V. Shataram awards presented
V. Shantaram awards presentation ceremony was held at the Rajkamal studios Mumbai on Saturday , when several awards for excellence in Marathi films were presented. This year, Veteran Make up man Pandharidada Juker, who has completed 60 years in the film industry was presented with the Lifetime achievement award. Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Juker recalled his old memories stating that he was fortunate to begin his career doing make up for none other than Chitrapat Maharshi V. Shantaram.
Three films mainly ‘Jhing Chik Jhing’ , ‘Natarang’ and ‘Sukhant’ shared maximum awards in different categories. While Madhavi Juvekar bagged the best actress award for her performance in ‘Jhing Chik Jhing’, it was Atul Kulkarni, who walked away with best actor award for his memorable performance in ‘Natarng’. The two child artistes Aarti More and Chinmay Kambli received best child artiste and special appreciation awards respectively, for their performances in ‘Jhing Chik Jhing’.
While all the three awards for story , screenplay and direction went to Jhing Chick Jhing’s Nitin Nandan, those for best lyricist and music went to Guru Thakur and Ajay Atul respectively for the film ‘Natarang’. Kavita Lad Medhekar and Nagesh Bhosale were adjudged best supporting actress and actor for their performances in the films ‘Sukhant’ and ‘Goshta Chhoti Dongraevadhi’ respectively. The best film award went to ‘Sukhant’. The other awards in production, such as Photography, Sound recording, editing, art, play back singing, choreography were shared by films like Natarang, Vihir, and Canvas.
Popular actor Prasad Oak hosted the show, while some dance and skits were presented by popular artistes from Marathi film industry. Manasi Naik rocked with her western style dance on the beats of ‘Natarang’.
Saii Ranade Sane steps in ‘Tujha ni Majh Ghar Shrimantacha’
We just can’t miss Saii Ranade Sane for a long time on small screen. Ever since the talented marathi actress made her appearance on small screen, she has grabbed the attention of viewers with her performance and looks. Recently, Saii played the lead in E-tv’s ‘Kasturi’and was doing very well, but the serial stopped its telecast mid way, without specifying any reasons. This must have caused a great disappointment to an actress of her caliber.
But, as someone has rightly said, “Our opportunities to do good are our talents.”. Saii has made a quick comeback through an ongoing serial ‘Tujhe Ni Majha Ghat Shrimantacha’ .She is playing the girl friend of youngest grandson of Ramesh Deo’s family. Let us wait and see, whether her entry proves lucky to increase the popularity of the serial.
‘Mission Possible’ Rocks with new style Music
The rocking & trendy music of ‘Mission Possible‘, a Marathi film is set to revolutionize Marathi Cinema. distributed by Percept Picture Company, the film’s music was launched in a star studded grand event recently at Grand Imperial Andheri Mumbai. Among the guest were Saie Tamhankar, Pushkar Jog, Manisha Kelkar, Swapnil Bandodkar, Resham Tipnis, Sanjay Jadhav, Chitrashi Rawat, Kranti Redkar, Kadambari Kadam, Umesh Jadhav, Aditya Sarpoddar, Ganesh Yadav & Nanubhai. The event began with dance performance by Pushkar Jog on the music of the title song.
Salim-Suleiman launched the music of this marathi Film. Composed by young talents Sai & Piyush duo, the music is fresh with new sounds, rocking music & youthful songs, which is sure to be a hit with the masses.
Besides the film the Music also has many firsts to its credits. For the first time the film has a song entirely in English. The composers have used new sounds which have never before been used in Marathi films. “Marathi films traditionally have good music. Our aim was to introduce fresh music with universal appeal, music that not only catches-on with Marathi youths but also be liked by people, regardless of the language or culture they belong to.” Said Piyush. “The Film has music that would be liked by everybody. From the title song which is a rock genre & sure to encourage you to wear your dancing shoes, to soul stirring ‘Swapna Sha’….the film has an all encompassing music”. added Sai.
Directed by Pushkar Jog, ‘Mission Possible’ a big budget, film, treads a new path in Marathi Cinema by offering a complete entertainer with action, emotions, style, trendy music, dance, romance & glamour all rolled into one, backed by a intriguing murder mystery. Something that’s not commonly seen in Marathi Cinema. The film attempts to enthuse the youth to watch Marathi Cinema by slick production values, modern sets, exotic locales & dose of glamour. ‘Swapna Sha…’ sung by Swapnil Bandodkar is the first Marathi song to be shot in scenic Ladakh.
‘Tata Birla ani Laila’ releasing this friday
‘Tata Birla ani Laila’ is the title of a forthcoming Marathi comedy film directed by Raju Parsekar. Based on enmity between Landge and Kolhe- the two rivals in business . The film however talks more about safety of Lakshmi-daughter of Kolhe, who is saved by three persons posted in her house with the names of Tata, Birla and Laila. The film is due for release on 9th July 2010.
‘Tata Birla ani Laila’ stars Bharat Jadhav, Ashok Saraf, Sheetal Jadhav, Mohan Joshi, Ravindra Berde, Vijay Chauhan, Vijay Gokhle, Usha Naik, Arun Kadam, Dr. Vilas Ujawane, Sanjay Khapre and others. Music by Nitin Hivrekar and camera by abdul wahab are other credits.
‘Mission Possible’ Rocks with new style Music
The rocking & trendy music of ‘Mission Possible’, a Marathi film is set to revolutionise Marathi Cinema. distributed by Percept Picture Company, the film’s music was launched in a star studded grand event recently at Grand Imperial Andheri Mumbai. Among the guest were Saie Tamhankar, Pushkar Jog, Manisha Kelkar, Swapnil Bandodkar, Resham Tipnis, Sanjay Jadhav, Chitrashi Rawat, Kranti Redkar, Kadambari Kadam, Umesh Jadhav, Aditya Sarpoddar, Ganesh Yadav & Nanubhai. The event began with dance performance by Pushkar Jog on the music of the title song.
Salim-Suleiman launched the music of this Marathi Film. Composed by young talents Sai & Piyush duo, the music is fresh with new sounds, rocking music & youthful songs, which is sure to be a hit with the masses.
Besides the film the Music also has many firsts to its credits. For the first time the film has a song entirely in English. The composers have used new sounds which have never before been used in Marathi films. “Marathi films traditionally have good music. Our aim was to introduce fresh music with universal appeal, music that not only catches-on with Marathi youths but also be liked by people, regardless of the language or culture they belong to.” Said Piyush.
“The Film has music that would be liked by everybody. From the title song which is a rock genre & sure to encourage you to wear your dancing shoes, to soul stirring ‘Swapna Sha’….the film has an all encompassing music”. added Sai.
Directed by Pushkar Jog, “Mission Possible” a big budget, film, treads a new path in Marathi Cinema by offering a complete entertainer with action, emotions, style, trendy music, dance, romance & glamour all rolled into one, backed by a intriguing murder mystery. Something that’s not commonly seen in Marathi Cinema. The film attempts to enthuse the youth to watch Marathi Cinema by slick production values, modern sets, exotic locales & dose of glamour. “Swapna Sha…” sung by Swapnil Bandodkar is the first Marathi song to be shot in scenic Ladakh.
Veteran editor Vishwas Dabholkar passes away !
Veteran editor Vishwas Dabholkar who edited several films of Dada Kondke, Mahesh Kothare, Smita Talwalkar, Sanjay Surkar, Dr.Jabbar Patel (along with his partner Anil Kawale), passed away in the wee hours of morning in Mumbai on Wednesday.
He began his career by assisting the senior editor N. S.Vaidya. Some of the prominent films that he edited include ‘Sawat Mazhi Ladki’, ‘Mazha Chakula’, ‘Jivlaga’, ‘Ek Hota Vidhushak’ etc. He was also the chief of Akhil Bhartiya Chitrapat Mahamandal for a brief period. He was honored with the Maharashtra Government’s State awards for his work in films like ‘Kalat Nakalat’, ‘Thartharat’, ‘Raosaheb’ etc. May his soul rest in peace!
Percept Pictures to release ‘Mission Possible’
Marathi Cinema has a good news! Percept Pictures, India’s premiere and the only fully integrated entertainment company, has taken on the distribution rights of forthcoming Marathi film ‘Mission Possible’ .
Directed by Pushkar Jog, ‘Mission Possible’ is obviously a big budget film by Marathi movie standards today. The film walks a new path by offering a complete entertainer with action, emotions, style, voguish music, dance & romance all rolled into one, backed by an intriguing murder mystery. Something that’s not commonly seen in Marathi Cinema. The film attempts to enthuse the youth to watch Marathi Cinema with slick production values, modern sets, exotic locations with a touch of glamour. The highlight of the film is a song “Swapna Sha……” sung by Swapnil Bandodkar, which is the first Marathi song shot in scenic Ladakh.
Percept Pictures has been a leader in acquiring & distributing films with fresh & distinctive content. Known for identifying the right film for the right audience with focus on multiplexes, their previous releases Page 3, Malamaal Weekly etc. speak about their success . The company also carried out the release of ‘Khuda Ke Liye’, a historic event, being the first Pakistani film to be released in India over last four decades. Animated & Children films catering exclusively to the kids like ‘Hanuman’, ‘My friend Ganesha’, ‘Makdee’ etc. have been their offerings for children. They are the one to bring fascinating Hollywood blockbusters such as Hancock, The Mummy, Spider Man 3 etc. to the Indian audience
“Mission Possible” being a trend setter, would be promoted on a large scale. The star cast of the Film will be visiting various cities across the state such as Pune, Nagpur, Mumbai, Aurangabad, Sangli etc; 15 to 20 days prior release. So, look out for the stars of this film in your city.
The reason for Percept Pictures to present “Mission Possible” is simple. This is what the company feels, “It is very different from the kind of Marathi films that we see nowadays. Moreover, the film has a fresh & youthful treatment. We are confident that this film would not only be well appreciated by the masses but also be a trend setter taking the Marathi Film Industry altogether to a new high.” Percept Pictures plans to market and distribute this film as the biggest Marathi language film till date. “The release of this film will simultaneously cover all the belts of Maharashtra, Goa and Marathwada in Nizam circuit. The marketing reach will be across all mediums starting with TV, Radio, Outdoor (Hoardings, OOH screens, Bus shelters and Bus panels – all across Maharashtra), Internet and Press,” says Yusuf Shaikh, Head of Acquistion & Distribution, and Percept Pictures.
Apart from directing & acting in the film, story & lyrics of the film have been penned by the multi talented Pushkar himself, who is also singing his own songs in the Film.
The strong storyline is supported by excellent performances by the entire cast comprising of talented Manisha Kelkar & Saii Tamhankar, who play the lead heroines supported by noted actors like Sharad Phonkse, Niranjan Namjoshi, Astaad Kale, Shantanu Moghe, debutant Amit Kalyankar & Mohan Joshi with Ganesh Yadav in a guest appearance. The Music is directed by the Saii- Piyush duo & the cinematographer(DOP) is Sanjay Khanzode.
Marathi Film Personalities Felicitated !
The Dadasaheb Phalke Marathi Chitrapat awards were held in a glittering function at the Ravindra Natya Mandir recently. Many artistes like Ramesh Dev-Seema Dev, Ravindra Mahajani, Vijay Chavan, Ashok Shinde, Swapnil Joshi (in absentia) ,Makarand Anaspure, Mahesh Kothare, Arun Nalavde, Technicians like cinematographer Mangesh Sawant, lightmen/art directors Sharad Pol, M. R. Achrekar, choreographers Subal Sarkar, Narendra Pandit,and music director Avdhoot Gupte were presented with bouquets and citations at the hands of WICA chief cinematographer Ashok Mehta.
Congress leader Dhondiraj Waghmare and state education minister Varsha Gaikwad, Journalists Dilip Thakur (Saamana), Sanjay Ghavre (Lokmat), Vaishnavi Kanvinde (Maharashtra Times), PR persons Sanjay Bane, Ganesh Gargote, still- photographer Mohan Loke were felicitated at the hands of eminent actor Ramesh Bhatkar.
Makers of films with commercial values like ‘Rita’, ‘Hello Gandhe Sir’, social values like ‘Umang’, ‘Pratisaad’, ‘Janm’ and those films with rural backdrop like ‘Gosht Dongraevdhi’, ‘Urus’ were also felicitated along with films like ‘Ajoba Vayat Aale’, ‘Kamapurta Vima’, ‘Baap Manus’, and ‘Konti Bayko Karu’ which received a special mention.
The function gained momentum with song and dance performances by Madhavi Nimkar-Abhijeet Kelkar, Rutuja Deshmukh, Madhura Velankar and Umesh Kamath. Mimicry skits brought the house down with Ashish Pawar, Pradeep Patwardhan, Vijay Kadam and Madhavi Juvekar giving their best. Students from Heramb School sang popular songs.
The show was anchored by Dr.Ganesh Divekar and Prachi Pandit. Present on the occasion were Phalke’s third generation descendants Chandrakant Pusalkar and his wife, who too were felicitated and they made an announcement that in future an award will be given to a female director in the name of Phalke’s wife Savitrabai Phule.
Also present on the occasion were Devendra More of Marathi Trade Guide who sponsored the awards and Maharashtra Congress Committee Secretary Shakeel Ansari.
Grand Music Release of ‘Haapus’
‘Haapus’ which is due for release on 25th June 2010, had its music release in a grand way on Wednesday in Pune. On this occasion, Producer Sanjay Chhabria, actress Madhura Velankar, Music director Dr.Salil Kulkarni and lyricist Sandeep Khare were present.
While speaking on the occasion, Salil Kulkarni said, “There are three songs in the film, which are so relevant to the script. I am sure each one of them will quickly tie up with the audience.” With the music of ‘Haapus’ now reaching every home through Radio and TV medium, Producer Sanjay Chhabria, expressed satisfaction over the popularity of film’s music.
Lyricist Sandeep Khare, describing each song, said, “While ‘Ambaa Pikato…’ unfolds the struggle a family had to go through; ‘Asa asava …’ is a light hearted romantic song. The title track of ‘Haapus’ which rocks, has already created waves.”
High Court orders Screening of Marathi films mandatory in Mumbai
Gone are the days, when Marathi films were released in only two or three single screen theatres in Mumbai. In the recent past, some of the Marathi films even saw the multiplexes opening their doors, looking at the overwhelming response they witnessed. But, the majority of the single screen theatres were reluctant to release Marathi films. Indeed, Marathi films have been doing a good business posing as a big competition for the Bollywood, especially in Mumbai. No wonder, some of the Bollywood film distributors started blocking all the theatres in Mumbai , preventing the release of Marathi films and the theatre owners only encouraged such unethical practice. This was a deliberate move to only kill the popularity of Marathi films.
Such a step motherly treatment to regional cinema received a strong opposition from Bangalore, when the South Indian Film Federation warned the theatre owners against blocking all the theatres with a new Bollywood release during the first week. It had only prevented the regional cinema to find theatres for release.And, their protest and warning did help to curb such an unprincipled practice. In a place like Mumbai, the theatre owners were only taking advantage of the neglect by Maharashtra Government and the tolerance of Marathi film makers towards this issue. There is already a government resolution of 1968, making it mandatory for theatre owners to screen a minimum of 112 shows per year. But, the theatre owners only disobeyed it and had moved to court recently challenging this resolution.
However, the latest verdict of the Bombay High Court has come timely giving a great relief to the Marathi film industry. As per this ruling, all single screen theatres across greater Mumbai will have to screen at least 44 shows of Marathi films every year. This will have to be implemented in such a way that at least for four week in a year they will have to screen 11 shows of Marathi films per week, that too between 12 noon and 9 pm. Isn’t that a great victory for Marathi film makers ? MMW takes this opportunity to congratulate the entire Marathi film industry on this happy occasion; but at the same time expect quality films, so as to keep the audience with them.
There were arguments and counter arguments before the division bench of Justice gave their ruling. Some of the arguments in favour of theatre owners also went to the extent of saying that Marathi people were more keen on watching Hindi films. But, the sensible division bench passed the most welcome verdict which goes in favour of Marathi film industry. Nobody should take Marathi people for granted. They are admirers of good cinema. If there are bad Bollywood films, they always turn their back to them; but if there are good quality films no matter whether in Marathi or Hindi, they never miss them. Marathi film makers should take note of this audience psychology and offer something new and different to attract good crowd. And who says, Marathi films are only watched by Marathi people ? In the recent past, Marathi films, released in multiplexes witnessed 50% of non marathi audience. Further, prints of Marathi films released with English sub titles, have received multiple audience even at international level.