Page 1311 - Entertainment Culture

Being seductive is part of womanhood: Urmila Matondkar (IANS Interview)

From being the bubbly girl in "Rangeela" to a film star in "Mast", from a psycho lover in "Pyaar Tune Kya Kiya" to her recent appearance in the song "Bewafa beauty" -- Urmila Matondkar has never failed to prove three strong elements as an actress in her career - power of acting, unmatched dancing skill and image of being desirable. The actress says as a woman, she always finds the tough but right chord to be seductive and not vulgar as the line is very thin.

James McAvoy, Bill Hader in talks for 'It: Chapter 2'

Actors James McAvoy and Bill Hader are in negotiations to join the cast of the sequel to the horror hit "It". Jessica Chastain is already aboard the project, which has been titled "It: Chapter Two", and will playing the role of adult Beverly. If finalised, McAvoy will portray the character of adult Bill Denbrough while Hader will play the adult Richie Tozier, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Jaeden Lieberher played the young Bill in the original while Richie was portrayed by "Stranger Things" star Finn Wolfhard. Director Andy Muschietti is coming back to direct, with Gary Dauberman penning the script. Bill Skarsgard is also expected to return as Pennywise for the sequel. "Chapter One" of "It" followed the first half of Stephen King's novel, telling the story of a group of children who are terrorized by Pennywise the Clown and forced to face their own demons to defeat him. "Chapter Two" will follow the last half of the novel, where the characters return to their hometown years ...

Tanya Sharma was apprehensive to experiment with look

Actress Tanya Sharma says she was apprehensive about experimenting with her look in TV show "Woh Apna Sa".

It's super fun to work with Pradeep Sarkar: Neetu Chandra

Actress Neetu Chandra, who will soon be seen in an ad film shot by filmmaker Pradeep Sarkar, says it was fun working with him.

Gwen Dias to release 'Legacy' on April 15

Singer Gwen Dias is set to release her debut single "Legacy" on April 15 from her album "Gwen And The Groove".

No direct contact rule with gorillas surprised Johnson

Actor Dwayne Johnson says he was surprised to know about the no direct contact rule for gorillas.

Longoria confirms a rumour about Desperate Housewives costars

So, Eva Longoria finally kind of confirms it that all has not been well among former Desperate Housewives costars.The hint or partial confirmation came when Eva Longoria appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live! on Tuesday and said she is not friends with all of her co-stars from the hit series Desperate Housewives, which ended in 2012.For the unversed, there have been reports that Eva Longoria, Felicity Huffman and Marcia Cross get along with each other quite well, but the trio do not see eye to eye with Teri Hatcher.When Kimmel asked if the reboot of famous ABC series was being planned, Longoria replied in negative."No, I mean it's always coming up on interviews and stuff, but no, nobody from ABC has brought it up," she said and then went on to add "But also, we were on for a decade and we did 24 episodes a year, we fully mined those characters."To this the late-night host jokingly asked "And you guys all hate each other now?", referring to the show's other stars, Teri Hatcher, Felicity ...

'October' is a film for all seasons (Review)

Film: "October"; Director: Shoojit Sircar; Cast: Varun Dhawan, Introducing Banita Sandhu; Rating: *****(5 stars)

DFF director repatriated to parent cadre: I&B ministry

Directorate of Film Festival (DFF) director C Senthil Rajan has been repatriated to his parent cadre, the Indian Information Service, and has been put on 'compulsory wait', an official order has said. Additional Director General at Doordarshan News Chaitanya Prasad will hold the additional charge of the DFF, said the I&B ministry in the order dated April 11. The order was made available on the ministry's website today. An official said compulsory wait' denotes a situation where an officer has not been assigned any task or post and sometimes the officers returning from deputation post have to spend a few days on 'compulsory wait' till they are assigned a new post. The DFF was set up under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting in 1973 with an objective to promote Indian films and cultural exchange. Last year, the ministry had tasked the National Film Development Corporation (NFDC) with holding the International Film Festival of India (IFFI), which was earlier the ...

Ban on Telugu actress who alleged sexual exploitation lifted

Hours after the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) took suo motu cognizance of Telugu actress Sri Reddy's allegations of sexual exploitation, the Movie Artists' Association (MAA) on Thursday lifted a ban on her.

Telugu film actors' body lifts ban on Sri Reddy

An apex body of Telugu film industrywhich denied membership toactressSri Reddy, a day after she caused a flutter by stripping in front of the film chamber's office here,today revoked its decision. Movie Artistes Association (MAA)presidentSivaji Raja said the bodyalso lifted the restrictions on all its 900 members against working with Sri Reddy. "We will set up aCommittee Against Sexual Harassment (CASH) to deal with issues relating to sexual harassment. She (Sri Reddy) can apply for membership which will be dealt with as per procedure. We are lifting the ban on her," Raja told reporters. The actress had on April 7 stripped in public and staged a protest in front of the film chamber office, alleging that local artistes were not being given enough opportunities in the industry. She also complained of sexual exploitation of women in the regional film industry. The MAA bearers said they were "emotionally hurt" by Sri Reddy's statementsand approach and hence imposed the ban .

'Nanak Shah Fakir' film producer excommunicated

Gyani Gurbachan Singh, jathedar of Akal Takht, the supreme temporal seat of the Sikhs, today announced the decision to excommunicate Harinder Sikka, producer of controversial film Nanak Shah Fakir, from the Sikh Panth. The decision was taken at a meeting of jathedars of the five Takhts, a day before the release of the film which is based on life of the first Sikh Guru. The meeting was called after Sikka refused to abide by orders of the Akal Takht to withdraw the movie from cinemas. The announcement about the excommunication was made later. Earlier, the Akal Takht had imposed a ban on the release of 'Nanak Shah Fakir', after it contended that showing Sikh gurus in living form cannot be permitted. "...And the issue relating to human beings playing the role of the Guru and his family has not been addressed in the movie," the Akal Takht jathedar had said earlier. Meanwhile, all institutions being run by the Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee (SGPC), apex religious body of the Sikhs,

NHRC notice to I&B Ministry, Telangana Govt over Telugu actress strip case

The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) on Thursday took suo motu cognizance of media reports about the alleged sexual exploitation of women in the Telugu Film Industry which has been raised by a television anchor turned actress of Telugu films.The Commission issued notices to the Chief Secretary of Telangana Government and the Secretary of Union Ministry of Information and Broadcasting over the matter and sought a detailed report in the matter within four weeks.Quoting media reports, the Commission, in a press release, said that the Telugu actress had questioned the Telangana government and the Movie Artistes Association (MAA) regarding the absence of the Committee Against Sexual Harassment (CASH).She also alleged that due to absence of any committee, female actors are not being able to represent or seek redressal of their grievances, if there was any sexual harassment in the workplace i.e. Telugu film industry, in this case.Reportedly, the actress staged a semi-nude protest ...

NHRC notices on Telugu actress' sexual exploitation claim

The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) on Thursday sent notices to the Telangana government and the Union Information and Broadcasting Ministry over a Telugu actress' allegations of sexual exploitation.

Delhi HC too refuses stay on 'Nanak Shah Fakir' release

The Delhi High Court on Thursday refused to stay Friday's release of "Nanak Shah Fakir", a film based on Guru Nanak.

Nanak Shah Fakir to hit theatres tomorrow as SC, HC refuse to stall screening

Two Sikh bodies today made unsuccessful attempts in the Supreme Court and the Delhi High Court to stall the release of the movie 'Nanak Shah Fakir', which would hit theatres across the nation tomorrow. Both the top court and the high court rejected the respective pleas of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) and Delhi Sikh Gurudwara Management Committee (DSGMC) to accord urgent hearing. But later, the Supreme Court listed the matter for hearing on April 16 and the high court for April 22. As the apex court began its proceedings this morning, SGPC mentioned the matter before a bench headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra seeking modification of its order allowing the release of the film. However, the bench, also comprising Justices A M Khanwilkar and D Y Chandrachud, refused urgent hearing, saying once a film has been granted certification by the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC), its release can only be stalled through lawful means. A few hours later during the ...

Katherine Heigl shares first look from 'Suits'

Actor Katherine Heigl has shared her first look from "Suits" as she joins legal drama as a series regular in season eight. The 39-year-old actor will play the role of Samantha Wheeler and her character will make its debut by the end of the season. "Day 2 on the set of 'Suits' getting my hands wrapped for a kickboxing scene. My character is no shrinking violet! She'll kick your a** in the ring and in the courtroom! Love playing a girl with gumption!" Heigl wrote on Instagram alongside a photo from the sets. Heigl is one of three new series regulars for the eighth season and will work alongside Dule Hill (Alex Williams) and then also Amanda Schull (Katrina Bennett). "Suits" airs on Comedy Central every Thursday in India.

Folktales for the modern child

A new collection of books is reinventing the art of storytelling with illustrated tales to connect children to Indian art and culture. Inspired by India's festivals, legends and arts, Mama Suranya Books is an independent multi-lingual publication that seeks to educate children in Indian art. The 43-year-old author, Suranya Aiyar, a mother of two, uses different Indian folk and classical arts with elements of contemporary cartoon styles to tell fresh stories. She combines illustrations inspired by miniature art, with original stories that are appealing to the modern child, but at the same time rooted in Indian culture. For instance, she turns the North-Indian love of mangoes and the joy of the rains after the long hot summer, into motifs that appear in the tales she tells. "The idea is for the drawings to feel familiar to the child, while at the same time giving them a sense of Indian art," she says. Some of the books in Aiyar's kitty include: "The Peacock Who Wanted to Fly like an ...

Indian film 'Manto' set for Cannes Film Festival journey

Acclaimed Indian actress-filmmaker Nandita Das' directorial "Manto", a biographical on controversial Urdu writer Saadat Hasan Manto, has made its way to the Un Certain Regard segment of the prestigious 71st Cannes Film Festival. The team is ecstatic.

'The Problem With Apu' to air again after 'The Simpson' controversy

Hari Kondabolu's documentary "The Problem with Apu" which first talked about the stereotypical nature of "The Simpsons" character Apu Nahasapeemapetilon, is scheduled for a re-telecast on TruTV. The documentary, which was written by and starred Kondabolu, will air on Sunday, April 15, the channel has announced, according to the Entertainment Weekly. It is directed by Michael Melamedoff and featured interviews by a number of prominent celebrities of South Asian descent including Aziz Ansari, Kal Penn and Hasan Minhaj, and explores the stereotypical portrayal of marginalised communities. The renewed debate over character of Apu Nahasapeemapetilon stems from the criticism of the show after it addressed the issue in a new episode. In one of the show's latest episode, Lisa says, "...something that started decades ago and was applauded and inoffensive, is now politically incorrect. What can you do?" The response did not go down well with many people on Twitter, including Kondabolu, who ...