Filmmaker Amit Sharma says he will not be following the usual tropes of a typical Bollywood sports drama with his upcoming movie "Maidaan".
The film will chronicle the golden years of Indian football and features Ajay Devgn as the legendary football coach Syed Abdul Rahim.
"It is a story of a person who has done a lot. I am not calling it a biopic, I am calling it the golden era of Indian football. The film is about that. So the challenge is how to make this in the best way," Amit told PTI.
Rahim served the Indian football team as coach and manager from 1950-1963. It was under his guidance that the Indian football team won gold at the 1962 Asian Games and he also led the team to the semi-finals of the 1956 Melbourne Olympics.
Amit says though the film is bigger in scale, his attempt is to tell the story in a new way.
"The scale is bigger, football is there, sports is there, but it won't be going in the cliche zone. We are trying to give it a fresh perspective. That's the challenge," ..

'Maidaan' not a cliched sports films: Amit Sharma

PTI Automatic

Julia Louis-Dreyfus says working on her hit show "Veep" helped her a lot during her battle with cancer.
The 58-year-old actor was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2017 which led to a halt in production of the show's seventh and final season.
After undergoing treatment, Louis-Dreyfus went back to complete the shooting for the final season which bowed out in May this year.
In an interview with Entertainment Tonight, the actor said the show was a great distraction from her health issues.
"I've had a lot of personal challenges, losses, dear ones in my family, my own battle with cancer," Louis-Dreyfus said.
She further said that she does not know how she would have handled it all "had I not had this really close intimate relationship with all of these people".
"We linked arms and we tried to do the most joyful funny thing possible as a team. It was like being on a sports team... and that was the most buoying thing, to constantly be coming back to. It really helped me.
"It gave me something .

'Veep' was a lifesaver: Julia Louis-Dreyfus

With an earning figure of USD 65 million, Bollywood superstar Akshay Kumar has beaten Hollywood biggies like Bradley Cooper, Chris Evans and Will Smith to secure fourth place in Forbes' annual list of world's highest paid actors.
Only Dwayne Johnson (USD 89.4 million), Chris Hemsworth (USD 76.4 million) and Robert Downey Jr (USD 66 million) have more earnings than Akshay.
Akshay is currently riding high on the success of his latest release "Mission Mangal" which has crossed Rs 100 crore mark at the box office.
The outlet reported that Akshay pulls in "at least USD 5 million and up to USD 10 million per film". He gets million through his endorsement of over 20 brands, including Tata and Harpic.
All earnings of the actors were calculated between the period of June 1, 2018, and June 1, 2019.
After Akshay, legendary actor Jackie Chan is placed at fifth with USD 58 million haul, followed by Cooper and Adam Sandler at sixth with USD 57 million each.
Evans, who appeared alongside Cooper, ...

Akshay Kumar at fourth place in Forbes highest paid actor list

Filmmaker Quentin Tarantino and his wife Daniella Pick, are expecting their first child together.
A representative of the couple shared the news on Wednesday in a statement to People magazine.
"Daniella and Quentin Tarantino are very delighted to announce that they are expecting a baby," the spokesperson said.
The news comes just eight months after the couple tied the knot in a ceremony which was attended by the filmmaker's close friends like Harvey Keitel, Tim Roth and Eli Roth.
Tarantino, 56, and Pick, 35, met during the making of the director's 2009 feature Inglorious Basterds but it wasn't until 2016 that they started dating. They got engaged in 2017.
The filmmaker's latest release in "Once Upon A Time in Hollywood", starring Brad Pitt, Leonardo DiCaprio and Margot Robbie. The debuted in theatres in the US on July 26 to positive reviews.

Quentin Tarantino, Daniella Pick to become parents soon

"Doctor Who" star Peter Capaldi will topline BBC4's one-off half-hour show "Martin's Close".
The show has been adapted from MR James' ghost story of the same name by Mark Gatiss, who previously worked with Capaldi on "Doctor Who".
Set in 1684, the show is about the trial of a young man named John Martin which gets complicated by some supernatural events. It will air on Christmas on BBC4.
"Facing him, the infamous 'hanging judge', George Jeffreys. But this is not a cut and dried murder case. Because the innocent young girl Martin is accused of killing has been seen after her death..." the official plot synopsis read.
The show's cast also includes Wilf Scolding, Simon Williams, Sara Crowe, James Holmes, Fisayo Akinade and Elliot Levey.
"Martin's Close" follows the tradition of ghost stories for Christmas on the BBC, most recently continued by Mark Gatiss with "Crooked House" (2008), "The Tractate Middoth" (2013) and "The Dead Room" (2018), starring Simon Callow.
"After the delightful ...

Peter Capaldi to star in 'Martin's Close' for BBC4

Actor Priyanka Chopra is set to share screen space with the likes of Pedro Pascal, Christian Slater and Boyd Holbrook in filmmaker Robert Rodriguez's Netflix feature "We Can Be Heroes".
Rodriguez, who most recently helmed "Alita: Battle Angel", will direct and produce the movie from his own script, the streamer said in a statement.
Child stars Akira Akbar, Nathan Blair, Andrew Diaz, Andy Walken and Hala Finley will also feature in the project.
Sung Kang and veteran actor Christopher McDonald are also part of the cast.
The film, described as an action-adventure, follows a group of children who team up to save the planet and their superhero parents who are kidnapped by the aliens.
The project recently started production in Texas, US.

Priyanka Chopra, Pedro Pascal to star in Netflix's 'We Can Be Heroes'

Eminent lyricist and poet Javed Akhtar has said being an Indian citizen, the views of actor Priyanka Chopra supporting the Centre's recent decision on Kashmir will "obviously be an Indian point of view".
Akhtar was commenting on a Pakistani minister's demand for the removal of Chopra as UN Goodwill Ambassador for Peace, accusing her of supporting the Indian government's decision on Kashmir.
"If her comments have upset the Pakistani establishment, they can do whatever they wish," Akhtar told the reporters on the sidelines of a literary event here Wednesday night.
Tensions between India and Pakistan spiked after India abrogated the provisions of Article 370 of the Constitution to withdraw Jammu and Kashmir's special status and bifurcated the state into two Union Territories.
In a letter, addressed to UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta H Fore, Pakistan's Human Rights Minister Shireen Mazari had said the Bollywood actor supports the Indian government's policies on Kashmir.
She further ...

Priyanka Chopra's views on Kashmir is of an Indian: Javed Akhtar

Kyle Patrick Alvarez will succeed Sam Esmail as the director of "Homecoming" for its upcoming season two.
According to Deadline, Alvarez, best known for directing 2015 feature "Stanford Prison Experiment", will helm all the episodes of the second season.
Esmail, however, will still be attached to the Amazon show in the capacity of executive producer.
Actor Stephen James, who appeared in the show alongside Julia Roberts and Bobby Cannavale, will reprise his role of Walter Cruz in the show's sophomore run.
Besides him, Hong Chau, who portrayed Audrey Temple in the first season, is also returning.
Singer-actor Janelle Monae will take on the central role in the second season. She will play "a tenacious woman who finds herself floating in a canoe, with no memory of how she got there or even who she is" in the paranoia thriller.
"Homecoming" is based on the podcast of the same name from Eli Horowitz and Micah Bloomberg.
The show is co-produced by Amazon Studios and UCP.

Kyle Patrick Alvarez to direct 'Homecoming' season two

Oscar-nominated actor Jennifer Jason Lee and actor Barry Pepper are set to feature in Gina Rodriguez-led Netflix's sci-fi thriller "Awake".
Mark Raso of "Kodachrome" fame is set to direct the film from a script he co-wrote with his brother Joseph and Greg Poirier.
The film's cast also includes Ariana Greenblatt, Frances Fisher, Shamier Anderson, Finn Jones, Lucius Hoyos and Gil Bellows.
"After a sudden global event wipes out all electronics and takes away humankind's ability to sleep, chaos quickly begins to consume the world. Only Jill (Rodriguez) may hold the key to a cure in the form of her own daughter. The question is, can Jill safely deliver her daughter and save the world before she herself loses her mind," the official plotline of the film read.
Paul Schiff is producing the project. Entertainment One is production banner.
Rodriguez and the Raso brothers are also going to serve as executive producers along with Mark Gordon, Josh Phillips, Matt Jackson, Poirier and Whitney ...

Jennifer Jason Lee, Barry Pepper board sci-fi thriller 'Awake'

Stand-up comedian Theo Von is set to appear alongside Chris Pratt in his upcoming sci-fi thriller, "Ghost Draft".
Von, who is currently in the middle of his Dark Arts tour across Europe, joins Pratt, Yvonne Strahovsk, JK Simmons and Betty Gilpin in the cast.
Chris McKay, who most recently helmed "The Lego Batman Movie", is attached to direct the project from Skydance and Paramount.
Zach Dean has penned the film, which revolves around a man (Pratt) drafted to fight a future war where the fate of humanity relies on his ability to confront his past.
Shooting is expected to begin in Atlanta and Iceland this September.

Theo Von to star alongside Chris Pratt in 'Ghost Draft'

Singer Demi Lovato has boarded the cast of Will Ferrell's Netflix feature "Eurovision".
The project is based around the long-running global singing competition of the same name. Besides starring in the project, Ferrell has also penned the script along with Andrew Steele.
Lovato joins Ferrell, Rachel McAdams, Peirce Brosnan and Dan Stevens in the project, the streaming giant said in a statement.
The contest, first held in 1956, pits each participating nation from the European Broadcasting Union against one another, challenging them to write and perform an original song for a live TV and radio performance.
Ferrell and McAdams are set to play an Icelandic songwriting duo, Lars Erickssong and Sigrit Ericksdottir. Brosnan will essay the role of Erick Erickssong, Lars' father and "the most handsome man in Iceland".
Lovato will portray Katiana, one of the best and most angelic singers in all of Iceland.
David Dobkin of "Wedding Crashers" and "The Judge" fame is directing the film, which ...

Demi Lovato joins Will Ferrell's 'Eurovision'

Days after he was banned by a  film workers' body for performing in Pakistan, playback singer  Mika Singh on Wednesday issued an apology.
Following his statement, the Federation of Western  India Cine Employees (FWICE) revoked its 'ban'.
The FWICE had 'banned' the singer as he performed at a  wedding in Karachi. Its members will not take part in his  concerts and programs, it had said.
At a press conference here on Wednesday, Mika claimed  his performance in the neighbouring country at a time when  tensions between India and Pakistan were high following the  abrogation of Article 370 was merely a coincidence.
"It is a coincidence that I went there and Article 370  happened. If I made a mistake, then I apologise to the  federation and the entire nation," Mika told reporters.
The FWICE said in a release that it had lifted the ban  on the singer.
As per reports, Mika performed in Karachi on August 8.  He later faced flak on social media for performing in  Pakistan.

Mika apologies, FWICE lifts ban on him

ZEE5 Global aims to cater to viewers in over 190 countries with its wide catalogue of Indian content that will cut across global boundaries, a top company official said.
Archana Anand, Chief Business Officer at ZEE5 Global, said the digital platform has a collection of over 2,000 films, including many Bollywood blockbusters and exclusive digital world premieres, that are a huge draw for all the fans of the Indian cinema.
"We also have a huge range of Originals across languages, many of which have Bollywood stars like Arjun Rampal, Sunny Leonie and Dia Mirza, among others. These have seen great pick-up in the global market," Anand told PTI.
She further said the platform will also feature a bouquet of Malayalam and Tamil content across TV shows, originals, movies etc. as well as Live TV channels ZEE Keralam and ZEE Tamil for the large south Indian population in the Middle East.
"We've also recently added content in five international languages - Thai, Malay, Bahasa, Russian and German, .

ZEE5 Global taking Indian content to over 190 countries

Actor Radhika Apte says she miss being part of her first Netflix show "Sacred Games" where she got the opportunity to play a "starkly" different character.
The critically-acclaimed show, which features Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Saif Ali Khan in the lead, recently returned for its sophomore season to universal praise.
Apte, however, did not feature in the second season as her character, RAW agent Anjali Mathur, was killed off towards the end of first season.
"I do miss working on the show. I loved the character. I had a lot of fun doing this  starkly different role of Anjali Mathur. I knew that the show would be liked by the
audience, it was the first Hindi Netflix Original series and very different from the kind
of content we saw before," the actor told PTI.
Apte said she has not yet started viewing the second season but will soon "binge watch it".
The actor is currently on cloud nine after her 2018 thriller "Aandhadhun" bagged three National awards recently.
Apte said the film's wins ..

I miss working on 'Sacred Games': Radhika Apte

A Pakistani minister has called for the removal of Indian star Priyanka Chopra as UN Goodwill Ambassador for Peace, accusing her of supporting the Indian government's recent decision on Kashmir.
In a letter, addressed to UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta H. Fore, Pakistan's Human Rights Minister Shireen Mazari said the Bollywood actor supports the Indian government's policies on Kashmir.
She further alleged that Chopra is in favour of a "nuclear war" between India and Pakistan.
"Ms Chopra has publicly endorsed this Indian government position and also supported the nuclear threat issued to Pakistan by the Indian Defence Minister. All this goes completely against the principles of peace and goodwill that Ms Chopra is supposed to uphold as an UN Goodwill Ambassador for Peace," Mazari wrote in the letter.
Tensions between India and Pakistan spiked after India abrogated provisions of Article 370 of the Constitution to withdraw Jammu and Kashmir's special status and bifurcated it into two 

Pakistan minister calls for Priyanka Chopra's removal as UN Goodwill Ambassador for Peace

Athiya Shetty will turn muse for designer duo Abraham and Thakore at the ongoing the Lakme Fashion Week Winter/Festive 2019.
The designers will be presenting their latest collection at the fashion gala on Thursday which will be celebrated as Sustainable Fashion Day.
Abraham and Thakore are honouring the iconic Indian garment, the 'kurta' using the sustainable and environmentally responsible viscose fibre, Lenzing EcoVero.
The duo will launch the fibre ingredient as a part of their collection at the LFW.
"This is an exciting opportunity for us to investigate and contemporise Indian clothing traditions through the prism of sustainable practices," Abraham and Thakore said in a statement.
The inspiration behind the duo's collection is to combine the old traditional carving and printing method with new-age technology to reinvent the timeless and customary garment  integrate the state of art manufacturing technology of EcoVero fabric with the age-old textile wooden hand block printing.
The .

Athiya Shetty set to walk for Abraham & Thakore at LFW

Mohnish Bahl says he is careful about selecting projects as he believes the audiences today demand better content and don't shy away from trashing a film or show they dislike.
The actor called the 1980s and 1990s a more "forgiving" era in cinema and TV.
"I believe post 2005, the profession is not as forgiving for the mistakes that you make. A bad film or bad performance will be rejected quickly by people," Bahl told PTI in an interview.
He said it is a conscious decision to do less work as he focuses more on quality than quantity.
"My last film was 'Jai Ho' and I haven't done television in six years. The reason is I don't get the work that I would like to do. I would like to do more projects like 'Sanjivani 2' or the films that I have done. I am little bit picky about the stuff that I want to do," he said.
"It will be easy for me to fill my daychart and make ten times the money I am making now. But how long will it last? Wouldn't the audience get jaded seeing my face all the time? I ..

Audiences less forgiving today: Mohnish Bahl

A lot may have changed for the heroine in Indian film industry, but actor Malavika Mohanan says equality is still far away.
Asked whether female actors have started getting better written roles today, Malavika said progress can't be decoded in black and white.
"It's a grey area. There are some roles which are amazing like Piku and Queen. These are amazing female protagonists...
"But I still think we have a long way to go in terms of equality," Malavika told PTI on the sidelines of Lakme Fashion Week Winter/Festive 2019.
The "Petta" star made her Hindi film debut in 2017 with Majid Majidi's "Beyond The Clouds".
The Malayalam actor said she is waiting for the right script to come her way to sign her future Bollywood films.
"It depends on when I get a project I really like," she said.
Malavika will next be seen starring in multi-lingual film "Hero" with Vijay Devarakonda.
"It will be released in all four southern languages. Maybe a Hindi version as well, but we'll see," she added.
The ...

It's grey area: Malavika Mohanan on female actors getting better roles

Jessica Chastain-led spy thriller "355" has received a release date of January 15, 2021.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the Universal Pictures-backed film will be directed by Smon Kinberg. Theresa Rebeck has penned the screenplay.
Besides Chastain, the film's cast also includes Lupita Nyong'o, Fan Bingbing, Penelope Cruz and Diane Kruger.
The story revolves around five spies from agencies around the world who form their own team, dubbed 355.
Chastain and Kelly Carmichael's Freckle Films will produce the project alongside Kinberg's banner Kinberg Genre. Richard Hewitt will executive produce.

Jessica Chastain's '355' to bow out in January 2021

Leading Japanese contemporary artist Takashi Murakami will enter the Indian auction market for the first time this month with his famous 2013 artwork "Blue Flower".
The acrylic and platinum leaf on canvas work, based on the phenomenon of "superflat" art, will go under the hammer at Astaguru's Southeast Asian Contemporary Art sale on August 22-23.
The artwork, that Murakami introduced as a link between the traditional and the contemporary Japanese visual culture, is among the 90 lots -- created by both Indian and international artists -- put out at the online sale .
Murakami's work is expected to fetch anything between Rs 2-3.33 crore.
"The auction in its truest sense represents the innovative and highly experimental approach imbibed by contemporary artists of the 21st century.
"It showcases works that are significant given their provenance and subject context," the auction house said in a statement.
Among the leading Indian contemporary artists whose works would be up for grabs are ...

Japanese contemporary artist Takashi Murakami debuts in Indian auction market

Salman Khan on Wednesday announced that "Dabangg 3" will be released three other languages besides Hindi on December 20.
The Bollywood superstar took to Twitter to share the news, saying the film will also have Kannada, Tamil and Telugu versions.
"Chulbul Pandey coming to you on 20th Dec in Hindi, Kannada, Tamil and Telugu! #Dabangg3," Salman tweeted.
The actor also shared a picture with Prabhudheva, who is taking over directing duties from Arbaaz Khan. Arbaaz is attached to star in and produce the third film in the franchise with Salman.
"Dabangg 3" will see Salman reprise his role of Robin Hood-like cop Chulbul Pandey and Sonakshi Sinha as his wife Rajjo. South star Sudeep will portray the antagonist.
Actor-filmmaker Mahesh Manjrekar's younger daughter Saiee is making her Bollywood debut with the film.

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