Page 789 - Entertainment Culture

Zendaya open to 'Little Mermaid' live action film

Actress Zendaya says she would be open to feature in a "Little Mermaid" live action film.

Don't want to win the box office with controversy: Aayush Sharma

Aayush Sharma says his debut film "Loveyatri" is a celebration of love and culture and it was painful to do away with the original title as the makers did not want to court any controversy. In an interview with PTI, Aayush opened up about the title row to how he landed in Bollywood as an actor, courtesy Khan brothers - Salman, Arbaaz and Sohail. The Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) was irked by the title "Loveratri", which according to them was distorting the meaning of Hindu festival, Navratri. Later, a Bihar court had ordered an FIR to be lodged against Salman, saying the title hurts religious sentiments and promotes vulgarity. For Aayush, it was disheartening that the title was changed as he had lived with it for the longest time. "Our intention was very clear. We wanted a film that connects with most people. There was unnecessary conversation and objection happening over it," the newcomer told PTI. The actor said it was difficult for him to understand the reason behind the controversy .

Bollywood remembers 'fearless' Kalpana Lajmi

Celebrities such as Raveena Tandon, Manoj Bajpayee and director Hansal Mehta, among others mourned the demise of "fearless" filmmaker Kalpana Lajmi Sunday. The critically acclaimed director passed away at the age of 64. She was suffering from kidney ailment and breathed her last at the city-based Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital early morning. Social media was flooded with condolences for Lajmi. Raveena, who worked with Lajmi in "Daman" (2001) and won National Film Award for Best Actress for the film, took to Twitter to recall the "treasured" memories spent on the movie sets. "You will be missed Kalpanaji. Was not your time to go... But may your heart now be at peace. Those days while shooting 'Daman' will be a treasured memory. #KalpanaLajmi Om Shanti," the actor tweeted alongside a photograph from the shoot. Manoj wrote on the microblogging site, "Sad a very sad news. May her soul rest in peace.#restinpeacekalpanalajmi" Director Hansal Mehta, who had worked as editor on Lajmi's ..

Theroux calls split with Aniston 'gentle separation'

Actor Justin Theroux has opened about his separation with actress and former wife Jennifer Aniston, saying theres no bad blood between them.

Noah Centineo recalls "scary" fan stalking experience

American actor Noah Centineo recently opened up about how much his life has changed since the release of his two Netflix rom-coms, so much so that he is now being stalked around, even at the airport!In an episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live! Centineo shared how he is chased by overzealous fans when he goes places, reported E! News."I went to New York for work and I was at baggage claim and I had my headphones on and I was waiting for my bag to come out," he began. "I feel a presence approach me and without even knowing, I had to sidestep and take my headphones off and there's, like, four people looking at me," he explained. "I was like, 'Hi,' and they were like, 'Hey! Hi! How was your flight?' I said, 'It was good. How was yours?' And they were like, 'No, no, we didn't fly. We were here for you."According to Centineo, the four fans knew he was flying at that time and they even parked in the same place where his driver parks.The Netflix heartthrob continued, "They walked us to the car, and ...

Filmmaker Kalpana Lajmi dead at 64

Filmmaker and screenwriter Kalpana Lajmi, niece of the legendary Guru Dutt and acclaimed for making women-oriented films like "Rudaali", "Ek Pal, "Daman" and "Chingaari", died here on Sunday following a multiple organ failure, said her spokesperson. She was 64.

Nandita Das on creating art during troubled times: There's price to pay

Quoting Bertolt Brecht's poem"In the dark times, will there also be singing? Yes, there will be singing, about the dark times"Nandita Das says it's important to be the voice of dissent in the country today. Nandita has been vocal about the clamp down of freedom of expression and says when the times are dark, speaking up becomes important. "More voices should come out, that's what is going to save the country and society. There are people who are speaking up. Some of them are being jailed, some are paying a heavy price, they are being killed. Gauri Lankesh (journalist), in her in city (was killed). She was a friend of mine," Nandita told PTI. "For speaking within the constitutional boundaries, for being the voice of dissent, there's a big price to pay undoubtedly. Given a chance, if Gauri was there, she would do that all over again. There are many such people who are being the conscience of the society," she adds. The actor-filmmaker says her recent project, "Manto" a film on the life .

Jimmy Sheirgill to debut on TV with reality show

Bollywood actor Jimmy Sheirgill is making his debut on the small screen as the host of a reality show "Castrol Garage Guru - The Super Mechanic Show". Lauding the evolution of television, he says he would love to do something in the fiction space as well.

Alisha Khan hopes to share frame with Mahesh Bhatt

Actress Alisha Khan, who is gearing up for the release of her forthcoming film "The Dark Side of Life: Mumbai City", says she hopes to share screen space with filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt in her next project.

Happy not being very famous: Sanya Malhotra

Sanya Malhotra returns to screen with "Pataakha", two years after her debut "Dangal", and the actor says she had her goals set -- wait patiently for the best film and not chase stardom. Sanya won critical acclaim for her debut, which was produced and headlined by Aamir Khan. "I have learnt to have patience. You have to wait for the next best after your debut. Post 'Dangal', I knew I didn't want to do any film where I'm just there. I'm happy for not being very famous and not being all over on social media platforms," Sanya told PTI. Her idea of waiting for the right film is also partly based on one of Aamir's advices to her and her "Dangal" co-star Fatima Sana Shaikh. "Going slow in my career makes me happy. Aamir used to tell me and Fatima 'don't do more than two films a year'. (But) I did three films a year! When he got to know I signed all these, he said 'you're doing so many movies!'" The actor says her life has changed in a "lovely way" post the blockbuster debut and things have ..

Google brings audio streaming, download quality controls to YouTube Music

Google is now rolling out audio streaming and download quality controls for YouTube Music on the Android operating system (OS), the media reported.

Channing Tatum ready to get back to work

Actor Channing Tatum, who has not been doing films for a long time following his split with actress Jenna Dewan, is keen on getting back to work.

President condoles death of filmmaker Kalpana Lajmi

President Ram Nath Kovind condoled the death of critically-acclaimed writer-director Kalpana Lajmi, who passed away Sunday at the age of 64. The filmmaker, who was suffering from kidney ailment, breathed her last at Mumbai's Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital early morning. In his condolence message to her family and friends on Twitter, Kovind lauded Lajmi for her "rare sensitivity" in depicting "strong and resilient women" on screen. He also praised her for presenting picturesque Assam on the celluloid. "Sorry to hear of the passing of Kalpana Lajmi, a film-maker of rare sensitivity. The repertoire of her work, from depicting strong and resilient women to cinematic renditions of Assamese life, was remarkable. "Condolences to her family and well-wishers #PresidentKovind," the post from official Twitter account of Rashtrapati Bhavan said. Lajmi debuted as an assistant director under renowned film director Shyam Benegal, who was also her uncle. She went on to work as an assistant ...

Jamie Foxx, Joseph Gordon-Levitt to star in Netflix's new sci-fi film

Jamie Foxx will act alongside Joseph Gordon-Levitt in Netflix's upcoming sci-fi film. According to the Hollywood Reporter, the feature will be directed by filmmaker duo Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman from a script by Mattson Tomlin. The two are best known for directing the third and fourth instalments of "Paranormal Activity" series as well as documentary "Catfish". The film has been described as a "heightened sci-fi action thriller" set in Portland which is ridden with a drug that gives people a range of superpowers. Gordon-Levitt will play a cop whose job is to get the drug off the street, but realises that the only way to fight the users is to take the drug himself. The untitled film starts production next month in New Orleans.

Riz Ahmed went 'overboard' to get role in 'Rogue One: A Star Wars Story'

"Venom" actor Riz Ahmed has revealed he was so eager to feature in a Star Wars film that he sent 14 audition videos to director Gareth Edwards for "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story". During an appearance on the Jonathan Ross show, the 35-year-old actor, who played Bodhi Rook in Edwards' 2016 film, said he went "overboard" in his bid to secure the part. "I went a bit overboard, a bit over the top, I got a bit obsessive about my work. They were like, 'Could you read for this scene?' And the director made the stupid mistake of giving me his email address so I recorded an audition and I sent it to him ... I started thinking, 'Hang on a minute, I can do it better' so I sent him another audition. And I sent him another one. "Over the next three days I sent him 14 different versions of this scene. And the thing is, when I watch them back now, they are not even that different. I just changed my clothes!" Ahmed said. In "Venom", he is sharing screen space with "Dunkirk" star Tom Hardy and actor ...

Felt connected with my 'Teen Spirit' character, says Elle Fanning

Actor Elle Fanning has said she felt a connection with her "Teen Spirit" character during the making of the film. The 20-year-old actor plays an aspiring teenager in the musical drama which marks the directorial debut of "The Handmaid's Tale" star Max Minghella. "It's funny that I related to her because I think when outside people, what they think of me as is not this character. I smile a lot, I laugh a lot, and in this movie, we really don't do that very much at all," Fanning told TheWrap. "I felt so connected to Violet. I feel like I grew up a lot also after the making of this film as well, getting to play her, and also knowing that you don't necessarily have to play a character that is likable," she added. Fanning will be also seen in Woody Allen's "A Rainy Day in New York" and "Maleficent 2", where she reprises her role of Princess Aurora.

Gemma Chan happy with success of 'Crazy Rich Asians'

Actor Gemma Chan has said the enormous success of romantic comedy "Crazy Rich Asians" is beyond she had imagined. According to Femalefirst, the 35-year-old actor, who played Astrid Leong-Teo, the cousin of lead star Henry Golding, said a film with an all-Asian cast was long time over due. "It has been beyond what any of us every imagined. It's the first mainstream Hollywood film for 25 years to feature Asians in the lead and an all-Asian cast so it's been a long time," Chan said. She expressed hope that such projects would become a norm in the industry in the coming times. "When I first saw the film, I felt emotional but I also felt relief because I thought Thank God this film is good' because we're hopefully not going to have to wait another 25 years before they let Asians make a movie," Chan said. The actor will be next seen in Brie Larson-fronted superhero film "Captain Marvel", where she is playing Minn-Erva, a Kree sniper and member of Starforce.

Kalpana Lajmi passes away at 64, friends remember the filmmaker

Critically acclaimed filmmaker Kalpana Lajmi, who was suffering from kidney ailment, passed away early Sunday morning at a hospital here. She was 64. Lajmi was the daughter of painter Lalita Lajmi and niece of legendary filmmaker Guru Dutt. Her brother, Dev Lajmi confirmed the news of her death. "She passed away at Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani hospital at 4.30 am. She was suffering from chronic kidney disease and liver failure. She was on dialysis. She has been in and out of the hospital for three years," Dev told PTI. He said the last rites of the director will be possibly conducted today. Lajmi debuted as an assistant director under renowned film director Shyam Benegal, who was also her uncle. She went on to work as an assistant costume designer in Benegal's "Bhumika: The Role" (1977), starring Smita Patil, Amol Palekar and Naseeruddin Shah, among others. "She was a niece of mine. She was a very fine filmmaker. She went through a long period of illness, it is tragic. She was much ...

Difficult to make good, dignified horror film: Urmila Matondkar

Actress Urmila Matondkar, who has worked in horror films like "Bhoot" and "Kaun", has said that it is really difficult to a make good, dignified and technically horror film.

AIADMK MLA Karunaas arrested

Ruling AIADMK MLA S Karunaas was arrested here Sunday over some alleged provocative remarks he made at a recent public meeting. Karunaas, also a well-known actor and founder of a small outfit, was picked up from his house this morning by a special team, police said. At a recent public meeting Karunaas had reportedly made some remarks in relation to Chief Minister K Palaniswami and the police, besides some alleged caste related ones, drawing criticism from various quarters. The actor, who aligned with AIADMK for the 2016 Assembly polls, was elected from Tiruvadanai constituency in Ramanathapuram district on an AIADMK ticket. He had later met sidelined AIADMK leader and RK Nagar MLA TTV Dhinakaran, who has also floated his own Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam (AMMK), post his ouster from the AIADMK.