Page 804 - Entertainment Culture
15 lakh school students watched film on PM: Maharashtra govt
Around 15 lakh students of over 16,000 schools in Maharashtra watched "Chalo Jeete Hain", a short film on the life of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Tuesday, the BJP-led state government claimed. The government's decision to screen the film for school children had come in for flak from the Opposition parties. Nanaji Deshmukh Pratishthan and Parth Knowledge Network organised the screening via a live link, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said. "Not only 15,00,000 students from more than 16,000 schools watched this movie on the child life of Hon PM Narendra Modi ji, but the dashboard shows more than 60,000 people in other countries also logged in to watch this short film," Fadnavis tweeted. "Earlier it was planned to stream the short film live for just 2 times, but response was so overwhelming that organisers were bound to keep open this live link for entire day," he added. The Congress and NCP had last week slammed the government over the planned screening, accusing it
Brett Cullen replaces Alec Baldwin in 'Joker'
Actor Brett Cullen has replaced Alec Baldwin for the role of Thomas Wayne, the father of fictional superhero Batman, in the upcoming movie 'Joker'.Baldwin, who was set to play the role, had to turn it down due to last minute scheduling conflicts.Cullen of 'The Dark Knight Rises' fame will join Joaquin Phoenix, who is playing the titular role, while Robert De Niro and Frances Conroy have also been roped in to play pivotal roles in this much-awaited movie, which is being directed by Todd Phillips.Apart from 'The Dark Knight Rises', Brett Cullen is well known for starring in Netflix's hit series 'Narcos'.
Keep your skin care routine simple: Harshvardhan Kapoor
Bollywood actor Harshvardhan Kapoor on Tuesday said that he prefers to keep his skincare routine simple but regular.
'Crazy Rich Asians' to release in India on September 21
Jon M Chu's smash hit film "Crazy Rich Asians" will release in India on September 21. The film, which features Constance Wu, Henry Golding, Gemma Chan, Awkwafina, Nico Santos, Lisa Lu, Ken Jeong, and Michelle Yeoh, is based on the acclaimed worldwide bestseller of the same name by Kevin Kwan. The story follows New Yorker Rachel Chu (Wu) as she accompanies her longtime boyfriend, Nick Young (Golding), to his best friend's wedding in Singapore where she learns that he is not only the scion of one of the country's wealthiest families, but also one of its most sought-after bachelors. The screenplay has been penned by Peter Chiarelli and Adele Lim, and a sequel of the film is already in development. The film is being distributed worldwide by Warner Bros Pictures.
First trailer for 'Captain Marvel' unleashes MCU's new superhero
The trailer of Brie Larson-starrer "Captain Marvel" is out and it packs a punch. The trailer opens with Larson's Carol Danvers aka Captain Marvel crash landing on earth. Later, she is seen with Samuel L Jackson's Nick Fury, who is without his iconic eye patch. A feature by Entertainment Weekly earlier this month had said the film will not be an origin story and the trailer has reaffirmed this. Danvers will be in possession of her powers, which she gets after her DNA is fused with that of an alien during an accident. A former US Air Force fighter pilot, Danvers had left the planet to join Starforce, an elite Kree military team, and upon her returns she retraces her time she had spent on earth. The film's official logline says the film is set in the 1990s and follows the journey of Danvers as she becomes one of the universe's most powerful heroes. While a galactic war between two alien races reaches Earth, Danvers finds herself and a small cadre of allies at the centre of the ...
HC laments temple priests' apathy to theft of idols
The Madras High Court Tuesday lamented 'archakas' (priests) were not coming forward to complain to the authorities in case of idol thefts in temples. The priests were functioning mechanically and not bearing in mind that they were doing service to God, a bench of Justice R Mahadevan and Justice P D Audikesavalu observed. The court was hearing a petition alleging replacement of an ancient idol of peacock at the Kapaleeshwarar temple in Mylapore here and seeking a direction for conducting consecration after installing a new idol. The bench, specially constituted to deal with the cases of idol thefts, directed the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowment department to file its reply within four weeks. Petitioner Rangarajan Narasimhan of Srirangam submitted that the idol of a peacock holding a flower in its beak at the temple had been missing for long and now there was an idol of the bird holding a snake in its beak, which was against the 'agamas' (traditional codes for temples). He also
Rahman ends North American tour with Houston gig
AR Rahman finished his two-month long North American tour of 10 shows in 10 cities on a high note with a sold-out concert here. The Oscar-winning musician enthralled the crowd on Saturday with an instrumental medley of his biggest blockbusters in Hindi, Tamil and Telugu. He opened with an extended version of 'Dil se re' (Dil Se) and went on to belt out numbers such as 'Muqabala Muqabala' and 'Lose Control'. "Music is universal, indefinable, and infinite. It is a feeling, a moment, an expression. It is harmony," Rahman said. He was accompanied by Neeti Mohan and Haricharan, who crooned 'Jiya Jale' from "Dil Se". As Rahman sang the Tamil version of the soulful 'Tu Hi Re', the audience went into a tizzy. Udit Narayan was next and he sang crowd favourites like 'Ae Ajnabi Tu Bhi Kabhie' and 'Taal Se Taal Mila'. Javed Ali showcased his vocal strength superbly by singing songs like 'Mere Paas Hai Tu Mere Saath Hai'. The prolific composer announced a special medley of his songs that showcased
NCPA to organise fundraisers for Kerala flood relief
The National Centre for Performing Arts (NCPA) announced Tuesday that specially-curated fund-raising events will be held later this month, the earnings from which will be donated towards flood relief in Kerala.
There were glitches in the script of "Race 3", says Remo D'Souza
"Race 3" director Remo D'Souza has admitted that there were some "glitches" in the script. Remo believes their decision to not show the leading man in a grey role, which was the case in the previous films, may have gone against them. "When Shiraz Ahmed wrote the script it had the grey role. 'Race' franchise is about grey characters but we can't show Salman in grey character and other things were also happening. Because of all that.. It just went little..," Remo told PTI. The film may have been panned by the critics but it did good business at the box office, said Remo. "If it was a disaster then it wouldn't have done Rs 180 crore business and Rs 300 crore worldwide. I am still trying to come to terms to it and concentrating on my next film," he added. The first two films in "Race" franchise was headlined by Saif Ali Khan, whose character has shades of grey. But with the third installment the producers roped in Salman in the lead role while Remo replaced Abbas-Mustan as the ...
FTII to hold course on 'appreciation of song picturisation'
The city-based Film & Television Institute of India (FTII) will soon hold two-day course in 'Appreciation of Song Picturisation in Indian Cinema' in Mumbai and Pune. In Mumbai, the course will be held on September 29 and 30, while in Pune it will be conducted on October 6 and 7. "Songs have been an integral part of our films right from our first talkie "Alam Ara" (1931). We have music in our blood and we see this in our lives too...we have a song for every situation- from birth to death," FTII director Bhupendra Kainthola said. "It is widely believed that film songs evolved to a highly sophisticated art form by the 1950s and '60s, becoming perhaps the most important part of our storytelling in films," he added. According to him, the best of songs combined the best of writing, music and dance with a strong sense of storytelling through filmic techniques. "What's more, they gave mainstream Indian cinema a unique identity of its own. Till recent times, it was ...
National award-winning film 'Village Rockstars' to release on September 28
Rima Das' National Award-winning feature "Village Rockstars" is all set to release country-wide on September 28. The coming-of-age film had bagged the Best Feature Film trophy at the 65th National Film Awards, besides also winning Best Child Artist, Best Location Sound Recordist and Best Editing. The film will be released through VKAAO, a joint venture of PVR Pictures and BookMyShow in metro cities of India and in more than 30 screens in Assam through Kamakhya Films. It follows Dhunu, a girl who grows up in poverty and learns to fend for herself. However, that does not prevent her from following her dream of forming a rock band and owning a guitar someday. "After travelling to many film festivals across the world and winning hearts, I am so delighted that the exciting journey of 'Village Rockstars' has come to its final stage when we prepare with nervous anticipation and hope to present the film to the audiences in our homeland," Das said in a statement. The film had its world ...
Sunny Leone gets wax statue at Delhi's Madame Tussauds
Actor Sunny Leone on Tuesday unveiled her first ever wax figure at Madame Tussauds here. Leone's statue has been hand crafted from over 200 measurements and photographs, taken during the sitting session with the star in Mumbai. The figure is a stunning replica of her pose familiar to her fans worldwide. "It's a very special moment for me and I am grateful to Madame Tussauds for creating such a stunning figure. It was a wonderful experience, from the sitting session until completion. "I'm very impressed with the result and thank the team of Madame Tussauds for their hard work and talent," the actor said in a statement. Leone, 37, joins the likes of Amitabh Bachchan, Virat Kohli, Shah Rukh Khan, Anil Kapoor and others at the famed wax museum.
#MeToo movement's spirit is to 'divide men and women', says Sean Penn
Two-time Oscar winner Sean Penn has slammed the #MeToo movement, saying its only aim is to "divide men and women". Appearing on NBC's "Today" show to discuss his new Hulu series "The First", the 58-year-old actor said the campaign has been "largely shouldered by a kind of receptacle of the salacious". When asked to elaborate on his comments, Penn said, "We don't know what's a fact in many of the cases. Salacious is as soon as you call something a movement that is really a series of many individual accusers, victims, accusations, some of which are unfounded..." "The spirit of much of what has been the #MeToo movement is to divide men and women," he added. When host Natalie Morales retorted by telling the actor that "women would say it's uniting women", Penn once again disagreed. "I'm gonna say that women that I talk to, not in front of a camera, that I listen to, of all walks of life, that there's a common sense that is not represented at all in the discussion when it comes to the ...
Bulgaria joins Oscar race with 'Omnipresent'
Bulgaria officially chooses 'Omnipresent' to be submitted at the 91st Oscars under the 'foreign language film' category.The movie which is directed by Ilian Djevelekov is based on a writer and owner of an advertising agency, Emil, who spies on his family, friends and employees with the help of hidden spy cameras only to realize that not all secrets should be let out in the open.The movie won the 'best film' award at Bulgaria's Golden Rose film festival on October 2017.Bulgaria which regularly submits films at the Academy Awards since 1970 has failed to win one yet. Back in 2009, 'The World Is Big and Salvation Lurks around the Corner' made to the shortlist.But the last film 'Glory' that was sent in 2017 didn't make it to the shortlist.
Here's why GOT final season is taking so long
If you can't wait to see the final season of the American fantasy drama 'Game of Thrones', the series' showrunners have a message for you.Backstage at the 70th Primetime Emmy Awards, writer-producers David Benioff and Dan Weiss revealed that the upcoming eighth season (which is only six episodes) is the "biggest thing we have ever done.""The final season's taking a long time because it's the biggest thing we have ever done. It was nearly a full year in Belfast either prepping it or actually shooting it," Benioff said, as reported by Entertainment Weekly.He further said that when people see it, they are going to understand why it took so long. "The last season is far beyond what we've ever attempted before," said Benioff.The series took home the award for 'Outstanding Drama Series' at the star-studded event. It has received 46 Primetime Emmy Awards, including 'Outstanding Drama Series' in 2015, 2016, and 2018, more than any other primetime scripted television series.'Game of Thrones' ..
Peter Dinklage on 'GOT': 'It was hard to say goodbye'
As the last season of Game of Thrones is ready to be aired, actor Peter Dinklage, who plays the role of Tyrion Lannister in the series, is as sad as the fans to bid goodbye to the show.After winning the Emmy award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series, the actor was asked (backstage) if it was bittersweet that the series was wrapping up, to which Peter said that he had his last day on set back in July of this year and it was very sad, Fox News reported.Peter said that apart from being a great TV show, GOT was an enormous family to be a part of. He also mentioned that since he was far away from his home in New York City, he would only go home on weekends and would spend a lot of time in Ireland and other locations where the series was being shot.When asked about his next project, Peter said that he is yet to come across a writer as talented as David Benioff and Dan Weiss.Commenting on the last season of GOT, the 'X-Men' actor said that the final season is the biggest thing
Kit Harington on GOT: 'It gave me my future family'
Looking back at his journey in 'Game of Thrones', actor Kit Harington said that the show completely changed everything for him.After the HBO show won an Emmy for Outstanding Drama Series on Monday, Harington, who plays the famous character of Jon Snow in the series, said that the show gave him a family, Fox News reported."I met my wife on this show, in that way it gave me my future family, that's the main thing it did for me," he said.Stating that the show has "changed it completely", he said that he couldn't have asked for a better job in his twenties than to be an actor in GOT.In June, 'Game of Thrones' stars Kit Harington and Rose Leslie, who played Ygritte (Jon Snow's love interest) in the show, tied the knot in a romantic ceremony at Kirkton of Rayne church in Scotland.Earlier this month, explaining the reason behind not giving up his Jon snow look even though the filming of the last season has been wrapped up, Harington said that he needs to follow these instructions in case ...
Anthony Bourdain, Burt Reynolds honoured at Emmy Awards
Late celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain and actor Burt Reynolds were honoured during the 2018 Emmy Memoriam tribute.Actor Tina Fey, who introduced the segment on Monday, said that the tribute was a celebration of the lives of the "good friends", E! Online reported.Apart from Bourdain and Reynolds; Aretha Franklin, John McCain, Hugh Hefner and David Cassidy were among those who were honoured.Reynolds, who passed away on September 06 at the age of 82 due to a cardiac arrest, was scheduled to start shooting for the Tarantino directorial 'Once Upon a time in Hollywood' which also stars Brad Pitt.On the other hand, 61-year old chef Bourdain, well known for hosting CNN's 'Parts Unknown' passed away on June 8.On September 09, the 61-year-old posthumously won an Emmy for 'outstanding nonfiction writing' and 'best informational series or special' at the 2018 Creative Arts Emmys.
Hard to make one piece of art that will make audience happy: Harshvardhan Kapoor
His last two films did not do well at the box office but Harshvardhan Kapoor is not deterred, as the actor says he is aware that it is extremely difficult to make a movie which will have a universal appeal. The actor's debut in 2016 "Mirzya" and his this year's follow up "Bhavesh Joshi" were low key performers at the ticket window, though the actor received praise, especially for his performance in Vikramaditya Motwane's vigilante superhero film. Harshvardhan says his films are a representation of who he is and he stands by his choices. "I look at the movies I have done at 26 years of age and then I look at other movies that are making money, sometimes I wonder would I really want to be a part of (those)? I am really happy with the work I do. It is a very personal thing, you're in it for yourself," Harshvardhan tells PTI. Both the failures, the actor says, taught him about people's sensibilities. "I am still coming to terms with that. You learn about how people would like to see you. .
'Village Rockstars' to release on September 28
After winning the Best Feature film Award at the 65th National Film Awards, Rima Das' directorial "Village Rockstars", an Assamese movie, will release across India on September 28.