Page 1543 - Entertainment Culture
Helen Mirren to play 'Catherine the Great' in HBO series
Dame Helen Mirren has added one more ruler to her CV - Catherine the Great.According to the Independent, the veteran actress is all set for the title role of HBO and Sky's upcoming miniseries 'Catherine the Great'.Talking about the role, Mirren said that she always wanted to play the iconic historical figure, and was attracted to the idea of playing such a powerful woman."I am very excited by the possibility of embodying a woman from history who grabbed and then wielded great power. She rewrote the rules of governance by a woman, and succeeded to the extent of having the word Great attached to her name - Catherine the Great", noted Mirren.Written by Nigel Williams ('Elizabeth I,' 'Wodehouse in Exile') and directed by Philip Martin ('The Crown,' 'Mo,' 'Prime Suspect'), the miniseries looks at Catherine at the end of her reign and her affair with Grigory Potemkin.Produced by Origin Pictures and New Pictures, 'Catherine the Great' will air on HBO in the U.S. and Sky Atlantic in the U.K. .
Seen so many transitions in this film industry: Mahesh Bhatt
Veteran filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt, who has been in the Hindi film industry for more than four decades, says he has seen a number of transitions in the industry including the time when filmmaker Vikram Bhatt marked his debut and then made a name for himself.
Stewart Parvin frontrunner to design Meghan Markle's dress
Fashion designer Stewart Parvin is reportedly the frontrunner to design actress Meghan Markle's wedding dress.
Supriya Devi to be accorded guard of honour before funeral
Veteran Bengali film actress Supriya Devi, who breathed her last early on Friday, would be accorded a guard of honour and gun salute before her last rites are performed, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee announced here.
Young generation should learn from Supriya's movies: Prosenjit
Iterating that Supriya Devi's contribution to films can never be forgotten, Bengali matinee idol Prosenjit Chatterjee on Friday said the young generation should watch her movies and learn from them.
Anne Heche was fired for refusing Weinstein's sexual advances
Actress Anne Heche has joined the long list of actresses who have accused movie mogul Harvey Weinstein of sexual misconduct.According to the Hollywood Reporter, the 48-year-old actress revealed that she was fired from a film project after refusing to perform oral sex on the disgraced mogul.In a recent interview on the podcast 'Allegedly With Theo Von & Matthew Cole Weiss', when asked why more women didn't come forward with allegations against Weinstein before October, Heche said, "First of all, you were threatened the second you walk out the door. I did not suck Harvey's d***, though he showed it to me, and I got out of the room before there was any physical contact".She added, "The fact is that I was fired from a job that I had been hired for at Miramax. The repercussions of standing up for yourself were as deep and targeted as some of the scars of the women who actually got more physically, unfortunately, involved".Heche went on to say that she felt many of the women Weinstein ..
'Padmaavat' row: No protests in Rajasthan, says Police
No protests were witnessed in Rajasthan today against the controversial film "Padmaavat" till afternoon, a police official said. The Sanjay Leela Bansali-directed period drama starring Deepika Padukone, Shahid Kapoor and Ranveer Singh was released across the country yesterday amid tight security. The film's release was protested by several organisations, including the Karni Sena, in many states, including Rajasthan. "No incidence of protest or rally was reported in the state as the fringe group, Karni Sena, had announced that they will not protest considering Republic Day celebrations," Additional Director General of Police, Law and Order, N R K Reddy said. He said that yesterday an incident of stone pelting was reported in Udaipur, but no fresh incident occurred today. Shree Rajput Karni Sena patron Lokendra Singh Kalvi had yesterday announced that the 'Janta Curfew' will be imposed post noon when Republic Day celebrations are over. Reddy said that ample security ...
'Padmaavat' row: Films being targeted aggressively, says
Critically acclaimed filmmaker Vishal Bhardwaj said today that people had no right to violently protest against "Padmaavat" as it was cleared by the censor board and given the go ahead by the Supreme Court. Speaking on the second day of the Jaipur Literature Festival, the 52-year-old director and music composer also alleged that the government was hand in glove with protesters. "If the Supreme Court and the censor board have given clearance, what is the problem? If they are saying that there is nothing objectionable in the movie, then we should not pay heed to people who are protesting on the streets," he said. Bhardwaj also said that if the state government was unable to control protests, it should resign. The film, which is based on 16th Century poet Malik Muhammad Jayasi's "Padmavat", got mired in controversy after various Rajput groups, including the Karni Sena, alleged that it distorts history, a claim repeatedly denied by director Sanjay Leela Bansali. Historians ...
Veteran Bengali film actress Supriya Devi is dead
Veteran Bengali film actress Supriya Devi, best known for her portrayal of Neeta in Ritwik Ghatak's 'Meghe Dhaka Tara' (The Cloud-Capped Star), died today of heart attack. She was 85, and is survived by a daughter. Born in 1933, Supriya Devi's acting career spanned over five decades during which she featured in classics like 'Chowringhee' and 'Bagh Bandi Khela'. A recipient of Padma Shri and West Bengal government's highest civilian award Banga Vibhushan, besides the Filmfare East Lifetime Achievement Award, she made her debut in Uttam Kumar-starrer 'Basu Parivar' in 1952. She never looked back after acting opposite Bengali film industry's superstar Uttam Kumar in 'Sonar Harin' in 1959. One of the most beautiful actresses of the Bengali film industry of her time, she won accolades for her performance in Ghatak's 'Meghe Dhaka Tara'. Supriya Devi portrayed Neeta, the protagonist of the film set in post-Partition Calcutta. Neeta, a self-sacrificing young girl, is repeatedly
Bihar's folk singer receives Padma Bhushan
A folk singer from Bihar, Dr Sharda Sinha had the honour of being conferred with the Padma Bhushan award on Friday.Speaking to ANI, Sinha expressed pride at having received the third highest civilian award, and said, "I have been singing folk songs since childhood. I learnt classical songs but folk songs always attracted me.""This is indeed a great honour, but the admirers and listeners who love my work are the greatest honour to me," she added.The Padma Bhushan awardee opined that folk music remained significant to this day but struggle and work were required to maintain its standard.The folk singer also showcased her talent by singing a couplet.On the occasion of the 69th Republic Day, nine Padma Bhushan awards were distributed.
Veteran Bengali actress Supriya Devi dead
Veteran Bengali film actress Supriya Devi, who reached legendary heights for her excellent portrayal of the protagonist Neeta in Ritwik Ghatak's cult film "Meghe Dhaka Tara", died at her residence here on Friday following a massive cardio-respiratory failure, her physician S.K. Sarkar said.
Saddened over violent protest against Padmaavat: Vishal Bhardwaj
Critically acclaimed film-maker Vishal Bhardwaj was saddened to see people protesting violently against the film Padmaavat, even after the Supreme Court's verdict."As an industry, we are really sad that these things are now being done so aggressively. I hope the states become more powerful to stop the protestors, who even after the Supreme Court's verdict are taking law in their hands," Bhardwaj said.While speaking at the 2018 Jaipur Literature Festival, the 'Haider' helmer also shared that the scariest part of all this episode is that these law-breakers are getting away with whatever they are doing.Bhardwaj noted, "The scariest part of all this is that the protestors are getting away with all they are doing. How will we survive, even if the court's order is not being followed by these people."Bhardwaj's 'Haider' also faced some protests while shooting the film.The shooting of the film was halted briefly in Zainakadal in Srinagar in January 2014, when a spectator threw coal towards ...
Ajay-Atul to give 'distinctly different music' for 'Super 30'
"Super 30" founder Anand Kumar says that National film award winner music director duo Ajay-Atul assured to give a "distinctly different music" in the film based on him starring Bollywood star Hrithik Roshan.
Rampal wants action against school bus attackers
Actor Arjun Rampal has urged the government to take "serious" action against those who attacked a Gurugram school bus during protests against the Hindi movie "Padmaavat".
Affleck won't present award at Oscars
Actor Casey Affleck has withdrawn from presenting the Best Actress Award at the upcoming Oscars.
Shraddha's quirkiness hasn't been explored, says Dinesh Vijan
Dinesh Vijan, who is currently working on his production venture "Stree", says actress Shraddha Kapoor has a quirkiness which has not yet been explored.
TN CM greets Padma awardees
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K Palaniswami today greeted the Padma awardees from the state, including musician Ilayaraja (Padma Vibhushan) and archaeologist Ramachandran Nagasamy, awarded Padma Bhushan. The Chief Minister heaped praise on Ilayaraja, and said he has scored music for films in various languages including Tamil, Hindi and Kannada. Further, Ilayaraja had 'expertise' in folk, Carnatic and Western forms of music, Palaniswami said in a statement. "I proudly extend my hearty greetings (to Ilayaraja) for receiving Padma Vibhushan, the country's second highest (civilian) award," he said. 74-year-old Ilayaraja, who has been conferred with Padma Bhushan in 2009, was selected for Padma Vibhushan, the second highest civilian award after Bharat Ratna. The Central government had yesterday announced the Padma awards. The Chief Minister greeted Nagasamy, who was awarded Padma Bhushan, and hailed his work in the field of archaeology. He also lauded other Padma awardees-- V ...
Vikram Bhatt to launch 'VB- Theatre on the Web' app
Director-producer Vikram Bhatt is rolling out a new app -- VB Theatre on the Web -- as he looks to ride on the boom in consumption of digital content in India. But unlike other platforms that levy a monthly fee, VB Theatre will charge viewers Rs 18 per series with each series featuring 12-15 episodes. The app will be available for download from January 27. "VB Theatre is like a theatre on the go. What I've done is make each series available individually, for the cost of a vada pav. So one season of a show on the app will cost Rs 18," Bhatt told PTI. The competition in the Indian video-on-demand space has intensified specially after the launch of Reliance Jio's services that saw data tariffs in the country coming down drastically. While NetFlix plays in the premium segment, Hotstar and Amazon Prime are also competing aggressively for a share of the customer's viewership. The segment also includes players like Yupp TV, Hungama and ALT Balaji that are actively expanding ...
Hans Zimmer ends superhero retirement, to score 'X-Men': Dark Pheonix'
Two years after retiring from giving music to superhero movies, Hanz Zimmer is all set to emerge as 'The Dark Knight' and make his return to the genre.According to the Hollywood Reporter, the acclaimed music director will score director Simon Kinberg's upcoming movie 'X-Men: Dark Phoenix' later this year.Evan Peters, who plays Quicksilver in the 'X Men' universe, revealed the news in an interview and said, "I think the film is gonna be incredible.Hans Zimmer's scoring it-I don't know if I was supposed to say that or not."Zimmer announced in 2016 he's retiring from the superhero scene after scoring 'Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice' with Junkie XL.At that time, he said, "I did 'Batman Begins' with Chris [Nolan] 12 years ago, so 'The Dark Knight Trilogy' might be three movies to you, to me it was 11 years of my life.Along with 'Batman v Superman' and 'The Dark Knight trilogy', Zimmer also scored 'Man of Steel'.Zimmer steps into the shoes of John Ottman, who composed the score for both
'Padmaavat' not screened in Aligarh after threats to theatres
Theatre owners here did not screen the film "Padmaavat" following threats by a local organisation and the recent protests against its release in several states, including Uttar Pradesh. The Sanjay Leela Bansali-directed period drama starring Deepika Padukone, Shahid Kapoor and Ranveer Singh was released across the country yesterday amid tight security. "This is a voluntary decision taken by theatre owners. We had strengthened security outside cinema halls where the film was to be screened. However, they did not ask us for any additional security," Senior Superintendent of Police Rajesh Pandey told PTI. The move by cinema halls came after Kshatriya Mahasabha, district coordinator, Santosh Kumar Singh, warned owners here to refrain from screening the film. "We have been patrolling different cinema theatres since the past two days. We conveyed our message to all cinema halls that if they chose to ignore our diktat then this would be entirely at their own risk," Singh ...