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{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2019}}
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{{Infobox company
{{Infobox company
| name = Mediente Films International Pvt Ltd.
| name = Medient
| logo =
| logo =
| type = [[Privately held company|Private]]
| type = [[Privately held company|Private]]
| parent =
| parent =
| owner = Manu Kumaran
| owner = Manu Kumaran
| foundation = [[Hyderabad, India|Hyderabad]] in 2001
| foundation = 2002|
| location_country = United Kingdom
|
| key_people =
| location_country = Hyderabad, Telangana, India
| key_people =
| subsid =
| subsid =
| industry = [[Entertainment]]
| industry = [[Entertainment]]
| products = Film production<br />Television production<br /> New media
| products = Film Production<br />Television Production<br /> New Media<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.linkedin.com/company/arka-mediaworks-p-ltd|title=Arka Mediaworks P Ltd | publisher= linkedin.com |accessdate=24 February 2013}}</ref>
| revenue =
| revenue =
| operating_income =
| operating_income =
| homepage = [http://http://www.mediente.com/ Medienete]
| homepage = http://www.mediente.com
}}
}}
'''Mediente Films International Pvt Ltd.''' is an Indian film entertainment [[production company]] founded by film producer Manu Kumaran, a second-generation filmmaker and son of national award-winning filmmaker [[K. P. Kumaran]]. Known for making entertaining and socially relevant films in multiple languages for audiences around the globe, Mediente has produced Indie
films like Yellow, directed by [[Nick Cassavetes]] (starring Sienna Miller, Ray Liotta), [[Aakasha Gopuram]] (Mohanlal, Nithya Menen) and controversial films like ''Battle for Banaras'', a documentary on [[Narendra Modi]]’s Banaras elections that has been banned by the Indian censor board and [[Mr. Singh Mrs. Mehta]] which got stuck as well at the censor board due to nudity.


== INTRODUCTION ==
== History ==


===''A Band of Boys'' and ''Kiss Kis Ko''===
'''Mediente''' is a filmed entertainment [[production company]] founded by film producer
Manu Kumaran, a second-generation filmmaker and son of national award-winning
director K P Kumaran. Known for making entertaining and socially relevant films in
multiple languages for audiences around the globe, Mediente has produced indie
films like Yellow, directed by Nick Cassevetes (starring Sienna Miller, Ray Liotta),
Aakshagopuram (Mohanlal, Nithya Menen) and controversial films like Battle for
Banaras, a documentary on Narendra Modi’s Banaras elections that has been
banned by the censor board and Mr Singh Mrs Mehta which got stuck at the censor
board because of nudity.


Medient’s first project was a musical act. The company created A Band of Boys (ABOB), India’s first and only [[boy band]] and their debut album,<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.mtvindia.com/thebuzz/this-day-in-music/tdim-a-band-of-boys-released-their-1st-album-8th-aug-50243256.html|title=TDIM - A Band of Boys released their 1st album -8th Aug|work=mtvindia.com/|access-date=2017-09-21|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170922001925/http://www.mtvindia.com/thebuzz/this-day-in-music/tdim-a-band-of-boys-released-their-1st-album-8th-aug-50243256.html|archive-date=22 September 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref> Yeh Bhi Wo Bhi was released in 2002. The album sold over three lakh units and featured super-hit songs like Meri Neend, Gori and She Drives Me Crazy.
== HISTORY ==
Mediente’s first project was a musical act. The company created A Band of Boys
(ABOB), India’s first and only boy band and their debut album, Yeh Bhi Wo Bhi was
released in 2002. The album sold over three lakh units and featured super hit songs
like Meri Neend, Gori and She Drives Me Crazy.


Featuring [[Sudhanshu Pandey]], [[Sherrin Varghese]], Siddharth Haldipur and Chaitnya
Featuring [[Sudhanshu Pandey]], [[Sherrin Varghese]], Siddharth Haldipur and Chaitnya Bhosale, the band was selected from over 1,000 aspiring artists from all over India. It went through 18 months of rigorous training in all aspects of their performance and was launched through Musicurry Records in September 2002.
Bhosale, the band was selected from over 1,000 aspiring artists from all over India.
It went through 18 months of rigorous training in all aspects of their performance
and was launched through Musicurry Records in September 2002.


Nominated as MTV’s ‘Ubharta Sitara,’ ABOB was officially launched on one of the
Nominated as [[MTV]]’s ‘Ubharta Sitara,’ ABOB was officially launched on one of the biggest platforms ever in India: The MTV Music AIDS Summit, where over 20 of India’s top artistes were called to perform - from Colonial Cousins, Adnan Sami, Shaan, Sunita Rao, Euphoria, etc.
biggest platforms ever in this country – The MTV Music AIDS Summit, where over
20 of India’s top artistes were called to perform - from Colonial Cousins, Adnan
Sami, Shaan, Sunita Rao, Euphoria, etc.


In 2004 Mediente released its first film, Kiss Kis Ko.
In 2004 Mediente released its first film, Kiss Kis Ko.<ref>{{Citation|last=Sharan|first=Sharad|title=Kiss Kis Ko|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0447235/|others=Chaitanya Bhosle, Sherrin Verghese, Bhumika Puri|accessdate=2017-09-21}}</ref>


Loosely based on the lives of A Band of Boys, this fictionalised tale of their lives was
Loosely based on the lives of A Band of Boys, this fictionalised tale of their lives was shot in and around [[Bali]] and [[Jakarta]] and was directed by Sharad Sharan. Produced
shot in and around Bali and Jakarta and was directed by Sharad Sharan. Produced
by Manu Kumaran and Ram Punjabi, Kiss Kis Ko was released by Eros on October 29, 2014.
by Manu Kumaran and Ram Punjabi, Kiss Kis Ko was released by Eros on October
29, 2014.


===''Aakasha Gopuram'' and ''Tera Kya Hoga Johnny''===
In 2006, Mediente opened its production office in UK.


In 2008 Mediente released critically acclaimed Malayalam film Aakashagopuram.
In 2006, Mediente opened a production office in UK.
An adaptation of the Henrik Ibsen classic Master Builder, the film was directed by
KP Kumaran. Voted the best Malayalam film of 2008, 'Aakashgopuram' was both a
critical and commercial success. Selected for film festivals like IFFI Goa, and
International Film Festival of Kerala, it brought together the best of international
crew - from Nigel Holland (sound designer 'Batman Returns') to John Harvey (visual
effects 'Kingdom of Heaven') and featured music of John Altman ('Titanic).
Featuring Mohanlal in the lead role, the film marked the debut of Nithya Menen.
Considered a milestone in Malayalam cinema, Mid Day called Aakashagopuram ‘a
brilliant tale of theatrical magnanimity and intellectual prowess... movies like this
come once in a while.’


In 2008, Mediente released a critically acclaimed [[Malayalam film]], [[Aakasha Gopuram]]. An adaptation of the [[Henrik Ibsen]] classic Master Builder, the film was directed by K. P. Kumaran. Voted the best Malayalam film of 2008,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.filmibeat.com/malayalam/news/2008/top-malayalam-movies-2008-301208.html|title=Top Five Malayalam Movies of 2008|website=filmibeat|date=30 December 2008 }}</ref> Aakasha Gopuram was both a critical and commercial success, having been selected for film festivals like IFFI Goa, and the [[International Film Festival of Kerala]]. Featuring Mohanlal in the lead role, the film marked the debut of Nithya Menen. Considered a milestone in Malayalam cinema, ''Mid Day'' called Aakasha Gopuram “a brilliant tale of theatrical magnanimity and intellectual prowess... movies like this come once in a while.”
In 2009 Mediente produced Tera Kya Hoga Jonny. which was premiered at London
Film Festival. Directed by Sudhir Mishra, the film premiered at London Film Festival.
Dubbed as “The new Slumdog Millionaire” by Variety the film marked the
completion of Sudhir Mishra’s trilogy of films on life on the streets of Mumbai
(Dharavi & Chameli being the other two).


In 2009 Mediente produced ''[[Tera Kya Hoga Johnny]]''. which was premiered at the [[London Film Festival]]. Directed by [[Sudhir Mishra]], the film premiered at London Film Festival. Dubbed as "The new ''[[Slumdog Millionaire]]''" by ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]'' magazine, the film marked the completion of Sudhir Mishra’s trilogy of films on life on the streets of Mumbai (Dharavi & Chameli being the other two).
Starring Neil Nitin Mukhesh, Soha Ali Khan and Kay Kay Menon, the music of the
film was composed by Pankaj Awasthi and Ali Azmat. On January 10th 2010, ahead
of its theatrical release, the film was pirated and posted on Youtube.


Starring Neil Nitin Mukhesh, Soha Ali Khan and Kay Kay Menon, the music of the film was composed by Pankaj Awasthi and Ali Azmat. On January 10, 2010, ahead of its theatrical release, the film was pirated and posted on [[YouTube]].
In 2010, after a prolonged battle with the censor board over nudity, Mediente’s
next film Mr Singh Mrs Mehta was cleared for theatrical release. Starring Prashant
Narayanan and Aruna Shields, the film marked the directorial debut of Pravesh
Bhardwaj who also wrote the film. 60 Indian actresses refused the lead role of Neera
because of nudity before British actress Aruna Shields was cast in the role.
Internationally renowned and Grammy award nominated sitar player Shujaat
Hussain composed the music of the film.


===''Mr. Singh/Mrs. Mehta''===
Nikhat Kazmi in her review in The Times of India called the film ‘a rare experience.’
The adultery in the film she wrote ‘is dealt with a degree of understatement and
maturity, with a great music score (Ustad Shujat Hussain Khan and Sharang Dev) to
translate the emotional quotient on to the screen, makes it a decent watch.’


In 2010, after a prolonged battle with the censor board over nudity, Mediente’s next film, ''[[Mr. Singh Mrs. Mehta|Mr. Singh/Mrs. Mehta]]'' was cleared for theatrical release. Starring Prashant Narayanan and Aruna Shields, the film marked the directorial debut of Pravesh Bhardwaj who also wrote the film. 60 Indian actresses refused the lead role of Neera because of nudity before British actress Aruna Shields was cast in the role. Internationally renowned and [[Grammy award]]-nominated sitar player Shujaat Hussain composed the music of the film.
Mr Singh Mrs Mehta was premiered at PVR Juhu on June 24th 2010 and was
attended by industry stalwarts like Anil Kapoor, Satish Kaushik, Poonam Dhillion,
Padmini & Tejaswani Kolhapore, Shakti Kapoor, Vashu Bhagnani among others.


Nikhat Kazmi, in her review in ''[[The Times of India]]'' called the film ‘a rare experience.’ The adultery in the film she wrote ‘is dealt with a degree of understatement and maturity, with a great music score (Ustad Shujat Hussain Khan and Sharang Dev) to translate the emotional quotient on to the screen, makes it a decent watch.’
In 2012 Mediente produced Storage 24, its first film exclusively for western
audience. A British sci-fi horror film, the film starred BAFTA award winning actor
Noel Clarke (Dr Who, Brotherhood, Kidulthood) and was directed by Johannes
Roberts (47 Meters Down, The Other Side of the Door). The film was released by
Universal Pictures.


Mr Singh Mrs Mehta was premiered at PVR Juhu on June 24, 2010 and was attended by industry stalwarts like [[Anil Kapoor]], [[Satish Kaushik]], Poonam Dhillion, Padmini & Tejaswani Kolhapore, Shakti Kapoor, Vashu Bhagnani among others.
Jeremy Clarke from The Guardian in his review said, "Johannes Roberts'
warehouse-set monster flick is unexpectedly entertaining", giving the film four stars
out of five. Kim Newman from Empire gave the film three stars out of five and called
it "a superior British horror sci-fi."


===''Storage 24'' and ''Yellow''===
Yellow, an indie drama produced by Mediente and directed by Nick Cassavetes
(The Notebook) premiered at Toronto International Film Festival in 2012 to rave
reviews. Nikola Grozdanovic from Indiewire called Yelloa, ‘a daring and bold film
and just what the doctor ordered. Screen Daily declared the film ‘Destined for cult
status...’. Global Mail called it the film ‘a genre-bending, generational drama...’.


In 2012 Mediente produced ''[[Storage 24]]'', its first film exclusively for western audiences. A British sci-fi horror film, the film starred BAFTA award-winning actor [[Noel Clarke]] (Dr Who, Brotherhood, Kidulthood) and was directed by [[Johannes Roberts]] (''[[47 Meters Down]]'', ''[[The Other Side of the Door (2016 film)|The Other Side of the Door]]''). The film was released by [[Universal Pictures]].
Starring Sienna Miller, Ray Liotta, Melanie Griffith, Gena Rowlands, Riley Keough,
David Morse, Heather Wahlquist and Lucy Punch, the film was awarded ‘Best Film’
at the Catalina Film Festival in 2013. The film was in competition at Tokyo
International Film Festival (2012) and Sitges Film Festival and was official selection
at SXSW, Munich Film Festival, International Film Festival Of India, Seattle
International Film Festival, Deadcenter Film Festival, Florida Film Festival and
Brussels International Fantastic Film Festival.


Jeremy Clarke from ''[[The Guardian]]'' in his review said, "Johannes Roberts' warehouse-set monster flick is unexpectedly entertaining",<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2012/jun/28/storage-24-review|title=Storage 24 – review|last=Clarke|first=Jeremy|date=2012-06-28|work=The Guardian|access-date=2017-09-21|language=en-GB|issn=0261-3077}}</ref> giving the film four stars out of five. Kim Newman from Empire gave the film three stars out of five and called it "a superior British horror sci-fi."
In May 2014, Mediente began shooting the documentary Battle for Banaras in
Banaras that covered prime minister Narendra Modi’s Lok Sabha election and
captured the excitement, the madness and the noise behind the high- octane poll
battle in the holy city.


''[[Yellow (2012 film)|Yellow]]'', an indie drama produced by Mediente and directed by [[Nick Cassavetes]] (The Notebook) premiered at [[Toronto International Film Festival]] in 2012 to rave reviews. Nikola Grozdanovic from Indiewire called Yellow, ‘a daring and bold film and just what the doctor ordered.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.indiewire.com/2012/09/tiff-review-nick-cassavetes-yellow-is-daring-bold-and-just-what-the-doctor-ordered-106261/|title=Nick Cassavetes' 'Yellow' Is Daring, Bold And Just What The Doctor Ordered|date=10 September 2012 }}</ref> Screen Daily declared the film ‘Destined for cult status...’.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.screendaily.com/yellow/5046390.article|title=Yellow}}</ref> Global Mail called it the film ‘a genre-bending, generational drama...’.
Inspired by Nobel laureate Elias Canetti's book, 'Crowds and Power', Battle for
Banaras is directed by Kamal Swaroop and was shot in 4K, over a 44-day schedule
in Banaras. The film was screened in competition at the prestigious Cinema Du Reel
Film Festival, one of the most respected documentary film festivals in the world in
2016.


Starring [[Sienna Miller]], [[Ray Liotta]], [[Melanie Griffith]], [[Gena Rowlands]], [[Riley Keough]], [[David Morse (actor)|David Morse]], [[Heather Wahlquist]] and [[Lucy Punch]], the film was awarded ‘Best Film’ at the [[Catalina Film Festival]] in 2013. The film was in competition at [[Tokyo International Film Festival]] (2012) and [[Sitges Film Festival]] and was official selection at SXSW, [[Munich Film Festival]], [[International Film Festival of India|International Film Festival Of India]], [[Seattle International Film Festival]], [[DeadCENTER Film Festival|Deadcenter Film Festival]], [[Florida Film Festival]] and [[Brussels International Fantastic Film Festival]].
The documentary was screened for the censor board on August 27th 2015. It was
officially invited to play at the 17th Jio Mami Mumbai Film Festival but the invitation
was withdrawn in the absence of clarity on the censor certificate. After a radio
silence, the censor board on 17th October 2015refused to grant censor certificate
on the grounds that the release of the film may cause communal disharmony unrest
and disturbance.


===''Battle of Banaras''===
“The theme is full of hate speeches/inflammatory speeches given by all the leaders
falls on different cast, communal talks, derogatory remarks,” states the letter. The
censor certificate has been denied under guidelines section 2(xii), (xvii), (xiii), (xviii)”.


In May 2014, Mediente began shooting the documentary ''Battle for Banaras'' in [[Banaras]] that covered prime minister Narendra Modi’s [[Lok Sabha]] election and captured the excitement, the madness and the noise behind the high-octane poll battle in the holy city.
The producers then approached FCAT. In its 4th April 2016 order, the tribunal
upheld the censor board’s decision to ban the documentary.


Inspired by Nobel laureate [[Elias Canetti|Elias Canetti's]] book, '[[Crowds and Power]]', ''Battle for Banaras'' is directed by [[Kamal Swaroop]] and was shot in [[4K resolution|4K]], over a 44-day schedule in Banaras. The film was screened in competition at the prestigious [[Cinéma du Réel|Cinema Du Reel Film Festival]], one of the most respected documentary film festivals in the world, in 2016.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.cinemadureel.org/en/archives/programme-2016/international-competition/the-battle-for-banaras|title=The Battle for Banaras by Kamal Swaroop}}</ref>
Manu Kumaran, the producer of the documentary moved the Delhi High Court on
Tuesday 31st May, 2016 against Central board of certification and Film Certification
Appellate Tribunal (FCAT) decision not to grant certificate to the documentary.


The documentary was screened for the censor board on August 27, 2015. It was officially invited to play at the 17th Jio Mami [[Mumbai Film Festival]] but the invitation was withdrawn in the absence of clarity on the censor certificate. After a radio silence, the censor board on 17 October 2015 refused to grant censor certificate on the grounds that the release of the film may cause communal disharmony, unrest, and disturbance.
The writ petition argued that Impugned order dated April 4th of FCAT (upholding
censor board’s ruling) is arbitrary, unreasonable and infringes on Manu Kumaran’s
fundamental rights. It seeks quashing of the order and direction from the
honourable court to the respondents to sanction and issue a certificate for universal
viewing and public exhibition of the film. Ashim Sood has filed the writ on behalf of
Kumaran.


"The theme is full of hate speeches/inflammatory speeches given by all the leaders falls on different cast, communal talks, derogatory remarks," states the letter. The
The judgement is expected.
censor certificate has been denied under guidelines section 2(xii), (xvii), (xiii), (xviii)".<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/hindi/bollywood/news/The-fight-over-Dance-of-Democracy-Battle-for-Banaras-reaches-court/articleshow/52617153.cms|title=The fight over 'Dance of Democracy ' Battle for Banaras' reaches court|date=Jan 28, 2017|work=times of india}}</ref>


The producers then approached FCAT. In its 4 April 2016 order, the tribunal upheld the censor board’s decision to ban the documentary.
Mediente is remaking the hit Hindi film Queen in Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and

Malayalam. The Kannada version was launched in Bangalore on 7th June, 2017 on
Manu Kumaran, the producer of the documentary moved the [[Delhi High Court]] on Tuesday 31 May 2016 against the Central Board of Certification and the Film Certification
actress Parul Yadav’s birthday, who is also essaying the lead role. Amy Jackson has
Appellate Tribunal (FCAT) decision not to grant a certificate to the documentary.
been shortlisted to essay role played by Lisa Hayden in original in all the four

languages. Ramesh Aravind is directing the Kannada and Tamil versions of the film.
The writ petition argued that the impugned order dated 4 April of FCAT (upholding censor board’s ruling) is arbitrary, unreasonable and infringes on Manu Kumaran’s fundamental rights. It seeks quashing of the order and direction from the honourable court to the respondents to sanction and issue a certificate for universalviewing and public exhibition of the film. Ashim Sood has filed the writ on behalf of Kumaran. The judgement is expected.
Mamta Sagar is the dialogue writer for Kannada version while Tamil dialogues are

===''Queen'' remake===

Mediente is remaking the hit Hindi film [[Queen (2014 film)|Queen]] in [[Tamil language|Tamil]], Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam. The Kannada version was launched in Bangalore on 7 June 2017<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.thenewsminute.com/article/parul-yadav-begins-shooting-butterfly-kannada-remake-queen-63334|title=Parul Yadav begins shooting for 'Butterfly', Kannada remake of 'Queen'|date=2017-06-08|work=The News Minute|access-date=2017-09-21}}</ref> on actress [[Parul Yadav|Parul Yadav’s]] birthday, who is also essaying the lead role. [[Amy Jackson]] has been shortlisted to essay role played by [[Lisa Haydon|Lisa Hayden]] in original in all the four languages. [[Ramesh Aravind filmography|Ramesh Aravind]] is directing the Kannada and Tamil versions of the film. Mamta Sagar is the dialogue writer for Kannada version while Tamil dialogues are
being written by T Sumathy.
being written by T Sumathy.

== List of films==

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! S.No !! Name !! Year !! Director
|-
| 1|| Kiss Kis Ko || 2004 || Sharad Sharan
|-
| 2 || Yaad || 2005 || Naman Ramachandran
|-
| 3 || Arranged Marriage || 2005 || Shiv Subrahmanyam
|-
| 4 || Bombil and Beatrice || 2007|| Kaizad Gustad
|-
| 5 || Thoondil || 2008 || K S Adhiyaman
|-
| 6 || Aakasha Gopuram || 2008 || K.P. Kumaran
|-
| 7 || Tera Hya Hoga Johnny || 2010 || Sudhir Mishra
|-
| 8 || Garp|| 2010|| Emre Mirza
|-
| 9 || Mr. Singh Mrs. Mehta || 2010 || Pravesh Bhardwaj
|-
| 10 ||Storage 24|| 2012 || Johannes Roberts
|-
| 11 || Yellow || 2012 || Nick Cassevetes
|-
| 12 || Battle of Banaras || 2015 || Kamal Swaroop
|-
| 14 || That is Mahalakshmi || 2019 ||Prasanth Varma
|-
| 13
|Butterfly
|2020
|Ramesh Aravind
|}


==References==
==References==
{{reflist}}
{{reflist}}


==External links==
*
* {{official website|www.mediente.com}}
*
* IMDB: [[imdbcompany:0478943|Medient Studios]]
*

*
[[Category:Film production companies of India]]
[[Category:Mass media companies established in 2002]]
[[Category:Privately held companies of India]]

Latest revision as of 19:41, 3 July 2024

Mediente Films International Pvt Ltd.
Company typePrivate
IndustryEntertainment
Founded2002
Headquarters
United Kingdom
ProductsFilm production
Television production
New media
OwnerManu Kumaran
Websitehttp://www.mediente.com

Mediente Films International Pvt Ltd. is an Indian film entertainment production company founded by film producer Manu Kumaran, a second-generation filmmaker and son of national award-winning filmmaker K. P. Kumaran. Known for making entertaining and socially relevant films in multiple languages for audiences around the globe, Mediente has produced Indie films like Yellow, directed by Nick Cassavetes (starring Sienna Miller, Ray Liotta), Aakasha Gopuram (Mohanlal, Nithya Menen) and controversial films like Battle for Banaras, a documentary on Narendra Modi’s Banaras elections that has been banned by the Indian censor board and Mr. Singh Mrs. Mehta which got stuck as well at the censor board due to nudity.

History

[edit]

A Band of Boys and Kiss Kis Ko

[edit]

Medient’s first project was a musical act. The company created A Band of Boys (ABOB), India’s first and only boy band and their debut album,[1] Yeh Bhi Wo Bhi was released in 2002. The album sold over three lakh units and featured super-hit songs like Meri Neend, Gori and She Drives Me Crazy.

Featuring Sudhanshu Pandey, Sherrin Varghese, Siddharth Haldipur and Chaitnya Bhosale, the band was selected from over 1,000 aspiring artists from all over India. It went through 18 months of rigorous training in all aspects of their performance and was launched through Musicurry Records in September 2002.

Nominated as MTV’s ‘Ubharta Sitara,’ ABOB was officially launched on one of the biggest platforms ever in India: The MTV Music AIDS Summit, where over 20 of India’s top artistes were called to perform - from Colonial Cousins, Adnan Sami, Shaan, Sunita Rao, Euphoria, etc.

In 2004 Mediente released its first film, Kiss Kis Ko.[2]

Loosely based on the lives of A Band of Boys, this fictionalised tale of their lives was shot in and around Bali and Jakarta and was directed by Sharad Sharan. Produced by Manu Kumaran and Ram Punjabi, Kiss Kis Ko was released by Eros on October 29, 2014.

Aakasha Gopuram and Tera Kya Hoga Johnny

[edit]

In 2006, Mediente opened a production office in UK.

In 2008, Mediente released a critically acclaimed Malayalam film, Aakasha Gopuram. An adaptation of the Henrik Ibsen classic Master Builder, the film was directed by K. P. Kumaran. Voted the best Malayalam film of 2008,[3] Aakasha Gopuram was both a critical and commercial success, having been selected for film festivals like IFFI Goa, and the International Film Festival of Kerala. Featuring Mohanlal in the lead role, the film marked the debut of Nithya Menen. Considered a milestone in Malayalam cinema, Mid Day called Aakasha Gopuram “a brilliant tale of theatrical magnanimity and intellectual prowess... movies like this come once in a while.”

In 2009 Mediente produced Tera Kya Hoga Johnny. which was premiered at the London Film Festival. Directed by Sudhir Mishra, the film premiered at London Film Festival. Dubbed as "The new Slumdog Millionaire" by Variety magazine, the film marked the completion of Sudhir Mishra’s trilogy of films on life on the streets of Mumbai (Dharavi & Chameli being the other two).

Starring Neil Nitin Mukhesh, Soha Ali Khan and Kay Kay Menon, the music of the film was composed by Pankaj Awasthi and Ali Azmat. On January 10, 2010, ahead of its theatrical release, the film was pirated and posted on YouTube.

Mr. Singh/Mrs. Mehta

[edit]

In 2010, after a prolonged battle with the censor board over nudity, Mediente’s next film, Mr. Singh/Mrs. Mehta was cleared for theatrical release. Starring Prashant Narayanan and Aruna Shields, the film marked the directorial debut of Pravesh Bhardwaj who also wrote the film. 60 Indian actresses refused the lead role of Neera because of nudity before British actress Aruna Shields was cast in the role. Internationally renowned and Grammy award-nominated sitar player Shujaat Hussain composed the music of the film.

Nikhat Kazmi, in her review in The Times of India called the film ‘a rare experience.’ The adultery in the film she wrote ‘is dealt with a degree of understatement and maturity, with a great music score (Ustad Shujat Hussain Khan and Sharang Dev) to translate the emotional quotient on to the screen, makes it a decent watch.’

Mr Singh Mrs Mehta was premiered at PVR Juhu on June 24, 2010 and was attended by industry stalwarts like Anil Kapoor, Satish Kaushik, Poonam Dhillion, Padmini & Tejaswani Kolhapore, Shakti Kapoor, Vashu Bhagnani among others.

Storage 24 and Yellow

[edit]

In 2012 Mediente produced Storage 24, its first film exclusively for western audiences. A British sci-fi horror film, the film starred BAFTA award-winning actor Noel Clarke (Dr Who, Brotherhood, Kidulthood) and was directed by Johannes Roberts (47 Meters Down, The Other Side of the Door). The film was released by Universal Pictures.

Jeremy Clarke from The Guardian in his review said, "Johannes Roberts' warehouse-set monster flick is unexpectedly entertaining",[4] giving the film four stars out of five. Kim Newman from Empire gave the film three stars out of five and called it "a superior British horror sci-fi."

Yellow, an indie drama produced by Mediente and directed by Nick Cassavetes (The Notebook) premiered at Toronto International Film Festival in 2012 to rave reviews. Nikola Grozdanovic from Indiewire called Yellow, ‘a daring and bold film and just what the doctor ordered.[5] Screen Daily declared the film ‘Destined for cult status...’.[6] Global Mail called it the film ‘a genre-bending, generational drama...’.

Starring Sienna Miller, Ray Liotta, Melanie Griffith, Gena Rowlands, Riley Keough, David Morse, Heather Wahlquist and Lucy Punch, the film was awarded ‘Best Film’ at the Catalina Film Festival in 2013. The film was in competition at Tokyo International Film Festival (2012) and Sitges Film Festival and was official selection at SXSW, Munich Film Festival, International Film Festival Of India, Seattle International Film Festival, Deadcenter Film Festival, Florida Film Festival and Brussels International Fantastic Film Festival.

Battle of Banaras

[edit]

In May 2014, Mediente began shooting the documentary Battle for Banaras in Banaras that covered prime minister Narendra Modi’s Lok Sabha election and captured the excitement, the madness and the noise behind the high-octane poll battle in the holy city.

Inspired by Nobel laureate Elias Canetti's book, 'Crowds and Power', Battle for Banaras is directed by Kamal Swaroop and was shot in 4K, over a 44-day schedule in Banaras. The film was screened in competition at the prestigious Cinema Du Reel Film Festival, one of the most respected documentary film festivals in the world, in 2016.[7]

The documentary was screened for the censor board on August 27, 2015. It was officially invited to play at the 17th Jio Mami Mumbai Film Festival but the invitation was withdrawn in the absence of clarity on the censor certificate. After a radio silence, the censor board on 17 October 2015 refused to grant censor certificate on the grounds that the release of the film may cause communal disharmony, unrest, and disturbance.

"The theme is full of hate speeches/inflammatory speeches given by all the leaders falls on different cast, communal talks, derogatory remarks," states the letter. The censor certificate has been denied under guidelines section 2(xii), (xvii), (xiii), (xviii)".[8]

The producers then approached FCAT. In its 4 April 2016 order, the tribunal upheld the censor board’s decision to ban the documentary.

Manu Kumaran, the producer of the documentary moved the Delhi High Court on Tuesday 31 May 2016 against the Central Board of Certification and the Film Certification Appellate Tribunal (FCAT) decision not to grant a certificate to the documentary.

The writ petition argued that the impugned order dated 4 April of FCAT (upholding censor board’s ruling) is arbitrary, unreasonable and infringes on Manu Kumaran’s fundamental rights. It seeks quashing of the order and direction from the honourable court to the respondents to sanction and issue a certificate for universalviewing and public exhibition of the film. Ashim Sood has filed the writ on behalf of Kumaran. The judgement is expected.

Queen remake

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Mediente is remaking the hit Hindi film Queen in Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam. The Kannada version was launched in Bangalore on 7 June 2017[9] on actress Parul Yadav’s birthday, who is also essaying the lead role. Amy Jackson has been shortlisted to essay role played by Lisa Hayden in original in all the four languages. Ramesh Aravind is directing the Kannada and Tamil versions of the film. Mamta Sagar is the dialogue writer for Kannada version while Tamil dialogues are being written by T Sumathy.

List of films

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S.No Name Year Director
1 Kiss Kis Ko 2004 Sharad Sharan
2 Yaad 2005 Naman Ramachandran
3 Arranged Marriage 2005 Shiv Subrahmanyam
4 Bombil and Beatrice 2007 Kaizad Gustad
5 Thoondil 2008 K S Adhiyaman
6 Aakasha Gopuram 2008 K.P. Kumaran
7 Tera Hya Hoga Johnny 2010 Sudhir Mishra
8 Garp 2010 Emre Mirza
9 Mr. Singh Mrs. Mehta 2010 Pravesh Bhardwaj
10 Storage 24 2012 Johannes Roberts
11 Yellow 2012 Nick Cassevetes
12 Battle of Banaras 2015 Kamal Swaroop
14 That is Mahalakshmi 2019 Prasanth Varma
13 Butterfly 2020 Ramesh Aravind

References

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  1. ^ "TDIM - A Band of Boys released their 1st album -8th Aug". mtvindia.com/. Archived from the original on 22 September 2017. Retrieved 21 September 2017.
  2. ^ Sharan, Sharad, Kiss Kis Ko, Chaitanya Bhosle, Sherrin Verghese, Bhumika Puri, retrieved 21 September 2017
  3. ^ "Top Five Malayalam Movies of 2008". filmibeat. 30 December 2008.
  4. ^ Clarke, Jeremy (28 June 2012). "Storage 24 – review". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 21 September 2017.
  5. ^ "Nick Cassavetes' 'Yellow' Is Daring, Bold And Just What The Doctor Ordered". 10 September 2012.
  6. ^ "Yellow".
  7. ^ "The Battle for Banaras by Kamal Swaroop".
  8. ^ "The fight over 'Dance of Democracy ' Battle for Banaras' reaches court". times of india. 28 January 2017.
  9. ^ "Parul Yadav begins shooting for 'Butterfly', Kannada remake of 'Queen'". The News Minute. 8 June 2017. Retrieved 21 September 2017.
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