Ashim Ahluwalia’s next, Palace of Horrors, is part of the International horror anthology, The Field Guide To Evil, which will have its world premiere at the prestigious festival, South by Southwest (SXSW) ~The horror anthology of dark folk tales brings together eight of today’s most talented genre filmmakers from around the world including Austria, Germany, Greece, Hungary, India, Poland, Turkey and United States~ ~Producers include Christos V. Konstantakopoulos (Before Midnight, The Lobster) and Keith and Jess Calder (Anomalies, Blair Witch) - the film will open theatrically across US and Europe later this year~ Mumbai, March 3rd, 2018: The National Award-winning filmmaker, Ashim Ahluwalia’s short segment, Palace of Horrors, is part of the International horror anthology, The Field Guide To Evil and will have its world premiere at the prestigious festival, South by Southwest (SXSW) to be held from March 9-18, 2018. The film starring Niharika Singh (actress, Miss Lovely), Mark O’Gleby, Henry Throop and Robin Das will be screened on March 16. Palace of horrors, shot in luminous black & white, unfolds over the summer of 1913 in Bengal. Deep within the ancient Sunderban jungles and veiled from the outside world, lies a crumbling palace - home to strange rites and malformed, barely-human curiosities, collected by a long-dead king. THE FIELD GUIDE TO EVIL is produced by Alamo Drafthouse, Christos V. Konstantakopoulos (Before Midnight, The Lobster), Keith and Jess Calder (Anomalies, Blair Witch) and Legion M, amongst others. The film features dark folk tales with creepy stories of possession, curses, love, lust and envy. The eight terrifying tales are from Ashim Ahluwalia, India (“Miss Lovely”, “Daddy”) Peter Strickland, Hungary (“The Duke of Burgundy”) Calvin Reeder, United States (“The Rambler”) Veronika Franz & Severin Fiala, Austria (“Goodnight Mommy”) Katrin Gebbe, Germany (“Nothing Bad Can Happen”) Can Evrenol, Turkey (“Baskin”) Agnieszka Smoczynska, Poland (“The Lure”) Yannis Veslemes, Greece. Ashim Ahluwalia talks about his experience of being part of the anthology “It’s quite an honour to be the first Indian filmmaker to have a world premiere at SXSW. It’s become the most relevant film festival in the US today. Our film The Field Guide to Evil is a collaboration between 8 international directors, all very exciting in their own right, and in that sense is very different from what I’m used to. It’s a horror film, inspired by dark folk tales from around the world, and the buzz on the premiere has been huge. I'm really excited for the audience to experience this." he says The festival will be held from March 9-18, 2018 About the festival: South by Southwest (SXSW) is one of the largest creative gatherings in the world, featuring music and film festivals, conferences on a wide range of topics and exhibitions. Broadly speaking, the festival is centred around exploring creative arts and their evolving place in the world. Gathering so many innovators from a multitude of mediums in one place gives SXSW an electric atmosphere, resulting in particularly memorable performances and moments for fans and participants alike.

#WinnersAtOscars2018 Sam Rockwell bagged an Oscar for his performance in Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri. Dunkirk took two Oscars, one for Sound Mixing and the other for Sound Editing. Allison Janney won the award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in I, Tonya. Coco grabbed the Oscar for Best Animated Feature. Best Visual Effects went to Blade Runner 2049. Best Film Editing goes to Dunkirk, the film’s third award at the Oscars. Gary Oldman won the Oscar in the Best Actor category for his performance in Darkest Hour. Best Adapted Screenplay went to Call Me By Your Name. And it was 90-year-old James Ivory, who won it. Best Original Screenplay went to, Get Out. Roger A Deakins, the legend of The Shawshank Redemption and Fargo, finally gets an Oscar after 14th nominations. Best Original Score. Alexandre Desplat. for The Shape of Water “Remember Me” from Coco won in the Best Original Song category. Guillermo del Toro won in the Best Director category. Frances McDormand won Best Actress for Three Billboards outside Ebbing Missouri BEST PICTURE – The Shape of Water DIRECTING – Guillermo del Toro, The Shape of Water ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE – Gary Oldman, Darkest Hour ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE – Frances McDormand, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE – Sam Rockwell, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE – Allison Janney, I, Tonya ADAPTED SCREENPLAY – Call Me by Your Name, James Ivory ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY – Get Out, Jordan Peele FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM – A Fantastic Woman (Chile) ANIMATED FEATURE FILM – Coco, Lee Unkrich and Darla K. Anderson ANIMATED SHORT FILM – Dear Basketball, Glen Keane and Kobe Bryant DOCUMENTARY FEATURE – Icarus, Bryan Fogel and Dan Cogan DOCUMENTARY SHORT SUBJECT – Heaven is a Traffic Jam on the 405, Frank Stiefel LIVE ACTION SHORT FILM – The Silent Child, Chris Overton and Rachel Shenton ORIGINAL SCORE – The Shape of Water, Alexandre Desplat ORIGINAL SONG – “Remember Me” from Coco, Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez SOUND EDITING – Dunkirk, Alex Gibson and Richard King SOUND MIXING – Dunkirk, Mark Weingarten, Gregg Landaker and Gary A. Rizzo FILM EDITING – Dunkirk, Lee Smith CINEMATOGRAPHY – Blade Runner 2049, Roger Deakins VISUAL EFFECTS – Blade Runner 2049, John Nelson, Paul Lambert, Richard R. Hoover and Gerd Nefzer PRODUCTION DESIGN – The Shape of Water, Nathan Robitaille and Nelson Ferreira COSTUME DESIGN – Phantom Thread, Mark Bridges MAKEUP AND HAIRSTYLING – Darkest Hour, Kazuhiro Tsuji, David Malinowski and Lucy Sibbick

#PicksAndPiques #BestOfBollywood2017 #JohnsonThomas Rankings in order of MERIT #PicksAndPiquesJohnsonThomasBestOfBollywoodBestFeatureFilm2017 – 1) Kadvi Hawa 2) Mukti Bhawan 3) A Death in the Gunj 4) Daddy 5) Newton #PicksAndPiquesJohnsonThomasBestOfBollywoodBestDirector2017 1) Rahul Dahiya(G Kutta Se) 2) Shubhashish Bhutiani(Mukti Bhawan) 3) Nila Madhab Panda(Kadvi Hawa) 4) Konkana Sen Sharma(A Death In the Gunj) 5) Alankrita Srivastav( Lipstick under my Burkha) 6) Ashim Ahluwalia(Daddy) 7) Amit Masurkar (Newton) #PicksAndPiquesJohnsonThomasBestOfBollywoodBestActorMale2017 1)Pankaj Tripathi (Gurgaon) 2)Sanjay Mishra(Kadvi Hawa) 3) Lalit Behl(Mukti Bhawan) 4) Ranvir Shorey(Kadvi Hawa) 5) Akshay Oberoi (Gurgoan) 6) Arjun Rampal(Daddy) 7) Rajkumar Rao( Newton) 8) Rajveer Singh( G Kutta Se) 9) Sumeet Vyas(Ribbon) 10) Irrfan Khan (Qarib Qarib Singlle) #PicksAndPiquesJohnsonThomasBestOfBollywoodBestActorFemale2017 1) Tillottama Shome(Kadvi Hawa) 2) Swara Bhaskar(Anarkali of Aarah) 3) Kalki Koechlin (A Death in the Gunj) 4) Konkona Sen Sharma, Ratna Pathak Shah, Aahana Kumra, Plabita Borthakur (Lipstick Under My Burkha) 5) Anjali Patil( Newton) #PicksAndPiquesJohnsonThomasBestOfBollywoodBestSupportingActorMale2017 1) Vikrant Massey (A Death in the Gunj) 2)Ranvir Shorey(A Death in the Gunj) 3)Divyendu Sharma (Toilet Ek Prem katha) 4) Varun Sharma(Fukrey Returns) 5) Raghuvir Yadav( Newton) 6) Bhupesh Singh( Kadvi Hawa) 7) Pankaj Tripathi(Newton & Fukrey Returns) #PicksAndPiquesJohnsonThomasBestOfBollywoodBestSupportingActorFemale2017 1) Tanuja(A Death in the Gunj) 2) Neha Chauhan( G Kutta Se) 3) Shalini Vatsa( Gurgaon) 4) Usha Naik( Daddy) 5) Navnindra Behl(Mukti Bhawan) 6) Geetanjali Kulkarni( Mukti Bhawan) 7) Tilottama Shome(A Death In The Gunj) #PicksAndPiquesJohnsonThomasBestOfBollywoodBestMusicDirector2017 1) Rohit Sharma ( Anaarkali of Aarah) 2) A Band of Boys(Monsoon Shootout) 3) Pritam Chakraborty (Jagga Jasoos ) 4) Zebunnisa Bangash( Lipstick under my burkha) 5) Surendra Sodhi (Toilet Ek Prem Katha) #PicksAndPiquesJohnsonThomasBestOfBollywoodBestBackgroundScore2017 1) Anjo John, Rurger Zuydervelt and Peter Broderick (G Kutta Se) 2) Sagar Desai (A Death in The Gunj ) 3) Naren Chandavarkar, Benedict Taylor( Gurgaon/Newton ) 4) Mangesh Dhakde(Kadvi Hawa) 5) Atif Afzal, Gingger Shankar(Monsoon Shootout) 6) Sajid Ali, Wajid Ali (Daddy) 7) Mangesh Dhakde (Lipstick under my Burkha) #PicksAndPiquesJohnsonThomasBestOfBollywoodBestCinematography2017 1) Sachin Kabir &Alok Shrivastav (G Kutta Se) 2) Ramanuj Dutta (Kadvi Hawa) 3) Rajeev Ravi( Monsoon Shootout) 4) Sirsha Ray (A death in the Gunj) 5) Vivek Shah (Gurgaon ) 5) Swapnil S Sonawane (Newton) 6)Subransu (Poorna: Courage Has No Limit) 7) S Ravi Varman (Jagga Jasoos) 8) Jessica Lee Gagné, Pankaj Kumar (Daddy) 9) Arvind Kannabiran (Anaarkali of Aarah) #PicksAndPiquesJohnsonThomasBestOfBollywoodBestStoryAdaptedAndOriginal2017 1) Mukul Sharma (A Death in the Gunj) 2) Nitin Dixit (Kadvi Hawa) 3) Lipstick Under My Burkha 4) Rahul Dahiya (G Kutta Se) 5) Kamna Chandra (Qarib Qarib Singlle) 6) Siddharth Singh, Garima Wahal (Toilet Ek Prem Katha) 7) Prashant Pandey, Shreya Dev Verma (Poorna: Courage has no limits) 8) Ashim Ahluwalia, Arjun Rampal (Daddy) #PicksAndPiquesJohnsonThomasBestOfBollywoodBestProductionDesign2017 1) Parul Sondh (Daddy) 2) (G Kutta Se ) 3) (Lipstick Under My Burkha ) 4) (Kadvi Hawa ) 5) Siddharth Sirohi (A Death in the Gunj ) 6) Aparna Raina(Poorna Courage Has no Limit) 7) Mayur Sharma (Monsoon Shootout) 8) Ashwini Shrivastav (Anaarkali of Aarah) 9) Parijat Poddar , Rajat Poddar (Jagga Jasoos) #PicksAndPiquesJohnsonThomasBestOfBollywoodBestSingerMale2017 1) Arijit Singh, Alvida (Rangoon) 2) KK (Main agar—Tubelight) 3) Kamal Khan- Radio.. (Tiger Zinda Hai) 4) Arijit, Yeh Ishq Hai –Rangoon 5) Arko Pravo– (Nazm, Nazm – BAREILLY KI BARFI) 6) Arjit singh –Zalima(Raees) #PicksAndPiquesJohnsonThomasBestOfBollywoodBestSingerFemale2017 1) Monali Thakur, Khol de baahen (Meri Pyaari Bindu) 2) Shreya Ghoshal (Rozana—Naam Shabana) 3) Meghna Mishra – main kaun hoon (Secret Super Star) 4) Meghna Mishra - "Nachdi Phira"– (Secret superstar) #PicksAndPiquesJohnsonThomasBestOfBollywoodBestCostumeDesign2017 1) Divya Gambhir, Nidhi Gambhir (Daddy) 2) Susie Lewis (Partition: 1947) 3) Smriti Chauhan,Viji Joy(Monsoon Shootout) 4)Rohit Chaturvedi- (A Death In The Gunj 5) Kirti Kolwankar ( Gurgaon) 6) Veera Kapoor(Poorna) 7) Rupa Chourasia(Anaarkali of Aarah) 8) Ashish Dwyer (Jagga Jasoos) #PicksAndPiquesJohnsonThomasBestOfBollywoodBestEditing2017 1) Pranay Nillay, Sandeep Singh Bejeli (G Kutta Se) 2) Shan Mohammed (Gurgaon) 3) Ewa J. Lind, Atanu Mukherjee ( Monsoon Shootout) 4) Jabeen Merchant (Kadvi Hawa/ Anaarkali of Aarah) 5) Manas Mittal, Aarif Sheikh ( A Death in the Gunj) 6) Deepa Bhatia, Navnita Sen Datta(Daddy) 7) Shweta Venkat Mathew (Newton) #PicksAndPiquesJohnsonThomasBestOfBollywoodBestSoundEffects2017 1) Abhijit Roy and Satish Poojary (G Kutta Se) 2) Kunal Sharma, Ateesh Chattopadhyay( A Death in the Gunj) 3)Mohandas V P, Boby John(Gurgaon) 4) Mishaal Chinai, Kunal Sharma( Monsoon Shootout) 5) Udit Duseja, Sagnik Basu (Daddy) 6) Anish John (TRAPPED) #PicksAndPiquesJohnsonThomasBestOfBollywoodBestMake UpAndHair2017 1) Sergio Stivaletti (prosthetics) Vandana(hair stylist) (Daddy) 2) Hitesh Desai, Jacqueline Fowler(Partition: 1947) 3) Bouchra Sakhi (Jagga Jasoos) 4) Dhananjay Prajapati (Gurgaon) 5) Roohi M Bindra (Raees) #PicksAndPiquesJohnsonThomasBestOFBollywoodBestVisualEffects2017 1) Jagga Jasoos 2) Ram Dhumne, Anshul Mathuria ( A Death in the Gunj) 3) Daddy #PicksAndPiquesJohnsonThomasBestOfBollywoodBestAnimatedFeatureFilm None #PicksAndPiquesJohnsonThomasBestOFBollywoodBestAnimatedShortFilm2017 NONE #PicksAndPiquesJohnsonThomasBestOFBollywoodBestShortFilm2017 1) Carbon:The Story of Tomorrow 2) Anukul 3) Khujli 4) Sisak 5) Ladies First #PicksAndPiquesJohnsonThomasBestOFBollywoodBestDocumentary2017 1) A Suitable Girl 2) On Yoga The Architecture of Peace 3) Ask the Sexpert 4) Sachin: A Billion Dreams 5) Game of Ayodhya #PicksAndPiquesJohnsonThomasBestOfBollywoodBestDebutanteMale2017 1) Mohit Marwah (Raag Desh) 2) Kanan Gill (Noor) 3) Tirth Sharma (Secret Superstar) #PicksAndPiquesJohnsonThomasBestOfBollywoodBestDebutanteFemale2017 1) Aishwariya Rajesh (Daddy) 2) Parvathy(Qarib Qarib Singlle) 3) Anya Singh (Qaidi Band) 4) Saba Qamar(Hindi Medium) #PicksAndPiquesJohnsonThomasBestOFBollywoodBestChoreographer2017 1) Shabina Khan(Anaarkali of Aarah) #PicksAndPiquesJohnsonThomasBestOFBollywoodBestChilActor2017 1) Vibh Tyagi( G Kutta Se) 2) Aditi Inamdar(Poorna: Courage Has no Limits) #PicksAndPiquesJohnsonThomasBestOfBollywoodBestScreenplay2017 1) Rahul Dahiya (G Kutta Se ) 2) Konkana Sen Sharma Nisha Rindhani(A Death in the Gunj) 3) Shubhashish Bhutiani (Mukti Bhawan) 4) Nitin Dixit (Kadvi Hawa) 5) Ashim Ahluwalia, Arjun Rampal (Daddy) 6) Amit V Masurkar, Mayank Tewari (Newton) #PicksAndPiquesJohnsonThomasBestOfBollywoodBestDialogue2017 1) Avinash Das (Anaarkali of Aarah) 2) Rahul Dahiya (G Kutta Se) 3) Vipin Bhati, Shanker Raman, Sourabh Ratnu (Gurgoan) 4) Siddharth Singh, Garima Wahal (Toilet Ek Premkatha) 5) Hitesh Kewalya (Shubh Mangal Saavdhan) #PicksAndPiquesJohnsonThomasBestOfBollywoodBestActionDirection2017 1) Shyam Kaushal (Daddy) 2) Shyam Kaushal(Monsoon Shootout) 3) Franz Spilhaus (Commando2: The Black Money Trail) 4) Tom Struthers (Tiger Zinda Hai) #PicksAndPiquesJohnsonThomasBestOfBollywoodBestLyricist2017 1)Avinash Das/ Prashant Ingole (Anaarkali of Aarah) 2) Kausar Munir-Main kaun hoon (Secret Superstar) 3) Amitabh Bhattacharya (Sab khanna khaake—Jagga Jasoos) 4) Arko Pravo (Nazm Nazm)/ Shantanu Ghatak

PARI Collects 15.34 cr. Nett over the weekend on the Indian Box Office MUMBAI; 5th March, 2018: Riding high on positive reviews and strong word of mouth, Anushka Sharma starrer PARI held on to its steady performance on Sunday (Day 3) to nett 5.51 cr. on INDIA Box Office. Thus, closing the weekend at 15.34 cr. PARI's Day wise India Box Office Nett collections Day 1: 4.36 crores Day 2: 5.47 crores Day 3: 5.51 crores Total Weekend: 15.34 crores The film thus set a new benchmark in the Hindi horror genre with a GenNext Bollywood A-lister headlining the act for the very first time in a film of this genre. Says co-producer Arjun N Kapoor of KriArj Entertainment "We are extremely satisfied with the release weekend performance of PARI. Despite the truncated nature of this weekend (due to Holi festivities and the trade strike in many south markets), the film was able to hold the business, riding on good audience response after opening to rave reviews. A unique storyline, catchy atmospherics and superb performances, especially Anushka's, made it an exciting watch. To add to it, our unique marketing strategy of building the 'atmospheric horror' through screamers, teasers and other on-ground activations piqued the audience interest right up to its release."

Mumbai-based designer wins KASHISH 2018 International Poster Contest Designer Wendell Rodricks who judged the contest says winning design is ''minimal and forceful'' March 5, 2018 KASHISH Mumbai International Queer Film Festival has chosen the look for the ninth edition of South Asia's biggest LGBTQ film fest scheduled to be held from May 23-27, 2018. India's top fashion designer Wendell Rodricks - judge for the KASHISH International Poster Contest - declared Mumbai's based graphic designer Ashutosh Vyas as the winner. Vyas, will receive a trophy and a cash prize of Rs 25,000 instituted by Rodricks. ''This award winning poster is both graphic and bold without resorting to the literal in a detailed visual format. In a minimal, forceful and colourful message, the theme of ‘Together with Pride’ is achieved. In its simplicity and starkness with the layering, complexity, diversity and solidarity of the LGBTQ community, the poster conveys instantly what KASHISH 2018 is about. I congratulate the winner and wish KASHISH 2018 the success it so richly deserves,'' said Rodrciks. The poster depicts six silhouettes with pride colors and portrays people uniting and forming a society of togetherness and love Vyas said that he was extremely happy and delighted to have won the prestigious competition ''It feels amazing to win, especially in something you believe in. I believe in equal opportunities for all and stand by the idea that all have right to live the way they want to. KASHISH, through this competition helped me express that. This film festival not only brings in an excellent experience with regards to its films, but also gives opportunities to art in different forms. It means a lot to be associated with it,'' said Vyas. The entries this year came from around the world. "This year the festival received a very diverse range of creative submissions. The winner chosen by Wendell Rodricks is a beautifully stark design that emphatically underlines the theme of the festival - 'only if we are together with pride can we achieve equality and dignity for everyone'. Congratulations to Ashutosh, who is incidentally the third time Mumbaikar winning the contest,'' said festival director Sridhar Rangayan. The winning design will be used on hoardings, banners, cinema slides, delegate cards, T-shirts and catalog cover. About KASHISH Mumbai International Queer Film Festival Voted as one of the Top 5 LGBT Film Festival in the World, KASHISH Mumbai International Queer Film Festival is South Asia's biggest queer film festival and the only LGBT film festival in India to be held in a mainstream theatre. Founded in 2010, KASHISH is held over 5 days at three venues. It is the first Indian LGBT festival to be held with approval by the Information & Broadcasting Ministry, Government of India. KASHISH Mumbai International Queer Film Festival is presented by KASHISH Arts Foundation and organized by Solaris Pictures. Besides the annual film festival its other initiatives are KASHISH Forward - India’s first travelling campus LGBTQ film festival, KASHISH Global – that facilitates screening of Indian LGBTQ films across the world, Best of KASHISH film screenings and KASHISH Chalchitra Utsav – a festival of LGBTQ films in regional languages. KASHISH 2018 FESTIVAL THEME The 9th edition of KASHISH Mumbai International Queer Film Festival will celebrate pride and the infinite diversities of families, communities, gender, sex, ethnicity and body types. The fight for equal rights and societal acceptance is also a fight against discrimination of any sort, and equal rights can be only achieved when all of us – LGBTIQ and Allies – come together with pride to celebrate being ourselves.

Aryamann Seth's Delhi Dragons has been the most consistent in Box Cricket League Actor Aryamann Seth, who has been a part of popular shows like ‘Niyati’, ‘Yahaan Main Ghar Ghar Kheli’, ‘Mahabharat’ and ‘Sasural Simar Ka’ is a part of the team Delhi Dragons in the Box Cricket League, a sports based reality show produced by Ekta Kapoor’s Balaji Telefilms. Interestingly, this is the same team that won two consecutive seasons of the show and took home the winning trophy twice. This is no mean feat as the show consists of as many as ten teams. In the third season, the team did not win but made it to the finals nonetheless. Lady luck might not have shone on the team for the third time in a row but there is no doubt about the fact that Delhi Dragons has been the most consistently performing team in the three seasons. In the next season, one expects the team to regain lost ground and get back on their winning streak. On the acting front, Aryamann is in talks for a couple of projects including a web-series with Zee/Essel Vision.

Vidya Balan, Rajkumar Rao win the prestigious & most transparent PowerbrandGlam-Bollywood Film Journalists Awards!! A night after the Oscars, The 2018 edition of Power Brands-Bollywood Film Journalist's Awards, organized by Planman Motion Pictures and Daily Indian Media, was held at Hotel Orchid on March 5th. Virtually all the winners from all categories who were present in Mumbai turned up at this glittering night of honesty and transparency. Started with the clear ambition of being the Oscars of India this is India's only film awards decided on the basis of Open Ballot Voting. Arindam Chaudhuri, the man behind Planman, thanked the voting jury profusely for their integrity and courage for exercising their ballot in a very transparent manner. 22 of the most prominent film critics decided who deserved the trophies for Hindi cinema 2017 in the categories submitted by DailyIndia.com. The voting was done individually and on mail, and the detailed results of who has voted for whom can be seen on the website of Power-Brands. Apart from being Open Ballot and highly credible due to voting being restricted only to film critics, the award also is unique as it honours not just the winner but the associate winner as well. The evening started with a beautiful visual tribute to Sridevi who was also expected to be here tonight, being the associate winner of the best actress award for her stellar performance in MOM. The best actress award winner Vidya Balan as well as the Best Actor award winner Rajkumar Rao were personally present. This year was unique because in the Best Actor category Rajkumar Rao took away both the winner and the associate winner awards for his stellar performances in Trapped and Newton. He also won the best supporting actor award for his role in Bareilly Ki Barfi. In the supporting actor category female Seema Pahwa and Meher Vij took the honours. Marcin Laskawic came all the way from Poland to take his best cinematography trophy for Tiger Zinda Hai. Also taking away special Power Brands Awards for furthering the cause of cinema were Raveena Tandon and Anil Thadani, Kay Kay Menon honoured with Power Brand Trensetter Award, Anu Kapoor, Sonali Kulkarni POWER BRANDS OUTSTANDING CONTRIBUTION TO MARATHI CINEMA OF THE YEAR, Sachin Khedekar POWER BRANDS OUTSTANDING CONTRIBUTION TO MARATHI CINEMA OF THE YEAR, Ram Kamal Mukherjee won power brands autobiographer of the year, Komal Nahata power brand best trade analyst for the year 2018, Mayank Shekhar power Brands film critic of the year and Subi Samuel won Power Brands Bollywood Photographer of the year. The life time achievement award was given to Moushami Chatterjee. Vidya Balan: I thank all the 22 jury members, eminent journalists who voted for me. Tumhari Sullu is a very special film for me and my producer Tanuj Garg, and I am extremely delighted to have received this award tonite. I have always believed in working on films that offers me something new to explore. And anything that's new can either be a success or a flop. But when you are recognized for taking up challenges, that encourages you to do better in life. Rajkumar Rao: I think this is one of those moments when you feel good about yourself. As an actor, I choose the best I get offered, and when that work gets recognized by 22 eminent journalist from across the country, that reinstall faith in the work that I am doing. Thanks for the appreciation. Raveena Tandon: This Award is one of the most democratic award, because of its transparency. This will also remain very special for me, because this this for the first time that I am receiving an award with my husband Anil Thadani. If I am the "power" than he is the "brand", we compliment each other. The guest of Honour of the evening was the Polish Ambassador to India H. E. Adam Burakowski- was the Guest of Honor and kept everyone entertained with his Hindi from time to time. Minister of Commerce and Industry Suresh Prabhu sent video message for the winners. Prof. Chaudhuri said “I do hope the industry supports this unique effort in full force in the coming years so that such genuine awards are promoted where awards are not given on the basis of attendance but on the basis of merit. I did hope one day Aamir Khan takes back his vow of not attending any awards functions and makes his first appearance here due to its completely transparent nature." The Power Brands-Bollywood Film Journalist's Awards, organized by Planman Group began with a mission and vision to recognize excellence and honor the finest in cinematic achievements, with high integrity and transparency and become the true voice of creative filmmaking. Recent surveys have proved that viewers are being dismissive of the plethora of popular awards being dished out, which have been ‘contaminated’ with star power, and have wandered away from celebrating true talent, to become a big publicity party. As Prof. Chaudhuri stated, “Awards are given even if you merely attend an awards ceremony, or at the diktat of channels that want viewership. We decided to entrust the selection to critics who have been watching films every week for years.” The company plans to expand its base of journalists in the next edition to at least double in the next edition. Here is the list of winners at the '2018 Power Brands Bollywood Film Journalist's Awards'–Bollywood's only Open Ballot awards . Rajkumar Rao sweeps it all winning Best Actor, Associate Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor. Vidya Balan wins Best Actor Female and Late Sridevi is the Associate Winner of Best Actor Female. In the category of Best Supporting Actor Female winner is Seema Bhargava Pahwa and Associate Winner is Ratna Pathak Shah. Manav Kaul is the joint winner of Best Supporting Actor Male. Best Feature Film Winner : Toilet Ek Prem Katha - Producers : Aruna Bhatia, Shital Bhatia, Arjun N. Kapoor, Hitesh Thakkar Associate Winner : NEWTON - Manish Mundra Best Director Winner : Death in the Gunj - Konkona Sen Sharma Winner : Toilet Ek Prem Katha - Shree Narayan Singh Winner : Bareilly Ki Barfi - Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari Best Actor Male Winner : Trapped - Rajkummar Rao Associate Winner : NEWTON - Rajkummar Rao Best Actor Female Winner : Tumhari Sulu - Vidya Balan Associate Winner : MOM – Late Sridevi Best Supporting Actor Male Winner : Bareilly Ki Barfi - Rajkummar Rao Winner : Tumhari Sulu - Manav Kaul Best Supporting Actor Female Winner : Shubh Mangal Saavdhan - Seema Bhargava Pahwa Associate Winner : Lipstick Under My Burkha - Ratna Pathak Shah Associate Winner : Secret Superstar - Meher Vij BEST MUSIC DIRECTOR Winner : Jagga Jasoos - Pritam Chakraborty Associate Winner : Secret Superstar - Amit Trivedi Best Background Score Winner : Jagga Jasoos - Pritam Chakraborty Associate Winner : Trapped - Alokananda Dasgupta Best Cinematography Winner : Jagga Jasoos - S. Ravi Varman Associate Winner : Tiger Zinda Hai - Marcin Laskawiec Best Story Adapted Winner : A Death in the Gunj - Mukul Sharma Winner : Shubh Mangal Saavdhan - R. S. Prasanna Best Story Original Winner : Mukti Bhawan - Shubhashish Bhutiani Winner : Tumhari Sulu - Suresh Triveni Best Production Design Winner : JAGGA JASOOS - Parijat Poddar & Mr. Rajat Poddar Associate Winner : DADDY - Parul Sondh Associate Winner : RANGOON - Mr. Subrata Chakraborthy & Mr. Amit Ray Best Singer Male Winner : Yeh Ishq Hai / Rangoon - Arijit Singh Winner : Zaalima/ Raees - Arijit Singh Best Singer Female Winner : Nachdi Phira / Secret Superstar - Meghna Mishra Associate Winner : Main Kaun Hoon / Secret Superstar - Meghna Mishra Best Costume Design Winner : RANGOON - Dolly Ahluwalia Associate Winner : A Death in the Gunj - Rohit Chaturvedi Best Editing Winner : Trapped - Nitin Baid Winner : A Death in the Gunj - Mr. Aarif Sheikh & Mr. Manas Mittal Best Sound Effects Winner : Jagga Jasoos - Mr. Nair Abhishek & Mr. Shijin Melvin Hutton Associate Winner : Trapped - Anish John Best Make Up and Hair Winner : Daddy - Mr. Sergio Stivaletti & Mr. Shrikant Desai Associate Winner : RANGOON - Preetisheel Singh Best Visual Effects Winner : Tiger Zinda Hai - ADITYA CHOPRA (YFX) Associate Winner : JAGGA JASOOS - Zaheer Ahmad & Team Best Animated Feature Film Winner : Ruchi Narayan's Hanuman Da Dumdaar Associate Winner : Koochie Koochie Hota Hai - Karan Johar Best Animated Short Film Winner : Schirkoa - Ishan Shukla Best Short Film Winner : Neeraj Ghaywan - Juice Associate Winner : Khujli - Anuj Gosalia, Chintan Ruparel, Terribly Tiny Tales Associate Winner : Aaba - Raj Kumar Gupta Best Documentary Winner : Ask the Sexpert - Vaishali Sinha Associate Winner : Azmaish: A Journey Through the Subcontinent - Sabiha Sumar Best Debutante Male Winner : Secret Superstar - Tirth Sharma Associate Winner : Noor - Kanan Gill Associate Winner : Raag Desh - Mohit Marwah Best Debutante Female Winner : Qarib Qarib Singlle - Parvathy Associate Winner : Hindi Medium - Saba Qamar Best Choreographer Winner : Galti Se Mistake / Jagga Jasoos - Mr. Vijay Ganguly & Mr. Ruel Dausan Varandani Associate Winner : Laila Main Laila / Raees - Bosco Caesar Best Lyrics Winner : Main Kaun Hoon / Secret Superstar - Kausar Munir Associate Winner : Sab khanna khaake / Jagga Jasoos - Amitabh Bhattacharya Best Child Artiste Winner : CHEF - Svar Kamble Artiste Winner : Tubelight - Matin Rey Tangu Best Screenplay Winner : Hindi Medium - Ms. Zeenat Lakhani & Mr. Saket Chaudhary Associate Winner : Mukti Bhawan - Shubhashish Bhutiani Best Dialogues Winner : Shubh Mangal Saavdhan - Hitesh Kewalya Associate Winner : Jagga Jasoos - Mr. Amitabh Bhattacharya, Mr. Debatma Mandal, Mr. Samrat Chakraborty & Mr. Anurag Basu Associate Winner : RANGOON - Vishal Bhardwaj Associate Winner : Fukrey Returns - Mr. Mrighdeep Lamba & Mr. Vipul Vig Best Action Winner : Tiger Zinda Hai - Mr. Tom Struthers Associate Winner : DADDY - Shyam Kaushal The following 22 leading Film Journalists of India have given their votes!! Anuj Alankar Ayanjit Sen Bharti Dubey Chandrima Pal Dipti Vijay Ranglani Dr. Piyush Roy Imtiaz Azeem Jaya Biswas Johnson Thomas Jyoti Venkatesh Mayank Shekhar Neeru Sharma Noyon Rajiv Vijaykar RJ Alok Rohit Bhatnagar Saibal Chatterjee Shaikh Aayaz Shama Bhagat Sonia Chopra Sonup Sahadevan Vishal Verma The results along with who voted for whom are declared at http://www.powerbrands360.com/power-brands-awards.html PB-BFJA has no nominations. Film critics are free to decide their choice. In its 12th year now, Power Brands is a mega celebration of achievement, highlighting the success of Indian brands. Planman Group's Motion Pictures arm has produced 3 National Award Winning Films including Do Dooni Chaar and The Last Lear.

The following 22 leading Film Journalists of India cast their votes !! Anuj Alankar Ayanjit Sen Bharti Dubey Chandrima Pal Dipti Vijay Ranglani Dr. Piyush Roy Imtiaz Azeem Jaya Biswas Johnson Thomas Jyoti Venkatesh Mayank Shekhar Neeru Sharma Noyon Rajiv Vijaykar RJ Alok Rohit Bhatnagar Saibal Chatterjee Shaikh Aayaz Shama Bhagat Sonia Chopra Sonup Sahadevan Vishal Verma The Jury

#FICCIFrames2018 #DiscussionOnCensorship #Day3 Another unyielding day at the FICCI Frames 2018 with it's never yielding discussion on censorship

AND ITS A WRAP!! Team "Genius" wraps up the shoot releases 24th August ,2018. The party was also to celebrate Anil Sharma's Birthday Exuberance & commemoration at the successful Post-Shoot Wrap-Up party celebration of the highly anticipated film "Genius" aptly concluded on a very special day of another Genius Director Anil Sharma on his Birthday with his favourite superstar longtime friend Sunny Deol introducing the lead actor & another genius in making : Utkarsh Sharma. Close family friend & Anil Sharma's friend in his long & illustrious journey Bobby Deol too joined in the jubilation with a surprise visit to wish Anil Sharma a cheerful happy birthday and wish Utkarsh Sharma with his long time comrade Sunny Deol expressing his uncontrollable pleasure by smearing the birthday cake on Anil Sharma's face... To celebrate ,Cheer & commemorate successful post shoot wrap-up party. ,As is rightly said... " A Genius is Talent set on fire 🔥 by Courage"& this incredible journey which began on the Birthday of his son & the lead actor rightfully draw to close on this special day. K.C. Sharma and Kamal Mukut presents Anil Sharma Productions and Soham RockStar Entertainment's film "GENIUS" Dil Ki Ladaai Dimag Se. Film GENIUS's wrap-up party introduced the electrifying lead paid pair Utkarsh Sharma by Sunny Deol and Ishita by Anil Sharma to the media and film fraternity along with the entire cast, crew & eminent personalities from the Entertainment industry & other walks of life. Birthday celebration of Director Anil Sharma & wrap up party of "Genius" saw the presence of Sunny Deol who walked in along with Utkarsh Sharma introducing him, Anil Sharma who introduced the leading lady of the film Ishita, present were Suman Sharma (Anil Sharma's wife), Nawazzuddin Siddique, Ayesha Jhuka, Abhimanyu Singh, K. K. Raina, Dev Gill, Aruna Irani , Madhu Chopra ,Himesh Reshammiya , Babbu Mann ,DJ Sheizwood , Daboo Malik ,Shabeena Khan, Sawan kumar Tak, Champak Jain, Aruna Irani, Shahid Amir, Bijon Dasgupta were present Director Anil Sharma said "I am delighted to introduce my son to Bollywood. We started to shoot for Genius on his birthday & we wrapped by on my birthday. My special thanks to Soham Rockstar, Deepak Mukut & Kamal Mukut for standing like a pillar of support through out the shooting, It is because of them that I was able to complete my film in a span of 4 months. I would also like to thank each & everyone for their support & being an integral part of tonight" Producer Deepak Mukut said "I'm happy to produce GENIUS and introduce his son Utkarsh and new girl Ishita, and associated with director Anil Sharma..who has delivered blockbuster Gadar..and expecting to create history with launch of new talent”. Think very fast-paced and high-tech action on a huge scale, with a healthy dose of romance with handfuls of thrills and pinches of drama."Genius" will be a new, exciting and saucy mix, but put together very tastefully and served with style. K.C. Sharma and Kamal Mukut Present Anil Sharma Productions and Soham RockStar Entertainment's high tech Action love story based Musical, Musical Film Genius is set to release in all over. Utkarsh Sharma Jeetey of Gadar fame and new find Ishita are leading cast of the film. Cast- Mithun Chakraborty, Ayesha Jhulka and Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Produced by Deepak Mukut, being written & Directed by Anil Sharma. Screenplay and Dialogues -Anil Sharma, Sunil Sirvaiya, Amjad Ali, Director of Cinematography- Najeeb Khan, Art Director -Bijon Dassgupta Choreography- Rekha Chinni Prakash ,Adil Ahmed ,Shabina khan, Sound Design- Rasool Kitty, Editor -Ashfaq Makrani, Songs recording Design Javed Sheikh, Action -Abbas Ali Moghul, Music -Himesh Reshammiya, Lyrics- Manoj Muntashir. Sunil Sharma is the Executive Producer of the film.

Kadvi Hawa and I am Kalam director, Nila Madhab Panda's next feature, ‘HALKAA’ to World Premiere at the 21st Festival International du Film Pour Enfants de Montréal Film festival (FIFEM) ~Halkaa is Panda's second film with kids to be selected at FIFEM after his much acclaimed I am Kalam which won the audience award - Prix Du Public in 2010~ ~The film will compete with 6 international children's films in the official section of the festival held in Montreal, Canada from March 3-11, 2018~ ~HALKAA is a musical treat by Shankar Ehsaan Loy, produced by Shiva Nadar Foundation in association with Akshay Kumar Parija and Nila Madhab Panda~ Mumbai, 7th March 2018: Padmashree Awardee filmmaker of Kadvi Hawa and I am Kalam, Nila Madhab Panda's next, ‘HALKAA’ to have its World Premiere at the 21st Festival International du Film Pour Enfants de Montréal Film festival (FIFEM). The film festival is held in Montreal, Canada from March 3-11, 2018. Halkaa is Panda's second film with kids to be selected at FIFEM, after his much acclaimed I am Kalam, which won the audience award (Prix Du Public) in 2010 The film will compete with 6 international children's films in the official section and will have its world premiere screening on 8th March. Halkaa (Relief) is a unique take on children’s film, about aspiration and dreams of an 8-year-old boy living in slums and stars child actor Tathastu (Pichku), Ranvir Shorey and Paoli Dam, who make the perfect unmatched parents of Pichku. Synopsis Halkaa is a story of an eight-year-old, Pichku who lives in the oldest slums of Delhi and his aspiration for a better life The film is a musical treat by Shankar Ehsaan Loy, produced by Shiva Nadar Foundation in association with Akshay Kumar Parija and Nila Madhab Panda The Festival will be held in Montreal, Canada from March 3rd – March 11th, 2018 Sharing his joy, Nila Madhab Panda says, “It’s a new treat in children cinema space in India. I have tried to express words like “fantasy” “dreams” “aspiration” in a child’s term as a 9-year-old can imagine. Yet it’s a complicated adult’s world and how he imagined a life in that space, and It’s a nostalgia to have the world premiere at FIFEM Montreal. As I Had a premiere and got award also. Such a great feeling to have Halka to be part of the competition.” About the director Nila Madhab Panda received one of the highest civilian honor of India “Padmashree” in 2016, by the president of India for his exceptional work as an activist-Filmmaker. Panda has produced and directed over 70 diverse and cutting-edge Films, documentaries and shorts. He has directed award-winning fiction features including I Am Kalam, Kadvi Hawa, Jalpari, Babloo Happy Hai, Kaun Kitne Pani Mein and Halkaa

Pacific Rim Uprising to release in India on 23rd March The film starring John Boyega will release in four languages – English, Hindi, Tamil and Telugu Pacific Rim Uprising, sequel to one of Hollywood's most popular sci-fi films is all set to hit theatres in India. The film, starring John Boyega and Scott Eastwood, is directed by Steven S. DeKnight and will release in India on 23rd March, 2018. Pacific Rim Uprising will hit the theatres in four languages and multiple formats – English in 2D, 3D, 4DX & IMAX 3D format and in 2D & 3D format in Hindi, Tamil and Telugu. The globe-spanning conflict between otherworldly monsters of mass destruction and the human-piloted super-machines built to vanquish them was only a prelude to the all-out assault on humanity in Pacific Rim Uprising. Set on 2035, ten years after Jake Pentecost’s father, Stacker Pentecost (Idris Alba from Pacific Rim) gave his life to secure humanity’s victory against the monstrous “Kaiju”, his rebellious son Jake Pentecost abandons his training only to become caught up in a criminal underworld. But when an even more unstoppable threat is unleashed to tear through our cities and bring the world to its knees, he is given one last chance to live up to his father’s legacy by his estranged sister, Mako Mori (Rinko Kikuchi)—who is leading a brave new generation of pilots that have grown up in the shadow of war. As they seek justice for the fallen, their only hope is to unite together in a global uprising against the forces of extinction. Director DeKnight expressed his excitement when he John Boyega showed interest in joining the cast of Pacific Rim Uprising. The director said, “I was thrilled when I found out that John was interested. I met with him, and we were both very excited about the possibilities of what we could do with the franchise. He’s a classic hero, but can play the hero and the anti-hero at the same time. Jake Pentecost starts out as a thief and ends up saving the world. John has all the qualities you would want for that type of role; he’s charming, smart and funny. He brings a real Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones quality to the character.” Joining John Boyega is another charming actor – Scott Eastwood. In the film, Boyega is joined by gifted rival pilot Lambert played The Fate of the Furious’ Scott Eastwood and 15-year-old Jaeger hacker Amara (newcomer Cailee Spaeny), as the heroes of the PPDC become the only family he has left. Rising up to become the most powerful defence force to ever walk the earth, they will set course for a spectacular all-new adventure on a towering scale. Pacific Rim Uprising releases in India on 23rd March and promises to keep you on the edge of your seat with stunning action sequels and visuals. Watch the trailer here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JlAZP8VrrJk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NL8NNZdBNpo Click here to Reply or Forward

ARCHIE COMICS PARTNERS WITH GRAPHIC INDIA TO PRODUCE FIRST LIVE-ACTION BOLLYWOOD FILM BASED ON INTERNATIONALLY-ACCLAIMED ARCHIE CHARACTERS Archie, Betty, Veronica and Jughead — beloved by millions for generations — will be reimagined with an all-Indian cast Mumbai, India — MARCH 08, 2018 – In an epic announcement that’s sure to send shockwaves around the globe, Archie Comics, home to some of the most popular characters in entertainment, including Archie, Betty & Veronica and Jughead, in partnership with Graphic India, one of India’s leading character entertainment companies, announced plans to develop a live-action, theatrical film based on the iconic Archie Comics characters, bringing Archie and his friends to life, Bollywood-style. The production, which will be the first international comic to be translated for Indian screens, is in the early stages with an official release date to be announced. The companies have begun taking initial steps toward a modern, entertaining screenplay that will surely resonate with longtime Archie fans in India and beyond. The Bollywood film will reimagine the classic characters like Archie, Betty, Veronica, Reggie, Moose and Jughead as Indians and will feature all the classic elements of the hugely popular comic book series. “We are supremely excited to partner with the great team at Graphic India to bring Archie and his friends to Bollywood,” said Archie Comics CEO Jon Goldwater. “Archie’s lasting and growing presence in India made this move the logical next step as our stellar library of characters continues to expand into other media. It’s a major moment for Archie and its fans around the world.” “Archie, Betty, Veronica and Jughead have been a source of inspiration for numerous Bollywood films over the years, and now it’s time to take them fully into Bollywood in an exciting new twist of a story that we have planned,” said Sharad Devarajan, Co-Founder & CEO of Graphic India. “These characters have held a special place in the hearts of Indians for decades and we have no doubt that the new Indian cast of Archie and the gang will be an exciting moment for the country.” Archie Comics is enjoying tremendous success with the hit TV series Riverdale, which launched in 2017. The company also recently announced with Netflix the upcoming Untitled Sabrina Series. Archie Comics have sold over 2 billion copies worldwide and are published in over 17 languages in over 55 countries. ABOUT ARCHIE COMICS Archie Comics is the leading mass market comic book publisher in the world and the home to a wide array of the most popular humor, action-adventure and superhero characters in entertainment, including Archie, Jughead, Betty and Veronica, Reggie, Kevin Keller, Josie and the Pussycats, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Afterlife With Archie, the Dark Circle Comics superhero characters (The Black Hood, The Fox, The Shield, Sam Hill and more), Li’l Jinx and many more. Archie Comics have sold over 2 billion comics worldwide and are published around the world in a number of languages. In addition to comics, the Archie Comics characters are spotlighted weekly on The CW’s Riverdale TV series, the upcoming Untitled Sabrina Series on Netflix, and have been featured in animation, television, film and music. Follow Archie Comics on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and the Archie Comics Store. ABOUT GRAPHIC INDIA GRAPHIC INDIA is a character entertainment company focused on creating leading characters, comics and stories through mobile and digital platforms. Led by media entrepreneur Sharad Devarajan, Graphic India is owned by U.S. comic book Company, Liquid Comics, CA Media LP, the Asian investment arm of The Chernin Group, LLC (TCG) and Start Media LLC. The Company was founded by Sharad Devarajan, Suresh Seetharaman and Gotham Chopra. The company’s partners and investors bring together decades of experience in building businesses in character entertainment, media and India. Graphic believes that India is home to some of the most creative talent in the world, with more than 600 million people under the age of 25 and more than 850 million mobile phone users in the country. The Company’s mission is to create enduring stories and heroes that foster the imaginations and fuel the inspirations of a new globalized generation of youth in both India and around the world. www.GraphicIndia.com

THE 16th ANNUAL INDIAN FILM FESTIVAL OF LOS ANGELES ANNOUNCES LINEUP AND GALA SCREENINGS Festival to open with IN THE SHADOWS, starring Manoj Bajpayee, and conclude with festival favorite VILLAGE ROCKSTARS. Will include a memorial tribute screening of CHANDNI, starring the late, beloved Bollywood actress Sridevi. The lineup represents an impressive 12 languages and a strong list of first and second-time filmmakers, including 11 female filmmakers. LOS ANGELES, CA (March 8, 2018) – The Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles (IFFLA) announced today its galas and 2018 lineup of narrative and documentary features as well as short films for its 16th annual festival. Gala tickets and passes as well as regular screening tickets are now available at www.indianfilmfestival.org. The festival is widely recognized as the premiere showcase of groundbreaking Indian cinema globally. IFFLA will take place April 11-15, 2018 at Regal L.A. LIVE: A Barco Innovation Center in Los Angeles. This is IFFLA’s second year in this state-of-the-art, world-class cinema in the heart of Los Angeles’ vibrant and developing downtown district. Zee Cinema is returning for a fourth year as presenting sponsor. “This year’s lineup is a testament to the rich variety of genre, style and skill that exists within the Indian filmmaking community. We’re enormously proud to present this collection of exciting, inspiring, and challenging stories that are sure to make for a thrilling festival experience,” said Mike Dougherty, IFFLA’s Director of Programming. The festival will open with IN THE SHADOWS, starring Manoj Bajpayee in a tour de force performance as a reclusive shopkeeper who vows to rescue his young neighbor from abuse at the hands of his father. The film premiered at the Mumbai Film Festival and features an impressive Bollywood cast that also includes Ranvir Shorey, Neeraj Kabi, Shahana Goswami and introduces Om Singh as the young boy. The film’s award-winning Los Angeles-based director Dipesh Jain - making his feature debut - will be in attendance along with star Manoj Bajpayee. Festival will close with the Los Angeles premiere of VILLAGE ROCKSTARS, one of the most lauded Indian films on the festival circuit in the past year. The film premiered at the 2017 Toronto International Film Festival and is directed by emerging Indian filmmaker Rima Das. The film, written, shot, edited and directed by Das, is a touching coming of age story of a ten-year-old girl in a remote Assamese village who dreams of buying a guitar and starting her own rock band. This year the festival will feature four world premieres, three North American premieres, two U.S. premieres, and 14 Los Angeles premieres. The lineup represents an impressive 12 languages and a strong list of first and second time filmmakers, including 11 female filmmakers. The festival will also hold a memorial tribute to the late, beloved Bollywood actress Sridevi. IFFLA will screen a 2K print of Sridevi’s 1989 hit CHANDNI, courtesy of Yash Raj Films. Highlights from the lineup include the U.S. Premiere of IFFLA alum Hansal Mehta’s 2017 Toronto Film Festival selection OMERTA, featuring rising Indian star Rajkummar Rao as notorious real-life terrorist Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh as well as THE ASHRAM, directed by Ben Rekhi and starring Sam Keeley, Melissa Leo, and Kal Penn. Rekhi brings together this star-studded cast for a story of mystical intrigue in the Himalayas. The film’s screening will be preceded by the world premiere of short film FIFTEEN YEARS LATER, directed by and starring Manish Dayal (THE HUNDRED-FOOT JOURNEY, VICEROY’S HOUSE, TV’s The Resident), and co-starring recent Golden Globe winner Rachel Brosnahan of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Matt McGorry (How to Get Away with Murder, Orange is the New Black), and Tracy Mulholland (CRAZY STUPID LOVE). Other films in the lineup include the 2017 Toronto Film Festival selection THE HUNGRY, starring Bollywood royalty Naseeruddin Shah and Tisca Chopra in a modern retelling of Shakespeare’s “Titus Andronicus”; Devashish Makhija’s festival favorite AJJI, a revenge story centered on a woman seeking justice for her 10-year-old granddaughter after a brutal assault; Nila Madhab Panda’s eco-thriller DARK WIND; and a pair of Malayalam language features: Bash Mohammed’s delightful fish-out-of-water comedy PRAKASAN and TAKE OFF, featuring South Indian superstar Parvathy in the true story of courageous Indian nurses who travel to Iraq for work and find themselves thrust into a hostage negotiation with ISIS. Parvathy has received multiple accolades for the role, including Best Female Actor at the International Film Festival of India, the first time an Indian actor has been given this honor. On the non-fiction side, Vaishali Sinha’s ASK THE SEXPERT, about 93-year-old sex advice columnist Dr. Mahinder Watsa, headlines a progressive group of documentaries that also includes Ann S. Kim and Priya Giri Desai’s LOVESICK, about Dr. Suniti Solomon’s matchmaking service for her HIV-positive patients, and UP DOWN AND SIDEWAYS, a stunning ethnographic portrait of an indigenous community and their remarkable musical traditions. Several of the lineup’s talented filmmakers and actors will attend the festival, including Hansal Mehta (OMERTA), Bornila Chatterjee (THE HUNGRY), Vaishali Sinha (ASK THE SEXPERT), Nila Madhab Panda (DARK WIND), AJJI lead actress Sushama Deshpande, and many more. Competing in the shorts program are 13 films including Sundance highlight COUNTERFEIT KUNKOO, directed by Reema Sengupta, the first Indian short to be featured in Park City in 15 years, and the world premiere of AN ESSAY OF THE RAIN, directed by IFFLA Grand Jury Prize winner Nagraj Manjule (FANDRY). Tickets and Passes Tickets and Passes are now on sale. For more information please visit www.indianfilmfestival.org or follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter (@iffla). About IFFLA Now in its 16th year, the Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles (IFFLA) is a nonprofit organization devoted to a greater appreciation of Indian cinema and culture by showcasing films and promoting the diverse perspectives of the Indian diaspora. The five-day festival is the premiere platform for the latest in cutting-edge global Indian cinema and bridges the gap between the two largest entertainment industries in the world – Hollywood and India. The festival will showcase more than 25 films from the Indian filmmaking community across the globe, host the highly anticipated Opening and Closing red carpet Galas, and the Closing Awards ceremony. GALAS OPENING NIGHT GALA IN THE SHADOWS (Gali Guliyaan) India/UK/2017/117mins/DCP/Hindi Los Angeles Premiere Director: Dipesh Jain Logline: A reclusive shopkeeper vows to rescue his young neighbor from abuse – even if he must use his illegal network of surveillance cameras hidden around Old Delhi to do so. Dipesh Jain’s impressive feature debut centers on Khuddoos (Manoj Bajpayee), a shopkeeper living in self-imposed isolation within the walled city of Old Delhi. In lieu of human interaction, Khuddoos monitors the people in his neighborhood via a series of hidden cameras he’s placed throughout the streets and alleys. Whether he fancies himself an amateur police officer or is a Peeping Tom is open to interpretation, but when Khuddoos hears the sounds of a young boy suffering abuse at the hands of his father – somewhere outside the view of Khuddoos’ cameras – he is spurred to take action. Star Manoj Bajpayee delivers a tour de force, effortlessly relaying the deep wells of trauma that motivate Khuddoos’ sympathy for the unknown boy. Equally praiseworthy is 14-year-old first-time actor Om Singh as Idris, the subject of Khuddoos’ search. This young man possesses the gravitas of an actor with decades of experience, able to communicate his life’s history with one wounded look. Jain creates an intense, enthralling mystery around the shared pain of these two indelible characters, and in the process announces himself as a fiercely talented storyteller. CLOSING NIGHT GALA VILLAGE ROCKSTARS India/2017/87mins/DCP/Assamese Los Angeles Premiere Director: Rima Das Logline: A ten-year-old girl in a remote Assamese village dreams of buying a guitar and starting her own rock band. Dhunu, a free-spirited tomboy, lives with her widowed mother and older brother as they struggle to get by in their small village in Assam. One day, after seeing a band at a local event playing with Styrofoam “guitars”, she dreams of owning a real one of her own and becoming a rockstar. She saves money and forms a supporting band with the local boys, but her rockstar hopes seem impossible without magical thinking. After an epic rainfall destroys the local crops, Dhunu is caught between the fantasy life of youth and the harsh reality of adulthood. Having shot the film in her own home village of Chhaygaon, filmmaker Rima Das, who is the film’s director, writer, editor, director of photography, production designer, costume designer and casting director, shows the beauty of the landscape and people without hiding from the culture of conformity that threatens young girls. Premiering at the Toronto International Film Festival, VILLAGE ROCKSTARS has a soul and vision rare in Indian cinema today and marks Das as a major emerging filmmaker. TRIBUTE PRESENTATION CHANDNI India/1989/187mins/DCP/Hindi Director: Yash Chopra IFFLA is honored to present this special memorial tribute to the late Sridevi, courtesy of Yash Raj Films. CHANDNI is a glorious ode to one of the finest actors of her generation at the peak of her career, beloved for her prolific work in Hindi as well as South Indian cinema. Fans of the late Vinod Khanna will also relish his performance in this film with evergreen songs, unexpected pathos and unabashed melodrama. Nearly 30 years later, the film remains one of Yash Chopra’s finest, and enshrines Sridevi with a character that arguably most closely matches her vulnerable and graceful real life persona. Logline: After her fiancé is paralyzed in an accident, Chandni relocates to Mumbai and falls for a charming widower. When the two men become friends, Chandni must decide whom she truly loves. When gregarious Rohit (Rishi Kapoor) meets the soft-spoken Chandni (Sridevi) at a wedding, it is love at first sight. After some dashing song-and-dance wooing in the Swiss mountains, Chandni agrees to his proposal. Tragically, Rohit is partly paralyzed in an accident and pushes her away. Chandni relocates to Mumbai where she falls for Lalit, a charming widower (Vinod Khanna). On a business trip, Lalit meets Rohit and they become fast friends; he invites Rohit to meet his fiancée. Chandni is overjoyed to see her ex rehabilitated, but is also placed on the horns of a romantic dilemma. DOCUMENTARY FEATURES ASK THE SEXPERT USA/India/2017/83mins/DCP/English, Hindi Los Angeles Premiere Director: Vaishali Sinha Logline: Meet Mumbai’s most popular, and controversial, newspaper columnist: 93-year-old sex expert Dr. Mahinder Watsa. The most popular column in a daily newspaper in Mumbai is one people are hesitant to admit they read. With many states banning sex education in schools and a general taboo around any kind of public talk about sex, 93-year-old Dr. Mahinder Watsa’s column is a lifeline to millions. With humor and kindness, he addresses topics like masturbation, premature ejaculation, gender equality, and sexual pleasure in non-moralistic terms. In addition to the column, the need amongst the people for honest and factual discussion about sex leads him to answer hundreds of emails and even counsel couples and strangers who arrive at his home unannounced. Dr. Watsa’s kindness and lifelong commitment to sex education and health has made him a willing combatant against the more conservative elements of Indian society that see his life’s work as immoral. With charm and joy, ASK THE SEXPERT shows the power of knowledge over ignorance. LOVESICK USA/2017/74mins/DCP/English, Tamil, Hindi Los Angeles Premiere Directors: Ann S. Kim and Priya Giri Desai Logline: Realizing how damaging the fear of never being able to marry was for her HIV-positive Indian patients, one doctor sets up a matchmaking service to help them find love. After discovering the first cases of HIV in India in 1986, Dr. Suniti Solomon left a prestigious academic job to build her own clinic focusing on treating HIV/AIDS patients. Several decades and breakthroughs in treatment later, her clinic is one of the highest regarded in the country and her patients are living longer lives. While surviving, some of her patients are not thriving. Being Indian, they feel immense societal and personal pressure to marry, but simultaneously face a stigma of being HIV-positive. Now in the twilight of her impressive career, Dr. Solomon takes the next step in her treatment by creating a matchmaking service for those seeking marriage. Through the service we meet Manu and Karthik, two of her patients who want to share their lives with someone but are fearful they never will. Shot over eight years and told with compassion and care, filmmakers Ann S. Kim and Priya Giri Desai give us a surprising and hopeful story about the universal healing ability of companionship and love. UP DOWN AND SIDEWAYS India/2017/83mins/DCP/Chokri Los Angeles Premiere Directors: Anushka Meenakshi and Iswar Srikumar Logline: In a remote part of India, a co-operative of field workers has held off capitalism and Western pop culture by singing dazzling, polyharmonic folk songs, performed only when harvesting each other’s rice. Directors Anushka Meenakshi and Iswar Srikumar took their camera to the farthest northeast corner of India to capture this ethnographic portrait of an indigenous community and their remarkable musical traditions. Villagers of Phet in the Nagaland region rely on rice cultivation as their primary means of subsistence. Together they form small teams called mülé, to work each other’s paddies year-round. As both men and women labor they sing lis, folk songs formally similar to the “call and response” style of African-American work music, but polyphonically more complex. The lyrics of love, friendship, strength and fatigue feel strikingly timeless and universal. Lying on the border of Myanmar, the state of Nagaland has been fighting to preserve its cultural identity from Baptist missionaries as well as Indian government troops, permanently stationed there since a 1951 referendum on regional independence precipitated a federal crackdown. Despite the church’s efforts to divert singing to purely ecclesiastical purposes, the terraced hills around Phet are alive with the sound of mülés. This documentary should not be missed by music-loving IFFLA audiences. NARRATIVE FEATURES AJJI India/2017/104mins/DCP/Hindi North American Premiere Director: Devashish Makhija Logline: When a high-ranking politician’s son assaults her 10-year-old granddaughter and the police refuse to help, Ajji methodically devises a plan for revenge. When 10-year-old Manda is brutally assaulted by Dhavle, a local politician’s violent and uncontrollable son, her family sees little hope for justice. Her parents – scraping by on meager earnings from technically illegal work – are scared into silence by a police force unwilling to hold the powerful accountable. Only Ajji, Manda’s aging grandmother, sees a path to vengeance. While Dhavle parades around town fearless of any reprisal, Ajji stealthily moves through dark alleys and butcher shops, methodically devising her plan for revenge. Devashish Makhija’s engaging thriller casts a harsh eye on institutional corruption, inequality and above all, violence against women. In the title role, Sushma Deshpande brilliantly captures Ajji’s use of her status as an overlooked, underestimated woman to her advantage. Expected in her elder years to be docile, helpless and obedient, Ajji’s transformation into a determined avenging angel is riveting to watch, and her brutal revenge combined with Makhija’s sharp social commentary cuts deep. THE ASHRAM India/USA/2017/90mins/DCP/English Los Angeles Premiere Director: Ben Rekhi Logline: Jamie travels to the Himalayas, armed with nothing but a guilty conscience, to infiltrate a mysterious monastery that may be behind the disappearance of his ex-girlfriend. Ben Rekhi brings together a star-studded cast for a story of mystical intrigue in the Himalayas with a twisty plot and startling climax that is sure to provoke discussion. Following the trail of his missing ex-girlfriend, Jamie (Sam Keeley) discovers a remote monastery in the mountains founded by a guru with allegedly miraculous powers. As Jamie tries to pry secrets from the guru’s devoted acolytes (played by Kal Penn, Radhika Apte, and Oscar-winner Melissa Leo) he becomes more convinced that they know more about his lover’s disappearance than they’re telling him. While employing the conventions of the religious cult thriller, Rekhi raises philosophical and metaphysical questions about the inherent corruption of those who seek power, even to do good, and the miracles of mindfulness. DARK WIND (Kadvi Hawa) India/2017/99mins/DCP/Hindi Los Angeles Premiere Director: Nila Madhab Panda Logline: The father of a struggling farmer clashes with his son’s vicious debt collector in this incisive portrait of climate change’s effects across India. IFFLA regulars Sanjay Mishra (MASAAN, ANKHON DEKHI) and Ranvir Shorey (A DEATH IN THE GUNJ, TITLI) bring to life this sensitive yet pointed dramatization of climate change’s effects on a diverse cross-section of Indian society. In the Mahua region of Rajasthan, once known for flourishing farmlands, the ever-decreasing rainfall has left farmers without a crop to sell, and therefore with no money to repay their hefty bank loans. Hedu, the father of one such farmer, fears his son’s misfortune will lead him to drastic action. He pays a visit to a notorious debt collection officer, known as the “god of death” for his vicious tactics, looking to strike a bargain. But the agreement they reach might offer solutions for some, and total ruin for others. Director Nila Madhab Panda masterfully constructs a thrilling story that – while it seeks to educate – plays more like great drama than as a didactic lecture. Through the engaging performances of his skilled cast, he makes tangible the desperation caused by an ever more unpredictable environment, and pays close attention to the deception and betrayal some must resort to in order to survive in such a harsh climate. THE HUNGRY UK, India/2017/100mins/DCP/Hindi U.S. Theatrical Premiere Director: Bornila Chatterjee Logline: A wedding celebration between two powerful families erupts into deceit, revenge and murder in this update of Shakespeare’s Titus Andronicus. In this all-star adaptation of Shakespeare’s Titus Andronicus, the bard’s notoriously bloody tale of deceit and revenge is cleverly modernized by director Bornila Chatterjee and relocated to a sumptuous wedding celebration in Delhi. The approaching nuptials are meant to solidify a powerful union between the families of two business magnates – Tathagat (Naseeruddin Shah), the wealthy head of a corporate empire, will marry off his son to Tulsi (Tisca Chopra), the widow of his former partner. However, the sins of the father’s past have driven Tulsi to concoct a devious scheme for revenge, which threatens to set both families on an irreversible path to destruction. Those familiar with Shakespeare’s play know that chaos is on the menu, and witnessing Chatterjee’s intricately designed re-telling unfold is a wicked delight. Though the film looks with both contempt and sympathy on its sprawling cast of characters, this is ultimately a biting, withering critique of a ruling class that’s long since abandoned any notions of selflessness or the greater good. OMERTA India/2017/96mins/DCP/Hindi, English, Urdu U.S. Premiere Director: Hansal Mehta Logline: IFFLA alum Hansal Mehta directs rising star Rajkummar Rao in an examination of the life and crimes of notorious terrorist Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh. Hansal Mehta returns to IFFLA with perhaps his most ambitious feature to date. Partnering once again with his muse, actor Rajkummar Rao, the two artists probe the life of British-born terrorist Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh, a man believed to have, among other despicable acts, funded the events of 9/11. In order to sketch a portrait of Saeed, Mehta and Rao bring us uncomfortably close to the man, combining known biographical elements of Saeed’s life with reenactments of crimes Saeed has confessed to, or is generally believed to have committed – most notoriously, the kidnapping and murder of American journalist Daniel Pearl in 2002. While Mehta doesn’t purport to understand, much less explain, Saeed’s motivations – nor does he pretend his actions are anything other than vile – his skillfully mounted film provides a document of a terrorist who, undoubtedly, has had a massive influence on world events in the last twenty years. PRAKASAN India/2017/84mins/DCP/Malayalam Los Angeles Premiere Director: Bash Mohammed Logline: Against the advice of friends and family, naïve Prakasan eagerly accepts a new job offer in the big city, but when he finds out that his duties consist of educating sassy sex-workers he realizes he’s the one who has a lot to learn. In this witty and sweet fish-out-of-water comedy, director Bash Mohammed illustrates the virtues of cinematic simplicity in a classic story told with empathy and skill. The outrageously endearing Dinesh Prabhakar plays the titular Prakasan, a young man lucky enough to be born into a paradisiacal forest brimming with fresh fruit where he can make love to his girlfriend in luminous natural pools. Yet Prakasan is dying to see the big city, so when he receives a job offer from a World Bank program, he happily leaves his idyllic home behind. But his arrival in town is a shocking awakening. Nobody speaks his language, and even in their native tongue people don’t mean what they say. Most importantly, he discovers his new job is to educate sex-workers about public health, leading to comic misunderstandings but also to profound lessons. The result is an uplifting, clever story that is sure to delight IFFLA audiences. TAKE OFF India/2017/132mins/DCP/Malayalam Los Angeles Premiere Director: Mahesh Narayanan Logline: Inspired by actual events, a team of Indian nurses in Iraq finds themselves trapped behind enemy lines in the war against ISIS. Sameera (Parvathy), a nurse in Kerala, is determined to move to Iraq in order to make more money and pay off her suffocating student loans. Her husband and his family disapprove, leading to a divorce and his taking custody of their young son. Still unwavering in her decision, she agrees to a marriage with her work colleague Shaheed (Boban) and the two move to Tikrit, Iraq in 2014. Despite assurances from Indian and Iraqi officials that things are normal, the two are quickly involved in the daily violence from ISIS forces. Soon the city falls and Sameera is trapped, forcing her and Indian diplomats into a complex negotiation for the lives of herself, the other nurses and her husband. Parvathy gives a mesmerizing and layered performance of Sameera, an independent, fierce, yet vulnerable woman, that has won her many accolades including the Best Female Actor Award at the International Film Festival of India, the first ever for an Indian actor. First-time director’s Mahesh Narayanan’s TAKE OFF is both a compelling thriller and an exciting example of contemporary Malayalam cinema. SHORTS ABSENT USA/India/2017/16mins/DCP/English Director: Sudarshan Suresh Logline: When Zola runs into an old fling, she sees a fleeting chance to escape her mundane life of caring for her invalid mother. Zola can barely keep her head above water between the demands of a stressful job and the heavy burden of taking care of her invalid elderly mother. When she runs into an old fling, she sees a fleeting chance to escape the mundane treadmill of her life, and just for one night indulge in some romance. Award-winning IFFLA alum Sudarshan Suresh (“Khargosh/The Rabbit”) examines with honesty and impeccable precision complex emotions oscillating between resentment and deep affection, in this beautiful character study about the chains that bind us to those we love. THE CAREGIVER Israel/2018/12mins/DCP/Hebrew, English, Gujarati Los Angeles Premiere Director: Ruthy Pribar Logline: Following a short trip to visit his family back in India, Raj returns to his job in Israel as caregiver to an elderly man, only to discover that a Filipino woman has taken his place. Following a short trip to visit his family back in India, Raj returns to Israel and his work as caregiver to an elderly man, only to be greeted by a Filipino woman who seems to have taken over his job. When it becomes clear that the old man prefers a female presence around the house, Raj must find a way to reclaim what he feels is rightfully his. With a humanistic lens that equally honors the complex realities of all three characters, this perceptive and sharply directed film sheds light onto the harsh realities of immigrant workers struggling to survive in an increasingly ruthless world. COUNTERFEIT KUNKOO India/2017/15mins/DCP/Hindi, Marathi Los Angeles Premiere Director: Reema Sengupta Logline: Having escaped an abusive marriage, Smita is looking to rent an apartment in Mumbai, and she would be the perfect candidate if not for her one glaring flaw: she is a single woman without a husband to vouch for her. Having escaped an abusive marriage, Smita is looking to rent an apartment in Mumbai. She is hardworking, financially independent and reliable, and would make the perfect tenant, if not for a single, unpardonable flaw—she is a single woman with no husband to vouch for her. Boldly punctuated by an unsettling visual design, this nuanced and haunting portrait of an uncompromising woman determined to claim her rightful space, rises into a powerful outcry against a patriarchal society’s deep-rooted system of discrimination and misogyny. The film premiered at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival. AN ESSAY OF THE RAIN India/2017/26mins/DCP/Marathi World Premiere Director: Nagraj Manjule Logline: A ten-year-old boy leading a harsh daily existence in a Maharashtra village blessed and cursed by merciless downpours, is given the homework assignment to write an essay in praise of rain. Ten-year-old Raja leads a harsh daily existence in a Maharashtra village blessed and cursed by merciless downpours. Drenched and drained after an arduous day helping his drunken father and his mother with strenuous household chores, he must tend to his homework assignment and write an essay about the poetry and beauty of rain. But lush green mountains, flowing rivers, and magical rainbows are not what comes to mind for young Raja. His is another kind of essay on the rain. Evocative cinematography and an unnerving soundscape make the pounding rain an unforgettable character in this film--omnipresent and unconquerable. Mixing raw realism with a dash of poetry and a gentle touch of humor, masterful storyteller Nagraj Manjule (FANDRY) delicately crafts a visceral and deeply moving tale about the disparities and ironies of life, and nature’s daunting reign. FIFTEEN YEARS LATER USA/2017/18mins/DCP/English World Premiere Director: Manish Dayal Logline: Two young men independently deteriorate psychologically in post-9/11 America. Their lives come face to face fifteen years later. Sam and Jason, two young men who have absorbed the psychological effects of post-9/11 America in ways they may not fully understand, find their buried issues and resentments bubbling to the surface when their lives intersect during a police traffic stop. Starring Manish Dayal (THE HUNDRED-FOOT JOURNEY, VICEROY’S HOUSE), Matt McGorry (TV’s How To Get Away With Murder, Orange Is The New Black), Rachel Brosnahan (TV’s The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, House Of Cards), and Tracy Mulholland (CRAZY, STUPID, LOVE, GRACE NOTE). Music from the Swet Shop Boys. THE FISH CURRY (Maacher Jhol) India/2017/12mins/DCP/Hindi Los Angeles Premiere Director: Abhishek Verma Logline: A reticent young man takes the leap to come out to his father over a lavish fish curry meal that he has lovingly prepared for him. Lalit, a reserved young man, has decided to take the leap and come out to his family. He gets a haircut and invites his father over for dinner, having painstakingly prepared his favorite Bengali fish curry dish. As Lalit braces for the momentous occasion, his dad arrives armed with photos of eligible future wives. A touching animated tale that examines delicate emotions with sensitivity and a fine eye for detail. FISHERWOMAN AND TUK TUK India/2015/15mins/DCP/N/A North American Premiere Director: Suresh Eriyat Logline: When she discovers a pearl in the belly of a fish, a Konkani fisherwoman abandons her trade and indulges in her wildest fantasies. When she discovers a pearl in the belly of a fish, a Konkani fisherwoman resigned to a mundane life of daily struggle, abandons her trade and indulges in her wildest fantasy. She buys herself a brightly colored rickshaw (“tuk tuk”) and starts to cruise at lightning speed through the winding roads of her coastal village, with her cats in tow. Finally released from her daily drudgery, ecstatic at her newly found sense of power and freedom, she is the talk of the town and her own greatest hero, when, suddenly, an accident threatens to thwart her indomitable spirit. An exuberant, wild and joyous tale about a woman’s awakening of dormant desires, that celebrates the thrill of adventure and the triumph of dreaming big and pursuing even our most wacky, psychedelic fantasies against all odds. Soulfully told in loud color and trippy animation, the film has won India’s National Award for Animation. KHOL (Open) USA/2018/12mins/DCP/English Director: Faroukh Virani Logline: When his father passes away, a gay Gujarati American man must return to his small hometown to confront his estranged family. When his father passes away, Vijay, a gay Gujarati American man must return to his small hometown to confront his estranged family. Tightly holding onto his armor of detachment, after years of alienation and bitter feelings of hurt and disappointment, Vijay sees any connection with his mother as utterly impossible. However, it may just be that the death of the patriarch may finally allow the seeds of acceptance to take root. A poignant tale about the destructive force of parental rejection and the unexpected paths to forgiveness that may reveal themselves if we stay open to the possibility. LAKSH UK/India/2017/25mins/DCP/Hindi, Rajasthani dialect, Italian World Premiere Director: Jennifer Rosen Logline: Sameer returns home to Delhi to visit his young son and confront the life he left behind since forging a new path in Italy. Married, with a son and a decent job in Italy, Sameer has come to Delhi to spend time with his other wife from an arranged marriage, a Rajasthani woman, and their young son, Laksh. On the eve of his departure from India, much is discussed and even more is left unfinished. Under the questioning gaze of his beloved son who faces an uncertain future in a disintegrating slum, Sameer struggles to come to terms with the consequences of his decisions that leave him painfully torn between two distant but profoundly beloved homes. Delicate emotions resonate with formidable power in this intimate portrait of a family profoundly disrupted by a man’s hope to liberate himself from the chains of poverty, a noble aim that harbors some unanticipated and harrowing consequences. PASHI India/2017/30mins/Blu-ray/Pahari, Hindi Los Angeles Premiere Director: Siddharth Chauhan Logline: In a remote Himachali village, a teenage boy experiences a sexual awakening when a handsome visitor passes through the area. When his mom’s handsome friend unexpectedly shows up in the village, a teenage boy living in a remote area of Himachal Pradesh, is swept in a whirlwind of desire and vivid fantasy. As he struggles to rein in his strong impulses, he learns about “pashi”, an ancient technique of trapping birds, and begins to practice it. Immersing us into a startling world of raw emotion and fierce imagination, this gripping exploration of young lust and its precarious impulses reveals a bold and razor sharp emerging storyteller. TARA VERSUS India/2017/21mins/DCP/English World Premiere Director: Ayesha Anna Ninan Logline: When her best friend lands a high profile talent-booking job, Tara, an ambitious young comedian, loses all sense of humor. Tara, an ambitious but struggling young comedian, loses all sense of humor when she finds out that her best friend has landed a high-profile talent booking job in Delhi. Unable to cope with intense feelings of jealousy and low self-esteem, she jeopardizes the friendship. Framed by an enchanting performance by Aditi Vasudev (“Devi”), this heartfelt and spirited tale sheds light onto Mumbai’s urban youth and its competitive stand-up scene, where burgeoning ambition, a wavering sense of identity and heightened emotions are no funny matter. TV IN THE FISH TAIL USA/2017/13mins/DCP/Hindi Director: Iesh Thapar Logline: As electricity and the miracle of television first arrive in a remote Himalayan village, the friendship of two teenage boys is put to the test. In an isolated Himalayan village, two teenage boys, Tinley and Kobai, witness the arrival of the first TV sets. The hydro power plant that has recently been installed in the area is seen by the local community with a mixture of marvel and apprehension, and equally divides the two best friends. Tinley’s wealthier family has already bought a TV set and is eagerly awaiting electricity to kick in, whereas Kobai is skeptical about how these monumental intrusions will affect the order of the universe. A brooding sense of dread lurks underneath the peaceful scenery of this isolated world in this atmospheric tale where the supernatural and the real soon start to merge. WHAT IS YOUR BROWN NUMBER? India/2016/5mins/Blu-ray/English North American Premiere Director: Vinnie Ann Bose Logline: An animated satirical look at India's obsession with fair skin. Outside a hospital delivery room, a large family eagerly awaits the arrival of a newborn baby. News of a healthy baby boy soon arrives, but joy turns to horror when they baby’s skin tone is announced: Brown Number 80 on the fairness scale. An irreverent animated look at India’s obsession with fair skin, that is at once humorous and chilling. YAMAN India/2017/24mins/DCP/Hindi Los Angeles Premiere Director: Raghuvir Joshi Logline: Delicate threads of a tender but impossible relationship unravel, as a young couple waits in court for their divorce to be finalized. We meet Vishal and Nitya in a courtroom, waiting to tend to their divorce. As we cut back and forth between cold court proceedings and snippets of their tender partnership in life and in art, an intimate portrait emerges of a complex relationship between two soulmates who although keenly attuned to each other, cannot give each other the kind of love they need. Formidably performed by Sayani Gupta (MARGARITA WITH A STRAW) and Priyanshu Painyuli (ONCE AGAIN) and laced with evocative classical Indian musical interludes, this sensitive directorial debut paints a visceral picture of the wondrous beauty of human connection and the fathomless pain of unrequited love.

Matthieu Ricard said “Our mind is our best friend and also our worst enemy” At India Today Conclave 2018 9th March, 2018, Mumbai: The mood changed instantly from sombre to upbeat as the song if you’re happy and you know it, clap your hands played on as Matthieu Ricard stepped on to the stage to talk about happiness. Just when you make a mental note of all things that can make you happy, he says: “Happiness is not an endless succession of pleasurable feelings; it’s an exceptionally healthy way of living,’ he said starting the session with a collection of beautiful photographs of snow-clad Himalayas the people there. A French writer who is now a Buddhist monk, Ricard studied molecular genetics and then gave it all up to live in the Himalayas and run Karuna Shechen that works for the underprivileged. For those eagerly awaiting the key to finding happiness, he said that altruism is the best way to finding true lasting happiness. “There is no selfish happiness. Love and compassion is the way to being happy,” he said. Through the session Ricard stressed on the importance of compassion, the benefits of meditation on the human mind and the need for inner freedom. “Don’t be a slave of your emotions. Our mind is our best friend and our worst enemy,” he said. We all, he said, are interconnected and interdependent. Ricard leads by example—his organization works extensively in the states of Bihar and Jharkhand and the Himalayan regions. They offer healthcare facilities in 600 villages, run literacy programmes, have devised an electrical rickshaw for women and run schools. All this, he says, is the key to happiness. Main Points We must move towards a happier, healthier and a more compassionate society Seek inner freedom and do not be a slave of your emotions because personal change can led to societal change Drop the emphasis on the self Transform yourself to be a better human being and be at the service of others Train the mind, start with an easy object to feel compassion for and then start expanding it to others We look for happiness in the wrong places QUOTES Our mind is our best friend and also our worst enemy We contradict our mission of being happy