Vishal Bhardwaj and Shaunak Sen join new film fund initiative supporting independent cinema What are the vital ingredients an aspiring filmmaker needs when they have a story to tell but no outlet? Beyond a script, they need financial stability, production expertise, and industry access. Addressing this gap, Humans of Cinema and Safarnaama Pictures have launched a landmark feature film co-production fund of Rs 40,00,000 designed to back an emerging filmmaker with a distinct voice and a clear vision. In a significant boost to the independent ecosystem, Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Shaunak Sen (All That Breathes) and globally acclaimed auteur Vishal Bhardwaj have joined the initiative as mentors. Sen is also attached to the selected project as an Executive Producer. The high-profile jury for the fund includes actor Imran Khan, filmmaker Arati Kadav (Cargo, Mrs), producer Aman Mann (All That Breathes), and renowned author and festival director Aseem Chhabra. Harshit Bansal, Founder of Humans of Cinema, shared that the idea took shape when Nazim Momin of Safarnaama Pictures—a US-based engineer and producer—reached out via Instagram with a shared vision to back independent Indian cinema. Together, they aim to support a film that is both festival-ready and engaging for local audiences. Commenting on the initiative, mentor Vishal Bhardwaj said, “Independent cinema survives because some people choose to believe in voices before the world discovers them. Happy to support an in... #Vishal_Bhardwaj #cinema #Shaunak_Sen #vital_ingredients #Safarnaama_Pictures #Sen_join #Bhardwaj #independent_cinema #supporting_independent #Vishal
EXCLUSIVE: O'Romeo is Shahid Kapoor's second A-rated film after Kabir Singh; CBFC replaces 'Item' with 'Kumari'; reduces 'woman slapping visual' by 20% After collaborating on Kaminey (2009), Haider (2014) and Rangoon (2017), Shahid Kapoor and director Vishal Bhardwaj have joined hands for the fourth time for O'Romeo. This combo, along with the ensemble cast, impactful trailer and soulful-n-peppy album have generated interest for the flick. O'Romeo releases on February 13, and earlier this week, the censor process was completed. In this article, Bollywood Hungama will exclusively focus on the cuts given to the action entertainer. O'Romeo has been awarded an ‘A’ certificate; in other words, this is Shahid Kapoor’s second A-rated film of his career after Kabir Singh (2019). Despite the adult rating, the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) asked for several changes. The Examining Committee of the CBFC made several changes in the dialogues. The word 'Item' was replaced with 'Kumari'. At four other places, a word was replaced, but there is no detail on the same in the cut list. In a scene, a word was muted, while at another point, an ‘inappropriate’ word was asked to be deleted. There has been no cut in the romantic and intimate scenes. However, a few violent scenes had to face the censor scissors. A close-up visual of throat cutting was reduced by 20%, that is, by 3 seconds. 2 seconds were reduced in two shots - one of close-up visuals of 'bloodshed head hitting' ... #Vishal_Bhardwaj #Shahid_Kapoor #director_Vishal #Kabir_Singh #woman_slapping #joined_hands #fourth_time #A-rated_film #CBFC_replaces #Shahid
