Cinema

The Land and the Shadows: Perumal Murugan's theatre of life explored

Throughout the book, and particularly in the first half, Mr Murugan talks about how cinema is tied in the fabric of Tamil society through anecdotes and his own analysis of certain phenomena

Frederick Wiseman, pioneer of documentary filmmaking, passes away at 96

Frederick Wiseman, the celebrated director of "Titicut Follies" and dozens of other documentaries whose in-depth, unadorned movies comprised a unique and revelatory history of American institutions, died at 96. The death was announced in a joint statement from his family and from his production company, Zipporah Films. Additional details were not immediately available. He died on Monday. "He will be deeply missed by his family, friends, colleagues, and the countless filmmakers and audiences around the world whose lives and perspectives were shaped by his unique vision," the statement said. Among the world's most admired and influential filmmakers, Wiseman won an honourary Academy Award in 2016 and completed more than 35 documentaries, some several hours long. Wiseman was in his mid-30s before he made his first full-length movie, but was soon ranked with - and sometimes above - such notable peers as D A Pennebaker and Robert Drew for helping to establish the modern documentary as a

The fetish of fascism: How Salò exposes the aesthetics of domination

Pier Paolo Pasolini's last film 'Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom' looks uncompromisingly into the horror of authoritarian rule

Arundhati's Annie: How a cult film captured the architects of a generation

A 4K restored version of 1989 film 'In Which Annie Gives It Those Ones' will be screened at the 76th Berlin International Film Festival next month

Vijay's rising star vs the rising sun in run-up to Tamil Nadu polls

TVK's rallies are gaining considerable traction, with multiple surveys indicating that the party may get anywhere close to or above 20 per cent of the vote share

'Jana Nayagan' row: Thalapathy Vijay's final act faces a last-minute twist

Jana Nayagan stalls at the censor board while politics takes the spotlight off-screen

Udhayanidhi says OTT is expanding Indian cinema, not replacing theatres

Tamil Nadu Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin highlighted the role of OTT streaming platforms in the Indian film industry, saying they are expanding the film sector rather than replacing cinema. Speaking at JioHotstar's South Unbound event on Tuesday, Udhayanidhi said filmmakers in cities such as Madurai and Salem can now upload their stories and reach audiences worldwide through streaming platforms. The event also saw the signing of a Letter of Intent (LoI) between JioHotstar and the Tamil Nadu government to promote the state's creative talent and cultural heritage. "I am delighted to launch this partnership with JioHotstar. Chennai's tradition and passion for art and culture are centuries old, and even Telugu and Malayalam films are produced here," Udhayanidhi said. "Art is a powerful force in politics and life. It can liberate, and movies can educate. Tamil cinema has a history of driving social change, with leaders like Annadurai and Kalaignar (Karunanidhi) instrumental i

Global box-office 2025: List of top 10 biggest worldwide grossers this year

From Chinese animation to video-game adaptations and franchise revivals, 2025 delivered diverse global hits. Here are the top 10 highest-grossing films worldwide this year

Ritwik Ghatak: An unparalleled auteur of provocation, displacement

In the centenary of his birth, Ritwik Ghatak continues to provoke us with the disquieting narratives in his small oeuvre of films

India's cumulative BO collection up 18% in Jan-Sep, says Ormax Media

September 2025 grosses over ₹1,000 crore at Indian box office, led by They Call Him OG; January-September cumulative hits ₹9,409 crore, up 18% Y-o-Y.

Trump imposes 100% tariff on non-Hollywood movies; blames California guv

While details are yet to emerge, particularly on the effective date of this tariff, the move will impact the box office collections of a lot of Indian movies that tend to do well in the US

Frames per Second: Bollywood's stars, disposable bodies and price of fame

Aryan Khan's directorial debut, 'The Ba***ds of Bollywood', is a celebration of the Hindi film industry's clannish rituals

K'taka now proposes 2% cess on movie tickets for cine 'activists'' welfare

The proposed cess comes months after the state High Court struck down the government's move to cap movie ticket prices at ₹200

Malayalam actor Mohanlal to receive prestigious Dadasaheb Phalke Award

Malayalam superstar Mohanlal has been named the recipient of the Dadasaheb Phalke Award for 2023, the country's highest recognition in the field of cinema, the I&B ministry announced on Saturday. In a post on X, the Information and Broadcasting Ministry said the actor, director and producer is being honoured on the recommendation of the Dadasaheb Phalke Award Selection Committee for his iconic contribution to Indian cinema. The award will be presented to the 65-year-old during the 71st National Film Awards ceremony on September 23. Mohanlal's remarkable cinematic journey inspires generations His unmatched talent, versatility, and relentless hard work have set a golden standard in Indian film history, the ministry said. With a career spanning more than four decades, Mohanlal has acted in over 350 films across Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu, Hindi and Kannada. Some of his most popular and critically-acclaimed movies include Thanmathra, Drishyam, Vanaprastham, Munthirivallikal ...

Lights, camera, algorithm: OpenAI bets on AI film, targets Cannes debut

The total budget of OpenAI-backed film 'Critterz' is under $30 million. For context, the budget of Pixar's Inside Out 2 was $200 million

Veteran actor Achyut Potdar, famed for '3 Idiots', 'Bharat Ki Khoj', dies

Actor Achyut Potdar, best known for his roles in TV shows and films like Bharat Ki Khoj, Pradhan Mantri, 3 Idiots, has died at a hospital here. He was in his 90s. Actor Achyut Potdar was admitted to Jupiter Hospital around 4 pm. He was declared dead on Monday a source said. Potdar played supporting roles in many iconic films and TV shows Aandolan, Wagle Ki Duniya, Dabangg 2, and Ferrari Ki Sawaari. His brief appearance of a professor in Rajkumar Hirani's 3 Idiots (2019), and his dialogue Kehna Kya Chahte Ho' became one of the fan favourite moments from the Aamir Khan-starrer movie and has been recreated in pop culture time and again through memes. Details regarding the cause behind his demise and last rites are yet to be known.

A smart pay-per-view model could reshape film distribution economics

While Mr Khan's film earned over ₹250 crore in theatres, it reached only 2-3 per cent of the population

US cinemas weigh launching new large screen brand to challenge Imax

The talks so far have focused on setting shared standards for the chains' "premium large-format" theaters to better compete with Imax's giant screens

India's cinema struggle: Falling screens and capital crisis demand gumption

The movie business in India is caught in a vicious cycle of falling screen count and, consequently, fewer films and no capital. Breaking out of it will require gumption

Frames per second: Fun and games, from Satyajit Ray and Wes Anderson

Wes Anderson presenting a restored version of Satyajit Ray's 1970 film Aranyer Din Ratri at Cannes is a fitting tribute from an admirer to a master