Page 1249 - Entertainment Culture
Jio to launch AI-based interactive platform with Big B's bot tomorrow
A 'Bot' of Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan will interact with people on May 4 over video call on JioInteract, which Reliance Jio claims to be the world's first artificial intelligence-based brand engagement platform. "JioInteract's first service 'Live Video Call will allow all Jio and other smartphone subscribers to make a video call with their favourite superstar, Amitabh Bachchan anytime during the day, starting on May 4, 2018," Reliance Jio said in a statement. Bachchan will promote his upcoming comedy-drama film 102 Not Out' on the platform. Users can ask questions related to his upcoming film and the Bachchan's bot will reply to their queries, according to the statement. "This service uses a powerful artificial intelligence based platform to listen to user questions and respond to them in the most appropriate way," Jio claimed. Jio said that it is tapping developer ecosystem to use the platform for applications like virtual showrooms, product demonstrations, ordering cart for
Proud that Nat Awards have honoured over 21 women, says Irani
Information and Broadcasting Minister Smriti Irani today said she feels proud as the 65th National Film Awards have honoured over 21 women, including Rima Das for her critically-acclaimed Assamese movie "Village Rockstars". Irani, who felicitated the winners along with President Ram Nath Kovind and Minister of State Information and Broadcasting Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, promised to promote diversity of India through cinema in future. "I feel proud as we honour more than 21 women today on this stage including Rima Das, who presented a simple story from Assam, which not only resonated with people in India but also made the country proud across the globe," the minister said in her speech. "I assure you all, that like this year we gave special mention to our regional cinema, we will continue to promote the diversity of India through our films," she added. In her address, Irani also remembered late actors Vinod Khanna and Sridevi, who received the Dadasaheb Phalke honour and the Best ...
KJo to co-produce Vikram Batra biopic
Filmmaker Karan Johar on Thursday announced that he will be co-producing the upcoming biopic of Kargil War hero Vikram Batra, starring actor Sidharth Malhotra in the lead.The 45-year-old helmer took to Twitter to share that he will be backing the project under his Dharma Productions banner along with producer Shabbir Boxwala."Time to relive - Yeh Dil Mangey More. Dharma Productions and Shabbir Boxwala collaborate to present the true story of bravery and patriotism - the chronicles of Kargil war hero Vikram Batra. Sidharth Malhotra in the lead as Sher Shah Vikram Batra. Vishnu Varadhan to direct. Written by Sandeep Shrivastava," he tweeted.The 'Kuch Kuch Hota Hai' director and Sidharth have previously worked together in films like 'Student of the Year', 'Ittefaq', 'Kapoor & Sons' and 'Brothers'.On work front, Karan will also produce 'Kalank', 'Dhadak' and 'Brahmastra'.
National Film Awards '18: Vinod Khanna, Sridevi honoured
Legendary actors Vinod Khanna and Sridevi were felicitated posthumously with the Dadasaheb Phalke Award and Best Actress honour by President Ram Nath Kovind at the 65th National Film Awards here on Thursday.While Vinod Khanna's wife Kavita Khanna and son Akshaye Khanna received the prestigious Dadasaheb Phalke Award on his behalf, Sridevi's husband Boney Kapoor and their daughters Janhvi and Khushi Kapoor were present to take the Best Actress award for the 'Chandni' actress.Ace designer Manish Malhotra shared on Instagram that for the special occasion, Janhvi chose to wear her mother's sari.Vinod Khanna was honoured for his contribution to the Indian cinema. Meanwhile, Sridevi was felicitated for her role as a purposeful mother in her last and 300th film 'Mom'.The Dadasaheb Phalke Award is India's highest honour in the field of cinema. It is presented annually at the National Film Awards ceremony by the Directorate of Film Festivals, an organisation set up by the Ministry of ...
Unfortunate Sridevi got National Award after she left: Boney Kapoor
Sridevi's husband and producer Boney Kapoor says the late actress gave her best to all the films that she did in her career and it is unfortunate that she is getting her first National Film Award after her death.
'Omerta': Cold, brutal and repulsively compelling (IANS Review, Rating: **1/2)
Film: "Omerta"; Director: Hansal Mehta; Cast: Rajkummar Rao, Timothy Ryan Hickernell, Keval Arora, Sanjeev Chopra; Rating: **1/2
This is special for us, wish Sridevi was here, Boney on Nat Award
Filmmaker Boney Kapoor, who is in the city to receive wife Sridevi's posthumous Best Actress honour at the National Film Awards today, said it was a special moment for the family and they missed her a lot. Sridevi, who died at the age of 54 in Dubai on February 24, won the award for her portrayal of a revenge-seeking mother in Hindi film "Mom". Daughters Janhvi and Khushi accompanied Kapoor to the ceremony. "I wish she was here. She truly deserved this award. It s so unfortunate that she is not here with us today to celebrate. I am grateful to the government of India, the I&B Ministry and the jury. It is a proud moment for all of us but sadly she is not here," Boney told reporters ahead of the ceremony. Janhvi said, "I want to thank the jury and the government of India for recognising the hardwork my mother has done. It is very special for us as a family." Sridevi and her "Chandni" co-star Vinod Khanna were recognised posthumously at the National Film Awards this year. Khanna was .
'Receiving National Awards from President is our right'
More than 68 winners of the National Film Awards on Thursday decided to skip the ceremony after it was announced that President Ram Nath Kovind would be felicitating only 11 winners out of the total 137 recipients.Talking to ANI, filmmaker Meghnath said, "President should present us the award. That is our right. It is a tradition of President giving the award. It takes years to make a film and it takes a minute for the President to present the award."He added: "We are not commercial filmmakers. They are breaking a tradition of 65 years. They could have told us in advance so that we would not have come here."The filmmakers are miffed as they were informed at the last minute that the President would present 11 awards and rest of the awards would be presented by Information and Technology Minister Smriti Irani.Talking to ANI, producer RC Suresh, whose film 'Sword of Liberty' was selected for the award, said, "Sixty-eight awardees, including great celebrities, won't attend the ceremony ...
Ben Kingsley to play Salvador Dali in 'Dali Land'
Actor Ben Kingsley will essay the role of legendary painter Salvador Dali in the biographical drama "Dali Land". The film will be directed by Mary Harron, who recently helmed the critically-acclaimed Netflix series "Alias Grace", according to The Hollywood Reporter. The "American Psycho" director also co-wrote the new film's screenplay with John C Walsh. Actor Leslie Manville, who was recently nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in "Phantom Thread", will portray Dali's domineering wife and muse, Gala, in the film. The cast also includes actors Tim Roth as Dali's right hand man, Captain Moore, and Frank Dillane, who will play a young art enthusiast. The film is set in New York and Spain in 1973, and is told through the eyes of James (Dillane), a young gallery assistant helping famed surrealist Salvador Dali (Kingsley) prepare for a big show. He's excited, and hoping to learn some of the secrets of great art from one of the most famous artists of all .
Immensely challenging to recreate 1970's Pak for 'Raazi': Meghna Gulzar
Filmmaker Meghna Gulzar has revealed that recreating 1970's Pakistan in India for her much-anticipated film 'Raazi' was the most challenging aspect of shooting.Gulzar, in a recent conversation with MN+ for their upcoming property 'Talking Films,' talked about the challenges she faced while filming the spy-romantic flick."Recreating an era of 1970 in 2017 was immensely difficult but what was more challenging was to create 1970's Pakistan in India," she saidAfter much deliberation and planning, we zeroed on the locations like Kashmir, Mumbai, Delhi and a few other places. The cast had to deal with the change in weather - sudden rains or even extreme hot climate," added the 'Talvar' director.Produced by Karan Johar's Dharma Productions, the Alia Bhatt and Vicky Kaushal-starrer is based on 'Calling Sehmat,' a best-selling book by Harinder Sikka.The film is set to hit the theatres on May 11, 2018.
Vinod Khanna's family emotional over posthumous Dadasaheb Phalke Award
Vinod Khanna's family members, who were here to receive the Dadasaheb Phalke Award, conferred posthumously, at the 65th National Film Awards on Thursday, said it was a proud and emotional moment.
Amitabh Bachchan keeps b'day wishes quite unique
Veteran actor Amitabh Bachchan never fails to acknowledge important days. The actor is not afraid to even ask for a reply to his wishes, even if it's from other big film stars.Recently, Anushka Sharma celebrated her birthday with husband Virat Kohli. But she forgot to respond to Bachchan's wishes.In reference to that, the 75-year-old actor tweeted, "@AnushkaSharma .. Anushka .. this is Amitabh Bachchan @Srbachchan .. wished you on May 1st via sms .. no response .. checked they said you changed number .. sent greetings again .. love and wishes .. you looked radiant at the IPL game last night."Anushka later replied, "Thank you so much Sir, for remembering my birthday and sending your kind wishes! (Responding to your sms as I tweet this)."These kinds of awkward situations have occurred before during the birthdays of other superstars like Ranveer Singh, Preity Zinta, Sonam Kapoor and Akshay Kumar.When Ranveer didn't reply to his birthday wish, Bachchan wrote, "hey .. but what about my ...
Google honours French illusionist Georges Melies
Google has honoured French illusionist and film director Georges Melies' in today's doodle.It was on this day in 1912 that his celebrated silent film À la conquete du pole (The Conquest of the Pole) was released.Melies was known for pioneering special effects and narrative film techniques during the early days of cinema.Today's interactive doodle, called "Back to the Moon", is a result of the collaboration between Google Spotlight Stories (the company's VR storytelling arm), Google Arts & Culture, and Cinematheque Française.The doodle shows an illusionist as he chases the queen of hearts on an adventure that spans the stars and oceans.The "Back to the Moon" doodle is also special because it is Google's first-ever VR or 360-degree doodle.This essentially means you can experience the 2-minute video wearing a headset for an immersive experience. You can also navigate within the doodle to have an all-around experience.
Bittersweet moment for us: Akshaye on Vinod Khanna's Dadasaheb Phalke honour
Actor Akshaye Khanna, who is in the national capital today to receive his father Vinod Khanna's posthumous Dadasaheb Phalke Award, said it is a "bittersweet moment" for the family. "We are really proud as a family. It is a bittersweet moment for us. I wish my father was here to receive this award. I am missing him. It is an emotional day for us," Akshaye told PTI. The "Mom" star was accompanied by step mother Kavita Daftary at the ceremony. Khanna, who died on April 27 last year at the age of 70 after battling cancer, was active in Bollywood till the very end. His last few memorable screen outings were in Salman Khans "Dabangg" series and Shah Rukh Khans "Dilwale" in 2015. Known as one of the most handsome stars ever to grace the Indian cinema screens, he started off as an antagonist and in supporting roles before graduating to lead roles. The actor had a very successful pairing with Amitabh Bachchan. They worked together in blockbusters such as "Amar Akbar Anthony", "Parvarish", ...
43rd Matri Shree Awards announced; Toilet: Ek Prem Katha chosen best film
Akshay Kumar's 'Toilet Ek Prem Katha' has been adjudged the best film of the year by a Delhi-based organisation which has also selected 26 journalists from the print and electronic media for its annual awards, the body said in a statement today. Union Minister for Science and Technology Harsh Vardhan will present the 43rd Matri Shree Awards on May 13, the Matri Shree Media Award Samiti said in the statement.
Kevin Hart's alleged sex tape extortionist charged
The man who allegedly tried to extort Actor-comedian Kevin Hart by threatening to release a sex tape last year has been charged and is facing a maximum sentence of four years in jail.
National Film Award winners miffed over ceremony
Over 60 National Film Awards recipients have decided to not attend the award distribution ceremony here on Thursday as President Ram Nath Kovind will be giving away only 11 awards, breaking from a long-held tradition, which they have condemned it as a "breach of trust".
Unfortunate Prez won't present all awards, should reconsider: Tewari
Congress leader and former I&B Minister Manish Tewari today said it was unfortunate that President Ram Nath Kovind will not be presenting all the National Film Awards today and requested him to not break with tradition. More than 70 winners of the National Film Awards earlier today said they would skip the ceremony in the evening after a last-minute announcement that President Kovind would be presenting only 11 awards, a departure from tradition. "It is unfortunate Hon'ble President of India has not been able to find time to present ALL National Film Awards that showcase India's creativity, performing Arts & Soft Power. President should reconsider as awards presented by the office he represents carries different GRAVITAS," Tewari said on Twitter. The Rashtrapati Bhavan expressed "surprise" at the artistes' decision and said in a statement the President attends all award functions for a maximum one hour and this was conveyed to the Information and Broadcasting ...
Zoe Saldana defends James Cameron for superhero films criticism
"Avengers: Infinity War" star Zoe Saldana has defended "Titanic" director James Cameron for his comments on the superhero genre, saying people should read the full article. The 63-year-old filmmaker had said though he enjoys watching the superhero films, the world has had enough of them and people will soon get "Avengers fatigue". Saldana was recently asked to comment on Cameron's statement during an interview with the Los Angeles Times and the "Avatar" actor said "educated intellectuals" should avoid soundbytes which are "mean-spirited". "My advice for people is to read full articles and not just believe a soundbite. Because usually, soundbites are very mean-spirited and they're just done for the intention of getting more likes and more views it's not really with the intention of educating and informing the public," Saldana said. "So for all those educated intellectuals out there that like to stay current with news, just read the full article and you will understand where James ...
Ariana Grande to open the 2018 Billboard Music Awards
Singer Ariana Grande has been announced as the opening artist for the 2018 Billboard Music Awards. The 24-year-old singer, who is known for hits like "Side to Side", "Bang Bang", "Problem" and others, shared the news during her appearance at "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon". Grande will perform from her upcoming album "Sweetener" during the televised event. She joins previously announced musical acts BTS, Camila Cabello, Dua Lipa and Shawn Mendes. Singer Kelly Clarkson will be hosting the show, which will be broadcast live on NBC.