Angelo Mathews never doubted Sri Lanka would get over the line in Tuesday's ICC Cricket World Cup semi-final against New Zealand.
Mar 31, 2011
Mathews: Progress never in doubt
Angelo Mathews never doubted Sri Lanka would get over the line in Tuesday's ICC Cricket World Cup semi-final against New Zealand.
Ultraviolet is set to revolutionize the face of digital rights management
India has over 500 TV channels and churns out over a 1000 films a year, with that being said, how can content providers ensure consumer satisfaction through various platforms? The answer could well be with Ultraviolet a brand new format, set to revolutionize the face of digital rights management (DRM). Once purchased legally, UV will be available up to a staggering 12 devices. The Ultraviolet session at FICCI was moderated by Neeraj Roy - Founder and CEO of Hungama - which focused upon ownership of content, instead of devices that would be compatible with the new format. Although in its early stages, Ultraviolet has taken three years in the making, presently there are seventy partners on board this pact. Some of the partners include companies like Adobe, Akamai, Fox, Lionsgate, Nokia, and Warner Brothers amongst others. However, Apple and Disney have opted out of the pact. Mitch Singer, CTO of Sony Filmed Entertainment educated the audience about how this new file format will redefine how consumers collect their films and their TV shows. Mitch stated the concept in collecting again. Younger consumers only want to download but studios expect consumers to buy content for different devices. He also pointed out that this new format can be streamed almost anywhere, it can be transferred to any physical and DRM systems. Gary Mittelstaedt from Intel Corporation spoke on how we need to define the roles and get other players in the market to join the bandwagon. Nidhish Parikh from Nokia said that along with the shipments of the device the consumer gets to sign up at a nominal incremental fee for which the users will have the ability to bundle their collections. The Ultraviolet alliance is planning to launch in the second quarter this year in US and Canada. The alliance is looking at launching this in India by 2012-2013.
Subhash Ghai to give cine-goers chance to watch 2 of his movies by paying for 1
Subhash Ghai has come up with an innovative way to promote two forthcoming ventures of his namely Love Express and Cycle Kick. The 'Showman of Bollywood' will be releasing both the above mentioned films on the same day in May but in a never before tried approach, will give the viewers a chance to see both movie by buying just one ticket. Says Ghai, "Why should we charge heavy price of a ticket like Rs. 200 or more at multiplexes to see our small budget movie made by new talent or by independent / art cinema maker? I have decided to release our two movies Love Express and Cycle Kick in the month of May through our banner Mukta Searchlight Films. By paying for just one ticket, cine-goers will get a chance to watch both these films. This is a win-win situation for the producer, distributor and exhibitor. I have got a very good response already from various multiplexes who are excited about this innovative idea." Love Express features new actors from Ghai's film academy Whistling Woods International and talks about a Punjabi family wedding against the backdrop of a train journey while Cycle Kick is an independent film directed by Shashi Sadigal, who was an associate director on Iqbal. The film deals with a cycle, football and two friends in a remote village.
Raj Kaushal questioned by cops for Sea link tweet
Though Bollywood has been using social networking sites like twitter for publicity, it is getting clearer that their irresponsible can also land them in trouble. Recently, Bipasha Basu was under fire for tweeting a picture of young girls tying her shoe laces and now, its Mandira Bedi's husband and filmmaker Raj Kaushal, who is facing the heat due to his tweet about the Bandra-Worli sea link. Apparently, few days back, Raj tweeted, "Please avoid the Bandra Worli sea link, three supporting cables have just collapsed. Worli sea face jammed. Please RT", the tweet caused quite a panic with people steering clear from the sea link. The latest is that Raj is being grilled by the cyber cell at BKC regarding the tweet. Raj Kaushal however says that the tweets didn't originate from him and in fact they were just re-tweeted by him. The 5.6 km Sea Link was opened in June 2009 and was built at a cost of Rs 1,600 crore. Over 35,000 vehicles use it every day. The police are currently investigating the matter.Agent Vinod's climax currently being shot in Delhi
Saif Ali Khan is busy shooting for the climax of his home-production Agent Vinod in Delhi. The espionage flick, directed by Sriram Raghavan, stars Saif's lady-love Kareena Kapoor as the female lead. Touted to be a big budget shoot with a mind blowing climax that promises to have audiences at the edge of their seats, the team of Agent Vinod is already creating a lot of hype in the city. Says a source "The city is abuzz with news that the cast and crew of Agent Vinod are shooting here - the set up is larger than life and seems to have everyone excited." One of the biggest action directors has been roped in to design and execute the action scenes.Highly expensive music video featuring Shahid and Sonam shot for Mausam
Pankaj Kapoor's dream project Mausam just got costlier. The fastidious director has decided to shoot an elaborate promotional number which would cost the producers a staggering amount of money. The song which began shooting at suburban hotel on Saturday evening is not quite the promotional video that Shahid has done in the past with Kareena Kapoor for Jab We Met...remember 'Mauja Hi Mauja'? Pankaj insisted that Shahid and Sonam not just take a chance with a dance .The specification to choreographer Ahmed Khan is, the lead pair has to remain in character even when dancing for promotion, thereby taking away from the characteristic zing of a promotional video. A fairly expensive exercize for a film that's already gone over-budget. But as producer Sheetal Talwar puts it, "No expense is too much for this film. Every penny is a wise investment. The song has cost a whopping amount. But the extra amount is money well spent. Did anyone ask K. Asif how much he spent on that 'Pyar Kiya To Darna Kya' song in Mughal-E-Azam? What is important is not the cost. It's the end-result. We've shot a song that Shahid and Sonam can proudly show to their children." The extra song which would serve as a promotional video for Mausam, choreographed by Shahid Kapoor's buddy Ahmed Khan, would cost the producers a whopping extra 1.5 crore rupees. The song for which an elaborate set has been constructed began shooting at the Royal Palms in Goregaon on Saturday night. It is unlike any promotional number. Says Ahmed, who is a very close friend of Shahid, "Yes, we've decided to shoot an additional song for Mausam. It is the film's promotional video. But when it comes to Pankaj uncle nothing is predictable. So this is a promotional video with a difference." Ahmed explains the difference. "I've shot so many promotional video. They are all out of the film's context with just the lead pair dancing to get eyeballs. Pankaj-ji insisted our video be within the context and characterization of Mausam and that Shahid and Sonam will dance and conduct themselves in the video as characters from the film, and not two stars dancing. He also insisted on the others actors like Anupam Kher being present in the number." For Ahmed, it is a challenge doing the song, "When Pankaj uncle plays even a cameo role he goes into so much detail. You can imagine how nuanced he gets shooting his first film as director. I've never done a number like this where the promotional video is part of the film's narrative. I was just not allowed to let go of the characters that Shahid and Sonam play in Mausam while making them dance."Jacqueline Fernandez signed up to endorse Panasonic Cameras
Besides being the Sri Lanka's beauty queen Jacqueline Fernandez, she also has carved a niche for herself in Bollywood in such a short time. So much for a beauty, who once wanted to be a journalist! After having made her debut in Bollywood with Aladin, followed by Jaane Kahan Se Aayi Hai, this PYT surely has come a long way. Bollywood Hungama's reliable sources say that this doe-eyed beauty has now been signed up to endorse Panasonic cameras. Not just that, she is also being accompanied by the ace shutterbug Atul Kasbekar, the southern sensation Kajal Aggarwal (who is making her debut in Rohit Shetty's Singham) and Koyal. Jacqueline Fernandez remained unavailable to comment on this.Priyanka Chopra begins shooting for Anurag Basu's Barfi
If anyone thought they could catch Priyanka Chopra playing a mentally challenged girl in Anurag Basu's Barfi, they are in for a disappointment. Priyanka is much too nervous to perform in front of onlookers. She has made it clear she needs optimum privacy for this part. For an actress who has braved through the toughest sequences of love-making and violence in Saat Khoon Maaf in the presence of a full crew, this need for seclusion is a startling departure from the norm.But this is no ordinary role of a mentally challenged girl. Priyanka took extra time to prepare. Those close to her say she has been withdrawn tense and edgy for the last two weeks. Says Priyanka's business manager, "She has been tense lately. She has not been going out or entertaining friends." The pall of silence apparently fell on Priyanka after she began meeting people suffering from the mental condition that her character in Barfi suffers from. Says a source from the team, "It freaked Priyanka out. She simply stopped meeting her friends. She first had to digest the enormity of the mental condition and then understand how to project it without seeming to act." Most of her recent roles have required Priyanka to get into an aggressively performing mould for the camera. For Barfi she needs to go the other way. Says the source from Burfi, "She needs to look like she is not acting. That is the brief from Anurag Basu." No one will be allowed on the set when Priyanka Chopra starts shooting for Barfi in Mumbai. Only the skeletal crew will be present when she does her first scene with Ranbir for Barfi. Known to play audacious never-done-before characters, Priyanka Chopra suddenly got cold feet about her role of a physically challenged woman in Barfi. For the first time in her career Priyanka has cancelled shooting to give herself more time to prepare for the very complicated part. The shooting was to commence on March 11 but then got pushed to March 24. Says a source, "No one except leading man Ranbir Kapoor, director Anurag Basu and the cameraman will be allowed to be around when Priyanka begins shooting on Thursday.
Says a source close to Barfi, "It's very strange. But the first stint of Priyanka's two new films Agneepath and now Barfi both got cancelled. In the case of Barfi, she personally asked director Anurag Basu to postpone the shooting. She was that nervous about it. She has never been this way about any of her roles before." Apparently, the shooting was to begin with a very complex sequence for Priyanka on March 11. Priyanka just didn't feel she was prepared for the part. Says a source, "Priyanka just didn't want to play the mentally challenged girl by using the normal tools of self-expression. As Anurag has written the part, the girl Priyanka plays suffers from a very subtle psychological disorder. It took Priyanka some time to understand her character's mental disability. She needed more time to get into character. She asked for the shooting to be postponed." According to sources she still doesn't feel she's ready. But Barfi can't wait any more. After the first day's shooting, Siddharth Roy Kapoor of UTV, who is producing the film exulted, "It was great, super-charged atmosphere. Both Ranbir Kapoor and Priyanka Chopra were really enthusiastic. And Anurag Basu was happy to be back shooting. We all think we're on to something special."
Singham sold for Rs. 12 crores in the Mumbai territory
Rohit Shetty's remake of the Tamil super-hit Singham starring Ajay Devgn in the lead role as a cop has been generating tremendous buzz ever since it was announced. The film, produced by Reliance Entertainment, has now been sold to Raksha Entertainment Pvt. Ltd. for a handsome sum of Rs. 12 crore and that too only in the Mumbai territory. This is certainly a big triumph for Ajay Devgn who seems to be having a dream run since last year with many hits at the Box Office. Singham is currently being shot in Goa and also stars debutant Kajal Aggarwal and Prakash Raj in prominent roles. The film is scheduled to release on July 22.
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