Mega Events At IIFA Weekend Toronto

Mumbai, April 1^st, 2011: The International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) will celebrate the12^th Videocon IIFA Weekend and the Micromax IIFA Awards in Toronto, Ontario, Canada this year. The three day Weekend will be held from June 23^rd-25^th, 2011.

The Videocon IIFA Weekend, Toronto will be a selection of mega events that spotlights global attention on Indian cinema. The Weekend includes the high-profile IIFA World Premiere,the FICCI-IIFA Global Business Forum, IIFA Rocks, the first look of a number of Indian films, the IIFA Film Workshop and the spectacularMicromax IIFA Awards.

Supporting the Weekend and Awards at the conference today were Friends of IIFA, Hrithik Roshan, Anil Kapoor, Boman Irani and Dia Mirza. Longtime IIFA supporter, Indian Cinema super star, Hrithik Roshan addressed the media saying, “As always it is a great honour for me to come to IIFA and join in the revelry with the rest of the fraternity. Having witnessed so many IIFA’s, I see IIFA Toronto as a landmark for the Wizcraft team and our fraternity, confirming the reach of Indian Cinema, and I could not be more thrilled to represent this great industry and meet the fans in Canada. Let the celebrations begin.”

Known for its cultural, entertainment and metropolitan scene, Toronto is an ideal choice for IIFA 2011.  As Canada's economic capital, Toronto is the most populous city in the country and is known for its large Indian diaspora. "Ontario will be putting its best foot forward during the IIFA Awards and Weekend. We can’t wait to welcome everyone to Toronto. We're very proud to be the first place in North America to host this truly global event and we look forward to providing visitors with an unforgettable experience,” – Dalton McGuinty, Premier of Ontario

After the success of the Micromax IIFA Awards in Colombo, Riteish Deshmukh and Boman Irani will once again play hosts at the Awards in Toronto. This will be Boman’s fifth time at the Awards, while good friend and fellow-actor Riteish will co-host for the fourth time. Talking of the 12^th Awards and his hosting stint, Boman Irani said, “I am honoured to host the Awards for the fifth time this year. It is always wonderful to be a part of this larger than life event and hosting is an assignment that I look forward to each year.”

The IIFA 2011 nominations were announced today with film favourites, Dabaang, Rajneeti, My Name is Khan, Band Baajaa Baraat and Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai being nominated in the Best Film category. The Leading Role Male category include Salman Khan (Dabangg), Hrithik Roshan (Guzaarish), Ranbir Kapoor (Rajneeti), Ajay Devgn (Once upon a time in Mumbaai) and Shah Rukh Khan (My name is Khan), while leading ladies, Aishwariya Rai Bachchan (Guzaarish), Katrina Kaif (Rajneeti), Anushka Sharma (Band Baajaa Baraat), Vidya Balan (Ishquiya) and Kareena Kapoor (Golmaal 3) are up for the Lead Female Role honour.

The nominations were released as a result of the industry voting for the Micromax IIFA Awards at the IIFA Voting Weekend 2011 held in March. Results of the industry voting were audited by PriceWaterhouse Coopers, the auditing firm for the IIFA’s and the Oscars. The online voting for the Awards will go live on the 15th of April, 2011 and will be open to audiences of Indian Cinema, across the world on www.iifa.com/toronto2011

“IIFA is pleased to celebrate its 12^th year in Toronto and feels it is Indian Cinema’s gateway to North America. This year’s celebrations will have over 800 delegates from India, including the creme de la creme of Indian cinema and the international media. A third of the expatriate population in Toronto comprises South Asians and we intend to bring a taste of home and cinematic magic to them.” said Wiz Sabbas Joseph, Director - Wizcraft International Entertainment.

Mr. Sunil Bandhu, COO, Videocon Mobile Services, Mumbai Circle spoke on Videocon’s association saying, “It is a great honour for us to present the IIFA Weekend for the third year in a row.  We are delighted with our association with IIFA as it is one of the grandest celebrations of Indian Cinema on a global platform and it presents us with the perfect opportunity to communicate the vivacity of brand Videocon. We look forward to presenting yet another enthralling Videocon IIFA Weekend this year in Canada and we are positive that the platform will bring together the film fraternity and fans in one big celebration of the Indian diaspora.”

As a platform that reaches out to millions of global television viewers, IIFA offers a phenomenal opportunity to deliver relevant messages to audiences. The event will be broadcast globally on STAR PLUS, India’s No. 1 entertainment channel, reaching viewers across Asia, the Middle East, Europe and North America.

Commenting on STAR Plus's seven year association with IIFA, Sanjay Gupta, COO, STAR Indiasaid, “IIFA is a magnificent celebration of Indian Cinema and over the years has become a landmark annual event for the Indian Film Industry to celebrate its success. Star Plus, the exclusive global broadcast partner of IIFA for the last seven years, enables its viewers to catch the most exciting Indian Film awards extravaganza of the year. Through Star Plus, the 2011 IIFA Awards will reach out to more than 345 million viewers spread over 65 countries across the globe. Our viewers can experience the prestigious IIFA journey through multiple programmes that cover various events and interactions in Toronto – Canada.”

Taking the Greening of the IIFAs forward in IIFA’s twelfth year, Panasonic announced the continuation of its association with IIFA.  Speaking on its alliance with IIFA, Mr. Manish Sharma, Director - Marketing, Panasonic India said, "It is an honor for us to carry forward for the third successive year the association with an international cinema platform like IIFA which recognizes excellence. Our association as the Greening the IIFA’s sponsor provides us the platform to communicate our philosophy of ‘Eco Ideas' that champions the cause of a greener environment. The endorsement of the film community which influences public perception towards a greener environment is a significant contribution towards the cause. Panasonic's relationship with IIFA will facilitate its vision to become the No. 1 Green Innovation Company in the Electronics Industry to gain a celebrity tone insuring the message reaches the entire nation.”

"Air India celebrates its association with Indian Cinema. Our film industry actors are our cultural ambassadors and we, the national carrier, do take genuine pride in flying them to Toronto for the International Indian Film Academy Weekend and Awards," says Mr. Arvind Jadhav, Chairman & Managing Director, Air India Ltd.

"Air India is proud to be associated as the official travel partner of IIFA, the Oscars of Bollywood," Mr Jadhav added. Air India was the first travel associate of IIFA in 2000. Air India is proud to be the only airline which links India to Toronto by a direct non-stop, state-of-the-art technology Boeing 777 aircraft, giving the passengers the best in terms of class, comfort and convenience.

Videocon will sponsor the IIFA Weekend, while Micromax will sponsor the IIFA Awards for the second time. Rotomac Pens is the Associate Sponsor of the IIFA Weekend 2011, while Air India will partner with IIFA as the Official Airlines Partner.

The Videocon IIFA Weekend is the largest South Asian celebration event and the Micromax IIFA Awards is among the most-watched global events, annually.

RF New Youth Studio Y-Films Announces 3 Movies And 7 New Stars

Yash Raj Film’s new youth films studio, Y-Films, launched with a bang in a young & fun event in line with the audience its catering to.

Themed like an 18 year old’s house party, the event unveiled its aggressive line up of 3 releases for 2011.

Keeping with its vision of being a platform for new talent, Y-Films also showcased the fresh crop of directors and stars of the 3 films.

Speaking on the new studio, Vice Chairman, Yash Raj Films, Aditya Chopra stated, “The youngest country in the world. Housing the largest movie going audience in the world. Youth! Its a segment that's not just too big - but too important - to ignore. Y-Films continues YRF's trend of breaking new genres. With a laser-sharp focus on youth, we hope to create a brand of cinema that will capture the hearts & imaginations of this elusive bunch and rock their world. Here's to a new revolution - that begins with 2 fingers!"

Y-Films is headed by Ashish Patil, formerly head of youth music channel, MTV in India. Patil adds,“Y-Films promise to deliver kick ass films of the youth, by the youth, for the youth. And be a platform for new talent – both on screen and behind the scenes – who will challenge, break and set new rules of story telling. Get ready to spread the Y-rus!”

The event played out the exclusive first looks of the 3 films and a ground-breaking new stop motion music video from the first release ‘Luv ka The End’. Directed by Bumpy, Luv ka The End features Shraddha Kapoor and introduces Taaha Shah. It has a foot-thumping soundtrack by Ram Sampath and is slated for release on 6^th May.

Film #2 which is a rom-com against the backdrop of social networking is interestingly titled ‘Mujhse Fraaandship Karoge’ – a cheesy take off on one of YRF’s own earlier releases and colloquial internet lingo used for making friend requests. Directed by Nupur Asthana, it introduces 4 new faces, Saqib Saleem, Saba Azad, Nishant Dahiya & Tara D’souza and marks the Bollywood debut of desi folk-rocker Raghu Dixit as composer.

Film #3, on the other hand, is a tech-based caper, which is the story of India’s youngest and most twisted hacker titled ‘Virus Diwan’. With a tagline that reads ‘Enter. Infect. Escape’, it’s the launch pad for Arjun Kapoor.

Dressed in brand colors, the young new cast & crew, aptly represented the vibrancy, passion and energy of today’s youth. Movies truly seem ready to get rocked!

(Left to Right) Nishant Dahiya, Tara D'Souza, Taaha Shah, Shraddha Kapoor, Arjun Kapoor, Saba Azad, Saqib Saleem.

Deepika Padukone in DUM MARO DUM Song Photos

We Are The World Champions Of 2011

Dhoni and Gambhir lead India to World Cup glory

India 277 for 4 (Gambhir 97, Dhoni 91*) beat Sri Lanka 274 for 6 (Jayawardene 103*, Sangakkara 48) by six wickets

Sachin & Gambhir With World Cup

Twenty-eight years on from the match that transformed the history of world cricket, India recaptured the crown that Kapil Dev and his men first lifted at Lord's in 1983, and this time they did so in their very own back yard. An iron-willed 97 from Gautam Gambhir was matched for intensity by the finest captain's innings since Ricky Ponting in Johannesburg eight years ago, as MS Dhoni trumped a poetic century from Mahela Jayawardene to pull off the highest run-chase ever achieved in a World Cup final.

Against a triumphant backdrop at the Wankhede Stadium, victory was sealed by six wickets with 10 balls to spare, as Dhoni - who had promoted himself to No. 5 to heap extra lashings of responsibility onto his own shoulders - rushed through the gears as the victory target drew nearer. With 15 required from 17 balls, he flicked Sri Lanka's only true threat, Lasith Malinga, through midwicket for consecutive boundaries, before smoking Nuwan Kulasekara over long-on to finish on 91 not out from 79 balls, and spark the most delirious scenes of celebration ever seen on the subcontinent.

However, the final margin did little justice to the tussle that had preceded it. Even the toss ended up being disputed, as Kumar Sangakkara's initial call was drowned out by the crowd, but it was the ebb and flow of Zaheer Khan's day that epitomised the fluctuations of a compelling contest. Zaheer opened his account with three consecutive maidens and the scalp of Upul Tharanga in a peerless spell of 5-3-6-1, only to be clobbered for 17 and 18 runs in his ninth and tenth overs, as Sri Lanka monstered 63 runs in the batting Powerplay to post an imposing 274 for 6.

And India's day got much worse before the team's fortunes began to inch upwards. Virender Sehwag had hit a boundary from the first ball of six of India's previous eight innings in the tournament, but this time Malinga's slingers dealt him a second-ball duck, as he skidded a full delivery into his back pad. And then Sachin Tendulkar, for whom the script had seemingly been written, was drawn into a loose drive by a fast Malinga outswinger, having set the stadium on standby for instant history with 18 sumptuously accumulated runs from his first 12 deliveries.

At 31 for 2 in the seventh over, India were struggling to keep their toehold in the contest, and it was all too much for a faithless few in the crowd who turned their backs and set off for home. But Gambhir and Virat Kohli epitomise a generation that does not easily accept defeat, and their third-wicket stand of 83 laid the foundations for an epic turnaround. The prospect of a seam-friendly surface, allied to the grievous loss of Angelo Mathews to a thigh strain, had tempted Sri Lanka into four key changes to the team that had triumphed over New Zealand in Colombo, and with Muttiah Muralitharan lacking bite in the final wicketless appearance of his 19-year career, Malinga alone could not carry the day.

The hard-hitting of Nuwan Kulasekara and Thisara Perera had been instrumental in hoisting Sri Lanka's total to such heights, but in their primary role as front-line seamers they lacked menace and were all too easy to squeeze as 119 runs came from their combined allocation of 17.2 overs. The newcomer to the squad, Suraj Randiv, caused a moment of alarm with his high-kicking offspin when Gambhir, on 30, was dropped by a diving Kulasekara at long-off, but as the innings progressed, his lack of guile proved costly. The decision to omit both Ajantha Mendis and Rangana Herath, whose combined efforts had been so effective against England and New Zealand, is one that will haunt Sri Lanka for years to come.

Disappointment and contentment.
 MS Dhoni and Kumar Sangakkara
 see the winning hit sail out of
 the ground

But this was a victory that still had to be grasped, and India found the men who were willing to do so. The 22-year-old Kohli, who was greeted with a stern word of encouragement as he replaced the outgoing Tendulkar, showed all the mettle for the big occasion as he eased along to 35 from 49 balls before falling to an outstanding return catch by Tillakaratne Dilshan, who dived full-length across the crease to intercept a leading edge. But it was Gambhir and Dhoni to whom the ultimate duty fell. Their 109-run stand was the highest by an Indian pairing in three World Cup final appearances, and even when Gambhir gave away the chance for an unforgettable century with a tired charge and slash at Perera, the result was no longer in doubt.

Gambhir struck nine fours in a 122-ball statement of indomitability, and both he and Dhoni required treatment for stiff backs as the sapping Mumbai heat took its toll. Dhoni at one stage looked so immobile that a precautionary retirement seemed the only logical response, but after some harsh work from the physio he resumed his stance and responded with another trademark filleting of the extra cover boundary, an area in which he scored six of his eight fours - three of which helped to blunt Murali's attacking instincts.

Both teams contained numerous veterans of World Cup final defeat, with no fewer than five Indians still remaining from the team that lost to Australia back in 2003, and as a consequence this was a match thick with performances that spoke of the wisdom of experience. Though each of the previous five centurions in finals had gone on to lift the trophy, as well as seven of the nine teams that had had the chance to bat first, Jayawardene had the misfortune to become an exception to both rules. His stunning 103 not out from 88 balls was proof that finesse has as much of a place at this level as brutality, but ultimately it was not enough to deny India their destiny.

Four years ago at Sabina Park, Jayawardene produced a supreme century against New Zealand to carry his side to their second World Cup final, but this was an innings of even more exquisite application. He came to the crease with his side under the cosh at 60 for 2 in the 17th over, having been throttled by Zaheer's supreme new-ball spell. But he responded with a tempo that scarcely wavered from a run a ball, until with Kulasekera for company, he opened his shoulders to power through to his hundred from 84 balls.

For an occasion of this magnitude, cool heads were the order of the day, and though his final figures did not show it, no-one was cooler in the opening exchanges than Zaheer. On his watch, Sri Lanka were limited to 31 for 1 in their mandatory Powerplay, their lowest ten-over score of the tournament, and the hapless Tharanga was restricted to two runs from 20 balls before snicking to Sehwag at slip, whose sharp low take epitomised a fielding effort that was rarely less than totally committed. Then, when he returned in the 37th over, Zaheer deceived Chamara Kapugedera with a beautiful slower ball that was driven to short cover, on route to equalling Shahid Afridi as the tournament's leading wicket-taker, with 21.

And yet, the speed with which his figures were vandalised was astounding. Though each of Jayawardene's 13 fours was a classy stroke in its own right, none was better than the last of them, an inside-out cover-drive to one of Zaheer's trademark outswinging yorkers, as he premeditated the late movement and filleted the ring of fielders on the off-side. The outright acceleration came from the other end, however, where Kulasekera made 32 from 30 balls before his sacrificial run-out led to a pat of gratitude from Jayawardene as they parted. And then, by the time Perera, who made 22 from nine balls, had sealed his onslaught with a dismissive thump for six over midwicket, the decibel levels in the Wankhede had plummeted.

But run by run, over by over, minute by minute, India picked themselves up, dusted themselves down, and turned the screw on Sri Lanka with a determination that a lesser group of men could not have begun to muster, amid the sure knowledge that several billion countrymen were investing all their hopes in their actions. And though he himself played just a walk-on part in the wider drama, it was Tendulkar who was chaired from the field as the celebrations began in earnest. "He's carried the burden of our nation for 21 years," said the youngster Kohli. "It was time to carry him on our shoulders today."

Ajay Devgn and Rohit Shetty Combo Hits Jackpot

The Ajay Devgn and Rohit Shetty combo is hot in the trade after Golmaal 3 as their films fetch big prices for various rights.

The remake of Tamil film Singham has fetched 18 crore for its satellite rights while the rights for Mumbai circuit have gone for around 13 crore. The film is a quickie as it went on the floors at the beginning of March and is schedule for release on 22nd July.

The makers Reliance pictures are likely to get huge recovery for the film if the other territories are sold and fetch prices like Mumbai circuit. Going by Mumbai ratio, the film has potential of fetching upwards of 35 crore from all India theatrical.

Bol Bachchan another Ajay Devgn starrer directed by Rohit Shetty has reportedly fetched 21 crore for its satellite rights and this film has not even gone on the floors yet.

Trisha - Femina Magazine Scans

Shriya Saran Latest Photoshoot

Deepika padukone on the cover of Firdous Summer Carnival 2011