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[Editor Note] : George Mao, the producer of Aduri, which stars our very own Striker sent this post.

The Producer
Introduction
In the Summer of 2006, I joined a project called “Aduri”. Chances are that you haven’t heard about Aduri, since it is an independently funded project, so I’ll start with a little background information.

Aduri is a feature length film written, funded, and directed by a group of film enthusiasts from the East Coast. I won’t go into detail about the film itself; you can visit the website at http://www.adurithemovie.com for a preview & trailer. Instead, I am the Producer on the project and I wanted to share some of my experiences in Pre Production and Production, as well as some lessons learned.

Pre-production began in the Summer of 2006 when my close friend Riyadh Mahmood (Executive Producer, Director) and I met Fahd Habeeb …

Mumbai Cutting

A city that tells thousands of stories each day, a city that weaves the magic for a million people everyday and a city that creates as much as it destroys each day – it was logical that something would pay tribute to its various layers and shades in typical Bollywood fashion but with a hint of betrayal – replace the glitz and the pseudonyms with gleams of passion and realism.

Sitting in Arch lights for the closing gala, I had but one apprehension – will the collective genius of al those makers fail the intelligent and glamor seeking audience in the congregation – c’on, the pick of junta there was either uber rich or over eager in their own endeavors…

Promod Bhai…23: Anurag Kashyap

What a find! The kid playing the protagonist is a true find. If Darsheel floored you with his dreamy …

Just finished watching the trailer and it really pisses me of what a few idiotic fucks come up with? The whole nation goes ballistic over DaVinci Code being banned! National Treasure goes full houses in India and it is hardly talked about here in the US but when finally one guy with some ballz and creativity makes a movie that basis thousands of years of Hindu history as a back-drop to tell a story, make it with unindian professionalism and dream to take huge risks through a medium that he rules, the narrow-minded mediocre politically motivated sleazy voluptuous heroine gazers who know nothing but to booze in crowd and hoot who don’t have the courage for open dialogue go on rampage on calling the movie dividing Hindus based on Shivites and Vishavites, a fabric so old and mutually existent that it would feel insulted being spoken about???…

Yes, if all goes according to plan, South India will see another CM from the film fraternity and this time too like in the last 50yrs, reel life is a bigger stage than the real life.

For the last 6months, the buzz around Coastal Andhra, the traditional seat of money and power of Andhra politics, is steaming from one name. CHIRANJEEVI. The only actor to have the Mega Star tag, something that Rajnikanth doesn’t boast of, and certainly Hindi cinema does not even recognize, has been speculating time and again whether to jump into the fray or wait it out for a while.

Moving from cinema for a while to spin scenarios, Andhra, like Karnataka and Tamil Nadu has always loved its most popular actors. NTR, MGR and Raj Kumar have left indelible marks on the state’s policies so much that after the 1984 elections and the subsequent void in the center, …

Indian Film Festival of Los Angles(IFFLA) is a festival that probably comes closest to PFC’s own aspirations as platform to showcase movies par excellence without money, power and politics and only talent and creativity being the buzz words.

Like 2007, PFC promises to give an indepth and close coverage of the entire event with very very exclusive updates, interviews and more than anything else, an unique insight into what goes into making movies and its festivals the greatest shows on the planet.

Not failing the movie faithfuls like ever, Christina Marouda and the entire IFFLA team has put together an event that will be nothing like ever witnessed combining soemof the best movies from mainstream Indian Cinema to the discreetly creative independent cinema of Indian origin. Be it the unique platform to capture shorts where PFC’s very own Srinivas is running for honors for the second year in succession or be in …

God makes up for deficiencies in men in various ways. He makes some rich, some sensible, some compassionate and some physically strong. But on some particularly shitty days, god gives total morons something that he shud’nt - brainwaves. And based on the prior premise that the day is shitty, those brainwaves come only to destroy any left sane men after watching the prior referenced morons.

Su, who sent us this news, was initially dazed discerning if the following is a scoop or a news. In IndiaFm’s words:
One can clearly see that Sajid Khan has painstakingly ensured that he gives his best to the product from the very beginning till the end. That is visible from the film’s making, aptly titled ‘Making of the Baby’, which is clearly a by-product of some excellent planning by people associated with it and led by the director. How exactly? Well, believe it or not …

Continuing yesterday’s story of Amitabh’s symbolization of dominating North Indian’s in Mumbai, Raj Thackeray was in for a dressing down from the original Sena Tiger, Mr. Bala Saheb who played the political game of backing the Big B. Just wondering here, if the tables were turned, what are the chances of Raj doing the same as his uncle. Duh! So predictable are Indian Politics…

Amitabh is Amitabh roared the tiger, and man, did he look it too…

Hindu reports:
Breaking his silence on Maharashtra Navnirman Sena leader Raj Thackeray’s outbursts against north Indians, Shiv Sena leader Bal Thackeray on Wednesday said making parochial allegations against actor Amitabh Bachchan was plain foolishness.”
According to Indian Express:
“The allegations are nothing but stupidity”, Thackeray said in a statement, deriding the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief’s allegation that Bachchan always gave priority to Uttar Pradesh …

Our very own Hoonhar Goonda, in a fit to take on the stalwarts of PFC’s Retro Hindi Cinema had a thought yesterday morning. Why don’t I take a very classy DK aka YK aka “Hold your pants till I finish my monologue and then my facial expressions” film, take a few lines of the ultra-meaningful lyrics and ask people, How the hell did I miss it for all my life’s worth in UK?

Allrite, this is what he said:
“…Jalaa do ise fooq dalo yeh duniya
Jalaa do, jalaa do, jalaa do
Fooq dalo yeh duniya
Mere samne se hata lo yeh duniya
Tumhari hai tum hi sambhalo yeh duniya
Yeh duniya agar mil bhi jaaye, to kya hai? ”

I heard the song for first time when I saw the movie Pyasaa for the first time over the weekend. And the ghazal is amazing - so is the film. How come I had not heard the song …

Ok, Amitabh is friends with Amar Singh! He travels often to UP, he starts a school there. But for god sake, pray tell me, how is he against Maharashtrians in all this?

According to Rediff reports on Amitabh’s heart being in UP by Raj.
“Though he has become a star in Mumbai, his interest is in Uttar Pradesh. That is why he was trying to be an ambassador of UP rather than Maharashtra,” Thackeray said at a function in Dharavi on Friday night.
So his heart is in UP just because he is felicitated there and decides to do something for the state inspite of being a mumbaikar for the best part of his life?

What is difficult to comprehend is, how can Raj forget all that he has done for Maharashtra in times of its crisis over the years. Here’s what his make-up man for more than three-decades has to …

Its Oscar time again and most of the usual suspects have gone through as expected. A few do raise eyebrows for their inclusions in some major categories while some big omissions in the best picture/screenplay categories will be up for debate.

Here’s how the final list looks…

Performance by an actor in a leading role

George Clooney in “Michael Clayton” (Warner Bros.)
Daniel Day-Lewis in “There Will Be Blood” (Paramount Vantage and Miramax)
Johnny Depp in “Sweeney Todd The Demon Barber of Fleet Street” (DreamWorks and Warner Bros., Distributed by DreamWorks/Paramount)
Tommy Lee Jones in “In the Valley of Elah” (Warner Independent)
Viggo Mortensen in “Eastern Promises” (Focus Features)

Performance by an actor in a supporting role

Casey Affleck in “The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford” (Warner Bros.)
Javier Bardem in “No Country for Old Men” (Miramax and Paramount Vantage)
Philip Seymour Hoffman in “Charlie Wilson’s War” (Universal)
Hal Holbrook in “Into the Wild” (Paramount Vantage and River …

“A film is a one night stand but television is a love affair”. That’s Aaron Sorkin when quizzed why he chose to make a television series after having written brilliant movies like A Few Good Men and The American president. This coming from a man who wrote the scene of poetic outburst of Michael J. Fox in the oval office when debating how it is important for a man of immense power to do the right thing - political ramifications and international treaties be dammed!

In the last seven years, if there was one indulgence that I let on unhindered when facing a dilemma or being in a stupor over the morally correct, West Wing was a series that I turned to day in and day out. Books were a refuge but my time of growing up gave me access to much more visual form of ideological exchange that would impress …

Driving as fast as I could in the treacherous NYC traffic last Thursday I was thinking as hard as I could as to what I would have done if I were to remake Dombivilli Fast, that too in a language of which I knew all but 2 words. How would I even start to write the change in characters or change the sensibility to suit my target audience? How would I even trust the characters when I cannot understand them while they are giving a shot? How would I make it work? What would I have to face?

Nishikant Kamat is a director shows you lot less than what he is. He is fun to be with, very very personal and probably the most chilled out person I have met with lazy being the other very apt adjective. He is patient, loves to shop for shoes and his immediate desire is …

PFC was in attendence for the facilitation of the winners on of the poster contest for the Film No-Smoking. John was there to give away the cash prizes worth Rs. 25,000 each to the winners. Elvis where there in person. Zaheer and Manav were represented by their parents. Ms. Masooma Contractor was there on Zaheer’s behalf and Mr. and Mrs. Doshi were there for Manav. Me look really look lika a wannabe RGV with my stupid “muchi” and venting my views like a pro….cring even looking at them….kuch zyada hi footage kha liya…anyways without further ado…..Lets take you to the All Sports Bar at Andheri where it all happened.

Thanks to Vasan, KK, Manjeet & the entire PFC Mumbai Gang.

The video’s below are the same in two different formats. Enjoy!

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AK …

During the 5-day NY guerrilla shoot of Nishikanth’s “Mumbai Meri Jaan” and the location hunt for Nishi’s next, our Guide/Project Manager/Production Incharge was a creative genius called Vishal Bhandari and like many reading this, I never ever have heard of him.

A graduate of NY Film Academy, un-credited writer and production maverick of the NY shoot of Vettiyadu Veliyadu and a compelling film-maker in his own right Vishal is a person who speaks when he connects and gives you this look and feel of the film-making world that is miles apart from what you see, read and talk.

For 3 days I have been amazed by his hunger to tell stories the way he does, the kind of stories he wants to tell and the quality of the work he did. He has made 5 films to date – A Pocket Full of Dreams, Maaya, The Hang-Man, Kaalchakra and Bagh Dakhvun Hat …

A much more emotionally charged Manish tells us more about his film’s release, how he likes to direct and what he wants to do in the future. The concluding part of the interview with Manish Acharya.

PFC: Thanks for joining us again Manish. Let’s continue about Loins of Punjab Presents. After the script of LOPP was locked up, what were the challenges you faced when shooting here in the US or in India? How was the response of the people working with you to this new idea?
Manish: I will go with the second question first. I started with recruiting key crew, and one of the main criteria was that we shared a similar aesthetic and that they got the humor in the script. For example, my DoP, Arvind Kannabiran, still jokes about me asking him who his favorite authors were on our first telephone conversation. And his answer was …

Manish Acharya, the director of Loins of Punjab Presents agreed to a QnA exclusively for PFC. In this two part session, Manish speaks about growing up on a staple diet of Bollywood movies, opportunities in the US, his transition from a software consultant to a film-maker, NYU film school and his own personal struggles. Over to Manish Acharya…

PFC: Thanks for joining PFC for a QnA Manish. Firstly, when did it all begin for you? Writing, Directing etc?
Manish: It’s a pleasure “being here.” So you start with a tough question, huh? :) In some ways, it all began at a very early age … I loved movies. Devoured them. Would go see movies alone in summer vacations. Saw everything under the sun … which in Bombay meant Hindi films and some Hollywood films. However, becoming a filmmaker in a middle class household like mine was akin to becoming …

Wacky but rational. That’s what Loins of Punjab Presents (LOPP) is. Profanity mouthing bhangra turbunators, a conservative gujju beauty dreaming of Italian ramp success, kitty party revenge schemes, a geek finally having a beautiful girlfriend in the third dimension – the number of paradox’s in this film will leave you amused and stumped. And then you have the mystery of the Pork Loins.

Winner of the best film at the First Run Film Festival at NYU, this graduation and debut film of Manish Acharya is right there with the best of the NextGen/satirical cinema made by “Desi’s” in the US. For a while we have been having films that deal so much with identity of Indian’s here in a foreign land and about the humor they bring in to everyday life with their mannerisms, LOPP goes ahead with maturity to bring out the reality in most of the resident …

Location: In a picturesque café, UPENN Campus, Philadelphia.
Weather: Slight drizzle, in low 50’s.
Situation: Me, euphoric after first tryst with the camera. My friend – Doesn’t give a shit!

He: Dude, so PFC really got onto you huh. Fult California, Film Festivals, Scripts and all that. Great going man.
Me: Yeah, I hardly do anything though. Just watch a lot of movies, actually a movie a day, read a lot that they write on PFC and digress a lot.
He: So lets get back to our fav conversation once again. BLACK! You tho full informed movie buff/ critique/ reviewer, you did not like Black dude? For most out there and me, it was one hell of a movie man!
Me: Dude, Black??? Bah, not that discussion again. It’s a crappy movie man, made by an egomaniac who wanted a bunch of shiny black ladies and we being we (i.e. desi junta), we gave him …