'The Jungle Book' inches towards the Rs 200 crore mark - Disney contemplates a sequel

'The Jungle Book' is inching closer to the Rs 200 crore mark and Disney contemplates a sequel. A film by Hollywood filmmaker Jon Favreau, 'The Jungle Book' has Indian-American actor Neel Sethi in the lead role of Mowgli and has gelled well with the Indian audiences. It was released on 8 April and in the 50 days since its release in India it has minted over Rs 180 crores. The movie brings an enchanting story of a boy straight from an Indian jungle.
This has been reported in indianexpress.com dated 27 May 2016.

It has been confirmed by Disney that 'The Jungle Book' had amassed Rs.2.56 crore in its seventh week, taking the cumulative total to Rs.183.94 crore (nett box office collection). Mowgli has made India one of the top four internationally performing markets for the movie.
Incidentally, while most Hindi films struggle to complete three or four weeks, ‘The Jungle Book’ has enters week eight. It was released in India in four languages — English, Hindi, Tamil and Telugu. Bollywood stars Irrfan Khan, Priyanka Chopra, Nana Patekar, Shefali Shah and Om Puri have lent their voices for the Hindi version of the movie.


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Radhika Apte in 'Phobia' - a thriller and a game changer

Bollywood actress Radhika Apte (30) usually selects her films based on characters and not genres and, in her opinion, her forthcoming movie 'Phobia', a thriller, will be a 'game-changer' as far as horror content in India is concerned in India. 'Phobia' is a psychological thriller directed by Pawan Kripalani and will feature Radhika Apte as an artist who fights a phobia of stepping outside her house.
This has been reported in indianexpress.com dated 26 May 2016.

In Radhika's words - this movie is unlike the so-called image of thriller and horror films that is there in India and it has the potential to break that stereotypical image of Indian horror.
Radhika has a decade-old career in the Indian entertainment industry and has balanced her work between commercial and off-beat cinema. She has previously appeared in films like 'Badlapur', 'Manjhi – The Mountain Man' and 'Ahalya' (short film). She has never signed a film by looking at its genre but has always been concerned about the character that was being offered to her.
In 'Phobia', she essays the role of Mehek, who is an artist and lives alone. Mehek is a very open-minded person and, one day, an incident takes place in her life after which a phobia develops in her mind and her personality changes. The film is about her struggle with her phobia.


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Rahul Bose to direct biopic of Poorna, the youngest girl to scale Mt Everest

Bollywood actor Rahul Bose has made a come back to direction with the movie 'Poorna' - it is the biopic of Malavath Poorna — a tribal girl from Telangana who was the youngest girl in the world to scale Mount Everest. She did it on on May 25, 2014 and created history.
This has been reported in indianexpress.com dated 23 May 2016.

Rahul Bose was last seen in the movie 'Dil Dhadakne Do' and will also act in the film 'Poorna'. Rahul had bought the rights of the film from Poorna’s father and the film has now been shot and will be ready to be screened in six weeks time.
He has yet to show the film to Poorna and her father and has plans to take the film to her village, where they had shot in outdoor locations for 11 days. Aditi Inamdar, a girl from Telangana, was chosen to play the role of female lead and she was selected after Rahul auditioned 109 girls. Rahul himself will be in the role of Poorna's father.


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Snoop Dogg and Lucy Liu will be seen together in thriller 'Future World'

Snoop Dogg and Lucy Liu will be seen together in James Franco’s post-apocalyptic thriller 'Future World'. The two of them are among new additions to the cast. Snoop Dogg, the 38-yer-old actor, would be directing the movie along with Bruce Cheung. Other stars in the film will be Method Man, Suki Waterhouse, Margarita Levieva and Jeffery Wahlberg. There was an earlier report that Milla Jovovich would also be a part of the project and will be seen in the role of a drug lord.
This has been reported in indianexpress.com dated 20 May 2016.

The post-apocalyptic thriller 'Future World' is based on an original short story by Franco and a screenplay by Cheung and Jay Davis. The story of the film will follow young Prince from the Oasis and a robot as they go on a daring journey of self-discovery through the violent and desolate world of the Wastelands.
Andrea Iervolino is the producer along with Vince Jolivette. ‘Future World’ is a story with the kind of boundary-pushing creativity that is unique to James Franco. When there is a combination of talents and gravitas of Milla, Lucy, Method Man, Suki, Snoop, and James interwoven through a wild story, the final product might appear to be unreal.


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Daniel Craig has helped to collect well over £2billion in box office revenue which has helped ease MGM’s bankruptcy issues.
There are rumours that Tom Hiddleston could become the next James Bond.
This has been reported in dailymail.co.uk dated 19 May 2016.

AS per information, Craig has turned down an offer of £68-million from MGM studio to return as Bond for two more films following last year’s hit Spectre. The sum would cover endorsements, profit shares, and a role for him working as a co-producer.
Before playing James Bond, the 48-year-old actor, married to actress Rachel Weisz, was best known for thriller Layer Cake. He was also Angelina Jolie’s love interest in Lara Croft: Tomb Raider and various TV roles. It seems he has been plagued with a knee injury that he had sustained while filming a fight scene in Spectre.


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Lady Gaga to portray legendary singer Dionne Warwick in 'Dionne'

Singer-actress Lady Gaga is set to portray legendary singer Dionne Warwick in the upcoming biopic titltd 'Dionne'. 75-year-old Warwick has herself confirmed the involvement of 30-year-old Gaga in the project at the HFPA FilmAid party in Cannes.
This has been reported in indianexpress.com dated 14 May 2016.

Warwick has clarified that there was a confusion about Gaga’s inclusion because her music reps were the ones that knew about the deal, and not her film reps. It is a simple matter of the right hand not knowing what the left hand is doing. Incidentally, the biopic, titled “Dionne”, was announced during the ongoing Cannes International Film Festival.
Lady Gaga is will portray the role of Cilla Black — Warwick’s “musical nemesis”– in the project. It is slated to begin production late this year.


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Top secret set for Star Wars Episode VIII built in Ireland – shooting to begin

Star Wars Episode VIII is going to come after The Force Awakens, which premiered in December. And, for filming Episode VIII, a spot has been selected in north Ireland. The set is being built at Ireland's most northerly point and it looks like a replica of the famous Millennium Falcon spaceship.
This has been reported in news.sky.com dated 12 May 2016.

The set is a large structure – at least 15m across and 3m high – and it has been built over the last few days at Malin Head. It is balanced precariously on cliffs a mile from a headland called Bamba's Crown. It is here that the photographers have captured dramatic images of the Northern Lights. The whole set is being shielded by nets and rescue boats are deployed offshore to cater to any emergency.
There is only one road that leads to the location and fans are being discouraged from getting too close by security guards. Incidentally, access to the beauty spot has been cut off for the next three days.
There is a local pub where film crews are getting food and refreshments and the owner is excited - he has fixed a mural of Yoda to the gable wall of his bar. Yoda is an important character in Star Wars. Filming for Episode VIII will also take place at the opposite end of Ireland and, Jedi Temple sets have been constructed on a mountain headland - Ceann Sibeal in Co Kerry. It is expected that filming will begin later this month.


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Kavita Kaushik to play the role of an Army doctor in TV show “Dr. Bhanumati on Duty”

Kavita Kaushik is a well known TV actress who was a hit in TV shows like “Tumhari Disha”, “F.I.R.” and “Tota Weds Maina”. She will now portray the role of an Army doctor in her upcoming TV show “Dr. Bhanumati on Duty”. Army life is not new to her because she has a police and army background. Her father was an encounter specialist and her uncles and cousins are army officers.
This has been reported in indianexpress.com dated 12 May 2016.

She loved the outdoor shooting and narrated pieces of her interaction with the jawans in forward areas - she was impressed by the way they put their lives in danger for the smallest of ones needs. She used the vacation to prepare for her role in the upcoming show, which will be aired on SAB TV channel.
She had stayed at lovely mountain towns and army camps and watched the army behavior, their style and functioning and these will add a touch of reality to her role. She will deliver her dialogues as Dr Bhanumati in intense army words and anecdotes which will mean that she has done her homework well.


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High alert in Cannes for the film festival where 45000 people would attend

Authorities in France are on high alert ahead of the Cannes film festival in which nearly 45,000 people are expected to attend. Interior minister Bernard Cazeneuve has made a trip from Paris to the French Riviera to check on security firsthand before Woody Allen's Cafe Society opens the event. It will run until 22 May.
This has been reported in news.sky.com dated 10 May 2016.

France has been in a state of emergency ever since there were coordinated attacks apparently by the Islamic State on Paris in which 130 people were killed. Obviously, France is faced with a higher risk than ever because the enemy is poised and determined to strike at any moment. Hence, the police must be extremely vigilant at all times.
The minister also indicated that hundreds of police officers would be deployed, as well as special forces units ready to intervene. In April, the police had carried out a security exercise at the Palais des Festivals where films will be shown - that experience will help better coordination in between different police forces.
Cannes has seen a number of security breaches in the past - in 2014 two men were evacuated by security staff after they had gone onto the red carpet. Earlier, in 2013, the so-called Pink Panther gang were blamed for a £81m gem theft from the Carlton hotel where Alfred Hitchcock's classic film To Catch A Thief was set. And - last year robbers escaped with £13.8m worth of jewellery after holding up the Cartier boutique on the Croisette.


Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org

Some more interesting links -

Baya weaver birds return to Ganjam district in Odisha

28 thrillseekers stuck in Alton Towers Galactica rollercoaster ride for 40 minutes

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Moody wonders why American space research firms are jittery (satire)

Lord Shiva and Durga on home delivery and drones (satire)

Sujjo Kanto and Ritu Bruto on free LPG connections (satire)


ISIS still holding 30 workers out of 300 kidnapped from cement factory in Dumeir

Another Bangladeshi blogger killed in Dhaka because of his views on religion

Florida hunters bag a 15-foot 800-pound massive alligator


Michael Fassbender to portray the role of a serial killer in 'Entering Hades'

Disney plans live action fairytales for 2017, 2018 and 2019 - specific films not disclosed

Matt Damon to return in new Jason Bourne film

Michael Fassbender to portray the role of a serial killer in 'Entering Hades'

Michael Fassbender (39) is believed to be in talks to star as a serial killer in “Entering Hades” which he will also be co-producing. The story is based on John Leake’s true crime novel about Jack Unterweger, a celebrated Austrian journalist and best-selling author who led a double life. He would investigate murders by day and go on a killing spree at nights. He had amassed a body count of 11 people across multiple continents.
This has been reported in indianexpress.com dated 4 May 2016.

Alexander Dinelaris, who won a Best Original Screenplay Oscar as one of the four screenwriters on “Birdman”, is apparently rewriting the screenplay with Michael Fassbender - it had originally been written by Bill Wheeler.
Broad Green Pictures are confident that it will be an entertaining thriller that will attract big audience. 'Entering Hades' is the first project announced by Broad Green Pictures and Storyscape Entertainment since the companies signed a first-look deal last year.


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