Hindi
Little Zizou’s international duties goes to American World Pictures
MUMBAI: The recent Slumdog phenomenon has forced Bollywood to believe that to expand a film’s audience base beyond the Indian diaspora internationally, filmmakers have to strategically join hands with international marketers who exhibit a better understanding of the overseas cinematic landscape. Slumdog was marketed and distributed by Fox Searchlight.
And now taking a hint from this, The Indian Film Company (TIFC) has roped in LA-based world sales company, American World Pictures (AWP), to handle the international sales of its first international feature presentation Little Zizou.
Little Zizou, Sooni Taraporevala’s first directorial venture, is a Mumbai-based film that is presented by TIFC and Mira Nair (of Monsoon Wedding and Vanity Fair fame).
“We look forward to our association with AWP who will be enabling Little Zizou to reach out to audiences in countries across the world,” said IFC CEO Sandeep Bhargava.
In a bid to attain global recognition that would help international marketers to push the film across the global region, Zizou was showcased at the Mahindra Indo-American Arts Council Film Festival in New York and at the Asia-Pacific Festival of First Films, held in Singapore.
While the film bagged two awards – best director and best screenplay – at the Mahindra Indo-American Arts Council Film Festival, it clinched the best producer award at the Asia-Pacific Festival of First Films held in Singapore.
Said AWP Sr VP – international Sales Jeffrey Goldmann, “We fell in love with Little Zizou on watching it. It is a simple, sweet and well-intentioned comedy with a message of tolerance at its heart. We introduced the film to buyers at EFM (Berlin) and will continue to do so at the upcoming markets to lock distribution.”
Initially, Studio 18 will undertake a selective Indian theatrical release of Little Zizou on 13 March and depending on the film’s audience response, the company will expand the number of releases further.
The film stars Boman Irani, Sohrab Ardeshir, Zenobia Shroff, Shernaz Patel, Mahabanoo Mody- Kotwal, Imaad Shah, Kunal Vijaykar, Kamaal Sidhu in pivotal roles and introduces Jahan and Iyanah Batlivala. It also features John Abraham in a guest appearance.
Hindi
Rashmika Mandanna, Shanaya Kapoor and Naila Grrewal climb IMDb’s Indian celebrity rankings
Upcoming films and returning shows are driving fan interest across Bollywood and streaming
MUMBAI: Bollywood’s popularity contest has a new weekly scorecard, and the numbers are telling. IMDb’s Popular Indian Celebrities list for this week places Shanaya Kapoor at number six, buoyed by buzz around her film Tu Yaa Main. Naila Grrewal slots in at seven on the back of the returning comedy series Maamla Legal Hai, while Rashmika Mandanna climbs to eighth, riding mounting anticipation for Cocktail 2.
The list, available exclusively on the IMDb app for Android and iOS, tracks trending Indian entertainers and filmmakers each week, drawing on data from more than 200m monthly visits to the platform worldwide.
Further down the rankings, Raaka is keeping two of its biggest names in the spotlight. Deepika Padukone holds 11th position, with Allu Arjun close behind at 13th, as the film continues to find traction with audiences.
The list offers fans a weekly pulse on who is breaking through, who is holding steady, and who is fading. It is a barometer as unsparing as the box office itself.
