TORONTO TIFF does it again: INDIAN PREMIERES

Still from Ship of Theseus by Anand Ghandi

Next September's Toronto International Film Festival 2012 is again interested in what happens in this side of the cinema world. Voicing its approval of contemporary Indian cinema by adopting Bombay as its Spotlight City for the festival's "City to City" programmes, this year's TIFF showcases ten new films from Bombay. Several of these releases are world premieres while some will be North American premieres. The lineup is:

Gangs of Wasseypur – Part One and Part Two  by Anurag Kashyap
Starring Manoj Bajpayee, Richa Chadda and Reema Sen.

While Part One of Anurag Kashyap’s much awaited gangster saga has premiered in Cannes and New York, Toronto will see Part Two as a North American premiere. Gangs of Wasseypur tells the story of a bloody war between two mafia clans at the time of India's struggle towards independence. Indian audiences are eagerly expecting its release next week while its trailer does the rounds of several TV channels.

Ship of Theseus by Anand Gandhi
Starring Aida El-Kashef, Sohum Shah and Neeraj Kabi

Another debut feature film is delivered by the hands of Anand Gandhi, who has received great applause as a playwright. Gandhi opens a window into the lives of three Mumbaikars: a monk, a blind photographer and a stockbroker with a heightened sense of justice.

Miss Lovely by Ashim Ahluwalia  

Starring Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Niharika Singh and Anil George

Deep, dark, dramatic. Miss Lovely depicts the sex-horror film industry of  Bombay's 1980s. Cinematography, casting and the unusual choice of topic make it an interesting and intriguing option, apart from the fact that it was very well received in Cannes and that it stars an excellent actor such as Nawazzudin Siddiqui (who also stars in Kashyap's Gangs of Wasseypur).

Shanghai by Dibakar Banerjee

Starring Abhay Deol and Kalki Koechlin

Through an adaptation of Vassilis Vassilikos' Z, the director of Love Sex aur Dhokla delivers a paced and exciting political drama.   

Shahid by Hansal Mehta 

Starring Raj Kumar, Prabhleen Sandhu and Baljinder Kaur.
Shahid revisits the life of lawyer Shahid Azmi, who was murdered in 2010 after being involved in the defense of human rights. A fascinating story of a young Muslim boy who became a symbol later in his life.

Mumbai Cha Raja by Manjeet Singh 

Starring Rahul Bairagi, Arbaaz Khan and Tejas Parvatkar.
Young Rahul and Arbaaz live in the streets of Bombay finding ways to make their existence more tolerable while Rahul searches a way to reclaim his dignity by "taking care" of his violent father.

Peddlers by Vasan Bala 

Starring Gulshan Devaiah and Siddharth Mennon.

A directorial debut for Vasan Bala, Peddlers is a pulsating thriller that brings together the lives of three improbable characters in Bombay's underworld. 

Ishaqzaade by Habib Faisal 

Starring Arjun Kapoor and Parineeti Chopra

Action with a quirky edge, the love story between both protagonists has won accolades for delivering a different mainstream film.

. 

The Bright Day by Mohit Takalkar 

Starring Mohan Agashe, Radhika Apte and Shernaz Patel

Following the spiritual journey of a young man across India, images tell a soul's coming of age.

Consult the TIFF City to City programme 2012 for more information.

Read More >>

TOP 10 ROAD TRIP MOVIES OF THIS CENTURY

Guest post by: Arnab Maity

Arnab is at simultaneously a photographer, a seasoned traveler and a software analyst from Bangalore who also delights his readers and photography enthusiasts regularly at his own blog: www.arnabmaity.com His never ending wanderlust has contributed to making him develop a keen taste for road movies. Fly away with him and his list of Top 10 Road Trips of the Century from all over the world, which features a couple of our own Hindi language favorites.

We all love our road trips, don’t we? That orifice to vent out the vapors of our day to day chores, to bring us out into the open, sometimes gifting unusual sights and sometimes making us meet unusual people, who leave a mark throughout our lives.

We all have such road trips in our lives, which had changed many a thing about us and there are many such movies which have inspired us to leave our couches and get onto to the road!

This compilation consists of those movies, which had left us thinking and made us pack our bags, to explore the unexplored and meet the unknown.

1. Motorcycle Diaries(2004)
Country: USA, Language: Spanish

Starring: Gael García Bernal and Rodrigo De la Serna

Summary from imdb

This adaptation of Argentinian-born Cuban revolutionary Ernesto "Che" Guevara's journals,will take you into an adventurous ride through the interiors of South America.The journey which merely started as a break away trip becomes a life changer for Che and the rest is history

2. Qué tan lejos (2006)
Country: Ecuador, Language: Spanish

Starring: Tania Martinez and Cecilia Vallejo

Summary from imdb

Esperanza and Tristeza are co-passengers on a bus that is going from Quito to Cuenca.They have different reasons for their travel but come close to each other during the journey, thanks to a nationwide road strike and some amusing characters they meet on the road.Their journey of self discovery along scenic highlands and coasts of Ecuador tells a poignant tale.

3. The Art of Travel (2008)
Country: USA, Language: English and Spanish  
Starring: Christopher Masterson and Brooke Burns

Summary from imdb

The Art of Travel embraces the true wanderlust spirit, where Conner Layne, a high school grad, runs away from his marriage to a solo adventure into the Central and South American jungles.He meets a group of ragtags there who change his life forever and makes him an author.The movie pays tribute to the human desire of finding the road less traveled and says : "The Art of Travel is that it can never be planned"

4. Into The Wild (2007)
Country: USA, Language: English and Danish

Starring: Emile Hirsch and Marcia Gay Harden

Summary from imdb

Christopher McCandless (Emile Hirsch),a young Virginia man, divorces his friends, family, and possessions in search of a greater spiritual knowledge and communion with nature.His journey to his dream destination, Alaska, takes him through many twists and turns.A kayak trip down dangerous rapids, a gig working in a grain mill, extended stays with a hippie couple and a kindly old widower,makes their own impacts,but he renounces the material world, staying immortal as a symbol of human endurance.


5. Seven Years in Tibet (2006)

Country: USA, Language: English, German, Mandarin, Tibetan, and Hindi

Starring: Brad Pitt and David Thewlis

Summary from imdb

Heinrich Harrer, a famed yet arrogant Austrian mountain climber, leaves behind his pregnant wife for a Himalayan expedition, only to be imprisoned as a prisoner of war by the Allied Forces.He escapes from the prison and sneaks his way into the forbidden city of Lhasa, through the rugged yet breathtaking terrains of Tibet.There he meets the young Dalai Lama, who transforms him from a haughty to a humble man.Not a typical road movie,but an enlightening one!

6. The Beach (2000)

Country: Equador, Language: English, French, Swedish, Thai, Croatian

Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio and Virginie Ledoyen

Summary from imdb

Richard, an American backpacker lands in Thailand and eventually finds a crude map of an island which is paradise on earth: beautiful, unspoiled, and uninhabited.He lands up there after a dangerous journey, only to find a group of travelers having their own secret habitation on the island.They are part of a secret society sans all social evils,living in a world that is seen only in dreams.

7. Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara (2011)
Country: India, Language: Hindi, Japanese, English and Spanish

Starring: Hrithik Roshan, Abhay Deol, Farhan Akhtar and Katrina Kaif

Summary from imdb

Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara is a celebration of life, where three friends set out on a bachelor road trip to Spain.Each of them choose one location and an adventure sport to challenge the other two.It turns out to be an outing of a lifetime as they confront the past, negotiate the present and carve out a new future.Eventually,they emerge strong from the experience, they are prepared to live their lives by the moment, taking pleasure in what they have than bother over what they don't.

8. Road,Movie(2009)
Country: India, Language: Hindi and English

Starring : Abhay Deol and Satish Kaushik

Summary from imdb

The lure of the open road and the hypnotic power of movies, makes this fable about Vishnu,a restless young man,looking to find an escape route from his father's hair oil business.He offers to drive to a distant town, a battered truck, which was a traveling cinema once, fitted with projectors and reels.He meets a young boy, an uncanny mechanic and a gypsy woman who bring in interesting twists to his tale.Cinema plays an important role in their lives, from transforming them to saving them from water-lords and corrupt policemen.

9. Little Miss Sunshine(2006)
Country: USA, Language: English

Starring : Abigail Breslin and Greg Kinnear

Summary from imdb

What happens when you stuff a failed motivation speaker, his wife, the nation's number one Proust scholar, an elderly potty-mouthed heroin addict, a teen who's mute by choice, and a bespectacled little pageant hopeful into a mini VW bus for a three day road trip? You get this hilarious but moving satire about a dysfunctional family obsessed with winning

10. Chalo Dilli (2011)
Country: India, Language: Hindi, English

Starring : Vinay Pathak and Lara Dutta

Summary from imdb

Chalo Dilli is about two mismatched strangers who take a life-altering trip together.

Mihika Banerjee,an uptight investment banker meets an obnoxious country bumpkin and the owner of a cloth shop, Manu Gupta on a midnight cab ride from Jaipur to Delhi.The unfortunate turn of events forces the uptown Mihika to spend the night on a roadside shack, take a camel ride, board a local train without ticket, get imprisoned and then finally attain self realization.

Thanks for going through the list. If after seeing any of these movies, you embark on a road trip which completely changes your life or the way you are, then do let me know.

Do post your suggestions on any other movie; you would like to see in the list and yes, don’t forget to leave a note, if ever a road trip had changed your life in some way!

The Hindi Cinema Blog thanks Arnab Maity for this excellent classification of film recommendations. You may visit his website for more excellent articles on travel throughout India.

Read More >>

ZINDAGI NA MILEGI DOBARA -The Ultimate Road Trip

Zoya Akhtar knocks it out of the park with her second film. This fresh and full-of-life movie has breathed new zindagi into Hindi cinema much like Dil Chahta Hai did back in 2001. This delicious adventure takes place in Spain and was beautifully filmed in additional locations such as Egypt and India.

The film takes us along on an extended road trip- cum bachelor party with three old friends from school. Kabir (Abhay Deol), an all-around great guy who has just become engaged to Natasha (Kalki Koechlin) the daughter of a rich hotelier, Imraan (Farhan Akhtar), a free-spirited guy who is best friends with his inner child and always has a smooth line for the ladies, and Arjun (Hrithik Roshan), a work-a-holic financial trader who values money and success over all else--who had to be convinced to miss work and go on the trip as promised.

The three friends eventually make it to the starting point in Barcelona, Spain and set off on their journey. They know their route on the map, but none know exactly how the trip will change their lives. Mystery awaits at each destination, as they have all agreed to choose one adventure sport and the others have no idea what the other has chosen. The condition of the pact; no one is allowed to back out, no matter what. Fear has no seat on this road trip.

The film is carried by it's brilliant comedic timing and wonderfully delivered dialogue, particularly in the banter between the three friends. The audience, young and old, was in absolute splits. Much of the witty dialogue was given to Farhan's character, and he did not disappoint. As a member of the audience, I truly felt as though I had been invited along for the ride.

But the film is not all one-liners and the playful execution of college-inspired pranks on unsuspecting Spanish citizens; it teaches the importance of letting go of fear, reservations, personal pain, loss, and above all; to learn to live outside of your comfort zone and truly savor each moment. And of course what Hindi film would be complete without a love story or two? Katrina Kaif plays Laila, a fashion student from London who takes time off every year to be a diving instructor. Laila catches both Imraan's and Arjun's eye, but she has eyes for only one and through her free spirited love for life, she shows him how to be truly free.

The lessons learned about life and living for each of the characters are embedded in and around the adventure sports themselves. A cathartic emotional moment came about for Arjun after the scuba diving trip. The guys then learn to let go and truly fly during a skydiving adventure, and then finally make the choice to always live life with no regrets while running for their lives in Pamplona during the Running of the Bulls Festival.

An extra juicy treat comes when they decide to paint the day red during an improptu trip to the La Tomatina festival in Buñol.

The film would not have the had same appeal without the wonderful soundtrack and background score by Shankar Ehsaan Loy and the lyrics/poems beautifully penned by Javed Akhtar. I was reminded once again of the power of a perfectly suited background score when I was brought to the verge of tears during scenes that would have taken a completely different emotional tone had the score been more upbeat. I love how something so seamlessly integrated into a film can evoke such strong emotions.

Life imitated art for Ehsaan Noorani, one of the music composers for the film. After some encouraging conversations in the recording studio between he and Farhan Akhtar regarding the exhilarating experience of skydiving, Ehsaan decided to give it a go on his recent trip to the United States.

You can view the complete video of his ZNMD inspired skydiving adventure here.

ZNMD is a great entertainer and has been showing to packed houses both in India and abroad. It's definitely worth a watch. Who knows, it may not change your life but it will certainly make you laugh, feel good, and walk out of the theatre wondering; "Am I living my life to the fullest?"

Visit the ZNMD official website here.

Visit the ZNMD Facebook page.

Buy the ZNMD soundtrack at Amazon.

ZINDAGI NA MILEGI DOBARA

Director: Zoya Akhtar

Production: Farhan Akhtar, Ritesh Sidhwani, Sunitha Ram

Screenplay: Reema Kagti, Zoya Akhtar

Cast: Katrina Kaif, Farhan Akhtar, Hrithik Roshan, Abhay Deol, Kalki Koechlin

Soundtrack and background score: Shankar Ehsaan Loy

Read More >>

Aisha Songs Download Aisha Songs [MP3] [2010]

Aisha is an upcoming Romantic comedy film. The film has been produced by Anil Kapoor and directed by Rajshree Ojha. Sonam Kapoor and Abhay Deol are the film's leading pair.
I hate Luv Storys success at the box office has made people very excited for this upcoming Sonam Kapoor Starrer. It will be releasing on August 6, 2010.
The lyrics are written by Javed Akhtar and Amit Trivedi has composed the music.

Free Direct MP3 Links, Download Aisha Songs,
Right Click and choose 'Save Target As'. Enjoy!

1. Suno Aisha - Amit Trivedi, Addit, Nakash Aziz & Ash King
2. Gal Mitthi Mitthi - Tochi Raina
3. Sham - Nikhil D'Souza, Amit Trivedi & Neuman Pinto
4. Behke Behke - Anushka Manchanda, Samrat Kaushal, Raman Mahadevan, Rap by Robert Omulo & Suman Sridhar
5. Lehrein - Anusha Mani, Neuman Pinto & Nikhil D'souza
6. By The Way - Anushka Manchanda & Neuman Pinto
7. Gal Mitthi Mitthi [Dhol Mix] - DJ Lloyd, Discreet
8. Lehrein [Lounge Mix] - DJ Lloyd, Discreet
   

Read More >>

ROAD, MOVIE: The Power of Cinema

Are you keen to watch an ode to the magic of cinema? ‘Road, Movie’ is the subtle answer. Dev Benegal, known for ‘English August’, pays tribute through this new film to the father of modern home cinema: yes sir, the good ol’ moving cinema, capable of taking fantasy, drama and laughter to India’s most remote corners.

Vishnu (Abhay Deol) sees the opportunity to drive an uncle’s old truck across the desert, in quest of anything that takes him far away, towards a life of adventure. During the course of his journey, he constantly strives to find water, both to quench his thirst and in seeking a seaside town as his destination. His travels are punctuated by encounters with those who will become his companions along the way: a child (Mohammed Faisal); a mechanic (Satish Kaushik) and a mysterious gypsy woman (Tannistha Chatterjee). As they travel, they discover that the truck actually carries an eclectic collection of film reels and two old film projectors. Alike Shehrazade in ‘1001 Nights’, their ticket to safety and freedom throughout their trip is to screen the best films they carry to rural audiences in the middle of the Kutch desert or the landscapes of Rajasthan.

The film is Benegal's tribute to great movies that stand the test of time by featuring snippets of Amitabh Bachchan or Dev Anand classics, as well as Guru Dutt’s outstanding ‘Pyaasa’ (and its lively song ‘Sar jo tera chakraye’) or a delightfully funny Charlie Chaplin starrer.

Despite a lukewarm response from the Indian box office, the film is clearly set to be an art house hit and has been appreciated by audiences attending film festivals in Berlin and Toronto. The rhythm and treatment of the film are indeed quite different from run-of-the-mill mass entertainers and therefore audiences should not expect a typically commercial plot. If you are nevertheless looking for a very slow paced and quiet road-trip fairy tale with good performances, a discrete but suitable background score (no item numbers here) and an occasional spoof thrown in here and there, you should certainly give ‘Road, Movie’ a watch.

Director / Writer: Dev Benegal
Release Date:5 March 2010
Length: 95 minutes

Cast:
Abhay Deol
Mohammed Faisal
Satish Kaushik 
Tannishtha Chatterjee

Read More >>

Dev D Songs Download [MP3] [2009]

Arman requested a song yesterday, and here it is the whole album:p. Hope he finds a way to it. Here are the songs which are way different than what we normally encounter in bollywood. Dev D is the modern day DevDas, at least that's what the reviewers claim. I have not seen it, so can't confirm it?? Its starring Abhay Deol as Dev, Mahie Gill as Paro and Kalki Koechlin as Chandramukhi and is directed by Anurag Kashyap. It was released back in February 2009 and is having a very good rating 0f 8.5 on IMDB. Think gonna check it out, myself:)
The tunes are composed by Amit Trivedi, who has almost included everything that he could think of, Let it be rock, bhangra, fusion and classical. I like some of them I hope you like them too!

Free direct MP3 Links! To download songs of Dev D,
Right Click a song and choose 'Save Target As'. Enjoy!

1. Aankh Micholi - Amit Trivedi
2. Dev Chanda - Themes 1
3. Dev Chanda - Themes 2
4. Dhol Yaara Dhol - Shilpa Rao, Kshitij
5. Dil Mein Jaagi - Mani
6. Duniya - Amit Trivedi
7. Ek Hulchul Si - Joi Barua
8. Emosanal Attyachaar - Brass Band Version - Rangeela, Rasila
9. Emosanal Attyachaar - Rock Version - Bony Chakravarthy
10. Hikknaal - Labh Jajua
11. Mahi Mennu - Sad Version - Labh Jajua
12. Mahi Mennu - Labh Jajua
13. Nayan Tarse - Amit Trivedi
14. Paayaliya - Shruti Pathak
15. Pardesi - Tochi
16. Ranjhana - Shilpa Rao, Kshitij
17. Saali Khushi - Amit Trivedi
18. Yahi Meri Zindagi - Aditi Singh Sharma

Read More >>