Sanjay Leela Bhansali completes 25 years; new teaser of Mahesh Babu’s Sankranthi release: Round-up of Film and TV updates-Entertainment News , Firstpost
Sanjay Leela Bhansali completes 25 years in Hindi film industry
Sanjay Leela Bhansali on Monday celebrated 25 years in the film industry and said he has enjoyed making movies “every minute” of his journey in Bollywood.
Bhansali, who has emerged as one of the biggest filmmakers of the country in the last two decades, made his directorial debut with the 1996 drama Khamoshi: The Musical. The film featured Manisha Koirala, Salman Khan, Nana Patekar and Seema Biswas.
It was, however, the 1999 romantic-drama Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam which got him nationwide acclaim. The film, featuring Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Salman and Ajay Devgn, brought out his penchant for larger than life storytelling through a star-studded cast, memorable ballads and lavishly mounted sets.
The official account of Bhansali Productions took to Twitter and shared a montage of his films, chronicling his Bollywood journey through his work.
Post the success of Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam, Bhansali helmed acclaimed blockbuster dramas like the 2002 remake of Devdas, starring Shah Rukh Khan, Aishwarya, and Madhuri Dixit Nene; megastar Amitabh Bachchan and Rani Mukerji-starrer Black (2005), and the 2010 romance drama Guzaarish, starring Hrithik Roshan and Aishwarya.
In his 2007 romance drama Saawariya, Bhansali launched two new faces belonging to film families — Ranbir Kapoor and Sonam Kapoor Ahuja.
He then recreated Shakespeare’s tragic romance Romeo and Juliet on screen in 2013’s Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela with Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh, before changing gears to period dramas like Bajirao Mastani (2015) and Padmaavat in 2018.
The special anniversary video ended with the quote of the 58-year-old director. “I have enjoyed every minute of making films these 25 years… And still a long way to go,” he said.
Apart from direction, writing and production, Bhansali has also worked as an editor and music composer on some of his films.
Singh, Ajay Devgn, and Madhuri Dixit congratulated Bhansali on this milestone by resharing the video.
In his career, the director has bagged four National Film Awards for his work in Devdas, Black, Bajirao Mastani and his last directorial, Padmaavat.
Bhansali has also backed Akshay Kumar’s actioner Rowdy Rathore and Mary Kom, the Priyanka Chopra-led 2014 biopic on the Olympic bronze medallist boxer, which won a National Award in the best popular film providing wholesome entertainment category.
The filmmaker is currently gearing up for the release of his upcoming drama, Gangubai Kathiawadi. The film is headlined by Alia Bhatt and is awaiting a theatrical release.
New teaser of Mahesh Babu’s Sankranthi release
MAHESH BABU: NEW TEASER UNVEILS… On #MaheshBabu‘s birthday today, Team #SarkaruVaariPaata unveils a new teaser… Costars #KeerthySuresh… Directed by #Parasuram… 13 Jan 2022 #Sankranthi release. #SuperStarBirthdayBLASTERpic.twitter.com/WuPNkB8nWP
— taran adarsh (@taran_adarsh) August 9, 2021
A new teaser was shared by the makers of Sarkaru Vaari Paata, Mahesh Babu’s upcoming project on the actor’s birthday. The film, directed by Parasuram, also stars Keerthy Suresh, Vennela Kishore and Subbaraju. The film is scheduled to hit cinemas on 13 January next year. The clip features action sequences, romance and comedy — everything that makes an attractive mainstream film.
Dil Chahta Hai turns 20
For two decades, fans have wondered whether their favourite on-screen friends, Akash, Sid and Sameer from Dil Chahta Hai would reunite, this time perhaps to discuss mid-life crisis, but filmmaker Farhan Akhtar says he has not thought about continuing the film’s storyline.
Released on 10 August, 2001, the film featured superstar Aamir Khan, Saif Ali Khan and Akshaye Khanna as three friends, focusing on the ups and downs in their equations with different approaches towards love and life.
The coming-of-age drama, also starring Preity Zinta, Sonali Kulkarni and Dimple Kapadia, marked Farhan’s directorial debut and is regarded as a benchmark film on friendship.
In an interview with PTI, Farhan said, unlike American filmmaker Richard Linklater’s romantic film trilogy Before, which follows the story of its lead characters after every nine years, he has no plans to chronicle where his characters are today.
“There was never a point where I thought, let’s discover where these three characters are 20 years later. I have not thought about that at all, to be honest,” he said.
The filmmaker was 27 when Dil Chahta Hai released and quickly became a movie that resonated with the audience who had grown up on a staple diet of the larger-than-life, dramatic films of the ”90s.
Dil Chahta Hai became the defining film of the new decade, as it was both aspirational and relatable.
Farhan’s conversational screenplay with characters reminding people of a version of themselves and their friends; a young, breezy soundtrack by Shankar–Ehsaan–Loy; with lyrics by Javed Akhtar and contemporary costume designing by Arjun Bhasin earned immense acclaim.
Ahead of the film’s 20th anniversary, Farhan said he is filled with “many emotions”.
“The one that is at the forefront of it all is honestly just how fortunate I was to get such amazing people to collaborate on my first film. Then the film did what it had to do by itself, there is nothing you can do after you have made it. People make it their own and keep it alive.”
The director-actor, now 47, said it was remarkable how Dil Chahta Hai has continued to remain relevant, reaching out to a newer audience every day.
“The fact that subsequent generations keep discovering the film, keep relating to it in their own way is not something you can plan. It fills me with happiness and so much love that people have for something that I did two decades ago. That they remember it so fondly. I feel fortunate,” he added.
The film also launched his production house, Excel Entertainment, co-founded by his close friend and producer Ritesh Sidhwani.
The director, who went on to helm films like Lakshya (2004) and the Don series for the banner, on Monday took to Twitter and shared a note, marking 20 years of the production house.
Excel has backed films like Rock On!!, Luck By Chance, Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara, Fukrey franchise, Dil Dhadakne Do, “Raees”, Gully Boy and Farhan’s latest film as an actor Toofaan.
“And to think all we wanted was to just make Dil Chahta Hai. Thank you life for having other plans. Thank you to all actors, writers, directors, technicians, music directors, lyricists and every single person from all creative departments and production teams that walked alongside and sometimes carried me on this journey. None of it was possible without you.”
Farhan also thanked the audience for their constant love for the films of the banner.
“It’s been your support that’s given wings to our dreams. Thank you. All I can say now, two decades later, is that we”re just getting started. Let’s fly,” the post read alongside a montage of the films backed by Excel.
Nimrat Kaur wraps shoot of Dasvi
Nimrat Kaur has finished shooting for her upcoming social-comedy Dasvi and says the journey which began 10 months ago has finally come to its “joyous culmination”. Directed by newcomer Tushar Jalota, Dasvi is written by Ritesh Shah, known for films like Pink and Batla House.
Kaur took to Instagram Saturday evening and posted pictures from the film’s set. Without divulging details, the actor called her character Bimla Devi Choudhary as one of her most cherished roles.
“There are unforgettable roles in an actor’s life and there are unexplored places you visit that come with it. Rarely do the twain meet. Bimla Devi Choudhary (aka Bimmo) is one such gift who’ll forever be etched in my heart as the happiest, most thrilling and fun place I got to explore through a part entrusted so encouragingly and lovingly to me. I already miss her…” Kaur captioned the picture.
The 39-year-old actor began shooting for the film in March, which also stars Abhishek Bachchan and Yami Gautam.
The film is produced by Dinesh Vijan, Sandeep Leyzell and Shobhana Yadav. Dasvi is presented by Jio Studios and Vijan’s Maddock Films.
Netflix bags rights for Maggie Gyllenhaal’s The Lost Daughter
Streaming service Netflix has acquired the rights for actor Maggie Gyllenhaal’s directorial debut The Lost Daughter. The deal, negotiated with Endeavour Content, covers US and remaining territories, Netflix said in a press release.
The acquisition comes ahead of the film’s world premiere in competition at the Venice Film Festival.
The Lost Daughter is based on the 2006 novel of the same name by Italian author Elena Ferrante.
The film also stars Olivia Colman, Jessie Buckley, Dakota Johnson, Peter Sarsgaard, Paul Mescal, Oliver Jackson-Cohen, Ed Harris and Dagmara Dominczyk.
The movie will follow Colman’s Leda, an elegant college professor who, while on a seaside vacation, becomes obsessed with a young woman, Nina (Johnson), and her young daughter, as she watches them on the beach.
Their compelling relationship forces Leda to confront the trauma surrounding her own motherhood.
Gyllenhaal has adapted the screenplay and also produced the feature film with Talia Kleinhendler and Osnat Handelsman-Keren for Pie Films, Charles Dorfman for Samuel Marshall Films and Endeavor Content.
Gyllenhaal, who previously featured in The Kindergarten Teacher for Netflix, said she is excited to work with the streamer again.
“They have supported so much of the work I am most proud of, and this is no exception. Netflix has consistently championed filmmakers that excite and inspire me and I”m delighted to be included in that company,” she said.
(With inputs from agencies)
