Page 262 - Entertainment Culture

I never saw myself making a film: Sheetal Menon

Actress Sheetal Menon has returned to acting with the web series "Flip". She is almost ready with her first short movie as a filmmaker too. She says that directing a film was something that she had never thought of.

Shreyas will love to do, produce Gujarati films

Actor Shreyas Talpade has said he would love to feature in Gujarati films. The actor was interacting with the media at a party organised to celebrate success of Vipul Mehta's Gujarati film "Chaal Jeevi Laiye".

J Mahendran: A legend who redefined Tamil cinema

It was Mahendran who truly ushered in a new era in Tamil cinema, infusing realism and taking the audience connect quotient several notches higher that resulted in a whole new experience for film goers. Screenwriter, film director, critic and playwright, he wore many hats in his life and sharp dialogues flowed from his pen like "Romba kettavan sir intha Kaali," (by Rajinikanth) in Mullum Malarum (1978) which was his directorial debut. The 79-year old veteran director passed away here following a brief illness. Born as Alexander in 1939 at Ilayankudi in Tamil Nadu, he assumed the name of Mahendran later in his life. He began writing plays in the early 1960's. The 1966 film "Naam Moovar," was his story and he went on to write many more for several other movies. Mahendran had also been a film critic in a Tamil magazine. One example of his craft was seen in the 1974 blockbuster 'Thanga Padhakkam', essayed by top star Sivaji Ganesan, where he does not utter a single word after .

Not shaken, disturbed: Omung Kumar on Modi biopic controversy

"PM Narendra Modi" director Omung Kumar says he expected the biopic to be subjected to opposition, but the negativity around the film does not disturb him. The biopic on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, featuring Vivek Oberoi, is set to release on April 5, ahead of Lok Sabha polls. Several political parties have asked to delay the release of the film as it violates model code of conduct. "I have blinkers. I don't look at what is happening or what people are saying. It is for producers to look into it. I don't let it bother me. When we took it on we knew it is a big film and people were going to talk about it, irrespective of whether we release the film during elections or not. "We knew people will oppose it in some way. So I am not shaken or disturbed. I am not bothered about the trolls, there are people who are liking it and some are not," Omung told PTI in an interview. The director said for him the film is an inspiring story. "It is the story of a 'chaiwala' who became the prime ...

Bieber gets flak for liking old photo with Gomez

Canadian pop singer Justin Bieber 'liked' a post on a fan page on social media which features a series of throwback images of the "Baby" hitmaker, including one which captured his romantic moment with singer Selena Gomez.

Ajay dodges query on Alok Nath's #MeToo allegations

Actor Ajay Devgan on Tuesday refrained from commenting on the #MeToo allegations against his "De De Pyaar De" co-star Alok Nath, accused of rape by writer-director Vinta Nanda.

'The Highwaymen': Too smug to be engaging (Review)

Film: "The Highwaymen"; Director: John Lee Hancock; Cast: Kevin Costner and Woody Harrelsen; Rating: **

Dog's death prevented Dave Bautista from celebrating James Gunn's reinstatement

Dave Bautista was missing from the list of Hollywood celebrities who celebrated the reinstatement of James Gunn as the director of the third "Guardians of the Galaxy" film and the actor said it was because he lost his pet dog the same day. In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, Bautista, who plays Drax the Destroyer in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, said he had planned something for the moment but put it on hold after his dog succumbed to cancer. "I've known for a while, and I had this idea that I wanted to do it as a celebration video. And it wasn't to try to rub it in anybody's faces and open up that can of worms, I just wanted, it was a celebration thing. "But on the day that it was announced, it was the same day that I lost one of my dogs to cancer. We finally had to say goodbye to her and it just, I was just so crushed. I still am. This was just a week ago and I was so crushed," the 50-year-old actor said. Bautista said he is yet to make a comeback on the social media in the

Female actors have more shelf life today, says Ajay Devgn

Ajay Devgn Tuesday said female actors enjoy a longer shelf life now. Ajay, who is sharing screen space with his '90s co-star Tabu in upcoming film "De De Pyaar De", said the change has come in past one decade. "Today things are different than what they were ten years ago, in terms of shelf life of female actors. Now they have more shelf life or as much shelf life as male actors. "...There is no difference today but earlier there was. We have Tabu and Kajol and others working still," Ajay told reporters here at the trailer launch of "De De Pyaar De". The 50-year-old actor said working on the romantic comedy after a long gap was a great experience for him. The actor also celebrated his birthday at the trailer launch and said age is just a number. "Ageing is about how you feel and not about the number. All my contemporaries are so fit. I think staying fit must be a conscious decision because the intention was that what you could do 25 years ago... you could still do it. I am happy that I

Video of Urvashi, Boney Kapoor creates a stir

What could have been an innocent move has landed Boney Kapoor in the midst of a controversy.

'Hanna' writer Farr talks about its TV version

David Farr, the creator and writer of "Hanna", says he had envisioned the television version to be more thriller-based, yet more realistic than the film.

Lupita Nyong'o unveils cover of debut book 'Sulwe'

Oscar-winning actress Lupita Nyong'o on Tuesday unveiled the cover of her debut picture book for children 'Sulwe', which touches upon colour bias and self-esteem, and hopes to inspire children to see their own unique beauty.

Emerging artist award for Vadodra artist Raju Baraiya

Vadodra-based artist Raju Baraiya has been chosen as the Glenfiddich's Emerging Artist of the Year 2019. The eighth recipient of the honour, Baraiya will represent India at the Glenfiddich Artists in Residence (AiR) programme where he will spend three months at the Glenfiddich Distillery in Scotland with artists from around the world. Baraiya's work takes inspiration from observing and diagnosing the rural in relation to the urban and vice-versa. His practice springs out of this shift from a strong rural background to an urban one. The artist has been deriving imagery from these seemingly ambiguous notions of the urban and the rural, and the complexities between the two spaces create a common meeting ground for him to explore through an impression he holds of them. With his art, he aims to translate the ever evolving image of this convergence. "I feel honored that my art was recognised from amongst the other brilliant artists that participated in the prestigious competition. "I am ...

He had bigger storyline: Sophie Turner on Kit Harington being paid more on 'GOT'

"Game of Thrones" star Sophie Turner has revealed that co-actor Kit Harington makes more money than her on the hit HBO show but it does not bother her. The actor, a vocal supporter Time's Up campaign and gender equality, said that Harington received a bigger pay cheque than her because he has a bigger plot in the epic fantasy series, which also involved more night shoots. She said demanding equal pay on the show was a "little tricky". "Kit got more money than me, but he had a bigger storyline. And for the last series, he had something crazy like 70 night shoots, and I didn't have that many. I was like, 'You know what... You keep that money'," Turner told Bazaar UK magazine. The actor, who plays Sansa Stark in the series, said now all her contracts come with an inclusion rider, which ensures a 50:50 male/female workforce on the sets. "Now, you see women in the camera departments, producing, directing. It's exciting," she added. Turner said nowadays people are engaging in conversations .

Writer Mark Boal sets up first TV project with 'Intelligence'

Mark Boal, the writer of films such as "Hurt Locker" and "Zero Dark Thirty", is all set to venture into the television arena with spy thriller "Intelligence". The 46-year-old scribe, who most recently worked on Netflix's feature "Triple Frontier", will write and direct the show, which has landed a series commitment from Showtime, reported Variety. The show will explore real stories from around the world, including secret inner workings of power and how espionage intersects with politics, finance, media and Silicon Valley. The first season will look into the behind-the-scenes history that led to the 2016 US Presidential election. The follow-up seasons will explore major world events through the lens of covert operations. The show is a co-production between Showtime and Michael Ellenberg's Media Res studio. Boal will also executive produce alongside Hugo Lindgren, Megan Ellison, Alan Poul and Jason Horwitch.

There is so much kindness and love: Anna Faris on her relationship with Chirs Pratt

Actor Anna Faris says she and her former husband Chris Pratt still share "kindness and love''. The former couple, who have six-year-old son Jack together, have remained amicable since their 2017 split, reported Contactmusic ''We are so good and respectful towards each other. And I think that there is so much kindness and love," Faris said on "Divorce Sucks!" podcast. ''It is very difficult to be completely separate from somebody you have spent so much emotional investment with. I had two 10-year relationships back to back so how do you emotionally leave that person behind?'' she added. Faris had earlier said that she had given her a ''heads up'' to Pratt before he proposed to Katherine Schwarzenegger earlier this year.

Carly Rae Jepsen to release new album in May

Singer Carly Rae Jespen has announced that she will be releasing her next album "Dedicated" on May 17. The "Call me maybe" hitmaker took to social media to reveal the release date and the artwork for her long-awaited follow-up to 2015's "Emotion". ''Secret's out... and so is my album on May 17," Carly tweeted along side the artwork, which features her sitting on the floor in a ballet-like pose wearing a white shirt. The record will feature the singles "Now that I found you" and "No drug like me", but the complete track list is not out yet.

Veteran director J Mahendran passes away

Veteran director J Mahendran passed away at the age of 79. He took his last breath at his residence in Chennai on Tuesday.His funeral is slated to be held at 5.00 pm today.Actor Rajinikanth, Kamal Hassan, Vairamuthu, Illayaraja and many from the entertainment industry paid homage to Mahendran at his kovilampakam residence.Mahendran has directed several memorable films including Uthiri Pookal, Johnny, Mullum Malarum and Nenjathai Killadhey.

Storm has barely anything to say in 'X-Men' films, says Alexandra Shipp

Alexandra Shipp, who portrays superhero Storm in "X-Men" films, has taken a sly dig at the makers, saying her character has little to do in the franchise. According to IndieWire, at the press tour of her latest film "X-Men: Dark Phoenix", the 27-year-old actor was asked about her reaction to the merger of 20th Century Fox with Disney, the parent company of Marvel Studios. "I would and I wouldn't because Storm barely has anything to say as it is. I don't know about (the other actors) but like we never talk. So it would be really nice if we weren't piled into yet another jam-packed cast, in which you only see me in the back of the shot like f***ing sasquatch," Shipp replied. When posed a query about whether she would like to see the on-screen romance and marriage between her character and Black Panther, the actor said she would instead prefer a stand-alone film on Storm. "No! No, I don't think Storm needs T'Challa, and I think she needs her own movie. It doesn't have to be me, it just ..

Jessica Henwick boards Dylan O'Brien-starrer 'Monster Problems'

"Iron Fist" star Jessica Henwick has joined the cast of Paramount Players' sci-fi romance film "Monster Problems". The film, to be directed Michael Matthews, will feature Dylan O'Brien in the lead, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The story, being described as a coming-of-age tale, follows a young man (O'Brien) surviving in a post-apocalyptic world that has become overrun by monsters. He has to navigate a hostile environment to find the girl of his dreams (Henwick), though it turns out she is a lot more than he initially thinks. The script has been penned by Brian Duffield along with Matthew Robinson. The cast also includes "Guardians of the Galaxy" star Michael Rooker and Arianna Greenblatt. Shawn Levy and Dan Cohen of 21 Laps are producing the project, which recently started production in Australia.