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Around Tinsel Town
Prime Video announces 41 new Indian titles, expansion plan in country.
Highlights include Madhuri Dixit-Nene featuring in Amazon Original movie ‘Maja Maa’, licensing association with four leading Indian production banners, Naga Chaitanya making his digital debut, Vidya Balan to headline Anu Menon’s ‘Neeyat,’ and more.
Kiccha Sudeep, Ajay Devgn rekindle ‘national language’ debate
Why is Netflix losing subscribers? How is it trying to generate more revenue?
Govt, Netflix launch partnership with videos on women change-makers
Bollywood
Deepika Padukone to be part of Cannes Film Festival jury
Shahid Kapoor’s Amazon Prime Video series with Raj & DK titled ‘Farzi’
Documentary filmmaker Ghar Ka Pata Madhulika Jalali’s film is a quest for her Kashmiri roots
Aayush Sharma joins Salman Khan in ‘Kabhi Eid Kabhi Diwali’
Hansal Mehta’s ‘Scam 2003’ goes on floors
Akshay Kumar starts shooting for ‘Soorarai Pottru’ Hindi remake
Prime Video to release ‘Modern Love Mumbai’ in May
Vivek Oberoi joins Rohit Shetty’s web series ‘India Police Force’
Hollywood
Tom Cruise’s ‘Mission: Impossible 7’ titled ‘Dead Reckoning: Part 1’
‘Avatar’ sequel titled ‘Avatar: The Way of Water’
Alejandro G Inarritu’s next movie ‘Bardo’ acquired by Netflix
Margot Robbie-led ‘Barbie’ to release in July 2023
‘The Batman 2’ officially announced; Matt Reeves, Robert Pattinson to return
Bad Bunny to play Marvel hero El Muerto for Sony Pictures
‘Venom 3’ in the works at Sony Pictures
JJ Abrams’ Bad Robot to produce ‘Hot Wheels’ movie
Regional cinema
Dhanush on ‘The Gray Man’: ‘Couldn’t have asked for a better start to my Hollywood journey’
Mammootty returns as Sethurama Iyer in ‘CBI 5: The Brain’
Director Sathyan Anthikkad on how his recent film ‘Makal’ is about the generation gap
‘Jana Gana Mana’ will resonate with a pan-Indian audience says Dijo Jose Antony
Have you had your ‘Bheeshma Parvam’-inspired ‘Chambiko’ video taken?
How the Odia classic ‘Maya Miriga’ is an ode to a lost era
Kamal Haasan’s ‘Vikram’ to launch trailer, NFTs at Cannes 2022
Chennaiite Karthik Mohan on how he made sound into a full-time career as a sound editor
Veteran actor Salim Ghouse passes away
Tech for filmmakers: Mani Ratnam launches software tool to streamline production workflow
Ilaiyaraaja and A.R. Rahman | Not music to ears
‘Acharya’ director Koratala Siva: I like to entertain, the social message is a byproduct
Telugu short film ‘Swarna’ at NYIFF
Telugu indie film ‘Muthayya’ to premiere at UK Asian Film Festival
How Shanker Ramakrishnan worked on the dubbed version of ‘K.G.F Chapter 2’
New in streaming
New on Netflix: The second season of Russian Doll, queer comedy-romance Heartstopper, the fourth season of Ozark, and more
New on Disney+ Hotstar in April: A new season of MasterChef Australia, the digital premiere of Bheeshma Parvam, new episodes of Moon Knight, and more
New on Amazon Prime in April: The second season of Undone, legal drama Guilty Minds, and more
Essential reading
1) Rosa Salazar on ‘Undone’: ‘We now have a Maserati’
>> The lead actor from the time-bending show on what to expect from the second season
2) A tribute to lyricist Maya Govind
>> How the poet, who passed away recently, fought biases to emerge as a popular lyricist
3) Killing the anti-heroine
>> Why the ending of Killing Eve came as a huge disappointment to fans
4) Blurring cinematic boundaries
>> How South Indian films with a pan-India appeal have changed the landscape of Indian cinema
5) Manoj Bajpayee and Vijay Varma on how voice acting for Audible’s ‘The Sandman’ was challenging
>> The actors on being part of a stellar ensemble in the Hindi audio adaptation of the Neil Gaiman comics
6) Is ideological political divide set to enter the Tamil film industry?
>> On two legends of the Tamil film industry – Ilaiyaraaja and K. Bhagyaraj – endorsing PM Narendra Modi and the BJP
7) The box office’s wonder women: telling it like it is
>> Actors and industry experts weigh in on whether the female lead is finally getting her due
8) Understanding the A, B and C of cinema
>> Why the success of ‘rural’ films in Tamil seems to suggest that the unification of different subsets of audiences is misguided
9) Choi Yi-hyun and director Lee JQ on zombies and the emotive storytelling of ‘All of Us Are Dead’
>> The duo discuss the emerging Korean Zombie genre, and the possibility of a season 2
What to watch
1) A sincere Vijay Sethupathi and a superb Samantha deadlift this safe love triangle Kaathuvaakula Rendu Kaadhal
2) In Guilty Minds, Varun Mitra and Shriya Pilgaonkar ensure a knockout win
3) Telugu flick Acharya has a dated narrative that never takes off
4) Prithviraj’s Jana Gana Mana gets its politics right, but not so much the execution
5) Netflix court drama Anatomy of a Scandal tackles difficult conversations on consentMalayalam family drama
6) Makal satisfies itself in just skimming the surface
7) K-Drama Happiness is an apocalyptic thriller is an unexpected surprise
8) The second season of Russian Doll sees Natasha Lyonne beats time at its own game
9) Heartstopper is a charming, empathetic ode to young queer love
10) Thirty-Nine is a moving, gentle reminder of being present and following one’s dreams
11) The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent is a treat for Nic Cage fans
12) In Sonic the Hedgehog 2, there are laughs to be had and the movie ticks along fairly smoothly
