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Showing posts from August, 2020

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Fahadh Faasil on shooting C U Soon during the lockdown: 'It pushed me to get back to work'

For some years now, audiences across the country, and not just the South, have been waiting to see what Fahadh Faasil will do next. Anjali Menon ’s Bangalore Days possibly introduced him to a non-Malayalam-speaking audience; his Das was full of intrigue, his Shiva was the charmer. His earnest innocence in Maheshinte Prathikaaram, kind-hearted craftiness of   Thondimuthalum Driksakshiyum , honest-to-goodness transformation in Njan Prakashan, creepiness in Kumbalangi Nights , everydayness in Super Deluxe and the definition-defying magnum opus called Trance fed that new-found audience, one that also went back and traced some old gems such as 22 Female Kottayam , Annayum Rasoolum and North 24 Kaatham . Malik , his much-awaited film with Mahesh Narayanan ( Take Off ) is one of the biggies that has suffered a delay due to the Covid 19 lockdown. In between all this comes C U Soon , which promises to be a love story that turns into a thriller. It's a 90 minute thri

Taapsee Pannu, Vijay Sethupathi to team up for an yet-untitled Tamil comedy film

Taapsee Pannu will be teaming up with actor Vijay Sethupathi for the first time for an upcoming yet-untitled Tamil comedy. The project, which will be directed by debutant Deepak Sundarrajan, will begin shooting in September and will be wrapped up in just 28 days, reports Hindustaan Times . In an interview to Pinkvilla , Pannu opened up about the project and said, “Yes, it’s a Tamil comedy that I’m doing with them along with Vijay. I had said yes to the script around a year ago and the director wanted me only to do this film. We were figuring out dates for this and as soon as things started opening up a bit, we quickly squeezed this one,” she said. Hindustaan Times further adds that the film will be shot in and around Jaipur. Pannu added that the film will be shot in a controlled environment and will be wrapped up in 28 days. Meanwhile, Pannu has a string of Hindi films in her pipeline. She will feature in Vinil Mathew's mystery thriller, Haseen Dillruba.  Produced by Aanand L R

Chadwick Boseman passes away: Black Panther director Ryan Coogler, Spike Lee pay tribute to actor

In a lengthy, emotional tribute to Chadwick Boseman , Black Panther director Ryan Coogler said the late actor was a man of faith and dignity, and someone who lived a beautiful life while making great art. Boseman, who attained global stardom as King T'Challa of fictitious African country Wakanda aka superhero Black Panther in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) films  Captain America: Civil War, Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame , died Friday of colon cancer at his residence in Los Angeles with his wife and family by his side. He was 43. (Also read on Firstpost —Chadwick Boseman passes away: The Black Panther star was an antidote to apolitical actors) The actor fought a secret battle with the disease for four years, Boseman''s family said in a statement posted on his official Twitter handle on Saturday. Coogler revealed he "wasn't privy to the details of his illness", adding Boseman was "living with his illness the entire time I knew him

Malayalam thriller Anjaam Pathiraa, starring Kunchacko Boban, to be remade in Hindi

Reliance Entertainment along with Ashiq Usman Productions and AP International are set to remake the Malayalam thriller Anjaam Pathiraa ,  which released earlier this year, in Hindi. Midhum Manuel Thomas directed the film, starring Kunchacko Boban, Sharaf U Dheen, Unnimaya Prasad, Jinu Joseph, and Sreenath Bhasi in pivotal roles. (Also read on Firstpost —Anjaam Pathiraa movie review: A brave, sensitive thriller with a startling, heart-rending back story) The story focuses on the search of a serial killer mercilessly targeting the Kochi Police. The force then ropes in a psychologist Anwar Hussain (Kunchacko) studying criminals to help further the investigation and find the culprit. Here is the announcement IT'S OFFICIAL... Reliance Entertainment, Ashiq Usman Productions and AP International join hands for #Hindi remake of #Malayalam crime thriller #AnjaamPathiraa [released in 2020]... Midhun Manuel Thomas directed the #Malayalam film, which was a commercial and critical su

Christopher Nolan's Tenet opens at $53 mn in 41 overseas markets before release in US and China

The first wave of big new movies released since the beginning of the pandemic, including Christopher Nolan’s mind-bending thriller Tenet and the long-delayed X-Men spinoff The New Mutants , arrived in theatres over the weekend, testing the waters of a radically different theatrical landscape. Warner Bros′ Tenet — the most hotly anticipated movie of the year and the one that has repeatedly positioned itself to lead the return of multiplex moviegoing — opened with an estimated $53 million overseas in 41 markets, including most of Europe, South Korea and Canada. Given the circumstances, it was difficult to forecast the performance of the $200 million Tenet , starring John David Washington Robert Pattinson and Elizabeth Debicki. But the result exceeded the expectations of most. Toby Emmerich, chairman of Warner Bros Pictures Group, called it “a fantastic start.” “Given the unprecedented circumstances of this global release we know we’re running a marathon, not a sprint, and look for

Multiplex Association of India, film producers request Centre to reopen cinema halls

Several Bollywood producers, actors along with the Multiplex Association of India (MAI) on Sunday, 31 August, urged the Centre to open the cinema halls, which have remained shut amid the coronavirus pandemic. The country went into lockdown from 25 March to contain the spread of coronavirus pandemic. The government started unlocking in a phase-wise manner from June with opening up of domestic travel, offices, markets, shopping complexes, etc in non-containment zones. Amid rising COVID-19 cases in the country, under the government's Unlock 4 guidelines , cinema chains have not been given permission to operate. The official account of Multiplex Association of India tweeted —under the hashtag "Support Movie Theatres"—that the cinema industry is not only an inherent part of the country's culture but also an integral part of the economy, "supporting millions of livelihoods." "Most countries across the world have allowed cinemas to operate. We request the

Reading Rhea Chakraborty's public vilification as a modern-day witch hunt: Actress' harassment has historic roots

The terms witch and witch-hunting are used in the Indian subcontinent in myriad ways. The synonyms for witch are churail, daayan, etc. and the process of reclaiming these terms, used for centuries to vilify women, is being done through the medium of cinema. Two such recent stories that have been hailed as feisty feminist tales are Bulbbul (2020) on Netflix and Churails (2020) on Zee5. This type of women empowerment-oriented revenge drama fetishises violence against women, glamourises shots of their mutilated bodies, and shows that the only way women can be empowered is by killing the men who necessarily wrong them in gendered ways. This kind of cinematic experience acts as a hyperbole for a cathartic experience for the viewers. Apart from using ‘the witch’ for furthering the cinematic plots in films and series, the term witch-hunting is also being used as an analogy for the online harassment and vitriol directed against Rhea Chakraborty after her boyfriend Sushant Singh Rajput’s

MTV VMAs 2020 highlights: Keke Palmer's tribute to Chadwick Boseman, The Weekend nods to Black Lives Matter

This year’s MTV Video Music Award s ceremony, the first major live awards show to be staged during the COVID-19 age, was originally supposed to be held at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center, but due to coronavirus concerns, it ended up taking place outdoors on Sunday, with performances at secret locations scattered across New York’s five boroughs. From Miley Cyrus recreating her ' Wrecking Ball' moment to The Weekend's sombre tribute to Breonna Taylor, here are some of the highlights from Hollywood's biggest musical night. Keke Palmer's tribute to  Black Panther  star Chadwick Boseman Host Keke Palmer acknowledged the death of Black Panther star Chadwick Boseman during the show's opening. Palmer called him "an actor whose talent and passion is a true inspiration to all the fans he touched and everyone he encountered." "We dedicate tonight's show to a man whose spirit touched so many," she said. "He is a true hero, not just onscreen, b

Lady Gaga, The Weeknd, BTS lead with multiple wins at 2020 MTV VMAs; see full winners list

Winners of the 2020 MTV Video Music Awards, held Sunday night at various locations throughout New York City. Actor Keke Palmer served as the host of the first live awards event since the coronavirus outbreak. Video of the year: The Weeknd, 'Blinding Lights' Artist of the year: Lady Gaga Song of the year: Lady Gaga and Ariana Grande, 'Rain on Me' Push best new artist: Doja Cat Best collaboration: Lady Gaga and Ariana Grande, 'Rain on Me' Best group: BTS Best quarantine performance: CNCO, MTV Unplugged at Home Best music video from home: Ariana Grande and Justin Bieber, 'Stuck with U ' Best pop: BTS, 'On' Best hip-hop: Megan Thee Stallion, 'Savage' Best R&B: The Weeknd, 'Blinding Lights' Best Latin: Maluma featuring J Balvin, 'Qué Pena' Best rock: Coldplay, 'Orphans' Best alternative: Machine Gun Kelly, 'Bloody Valentine' Best K-pop: BTS, 'On' Song of summer: BLACKPINK, 'How

Chadwick Boseman passes away: The Black Panther star was an antidote to apolitical actors

The 43-year-old American actor Chadwick Boseman died yesterday. Best known for his role as King T’Challa/Black Panther in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), Boseman played a string of African-American icons during his career, including singer James Brown, civil rights activist Thurgood Marshall and Major League Baseball star Jackie Robinson. In a statement released by his family it was revealed that the actor had been fighting colon cancer since the last four years — he received a stage three diagnosis in 2016 and since then, the cancer had progressed to stage four. During this period, Boseman shot for several films including Black Panther , Da 5 Bloods and Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (which will now be the actor’s final release). Born and raised in the traditional manufacturing centre of Anderson, South Carolina, Boseman was first moved to consider a career in acting after staging a high school play about a basketball teammate who was shot to death. The son of a textile worker and

All About Music 2020: Insights into India's growing indie scene at country's largest music convention

I’m one of the few people who spends more time inside the conference room at music conventions than networking outside. That’s because I try not to miss any of the talks, discussions or interviews during which an interesting data point might be dropped like a gold nugget among a minefield of anecdotal information and opinion. So when the organisers of All About Music, the country’s largest and most prominent music conference, announced that this year’s edition would be virtual, I was among the few delegates who wasn’t going to miss the hobnobbing outside the hall. The three-day event was the biggest installment yet, and as always, featured an impressive list of international speakers and an insightful if somewhat familiar selection of Indian ones. I am now guilty of being among those names you see every year, and this time around, moderated a panel titled All About Growing Indie, during which artists such as Kashmiri folk-pop singer Aabha Hanjura, drummer Jivraj Singh of pop duo Parek

Away, CU Soon, The Boys season 2, Enola Holmes: What to watch on Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Disney+Hotstar in September

A new month means a slate of movies and shows being added to the streaming platforms. From highly-anticipated comebacks to intriguing new projects, streaming platforms are churning out a varied form of stories to the already diverse world of digital platforms. We sourced through the internet and curated a list of content coming on Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and Disney+ Hotstar this month Netflix Away - 4 September Hilary Swank leads a batch of astronauts who have been chosen for the first manned mission to Mars in this sci-fi series. Swank's character Emma Green embarks on a 'treacherous mission to Mars in command of an international crew', leaving behind her husband and teenage daughter back home. I’m Thinking of Ending Things - 4 September Charlie Kaufman writes and directs this new drama adapted from the novel featuring Jesse Plemons. The trailer follows a young woman going to meet her new boyfriend's parents at a farm where several unnatural events take