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Director Raja Krishna Menon looks back at his debut film Barah Aana, which was released in 2009, in a terrific interview. First, let’s set the scene about the film’s story and the brilliance of the performances.

Raja Krishna Menon’s Barah Aana, a mellow, mirthful, and at times moving story of three North Indian migrants, brings in a sense of un-visited surprise. There are three main characters: a quiet driver Shukla (Naseeruddin Shah), a watchman Yadav (Vijay Raaz) and a waiter Aman (Arjun Mathur), all driven to the doors of despair but stopped in time by a self-directed sense of humour that rescues them from self-destruction.

The story gathers momentum when the trio discovers an age-old formula for survival: crime.

Superbly scripted by Raj Kumar Gupta, who directed the riveting Aamir, Barah Aana derives its strength from the frailties and vulnerabilities of the three migrant characters who seem to...

A look back at Raja Krishan Menon‘s 2003 debut directorial Bas Yun Hi as it celebrates 22 years. We also get some insight as the director talks with Subhash K Jha.

The young 20-nothing metro-waasi never had it so good. Or bad. After Freaky Chakra where a freaked-out sutradhar, played by veejay Ranvir Shorey, gets all foamy and frustrated when he can no longer control the destiny of the characters he creates, this time another veejay turned, ahem, actor Purab Kohli sets up a fey doll Veda (Nandita Das) to woo a superstitious friend Rohan (Rajiv Gopalakrishnan) as a joke and then behaves like Aamir Khan in the post-interval half of Dil Chahta Hai.

The prank gets a yucky yank when stupid Cupid, the devilish matchmaker Aditya, realizes he loves flaky Veda for himself. He sulks like a brat being denied his favourite television show and finally grins when she consents to be his girl.

Irrfan Khan liked Airlift so much and had to opt himself out of the movie for this reason. Read on to learn more about this incident. (Photo Credit – Instagram)

Irrfan Khan was one of the finest actors the Indian film industry has ever witnessed. From Hindi films like The Lunchbox and Hindi Medium to Hollywood projects like Life of Pi and The Amazing Spider-Man, Khan proved himself in every corner of the world.

With such great skills, he was offered many roles throughout his career, some of which he had to turn down due to some reason or another. One such film is the blockbuster Airlift.

The 2016 film Airlift, directed by Raja Krishna Menon, is celebrated as one of Akshay Kumar’s career milestones. However, the late actor Irrfan Khan was initially considered for the lead role. On Irrfan’s birth anniversary, producer Nikkhil Advani shared an intriguing anecdote about...

Plenty of war films made in the Hindi language always cater to the jingoistic narrative. Most of them would include a plot that involves sheer hatred for a certain neighboring nation. Though the enmity between the two nations was at its peak during all the major wars, the filmmakers approached this subject matter by emphasizing nationalistic tropes and refusing to dial down the noise. They also do not focus enough on screenplay, direction, or other technical aspects.

Raazi, Border, Shershaah, Lakshya, and Uri: The Surgical Strike are a handful of films that did justice to war drama as a genre. Pippa belongs to the same category as well. This period war drama directed by Raja Krishna Menon was released straight on Amazon Prime Video on November 10, 2023, and is based on the book The Burning Chaffees: A Soldier’s First-Hand Account of the 1971 War by Brigadier Balram Singh Mehta.

The movie...

One of the most versatile performers Mrunal Thakur is set to impress everyone with her compelling performance in the film Pippa, based on the critically acclaimed novel “The Burning Chaffees.” In this groundbreaking war drama released on Prime Video today, Thakur takes on the role of Radha, a medical student and cryptographer, who becomes an essential part of the war effort alongside her siblings.

Pippa tells the gripping and emotional tale of three siblings who, despite being in different roles, come together with unwavering unity to support each other during a time of war. Unlike conventional war films in Hindi cinema, where female characters are often relegated to the sidelines, Pippa offers a refreshing perspective by portraying Radha as a proactive and indispensable force on the front lines. Radha’s character breaks free from the stereotypes, as she actively participates in the war, utilizing her cryptography skills to make real-time contributions to the battlefield.

One of the most versatile performers Mrunal Thakur is set to impress everyone with her compelling performance in the film Pippa, based on the critically acclaimed novel “The Burning Chaffees.” In this groundbreaking war drama released on Prime Video today, Thakur takes on the role of Radha, a medical student and cryptographer, who becomes an essential part of the war effort alongside her siblings.

Pippa tells the gripping and emotional tale of three siblings who, despite being in different roles, come together with unwavering unity to support each other during a time of war. Unlike conventional war films in Hindi cinema, where female characters are often relegated to the sidelines, Pippa offers a refreshing perspective by portraying Radha as a proactive and indispensable force on the front lines. Radha’s character breaks free from the stereotypes, as she actively participates in the war, utilizing her cryptography skills to make real-time contributions to the battlefield.

Mumbai, Nov 10 (Ians) Actress Mrunal Thakur will be seen in the film ‘Pippa’, based on the critically acclaimed novel ‘The Burning Chaffees’. She is overjoyed about being a part of a film where a female character is given a well-defined arc, challenging the traditional gender norms seen in war dramas.

Mrunal plays Radha, a medical student and cryptographer, who becomes an essential part of the war alongside her siblings.

In discussing her role, Mrunal shared: “Radha is a character close to my heart. She represents the resilience and strength of women, not just emotionally, but also intellectually. It was refreshing to see a female character actively involved in the war effort, making significant contributions through her expertise in cryptography.”

She said: “Pippa showcases a different perspective, and I am honored to bring Radha’s story to life”.

‘Pippa’, directed by Raja Menon, also stars Ishan Khatter.

–Ians

dc/kvd...

Mumbai, Nov 10 (Ians) Actress Mrunal Thakur will be seen in the film ‘Pippa’, based on the critically acclaimed novel ‘The Burning Chaffees’. She is overjoyed about being a part of a film where a female character is given a well-defined arc, challenging the traditional gender norms seen in war dramas.

Mrunal plays Radha, a medical student and cryptographer, who becomes an essential part of the war alongside her siblings.

In discussing her role, Mrunal shared: “Radha is a character close to my heart. She represents the resilience and strength of women, not just emotionally, but also intellectually. It was refreshing to see a female character actively involved in the war effort, making significant contributions through her expertise in cryptography.”

She said: “Pippa showcases a different perspective, and I am honored to bring Radha’s story to life”.

‘Pippa’, directed by Raja Menon, also stars Ishan Khatter.

–Ians

dc/kvd...

Ishaan Khatter, who plays the lead role of a 1971 War hero in ‘Pippa’, has revealed that he is very happy with the choices he has made in his career so far. Ishaan plays Captain Balram ‘Balli’ Singh Mehta in’Pippa’ and he was speaking at the screening of the film’s trailer in Mumbai.

In a candid conversation, he spoke about the film, his upcoming project ‘The Perfect Couple’ and more.

Talking about doing films here in India and also being a part of International projects, he said, “I want to put as much work for my audience to entertain them. The first few years were important for me to establish my identity as an artiste.

“I did not want to be known as the shadow of someone. I feel I am lucky to get opportunities to be a part of national and International projects. Lot of people want to do that.

Ishaan Khatter, who plays the lead role of a 1971 War hero in ‘Pippa’, has revealed that he is very happy with the choices he has made in his career so far. Ishaan plays Captain Balram ‘Balli’ Singh Mehta in’Pippa’ and he was speaking at the screening of the film’s trailer in Mumbai.

In a candid conversation, he spoke about the film, his upcoming project ‘The Perfect Couple’ and more.

Talking about doing films here in India and also being a part of International projects, he said, “I want to put as much work for my audience to entertain them. The first few years were important for me to establish my identity as an artiste.

“I did not want to be known as the shadow of someone. I feel I am lucky to get opportunities to be a part of national and International projects. Lot of people want to do that.

Mrunal Thakur, who’s now rated as one of the most talented actresses in the country, has pened up on why the release of the 1971 War film ‘Pippa’ got delayed. Mrunal, who started her career in television but is now firmly a Bollywood star, said ‘Pippa’, which will premiere on Amazon Prime from November 10, “is like my baby and it takes nine months for the baby to come out”.

“There are a few films which don’t require so much attention because they are simple. In ‘Pippa’ there is a lot of work, VFX and the team shot at a number of locations. I was part of the first schedule but for the second and third schedule it was a very tough shoot,” she said.

She said this is the kind of journey that a film like ‘Pippa’ takes.

“The release of the film is not in my hands, but...

Mrunal Thakur, who’s now rated as one of the most talented actresses in the country, has pened up on why the release of the 1971 War film ‘Pippa’ got delayed. Mrunal, who started her career in television but is now firmly a Bollywood star, said ‘Pippa’, which will premiere on Amazon Prime from November 10, “is like my baby and it takes nine months for the baby to come out”.

“There are a few films which don’t require so much attention because they are simple. In ‘Pippa’ there is a lot of work, VFX and the team shot at a number of locations. I was part of the first schedule but for the second and third schedule it was a very tough shoot,” she said.

She said this is the kind of journey that a film like ‘Pippa’ takes.

“The release of the film is not in my hands, but...

The upcoming riveting war drama, Pippa, starring Mrunal Thakur and Ishaan, is slated for a Prime Video worldwide premiere on November 10. The film is a firsthand account of the Battle of Garibpur, during the Indo-Pakistan war of 1971; a fight that was pivotal in Bangladesh’s struggle for independence. Produced by Ronnie Screwvala under the banner of RSVP Movies and Siddharth Roy Kapur’s Roy Kapur Films, and directed by Raja Krishna Menon, the film also features Priyanshu Painyuli and Soni Razdan in pivotal roles. Based on the book ‘The Burning Chaffees’ by Brigadier Balram Singh Mehta, the film is written by Menon, Tanmay Mohan, and Ravinder Randhawa.

Further fueling the anticipation, the makers released an intriguing poster. the poster features the incredibly talented actors Ishaan, Mrunal Thakur and Priyanshu Painyuli. This wartime saga narrates a story of patriotism, and traces the coming of age of Captain Balram Mehta (essayed by...

An RSVP and Roy Kapur Films’ production, Pippa has now wrapped its shoot spanning across schedules in Nasik, Pune, Mumbai and a few districts of West Bengal. Having performed the mammoth task of completing the shoot, the Pippa squad rings in a wrap-up party attended by Producers Ronnie Screwvala, Siddharth Roy Kapur, director Raja Menon […]...

Vikram Malhotra’s production outfit is developing and casting film about India’s “Pearl Harbour moment”.

Vikram Malhotra’s Abundantia Entertainment is set to produce a film, entitled Runway, based on a true story that took place during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971.

The incident, often referred to as India’s Pearl Harbour, involved the destruction of an airstrip in the city of Bhuj, along with several Indian Air Force airstrips, by Pakistani bombers in December 1971.

Indian authorities only had 72 hours to repair the airstrips in order for fighter planes to take off and land. A group of around 300 local villagers,...

Netflix used the second night of its See What’s Next: Asia content gathering in Singapore to unveil eight new original films for its India market, including a regional release for Bleecker Street and ShivHans Pictures’ long-gestating Hotel Mumbai, which the streaming giant has rights to in the South and Southeast Asian territories.

The film, directed by Anthony Maras and starring Dev Patel, Armie Hammer, Nazanin Boniadi, Anupam Kher and Jason Isaacs, had been in limbo as part of The Weinstein Company bankruptcy. A 2019 U.S. release date is likely for the movie, which depicts the events of the 2008 terrorist attacks on the iconic Taj Mahal Palace Hotel.

Other films in the works include Firebrand, a Marathi Film directed by Aurna Raje and produced by Priyanka Chopra that follows a successful lawyer (Usha Jadhav), a sexual assault victim, as she tackles difficult family cases while also dealing with intimacy issues in her own marriage.

While it has been established, Reliance Jio Infocomm and Roy Kapur Films are coming together to create original video series, Siddharth Roy Kapur is leaving no stone unturned to produce path-breaking content. Here’s some exciting piece of information for the audience! Apart from employing a dedicated team to create appealing content, he has also roped inRead More

The post Siddharth Roy Kapur ropes in Rensil D’Silva, Nikkhil Advani, Raja Menon, and others for individual projects appeared first on Bollywood Hungama.

Gearing up for his next, Saif Ali Khan is all set to get experimental with his role that is inspired by Jon Favreau’s role in his directorial Chef. Last year, Raja Menon announced the Hindi remake of the film. However, Saif Ali Khan doesn’t approve the idea of calling it a remake and there’s aRead More

The post Saif Ali Khan claims Chef is not a remake of the Hollywood hit appeared first on Bollywood Hungama.

Last year, right after Airlift, director Raja Menon announced the remake of Jon Favreau’s film Chef. The Hindi remake, that goes by the same name, after wrapping up quite a few schedules within the country was all set to go to New York but has been delayed. Saif Ali Khan and the rest of theRead More

The post Saif Ali Khan starrer Chef’s New York schedule gets delayed appeared first on Bollywood Hungama.

Earlier, we had reported that Saif Ali Khan would be starring in the remake of the Hollywood film Chef. The buzz was that the film was supposed to go on floors next month. Now, we hear that film has been delayed.

Rumours state that Chef has been delayed since Saif Ali Khan injured his thumb on the sets of Akshat Varma's directorial debut. Though the actor was rushed to the hospital and went under a surgery for the same, he is still recovering and that is the reason the film was been delayed by a month.

However, denying the rumours that Chef has been delayed, the film's producer Vikram Malhotra of Abundantia Entertainment says, "Chef was never scheduled to begin now. The film was always scheduled to commence shooting from October 1. So there is no question of a delay." Further talking about the prep for the film, Vikram adds, "Saif...

Finally, this has happened!

Airlift, the most successful film of 2016 so far and a certified superhit, has now gone Tax Free in Bihar. Though the decision has come in the fourth week run of the film, it is still being hailed for the kind of recognition that has come for the Akshay Kumar starrer.

"It is not about the monetary gains that the film would gain from this point on but the fact that good cinema has been appreciated," says our source, "This will go down in records that a film with such a theme and treatment was acknowledged for its class and entertainment quotient, and hence was declared Tax Free. For director Raja Menon and the production team of Bhushan Kumar, Vikram Malhotra and Nikkhil Advani, this is a moment of high indeed."

With current collections in the upwards of 125 crore and the film aiming to close around the 130 crore mark,...

This week, Whistling Woods International (Wwi) conducted a film forum for recently released, highly-acclaimed film, Airlift. The plot is based on the largest human evacuation by air in the world history by India during the 1990’s Iraq-Kuwait war. Post the screening, Wwi hosted the team of Airlift including Raja Menon, Director; Priya Seth, Cinematographer; Hemanti Sarkar, Editor; Mustafa Stationwala, Production Designer; Udai Singh Pawar, Associate Director and Sajid Sanwari, Chief Assistant Cinematographer & 2nd Unit Director of Photography, who is also a Wwi alumnus. The team shared their experiences of working on this project with over 400 students of Wwi.

Explaining how Airlift turned into a beautiful piece of cinema, Raja Menon shared his views on how ‘following a process’, importance of pre-production charting and planning, and having regular and intensive discussions with the crew members, help in being aligned to the common vision and the only objective of taking a story...

Airlift is continuing its record spree. The film had another good day at the office on Tuesday and brought in around 1 crore* more. As a result, the collections now stand around the 122 crore* mark and with this, the Raja Menon directed film is now officially the Biggest Republic Day weekend release ever. In the process, it has gone past the biggest so far, Agneepath.

This is how the Top-5 Republic Day weekend releases stand:

Airlift [2016] – 122 crore* [Still running]

Agneepath [2012] – 120 crore

Jai Ho [2014] – 115 crore

Race 2 [2013] – 100.45 crore

Baby [2015] – 95.5 crore

The point to be noted is that each of the other 100 crore grossers is an out and out mainstream commercial entertainer. Hrithik Roshan’s Agneepath was the remake of the cult Amitabh Bachchan film. Salman Khan’s Jai Ho released at the time when the superstar was churning out centuries at will. Saif Ali Khan, Anil Kapoor and John Abraham’s Race 2 was...

There was quite some surprise in store when Airlift collected more on its 15th day when compared to the 14th day. Despite the release of Ghayal Once Again and Sanam Teri Kasam, the film didn’t see a slide in collections on Friday. The trend continued on Saturday and Sunday as well, what with the film continuing to mint moolah. As a result, 8.5 crore* more came in the third weekend.

With this, the film has now collected around 121 crore* at the Box Office in 17 days. These are very good numbers for the film and the weekend trend has ensured that the lifetime total would be around 130 crore.

As for the records that have already been broken, the Akshay Kumar film has now left behind Holiday (113 crore) and Housefull 2 (116 crore**).

This is how Akshay Kumar’s biggest films are currently placed:

Holiday (2014) – 113 crore

Housefull 2 (2012) – 116 crore

Airlift (2016) – 121 crore* (still running...

Akshay Kumar’s Airlift was clearly the choice of audience over the weekend gone by. Even in its second weekend, it did better than the new releases (Mastizaade, Saala Khadoos) which tells the tale. After holding quite well on Friday, it started escalating on Saturday and Sunday, hence resulting in a bountiful weekend of 19 crore*. As a result, the film now currently stands at 102.5 crore*.

With this, the film has now crossed the 100 crore mark in 10 days flat, an achievement by all means, especially considering the fact that this was a niche drama in the offering with offbeat cinema meeting commercial parameters. Director Raja Menon is now the newest entrant into the 100 crore club and he has managed that with a film which would gain him a lot of respect as well as commercial viability.

Star presence of Akshay Kumar has further helped the film reach out to a larger section of the audience.

Airlift has managed to score a mighty Week One of around 83.5 crore at the Box Office. Now this is a terrific start indeed for the film which was being seen as a niche affair en route release. In fact, even on its release, though critical acclaim was coming from all quarters and audience word of mouth was stupendous as well, it was still believed that the film would primarily manage to cater to multiplexes in big cities. However, everything changed when the film saw thunderous business coming its way on Sunday, and then the Republic Day. With massive moolah being earned on both these days, the film was on steady path.

With this, the film has now earned the status of Akshay Kumar’s Biggest Week One ever, hence going well past Rowdy Rathore [79 crore]. In fact the film is the fifth highest Week One scorer in last six months, ever...

Airlift has been declared tax free by the Uttar Pradesh government, headed by Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav. The film, directed Raja Menon, features Akshay Kumar and Nimrat Kaur in the lead.

Airlift is based on a real-life story of the World’s biggest mass evacuation of Indians during the Iraq-Kuwait war in 1990.

The story of the film is from the point of view of Akshay’s character (Ranjit Katyal) who helped Indians get airlifted to safety from Kuwait.

Airlift released in theatres last weekend and has collected Rs 72.5 crore in 5 days at the domestic box office.

The game is on for Airlift. After a heartening opening weekend of 44.3 crore, the film was ultra steady of Monday as well. This was pretty much on the cards as well since the word of mouth is terrific and the appreciation is across board. With today being a holiday, last evening and night shows showed good occupancy as well. As a result, the film collected 10.4 crore on Monday, which is superb as only a select few films manage a double digit score on a working day. With this, the film has now scored 54.7 crore, which is huge by all means. Also, considering the fact that today would be huge as well, the film is set to cross at the least 70 crore inside 5 days, which would immediately confirm that the film is set to be Hit at the least. The film is now also set to score the biggest Week One...

Airlift has taken a flying start at the Box Office. It was always on the cards that the Akshay Kumar starrer would open better than Baby [9.33 crore] which belonged to the same genre and had released last year in the same weekend. However, for the film to take a 12.35 crore is even better.

It was pretty much certain that at the big cities, the film would indeed do quite well. However, what has worked in the favor of this Raja Menon directed film is that it has done well outside the big cities and multiplexes as well. For a film to gain collections of over 10 crore, it is pretty much required that other centers support it as well, and this is something that has happened.

It has to be added that Akshay Kumar’s credibility as an actor who can be relied upon to deliver consistently well has gone in the...

Inaamulhaq who played a Pakistani in National Award winning Filmistaan will now be seen playing an Iraqi in Akshay Kumar starrer Airlift. Inaamulhaq plays a very essential role of an Iraqi ‘Major Kahalf Bin Zayd’ who is the main antagonist of the evacuation that the film is based on.

The actor won a lot of accolades for his role in Filmistaan from winning five Awards including Screen Awards, Aiba, Sica and a nomination at Iifa. Looks like the wait of his fans is finally over and the actor who was listed in the top 10 stand-out actors of 2014 will again be proved to be the star attraction of 2016.

Inaamulhaq who is coming back with a bang after almost a year says, “It is very difficult for an actor to wait for one and half year for his next release. But if the wait has to finish at Airlift then it becomes a different ball game altogether.

Emmay Entertainment & Motion Pictures Llp along with T-series and Cape of Good, in strategic partnership with Abundantia Entertainment bring to you Airlift – a story based on true events of an evacuation of Indian citizens during the Kuwait-Iraq war.

In 1990, when Kuwait was invaded by Iraq, Air India evacuated a total of 111,000 Indian citizens to Mumbai between 13th August to 11 October. It was the largest evacuation by a civil airline recorded in history.

Akshay Kumar plays the role of the Indian-born influential Kuwaiti businessman Ranjit Katyal who risks his family’s life and his own to aided in this event. The film also stars Nimrat Kaur who plays his wife Amrita Katyal and Purab Kohli as Ibrahim Durrani. The movie has been shot in Ras al-Khaimah, United Arab Emirates and Rajasthan, India. Akshay and Purab have reportedly learnt Arabic for their roles.

Airlift is set to release just before Republic Day on January 22nd.

The makers of ‘Airlift’ have released the motion poster and a new poster from the film.

‘Airlift’ is an edge-of-the-seat entertaining thriller, releasing January 22, 2016. Akshay Kumar plays the Indian-born Kuwaiti business man alongside Nimrat Kaur plays his wife. Directed by Raja Menon, ‘Airlift’ is produced under the Emmay Entertainment & Motion Pictures Llp along with T-Series and Cape of Good, in strategic partnership with Abundantia Entertainment.

Check out the posters right here!

https://

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=ldd-e-5TifY

The post Motion Poster: Airlift appeared first on BollySpice.com.

The makers of the upcoming film Airlift have released the teaser featuring Akshay Kumar and Nimrat Kaur.

Airlift is an edge-of-the-seat entertaining thriller, releasing January 22, 2016. Akshay Kumar plays an Indian-born Kuwaiti business man alongside Nimrat Kaur plays his wife. Directed by Raja Menon, Airlift is produced under the Emmay Entertainment & Motion Pictures Llp along with T-Series and Cape of Good, in strategic partnership with Abundantia Entertainment.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xwyb7fT65Ac

The post The teaser for Akshay Kumar’s ‘Airlift’ is out! appeared first on BollySpice.com.

Producer Nikhil Advani is currently working on a unique project, ‘Airlift’, starring Akshay Kumar and Nimrat Kaur, and now we hear that all it took was a two-page story idea and fifteen minutes of the khiladi’s time to convince him to do the film.

Producer Nikhil Advani said, “The film focuses on real life incidences and is a war tale unlike any in Bollywood. Initially, when Raja, the director approached us with a two-page story idea, we never imagined Akshay to agree within 15 minutes. But, he did and since then there has been no looking back.”

The film is an epic war tale that essays the real life experiences of the 1,50,000 Indian expatriates who were displaced with the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait and is a story celebrating the triumph of the human spirit against the backdrop of war.

In a recent interview, Akshay Kumar who plays the Kuwait-based tycoon Ranjit Katyal in the film,...

An exclusive look from the sets of Nikhil Advani’s Airlift has been released. The image features the Khiladi of Bollywood, Akshay Kumar, in a crisp brown suit, staring at the ruins of what was then a buzzing street of Kuwait in the 90s.

The film revolves around a real incident that occurred in Kuwait in the 1990’s at the time of the Gulf War, when a powerful Indian businessman Ranjit Katyal helped evacuate 1,70,000 Indians safely back to their home country. Since the film is set a decade ago, it has also been shot in the old streets of Ras-Al-Khaimah, which looks exactly like Kuwait and Baghdad during 1990s.

Speaking about this film, producer Nikhil Advani said, “For the film, we had to create sets that looked exactly like Kuwait in the 1990’s. So, we started scouting for places that would give the impression of that time and we zeroed in on Ras-Al-Khaimah,...

Akshay Kumar's next is a story based on real incidents set in 1990 in Kuwait at the time of famous gulf war when Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait.

In Airlift, Akshay Kumar plays a powerful Indian businessman named Ranjit Katyal who helps to evacuate 170000 Indian from Kuwait to India.

The director Raja Menon is shooting on the old streets of Ras Al Khaimah which looks like Kuwait of 1990s.

Presented by T-Series and Cape of Good, in strategic partnership with Abundantia Entertainment, Airlift stars Akshay Kumar and Nimrat Kaur in lead roles.

Bollywood’s popular director, Nikhil Advani, has four releases coming up in 2015-2016. The talented director has a chock-a-block schedule starting with Hero that features Sooraj Pancholi and Athiya Shetty, Katti Batti featuring Imran Khan and Kangana Ranaut and Airlift starring Akshay Kumar, Nimrat Kaur and Saurabh Shukla’s upcoming film.

With Airlift, this is the first time the director will only be producing a film. Speaking about his busy year, Nikhil says, “Production is an art that my partners and I are committed to mastering. We’re grateful to our backers, who are the sustainers of our work philosophies. Above all, we’re determined to present our actors in the best way possible”.

According to reports, Nikhil was so impressed by a one-page brief of director Raja Menon’s Airlift that he is leaving no stone unturned for it. The film just begun shooting in Mumbai and also released...

The first look for Nikhil Advani and his film production company Emmay Entertainment & Motion Pictures’ upcoming film Airlift is out now.

The film is based on the realife evacuation drama and kicked off its first schedule in a grand mansion in a Mumbai studio. The Raja Menon directed Airlift went on floors on Saturday in a suburban studio in Mumbai. A grand mansion, complete with Arabic carpets and interiors resembling an affluent Middle-Eastern household, was created for the shoot.

Presented by T-Series and Cape of Good, in strategic partnership with Abundantia Entertainment, Airlift stars Akshay Kumar and Nimrat Kaur, along with a carefully cast ensemble of characters. Airlift will be shot in Mumbai, areas around Gujarat and Rajasthan and Ras-Al-Khaimah in the UAE. The film is expected to release on January 22, 2016.

The post Akshay Kumar’s new film ‘Airlift’ first look released appeared first on BollySpice.

We all know that superstar Akshay Kumar, who just delivered a mega hit in the form of Baby is one busy man. Right after the release of this Neeraj Pandey thriller, Akshay has shifted focus to other upcoming films; however, the actor is now facing a little bit of date trouble. Apparently, Akshay Kumar had allotted the dates in the month of February to the Prabhu Dheva directorial Singh Is Bling. But now, the same have been given to the Raja Menon directed evacuation drama Airlift. Reason - he was not happy with the script of Singh Is Bling and he wanted it to be fine-tuned. And after this recent development, Akshay has decided to allot dates in the month of April to Singh Is Bling (co-starring Kriti Sanon). Speaking about the same, Singh Is Bling's producer Ashvini Yardi said that they were to start off early this year,...

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Raja Menon’s ‘Barah Aana’ starring Naseeruddin Shah, Vijay Raaz, and Arjun Mathur, after having received rave reviews in the New York Times, The Herald Tribune, and other international journals as well as being critically acclaimed domestically, has now been selected by the 45th Chicago International Film Festival. Interestingly film personalities including Aamir Khan, John Abraham, Imran Khan, Zoya Akhtar, and many others have also endorsed the film.

The ‘45th Chicago International Film Festival’, is one of North America’s most prestigious, and oldest film.

It is very rare that you meet a director who is as passionate and dedicated to their craft. Raja Menon is one of those exceptional filmmakers. Menon has gone from ad filmmaking to now the director of two films: Bas Yun Hi in 2003 and then more recently Barah Aana. The film released and has received many accolades, which include the likes of Aamir Khan, John Abraham, Imran Khan and Zoya Akhtar all of whom conclusively proclaim, "This is a must-watch!" The film filled with a unique storyline, set in the slums of Dharavi and packed with power-house performances from Naseeruddin Shah, Vijay Raaz and Arjun Mathur. When I found myself in conversation with Raja Menon, I couldn't help but be in complete awe. Not only was he incredibly enlightening but somehow read my mind before I could ask the next question! If I had much to ask, he had even more to share!

I remember looking up Arjun Mathur when I saw him play the part of the struggling stage actor in Zoya Akhtar's Luck By Chance. Impressed by the ease with which he played the part of Abhimanyu, I was not surprised to hear that the young actor was a part of Raja Menon's critically acclaimed, Barah Aana. As the young Aman who comes to Mumbai in hopes to fulfill his dreams of making it big, he has managed to create much buzz in the industry and heighten expectations for himself. Talented, he is but there is much more to Arjun Mathur than meets the naked eye. Honest, fun and extremely friendly, this is one actor to watch out for. And as for his performance in Barah Aana? Top-notch. Mathur has managed to keep his own in a film which housed the likes of Naseeruddin Shah and Vijay Raaz in prominent roles.

Tannishtha Chatterjee is truly an international actress and has made her presence known not only in Hindi cinema but also in German, Bengali, Indo-French and English films. She was critically acclaimed for her performance as Masha in the German/Bengali film Schatten der Zeit (Shadows of Time) starring opposite Irrfan Khan. In 2007 she was nominated at the British Independent Film Awards for her work in Brick Lane. The actress has worked with a multitude of directors including Florian Gallenberger, Subrata Sen, Sarah Gavron, Dev Benegal and Raja Menon. In fact she was seen in Raja Menon's first film Bas Yun Hi and in his most recent film the critically praised Barah Aana. Though in a relatively small role she makes quite an impact and is brilliant as Rani in the film. She recently talked with BollySpice about her work in the different film industries as well as all about Barah Aana.

Barah Aana has gone on to gain immense critical acclaim but you may not know that the producer behind the film is actually Italian. Her name is Giulia Achilli. The producer came to India looking for herself and instead landed up becoming a part of the film. Being a part of films is nothing new to the talented producer who has worked previously in many films back home in Italy and while she may only have been in India for a short while now, you can pick up hints of India that stand out in her otherwise Italian accent. All it took was a quick meeting with Raja Menon, the director of the film and the duo instantly knew that they were on their way to making the critically acclaimed film. BollySpice catches the new producer as she is on location shooting for a new documentary in beautiful Kashmir; check...

Barah Aana is a film that not many may have heard of but some pretty big filmi people are raving about it including: Aamir Khan, Zoya Akhtar, Imran Khan and John Abraham. The feature film has an international production team including: an Italian (Giulia Achilli), an American (Raj Yerasi) and an Indian (Raja Menon). The film is to be re-released on September 9th and we have your first look at the story of the film!

Barah Aana is a comedy of real life, set in today's Mumbai. The story revolves around three unlikely friends: a driver (Naseeruddin Shah), a watchman (Vijay Raaz), and a waiter (Arjun Mathur). The driver is an older man, stoic but dependable. The watchman, in his 30s, is a pushover at work but otherwise mischievous. The waiter is a young, swaggering chap, brimming with ambition. Living together, their different attitudes make for interesting banter.

At some point,...

Now it can be told. The talented director of Aamir, Rajkumar Gupta's next film entitled No One Killed Jessica is actually based on the sensational Jessica Lal case. The model was gunned down in a restaurant on April 29, 1999. The director whose edgy hard-hitting drama Aamir swept the nation in 2008 intends to give the same gritty treatment to the Jessica Lal case which rocked the nation. Reluctant to shed light on the project, Gupta says, "I did approach Kareena Kapoor initially to play one of the two protagonists. But nothing more can be said about the casting right now. All I can say at this moment is that the film and its script which I've just completed is inspired by a headline that I saw in The Times Of India in 2006 which said, 'No One Killed Jessica'(when all the accused in the sensational case were acquitted). It immediately set me thinking.

Now it can be told. The talented director of Aamir, Rajkumar Gupta's next film entitled No One Killed Jessica is actually based on the sensational Jessica Lal case. The model was gunned down in a restaurant on April 29, 1999. The director whose edgy hard-hitting drama Aamir swept the nation in 2008 intends to give the same gritty treatment to the Jessica Lal case which rocked the nation. Reluctant to shed light on the project, Gupta says, "I did approach Kareena Kapoor initially to play one of the two protagonists. But nothing more can be said about the casting right now. All I can say at this moment is that the film and its script which I've just completed is inspired by a headline that I saw in The Times Of India in 2006 which said, 'No One Killed Jessica'(when all the accused in the sensational case were acquitted). It immediately set me thinking.

Italian actress Violante Placido made her debut in the recently released Bollywood film titled ‘Barah Aana’. The pretty actress essays an interesting role of a foreign drug dealer in Raja Menon’s ‘Barah Aana’ wherein she stars opposite Arjun Mathur (of ‘Luck-By Chance’ fame).

Guess what we heard??

When the unit was shooting in Colaba, a man came up to Violante and actually tried to sell her ‘Charas’. The actress thought he was part of the unit and played along, until he expected her to pay.

Everyone had quite a laugh at the incident and the.

After his outstanding performance in ‘A Wednesday’, Naseeruddin Shah has come up with another ace in Raja Menon’s movie titled ‘Barah Aana’.

Naseeruddin Shah essays the role of a driver in the film and sports a very ordinary look. Just like a common man! The immensely talented actor does know how to give it all to his performances.

Insiders tell us that while finalizing his look in the film designers were looking for old, weathered shoes for Naseeruddin Shah to wear as part of his driver outfit but well, knowing the actors enthusiasm he actually dug up some old shoes that.