Hindi
Pune fest to open with Russian film Silent Souls
MUMBAI: The Pune International Film Festival, to be held from 6 to 13 January, will open with the Russian film Silent Souls ( Ovsyanki).
While Chashme Buddoor will be screened as a tribute to the late Ravi Baswani, Bandit Queen will be presented as a tribute to Nirmal Pandey.
Dashavatharam will be screened in retrospective of Kamal Hassan.
The Government of Maharashtra has decided to present the Prabhat Best International Film award comprising $20,000 and Prabhat Best International Film Director $10,000.
The other awards to be given away at the festival are: Government of Maharashtra’s Sant Tukaram best international Marathi film (Rs 5 lakh); Akhil Bhartiya Chitrapat Maha Mandal’s award to the best Marathi film director (Rs.25,000); Akhil Bhartiya Chitrapat Maha Mandal’s award to the best Marathi film actor( Rs.25,000); and Akhil Bhartiya Chitrapat Maha Mandal’s best screenplay award of Rs.25,000.
Life Time Achievement Awards will also be presented for outstanding contribution to Indian cinema.
For the Whistling Woods International Student Competition, the awards are: Best Film ($ 2000), best director ($ 1000) and best screenplay (US $ 1000). There is a special award for student cinematographers: the ARRI Promising Indian Student Cinematographer Award, instituted by Whistling Woods International in association with ARRI.
The winning student cinematographer will be awarded free use of an ARRI highly advanced High Definition Motion Picture Camera for a period of 150 days. This award is open to students of Indian nationality or those studying in a Film Institute in India only.
The festival will honour Whistling Woods chairman and founder, Subhash Ghai with a ‘Special Achievement Award’ in recognition of his setting up a world-class film and multimedia institute in Mumbai along with his remarkable career as a writer, director and producer that made he being referred as the ‘The Showman’.
There is also an award for best animation film of $ 1000.
Japan is the country in focus in the ninth edition of the festival that was launchedin 2002.
Hindi
Zee5 and Applause Entertainment team up for whodunnit ‘Everybody Loves Sohrab Handa’
Rajat Kapoor directs star-studded murder mystery streaming from 10 April.
MUMBAI: Zee5 is serving up another killer collaboration and this time, the murder mystery comes with a generous side of dark humour and family dysfunction. The streaming platform has partnered with Applause Entertainment and Mithya Talkies to bring Everybody Loves Sohrab Handa, a fresh, twisted whodunnit written and directed by acclaimed filmmaker and actor Rajat Kapoor. The film will stream exclusively on Hindi Zee5 from 10 April.
The movie reimagines the classic murder mystery genre with a contemporary, darkly comic edge. It revolves around a group of friends and family who smile, drink, and celebrate together until the silence snaps and long-buried secrets spill out. The stellar ensemble cast includes Vinay Pathak, Ranvir Shorey, Waluscha De Sousa, Saurabh Shukla, Chandrachoor Rai, Neil Bhoopalam, Koel Purie, Palomi Ghosh, and Rajat Kapoor himself.
This latest offering continues the successful partnership between Zee5 and Applause Entertainment, which has previously delivered diverse hits such as Mithya, Bloody Brothers, and Jab Khuli Kitaab.
&TV Business Head of hindi Zee5 and chief channel officer Kaveri Das said, “Our collaboration with Applause Entertainment has consistently delivered distinct, high-impact storytelling. Everybody Loves Sohrab Handa is a natural progression, reinforcing our focus on genre-led content with a compelling whodunnit premise and a strong ensemble cast.”
Applause Entertainment business head for movies Sunil Chainani added, “This film adds yet another compelling layer to our slate with Rajat Kapoor’s unmistakable voice.”
Rajat Kapoor shared, “What interested me was not just the mechanics of a whodunnit, but the emotional violence that precedes physical violence. These are people who smile at each other, but there’s so much that is not said.”
The film promises razor-sharp writing, layered performances, and simmering tension, inviting viewers not just to solve the crime but to unravel the complex relationships at its heart.
If you love a good murder mystery served with wit and emotional depth, Everybody Loves Sohrab Handa looks set to be your next addictive watch. Mark your calendars, the whodunnit drops on Hindi Zee5 from 10 April.
