Tag: filmmaker

  • How did Madiha Imam fall for an Indian filmmaker?

    How did Madiha Imam fall for an Indian filmmaker?

    Sometimes, love finds you in the most unexpected places. On the set of the Bollywood movie ‘Dear Maya’, a special connection formed between two individuals. Madiha Imam recently shared how she met her husband, Moji Basar, while working on the film. Moji, who comes from northern India, is both a filmmaker and an MMA trainer. The film set the stage for their love story, making Madiha’s journey in the film industry even more special.

    “My husband is from India, from the Northern part, and he’s a filmmaker as well as an MMA trainer. He has worked on various projects in Bollywood, and we first met during the making of my Bollywood film, Dear Maya,” she narrated.

    While discussing her new family, Madiha said, “My in-laws have a unique culture that surprised me with their customs. I loved how they welcomed me into the family. The whole area is very tribal, and the entire tribe came down to welcome me when Moji took me for the reception.”
    Madiha, the star of ‘Bayhadh’ and ‘Dil Manay Na’, married Moji Basar on May 1, 2023. She posted pictures of the wedding with the caption, “Married 1-5-2023, remember us in your prayers as we embark on this new chapter of our lives.”

  • Director of ‘Gunjal’ wins debut award at India’s Dada Saheb Phalke film festival

    Director of ‘Gunjal’ wins debut award at India’s Dada Saheb Phalke film festival

    Pakistani director Shoaib Sultan has won the debut director award for his film ‘Gunjal’ at the prestigious Dada Saheb Phalke Film Festival in New Delhi, India. The achievement is a big milestone for both Sultan and Pakistani cinema.

    The festival, which celebrates great filmmaking, featured films from around the world, and Sultan’s work shone brightly among them. Sultan thanked the organizers, saying the award is a big step forward for Pakistani cinema.

    ‘Gunjal’, a Pakistani movie released on December 15, 2023, has gotten a lot of attention for its talented cast, including Ahmed Ali Akbar, Resham, and Amna Ilyas.

    Speaking from Saudi Arabia, where he currently resides, Sultan expressed his gratitude for the honor bestowed upon him.

    He said, “The award has encouraged everyone in the Pakistani film and cinema industry.’ He added that support from the current government and the announced funding for the Pakistani film industry will lead to the production of better films and provide people with better opportunities to watch movies.

  • Bollywood film ’12th Fail’ to premiere in China

    Bollywood film ’12th Fail’ to premiere in China

    Indian actor Vikrant Massey’s successful film’12th Fail’, a biopic of an IPS officer, is gearing up for release on over 20,000 screens across China.
    Massey confirmed the news of the release, stating, “It’s too soon to talk about that, but I am really excited because, after a long time, something like this has happened.”

    Elaborating on the film’s popularity in China, Massey said, “There is a huge demand for Hindi cinema or Indian cinema in China. There are more than 20,000 screens [given to 12th Fail]. China really caters to the entertainment sector and hence the numbers [of screens].”
    ’12th Fail’ is based on a best-selling book by Indian author Anurag Pathak and tells the real-life story of IPS officer Manoj Kumar Sharma. Directed by acclaimed filmmaker Vidhu Vinod Chopra, the film stars Vikrant Massey alongside Medha Shankar, Anant V Joshi, Anshumaan Pushkar, and Priyanshu Chatterjee.

    Initially released in India last year, the film received critical acclaim and was later dubbed in Tamil, Kannada, and Telugu. It is currently available for streaming on the OTT platform Disney+ Hotstar.

  • Director’s first choice for ‘Raj’ in Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge was Tom Cruise

    Director’s first choice for ‘Raj’ in Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge was Tom Cruise

    Renowned Bollywood filmmaker Aditya Chopra wanted to cast Hollywood star Tom Cruise for the main role of Raj Malhotra in his debut movie ‘Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge.’
    Indian media reports revealed that Chopra had planned to on casting the Hollywood superstar for the role eventually immortalised by Shah Rukh Khan.

    The project aimed to be unique, with the heroine portrayed in a traditional Indian style and the hero in a Western style, which is why Aditya considered Tom Cruise for the part.

    However, according to Indian media, Cruise demanded a large sum of money, which the production house couldn’t afford at that time.
    As a result, Chopra’s father, renowned filmmaker Yash Chopra, suggested a change in the story to focus on a Hindu family settling abroad.
    Following this advice, the blockbuster movie ended up starring Shah Rukh Khan in the lead role.
    Released in 1995, “Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge” became one of the most successful films of Yash Raj Films and Bollywood, featuring Shah Rukh Khan alongside Kajol.

  • Indian director Anurag Kashyap will charge money for meeting people

    Indian director Anurag Kashyap will charge money for meeting people

    Indian filmmaker Anurag Kashyap has criticized those in showbiz who waste his time.

    Taking to Instagram, he wrote: “Don’t waste my time.”

    The filmmaker expressed frustration in a lengthy statement. “I wasted a lot of time trying to help newcomers and mostly ended up with mediocre s*. So, now onwards, I don’t want to waste my time meeting random people who think they are creative geniuses.”
    To everyone’s shock, Anurag went on to state his rates for newbies in the field interested in meeting with him. He said, “So I will now have rates. If someone wants to meet me for 10-15 minutes, I will charge 1 lac, for half an hour, 2 lacs, and for 1 hour, 5 lacs. That’s the rate.”

    He also said, “I am tired of wasting time meeting people. If you really think you can afford it, call me or stay the f*** away. And all paid in advance,” he capped the note. In the post’s caption, the Bombay Talkies director wrote, “And I mean it: Don’t text or DM or call me. Pay and you will get time. I am not a charity, and I am tired of people looking for shortcuts.”

  • Shibli Faraz says filmmakers must be given creative liberty

    Shibli Faraz says filmmakers must be given creative liberty

    Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting, Shibli Faraz has said that filmmakers must have creative liberty to make films.

    In an interview with Independent Urdu, the minister revealed that the government will launch the film policy in March next year under which they will officially give the status to Pakistani films as a film industry and will provide incentives to facilitate and assist filmmakers.

    “Commercial films have their own needs and all the ingredients to make a commercial film should be allowed whereas art films should also be made and we should make films on our heroes. Why don’t we make films on national heroes?” questioned the minister.

    He further said: “Filmmaking is creative work and we don’t want to be a hurdle in it so we are also working on strict censor policies. But one thing should be kept in mind: any content that can hurt religious and cultural sentiments should be avoided.”

    Faraz also said the government is working towards having a single censorboard.

    “After the 18th Amendment, unfortunately, there are two censor boards in the country – federal and provincial. We are trying to unify the censor boards so that filmmakers do not face difficulty in approvals. Governments in the past have made very complicated procedures and if any department has more technicalities than the convenience then organisations are not attracted towards it,” said the minister.

    Meanwhile, last month in an exclusive interview with The Current, Senator Faisal Javed had shared that under the policy, filmmakers and cinema owners will be offered several incentives including access to locations. The government hopes to build a soft image of Pakistan through film and promote ‘Pakistaniat‘, which is why it also hopes to make cinemas affordable for the masses.

    “We hope that are we are able to promote our country, tourism and rich culture and history through our films,” said Senator Javed.

    The film policy was developed by former Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Information and Broadcasting Gen (r) Asim Saleem Bajwa.

  • Pakistani filmmaker wins gender equality award in Singapore

    Pakistani filmmaker wins gender equality award in Singapore

    Award-winning Pakistani filmmaker, Shehzad Hameed Ahmad was recently honored by the United Women of Singapore for supporting the cause of gender equality through his films.

    Over last 10 years, Shehzad has done significant work highlighting and supporting women causes and creating awareness for gender equality. Singapore-based Ahmad was awarded the Gender Equality Impact Change-maker (male individual) award.

    His work includes The Pakistani Four 2012, where he travelled across America to film the journey of four Pakistani American women, Flight of the Falcons 2015, were he filmed the inspiring journey of Pakistani school teacher and her two-room school in Gujranwala, where he highlighted the issues of girls’ education in rural areas of Pakistan.

    His work was being featured on TVF International, Toggle, Dawn News, National Geographic, TV Ontario, CAN and Crime and Investigation Channel, amongst others.