Tag: IFFi

Yami Shares Glimpse Of Her Himachal Outing | Lokmarg

Yami Shares Glimpse Of Her Himachal Outing

By LokMarg

Bollywood actor Yami Gautam Dhar is basking in the lap of mountains in her latest pictures.

Taking to Instagram stories, the ‘Kaabil’ actor shared a number of snaps from her bright and sunny winter morning from Himachal Pradesh.

Her first two stories are video clips of the actor panning her camera to showcase the lush mountainous panorama, with a cup of tea in her hand.

In the third story, she shared a sunkissed selfie.

“#nofilter #himachal #asliwintermorning,” the actor wrote on the image.

In the final image, the ‘Dasvi’ actor was seen dressed in a hoodie and holding a glass with turmeric water in it.

“Mere khet ki haldi ka paani (Turmeric water made from my farm’s produce). Start my day with this organic haldi,” Yami wrote.

Meanwhile, her film ‘Lost’ had its Asian Premiere at the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) and at the 13th Annual Chicago South Asian Film Festival where it received an overwhelming response and now the much-awaited movie is all set to start it’s OTT journey.

She has more power-packed performances lined up with projects like ‘Chor Nikal Ke Bhaga’ which is also all set to hit the digital screens soon. She will also be seen in ‘OMG 2’ and ‘Dhoom Dham’ among other projects.

Yami began her career in acting with a lead role in daily soap Chand Ke Paar Chalo and further did more shows like Raajkumar Aaryyan and Yeh Pyaar Na Hoga Kam.

It was 2012 when she actually started her Bollywood journey with the hit film ‘Vicky Donor’, which also marked the debut of Ayushmann Khurrana, and since then she has been putting her best foot forward. (ANI)

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Anupam Kher on kashmir files

Close Your Eyes If You Can’t See Truth: Kher Over IFFI Jury’s Statement

By LokMarg

Veteran actor Anupam Kher, who played the protagonist in the blockbuster ‘The Kashmir Files’, which documents the alleged genocide and exodus of Kashmiri Pandits from the Valley, on Tuesday spoke up on the raging controversy over the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) jury head and Israeli filmmaker Nadav Lapid’s statement calling the film ‘a propaganda’ and ‘vulgar’ at the festival’s closing ceremony on Monday.

Taking to Instagram, the actor, who recently appeared in the Sooraj R. Barjatiya directorial ‘Uunchai’, dropped a video on Instagram saying that some people can’t stomach ‘Kashmir’s truth’.

In his short video address on the social media platform, Kher said, “Friends, some people are not in the habit of showing the truth as it is. They like to give it a certain colour or cover up the truth in the name of creative liberty. The fact is that some people are not being able to digest Kashmir’s truth. They try to show Kashmir through a different cinematic lens and have been at it for the last 25-30 years. ‘The Kashmir Files’ has exposed them.”

He added, “They are having problems because the film documents the truth as it is. If you cannot see the truth, keep your eyes closed and your mouth shut. Stop making fun of it. This is our truth and we have lived through it.”

The veteran actor, who drew high praise for his performance in the film, said without taking names, “We, along with our daughters and sisters personally experienced those days. The scars are yet to heal. This truth is a part of our lives. Go and ask the ones who have been affected by it. India and Israel are friends and both countries are affected by terrorism. A common Israeli would understand the pain of Kashmiri Hindus. But, every country has traitors.”

He tagged his video post with a message that read, “The truth of Kashmir files is stuck like a thorn in the throat of some people. They are not able to swallow it or spit it out! Their soul, which is dead, is shattered badly to prove this truth false. But this film of ours is now a movement, not a movie. People’s consciousness has awakened. The desperate #Toolkit gang keeps trying millions. #TheKashmirFiles #Truth #TruthPrevails”.

Addressing the closing ceremony of the 53RD IFFI, Lapid termed ‘The Kashmir Files’ a ‘propaganda, vulgar film’, adding that he was ‘shocked’ to see the film in the competition section of such a prestigious film festival.

“If the holocaust was right then the exodus of Kashmiri pandits is also right. This (Lapid’s statement) seems pre-planned as immediately after, the tool-kit gang became active. It’s shameful for him to make a statement like this as he comes from a community whose members suffered the horrors of the holocaust,” Kher told ANI on Tuesday.

“By making a statement like this, he has also hurt the holocaust survivors. I wish God gives him (Lapid) the wisdom so that he doesn’t use our tragedy to peddle his agenda on stage,” the veteran actor added.

Kher also tweeted on Lapid’s statement, saying, “No matter how high the height of the lie is.. It is always small in comparison to the truth.”

The veteran actor also juxtaposed images of ‘The Kashmir Files’ and Steven Spielberg’s ‘Schindler’s List’ in his tweet to drive home his point.

ANI contacted the festival organisers but they refused any comments on the jury head’s statement. (ANI)

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Pallavi Joshi on IFFI

Creative Forums Used For Agenda Politics: Pallavi Joshi On IFFI Row

By LokMarg

Actor-producer Pallavi Joshi, who starred and part-produced ‘The Kashmir Files’, on Tuesday, opened up on the snowballing controversy over Israeli filmmaker and IFFI Jury Head Nadav Lapid labeling the blockbuster as ‘a propaganda’ and a ‘vulgar’ film.

Taking to her Instagram handle, the actor, who also bank-rolled ‘The Tashkent Files’, posted, “For decades, the international community remained silent on the sufferings of the Kashmiri Pandit Community. After 3 decades, the Indian film industry finally realized that it needs to tell India’s story truthfully and objectively.”

“Vivek (Agnihotri, the director of ‘The Kashmir Files’) and I were always aware that there are elements that would not like to see the stark truth on the screen, but it is very unfortunate that a creative platform was used for a political agenda to preserve an old, false and jaded narrative about Kashmir,” the 53-year-old actor wrote.

Coming down hard on the Israeli filmmaker while thanking those who jumped to the film’s defence on social media, the ‘Trishagni’ actress added, “We are overwhelmed by the way people of India rose to defend ‘The Kashmir Files’ against the rude and vulgar statements of a genocide denier.”

Joshi went on to ‘assure the audience’ that ‘The Kashmir Files’ was. indeed, ‘a people’s film’.

She added that her production house ‘I Am Buddha’ foundation “stands for India” and “will continue on the path of truth and resilience to keep making meaningful cinema with original Indian content”.

Addressing the closing ceremony of the 53rd Internation Film Festival of India (IFFI) on Monday, Lapid said he was ‘shocked’ to see the film in the competition section of such a prestigious film festival.

A video clip of the closing ceremony, showing the Israeli helmer making the controversial remarks, went viral on social media.

His statement drew a fierce backlash from netizens, as well as actors Anupam Kher and Darshan Kumaar, who portrayed key roles in the film.

Filmmaker Ashoke Pandit and Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) vice president Abhinav Prakash, too, lashed out at the Israeli filmmaker over his statement.

The film, which is a portrayal of the alleged genocide and exodus of Kashmiri Pandits from the Valley in the 90s, was released earlier this year and went on to become a major blockbuster. (ANI)

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Agnihotri On Controversy At IFFI

Prove Film Wrong, Will Quit Filmmaking: Agnihotri On Controversy At IFFI

By LokMarg

Bollywood director Vivek Agnihotri, on Tuesday, reacted to the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) Jury Head Nadav Lapid’s statement calling ‘The Kashmir Files’ a “propaganda and vulgar” film at the festival’s closing ceremony.

Taking to Instagram, director Vivek shared a video, which he captioned, “Terror supporters and Genocide deniers can never silence me. Jai Hind. #TheKashmirFiles #ATrueStory.”
https://www.instagram.com/p/ClioxwwD2he/embed

Vivek Agnihotri said in a video, “Yesterday at IFFI, a jury member called ‘The Kashmir Files’ a propaganda and a vulgar film. This is not a new thing for me, because these types of comments are being made by many terrorist organizations, urban naxals, and the people who want to divide India. But what surprises me the most is, that this narrative of dividing Kashmir from India by some terrorists was supported on stage at an event organized by the Government of India.”

Nadav Lapid had called ‘The Kashmir Files’ a “propaganda, vulgar film”, adding that he was “shocked” to see the film in the competition section of such a prestigious film festival. A video from the festival went viral in which Lapid is seen criticizing the film.

“Who are these people? These are the same people who called this film propaganda since the day I started working on the film. This film was made after interviewing more than 700 people whose family members were cut into pieces and gang raped. Were all those people talking propaganda or vulgar? The land where once Hindus were in majority has no Hindus today, and many Hindus are killed every other day. Is it propaganda or vulgarity? Yaseen Malik accepted his terrorism and he is in jail today. Is this propaganda or vulgarity?” Vivek added.

Lapid’s remarks did not go down well with many. Actors Anupam Kher and Darshan Kumaar, who played key roles in ‘The Kashmir Files’ along with filmmaker Ashoke Pandit and Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) Vice President Abhinav Prakash were among the people who condemned the controversial comments

Vivek further said, “I challenge all these urban naxals and the legendary filmmaker who came from Israel, that if they can prove any single shot, event or dialogue is not completely true then I will quit filmmaking. Who are these people who stand up against India every time? These are the same people who never allowed Moplah’s and Kashmir’s truth to come out. These are the same people who were selling burning pyres for just some dollars, and now when I announced my next film ‘The Vaccine War’ they are standing against it also, but I am not afraid, do whatever you want to do but I will fight.”

‘The Kashmir Files’ was released earlier this year in theatres and it told the story of the Hindu exodus in the 1990s and targeted killings of the Kashmiri Pandits.

The movie went on to become one of the highest-grossing Bollywood movies of 2022 and Anupam Kher received acclaim for his performance. (ANI)

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Anupam of the The Kashmir Files IFFI

Shameful, Says Anupam After IFFI Calls The Kashmir Files As Vulgar

By LokMarg

Veteran actor Anupam Kher of the ‘The Kashmir Files’ fame on Tuesday said it is “shameful” on the part of IFFI (International Film Festival of India) jury head Nadav Lapid to term the film “propaganda, vulgar” at the festival’s closing ceremony.

During the closing ceremony of the IFFI on On November 28, Lapid termed ‘The Kashmir Files’ a “propaganda, vulgar film”, adding that he was “shocked” to see the film in the competition section of such a prestigious film festival.
“If the holocaust was right then the exodus of Kashmiri pandits is also right. This seems pre-planned because immediately after it the tool-kit gang became active. It’s shameful for him to make a statement like this even though he comes from a community of Jews who suffered from the holocaust,” Kher told ANI on Tuesday.

“So by making a statement like this, he has also pained those people who suffered this tragedy. I would just say may god give him wisdom so that he doesn’t use the tragedy of thousands of people to fulfill his aim on stage,” he added.

Referring to Lapid’s remarks, Anupam Kher also tweeted, “No matter how high the height of the lie is. It is always small in comparison to the truth.” The veteran actor attached pictures from ‘The Kashmir Files’ and Steven Spielberg’s film ‘Schindler’s List’ with his tweet.

When ANI contacted festival organisers on the jury head’s statements over the ‘Kashmir Files’, they declined to comment.

Released earlier this year, the ‘The Kashmir Files’ was listed in the line-up for IFFI’s Indian Panorama segment for the year 2022. The film is based on the life of Kashmiri Pandits in 1990, during the Kashmir insurgency. It is a true story, based on video interviews of the first generation. (ANI)

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Yami Gautam Lost to Release On OTT Platforms

Birthday Girl Yami’s ‘Lost’ To Release On OTT Platforms

By LokMarg

Yami Gautam Dhar’s ‘Lost’ had its Asian Premiere at the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) and at the 13th Annual Chicago South Asian Film Festival where it received an overwhelming response and now the much-awaited movie is all set to start it’s OTT journey.

Taking to Instagram, Yami who has her birthday today, treated her fans with exciting news about her film.
Sharing the poster of her film, she wrote, “On my big day, sharing this special announcement with all of you..The journey begins soon! #LostOnZEE5.”

The film ‘Lost’ is an emotional social thriller representing a higher quest, a search for lost values of empathy and integrity. Inspired by true events, ‘Lost’ is the story of a bright young crime reporter in a relentless search for the truth behind the sudden disappearance of a young theatre activist. An investigative thriller that kept the IFFI viewers on the edge of their seats, ‘Lost’ is written by Shyamal Sengupta and the dialogues are by Ritesh Shah.

Yami shared her experience, “‘Lost was a special experience for me, and I have been eagerly waiting to see how the audience is going to react. I absolutely cannot wait for the release and am happy to have my first association with ZEE5 for this one!”

Manish Kalra, Chief Business Officer, ZEE5 India said, “It has been our endeavour at ZEE5 to collaborate with the best-in-class storytellers to tell meaningful and entertaining stories and ‘Lost’ is the right step in that direction to entertain our viewers with one more unique content on ZEE5. The response received by ‘Lost’ at IFFI is encouraging and we are confident that the direct-to-digital release of the film on ZEE5 will be loved by the audience world over”.

Shariq Patel, CBO of Zee Studios said, “It was a monumental moment to witness the appreciation that the audience was showering the movie with. It is quite reassuring to know that movies like ‘LOST’ are made and loved and I am especially glad to have stood witness to this and it just reinforces the trust I have that it will be loved on its release.”

Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury, who directed ‘Lost’ added “It is always a magical moment to watch the fruit of your toil be as loved as it is. The screening at IFFI was truly an experience for me. Now we are really excited to see it reach a wider audience with ZEE5”.

Producer Shareen Mantri said, “ZEE5 is the perfect platform for ‘Lost’ with the kind of viewership the OTT platform has. Having enthralled the audiences at IFFI and other international festivals, we are excited about the film’s global digital release”.

The film is produced by Zee Studios. ‘Lost’ also stars Pankaj Kapur, Rahul Khanna, Neil Bhoopalam, Pia Bajpiee and Tushar Pandey in pivotal roles. (ANI)

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Anupam Fitness Motivation

Felt Need To Reinvent Myself After Hitting 60: Anupam On Fitness Regime

By LokMarg

Veteran actor Anupam Kher is one fit actor! Even though he’s in his 60s, he’s regular at the gym, and going by his social media posts, it looks like he doesn’t ever miss his workout!

The Padma Bhushan awardee, known for “reinventing” himself on screen, is also aiming to “reinvent” his physique.
In a tete-a-tete with ANI during the 53rd International Film Festival of India (IFFI), the actor got candid about his fitness journey and motivation.

He said, “Seven years ago when I turned 60, I felt I should reinvent myself. I began by transforming myself physically, so people take my intentions to reinvent myself seriously. Hence, I started to exercise, hit the gym, do yoga and run.”

“I feel glad when ANI asks me about my fitness other than my films,” he added.

From sleeping on railway platforms during his struggling days to starring in some of the most successful Hindi films of all time like ‘Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge’, ‘Hum Aapke Hain Koun..!’ and ‘Ram Lakhan’, the two-time National Awardee has certainly made a mark in the Hindi film industry.

The actor also got candid about the importance of “truth” in his work.

With reference to his recent hit ‘The Kashmir Files’, the ‘Saaransh’ actor said that “the audience recognizes the truth element in it (the film)….it should have happened many years back. It has taken 32 years to reach the audience and I am full of gratitude that people have understood the tragedy and truth behind it. It has done well commercially and reached from the maker’s heart to the viewers’ hearts”.

“For me, it was not just a film, but a truth which we had to carry out to the world and I am very thankful to IFFI for giving a platform to the film,” he added.

When asked about his reactions to the success of his most recent film, ‘Uunchai’, Anupam’s face beamed with joy and he said, “I consider myself a fortunate person.”

“I don’t know what will happen next year, but this year, I am very proud that my films have done great at the box office, earning over 500 crores”, he added.

Lastly, the eight-time Filmfare Awardee said, “A man can do anything if he works hard and with honesty and good intent”.

Over his illustrious career spanning five long decades, Anupam has undoubtedly carved a niche for himself and set a benchmark for Indian cinema through his many beloved roles. (ANI)

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One Should Not Get Into Acting Just For Money: Pankaj

By LokMarg

One of the finest actors working in the Hindi film industry today is Pankaj Tripathi. From featuring in a blink-and-miss role in ‘Run’ (2004) to headlining mainstream projects like ‘Mirzapur’, ‘Ludo’, ‘Kaagaz’ and ‘Criminal Justice, the 47-year-old, who hails from a village in Bihar, has definitely come a long way.

In a tete-a-tete with ANI during the 53rd International Film Festival of India (IFFI), Pankaj got candid about his journey so far and how he reached the pinnacle of his career with no godfather in the industry.
“I come from a very simple family. I belong to a village where we even struggled to get the basic facility of electricity but we were happy. I was living far from the world of acting and now my entire life is all about acting. My love for cinema developed organically. I used to watch plays in my hometown .. that’s when I actually developed a major interest in theatre and then I moved to Delhi and joined the National School Of Drama (NSD). After a few years, I went to the city of dreams Mumbai and since then I have been learning the craft of cinema and trying my best to showcase my skills via my acting on screen. This journey is beyond any dream I saw,” Pankaj said.

He feels it’s his roots that actually helped him carve a niche in the film industry.

“One should never forget his/her roots. If you forget your roots then it becomes difficult to survive. Be it a person or a story or a plant, everything in this world is rooted. Whatever I am today is all because of my roots,” Pankaj emphasised.

As today many young aspiring actors look up to Pankaj as their role model, he shared a golden piece of advice for all.

“One should never get into this profession only for money and fame. First understand why you want to come here ( in the film industry).. understand your love, and your needs. Kaam dil se karoge paisa zarur miljaega life me (Money will eventually come to you at one point),” he added, recalling his first paycheck.

“I still remember my first paycheck was of Rs 1700 for a brief TV stint,” he shared.

Over fifteen years into his film industry career, with a repertoire full of path-breaking roles, Pankaj, undoubtedly, set a benchmark in Hindi cinema. (ANI)

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Baahubali writer V Vijayendra Prasad IFFI

Baahubali Writer V Vijayendra At IFFI: I Don’t Write Stories, I Steal Them

By LokMarg

Renowned film-maker and screenwriter V Vijayendra Prasad, who is known for his projects like Baahubali, RRR, Bajrangi Bhaijaan, and Magadheera, was among the personalities from the Indian film industry who received honours during the 53rd International Film Festival of India (IFFI).

In addition, he held a workshop on the margins of the event titled “The Master’s Writing Process.” In the workshop, he spoke with aspiring filmmakers and offered tips on how he writes for movies.
Talking about how he started his journey, he said, “I did everything possible to earn a living including agriculture before becoming a writer. The writing came much later in life.”

Talking about keeping the audience in mind while writing, the writer said, “I always try to create a hunger within the audience for my story and characters and that drives me to create something unique and appealing”.

While talking about his screenwriting style, Shri Prasad said, he always thinks of a twist at the interval and organizes the story accordingly. “You have to create something out of nothing. You have to present a lie, which looks like the truth. A person who can tell a good lie can be a good storyteller”, he added.

“I don’t write stories, I steal them. Stories are there around you, be it epics like Mahabharat, Ramayan, or real-life incidents, there are stories everywhere. You need to represent it in your unique style,” said V Vijayendra Prasad during his workshop session.

Responding to the query of a budding story writer, the ace storyteller said, one has to open up his or her mind and absorb everything. “You need to be your own harshest critic, then only your best will come out and you can take your work to unscalable heights”, he asserted.

Sharing his experience of writing for the blockbusters like Baahubali and RRR, Shri Prasad said, “I don’t write, I dictate stories. I have everything in my mind; the flow of the story, the characters, the twists”. He said, one good writer should cater to the needs of the Director, Producer, Primary Protagonist, and Audience.

Vijayendra Prasad is currently working on the story for the sequel to the global blockbuster ‘RRR’.

Several Bollywood celebrities, including Ajay Devgn, Kartik Aaryan, Varun Dhawan, Sara Ali Khan, Paresh Rawal, and Suniel Shetty, attended the 53rd International Film Festival of India (IFFI) opening ceremony held on Sunday in Goa. The opening ceremony’s theme, “Evolution of Indian Cinema in the Last 100 Years,” reflected the spirit of the Azadi Ka Amrut Mahotsav celebrations. (ANI)

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Sara as anarkali IFFI goa

Sara Turns Anarkali At 53rd IFFI In Goa

By LokMarg

If there’s one character in Hindi cinema that became immortal was the one that was played by the ‘Marilyn Monroe of Bollywood’, Madhubala as Anarkali in the iconic film ‘Mughal-e-Azam.

And on Sunday, actress Sara Ali Khan made everyone nostalgic by dancing to Madhubala’s song ‘Pyar Kiya toh darna kya’ from ‘Mughal-e-Azam’ at the opening ceremony of the 53rd International Film Festival of India in Goa.
Dressed in ethnic costume, Sara looked graceful in her Anarkali avatar at the event.

Basically, she danced to periodic drama songs. She also grooved to ‘In aankhon ki masti mein’ from ‘Umrao Jaan’, ‘Salaame-E-ishq meri jaan’ from ‘Muqaddad ka sikandar’, ‘Maar dala’ from ‘Devdas’ and ‘Deewani Mastaani’ from ‘Bajirao Mastani’.

Ahead of her stellar performance, Sara spoke to ANI and said, “I am really excited to perform at IFFI. I am dancing to songs that I have grown up listening to. I am literally inspired by those songs and I feel no one can ever do justice to those songs.”

The grand opening ceremony of IFFI 2022 also saw Varun Dhawan, Mrunal Thakur, and Kartik Aaryan performing on the stage. (ANI)

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