“BOX OFFICE SUCCESS OF MOVIES LIKE ‘SHUTTER’ IS A COMING OF AGE FOR MARATHI CINEMA” – Manisha Korde

Shutter Enters 3^rd Week 

Mumbai: When popular Bollywood writer Manisha Korde was approached to write and adapt cult Malayalam film Shutter into Marathi, she was, initially, skeptical about its mass appeal. While she was certain that the film would draw critical acclaim, she had felt it might not ride the gravy train at the box office.

Manisha Korde, Script Writer

“Even though the history of Marathi cinema is as old as history of films in India, the last few decades have not been encouraging. Just like ‘Raja Harishchandra’, while Marathi filmmakers experimented with new and bold themes, they did not evoke proportionate response at the box office. Critical acclaim was plenty, but without finances it always would have been difficult for good story telling culture to survive. Many films that I personally thought were brilliant and should have been blockbusters only aroused lukewarm interest,” says Manisha Korde, writer of Shutter, starring Sachin Khedekar, Prakash Bare and Sonalee Kulkarni among others. The original film in Malayalam of the same name was written and directed by Joy Mathews.

“It was only after 2005 that critically acclaimed movies also started making an impact at the box office. Movies like Shwas, Natrang, Balak Palak, Prem Mhanje Prem Mhanje Prem Asta, to name a few, became huge success. Not merely from the point of view of commercial viability of Marathi cinema, the success of good films also go on to the building of a strong foundation and thereby, defines the coming of age of Marathi cinema. The high quality of popular Malayalam cinema is a direct consequence of the foundation laid by films with tight grammar and parsing by makers like Aravindan, Adoor Gopalakrishnan and John Abraham in the 80s,” she adds

Shutter starring Sachin Khedekar, Prakash Bare and Sonalee Kulkarni among others became a runaway success after it hit the screens on 3^rd July. It managed to maintain its ground in Mumbai and Pune against big releases and continues to be the primary choice for cinegoers in the rest of Maharashtra.

“Shutter is a film that is simple and straight on the face of it, but has a very sensitive undertone. The nuances are not very apparent. So I am glad, not just for myself and other Shutter team members but also for the future of Marathi cinema, that the audience has enjoyed a film like this and have given it a huge thumbs up,” concludes Manisha Korde.

One of the leading film writers in India today, Manisha Korde has scripted films like Malamaal Weekly, Dhol, Bhool Bhulaiyyaa, Billu, and Bumm Bumm Bhole, among others. In 2013, she wrote her first Marathi film Prem Mhanje Prem Mhanje Prem Asta. Shutter is the second film in her native language and for which she won the Best Screenplay Award at the Mumbai International Women’s Film Festival.

VEKA INDIA ON AN EXPANSION DRIVE

VEKA India On An Expansion Drive, Introduces A New Range Of Window & Door Profiles

Mumbai: VEKA India, a subsidiary of VEKA AG – the world’s second largest manufacturers of uPVC windows and doors systems today announced the introduction of a new range of profiles system in the Indian market. Categorized into two segments viz. VEKA Premium and VEKA Projects, the new range will stock the most extensive selection of windows and doors to match the design and utility functions of India’s evolving life spaces. The company which marked ten successful years of operations in India recently also announced its bid an additional 3 – 5 per cent of market share with this move.

The new offering, a system specifically for residential projects in India, has been custom developed to cater to the requirements of urban living and will be available in all major cities including NCR, Jaipur, Lucknow, Ahmedabad, Mumbai, Pune, Goa, Hyderabad, Vizag, Bangalore and Chennai.

Today, uPVC is the popular choice for windows and doors in all of Europe and America. Being rigid, durable and recyclable besides being cost-effective, this material is fast replacing the traditional wood or aluminium profiles across the world.

Mr. Rajesh Chawla, Director,
VEKA India

“We recently completed ten successful years of operations in India and over the years there has been a marked rise in the uPVC windows and doors market. With uPVC the precision that can be achieved for window and door contours is unmatched with any other material. The welds at corners form monolithic joints for frames which are impossible to achieve with the traditional systems. A decade ago this vertical was not even considered an important aspect of design function. However today, construction which is detail driven, cannot afford to ignore this aspect,” says Mr. Rajesh Chawla, Director, VEKA India.

VEKA India has a strong network of partners in all of north, west and south India. The company operates a warehouse for its partners to easily and timely procure and supply profiles to customers.

“Since our inception in India, we’ve built an integrated team and a robust network of partners at VEKA India. We invested a significant amount of time in identifying potential markets and penetrating these markets with the right people on our side is a boon. Presently, we are best aligned with the Indian markets by factoring in all conditions that are endemic to India. This includes the weather, noise, cost, perceived value, reach and most importantly after sales service. With our latest range we hope to extend both choice and innovation to our customers and we are positive our profiles will be the future of window and door installations,” concludes Mr. Chawla.

About VEKA India: In India, the company started operations in Gurgaon – Delhi NCR a decade ago. Today, VEKA India is vendor to some of the leading companies and has provided uPVC window and door systems to India’s premier and well-designed homes and offices. Its 20,000 sq. ft. facility in Navi Mumbai houses a state-of-the-art warehouse and distribution set up, a fabrication training workshop and a Window Testing rig along with an application centre. VEKA India, as a part of the worldwide VEKA Group, remains a wholly family-owned business, just as it has always been since its foundation in 1967.

About VEKA AG: A US $ 1.4 Billion Group company with its origins in Germany, VEKA has been a leading player in the uPVC industry for almost as long as the material has been used for door and window frames. The Group employs more than 3600 people through 25 subsidiaries in three continents around the world. Its manufacturing facilities are spread across Germany, Great Britain, France, Spain, Poland, USA, Russia, Mexico, China & Malaysia. The VEKA Group generated US $ 896 million turnover in 2013. Internationally, more than 2200 fabricators use VEKA systems to create top-quality uPVC products.

HRAWI UNANIMOUS WITH FSSAI; HOPES FOR THE UNORGANIZED PLAYERS TO BE WITHIN FSSAI’S PURVIEW

FBOs To Be Better Regulated With FSSAI’s Restructuring

Mumbai: The Hotel and Restaurant Association of Western India (HRAWI) has advocated the restructuring of Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) to further strengthen its functions and to better regulate the Food Business Operators (FBOs) in the country. As specified by FSSAI, 04th August 2015 is the last date to acquire licenses to operate FBOs. HRAWI has appealed to the FBOs to obtain licenses and be acquiescent with FSSAI’s guidelines prior to the deadline.

The HRAWI has also expressed apprehension concerning the large unorganized FBOs and FSSAI’s role and reach to keep these in its purview.

“The fact that FSSAI will have a much better and robust infrastructure is good news not just for the hospitality industry but for the common man who consumes outside of home. We are glad that the Health Ministry has stepped up and we support the call unanimously. However, there is also the unorganized part of this sector that needs to be kept in FSSAI’s ambit. Our concern remains that street vendors and eateries which are non-compliant to standards, continue to operate and could pose serious health hazards,” says Mr. Bharat Malkani, President, HRAWI.

There are approximately 250,000 road-side eateries in Mumbai, serving anything from vada-pav to tandoori chicken. They operate on the footpaths or above gutters with indigenously built stalls and they use the nearest source of water to wash or rinse their utensils.

“We suspect if these eateries have licences to operate a business let alone having the licence to serve food. Maintaining cleanliness and hygiene are a distant dream and yet they continue to thrive. By running businesses without licenses they are discounted on taxes. Obviously they are making profits and eating into businesses of the certified FBOs and most importantly they are a threat to health,” adds Mr. Malkani.

“At present, the industry is so hard-pressed with taxes that new investors are keeping away from the business. Old hotels are finding it difficult to survive. In the scenario, FSSAI’s intervention will help the industry in the long run. We hope that there will be a hard check on eating joints for licenses and defined food safety standards which will not only restrain illegal operations of FBOs but will also help to regularize the standards of the Indian food industry on a whole,” concludes Mr. Malkani.

The HRAWI has also indicated that they may schedule a training session shortly for FBOs who seek guidance on the matter.

About Hotel & Restaurant Association Western India (HRAWI)

The Hotel and Restaurant Association (Western India) is a 65 years old Association of Hotels and Restaurants, representing majority of Hotels and Restaurants across Western India, which covers Maharashtra, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Goa and the Union Territories of Daman, Diu & Silvassa and is more or less considered to be the voice of the Hotel Industry / Fraternity. The four Regional Associations form a part of the “Federation of Hotel & Restaurant Associations of India” (FHRAI) at the centre in New Delhi, which is our parent body. The Association is part of the national body of the “Federation of Hotel & Restaurant Associations of India”, which was originally founded in Mumbai in 1950, by the late Mr. J.R. D. Tata.