There will be a jump in Bollywood units visiting Canada, thanks to exotic locales like Niagara Falls, the Indian diaspora and first class facilities, says Toronto film commissioner Peter Finestone, pointing out that Hindi movie productions pumped in over $850 million into the economy last year.
"Of course, Bollywood films have been shot here since the late 1980s. We did some big films - at the rate of one or two a year - from the mid-90s to 2001. Among the major films shot here were 'Khiladiyon Ka Khiladi' in 1995, and 'Mr and Mrs Khiladi' and 'Shabash Daddy' in 1997," Finestone sid.
"Then there was a decline, but Bollywood came back. In 2010, we did two films, one of which was a crossover."
Anees Bazmee's upcoming "Thank You" has also been shot in Canada.
Explaining why Toronto was attracting film productions from Bollywood and other places, he said: "We deliver first-class facilities and support and cast staff. We have every kind of studio and equipment that film production needs. Bollywood shooting here is fun as production companies can tap into the talent of a huge Indian diaspora.
"Then Bollywood loves the kind of shooting spots we offer - the Niagara Falls, fabulous lakes, wildness, vistas and everything."
He added, "Since Bollywood is trying to make more and more crossover (cross-cultural)films like 'Bend It Like Beckham', increasingly non-Indians are flocking to them. I think these kind of films (cross-over) will also help Bollywood stay connected with second- and third-generation Indian diaspora."
Finestone feels Bollywood offers a unique genre of films.
"These films are different. They are predictable - you know what you will get when you go to see a Bollywood film. That's why they are liked by non-Indians."
Indian films, which already enjoy a huge popularity here, will become even more popular as Bollywood also brings its International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) awards show here and India holds a year-long cultural festival in the city.
"As India has come of age, Indian culture (like other things) has taken new dimensions. Indian culture is a big export, and it will pick up (here) this year," Finestone said.
With India announcing a cultural centre and plans to hold its next mini-Pravasi Bharatiya Divas here in June after the signing of a cultural MoU with Canada last year, cultural collaboration between the two countries is set to get a big boost.
Since Toronto is the world's major film production centre, Finestone said: "The Canada-India cultural MoU may lead to a film co-production agreement, which will bring more Bollywood work here. We have 50 such agreements with foreign countries.
"Talks for this agreement have been going on for some time. Once it is signed, Bollywood productions will be treated as domestic productions. Which means Indian production companies can access funding from Telefilm Canada (government agencies that fund Canadian film companies) and get tax concessions."

 

By Krutika Behrawala
Call it coincidence, if you wish. When actor Gul Panag signed up for “Turning 30”, she was “just turning 30”. “And, the film was probably the most logical thing for me to do at that point of time,” she says.
So, how comfortable is she with her age? “I'm happy at 30; 30 is the new 20,” she quips. “Now, you have a lot more opportunities at 30 than when you were 20,” she insists.
Gul continues: “At 30, you know yourself a lot better, you are grounded, you know what you want to do in life. That makes you a far more interesting person to be with. Nobody wants to be with a person who is not sure of what she is or what she wants to do. Turning 30 means coming to terms about who you really are, what you stand for and what your real beliefs are.”
Talking about “Turning 30”, Gul says director Alankrita Srivastava's vision was very similar to the kind of cinema she associates with. “It's a different matter that this film has turned out to be much bigger and much larger than what I had imagined it to be. But, we are on the same page when it comes to the kind of cinema that we identify with.”
Gul identifies urban Indian women as the primary audience of this film. “It is a film made for women, by women. In urban India, at 30, you are at a crisis point, because you have either made it in your career or you haven't. And, you can relate to my character, Naina. Any working girl who has been victim of office politics, who has been dumped by her boyfriend, whose friends are on her case to settle down, whose parents, especially her mother, is pressuring her to marry, will identify with Naina.”
On a personal note, Gul says: “Naina is far more gutsy, bold and liberated than I am. She is not bound by a fake sense of morality.”
Ask Gul which among the three traits — ‘sexy, naughty, flirty' — in the film's tagline describe her best, and she laughs: “All three!”
The actor says she shares a great working relationship with Purab Kohli. “We have a similar outlook towards acting and the way we look at scenes. I really enjoyed working with him.”
Gul's other projects include the Pritish Nandy production, “A Rectangular Love Story”, and a film with Ram Gopal Verma.

 

There are, they say, two kinds of actors. The ones who act from the mind; and the ones who act from the heart. The ones who think through every facet of their characters histories and motivations; and the ones who instinctively become those characters. It’s not a question of talent: both kinds are equally talented. And it’s not a question of popularity, for both kinds are equally worshipped by their own particular fan bases.
Buzz up! Among the new generation of Indian actors, there are perhaps no two actors more representative of these two kinds than Abhay Deol and Emraan Hashmi. Their careers are still young, but they have both demonstrated the kind of ability to capture the attention of the camera that makes them such compelling performers.

Now, for the first time they are coming together on the big screen, and that too for a director whose name is synonymous with thoughtful and cutting-edge, yet popular and entertaining cinema: Dibakar Banerjee.
Said Kamal Gianchandani, President PVR Pictures, “It gives me enormous pleasure not just to produce Dibakar’s latest film Shanghai, but to see the two lead characters being brought to life by such actors of such contrasting, but equally versatile talent. Casting Emraan and Abhay in the film was first and foremost a creative decision, but as a producer I am thrilled that it also will help in bringing to this gripping film, audiences from across the spectrum.”
Shanghai is an official Hindi adaptation of the political thriller that the Greek novelist Vassilis Vassilikos wrote about the real-life assassination of a dynamic politician. It has been adapted by Dibakar and his team to the Indian context and pulls absolutely no punches in its depiction of contemporary Indian realities.
Said Dibakar Banerjee, "I'm looking forward to breaking some presumptions with this film! I love the way some people stereotype the dark, kissy, negative Bond side of Emraan in his films. Well this film is going to see him go right into the heat and dust of a hellish Indian small town and its deadly politics. No leather jackets, suave bars and foreign locales. He's here, in love, on a broken down scooter, shooting sleazy videos and on the run for his life!
And Abhay has never been seen like this before - in a negative, cold, almost vicious character. Imagine Abhay being the establishment instead of fighting it. He looks at you through his glasses, wearing his stiff shirt and you wonder what's on his mind. Then you may be under arrest and you don't even know he did it! He is powerful, he represents the ruling class - and he doesn't forget an insult - ever!"

 

The multi-million-pound “utopia” is inspired and modelled on Poundbury, the Prince’s “model” village in Dorset.
It is hoped the 25-acre area of Indian wasteland on the outskirts of either Calcutta or Bangalore will be turned into “mini oasis in the desert”.
It is also envisaged to provide "low cost housing" for poor workers such as those featured in the shanty towns in the Hollywood film Slumdog Millionaire.
Officials say it will be “high-density but pleasant” development, the first of a series of eco-friendly projects on the subcontinent that are supported by the Prince’s Foundation for the Built-Environment.
The project, which will house more than 15,000 Indians, will include schools, shops and 3,000 homes in an area roughly the size of 14 football pitches.
(Courtesy: The Telegraph)