Los Angeles-based Flourishing Films has boarded Singapore- and India-based Mumba Devi Motion Pictures’ “Grand Sugar Daddy” and “Not Today” at the Cannes Film Festival’s market.
Flourishing is focused on expanding access to Black, diverse and female-driven filmed content originating from the U.S., Africa, the U.K. and worldwide. Mumba Devi, headed by producer Sweta Chhabria and producer-director Aditya Kripalani, makes issue-based films focusing on stories that are mostly to do with gender and burning topics like suicide prevention and mental health. The outfit makes it a point to minimize the male gaze by bringing on board heads of department who are all women.
The Singapore-set film “Grand Sugar Daddy” follows a 70-year-old widower who is introduced to the world of Sugar Daddies and Sugar Babies. The film traces his conversations with a Singaporean Chinese woman, an Indian woman and a transgender Malay.
In “Not Today,” a 24-year-old woman...
Flourishing is focused on expanding access to Black, diverse and female-driven filmed content originating from the U.S., Africa, the U.K. and worldwide. Mumba Devi, headed by producer Sweta Chhabria and producer-director Aditya Kripalani, makes issue-based films focusing on stories that are mostly to do with gender and burning topics like suicide prevention and mental health. The outfit makes it a point to minimize the male gaze by bringing on board heads of department who are all women.
The Singapore-set film “Grand Sugar Daddy” follows a 70-year-old widower who is introduced to the world of Sugar Daddies and Sugar Babies. The film traces his conversations with a Singaporean Chinese woman, an Indian woman and a transgender Malay.
In “Not Today,” a 24-year-old woman...
- 5/17/2024
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
Singapore and India-based Mumba Devi Motion Pictures is screening two films at Berlin’s European Film Market (EFM) and has unveiled a slate of future titles.
The company, headed by producer Sweta Chhabria and producer-director Aditya Kripalani, makes issue-based films focusing on stories that are mostly to do with gender and burning topics like suicide prevention and mental health. The outfit makes it a point to minimize the male gaze by bringing on board heads of department who are all women.
Kripalani and Chhabria’s just-completed Singapore-set film “Grand Sugar Daddy,” which has its market premiere at EFM on Feb. 18, follows a 70-year-old widower who is introduced to the world of Sugar Daddies and Sugar Babies. The film traces his conversations with a Singaporean Chinese woman, an Indian woman and a transgender Malay.
Also showing at EFM on Feb. 18 is “Not Today” that follows a 24-year-old Muslim woman who works...
The company, headed by producer Sweta Chhabria and producer-director Aditya Kripalani, makes issue-based films focusing on stories that are mostly to do with gender and burning topics like suicide prevention and mental health. The outfit makes it a point to minimize the male gaze by bringing on board heads of department who are all women.
Kripalani and Chhabria’s just-completed Singapore-set film “Grand Sugar Daddy,” which has its market premiere at EFM on Feb. 18, follows a 70-year-old widower who is introduced to the world of Sugar Daddies and Sugar Babies. The film traces his conversations with a Singaporean Chinese woman, an Indian woman and a transgender Malay.
Also showing at EFM on Feb. 18 is “Not Today” that follows a 24-year-old Muslim woman who works...
- 2/18/2023
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
Author and Indie filmmaker Aditya Kripalani is the first Indian filmmaker to be invited as the jury at the Asian Film Festival of Barcelona 2021. His film ‘Not Today’ based on suicide prevention starring Harsh Chhaya and Rucha Inamdar has officially released in Spain on Ott platform Filmin. It is also officially selected for the […]...
- 12/14/2021
- by Glamsham Bureau
- GlamSham
Popular Marathi actress Priya Bapat will begin shooting for independent filmmaker Aditya Kripalani's upcoming film in February in Singapore.
The film, "Father Like", also stars Singaporean actor Lee Huat.
"'Father Like' is a film of a 38-year-old woman who is looking for her father. A taxi driver helps her in that. For me, the film is much more than just finding her own father, it's more about finding herself, her roots and a lot more," she said.
"I'm very happy to be a part of this film not because of the fact that I'm going to get to work with Aditya, but also because I really love his process, the way he approaches actors and the amount of investment and involvement he has in his projects, is extraordinary. Also, another interesting thing is that this is going to be my first English film to be shot abroad. I am looking forward to playing Sara,...
The film, "Father Like", also stars Singaporean actor Lee Huat.
"'Father Like' is a film of a 38-year-old woman who is looking for her father. A taxi driver helps her in that. For me, the film is much more than just finding her own father, it's more about finding herself, her roots and a lot more," she said.
"I'm very happy to be a part of this film not because of the fact that I'm going to get to work with Aditya, but also because I really love his process, the way he approaches actors and the amount of investment and involvement he has in his projects, is extraordinary. Also, another interesting thing is that this is going to be my first English film to be shot abroad. I am looking forward to playing Sara,...
- 1/8/2021
- by Glamsham Editorial
- GlamSham
Independent filmmaker Aditya Kripalani has opened up on his idea of feminism.
"For me feminism is about equality. It has also become now about women understanding male conditioning and how it works, just as men really should understand women understanding, and that will bring us towards equality. Feminism for me is definitely about equality and humanity, too," Aditya told Ians.
View this post on Instagram
This little teaser always makes me smile. #Netflix #TikliAndLaxmiBombTheFilm
A post shared by Aditya Kripalani (@adityakripalani) on Apr 20, 2020 at 11:08am Pdt
Kripalani's films such as "Tottaa Pataaka Item Maal" or "Tikli And Laxmi Bomb" have been centered around women. His latest effort, "Devi Aur Hero", was recently screened Croatia's Split Film Festival.
Speaking more about the project, Aditya added: " 'Devi Aur Hero' came out of the fact that we want to see women in a certain way, goddesses in a certain way and we...
"For me feminism is about equality. It has also become now about women understanding male conditioning and how it works, just as men really should understand women understanding, and that will bring us towards equality. Feminism for me is definitely about equality and humanity, too," Aditya told Ians.
View this post on Instagram
This little teaser always makes me smile. #Netflix #TikliAndLaxmiBombTheFilm
A post shared by Aditya Kripalani (@adityakripalani) on Apr 20, 2020 at 11:08am Pdt
Kripalani's films such as "Tottaa Pataaka Item Maal" or "Tikli And Laxmi Bomb" have been centered around women. His latest effort, "Devi Aur Hero", was recently screened Croatia's Split Film Festival.
Speaking more about the project, Aditya added: " 'Devi Aur Hero' came out of the fact that we want to see women in a certain way, goddesses in a certain way and we...
- 9/21/2020
- by Glamsham Editorial
- GlamSham
Up and coming Indian filmmaker Aditya Kripalani has carved out an interesting niche for himself in his short but prolific career behind the camera. At first a novelist, in 2017 he turned to filmmaking by adapting his own novel, Tikli and Laxmi Bomb for the big screen. Last year he wrote and directed his second feature, The Incessant Fear of Rape, which made the festival rounds and is currently available to view on Netflix, along with Tikli. Both films take a hard stance against the firmly entrenched misogyny in the lives of everyday Indian women and approach the subject bluntly, and frequently with controversial consequences. Now back with his third film, Devi Aur Hero (The Goddess and the Hero), Kripalani continues exploring his favorite themes...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
- 12/18/2019
- Screen Anarchy
Tottaa Pataaka Item Maal movie review is here. Helmed by Aditya Kripalani who came into limelight with three international bestsellers - Backseat, Frontseat and Tikli And Laxmi Bomb (book and movie). Currently streaming on Netflix, the movie stars Shalini Vatsa, Chitrangada Chakraborty, Sonal Joshi and Kritika Pande in pivotal roles. Set in Delhi Ncr, Tottaa Pataaka Item Maal speaks about the haunting fear of rape. Does it makes the impact?. Find out in the movie review of Tottaa Pataaka Item Maal.
Immediate reaction when the end credit rolls
A relevant feminist mission gone wrong and turned into a pointless clap trap designed to please those juvenile pseudo revolutionaries we find popping up on social media.
The Story of Tottaa Pataaka Item Maal
Four women meet by chance in a ?ladies only? taxi ride. A martial arts instructor Chitra Joardar (Chitrangada Chakraborty), a cop Shagun Narwal (Sonal Joshi) the owner of...
Immediate reaction when the end credit rolls
A relevant feminist mission gone wrong and turned into a pointless clap trap designed to please those juvenile pseudo revolutionaries we find popping up on social media.
The Story of Tottaa Pataaka Item Maal
Four women meet by chance in a ?ladies only? taxi ride. A martial arts instructor Chitra Joardar (Chitrangada Chakraborty), a cop Shagun Narwal (Sonal Joshi) the owner of...
- 7/2/2019
- GlamSham
The poster of Tottaa Pataaka Item Maal directed by Aditya Kriplani was shared by Sanjay Gupta on his social media post. The post read, ?#FirstLook My buddy Aditya Kripalani is back with his second film Tottaa Pataaka Item Maal after his fabulous debut. With this he takes his game to the next level.?
The director of the film had earlier posted, ?Our new film. Out soon! #TottaaPataakaItemMaal #WomenTakeDelhiBack?
A February post about Chitrangada Chakraborty made a very interesting statement that read, "In the film industry, you?re lucky if you can choose your role, and I?ve been lucky to have good strong roles come my way." - Chitrangada Chakraborty #TottaaPataakaItemMaal?
The poster also reads ?Coming soon to the coolest platform?...
The director of the film had earlier posted, ?Our new film. Out soon! #TottaaPataakaItemMaal #WomenTakeDelhiBack?
A February post about Chitrangada Chakraborty made a very interesting statement that read, "In the film industry, you?re lucky if you can choose your role, and I?ve been lucky to have good strong roles come my way." - Chitrangada Chakraborty #TottaaPataakaItemMaal?
The poster also reads ?Coming soon to the coolest platform?...
- 6/24/2019
- GlamSham
CinemaThe film is about two sex workers who decide to cut out the middlemen and run their own business.Sowmya RajendranCommercial sex workers in cinema usually appear to titillate and serve as symbols of vice. If at all the character has an arc beyond that, it is typically a sob story that justifies why and how the woman became a sex worker and her desire to turn over a new leaf. There have been very few films like IV Sasi's Avalude Ravukkal where a sex worker has not only been unapologetic about what she does, but also considers herself deserving of love and dignity despite what her job. Vidya Balan's Begum Jaan, a remake of Rajkahini, which told the story of a brothel caught in the partition, was slammed by many critics for its melodrama. Nevertheless, it's one of the rare films to have looked at commercial sex work from within by having them as the central protagonists - however unsatisfactory it might have proven to be. Aditya Kripalani's Tikli and Laxmi Bomb is distinct in tone from all these films - it's the story of a start-up, a business dream. The product is sex work but the premise makes it quite different from the usual films we've seen on the subject. It all starts with Putul (Chitrangada Chakraborty), a young Bengali woman who joins the streets of Mumbai as a sex worker. From the beginning, she has the air of the rebel. She wants to know why things are the way they are - why do they have to pay middlemen their cuts, why do they have to give the cops money when they harass them anyway? Laxmi (Vibhawari Deshpande), a senior in the job, tries to brush her questions away...because she knows what can happen when they are asked. However, Putul does not give up. In one scene, she is sitting at a restaurant in a jazzy red top and announcing to her fellow sex workers that she's wearing red because red is the colour of revolution. Not all of them look convinced, but they are moved nevertheless by this strange hot-headed woman who has built a reputation with her knife. In another scene, Putul is being brutally raped, but even then, she manages to exert some agency in deciding in what position she will be raped - because it makes a difference to her. While the camera doesn't romanticise sex work - there are many instances when we're shown just what kind of brutal abuse and danger the women are subjected to - it does not, at any point, turn exploitative. Finding that balance is hard to do in a film like this but Tikli and Laxmi Bomb pulls it off. In an earlier interview to Tnm, Aditya has spoken about how he used to pay sex workers to share their experiences with him so he could write the book on which the film is based. You see this reflected in the kind of detail that plays out in the plot. When the sex workers need to organise money quickly, an inventive Putul comes up with an idea that makes you grin - the idea, which can be quite gross to watch when executed literally on screen - is presented as a glorious relay race on the beach, with the smiling women running with a rare freedom. The business ideas and tricks that the women come up with make for the best parts in the film. The villains, who are all nasty, sleazy men, are unfortunately too one-note to leave an impression. Take corporator Shinde. We're introduced to him when he's 'auditioning' bar dancers. It's too obvious and divides the film all too clearly into the good girls vs the bad boys. There are no grey characters and this makes the screenplay predictable. Among the sex workers, there's enough diversity - from a Saranya to a Tsamchoe - but except Laxmi and Tikli, the characters of the rest are under-developed. Not that we need to hear why they became sex workers, just that it would have been rewarding to see what sort of people they are. I got the sense that Aditya relied more on their clothing and sense of style to create characters than write them. I was also wondering why there were no trans women in the group - was it to avoid the stereotyping? The unconventional camera angles often jolt you into seeing the film from within, rather than from the outside. I found the background score unsettling - at times I felt it just didn't go with what was being shown on screen. Take that chase scene with Laxmi and Putul, the music almost sounds adventurous rather than dangerous. But then, I was wondering if this is because I expected the score to go with all the stories of sex workers we've seen so far. If the scene had been from an average film about a start-up, the score would have been quite suitable. And that is what Tilki and Laxmi Bomb is, a start-up story, however bizarre it might seem. The film is currently in the festival circuit and the makers hope for a theatrical release soon.
- 3/27/2018
- by Editor
- The News Minute
Cinema The film is about two sex workers who come together to run a co-operative and eliminate the middlemen. Tnm StaffWriter and filmmaker Aditya Kripalani, who recently turned his third international bestseller, Tikli and Laxmi Bomb into a film of the same title has another feather in his cap. The film has won Best Feature in the 10th edition of the Berlin Independent Film Festival on Sunday. Featuring Vibhawari Deshpande, Chitrangada Chakraborty, Suchitra Pillai, Upendra Limaye and Saharsh Kumar Shukla, the film will be screened in the UK Asian Film Festival at London’s oldest cinema house. Last year A Death in the Gunj and Lipstick Under My Burkha were selected from India. The book and film trace the unusual story of two sex workers who come together to run a co-operative and eliminate the middlemen in sex work. In an interview to Tnm, Aditya revealed that he had always wanted to make an anti-patriarchy film with the theme of ‘Sisterhood above all’, and this is what led him to pick an entirely woman-oriented subject. An alumnus of the prestigious Ftii in Pune, Aditya said that the idea for Tikli and Laxmi Bomb originated in 2003, after watching Thelma and Louise in college. “(I) have wondered ever since why we aren't making a film with that wild a spirit, with that acerbic a telling, in India,” he said. On the research on sex work that went into writing the story, Aditya said, “I spent a lot of time talking to sex workers around the Sv road area (Mumbai). This would only work practically if I paid them for the sex and had a chat instead. As they're at work and making their living for the night, money is of primary importance and not some pesky guy's questions.” “A lot of them also opened up after the second or third time. And spoke of their lives, what drove them, urges, feelings, they shared their laughter. The most beautiful thing was that on their own, they're not 'martyrs' or sad at all. They're about as happy as women working in advertising or banking. It's just that they've seen patriarchy in its worst colours and so are wiser for it, in terms of how to deal with it,” he added Just like the research done on the book, the film too has been shot in real locations in Mumbai in tough conditions. Apart from Tikli and Laxmi Bomb, the filmmaker has also written two other books, Frontseat and Backseat which went on to become international bestsellers as well.
- 2/21/2018
- by Editor
- The News Minute
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