The Moon that hoped to be a star
In Toronto, Moon Moon Sen looks back without regrets at a career that came to naught.

Dev Anand loses award Hillary gave him
The star of the yesteryear said someone had stolen the award the first lady gave him

Daler, Karisma wow Toronto
The troupe from India including singers, dancers, musicians and Milka Singh managed to rock audiences to the animated beats of bhangra all night long.

Mystic Merchant
'If I wasn't making movies, I would probably be composing scintillating music,' says Bombay-born producer-director-distributor Ismail Merchant.

Scouring her past -- on celluloid
Shanti Thakur makes an award-winning film based on the experiences of her mother, in Nazi-occupied Denmark, and her father, in riot-torn India.

A star on the horizon
Nandana Sen, the actress who's made her mark on the international cinema scene, on family, philosophy, films and more.

Lights, camera, action...
Come September, and film buffs will have a grand feast of films, past and present, in the Toronto International Film Festival.

Blending spice and celluloid
Chef by day, filmmaker by night, Vipin Sharma is a unique blend of cuisine king and dream merchant rolled in one.

Mixed bag at Zee Gold awards show
But multiple gaffes and embarrassing errors made no difference to the star-struck audience.

Amritraj battles for the best
But his latest film, Battlefield Earth, starring John Travolta, stumbled at the box office and drew flak from the critics.

Niagara calls
Bollywood directors are discovering that Canada can be an exotic -- and inexpensive -- place to shoot films.

Inscrutable Americans - soon at a theatre near you
The popular Anurag Mathur novel is being made into a film by US-based NRI couple - Srihari and Indira Malempati.

Awara, Pyaasa to be screened at UCLA
The screenings are part of the university's series on musicals, with 70 films from 20 countries.

Terrorist in 'overlooked' films fest
'It is not a political film, but a personal one,' wrote movie critic Roger Ebert, who started the festival

Close encounters of the starry kind
The six Bollywood celebrities attending the Millennium Masti show had Toronto in a real tizzy.

A requiem for the dead
Shelley Saywell makes a film on those still reliving the tragedy of Kanishka, Air-India Flight No 182.

In search of a vamp
Film-maker Eisha Marjara tries to rediscover herself while documenting the life of Bollywood actress Helen.

Sizing up the stars
The nominations for the Bollywood Film Awards are out. And topping the list are Aishwarya Rai with four nominations and Anil Kapoor with three.

East is East opens to mixed reviews
Om Puri's performance is praised but the film itself received a mixed response.

Dulhan... Seduces Thousands in England
Dulhan... grossed about $ 20,000 more than the next entry among the top 15, Hurricane, which had garnered an Oscar nomination for its star Denzel Washington.

Oscar musings
You thought Hollywood would have trouble with Manoj 'Night' Shyamalan's name? You bet you were right.

Sixth Sense Big Loser At Oscars
The film which was nominated in six categories, went home without a single Oscar.

At Last, Long Journey Finds Audiences in America
Nearly two years after it was completed and commercially released in parts of the world, the film version of Rohinton Mistry's 1991 award winning novel has finally opened in the US.

Dr Daruwalla Headed for Big Screen
Hollywood insiders believe that Miramax, which has released 'The Cider House Rules' is seriously considering backing the project.

Merchant's Cotton Mary divides American critics
While some critics said the movie was passionless, others called it a masterpiece.

Ismail Merchant bites the bullet
After his Cotton Mary faced flak from Anglo-Indian groups in India, the director took consolation in Mehta's endurance.

Khauff gets no welcome in America
The movie, which grossed about $ 53,000 in three days, is one of the worst performers featuring a major star.

NY desis get to tell their own stories
And they were featured in Desi: South Asians in New York, a documentary made to explain the diversity and vastness of south Asia, its emigrants and the culture they have created in the US.

Madonna fails to cast a spell, Kingsley goes unnoticed
'The Next Best Thing' opened in the second position but earning a paltry $ 6 million.

Om Puri nominated for top British award
His competition at BFTA includes Oscar winners Kevin Spacey and Ralph Fiennes. Manoj Shyamalan's Sixth Sense gets four nods.

Madonna teaches Ashtunga yoga
In The Next Best Thing the pop sensation plays a yoga teacher whose friendship with a gay man undergoes a dramatic change.

Shyamalan passes Stuart Little sequel
Meanwhile, industry experts say his film, The Sixth Sense, could have explosive video sales. Many expect that it could generate at least $ 150 million in video sales in America alone. The film has been sold to airlines, television and cable networks for about $ 30 million in America. Worldwide video and television sale grosses could work out to more than $ 300 million. In all, the film could collect about $ 1 billion.

Will Sanjay Dutt lift the box office gloom?
With Hey! Ram grossing a weak $ 170,000 in four days, the desi graveyard of flops is getting over-crowded.

Dark clouds over desi box-office
Badal earned a paltry $ 64,000 last weekend. Given the usual pattern of 45 to 50 per cent decline for desi movies in the second week, it could exit with just about $ 150,000 in three weeks.

You see, phir bhi dil hai Hindustani
Despite the freezing cold across America, Aziz Mirza's latest gets a warm response.

Everyone loves this Terrorist
According to film's distributor, the Los Angeles-based Phaedra Cinema, in the opening weekend (Friday, January 14, to Monday, January 17,) Satosh Sivan's film earned approximately $ 13,600 -- breaking "all records" at the theater. "Each and every show was sold out," Steve Slome, a spokesperson for Phaedra Cinema, told rediff.com

Pyar Mein Sauda Nahin: Hrithik and Amisha will have to live on pure love
Kaho Naa Pyar Hai grossed a mere $ 30,000 in its opening weekend. Daily Variety did not mention the film in its top 60 list for the last weekend. The last film on the weekend's top 60 list, Sunshine, a small art-house production, grossed approximately $ 14,000 more than Kaho Naa.

Chutney Popcorn Bound For Berlin
One of the youngest film-makers in America, Nisha Ganatra, will have her first feature film competing at one of the oldest and most respected film festivals in the world.

Bollywood's Millennium Jinx
According to box office figures released by Hollywood trade publication, Daily Variety,Dharmesh Darshan's Mela and T Rama Rao's Bulandi, had mediocre box office openings in the first three days of release.

How John Malkovich God-Fathered Sivan's The Terrorist
John Malkovich noted in his NYT article that Santosh Sivan's film had 'an absolutely hypnotic performance by a young actress called Ayesha Dharkar, whose presence graces nearly every frame'.

The Cup Benefit Shows Set In NY, LA
And unlike other movies with Buddhist backgrounds, it's expected to have a GOOD SAMARITANS run.

Sixth Sense Wins People's Choice Award
The spooky film directed by Manoj 'Night' Shyamalan about a boy who sees dead people makes its point.

They'll Bleed for Rajini
With luddus, free videos and blood donations, thousands of fans across America mark the silver jubilee of Rajnikanth's movie career.

Mouse Has A Roaring Time In US
And as Stuart Little makes merry, Hum Saath-Saath Hai reaches the $ 2m mark

Coming Up: Some Big Movies
Among those in the pipeline are Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani, starring Shah Rukh Khan and Juhi Chawla, Mela with Aamir Khan, and Pukar, starring Madhuri Dixit and Anil Kapoor.

Golden Globe snubs Earth
But Manoj Shyamalan's The Sixth Sense bagged two nominations.

Shyamalan's Mouse Roars At Box-Office
Stuart Little , the story of an adopted mouse, opens at the top box-office position, bagging $ 15.5 million this weekend.

Of Mice, Men And Manoj Shyamalan
The hit director of The Sixth Sense opts for a heartwarming cat and mouse story this time.

Cold Turkeys at Desi Box Office
Exhibitors on both sides of the Atlantic pray for a Christmas miracle as 'Hum Saath-Saath Hain' and 'Thakshak' fail to draw the crowds.

A Global Success Story
Pentafour's Sinbad is the first-ever feature-length film fully animated using motion capture.

Gurinder Chadha's Film To Open Sundance Film Festival
Besides What's Cooking, Suri Krishnamma's third feature film, New Year's Day, is also to be screened.

What Lies Between Earth And An Oscar
Some tough competition, and tougher rules, still stand in the way of Deepa Mehta's film.

Thakshak Numbers Withheld
Distributor Video Sound says it is moving away from the practice of announcing the opening weekend's box office receipts.

How An American Writer Thought Up Cotton Mary
Her feelings of deracination and the attitude to her of the people in India, shaped by the British Raj, left a profound impact on her, says Alexander Viets.

Hum Saath' Crosses $ 2.5 m Mark Abroad
Meanwhile, Dillagi enjoys a healthy gross, being ranked number 47 in North America.

Has Miramax Dumped Om Puri?
His performance is touted as the best of 1999; unfortunately, My Son The Fanatic failed at the box office.

'Hum Saath-Saath Hain' Bags $& 2.2 m in 17 Days
Despite competition from 'Dillagi,' which is being released next week in North America by Eros, who also distributed 'Hum Saath-Saath Hain,' the latter is expected to continue doing robust business for another four weeks.

Everest Scales Down To Small Screen
The film made on the tragic 1996 expedition finds its way to television.

Om Puri Movie Garners Praise in the UK
But Manoj Shyamalan's The Sixth Sense is number 1 there, in Australia, Italy and Japan.

Hum Saath... Rakes In $ 1.6 Million Abroad
The film is now ranked number 22 in North America and number 10 in the UK.

No Press Calls For Dr Nene
On the trail of the mystery man Madhuri Dixit gave up Bollywood for.

Desi Directors Make History In 3 Continents
Shekhar Kapur, Sooraj Barajatya and Madras-born M Night Shyamalan saw their films in strong positions last week.

Barjatya Family Gets Record Wedding Gifts
In the United States, his film was the 20th highest grossing filmi event, ringing up $ 652,000 in three days; in England, with about $ 178,000 coming in, it was the 10th highest grossing film.

Hubby Hardly Knew Of Madhuri Dixit's Life On Screen
Shriram Nene had never seen any of her films, and was unaware of her celebrity status, says the star's family.

Rajshri's Hum Saath Saath Hain Gets 60-Screen Welcome
This will be the biggest opening ever in North America for any Bollywood film.

Elizabeth Reigns in Japan
Going by the current trend, it could end up with about $ 16 million, nearly two times its gross in England.

Hussein Gets Four Stars; Scorsese, Three
New York critics are full of praise for Sixth Happiness, some even rating it above Scorsese's Bringing Out The Dead.

Shyamalan Psyches Disney Again
The director of blockbuster The Sixth Sense signs a record deal for another Bruce Willis thriller.

Mast Messes Up In America
Ramgopal Varma's film grossed a mere $ 83,882 during the opening weekend with an anemic $ 3,355 screen average.

Hum Saath... To Get Widest Exposure
The Rajshri movie will open on 50 screens across North America.

Holy Smoke: Deadly Battle of Sexes
India, in bright, vibrant, hallucinogenic colors, with its heady spiritual allure has never looked so attractive, says Aseem Chhabra in his review of Jane Campion's latest film.

How Holy Smoke Became Reality
Jane Campion's fascination with spirituality, and relationships between older men and younger women finds expression on celluloid.

Dil Kya Kare Loses Heart Quickly
Film grosses $ 54,000 on screens in the second weekend, crashing to 51st position on the box-office chart from 27.

Ray, Nair Films Featured in Film Festival
Among other films, the fest, which began with Shekar Kapur's Bandit Queen, will offer Ketan Mehta's Mirch Masala on October 13, Gurinder Chadda's Bhaji on the Beach on October 20, and Satyajit Ray's Ghare Bhaire on October 27.

The Sixth Sense Trio Get Together Again
Manoj Night Shyamalan, Bruce Willis and Walt Disney are coming together again, but the movie is not a sequel to the superhit.

'Dil Kya Kare' Leaves Many Hearts Cold
It took a respectable but unexciting $ 189,000 from 35 sites for an $ 5,392 average during its first weekend. Unless the collections pick up in the second week -- which seldom happens in North America -- the movie could end up with about $ 600,000.

Through The Eyes of an Outsider
An Irish director on the making of a British film about Pakistani immigrants.

Earth Picks Up Momentum
At the Regal Cinema in North Bergen, NJ, the film's gross revenue in the second weekend actually picked up by 18 per cent.

Shyamalan Gives Bruce Willis His Biggest American Hit
And going by its run abroad, it could vanquish the $ 300 million Armageddon made overseas.

Holy Smoke Rouses Critics In Venice Fest
Comedy could make Kate Winslet an Oscar contender.

Earth Looks Ahead To A GOOD SAMARITANS Showing
The film had a strong opening in the art house cinemas in New York and Los Angeles in its first weekend of release with many theaters reported several near sell-out shows.

Starry Reviews Greet Earth
The New York Times said the movie "is a powerful and disturbing reminder of how a civilization can suddenly crack under certain pressures."

Don't Get Me Wrong. I Love This Movie
Bapsi Sidhwa, author of Cracking India, says she initially felt frustrated that many characters and episodes in her book did not survive in the screenplay but she was bowled over by the result.

Deepa Mehta Took A Bold Step Casting Me: Rahul Khanna
"From being an MTV VJ, which is so contemporary, I had to go back into time and become a working class masseur."

'To recreate a period piece in Delhi was a heroic task'
"To dress television antennae itself became a mammoth task, let alone the hundreds of the rooftop water tanks," says Earth director Deepa Mehta.

Sixth Number 1 For Five Weeks
The film starring Bruce Willis has held on to the top position, earning more than the next three films combined.

ABCD Catch-phrase Is Now a Movie
The Pandya brothers are racing to edit their first film, a comedy that explores the relationships between immigrant parents and their children.

Baadshah Fails To Dance to Taal Numbers
The film earned approximately $ 263,000 in the first three days. It could end up grossing about $ 600,000 - disappointing for a highly hyped Shahrukh starrer.

Hundreds of Prints of Eyes Wide Shut Will Retain Shloka In Orgy Scene
Warner said the agreement reached with Hindu groups does not affect the prints which are being used in cinemas in countries where the film is in release. Over 1,500 prints used in America would not be touched, Warner said.

East Is East To Show At Montreal Fest
Expectations are high for the film, with Om Puri's name coming up repeatedly as a strong nominee for an Oscar.

Indian Films Find Going Hard At Toronto Fest
Film-makers face some stiff competition from steamy movies from Europe and South Korea.

US Marshals Raid Alleged Piracy King
Federal marshals move in to try and pre-empt sale of illegal Taal video.

Supernatural Chiller Grosses Unearthly Figures
For a third week in a row, 28-year-old Shyamalan's movie psyches America.

Taal Dances To Record Numbers
Ghai's latest film creates hangama in North America; Kohram bites the dust.

From Cracking India to Earth
Bapsi Sidhwa on her feeling of déjà vu on the sets of Earth.

Shyamalan Spooks Opposition
The Sixth Sense beat Eddie Murphy's new movie in the box-office collection as it drew an enormous number of repeat audiences for its powerful, surprise end.

'Even The Earthquakes Have Stopped'
A film-maker muses about the predictability of life in Silicon Valley.

Release Date Set for Earth
Deepa Mehta's film is expected to do well, because of Aamir Khan's presence in it.

Bollywood's Box-Office Famine Continues
But Taal, releasing on August 13, might bring welcome showers, hope distributors.

The Sixth Sense Psyches Its Way to The Top
Night Shyamalan's movie recorded the highest August opening ever with $25.8 million this weekend, breaking the $23.8 million record of The Fugitive.

Night Shyamalan Is Very Disturbed: Bruce Willis
"There have only been three scripts that I have ever read in my career that I immediately knew I wanted to do and The Sixth Sense was one of those," the star says of Shyamalan's third film.

'Eyes Wide Shut': Plenty of Cyberspace Barks But Where Is the Bite?
'What made Shezian and his co-believers not go beyond the cyberspace and conduct organized protest against the film's producers, Warner Bros,' says Aseem Chhabra.

Shyamalan's 'Sixth Sense' Set To Spook Competition
The 29-year-old director has got a major studio grant him the same privilege as the veteran Kubrick had through his illustrious film-career: the final cut.

Karma And Nirvana In New York
Darshan Bhagat has spent the last five years breathing life into his film 'Karma Local', writing the screenplay, raising money, and directing it. And now he is promoting it through the festival circuits -- and looking for a distributor.

Canadian Museum Gets $2 Million For South Asian Gallery
The donations will be used, mostly, to appoint a curator who will not only organize the existing art work from South Asia but also seek to acquire new work, hold exhibitions and seminars.

Hoberman Leaves Mouseland To Join Hands With Amritraj
While Amritraj knows the ropes of selling movies in foreign territories and seldom misses film festivals such as the one at Cannes, Hoberman knows the Hollywood ropes better.

Kubrick's Film Gets Clobbered -- At The Box Office
After debuting at number one last weekend with about $22 million, Eyes Wide Shut plummeted 54 per cent, grossing $9.9 million and ending up fourth among the week's top 10 films. It may become one of the lowest-grossing Tom Cruise films.

Tight Security For 'Hindustan Ki Kasam'
The movie's print campaign shows the flags of India and Pakistan, but Eros Entertainment is not displaying those advertisements outside the movie houses showing the film.

'Mann' Leaves America Cold
Despite Aamir Khan's appearance at several movie houses in New York and New Jersey, and extensive coverage in the ethnic media, the movie just could not ignite the box-office.

Two Indian Films At Asian American Film Festival
'Karma Local', a comedy about immigrant life in New York City, directed by newcomer Darshan Bhagat, and Mira Nair's made-for television film, 'My Own Country' are a treat for the cineaste.

'Mann' Sizzles Among Britain's 10 Ten; 'Hum Dil De...' Approaches $ 1.5m Mark
'Mann is a perfect summer date movie,' says Deepan Singh, 21, who has seen it at least four times in New York theaters. 'It is sentimental and yet it sounds and looks like a Hollywood film.'

'Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam' Hits $1 Million Spot
The movie opened on 35 screens -- at least 15 screens more than the average for an Indian film -- but the gamble has played big dividends for distributor Video Sound.

Analyze This: The ABCDs
Gitesh Pandya's American-Born Confused Desis, being shot in Clifton, Chatham and other New Jersey locales, is another film trying to mirror the dilemma of the Indian American.

Can Bollywood Rescue Film Biz in Vancouver?
The $20 million annual business British Columbia has been attracting from Hollywood could start climbing down if trade unions succeed in keeping movie production back home. And this is where Bollywood could help.

Aamir Khan To Attend Mann Screenings In NY, NJ
Mann could open in more than 35 movie houses on July 9; Yashraj films is clearly setting to break the record of the recent hit, Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam, which grossed nearly $ 500,000 in 30 movie houses.

Artisan To Release Earth
Aamir Khan and Rahul Khanna's presence is expected to draw more Indian American audiences to the film.

Om Puri's Double Impact
My Son The Fanatic and East Is East both open in America this year, and both star Puri -- a rarity for an Indian actor.

Biwi No 1 Continues To Be a Big Draw
Exhibitors, waiting for a huge hit, think Subhash Ghai could come to their rescue with Taal. The audio cassettes and CDs of the movie were released last week and the music is clawing its way up the charts.

Will Biwi No 1 Lift the Gloom?
David Dhawan's film grossed an estimated $90,000 in more than 20 theaters across America last week. Considering the cricket fever the take is impressive, say several exhibitors.

Shyamalan's Sixth Sense To Unveil
In August
As Hollywood studios fight to grab a piece of the box-office in the early days of fall, insiders believe Bruce Willis will get his first real chance at an Oscar nomination.

Don't Pigeonhole My Film: Nisha Ganatra
'It is important for our community to accept the fact that there are gay South Asians,' says the young film-maker, whose Chutney Popcorn is a hit on the US film festival circuit.

The Making Of A Controversial Film
In Search of Kundun, with Martin Scorsese, goes beyond the goal of watching one of the world's greatest film-makers at work. Michael Henry Wilson also focuses on the Tibetans' sense of loss, and on the systematic destruction of an ancient culture.

Merchant Ivory Win Raves For New Film
Though the team have distributed a couple of films in the past decade, this is the first time they have taken up a major art film.

Amritraj's Hollywood Divorce: He Gives Up 2-Year-Old Partnership To Float Company
With the establishment of Hyde Park Entertainment, Ashok Amritraj is set to "make films in the major budget league -- in the $ 40 million to $ 90 million range and primarily in partnership with studios," he said.

How Indian-Produced Mainstream Films Fare
The reality is that unless the movies do well abroad and have a strong video sale, they could lose money. Shekhar Kapur's Elizabeth, for instance, has mostly ended its worldwide run with a decent $ 64 million gross, and the $ 28 million movie is at the break-even stage now.

For Hanif Kureishi, Love Weighed More Than Ideology
'Islam is a huge and powerful religion, followed by millions, and it is also a big business run by men with enormous amounts of authority,' the novelist says.

Monarch Of The Box-Office Gurus
In less than two years since he started offering box-office projections, tracking and analyzing them on the Web, Gitesh Pandya hit big time two months ago when Fox Channel invited him to discuss the year's hits and misses.

More Bollywood Actresses To Follow
Pooja, Jaya
It was a given that only Gujarati plays, that too comedies, attract big audiences. But Jaya Bachchan and director Ramesh Talwar have shown that a well-written and well-acted Hindi language play could be a big hit, too.

Producer baffled by Sarfarosh controversy
'Not true,' says Ken Naz, chief executive for Eros Entertainment, of rumors that the Aamir Khan starrer was yanked out of movie houses because of protests from Pakistani audiences.

Miramax To Give Big Push To East Is East
The most successful champion of independent films has paid $ 2 million for the North American rights to a movie starring Om Puri.

Merchant Ivory Sign Oscar-Nominee Nick Nolte For $ 20 Million Movie
The four-decade-old Merchant Ivory Productions is getting ready to step into the 21st century with a screen adaptation of Henry James's The Golden Bowl written in the early years of this century.

Rebel without a crew
Shani Grewal's third feature film, Guru in Seven, was short on funds but big on hopes.

Mel signs Deepak to produce low-budget, off-beat film
For several years, some of the more respected independent film-makers in Europe and America including Wim Wenders, David Lynch and Michelangelo Antonioni have trusted one man in Hollywood to produce their films in America.

Sarfarosh Roars Across America
Playing in 24 theaters, the film averaged a strong $ 7,700 per house and was listed 33rd among Variety's top 100 films of the week. If the current phase continues, it could gross over $ 500,000.

An American Jew and a Buddhist Lotus
The Dalai Lama was eager to hear about the 'Jewish secret' of survival during centuries without a homeland.

Hollywood goes to Hell!
To a list of such films as Polanski's The Ninth Gate and Schwarzenegger's End of Days, add The Crow: The Salvation directed by Bharat Nalluri, one of Variety's top 50 young talents.