TWINKLE KHANNA Launches MRS. FUNNYBONES

It is time to bid farewell to our readers after having enjoyed 6 years online. Following a few changes in 2015, the Hindi Cinema Blog archives will remain available but no new contributions will be added. Although we have cherished the readership some of our posts generated and are deeply thankful to our readers and supporters, contributors have found inspiring ventures to move on to.

For our last post we decided to ring up our Mumbai correspondent when we heard Twinkle Khanna was about to release her first book: Mrs. Funnybones. It is with this last post that we thank all of you profusely for reading the Hindi Cinema Blog and wish you a great movie journey:

Hello readers,

Many of you in India might be familiar with Twinkle Khanna as a popular columnist in featured in the Times of India and DNA. Others abroad will remember her from movies like Baarsat, Baadshah or acting alongside her husband, Akshay Kumar, in Thank You and Holiday.

Today Crossword Bookstore held the book launch of her first opus, Mrs. Funnybones (She's just like you and a lot like me).

Twinkle arrived accompanied by renowned journalist Pritish Nandy, who was in charge of her interview. The session was followed by a Q&A and book signing by the author.

A mother, a woman and a fun-filled writer, Twinkle Khanna came across during her launch as light-hearted and no-nonsense as she does in her columns. She proved once again that she is a voice of opinion to be listened to and she drew much praise from her interviewer and the audience.

"Laughter and love" she signed on each fan's book copy and such we wish her too, in hopes that she will continue to make Indians reflect and laugh.

Follow Twinkle Khanna on Twitter
Buy Mrs. Funnybones on Amazon

SALMAN KHAN Sentenced to Jail

It has been a long while but we're back to talk about the burning topic of the court's verdict on Salman Khan's hit-and-run case, in which Salman Khan, under the influence of alcohol, drove his car into a bakery injuring four people and killing one man.

The incident happened 13 years ago in 2002. Salman fans and other Bollywood aficionados have been reading about it since then, including several twists and turns, in particular what had been suspected to be false testimony by one of the famous actor's employees.

The Mumbai Court has sentenced Salman Khan to 5 years of imprisonment in Arthur Road jail. As we write, there are reports of a request for bail.

The case has been controversial not only because Khan has claimed that his driver, and not him, was behind the wheel at the moment of the accident. There have also been several irregularities, such as the fact that no fingerprints were taken after the accident to confirm who was driving the car at the moment or the fact that not all key witnesses were examined.

It has come as a surprise to most that Bollywood celebrities have been tweeting in full support of an actor who has been convicted by the court. Singer Abhijeet has been among the most cited, his quotes not being the most intelligent, socially conscious or classy. Others have been more serene and moderated in expressing their concern for the superstar, such as Hema Malini, Alia Bhatt or Varun Dhawan.

RAMAYANA: SHATTERED DREAMS– Book Review

This review is part of the BlogAdda Book Review Program

Ramayana: The Game of Life – Book 2 – Shattered Dreams constitutes the book sequel to the bestseller Rise of the Sun Prince, from the Ramayana: The Game of Life book series authored by Shubha Vilas. This second volume remains however and interesting read as a standalone story and will therefore be reviewed without taking much into account the first volume in the series, for which it should only be mentioned that it ends with the wedding of Rama and Sita.

Book 2 – Shattered Dreams focuses on the time leading from Rama’s coronation as a ruler of Ayodhya to his exile, offering rich character portraits of all parties involved in the story: namely Dasaratha, Sita, Kaykeyi and Manthara who are all essential to this episode in the life of Rama.

RIVER TO RIVER in MUMBAI

The River to River Indian Film Festival has been delighting Italian moviegoers for 14 years. It was yesterday at the Blue Frog Mumbai that its India Chapter came to life through the screening of a brief anthology of the festival's winners in the category of documentary film. The event kicked off with a trio of short films who won the Advantage India award, granted by the jury of partnering film distributor Pocket Films.

 

Film maker, Samvida Nanda, was present to receive the 1st Advantage India Prize for her short film The Frame and actor Krishna Wadia responded to a brief Q&A session on 3rd prize winner, Rani, by Manish Sharma, a film that was also awarded at the London Indian Film Festival.

L to R: Saameer Mody (Managing Director of Pocket Films), Selvaggia Velo (Director of R2R Film Festival) and Samvida Nanda (Winner of 1st Advantage India Prize for The Frame)

Chappalled, the 2nd prize Advantage India winner by film maker Yusuf Abidin, was  a highlight that we personally recommend. It is an excellently written and extremely refreshing short mockumentary that had most of the audience smiling or laughing throughout, thanks to its satirical view of politics, corruption and the media in India.

Shravan Katikaneni (Chronicles of a Temple Painter) and Selvaggia Velo (Director of R2R Film Festival)

The River to River component presented its three high-caliber awarded documentaries. 

Hechki (Hiccups) by Kartik Singh, keeps a tight plot pace that results in a warm ending. Chronicles of a Temple Painter by Shravan Katikaneni, deserves a special mention due to its content and craft. Through expert editing and the story of a simple family, Katikaneni succeeds in depicting the delicate subjects of communalism and social justice in India. Hank and Asha by James E. Duff was also a charmingly pleasant view. The long-distance relationship between the protagonists is impeccably shot, down to the dialogue and acting.

It was a successful first time event that we hope will find continuity in the cinema event niche in Mumbai.