The two protagonists are inconveniently named Jia, but their similarities end there. As different as chalk and cheese, Jia – played by Kalki Koechlin – is carefree, wild, and a little too naughty. Jia – played by Richa Chadda – is a banker, plays it safe, and is the last person to get into any trouble. The two embark on a journey in Sweden together, and tolerate each other’s quirks.
The trailer gives us a peek into their trip; they travel across scenic locations in Sweden, and Kalki’s Jia even gives Richa’s Jia some vodka to battle her allergies. No water, plain, raw, vodka. That sets the tone for the film, and soon enough, the male lead – Arslan Gori – is introduced.
But the trailer takes a dark turn, one involving Richa’s Jia. Scion of a business group, it is believed that she led the company to lose it all. She event attempts to kill herself many times, with the focus shifting on Kalki’s Jia waiting at the hospital.
Perhaps Kalki’s Jia helps Richa’s Jia gain some confidence, and Richa’s Jia teaches Kalki’s Jia a thing or two about life, and finance maybe?
Directed by Howard Rosemeyer, the travel-based film is set to arrive this winter in theatres.
Lata Mangeshkar (who celebrates her 88th birthday today) made her Tamil debut with this song from Vaana Ratham. With just that hint of melancholy, Mangeshkar gives her all to this lovely number about lost love. The film came out in 1956, and it would be a good three decades before Mangeshkar would sing another Tamil song. ‘Enthan Kannalan‘ though, made the wait worthwhile.
Actress Shweta Tripathi, who has been doing unconventional projects starting with Masaan and is now set to make her Tamil film debut, says it’s part of her effort to explore work in different genres, types and languages.
“As an artist, I want to explore as much as I can. I don’t want to limit myself to any genre or language or a type. I want to always surprise the audience, and hence, keep raising the bar for myself,” Shweta told IANS over social media.
She is making her Tamil debut with a yet-untitled project to be directed by Saravanan Rajhendran.
Rajhendran told IANS earlier that it’s an intense romantic drama to be set in Kodaikanal. The shooting, he said, will begin from November 27. Interestingly, Rangaraj, a chef by profession, plays the male lead.
Shweta said she has to work out the dates for the project as she is also doing the web series Mirzapur with Excel Entertainment for Amazon Prime Video India.
Apart from having featured in movies like Masaan and Haraamkhor, Shweta is also a part of Shlok Sharma’s Zoo, a film entirely shot on iPhone 6.
Before venturing into films, she was best known for featuring in Disney Channel’s Kya Mast Hai Life.
Rajat S. Mukherjee, who is making his directorial debut with Umeed, is upset with the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) for asking him to remove “inspired by real incidents” claim from the film.
He feels CBFC remains “irresponsible” even after the appointment of lyricist Prasoon Joshi as its new chairman.
The film, which was earlier supposed to release on September 22, is based on unethical drug trials in India.
“It’s absolutely ridiculousness how we have been asked to remove ‘inspired by real incidents’ from the film. I have spent years in research on this subject. We will not release the film with ‘A’ certificate which conveys truth about pharma companies,” Mukherjee said in a statement.
“What’s upsetting us is that CBFC is still irresponsible even after Prasoon Joshi took charge,” Mukherjee added.
Told through the perspective of its protagonist Mia (Pallavi Das), Umeed shows how pharma giants use celebrities to give “unethical clinical trials” a mask of vaccination programmes.
Besides Pallavi, the film also features Milind Gunaji, Dalip Tahil, Freddy Daruwala and Shishir Sharma.
Hugh Hefner, American magazine publisher, businessman, and editor of Playboy magazine, died of natural causes on Wednesday, a statement from the magazine read. He was 91.
Hefner, a millionaire, was also a political activist and philanthropist, and was associated with several causes and public issues. While he started out as a copywriter for Esquire magazine, he later managed to generate funds from various places including a bank loan, and some money from his mother, to begin his own establishment. In 1953, the first edition of his Playboy magazine was out, featuring Marilyn Monroe from her 1949 nude calendar shoot – over 50,000 copies were sold.
He has also starred in a number of films and TV shows where he mostly played himself, including The House Bunny (2008), Beverly Hills Cop II (1987), Miss March (2009), TV shows The Simpsons and Entourage.
In an interview with CNN once, he said: “I would like to be remembered as somebody who has changed the world in some positive way, in a social, sexual sense, and I’d be very happy with that. I’m a kid who dreamed the dreams and made them come true.”
He is survived by his wife, Crystal, his sons, Cooper, David and Marston, and his daughter, Christie.
Hugh Hefner was a GIANT in publishing, journalism, free speech & civil rights. He was a true original, and he was my friend. Rest well Hef. pic.twitter.com/bJ1wxoK4gR
A look at everything making news in the world of cinema today.
Signed
Tamil actor Jiiva’s upcoming film Kee, where he plays a hacker, will also feature a mind-game similar to that of the dreaded Blue Whale Challenge.
Atharvaa Murali has signed on Seenu Ramasamy’s next, a rural thriller.
Disha Patani and Tiger Shroff are likely to star in the Hindi remake of the Telugu film Kshanam.
Spotlight
Hugh Hefner, the founder of Playboy magazine, died at his home, the Playboy Mansion, of natural causes at age 91 on Wednesday. Hefner founded Playboy in 1953 with $600 of his own money and built the magazine into a multi-million-dollar entertainment empire, which, at its 1970s peak, included TV shows, a jazz festival, and a string of Playboy Clubs whose cocktail waitresses wore bunny ears and cottontails.
He is survived by wife, Crystal, sons, Cooper, David and Marston, and his daughter, Christie.
Timeout
Amitabh Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan have submitted documents of their financial dealings with the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with the infamous Panama Papers case. They were earlier summoned by the ED and asked to submit the documents. The Income tax department has launched 33 prosecutions linked to the names in the Panama Papers, and is currently investigating the other names involved.
Rajat S Mukherjee, who is making his directorial debut with Umeed, is upset with the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) for asking him to remove the “inspired by real incidents” claim from the film. He feels CBFC remains “irresponsible” even after the appointment of lyricist Prasoon Joshi as its new chairman.
The prosecution in the actress abduction case, on Wednesday, informed the Kerala High Court that arrested Malayalam actor Dileep had offered Rs 3 crore to abduct the actress in February this year. It was learnt that Dileep offered Pulsar Suni Rs 1.50 crore for carrying out the abduction, and in case he gets caught in the act by the police, the compensation would be doubled.
Let Them Eat Cake!
Lata Mangeshkar, Ranbir Kapoor, Naomi Watts, and Hillary Duff will all turn a year older today!
Actress Oviya has been signed on for yet another adventure thriller titled Kaatteri, to be directed by Deekay.
Talking about the film, Deekay told Silverscreen, “The pre-production work has already begun, and we will start shooting soon. This adventure film is set in a village. We are currently looking for a village locale to shoot the entire film.”
Oviya will star opposite Telugu actor Aadi Saikumar, who plays the male lead. “I had worked with Oviya in my debut film Yaamirukka Bayamen. This film is meant for Oviya and I had discussed this with her before Bigg Boss,” said Deekay.
Kaatteri is bankrolled by Studio Green. The poster of the film was launched yesterday.
A young Malayalam actress was verbally abused and trolled on a social media platform earlier this week, for expressing a harmless wish to act as the daughter of a 65-year-old superstar
In a recent programme aired on a private television channel, actress Anna Rajan – who played a popular role, Lichi, in Angamaly Diaries, and appeared in the recent Lal Jose film, Velipaadukalude Pusthakam – was asked whom she would like to act with.
Mammootty or Dulquer?
The 25-year-old actress replied that she would like to play Dulquer’s love-interest, and Mammootty’s daughter.
But little did Anna know that mega-stars like Mammootty are immune to the phenomenon of ageing. The actor’s fans soon mercilessly attacked her using the most derogatory language, for failing to see that their star was not yet ready to play a father on screen. The actress, later, appeared on Facebook Live and expressed regret for having said what-must-not-be-said, and broke down in tears.
The superstar’s ‘fan warriors’ were delighted to see her cry, but were in no mood to ‘pardon’ her completely. “You were such a fool to think our ‘lord’ would want to act with a second-rate actor as you. We have, anyhow, forgiven your mistake. Never repeat it,” read one of the moderately civil comments to her live video, while the rest of the ‘fan’ responses were highly sexist and abusive.
The superstar in question, Mammootty, is yet to make a public statement on the violent attack that his fan boys unleashed on Anna Rajan.
Mammootty, once a reigning superstar who delivered consecutive hits and critically-acclaimed films in Mollywood, enjoys one of the biggest fan bases in the industry. He has acted in six Indian languages, and has bagged numerous awards, including five National Awards for Best Actor. Although the actor’s poor choice of films has led to his career coming to a grinding halt in recent years, he continues to be one of the two most influential personalities in south Indian cinema. His son, Dulquer Salmaan, who is in his early thirties, is a busy actor with films in Malayalam, Telugu, Tamil and Hindi.
On Tuesday, September 26, Anna Rajan posted a happy note on Facebook, stating how grateful she was to actor Mammootty who called her on the phone and consoled her. The actress wrote, “I was nervous about how to speak to Mammookka, and now he has called me and talked to me. It all seems like a dream… The power that his words have given me will help me endure any adverse situation!”
Did Mammootty also call up the heads of his fan clubs, and give them a tip or two on how to be civil on a public platform? We don’t know yet. He has not, however, released a public statement on the highly condemnable issue. Dulquer Salmaan, who has an active presence on social media, has not commented on the incident either.
Actress-danseuse Rima Kallingal was the only cine-colleague of Anna Rajan to speak up for her on social media.
“Lichi was trolled for saying a 65-year-old actor could play her father’s role? Why?? These people don’t think Mammootty can carry that role? I think he can rock it.. like a boss.. remember Kouravar? I think he is a super brilliant actor and we will accept him playing a 70-year-old or a 30-year-old just like we will accept super brilliant actors like Shobhana, Urvashi and Revathy playing 70-year-olds or 30-year-olds… alle? How absolutely non-hypocritical, non-sexist, non-ageist lovely beings we are. Who is ruining our name by trolling lichi? What is the problem here? And why and what is Lichi apologising for?” wrote Rima.
The responses to Rima’s post weren’t any different. She was called an ‘aunty’, a ‘femi-nazi’, and even a ‘drug abuser’ by the superstar’s fans. Curiously, it is not just Mammootty’s fans who are abusing Rima Kallingal and Anna Rajan, but fans of actors such as Dileep, who is one of the accused in a high-profile sexual abuse case, and also, Mohanlal.
In his last release, Pullikkaaran Stara, Mammootty played lover to Deepti Sati, who is in her early twenties. In White, he pretended to be a chic metro-sexual, a young grandson of KPAC Lalitha, and a lover to Huma Qureshi. Both films were panned by the critics, and sank at the box-office without a trace. In media and social media platforms, Mammootty is termed as the ‘most handsome’ Malayali man. Plenty has been written about his flawless fair skin that has bizarrely defied age, and his near-perfect physique. Even as his films were bombing at the box-office one after another, and critics were panning his performance in asinine films like Thoppil Joppan and White, tributes to his handsomeness flooded the media. To top it all, he formerly endorsed Indu Lekha ‘white soap’ that claimed to have the capacity to make anyone ‘fair’. “Beauty will come in search of you,” he’d earnestly said in the TV advert. (Last year, a 67-year-old villager from Wayanad, Chathu, earned Rs 30,000 as compensation from the soap company, after he filed a complaint against the company and Mammootty for using a misleading advertisement. He said the soap didn’t make him fair as the actor had promised.)
*****
This isn’t the first time the fans of male stars have joined hands to attack actresses and women who speak up about unpleasant things. In October 2016, Mohanlal’s fans verbally abused a woman on Facebook for posting a negative review of the star’s Pulimurugan. Some of them even threatened to rape her for ‘insulting’ their idol. There was, however, no public statement from the star who is known for writing blog posts on nationalist issues. In several instances, actresses like Sreelakshmi and Rima have been subjected to abuse on Facebook for their remarks on Mollywood, which is ruled by the male stars.
But, young male stars like Fahadh Fazil have consciously refrained from encouraging a fan frenzy, even at the risk of commercial success of their films. On several occasions, Fahadh has declared that ‘fan associations adversely affect the youth’. Actor Prithviraj, recently, wrote an open letter to his fans, requesting them to stop ‘spreading negativity’ on social media. While there are fan associations for budding stars like Tovino Thomas and Unni Mukundan, who has been around for some time, sans a commercial hit to his name, none of the actresses in the industry have the backing of a fan club. Manju Warrier, who has a considerable fan base in the state, is also one of the most bullied and trolled actors in the industry, thanks to her failed marriage with actor Dileep, and her involvement in women-oriented films and the recently formed Women In Cinema Collective. But, there aren’t many male actors who dare to speak against cyber-bullying and trolling of their female colleagues, and their silence is nurturing a community of dangerously unreasonable – and abusive – fans.
Actor Leonardo DiCaprio and filmmaker Martin Scorsese are on board to work on a movie on Theodore Roosevelt, the 26th President of the United States. DiCaprio will portray the former President and Scorsese will be directing the project. The duo will also serve as producers, reports deadline.com.
DiCaprio and Scorsese last worked together in 2013’s critically acclaimed The Wolf of Wall Street. They have earlier teamed up in movies Gangs of New York, The Aviator, Shutter Island, and The Departed.
The duo are developing two more films based on real life incidents. One is called The Devil in the White City about a serial killer who lured his victims into his elaborately constructed murder castle.
The other is Killers of the Flower Moon that depicts the birth of the FBI. It focuses on a series of murders of the members of the Osage tribe, after oil was discovered beneath their land. The case became one of the FBI’s first major homicide investigations.
DiCaprio was last seen on the big screen in The Revenant that earned him his first ever Oscar win after multiple nominations in the past.
The sequel to the horror film It is scheduled to release September 6, 2019, announced its makers.
New Line Cinema, an American film production label of Warner Bros, has set the release date for the It sequel. Incidentally, another untitled WB animation film, earlier scheduled to release on June 1, 2018, has been pushed to July 27, 2018, and is now titled Teen Titans Go, reports aceshowbiz.com.
Teen Titans Go is an adaptation of Cartoon Network’s comedic animated series based on the DC Comics team.
It set box office records when it debuted to a whooping $117 million earlier this month. The It sequel will open over the American-Labour Day time period. The follow-up to the Bill Skarsgard-starring horror flick is currently slated to open against an untitled project from Blumhouse Productions.
Bill Skarsgard plays the titular character, the ‘It’, an evil presence which takes the form of bloodthirsty clown Pennywise. The first film also stars Finn Wolfhard, Sophia Lillis, Jaeden Lieberher, Jack Dylan Grazer, Chosen Jacobs, Wyatt Oleff, and Jeremy Ray Taylor as a group of unpopular kids in small-town Maine who battle It.
Muschietti is expected to return to direct the sequel. Gary Dauberman, who co-wrote the first film, will be penning the sequel as well. In adhering to the structure of Stephen King’s original novel, the sequel will pick up the story 27 years after the events of the first film and centre around the same group of characters who return to destroy It for good.
Industrialist-turned-film producer Varun Manian was stabbed by two unknown persons inside an elevator in his office building yesterday. He is said to have sustained injuries while trying to defend himself.
“Varun Manian got into the lift to reach his office. At that time, two unknown persons got into the lift along with him. They stabbed him with a screwdriver after an argument. He blocked them from further attacking him. He was injured during the attack,” Varun Manian’s lawyer Purushothaman told The Hindu.
Varun Manian has produced films like Vaaiyai Moodi Pesavum and Kaaviyathalaivan. He was engaged to actress Trisha, but the wedding was called off later.
Actress Anna Rajan of Velipadinte Pusthakam fame, the latest victim of online abuse for declaring in a recent television interview that Mammootty can take up the role of a father, has received a call from the actor himself. According to The News Minute, Anna posted on Facebook, “Mamookka called me on the phone and his words have given me confidence to ace challenges.”
She added: “I am immensely happy. I was scared to call him up myself. But when he called me and spoke to me at length, I wondered whether it was a dream. After my first film Angamaly Diaries, I was offered a Mammookka film. But then, the shooting of this film was delayed and that’s when I committed for a Mohanalal film. I pray that soon, I will be given a chance to act in a film along with Mammookka. I thank his generous heart for calling up an actor who is only two films old.”
Earlier, in an interview with Surya TV, when Anna was asked if she’d like to act with Mammootty or Dulquer, she had chosen Dulquer, adding that Mammootty can play Dulquer’s father. Fans of Mammootty, who took umbrage at the statement, trolled her viciously on social media, pointing out that Anna had starred opposite Mohanlal in Velipadinte Pusthakam. This prompted the actress to post a tearful apology via Facebook Live. “In an intention to work with both the actors, I said that in jest. I would love to act with Mammootty as his heroine. I’m deeply sorry for my words,” she had said.
Actor Shahid Kapoor will next work under the direction of Shree Narayan Singh of Toilet: Ek Prem Katha fame. Kapoor is currently busy promoting Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Padmavati.
The yet untitled project is being produced by T-Series and KriArj Entertainment.
Happy to work with Shahid, Singh said in a statement: “With films like Kaminey, Jab We Met, Haider and Udta Punjab, Shahid Kapoor has definitely proved his mettle as an actor. Having said that, his star presence is undeniable and I look forward to working with him.”
According to a source in the know of developments, Prernaa Arora of KriArj Entertainment loved the script, which she shared with Shahid, who immediately came on board to do the film. It’s a very strong script, which depicts the entire gamut of emotions and has a realistic and earthy feel to it, the source added.
Arora said: “We really enjoyed making ‘Toilet…’ together earlier and know that Shree Narayan Singh’s sensibilities as a filmmaker has given us the confidence that we have another winner on our hands.”
She is confident that Shahid, whom she describes as “one of the industry’s finest actors”, would “completely do justice to the role”.
“We are so excited to be collaborating with him on this one as the role is tailor-made for someone with his talent and calibre. Together, Shahid & Shree, will form a brilliant combo, a winner for us, for sure,” Arora said.
Bhushan Kumar of T-Series also said: “Shree Narayan Singh is a director who balances strong message driven film with entertainment by making it commercially viable. And Shahid Kapoor is an actor par excellence. He is always the best version of himself when he enthralls us with the various roles he chooses to play on screen.”
My grandmother, well into her 80s, is fascinated by WhatsApp and Google. Having never been introduced to the Internet until her late 70s, she quickly graduated from reading news from the newspapers to straight-up news apps. Her guide and friend in her loneliness happens to be WhatsApp, where she chats at length with all her grandchildren and uses emojis at bulk. To her, it’s a constant source of amusement to watch how communication has transformed into sending ‘Good Morning’ pictures and videos.
While the younger generation, particularly the millennials, uses social media to present the happenings in their lives, the older generation uses it as their outlet for jokes and the funnies. It’s no different with celebrities.
Amitabh Bachchan’s Twitter account is particularly intriguing. The 74-year-old star, through his interviews and films, gives off a serious, no-nonsense vibe.
Until you chance upon his Twitter handle, that is.
With nearly 30 million followers and having shared over 59K tweets, Amitabh is one of the few celebrities who uses his social media account for making merry. And for sharing pictures, even if they aren’t related to what he tweets.
Right from tweeting motivational quotes with his photos, to praising a film or sharing jokes (with his photo, again), Amitabh is the popular grand dad we wish we had. Or not.
For, he’s the grandpa who will drag you out for not responding to his texts.
And, he’s also the grandpa who knows the kind of memes that will make funky collages, cos’ why not?
Here’s when he asked Ranveer Singh why he didn’t respond to his birthday message:
When he asked Ranveer Singh why he didn’t respond to his birthday message
Tweet 1
He hauled up Sonam Kapoor, too, when she didn’t respond to his birthday message to her:
When Sonam Kapoor, too, didn’t respond to his birthday message to her
Tweet 2
This was when he shared a cute photo of Abhishek Bachchan and himself doing the garba.
T 2390 – Many that come on this platform ask, why I put up only my pictures ? ANS : ‘Because I want to .. !! Got a problem with that ??’ pic.twitter.com/gZhKyzFmYX
Rishi Kapoor’s Twitter account, perhaps, is the one that needs censoring. Who’d have thunk that the dreamy boy from the ’70s would be the master of all jokes crass on Twitter? And if that isn’t the case, his tweets after a few drinks become the talk of the town. With a timeline filled with sexist jokes and abuses, he’s the uncle you’d steer clear of.
Here’s Rishi Kapoor in a jovial mood:
Thinking. Bullet train arrives Mumbai “happy hour”back home for “Ahmedabad dhokla farsan! What say? ?
And is no ‘saint’ when it comes to responding to trolls.
Rubbish.I am seeing now tweets now abusing me I am no saint I will react in your own language. So shut your complaints. Tit for tat. pic.twitter.com/a1NirCancn
Someone who remains unfazed by trolls, comments, or even corrections despite putting out incorrect information has to be Paresh Rawal. One would expect the funny man on screen to be equally funny on Twitter, where he has a platform to show off his coolest Baburao (from Hera Pheri) one-liners.
Sadly though, that isn’t the case. Currently a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) member, Rawal’s Twitter timeline screams patriotism, branding Pakistan as terrorists, and of course, trolling women.
He appears to be anti-media too.
That’s the Job ! Actors fakes it genuinely and journalists genuinely fakes it !
Another veteran actor, Anupam Kher, is rather less vocal when compared to his counterparts. From posting updates about his films to everyday motivational quotes, he appears benign. But there are times when he, too, comes up with something zany for your Twitter timeline.
This was when he decided to spar with senior journalist Rajdeep Sardesai over journalists quitting on moral grounds.
Nation also wants to know how many times have you resigned and quit journalism when your innumerable stories have turned out to be false? https://t.co/AQg3M8R5XR
Also, what’s with veteran actors sharing their own (unrelated) photos with motivational messages?
Soak in the rays of hope & positivity that the Almighty showers upon all those who believe. May He bless us today & always #HappyNavratri! pic.twitter.com/2ifT6mgxmn
It’s not just the Bollywood actors who have the social media bug, though. Take Yoko Ono for instance. Married to late John Lennon, Yoko was always an enigmatic person – someone very difficult to read. Her Twitter timeline, too, is difficult to comprehend. But far from being unpleasant, a lot of her tweets talk about a different planet, a different realm – a stark contrast to the grandpas of Bollywood.
I think I fell in love with the planet and peace pretty early in life… when I was in my Mum’s tummy.
As for some genuinely fun older people on Twitter, there’s Cher who always comes up with savage responses to trolls. From ridiculing Trump to posting hilarious memes all in Caps, and punctuated with emojis, Cher is undoubtedly the most entertaining of them all.
Never Thought ANY1 Would Try & Ruin Beloved??,But This Is What Happens When trump Sounds More Like Racist Drunk, Ranting At a Bar,Than Pres.
M Karunanidhi, DMK Leader and former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, is the latest to fall victim to death hoax. Rumours of his passing took social media by storm late yesterday. It took an official statement from his son, MK Stalin, to set things right again.
Stalin said, “My father is fine and healthy. Rumours about his death or ill health are completely baseless.”
Karunanidhi is 93 years old and has been suffering from age-related ailments for quite sometime now. Earlier this year, he was admitted to a private hospital in Chennai for a minor surgery.
Telugu actor Pawan Kalyan will be honoured with the Indo-European Business Forum’s (IEBF) Excellence Award during the Global Business Meet-2017 at the House of Lords in London on November 17. According to a PTI report, Kalyan is being recognised for his contribution “as an actor, politician, philanthropic and social worker.”
Also the founder of the Jana Sena Party, the 46-year-old actor will be the guest of honour at the event, the theme for which is ‘Invest in New India’.
The IEBF has also recognised his work towards patients with chronic kidney disease in Uddanam of Srikakulam district in north coastal Andhra, and also his roles as brand ambassador for handlooms, and ‘Jeevan Daan’, an organ donation programme.
Meanwhile, on the politics front, the actor has said that he would be contesting from Anantapur in Rayalaseema region of Andhra Pradesh.
Shweta Tripathi is all set to make her Tamil debut with a yet-untitled project, to be set in Kodaikanal, its director Saravanan Rajhendran said.
“It’s true we have roped in Shweta. This is an intense romantic drama set in Kodaikanal. Her character is very crucial from the story’s point of view and we felt she was perfect when we auditioned her. We start shooting from November 27,” Saravanan told IANS. Rangaraj, a chef by profession, plays the male lead.
“We were on the lookout for an actor without an image trap. We met Rangaraj when we went to attend a wedding in Coimbatore. As a team, we felt he’d be apt for our story and asked him if he’d like to act. He gladly agreed and we got him on board,” he said.
The rest of the cast and crew will be finalised soon.
Filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma on Tuesday released the first look poster of his upcoming Telugu film Lakshmi’s NTR, on the life of legendary actor and former Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, Nandamuri Taraka Rama Rao (NTR).
In July, Varma announced his desire to make a biopic on NTR.
In an emotional voice note shared with IANS, he had said: “NTR is a name to reckon with every Telugu-speaking individual. He was not just a great actor but a leader with unprecedented following. I’m very proud to direct a film on his life.”
On Tuesday, he shared the first look poster of the film on his official Facebook page. A note was shared with the poster, which focuses on a dejected and lost looking NTR’s face juxtaposed with the high brightness on Lakshmi’s (widow of NTR) feet entering into his life.
“One single step that created love in the heart of one man but also hatred in hundreds. But that single step also re-motivated him to once again make millions of people love him. This is the story of ‘Lakshmi’s NTR’,” Varma wrote.
“It’s a love story full of hatred, jealousy, power mongering, backstabbing and above all unbelievable inter-relationship conflicts,” he added.
Varma has decided that instead of making the biopic from the perspective of NTR, he will narrate it from the standpoint of his wife Lakshmi Parvathi.
The cast and crew are yet to be finalised. Varma confirmed the film will hit the screens next year end.
Actress Manjima Mohan considers it a privilege to be a part of upcoming Malayalam film Zam Zam, a remake of Kangana Ranaut-starrer and critically-acclaimed National award-winning drama Queen.
Zam Zam will be officially launched today. The director and other cast members of the project are yet to be announced.
Earlier this week, the Tamil and Telugu versions of Queen were launched. The Tamil version, which has been titled Paris Paris, stars Kajal Aggarwal in the lead. The yet-untitled Telugu version of the film, to be directed by Neelakanta Reddy, will star Tamannaah Bhatia.
The Kannada version, which has been titled Butterfly and stars Parul Yadav, has already gone on the floors. Actor-filmmaker Ramesh Aravind is directing the Tamil as well Kannada versions of the remake.
A quick look at everything making news in the world of cinema today!
Sign On
Aadi Saikumar and Oviya will team up for Kaatteri
Vishal Bharadwaj will adapt The Exile for the silverscreen
Manjima Mohan has confirmed that she’ll headline the Malayalam remake of Queen
Shwetha Tripathi will make Tamil debut shortly
Releases, Releases
Mahesh Babu’s SPYder is all set to release today
Timeout
Karunanidhi was the latest to fall victim to death hoax. News that the veteran politician/playwright had passed away took social media by storm recently. It took an official statement from MK Kanimozhi to set things straight. Soon enough, an official (recent) photograph of Karunanidhi was uploaded online to make sure that the rumours died down.
Let them eat cake!
Actors Sandhya, Mrinalini Sharma, Rakshandah Khan will all turn a year older today!
Filmmaker and music composer Vishal Bhardwaj’s next directorial venture will focus on Osama bin Laden and the history of the terrorist network, from 2001 to present times. According to PTI, Bhardwaj will be adapting the novel The Exile: The Stunning Inside Story of Osama bin Laden and Al Qaeda in Flight, and has named his film Abbottabad.
The book, written by Catherine Scott-Clark and Adrian Levy, is an insider’s account of Al-Qaeda after 9/11. The two investigative journalists, having gained access to Osama bin Laden’s inner circle, recount watching bin Laden’s rising paranoia over his eroding control over the organisation.
The film will be bankrolled by Bhardwaj and Junglee Pictures. Other details regarding cast and crew are yet to be revealed.
Excited to tackle this new subject but also nervous since it’s my biggest challenge with completely new cultures and languages. #Abbottabadhttps://t.co/VD5J1w1LSH
Interestingly, actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui recently confirmed that he has a project with Bhardwaj in the pipeline, but chose not to reveal anything more.
Following Ilaiyaraaja’s legal notice to Smule, Pradeep Kumar, Raaja’s copyright consultant, said that other composers must claim copyright for their work as well.
We spoke to a few composers to know what they felt about Ilaiyaraaja’s move:
Vikram, music composer of Rangoon, said, “Recently in Smule, I noticed Ilaiyaraaja sir’s ‘Inji Iduppazhagi’ being sung by two foreigners. It went viral. The company would have earned a lot with this song. It is reasonable to share the revenue that you have earned out of somebody’s work. What Raaja sir is claiming is absolutely right. Only when legends like him raise their voice, young composers like me can follow in the future. In our system, people don’t take royalty schemes seriously.”
He added, “I had performed with my band ‘Staccato’ in London Olympics. Following that, I got opportunities to work with international musicians in some projects. When I told them about our royalty scheme, they were surprised to hear it. International musicians largely survive on royalties that they get for their work. If they release an album now, they will take three years to release their next album. They will be able to survive with the royalties that they get. But that is not the case with us. We have to work on many projects in a short span of time as we have poor royalty schemes. Smule charges users. When they make money out of someone else’s work, it is necessary to claim copyright. Raaja sir inspires us to stand for our work. Because of his continuous battle, if not us, at least the next generation of composers will benefit. ”
Ilaiyaraaja has been fighting a lone battle against copyright issues for a very long time. Last year, he won a judgment from the Madras High Court to prevent five music labels from continuing to sell his music. He also filed a complaint with the police requesting them to help stop sales of the CDs sold by these labels, and also served notice to the FM radio channel, Radio Mirchi, to cancel their Neenga Dhaan Raaja Sir programme. “I am being forced to seek legal recourse,” he had said in a press meet after the judgment. “I am not one to fight court battles, but I had to for the sake of creators. Nobody should use my name or likeness to make money without my written consent.”
According to composer Raghunathan, who is currently working on Kodi Veeran, the Music Union and the Producers’ Council should discuss this issue and come up with a proper system. “Raaja sir should have done this 20 years ago. We should definitely support him and join him in this fight. Though many experts are involved in making a song, the music director has an upper hand as he has to do a lot of work. Many music channels telecast the music repeatedly, many download it, share it… we don’t get credit for anything. So, when somebody uses our work for commercial purposes, it needs to be legally regulated. The Music Union should appoint a team to ensure that musicians get reasonable royalty and credit for their work.”
Music directors Prem and Leon James echoed Raghunathan’s views: “Not just music, nobody should make money out of other’s hard work,” said Prem, while Leon declared that the industry needs to be transparent about royalties like the West.
“This will definitely help the music industry in a big way,” said Thupparivaalan composer, Arrol Corelli. “I welcome Raaja sir’s move to claim copyright for his songs. This would guide young musicians to receive proper credit for their work. When Raaja sir talks about it, it will have an impact.”
Music director Imman, on the other hand, felt that while composers can claim copyright to an extent, in some cases, they may unknowingly disrupt a listener’s pleasure. Imman said, “We can claim copyright from FM stations and music channels who use our songs for commercial purposes. A music composer has the right to claim credit for his work or a share in the revenue. But beyond that, when we get into it deeply, we tend to disturb the fans, who appreciate our work. Many are inspired by our work. So, we should claim without disturbing a listener’s interest.”
Singer Asha Bhosle will be unveiling her wax statue at Madame Tussauds in New Delhi on October 3. A wax figure of the famous singer will be displayed in the Bollywood music zone at the upcoming wax museum in an interactive themed environment.
The wax figure will be built with the help of over 150 specific measurements and images, read a statement.
Bhosle, 83, has given some of the most beautiful and evergreen tracks to her listeners and has recorded songs for over a thousand Bollywood movies. The tracks sung by her include ‘Dil cheez kya hai’, ‘Mera kuch samaan’, ‘Parde mein rehne do’, ‘Piya tu ab to aaja’, ‘Dum maro dum’, and ‘Chura liya’, among others.
Managed by Merlin Entertainments, Madame Tussauds in Delhi will have over 50 wax figures of famous personalities from sports, cinema, politics, history and music.
The museum already has wax statues of actors Madhubala, Shah Rukh Khan, Amitabh Bachchan and Kareena Kapoor besides international celebrities Marilyn Monroe, Tom Cruise, Angelina Jolie, David Beckham, Michael Jackson and Leonardo DiCaprio.
Just days after a Delhi University professor was booked for calling goddess Durga “sexy prostitute” in a Facebook post, an independent filmmaker from Thiruvananthapuram is fighting to get the censor board to approve his internationally awarded movie titled Sexy Durga.
Sanal Kumar Sasidharan’s Malayalam movie is the first Indian film in 23 years to win laurels since the Tiger Awards were introduced at International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR).
It has been refused censor exemption to be screened at the upcoming Jio MAMI Mumbai Film Festival with Star 2017 next month as the Information and Broadcasting Ministry concluded it “may affect the law and order as it hurts the religious sentiments”, said the filmmaker.
He said the film had no religious connection.
“If at all there’s one, it’s truly philosophical, analysing the reasons behind the atrocities against women in India,” Sasidharan explained.
He is upset and angry to the extent of calling India “a land that’s becoming like Iran”. But he is not losing hope, and has applied for a certificate from the censor board. The screening for the board was held on Tuesday.
“I am waiting for the censor board’s opinion. I am going to fight for it, because it’s a question of freedom of expression, the freedom of making art… I won’t sit quietly. I will go to the court and make an appeal and do whatever I can do to fight this,” Sasidharan told IANS over phone.
“It is a very difficult situation that we are compelled to do certain films under the norms and under the radar of the majoritarian scrutiny… This country is becoming a country like Iran, and we are boasting that we have democracy and freedom of speech, and we protect a lot of different kind of opinions. But what we do is cut freedom. It is time to stand up against these things,” added the Kerala state award-winning director.
On the official IFFR website, Sexy Durga – starring Rajshri Deshpande and Kannan Nayar – is described as a film about how “obsessiveness and worship can quickly degenerate in a patriarchal society into a mentality of oppression and abuse of power”.
“Durga is the protagonist of the film. I knew that these people will come out and say, ‘Oh, Durga is our goddess’. But if that’s the case, go and worship all women named Durga on the streets. That’s not happening.
“What I mean is, Durga is a common name in India. It’s not only the goddess. There are many humans (named Durga) you can see, and they may not even be treated like human beings; when they need help, people don’t care. But when a name (film title) comes like this, then suddenly people make a hue and cry and they say, ‘Our religious sentiments are being hurt’,” the filmmaker said.
“It’s ridiculous and hypocritical. I wanted to bring this hypocrisy forward,” he added.
To help push his case, some people have got together to put forward a petition – ‘Allow Sanal Kumar Sasidharan’s film Sexy Durga at MAMI Film Festival’ – to the Information and Broadcasting Ministry, via change.org.
Sasidharan rued: “Only the independent filmmakers are daring to do something different as they don’t care about the financial success… But in the mainstream cinema, they all care about financial success, so they don’t care about making films on those subjects that are not likable to the masses. Indie filmmakers are daring to make films which talk about the truth, and they (government) are trying to kill that movement. It is a very difficult time.”
This is the second time that officials at the MAMI Mumbai Film Festival had applied for a censor exemption for Sexy Durga. Earlier, they wanted to screen it for their year-round programme. But the application was rejected by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.
Smriti Kiran, the festival director, told IANS: “We require censor exemption or certification to play films in theatres. Sanal has applied for censor certification now. We hope he gets it so that we can screen it at the festival.”
Sexy Durga was also selected for the International Film Festival of Kerala, but Sasidharan says he rejected the proposal as the organisers had slotted it for a section he didn’t want it to be a part of.
