Two UK premieres for Gurinder Chadha’s “It’s A Wonderful Afterlife”

Bend It Like Beckham-helmer Gurinder Chadha’s keenly awaited romantic comedy It’s A Wonderful Afterlife, presented by Indian Films in association with Studio 18, is ready for a release within a year of commencement of its principal photography.

Noted mainstream distributors, Icon, are releasing it in the UK on Wednesday April 21 while Studio 18 will release it in India and Pakistan on Friday May 7. A massive launch for the film is taking place in the form of not one but two red carpet premieres.

The London premiere being held at the prestigious Odeon West End, Leicester Square, on April 12, will be followed by a regional premiere on April 14 in Birmingham at Vue Star City. The theme for the London premiere is ‘Indian wedding’.

Chadha, along with Goldy Notay (Roopi Sethi), the US-based Sendhil Ramamurthy (Detective Murthy) and Shabana Azmi (Mrs. Sethi), among the film’s ensemble international cast, will be attending the glitzy events.

In true Chadha style, the film is a humorous account of a Punjabi mother’s desperate measures to get her fat daughter married to a tall, dark and handsome hunk!

Bend It Like Beckham-helmer Gurinder Chadha’s keenly anticipated comedy, It’s A Wonderful Afterlife, has been selected for a world premiere at the coveted Sundance Film Festival, which runs January 21-31, 2010, in Park City, Utah.

Produced by Indian Films and Bend It Films in association with Studio 18, IAWA stars the legendary Shabana Azmi, with a posse of well-known international talent; Goldy Notay, Sally Hawkins, Sendhil Ramamurthy, Sanjeev Bhaskar, Zoe Wanamaker and Jimi Mistri, among others.

Azmi plays the role of Mrs. Sethi, a hysterical North-Indian mother who is desperately searching for a son-in-law for her fat daughter.

Shot in London and billed as My Big Fat Greek Wedding meets Shaun Of The Dead, IAWA will be released in the UK by Icon on April 2, 2010 (Easter) and in India and Pakistan on April 16, 2010 by Studio 18.

The film has already attracted a host of top-of-the-line mainstream distributors like Icon (Australia), Prokino (Germany), Lusomundo (Portugal), Central Partnership (Russia & CIS), Sterkinekor (South Africa), TF1 (France), Front Row (Middle East) and Odeon (Greece & Cyprus), to name a few.

After a great success of ‘Kaifi aur Main’ shows with Shabana Azmi and Javed Akhtar, the young ghazal maestro will now be back with his solo ghazal concerts in the USA.
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The Indian Film Company has announced its line-up for the Cannes Film Market, which kicks off in Cannes on Wednesday, 13th May.

Indian Films-Studio18’s slate includes its blockbusters, Jab We Met, Welcome, Singh Is Kinng and Golmaal Returns. The movie majors are also offering buyers Kidnap, Dil Kabaddi, 1971, Awarapan and Honeymoon Travels Pvt. Ltd., among other titles, alongside tent poles like Ghajini, Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na and Sarkar Raj, in respect of which Indian Films owns select television and online rights. Future Bollywood films on the slate include the Anil Kapoor-produced Shortkut….The Con Is On, the Abbas-Mustan produced Life Partner and Ashtavinayak’s Luck.
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The team behind Bend it Like Beckham is delighted to announce the cast for Gurinder Chadha’s next feature, It’s A Wonderful Afterlife. The comedy about an Indian mother, who takes her obsession with marriage into a frighteningly funny territory, started filming in London on 28 March 2009. It is preparing for an early 2010 release.
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THE INDIAN FILM COMPANY & BEND IT FILMS IN STRATEGIC TIE-UP TO PRODUCE GURINDER CHADHA’s NEXT

The Indian Film Company (TIFC) and Bend It Films announced their strategic tie-up for the co-production of acclaimed director Gurinder Chadha’s next venture, ‘It’s A Wonderful Afterlife’. The co-producers will enjoy global revenues in perpetuity.
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Downloads stlls from Sorry Bhai starring Sanjay Suri, Sharman Joshi, Chitrangda Singh, Shabana Azmi, Boman Irani.

What: Media meet of Sorry Bhai
Where: Magic, Worli, Mumbai
When: November 14, 2008
Present on the Occasion: Sanjay Suri, Sharman Joshi, Shabana Azmi, Onir, Chitragandha Singh and others

A bash to celebrate the enormous success of Singh Is Kinng was held at a five-star hotel in Mumbai on Monday evening……the do was attended by the producer, director and cast of the film including worldwide distributors, Studio 18.

Also in attendance were guests like Dino Morea, Shabana Azmi, Javed Akhtar, Prakash Jha, Mukesh Bhatt, Kunal Kohli, Aadesh Shrivastava and others.

A champagne toast was raised by Vipul Shah and Akshay Kumar to another kinng, Abhinav Bindra, who brought India honour by clinching a Gold Medal for Rifle Shooting at the Beijing Olympics.

Credit for Pictures: Viral Bhayani

Hollywood actor Patrick Swayze who essayed the role of Max Lowe in City of Joy (1992, Best Picture of the year), in the best performance of his life, has sadly been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. He is only fifty-five years old and is currently undergoing chemotherapy and resting at his ranch in New Mexico.

City of Joy, an inspirational masterpiece, is about a surgeon from the US who loses one of his patients during an operation, flees his problems, or so he thinks, and travels to India. Disillusioned and determined to stay away from the medical field altogether, he runs into British nurse Pauline Collins (Joan Bethel) who runs a free clinic in the most dangerous neighborhood of Calcutta. With much determination, she finally ropes Max into helping her. When the local don brutally threatens the clinic and the livelihood of its neighbors, Max teaches them, in particular an illiterate Indian farmer Hazari Pal (Om Puri) the strength of their unity in overcoming their impoverished situation.

Shabana Azmi plays Hazari’s wife Kamla. Ayesha Dharkar plays their daughter Amrita. A beautiful cinematic piece of art, if you haven’t seen it, you should. If you have, watch it again.

Swayze is trying to complete three films, Powder Blue, Fired Up and The Beast at this time. We wish Patrick and his wife Lisa all the best during this trialsome period in their lives.