Johnson pitches London to Bollywood
The mayor of London has announced that two Indian films will be shot in his city next year as part of a bid to bring Bollywood to the British capital. Boris Johnson said on Thursday in Mumbai that Indian filmmakers should make London their movie set of choice. He offered tax breaks, cooperation on clearing streets and spoke of "the huge audiences that Indian films have in London". The producer Sajid Nadiadwala says he will film two movies, including Housefull 3, the latest in the hugely successful film series, in London. "I love to shoot in London and the fact that I am back to shoot my third and fourth film is proof that the place is great. I have no complaints," said Nadiadwala in a separate press conference. His 2007 film Heyy Babyy and 2010 film Housefull were also shot in London. Besides Housefull 3 starring Akshay Kumar, Nadiadwala will shoot the comedy action thriller Kick in London. Johnson's visit to Mumbai is part of a series of trips he has planned over the next 18 months to China, Brazil and the Middle East to attract investment after the London Olympics. - AP
Anhey Ghore da Daan wins at IFFI
The Punjabi film Anhey Ghore da Daan (Alms for a Blind Horse) won the Golden Peacock award for Best Film at the 43rd International Film Festival of India on Friday. Kyu-hwan Jeon was awarded the Silver Peacock for Best Director for The Weight, while the Silver Peacock for Best Actress went to Anjali Patil for her role in the Tamil-Sinhalese film With You, Without You and Best Actor went to Marcin Dorocinski for his part in Rose. The director Mira Nair was given a special Peacock and a Centenary Film Award for her new movie The Reluctant Fundamentalist, which was the closing film at this year's festival. - IANS
Manisha Koirala discharged from hospital
The actress Manisha Koirala left a Mumbai hospital on Friday morning after she was admitted on Wednesday, reportedly after falling unconscious. "She has requested not to disclose anything about her health so we are not allowed to speak about it," said a spokesperson for the hospital. Koirala, 42, has appeared in several Bollywood hit films over the past two decades. She made her debut in 1991 with Saudagar and recently took on a role in Ram Gopal Varma's Bhoot Returns. - IANS
Jha and Saxena team up for new comedy
Manish Jha, the director of the critically acclaimed Matrubhoomi- A Nation Without Women, is due to direct a comedy. Sumit Saxena announced that he is currently working on a script for the film. "The movie is based in rural India. It is about gangsters and their stupid dreams. The film is a funny take on the situation," he told reporters. "Manish knows exactly what he wants to see in the film. But he doesn't interfere in the script too much." Saxena added that it was too early to talk about the film's cast and that more details will be released in the coming weeks. - IANS
Singh: actors are insatiable
The actor Sushant Singh, who is known for his powerful performances in 1998's Satya and last year's Yeh Saali Zindagi, has said that it is difficult for actors to feel fully sated. "It's a definite delight to be involved in a film, whether full-fledged or short - it doesn't matter as long as it gives you the creative satisfaction. Actors are insatiable," said Sushant. The 40-year-old actor will next appear in Sudhir Mishra's short film Kirchiyaan, opposite Chitrangada Singh. He described the project as an interesting experiment that he enjoyed working on. "Kirchiyaan is that 10-minute conversation between characters who haven't seen each other for 10 years," said the actor. "They're trying to resolve their issues from a decade ago, but whether they do is something audiences should look out for." - IANS
