Silver Linings Playbook to open Mumbai film festival
Silver Linings Playbook, starring Bradley Cooper, Robert De Niro, Jennifer Lawrence and the Bollywood actor Anupam Kher, will open the 14th Mumbai Film Festival, to be held from October 18 to 25. "I feel honoured to present it as the opening film of such a prestigious festival. As an actor it is a dream come true to be part of this brilliant and heartwarming film," Kher said in a statement. "A great moment of joy and pride for me." The film is written and directed by David O Russell and revolves around the life of Pat Solitano (Cooper), a teacher who has lost his house, job and wife. After a stint in a mental institution, he finds himself living with his parents. The film premiered at last month's Toronto International Film Festival and took home the People's Choice Award. The Mumbai Film Festival, organised by the Mumbai Academy of the Moving Image, will screen more than 200 movies. * IANS
Dhawan talks about his debut in Student of the Year
The newcomer Varun Dhawan is gearing up for the release of his debut Bollywood film, Student of the Year, directed by Karan Johar. The 24-year-old previously worked as Johar's assistant director on 2010's My Name is Khan. "Karan is my mentor. Whatever I know about the industry, I've learnt from him. I trust Karan blindly," says Dhawan, whose father, David, and brother, Rohit, are both filmmakers. Dhawan reveals that even though Student of the Year will not be released until October 26, he has already received offers for new film projects. Besides Dhawan, the film is headlined by two other newcomers, Alia Bhatt and Siddharth Malhotra. The film is co-produced by Shah Rukh Khan. * IANS
Mukesh and Chaddha pair up for new romcom
The filmmaker Prerna Wadhawan has announced her next film, a romantic comedy starring Neil Nitin Mukesh and Richa Chaddha. "I'm happy that they're coming together for the first time for the film. It's a fresh pairing. Even the film's crew is made up of young people," says the director. "We're all excited about the project." Shooting for the film, which is still untitled and also stars V?J Bani and Manish Anand, is -scheduled to begin later this year. * IANS
TV star Nadwani heads to Bollywood
The television actress Ragini Nadwani is making her Bollywood debut in the forthcoming political drama Dehraadun Diary. "It's a film everyone will be able to relate to because it talks about an important issue we all face daily: corruption in the government. I play an ordinary person who puts up an extraordinary fight for justice," says Nadwani. "The film is a big step for me. I hope people accept me in the way they have on television." Directed by Milind Ukey, the film co-stars Adhayan Suman and Rohit Bakshi. It will be released next month. * IANS
