August 3, 2010 (Sampurn Wire): Balaji and Milan Luthria’s Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai starring Ajay Devgn,Emraan Hashmi , Kangana Ranuat and Prachi Desai has much reason to celebrate as the film opened to outstanding collections.

Cinemax India president – sales, marketing and operations Devang Sampat said, “The opening of Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai was excellent, it opened at around 80 per cent and is still growing. In places like Gujarat and Nasik, the occupancy was 100 per cent”

Inox Leisure associate vice president Rajender Singh Jyala said, “Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai opened very well, with some of the morning shows even running full”

Seen through the eyes of a police officer, ONCE UPON A TIME IN MUMBAAI traces the changing face of the Mumbai underworld. The film, set primarily in 1970 Mumbai, follows the rise of Sultan (Ajay Devgn), and his eventual fall, when his protégé Shoaib (Emraan Hashmi), challenges his supremacy, and usurps power to rule the murky underbelly of Mumbai.

The film was also well appreciated by critics with renowned film critic/trade analyst Taran Adarsh stating “Once Upon A Time in Mumbaai is an extremely well-made film that lingers in your memory. The realism coupled with stellar direction, power-packed writing, exceptional performances and ear-pleasing tunes are its trump cards. An outstanding cinematic experience.”

Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai -a super-entertaining rewind to the era of romance, smuggling, cabaret and the mafia also had the industry tweeting about the film. Award winning director Madhur Bhandarkar tweeted, “Saw Once Upon A Time In Mumbai. Is a great cinematic experience of 80s era Ajay Devgn and Emran Hashmi’s performances rock. After a long time full claptrap, total paisa vasool, more power to Ekta Kapoor and Milan Lutharia.”

Says an elated Ekta Kapoor "I’m very happy with the response the film has received.The collections have been outstanding and all our hard work on the movie has borne fruit"

Balaji and Milan Luthria’s ONCE UPON A TIME IN MUMBAAI released worldwide on the 29th July 2010

–Sampurn Wire

August 3, 2010 (Sampurn Wire): Model turned actress Pooja Batra found her way into a million hearts when she was crowned Miss India in 1993. With her beautiful looks and stunning persona, she was welcomed in Bollywood with open arms. Having superhit films like as ‘Virasat’, ‘Kahin Pyaar Na Ho Jaaye’, ‘Haseena Maan Jaayegi’ and ‘Taj Mahal’ to her credit, Pooja has worked with biggies like Sanjay Dutt, Anil Kapoor and Salman Khan.

Having married an orthopedic surgeon Dr. Sonu Ahluwalia, she is currently settled in Los Angeles. However, if you thought that this actress has been out of action, think again. She runs her own casting agency, Glow Bell Inc., in Los Angeles. We now hear that her company is helping LA casting, a full service casting company set shop in India.

Pooja will be spearheading the India operations and will thereby render a platform to industry professionals to get one step closer to Hollywood. "We are set to launch a software in India that will see us team up with modeling or acting agencies and provide the bios of talented young professionals on it. People who are looking to cast Indian models or actors in Hollywood or even Indian productions have a professional helping tool to select the talent from a pool" Pooja explains.

"India has a storehouse of talent and we just need to tap the best and show it to the world. I’m just giving them that platform", she adds.

Incidentally, her company had acquired Sylvester Stallone and Denise Richards for Sajid Nadiadwala’s ‘Kambaqt Ishq’ last year.

With such interesting work under her kitty, Pooja Batra gives the phrase ‘Beauty with brains’ an altogether new meaning!

–Sampurn Wire

August 4, 2010 (Sampurn Wire):Madhur Bhandarkar yesterday organised a celebration of the success of Milan Lutharia’s ‘Once Upon A Time In Mumbai’ on the sets of his forthcoming film ‘Dil Toh Bachcha Hai Ji’.

The film stars Ajay Devgn and Emran Hashmi who also starred in ‘One Upon…’ and received critical acclaim for their performance in the film.

The director ordered 2 huge cakes on the sets and celebrated with the cast and crew, including Producer Kumar Mangat.

–Sampurn Wire

August 4, 2010 (Sampurn Wire): With their aggressive acquisition spree T-Series reached its Numero Uno position with music of A list films like 3 Idiots, Jab We Met, Ghajini, Taare Zameen Par, Om Shanti Om, Kaminey, Delhi 6, Golmaal Returns to name a few followed by the acquisition of Reliance Big Music catalogue in December last year. With the biggest acquisition yet T-Series now takes control of Eros Music Catalogue.

T-Series has entered into a strategic alliance with Eros International to exclusively exploit the music and audio visual rights of all forthcoming Eros Films across all formats globally. The music and audio visual content of films under Eros banner shall be exclusively distributed globally by T-Series on all platforms in all formats including physical formats, radio and television, mobile, and digital formats across the globe. The first such release shall be Ranbir and Priyanka starrer Anjaana Anjaani followed by Ajay Devgn and Kajol starrer Toonpur, Rockstar with Ranbir Kapoor, Ra. One with Shahrukh Khan and Kareena Kapoor and many others under productions films.

Being the largest record-label in the country, T-Series has one of the most extensive distribution networks across all entertainment verticals globally. Apart from steering sales on physical formats, T-Series will also champion the reach of Eros Music through its global network of licensees, publishers, and aggregators and all other formats of revenues that arise from radio, television, and public performances.

In addition to this prized acquisition, T-Series has already secured a very interesting line up of music titles like Dabangg, Aashayein, Tees Maar Khan, Action Replayy, Guzarish, Dum Maro Dum, Golmaal 3, Patiala House, Zindagi Milegi Na Doobara further strengthening its position in the music market.

On the mobile and digital distribution front, Hungama Digital Media (Hungama Mobile) being the exclusive digital distribution partner of T-Series will be providing the digital footprint for Eros Catalogue across Telcos, Internet, IPTV and mobile networks. Their Catalogue will be available for downloads on various digital distributions networks comprising of all telecom carriers in India and across 37 other countries. Though it does respect international partnerships with iTunes, Rhapsody, Amazon MP3 among others, T-Series-Hungama alliance will cater this content to South Asian consumer’s outside the country.

–Sampurn Wire

August 4, 2010 (Sampurn Wire): In the industry of entertainment someone’s loss is another’s gain. The same holds true for debutant actor Amrita Puri. She is an amchi Mumbai mulgi who will soon be seen in Anil Kapoor Productions’ Aisha. She plays the character of Harriet Smith from Jane Austen’s book Emma. Prior to Aisha, Amrita has been part of many ads as a model.

But what many aren’t aware is that this new girl’s first brush with stardom would have been in Dibakar Banerjee’s Love Sex Aur Dhoka. “I had auditioned for Aisha and bagged the role. Soon after that I auditioned for LSD because I knew that Dibakar was directing it and I really wanted to work with him. I gave the audition and forgot about it because I thought I had not done a great job. I tend to be very critical of myself. I finalized my dates for Aisha. Then to my surprise Dibakar liked my audition and I got selected for LSD too (the role which eventually was played by Shruti). Like the saying goes when it rains it pours. Unfortunately, the dates for both the films were clashing and I had to leave LSD”, says Amrita Puri.

“I tried sorting out the dates but it was just not possible. I hope to work with Dibakar in the future. I have heard great things about him from Abhay Deol, who is my co-star in Aisha”, adds Amrita excitedly.

Will Love Sex Aur Dhoka’s loss become Aisha’s gain? Only time will tell. We will have to wait till the release of the film Aisha.

–Sampurn Wire

August 5, 2010 (Sampurn Wire): Singer Hard Kaur is better and fondly known as the first “Lady Rapp Singer”. She has not only gained popularity for her excellence in singing, but also fallen over herself to prove her accomplishment in acting. Her fans will feel lucky to see her playing roles in movies.

Hard is playing an eminent role in the movie Patiala House which stars Akshay Kumar, Rishi Kapoor and Dimple Kapadia.

Hard Kaur gained recognition and earned fame with the song “Move your body baby” in Jhonny Gaddar. She has also lent her melodious voice to the hit numbers in movies like Chance Pe Dance, Singh Is King, Bachna e Haseeno, Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi and many others.

Hard Kaur’s distinct voice and unique style of singing enthralls listeners of all age groups. Be it the youngsters or children or housewives, all seem to be swaying their heads under the fascination of her songs.

–Susheel Sharma/Sampurn Wire

August 5, 2010 (Sampurn Wire): His debut film ‘Lahore’ might not have been a hit with the audiences in India but Aanaahad was stunned by the impact he has made abroad after his first release. So much so that recently while chatting with a well known director, Aanaahad was taken aback when the “Director said its time now for you to shift to Mumbai from Pakistan!” Aanaahad was completely shocked, as he very much belongs to India and for that matter in Mumbai…

Post Lahore, Aanaahad won Best Actor Award at Salento International Film Festival 2009 in Italy, Tenerife International Film Festival 2009 in UK.Aanaahad’s up next is an untitled film to be directed Sanjay Puran Singh Chauahan.

–Sampurn Wire

August 5, 2010 (Sampurn Wire):Bollywood’s leading public relations specialist Dale Bhagwagar, who has been instrumental in imaging and branding around a hundred celebrities including Hrithik Roshan, Govinda, Shilpa Shetty, Priyanka Chopra and films like Don and Rock On, will be conducting a workshop specifically designed for people interested to make a successful career and name in the entertainment industry and media professions such as marketing, PR, journalism and advertising.

Starting August 16, 2010, the ‘PR Orientation Programme’ (PROP) is a special 20-day certificate workshop, providing hands-on media training and personalized coaching by the award-winning PR specialist. It encompasses 60 dedicated hours of education, training, coaching, self-help, motivation and leadership through media and communication.

PROP will accept a select group of students on a first-come first-served basis, to teach scratch-to-finish branding techniques and PR skills at its office in Oshiwara, Mumbai. While revealing business strategies and industry secrets, the workshop will prepare them to face challenges in the rapidly expanding media field.

Termed the “King of Spin” by the media, since 1997, Dale Bhagwagar has been leading the entertainment PR brigade in India and training generation next. He has addressed over 7,000 students of BMM, BMS and MBA faculties across 15 colleges in Maharashtra.

“PROP is best for three kinds of people,” says Bhagwagar. “Firstly, the college student, who can gain a lot of practical experience along with theory. This experience can contribute towards scoring much better in the college exams. Secondly, the fresher, who has passed out of college and is aiming for a good career in media. Last but not the least, PROP is for professionals who are facing challenges in branding themselves, their businesses and organizations through the media. Moreover, the workshop gives a fantastic opportunity to learn a lot about life. With focused knowledge and training, it enhances overall personality,” explains the public relations expert.

At the successful completion of PROP, students will be awarded a certificate. Depending on their learning curve, they will also receive graded recommendation letters, signed by the PR expert himself. Plus, the best students will stand a chance to be absorbed in the publicist’s own PR agency, Dale Bhagwagar Media Group.

For details and quick enrollment, visit www.propworkshop.com and contact PROP coordinator Ms Mohini Basu on 9930731505 or mail propworkshop@gmail.com.

Highlights of PROP workshop:

Learning leadership through media and communication, under the direct guidance of PR expert Dale Bhagwagar. Personalized training and coaching by the media specialist, having 24 years of experience in media, 11 years as a journalist and 13 years as a publicist.

Interacting with photographers, journalists, publicists, social media experts and entertainment industry insiders, who give a complete lowdown on what goes into branding, imaging and marketing techniques.

Theory, effectively combined with practical knowledge, hands-on experience in building relations, personality enhancement and techniques of self-empowerment.

Interacting with a film celebrity to know behind-the-scenes details.

Interacting with a ‘Miss India’ or a beauty pageant title holder, and learning about her experiences in the entertainment industry.

Interacting with a Page 3 personality and discussing the glitz, glamour and stark realities of Page 3 events.

Visit to a photo studio of a leading entertainment photographer for practical experience.

Interacting with a filmmaker and getting to know about the strategies, planning and toil which goes behind creating and propping an entertainment brand.

Exposure to inspiring speakers, exclusive videos, documentaries and feature films, revealing a lot of media trade secrets and strategies.

Interactive discussions, debates and Q and A sessions.

Complete PR orientation for a foray in the media and entertainment industry.

-Sampurn Wire

August 6, 2010 (Sampurn Wire): Anjaana Anjaani, the zingy romantic comedy from the house of Nadiadwala Grandson Entertainment brings together two of the most popular Gen-X heartthrobs in the country Ranbir Kapoor and Priyanka Chopra for the very first time.

Directed by Siddharth Anand, the theatrical promo of the film releases on August 6, 2010.

Based on the concept of living each day as if it’s your last Anjaana Anjaani follows the life of Akash (Ranbir Kapoor) and Kiara (Priyanka Chopra), two strangers who meet at the very end of their journeys, only to discover that they have some more living left.

Confident that audiences will fall in love with the lead pair of the film, says producer Sajid Nadiadwala. “Apart from Priyanka and Ranbir being a fresh combination, it’s the first pure, young, cool love story from my banner, Nadiadwala Grandsons”.

In true Sajid Nadiadwala style the romantic comedy with a twist is shot entirely in the US, primarily New York, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, and San Francisco with peppy tracks and larger than life visuals.

Adds director Siddharth Anand, “The thought behind Anjaana Anjaani is that all great love stories start out as people meeting as strangers before they fall in love with each other. The film is a twisted one with a twang and all that jazz”.

This season join in the madness as Nadiadwala’s Anjaana Anjaani releases September 2010.

–Sampurn Wire

August 5, 2010 (Sampurn Wire): Actress Divya Dutta has not only worked in many Hindi movies like Chote Sarkar, Train to Pakistan, Suraksha, Bade Miyaan Chote Miyaan, Shakti- the Power, Agnisakshi, Raja ki aayegi baarat, Welcome to Sajjanpur , Veer Zaara, Veergati, Umrao jaan, Baghbaan, Summer -2007, Delhi6, U me aur hum ,Love khichdi , Hello, Morning walk etc. but also Punjabi cinema like Waaris Shah-Ishq da waaris, Shaheed-e-Muhobbat, Mitraan di chhatri.

Along with the big screen Divya has also worked for the popular daily soap of the small screen “Shanno Ki Shadi” and has also been a part of many reality shows. Not only is Divya a versatile actor but also a dubbing artist who has lent her voice for many actresses. She did the dubbing for Lisa Ray for the movie Kasoor in 2001.

Soon a new movie of Divya Life express-The Story of a Surrogate Mother is on its way to be released. Here are some excerpts of the talks with Divya about this movie:

What is the movie all about?

The movie Life Express is about an urbanized educated couple Nikhil and Tanvi, who are living their lives successfully in this fast moving world. Both of them are so busy with their professional lives that they don’t even have time for each other. They crave for a baby but none has time for it, but still Tanvi gets pregnant. Coincidentally, at the same time she gets a golden chance for promotion in her field of work. So she gets the child aborted without the knowledge of her husband.

In such a stressful situation and due to lack of time the couple decides to take on a woman to be their surrogate.

What is your role in the movie?

I’m playing the part of Gauri, who is living a life of extreme poverty with her husband far away from the hustle and bustle of the city. I act as that mother, who bears someone else’s child in her womb.

This is the first movie of director Anoop Das. How has been the experience of working with him?

On watching the movie, one won’t feel like this is his first movie. Director Anoop Das has very skillfully presented this reality of life in his movie and the movie would indeed touch the hearts of people.

As a woman, what are your views about being a surrogate mother? Can a true and genuine relation exist between a mother and child this way?

I feel if the mother is not capable of bearing a child, then there is no harm in adopting a surrogate mother. And as far as the feeling of love between the mother and child is concerned, then only giving birth to a child doesn’t make a woman a mother. Bringing up the child with love and care is equally important.

Do you think the audience would like the movie?

I feel the viewers would appreciate the movie as it is very much relevant in today’s times. It has emotional apleal and at the same time everyone has worked quite well.

–Sampurn Wire