Page 897 - Entertainment Culture
Manoj hopes CBFC clears 'Love Sonia' without cuts
Actor Manoj Bajpayee hopes the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) clears "Love Sonia", based on women trafficking, without cutting any portion of the film.
Asia Argento denies she sexually assaulted an underage male
Italian actor Asia Argento, one of the first women to publicly accuse Harvey Weinstein of sexual assault, has denied a report that she had a sexual relationship with an underage male and later paid him off. A New York Times report claims she secretly paid off a young male actor, who was 17 at the time. The actor later accused her of sexual misconduct in the months after her revelations about Weinstein. Argento 42, said the assault never happened. However, she did say a payment was made to child actor Jimmy Bennett by her then-boyfriend, the late Anthony Bourdain, who thought it would be prudent to deal with the matter privately as they were already in the middle of the Weinstein scandal. Bourdain "I strongly deny and oppose the contents of the New York Times article dated 20 August 2018, as circulated also in national and international news. I am deeply shocked and hurt by having read news that is absolutely false. I have never had any sexual relationship with Bennett," she said in a .
Sound of Music: Asiad theme song hit with athletes
Indonesia is receiving constant criticism for its traffic woes in Jakarta and Palembang in the ongoing Asian Games but it has also done a lot of things right, including the immensely popular theme song which is also available in Hindi. The song, which has been released in six different languages Bahasa, Hindi, Arabic, Korean, Japanese and Thai is a huge hit among the athletes. The original version called 'Meraih Bintang' (reach for the stars), sung by Indonesia's rising dangdung music star Vi Vallen, has expectedly garnered the most hits on Youtube -- 31 million -- since it was released 50 days ago ahead of the August 18-September 2 Asian Games. Dangdung is a form of Indonesian pop inspired from Hindustani, Malay and Arabic. The Hindi version, sung by Siddharth Slathia, had close to two million hits at the time of writing. The organisers have actually launched a full-fledged Games album, featuring 13 songs. On the streets of Jakrata and Palembang, at Games Village and the sporting ..
Hope #MeToo movement brings permanent change: John Krasinski
As the #MeToo movement has taken the world by a storm, bringing the spotlight on the issues of sexual harassment, especially at workplaces, Hollywood actor John Krasinski hopes it's not just a temporary phenomenon but helps in bringing permanent change.
Danny Boyle exits Bond 25 due to 'creative differences'
Director Danny Boyle has dropped out of directing next James Bond movie due to "creative differences" with the producers. The official James Bond Twitter account shared the news of Boyle's departure, saying the filmmaker chose to walk out of the project. "Michael G Wilson, Barbara Broccoli and Daniel Craig today announced that due to creative differences Danny Boyle has decided to no longer direct Bond 25," the official James Bond Twitter account tweeted. The producers had announced in May this year that the 61-year-old director, who won the 2009 Best Director Oscar for his India-set "Slumdog Millionaire" and has critically-acclaimed titles such as "Trainspotting" and "127 Hours" to his credit, will be helming the new Bond film. The film will be the last outing for actor Daniel Craig as the famed British spy, having played the part in four previous films -- "Casino Royale", "Quantum of Solace", "Skyfall" and "Spectre". The as-yet untitled film had previously been given a release date .
'They Shall Not Grow Old' to premiere at BFI London film fest
Peter Jackson's First World War documentary, newly titled "They Shall Not Grow Old", will have its world premiere at the BFI London Film Festival (LFF) on October 16.
Lucky 'Panga' announced even before my Bollywood debut: Jassi Gill
Punjabi actor-singer Jassi Gill says he feels blessed to have been announced as the part of Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari's "Panga", even before his debut Bollywood film hit the theatres. The 29-year-old actor, who is foraying into Hindi cinema with "Happy Phir Bhaag Jayegi", says it helps a debutante create his/her goodwill early on in the film industry. "I got both the films through proper screen tests. I'm lucky the news came while I'm promoting 'Happy'. It helps a newcomer gain faith in the industry," Gill told PTI in an interview. "I had locked two other pictures when I came on board 'Happy...'. 'Panga' was offered to me long back. We had even discussed the project. But the makers wanted to announce the project in a special manner - so that theme of the film reaches out to the audience along with its title," he adds. The actor, who has been paired opposite Sonakshi Sinha in the sequel to "Happy Bhaag Jayegi", will be seen opposite Kangana Ranaut in Tiwari's film. "I'm feeling blessed to be
Google Assistant to now read 'good news' of the day
To brighten up your day as you wade through a sea of bad news, Google Assistant will now deliver curated good news - stories about people who are solving real-life problems across the world.
Natalie Portman to direct, star in Dear Abby-Ann Landers biopic
Actor Natalie Portman is all set to star and direct a drama based on the real-life competing advice columnist sisters, Esther and Pauline Friedman. The twin sisters, born in 1918 in Iowa, lived a relatively collaborative life until Esther was hired on by The Chicago Sun-Times as an advice columnist, sparking jealousy in Pauline. Pauline later got her own competing column. They used the pen names, Abigail Van Buren and Ann Landers, for their respective columns that used to feature in many newspapers across North America. Portman, 37, will play both the sisters in the film with Katie Robbins penning the script, reported Variety. Producers are Peter Saraf and Dani Melia of Big Beach Films. The actor, who made her directorial debut with 2015 Israeli drama "A Tale of Love and Darkness", will be next seen in music drama "Vox Lux" and Xavier Dolan's "The Death and Life of John F Donovan".
I try to live as much of an abnormal life as possible: Quashiq Mukherjee
Qaushiq Mukherjee can be called one of the most provocative indie filmmakers in India and the director, known for his unique point of view, says he seeks abnormalcy over convention. The director, popularly known as Q, says he draws influences from his life in work, which makes his repertoire a heady mix of erotica, gravelly and quirky stories. "My life really. I try to live as much of an abnormal life as possible and that greatly influences what I do. By choosing to not be normal, I immerse myself in what goes on in the world. Normalcy is kind of for me an hijab, burkha that we wear," Mukherjee told PTI in an email interview. His previous films -- "Gandu", "Tasher Desh", "Ludo" and "Brahman Naman" -- are all acclaimed pieces of art but did not make it to the theatres. "Ludo" and "Brahman Naman" went straight to streaming service, Netflix. Mukherjee's next "Garbage", a furious thriller, has started doing the festival rounds. "Garbage", he says, is a stark departure from his old ...
Sports stories inspire people: Farhan Akthar
Filmmaker-actor Farhan Akthar, who is gearing up for his next film "The Sky is Pink", has said sports stories are easier to understand and they also inspire people.
'Star Wars' actor Kelly Marie Tran opens up about online harassment
Star Wars' first Asian actress, Kelly Marie Tran, has broken her silence about the online harassment she faced which forced her to delete her social media.After being subjected to months of sexist and racist comments following the December 2017 release of 'Star Wars: The Last Jedi', the 29-year-old - who is the first lead woman of colour in the franchise - had deleted her Instagram account in June.In a recently published New York Times op-ed, Tran has opened up about the 'self-hate' the trolls caused."It wasn't their words, it's that I started to believe them," the actress, who is Vietnamese-American, said. "Their words seemed to confirm what growing up as a woman and a person of colour already taught me: that I belonged in margins and spaces, valid only as a minor character in their lives and stories. And those words awakened something deep inside me-a feeling I thought I had grown out of."According to Tran, "Their words reinforced a narrative I had heard my whole life: that I was ...
I love playing pranks on set: Monalisa
Actress Monalisa says she likes to play pranks on the set of her show "Nazar".
Madonna defends 'self-indulgent' tribute to Aretha Franklin
"I did not intend to do a tribute to Aretha Franklin," said Queen of Pop Madonna, after facing backlash over her remarks about the late singer at the 2018 MTV Video Music Awards.The 60-year-old said she was supposed to present the award for video of the year and had been asked to share an anecdote about the late Queen of Soul."I was asked to present video of the year by MTV! And then they asked me to share any anecdotes I had in my career connected to Aretha Franklin!" the 'Hung Up' singer said in an Instagram post."I did not intend to do a tribute to her! That would be impossible in 2 minutes with all the noise and tinsel of an award show. I could never do her justice in this context or environment," she added.Madonna was criticised for focusing on her own triumph rather than Franklin's legacy. Narrating a personal incident, the Grammy-award winning singer had said that in her early 20s, she auditioned before two French record producers and sang Franklin's hit '(You Make Me Feel ...
Neha Kakkar has a new Rakhi brother
Singer Neha Kakkar has found a new Rakhi brother -- singer-composer Vishal Dadlani.
Danny Boyle no longer part of new Bond film
Oscar-winning film director Danny Boyle has pulled out of directing the next Bond film.The franchise's official social media handle announced that Boyle was exiting the project, known as 'Bond 25', due to 'creative differences'. It was announced by producers Michael G Wilson and Barbara Broccoli, and current Bond star Daniel Craig."Michael G. Wilson, Barbara Broccoli and Daniel Craig today announced that due to creative differences Danny Boyle has decided to no longer direct Bond 25," read the tweet.The 'Trainspotting' director was set to take the reins from fellow Oscar-winner Sam Mendes, who quit the franchise after helming two of its most successful entries, 'Skyfall' and 'Spectre.'On a related note, the 25th James Bond film is scheduled for release in November next year. Craig is set to reprise his role as James Bond for the fifth time after 'Casino Royale', 'Quantum of Solace', 'Skyfall' and 'Spectre'.
Distributor of 'Saheb Biwi aur Gangster' booked for cheating
A film distributor has been booked for allegedly cheating a producer of the profits earned from the 2011 movie 'Saheb Biwi aur Gangster', a senior police officer said today. The case was registered yesterday in southwest Delhi's Vasant Kunj against Sunil Bohra on a complaint by producer Rahul Mittra. According to the complainant, Bohra had entered into an agreement with producer Rahul Mittra and director Tigmanshu Dhulia for the release and distribution of the film. Mittra alleged that Bohra pocketed the entire profit and only transferred Rs 40 lakh to him. Bohra then signed a refundable advance deal of Rs 3 crore with UTV and also sold the digital and music rights of the film without sharing the profits earned from there, he alleged. Mittra filed a complaint with Western India Film Producers Association, where deliberations went on for a few years and despite repeated letters and reminders, Bohra did not turn up, police said. WIFP had directed Bohra to pay Mittra over Rs 2 crore plus
Filmmaker alleges fraud by co-producer, FIR lodged
An FIR has been lodged on the complaint of filmmaker Rahul Mittra against his producer-partner Sunil Bohra in the 2012 film Saheb Biwi aur Gangster, police said on Tuesday.
'Crazy Rich Asians' won't release in India
"Crazy Rich Asians" is making quite an impact globally with its storyline and box office business, but the film will not release in India.
Partha says book depicting actor as Milkha Singh not published
West Bengal Education Minister Partha Chatterjee today said the book in which the photograph of actor Farhan Akhtar was erroneously depicted as that of legendary athlete Milkha Singh, was neither published by the state government nor was it a text book. Chatterjee, however, told reporters here after meeting department officials and the publisher, that if someone formally took up the matter with the government, "We will certainly initiate necessary action". "It was not a text book published by the state government, and there can be such mistakes in a few books even though that is unfortunate. "The state government will not intervene on its own but initiate action if someone lodges a formal complaint," the minister said. An Education Department official said a high-level meeting, attended by Chatterjee and other senior officials, today deliberated on the issue and the publisher of the book has already been cautioned. Meanwhile, the publisher, Anup Das, admitted it was a ..