Bipasha finds another dimension to her acting career

The actor speaks about the rigours of shooting a film in 3D and how it might be a game changer. PHOTO: PUBLICITY

Terming the filming process of her forthcoming film, Creature 3D as a “very tough experience” Bollywood actor Bipasha Basu is hoping that Indian audiences will appreciate the work of indigenous technicians and will eventually give rise to a fresh genre within Indian Cinema. The film also stars the Pakistani TV actor Imran Abbas .

The movie which is slated to release September 12, is a creature-based horror-thriller directed by Vikram Bhatt. Vikram Bhatt who is known to incorporate technological innovations in his films has used state of the art Computer Generated Images (CGI) to give the film a more realistic feel.

The film tells the story of Ahaana, a character portrayed by Bipasha Basu, who battles a creature, based on Hindu mythology, and depicts her transformation from a “vulnerable and lonely” girl into an independent and courageous woman.

Speaking to Khaleej Times, Bipasha elaborated upon the plot of the film and stating that the film has a very similar plot to other creature films. “Creature features usually have a basic plot: run, save yourself, and try to kill the beast!” commented the Bengali actor.

“It is India’s first creature-feature. For an actor is all about reacting to a situation and who is in front of you. But for the first time there was no one in front of us so we had to imagine everything,” commented the actor who has previously starred in horror films such as Raazand Raaz 3.

She further added that the, “Shooting part was extremely difficult for the actors and the technicians. I hope we being Indians support the film because of the efforts put in by Indian technicians. The creativity is indigenous and the team is Indian, no foreigners.”

Speaking on how different the process of filmmaking was from the usual she recalled that, “They were shooting with 3D cameras which were completely different from the normal process and post that there was 11 months of post-production where the creature was actually made.”

“Every scale, every speck of saliva of the creature was imagined and created by Indian technicians… no foreigners,” Bipasha explained.

The Bollywood actor had harnessed a desire to do such a film ever since she had seen the Jennifer Lopez-starrer Anaconda. “When I saw Anaconda onscreen and saw Jennifer Lopez battling the giant creature, I wanted to do something like that one day and I am lucky that I got to do it in Creature 3D,” recalled the actor.

She also spoke of how the visual effects and CGI of the film were on par with that of the western films.

“The story line is India-centric but just the creature is very much like the ones seen in the West,” she said.

RIP: Richard 'Jaws' Kiel passes away at 74

Tributes pour in for the actor who played the iconic Bond villain, Jaws.

News desk. American actor Richard Kiel, best known for his performances as the steel-toothed henchmen Jaws in the Bond film series passed away on Tuesday at the age of 74.

The statuesque 7 ft. 2 in. Tall actor portrayed the mercenary Jaws in the Bond Films The Spy Who Loved Me and Moonraker opposite Sir Roger Moore. Moore, 86, who portrayed the iconic character of the British spy James Bond took to Twitter to express his grief at the passing away of his former co-star and friend.

“I am totally distraught to learn of my dear friend Richard Kiel’s passing. We were on a radio program together just a week ago. Distraught. Can’t take it in,” tweeted the British actor.

Former NFL player and co-star of Kiel, Carl Weathers also tweeted his sorrow at the passing away of the actor, “RIP Richard Kiel. Had the pleasure to work with you twice. #BePeace.”

Kiel who died three days short of his 75th birthday was admitted in a hospital a week ago; for a broken leg, and was receiving treatment. According to the celebrity news website, TMZ,cause of death is yet to be revealed.

Other notable films and television shows that Kiel was a part of included Happy Gilmore in which he starred as the imposing boss Mr Larson and Twilight Zone episode ‘To Serve Man’, in which he played Kanamit alien.

According to The Independent, Kiel remained active on the autograph circuit for avid Bond fans, having taken a step back from acting after an accident left him with walking difficulties a few years ago.

Kiel mostly noted for his height suffered from a rare hormonal condition known as acromegaly, which is often associated with gigantism. He is survived by his wife, four children and nine grandchildren.

The man who sported one of the scariest looks in film history will surely be missed.

Motion Pictures Act 2014: From Lollywood to Pakistani cinema

KARACHI: 

A delegation of the film fraternity held a meeting with Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Wednesday and presented him with a new draft of the New Motion Pictures Act 2014. The new act will be brought to Parliament in a couple of days and once accepted by the majority, it will replace the 1979 Motion Pictures ordinance.

Notable actors, producers and exhibitors including Fakhre Alam, Humayun Saeed, Javed Sheikh, Nadeem Mandviwalla, Rashid Khawaja, Amyn Tahir, Bilal Asharf, Feeza Ali Mirza, Zeba Bakhtiar, Azaan Sami Khan and Mazhar Zaidi to name a few, were present at the occasion.

The industry representatives said it was the positive changes in policy introduced by the PPP that eventually resulted in the current boom being witnessed by the Pakistani film industry.

Fakhre Alam, chairman of the Sindh Censor Board, shared a draft of the New Motion Pictures Act 2014 with all the attendees of the meeting.

“We talked about giving more concessions to the Pakistani film industry and the development of more studios and cinemas to ensure that it becomes an investor-friendly environment,” said the former rapper-turned Censor Board chairman.

The New Motion Pictures Act covers all of the concerned issues of the film industry and highlights a detailed road map for the future to encompass the development and growth of cinemas, studios and other facilities which would be built in both public and private partnerships.

Renowned film and television actor Javed Sheikh acknowledged the importance of the New Motion Pictures Act 2014, stating, “This will be the first policy that is truly going to protect the interest of filmmakers.”

A detailed presentation was made by Azaan Sami Khan on behalf of the delegation which highlighted the growing concerns and requirements of the film industry.

Bilawal himself shared his love and affinity for films, arts and culture and expressed tremendous belief in Pakistani talent. He took notice of the potential job creation that could be brought about by film production; which currently averages at 400 skilled workers per film and took note of the capital flight of business overseas due to lack of facilities.

Veteran television actor-turned-producer, Zeba Bakhtiar rued the lack of facilities, “I’ve been saying this for the past two years that we need to train people in Pakistan but that can only happen when we have the required facilities at our disposal,” she said.

Bilawal took prompt notice of the situation and instructed Fakhre Alam to ensure that all follow-ups are done in a timely and orderly manner.

The PPP patron-in-chief gave his unrelenting support to the idea and assured members of the film fraternity that the New Motion Pictures Act 2014 would be presented with full consensus and would ensure the necessary protection and promotion of the film industry as well. The industry representatives appreciated and thanked the Bilawal for his decision to support the release of Bollywood films in Pakistan, which inadvertently heralded a revival of the local film industry.

Sofia Vergara becomes TV’s highest paid actress of 2014

NEW YORK: 

Colombian actress Sofia Vergara has become the highest paid actress on television for the third year in a row.

According to Forbes magazine, the Modern Family star has held onto her position for the third year running by earning $7 million more than what she had earned for the previous year.

Like last year, Vergara, who earns $325,000 per episode for her performances in Modern Family, outpaced Mariska Hargitay, the Emmy-winning star of NBC’s Law and Order:Special Victims Unit, who came in second with $13 million.

US magazine Forbes has credited the Modern Family stars, continued streak to her “business savvy” nature.

As in addition to her work on TV, Vergara has continued to venture onto the silver screen starring in high profile films such as The Three Stooges, Chef and the soon to be released action comedy Don’t Mess with Texas co-starring Academy Award winner Reese Witherspoon.

Apart from that the Colombian star is also the face of several brands such as Diet Pepsi, Cover Girl, AT&T and Head & Shoulders to name a few. These lucrative endorsements have contributed to the bulk of her earnings.

Vergara who recently co-founded the Latin World Entertainment, a talent management and entertainment marketing firm which has quickly grown into a multi-million dollar empire. The company recently teamed up with media website CNET to launch a Spanish language tech news website.

Kaley Cuoco-Sweeting, 28, of CBS’s The Big Bang Theory, came in third, with $11 million. Kaley’s success is mainly due to her performance on TV’s most profitable show The Big Bang Theory. The fact Kaley Cuoco-Sweeting recently renegotiated the terms and conditions of her contract to a much more lucrative deal where she’d be earning $1 million per episode. There is a strong chance that she might be reappearing on the list next year.

The Forbes’s list is determined by estimating the pre-tax earnings of celebrities between June 2013 and June 2014 from the TV work, endorsements, residuals and advertising work, and by talking to agents, managers and lawyers. The estimate does not include management fees and other expenses.

Actress Mindy Kaling, 35, the writer, producer and star of The Mindy Project, on the Fox network, clinched the No 7 spot with $6.5 million. Lena Dunham, the 28-year-old creator and star of the HBO series Girls, made it into the top 10 with earnings of $3.5 million.

Other notable actresses to appear on the list include Julianna Margulies of The Good Wife, Ellen Pompeo of Grey’s Anatomy and Cobie Smulders and Alyson Hannigan of the recently concluded CBS sitcom How I Met Your Mother.

An interesting fact is that the top 10 actresses on the 2014 list have made a combined $140 million compared to the $214 million combined earnings of TV’s 10 leading actors.

Others In The List Include:

Mariska Harigtay holds the second position for Law and Order: Special Victims Unit with $13 Million.

Kaley Cuoco-Sweeting for her performance in The Big Bang Theory comes in third with $11 Million.

Julianna Margulies (The Good Wife), Ellen Pompeo (Grey’s Anatomy) and Cobie Smulders (How I Met Your Mother) all tie for fourth place earning $10 Million.

Alyson Hannigan comes in fifth earning $9.5 Million for her role in the sitcom How I Met Your Mother.

Jab we met or we never did?

Highway and Rockstar fame Imtiaz Ali’s girlfriend, Pakistani actor and model, Iman Ali has recently returned back home to Pakistan. According to the Times of India, rumour mills in Pakistan were abuzz with growing whispers of her camaraderie with the Pyarey Afzal actor, Hamza Ali Abbasi.

The Times of India further reported that Iman’s decision to return to Pakistan from India had further strengthened the rumours that Iman and Imtiaz were no longer a couple.

A source close to the model-cum-actor told the Mirror that, “She is going to spend more time in Pakistan now. She came down to Mumbai to make a career in Bollywood but couldn’t make much headway. Also, her relationship with Imtiaz is not all rosy now.”

Imtiaz has refused to comment on the status of his relationship with the model from Pakistan. Iman too gave little away about the current situation of her relationship with the renowned Indian director, “I have always lived in Pakistan. I am in Pakistan and shall continue to live here.” Iman Ali was also seen at the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Dharna in Karachi a few weeks ago alongside other notable actors and celebrities of the country such as Humayun Saeed, Hamza Ali Abbasi and Mani.

The Times of India revealed that a friend of the actor had noted her visits to Mumbai had decreased with the passage of time. She was last spotted in India at a party hosted by Ranbir Kapoor almost a month and a half ago, where Imtiaz’s ex-wife Preety was also present.

A friend of the Jab We Met and Rockstar director told the Times of India that, “While I cannot say if Iman is out of Imtiaz’s life, there has definitely been a drastic change in him over the last month. He wants to mingle with his old friends, whom he had stopped interacting with after meeting Iman. Also, he is more calm now, not so edgy.”

Imtiaz who had separated from his wife Preety a few years ago, had grown close to the Pakistani model and actor, who had appeared in hit films across the Indian border such as Boland Khuda Kay Liye.

Iman Ali who is the daughter of renowned television actor Abid will next be seen in the biopicMah-e-Meer opposite Fahad Mustafa. The film is based on the life of poet Mir Taqi Mir. The film co-stars Sanam Saeed, Manzar Sehbai and Alyy Khan.

Meanwhile Iman Ali’s younger sister, Rahma Ali is all bet set to make her debut on Coke Studio season 7 as a featured artist.

Sino-Pak projects: From Shanghai to Gwadar

LAHORE: 

China is planning to replicate the model of Shanghai Free Trade Zone (SFTZ) in Gwadar, said Pak-China Joint Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCJCCI) President Shah Faisal Afridi as he highlighted various investment projects on Tuesday.

The official said that China is also planning to invest $50 billion into a number of projects including coal, solar and wind energy till 2017 under the Early Harvest Programme.

He added that these would enable Gwadar to create a nexus among Pakistan, Iran, China and Central Asian States that would ultimately generate billions of dollars in revenues along with several job opportunities.

“The SFTZ is a perfect model to be implemented at Gwadar. It was first used as a testing ground for a number of economic and social reforms in China and it proved very helpful in scaling up the country’s economic growth,” said Afridi.

The zone, he said, incorporated numerous relaxations in different sectors, under the FTZ’s new capital registration system — foreign investors were no longer required to contribute 15% capital within three months and full capital within two years of the establishment of a foreign invested enterprise (FIE).

The ‘one-stop application processing platform’ was introduced at the zone, he said, which meant that applicants may obtain all the necessary documents for the company establishment under one roof.

The Chinese assistance in the development of this port is essential in positively impacting the country’s economy.

Helping hand: Indian businessmen call for visa relaxation

LAHORE: 

Indian businessmen have labelled Pakistan a lucrative market for their companies and expressed eagerness to transfer their state of the art technology in energy solutions.

They requested relaxation on the visa issuance process by Pakistan High Commission as delays were stalling prospective joint ventures.

Since the current government clearly articulated their interest in expanding bilateral trade relations with its neighbour, some Indian companies have shown interest to working with Pakistani counterparts to produce and install advanced turbines and boilers in sugar and allied industries.

“We are working with our Pakistani counterparts to provide local industries – especially sugar mills – with technology transfer in shape of power packs, but visa delays often hinder the timely completion of projects”, said Triveni Turbines India Deputy General Manager Sales and Marketing Sanjay Dewan.

Triveni Turbines is providing energy solutions with its Indian counterpart, Cheema Boilers Limited, and a Pakistani firm SK Alliance International. These three companies have installed three power packs and eight turbines in different sugar and paper mills in one year and plan to install another six soon.

These steam turbines are energy efficient and produce 150% more electricity than the turbines already installed in many industries. They generate electricity via bagasse and other biomass fuels like rice husk, barn, corn cobs and coal.

“Since we all are well aware of the relations between both countries, we are training local engineers in Pakistan to take care of technical issues after installations. We step in for the faults only if they are beyond the expertise of local engineers. This way, we are shifting technology and providing employment opportunities to Pakistani engineers,” Dewan added.

“Such power packs or turbines are 30-40% cheaper than European products and the quality of Indian turbines is far better. However, Chinese manufacturers are our biggest competitors,” said SK International Chief Executive Officer Khawaja Khurram Iftikhar.

“For instance, an Indian turbine of 8MW capacity costs $1.2 million whereas the same from Europe would cost $2 million. For a complete power pack, consisting of a turbine and high pressure boiler, the price is 30% less than the power packs manufactured in Pakistan,” said Iftikhar.

“A power pack normally takes 18 months to install. A few Pakistani companies are producing these power packs but their production capacity is one or two a year, whereas our joint venture can produce around 4 packs annually,” he added.

An exhibition organised by Pakistan Society of Sugar Technologies was held in Lahore, where local firms along with  foreign companies from India, Europe, US and China displayed their energy efficient and technology-related products.