Sundar C’s Aranmanai will be remade in Kannada and director P Vasu has been approached to direct the film.
P Vasu told Silverscreen, “I’m in talks for the project but yet to sign on the film. If I take up the film, I will give it a different treatment and major changes will be made in the script. The film will be titled Apthamithra 2. If talks finalise, I will begin shoot as soon as possible.”
Kannada film, Apthamithra, the official remake of Malayalam film Manichithrathazhu, was directed by P Vasu in 2004. This film was later remade in Tamil as Chadramukhi, starring Rajinikanth, was also directed by P Vasu. The recent Kannada film that P Vasu directed was Shiva Linga, starring Shiva Rajkumar and Vedhika.
Reportedly, Kannada producer Ramesh Yadav has bagged the remake rights of Aranmanai, which had Hansika, Andrea, Sundar C and Raai Laxmi in lead roles.
Aranmanai is about a family that wants to sell their ancestral house. When they visit the house, they realise it’s haunted.
Actors – Naga, Prayaga Martin, Radha Ravi, Kalyani N and Harish Uthaman
A stirring violin solo provides succour to this song. Arrol Corelli’s decision to make the violin the focal point of this song proves successful, for Uthra is at her autotuned best here. Fresh off the success of Saivam song, Uthra was perhaps a popular choice for the song. Not the best one.
The overall mood is tragic and uplifting at the same time, in tune with the mood Mysskin tries to create in his version of a horror film. As far as songs go, this one is perhaps the best choice to celebrate the birthday of Mysskin — a mercurial personality whose films are both tragic and uplifting.
Imagine you’ve bottled up laughter, lots of it — a sudden burst of happy laughter, a sustained giggle fest, a chuckle, a chortle, a shy smile, and many happy ones. Now, shake them all up and open the cap to release a little joy. And then, some more, till it permeates the air and leaves everyone happy.
Speaking to Urvashi is a little like that. I counted at least 15 different laughs during our half-hour conversation. Which is why it comes as a surprise when the veteran artiste, known for her ability to emote in every situation before she successfully dabbled with humour, says she’s not a very jovial person in real life. “What you see on-screen is the actress, not me. I’m moody,” she says.
Urvashi is delighted with the warm reception that Bramma’s Magalir Mattum has received. Partly because, she has also experienced the joy of long-lasting friendships. “I grew up in Thiruvananthapuram till I was eight, and then moved to Chennai. I started working in films before I finished school. So, my friends circle is limited. I’m very close to about four-five people, all industry outsiders. No one even wants to be known in the media. We’ve stayed in touch despite everyone belonging to different professions and living in different cities. Among them is Raji, my friend from Trissur; we speak every week.”
Urvashi travels back to her childhood in a joint family in Ashok Nagar, Chennai. “I had friends in the industry, but it never progressed beyond a level. That was the environment we grew up in.”
That way, today’s social media and flitting friendships seem strange to Urvashi. “I don’t understand certain things,” says the actress, who pauses to frame her thoughts. “We had gossip in our time too. But, today’s gossip is more garbage. People share images of people who are unwell, with little thought about consent, or their fragile emotional state. I’m upset by the sadistic pleasure that some derive. Is this what social media is for?”
And then, just like her varied emotions flit across her face, she changes the topic to speak about why she chose humour early on in her career. “After marriage, and my daughter’s birth, I decided to focus on humour, since there were few actresses doing that. This is my profession, and I wanted to carve a niche for myself. In fact, I started sprinkling humour in my performances even before, to see how it works. After a stage, all you get are mother and sister roles. I could not imagine saying things like ‘Nee potiu vaa paa, nalla iru paa’ [may you be well] every day of my life. Performance would fly out of the window. And so, I embraced humour. I was always on the lookout for roles that would showcase my abilities, but that might only happen once in a while; comedy sustained the artiste in me.”
Though she hailed from a family with a great sense of humour — “My parents, sister Kalpana and brothers were a riot” — Urvashi was unaware that she had a funny bone. “I improved my game with every film,” she says.
And then, after a point, Urvashi felt that the writing was getting pedestrian. “There are no writers for women in comedy. K Bhagyaraj and K Balachander Sir knew how to write humour for heroines. We have language limitations, body limitations. If people do not realise this while writing a scene, it would look terrible on-screen. It is very important to understand humour so that you know how to elicit ‘happy’ laughter. Bhagyaraj could get you to laugh with his dialogues. Crazy Mohan is the master of slapstick,” she elaborates.
Magalir Mattum, she says, was a happy experience, because Bramma had done all the homework. “We merely improvised. He took such care to frame every scene. I have great respect for someone who wrote a film that revolves around women, and put in progressive thoughts. It was such joy to play an understanding mother-in-law who shares a great bond with her daughter-in-law, and friends, played by Bhanupriya and Saranya Ponvannan.”
Despite all the praise, Urvashi says that even today, she gets worried wondering if she will do a scene well, and overjoyed when the director okays a shot. Likewise, she makes sure she passes on feedback for any good performance. She spoke to KR Vandana, who essayed her younger self in Magalir Mattum, to tell her she loved her portrayal. “She was spot on. I was reminded of myself.”
Before we move on, Urvashi’s three-year-old son Ishaan Prajapathi asks for his amma. She gives him something to play with and buys two minutes of time. “He’s been such a positive force in my life. No one can be fully happy, but he’s put me back in a happy space,” she says, adding that she’s waiting for her elder daughter Tejalakshmi, who’s studying in Bengaluru, to watch the film too. “She has a great sense of humour, and is interested in films. But, she must study before thinking of anything else.”
Does Urvashi rue missing out on any great roles? That famous laughter surfaces again. “You’ll feel bad only if someone else got something you wanted. Where are the roles for women? There are few writers who will develop a female character, with all her quirks and personal growth. A film must revolve around the character, even if that character is a dog. In a star-struck industry, we need producers who will encourage good writers.”
The actress says that with time, women go through so many transformations, and each one of them can add many layers to a character. “In real life, there’s so much we do, so many relationships we fulfill, so much anger we bury within… it’s time to bring them on-screen. That will bring back family audiences.”
And then, Urvashi pauses. “It took 23 years for a second Magalir Mattum. God knows how long it will take for the next!”
*****
The Urvashi interview is a Silverscreen exclusive.
On Sunday, writer Apurva Asrani announced that he would release his version of the script for Simran, i.e before it was allegedly tweaked by Kangana Ranaut. On Tuesday evening, he released the script.
Here it is-the #Simran script! Interesting exercise to see how some bits evolve, while some get lost in translation. https://t.co/r0hI4rX6dr
The script, a contrary to what was shown on-screen, is pegged to be a dark, gritty thriller as opposed to a screwball ‘slice-of-life’ sort of film. Responses to the original script have mostly been praises for the writer.
This script is far more superior than what I saw on screen.
Meanwhile, Hansal Mehta who had deleted his Twitter account, returned to the social networking platform and thanked viewers for loving as well as panning his latest movie Simran.
Since so many people are speculating about me deleting my twitter a/c here I am.
Simran, which released on September 15, has faced a wave of criticism for its screenplay and plot, even though Kangana was lauded for her acting skills.
Trouble brewed between Kangana and Apurva in April this year after the actress claimed that she turned the script from a crime thriller to a “slice of life” comedy. Soon enough, Asrani wrote a Facebook post in which he attacked director Hansal Mehta and Kangana, taking offence to the fact that she was offered additional writing credit in the film.
Apurva blamed Kangana for the rift between him and his Aligarh director, and even wished Mehta showed some spine. In retaliation, Kangana went on record to claim that he didn’t want her to get any writing credits in the first place.
Bhojpuri actor Dineshlal Yadav Nirahua, at a recent event, spoke about how the Bhojuri film industry, particularly the makers and producers, were reluctant about having Bollywood actress Priyanka Chopra produce films for them. Having launched her production house – Purple Pebble Pictures – the actress wasn’t welcomed initially when she produced the Bhojpuri film, Bum Bum Bhole Bol Raha Hai Kashi.
“Madhu Chopra and Priyanka had sent out a message to those who love Bhojpuri films from all over the world – if you want to see the industry grow and get better, extend your hand, help the industry – but no one came forward. When the Chopras made their first film, Bum Bum Bhole Bol Raha Hai Kashi, there was a massive attempt to drive them away from the industry. Her first experience with Bhojpuri films was not good, but she did not run away and today, all of them want to be associated with her next film and see its release too,” he said.
Ravi Kissen, another Bhojpuri actor, said that it’s human nature to feel insecure when they sense competition. ” I know Priyanka and her mother Madhu Chopra are here to stay and will help in the betterment of the Bhojpuri industry,” he said.
The production company has so far produced five films in Marathi, Sikkimese, and Punjabi, one which (Ventilator) won the National Award.
Veteran actor Rishi Kapoor says the iconic R.K. Films and Studios, which burnt down in an accident, will be rebuilt and “a state of the art studio” will be made.
Rishi, son of the studio’s founder, the legendary Raj Kapoor, on Tuesday, expressed his sadness and added that the “scars” of the incident, that took place on September 16 in Chembur here, shall remain. He shared a photograph of the studio post the accident.
2017 September 16th. Gutted by a devastating inferno. Scars shall remain but will build a state of the art studio. pic.twitter.com/MyKKCfhgBr
The 65-year-old also shared a black and white photograph of the studio which was being readied for an inauguration with the film Awaara starring Raj Kapoor, Nargis, Prithviraj Kapoor, Leela Chitnis.
1950.RK Studios stage No:1 being readied for Dusserah inauguration with the film Awara. Dream sequence was to be shot pic.twitter.com/340cf8bAJP
The blaze gutted one of the main shooting venues — the set of dance reality TV show Super Dancer Season 2, but the shooting was not underway.
R.K. Films has given Bollywood titles like Barsaat (1949), Awaara (1951), Boot Polish (1954), Shri 420 (1955) and Jaagte Raho (1956).
The studio was the venue for movies like Jis Desh Me Ganga Behti Hain (1960), Mera Naam Joker (1970), Bobby (1973), the debut film for Rishi Kapoor and Dimple Kapadia, Satyam Shivam Sundaram (1978), Prem Rog (1982), Ram Teri Ganga Maili (1985), which was the founder-actor’s last film before his death in June 1988.
Actor Harshvardhan Kapoor, who will play shooter Abhinav Bindra on the silver screen, says his father Anil Kapoor has already started prepping for his role to essay Apjit Bindra, father of the Gold medalist at 2008 Beijing Olympics.
Harshavardhan on Tuesday shared a photograph of Anil and Apjit, where they are seen raising a toast.
Abhinav won the country’s first individual gold medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
The biopic is scheduled to go on floors by October and will reportedly focus on the relationship between Abhinav and his father.
Harshvardhan, 26, made his debut in Bollywood with Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra’s Mirzya. He is currently shooting for Vikramaditya Motwane’s upcoming film Bhavesh Joshi, which is expected to release later this year.
Filmmaker Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra says the inspiration for his upcoming directorial Mere Pyare Prime Minister comes from Mahatma Gandhi.
In a talk at the RISE Summit here, Mehra spoke about the film and the issue of sanitation, which he has been helping to tackle since the last four years via his association with an NGO.
“When it comes to cinema, it is entertainment first as that’s what brings the people in. Purpose has to be built into the cinema, along with the entertainment. My next film Mere Pyare Prime Minister is inspired by Mahatma Gandhi. Shot in Mumbai, our set is called Gandhinagar. Few people know that Mahatma Gandhi was a warrior on sanitation issues,” Mehra said here on Monday in conversation with Karon Shaiva, organiser of the RISE summit, read a statement.
On a lighter vein, Mehra added that what attracted him to the subject of sanitation was that “when you gotta go, you gotta go”.
Mehra has been associated with Yuva Unstoppable NGO, which has been working towards building toilets in slum areas and municipal schools.
Asked about whether the fact that he is from Bollywood helped, he said it “opened some doors” for him.
However, he added that “you have to guard against people associating with you for the wrong reasons.”
Mehra was felicitated as a ‘RISE’ Citizen, along with Swaroop Rawal, whose doctoral degree in 2006 on ‘The role of drama in enhancing life skills in children with specific learning difficulties in a Mumbai school’, gave her a new calling to be relevant to society.
Former Indian Women’s Cricket Team captain Jhulan Goswami has said that a biopic on her would be made soon. Tentatively titled Chukdah Express, the film gives Jhulan the distinction of being the first female cricketer on whom a biopic has been made.
“I have got proposals for a biopic before as well. This is the right time I thought,” Goswami told reporters on the sidelines of an event here.
Goswami helped India reach the final of the ICC Women’s World Cup earlier this year when the eves lost to England by nine runs. She took three wickets in the summit clash.
The 34-year old, who hails from Chakdaha, a city and a municipality in Kalyani subdivision of Nadia district, is the highest wicket-taker in One-day Internationals (ODIs) with 195 scalps in 164 matches.
The biopic, to be made in Hindi, will be directed by Susanta Das.
“We have seen MS Dhoni and Sachin Tendulkar’s biopics. But this will be the first biopic on women’s cricket,” Das said.
“We will send our crew to wherever Jhulan has played. The focus will be her journey, the odds she overcame since she was 10. Hope it will inspire and motivate millions of youngsters. It’s about chasing your dream,” he added.
The biopic is likely to be completed by the time Goswami joins skipper Mithali Raj and the rest of the team for the World Twenty20 (T20) tournament in November 2018.
Actress Santhy Balachandran makes her debut in the Malayalam crime-comedy, Tharangam. Starring opposite Tovino Thomas, Neha Iyer, Balu Varghese and others in the Dominic Arun film, Santhy says that her role in the film is well-etched – that of a guest lecturer with a mind of her own. Not just another woman at whose expense the actors make jokes.
Sometime last year, Santhy, who was at home in Kerala writing her thesis, came across a poster for a play. She was on a summer break from Oxford, where she was pursuing a doctorate in Anthropology.
The play was Harold Pinter’s The Lover.
Santhy doesn’t hail from a theatre background, but the poster caught her attention. She soon found herself auditioning for the part. The main one.
“I’ve always been interested in arts and theatre,” she says when I call her up for an interview, “In fact, a long time ago, I had done a Mahesh Dattani play called 30 Days In September, a production made in Hyderabad Central University. Before The Lover, I hadn’t done a full-fledged commercial play, only worked on the production.”
As a child, Santhy was part of summer camps, staging plays for a limited audience; she used to paint, too, and has held exhibitions before.
“Performance, writing, photography – those are the things that energise me. Last year, when I got the opportunity to do the play, the thrill made me realise that I really enjoy this field,” she admits.
The Lover is a 1962 play on sexual yearning and deception. While the play makes the audience believe that there are three characters – the wife, the husband, and the lover – it is later revealed that the third character is the husband and the wife role-playing as the lover to each other.
via Facebook
The play was staged for six days in Kochi, and was fairly instrumental in her landing a role in Dominic Arun’s film. “The director had seen the trailer for the play and asked the casting director to get in touch with me. Then I auditioned, and got the part.”
That was when her tryst with cinema began. Admitting that theatre and cinema require different sets of skills, she explains that a theatre background moulds one’s acting skills, while cinema acting teaches you to zone out the chaos outside and step into a role. With the luxury of multiple retakes.
Santhy also had the fortune of having two directors (one from another project) who helped her make the stage-to-screen transition.
“Both my directors were kind enough to answer all my questions. I guess it comes with my research background. I want to know the ‘Whys’, ‘Hows’, and the ‘What-happened-Befores’. Both of them were patient and were very clear on their characters, which really helped me understand my role better. It wasn’t so intimidating after,” she says.
Her first scene in Tharangam was a cut from the song ‘Minnunnunde Mullapole’, in which her character, Malu, walks out on her partner, Pappan, who turns up to the theatre late. “There were the first-day butterflies, but everybody was so nice about it. Since the team includes mostly young people, we all had fun despite a 45-day shoot schedule.”
Playing Malu turned out to be quite easy for Santhy. A guest lecturer who is in a live-in relationship with a man named Pappan, Santhy declares that her character is quite an important one.
“The thing that I like about Malu is that she’s not just a love interest, she isn’t in the film just because a hero needs a heroine. She’s actually quite important, and I can say that without her, the film wouldn’t exist. That way, all the characters in the film have a crucial role. It’s a comedy and doesn’t have characters saying things just for the heck of sounding funny. Malu is someone who ends up being funny even without trying,” she says.
Credit: Richard Antony
There’s another female character in the film who is equally important. “It’s an intelligent film, and I like the way the female characters are written. There’s Omana (played by Neha Iyer), who’s also important. For me, considering my academic background, I look at things from a critic’s perspective, watchful of how women are portrayed on screen. These two characters have a world of their own which is beyond the men in their lives. They are strong, independent women, and are in the film for a reason. Not frivolous characters who are demeaned or made fun of. I guess that’s new for comedy,” she says.
Santhy’s other project – Randuper – has been submitted for film festivals. The film, much like her debut, is set in contemporary times, but is perhaps more intense. “My character Riya has a lot of layers. The film is more conversational, where nothing is what it seems. It mostly happens with two characters in a car, and it’s received good responses at the preview,” she adds.
Santhy also looks forward to doing different roles. “I want to play characters that make me step outside my own experience. So far, the characters I’ve played are more rooted in contemporary times, so I wouldn’t mind venturing into a role with a totally different background. I’m someone who thinks of possibilities a lot, and playing different roles is a way of doing that,” she adds.
Given a choice between theatre and cinema, Santhy says that acting on stage is something she’d definitely go back to.
“The high you get from being on stage is quite different. The reach of cinema is great, but both cinema and theatre have a different space. Theatres evolves you as an actor, to convey emotions in real time. And you don’t have retakes; there’s a different sort of thrill that comes from stage. It’s something I wouldn’t give up.”
Tharangam – The Curious Case of Kallan Pavithran, is scheduled to release on September 29.
*****
The Santhy Balachandran interview is a Silverscreen exclusive.
Director AL Vijay, who is currently working on his upcoming Tamil-Telugu bilingual Karu, reveals that the film will essentially be about a mother’s bond with her four-year-old daughter, and will also touch upon the issue of abortion. Speaking to Deccan Chronicle, the director said that Sai Pallavi is perfect for the role.
“Right from the beginning, I was very confident that Sai would be able to pull it off. I watched Premam as well as Kali. I loved her performance in both. She was very impressive in the latter. She has done a wonderful job in Karu,” he told DC. The actress has also dubbed for herself in the film.
The film also marks her debut in Tamil films. Mani Ratnam’s Kaatru Veliyidai and Vikram’s Sketch – two films that were supposed to launch her in Tamil – did not work out as planned.
Naga Shourya plays the male lead in Karu. Nirav Shah handles the cinematography while Raju Mahalingam of Lyca Productions finances the project.
Jennifer Lawrence’s new film, Mother!, has received the worst possible rating on audience-based rating website, CinemaScore. Since 2002, there have been only 12 films with such bad ratings, reported Hindustan Times.
According to the report, the other films that received F rating are 2002’s George Clooney sci-fi remake, Solaris, 2012 Brad Pitt-starrer, Killing Them Softly and 2006’s Nicolas Cage horror film, The Wicker Man. CinemaScore polls opening day audiences with a report card in which they write their feedback on the movie. Based on the feedback the rating varies from A to F.
Cinemascore rating can impact the box office collection of films. Director Darren Aronofsky’s Mother! was produced on a budget of $30 million and it has collected approximately $8 million in its opening weekend.
The film’s audience rating is contradictory to what the critics are saying. The film has got decent 69 percent on Rotten Tomatoes.
“This is an interesting case of what appears to be a total disconnect between the critics, who have been fairly receptive, and audiences who are collectively giving Mother!, ” said comScore’s Paul Dergarabedian told The Hollywood Reporter. “The trailer paints a very strange and purposely equivocal portrait of the film and audiences who may have been expecting one type of movie-going experience got something quite different and have chosen to scold the film with a stunningly low approval rating.”
A quick look at everything making news in the world of cinema today!
Sign On
Aranmanai will get a Kannada remake soon
Director Vijay says that his Karu touches upon the sensitive issue of abortion
Vijay Sethupathi has reportedly signed on for Edakku
Cricketer Jhulan Goswami will get a biopic soon
Newsworthy
Santhosh Sivan is in talks to direct Mammotty next
Apurva Asrani’s original script for Hansal Mehta’s Simran has been released
Spotlight
Bhojpuri star Dineshlal Yadav Nirahua has admitted that there’s a conspiracy to bar Priyanka Chopra from the industry.
“Madhu Chopra and Priyanka have sent out a message to those who love Bhojpuri films from all over the world, if you want to see the industry grow and get better, extend your hand, help the industry but no one came forward.”
He revealed, “When Chopras made their first film Bum Bum Bhole Bol Raha Hai Kashi, there was a massive attempt to drive them away from the industry. Her first experience with Bhojpuri films was not good, but she did not run away and today, all of them want to be associated with her next film and see its release too.’’
Let them eat cake!
Directors Mahesh Bhatt, Soundarya Rajinikanth will all turn a year older today!
A Navratri-themed condom advertisement featuring Sunny Leone has apparently hurt religious sentiments.
According to a report in Mid-Day, a condom commercial poster that was put up in Surat featuring Sunny Leone has stirred a controversy. The hoarding in Gujarati read, ‘Play but with love this Navratri.’
Though Sunny Leone is yet to comment on the controversy, according to The Times Of India, a Surat-based group staged a protest and demanded that the hoardings be removed immediately.
“This cannot be tolerated and our protests will get stronger if these hoardings are not removed immediately,” said Narendra Chaudhary, businessman and president of Hindu Yuva Vahini, was quoted as saying.
The Kerala High Court on Tuesday posted actor Dileep’s fifth bail application hearing in the Malayalam actress abduction case for next week.
The actor has been in jail since July over his alleged involvement in the conspiracy behind the case. The courts earlier rejected four bail pleas by Dileep – twice each in the trial court and the High Court.
Posting the matter for September 26, the High Court asked the state government to give its opinion in the case on that day.
Dileep has been questioned twice and was arrested soon after the second round of interrogation on July 10. Since then he has been languishing in the Aluva sub-jail.
On Monday, the trial court had rejected his bail plea. The High Court on September 25 will also hear the anticipatory bail pleas of his actress-wife Kavya Madhavan and close friend actor-director Nadir Shah in the same case.
The abduction had taken place on February 17 when the actress was on her way from Thrissur to Kochi.
She was taken around in her vehicle forcefully for about two hours before being dumped near actor-director Lal’s home, from where police was informed.
The key accused – Pulsar Suni and his accomplices involved in the actual abduction – were arrested a week later. After detailed questioning, police unearthed a conspiracy angle that led to the actor’s arrest.
Writer Supraja has claimed that the story of the recently released film, Magalir Mattum, starring Jyothika, is her story, based on a series that she had written for a Tamil daily. She has alleged that she will lodge a police complaint against the makers and the director.
Responding to the allegation, director of the film, Bramma told Silverscreen, “Nobody can claim that Magalir Mattum is their story because, I wrote this script based on the true incidents that happened in my life. I have all the records for that as well. My mother had met her three friends via Facebook and I have written the script based on this incident and I had put a status of this incident, too, on Facebook four years ago.”
He added, “These kind of allegations are very common in Tamil cinema. I am just hearing about such allegations against me only now, and I can explain to the writer about my story, when we discuss about this.”
Magalir Mattum is about how a young woman reunites three older women, who didn’t meet ever after their college days. Jyothika plays the role of a young documentary filmmaker.
The story of India’s surgical strike on terrorist hubs in Pakistan is being made into a Bollywood film produced by Ronnie Screwvala. Actor Vicky Kaushal plays the lead role in the movie titled Uri. RSVP, Screwvala’s creative movie company, made the announcement on Tuesday.
“Today we are a confident, aggressive and new age India – standing up for itself in every way and on the world stage. With this one single military action, we changed the fabric of our border politics forever and that became a watershed moment in our political history. But most importantly, Uri is the incredible story of Indians coming together,” Screwvala said.
He said the movie was a “great mix” of being a story that must be told and a story they want to tell. Terrorists from Pakistan attacked a military base in Uri in Jammu and Kashmir on September 18, 2016, leaving 19 Indian soldiers dead. Eleven days later, the Indian Army retaliated with a surgical strike, heightening India-Pakistan tensions.
The project will have an ensemble cast and is being directed by Aditya Dhar. Dhar said: “This is the story of what happened in those 11 days… It’s an honour and very reassuring to be backed by Ronnie Screwvala and to execute on this vision and what we believe is an engaging and thrilling story inspired by this true life incident.”
Uri will go on floor in early 2018 and will release in September 2018, two years after the surgical strike. Vicky plays the “lead commander in chief who led this operation and led the paratroopers post the Uri attack”, read a statement issued on behalf of the actor.
Vicky said: “When this film came to me, I was really thrilled because this is one story I feel everyone needs to know. One of the fantastic Army operations the Indian Army has conducted and with great efficiency. I also feel it is a great opportunity and also a responsibility for all of us to portray this story.” The Masaan actor will undergo some para-military training for a month to bulk up some kilos before starting the shoot. He said the role could be his toughest.
This marks the second collaboration between RSVP and Vicky. The banner’s first production, Love Per Square Foot, too has Vicky in the lead and is set for a release in April next year.
As of now, Vicky is busy with Raazi, in which he is paired with Alia Bhatt.
Vishal Bharadwaj has said that Rajinikanth would be his first choice for King Lear if he ever decides to adapt the Shakespeare play for the big screen, according to PTI.
“Before making Haider, I had worked on the script of King Lear and visualised Rajnikanth in the lead role. He will be my first choice, if and when I decide to make the film,” Bharadwaj said. The filmmaker was speaking at the Brahmaputra Valley Film Festival, when he made the revelation.
Bharadwaj said that Maqbool was an accident. The other two Shakespeare adaptations were his attempt to finish the trilogy.
“…for my second film, I was looking for a story when I decided to make Omkara, an adaptation of Othello, and finally there was a pressure to make the third of the trilogy. Haider, the third in the trilogy, was a very difficult film for me. I was under pressure to ensure that the film matches up to the first two films and at the same time, I wanted to make a film in Kashmir against the backdrop of conflict,” he said, reported PTI.
The director now wants to make a trilogy of Shakespeare’s comedies. But nothing has panned out yet.
“I will not direct any films but will compose music for three films. I along with many of my well wishers feel that I have neglected my role as a music composer and for the next year, I am going to concentrate on music.”
Bharadwaj also stressed on the need for more children’s films.
Filmmaker Hansal Mehta, who had deleted his Twitter account, has returned to the social networking platform and thanked viewers for loving as well as panning his latest movie Simran.
After Mehta deleted his account, Twitteratis went on a guessing spree as to what could have led to his decision – the average response to Simran or something else. But Mehta returned on the platform on Tuesday, and clarified:
Since so many people are speculating about me deleting my twitter a/c here I am.
Simran, starring Kangana Ranaut, is about a free spirited and strong woman. While Kangana caused a buzz in the media with her bold confessions in interviews ahead of its release, the film itself was mired in controversy since the launch of its poster when writer Apurva Asrani had slammed the actress for taking the co-writer credit in the film.
Celebrating Shoojit Sircar’s feminist film Pink, actor Amitabh Bachchan tweeted out a photo to mark the occasion with the team. Except, the photo only had men in it. The actor’s photo even had the caption: “PINK…all in one frame”.
T 2549 – The team of ‘PINK’ .. all in one frame .. and .. ALL, independent, individual .. NATIONAL AWARD WINNERS !!? pic.twitter.com/uQV55nUQsO
The actor drew flak for promoting the film with just the men in frame. However, this isn’t the first time the veteran actor displayed subtle misogyny. Last week, Bachchan said that he was happy that women are now working harder than men on set.
“A great delight to find so many women on set working harder than the men, in a job which one could never have dreamt about in our times,” he wrote in his blog while filming for Thugs Of Hindostan.
Actors Tiger Shroff and Disha Patani have begun filming for Baaghi 2. Shroff, who was also seen in the first instalment of the movie in 2016, on Monday night took to Twitter, where he shared a photograph from the film’s set. In the photograph Tiger, Disha, filmmaker Sajid Nadiadwala and director Ahmed Khan can be seen.
“And so it begins ‘Baaghi 2’. Ahmed Khan, Dish Patani, Shaira Ahmed Khan Sajid Nadiadwala,” Tiger captioned the image.
Disha on Tuesday morning shared the same photograph and captioned it: “And that’s how we kickstart ‘Baaghi 2’. Tiger Shorff, Sajid Nadiadwala, Ahmed Khan. Abhi toh humne start kiya hai (We have just started).”
Tiger will be seen turning nearly bald in the upcoming film Baaghi 2.
Produced by Sajid Nadiadwala under the banner Nadiadwala Grandson Entertainment and presented by Fox Star Studios, the film is scheduled to release on April 27, 2018.
When Celeste Wright in Big Little Lies feels the walls and corners of the apartment she intends to shift into after being brutally assaulted by her husband, there’s a moment of calm on her face. Fighting a lone battle in silence, we watch Celeste quiver in fear and breakdown all by herself, clutching on to sweet nothings that her husband feeds her again and again. She isn’t weak, we learn. She’s still got some fight in her, especially after she feels alive when representing Madeline and her theatre company against the mayor. It takes a while for her to fight back, but she does it even if it leaves her marred with scars. Her battle scars.
Nicole Kidman as Celeste won her first Emmy for Best Actress, an award that rightfully belongs to her, for her performance as the vulnerable-but-not-weak housewife who keeps making excuses for her husband’s abuse until she’s had enough. Accepting the award while fighting tears, Nicole’s speech highlighted the premise of her character’s relationship with her husband.
“It is a complicated, insidious disease. It exists far more than we allow ourselves to know. It is filled with shame and secrecy, and by you acknowledging me with this award, shines the light on it even more. So, thank you, thank you, thank you. I bow down to you,” she said to a roar of applause.
The Emmys this year was clearly a fine example of women power, diversity, and some real political sass. Highlighting power and diversity, writer Lena Waithe’s win decrees a bigger and brighter picture for artistes from different backgrounds, race, orientation, and gender.
Lena won the Emmy for co-writing the ‘Thanksgiving’ episode of Master of None with series co-creator and star, Aziz Ansari. Waithe also has a recurring role in the Netflix comedy, and is the first African American to win this award. Her acceptance speech was something that should’ve been heard a longtime ago, but doesn’t hurt to listen to now, given the return of White supremacy, racism, sexism and homophobia.
Waithe spoke about how the “Little Indian boy from South Carolina and the queer Black girl from Chicago” have finally been embraced by acceptance.
“The things that make us different — those are our superpowers,” she said. “Go out there and conquer the world. It would not be as beautiful as it is if we weren’t in it.”
With the speeches and awards at the Emmys getting more fiery and astute with respect to the political situation, it came as no surprise when Julia-Louis Dreyfus won the Best Actress in a Comedy award for Veep for the sixth consecutive time. Last year, she paid tribute to her father, and given the elections at the time, admitted that the show began as a political satire, but “now felt like a sobering documentary.”
Despite facing stiff competition, Julia reigned each year and even went on to make Emmy history this time. Her character, Selina Meyers, is a terrible choice for President, something which even she has admitted to in the past. Selina is petty, self-centered, and downright opportunistic, but she isn’t bitchy or unnecessarily vicious. She faces sexism and lots of name-calling for speaking her mind, even forced to measure her words while her male counterparts get away with far worse.
But at least, there appears to be a place for female Presidents in the fictional world.
*****
The Handmaid‘s Tale’s win is the other cherry on top. Hulu’s show was adjudged the biggest winner of the night with eight awards, including the final award of the night – ‘Outstanding Drama Series’. A show that focuses on women disallowed from having any agency over their body even had Elisabeth Moss, the titular lead, win the Outstanding Actress in a Drama category.
The Handmaid’s Tale, originally a novel written by Margaret Atwood, is set in a dystopian world where women are considered intellectually and emotionally inferior to men, segregated by clothing, and where unmarried women are considered to be non-persons. The novel, published in 1985, is set in a totalitarian society, marred by politics, class, and patriarchy.
Much like George Orwell’s 1984, the show (a terrific representation of the book) recounts the horrors that women face in the dystopian world where they are treated like pieces of meat up for grabs.
But just the way all things good come to an end, Sean Spicer’s entry in the name of entertainment and suspense at an awards show was nothing short of a disservice to not just the ladies but also the other attendees of the occasion which celebrated creativity, diversity, and all things original.
Spicer may have quit being the White House’s Press Secretary, but the load of lies he spewed during his term, while working for a pro-White, pro-life, anti-women boss, doesn’t really add to his “fun and friendly” appearance at the show.
That aside, closer home, if only Amitabh Bachchan learnt a thing or two about not stealing thunders.
T 2549 – The team of ‘PINK’ .. all in one frame .. and .. ALL, independent, individual .. NATIONAL AWARD WINNERS !!? pic.twitter.com/uQV55nUQsO
