MUMBAI: The Mathrubhumi Amrita Film Awards (MAFA), the magnificent awards cum entertainment extravaganza that reeled out to packed crowds at the Marine Drive, Cochin last week will be telecast during the weekend, on the 16th &17th of January, from 7-11 pm.

Designed to honour outstanding achievers in Malayalam Cinema, MAFA the first film awards in the calendar year 2010 ,has stepped beyond State boundaries, to recognize excellent performers in the Tamil and Hindi film industries as well, this year.

The first awards event in India to be spread over 2 successive days, MAFA was conceptualized on the Oscar model. Instead of announcing the names of the awardees well in advance, 11 out of the 27 award categories which were decided on SMS votes were only declared on stage on the second evening, thus keeping the viewers as well as nominees on tenterhooks till the last moment.

‘Pazhassi Raja‘ the historical blockbuster that raised Malayalam Films to the world stage through its technical expertise won the award for Best Picture while Renjith became the Best Director for his off beat entertainer ‘Paleri Manikyam- Oru Pathira Kolapathakam‘.

Mamooty‘s extraordinary portrayals of a provincial king, feudal lord and country boor in ‘Pazhassi Raja‘, ‘Paleri Manikyam‘ and ‘Loudspeaker‘ respectively delivered the Best Actor Award to him on a platter ; Kavya Madhavan was given the Best Actress award for her role in ‘Beneras‘ ; Pazhassi Raja cornered the Best Supporting Actor Award for Manoj K Jayan‘s sterling act and Best Supporting Actress for Padmapriya‘s inspiring performance ; the Best Screenplay went to Jayaraj for penning Loudspeaker; the veteran ONV‘s songs for ‘Pazhassi Raja‘ fetched him the Best Lyricist Award ; Vidyasagar whose melody for Neelathmara is on every Keralite‘s lips was the unanimous choice for Best Music Director; Jayachandran and Swetha Mohan took home the awards for Best Playback singers. Srinivasan was voted the Most Popular Actor (Male) and Lekshmi Rai , who stole her way into Malayalee‘s hearts through ‘In Harihar Nagar‘ walked away with the Most Popular Actress Award while Jayaram was the Kudumba Nayakan and Hariharan the Janapriya Samvidhayakan. Jayasurya, Suraj Venjaramoodu, Sharath Kumar, Bhama and Baby Niveditha were the other award winners.

Resul Pookkutty Kerala‘s first ‘Oscarite‘ became the ‘Prince of Sound‘; Asin was chosen as ‘The Pride of Kerala‘ ; Innocent was accorded the Best Comic Hero Award and Jagathy was the uncontested ‘Most Versatile Hero‘.

M.K. Arjunan, who had contributed many a classic to Malayalam playback singing was bestowed the Lifetime achievement Award for his long innings as Music Director .

Priyadarshin, Malayalam Cinema‘s Merchant of Dreams who has planted his flag atop Bollywood was a special guest of honour on the MAFA stage, the award Chalathitra Prathibha conferred by none other than Mamooty, in the presence of his closest chums- ManiyanPillai, Jagdeesh, Revathy, Etc.

Sporting the hairstyle and beard of his latest film ‘Sinka‘, Surya who boasts of legions of fans in Kerala as well, received his Best Actor in Tamil Award from Mamooty, the first time his talent was lauded in Kerala ; Shreya was the Best Actress in Tamil .

The glittering ceremony that held Cochin to ‘entertainment ransom‘ in which a galaxy of stars from Malayalam, Tamil and Hindi took part was made more dazzling by a string of dance performances, songs and comedy skits.

Reema Kallingal who performed contemporary dances based on ‘Pazhassi Raja‘ ; Samvrutha Sunil who graced the stage with a classical number ; Isha Saravani of the ‘Daksha Sheth‘ group and Amrita TV‘s own Shamna Kasim who is all set to graduate to Bollywood - enthralled with their blend of classical and contemporary dances, while Rimy Tommy, Afzal, Sayanora and Renjith and Anuradha Sriram had the massive crowd swaying as one to their lilting tunes. Stephen Devassy, the celebrity keyboardist not only lent orchestral support to the performers, he also composed and played the background score for the entire function.

Comedy skits by Tini Tom and Kalpana with their tongue-in-cheek humour provided uproarious interludes between the feast of music and dance; Thirunelvelli‘s Thappattam was a discovery in dynamic new rhythms. Aviyal Band, the Kerala Rock Band lived up to its name  setting ethnic tunes to rock music ; the famed Bombay Vikings headed by Neeraj Sridhar
Of ‘Hare Rama Hare Krishna‘ , ‘Love Mera Hit Hit‘ fame almost brought the skies down with their ‘Vo Chale‘ and other Hindi hits. Dileep, Menaka Suresh, Lalu Alex, Swetha Menon, Suresh Krishna were amongst those who lent glamour to the function.

It was a spectacular display that left even the grand Moghuls of Tinsel Town, for whom glitz is a part of life, dumbstruck with wonder.

‘I have never seen such a congregation of stars in my life" said Director Hariharan " With this Award function MAFA has raised the bar to National heights" - a sentiment that was echoed by the thousands who had thronged Cochin‘s Marine Drive for an event that may take years to be surpassed.

MUMBAI: The glorious dance escapade of Maharashtrache Nacha Baliye has almost reached its climax as the battle for the finale has begun?

Eight couples had put on their dancing shoes as they boarded the dance bandwagon. The dance war has now become intense and exciting as Pune, Mumbai and Nashik teams dance their way for the coveted finale. 

Watch the dhamaka filled semi finals of ?Maharashtrache Nacha Baliye? on 15th & 16th January 2010@ 9.30 pm to find out which city jodi ends its journey and which dances its way to the final stage of the Grand Finale?

Will it be the ?Puneri shahane? or the ?Mumbai fast? or the ?Nashik cha danka??

MUMBAI: Salman Khan in an exclusive interview with Music India, talks about his upcoming movie ?Veer? & shares how the film is of a different genre. The film?s story has been written by Salman himself.

Salman Khan & Zarine Khan speaks exclusively to Music India. Salman reveals the meaning of the word ?Veer? & what importance it holds in his day to day life. He goes on further & remembers his tedious stretching & work out sessions during the production of the film. Zarine Khan talks about her experience with everybody right from the Director Anil Sharma to her co-star Salman Khan as Veer is her debut film. 

Salman also reveals how the story & character of Veer has been close to his heart from the past 20 years, when he initially thought about making the film but due to budget constraints it wasn?t possible back then. Salman Khan & Anil Sharma had to also conduct extensive research as Veer is a period film. Zarine Khan & Salman on a final note tell the audience & their fans to come to the theatres on 22nd Jan & be a part of the Love story of a Veer - The Warrior.

Watch Salman Khan and Zarine Khan more about their upcoming movie ?Veer? only on Music India.

MUMBAI: The rush of Bollywood actors making a beeline for Lux Dance India Dance clearly proves the shows soaring popularity not only amongst the masses but also amongst the classes. After roping in Salman Khan and Amitabh Bachchan , the next set of stars who have agreed to be a part of the much celebrated show are Vidya Balan, Farhan Akhtar, Deepika Padukone, Viveik Oberoi. The show has maintained its Numero- uno status since its launch week in the Non ? fiction genre and the data very clearly indicates that in the coming days the euphoria is only going to reach its pinnacle.

Meanwhile, in a bid to deliver their best week after week, the pressure is already surmounting on the mentors and contestants. To have all their favourite Bollywood celebrities judging their performances on the stage has only increased their frenzy manifold. It?s interesting to note that the most happening stars and producers want themselves to be associated with Lux Dance India Dance as a part of their publicity campaign.

Going by the influx of Bollywood stars on Lux Dance India Dance, Akash Chawla, marketing Head of Zee TV said, ?We are glad that all the upcoming blockbuster movies want themselves to be associated with a reputed brand like Lux dance India Dance. It?s heartening to know that everybody wants to encash on the reach and popularity of the show?.

Do not miss these rocking episodes of Lux Dance India Dance only on Zee TV at 9:30 PM, every Friday and Saturday.
 

MUMBAI: In its constant endeavor to deliver the best and the unique, UTV World Movies brings to you ace cinematographer, Binod Pradhan. UTV World Movies provides you a splendid opportunity to view four of his favorite international movies every Thursday at 8.30 pm in January.

Till now UTV World Movies has showcased dynamic directors from the Indian film industry who have shared their love for world cinema and how these movies have in some or the other way inspired them. Hereon the channel has decided to take a leap further by introducing industry members, veteran cinematographer, editors, technicians, actors etc who savor world cinema. Through this viewers would be exposed to cinematic insights of varied professions from the industry who are experts in their fields. 

A prominent cinematographer and associate director of Bollywood movies, Binod Pradhan studied cinematography at the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), Pune. He has shot blockbuster hit films like Mission Kashmir, Munna Bhai MBBS, Rang De Basanti and Delhi 6. Binod Pradhan won the IIFA Awards and Filmfare awards for Best Cinematography for the movie ?Rang De Basanti?.

Talking about the films that he has selected Binod Pradhan said, ?UTV World Movies is a great endeavor for the India audience as now people are exposed to different cultures and values across the globe from its vast library. It not only helps budding directors but everyone else understanding the craft and get acquainted with so many different cinematic narrative styles. Movies like Crimson Gold, Boiling Point, shawshank redemption and The Blair Witch Project are my all time favorites.?

Manasi Sapre, Programming Head, UTV World Movies, said ?Binod Pradhan is a veteran cinematographer of the Indian film industry. With movies like Delhi 6, Munna Bhai MBBS, Rang De basanti etc he has taken the art of cinematography to a completely different league. It?s an honor for UTV World Movies as a channel to have him share his thoughts and views about world cinema.?

Movies chosen by Binod Pradhan for the on-air property 50 Movies Before you Die are The Crimson Gold (2003), Boiling Point (1990), Shawshank Redemption (1994) and The Blair Witch Project (1999).

So tune in to 50 Movies to see before you die, to watch some incredible films, every Thursday at 8.30 pm.

MUMBAI: The razzle-dazzle of Bollywood will soon be in your living room as COLORS, India‘s No.1 Hindi General Entertainment Channel, plans to bring you the 5th Annual Chevrolet Apsara Awards. The audiences at home will be able to savour the excitement of this glamourous award evening on Sunday, 17th January, 2010 at 8 PM only on Colors.

Making this event unforgettable will be the crackling chemistry of the charismatic duo - Preity Zinta and Arjun Rampal, who for the first time will be hosting a films‘ award ceremony together. The duo plans to keep the audiences entertained and mostly in splits with some hilarious gags that they have been planning meticulously!
While the anchors will sure keep the audiences guffawing, it‘s the performances that are truly worth watching out for. The list of all the be-dazzlers who plan to rock the night is truly a breathtaking one and includes names such as none other than King Khan - Shah Rukh, Chhote Nawab - Saif Ali Khan, the hottest star on the horizon - Kareena Kapoor, the talented Arshad Warsi performing on songs from their upcoming movie Ishqiya, a rhythmically choreographed performance by none other than heartthrob Vivek Oberoi and a stunning performance by Dia Mirza.

What‘s more? Worth watching out for is going to be the presentation of the Lifetime Achievement Award being presented to none other than Mr. Amitabh Bachchan.

With 34 awards being handed out during the star studded night as a part of four broad categories peppered with mind blowing performances, emotional speeches and some memorable moments, the 5th Annual Chevrolet Apsara Awards ceremony is going to be one event you wish you could be present at.

Well, if that‘s what you want, don‘t forget to tune in to the phenomenal show this Sunday, 17th January 2010 at 8 PM only on - COLORS, and spend an evening in the company of stars right in your living room!