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The mood on Monday was upbeat for actors, who felt that the end of their strike is near as talks between SAG-AFTRA and AMPTP resumed.

Several actors outside of Paramount Studios in Los Angeles told TheWrap that they believed a deal could come as early as that same day, or possibly by Friday, now that the WGA and the studios finally came to terms on ending the months-long writers’ strike.

“We feel like we see the end in sight,” said Anita Kalathara, whose credits include “Lady Bird” and “India Sweets and Spices.”

She and another actress were walking the line with a friend from the WGA. At least half of the picketers outside Paramount held picket signs that read “Wgaw Stands With SAG-AFTRA.” A former WGA strike captain said that the writers’ guild had had the new signs made to show their continued solidarity for the actors.

Actors Brooke Nevin...

Prepare for another emotional episode when NBC’s Quantum Leap season one episode 12 arrives and Ben finds himself leaping into the father of a transgender teen. Episode 12, “Let Them Play,” will air on Monday, February 6, 2023 at 10pm Et/Pt.

Season one stars Raymond Lee (Kevin Can F**k Himself) as physicist Ben Song and Caitlin Bassett as Addison. Ernie Hudson (The Family Business) plays Herbert “Magic” Williams, Mason Alexander Park (The Sandman) is Ian Wright, and Nanrisa Lee (First Love) plays Jenn Chou.

“Let Them Play” Plot: Ben finds himself in 2012 in the midst of the Mendéz family as they help their transgender daughter, Gia, who dreams of playing on her high school basketball team. Magic and Jenn discover another piece of the puzzle of why Ben leapt in the first place.

Season 1 Episode 1 “July 13, 1985” Recap Season 1 Episode 2 “Atlantis” Recap Season 1 Episode 3 “Somebody Up There Likes Ben” Preview Season 1 Episode...

Exclusive: Husslup, a venture-backed mobile app focused on connecting creatives to each other and to the companies that need to staff them, has launched a bimonthly series of table reads designed to promote scripts from emerging writers.

The first reading in the series was hosted by the company along with Tyra Banks’ Bankable Productions and actress and author Anjali Bhimani, whose recent credits include Ms. Marvel. The debut event featured comedy pilot The B Word from South Asian Canadian writer Sabrina Besla, which is exec produced by Banks and Hayley Lozitsky from Bankable as well as Bhimani. The more than 60 guests in attendance included executives from Fremantle, agents from UTA as well as talent managers, along with writer-producers from Euphoria, Grey’s Anatomy and Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, according to a press release.

“There is no shortage of original voices telling amazing stories in Hollywood,” Husslup founder and CEO H Schuster said. “Through this new series,...

With over 90 films to her career, Manisha Koirala is acknowledged as one of the finest Indian actresses to grace the big screen. With each new movie and character, the actress would completely disappear into her role in films like 1942: A Love Story, Khamoshi: The Musical, Dil Se, Company, and most recently Lust Stories and Sanju. Earning rave reviews for her work, audiences are always eager to see what brilliance she will bring to the big screen and this newest film does not disappoint. She is outstanding once again.

Directed by Geeta Malik, India Sweets and Spices is an entertaining film, often funny, and truly thought-provoking. It gives a glimpse of the life of an Indian American family. Ms. Koirala takes on the role of Sheila, a perfectionist, who is very proper and always acts in the manner that she thinks is the right way to be in her life.

Sophia Ali (Grey’s Anatomy), is making her debut into films in a huge way. She is the lead character in the Geeta Malik directed film India Sweets and Spices. Her character is the central protagonist and has to carry the vibrant, often funny, always thought-provoking film on her shoulders, and she does it so well.

First, let’s set the scene…India Sweets and Spices follows the summer vacation of Alia Kapur (Sophia Ali). She has returned home to Ruby Hill, New Jersey, a posh suburban oasis of mini-mansions, backyard swimming pools, and luxury cars. However, for the first time in her life, Alia wonders if this is all there is to life. After a year at UCLA, she is ready to trade in the lavish Saturday-night dinner parties and gossiping “aunties” of her community for a more authentic life. During the course of the summer, she uncovers some secrets...

Geeta Malik’s exceptional India Sweets and Spices is all set to open on November 19th in US theatres. The film has a fantastic cast that includes Sophia Ali, Deepti Gupta, Rish Shah, Amaran Shaikh, Ved Sapru, Anita Kalathara, Richa Chadha, and many others. It also features Bollywood superstars Manisha Koirala and Adil Hussain in outstanding performances.

India Sweets and Spices is a glimpse into the life of an Indian American family. It follows the story of Alia Kapur, who returns to her family’s posh suburban New Jersey home after a year away at college. She finds that she is ready to trade in the lavish Saturday-night dinner parties and gossiping “aunties” of her community for more, but what that is, she does not know. Along the way, many secrets are revealed, and it changes Alia, her mother Sophia (Manisha Koirala), and father Ranjit’s (Adil Hussain) lives forever...

Starring Manisha Koirala and Adil Hussain, the Geeta Malik directed film India Sweets and Spices opens in theatres in North America on November 19th. Featuring Sophia Ali, the cast also includes Rish Shah, Deepti Gupta, Ved Sapru, Anita Kalathara, Richa Chandra, among many others.

A glimpse into the life of an Indian American family, India Sweets and Spices focuses on the story of Alia Kapur (Sophia Ali), who returns home and the family’s posh suburban New Jersey home after a year at UCLA. She quickly discovers that she is ready to trade in the lavish Saturday-night dinner parties and gossiping “aunties” of her community for a more authentic, worthwhile existence — even if she doesn’t quite know what that looks like yet. However, during her summer stay, Alia accidentally uncovers some family secrets about her straight-laced mom Sheila (Manisha Koirala) and her seemingly perfect dad Ranjit (Adil Hussain) that...

Festival

The 65th BFI London Film Festival, which concluded Oct. 17, attracted crowds for in-person events and virtually. The festival unspooled over 12 days across London venues, 10 partner cinema venues around the U.K. and online. There were more than 139,000 physical attendances at screenings and events and over 152,000 virtual attendances.

The festival closed with the European premiere of “The Tragedy of Macbeth” at new festival venue, the Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall with director Joel Coen and key cast, including Frances McDormand, in attendance.

There was a sting in the tail, however, as two people who attended the closing film and after party tested positive for Covid-19, compelling the BFI to send letters to attendees informing them about this. The positive tests came as no surprise as the U.K. is experiencing a dramatic surge in cases currently.

The array of celebrities who attended the festival in person included Jay Z,...

"What if we are who we are, and then everything changes... and we don't recognize ourselves anymore." Bleecker Street Films has debuted an official trailer for an amusing romantic comedy titled India Sweets and Spices, the second feature from filmmaker Geeta Malik. After returning from college to her family's posh suburban New Jersey home, Alia Kapur upends their well-ordered life with her brash independence. She also falls for the son of the owners of a new local Indian grocery. Alia's surprise arrival at home turns to rebellion when she uncovers secrets about both her parents that push her toward a daring and ultimately hilarious confrontation. Sophia Ali (also seen in the Uncharted trailer) stars as Alia, with a cast including Manisha Koirala, Adil Hussain, Rish Shah, Deepti Gupta, Ved Sapru, and also Anita Kalathara. They're trying to marketing this as the Crazy Rich Asians but for an Indian family instead.

HBO Max has released a teaser for Season 3 of Doom Patrol, and… y’all have fun now making heads or tails of it!

Premiering Thursday, Sept. 23 (with the first three episodes, followed by weekly releases), Season 3 opens on the culmination of Dorothy’s (Abi Monterey) confrontation with the Candlemaker, which leads to a devastating loss. The Doom Patrol then finds themselves at a difficult crossroads, with each member struggling to face who they are and who they want to be. And things get a whole lot more complicated when Madame Rouge (played by Michelle Gomez) arrives in a time machine with a very specific mission…...

For the cast and crew of “India Sweets and Spices,” the Tribeca Festival debut on June 12 served as a welcome reunion after a long year of What’sApp messaging during the Covid-19 pandemic lockdowns.

“A lot of our cast is scattered throughout the world, and it’s been tough with this Covid situation so we really missed them,” Malik tells Variety about celebrating without a few film family members. “It would have been really special to have them here.”

Malik joined the cast — including Deepti Gupta, Anita Kalathara, Reena Shah, Rupal Pujara, Christina Burdette, Kayan Tara, Moses Das, Indra Dattagupta, Vee Bhakta, Kamran Shaikh, Priya Deva, Jia Patel and Richa Chandra — for the comedy’s world premiere at Brookfield Place in New York City.

The film festival premiere served as a launching pad for the movie, which focuses on a young woman named Alia (Sophia Ali), who comes home for...

Doom Patrol in Season 3 will introduce both its version of the Brotherhood of Dada as well as the Dead Boy Detective Agency, cutting deep as it does with the more arcane comic book fodder.

The Sisterhood of Dada, as it will be known on the HBO Max original, is comprised of Malcolm (played by onetime Flash guest star Micah Joe Parker), a quiet, sensitive and thoughtful soul who would often rather be invisible than face this unforgiving world; Shelley Byron aka The Fog (Agent Carter‘s scene-stealing Wynn Everett), a charming, seductive and poetic alleged terrorist; Lloyd Jefferson aka Frenzy...

Micah Joe Parker, Wynn Everett, Miles Mussenden, Anita Kalathara and Gina Hiraizumi will join the cast of HBO Max’s Doom Patrol in recurring roles.

The recurring quintet adds to the season 3 cast, which features Michelle Gomez, Diane Guerrero, April Bowlby and Matt Bomer. In Doom Patrol, the ragtag group consists of superhero outcasts Cliff Steele aka Robotman (Brendan Fraser), Larry Trainor aka Negative Man (Bomer), Jane aka Crazy Jane (Guerrero), Rita Farr aka Elasti-Woman (Bowlby), and Victor Stone aka Cyborg (Joivan Wade). All of them have experienced trauma that gave them their special abilities, but with the guidance of The Chief (Timothy Dalton), they come together to help investigate phenomena as unique as them. When The Chief disappears, they spring into action when Cyborg presents them with a mission they can’t refuse.

Madalyn Horcher, Ty Tennant and Sebastian Croft will guest star in the third season.

Doom Patrol...