Newz

Boomika , a Tamil horror film (marketed as an eco-horror film), redirects focus on the inaccurate portrayal of people with special abilities in Indian cinema over time. And makes you wonder the effects of such portrayals on popular perception of those with the condition. *Spoiler ahead* In Boomika, the ghost haunting an isolated colonial property has Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). She is artistically blessed with the ability to draw and paint like a maestro; that much the film gets right. People on the spectrum tend to have supremely sharp abilities in one or more specific fields. But everything else about her is incorrect, reflecting poor research. Her involuntary movements, exaggerated facial expressions, repetitive tick of the head, and floppy body posture resemble those that have cerebral palsy, also a group of nervous disorders. Perhaps filmmaker R Rathindran Prasad set out to create positive awareness of autism. But somewhere down the line, flimsy research and dramatic licen

Noted Telugu film director Puri Jagannadh, on Tuesday appeared before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) here after being summoned in connection with a money laundering probe linked to a drugs case. The Pokiri fame director, also a screen writer and producer, is among the over 10 Tollywood (Telugu film industry) personalities — Rakul Preet Singh, Rana Daggubati, Ravi Teja, Charmee Kaur, Navdeep, Mumaith Khan among others — who were earlier summoned by the ED. A drug racket was busted in July 2017 and several cases related to drug trafficking were registered and over 20 people arrested including a US citizen, who was a former aerospace engineer and had worked with the NASA. Names of some Tollywood personalities surfaced during the interrogation of people arrested in connection with the drug racket. A Special Investigation Team (SIT) of Telangana's Prohibition and Excise department, as part of its investigation had also probed the alleged drug links with Tollywood, and questioned

Priti Shahani, the acclaimed Bollywood producer behind pathbreaking movies such as  Talvar , Raazi , and Badhaai Ho  has announced a genre-bending new feature film in collaboration with Josy Joseph, the award-winning investigative journalist and author. Based on an unprecedented investigation into the Indian healthcare system,  Phantom Hospital   will mark ace filmmaker Mahesh Narayan's entry into the Hindi film industry. He recently directed Amazon Prime Video India Original film Malik , starring Fahadh Faasil in the lead. The unusual dramatic thriller also marks the entry of Priti Shahani's new production house Tusk Tale Films in the market. Announcing the project, Shahani said her new content house believes in harnessing the power of great stories, especially those rooted in reality and rigorous investigation. Phantom Hospital results from one such creative partnership between   Tusk Tale Films and Josy Joseph's company Confluence Media.  An unusual scandal in the

Paramount Studios is suing its insurer, Chubb National Insurance Company, for not covering the vast majority of its losses due to pandemic-related shutdowns on the sets of Mission Impossible 7 . In a suit filed in California’s federal court, the studio’s lawyers claimed that Paramount had incurred severe losses and damages as it was forced to postpone and suspend the production of the Tom Cruise starrer "due to Closure Orders affecting different filming locations, cast illnesses, and the need to protect cast and crew and its locations from exposure to SARS-CoV-2".  A brief on the case Production on Mission Impossible 7 , which is slated to release on 27 May 2022, was delayed seven times between February 2020 and June 2021. COVID-19 was cited as the reason behind the delay six times. However, the studio’s insurer Chubb has said that it would only pay $1 million for the losses incurred due to the coronavirus. The insurer said the amount was decided through its “civil au

The third season of the popular psychological thriller You , starring Penn Badgley and Victoria Pedretti, is all set to premiere on Netflix on 15 October. At the end of the second season of the drama, Badgley's Joe was already eyeing a new neighbour, despite being in a relationship with Pedretti's character Love Quinn. The new season will delve into the equation between Joe and Love as they are married and raising their son, Henry, in California, reported Variety . But their family life starts to come apart as Joe starts showing interest in his next door neighbour. The series is based on the books You and Hidden Bodies by Caroline Kepnes. Season 2 saw Joe move from New York to Los Angeles to escape his murderous past with a new identity, then fall in love with Love, but he ends up getting caught in his own web of lies. Season 3 takes the story in a new direction from where the books have gone. The third in Kepnes’ series, You Love Me , was published in April, after the w

Actors Vijay Sethupathi and Taapsee Pannu starrer multi-lingual fantasy-comedy Annabelle Sethupathi is set to release on Disney+ Hotstar on 17 September. Directed by Deepak Sundarrajan, the film marks the first collaboration between Sethupathi and the Thappad star. The film features Sethupathi, 43, as a 'romantic king' while Pannu will be seen in a dual role as a Queen and modern-day burglar. The trailer of the film was shared by the lead actors on their respective social media handles. Kelambidichuppaa kelambidichu! Peyellaam koottamaa kelambidichu. Enge? Inga! #AnnabelleSethupathi streaming in Tamil, Telugu, Hindi, Kannada and Malayalam from September 17 on @DisneyPlusHS #AnnabelleSethupathiTrailer https://t.co/aK0u33jfQs — taapsee pannu (@taapsee) August 30, 2021 Sundarrajan said Annabelle Sethupathi is a “special story” headlined by a “supremely talented cast” of Pannu and the Master star. “These actors brought in their brilliant craft and lifted the interest

Filmmaker Karan Johar on Monday revealed that his mother, Hiroo Johar, underwent two surgeries — spinal fusion and right knee replacement — in the last eight months. Karan Johar posted a video on Instagram, in which his mother was seen sitting on a wheelchair and set to be discharged from Lilavati Hospital in Mumbai. The director asked if she had any message for people as she was "heading home." In her reply, Hiroo Johar, 78, thanked the staff and doctors of the hospital. Check out Karan Johar's Instagram post here View this post on Instagram A post shared by Karan Johar (@karanjohar) In the caption, the 49-year-old director wrote that his children Yash and Roohi were waiting for their grandmother at home "with a cake and a song." Karan Johar is currently seen as the host on the digital reality show Bigg Boss OTT on Voot. He also recently commenced filming for his upcoming directorial venture Rocky Aur Rani Ki Prem Kahani , featuring Ranveer S

It’s a truth widely acknowledged that if you’re Kanye West , you can pretty much do anything. Whether it means you include God as a featured artist on your song (called ‘ I Am a God ’ off 2013’s Yeezus ) or call on saxophone great Kenny G (‘ Use This Gospel ’ from his 2019 album Jesus Is King ) or sit in a stadium and host listening parties for an album called Donda . Elaborate sets, a revolving door of musicians (some of whom didn’t make it to the final version of Kanye’s 10th album) and 27 tracks that were constantly tinkered with – only Kanye West can make a record like Donda . It clocks in at an hour and 48 minutes, which is certainly a laborious listen by any standard. There are barely any fillers on Donda – apart from ‘ Donda Chant ’ which opens the album. That means there’s meaning, emotion and intent buried into each and every word and beat, sent out into the world (after multiple delays and missing deadlines so much that West still said his label, Universal Music Group, went

Language: English The first thing that struck me in Cruella was Emma Stone’s cartoonish accent. In an interview , she said she assumed a Mid-Atlantic accent – one commonly seen in old Hollywood movies, that's neither American nor British – for the role. But Stone's attempt simply does not yield the outcome she and the makers had expected. It's a distraction from completely enjoying the character. The accent in question has a rather cool history , but that’s not really the focal point here. Cruella,  directed by Craig Gillespie, is the origin story of the skunk-haired classic Disney villainess from  101 Dalmations,  played by Glenn Close (who is credited as executive producer). Close as Cruella De Vil was hammy, incredibly terrifying, and delightfully diabolical. The character was faithful to the original animated film, unlike this one that takes some revisionist liberties, tries to take the bitter edge off of Cruella by humanising her , and directs the audience to the r

Canadian star Annie Murphy's latest series Kevin Can F**k Himself has been renewed for a second season by AMC. The first season of the dark comedy show, created by Valerie Armstrong, premiered in the US on cable network AMC from June this year. The sitcom satire will return with eight new episodes on AMC and streaming service AMC+ in 2022, reported Deadline . Murphy features in the show as Allison McRoberts, a the classic sitcom wife, who escapes her confines, and becomes the lead of her own life. The series breaks convention and blends multi-camera comedy with single-camera realism. Kevin Can F**k Himself also stars Mary Hollis Inboden, Eric Petersen, Alex Bonifer, Brian Howe, and Raymond Lee. Craig DiGregorio serves as showrunner and executive producer alongside Rashida Jones and Will McCormack of Le Train Train -fame. Kevin Can F**k Himself is streaming in India on Amazon Prime Video. With inputs from Press Trust of India. by FP Staff

The second season of the popular show Kota Factory is set to premiere on Netflix on 24 September, the streamer announced on Monday. The upcoming season will follow the life of Vaibhav, a young student on his journey to Maheshwari - one of Kota's leading training institutes, and how he tries to balance his friendships, his relationship with his mentor and the looming pressure of getting into IIT. The show stars Jitendra Kumar, Mayur More, Ranjan Raj, Alam Khan, Ahsaas Channa, Revathi Pillai and Urvi Singh. Here is the trailer Ab milenge life ke saare question ke answers 📚 Kota Factory season 2 arrives on 24th September, only on Netflix. #OutOfSyllabus #KotaFactory @TheViralFever @jitendrajk06 @mayurrmore @HeyAhsaasChanna @_pablochocobar @Punbatra @Saurabh_Khanna @arunabhkumar @uncle_sherry @hiarunk pic.twitter.com/rEVHsaCiBZ — Netflix India (@NetflixIndia) August 30, 2021 Director Raghav Subbu said season two of Kota Factory will chronicle the journey of stu

Bollywood superstar Akshay Kumar on Sunday said he was thrilled that his recently released film Bell Bottom was screened at a travelling cinema hall in Ladakh, touted as the world's highest mobile theatre. Last week, Ladakh got its first inflatable cinema with a private company, PictureTime Digiplex, installing the theatre in the union territory. The company installed the theatre in Leh and claimed it to be the highest altitude theatre in the world, installed at a height of 11,562 feet. Kumar's Bell Bottom , which released theatrically in the country on 19 August, was screened for the Indian Army and CISF personnel on 22 August. The actor took to Twitter and described the mobile theatre as "an amazing feat". Here is the update Makes my heart swell with pride that BellBottom was screened at World’s highest mobile theatre at Leh in Ladakh. At an altitude of 11562 ft, the theatre can operate at -28 degrees C. What an amazing feat! pic.twitter.com/5ozbpkTCIb — Ak

US television actor Ed Asner, winner of a record seven Emmy awards, has died at age 91, his family said Sunday. "We are sorry to say that our beloved patriarch passed away this morning, peacefully. Words cannot express the sadness we feel," his family wrote on the actor's Twitter account. We are sorry to say that our beloved patriarch passed away this morning peacefully. Words cannot express the sadness we feel. With a kiss on your head- Goodnight dad. We love you. — Ed Asner (@TheOnlyEdAsner) August 29, 2021 His publicist said Asner died of natural causes. Asner originally made a name for himself playing newsroom boss Lou Grant on The Mary Tyler Moore Show , the iconic sitcom that ran from 1970 to 1977, and then later on a spinoff show centered on his character. He won three of his seven Emmys for playing the character, and is one of only two actors to win a comedy and drama Emmy for the same role on different shows. Asner won himself a new generation of fans

Candyman hooked the top spot at the North American box office. The R-rated horror movie, co-written by Jordan Peele and directed by Nia DaCosta, delves into an urban legend that believes if someone repeats Candyman five times in front of a mirror, that person would summon the hook-handed killer. The spiritual sequel is a follow up to the original Candyman in 1992. Slashes way to top North American box office The Universal Pictures film starring Yahya Abdul-Mateen II impressively pulled in more than $22.3 million through a quiet weekend despite concerns over the delta variant. “It was a quiet weekend, but it was another check mark in the success column for horror,” Paul Dergarabedian, the senior media analyst for Comscore. The Hollywood Reporter says that half of the slasher horror's patrons were male with 69 percent from 18 to 34-year-old age group. The film had a budget of $25 million, according to  The Hollywood Reporter,  and expects to gross $5.23 million in 51 intern

Language: English  Daniel Destin Cretton’s Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings , the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s return to Indian theatres, whirrs into top gear with an explosive set-piece early on aboard a San Francisco bus, when Shang-Chi (Simu Liu) and Katy (Awkwafina) are attacked by a group of assassins led by a man with a machete for an arm. The scene itself is equal parts Speed and Rumble in the Bronx : Jackie Chan-like improvisational combat (the film’s fight coordinator Andy Cheng has worked with Chan on several films), slapstick humour and, well, the high-stakes precariousness of an out-of-control bus. Like Steve Rogers’s epic extended foot-chase from the first act of Captain America: The First Avenger , this extended action sequence had a lot riding on it. It was a question of showing audiences what the new superhero in town is capable of, as well as setting the visual grammar for the franchise, to an extent. In Steve Rogers’ case, we are immediately in awe of t

The Venice International Film Festival has invited Afghan filmmakers Sahraa Karimi and Sahra Mani to talk about the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan with "particular attention to the situation of filmmakers and artists" since the hardline religious group seized control of the country. The 78th edition of the movie gala, also called La Biennale di Venezia, will be held on the Lido from 1 to 11 September. According to Biennale's official website, the panel will take place September 4 at 3 pm at the Palazzo del Casino (Lido of Venice), in the Press Conference Room. Topic of the panel is "the dramatic situation of Afghan filmmakers and artists in general, the need for the creation of humanitarian corridors and the guarantee of the granting of political refugee status, as well as concern for their future and the need to provide for their accommodation once they arrive in Europe". Since the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan on August 15, several Afghans have fled th

Actor Rashmika Mandanna has finished shooting for her Bollywood debut Mission Majnu , co-starring S idharth Malhotra. Mandanna is best known for starring in Kannada film Anjani Putra and the 2018 Telugu blockbuster Geetha Govindam . The official Twitter handle of RSVP, the banner behind the film, shared a picture of the actor from the set late Saturday evening announcing the wrap. Here is the update Blessing your feed with her infectious smile It’s a picture wrap for our cutie patootie, @iamRashmika on the sets of #MissionMajnu @SidMalhotra @RonnieScrewvala @amarbutala #GarimaMehta @GBAMedia_Off #ShantanuBagchi @aseem_arora @Sumit_Batheja @pashanjal @HasanainHooda pic.twitter.com/th0gzXgNbr — RSVP (@RSVPMovies) August 28, 2021 The film, which is the debut directorial venture of ad filmmaker Shantanu Bagchi, is produced by Ronnie Screwvala of RSVP, and Amar Butala and Garima Mehta (Guilty By Association Media). Malhotra took to Instagram Stories and shared a pic

Bollywood actor Armaan Kohli was arrested, hours after being questioned by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB). Banned drugs were allegedly recovered from his house in Mumbai, sources in the central agency said. An NCB team raided Kohli's house in the evening and later took him to the agency's office in south Mumbai as some narcotics were found at his house, said an official. NCB zonal director Sameer Wankhede and others were quizzing him, he added. #UPDATE | Following a raid, NCB team takes actor Armaan Kohli to its office from his residence in Mumbai — ANI (@ANI) August 28, 2021 After the raid, actor Armaan Kohli gave ambiguous answers to questions put up by NCB. He was then taken to custody for questioning at the NCB office: NCB Zonal Director (Mumbai) Sameer Wankhede (File photo) pic.twitter.com/8GlemyLkUn — ANI (@ANI) August 28, 2021 Mumbai | Actor Armaan Kohli and drug peddler Ajay Raju Singh arrested u/s 21(a), 27(a), 28, 29, 30, & 35 of NDPS Act. NCB Mu

Movies and shows, old and new, have helped us to live vicariously through them. They have allowed us to travel far and wide at a time borders are shut and people are restricted to homes. In our new column What's In A Setting, we explore the inseparable association of a story with its setting, how the location complements the narrative, and how these cultural windows to the world have helped broaden our imagination. * During his India sojourn on the 2010 show Gordon’s Great Escape , British chef and TV star Gordon Ramsay visits a family of the Dhurwas (or Duruwas), a Gondi-speaking tribe living in the forests of central India. In their sparse home, he tries out a delicious, acidic, spicy chutney that knocks his socks off. “I won’t have mango chutney again,” he proclaims, before following his host deep into the forest, in a quest for the secret ingredient that makes the chutney. He discovers, of course, that the mystery element is a species of red ant, along with its eggs. He is f

Movies and shows, old and new, have helped us to live vicariously through them. They have allowed us to travel far and wide at a time borders are shut and people are restricted to homes. In our new column What's In A Setting, we explore the inseparable association of a story with its setting, how the location complements the narrative, and how these cultural windows to the world have helped broaden our imagination. * During his India sojourn on the 2010 show Gordon’s Great Escape , British chef and TV star Gordon Ramsay visits a family of the Dhurwas (or Duruwas), a Gondi-speaking tribe living in the forests of central India. In their sparse home, he tries out a delicious, acidic, spicy chutney that knocks his socks off. “I won’t have mango chutney again,” he proclaims, before following his host deep into the forest, in a quest for the secret ingredient that makes the chutney. He discovers, of course, that the mystery element is a species of red ant, along with its eggs. He is f

Language: Tamil The Tamil nation is at an unfortunate time in its history — its popular culture and commercial ventures are living through a horrific drought of humour. 2021 Tamil nation is filled with Vadivelu memes and Vivek nostalgia, both of whom were past their prime at least a decade ago. The casual comedy of reality television — I'm looking at you, Vijay TV — is firmly built on insulting the women in the room. Self-deprecation of anchors like DD, Priyanka and Archana only adds fuel to the fire. Netflix's Navarasa interprets the rasa of humour through a body-shaming, casteist, classist, and arguably unfunny, film. The independent comedy scene including stand-up comedy, sketch comedy etc. is primarily populated by urban, Brahmin men. The latest entry into this universe, Amazon Prime's latest release, LOL: Enge Siri Paappom brings together the worst of all this.  LOL is a reality show, where comedians are locked in a room for six hours. They need to make their co