Lamhaa banned in Middle East

Rahul Dholakia's Lamhaa starring Sanjay Dutt and Bipasha Basu has been banned in the Middle East.

Apparently, the censor boards of the Middle Eastern countries have found the film too hot to handle, as it is set against the backdrop of terrorism in Kashmir.

Dutt tweets, "First the premiere of Lamhaa was not allowed in Kashmir. Now the Middle East puts a ban on the release of the film in their countries."

Is Aishwarya being mocked in 'Lamhaa'?

A dialogue mentioning Aishwarya Rai in the promos of upcoming film 'Lamhaa' has caught the attention of many. But producer Bunty Walia and director Rahul Dholakia clarify that it does not mock her.

Veteran actor Anupam Kher, who plays a Kashmiri separatist leader in the film, says in one scene: "When Aishwarya Rai is unable to see the moon, it makes news. But why doesn't the media report the plight of those thousands of Kashmiri wives who haven’t seen their husbands for years?"

This dialogue has raised eyebrows. But Dholakia says: "The dialogue in the film by the separatist leaders uses Mrs. Rai Bachchan as a metaphor to the Bollywood centric media who prefer covering the personal lives of icons instead of covering the real life poignant stories of Kashmiri half-widows. The comment is not a slur or an attack on the actress in anyway," Dholakia said.

"The purpose of the scene was never intended to mock Aishwarya Rai. We would never do anything to hurt anyone's sentiments," said Bunty Walia.

Produced by GS Entertainment and distributed by PVR Pictures, 'Lamhaa' is set in Kashmir and stars Sanjay Dutt, Bipasha Basu, Kunal Kapoor and Anupam Kher. The movie, releasing on July 16, deals with the life of Kashmiris in the valley.

First Look: Lamhaa

Sanjay Dutt is back in Kashmir and this time there’s a lot more at stake in Rahul Dholakia’s Lamhaa.

The story of Lamhaa goes as such that an unknown company who is generating millions of unaccountable dollars, benefiting politicians and bureaucrats in the Indian and Pakistani intelligence, is likely to disrupt and possibly paralyze Kashmir.

Thus, Vikram (Sanjay Dutt), an undercover intelligence officer, is sent to investigate this highly confidential mission using the identity of Gul Jehangir. The same day that he lands in the valley, Haji (Anupam Kher) a top separatist leader, survives a blast, leaving Vikam to wonder whether there is connection between the blast and the operation.

To solve this conundrum, Vikram teams up with Aziza (Bipasha Basu), Haji’s young, aggressive and outspoken protégé. They embark together on a journey full of intrigue, suspicion, betrayal and danger, to uncover the truth. Vikram and Aziza exposes the dirty secrets of a state’s fight for freedom, the corrupt nexus of politicians, intelligence, militancy and the crucification of idealistic and passionate people.

Also starring Kunal Kapoor, Yashpal Sharma in crucial roles, the film is bound to be a explosive expose and we cant wait to see Sanju Baba in a whole new avatar.

Lamhaa - First Look

Sanjay Dutt-Bipasha film waiting for buyers

Many films under production now are lying unsold thanks to the recession and the stand-off between producers and multiplex owners over revenue-sharing.

Director Rahul Dholakia's Kashmir saga "Lamhaa" is one such big budget movie that is waiting for buyers. So its producer is now sending a trailer to distributors across India.

Despite having stars like Sanjay Dutt, Bipasha Basu and Kunal Kapoor, "Lamhaa" has found no takers yet. But producer Bunty Walia has found a unique way of selling his film - he has put together a six-minute trailer of "Lamhaa", which he will now send to 30 distributors across the country.

Walia hopes the trailer would convince distributors to invest in the film.

"I know this is a very unorthodox way of selling a film. But do we have a choice? Gone are the days when we producers wouldn't show a frame of our films to distributors until it was complete," a troubled Walia said.

Walia flew to Goa, where Sanjay is shooting, with his six-minute trailer show reel and got the actor's approval.

"Sanju loved it. Nothing is being done without his approval. Sanju is the backbone of 'Lamhaa'. He grew a beard specially for the film. Then kept it right until the end. He shaved off the beard on the day he left for Lucknow to campaign for the Samajwadi Party," the producer added.

Apparently Sanjay is taking a keen interest in the completion, sale and marketing of his films. Several of his films including Zee's "Chatur Singh 2 Star" and "Lamhaa" are yet to find buyers.

Walia, however, says it's only a matter of time.

"The break that he took sent out wrong signals to the market. Now that he's back full-swing the market knows Sanju is here for good. See, content is king. And if you've a film with a high content then you've nothing to worry about."