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Around Tinsel Town
>> Teaser of Prabhas starrer ‘Adipurush’ criticised for ‘poor’ VFX, Vishva Hindu Parishad raises objections
The teaser of Prabhas’ much-awaited film Adipurush dropped last Sunday. The Om Raut-directed film, which has been in the making for some time now, is an adaptation of Ramayana, featuring Prabhas as Ram, Saif Ali Khan as Lankesh or Ravana, and Kriti Sanon as Sita. In an unexpected turn of events, the teaser was met with severe criticism, especially for its VFX which was called ‘cartoonish’ by many. Within hours since the release of the teaser, tags like ‘Disappointed Adipurush’ started trending on social media, with many even calling for a boycott of the film stating that it hurt religious sentiments.
On Tuesday, Madhya Pradesh Home Minister Narottam Mishra warned the makers of the film of legal action if scenes showing Hindu religious figures in the ‘wrong’ way were not removed. The Vishva Hindu Parishad, on Wednesday, raised objections to the portrayal of Lord Ram, Lakshman and Ravana in the teaser, claiming that it “ridiculed Hindu society.” The organisation also warned that the film would not be allowed to be screened in theatres.
Bollywood
Salman Khan confirms Ram Charan’s cameo in ‘Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan’
Sushmita Sen to play transgender activist Gauri Sawant in ‘Taali’; first look out
Sara Ali Khan to play a freedom fighter in ‘Ae Watan Mere Watan’
Kajol-starrer ‘Salaam Venky’ to arrive in cinemas on December 9
Rani Mukerji’s tell-all autobiography to be released on her birthday next year
Nushrratt Bharuccha to star in drama thriller ‘Akelli’
Sharad Kelkar’s first look as Baji Prabhu Deshpande from ‘Har Har Mahadev’ out
Hollywood
Angelina Jolie details Brad Pitt abuse allegations in court filing
Kevin Spacey faces New York jury in sexual assault lawsuit
‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’ trailer reveals a new hero taking up the mantle
Will Smith’s ‘Emancipation’ gets release date, post-slap
Cate Blanchett on film ‘TÁR’: ‘We were standing on the edge of a cliff every day’
Netflix’s ‘Knives Out’ sequel ‘Glass Onion’ to play in major theatre chains before streaming
‘Black Adam’ to release a day early in Indian theatres
Taissa Farmiga to return as Sister Irene in ‘The Nun 2’
Lily-Rose Depp, Bill Skarsgard to star in Robert Eggers’ ‘Nosferatu’ remake
Rebel Wilson, Leslie Mann join cast of comedy ‘Rock The Boat’
Jared Leto to play Karl Lagerfeld in upcoming biopic
Emily Watson, Shirley Henderson tapped to star in ‘Dune’ prequel series
‘Your Christmas Or Mine’ to stream on Prime Video from December 2
Marvel Studios’ ‘Armor Wars’ now being developed as a movie
Sony acquires ‘Tarzan’ franchise rights
Regional Cinema
Glimpse from Vijay Sethupathi, Arvind Swami’s silent film ‘Gandhi Talks’ out
‘Jaya Jaya Jaya Jaya Hey’ teaser shows Basil Joseph, Darshana Rajendran as newlyweds learning to navigate marriage
Aishwarya Lekshmi’s Telugu movie ‘Ammu’ to premiere on Prime Video on October 19
There should be no ban on anybody in film industry, says actor Mammootty
New in streaming
Coming to Netflix: Season two of romantic drama Mismatched, horror thriller The Midnight Club, documentary film The Trapped 13, and more
New on Disney+ Hotstar in October: Season 19 of medical drama Grey’s Anatomy, Predator prequel Prey, ‘Alaska Daily’, 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: Medieval comedy film Catherine Called Birdy, horror-thriller My Best Friend’s Exorcism, The Outlaws sequel The Roundup, and more
Essential reading
1) Lighting up ‘Ponniyin Selvan’ characters the Ravi Varman way
>> The cinematographer discusses the visual landscape of Mani Ratnam’s ‘Ponniyin Selvan’
2) The bottomless wish box of R. Balki: On ‘Chup,’ Guru Dutt, and more
>> The ‘Chup’ director talks about the motivation behind creating a serial killer who silences film critics
3) Mammootty-starrer ‘Rorschach’ is a thriller, telling anything more will spoil it: Nisam Basheer
>> The director talks about his sophomore project that has Mammootty playing a role with shades of grey
4) Asha Parekh, the erstwhile queen of the box office
>> A look at how Asha made a mark for herself by choosing movies that filmgoers would enjoy
5) Kavitha Lankesh: India regaining its democratic credentials will be true justice for Gauri
>> The filmmaker speaks about articulating her grief, becoming more vocal about politics, and more
6) Why Mani Ratnam’s ‘Ponniyin Selvan: 1’ doesn’t disappoint fans of Kalki’s novel
>> Here’s why the zealous fans of Kalki’s novel will have fewer complaints with the magnum-opus film adaptation
7) Serial killers in films: A bloody slash at entertainment
>> A look at the history and factors that contribute to the endless fascination for serial killers in novels and films
8) Rituparna Sengupta: Every phase of life is beautiful
>> The actor speaks of finding woman-centric roles and defying age through work
9) ‘I want to do more Malayalam films’, says actor Harish Uthaman
>> Having made an impact in Tamil and Telugu films, the actor wants to do more films in Malayalam
10) Table talk: Bachchans on air
>> New podcast ‘What the Hell Navya’ has plenty of snark but could benefit from some fine-tuning
11) Why Shashaa Tirupati gave a Tamil twist to Bon Iver’s ‘Perth’
>> The singer speaks about her fascination for American folk band Bon Iver, founded by Justin Vernon
12) Masaba Gupta’s body politics
>> The multi-hyphenate is embracing the word people have always used to define her
13) Samridhi Dewan on ‘Good Bad Girl’ and the Indian web-series phenomenon
>> The actor speaks about her upcoming SonyLIV web series, which tells the story of a girl’s deceptive life
14) Kasaragod, the new star in Malayalam cinema
>> Malayalam filmmakers are making a beeline for Kasaragod to explore its diversity and panoramic scenery
15) Suneel Kumar Reddy comes out with two thought-provoking films ‘Kaakroch’ and ‘Welcome to Tihar College’
>> One deals with transgenders while the other on faulty education system that is driving youngsters to suicide
What to watch
1) ‘Godfather’ is an unabashed fanboy tribute that entertains in parts
2) Nagarjuna’s actioner ‘The Ghost’ is slick, but misses the bullseye
3) Amitabh Bachchan, Rashmika Mandanna starrer ‘Goodbye’ is more preachy than poignant film
4) Mammootty’s psychological thriller ‘Rorschach’ is intriguing but imperfect
5) Madhuri Dixit starrer ‘Maja Ma’ feels sanitised and superficial
6) George Clooney, Julia Roberts starrer ‘Ticket to Paradise’ is a cheerful, genial rom-com
7) ‘Eesho’ is a mediocre Jayasurya film that can’t hide behind its serious subject matter
8) Netflix documentary ‘The Trapped 13’ is a sensitive portrayal of the 2018 Thailand cave rescue
9) ‘Don’t Worry Darling’ is a rigmarole of bad acting, creepy hallucinogenic dancers and loose ends
