Pickle Berlinale/EFM March 2021 Issue

www.pickle.co.in MAR 1 | 2021

INDIA’S ONLY FILM BIZ MAGAZINE FOR THE WORLD

MOST AWAITED

INDIAN

FILMS IN

2021

INDIA FOCUSED Berlinale efm issue

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CONTENT BUYS FROM INDIA

Karnan, Indian Tamil-language action film, directed by Mari Selvaraj, and produced by Kalaipuli S. Thanu, starring Dhanush

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Sandeep Kumar Indian-origin Austrian filmmaker

STORIES

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Mehrunisa Aims More Destinations

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Content Buys From India

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Kalaipuli S Thanu Producer

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Thanu For Making Producers’ Mission Possible India Welcomes Global Filmmakers

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fro m t he e d itor

T

he five day European Film Market (March 1-5) began on a bright note. We have brought out India focused Pickle Berlinale/EFM Edition and it is in the EFM Digital Newsstand. Like other film markets, this virtual EFM 2021 has user friendly, navigation platforms dominating business activities. The EFM programme has been designed and curated to make it “digitally digestible”, according to the new European Film Market Director Dennis Ruh. Over 100 new films are being streamed in the Berlinale Platform and EFM industry buyers will have access to the Berlinale festival program, in addition to films screened in the virtual marketplace.

In fact, the most important element of EFM is the anticipation among filmmakers and producers to plan and strategise films that would come out fresh to the market in the remaining part of 2021.

Pickle has brought out Indian Film Catalogue and recommends the best buys from India at Berlinale/ European Film Market 2021 for sales and syndication, film festivals and new media platforms. These are original film content from India -- available for global territories -from some of the finest independent Indian filmmakers.

Now that India has opened up its gates for international business travelers, filming in India is a great opportunity for international film producers. Crews with Film Visa can get to shoot in India and this Visa

facilitation is available in over 120 Indian Embassies and Consulates across the world. The Ministry of Information & Broadcasting’s Film Facilitation Office (www.ffo.gov.in) is currently accepting applications for film shoots in India.

The Government of India under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi has to be credited for opening FFO. This has been on talks for over four decades and the execution has happened in the last couple of years and foreign film shoots are being facilitated and streamlined to get the best out of India’s locales and media services.

With one billion mobile subscribers, 550 million plus smart phone users, 620 million Internet subscribers, 950 TV channels, 1,800 films produced annually, 100,000 newspapers and periodicals and over 50 OTT platforms, India’s vibrant M&E industry provides attractive growth opportunities for global and domestic corporations. The government’s policies are geared towards realizing the full potential of this growing sector.

Feel free to email your thoughts and suggestions. We will be most happy to answer any of your questions and we are just a few clicks away to set up meetings (www.pickle.co.in) for collaborating with Indian media and entertainment companies.

n vidyasagar pickle media nat@pickle.co.in, www.pickle.co.in

Pickle Volume XII 1st Edition Published by Pickle Media Private Limited Email: natvid@gmail.com l Mumbai l Chennai No.2, Habib Complex Dr Durgabhai Deshmukh Road RA Puram CHENNAI 600 028

Editorial Coordinators : M Sai Design: Sunil, Kitcha, Jose, Julie Photo Editor : K K Laskar Email: natvid@gmail.com

For advertising: natvid@gmail.com / pickle@pickle.co.in

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Pickle Business Guide 2021 Copyright 2021 by Pickle Media Pvt Ltd. All Rights Reserved.

Pickle is an ad supported business guide tracking the filmed entertainment business in India.

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You’ll never make it.

Sometimes less is more.

TIFF Talent Development programmes encourage bold experimentation and new perspectives. You’ll learn from industry professionals and connect with other emerging artists. Sound interesting?

Applications open April 2021 tiff.net/industry

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THE INTERNATIONAL ANIMATION FILM FESTIVAL

FESTIVAL

14 TH -19TH JUNE 2021 MIFA

15 TH -18TH JUNE 2021

WWW.ANNECY.ORG 9

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CONTENT BUYS FROM

INDIA Pickle recommends the best buys from India at Berlinale/European Film Market 2021 for sales and syndication, film festivals and new media platforms. Check out original film content from India -- available for global territories

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Status Completed Producer Jayshree Production Director Biplab Bandyopadhyay Writer Rabishankar Bal

DHULO BALI KATHA

(Drama)

R

ajaditya belongs to that class of people who have a deep-rooted ancestral legacy in North Kolkata. He resides at one end of an edifice which was probably built by his grandfather. His only sibling, Joga is mentally unsound and has taken refuge at a street footpath. Thus, the rooms, the staircase and the memories are the only companions of Rajadiya.

He builds a museum in his ground floor, inspired from the The Museum of Broken Relationships in Zagreb, Croatia. He names it The Museum of Relationships. With time, the museum gets covered with various items ranging from Partition, citizenship, murder and love. Rajaditya’s uncle sometimes tries to persuade him to sell off his share and move into an apartment. Will Rajaditya surrender his dreams to the wisher of his uncle?

Or submit to death?

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Producer: Jayshree

Director: Biplab Bandyopadhyay

details Email rishikalpo@gmail.com Sales Contact +91 9330229694

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“Mother says her son is missing.

Son says his mother is missing.”

ETI NAKHYATRA A STAR

Status Completed Producer, Director, Writer Pankaj Mazumder

(Featured Film)

N

iro an aged woman, was abandoned on road by her own elder child Niren. Earlier she was taking care of by her second son Dhiren and Daughter in law Torali. After their Producer & Director: accidental sudden death, she had been looked after Pankaj Mazumder by her elder son Niren and his wife Charo, who has two teenage daughters too. They also had to details look after their orphan nephew Sanku. Due to poor economic condition they could not cope up their Email hypecommunications@gmail.com responsibilities properly. Ambitious and self-centric Charo somehow convinced her husband Niren to Sales Contact +91 8254906457 abandoned his mother. Accordingly, they did so. But Niro’s youngest son Biren, who lived far away in a Tea garden, came to rescue her. Eventually she had to take shelter in an Old Aged Home. But her youngest son was insisting her to return home with him. But she did not wish to return. After few days she faced some unwanted incidents, which make her mind to go back. Before returning home, in a TV interview, Niro revealed, she knew much earlier that she would to be abandoned by her own child. On the day abandoned, she hided her all pain and supported her ill minded son to be abandoned herself and tried her best to protect him from probable accusation. Before that she tried to awake his conscience too. But it was no use. Later, she framed to establish in her world that her son was missing. But due to alertness of police, she could not establish it properly. In the meantime, Niren and her wife Charo begged forgiveness for their act. But on the way to home she commit suicide. She felt that, old aged or senior citizens should get their respectable due life. They should not be deprived from their basic needs, love and care. Forgiveness may heal a criminal mind. But it would not eradicate crime from the society. Fight to eradicate crime is necessary.

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Producer Yuvraj Kumar Director & Writer Vedanti Dani

Inkblot

(Thriller)

I

nkblot is a story of Serbian writer Sara who takes up a job of writing a thriller, to save her drowning career and travels to a haunted cottage for inspiration. After rejecting the horror story prevailed in the house initially, she starts finding the traces of the myth.

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Producer: Yuvraj Kumar

details Email atlanticcine25@gmail.com Sales Contact +91 7506907164 Website www.atlanticglobalmedia.com

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ISIS Enemies Of Humanity

Producer & Director Yuvraj Kumar Writer Daria Gaykone

(War Drama)

I

SIS Enemies Of Humanity is a film based on terrorism.The Film shows in detail functioning of ISIS which is a terrorist group playing havoc all across the globe.It exposes the commander of ISIS camp who indoctrinate the youth for violent acts of terror in the form of Armed Jihad, Sleeper cells, Suicide bombers and Lone wolf attackers.The film counters this violent ideology and provides a practical peaceful solution.

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Producer& Director: Yuvraj Kumar

details Email atlanticcine25@gmail.com Sales Contact +91 7506907164 Website www.atlanticglobalmedia.com

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Jallikattu - Festival of the Untameable Spirit.

(Documentary)

Status Completed Producer Super Audio Madras Pvt Ltd Director Gopinath Krishnamoorthy Writer Mridula Joseph Music Director R.K. Sundar

J

allikattu is a popular bull taming sport that takes place in Madurai, Tamil Nadu during the festival of Pongal. A centuries old practice, it dates back to the Sangam era when it was known as ‘Eru thazuval’ or embracing the bull. The term Jallikattu comes from the Tamil phrase ‘salli kaasu’ which means coins and kattu which means a package that is tied to the bulls horns as prize money.

There are variations in the sport but the crux of it requires fighters to pounce on a running bull and try and hold onto its hump for a specific period of time or distance without falling off or getting hurt. The bull will try everything in its power to disengage the rider, shaking them off, stamping them, rearing up and at times even goring fallen participants. It takes one who is fleet footed with quick reflexes and has boundless courage to attempt this sport.

Exemplified as a sign of bravery, this historic sport has breathed new life into the survival of the rare breed of Pulikulam bulls and is world over regarded as one of the most dangerous, thrilling and adrenaline pumping festivals ever. Watch as brave fighters come forward to take their chances while taming the beast.

Join them as they celebrate the festival of the untameable spirit.

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Producer: Navin Daswani

Director: Gopinath Krishnamoorthy

details Email indiancontcomp@gmail.com Sales Contact +91 9080113754 Website www.musicandchants.com

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Status Completed Producer Super Audio Madras Pvt Ltd Director Gopinath Krishnamoorthy Writer Vamanan Music Director R.K. Sundar

Kulasekharapattinam A Spectacle for the Gods (Documentary)

T

he festival of Dussehra is celebrated all over India as the triumph of Durga/Kali over dark forces in the form of the buffalo-headed Mahishasura.

But in Kulasekharapattinam, a nondescript village in the southern part of the district of Tuticorin in Tamil Nadu, the celebrations are most remarkable. The Kulasai festival is a grassroots event marked by piety and pious commitment to the deity Mutharamman who presides over the temple at the heart of the celebration. The popularity of the festival can be seen by the record crowds of devotees that come to the seashore temple. Kali, in the form of Mutharamman kills Mahishasura, who gets transformed into the lion that she rides.

Those who take a vow to appease the deity deck themselves in the likeness of Gods and Goddesses like Kali, Durga, Shiva or Krishna or even as gypsies, bears or beggars! It all depends on the vow they take. This feature gives a new dimension to the Kulasai festival: while the devotees pledge their devotion to their deity and divinity walks in their midst.

Producer: Navin Daswani

Director: Gopinath Krishnamoorthy

details Email indiancontcomp@gmail.com Sales Contact +91 9080113754 Website www.musicandchants.com

One Stop Content Store

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Mehrunisa (Drama)

Status Completed Producer, Director, Writer Sandeep Kumar

M

ehrunisa, an 80 year-old Indian actress of yesteryears, shocks everyone by breaking into pieces, and burning the bed of her Producer & dominant husband a day after his burial. Mehrunisa’s Director: estranged daughter Jasmin and her granddaughter Sandeep Kumar Aliya, visiting the elderly matriarch, find it tough to connect with her. In the midst of the emotional details turmoil Bollywood knocks on Mehrunisa’s door.

Email After decades she is offered a minor role in a big film skfilmz@gmail.com to be shot in her town. The script and the attitude of Sales Contact the film makers reminds Mehrunisa of patriarchy +43 676 6351257 suffered in her life. She decides not to cave in but Website sandeepkumarfilms.at/en/ to stand up against patriarchal values. She reads mehrunisa.html the film script brought to her recently and begins to imagine the same story from a female perspective.

Sparks of regret and suppressed emotions flame up Mehrunisa’s lifelong wish to play the lead role for a change. She demands that the male superstar is replaced and the story is narrated from a female perspective. The whole world laughs at her. Even Jasmin. But not Aliya, who is full of admiration for her grandmother. With her help Mehrunisa orchestrates various plans to realise the uphill task of battling the Indian film industry which in her eyes is a mightier patriarch. Mehrunisa’s resolve to even attempt to change the system makes her a role model, not only for her daughter and granddaughter but for millions who watch her story flashed across the screen all over the country.

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Status Completed Producer, Director, Writer Nathan G

Obsessed

(Drama)

A

family man who got back his Obsessivecompulsive disorder while trying to protect his family by washing hands frequently on the fear of covid virus and how his family and others suffered from his sudden behavioural change.

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Producer & Director: Nathan G

details Email gvknathan@gmail.com Sales Contact +91 9443650558

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Riyaz

(Drama, Disability, Musical, Youth)

Status Completed Producer, Director, Writer Mriganka Borah

‘R

iyaz’ is a story about a blind boy, Ashim who always used to contradict the norms of the society through his poems. He Producer & dislikes listening songs, poems composed by people Director: as he laments that their words are irrelevant and Mriganka Borah could not be related with this life and started putting down his feelings in words. According to him, being details blind makes him disconnected from the materialistic Email and emotional attachment with the earthly beings. mriganka.films@gmail.com But life has something up his sleeves. His life took Sales Contact another turn when Karabi entered his life. Karabi is +91 8638079926 a middle aged woman and widow staying as a tenant in his house. Karabi seeks solace in her singing to forget all her sorrows, loneliness and emptiness of her dead beloved husband. Karabi performs ‘Riyaz’ (Singing practice) everyday, which at first disturbed Ashim, though gradually it turned into an attraction. He gets attracted to her songs, her melancholic voice which makes him feel her sorrows and loneliness. This gradually makes him fall in love with her. But his love is not acceptable in the society he lives in. It is unimaginable for Karabi also. However, in the eyes of Ashim, his love is free from all bondages. This is because he is not a slave to the external beauty, colour of the skin, age difference, caste, religion etc. which other people give much priority to. But love is not the only thing that he finds within himself. He finds the same weakness, the same sexual desire and lust.

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Status Completed Producer & Director Vinu Kolichal Writer V Sudheesh Kumar, Vinu Kolichal

Sarcas Circa 2020

(Drama)

A

fter facing failure in almost every venture, Mr. F and Mr. J, two friends from a small town in Kerala embark on an adventurous journey to a nearby city. Mr. F receives a call from a stranger who persuades them to take up and finish a task.

Sarcas Circa 2020 is a subjective take on how people with power lay out their connection with the ordinary people in the society and its manifestation in the lives of ordinary people we encounter in streets. Sarcas Circa 2020 captures and explores the experiences of the ordinary people and the uncertainties through which they oscillate between the known and the unknown.

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Producer & Director: Vinu Kolichal

details Email kadcafeproductions@gmail.com Sales Contact +91 8606813877

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Status Completed Producer, Director, Writer Onkar Diwadkar

Still Alive (Psychodrama, Thriller)

M

eera’s world collapses after the unexpected breakup of her 5 years old relationship. Driving aimlessly she lands up at the beach. Driven by the sheer need to reach out to someone, she make a call to emotional support helpline; but nothing soothes her. She tries to end her life by drowning, but the sea had other ideas.

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Producer & Director: Onkar Diwadkar

details Email onkardiwadkar@yahoo.in Sales Contact +91 9619640803

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TAPE STORY 03

Producer, Director, Writer Waadee Krax Seagull

(Slow Film, Drama)

M

rinal is a drifter. He roams around aimlessly. Trying his hand at many things. A restless soul trying to get rid of his confusions. Once he was a successful celebrity. But he gave up that lie as well. Moved to the mountains in search of Moksha. One day a woman enters his life and it seems that he has finally found all that he was looking for.

But then he is a drifter without a shore. A wayward cloud.

‘Tape Story03’ is an independent microbudget film based on a short story by Saadat Hassan Manto, one of Urdu’s most prolific writers. The story deals with the issues of mental health and urban isolation. The film not only deals with these issues through its narrative but also through its innovative treatment. It has been shot very artistically with a special camera called the ‘Digital Harinezumi,’ famous for its painterly images. The film uses the innovative concept of the dual screen format to illustrate the duality of the human condition.

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Producer & Director: Waadee Krax Seagull

details Email saurav.nag@gmail.com Sales Contact +91 9873594935

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Status Completed in January 2021 Producer, Director Baharul islam Writer Barkha Bahar

The Seventh String

(Feature Drama)

N

ishtha who had fallen in love with a 31 year old man when she was only 13. She had to leave her hometown . After 12 years she comes back . While roaming around with her friends, she came across a hut where a lot of people meet and talk to each other and share their own stories.

Finally she went back to that hut and shared her story. She just wants to be free from her past. She wants to forgive herself and let it go. At the end of the story a man who was present during her story stops her to tell her that he was the one who had hurt her and made her go through so many things. She looks at him and tells him that she already knew it.

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Producer & Director: Baharul islam

details Email baharul.seagull@gmail.com Sales Contact +91 9101156661

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Tumi Malala (You’re my Malala) (Drama)

Status Completed Producer Sanjive Narain Director Roopak Gogoi Writer Avishka Phukan

T

he story of the film is about two Muslim families in eastern Part of India, neighboring Bangladesh. The porous border leads to massive illegal immigration to India, changing the demography of the border states in India.

Producer: Sanjive Narain

Synopsis: Eight years old Nadia has a dream. Like Malala Yousafzai, she too wants the Nobel peace prize. Her summer holiday school assignment about Malala Yousafzai, introduces her to Malala’s life and now she too, wants students to teach, just like Director: Malala did. Her pestering leads Nadia’s mother to Roopak Gogoi engage the maid’s daughter Amina to play with her.

Amina’s family has no identity papers, as her father details ABDUL is landless, they speak in a dialect from Email Bangladesh at home. Abdul worried of rumors about roopakgogoi@gmail.com detention camps being built for doubtful citizens. He is desperate to get NRC papers (National registration of Citizen) to avoid problems.

As the friendship between the girls grows with time, to the utter disappointment of Nadia, Amina stops coming to play with her. She attains puberty. Abdul has seized the opportunity of her condition and arranged her marriage with a man, who has promised to help him with the NRC papers. Amina is only twelve years old. A story of bonds between two little girls, united by malala’s life story, but falling apart due to geo political, and socio economical realities.

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Status Completed Producer V Creations Director Atlee Writer Atlee, S. Ramana Girivasan

Theri

(Action)

J

oseph (Vijay) lives in a small town of Kerala. He lives with his 6-year old daughter (Baby Nainika as Nivi) and his close ally Rajendran. Annie (Amy Jackson) is Nivi’s class teacher who develops an interest over Joseph. This peaceful life of Joseph is shaken when a group of local goons from Kerala crosses path. They try to attack his daughter as a part of their revenge. Left with no option, he comes out of his shell showing his true face to the world. He thrashes the goons. Annie, who sees this is shocked. Vijay reveals his past to Annie. As one leads to other Vijay’s past starts haunting him again. How he raises back and faces the opponents forms the rest of the movie.

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details Email sales@apinternationalfilms.com Sales Contact +91 4442965900 Website www.apinternationalfilms.com

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Status Completed Producer 2D Entertainment Director Sudha Kongara Writer Sudha Kongara, Shalini Ushadevi, Vijay Kumar

Soorarai Pottru

(Drama)

N

edumaaran Rajangam, a former air force captain aspires to start an airline company that’s affordable to all at a very low price. Though he gets his inspiration from Paresh Goswami, owner of a leading airline company, he tries to set himself apart by keeping service as his priority. Nedumaaran meets Sundari and proposes to her but she initially rejects him as she doubts if he could balance his passion and his personal life.

However, when they meet a few years later, Nedumaaran manages to convince her and they both finally get married. Meanwhile, Nedumaaran understands that Paresh is not the person he had thought him to be and gets disappointed after knowing his intentions are purely profit oriented. But Paresh considers Nedumaaran as his rival and creates more problems for the latter as he sets out to demolish his hopes. By the time Nedumaaran decides to give up on his ambition, he gets supported by his wife, friends, family, colleagues, villagers, and some good-hearted people who fuel his flight for the takeoff.

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details Email sales@apinternationalfilms.com Sales Contact +91 4442965900 Website www.apinternationalfilms.com

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Status Completed Producer Fox Star Studios Director & Writer Atlee

Raja Rani

(Romance)

R

aja Rani is director Atlee’s debut project. The movie is a light-hearted romantic comedy about John and Regina who get married, even though they can’t stand each other and how they realize that there is life and love in their new relationship. Both have a romantic past of their own. How they decide to let go of their past and embrace the future is what the plot is all about. The movie stars Arya, Nayantara, Jai, Nazriya Nazim as the lead actors. Director Atlee revealed that he wrote the script with Arya in mind to portray the lead role, and was insistent on signing Nayantara as the female lead as he felt they made a good onscreen pair.

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details Email sales@apinternationalfilms.com Sales Contact +91 4442965900 Website www.apinternationalfilms.com

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Status Completed Producer S Cube Films Director Manu Ashokan Writer Bobby, Sanjay

Uyare

(Drama)

P

allavi, a strong-willed woman aspires to become a pilot and successfully gets admitted into a pilot training centre in Mumbai.

With a busy schedule, she manages to cope up with the relationship between her and Govind. In her almost perfect life, her balance slides more towards passion than love. One day, she gets frustrated with Govind’s growing demands and asks him to leave her alone. But things take a weird turn as Govind attacks her with acid the following day. The injuries suffered by the acid attack reduce her eyesight and her life turns upside down eventually.

Losing hope she lands herself down from her high ambitions, but fate has different plans for her and blows some wind on her life.

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details Email sales@apinternationalfilms.com Sales Contact +91 4442965900 Website www.apinternationalfilms.com

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Status Completed Producer E4 Entertainment Director & Writer Johnpaul George

Guppy

(Drama)

T

he story revolves around a village lad (Master Chethan) who is nicknamed as Guppy, who makes a living by rearing and selling the small fish Guppy.

Guppy has this dream of buying an automatic wheel chair for his ailing mother (Rohini) and he saves money for the same. Things gets into turmoil when Engineer Thejus Varkey (Tovino Thomas) comes to the seaside village for the construction of a railway bridge.

Many unexpected things occur when a small rivalry starts between Guppy and Engineer. The rest of the movie is about the intriguing issues between Guppy and the Engineer.

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details Email sales@apinternationalfilms.com Sales Contact +91 4442965900 Website www.apinternationalfilms.com

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Status Completed Producer Y Not Studios Director Sudha Kongara Writer Sudha Kongara, Arun Matheshwaran

Irudhi Suttru

(Sports Drama)

T

he protagonist is an arrogant, rude but a highly successful women’s boxing coach. He becomes a victim to politics in the boxing association and gets transferred to Tamil Nadu. He challenges that he will make a champion wherever he may me. In this quest, he meets a 17-year-old fish seller girl with a rare fighting spirit but least interested in the sport. The rest of the movie is a battle of wills between the reluctant girl who has all the talent and is least interested in promoting it and a man who sees in her the capacity to achieve what he never could.

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details Email sales@apinternationalfilms.com Sales Contact +91 4442965900 Website www.apinternationalfilms.com

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Sandeep Kumar, Indian-origin Austrian filmmaker

Mehrunisa aims more destinations Sandeep Kumar, Indian-origin Austrian filmmaker who is the producer and director of Mehrunisa, had its premier in the 51st Edition of IFFI Goa. With immense belief on its content, he is now eyeing for Mehrunisa to travel to more film festivals and also looking for a global sales agent at the European Film Market 2021 32

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Looking for a World Sales Agent Your film Mehrunisa was part of the Indian Panorama section during 51st Edition of IFFI, Goa and was appreciated for its theme, esp 88-year old Farrukh Jaffar’s lead role…

Mehrunisa is the first Austrian feature film to be completely shot in India and in an Indian language. It was chosen as the Mid Fest Film at the 51st.

International Film Festival of India in Goa (IFFI Goa) where it also had its World Premiere.

Mehrunisa got “standing ovations” at the premiere and tremendous response from the audience and the media present at the festival. An additional screening was organized by the festival two days after the premiere on “public demand”.

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Great response came also for the theme of film addressing patriarchy, especially in the Indian film industry.

It was also for the first time that an 88 year old Indian actress played a lead role. Veteran actress Farrukh Jaffar mesmerized the audience by her performance as Mehrunisa in her witty and bold face-off with the patriarchy of Bollywood.

Tell us about yourself ? Were you in the same school as Shah Rukh Khan? Was he your senior ?

Indian superstar Shah Rukh Khan was my senior at St. Columba’s School in Delhi. I had a passion for English theatre and my first 2 plays were together with him.

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88-year-old Farrukh Jaffar mesmerized the audience by her performance as Mehrunisa in her witty and bold faceoff with the patriarchy of Bollywood © Sandeep Kumar Films

What are your plans to take Mehrunisa to international territories? Have you found a sales agent? Are you looking for the film to travel to other festivals?

After a very successful world premiere at IFFI Goa, we intend to take our film to festivals around the globe. At the same time we are also looking for a suitable sales agent who could make our film accessible to a wider audience.

Mehrunisa is a film on women empowerment, has a fascinating story and you have captured it well. As we approach International Women’s Day (March 8) what was your objective in making the film?

The idea came to me a few years back.

I wondered where all the wonderful Indian actresses I saw on the big screen during my childhood had disappeared.

The male actors from that time, some way past their sixties and seventies, were still appearing as Heros. The older actresses, if seen occasionally, had some small roles as a mother or grandmother. Place holders, so to say.

I wondered whether there were no stories to be told from an older woman’s perspective. I felt it was time to address

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the patriarchy of the Indian film industry, also because its a reflection and simultaneously a trendsetter for the Indian society in general.

How did the Mehrunisa story develop? It is so unique to have a women in eighties to lead the film…

As I was writing the story I had Farrukh Jaffar on my mind to do the lead role. I had seen her films right from Muzaffar Ali’s iconic Umrao Jaan to Ritesh Batra’s Photograph (Berlinale/Sundance 2019) and felt that if someone could do justice to the role then it was her. I flew to Lucknow (India) from Vienna to meet her and was nervous whether she would like the story and would be ready to give us 30 days for the film as she was already 87 years old then. Farrukh Jaffar loved the narration and immediately gave me a big YES.

After a very successful world premiere at IFFI Goa, we intend to take our film to festivals around the globe

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Why do you think Mehrunisa can have a global footprint and attract a wider audience?

Mehrunisa is an important film, not just for India but the entire world.

Still, in majority of societies women cannot lead a self determined life, free to follow their dreams and aspirations.

Most film industries are still male dominated. We hope that Mehrunisa could be a “game changer” in that mind-set.

Streaming platforms are for consuming content. If you want to experience, enjoy and immerse yourself in a story you have to be in a theatre. That’s what I feel

Can you talk about your experience of shooting in Lucknow for Mehrunisa?

Lucknow was totally new for me. I just knew the city from Satyajit Ray’s epic film Shatranj Ke Khilari and wanted to discover it new for myself.

Interestingly, a lot of people still live in the past over there. The nawabiyat (royalty, mostly male led) has not gone.

It was perfect setting for Mehrunisa.

Farrukh Jaffar is very well respected in the city and when the word spread that an Austrian crew has come to make a film with her, entirely set in Lucknow, almost the whole city came forward to help us. The hospitality and warmth of the people were amazing. Of course, there were some interesting challenges regarding time management with an Austrian and Indian crew working together, for which we found creative ways to solve soon.

With Mehrunisa, this is the first time an Austrian production has done a fullfledged film in India? How do you see India-Austria ties in the film and media sector?

Though Indian filmmakers have been coming to beautiful locations in the Austrian Alps for their song sequences, the trend in the other direction has been very limited. Mehrunisa’s world premiere at IFFI Goa made headlines in Austria and hopefully our film attracts more Austrian filmmakers to shoot in India.

I am already working on the development of another story to be shot in both Austria and India.

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What has been the impact of Pandemic? What are your plans for 2021? Any new film on the works?

The impact of the pandemic is enormous. The cinema halls are still all closed in Austria and shooting is very restricted. I am currently working on 3 new scripts, one is an Indian story set in Austria, another one is an Austrian story set in India and the third is an American film set in New York City.

You wear the hat of a producer as well as the director? Does this convergence work well?

That has two sides to it. On the one hand it can be very conducive to process of filmmaking. You are fully independent to execute the way you want your story to be without any interference. On the other hand, it can distract you from the creative process.

Often its a necessity for independent filmmakers when they cannot find an appropriate producer who shares their enthusiasm for a particular project.

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Mehrunisa at IFFI Mehrunisa screams loud against the male-dominated Indian film industry. The Umrao Jaan fame Farrukh Jaffar has played the role of an 80-year-old actress who boldly tells the audience to follow their dreams and that age doesn’t matter.

An Austrian film in Hindi language and the Mid-Fest Film at the 51st International Film Festival of India, it had its World Premiere at the festival.

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Where do theatres fit into the ecosystem now with the rise of the streaming platforms?

Streaming platforms are for consuming content. If you want to experience, enjoy and immerse yourself in a story you have to be in a theatre. That’s what I feel.

Who are your mentors?

Life itself, people around me and my experiences give me the inspiration and the ideas I need for my films. Apart from that, I’m a big admirer of Mira Nair and Gurinder Chadda for making crossover films and connecting cultures.

In Austria its Michael Haneke who I learnt a lot from.

Mehrunisa is an important film, not just for India but the entire world. Most film industries are still male dominated.

We hope that Mehrunisa could be a “game changer” in that mind-set

Austrian filmmaker of Indian origin Sandeep Kumar lives in Vienna and focuses not only on fictional feature films but also on documentaries which depict exciting life stories.

In 2010 he released the first AustroIndian film ‘Kesariya Balam (Love Without Borders)’ which received many awards including ‘Best Director’ and ‘Best Film’.

‘Servus Ishq’ (2014), his second film, had a nationwide release and was produced by Oscar winning producer Josef Aichholzer (The Counterfeiters, AT 2007). Creedless, Another Day in Manhattan and Mehrunisa followed in the years after that.

Kumar discovered his passion for films through the theatre in India where he shared the stage with Indian superstar Shah Rukh Khan at school. During his studies in Germany and USA, Kumar shot numerous short films. He attended acting and film workshops and was guest listener in Michael Haneke’s class at the Film Academy in Vienna. Kumar is member of the Austrian Film Academy and the Association of Austrian Directors.

© Sandeep Kumar Films

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ACE FILM PRODUCER

THANU FOR MAKING PRODUCERS’

MISSION POSSIBLE Kalaipuli S Thanu, President of the Film Federation of India, has lined up a series of initiatives to find solutions to the challenges faced by the film industry. “I subscribe to the school of thought of watching films in a big screen in pitch darkness among audiences,” industry leader and producer Thanu tells Pickle.

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My major objective will be to fight for the rights of the film producers

Kalaipuli S Thanu, Producer

K

alaipuli S Thanu, is the President, Film Federation of India for the year 2021-22. He is one of India’s top film producers and distributors. His latest production ‘Karnan’ starring Dhanush, which comes after the duo struck gold in ‘Asuran’, seems to have struck a chord with the audience even before its release. The prolific producer says it all in his latest tweet- It’s 1 crore+ views for #KandaaVaraSollunga Thanks for showering your tremendous love and support for #Karnan.

This kind of response for his movies is not new, for Thanu’s track record boasts of several commercial and critically acclaimed films.

The owner of V Creations and Kalaipuli Films International, also holds a special place in Tamil cinema’s history, for being the one who christened actor Rajinikanth with the title ‘Superstar’.

Starting off as a distributor in the late 1970s, Thanu’s meteoric rise to one of India’s most popular producers is a success story by itself.

Some of his highest grossers over the years include Cooliekkaran, Kizhakku Cheemayile, Kandukondein Kandukondein, Kaakha Kaakha, Thuppakki, Theri, Kabali and the recent Asuran. Not to mention his revolutionary ways when it comes to promoting his movies.

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In 2016, movie-goers were in for a surprise, when they got to see posters of actor Rajinikanth and his film Kabali, on commercial flights.

It was for the first time in the history of Indian cinema, an airline had dedicated an aircraft to a movie, thanks to Thanu.

Apart from his work on movies, Thanu has also been known to voice his opinion on various issues related to the industry.

Last month, when the Tamil Nadu government withdrew its permission to allow 100 percent occupancy in cinema halls owing to the pandemic, Thanu, being the president of the Film Federation of India, wrote to Home Minister Amit Shah, requesting him to allow 100 per cent occupancy at least on festival days like Pongal and Republic Day. As an industry leader, Thanu has implemented various reforms and rejuvenation measures for the welfare of the industry in general and producers in particular. He is also known for encouraging young talents.

The National-award winning producer recently added the State government’s Kalaimamani Award to his kitty, which was conferred in recognition of his stellar work in cinema. Excerpts from an interview with him.

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What will be your major focus as president of Film Federation of India?

My major objective will be to fight for the rights of the film producers.

We need more transparency and unity among various stakeholders of the film industry. This is critical today. We all need to work together to bring back film audiences to theatres to watch films.

The global interest in India and in Indian films has increased in recent times. We are still battling the impact of coronavirus pandemic. Globally, the vaccination programme has begun. It is a positive sign. While the mainstream commercial Indian film sector continues to grow, a new crop of Indian filmmakers has emerged in recent times. This is reflected in the Indian films that have been selected in various global film festivals including Cannes, Toronto, Venice, Busan among others. In recent times, global film festivals have celebrated works of all hues from the diverse movie-making traditions from India. We are extremely proud and happy to celebrate 100th anniversary of Satyajit Ray this year. This is a momentous occasion.

Indian cinema needs to expand its global footprint to get its films widely distributed in new emerging world territories. We need to export and showcase Indian films, heritage and culture to the world.

We need to scale up the business and create content factories for the world.

What are your views on the OTT platforms for the film industry?

OTT is just another revenue stream for a producer to exploit IP of a film. It is similar to selling music rights to music publisher, selling DVD rights to a home entertainment company or selling film rights to an airline. OTT is just one of the platforms like a cinema theatre for exhibiting a film. India produces over 1,800 films a year. OTT platforms could afford to get just a couple of hundred films. Over 200 Tamil films are produced every year. Major OTT platforms have room to buy only a dozen big films. Or a small budget film, when it is successful. We welcome OTT platforms. It is a good medium for consumers and a refreshing home entertainment. I subscribe to the school of thought of watching films in a big screen in pitch darkness among audiences. That’s real enjoyment.

Grooming NextGen: Kalaipuli S Thanu with his son Kala Prabhu 40

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Kalaipuli S Thanu with actor Dhanush. Thanu’s latest production ‘Karnan’ starring Dhanush, comes after the duo struck gold in ‘Asuran’

You have been very vocal on fighting against piracy...

When a new film is out in the market it instantly gets copied and released in pirated websites. By this Copyright infringement, the film and its producer suffer the most. It has been going on and on.

No one could stop this menace. But, there is a way out. When the Government has the power to remove adult/obscene content, it could also stop films being illegally copied, uploaded and streamed in pirated websites and apps.

We will soon be meeting up with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Minister of Information and Broadcasting Prakash Javdekar and Minister for Electronics and Information Technology Ravi Shankar Prasad and emphasize the need to protect films and strict action against pirates (wherever they are). A team comprising celebrities, influencers, film industry leaders representing regional cinemas across India will emphasize the need to stop illegal exploitation of copyrighted films. In the post pandemic times, this is the need of the hour. The film industry has suffered the most.

We have been constantly fighting this menace for more than two decades. Today, we are confident that our prayers will be answered by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology.

OTT is just another revenue stream for a producer to exploit IP of a film. It is similar to selling music rights to music publisher, selling DVD rights to a home entertainment company or selling film rights to an airline

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What is the biggest challenge for a film producer today? In post pandemic times, what is the need of the hour?

In majority of the films made in India, the producer of the film suffers the most. The producer invests and facilitates in the making of the film. He risks in investing big amounts for the production and promotion of the film. An intermediary like an online ticket booking company gets a confirmed per ticket share than a producer. We want to fight this out. In current times, there are several challenges to movie exhibitors. OTT platforms like Amazon Prime and Netflix have been innovating pricing models. We need to bring that flexible ticket pricing for exhibitors. The government should allow cinemas to deploy flexible ticket pricing. Various state governments in India should allow theatres to charge higher ticket prices for blockbusters, holidays and opening weekends. At the same time, there should be flexibility in offering discounts and flexibility in pricing for small independent films. We need to innovate to get people to get into cinemas. This would also result in net revenue tax collections for the government. This would bring cheers to the producer, distributor and exhibitor.

Indian film industry faces the biggest obstacle from Animal Welfare Board of India. We all know that a goat is slaughtered and its meat served for eating. This is same story for many land animals killed and eaten. But when we show a sparrow in a film, we are accused of harming the sparrow. We are asked to create animals on VFX and CG.

When the Government has the power to remove adult/obscene content, it could also stop films being illegally copied, uploaded and streamed in pirated websites and apps

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India Welcomes

Global

filmmakers

India, land of beautiful locales and great talents, has reopened its doors for filming in India for global producers and studios. Film Facilitation Office (FFO), set up by the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting in the National Film Development Corporation (NFDC), is currently accepting online applications for foreign producers to shoot in India

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Photo credit : FFO

Now that the Government of India has opened business visas for overseas companies to travel into the country, global film producers and studios with film visa are exploring options to come and film in India

I

ndia has welcomed the global film community to come and do business in the country and work closely with the domestic media and entertainment industry. Speaking at the India Global Week 2020, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that India is laying a red carpet for all global companies to come and establish their presence here.

Very few countries in the world offer the kind of opportunities that India does today. The M&E industry is one of the ‘Champion Sectors’, enabling the vision of the Prime Minister to achieve a $5 trillion economy. India has enabled digital transformation by increasing economic freedom for the traditional M&E business. The Ministry of Information & Broadcasting views cinema as the ‘soft power’ of India, and is working towards making India a friendly film shooting destination for the audiovisual sector.

The government has allowed hundred per cent foreign direct investment in the film content productions. The incentives being offered under the Champion Sector scheme are not just for big budget film shooting, but also for TV, web series filming and foreign filming.

While opening the doors for filming in the country, the permission process has been made easy through a single window clearance system that facilitates film makers in getting visa and shooting approvals across the country.

“Our Film Facilitation Office has facilitated over 100 foreign film shootings in India. Now, it will function as a single window for all Central and State government permissions. I appeal to the global film fraternity, to come invest and shoot in India,” said Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javdekar at a recently held interactive event dedicated to the M&E industry.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi stated that India is laying a red carpet for all global companies to come and establish their presence here

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With vaccination plans in progress, we look forward to welcoming producers and production companies from across the world to shoot their Feature Films, TV/Web shows and series & Reality TV/Web shows and series in India. Our States are geared up to handle productions of all sizes and have come out with guidelines for filming during COVID, ensuring all safety precautions are in place

Dhanpreet Kaur Managing Director NFDC

FFO acts as a facilitation point for the foreign producers and production companies along with their Indian producer/line producer in assisting them to get requisite permissions, disseminate information on shooting locations and the facilities available with the Indian film Industry for production/post production. FFO also works closely with State governments in assisting them set up similar facilities. Visa facilitation is available in over 120 Indian Embassies and Consulates across the world.

“The Film Facilitation Office (FFO) is accepting all filming applications and is available to answer any queries from the producers. The FFO has listed all important guidelines and advisories on its portal www.ffo.gov.in, pertaining to filming, international arrivals, visa issuance, quarantine exemption request etc for easy navigation by the filmmakers,” said Vikramjit Roy, Head, FFO. In the aftermath of the coronavirus pandemic, Indian film locales have captured the attention of global producers and viewers. Christopher Nolan’s ‘Tenet’ (Produced by Warner Bros’) was partially filmed in Mumbai. Mira Nair’s TV series ‘A Suitable Boy’, a six-episode, 349-minute long series, adapted from Vikram Seth’s classic novel, was extensively shot in Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh. It is currently streaming on Netflix across the world and BBC One (in UK and Ireland).

Netlflix’s action thriller ‘Extraction’ starring Chris Hemsworth was filmed in Ahmedabad, Gujarat. Netflix has revealed that ‘Extraction’ tops the list in its 10 most-watched original movies of all time.

Now that the Government of India has opened business visas for overseas companies to travel into the country, global film producers and studios with film visa are exploring options to come and film in India.

The aviation restrictions have been lifted for foreign business travellers and companies into India.

Already, the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting has announced guidelines and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for film shooting and media production in the country. Various State governments have also issued SOPs for film shooting in their respective States detailing dos and don’ts aligning with prevailing local Covid conditions.

“With vaccination plans in progress, we look forward to welcoming producers and production companies from across the world to shoot their feature films, TV/web shows and series and reality TV/Web shows and series in India. Our States are geared up to handle productions of all sizes and have come out with guidelines for filming during COVID, ensuring all safety precautions are in place,” said Dhanpreet Kaur, MD, National Film Development Corporation of India (NFDC).

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Photo credit : FFO

Christopher Nolan, shooting for Tenet in Mumbai

Italian filmmaker and producer Sergio Scapagnini is soon set to resume shooting in India for the new India-Italy co-produced film directed by Goutham Ghose. UK-based Collin Burrows of Film Treats Production is looking to film in India for a forthcoming project. Late last year, Paramount Pictures had announced producing web series ‘The Bear’ for Apple TV to be shot in Madhya Pradesh. The Hollywood project was based on a bestseller novel by Gregory David Roberts ‘Shantaram’.

“India now offers an entire ecosystem for foreign productions. India’s diversity allows a filmmaker to tell both India focused and global stories from here. We are able to recreate say a rural South African exterior, or urban London office interior right here,” said Alan McAlex of Production Scope, while sharing his experience of filming Mira Nair’s Suitable Boy. For this credit goes to Film Facilitation Office, which was set up by the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting to act as a single point of contact for filmmakers to get all the relevant information about India’s film industry ecosystem, and help them navigate through filming guidelines of key Central government Ministries and State governments.

“Productions are also more attracted to India because the overall risk of filming here has gone down significantly. With the formation of the FFO, we have a one-stop-shop to obtain clearances and support. We’ve always been a cost-effective destination for production and now there’s an abundance of talent and skilled professionals in our industry as well. We also have superb post-production and VFX capabilities. India now offers a high quality, end to end solution to foreign productions,” McAlex added.

Various State governments in India have also issued SOPs for film shooting in their respective States detailing dos and don’ts aligning with prevailing local Covid conditions. This can be accessed in FFO website (www.ffo.gov.in)

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Action thriller Extraction is the most watched original movie on Netflix with 99 million views. Portions of the film was shot in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India, facilitated by ITOP Film Productions

FFO has helped over 118 international films to be shot in India in the last four years, and post Covid, the country is now all set to emerge as the favourite shooting destination of foreign filmmakers.

Some of the major changes that have taken place recently include the ways the government supports the industry. There has been a significant change in the government mindset and now they are more forthcoming in inviting international filmmakers to come and shoot in India.

“Earlier, government officials were quiet sceptical and used to be very critical about film productions. Even the Information and Broadcasting Ministry permissions used to take anywhere between 6 to 14 weeks and we had to make many rounds to Delhi. But now the production process has really eased off with the government taking it very positively,” said Dilip Singh Rathore, CEO and Co-founder of On The Road India, who was in charge of production services for Tenet in India.

“Also, earlier we used to bring a lot of crew from abroad as the local crew was not very efficient. But now any international company brings only the key members while the rest of the crew is sourced from India itself. Also, they used to come with a lot of equipment. There used to be a ‘J-Visa’ for filmmakers and crew that was complicated and confusing because the J-Visa was mainly for journalistic work in India. Also, the visa process was time consuming. Now the government has introduced a new category of visa called Film Visa which is very easy to get and the process is quite transparent,” added Rathore, who has executed some of the finest executive productions for Hollywood Studios including Tenet and The Dark Knight.

He was all praise for the important role played by the Film Facilitation Office. “The FFO helped us get all the permissions, whether it was from the Aviation Ministry, Defence Ministry or Information and Broadcasting Ministry. They were working very closely with us shoulder to shoulder. They also played a key role in making all the right introductions and coordinated with the State government to get all the clearances,” he said.

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Every single shot of Mira Nair’s A Suitable Boy (six-episodes, 349-minute long series) was filmed in India (Lucknow, Kanpur and Maheshwar)

Photo credit : FFO

India has enabled digital transformation by increasing economic freedom for the traditional Media and Entertainment businesses to operate. They are also nudging the industry for a better quality of service. The best example for this is that the OTT segment that has grown phenomenally during the pandemic.

Sharing his experience, Pravesh Sahni, Co-founder of ITOP Film Productions Pvt Ltd, which did production services in India for Netflix’s action thriller Extraction, said, “Extraction was one of the first international films, full of stunts and action. The Gujarat government helped us to a great extent and made Netflix USA and our director Sam Hargrave’s dream come true. We are thankful to Netflix US in trusting us with their first project in India. It is only because we could deliver and make things happen, that they trusted us for facilitating the production of their next film called White Tiger which released in December 2020.”

Sahni believes that India has amazing locations, with professional technical crew to meet up with International Standards. “The cost of shooting is far cheaper here than other countries like US, UK and Europe,” he added.

Despite the setback posed by the Covid-19 pandemic, Sahni is hopeful that soon India will emerge as a major destination for global filmmakers.

“We were in the phase of handling two projects parallel with each other.

We were doing production of the TV Series The Bear based on the novel Shantaram which we closed on 14 March and Tarus which we shut down on 22 March. Because of the lockdown, India like the entire world has been also affected due to COVID. We were hoping that things get better in India in a few months and we would have been on the floor

by September, but things got worse. Today, we are positive that foreign production houses will resume production in India like pre-COVID times by mid-2021,” he said.

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Most Awaited AND

MUST WATCH

INDIAN Films IN

2021 Some are ready to hit the big screens. A few of them need shooting days, while some other flicks are in post production stage. Here are top 2021 Indian movies delayed and waiting with optimism to release in a theatre near you. A quick look at the most awaited films from India 50

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HINDI

MOST AWAITED AND MUST WATCH INDIAN FILMS IN 2021

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’83

: 83 is an upcoming Indian sports drama film directed

by Kabir Khan and jointly produced by Khan, Vishnuvardhan Induri, Deepika Padukone and Sajid Nadiadwala. The movie which was supposed to be released on April 2020 is now slated to be released on 4 June.

The film stars Ranveer Singh, Deepika Padukone and is based on the life of Kapil Dev who led the Indian Cricket team during their World Cup Victory in 1983. Not just Bollywood audience but cricket fans are also eagerly awaiting the release of the movie.

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MOST AWAITED AND MUST WATCH INDIAN FILMS IN 2021

HINDI

Jayeshbhai Jordaar:

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Jayeshbhai Jorda is a social comedy movie produced by Yash Raj Films and directed by debutant Divyang Thakkar. The movie has Ranveer Singh playing the role of a Gujarati man who believes in equal rights of men and women. Shalini Pandey makes her Bollywood debut with this flick. The star cast also includes Boman Irani and Ratna Pathak Shah. The first look of the movie was released on 4 December 2019. Shooting was wrapped up in February 2020. The movie was initially scheduled to be released in 2020, but was postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic. The makers have announced that the film will be released on 27 August 2021. Cinematography for the movie is by Siddharth Diwan.

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MOST AWAITED AND MUST WATCH INDIAN FILMS IN 2021

HINDI

Pathan

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: Pathan is an action thriller directed by Siddharth Anand and bankrolled by Yash Raj Films. The movie which has Shah Rukh Khan playing the lead role also stars John Abraham, Deepika Padukone, Dimple Kapadia and Shaji Chaudhary. Salman Khan is said to play an extended cameo in the movie. The plot of the movie is tipped to be a revenge based story. It is about how a man decides to take on those who ruined everything he had. It is said that the movie will have some intense action scenes. The makers have recreated the African arms market in Mumbai’s Film City. Shah Rukh Khan will be seen playing the role of a RAW agent and in that particular scene, he will go undercover for his mission.

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HINDI

MOST AWAITED AND MUST WATCH INDIAN FILMS IN 2021

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Sooryavanshi

: Sooryavanshi is an upcoming Indian Hindi-language action film directed by Rohit Shetty and is slated to be released on 2 April 2021.

The movie is written by Yunus Sajawal, Farhad Samji, Sanchit Bendre and Vidhi Ghodgadnkar based on an original story by Shetty, and produced by Shetty in association with Hiroo Yash Johar, Aruna Bhatia, Karan Johar and Apoorva Mehta under the Dharma Productions and Cape of Good Films banners.

The film was earlier scheduled to be released on March 2020. The film is about a DCP who is the chief of the Mumbai Anti-Terrorism Squad and stops a terrorist batch planning to attack Mumbai.

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TAMIL

MOST AWAITED AND MUST WATCH INDIAN FILMS IN 2021

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Annaatthe

: Annathae starring superstar Rajinikanth is an action drama film written and directed by Siva and produced by Kalanithi Maran under the banner Sun Pictures. Shooting of the movie, which was halted due to the pandemic, is expected to resume sometime in March. In December 2020, Rajinikanth headed to Hyderabad for the film’s shoot, but they had to halt the shooting after eight members of the crew tested positive for the novel coronavirus. The makers are planning to wrap up the remaining portions of the film in a month. Rajinikanth’s Annathae will release on Deepavali, which falls on November 4 this year. Tipped to be a rural drama, Annathae stars an ensemble star cast including Nayanthara, Prakash Raj, Keerthy Suresh, Sathish, Khushbu, Meena, Soori and Robo Shankar. The music of the film will be composed by D Imman.

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TAMIL

MOST AWAITED AND MUST WATCH INDIAN FILMS IN 2021

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Ponniyin Selvan: Ponniyin Selvan is a period drama based

on Kalki Krishnamoorthy’s legendary Tamil novel of the same name. The movie is directed and co-produced by Mani Ratnam, under his production studio Madras Talkies, along with Allirajah Subaskaran under the banner Lyca Productions. The movie has an ensemble of cast including Vikram, Karthi, Jayam Ravi, Jayaram, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Trisha in prominent roles, while Prabhu, Vikram Prabhu, and Aishwarya Lekshmi appear in supporting roles. The film’s music is being composed by A. R. Rahman, with cinematography handled by Ravi Varman, and editing done

by A. Sreekar Prasad. The movie will be released in two parts, the first part is expected to be released in 2022 and the second part six months after that.

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TAMIL

MOST AWAITED AND MUST WATCH INDIAN FILMS IN 2021

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Valimai

: Valimai is one of the most anticipated movies of the year. The film directed by H Vinoth Kumar has Ajith Kumar playing the lead role. Ajith is playing a cop in the movie which has some highrisk bike stunts. Huma Qureshi plays the female lead.

The film is bankrolled by Boney Kapoor. Music for the movie is by Yuvan Shankar Raja and cinematography by Nirav Shah.

Valimai was scheduled to release on 12 November 2020, coinciding with Diwali. However, the film’s shoot was suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic, thus resulting in the delay of its release. It is said that the movie will be released in August and the first look will be out in April.

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TAMIL

MOST AWAITED AND MUST WATCH INDIAN FILMS IN 2021

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Karnan

: Karnan starring Dhanush in the lead role is directed by Maari Selvaraj. The movie is bankrolled by veteran producer Kalaipuli S Thanu. The film was announced in January 2020. Shooting began in the same month and was wrapped up in December 2021. The movie is slated to be released on 9 April 2021.

The film is mostly set in the suburban of Tirunelveli district. The star cast includes Lal, Natrajana Subramaniam, Yogi Babu, Rajisha Vijayan, Gouri G Kishan and Lekshmi Priya among others. Music for the movie is by Santhosh Narayanan and cinematogrpahy is by Theni Eswar. The film’s editing work is taken care of by Selva R K.

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MOST AWAITED AND MUST WATCH INDIAN FILMS IN 2021

TAMIL

Jagame Thandhiram:

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Jagame Thandhiram features Dhanush, Aishwarya Lekshmi and James Cosmo in lead roles, while Joju George and Kalaiyarasan portray supporting roles. The action thriller film is written and directed by Karthik Subbaraj and produced by Sashikanth of Y Not Studios. The film’s soundtrack and background score are composed by Santhosh Narayanan, with cinematography handled by Shreyaas Krishna and editing done by Vivek Harshan. Jagame Thandhiram was scheduled for a theatrical release on 1 May 2020, but was delayed indefinitely due to the COVID-19 pandemic. While the makers initially planned on releasing the film only in theatres, this decision was dropped in February 2021 in favour of a digital release through Netflix. The film is scheduled to be released simultaneously in Tamil, along with dubbed versions in Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada and Hindi. The movie is slated to be released on 27 August.

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TELUGU

MOST AWAITED AND MUST WATCH INDIAN FILMS IN 2021

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RRR

: Directed by S S Rajamouli after the grand success of Baahubali series, RRR’s plot revolves around the fictional story of India’s freedom fighters, Alluri Sitarama Raju portrayed by Ram Charan and Komaram Bheem, played by NTR Jr. RRR also casts Alia Bhatt, Ajay Devgn, Ray Stevenson, Alison Doody, Olivia Morris, Shriya Saran, Samuthirakani.

The makers of RRR have locked 13 October 2021 as the release date of the movie.

The film will mark the first collaboration of Ram Charan and Jr NTR and it will be set in the 1920s pre-independence era. RRR is produced by DVV Danayya of DVV Entertainments. The music of the film is composed by MM Keeravani and the cinematography is by KK Senthil Kumar. The film’s teaser is expected to drop in May or June, this year. Meanwhile, Bheem’s intro teaser from the movie has clocked 100 million views.

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MALAYALAM

MOST AWAITED AND MUST WATCH INDIAN FILMS IN 2021

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Malik

: Malik is a crime-cum-political drama film directed, written and edited by Mahesh Narayanan. The movie has Fahad Faasil playing the lead role. The film is bankrolled by Anto Joseph under the Anto Joseph Film company.

The actor-director duo has previously collaborated on critically acclaimed projects such as Take Off and C U Soon.

Malik is inspired by real-life events of a minority community on the coast who start a rebellion movement. It will hit the cinemas on May 13, 2021.

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www.pickle.co.in