Page 706 - Entertainment Culture

Liam Hemsworth to star in 'Arkansas'

Actor Liam Hemsworth is all set to star in 'Arkansas', which will mark the directorial debut of Clark Duke of 'Hot Tub Time Machine' fame.Duke, who has written the plot of the film, will also star in a pivotal role, alongside 'Wedding Crashers' actor Vince Vaughn, confirmed The Hollywood Reporter.The film revolves around low-level drug runners in the Dixie Mafia. Kyle (Hemsworth) and Swin (Duke) live by the orders of an Arkansas-based drug kingpin named Frog (Vaughn), whom they've never met. But things take a turn for the worse as the duo are forced to face the dire consequences of a botched-up deal.While Patrick Hibler, Jeff Rice, Martin Sprock and Storyboard Media are producing the film, executive producers include Media Finance Capital's David Gilbery and Charles Dorfman, who also funded the film.'Arkansas' is set to go on floors next week in Alabama.

Varun, Katrina to appear together in 'Koffee with Karan'

Actors Varun Dhawan and Katrina Kaif will bring in some fun to the forthcoming season of 'Koffee with Karan' with their appearance.

Kristen Bell voices concern over message 'Snow White' sends to daughters

Kristen Bell might be playing the role of a Disney princess on screen, but that doesn't mean she is okay with the lessons it teaches to her two daughters.The 'When in Rome' actor, who is the Voice of Anna in the animated Disney film 'Frozen', told Parents magazine that she has issues with the kind of message 'Snow White' sends out, especially when it concerns her young daughters Lincoln (5), and Delta (3)."Don't you think that it's weird that the prince kisses Snow White without her permission? Because you cannot kiss someone if they're sleeping!" she said while stressing on the importance of consent.Bell pointed out that she finds the part, where Snow White eats an apple from the witch who is a total stranger, problematic."Every time we close Snow White I look at my girls and ask 'Don't you think it's weird that Snow White didn't ask the old witch why she needed to eat the apple? Or where she got the apple?' I say, 'I would never take food from a stranger, would you?' And my kids are

Bollywood visits Goddess Durga on Dashmi

B-Town on Dashmi (Dusshera) took to the oldest and the biggest Durga Pooja in Mumbai on Thursday. Some of the biggest celebrities who came to take Goddess Durga's blessings were Kajol, Varun Dhawan, Jaya Bachchan and many more.

Varun to grace 'Koffee with Karan' with co-actor Katrina

Bollywood actors Varun Dhawan and Katrina Kaif are all set to appear together on the upcoming season of 'Koffee with Karan', which is all set to premiere on October 21.Karan Johar has been actively sharing various videos and pictures from the sets of the show. He recently took to his official Instagram account to tease the audience with a picture of Varun and Katrina sitting on the controversial couch and posing with 'Koffee' cups.The post read, "So much fun in the koffee house today!!! A riot of a combination with some great conversation! #koffeewithkaran @varundvn @katrinakaif @starworldindia @hotstar."Varun looks dapper in a black smiley t-shirt paired with ripped jeans, and a monochrome printed jacket. On the other hand, Katrina looks stunning in an elegant sleeveless lemon yellow gown which she has accessorised with hoop earrings, keeping her hair open in soft wavy curls.Varun also took to his official Twitter handle to share behind the scenes picture with Katrina, captioning it .

Justin Bieber, Hailey Baldwin may buy Demi Lovato's house

Canadian singer Justin Bieber and model Hailey Baldwin have been on house hunting in Los Angeles, where they also checked out Demi Lovato's house.Lovato put her 5,546 square-foot, four bedroom, five bathroom Hollywood Hills mansion for selling in the market for USD 9.49 million in September following an overdose on July 24, reported US Weekly.The 26-year-old singer was found unconscious in her L.A. home, and was hospitalized for nearly two weeks before she finally checked into rehab.A source told US Weekly last month, that Lovato is "doing much better.""She's repositioning herself again and getting her life back on track and retraining herself on the 12 steps to recovery. She is doing much better and eventually she will come back to L.A.," the source further explained.Bieber and Baldwin secretly tied the knot in September at a New York City courthouse. After a trip to Canada and London, the lovebirds were spotted together in L.A. earlier this month.However, it hasn't been all smooth ..

#Metoo: Maneka asks NCW to probe sexual harassment complaints expeditiously

Women and Child Development Minister Maneka Gandhi has asked the National Commission for Women to probe expeditiously all complaints of sexual harassment received by them under #MeToo movement. "I have asked NCW to probe expeditiously each and every complaint of sexual harassments of women at workplace," Gandhi told reporters Thursday. Meanwhile, in the wake of many women coming forward with complaints of their sexual harassments at workplace under the #MeToo campaign, the NCW has created a dedicated email ID to receive their complaints. "The Commission urges women, who have come forward on social media and other platforms about their alleged harassments, to send their formal written complaints to ncw.metoo@gmail.com, the NCW said in a statement. The #MeToo movement in India began with actor Tanushree Dutta accusing veteran actor Nana Patekar of harassing her during shooting of a film in 2008, leading to more and women following her step and coming forward with their complaints ...

Transgender community deserves acceptance: Ashish Sharma

Television actor Ashish Sharma, who has played a transgender in a feature film titled "Khejdi", has urged society not to be discriminatory against the community.

Golden period for character actors: Gajraj Rao

Gajraj Rao and Neena Gupta are the heartbeat of "Badhaai Ho", a film about a middle age couple facing unexpected pregnancy. Rao, who considers Badhaai Ho as the best film of his career, says a lot has changed in cinema as character actors are no longer treated as fillers in the story. "Today roles are written for us and there is respect as well from everyone. Credit goes to leading man as they are not insecure about their craft and that is the reason why character actors like me are getting to do great roles," Rao told PTI. He says it was after a long while that he got the opportunity to showcase his acting prowess. "I was not getting exciting work and I chose to not to pick up everything and anything. I used to earn money for my living from other things. I wan to fulfil my creative emotional urge, be it through films or theatre. My home runs because of ad films that I direct." Rao's production house Code Red Films has made advertisement for brands like Red Label tea, HDFC bank and ...

'Rammat-Gammat' set for India premiere at MAMI Mumbai Film Festival

Gujarati language short film "Rammat-Gammat" will have its India premiere at the 20th Jio MAMI Mumbai Film Festival in International Competition in childrens film category, Half Ticket.

Julia Louis-Dreyfus never considered quitting 'Veep', despite her cancer diagnosis

Actor Julia Louis-Dreyfus says she never thought about quitting her smash-hit series "Veep", even after her cancer diagnosis. The 57-year-old Emmy-winning actor and "Seinfeld" alum was diagnosed with breast cancer last year. "I love making people laugh, and I love making people cry even, and I find the pursuit of a truthful performance to be deeply satisfying to my core," Louis-Dreyfus told the Washington Post when asked whether she contemplated quitting acting. The news of her diagnosis had led to a halt in the production on the final season of the HBO series as she underwent treatment. The actor returned to work in August. "Originally, I had this idea, well, we'll shoot in between my chemo treatments. We could do that. Chemotherapy. What? That's what sick people get. "The whole thing was so astounding. I thought I could muscle through it, and to a certain extent, I did, because we did have table reads of scripts every three weeks. But I got really ill, so I couldn't have ever shot ..

Taken a giant leap with 'Chhota Bheem Kungfu Dhamaka': Director

The movie "Chhota Bheem Kungfu Dhamaka" is a giant leap for the character Chhota Bheem, which debuted on Indian television screens in 2008 and has become a successful homegrown animated series in India, says director Rajiv Chilaka.

Successful actors can work on their own terms, says Saif Ali Khan

Fresh off from the success of "Sacred Games", actor Saif Ali Khan is enjoying this phase in his career as he is getting to invest more into his characters. The actor, who is gearing for the release of "Baazaar", believes success affords one the independence to work on one's own terms. "I am enjoying acting a lot today. I am investing a lot in my character, which I wasn't doing earlier. I feel like an artiste, I am thinking and trying out new things. "As you grow older and become successful, you can afford to work more on your own terms. Whatever I have earned for myself, I am proud of that," Saif told PTI. In "Baazaar", set against the backdrop of the stock market, the actor plays the role of a ruthless money-minded Gujarati businessman, Shakun Kothari. Saif said his director Gauravv Chawla had already done all the research, leaving him only to work on his character. "The director created the world of 'Baazaar'. There were lots of pages of dialogues, it was tough and then getting the .

'Shahid' clocks 5 years, Rajkummar nostalgic

As Hansal Mehta's 2013 biographical drama "Shahid" completed five years on Thursday, actor Rajkummar Rao, who got his first National Award for his performance in the film, became nostalgic and reminisced its glorious journey.

Indian cinema must fight, break stereotypes: 'Soni' director

Director Ivan Ayr, whose Hindi movie "Soni" explores how the policewomen of Delhi react to the rising tide of brutal sexual violence that has constantly put the city under the spotlight, says Indian cinema needs to break stereotypes.

Don't think there's any woman who doesn't have a #MeToo story: Renuka Shahane

#MeToo's India chapter has come like a reckoning for many but actor Renuka Shahane says there are still uncountable, unknown stories of women who have faced sexual harassment and abuse that are waiting to be heard. The actor says she also has a story but she was not wronged by someone famous. "I don't think there's a single woman who does not have a #MeToo story. My story does not involve anyone famous. It happened a long time ago but it impacted me for the longest time. It has coloured how I view things. "I have spent my entire life travelling in local trains and buses. You are constantly aware that you will get pinched, your breast will be pressed and so on. It doesn't matter if you're underage, married or pregnant. It's a never-ending list," Shahane told PTI in a telephonic interview from Mumbai. The actor, who unfailingly voices her opinions on important issues on social media, was recently announced as a member of an advisory committee by CINTAA (Cine And TV Artistes' ...

Rohan Sippy had fun making 'Side Hero'

"Bluffmaster" director Rohan Sippy says it was fun to tell the story of a side hero in Bollywood with his series "Side Hero".

#MeToo: Javadekar says women should be treated well everywhere, not only at workplace

Union HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar on Thursday said women should be treated well everywhere and not only at workplace, as the #MeToo campaign continues to gather steam against sexual harassment faced by women in various spheres. Javadekar, however, refused to comment on the resignation of his cabinet colleague MJ Akbar following a series of sexual harassment allegations against him. "We have always maintained that not only at work place but everywhere in the society, women should be seen as equals, should be treated with equality. That is what we always say, there is nothing else to comment," Javadekar told reporters when asked about Akbar's resignation. Akbar stepped down on Wednesday as Minister of State for External Affairs the face of mounting pressure following a spate of allegations of sexual harassment against him by several women journalists who worked with him during his tenure as editor of various media publications. The 67-year-old journalist-turned-politician has denied .

New play 'Jab Khuli Kitaab' opens unheard chapter of love

Happily ever afters aren't as easy as the fairy-tale stories would like you to believe, and proving the same to audience this weekend would be a new play, interestingly titled, 'Jab Khuli Kitaab'. After a jazz-noir thriller, 'Detective Nau-Do-Gyarah' and a heartwarming tale of rural India's dreams 'Hello Farmaaish', this is Aadyam's, a theatre initiative by Aditya Birla Group, third play of the season to be staged here at Kamani Auditorium. The play, written and directed by theatre and cinema doyen Saurabh Shukla, promises to take its audience through the struggle of a over five-decades long married couple, who are suddenly confronted with a murky chapter of their life -- the one they thought had long passed them. It is a story of a couple -- Gopal (which is played by Saurabh only) and Anusuya -- who are deeply in love with each other. But then one day Gopal finds out about the over half-a-century ago affair of his ailing wife, and the otherwise comfortable life of the couple turns ..

Photographic canvasses capturing nature on view from today

Striking detail and vibrant hues at a Nature Morte gallery exhibition, that opened on Thursday here, transport the viewers to lakes, mountains and valleys, just as canvasses are rendered a mystic and photographic quality at the same time.