Maurya TV in Bihar from 2nd Feb. 2010

With an eye on the Rs 20 crore television broadcasting market in Bihar and Jharkhand, filmmaker Prakash Jha and former Adlabs chairman Manmohan Shetty are ready to launch Maurya TV in Bihar, through the newly formed company P&M Group.

Maurya TV will have its headquartered in Patna.

The channel is free-to-air channel and may give rise to regional competition with other such existing channels like ETV Bihar and Sahara Samay in the news category and other Bhojpuri channels like Mahua TV and Hamar TV for viewers as well as for the limited advertising.

P&M Group has appointed Rajiv Mishra as Chief Executive Officer. He moves from CineMaya Media Group Inc, where he has been senior vice-president. July 11, 2009 was his last day with the CineMaya Group.

Maurya TV is the only project of this group, it is also planning to launch digital cinema multiplex chain, malls and entertainment centres in Orissa, Jharkhand andBihar.

While we're on the subject, Bihar and Jharkhand have by now fascinated print media players like Hindustan, Dainik Jagran and Dainik Bhaskar to launch editions in the region to bite into the Rs 150 crore advertising market.link

Shoot at least a portion of Dabangg in Bihar : Shatrughan Sinha

Producer Arbaaz Khan has decided to stay away from the state for Dabangg. A source close to the unit said, “We’ve heard many shocking stories about Bihar. So it seems very risky for Salman, debutante Sonakshi Sinha and the rest of the unit to work in Bihar.” A faux-Bihar will be created in Wai, Nasik and the suburbs of Mumbai, for the film.

However, Shatrughan Sinha, Sonakshi’s father, is aghast at the thought. Born in the state, he recently contested the election and won a seat from Bihar. He said, “What better occasion to prove that Bihar is safe, than my own daughter’s film? I’m certainly going to suggest to Salman and Arbaaz that they shoot at least a portion of Dabangg in Bihar.”

Not many know that Shatrughan Sinha has submitted a proposal for a film city in Patna to Bihar’s chief minister Nitish Kumar. Talking about his pet project, he said, “I don’t know why that proposal was brushed under the carpet. I feel a culture centre in Bihar which would include cinema, theatre and television would encourage and cultivate local talent. It would also encourage Bollywood to visit Bihar. Sadly even our Bihari filmmaker in Bollywood, Prakash Jha, has shot all his Bihar-based films like Mrityudand, Apaharan and Gangaajal outside Bihar. I’d like to change this.”

Ajay Devgan and Katrina Kaif to help out Prakash Jha

Director Prakash Jha is contesting for the Lok Sabha elections from the Bettiah seat in Bihar and helping out in his campaign will be his ‘Rajneeti’ lead actors, Ajay Devgan and Katrina Kaif. Both are popular public figures and will invite huge crowd.

A source on the project reveals, "Ajay is very close to Jha. Even though he doesn't endorse political parties or take a political stand, he will definitely do everything in his capacity to support Jha. Also Katrina, who has been drawing huge crowds to the locations where the film is being shot, will be roped in. People travel from long distances to come and see her. If she campaigns for Jha, it will definitely add to the glamour element."

Devgan feels Jha will an ideal leader for the constituency. A source adds, "Jha has done to help the flood victims in Bihar, and his Punarvaas campaign has been a huge success and Ajay has personally followed the project. So he wants to support him."

However Ajay Devgan's publicist denied the news, "The news that Ajay is campaigning for Jha in the forthcoming elections is not true."link

Hard work always pays: Manoj Bajpayee

He is one of the finest actors that Indian cinema has seen, and the intensity that he brings to his on-screen persona has to be seen to be believed. Be it the unforgettable Bhikhu Mhatre in Satya or police inspector Samar Pratap Singh in Shool, Manoj Bajpayee has carved a niche for himself in Bollywood with his power-packed performances. Whether it’s playing a prince in Zubeidaa or the sophisticated villain in Aks, he can carry off any role with effortless ease.

However, not many of his films have managed to hit the jackpot in recent years. Is it because he has always consciously tried to play unconventional and realistic roles? “I agree that almost 90 per cent of my films have seen me play roles that are different from the run-of-the-mill movies. I love doing such films. But at the same time, I have been a part of commercial films like LOC: Kargil, Bewafaa and Money Hai Toh Honey Hai. Nobody can guarantee commercial success. I just try to be a part of good projects that I believe in and make value additions to them. I am extremely proud to have won two national awards (for Satya and Pinjar). As for film critics, there are one or two whom I hold in high regard, but the rest don’t matter to me,” he avers. His future projects include Acid Factory and Prakash Jha’s Rajneeti.

Interestingly, this versatile actor was rejected thrice by the National School of Drama, but never gave up and fought on to reach where he is today. “Hard work always pays. I have done a lot of theatre too and really enjoyed the medium because it offers so much scope for an actor. Our film industry is so star-driven that it’s very difficult for an outsider to survive. Apart from hard work, you also need lady luck to smile upon you. Here, unless you don’t ensure hits, nobody runs after you. Also, it’s quite true that there are no permanent friends or foes in B-town. In fact, I keep making friends every day,” he says. Manoj doesn’t want to talk about his much-publicised spat with ace director Ram Gopal Varma. “It was a great relationship which went sour and I am over and done with it.”

Given that he hails from Belwa, a small village in Bihar, city life has been a kind of necessity with which he had to adjust accordingly. “I have kept changing my house almost every year and like anyone else, I never feel at home living so far away from my roots. But then, in today’s world, everyone needs to move out to pursue professional dreams,” he says.

Being married to Neha (his actress wife) has certainly made things better. “I feel so glad to have married my dream girl, who means the world to me,” he tells us. While he would like us to believe that he is “an extremely lazy person”, Manoj is an active blogger and even writes plays. “I use my blog to vent out my frustrations about relevant social issues that draw my attention. As for my writing skills, you never know; an idea can trigger off my instincts and see me writing a script some day!” he says before signing off.

Director Prakash Jha likely to contest LS poll

Noted film director-producer Prakash Jha is likely to be the candidate of the Ram Vilas Paswan led LJP from Bettiah Lok Sabha constituency in Bihar.

Party sources said that Jha has already held discussions with Paswan three-four times on the issue and the party has in principle agreed to field Jha from the seat.

The latest round of telephonic discussion between the two took place last night in which Jha is reported to have said that he is ready to fight the election.

"We have decided to field Jha from Bettiah but a formal announcement would be made after we decide whether to contest alone or in a UPA alliance," a senior party leader said on the condition of anonymity.

Party sources say that initially the party was in double mind and was also thinking of finalizing a candidate keeping in mind the minority community, which has a sizeable population in Bettiah.

Jha, a resident of Barharwa village of the West Champaran district, whose headquarters is Bettiah, had contested the last Lok Sabha election as an independent candidate. He had a crushing defeat and he lost even his security deposit as the contest became a direct one between BJP and RJD.

RJD had wrested the seat from BJP with its leader Raghunath Jha defeating the saffron party's Madan Prasad Jaiswal by over 26,000 votes. The seat was earlier held by BJP.

Sources say that the sitting MP from Bettiah Raghunath Jha is this time interested in contesting from Bagha, earlier a reserved seat, which has now become general after the delimitation.

Grapevine has it that RJD MP from Gopalganj and party supremo Lalu Prasad's brother- in law Anirudh Prasad Yadav alias Sadhu Yadav is keen on shifting to Bettiah seat this time.

Speculation was rife earlier that Jha may contest the Lok Sabha election on either a JD (U) or a BJP ticket. A LJP leader however said that Jha was "in touch with us for quite a long time" and the party has "almost decided" to field Jha from Bettiah.

Jha has directed Bollywood films like Apaharan, Gangajal, Mrityudand, Damul, Hip Hip Hurray and Bandish. He has also been a producer for many other films, a large number of which deal with social themes like casteism, poverty and hunger.

Jha had directed the Ajay Devgan starrer "Apharan" immediately after contesting the Lok Sabha election in 2004.

The film dealt with the issue of the nexus between crime and politics in Bihar against the backdrop of a spate of abductions in the Hindi heartland. After the election, Jha had promised to make another movie on Bihar politics "Rajniti", which is yet to be released.