Page 648 - Entertainment Culture

AIADMK up in arms against Vijay starrer over reference to Jaya

The ruling AIADMK is up in arms against Tamil film star Vijay's Diwali release 'Sarkar' for its reported reference to former Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa, besides the alleged depiction of certain government schemes in bad light. Senior AIADMK ministers demanded that the contentious scenes be deleted, and threatened to initiate legal action if the latter failed to comply. Fisheries Minister D Jayakumar wanted to know why certain references deemed to be that to the late Jayalalithaa had found their way into the script. However, rebel AIADMK leader T T V Dhinakaran claimed Jayalalithaa was never addressed by the name mentioned in the film but charged commercial intent behind showing the AIADMK's 'freebies' in bad light. Law Minister C Ve Shanmugham said certain scenes amounted to inciting violence and warned of action. "The scenes relating to burning of items disbursed under government welfare schemes amount to inciting violence. Whether it is the producer (Sun Pictures) ..

Michael Buble to get star on Hollywood Walk of Fame

Singer-songwriter Michael Buble will receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on November 16.

Won't work with music labels ever: Aditya Narayan

Playback singer Aditya Narayan says he has vowed not to work with music labels anymore as he feels they exploit artistes.

Netflix's 'Mowgli' to get exclusive theatrical release

Netflix has granted exclusive theatrical release to Andy Serkis' upcoming film 'Mowgli'.According to The Hollywood Reporter, the film will get a limited theatrical release on November 29 in Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco and London, ahead of its global launch on the streaming service on December 7.This latest adaptation of Rudyard Kipling's 'The Jungle Book' will feature Rohan Chand as Mowgli, Benedict Cumberbatch as Shere Khan, Cate Blanchett as Kaa, Christian Bale as Bagheera and Serkis as Baloo the bear.Originally produced by Warner Bros, the film was originally scheduled to release in October 2016. The date was later moved to October 2017 before finally selling the film to Netflix.The media-services provider announced that the movie will make its online debut in 2019.

Taron Egerton not part of 'Kingsman 3'

Taron Egerton has revealed that he would not be a part of the third film in the "Kingsman" franchise. The actor plays a young street ruffian-turned-suave super spy named Eggsy under the aegis of Colin Firth's agent Harry Hart. "I'm not in the next Kingsman movie... I don't know if I'm allowed to tell you... That doesn't mean I won't be a Kingsman ever again. I was with Matthew (Vaughn) as little as a few days ago and spoke to him. "We're very much still in business together, it's just that his next journey in that universe doesn't involve me. Which I think is sacrilegious!" Egerton told Yahoo News. The third part is officially in works with Matthew Vaughn returning as writer and director of the film. Egerton refused to dish out any details about the direction Vaughn is planning to take Kingsman without Eggsy, but the actor is impressed with the helmer's approach. "I think his idea for the new one is incredibly exciting, and I'm sad that I won't be on that journey with him, but it's ...

Singapore Hindi theatre fest 'Dastak' to host satire on #MeToo campaign

The third edition of Singapore's Hindi theatre festival Dastak, beginning November 15, will showcase 10 different plays, including a satire on the ongoing #MeToo campaign. Titled 'Ek Din Bank Mein', which will be performed by theatre group ANK Theatre, is a dramatisation of an Anton Chekhov's short story. Set in a bank, the story is a comedy of errors, where the protagonist is troubling the bank manager with irrelevant questions and how the bank manager handles the situation. The play takes the campaign to a newer paradigm that is beyond sexual harassment. It is a take on any kind of exploitation that has a repercussion on the system. 'Someone, somewhere will have to pay' is the underlying message of the entire play. Dinesh Thakur adapted Chekhov's story "A Day in the Bank" in Hindi and English. Dastak is seen as an inclusive vehicle that involves non-Indian artistes in the creative process to strengthen the cultural integration between India and Singapore. It is Singapore's only ...

#MeToo movement has created consciousness among men, women: Eisha Chopra

Actress Eisha Chopra, known for web series like "The Great Indian Dysfunctional Family" and "What The Folks", says that collective consciousness among men and women at workplaces due to the #MeToo movement is a positive change.

'Thugs of Hindostan': Aamir Khan steals the show (IANS Review, Rating: ***1/2)

Film: "Thugs of Hindostan"; Director: Vijay Krishna Acharya; Cast: Amitabh Bachchan, Aamir Khan, Katrina Kaif, Fatima Sana Shaikh, Ronit Roy, Mohammad Zeeshan Ayyub, Sharat Saxena and Lloyd Owen; Rating: ***1/2

One Republic to be back in India

American rock-pop band One Republic will be back in India soon.

'Narcos: Mexico' a great chance to hear Mexican voices: Diego Luna

Actor Diego Luna, who will be seen playing the drug kingpin Felix Gallardo in the fourth season of the drug trade drama "Narcos: Mexico", says it is a great chance to hear Mexican voices.

Petition in HC against Shah Rukh for 'hurting' religious sentiments in 'Zero' trailer

A petition has been filed in the Bombay High Court seeking action against actor Shah Rukh Khan and makers of the film "Zero" for allegedly hurting sentiments of the Sikh community. Petitioner Amritpal Singh Khalsa, an advocate, has sought action against the actor and the film's producers Gauri Khan and Karuna Badwal, director Aanand L Rai, Red Chillies Entertainment Pvt Ltd and the Central Board for Film Certification's (CBFC) chairperson and CEO. The petition, filed on Tuesday, refers to the film's trailer in which Shah Rukh is seen wearing a vest and shorts, with a garland of Rs 500 notes around his neck and a 'kirpan' in gatra tied diagonally across his body. Khalsa took exception to this scene and referred to the historical and cultural importance of kirpan (a sword or small dagger carried by Sikhs). In his petition, Khalsa said a kirpan is worn after taking 'rehat maryada' (conversion to Sikhism). The petition has sought a direction to the police to initiate action against Shah ..

Netflix steps up original Asian content to hook international viewers

Netflix has earmarked $8 billion for content this year, and had spent $6.9 billion as at the end of its third quarter

'Vanara' a remarkable story hinding inside Ramayana, says author

Anand Neelakantan, author of the "Baahubali" series, loves to explore stories hidden inside epics and penned his new book "Vanara" to tell the tale of honour, pride, jealousy, love and betrayal involving Baali, the undefeated hero of the Ramayana; his wife Tara and his brother Sugreeva. The book was born as a short story first. Neelakantan had written a 5,000-word story on Tara as a labour of love but his publisher wanted to commission it as a book. Though he was sceptical about making it a novel, he promised to get back and started reading various versions of the Ramayana once again. "And to my fascination, I found that a remarkable epic is hiding inside the great epic. The characters of Baali, Sugreeva and Tara were never explored in detail. Baali is the undefeated hero of Ramayana, who had defeated even Ravana. His story deserved to be told, especially since he had a tragic end," Neelakantan says. And thus "Vanara: The Legend of Baali, Sugreeva and Tara" was born. "Known, yet ...

Ezra Miller comes out with his #MeToo story

Actor Ezra Miller says he had a #MeToo experience in Hollywood when he was underage.

AIADMK up in arms against actor Vijay's 'Sarkar' over reference to Jaya

The ruling AIADMK is up in arms against Tamil film star Vijay's Diwali release 'Sarkar' for its reported reference to late Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa, besides the alleged depiction of certain government schemes in bad light. Senior AIADMK ministers demanded that the contentious scenes be deleted, and threatened to initiate legal action if the latter failed to comply. Senior AIADMK leader and Fisheries Minister D Jayakumar wanted to know why certain references deemed to be that to the late Jayalalithaa had found their way into the script. Law Minister C Ve Shanmugham said certain scenes amounted to inciting violence and warned of action. "The scenes relating to burning of government welfare amount to inciting of violence. Whether it is the producer (Sun Pictures) or the actor (Vijay), or theatres-- they will have to face action," he told reporters. Reports suggested that certain scenes show grinder, mixers and fans being put to fire, seen as an obvious reference to the late J ...

Why Benedict Cumberbatch did 'The Grinch'

Actor Benedict Cumberbatch says he could not say no to "The Grinch" when he got to know that the makers are planning to explore Grinchs back story.

Hoping to direct films: Robin Wright

Known for portraying Claire Underwood in the American political thriller series "House Of Cards", actress Robin Wright says she is focussing on directing films after the show's finale.

Kate Hudson returns to showbiz

After giving birth to her first child with beau Danny Fujikawa, actress Kate Hudson has returned to work.

Grew up on Bond villains talking in weird accents: Diego Luna

Actor Diego Luna Thursday said the best thing about "Narcos" is its commitment to tell authentic and real stories that are based in non-English countries. Speaking during a session at the See What's Next: Asia event here, Luna appreciated the diversity of the hit Netflix series. "If you are to go and tell a story, be specific and authentic. Respect the context of where it happens. I grew up on watching Bond films where the bad guys had weird accents... They all seemed like cartoons. I don't like this idea. Let's be accurate. "The show is not just in Spanish. It is in whatever language it needs to be spoken in the moment and that makes sense with the action and with the characters. When you show respect to stories like that, then people appreciate, the actor said. He revealed that while growing up, like countless cinephiles, he also watched foreign films with subtitles. "In Mexico, that's the way it was. The voice of Robert De Niro was Robert De Niro." The actor was joined by co-star ..

There is still prejudice against LGBTQ community: Eddie Redmayne

Oscar-winning actor Eddie Redmayne, whose forthcoming film "Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald" courted controversy for allegedly "airbrushing" a key character's sexuality, feels the world is changing for better for the LGBTQ community, but there are some prejudices that still prevail universally.