MUMBAI: At a time when most film producers are announcing multiple projects, Arindam Chaudhuri owned Planman Motion Pictures too is stepping up on its film production business.
The company has five films under its belt ready for release and a few more, which are in various stages on planning and pre-production.
Rituparno Ghosh’s The Last Lear is ready whereas Sunglass is in its post production stages.
The Last Lear stars Amitabh Bachchan, Preity Zinta, Arjun Rampal, Jishu Sengupta and Prosenjit Chatterjee. The film will have its world premiere in the gala section at the Toronto Film Festival. “In The Last Lear, Amitabh Bachchan’s role is that of an actor. It is also his first English language film,” says Planman Motion Pictures CEO Shubho Shekar Bhattacharji.
The film is an adaptation of Utpal Dutt’s Bengali play Aaj Ker Shahjaan. It will release theatrically by early next year and has been made on a budget of Rs 110 million (Rs 11 crores).
Sunglass stars Naseeruddin Shah, Jaya Bachchan, Konkona Sen Sharma, R Madhavan and Raima Sen. “The film has been simultaneously shot in Bengali and Hindi. While Madhavan is the hero of the Hindi version, Tota Roy Choudhry (Choker Bali) plays the lead in the Bengali version,” says Bhattacharji.
Sunglass is a comic fantasy. Bengal based band called 21 Grams has composed the films’s music. Shaan and Sunidhi Chauhan have sung the songs, Prasoon Joshi has penned the lyrics and Bosco Ceaser have choreographed the songs. The film has been made on a budget of Rs 50 million (Rs 5 crores).
Saurabh Shukla written and directed I Am 24 is a comic love story starring Rajat Kapoor (in a bald avatar), Neha Dhupia, Ranvir Shorey and Manjiri. The film has music by Jatin. “This is his first album after the breakup with Lalit,” informs Bhattacharji. The shooting of the film has wrapped up and songs are now being recorded. I Am 24 has been made on a budget of Rs 27.5 million (Rs 2.75 crores).
Rajat Kapoor directed Mithiya will do the festival rounds and release theatrically thereafter. Whereas Konkona Sen Sharma starrer Dosar has already been in the festival circuit for sometime now.
While these films are almost ready, some others are in planning stages. As has already been reported by Businessofcinema.com, Bheja Fry writer Sharat Katariya will direct a film for Planman, which is an adaptation of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night Dream.
“We have also signed Aziz Mirza and Rajat Kapoor to direct films for us. Besides we are also scripting an epic film, which will be shot next year. Until last year our focus was Bengali cinema, but now we are planning a pan
