Prithviraj full of praise for producer Anurag Kashyap
The southern star Prithviraj -Sukumaran, who is making his Bollywood debut in the new romantic comedy Aiyyaa, says it was a joy to work with Anurag Kashyap, the film's producer. "Anurag is fantastic. He is the kind of producer who completely trusts the director. Once he decides to back a project, he supports it. He is not the kind of producer who wants to make his own film out of it," says Sukumaran. Aiyyaa, directed by Sachin Kundalkar, will be released in the UAE tomorrow. Kashyap received acclaim for his recent Gangs of Wasseypur films. Besides Aiyyaa, which co-stars Rani Mukerji, his forthcoming production ventures include Luv Shuv Tey Chicken Khurana and Chittagong. * IANS
Archana Kavi talks about her film career
The Malayali actress Archana Kavi, who is making her debut in Telugu cinema in the new film 123, says that once she finishes a project, she doesn't like to worry about its outcome. "I don't have expectations from a film because I sign a project only if I find the story and my character interesting," says the 22-year-old star. In 123, a romantic comedy, the filmmaker Madhura Sreedhar has cast Kavi opposite Mahat Raghavendra. Kavi says acting was something she accidentally stumbled upon. "I come from a Malayali middle-class family where acting was never considered a profession. I did my internship at a Malayalam channel and I used to review films. I was spotted on a show by Lal Jose, a director, and was offered a role in a my first film in 2009." * IANS
Ram Gopal Varma lauds Johar – or is it sarcasm?
The filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma continues his love-hate relationship with his fellow director Karan Johar with a few tongue-in-cheek comments on the latter's forthcoming film Student of the Year. Varma, who has often made snide remarks about Johar's movies, took to Twitter on Monday to praise the film's trailer, which marks the acting debut of Varun Dhawan, Alia Bhatt and Siddharth Malhotra. "Student of the Year truly and honestly looks like it's Johar's best film and the bestest film in Indian cinema, ever. I love the sheer, never-before-seen imagery and the extraordinary originality and even more extraordinary directorial brilliance," Varma posted. "I would want to be a student for life of Karan Johar's cinema." He went on to compare Johar's work with that of Bollywood stalwarts. "I rate Karan Johar far, far higher than Mehboob Khan, V Shantaram, Raj Kapoor, Guru Dutt and Bimal Roy. Kudos to him for making Varun Dhawan make me forget Shah Rukh Khan." Student of the Year will be released next week, while Varma's Bhoot Returns, the sequel to the 2003 movie Bhoot, will be released tomorrow. * IANS
Animated version of Kuch Kuch Hota Hai on hold
Speaking of Karan Johar, the director has announced that his plans to make an animated version of his 1998 directorial debut, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, have been put on hold. "Animation films are not doing well nowadays, so the movie is on standby," said Johar. Kuch Kuch Hota Hai starred Shah Rukh Khan, Kajol and Rani Mukerji. Johar's title for the animated version was Koochie Koochie Hota Hai. * IANS
Singapore bans satirical local film
Singapore has banned a satirical local movie three days before it was supposed to be released because it was deemed offensive to the island's ethnic Indian minority. Sex.Violence.FamilyValues had originally been rated suitable for adult viewers, but a review panel concluded that one of the three stories in the 47-minute independent movie was unsuitable for public exhibition. "An overwhelming majority of the panel members have expressed that the film should not be allowed for public exhibition in view of its overt racial references, which are offensive to Indians," said a statement by the Media Development Authority (MDA). The film's Facebook promotional page carried a report about the ban on Tuesday, generating strong criticism of the MDA. Despite the ban, a trailer showing the local film and the stage actor Adrian Pang making fun of a co-actor's Indian ethnicity could still be viewed on the film's official website. The website described the movie, which premiered last week and was to be released on Thursday for a limited run, as "three iconoclastic stories in a short film that pitches political correctness out the window of Singapore's mainstream cinema". The Straits Times said the film was made by the first-time director Ken Kwek, 33. * AFP
