Thompson on Hollywood

Indian Film Festival Opens With Pop Mob Drama 'Gangs of Wasseypur'

Festivals

The astonishing Hindi actor Manoj Bajpayee has his best role in years in Anurag Kashyap's "Gangs Of Wasseypur," which is tonight's kick-off gala presentation at the 11th Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles (IFFLA). A five-hour epic mob drama in two parts depicting a decades-long intra-Muslim vendetta (Part II screens at the IFFLA tomorrow), "Gangs" is headlong, hand-held, violent entertainment. It manages to keep a dozen major characters and their agendas clear while rarely pausing to take a breath.

By David Chute
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April 9, 2013 10:49 PM
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'Midnight's Children,' 'Reluctant Fundamentalist' and Bollywood Come to Hollywood in 2013 Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles

Festivals

The 11th annual Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles is gearing up for its 2013 edition (April 9-14), and has a handful of special screenings decorating its lineup. Mira Nair's "The Reluctant Fundamentalist," starring Riz Ahmed, Kate Hudson, Liev Shreiber and Keifer Sutherland, is part of the program, along with Anurag Kashyap's festival opener "Gangs of Wasseypur" and Deepa Mehta's Salman Rushdie adaptation and fest closer "Midnight's Children."

By Beth Hanna
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April 3, 2013 2:50 PM
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Bollywood Goes IMAX for First Time with 2013 Release of 'Dhoom:3'

News

Bollywood action-thriller "Dhoom: 3" will be digitally remastered and released in IMAX throughout India in winter of 2013, marking the country's first local-language production to be released in the larger-than-life format.

By Beth Hanna
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September 21, 2012 12:39 PM
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Cannes 2012: Fortissimo Films Acquires Foreign Rights to Bollywood-Set 'Miss Lovely' (Video)

Festivals

Fortissimo Films has acquired the international rights to "Miss Lovely," a debut feature from Indian director Ashim Ahluwalia. "Miss Lovely" will premiere at Cannes as part of the Official Selection, in Un Certain Regard. Three teasers for "Miss Lovely" are highlighted below.

By Maggie Lange
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May 4, 2012 1:18 PM
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Cannes Goes Bollywood with Musical Compilation The Greatest Love Story Ever Told VIDEOS UPDATED

Aishwarya Rai is a familiar fixture on the Cannes Fest red carpet. And this year, she's front and center in a new Bollywood film, Bollywood - The Greatest Love Story Ever Told (pictured), produced expressly for Cannes.

By Anne Thompson
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April 22, 2011 4:56 AM
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Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles Announces Winners, Lead By Udaan

The Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles announces its 2011 winners, who were announced at the April 17 gala closing of the fest. Disney's Zokkomon (opens stateside April 22) also had its world premiere at the gala. The festival screened 32 features, docs and shorts at Hollywood's ArcLight.

By Sophia Savage
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April 18, 2011 4:57 AM
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Hollywood Goes Bollywood: L.A. and Indian Producers Form Film Council

As India continues to make inroads in Hollywood by investing in such companies as DreamWorks and IM Global, it remains to be seen what the practical results will be of a signed cooperation pact between the city of Los Angeles and the Indian film industry. The city of L.A., the Film and Television Producers Guild of India and the Film Federation of India have agreed to:develop and strengthen motion picture production, distribution, technology, content protection and commercial cooperation between the two filmmaking communities. The two parties also support the creation of the Los Angeles-India Film Council to increase Indian film production in Los Angeles.

By Anne Thompson
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November 10, 2010 11:38 AM
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Trailer Watch: Bollywood Robot Stars Rai, Rajni

Screenwriter Damon Lindelof (Lost) just tweeted that he was going to India, possibly to see this movie, Shankar's Robot, due out September 24, starring Aishwarya Rai and Rajnikanth, plus a lot of visual effects and music by A. R. Rahman. Looks like Hollywood remake fodder to me.

By Anne Thompson
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September 24, 2010 11:56 AM
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Raavan's Bachchan and Rai Do The Ramayana: Badly

Big-budget Bollywood adventure Raavan, starring the golden couple Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai--from writer-director Mani Ratnam, director of Guru, with a rousing score by Slumdog Millionaire Oscar-winner A.R. Rahman--is a big overwrought dud. It's one of those dead-serious over-scale extravaganzas that boasts lavish resources--visual effects, swirling cameras, stunning scenery and lavish musical numbers--and comes up short. It's basically India's Robin Hood in more ways than one--all that money can buy in the way of production value and star power, but a big so-what? In some ways, Bachchan is playing chest-beating primitive King Kong to Rai's lovely Fay Wray.

By Anne Thompson
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June 21, 2010 5:02 AM
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Bollywood Star Amitabh Bachchan Suffers Liver Disease

Beloved Bollywood veteran Amitabh Bachchan, age 67, admits on his blog that he is suffering from cirrhosis of the liver. He writes that he received tainted blood after a 1982 set accident that caused hepititis and scarring.