News Analysis India

Tag: Director

  • ‘Forgotten star’: Director of epic Somalian movie battling penury, health issues in Himachal

    By IANS

    MANDI: Writer, director and actor Amar Sneh who directed the historical Somalian movie ‘The Somali Darvish’ some 38 years ago, has been spending life battling penury with multiple health issues far from the limelight.

    Sneh, 70, is struggling to make ends meet in a rented accommodation at Dal village in Gohar subdivision, some 30 km from Mandi.

    When IANS got in touch with the film actor and director, he rued that he’s a forgotten star with no assistance from anyone when he’s struggling to meet his basic needs, either from the film industry or the government.

    Narrating his tale of woe, Sneh, who has worked in films, television, radio and the stage as a writer, director and actor, said he came to Himachal Pradesh to set up a film city on the assurance of late veteran Congress leader and former Union telecom minister Pandit Sukh Ram, who belonged to Mandi town.

    “I also met the late Virbhadra Singh several times when he was the Chief Minister and he assured me of government help in setting up an acting school,” he said, adding “the political rivalry between the two Congress stalwarts Sukh Ram and Virbhadra Singh had put the film city concept into cold storage.”

    In the meantime, Sneh, who has acted in scores of films like ‘Sister’ ‘Cinema-Cinema’, ‘Amman’, ‘Saiyan Magan Pahelwani Mein’ and ‘Jan-E- Alam’, started the Sneh Film Institution in Mandi town.

    For the past many years owing to his poor financial condition, Sneh, an approved commentator of Doordarshan who gave commentaries for 150 films and programmes, moved to an accommodation offered by one of his sympathizers in Dal where he’s giving acting tips to village students free of cost.

    In 2021, he was struck with paralysis in half of his body.

    Sneh has written and directed at least 17 plays — some of the popular ones are ‘Shoonya’, ‘Kavita Kahani Ke Beech’ and ‘Paravartan’.

    Despite the popularity, the actor, who had directed one of the biggest Somalian English movie titled ‘The Somali Darvish’ featuring multilingual artists from 16 countries, says he remains forgotten by the film industry.

    “Marne ke baad meri laash ko natak me istemal kar liya jaye (After my death, my body should be used in a drama),” he added.

    Local social activist Hem Singh Thakur told IANS that Sneh’s health deteriorated after his second Covid-19 vaccination.

    “There are many health problems. He needs proper medical examination. He needs financial help too for his day-to-day expenses,” he said.

    “Before death, Amar Sneh-ji wants to contribute to society by sharing his versatile experience with the youth,” Thakur, a journalist-turned-activist, added.

    A team from the district administration led by sub-divisional magistrate Raman Sharma on Thursday called on Sneh in his village and assured him of some financial assistance from the government.

    “We have got information from social media that such a big personality is living in our area,” Sharma told IANS.

    Overwhelmed by the arrival of the official team at his doorstep, Sneh said all this was possible only in Himachal Pradesh.

    Sneh presented a copy of his stories collection to the SDM. On this occasion, he also wrote an emotional poem.

    “How can I live, give me a new face to live. I fell far, far away from myself. If someone leaves me, then bring me to myself.” (Translated from his couplets in Hindi)

    MANDI: Writer, director and actor Amar Sneh who directed the historical Somalian movie ‘The Somali Darvish’ some 38 years ago, has been spending life battling penury with multiple health issues far from the limelight.

    Sneh, 70, is struggling to make ends meet in a rented accommodation at Dal village in Gohar subdivision, some 30 km from Mandi.

    When IANS got in touch with the film actor and director, he rued that he’s a forgotten star with no assistance from anyone when he’s struggling to meet his basic needs, either from the film industry or the government.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); });

    Narrating his tale of woe, Sneh, who has worked in films, television, radio and the stage as a writer, director and actor, said he came to Himachal Pradesh to set up a film city on the assurance of late veteran Congress leader and former Union telecom minister Pandit Sukh Ram, who belonged to Mandi town.

    “I also met the late Virbhadra Singh several times when he was the Chief Minister and he assured me of government help in setting up an acting school,” he said, adding “the political rivalry between the two Congress stalwarts Sukh Ram and Virbhadra Singh had put the film city concept into cold storage.”

    In the meantime, Sneh, who has acted in scores of films like ‘Sister’ ‘Cinema-Cinema’, ‘Amman’, ‘Saiyan Magan Pahelwani Mein’ and ‘Jan-E- Alam’, started the Sneh Film Institution in Mandi town.

    For the past many years owing to his poor financial condition, Sneh, an approved commentator of Doordarshan who gave commentaries for 150 films and programmes, moved to an accommodation offered by one of his sympathizers in Dal where he’s giving acting tips to village students free of cost.

    In 2021, he was struck with paralysis in half of his body.

    Sneh has written and directed at least 17 plays — some of the popular ones are ‘Shoonya’, ‘Kavita Kahani Ke Beech’ and ‘Paravartan’.

    Despite the popularity, the actor, who had directed one of the biggest Somalian English movie titled ‘The Somali Darvish’ featuring multilingual artists from 16 countries, says he remains forgotten by the film industry.

    “Marne ke baad meri laash ko natak me istemal kar liya jaye (After my death, my body should be used in a drama),” he added.

    Local social activist Hem Singh Thakur told IANS that Sneh’s health deteriorated after his second Covid-19 vaccination.

    “There are many health problems. He needs proper medical examination. He needs financial help too for his day-to-day expenses,” he said.

    “Before death, Amar Sneh-ji wants to contribute to society by sharing his versatile experience with the youth,” Thakur, a journalist-turned-activist, added.

    A team from the district administration led by sub-divisional magistrate Raman Sharma on Thursday called on Sneh in his village and assured him of some financial assistance from the government.

    “We have got information from social media that such a big personality is living in our area,” Sharma told IANS.

    Overwhelmed by the arrival of the official team at his doorstep, Sneh said all this was possible only in Himachal Pradesh.

    Sneh presented a copy of his stories collection to the SDM. On this occasion, he also wrote an emotional poem.

    “How can I live, give me a new face to live. I fell far, far away from myself. If someone leaves me, then bring me to myself.” (Translated from his couplets in Hindi)

  • ‘Forgotten star’: Director of epic Somalian movie battling penury, health issues in Himachal

    By IANS

    MANDI: Writer, director and actor Amar Sneh who directed the historical Somalian movie ‘The Somali Darvish’ some 38 years ago, has been spending life battling penury with multiple health issues far from the limelight.

    Sneh, 70, is struggling to make ends meet in a rented accommodation at Dal village in Gohar subdivision, some 30 km from Mandi.

    When IANS got in touch with the film actor and director, he rued that he’s a forgotten star with no assistance from anyone when he’s struggling to meet his basic needs, either from the film industry or the government.

    Narrating his tale of woe, Sneh, who has worked in films, television, radio and the stage as a writer, director and actor, said he came to Himachal Pradesh to set up a film city on the assurance of late veteran Congress leader and former Union telecom minister Pandit Sukh Ram, who belonged to Mandi town.

    “I also met the late Virbhadra Singh several times when he was the Chief Minister and he assured me of government help in setting up an acting school,” he said, adding “the political rivalry between the two Congress stalwarts Sukh Ram and Virbhadra Singh had put the film city concept into cold storage.”

    In the meantime, Sneh, who has acted in scores of films like ‘Sister’ ‘Cinema-Cinema’, ‘Amman’, ‘Saiyan Magan Pahelwani Mein’ and ‘Jan-E- Alam’, started the Sneh Film Institution in Mandi town.

    For the past many years owing to his poor financial condition, Sneh, an approved commentator of Doordarshan who gave commentaries for 150 films and programmes, moved to an accommodation offered by one of his sympathizers in Dal where he’s giving acting tips to village students free of cost.

    In 2021, he was struck with paralysis in half of his body.

    Sneh has written and directed at least 17 plays — some of the popular ones are ‘Shoonya’, ‘Kavita Kahani Ke Beech’ and ‘Paravartan’.

    Despite the popularity, the actor, who had directed one of the biggest Somalian English movie titled ‘The Somali Darvish’ featuring multilingual artists from 16 countries, says he remains forgotten by the film industry.

    “Marne ke baad meri laash ko natak me istemal kar liya jaye (After my death, my body should be used in a drama),” he added.

    Local social activist Hem Singh Thakur told IANS that Sneh’s health deteriorated after his second Covid-19 vaccination.

    “There are many health problems. He needs proper medical examination. He needs financial help too for his day-to-day expenses,” he said.

    “Before death, Amar Sneh-ji wants to contribute to society by sharing his versatile experience with the youth,” Thakur, a journalist-turned-activist, added.

    A team from the district administration led by sub-divisional magistrate Raman Sharma on Thursday called on Sneh in his village and assured him of some financial assistance from the government.

    “We have got information from social media that such a big personality is living in our area,” Sharma told IANS.

    Overwhelmed by the arrival of the official team at his doorstep, Sneh said all this was possible only in Himachal Pradesh.

    Sneh presented a copy of his stories collection to the SDM. On this occasion, he also wrote an emotional poem.

    “How can I live, give me a new face to live. I fell far, far away from myself. If someone leaves me, then bring me to myself.” (Translated from his couplets in Hindi)

    MANDI: Writer, director and actor Amar Sneh who directed the historical Somalian movie ‘The Somali Darvish’ some 38 years ago, has been spending life battling penury with multiple health issues far from the limelight.

    Sneh, 70, is struggling to make ends meet in a rented accommodation at Dal village in Gohar subdivision, some 30 km from Mandi.

    When IANS got in touch with the film actor and director, he rued that he’s a forgotten star with no assistance from anyone when he’s struggling to meet his basic needs, either from the film industry or the government.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); });

    Narrating his tale of woe, Sneh, who has worked in films, television, radio and the stage as a writer, director and actor, said he came to Himachal Pradesh to set up a film city on the assurance of late veteran Congress leader and former Union telecom minister Pandit Sukh Ram, who belonged to Mandi town.

    “I also met the late Virbhadra Singh several times when he was the Chief Minister and he assured me of government help in setting up an acting school,” he said, adding “the political rivalry between the two Congress stalwarts Sukh Ram and Virbhadra Singh had put the film city concept into cold storage.”

    In the meantime, Sneh, who has acted in scores of films like ‘Sister’ ‘Cinema-Cinema’, ‘Amman’, ‘Saiyan Magan Pahelwani Mein’ and ‘Jan-E- Alam’, started the Sneh Film Institution in Mandi town.

    For the past many years owing to his poor financial condition, Sneh, an approved commentator of Doordarshan who gave commentaries for 150 films and programmes, moved to an accommodation offered by one of his sympathizers in Dal where he’s giving acting tips to village students free of cost.

    In 2021, he was struck with paralysis in half of his body.

    Sneh has written and directed at least 17 plays — some of the popular ones are ‘Shoonya’, ‘Kavita Kahani Ke Beech’ and ‘Paravartan’.

    Despite the popularity, the actor, who had directed one of the biggest Somalian English movie titled ‘The Somali Darvish’ featuring multilingual artists from 16 countries, says he remains forgotten by the film industry.

    “Marne ke baad meri laash ko natak me istemal kar liya jaye (After my death, my body should be used in a drama),” he added.

    Local social activist Hem Singh Thakur told IANS that Sneh’s health deteriorated after his second Covid-19 vaccination.

    “There are many health problems. He needs proper medical examination. He needs financial help too for his day-to-day expenses,” he said.

    “Before death, Amar Sneh-ji wants to contribute to society by sharing his versatile experience with the youth,” Thakur, a journalist-turned-activist, added.

    A team from the district administration led by sub-divisional magistrate Raman Sharma on Thursday called on Sneh in his village and assured him of some financial assistance from the government.

    “We have got information from social media that such a big personality is living in our area,” Sharma told IANS.

    Overwhelmed by the arrival of the official team at his doorstep, Sneh said all this was possible only in Himachal Pradesh.

    Sneh presented a copy of his stories collection to the SDM. On this occasion, he also wrote an emotional poem.

    “How can I live, give me a new face to live. I fell far, far away from myself. If someone leaves me, then bring me to myself.” (Translated from his couplets in Hindi)

  • ‘Star Wars’ movie in the works from ‘Watchmen’ producer Damon Lindelof

    By ANI

    WASHINGTON: ‘Watchmen’ producer Damon Lindelof is developing a new “Star Wars” movie for Lucasfilm, and the ‘Ms Marvel’ helmer, Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy is in talks to direct.

    According to Variety, Lindelof and an unnamed co-writer will collaborate on the next film. If the idea is approved, it will be his fourth attempt to revive a significant sci-fi brand.

    In addition to Lindelof’s innovative continuation of “Watchmen” for HBO in 2019 — for which he won Emmys for writing and limited series — Lindelof produced “Star Trek” in 2009, “Star Trek Into Darkness” in 2013, and “Prometheus,” the prequel to “Alien” in 2012.

    As per the reports of Variety, the project’s announcement comes as Lucasfilm faces a decision about “Star Wars.” Despite the studio’s live-action series for Disney+, such as “The Mandalorian,” “The Book of Boba Fett,” “Obi-Wan Kenobi,” and “Andor,” enjoying significant popularity, it hasn’t released a movie in theatres since 2019’s “The Rise of Skywalker.”

    According to Variety, Rogue Squadron was scheduled to be released in December 2023, and Patty Jenkins was announced as the film’s director in 2020. However, Disney removed the movie from its release schedule in September.

    Currently, only one undisclosed “Star Wars” picture has a release date; none of the other “Star Wars” film projects is in various stages of development and some from directors like Taika Waititi, Rian Johnson, and Kevin Feige, have even been formally revealed.

    Johnson recently revealed to Variety that his envisioned “Star Wars” trilogy is still in the works, but that he must first finish the production of his “Knives Out” films.

    Michael Waldron (“Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness”) revealed to Variety in May that he had begun writing a “Star Wars” story that Feige would produce. However, Waldron has already been hired to write “Avengers: Secret Wars,” so his dance card will get highly full.

    The short documentaries “Saving Face” and “A Girl in the River: The Price of Forgiveness” were directed by Obaid-Chinoy, a two-time Oscar winner. Most recently, she was the director of two episodes of “Ms Marvel” on Disney Plus.

    WASHINGTON: ‘Watchmen’ producer Damon Lindelof is developing a new “Star Wars” movie for Lucasfilm, and the ‘Ms Marvel’ helmer, Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy is in talks to direct.

    According to Variety, Lindelof and an unnamed co-writer will collaborate on the next film. If the idea is approved, it will be his fourth attempt to revive a significant sci-fi brand.

    In addition to Lindelof’s innovative continuation of “Watchmen” for HBO in 2019 — for which he won Emmys for writing and limited series — Lindelof produced “Star Trek” in 2009, “Star Trek Into Darkness” in 2013, and “Prometheus,” the prequel to “Alien” in 2012.

    As per the reports of Variety, the project’s announcement comes as Lucasfilm faces a decision about “Star Wars.” Despite the studio’s live-action series for Disney+, such as “The Mandalorian,” “The Book of Boba Fett,” “Obi-Wan Kenobi,” and “Andor,” enjoying significant popularity, it hasn’t released a movie in theatres since 2019’s “The Rise of Skywalker.”

    According to Variety, Rogue Squadron was scheduled to be released in December 2023, and Patty Jenkins was announced as the film’s director in 2020. However, Disney removed the movie from its release schedule in September.

    Currently, only one undisclosed “Star Wars” picture has a release date; none of the other “Star Wars” film projects is in various stages of development and some from directors like Taika Waititi, Rian Johnson, and Kevin Feige, have even been formally revealed.

    Johnson recently revealed to Variety that his envisioned “Star Wars” trilogy is still in the works, but that he must first finish the production of his “Knives Out” films.

    Michael Waldron (“Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness”) revealed to Variety in May that he had begun writing a “Star Wars” story that Feige would produce. However, Waldron has already been hired to write “Avengers: Secret Wars,” so his dance card will get highly full.

    The short documentaries “Saving Face” and “A Girl in the River: The Price of Forgiveness” were directed by Obaid-Chinoy, a two-time Oscar winner. Most recently, she was the director of two episodes of “Ms Marvel” on Disney Plus.

  • No ‘Waititi cut’ of ‘Thor: Love And Thunder’, confirms director Taika Waititi

    By IANS

    LOS ANGELES: ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’ has finally hit the theatres. Reportedly, there are calls for ‘#ReleaseTheWaititiCut’ among some viewers who would like to see an extended version of the Marvel Cinematic Universe entry.

    Director Taika Waititi, however, seems to have no interest in such a thing.

    “I’ve been thinking about director’s cuts,” Waititi told New Musical Express.

    “I watch director’s cuts of a lot of other directors. They suck. Director’s cuts are not good. Directors need to be controlled sometimes and if I was to say, ‘Ah you wanna watch my director’s cut? It’s four and a half hours long!’ It’s not good at four and a half hours.”

    “There’s a lot of cup-of-tea breaks in there, you don’t even have to pause it,” reports Variety.

    Exploring the prospect of alternate cuts of blockbuster films has become an essential practise among online fanbases in recent years, emboldened by Zack Snyder’s extended version of the DC Comics team-up ‘Justice League’, which saw the largely derided 2017 release reworked and elongated by reshot footage and scenes that were excluded from the original release.

    Variety reports that the new version titled Zack Snyder’s Justice League was released to HBO Max in the spring of 2021, drawing a much more enthusiastic response from viewers.

    Now, it’s become common practice to see fans clamour for directors’ cuts of films. Some fans have called for a director’s cut of 2016’s ‘Suicide Squad’, which was helmed by David Ayer.

    Even though Waititi was dismissive of the possibility of a ‘Waititi cut’ of Thor: Love and Thunder, the filmmaker still shared a few ideas of what his extended cut of the film would look like.

    “I’d say my cut would probably have a few more jokes in there,” he explained.

    “There might be a couple of deleted scenes but as I always say, a scene is deleted because it’s not good enough to be in the film.”

    “I think the deleted scenes section on the DVD, not that they use them anymore, should just be a list of the scenes and no links so you can’t click on them!”

  • ‘Black Panther’ director mistaken for bank robber in Atlanta

    By Associated Press

    ATLANTA:  Movie director Ryan Coogler was briefly handcuffed by Atlanta police after he was mistaken for a robber when he passed a teller a note while trying to withdraw a large amount of cash from his account, police said.

    The “Black Panther” director, who is Black, walked into a Bank of America branch on January 7th and passed the teller a withdrawal slip with a note written on the back asking her to “be discreet when handing him the cash,” according to a police report.

    He was trying to withdraw more than $10,000, and the teller “received an alert notification” on her computer and quickly alerted her manager that Coogler was trying to rob the bank, the report says. The bank employee is a Black woman, the report says.

    Police responding to the bank branch in the upscale Buckhead neighborhood saw a black Lexus SUV parked out front with the engine running. An officer talked to the male driver who said he was waiting for Coogler, who was inside the bank. A female passenger gave police the same information.

    A description of Coogler given by the driver matched the description of the man reported to have been trying to rob the bank, the report says. The officer detained both the driver and passenger in the back of a police vehicle but they were not placed in handcuffs.

    Two other officers had gone inside the bank and led Coogler out in handcuffs.  Body camera video released by police shows officers approaching Coogler from behind as he stands at the counter wearing a light gray hooded sweatshirt, a black cap, sunglasses, and a white mask. As an officer pulls his gun and another tells him to put his hands behind his back, Coogler says, “Whoa, whoa, what’s going on?”

    As he’s led from the bank, Coogler tells them he’s just trying to pull money out of his own account. Police determined the whole thing was a mistake by the teller and Coogler “was never in the wrong,” the report says The handcuffs were immediately removed and the other two people were released from the back of the patrol vehicle.

    Police can be seen on body camera video explaining to Coogler that they were responding to a call of a bank robbery and had to take appropriate precautions. Still sitting in the back of the police SUV, Coogler is seen on video looking down and shaking his head as the officer explains.

    Coogler explained to the officers that a medical assistant who works for him prefers to be paid in cash. When he withdraws a large sum to pay her, he said, he passes the teller a note because he doesn’t want the cash run through a money counter right there because it attracts attention and makes him feel unsafe.

    “I don’t know who made what call, who did what, but I just had guns drawn on me for taking money out of my own account,” Coogler told police.

    The teller never indicated there was a problem and when she went to talk to her manager, other bank employees kept asking if he was being taken care of, he told officers. The next thing he knew, he heard guns being pulled from their holsters.

    Another body camera video shows the teller explaining that Coogler gave her the withdrawal slip and after he inserted his debit card and asked to make a withdrawal, he pointed at the note instead of answering her questions. When she asked for his ID and he gave her a California ID, she said the transaction seemed odd and her “stomach started turning.”

    When her computer notified her that it was a high-risk transaction, she went to speak to her manager. When she explained Coogler wanted $12,000 and the transaction made her feel uncomfortable, her manager suggested going to talk to him, she told officers. But she refused because she was pregnant and did not know if he had a gun, she said. She called 911.

    “This situation should never have happened,” Coogler said in a statement to The New York Times, but he added that Bank of America “worked with me and addressed it to my satisfaction and we have moved on.”

    A representative for Coogler did not respond to messages from The Associated Press.

    “We deeply regret that this incident occurred. It should never have happened and we have apologized to Mr. Coogler,” a statement from Bank of America says.

    Released in 2018, the Marvel superhero film “Black Panther” became the year’s biggest film release, earning more than a billion dollars worldwide and inspiring “Wakanda Forever” salutes everywhere. The film was nominated for best picture; Coogler shared in honor as one of the film’s producers. Work on the sequel has been happening in Georgia. The film is scheduled for release in November 2022.

    While the director is best known for “Black Panther,” he also co-wrote the “Rocky” spinoff “Creed.” His breakout movie was writing and directing “Fruitvale Station,” about the last day of Oscar Grant, who was fatally shot by police in the Bay Area in 2009.

  • The recruitment of teachers will start soon, the education department wrote a letter to the director

    The process of recruitment of 14580 teachers is going to start in the country. School Education Department has issued directives in this regard to the Directorate of Public Education. According to the order issued by the School Education Department, the appointment of teachers will be done at the required vacant positions from 9th to 12th standard. In the first phase, teachers will be appointed for 9th, 10th, 11th and 12th only. The candidates selected for these posts have been asked to issue appointment orders. Separate appointment letters will be issued to the candidates. The seniority of the candidates to be appointed will be in the order of merit list of Vyapam. It will be mandatory for the appointed teachers to follow the instructions of the Finance Department regarding salary in the probation period.