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Around Tinsel Town
>> India submits ‘Chhello Show’ for Oscars 2023, not ‘RRR’
Contrary to popular opinion, the Film Federation of India chose not to submit SS Rajamouli’s blockbuster film ‘RRR’ to the 95th Academy Awards under the Best International Feature Film category. Instead, Pan Nalin’s semi-autobiographical Gujarati drama ‘Chhello Show’ was selected as India’s official entry. The decision opened the gates to a huge online uproar, with some supporting the decision and some continuing to route for RRR in hopes of the film getting a golden Oscar run.
But, can RRR still go the Oscars? Yes. Here’s how ‘RRR’ can still make a splash at the Oscars 2023
The debate also opens to the question of what the future of indie films look like.
>> Woody Allen ‘announces’ retirement...oh wait! He didn’t
On September 18, multiple western media outlets quoted Woody Allen telling the Spanish newspaper La Vanguardia that his upcoming film ‘Wasp 22’ will be his last directorial and that he intends to spend more time in writing during his twilight years. The news came as a shock to cinema fans across the globe.
However, the following day, a representative of the filmmaker denied the reports of Allen’s retirement and told Variety, “Woody Allen never said he was retiring, nor did he say he was writing another novel.” Guess, we can expect more cinema from Allen.
>> Two movies to be released in Kashmir theatres after 23 years
Kashmir’s first ever multiplex tryst with cinema will begin on October 1 this year with the screening of two epic movies, Vikram Vedha and Ponniyin Selvan (PS)-I, at the new INOX theatre in Srinagar’s Shiv Pora area.
Earlier this month, two cinema halls were inaugurated by Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha in the Pulwama and Shopian districts, which were once a hub of militancy. Interestingly, it’s Jadooz, a Chennai-based start-up, that has opened two mini theatres in Pulwama and Shopian. The experience of watching a film in a theatre returns to the Valley after gap of 23 years.
Bollywood
Popular comic Raju Srivastava dies after 41 days in Delhi hospital
AR Rahman, SS Rajamouli, and more to feature in ‘The Journey of India’
Ayushmann Khurrana’s ‘Doctor G’ to release on October 14
The teaser of Sonakshi Sinha, Huma Qureshi starrer ‘Double XL’ out, film to release on October 14
The trailer of ‘Atithi Bhooto Bhava’ shows Pratik Gandhi, Jackie Shroff in a fun supernatural comedy
Documentary on Gauri Lankesh adjudged best human rights film at Toronto Women’s Film Festival 2022
Documentary on Indian journalist Ravish Kumar wins award at Toronto International Film Festival
Three generations of Bachchan family come together for a fun podcast show, ‘What The Hell Navya’
Anees Bazmee to direct action-comedy for Zee Studios
Hollywood
TIFF 2022 | Steven Spielberg’s ‘The Fabelmans’ wins Toronto audience award
John Constantine is back: Keanu Reeves to reprise role in new Warner Bros movie
George Clooney, Julia Roberts on reuniting for ‘Ticket To Paradise’
James Cameron turns to Earth before release of new ‘Avatar’
Nail-biting trailer of M Night Shyamalan’s ‘Knock At The Cabin’ drops
‘The Midnight Club’ trailer promises another chilling horror series from Mike Flanagan
‘Selena Gomez: My Mind & Me’ to premiere on Apple TV+ on November 4
Saoirse Ronan to star in Steve McQueen’s World War II feature ‘Blitz’
Kelly Marie Tran to play activist Amanda Nguyen in biopic
Blake Lively confirms pregnancy, slams paparazzi for harassing her family
Kate Winslet hospitalised after slipping on sets of ‘Lee’ in Croatia
Lukas Gage boards cast of HBO Max series ‘Dead Boy Detectives’
Disney’s ‘Strange World’ to release in India on November 25
Regional cinema
Ajith Kumar’s next titled ‘Thunivu’; first look and poster out
Dhanush’s ‘Vaathi’ to hit screens in December
Kamal Haasan resumes shooting for Shankar’s ‘Indian 2’
Samantha’s ‘Shaakuntalam’ to release on November 4
Veteran actor Ramarajan on ‘Saamaniyan’: Glad to be back as a hero
Varun Tej to play an IAF officer in his next, a Hindi-Telugu bilingual
‘Captain Miller’: Priyanka Mohan joins Dhanush-Arun Matheswaran film
New in streaming
Coming to Netflix: Ana de Armas’ Marilyn Monroe biopic Blonde, Diljit Dosanjh-starrer Jogi, musical comedy I Used To Be Famous, and more
New on Disney+ Hotstar: Star Wars title Andor, Live-action Pinocchio movie, Akshay Kumar-starrer Cuttputlli, and more
Coming to Apple TV Plus: Jennifer Lawrence-starrer Causeway, documentary film Sidney, Ethan Hawke-starter Raymond & Ray, and more
New on Amazon Prime Video: Juhi Chawla-starrer Hush Hush, psychological horror film Goodnight Mommy, second season of queer drama Manhãs De Setembro, and more
New Korean titles to watch this month: The Korean adaptation of Little Women, Park Min-Young’s Love In Contract, Jung Woo starrer Mental Coach Jegal, and more
Essential reading
1) 20 years of Trisha: How life comes full circle with Kundavai and ‘Ponniyin Selvan’
>> The actor looks back at some of her iconic characters, and on Kundavai in Mani Ratnam’s magnum opus
2) ‘Ponniyin Selvan 1’: Karthi, Jayam Ravi dissect their characters of Vanthiyathevan and Arunmozhi Varman
>> The actors also speak about how the Mani Ratnam film will set the standard for grandeur in Indian cinema
3) Jean-Luc Godard, the filmmaker who changed cinema’s grammar and syntax
>> Adoor Gopalakrishnan writes about how Godard “destroyed” cinema and created it, with every new film
4) Emmy winner Lee Yoo Mi: I am certain Season 2 of ‘Squid Game’ will be very entertaining
>> The first Korean actor to win a Creative Arts Emmy talks about Squid Game and her upcoming projects
5) Rima Das on ‘Tora’s Husband’ and making films with real people, space and time
>> The filmmaker’s latest feature had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival
6) Nandita Das: I don’t have the desire to change my image
>> Her film ‘Zwigato’ recently premiered at TIFF and the actor is clear where her interest lies — filmmaking
7) T.R. Rajakumari: The original dream girl
>> On her birth centenary, we recall how she chose characters that proved she was more than just a glamorous star
8) Praveen Sattaru: ‘The Ghost’ and ‘Vikram’ are significant in Nagarjuna Akkineni’s career
>> The director says he prefers the brooding, intense persona of Nagarjuna Akkineni over charming romances
9) Vaibhav Reddy: ‘Not everybody can become Rajinikanth, some should try to be Vijay Sethupathi’
>> The actor speaks about ‘Buffoon’ and on why he doesn’t wish to recreate a ‘Meyaadha Maan’
10) Nivetha Thomas: ‘I can deadlift more than 100 kilos, but I think I need to be fitter’
>> The ‘Saakini Daakini’ actor opens up on trying action, comedy, and the Telangana accent for the first time
11) ‘House of Hammer’: Armie Hammer’s aunt aims to be a voice for survivors, in this docu-series
>> Casey Hammer, Armie’s estranged aunt, details her trauma and how she hopes to support survivors
12) The eternal romantic: Mala Sinha on her association with Dev Anand
>> On the birth centenary year of Dev Anand, Mala Sinha looks back on her first day on the sets with the actor
13) ‘Becoming Sanjay Gandhi threw up a lot of challenges’, says actor Vishak Nair
>> Vishak speaks about playing Sanjay Gandhi in Kangana Ranaut’s ‘Emergency’
14) Aisha Ahmed and Yashaswini Dayama on ‘Adulting’ and entering the world of audio shows
>> The actors also talk about how their characters have evolved, and what the future holds for them
15) ‘Every experience is a life lesson’ says Kannada film director Kumaar
>> Kumaar speaks about his upcoming films, ‘Mansion House Muthu’ and ‘Nano Narayanappa’
16) Are movie remakes relevant in the OTT era?
>> The problem is about whether the filmmaker brings a unique vision into the new movie
17) Bottleneck effect: The state of Kannada film releases
>> The industry faces a problem of plenty and poor management where releases are concerned
What to watch
1) R. Balki’s thriller ‘Chup!’ has its moments, but falls short of zipping up the critics
2) In ‘Babli Bouncer’, Tamannaah Bhatia is caught in a straitjacketed story
3) ‘Hush Hush’ season one has compelling performances, but leaves us wanting more
4) ‘Krishna Vrinda Vihari’ is a middling romance drama that needed a far better script
5) ‘Chattambi’ is a well-crafted film that needed to explore its protagonist further
6) ‘Andor’ makes for the perfect springboard into our favourite galaxy
7) Prakash Jha shines in ‘Matto Ki Saikil’, a tale of lopsided development and unkept promises
8) ‘Welcome to Wrexham’ is an engaging tale about two guys, a town, and a football club
9) K-drama ‘Little Women’ is a refreshing and sinister spin on Louisa May Alcott’s beloved novel
10) ‘Five Days at Memorial’ has a heart-wrenching story that is undone by ineffective storytelling
11) In ‘Do Revenge’, Camila Mendes brings back the allure of teen angst, with a breath of Gen-Z air
12) ‘Where The Crawdads Sing’ has a brilliant Daisy Edgar-Jones, beautiful visuals, and a strong hold on text
