Kochi Film-Entertainment-Media Industry

[Malayaali]

Janani Iyer ventures into Mollywood!

Seems like the Avan Ivan fame girl, Janani Iyer is now all set to share her screen space with Biju Menon and Prathap Poyhan in her Mollywood debut film, Three Dots for which she is currently shooting at Cochin with her team.

When about this, Janani said that she has been offered with many offers in the Malayalam film industry which she has been hesitating to accept awaiting a perfect script that would etch her name in the industry there with her debut. And now that she has got that, she finally grabbed her cup of tea and is now proceeding with it. With Mollywood being an entirely new one to her, she is on the process of getting the language well too. The crew will probably be shooting the film until this month.

Regardless of her rare occurrence in Kollywood, we soon expect her to see her go on screen in the near future for she is likely to sign up a project in any dates of February.

[Malayaali]

Roma checks into 'Hotel California'

For actresses Meghana Raj and Dhwani, the Anoop Menon-Jayasurya starrer Beautiful and Trivandrum Lodge were a turning point in their respective careers in the Malayalam film industry. They were seen in never-seenbefore avatars in these films, and were flooded with more interesting offers down south eversince. Precisely due to these reasons, actress Roma's joining the duo's camp — this time, for Hotel California — is creating a lot of buzz in the industry.

"Yes, I play one of the three female leads in the film and I'm really excited. Although it is too early to discuss about my character, for all I can tell you at the moment, it will be entirely different from what I have done so far. Anoop wanted me to be a part of his 2011 film, Cocktail. However, due to date issues, I had to give the project a miss. And what a loss it was — to not be part of a film that scripted such success in the Malayalam film industry!" says the actress, adding, "Though I was part of yet another project, Traffic, which saw Anoop in the lead, I still regret not doing Cocktail. Now that Hotel California has been offered to me, I hope to make up for the loss."

The actress is also happy to share screenspace with her friend and actress Maria (of Notebook fame) in the film after a long gap. "Hotel California is, in fact, Maria's comeback movie after Notebook. We shared a great bond while doing the film six years back and we have kept in touch all these years," she says. Roma, who is currently in Chennai, will join the shoot of Hotel California in Kochi soon.

[mohammedirshad06]

Better sense to prevail for KIFF-2

Chief Minister Oommen Chandy is expected to announce the dates of the Kochi International Film Festival scheduled for October next year at the valedictory function of the current KIFF on Sunday.

The final three days of KIFF will not see any screening of films in four theatres in the city to avoid a clash with the Christmas release of Malayalam movies and the festival films will be screened only at the children’s park theatre.

Despite showing a number of good films, the KIFF did not turn out to be a big success this year and failed to attract a sizeable crowd from outside the district and state.

The various hiccups encountered in organising the first KIFF at short notice also contributed to the poor showing. But the organisers did manage to hold four days of intellectual interactions through Open Forums with the Makhmalbaf family , Thai and German directors and the Israeli stalwart, Dan Wolman.

“Next year we will ensure the involvement of more personalities from the film ind*ustry who will lead the festival from the front. Oct*ober will be more suitable for the fest,” said Dis*trict Col*lector, P.I. Sheikh Par*eeth.

The organisers feel that if the KIFF is positioned ahead of the International Film Festival of India at Goa and the International Film Festival of Kerala, more film enthusiasts from other districts and states could make their way to Kochi and make it an even bigger success.

[mohammedirshad06]

As we all discussed, the debut was a flop.... Ofcourse it still hold a brand name, so that we can leverage from next year...

Its a good decision, that next year, they consider in Oct.... Lot of cluttering of events has happened in Dec 2012 and normally DEC always is an eventfull month.

Its better to see such good ventures in more lean periods, so as it gets better media attention and marketing....

Perhaps by 2013, PVR Lulu or Cinepolis Centersquare will be open.... They can plan to take one single venue for all the screenings, so as it helps people.... If the season is lean, even such multiplex ventures will also support the deal....

I feel, perhaps in long run, Kavitha can be redeveloped into a Performing arts center, as its prospects of cinema theater next to a 11 screen facility is always threathen.... May be, its really ideal to see Kavitha becoming a hub of cultural events and special screenings of movies etc, while Cinepolis hoisting KIFF in future.....

[psanthosh]

Organizational issues mar Kochi film fest

KOCHI: The first edition of Kochi International Film Festival (KIFF), which ends on Sunday, evoked mixed feelings of celebration and concern. On the brighter side, the event has added Kochi to the list of global film festival venues. The presence of the acclaimed Iranian director Mohsen Makhmalbaf and his family members as well as the Israeli filmmaker Dan Wolman ensured some international attention for the festival. But many film buffs in the city and other parts of the state felt that the festival can scale greater heights if it addresses a host of organisational issues.

Festival organizers had initially promised a seven-day event that would screen 150 films in six theatres. But the festival was confined to four theatres and screening could be held only for four-days and only 64 films were screened. Twelve films, which had arrived in digibeta (digital betacam) format, could not be screened due to lack of facilities. Government agencies blamed festival director Raveendhar for the problem. But he replied that the films could have been screened if digibeta players were taken on rent at Rs 8,000 a day.

There are also criticisms that the festival had failed in the fundamental objective of showcasing many films released in 2012 and 2011. There were also complaints of poor quality projection of the DVDs. The unavailability of a festival booklet frustrated film buffs as they were unable to know the details on the films being screened.

However the open forums arranged as part of the festivals were refreshing for the participation and the mature level of discussions.

According to Raveendhar the festival would have cost the state exchequer Rs 50 lakhs, and out of this nearly Rs 16 lakh was spent on travel expenditures and another Rs 16 lakh to arrange films. He said about 1,500 delegate passes were issued and the theatres had an occupancy level of 60% to 70%. However, theatre owners said the average occupancy was less than 50%.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/c...w/17726399.cms

[Malayaali]

Mamta Mohandas' movie marathon

What better way to unwind by watching movies back-to-back! And actress Mamta Mohandas is one person who'd vouch for it. Soon after she packed up the shoot of Kamal's Celluloid in Mysore, Mamta drove all the way to Bangalore and decided to unwind by watching three films, one after the other, all on the same day.

Mamta tells us, "I started with Life of Pi for the 11.15 am show, then watched Twilight Breaking Dawn 2 and finally wound up with My Boss, my own film! Yes, it was indeed a movie marathon!"

The actress is now shooting for Ladies and Gentleman, alongside Mohanlal, in Kochi.

[sree_ec]

Lots of movies are shot in Kochi or mentions Kochi nowadays.

[KMC]

There are many films with urban theme...may b thats the reason...
Point to worry is cost of shooting in kochi...this will drive producers to look at other cities.

[Malayaali]

Kokers may host 2nd KIFF edition

Kochi: If Kochi mayor Tony Chammany has his way, the Kokers theatre in Fort Kochi will screen movies during the second edition of the Kochi International Film Festival (KIFF) scheduled for October-November 2013.
The lease period of the theatre,which was given to a private individual,came to an end and the corporation would take over its operations.

Chammany said the local body plans to renovate the theatre with the support of the Kerala State Film Development Corporation (KSFDC) to make it a permanent venue of the fest. The theatre would be run by the state government.

The corporation is planning to convert the theatre into a multiplex. It was feared that the lease renewal dispute over 52 cents of land housing the theatre might lead to the death of Keralas first 70mm single screen cinema.
Kokers was managed by Siyad Koker, the former president of Kerala Film Producers Association.

The theatre was initially leased for 30 years and the lease period ended in 1995. The corporation then renewed the lease till 2008. The local body had alleged that the owners failed to maintain the building.

The mayor was addressing mediapersons at the concluding ceremony of the first international film festival held in Kochi. The curtains came down with the screening of Iranian director Samira Makhmalbaf s movie How Samira made the Blackboard.

District collector P I Sheik Pareeth admitted that there were certain flaws in organizing the first film fest. Though it had been decided to screen 60 films, the organizers were able to screen only 49 movies. The list included 45 movies in the world cinema section, 11 Malayalam movies, one each from Tamil, Telugu and Marathi. There were also 15 documentaries.

The next edition will have a specific theme and better organization. It will be planned in such a way that people associated with movies are given prominence, he said. Meanwhile, in a statement issued on Saturday by the district administration, it was stated that though there were plans to screen 80 movies,only 60 films were shown.

[Malayaali]

The good, the bad and the ugly at the fete

In spite of negative aspects aplenty, the Kochi International Film Festival which concluded on Sunday, will be remembered for the good number of good films screened .

Apart from this, the Open Forum which drew a large number of participants on all days and the presence of the legendary filmmaker Makhmalbaf and family, who live and make films in exile, were the other significant factors which made the KIFF a successful one.

Selection of films

Compared to the Thiruvananthapuram International Film Festival (TIFF), which has grown into one of the best festivals in Asia, the number of good films screened at KIFF was larger. There was only one film at KIFF (‘Home’ a Thai film) which the spectators rated as bad.

The selection of films was really impressive. The organisers could procure plenty of new films which had won laurels at the recently held IIFK and TIFF, though the screening timings of some of the best films clashed.

The Open Forum was the other outstanding feature of KIFF. But its credit definitely goes to the participants who assembled in large numbers, much beyond the expectations of the organisers.

One of the comments heard at the venue was, “There are more participants in Open Forum than the spectators inside”.

Unsuitable timing

The timing of the KIFF was just not right. It followed the IFFF held at Goa from November 20 to 30 and TIFF held at the State capital from December 7 to 14.

Most of the film fans who attended these two festivals could not attend KIFF which kicked off from December 16, the majority of them being working people.

The delegates who bought the pass paying Rs.300 criticised the organisers for not providing either the film book or the schedule in advance.

“How can we select the films to watch without a film book” said a famous radio jockey who had taken a week off to enjoy the film festival. She said, “At least a schedule should have been there with minimal details about the film. When I asked for it, the irresponsible officers say ‘It is all available on the net. Just go to Google and get it’ ”.

Rats in the theatres were another menace which made some delegates panic. Marian Dissanayake, a Sri Lankan fashion designer and model, left the festival halfway through after a rat scurried over her foot.

There were no volunteers to ensure that the screening went on smoothly. On a few occasions, the subtitles did not appear for a long time. Some of the screenings were repeated after technicians were brought from elsewhere to make the subtitles visible.

Technical mismatch

Perhaps the ugliest part of the festival was the screening fiasco of ‘Buddah Collapsed out of Shame’ one of the best films of this festival.

This film by Hanna, daughter of Makhmalbaf was scheduled at Saritha, following the screening of The Day I became a Woman by Marziech Meshkini, Hanna’s mother.

The screening could not take place owing to a technical problem. Theatre personnel said they could not screen the film CD as it was in a non-compatible format.

The absence of the film fraternity was notable. Kochi is a place of film actors, technicians and the headquarters of their associations. But they all either did not get themselves involved or were not invited to the festival. .

This is not the first international film festival being held in Kochi.

Two festivals organised by the Cochin Film Society not so long ago were outstanding compared to this. If the job was entrusted to such experienced people, the glory of KIFF would have been much higher.

The problems encountered and mistakes made at KIFF should become a lesson for events of this nature. In order to make future festivals error-free, the collector should take the initiative to call a meeting of all concerned. Entrust the job to efficient, sincere and responsible persons and make it a concerted effort than a ‘one man show’.

[mohammedirshad06]

Originally Posted by Malayaali

The good, the bad and the ugly at the fete

Definitely, the first time experience glitches. But I must say, many negative factors are pre known to all... Say, everyone knows the XMas releases (3rd biggest commercial release season in Kerala after Onam and Ramzan) comes inbetween the festival. Or a new Festival coming very day after another festival, that too in the same state......

Yes, Raveendran needs to be appreciated a lot. But when we have a minister who himself is from Film Faternity, the support of Chalachitra Academy must be sought....

IFFK and KIFF should not be competing festivals. It must offer diverse offerings to the viewers, as we don't import viewers elsewhere, rather provide the opportunity to the same people who view IFFI or IFFK or Bangalore festival etc....

There are some venues which the organizers ignored, probably the higher rents.... Fine Arts Hall or JT PAC, all have screening facilities.... Probably next season, they must take one single multiplex as whole for rent for one week and screen in all.... Secondly marketing and promotions was a big let down this time... Even the signature film was unveiled only 3 days after festival and website not yet updated....

Definitely, Kochi being the capital of Malluwoods, with HQ of all film associations like FEFKA or AMMA or Film Chambers, their support must be sought it and it can be made more glamourous version, much like on models of Dubai Film Festival.....

[mohammedirshad06]

Fort Kochi may host KIFF 2

Kokkers may be converted into Festival Center

If Kochi mayor Tony Chammany has his way,the Kokers theatre in Fort Kochi will screen movies during the second edition of the Kochi International Film Festival (KIFF) scheduled for October-November 2013.

The lease period of the theatre,which was given to a private individual,came to an end and the corporation would take over its operations.

Chammany said the local body plans to renovate the theatre with the support of the Kerala State Film Development Corporation (KSFDC) to make it a permanent venue of the fest.The theatre would be run by the state government.

The corporation is planning to convert the theatre into a multiplex.It was feared that the lease renewal dispute over 52 cents of land housing the theatre might lead to the death of Keralas first 70mm single screen cinema.
Kokers was managed by Siyad Koker,the former president of Kerala Film Producers Association.

The theatre was initially leased for 30 years and the lease period ended in 1995.The corporation then renewed the lease till 2008.The local body had alleged that the owners failed to maintain the building.

The mayor was addressing mediapersons at the concluding ceremony of the first international film festival held in Kochi.The curtains came down with the screening of Iranian director Samira Makhmalbaf s movie How Samira made the Blackboard.

District collector P I Sheik Pareeth admitted that there were certain flaws in organizing the first film fest.

Though it had been decided to screen 60 films,the organizers were able to screen only 49 movies.

The list included 45 movies in the world cinema section,11 Malayalam movies,one each from Tamil,Telugu and Marathi.There were also 15 documentaries.The next edition will have a specific theme and better organization.It will be planned in such a way that people associated with movies are given prominence, he said.

Meanwhile,in a statement issued on Saturday by the district administration,it was stated that though there were plans to screen 80 movies,only 60 films were shown.

[Malayaali]

Nayantara takes a break to celebrate Christmas

It has been a busy year for Nayantara, as the actress signed multiple projects and worked hard to finish her portions on time. It appeared like the 27-year-old was working overtime to make up for the losses occurred after she decided to bid goodbye to films to marry Prabhu Deva, where she did not sign a single film in 2011. Well, now the Billa girl deserves a break and what is a good time for it than Christmas. Nayantara has taken a break from her busy schedules to celebrate the Christmas.

The actress, who was busy filming Telugu film Love Story, which stars Nagarjuna, in Bangkok. The actress came to her parents' place in Kochi a few days ago and left to Dubai to celebrate the festival with her brother's family. According to reports, she was having a good time with her family in Dubai. They are also joined by their close relatives.

It is also said that Nayantara, who converted to the Hinduism in 2011 to tie the knot with Prabhu Deva, will be returning to the shoots in the first week of January after celebrating the New Year.

[Malayaali]

Kamal promotes 'Vishwaroopam' at Kochi

Vishwaroopam is a bilingual film directed and acted by the virtuoso actor, Kamal Haasan. While the film which is still in a problem about it's DTH premiere with the theater owners voicing out their strong oppositions towards it, the DTH operators have already started their promotions in a heavy swing. On the other hand Kamal Haasan along with his co-star Pooja Kumar and Editor Mahesh Narayanan were at Kochi for the promotion of the upcoming film.

The legendary actor said that the crew had put in their best efforts which has resulted in the film reaching International Standards and also tried explaining his experimentation of the DTH premiere for the film. The actor further tells that he feels at home when is at Kerala. When asked if he would do films in Malayalam, Kamal said that he would love to do one and is awaiting the right script.

[Kochi Resident]

Da Thadiya and Bavooty not running in Oberon mall Cinemax but they are there in Q cinemas. Again multiplex issue?

[Malayaali]

Bebo is a beauty

If there is one actress who looks stunning without make up its Kareena Kapoor. We spotted her at the Mumbai airport boarding a flight to Kochi.

Bebo was rather shabbily dressed in baggy trousers, rubber chappals, old pink top with a black shawl draped around her. Even her hair appeared to need a wash and she had tied it up in a ponytail.

But her make up free face is a gorgeous sight, first thing in the morning. But Bebo was not in a very communicative mood. She was busy messaging someone as she stood in the security line and didn’t bother looking up.

Maybe she was already missing her hubby Saifu or perhaps didn’t want to draw any attention to herself.

[Malayaali]

[Malayaali]

Kerala, the hot bed of celebs in 2012

The year saw a beeline of celebrities from Bollywood and Kollywood visiting the state like never before

Aamir Khan The Bollywood superstar first visited Alleppey to promote his television show. He then came down to Kochi and took time off to meet superstar Mohanlal at his house for dinner, where they were joined by actor Dileep.

Rajinikanth This south-Indian badshaah spent three days in an animation studio in Trivandrum as part of the second schedule of his next film, Kochadaiyaan.

Deepika Padukone The Bollywood actress visited the capital city to complete the second schedule of Rajinikanth-starrer Kochadaiyaan. She shot for two days in Trivandrum.

Vidya Balan The Oolala girl flew to Kochi for an ad shoot. The actress did the shoot in Malayattoor near Aluva for almost two days before she flew back to Mumbai.

Allu Arjun The Tollywood superstar, better known as Mallu Arjun in Kerala, visited the state twice — to inaugurate a textile showroom and to promote his film Gaja Pokiri.

Siddharth The Boys star was in Kochi for the ad shoot of a menswear brand in India for which he is the brand ambassador.

Zeenat Aman The actress, who set the trends in the 70s, walked the ramp during a fashion week held in Kochi. Dressed in a red maxi-gown, she wooed the audience with her grace and poise.

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan The whole of Kochi came to a standstill when the beauty queen and actress visited the city with her daughter Aaradhya. Aishwarya was in the city to inaugurate and endorse a jewellery line.

Diego Maradona There was a sea of frenzied fans, who thronged the venue to have a glimpse of soccer legend Maradona, who came to Kannur to inaugurate a jewellery showroom.

Dhanush The news about the Kolaveri star's arrival was all over social networking and microblogging sites, even before the media announced it. Dhanush, who appeared in a guest role in Thomsun's Kammath & Kammath, shot for the film in Kochi.

John Abraham The Bollywood hunk's meeting with Mammootty and Dileep made quite a buzz in the city. John Abraham is currently shooting for Madras Cafe in Fort Kochi.

Kamal Haasan It was not the superstar's first visit to Kerala. The actor came to Kochi this year to promote his upcoming film.

[Malayaali]

Mohanlal-Siddique team up for Ladies & Gentleman

ലേഡീസ് ആൻഡ് ജെൻ ജെൻറിൽമാൻ ചിത്രീകരണം തുടങ്ങി



ബോഡിഗാർഡ് എന്ന ചിത്രത്തിന് ശേഷം സിദ്ദിഖ് സംവിധാനം ചെയ്യുന്ന ലേഡീസ് ആൻഡ് ജെൻ ജെൻറിൽമാൻ എന്ന ചിത്രത്തിൻറെ ഷൂട്ടിങ്ങ് കൊച്ചിയിൽ ആരംഭിച്ചു.

1992ൽ പുറത്തിറങ്ങിയ വിയറ്റ്നാം കോളനി എന്ന ചിത്രത്തിന് ശേഷം മോഹൻലാലിനെ നായകനാക്കി സിദ്ദിഖ് സംവിധാനം ചെയ്യുന്ന ചിത്രം എന്ന പ്രത്യേകത കൂടിയുണ്ട് ഈ ചിത്രത്തിന്.സിദ്ദിഖും ലാലും ചേർന്നായിരുന്നു വിയറ്റ്നാം കോളനി സംവിധാനം ചെയ്തത്.

ലേഡീസ് ആൻഡ് ജെൻ ജെൻറിൽമാനിൽ ചന്ദ്രബോസ് എന്ന കഥാപാത്രത്തെയാണ് മോഹൻലാൽ അവതരിപ്പിക്കുന്നത്.മീര ജാസ്മിൻ, മംമ്ത മോഹൻദാസ്,പദ്മപ്രിയ മിത്ര കുര്യൻ എന്നീ നാല് നായികമാരാണ് ചിത്രത്തിൽ മോഹൻലാലിനുള്ളത്.സത്താറിൻറെയും ജയഭാരതിയുടെയും മകനായ കൃഷ് ഈ ചിത്രത്തിലൂടെ മലയാള സിനിമയിൽ അരങ്ങേറ്റം കുറിക്കുകയാണ് .ആശീർവാദ് സിനിമയാണ് ഈ ചിത്രം നിർമ്മിക്കുന്നത്.

[home@kochi]

Originally Posted by Kochi Resident

Da Thadiya and Bavooty not running in Oberon mall Cinemax but they are there in Q cinemas. Again multiplex issue?

It seems a commission sharing issue..
'Da Thadiya', 'Bavootty' and 'I Love Me' are not ready for sharing of collection as per wat Cinemax wants. Q cinemas is ok with their sharing terms, so they are being screened only at Q. 'Karmayodha' is ready to share as per Cinemax wants, hence its being screened at Cinemax and Q also.

So, basically whichever movies that agree to cinemax's terms of sharing will be screened there. Rest will have to be satisfied with only Q. Cinemax probably thinks it has enough Other Language Options, so that it can survive without these new malayalam releases. After the first 1-2 weeks, the makers are ok for lesser sharing and hence they release at cinemax after 1-2 weeks.