the first time I reached out to my actors, friends and said 'you trust me' and everyone came on board."

It is the second consecutive visit to Cannes for the 40-year-old director.

His five-hour gangster epic "Gangs Of Wasseypur" was warmly received at Cannes last year.

"Ugly" is being screened this year as part of the Directors Fortnight, a sidebar to the main competition.

He is also known for his 2004 Hindi-language film "Black Friday" about the 1993 Bombay bombings.

In addition to "Ugly", Kashyap is one of four up-and-coming Indian directors whose work will be showcased in Cannes on Sunday.

"Bombay Talkies", one film comprising four short stories by the four directors, will be shown at a gala screening on Sunday to celebrate a century of Indian cinema.

India is Cannes' third guest country following Egypt and Brazil.

The other directors whose short films are to be shown on Sunday are Dibakar Banerjee, Zoya Akhtar and Karan Johar.

Amit Kumar's "Monsoon Shootout" will also be shown out of competition and Ritesh Batra's "The Lunchbox" as part of the Critics Week. - AFP

Report: Bollywood bad boy Dutt held in 'terrorist' jail cell

Posted: 18 May 2013 04:06 AM PDT

NEW DELHI: Bollywood superstar Sanjay Dutt, who is in jail for arms possession, is being held in a cell built for militants where he cannot see daylight and wants to be transferred, a report said Saturday.

Dutt, 53, surrendered on Thursday to serve out the remaining three-and-a-half years of a five-year term in a case linked to deadly 1993 Mumbai bombings.

Dutt's lawyer, Rizwan Merchant, has demanded the transfer of the actor whom he said was being kept in the cell once occupied by Mumbai attacks gunman Mohammed Ajmal Kasab, according to the Indian Express daily newspaper.

Pakistani-born Kasab was executed last November, nearly four years after 166 people died in a three-day rampage that traumatised India.

The steel bunker specially built for Kasab at Mumbai's Arthur Road Jail had no ventilation and the actor could not even tell if it was day or night, the lawyer said.

"He (Dutt) is not a terrorist" and should not be kept in such a cell, the lawyer was quoted as saying.

There was no immediate comment available from the jail.

The actor, whose parents were two of India's biggest stars, shot to fame in the 1980s in a string of action movies in which he performed his own stunts, earning him the nickname "Deadly Dutt".

He was convicted in 2006 of possessing guns supplied by gangsters who staged the 1993 bomb attacks that killed 257 people but was freed on bail after serving 18 months in prison. In March, the Supreme Court upheld Dutt's conviction.

He was cleared in 2007 of more serious conspiracy charges in the blasts, believed staged by Muslim underworld leaders in revenge for religious riots in which mainly Muslims died after the razing of an ancient mosque by Hindu zealots.

Dutt, whose mother was Muslim and father Hindu, was found guilty of possession of an automatic rifle and a pistol which he insisted were only meant to protect his family in Mumbai's charged atmosphere following the mosque's destruction.

After the Supreme Court upheld his conviction, the father-of-three wept and declared himself "a shattered man". - AFP

A century of film

Posted: 18 May 2013 12:15 AM PDT

Bollywood has always been one of the most thriving – and colourful – film industries in the world.

India's movie industry toasted its 100th birthday last week with the release of two films celebrating its humble origins in the silent era and the influence of glamorous modern-day Bollywood.

Bombay Talkies comprises four short stories inspired by India's love of cinema, created by some of the country's leading filmmakers.

"You usually celebrate birthdays and that's what we are doing today. Indian cinema turns 100 and we are acknowledging that," said Zoya Akhtar, who directed the film along with Karan Johar, Anurag Kashyap and Dibakar Banerjee.

The acclaimed cast includes Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Rani Mukherjee, with a cameo from acting legend Amitabh Bachchan.

The film's theme song features Bollywood A-listers such as Aamir Khan, Shah Rukh Khan, Vidya Balan, Priyanka Chopra and Kareena Kapoor.

The movie will have a special gala screening at the Cannes Film Festival, which kicked off on Wednesday, where India is to be honoured as the "guest country" in its landmark year.

"The four short stories are about passion for cinema and ingredients like drama, music, dance and entertainment. All of these ingredients are a huge part of our films and culture," said co-producer Ashi Dua.

Its release comes 100 years to the day since the opening in Bombay (now Mumbai) of Raja Harishchandra, the first all-Indian silent feature film, based on the tale of a virtuous king from the Hindu epic Mahabharata.

It marked the birth of one of the world's most vibrant film industries, which produced almost 1,500 movies last year in various languages and corners of the country, with Hindi-language Bollywood leading the way.

While Bombay Talkies explores life in the present, the second film that was shown was the award-winning Celluloid Man, which pays tribute to the founder of the National Film Archive of India, P.K. Nair.

The documentary, so far only shown at festivals, showcases Nair's lifetime dedication to preserving films that date back to the silent era, and it is peppered with clips from historic black-and-white productions.

Thanks to the efforts of 80-year-old Nair, nine silent films out of 1,700 made in India have been preserved, although no records remain of many others.

"Almost 70% of the films made before 1950 are lost, including some real gems like the first 'talkie'," Nair told AFP, referring to the first Indian film with sound, 1931's Alam Ara (The Light Of The World).

He said digital technology would help to preserve the cinematic gems that still exist for future generations.

"There are currently about 12,000 films awaiting digitisation."

The annual National Film Awards was also held last week in New Delhi, following a six-day festival showcasing the colourful history of Indian cinema.

In the awards, the best Hindi feature went to Paan Singh Tomar which stars Irrfan Khan (who tied for the best actor award with Vikram Gokhale in Anumati). The film revolves around the life of Indian soldier and athlete Paan Singh Tomar who became a notorious bandit. Meanwhile, Usha Jadhav won best actress for her role in the Marathi film Dhag, whose director Shivaji Lotan Patil won the best director award. The ceremony also celebrated works from various regional film hubs, in languages including Malayalam, Marathi, Telugu and Bengali. – AFP

Kredit: www.thestar.com.my

Sabtu, 18 Mei 2013

The Star Online: Entertainment: Movies

The Star Online: Entertainment: Movies

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