New films to hit screens on Friday

New films set to hit screens this Friday
Veer Zaara, Naach, Aitraaz, Manmathan And More
Times of India

For movie buffs, there’s some good news. And, it comes at a time when your spirits are tuned for the festive season.

Come Friday, two new Hindi movies will hit the screen. The films — Veer Zaara and Naach — will be screened all over Karnataka as part of the nationwide release. This move comes after Supreme Court and High Court rulings against the moratorium on the release of non-Kannada films.

Since the local distributors are part of the out-of-court settlement on the moratorium issue, Hindi film producers are directly releasing the movies in association with theatre owners. “We are going ahead with the release of Shah Rukh Khan starrer Veer Zaara as scheduled since the moratorium does not exist, either through legislation or the court order. We do not expect any problem,’’ Sahadev Ghai of Yash Chopra Films told The Times of India on Sunday.
Other films that will be released nationwide are Ram Gopal Varma’s Naach, Abbas Mustan’s Aitraaz and Manmathan (Tamil). A Kannada film starring Sudeep — Nalla — will also be released this Friday.

TAKE 1: ACTION
Cabinet expansion delays FFI-CM meet

The delay in cabinet expansion has claimed another victim: The much awaited meeting between Film Federation of India (FFI) representatives and chief minister N. Dharam Singh to discuss the three-week moratorium on the release of other language films.

The meeting was earlier scheduled for November 9. But recent political developments forced the CM to postpone it. “I met the CM on Saturday and he said he can meet the FFI representatives only after the cabinet expansion,” Karnataka Film Chamber of Commerce (KFCC) president H.D. Gangaraju told The Times of India here on Sunday.

Since the moratorium failed to stand the test of law, the KFCC is trying to work out an informal pact with FFI. “We will explain to the FFI the problems faced by Kannada film industry. We hope they will implement the moratorium,’’ Gangaraju said.

TAKE 2 : CUT
JAC says no point in meeting Dharam

The Joint Action Committee (JAC) of the Indian film industry, which had threatened to impose “sanctions’’ against the Kannada film industry to protest the moratorium, has decided to stay away from the FFI-CM meeting. “There is no point in meeting the CM or his deputy as the court verdict is in our favour. Even the Karnataka High Court has said the moratorium cannot be imposed on screening new releases. Therefore, we do not attach much importance to that meeting,’’ JAC convener Seshagiri Rao said. However, Gangaraju felt the JAC’s decision would not harm the KFCC’s efforts in persuading moratorium. “The FFI is the apex body of the Indian film industry. The JAC has to abide by the decision taken by the FFI representatives,’’ he said.

TAKE 3: APPEAL
Panel must select films for subsidies

The Karnataka Film Chamber of Commerce has urged the state government to constitute a committee for the disbursement of subsidy to Kannada films. KFCC president H.D. Gangaraju called on chief minister N. Dharam Singh on Saturday and submitted a memorandum. “The subsidy is due for 60 films since 2002. Recently, the government sanctioned Rs 5 crore for the purpose. The films entitled for subsidy are yet to be selected,’’ Gangaraju said on Sunday. The committee will select films after reviewing them. Films that are remade are not entitled for subsidy.
The KFCC urged the government to evolve a separate package to bail out temporary cinema theatres (moving talkies) which are in distress, Gangaraju said.