News

KollywoodWhile the first half gets our hearts racing, the second half is a fumble.Anjana ShekarIt is quite easy to dismiss director Maruthupandiyan’s Asuravadham as just another revenge drama. In fact, the story has been done to death in Tamil cinema. The backstory doesn’t take you by surprise either. But the director wins with the execution by using a very gripping narrative technique. In that sense, the first half is the best half of the film. The story begins with debutant Vasumithra who plays Samayam, a local shopkeeper. Just three minutes into the film, the director gets our hearts racing with a mysterious phone call. Early on, we also get an idea of Samaya’s chauvinism and tendency towards lechery. Sasikumar plays the mysterious man who’s on to Samayam. In fact, we get to know his name only towards the end. He trails him like a shadow and the chase scene down the narrow alleys of Madurai have been done very well. The film takes upon shades of a psychological thriller at this point. However, Samayam’s paranoia has been underplayed, an opportunity that could’ve increased the intensity of the suspense. Another let-down is that the women characters haven't been utilised well. While it is obvious that the hunt happens only because of an injustice meted out to some woman in Sasikumar’s life, the inclusion of a more substantial woman character would’ve lifted the story. Lacking this, the film slips once again with a loosely put flashback. The second half is predictable and Asuravadham loses its pace here. With the suspense element slipping away quickly, the film fumbles from here on. It is unfortunate that the director chose to handle the backstory with lesser care than he had for the first half. Thankfully, Sasikumar who’s known for his lengthy dialogues, has very few lines in this film. While you know Sasikumar is no superhuman in the first half, things get a little unreal as the film progresses. Newcomer Vasumithra has done a convincing job as Samayam. It might have been quite a challenge to deliver ‘dai, yaara nee?’ in so many different modulations. Namo Narayanan provides light comic relief in the film’s first half. The stunt sequences, especially the one inside the shady hotel, have been done extremely well. The other towards the climax on top of the hill is another good sequence. The ones with the guns, however, are a little unrealistic. Govind Menon's music is evocative. Cinematography deserves a special mention in this film. The scenes in the dark have been well executed. Actor Nanditha Swetha who plays Sasikumar’s wife has no big role in this film. On the whole, Asuravadham is a gripping revenge drama that fails to sustain the tempo of its first half. Disclaimer: This review was not paid for or commissioned by anyone associated with the film. Neither Tnm nor any of its reviewers have any sort of business relationship with the film's producers or any other members of its cast and crew. Also Read: A Karnataka student database project is forcing wards to give their Aadhaar details...

Entertainment The cut-out was erected at Vetri Theatre complex in Chrompet. Digital NativeA giant cut-out has been erected for Vijay Sethupathi at the Vetri Theatre complex in Chrompet and fans performed ‘Paal Abhishekam’ on it recently. The actor, known for his realistic portrayal in films, is currently busy with Seethakathi, directed by Balaji Tharaneetharan. The star’s look, as an old man in the film was out a few weeks ago and it went viral as expected. According to reports, Vijay Sethupathi plays a drama artiste in Seethakathi. Sharing the screen space with him in the film would be Parvathy, Ramya Nambeesan, Gayathrie and veteran director J. Mahendran. The shooting of this film began in April last year and it is expected to grace the theatres this summer. The exact release date will be announced soon, say sources. Directed by Balaji Tharaneetharan, the film is produced by Sudhan Sundaram, Umesh G, Jayaram and Arun Vaidyanathan under the banner Passion Studios. Govind Menon has composed music for this venture with Saraskanth T. K. handling the camera and R Govindaraj editing it. Vijay Sethupathi, a versatile actor in the Tamil film industry, started his career playing small roles. His role in Sundarapandian as villain won him the Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Villain and he played the lead role in Pizza for which he won the Siima Award for Best Actor and Big FM Most Entertaining Actor of the Year. His roles in Naduvula Konjam Pakkatha Kaanom and Soodhu Kavvum also won him awards and list continues with every film release. Vijay has a slew of films in different stages of production including 96, Super Deluxe, Junga and Chekka Chivantha Vaanam. He has also been signed up to play an important role in the Tollywood flick Sye Raa Narasimha Reddy in which he will be sharing the screen space with Chiranjeevi and Amitabh Bachchan. (Content provided by Digital Native)...

The latest news that Bollywood's new blue-eyed boy Sushant Singh Rajput has over 27 kissing scenes in Shuddh Desi Romance with his gorgeous co-stars Parineeti Chopra and Vaani Kapoor is an old publicity stunt that has fallen flat in the past. If readers do not believe than let us take you back to the year 2003 when Govind Menon's film Khwahish was painted red in media for its steamy and bold 17 smooches between the sex siren Mallika Sherawat and the hunk Himanshu Malik. The filmm...

Directed by: Penny Vozniak

Featuring: Jennifer Lynch, Sydney Lynch, Govind Menon, Mallika Sherawat

Anyone who's ever made a film knows how hellish a movie shoot can be. But few can imagine just how nightmarish things were for Jennifer Lynch when she shot Hisss…until now.

With Despite the Gods, Penny Vozniak chronicles the incredible determination of a woman who set out to direct a fun genre movie, but ended up having to constantly reaffirm her authority as a director. Hired to shoot behind the scene material for the film's Epk, Vozniak quickly became Lynch's confidant as it became clear that production would be anything by smooth. Thus, Vozniak took what would have been, for any other filmmaker, a golden opportunity to make an exploitative documentary about someone breaking down and, instead, created a film that is insightful and offers a candid portrait of a great, often misunderstood filmmaker.

For those unfamiliar,...

If you are a horror fan annd heard about Jennifer Lynch's film Hisss, and then wondered, "What the fuck happened to that film Hisss?", you need to see another film called Despite the Gods, a documentary about what went wrong with Hisss.

Despite the Gods, as a behind-the-scenes documentary was unplanned and organic. Filmmaker Penny Vozniak was in Mumbai, India for a few days en route to Kabul where she had a film in development. In Mumbai, coincidentally, Jennifer Lynch had started shooting her Bollywood horror film about a woman who can change into a snake. In an unlikely twist of fate, Vozniak ended up meeting Lynch and being asked to stay and shoot some footage.

"I was asked to babysit the daughter of Jennifer Lynch as a favour to my old friend Govind Menon," explains Vozniak. "After only a few days with Jennifer we became fast friends and...

Back in 2010, Mallika Sherawat was seen raving about her then to be released "Hollywood" flick Hisss, not just in India but also at Cannes film festival. The film which was originally set to be directed by Jennifer Lynch took a turn for the worse during its making with Lynch being ousted by none other than Mallika's brother Vikram Singh, who was also the film's producer. However now, more than a year later, Lynch who is visibly still fuming with the farce that Hisss created, will be lashing out at Mallika, her brother Vikram Singh and Govind Menon, through a documentary film titled Despite The Gods. Directed by Penny Vozniak, Despite The Gods, is a documentary that showcases the behind the scenes of what went wrong with Lynch and her Indian tryst while shooting Hisss and will open in Toronto this year. The documentary explains the journey of how Lynch traveled to India to direct Hisss,...

Codeblack has obtained domestic distribution rights to rom-com Politics of Love and arranged a theatrical release in July respectively.

Fyi, Brian White is relatively famous for his exploits in football and his slowly growing film career. White has been seen in Fighting, 12 Rounds, and I Can Do Bad All By Myself.

The story of Politics of Love follows a black Republican, played by Brian White, who falls in love with an Indian Democrat, performed by Bollywood star Mallika Sherawat, blossomed out of the 2008 presidential election of Barrack Obama.

This idea looks like a childish try to make a few million bucks out of a genuinely interesting concept. The names of actual candidates being attached to the film seem to only function as an artificial draw for watchers.

But you can say instead of these words:

The world’s hottest election got much hotter! Politics has never been this sexy! Mudslinging by sex-tape!

Whoa is right! We've been wondering all this time why Jennifer Lynch's Hisss hasn't gotten any distribution yet and maybe this is some of the reason. According to the international site Finel and Bollywood Lynch left India where Hisss was filmed and producer Govind Menon put together the final product, which differs from what Lynch filmed dramatically. Lynch's cut was more of a love story and the new cut is more of a genre film. Lynch did comment on the film a little saying;

"Hisss was taken away from me in the edit. I have no idea what the film looks like. I came close to a directors’ cut, which Mallika, Venus and producers (Govind Menon and Vikram Singh) referred to as ‘European, languid and sensual’ all the things I thought were compliments. Apparently, that did not make them happy. I have no idea what is out there. Good or bad,...

Irony cannot get better (read 'worst') than this. The recently released Hisss, starring Mallika Sherawat, sank without even creating a hiss at the Bo. The gloom of the situation just doesn't end there, for it's much more than what meets the eye. David Lynch's daughter Jennifer Lynch, who was directing the film, left both the project and India before editing the material. Rumors have it that, the 'end product' has been very different than the 'original'. The 'original' here refers to the film that Jennifer shot, while the 'end product' refers to the film's co-producer Govind Menon; who later put together the final material of the film. A visibly upset Jennifer Lynch said that, the film was 'taken away' from her in the editing stages itself and that she has no idea what the film looks like (read 'has shaped up like'). She also added that the film that...

Mallika Sherawat’s ambitious Nagin project ‘Hisss’, which opened last Friday to not so encouraging response at the box office, has been disowned by its own director Jennifer Lynch who says she did not know what the final product was about or how it looked. In fact, the ace Hollywood director is livid at producers—Govind Menon, Vikram Singh and Venus—for taking away the project away from her at the pre-production stage. Though she shot for the film with Mallika Sherawat in the jungles of Kerala but she was never allowed to do the final editing of the film. The buzz doing the rounds in the industry is that the final print of the movie was stitched together by producer Govind Menon who had earlier directed Mallika Sherawat in ‘Khwaish’ and ‘Kiss Kiss Ki Kismat’. The industry is abuzz that the main purpose of the ‘Hisss’ was to get...

This was meant to be the international collaboration: David Lynch's daughter Jennifer Lynch directing Mallika Sherawat in a film about a snake-woman. But guess what? Lynch left the project and India before editing the material.A source close to the project says, .What Jennifer shot is very different from what we finally see in Hisss.. Apparently, the film's co-producer Govind Menon, who directed a couple of duds with Sherawat (Khwahish and Kis Kis Ki Kismat) put together the final material in Hisss.When contacted, Jennifer Lynch reveals, .Hisss was taken away from me in the edit. I have no idea what the film looks like. I came close to a directors' cut, which Mallika, Venus and producers (Govind Menon and Vikram Singh) referred to as 'European, languid and sensual' all the things I thought were compliments.Apparently, that did not make them happy. I have no idea what is out there.

Nudity in films is something most Western nations and film cultures take for granted, but in India, this is most definitely not the case.  In popular cinema over the last 40 years, there have been a few frames of nudity, but never more than that.  Well, that may be about to change a little bit.  Bollywood vixen Mallika Sherawat (The Myth, Murder) may have gone the full monty in Hisss for Jennifer Lynch's camera, if media reports are to be believed.  Apparently the film's producer, Govind Menon has confirmed that these scenes exist. 

Indian film industry rumors are a cagy beast.  This may turn out to be complete bunk, but if it isn't, it will be interesting to see how the country deals with this.  Indian culture can be a bit hard to pin down on issues of sexuality, specifically.  Not long ago, Twinkle Kumar, wife of Bollywood action hero Akshay Kumar,...

Mallika Sherawat surely knows how to get attention for the actress has left nothing to imagination in her film .Hisss.. Believe it or not, Mallika has gone butt naked for her much awaited Hollywood venture that is all set to hit the Indian screens this Friday.The co-producer of the film Govind Menon has refuted the earlier claims made by Mallika.s brother Vikram Lamba to state that it.s Mallika and not a body double who has done most of the nude scenes for the film.Confirming the same, Govind Menon, told a daily, "Mallika has done most of the nude scenes in .Hisss. herself. She is a very committed artiste. Working with a woman director made Mallika very, very comfortable. You know what, we talk about competing with the best cinema in the world. For this, we should be ready to do what Angelina Jolie and Salma Hayek do,...

Mallika Sherawat has been one of the few Bollywood celebrities who have been making waves in the western film circuit at Hollywood. Taking her bold new avatar one step further is her performance in her upcoming film Hisss, in which Mallika has gone fully monty for certain scenes. If we look back it was earlier said that, Mallika had used a body double for these said scenes, but now speaking to producer Govind Menon, we are told, "Yes there are certain nude scenes in the film, especially when Mallika morphs into a naagin. As for using a body double for these scenes, Mallika is a thorough professional and did the scenes herself. It was only in a few stunt scenes that she actually opted for a body double." The producer further states, "At this moment, with the film's release being just a couple of days away, I cannot reveal any further details.

Mallika Sherawat reportedly performed most of the nude scenes for Jennifer Lynch’s Hisss herself. Sherawat's brother Vikram Lamba and co-producer Ratan Jain alleged that a body double was used but fellow co-producer Govind Menon has insisted that the claim is not true. "Mallika has done most of the nude scenes in Hisss herself. She is a very committed artiste," the Mumbai Mirror (more)...

Bollywood siren Mallika Sherawat who plays a naagin (snake woman) in her upcoming film 'Hisss', offered prayers at the famous Sree Nagaraja temple at Mannarasala in Alappuzha district, seeking divine blessings for the success of the project.Sherawat, who reached here this morning from Mumbai, drove straight to the temple, which was one of the principal locations of the multi-lingual film 'which is to be released on October 22.She was accompanied by producer Govind Menon.Menon said that 'Hisss' produced under the banner of Split Image Pictures at a cost of Rs 30 crores, would be released worldwide in 2,200 screens on October 22.In India, the English, Hindi, Tamil and Telugu versions of the film would be released on that day, while the Malayalam version would be released in Kerala on October 29.Besides Sherawat, American actor Jeff Douchette, Irfan Khan, Divya Dutta and Raman Trikka also play important roles in the film,...

Here.s an interesting piece of news that not many know of - Mallika Sherawat.s forthcoming film .Hisss. stars Her Royal Highness Princess Lakshmi Bai of Travencore!.Akka. as she is affectionately called by close friends and family, met Hisss diector Jennifer Lynch through family friend Govind Menon, a producer of the film, and has known Mallika for the past few years. When director Lynch was casting for the role of Divya Dutta.s mother (Irrfan.s mother-in-law) for the film, she set her sights on the princess, .discovered. her, and offered her the role.Initially, the Princess vehemently refused and Jennifer had to practically beg her to be in the movie. After much convincing and cajoling, the Princess finally agreed to be a part of the film. To everyone.s pleasant surprise, the Princess turned out to be a pro in front of the camera!Director Lynch stated,...

Mumbai, Sep 30 – Actress Mallika Sherawat’s forthcoming film ‘Hisss’ has been making quite a buzz and the latest is that Lakshmi Bai, the erstwhile princess of Travancore, will make an appearance in the movie.

‘Akka’ as she is affectionately called by close friends and family, met ‘Hisss’ diector Jennifer Lynch through family friend Govind Menon, who is producing the film.

When Lynch was casting for the role of Divya Dutta’s mother, she offered the role to Lakshmi Bai who initially refused. But after much convincing and cajoling, she finally agreed to be part of the film.

<p.

September 30, 2010: Here’s an interesting piece of news that not many know of – Mallika Sherawat’s forthcoming film ‘Hisss’ stars Her Royal Highness Princess Lakshmi Bai of Travencore!

“Akka” as she is affectionately called by close friends and family, met Hisss diector Jennifer Lynch through family friend Govind Menon, a producer of the film, and has known Mallika for the past few years. When director Lynch was casting for the role of Divya Dutta’s mother (Irrfan’s mother-in-law) for the film, she set her sights on the princess, “discovered”.

Download Hissss wallpapers Venus Records and Tapes will present Split Image Pictures' Hisss, represented by William Morris Endeavor (Wme), directed by Jennifer Lynch, starring Mallika Sherawat, Irrfan Khan, Divya Dutta and American character actor Jeff Doucette with a first look for attendees of the Cannes Film Festival next month. The film, produced by Govind Menon & Vikram Singh Lamba has hit a fever pitch of anticipation about its release which has been in post-production in Hollywood for the past several months. Sources say the stars of the film will appear at a press photo call at the famed Majestic Hotel on the Cannes croissette, and producers will announce the release date for the film. The event will be followed by an exclusive cocktail party for international buyers, celebrities and festival VIPs. Irrfan Khan has confirmed his presence for the trip. If unveiling a first look of Hisss wasn't enough, a...

Venus Records and Tapes will present Split Image Pictures' Hisss, represented by William Morris Endeavor (Wme), directed by Jennifer Lynch, starring Mallika Sherawat, Irrfan Khan, Divya Dutta and American character actor Jeff Doucette with a first look for attendees of the Cannes Film Festival next month. The film, produced by Govind Menon & Vikram Singh Lamba has hit a fever pitch of anticipation about its release which has been in post-production in Hollywood for the past several months. Sources say the stars of the film will appear at a press photo call at the famed Majestic Hotel on the Cannes croissette, and producers will announce the release date for the film. The event will be followed by an exclusive cocktail party for international buyers, celebrities and festival VIPs. Irrfan Khan has confirmed his presence for the trip. If unveiling a first look of Hisss wasn't enough, a second event with...

The wait is finally over!!! Venus Records and Tapes will present Split Image Pictures' Hisss, represented by William Morris Endeavor (Wme), directed by Jennifer Lynch, starring Mallika Sherawat, Irrfan Khan, Divya Dutta and American character actor Jeff Doucette with a First Look for attendees of the Cannes Film Festival next month. The film, produced by Govind Menon & Vikram Singh Lamba has hit a fever pitch of anticipation about its release which has been in post-production...

Bollywood bombshell Mallika Sherawat is going places and this year she will have not one but two of her films being featured in the prestigious Cannes Film Festival next month. Sherawat plays a snake woman, out to revenge the capture of her mate by an American hunter in Hisss. Directed by Jennifer Lynch and produced by Govind Menon & Vikram Singh Lamba, the film is in post-production in Hollywood for the past several months. Actor Irrfan Khan has already confirmed his presence at the festival where the producers will announce the release date for the film. The event ...

New Delhi, April 26 – The first look of Mallika Sherawat’s snake woman story ‘Hisss’ will be unveiled at the 63rd Cannes International Film Festival, starting May 12. Her ‘Love, Barack’ will also be introduced at the gala event.

Rumour has it that even live snakes would be involved in the unveiling.

Directed by Jennifer Lynch and produced by Govind Menon and Vikram Singh Lamba of Split Image Pictures, the movie also stars Irrfan Khan, Divya Dutta and American character.

April 26, 2010:The wait is finally over!!! Venus Records and Tapes will present Split Image Pictures’ ‘Hisss’, represented by William Morris Endeavor (Wme), directed by Jennifer Lynch, starring Mallika Sherawat, Irrfan Khan, Divya Dutta and American character actor Jeff Doucette with a First Look for attendees of the Cannes Film Festival next month. The film, produced by Govind Menon and Vikram Singh Lamba has hit a fever pitch of anticipation about its release which has been in post-production in Hollywood for the past several months.

Sources say the stars of the film will appear at a press.

While the West has just honoured his global contribution with a 3-page spread in Time magazine, Irrfan Khan has had enough of being taken for granted at home. In fact rumour has it he isn't too pleased being cast by Vishal Bhardwaj as one of Priyanka Chopra's seven husbands in Saat Khoon Maaf and was in two minds about the part until Vishal persuaded him and assured him that the supposedly saleable John Abraham and the distinguished Naseeruddin Shah and Mohanlal are also part of Priyanka Chopra's harem in Saat Khoon Maaf. Irrfan has finally relented. Barely concealing his sarcasm the actor described by Time as 'the one who can do it all' says, "Whether it's Dibakar Banerjee, Shimit Amin, Anurag Basu, Anurag Kashyap or Vishal Bhardwaj, they all make the kind of films that suit my sensibilities perfectly. But they have all moved to another phase in their career.

While the West has just honoured his global contribution with a 3-page spread in Time magazine, Irrfan Khan has had enough of being taken for granted at home. In fact rumour has it he isn't too pleased being cast by Vishal Bhardwaj as one of Priyanka Chopra's seven husbands in Saat Khoon Maaf and was in two minds about the part until Vishal persuaded him and assured him that the supposedly saleable John Abraham and the distinguished Naseeruddin Shah and Mohanlal are also part of Priyanka Chopra's harem in Saat Khoon Maaf. Irrfan has finally relented. Barely concealing his sarcasm the actor described by Time as 'the one who can do it all' says, "Whether it's Dibakar Banerjee, Shimit Amin, Anurag Basu, Anurag Kashyap or Vishal Bhardwaj, they all make the kind of films that suit my sensibilities perfectly. But they have all moved to another phase in their career.

Brian White ("Fighting," "12 Rounds") has joined the cast of the Obama-themed romantic comedy "Politics of Love" says The Hollywood Reporter.

Set during the run-up to the 2008 election, thee story follows the blossoming romance between volunteer coordinators, one a black man (White) working for the local John McCain office, the other an Indian woman (Mallika Sherawat) who is a devoted Obama supporter

Ruby Dee, Gerry Bednob and Loretta Devine also star. William Dear ("The Perfect Game") will direct from a script by Gary Goldstein ("If You Only Knew").

Govind Menon, William Sees Keenan, Randy Turrow and Vikram Singh will produce.

Brian White has been cast in the romantic comedy "Politics of Love," opposite Mallika Sherawat.

Inspired by the real-life romances that blossomed during Sen. Barack Obama's presidential campaign, "Love" takes place in the run-up to the 2008 election. White will play a black volunteer coordinator working for the local John McCain office who strikes unexpected sparks with the devoted Indian Obama volunteer coordinator (Sherawat).

Ruby Dee, Gerry Bednob and Loretta Devine co-star.

William Dear ("The Perfect Game") is directing a screenplay by Gary Goldstein ("If You Only Knew"). Nuclear Mango executives Govind Menon and William Sees Keenan are producing with Randy Turrow and Split Image Pictures' Vikram Singh.

White, who is repped by UTA and Luber/Roklin Management, is a regular on the TNT series "Men of a Certain Age." He next appears on the big screen in MGM's 3D thriller "The Cabin in the Woods," hitting theaters in January.

Bollywood star Mallika Sherawat will star alongside Laz Alonso ("Avatar") in the political romantic comedy "Love, Barack." Sherawat will play Aretha Gupta, an Obama volunteer coordinator in the run up to the 2008 presidential election. With just a month to go before election day, she falls for her Republican counterpart (Alonso), who works with the local John McCain office. Also cast are Ruby Dee, Gerry Bednob and Loretta Devine. Doug McHenry ("New Jack City") will helm from a script by Gary Goldstein ("If You Only Knew"). Nuclear Mango' Govind Menon and William Keenan will produce along with Vikram Singh of Split Image Pictures.

Bollywood star Mallika Sherawat will star alongside Laz Alonso ("Avatar") in the political romantic comedy "Love, Barack." Sherawat will play Aretha Gupta, an Obama volunteer coordinator in the run up to the 2008 presidential election. With just a month to go before election day, she falls for her Republican counterpart (Alonso), who works with the local John McCain office. Also cast are Ruby Dee, Gerry Bednob and Loretta Devine. Doug McHenry ("New Jack City") will helm from a script by Gary Goldstein ("If You Only Knew"). Nuclear Mango' Govind Menon and William Keenan will produce along with Vikram Singh of Split Image Pictures.

<div style="text-align: justify;">Indian men have always been extra protective of their sisters, and the ones connected to the Indian film industry are no exception. Some time back, Vikram Lamba demonstrated the sentiment rather explosively at Madh Island, where his sister Mallika Sherawat was filming the climax shot of her forthcoming film Hissss.Apparently Mallika had to wear a skin-coloured bikini for the shot, which was being canned on a dark, cold night. A naked body double was positioned directly behind her. The game plan of the director, Jennifer Lynch, was to take close-ups of Mallika and full body shots of the double. Mallika was to be filmed on a tree, leaning on a branch.But all of a sudden, Mallika.s brother Vikram (who is one of producers of Hissss) barged onto the set and forcefully stopped the shooting. .My sister will not wear such a short, blasphemous bikini,. he shouted, to...

The Los Angeles City Council has decided to make Mallika Sherawat an honorary citizen. This will be the first time the city of Los Angeles will officially confer an honour on any B-Town celebrity.Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and other members of the  La City Council will do the needful on the eve of India's Independence Day. On the occasion, the city will recognise Ms Sherawat as an honorary citizen and present a resolution for her extraordinary career and charitable efforts.Says a source close to Mallika, &quot;It will be a celebrity -studded event where many special guests are expected to attend. Some of these will include her Hollywood friends like world-famous composer Yanni,  film director Jay Chandrashekar, CAA super agent Emanuel Nunez, film director Jesse Dylan (son of musician Bob Dylan), Hisss director Jennifer Lynch and producer Govind Menon among others. Mallika has personally invited all of them to the event.

Regular Fango readers know that the Bollywood horror film Hisss is one we've been looking forward to for quite some time.

For the uninitiated, Hisss is a modern day retelling of the ancient tale of the ichhadahari nagin (snake woman) and follows a ruthless American, fascinated by the ancient folklore of the mythical creature, who travels to the jungles of India to discover the truth. He finds and captures the nagin’s mate for the magical powers of its nagmani, a mythical gem embedded in its hood. The nagin then transforms into a gorgeous femme fatale and follows him back into the modern world to track down her lover and wreak revenge on his captors and all who stand in the way of their reunion.

While we recently had the cast and crew from the film at our Los Angeles Weekend of Horrors (see video here and here), no footage...

Hands-down one of the most buzzed-about panels this past weekend was that of the Bollywood horror film Hisss. The Fango video crew was in the room for this panel, hosted by Fango VP Scott Licina, and including cult director Jennifer Lynch, FX creator Robert Kurtzman, actor Jeff Doucette, producer Govind Menon, co-producer Will Keenan and Indian superstar Mallika Sherawat - who opened the show with a unique ceremony!

Check out the 22-minute video after the jump!

 ...

Earlier this week we pointed you in the direction of the Fearsome Fango Film Show Line-Up for the upcoming Los Angeles Weekend of Horrors running April 17-19, 2009. Now that the full event schedule is live, we thought we'd point out a few "choice cuts" (i.e., those panels that we here at Dread Central are either moderating, participating in, or just generally think you shouldn't miss).

Note: All guests/events listed are tentative. More stars are still joining the fun at this late stage, so expect lots of surprises all weekend long. And for the first time ever, there will be a second track of programming that will take place concurrently with the main track on Saturday and Sunday!

Friday, April 17

Main Track (Main Auditorium, Concourse, Rooms 151 & 152)

3:10 P.M.: Preview: Walking Distance - With writer/director Mel House and cast members Adrienne King, Reggie Bannister, Shannon Lark, and Denton Blane Everett 4:30 P.

After a year of planning, the schedule for the West Coast edition of Fangoria’s Weekend of Horrors convention is ready to be unveiled. The event will to be held this coming April 17-19 (three monstrous days and over 100 guests!) at the Los Angeles Convention Center (1201 South Figueroa).

All guests/events listed here are tentative. More stars are still joining the fun at this late stage, so expect lots of surprises all weekend long. And for the first time ever, we’ve added a second track of programming that will take place concurrently with the main track on Saturday and Sunday! Be sure to note which rooms your favorite panels will be held in. Details for the jam-packed film schedule, including several world premieres and more unannounced bonus guests, can be found here. For additional information and tickets to the Weekend of Horrors, produced by Creation and Fangoria Entertainment, go here.

Fangoria shared with you the First images from Hisss back in February (see them here), and now we're bringing you more!

“She’s sexy… venomous… and she’ll swallow you whole…” Hisss, the first Bollywood creature feature made by an American director, is set to strike at it’s core audience at next weeks Los Angeles Fangoria’S Weekend Of Horrors event next week at the La Convention Center on Saturday, April 18th. Check out an exclusive pic from the film after the break...

Director Jennifer Lynch (Boxing Helena, Surveillance), seductive Bollywood star Mallika Sherawat (Murder), F/X master Robert Kurtzman (From Dusk Til Dawn, Army Of Darkness), the film’s villainous American star Jeff Doucette (Desperate Housewives), producer Govind Menon and co-producer Will Keenan will all be appearing at the show for a special panel discussion where they will unveil never-before-seen clips and afterwards sign autographs at the official...

The seventh annual Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles will offer two separate panels focusing on Indian entertainment and filmmaking through the lens of the business community at CAA's Ray Kurtzman Theater in Century City on April 24.

Topics will be "Producing Indian Content for the Indian and International Market," with panelists Ashok Amritraj of Hyde Park Entertainment, Fox Searchlight's Jill Gwen, actor-producer Anil Kapoor and LDisney's Jason Reed, and "Film Financing: Co-productions and Alternatives," with panelists Karim Ahmad of Independent Television Service, Phat Phish's Sanjay Bhattacharjee, National Film Development Corporation's Nina Gupta and Split Image Pictures' Govind Menon.

In other news, Iffla has added to its lineup a screening of Big Pictures' dramatic thriller "Sikandar," written and directed by Piyush Jha.

New Delhi -- Jennifer Lynch is going Bollywood, signing on to direct horror-thriller "Nagin -- The Snake Woman," which will be shot simultaneously in Hindi and English, producers said Thursday.

"Nagin," toplined by Indian star Mallika Sherawat, tackles the ancient Eastern myth of the snake woman who can take on various forms.

The film is being produced by Mumbai-based music label and film production banner Venus Records and Tapes along with Bollywood director-producer Govind Menon's banner Split Image and producer Vikram Singh. Venus will handle India and worldwide distribution.

Lynch's most recent film was "Surveillance," starring Bill Pullman and Julia Ormond, which premiered at Cannes in May.

Visual effects for "Nagin" -- Hindi for female cobra -- will be handled by Precinct 13's Robert Kurtzman, director of "Wishmaster" and "The Rage," among others.

Sherawat's international credits include 2003 Jackie Chan starrer "The Myth" and the upcoming "The Aquarian Gospel" by director Drew Heriot.

"Nagin" also will star actor Irrfan Khan, who was recently seen in Mira Nair's "The Namesake" and "A Mighty Heart" with Angelina Jolie.

The film begins shooting in India in August. No budget was announced.

Precinct 13’s Robert Kurtzman, director of Wishmaster and The Rage to name a couple, just dropped us a line with some great news for him and his Creature Crew; they’ve officially signed on to the new film from Jennifer (daughter of David) Lynch, Nagin!

We first mentioned the horror movie a few weeks back, but at the time not a lot was known about it, save that it had something to do with the titular Indian legend about a snake woman who can take on many forms. We're still kind of in the dark about the plot, but I couldn't be happier about the effects team behind it!

”Given the population of India, China and the Far East, the Snake Woman has more fans than The Werewolf, Vampire, and Mermaid combined,” said the film’s producer, Govind Menon. ”We hope to make the definitive version and also introduce the...

A film flying way under everyones radar is Surveillance, which was directed by Jennifer Lynch. The film has been receiving some high praises and yet there hasn't been all that much talk via the web. Thankfully someone was paying attention as Lynch has been tapped to direct a new horror thriller entitled Nagin for Split Image Pictures. Govind Menon, the president of Split Image, will produce and finance with Vikram Singh co-producing. Production is set to start in India next month. The story's based on the Far Eastern myth of the snake woman who is able to take on human form.