News

From Vishal Bhardwaj’s Shakespearean trilogy Maqbool (based on Hamlet), Omkara (Othello) and Haider (Hamlet), Maqbool is the rawest, most honest and untarnished adaptation.

Maqbool transports us to a threshold of pain and redemption hitherto unknown to Hindi cinema. Because this is Shakespeare’s Macbeth trans-located to Mumbai’s underworld, and because Bhardwaj has selected a dream cast to portray his nightmarish world of crime and retribution, Maqbool takes its emotional content beyond any other film from the genre.

The writing on the wall is so clear, coherent, and redemptive that even Shakespeare would smile indulgently at the artistic liberties Bhardwaj has taken with the original text. Maqbool opens a whole new universe of passion- play, unexplored in the original text. Bhardwaj reveals the politics of lust and passion with a sure-handedness seldom witnessed in Hindi cinema.

Hence, the King from Shakespeare becomes a doddering, paunchy underworld kingpin, Abbaji (Pankaj Kapoor...

Around the turn of the century, modern reimaginings of Shakespeare had reached a fever pitch. Audiences were rediscovering the Bard's work through a string of stylish Hollywood films ranging from Baz Luhrmann's bombastic “Romeo + Juliet” to Michael Almereyda's gen-x-courting “Hamlet” to fun teen comedies like “10 Things I Hate About You.” It wasn't long before the trend reached the Indian film industry, which had previously produced only a small selection of Shakespeare adaptations. The charge was led by Vishal Bhardwaj, who received widespread acclaim for 2003's “Maqbool,” his violent take on “Macbeth” featuring Irrfan Khan in the lead role. Transposing the Scottish Play's power struggles to 21st-century Mumbai, Bhardwaj takes a haunting approach to the material, leaning into the bloodshed while playing with the supernatural moodiness and psychological torment of its protagonist. Bhardwaj would continue his Shakespeare trilogy with “Omkara” (“Othello”) in 2006 and “Haider” (“Hamlet”) in 2014, both...

Starring: Vinay Jain, Satish Kaushik, Tanvi Azmi, & hordes of other talent

Directed by Feroz Abbas Khan

Routinely, we love to sweep the truth about Hindu-Muslim relations under the carpet. Or simply sugar-coat it to make the actual volume of mutual distrust and animosity palatable to a nation steeped in escapism and self-delusion.

Dekh Tamasha Dekh(Dtd) directed by theatre legend Feroz Abbas Khan (of Tumhari Amrita fame) is a jolting wake-up call for a nation swept into a slumberous silence by the status quo. Put simply, we don’t want to face the reality about the friction that simmers just under the surface among the two communities. Dtd is perhaps the first Hindi film which ventures into the vista of vitriolic without the fear of offending the more refined sections of the audience who may not be comfortable watching the vanguards and trouble-makers of the two communities addressing each other with the harshest of epithets.

Feroz Abbas Khan's Dekh Tamasha Dekh is all set to open the prestigious New York Indian Film Festival on 30th April, at New York University's celebrated Skirball Centre. Mira Nair's Namesake and Deepa Mehta's Water are amongst the previous opening night films.

Commenting on the same, Feroz Abbas Khan, whose first film Gandhi My Father received several National and International Awards and opened to rave reviews, says, "Dekh Tamasha Dekh, is a social and political satire that deals with an Impossible India, where bizarre is normal."

Celebrated playwright Shafaat Khan is the writer and Hemant Chaturvedi is the cinematographer of the film.

It is an Eros International and Bombay Local Pictures Production.

From Walt Disney Pictures and Utv Motion Pictures comes the animated adventure Arjun – The Warrior Prince based on the greatest Indian Epic, the Mahabharat. The 96-minute subtitled feature film opens on Friday, May 25, in several top U.S. markets including NY, La, Sf, Chicago, Dallas, and Houston. The epic animated feature is the heroic journey of a young prince from the days of his youthful innocence to his emergence as a valiant hero who single handedly took on an entire army in the battle for justice and peace. The film has garnered great early reviews and some raves as well!

Voice Cast List

Yudhveer Bakoliya as Arjun

Ashok Banthia as Bhim

Ravi Khanwilkar as Drona

Vijay Kashyap as Shakuni

Ila Arun as Kunti

Sachin Khedekar as Krishna

Rajeshwari Sachdev as Draupadi

Release Date: May 25

Director: Arnab Chaudhuri

Cast Voices: Yudhveer Bakoliya, Ashok Banthia, Ravi Khanwilkar, Vijay Kashyap, Ila Arun, Sachin Khedekar,...

Romeo-Juliet. Laila-Majnu. Heer-Ranjha. Classic eternal love stories set in different cultures but with one thing in common – the strong will to unite and remain together against all odds. Habib Faisal brings us this old wine in a desi bottle as Ishaqzaade.

Like the Capulets and the Montagues, the small quaint city of Almore in North India is a witness to the enmity of the Chauhans and the Qureshis – strong political families who are contesting against each other. Joining the fray are Parmar Chauhan (Arjun Kapoor) and Zoya Qureshi (Parineeti Chopra) with hardcore hatred for the other. He, to please his grandfather. She, to please her dad. Like many love stories, this one starts with constant tiffs and face offs, but slowly the young couple fall for each other. Of course, the real test for their love starts here as both the families are hell-bent on destroying the love birds.

Having...

Yash Raj Films' next project titled Ishaqzaade, written and directed by Habib Faisal and produced by Aditya Chopra, will now see the launch of Arjun Kapoor along with Parineeti Chopra, in lead roles.Shooting has started began recently and the movie is scheduled for a May 2012 release.The movie's Dop is Hemant Chaturvedi, whereas the music is by Amit Trivedi and lyrics are by Kausar Munir.Mukund Gupta, who won the award for best Production Designer for Do Dooni Chaar, is doing the production design. Aarti Bajaj will be editing the ...

Rising from the ashes of hooliganism and small town clan wars, comes the love story of a passion ignited by hatred.Two people. Born to hate. Destined to love.Yash Raj Films next project, "Ishaqzaade", written and directed by Habib Faisal and produced by Aditya Chopra, will now see the launch of Arjun Kapoor along with Parineeti Chopra, in lead roles. Shooting has started from today and the movie is scheduled for a May 2012 release.Follow the story of the ishaqzaade.s as their turbulent journey unfolds in the often unrealistic and daunting political confines of rural India.<span style="text-decoration: underline;">The Team</span><span style="font-weight: bold;">Habib Faisal</span>, the award winning director of Do Dooni Chaar and an award winning writer (Band Baaja Baaraat), has also put together a team of immensely talented people, all with tremendous critical acclaim:<span style="font-weight: bold;">Hemant Chaturvedi</span> (Company - 2002, Maqbool - 2004 & Kurbaan - 2009) is the Dop.<span style="font-weight: bold;">Amit Trivedi</span> (National & Filmfare Award for...