Parul Yadav gets nostalgic as her first horror film Jessie completes 5 years

She went down memory lane and recalled how much the whole team supported her & the loved she received from audiences for Jessie. The Multi talented #ParulYadav's 2016 film Jessie completes five years this month. Jessie was the fist  horror film of actor Parul Yadav, which got her lots of appreciation and love from the audiences for her performance & styling in the movie #Jessie.

The talented actor Parul Yadav was on top of her game in 'Jessie' and went on to deliver one of the best performances to date. This was my first (and only!!) horror film and getting possessed in the movie ranks amongst the toughest things I had ever had to do!!

'Jessie' worked on many levels at the time of its release and did average on box office but its got great response and engagement when it came on satellite. Audiences not only love her performances but also love all her sarees and the outfits she carried in the movie. The film was a commercial success and critical acclaim for its interesting treatment of a triangular love story. The talented actress and fitness enthusiast Parul Yadav who always keep her fans and followers entertained with her social media posts has recently shares a heartwarming post & some movie glimpse on the occasion of 'Jessie' completing 5 years of release.

Laxman Utekar turns producer with ‘Ittu Si Baat'

One of India’s leading movie distributors, NH Studioz and Kathputali Creations, announced its foray into movie production with the launch of its upcoming Bollywood movie Ittu Si Baat. After a string of successful collaborations in Hindi, Telugu and Marathi movie industry, NH Studioz has joined hands with Kathputali Creations Pvt Ltd to present their first rom-com to audiences in India and across the globe. One of the most prolific Cinematographers in Bollywood Laxman Utekar who has won hearts of audiences as a Director with Luka Chuppi starring Kartik Aaryan and Kriti Sanon is foraying for the first time as producer with this film. 

Set in a small town of Chunar, near Varanasi, ‘Ittu Si Baat’ is a slice-of-life story of an upcoming cricketer who falls in love with his childhood friend. A modern take on first love, it's a sweet yet rustic small-town love story loaded with teenage innocence consisting a talented and versatile star cast. The movie will take the audiences on the journey of Bittu, who learns about aspirations of his childhood crush Sapna and the extent to which he goes to fulfill her dreams. The rustic setting of Chunar captures the innocence, little dreams and hopes of the youth in smaller villages of India which is strikingly different from the urban population, but proves that the essence of love and emotions are the same across the for all.

Producer Laxman Utekar shares, "We are thrilled to announce Ittu Si Baat since it's our first project post-lockdown. The past year has been tough on all of us. We are looking for opportunities to tell meaningful stories and that is what this film is all about. With this film, I am taking on a different role, as a producer, and I’m very glad to see it from a different perspective. Every director’s vision needs support and I am happy that I can be that.” 

“After spending over 5 decades in the movie industry, we are happy to announce the launch of ‘Ittu Si Baat’. When we read the script, we immediately knew that the story of Bittu Sharma and Sapna needs to be told. With veteran filmmakers, actors and writers at the helm, we are confident that the audiences will feel for the characters and will have a smile on their faces”, says Mr. Narendra Hirawat, Chairman, NH Studioz. 

Directed by Adnan Ali, ‘Ittu Si Baat’ is a commercial romantic comedy movie that sees the graph of an unrequited love with new-age satirical dialogues. “We have already begun the shoot for ‘Ittu Si Baat’ and it looks like a very promising project for us. The movie is already on floors and will be ready for release later this year. ‘Ittu Si Baat’ will be an entertaining treat for the entire family”, adds Mr. Hirawat.

Gaurav Bajpai’s ‘Folktales of Faujpur’ is his first step towards storytelling

Gaurav Bajpai, an aspiring dedicated author is proud to announce his debut work, Folktales of Faujpur, a collection of 11 urban short stories, available in ebook version and also hitting the web stores today. The book has been published by Notion Press, India’s leading self-publishing platform.

Folktales of Faujpur shines a light on the everyday life of city dwellers of the imaginary city of Faujpur. Cities are not just buildings, roads, and parks but people, their experiences, their belief, and their memories. The author believes that stories are all around us, in the places we visit, the people we meet, and the conversations we make. While some stories go unnoticed, some are worth remembering and revisiting.

The book comprises eleven such contemporary short stories that speak for themselves. Set across in varied locations common to a city such as a railway station, beaches, hospital, airport, bookstore and more, these urban folktales have captured the hopes, dreams, and experiences from the imaginary city of Faujpur and of its people. Inspired and sourced from the author’s life experiences and the people he met, each story in this book regains the very voice that it deserves, to claim its limelight, to enlighten you, and engross you.

Speaking at the release of the book, Gaurav Bajpai, said, “From the beginning of our lives, stories become an integral part of it, be it from our grandparents, our kindergarten or our day to day lives.  FoF are not just stories but experiences and interactions for most of us. The book has tried to capture the essence of these occurrences in the form of stories together in one place by making them a part of an imaginary town called Faujpur. I hope that these stories will captivate your thoughts and most importantly, touch your heart”.

An Engineering graduate and a post-graduate in Management, Gaurav grew up in Kanpur, a city on the banks of the Holy Ganga. Stories became a part of his daily life, whether they were at a temple, near the Ghats, or away from his mother. Fascinated by the same, he started daydreaming and giving life to many such tales. As a finance professional, he travelled extensively, discovering and meeting exciting people and being a part of their life and experiences. He believes telling stories is a powerful way of human communication. Eventually, he moved back to India from New Jersey and took a sabbatical to work towards his dream and put these experiences on paper. Folktales of Faujpur is his first step in storytelling, as he promises to keep writing many more.

Folktales of Faujpur is now available across all major e-commerce channels including Amazon, Flipkart and the Notion Press online store. The e-book will be available on kindle, google playstore, ibooks and kobo. The book is priced at Rs 250/-

‘Suicide or Murder’ fame Actress Shwetta Parashar to play a prostitute now

Actress Shwetta Parashar who got immense popularity after the makers of the movie ‘Suicide or Murder’ introduced her as the lead character ‘The Troublemaker’ on social media, is all set with the release of her new Telugu movie ‘Alanti Sitralu’. It’s a story of a prostitute ‘Pallavi’. The teaser of the movie has been released and it is coming on the floor on the 2nd week of April.

“My character Pallavi is a 40 years old prostitute. She has simple desires. Will society allow a prostitute to fall in love? Will she be able to live her dreams?” asks Shwetta Parashar.

“Being from North India (New Delhi) I didn’t know Telugu language at all nor I knew how different the cultures were until I started prepping for the film. Being from theatre, I always prefer the more organic way of expressing and that’s what my director wanted. The moment I started learning lines, I was heartbroken because I knew I couldn’t pronounce it the way it was supposed to be. It was very difficult for me to remember the lines since I didn’t understand the language back then when I started shooting for this film but the team was so supportive and encouraging that now I can understand the language way better than before.” Shwetta Parashar

Roshni Sahota and Pulkit Makol look out for ‘Ek Achi Naukri’

We have been constantly updating you with all that has been happening in Bollywood – be it movies, television or the digital world. Time and again we have been supporting film festivals and have been bringing news related to the same.  This time we are again bringing you an exciting update from the world of OTT. And no, it’s not about a web series. It’s about short films that have been garnering more applause these days in the world of OTT. 

Of late, short films from India have been making a lot of noise on international platforms including the Oscar circuits. Moreover, with many renowned OTT platforms creating slots to fit in short films, we are finding more indie film makers making shorts for these platforms and also to simultaneous pitch in at the film festivals for recognition and awards. The best part about the short film projects is that it gives one the liberty to put across stories that one may not dare to showcase as a feature. One such film maker that we have come across is Anuj Bharadwaj of Ambak motion Pictures. 

While the world was busy planning to ring in the New Year in a different way due to the covid restrictions and the imposed curfew, Anuj Bharadwaj used his time to shoot his short film ‘Ek Achi Naukri’ with a talented cast on the eve of New Year. With a wonderful starcast the short film is produced under the banner of Ambak motion Pictures and directed by Anuj Bhardwaj. While the camera was handled by ace DOP Rakesh Singh, the casting has been done by Naren Bansal.

“What is Achhi Naukri? This is a question that is always debateable. Is it something that you like or is that goes with a status or is it about what your parents and the society want you to do? "Ek Achhi Naukri" will make you ponder on this elusive question,” says Anuj Bhardwaj whose short film ‘The Number’ garnered quite a few awards.

'Patiala Babes’ and ‘Shakti’ fame Roshni Sahota is cast in this short film opposite Delhi based Pulkit Makol, who is known for his stint in SonyLIV’s ‘Your Honor’. They can be seen alongwith ‘Sharmain Sofewali’ Srestha Banerjee, whose short film ‘Saving Chintu’ with Adil Hussain and Dipannita Sharma is in the race to grab an Oscar this year. Roshni was recently seen in the film 'Sooraj pe Mangal bhaari' opposite Punjab da Munda and the leading heart throb Diljit Dosanjh in a very important role.

Anuj is very happy with the casting and says that his actors have given more than he expected for. Speaking about his actors he says, “I still remember, we were shooting on the outskirts of Delhi and we wrapped shoot around 1:30 in the night. But being thorough professionals, neither Roshni, nor Pulkit or Srestha cribbed or complained as we shot beyond stipulated time in the freezing December winter.”

Creative director Mohan Das (Eon Films) says, “When Anuj narrated me the story, I was very clear that I wanted Roshni to play ‘Nidhi Sharma’ the female lead along with Srestha Banerjee. While we were wondering who would be the ideal choice to play ‘Prashant Mathur’, Naren suggested us to go for Pulkit Makol. And we are really happy to have cast him. He was the perfect one as he has the childishness in his acting as well as the maturity needed to handle intense emotional scenes. I’m sure; he is going to reign the Bollywood industry soon. He is one fab actor to watch out for.”

The project is slated to make its round at film festivals before being launched on any of the leading OTT platforms. Keep in tune to be abreast of the further developments!

Zeishan Quadri's 'Halahal' nominated for the best film for Digital awards

It’s celebration time for  the multi- talented Zeishan Quadri, who never laid his audience down with his work projects & always loved by fans for his performance in the Gangs of Wasseypur saga or in  Revolver Rani & recently released Biccho ka khel, to name a few, has given us some iconic stories and character from Indian Cinema.

Zieshan has always embraced the raw side of his talent with his hard work in all the fields, being a producer, director, and writer apart from acting in films. Zeishan who always surprises with his performances had recently given another hit  to his audiences with Halahal.

Halahal was a digital film by Eros now, which was written and produced by all rounder Zeishan Quadri was appreciated by everyone and got a great response from the audiences. Halahal has been nominated this year under the best web film category not just that it’s also been nominated in best actor and supporting actor categories. Halahal is a fictionalized crime story inspired by true events, featuring Sachin Khedekar and Barun Sobti in the lead roles.  The heart-touching narrative is about a father's journey in search of the truth behind his daughter’s death.

An Eros now film Directed by Randeep Jha and produced by Zeishan Quadri and  Priyankka Bassi, it sheds light on many subjects through its dark yet gritty frames of a charred body on the highway, a corrupt and greedy police officer and the murders of students. When the father senses something fishy in the post-mortem report, he immediately dives in to find out whether his daughter’s death is a suicide or was a murder.

Sharing his joy Zeishan says,"I am very happy to know that our hard work is getting so much appreciation from various places , audiences &  from the industry. And I really want to thank Eros & Ridhima Lulla for giving me much freedom for exploring locations , star cast etc & my friends  Sachin Khedekar ,Barun Sobti & director Randeep Jha also the entire team of Halala who supported us immensely & that why the whole process of bringing a movie like Halahal together was possible and turn out so amazingly & loved by audiences so much. Being the writer and producer I could feel the depth of the movie. 

‘Halahal’ - has garnered immense praises from fans and critics  all over the country because of the OTT platforms which has brought that change & revolution in the India Cinema.

Why director Aarambh Singh has taken only Priya Banerjee from Bekaaboo Season One??

Actor's Director Aarambh Singh was seen impressing the audience with his magical direction in his recent series Jamai2.0 and won many hearts and given the stupendous success of the second season of  Jamai 2.0 along with the star cast. 

Aaarambh who always likes to try different genres and give best to his audiences with his hard work has come up with psycho-thriller Bakaaboo-2.  Bekaaboo 2 will be the 2nd venture of collaboration for Priya Banerjee and Aarambhh Singh who was the director of Jamai 2.0 and now Bekaaboo 2.

ALTBalaji decided to make season 2 of Bekaaboo after the immense success of season one. But the director Aarambh had carry forwarded only Priya Banerjee from the previous season to this. Priya who became the talk of the town for her performance in Bekaboo will be seen playing one of the main keys for the show.

Sharing his experience and bonding with Priya ,Aarambh says, “When Bekaaboo season 2 came to me to direct of course I had to watch the first season to understand the story and characters. And that’s when I saw Priya Playing the character of Kashti.. She totally stood out in the series .. and simultaneously I was prepping for Jamai 2.0 so I suggested that we should try her out for Aahana character in Jamai. She did a fab job and we got a good understanding as a Director Actor duo. Bekaaboo season two while we changed most of faces it was out of question to change Priya because everyone loved her. From the first season she was the highlight of the show. And she has killed it one more time. Back to back working with her has been one hell of an experience and while Jamai 2.0 has already done big numbers and is a superhit, I am dead sure that Bekaaboo will do well.. She is pretty lucky for me..

Bekaaboo Season 2 is a phycho-thriller directed by Aarambhh M Singh. It will be released on ALTBalaji OTT on March 15th 2021. It stars actors like Taher Shabbir, Priya Banerjee, Subha Rajput, Poulomi Das, Taha Shah, Smaran Sahu and Tushar Khanna in key roles.

Rahul B Seth launches his Music Video “Main Hoon Naari Shakti” sung by Vaishali Samant

ON THE EVE OF WOMAN’S DAY, MUSIC DIRECTOR RAHUL B SETH IS ALL GUNG-HO ABOUT LAUNCHING HIS MUSIC VIDEO “MAIN HOON NAARI SHAKTI” SUNG BY THE VERSATILE AND TALENTED SINGER VAISHALI SAMANT AND FEATURING A HOST OF CELEBS TO THE COMMON WOMEN. SOHAM SIDDHARTH- EDITOR FILMS & TV WORLD CAUGHT UP WITH RAHUL B SETH FOR A TETE-A-TETE.

Films & TV World: Naari Shakti on Womens Day! What was the thought behind this idea?

Rahul B Seth: Main Hoon Naari Shakti as the title suggests, is all about highlighting the inner strength of a Woman. I myself hail from a family of very strong and steely willed women Also, the  theme for this year's International Woman's day, or rather - Woman's week is "Choose To Challenge" So  I thought of depicting and showcasing women from various walks of life, representing myriad fields and vocations keeping in mind, the fact that they have all faced challenges in their journeys to  reach where they are, thanks to the 'Naari Shakti' within, and now is the time for them to challenge the world around them, rising up  against age-old stereotypes and gender bias. 

FTV: From a Celeb, a Mayor to a common person, how did you bring everyone together?

Rahul: First of all, getting 53 women to feature in a song video was quite a mammoth task for me. So, in a way, I guess, even I chose to challenge my own self for this endeavour. I remember having met the Honorable Mayor of Mumbai, Smt. Kishori Pednekar ji in the early stages of this project. I shared my vision and idea with her, along with the scratch demo of the song. She loved the song when she heard it, and asked me to go ahead with it, and agreed to feature in the video. So i got together with dear friend Sanjay Wandrekar, an excellent musician and song arranger, and we worked upon the entire song production. Then I met well known Producer/ Director/ Actor Kaanchan Adhikkari, who instantly loved the  song, and agreed to help me get some key women on board, like actor Varsha Usgaonkar, Singer Vaishali Samant, the lady cops, Dr. Rishma Dhillon Pai. Similarly, other friends & woman achievers like Archana Sharma, Nita Bajpai, actor Hrishitaa Bhatt, and more joined hands with me and the journey began. Apart from them, having MLA Dr.Bharati Lavhekar and BMC President Sudha Shambhunath Singh was truly wonderful to have on board alongiwth International Body Building Champion Karuna Waghmare, whose very personality is so awe inspiring. Then through my friends Tashi and Poonam  from Sikkim, I got Boxing Gold Medalist Roshni Subba. Other awesome personalities like Anuradha Pal, India's 1st female Tabla  Virtuoso, Award winning Indian Classical dance exponents Shubhada Varadkar ( Odissi ), Suchitra Rane (Kuchipudi) , Claudia Teodora ( Mohini Attam), Nita Bajpai ( Bharat Natyam) also came on board just having heard the song once. Big FM - Mumbai's Senior manager-Talant & Celeb relations Usha Malasi also was a big support.  I think it was pre-dominantly the song's lyrics, composition & music that everyone got endeared to, and they instinctively decided to be a part of this song video. I personally went and shot the footage of almost 75% of all the women featured in it.  

FTV: Is it going to be streamed online for a better reach?

Rahul: Yes, this highly inspiring song & video has already started streaming across various social media platforms, and is being shared tremendously by all viewers. It has had airplay across radio stations & TV Channels as well. In fact, the viewers can watch this video on You Tube.

FTV: Do women really need a happy Women’s Day to be appreciated?

Rahul: We must remember that International Women's Day was 1st honoured and observed in the year 1911 in Austria, Germany, Switzerland and Germany. In that era, all over the world, women were subjugated and exploited by archaic patriarchal laws and tenets. So, it was the 1st time that the efforts of all women coming together to fight for their rights was recognised internationally. Ever since, up till now, as we can all see, women have excelled in all fields by leaps and bounds and have really shown their "Naari Shakti" to the world. So, not only on women's day, I think a woman should be appreciated every single day all that she is. 

FTV: Your thoughts on Women's day.

Rahul: Well, as I have said right in the beginning of my song video - International Women's Day should be just a reminder for us that - Every Day is a Woman's Day… Jai Hind!

So here’s presenting the wonderful song Main Hoon Naari Shakti by Rahul B Seth!

Do let us know your views.

Bollywood singer Ankit Tiwari to collaborate with Pawan Chawla for a series of music videos

Sunn Raha Hai Na Tu (Aashiqui 2), Galliyan  (Ek Villain), Tu Hai Ke Nahi (Roy) singer Ankit Tiwari is soon coming up with a series of music videos that will be produced by Pawan Chawla, Producer and Founder, P&M Movies.  This series is going to be shot in North India in the coming months.

On the occasion, Pawan Chawla said “I am very enthralled to announce our tie-up with the renowned Composer-Singer Ankit Tiwari. He is a born music lover and believes in himself. We had a very fruitful meeting today and we mutually agreed to shoot for a new music video comprising of series of songs across northern India in the coming months.”

Composer-Singer Ankit Tiwari said “I am looking forward to work with P&M Movies by Pawan Chawla for my new music video which will be shot in the coming months”

Ravi Dubey, Nia Sharma & Achint Kaur share insider details on Aarambhh M Singh and 'Jamai 2.0'

The original leads Ravi Dubey, Nia Sharma &  Achint Kaur in the series, shed some light about their experience of working with director Aarambhh M Singh & how he is actors’ director and gets into every little thing that is part of his frame whether it’s the actors clothing or it is art and set design. He is very precise and particular towards his work & that makes him all over perfect.

Ravi Dubey
For me, it has been a terrific experience working with Aarambhh. This is the first time that I've had the opportunity of working with him. Aarambhh is someone who is really an inclusive creative person, and that translates as a director as well. He is someone who has an open mind about every scene. He used to often say that I know that there are actors who are director’s actors, but I'm an actor's director. I think that's something that's absolutely amazing about the statement. This is what truly makes him an inclusive creative and because he is this way the environment on the sets is really very warm. Aarambhh makes sure there is always that potential to push the envelope and go the extra mile in a scene which may not always necessarily be a part of the script. So to say there's always that window to create a new kind of magic with the scene. So that I think this is Aarambhh's biggest strength. And he is not only a director, I've also enjoyed his company as a friend and I am glad to have met him during Jamai 2.0.

Nia Sharma
Working with Aarambhh  M Singh has been pretty smooth, more than taking his name that's pretty tough. But I would say what is easy is how he lets you be, and gives you the space as an Actor. He just lets you be, lets you flow unless you go wrong somewhere. He does not complain about anything. That's the best part when you can actually be at ease with the director he really understood me on a lot of levels. He was particular about my look, my costumes. He was constantly right there you know, talking to me about things, constantly boosting my moral through the entire show. So I would say overall it was fantastic and I definitely look forward to working with Aarambhh again.

Achint Kaur
Yes about working with my director Aarambhh. So we met for the first time on the show and what I like about Aarambhh is that he is a very sensitive person and that really comes across. When he is directing the scenes, you get to learn a lot. He sees the intrinsic part of every scene and he is super committed. He gets so involved at times I feel that Aarambhh why didn’t you do the scene for me and make it simply beautiful. So this one thing I really like about him. Otherwise he is a great gentleman & a beautiful person. Loads & loads of blessings to him.

Jamai 2.0 Season 2 is one of the most popular and long-awaited web series, and fans are eagerly waiting for their favorite couple, #SidNi to return to the screen. The sequel in the form of Jamai 2.0 continues from the cliffhanger where it left off the last time to make some big revelations.

Director Aarambhh M Singh’s second season builds a relationship with lifelong trials centered on romance. Aarambhh has kept the spice and ‘mystery’ alive till the very end which will make viewers want to binge watch the show till the climax. The transition of episodic series format from daily soap has been done for the better and with the unexpected twists and turns happening one after the other in a jiffy, it keeps you hooked to the screen till the very end.

Hindi Dubbed OTT Platform, DOLLYWOOD PLAY announces Digital Premiers

India’s first and only dedicated Hindi dubbed OTT platform, DOLLYWOOD PLAY, has announced Digital premieres of 24 new mass entertainment movies for Hindi movie lovers. The movies will be released over one year as part of the platform’s "launch campaign”, which revolves around reaching out to the lovers of Hindi dubbed movies across multiple popular genres. Furthering the idea, the device-agnostic platform has rolled out a list of six premieres that will be soon showcased, starting with “Viking Ladaaku.”

The latest announcement is aligned with the OTT platform’s commitment to providing seamless entertainment in the vernacular to reach a larger audience. Dollywood Play is currently streaming “Viking Ladaaku”, an action adventure that will be followed by a series of 5 digital premiers (one ine every 15 days) viz. “Main Inteqaam Loongi,” “Katil Jalpari,” “Groupie,” “Katil Talwar,” and “Haseena Aur Janwar.”

It is worth noting that the pandemic-induced disruptions and remote work culture spiked the demand and consumption for Hindi content online. Dollywood Play addresses the need for quality content by dubbing the South Indian & World cinema in Hindi and bringing the same to the users with their amazingly affordable subscription plans. Dedicated to providing its customers with the best mass entertainment, the digital platform streams content across various genres like Action, Adventure, Creature, Thriller, Horror, Comedy, Romance, and Drama, all dubbed in Hindi.

Speaking at the launch, Aneesh Dev, founder-director of Dollywood Play said, “Our goal is to bring the choicest mass entertainment content dubbed in Hindi for our customers. We wish to eliminate the language barrier so that our customers don’t have to miss out on South Indian & International movies. We have rolled out the first link of our 24-movies series and we will keep on adding additional content as the user demands.

The value which our audience will get by installing this app on their mobile phones is that besides getting to watch one fresh movie premiere every 15 days they will get more than 500 titles in our movie library which are well curated with correct title names of the original movies, synopsis & promos so that the users can watch they want to watch. The tools of Dollywood Play OTT like genre filters, video quality selection, download to watch offline, make your own playlist makes it easier for the users to discover the content of their choice and make their own online content library.