Will SRK bail out YRF this time too?

It is a known fact that Yash Raj Films have not been doing too well. In last two years hardly one or two films have clicked at the box office. To revive the banner and bring back the glorious day Head Honcho of Yash Raj Films Yash Chopra has now taken the charges of the affairs in his own hand. Sources within the Yash Raj camp inform us that Yashji is all set to direct a film and in the lead will be the blue-eyed boy of Yash Raj banner, Shah Rukh Khan. It may be recalled that on more then one occasions Shah Rukh has bailed out the banner out of trouble with successful films like Chak De India and Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi. The latest we hear that after series of disastrous films, the banner needs a hit film desperately. As they have done it in the past, Aditya Chopra has asked Shah Rukh Khan to do a film with them. But this time directorial reins will be in the hands of senior Chopra.

Sources inform that the film has been in the pipeline for some time but the Chopra’s go busy with their Television channel (Which never materialized and they tied up with Sony Television to telecast their TV shows). Khan too has been busy with My Name Is Khan and his next Ra -1; both are his home production films. In the meantime, Khan allotted dates for Farhan Akhtar’s Don 2. SRK is neck deep in his commitments, but he will have to skillfully pull off a supreme juggling act for Yash Raj Films!

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Yes, 'Avatar' Academy Screeners Going Out

There's widespread belief across Hollywood that 20th Century Fox will not send out DVDs of "Avatar" because the studio and director James Cameron insist upon Oscar voters seeing it in 3-D on a big screen so they can fully appreciate its truly special effects. But a rep tells Gold Derby that "Avatar" screeners will be sent soon to academy members and — contrary to another rumor — prior to Oscar nominations being announced on Feb. 2.

"We prefer that voters see it on a big screen, of course, but we want them to have the DVD so they can enjoy watching it at home too," he adds. Here are listings of official industry screenings.

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John Abraham catches Milla Jovovich's eye

Bollywood hunk John Abraham has got a new fan in the hottie Milla Jovovich. The Ukrainian siren is reportedly struck by John.

If the latest buzz is to be believed, NRI director Deepa Mehta has planned a movie on a bunch of Punjabi gangsters in Canada called ‘Beeba Boys’, and has signed the Resident Evil star Milla Jovovich for it.

The movie will have lots of Punjabi-Asian male actors and Milla’s presence as the only firang hottie will catch ample attention.

But we hear it’s John who’s caught Milla’s eye as of now. The gal, famous for her action roles in sci-fi thrillers, is so keen to work with Mehta that she watched her Oscar-nominated film Water where…ahem…John caught her attention.

We would suggest the queen of kick-butt to see John’s Dostana too.

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Hrithik Roshan big flim Kites - BIG's tent pole movie at this years festivals

If it's Reliance ADAG, it has to be 'BIG'! Following BIG Pictures' successful launch at the Cannes Film Festival last year, the company is going back to Cannes this year with a wide range of new films. In fact BIG Pictures would be marketing the largest number of new films by an Indian film company, during the festival starting May 13th, 2009.

KITES is BIG Pictures' tent pole international movie at the festival this year. KITES stars Hrithik Roshan , Barbara Mori, Kangana Ranaut , Nick Brown and Kabir Bedi in pivotal roles. The film is produced by Rakesh Roshan's Filmkraft, India's leading production house and directed by Anurag Basu.

BIG Pictures is also marketing various films in world cinema and popular cinema categories, directed by world renowned, international award winning and acclaimed Indian film makers. These include films in various Indian languages such as Hindi, Bengali, Marathi, Malayalam and Kannada amongst many others, all with universally appealing stories.

CHECK OUT: Big Pictures-KITE deal is open ended!

BIG Pictures' World Cinema slate

Famous Malayalam director Shaji N. Karun's latest film KUTTY SRANK starring Mammootty, Padmapriya, Kamalini and Meena Kumari. In 1989, Karun's film PIRAVI won awards at Cannes Film Festival and Locarno Film Festival.

Bengali film director Baddhadeb Dasgupta's JANALA starring Tapas Paul, Swastika Mukherjee, Indranil SenGupta. In 2000, Dasgupta's UTTARA won the Best Director award at Venice Film Festival and in 1993 his film CHARACHAR won the Golden Bear award at Berlin Film Festival.

Rituparno Ghosh's two films, ABHOMAAN and SHOB CHARITRAO KALPONIK. ABHOMAAN stars Dipankar De, Mamta Shankar, Jisshu Sengupta. SHOB CHARITRAO KALPONIK stars Bipasha Basu and Prosenjit Chatterjee. In 2000, his BARIWALI won the NETPAC award at Berlin Film Festival.

Kannada Director M S Sathyu's IJJODU starring Meera Jasmine, Anirudh, Srivatsa, Nagkiran and Arundhati Jathakara. Marathi film actor and director Amol Palekar's SAMAANTAR starring Amol Palekar and Sharmila Tagore.

All of these films are ready and will not only be promoted to international buyers and distributors but also be showcased to various festival directors who are keen on inviting these films for their festivals later this year.

CHECK OUT: BIG Pictures & Shyam Benegal team up

BIG Pictures' Popular Cinema slate

Popular cinema films such as SIKANDAR directed by Piyush Jha, comic capers DO KNOT DISTURB directed by David Dhawan, WELL DONE ABBA directed by Shyam Benegal and CHALOO MOVIE directed by Vinod Pande, Punjabi film CHAK JAWANA directed by Simerjit Singh and MIRCH directed by Vinay Shukla, which are in various stages of production and release will also be promoted at the festival this year.

BIG Pictures' catalogue also includes the biggest blockbuster of Indian cinema GHAJINI, the cult film ROCK ON!, 2009's acclaimed films LUCK BY CHANCE and 13 B and many more films.

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Yash Raj Films "Enchanted Journey" Switzerland

Yash Raj Films (YRF), India’s Premier Film Studio, has entered into an agreement with SOTC, a part of the Kuoni Travel Group, India, the country’s largest Travel & Tourism Company, and Brandinvest AG, a Switzerland-based enterprise. The partnership, signed by Mr. Yash Chopra, India’s most renowned Producer & Director and Chairman of Yash Raj Films, Mr. Zubin Karkaria, CEO & Managing Director of Kuoni India & South Asia, and Mr. Marco Casanova, Co-Owner & CEO of Brandinvest AG, offers a unique and once in a lifetime entertainment experience to Indians and Indian-film fans visiting Switzerland. The ‘YRF Enchanted Journey’ gives consumers a firsthand opportunity to live the authentic YRF experience by visiting original sites and locations in Switzerland used by Yash Raj Films, as well as engaging with various themes and elements seen in the Studio’s most famous movies, including Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, Mohabbatein, Veer-Zaara, Chandni, Darr and Bachna Ae Haseeno.

“We at YRF are convinced that this very special offering in Switzerland will provide a previously unattainable opportunity to a lot of Indians and fans of our films. It is a unique entertainment product that we are bringing to the market that promises to be a showcase offering for tourists visiting Switzerland. Film Studios across the globe have slowly shifted their focus to creating derivative “entertainment experiences” around their actual movies, such as theme parks for instance, and we feel that this very innovative approach is a natural extension of the YRF brand of entertainment and provides a very personal experience for our audiences – something that has never been done before by an Indian entertainment brand. Moreover, I have lived some of the most intense and emotional moments of my life in Switzerland and I have used its spectacular locales extensively in a number of my flagship films that have been seen and loved by millions worldwide. I feel it is only apt that I now share this journey with YRF fans through a personalized walk down memory lane, and allow them to see these moments through our eyes. I am very excited to partner with India’s leading travel brand, SOTC, and the highly reputed and skilled professionals at Brandinvest AG, in bringing this YRF experience to you”, said Mr. Yash Chopra.

Mr. Zubin Karkaria said, “Bollywood is deep-rooted in the psyche of most Indians, and it gives us immense pleasure to be able to offer our customers a taste of Mr. Yash Chopra and Yash Raj Films’ several blockbuster films shot in Switzerland. It is also an honour to be able to work with Yash Raj Films on an exclusive basis in this venture. We are convinced that this will be a very successful project, where we would be able to offer our customers an authentic Bollywood experience on our tours to Europe.”

Mr. Marco Casanova said, “We are proud to have developed with our partners, Yash Raj Films and Kuoni, an innovative tour concept that we will implement in our home country of Switzerland. We feel honoured by the trust of Yash Raj Films and Kuoni and are convinced that our product offering will be very well-received by the multitude of YRF fans around the world. It is because of Mr. Yash Chopra and his films that Switzerland has become a dream destination for many Indians, and we are confident that through this unparalleled experience we will give audiences some truly memorable moments in Switzerland that they will cherish for a lifetime.”

Mr. Jörg Krebs (Director Markets, Switzerland Tourism), representative of the ‘YRF Enchanted Journey’ Co-Host, Switzerland Tourism, added, “Switzerland is still a highly appreciated destination. Our travellers want to see our lakes and mountains and to touch our snow, of course. The ‘YRF Enchanted Journey’ tour spans the famous regions of Saanenland, Berne, Lucerne, Mount Titlis and Ticino and fits perfectly with our corporate strategy. Our guests can explore wonderful, dramatic landscapes and a truly diverse Switzerland experience. This first collaboration between a film studio, a tour operator and a country with a national brand, will bring fruitful results for all involved as well as new emotions and experiences for our guests.”

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