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In the Ott age, the bar for what’s “watchable” is lower than ever. Audiences are no longer chasing only quality—they’re chasing comfort, drama, escapism, and just enough plot to keep pressing “next episode.” That’s where Netflix’s The Royals slides in. With a mere 4.2-star IMDb rating and a 36% rotten tomatoes score, the show is “glitzy and painfully inert” and really far from critically praised. Yet, it’s trending. Not because it’s a standout rom-com or binge-worthy series on Netflix—but because it’s easy to consume.

Priyanka Ghose and Nupur Asthana’s The Royals follows the tired but crowd-pleasing formula of will-they-won’t-they, set against an opulent but debt-ridden palace backdrop. It’s predictable, dry in parts, and barely lifts off emotionally. But it’s shiny, occasionally funny, and performs just well enough to ride the Netflix algorithm. There’s a reason it’s...

We live in a world where royalty is old news, and our primary interaction with it is watching The Crown over dinner. However, in the vast lands of India, Netflix brings us a new series depicting the modern-day royals of a fictional Indian city, Morpur. Directed by Priyanka Ghose, the show is based on a start-up company’s CEO wanting to turn a historic palace into a Royal B&b, and the shifting power dynamics between the royals and the commoners in an ever-changing nation.

Ishaan Khatter as Aviraaj Singh

After featuring in The Perfect Couple, opposite Nicole Kidman, Khatter has been on a roll lately. The gifted actor returns to the screen as Maharaja Aviraaj Singh of Morpur in the show. An international model by trade, Aviraaj is forced to return to look after the royal estate after his father passes away. Even though his brother is best suited for the job,...

What Did Ishaan Khatter Say About The Royals Season 2? (Photo Credit – Instagram)

Netflix’s latest romantic drama, The Royals, is gaining love from viewers ever since it premiered on May 9. Starring Bhumi Pednekar and Ishaan Khatter, the eight-episode series has fans hooked with its mix of love, royal chaos, and quirky characters.

Now that the first season has ended, everyone’s wondering—will there be a Season 2? While there’s no official confirmation yet, Ishaan has sparked buzz with a fun comment that might hint at a second season being in the pipeline.

Ishaan Khatter Hints At The Royals Season 2

During a fun interview with Filmfare, The Royals cast gathered to talk about their experiences and give each other funny titles. Ishaan Khatter was given the title of “Bravest Knight” by his co-stars as his character Aviraaj does everything—drives, swims, and rides horses.

Trending Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah Trivia: Before Mandar Chandwadkar,...

The Royals Review: Ishaan Khatter & Bhumi Pednekar’s ‘Raja Rani Ki Kahani’ Is Glittering Gold! ( Photo Credit – Instagram )

The Royals Review: Star Rating:

Cast: Ishaan Khatter, Bhumi Pednekar, Sakshi Tanwar, Zeenat Aman, Nora Fatehi, Vihaan Samat, Kavya Trehan, Milind Soman

Creator: Rangita Pritish Nandy

Director: Priyanka Ghose, Nupur Asthana

Streaming On: Netflix

Language: Hindi

Runtime: 8 episodes of 40 – 45 minutes each

Generally, what is the basic structure of a Royal story? Too many heirs, too many secrets, a kingdom that has no money and is bankrupt, and probably a murder that creates all the mystery. However, Ishan Khatter and Bhumi Pednekar’s drama The Royals is fresh, quirky, different, modern, and full of sass, thanks to Zeenat Aman and Dino Morea!

The drama series is all about glam and glitter in that part of society where the commoners are not so common. But while most of the stories destroy this royalty meets a commoner story,...

Palaces, power struggles, and a prince who can’t keep his shirt on — Netflix’s “The Royals” is bringing fictional Indian aristocracy to global screens.

Netflix’s latest Indian series offers viewers a contemporary twist on the romantic comedy genre through the lens of a fictitious Indian royal family in the crumbling kingdom of Morpur.

Created by Rangita Pritish Nandy and Ishita Pritish Nandy under their Pritish Nandy Communications (Pnc) banner, the series stars Ishaan Khatter as Aviraaj Singh, a reluctant, polo-playing new-age prince, alongside Bhumi Pednekar as Sophia Kanmani Shekhar, a fiercely driven CEO with corporate ambitions.

The concept began with what Rangita Pritish Nandy describes as a “dichotomy,” exploring the tension between traditional royalty and modern entrepreneurship. “Technically, Indian royalty doesn’t exist. It hasn’t existed since 1950 when it was abolished,” she explains. “So you have the palaces, and you have the apparent wealth and the show of luxury…...

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Netflix is ready with an entertainment-packed May this year. The upcoming month will see the premiere of many of Netflix’s original films and TV shows, including the highly anticipated new Fear Street film and a new season of Love, Death & Robots. Just like every month, Netflix is ready to overload you with great content. So, we’re here to tell you about the 11 best new shows coming to Netflix in May 2025.

The Four Seasons Season 1 (May 1) Credit – Netflix

The Four Seasons is an upcoming comedy-drama miniseries created by Tina Fey, Lang Fisher, and Tracey Wigfield. Based on the 1981 film of the same name by Alan Alda, the Netflix series revolves around three suburban couples who vacation together each year. When one of the couples breaks up and the husband begins dating a younger woman, tensions between the group rise.

What happens when a charming Prince, a feisty commoner find themselves in one unexpected love story? Chaos that unravels into a rollercoaster of romance, comedy, and a whole lot of drama! When their worlds collide, things get messy, emotional, and seriously entertaining! The Royals features the stunning new on-screen jodi of Bhumi Pednekar and Ishaan Khatter, who shine in their rom-com era. This exciting series will be on Netflix on May 9.

When Aviraaj Singh, the polo-playing, pleasure-seeking, party prince, heir to the royal throne of Morpur, meets high-functioning, tightly wound, ace CEO Sophia Kanmani Shekhar, sparks and insults fly as they reluctantly come together to save his royally dysfunctional family from financial ruin and to save her own leading startup of luxury homestays in India from shark investment bankers. Two worlds, when Rajkumar’s (prince) polished world collides with Aam Kumari’s (commoner) grit, sparks fly, egos clash, and romance blooms for this unlikely match.

The Royals- Bhumi Pednekar and Ishaan Khatter’s Netflix series(Photo Credit –Instagram)

Anticipation among audiences is all-time high as the much-awaited romantic comedy The Royals is finally heading for its digital release. Recently, streaming giant Netflix officially announced the show’s premiere date. With its perfect blend of palace grandeur, boardroom battles, and unexpected romance, the series is all set to entertain viewers from the comfort of their homes.

When & Where to Watch The Royals

So, when can you watch this royal rollercoaster? The Royals is all set to premiere on Netflix on May 9, 2025. The streaming platform took to their social media handle and announced its premiere date, stating: “A ziddi rajkumar meets a girlboss aamkumari Royal mess, ya shahi love story? Watch The Royals, a new Netflix series out 9 May, only on Netflix.”

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As per Netflix statement,...

Romantic comedies are coming back, much to the delight of fans! The series, The Royals, a coming-of-age royal rom-com filled with love, passion, and irresistible drama, features a stunning new jodi: Bhumi Pednekar playing an ambitious and feisty CEO and Ishaan Khatter as dashing party prince. This unexpected love story is getting ready for its close-up on Netflix.

Once upon a time, in the vibrant city of Morpur, there lived a royal family with no riches of their own. Then comes a lady in shining armour who represents a world apart. Fixing the royal life becomes her only task. But managing Morpur Palace’s pauper Prince seems tougher than said. When Rajkumar’s polished world collides with Aam Kumari’s grit, sparks fly, egos clash, and romance blooms for this unlikely match.

By royal decree, issued under the crumbling chandeliers of the royal throne of Morpur, let it be known…...

The internet has become a dark place that has made each one of us live a very lonesome double life. I mean, living a life based on the validation of others—basking in glory or facing relentless trolling over even the slightest mistake on the internet—has become the new social norm, and it’s becoming increasingly difficult to keep up with. Netflix’s new original Ctrl (2024) explores how the internet is slowly killing us and how tech moguls are smoothly monetizing our insecurities, trying to take absolute control of our lives based on our digital footprints.

Directed by Vikramaditya Motwane, who co-wrote the script with Avinash Sampath and Sumukhi Suresh, Ctrl (2024) is a dark film that explores how the lives of an influencer couple—Nella and Joe—is thrown into chaos when Joe cheats on Nella, prompting her to use an AI app to erase him from her life.

New series news! The Royals, a modern-day Indian royalty rom-com series starring Bhumi Pednekar and Ishaan Khatter, is coming to Netflix!

When an entitled Prince Charming meets a startup whiz, they will inevitably bump heads! Will their ambitions collide, two worlds clash, or even spark a surprising romance? From palace gates to boardroom debates, The Royals is ready to hit the mark with rom-com fans.

Produced by Pritish Nandy and is Netflix and Pritish Nandy Communications’ first collab, the series was created by Rangita and Ishita Pritish Nandy talking about the series they shared, “The Royals being our very first with Netflix had to be just the right blend of coming-of-age-India, Gen Z storytelling, and feisty fun! There is the inevitable romance of old royalty, monarchs without crowns, and the incredible drive of today’s startup warriors for whom crowns hold zero shine. Sparks and insults will fly when these two worlds clash,...

Move out of the way, Bridgerton. There's a new royal family in town! Netflix has a new Indian romantic drama series slated to come out soon called The Royals, and it will tell a modern-day love story between two people from very different social classes: a Prince and a startup whiz.

Obviously, the show's plot is interesting enough to pull you in, but wait until you find out who's in the cast! On Aug. 14, Netflix revealed the official cast via a cast announcement video, and we instantly recognized some familiar faces. You can check out the video above.

Entertainment India - August 2023 | Prodip Guha/GettyImages

Well-known Indian actors Ishaan Khattar and Bhumi Pednekar take on the leading roles of an entitled Prince and a startup whiz. You might've watched Khattar in the romantic drama film Dhadak, the masala film Khaali Peeli, the supernatural comedy flick Phone Bhoot and the biographical war film Pippa.

Top Indian stars Ishaan Khatter and Bhumi Pednekar will headline the cast of Netflix’s The Royals.

Veteran actress Zeenat Aman will also make a special appearance in the series, marking her Netflix debut. With a career spanning more than five decades, she is well-known for her roles in titles like Haré Rama Haré Krishna, Don and Insaf Ka Tarazu.

The Royals follows the clash between an entitled Prince Charming (played by Khatter) and a startup whiz (played by Pednekar). Making her series debut with The Royals, Pednekar rose to prominence with her roles in Dum Laga Ke Haisha, Toilet: Ek Prem Katha and Pati Patni Aur Woh.

Khatter has starred in Beyond the Clouds, Dhadak as well as the British miniseries A Suitable Boy.

Produced by Pritish Nandy and created by Rangita and Ishita Pritish Nandy, the series will also feature Sakshi Tanwar, Nora Fatehi, Dino Morea, Milind Soman,...

Nancy Tyagi Praised By Sonam Kapoor. (Photo Credit – Instagram)

Nancy Tyagi is a fashion influencer who is all over the news for her Cannes 2024 debut in self-made attire. Bollywood’s very own fashionista, Sonam Kapoor, praised Nancy for her outfit and also asked Tyagi to make something for her. Tyagi has recently responded to Sonam’s request. Keep scrolling for more.

Nancy’s first outfit, a dramatic pink gown, mesmerized everyone, catapulting her to fame on social media. People fell more in love with her after she sported her second look, a self-made saree. Tyagi even shared a video detailing the detailed process of creating her second outfit. Meanwhile, Sonam is known as one of the most trendy celebrities in India and makes headlines for her fashion statements.

Sonam Kapoor recently took to the story section of her Instagram and reposted Nancy Tyagi’s reel, where she shared the details of her outfit,...

The twelfth episode of Koffee with Karan was a lukewarm affair, even though it was packaged to be a nostalgia trip down memory lane. Legendary actresses Zeenat Aman and Neetu Kapoor graced the Koffee couch, only to remain tight-lipped about their time in the Hindi film industry in the 1970s. The whole episode was just the actresses praising each other, with nothing new or exciting being shared about their work experience in a male-dominated industry. What a tiring way to end the season. Koffee with Karan season finale, though, had more than two guests, and all were invited to roll out the Koffee Awards of the season. They were to judge and pick a winner out of all the best episodes that had aired.

What Happens In The Final Episode?

Koffee with Karan Episode 13 began with Karan Johar talking about the culmination of the eighth season, and how he faced...

Koffee With Karan 8 Finale Highlights: Orry Revealing His First Job & Ananya Panday Mentioning Aditya Roy Kapur Serve As The Perfect Sign-Off (Picture Credit: Instagram)

Karan Johar’s contentious talk show Koffee With Karas Season 8 came to an end with Tanmay Bhat, Danish Sait, Kusha Kapila, and Sumukhi gracing the couch in the final episode along with the infamous ‘liver’ Orry as a special guest. This season saw some unique combinations of guests like Saif Ali Khan-Sharmila Tagore, Neetu Kapoor-Zeenat Aman, and more. Here are some of the highlights from the season finale.

The Kwk Season 8 saw the reunion of two of Karan’s Students from his 2012 film, Student of the Year, and it was an epic episode. Varun Dhawan did not leave an opportunity to dig at Karan, while Sidharth Malhotra ensured their answers were PG-13. It also gave the fans a mini-reunion of the Kuch Kuch Hota Hai team,...

The finale of the streaming chat show ‘Koffee With Karan’ features guests from the world of digital and social media entertainment. During the course of the episode, Orry, who is known for his selfies with B-town celebs and his phone covers, opened up on dating five people.

On Wednesday, the makers unveiled the promo of the upcoming episode which shows Orry and other social media creators like Kusha Kapila, Danish Sait, Sumukhi Suresh and Tanmay Bhat gracing the couch.

Talking about his idea of relationships, Orry said that he was earlier an old-fashioned guy and at one point just wanted to get married to someone “rich and comfortable.”

As Orry graces the couch and the show host Karan Johar asks him his relationship status, he makes a shocking revelation about the same.

Talking about this, Karan Johar asked, “Is Orry single or dating someone?”

Opening up about his relationships, Orry...

Social media sensation Orry will be seen as a guest along with several other influencers on the finale episode of ‘Koffee With Karan’ Season 8. The tables are set to turn as stand up stars Kusha Kapila, Sumukhi Suresh, Danish Sait, Tanmay Bhat and everyone’s favorite, Orry are going to take over the couch, but this time to put Karan Johar in the spot.

As the influencers grace the infamous couch, they leave no stone unturned in roasting Karan Johar. Here is what they had to say:

Orry said: “You’re making memes! I am making money!”

Quirky as ever, Tanmay Bhat said: “If you are going to have so many filters, call the show filter koffee with Karan the next season.”

Kusha Kapila said: “ Are you missing your own therapy sessions to do Kwk?”

‘Koffee with Karan’ Season 8 is brewing on Disney+ Hotstar.

The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) in partnership with Netflix, has today unveiled 10 upcoming individuals from the screen industries selected for BAFTA Breakthrough in India. In this historic first, BAFTA simultaneously introduces its UK, USA, and India participants, with 42 talented individuals selected globally.

The ten names for BAFTA Breakthrough India were selected by a distinguished jury of industry experts, including Jury Chair and BAFTA Breakthrough Ambassador Guneet Monga Kapoor, Manvendra Shukul, Monika Shergill, Rajiv Menon (Filmmaker), Naman Ramachandran (Critic & Journalist), Sid Roy Kapur (Founder of Roy Kapur Films & Producer), Shaunak Sen (Filmmaker) and Ratna Pathak Shah.

The list of BAFTA Breakthrough India participants for 2023 is:

Abhay Koranne | Writer – Rocket Boys Abhinav Tyagi | Editor – An Insignificant Man Don Chacko Palathara | Director/Writer – Joyful Mystery Kislay| Writer – Soni Lipika Singh Darai | Director/Writer – Some Stories Around Witches Miriam Chandy Menacherry | Producer – From the Shadows and The Leopard’s Tribe...

The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) in partnership with Netflix, has today unveiled 10 upcoming individuals from the screen industries selected for BAFTA Breakthrough in India. In this historic first, BAFTA simultaneously introduces its UK, USA, and India participants, with 42 talented individuals selected globally.

The ten names for BAFTA Breakthrough India were selected by a distinguished jury of industry experts, including Jury Chair and BAFTA Breakthrough Ambassador Guneet Monga Kapoor, Manvendra Shukul, Monika Shergill, Rajiv Menon (Filmmaker), Naman Ramachandran (Critic & Journalist), Sid Roy Kapur (Founder of Roy Kapur Films & Producer), Shaunak Sen (Filmmaker) and Ratna Pathak Shah.

The list of BAFTA Breakthrough India participants for 2023 is:

Abhay Koranne | Writer – Rocket Boys Abhinav Tyagi | Editor – An Insignificant Man Don Chacko Palathara | Director/Writer – Joyful Mystery Kislay| Writer – Soni Lipika Singh Darai | Director/Writer – Some Stories Around Witches Miriam Chandy Menacherry | Producer – From the Shadows and The Leopard’s Tribe...

After the impressive success of the BAFTA Breakthrough India programme in 2021 and 2022, BAFTA is once again launching the scheme for a third year. Applications open today until 5 July, and the programme is open to creatives from across the film, games and television industries nationally, as well as those working in the UK and the US.

This year also marks Netflix’s third year supporting BAFTA Breakthrough in India and its fourth year in the UK and US.

BAFTA Breakthrough aims to identify and nurture emerging talent from around the world and equip them with the resources they need to develop their skills and progress in their chosen field. First launched in the UK ten years ago, BAFTA Breakthrough is one of the arts charity’s flagship talent schemes, with over 200 careers developed and accelerated to-date.

Through this initiative, BAFTA Breakthrough India will once again identify and celebrate Indian talent by...

Mumbai, March 15 (Ians) Comic artiste Sumukhi Suresh is set to perform in a 1,000-seater solo performance.

The event will take place at Ambedkar Bhavan, Bengaluru, where she will perform her latest stand-up comedy special, ‘Hoemonal’, live on March 25.

Through her comedy special, she will talk on subjects like dating after 30, hormones, Pcos, Indian TV shows and the price of being an ambitious, independent woman.

Commenting on the same, Sumukhi said: “I was so happy to announce my first-ever 1000-seater show and now the tickets are selling fast, I am a nervous wreck! No one stopped me from doing this before but I thought I could never sell that many tickets or perform my solo show for a thousand people. However, I realised that they were just excuses.”

She said: “So when I did gather guts to do it, it was a no-brainer that it had to be in Bengaluru. I...

Stand-up comedyAhead of the premiere of ‘Comicstaan 3’, stand-up comics Sumukhi Suresh and Neeti Palta discuss their style of comedy, gender disparity in the comedy scene, and more in an interview with Tnm.Saradha UFacebook/ Sumukhi Suresh, Neeti PaltaPopular stand-up comics Sumukhi Suresh and Neeti Palta have been roped in as judges for the third season of Amazon Prime Video’s reality comedy show Comicstaan. They will form the judges’ panel along with Zakir Khan and Kenny Sebastian. Sumukhi, well-known for directing and playing the titular role in the web series Pushpavalli, is writing two shows and a film simultaneously. She is also working on her recently launched writers’ collective called Motormouth, which aims to develop women-centric content. Neeti Palta, a former copywriter, is known for her stand-up sets about different Indian cultures and her observational humour. Both Sumukhi and Neeti have been part of the previous seasons of Comicstaan. Except this time,...

Stand up comedyHosted by Abish Mathew and Kusha Kapila, ‘Comicstaan Season 3’ will be judged by popular stand up comedians like Zakir Khan, Sumukhi Suresh, Neeti Palta and Kenny Sebastian.Tnm StaffAmazon Prime VideoThe third season of popular stand up comedy reality show Comicstaan was announced on July 7. The show will have eight contestants who will be guided by seven mentors across varied genres of comedy. Produced by Only Much Louder (Oml) and hosted by stand up comedian Abish Mathew and social media influencer Kusha Kapila, Comicstaan Season 3 will have Zakir Khan, Sumukhi Suresh, Neeti Palta and Kenny Sebastian as the judges. The contestants will be mentored by comedians Rahul Subramanian, Sapan Verma, Rohan Joshi, Prashasti Singh, Kannan Gill, Aadar Malik and Anu Menon. With eight contestants, seven mentors, four judges and two hosts, the eight-episode original series will stream on Prime Video from July 15. Speaking about the premiere, Aparna Purohit,...

OTTBilled as a supernatural thriller, ‘Dhootha’ starring Naga Chaitanya, Parvathy Thiruvothu and others in the lead will release on Amazon Prime Video later this year. IANSAmazon Prime Video Tollywood actor Naga Chaitanya and director Vikram K Kumar are collaborating for what will be the actor’s web series debut, an Amazon Prime Video original. The makers of the series, which has been titled Dhootha, made an official announcement on Thursday, April 28. "Superstar @chay_akkineni like never before #PrimeVideoPresentsIndia #SeeWhereItTakesYou", Amazon Prime Video's official tweet reads. The makers of the web series also revealed the crux of the Naga Chaitanya-starrer, as they wrote, "In this supernatural horror, possessed inanimate objects wreak havoc on the lives of people who commit deadly sins.” Dhootha stars Naga Chaitanya, Parvathy Thiruvothu, Priya Bhavani Shankar, Prachi Desai, Tharun Bhascker Dhaassyam, and others in the lead roles, as announced by the makers. Bankrolled under the production banner Northstar Entertainment,...

Amazon Prime Video pulled out the heavy international artillery to launch a massive Indian slate on Thursday. They are bullish about the market.

Kelly Day, VP of international, Amazon Prime Video, said at a round table during the event: “The future of global streaming services is really about global expansion, and moving much more ambitiously, to serving customers in our international markets all over the world. And truly, India is really leading the way for us. It is one of our fastest growing markets, represents some of our most engaged consumers. It’s just been doing really, really well.”

Day also said that India is an “innovation hub” for the service, with the country being used as the pilot for the single-device, mobile-only plan Prime Video Mobile Edition. The success of the plan prompted Amazon to roll out the service to a variety of countries around the world. “I really...

At a star-studded event hosted by Karan Johar, Abhishek Bachchan and Sumukhi Suresh, Amazon Prime Video on Thursday rolled out an ambitious five-year road map and unveiled a 40-strong slate of new titles, new films (both originals and collaborations) and new seasons to be streamed over the next two years. The offerings include ‘The Family […]...

Amazon Prime Video is betting big on Indian content. At a marquee event in Mumbai the streamer announced that it will more than double its investment in Prime Video India over the next five years and revealed a 40-strong slate, its biggest to date in the country.

The titles are in the Hindi, Tamil and Telugu languages, across new and returning scripted and unscripted original series and co-productions, streaming over the next 24 months. The service has also revealed a foray into original films. Some 70 of the upcoming titles will feature new talent, both in front of and behind the camera.

In addition, the streamer has set licensing deals with leading Indian production houses Ajay Devgn FFilms, Dharma Productions, Excel Entertainment and Yash Raj Films.

Amazon has also launched Prime Video Store, its transactional video-on-demand (Tvod) movie rental service in India, available to both Prime members and non-members. Customers will get...

Stand-up comedian and actress Sumukhi Suresh, known for her performance in web series ‘Pushpavalli’ and her recent outing ‘Hum Do Teen Chaar’, says no matter how popular a comedian is, they never get the treatment of a Bollywood star. Despite many standalone comedy shows, special comic acts on Ott platforms be it ‘One Mic Stand’, […]...

Actress and stand-up comedian Sumukhi Suresh, who has come up with her new web show ‘Hum Do Teen Chaar’, says sharing screen space with children always keeps an actor on his/her toes. The story of the comedy show revolves around a family and the narrative is shown from the lens of two children, a funny […]...

The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) has named ten emerging talents from across the Indian film, gaming and television industries that will participate in the 2022 edition of its BAFTA Breakthrough India initiative supported by Netflix.

The 2022 contingent includes writer-director Ajitpal Singh; composer Alokananda Dasgupta (“Sacred Games”), writer-director Arati Kadav (“Cargo”), producer Mathivanan Rajendran (“Nirvana Inn”), writer-director Leena Manimekalai, game director Nakul Verma (“In My Shadow”), writer-director Prateek Vats (“Eeb Allay Ooo!”), cinematographer Saumyananda Sahi (“Eeb Allay Ooo!”), writer Shubham (“Eeb Allay Ooo!”) and performer Sumukhi Suresh (“Pushpavalli”).

The talents were selected by a jury consisting of BAFTA-winning composer A.R. Rahman, editor and writer Apurva Asrani, actors Anupam Kher and Ratna Pathak Shah, games producer Charu Desodt, Amazon India head Gaurav Gandhi, Netflix India content chief Monika Shergill, producers Siddharth Roy Kapur and Guneet Monga, BAFTA chair Krishnendu Majumdar, GOQii CEO Vishal Gondal and filmmaker Shonali Bose.

During the program,...

Writer, Showrunner, Stand-up Comedian and Actor Sumukhi Suresh launches her company, Motormouth, which will leverage Sumukhi’s experience to create, curate and discover entertaining content for women across all platforms. The range of characters male actors play or portray is enviously fabulous and Motormouth wishes to do that for female actors and eventually, with the right […]...

EntertainmentThe line-up also includes comedy specials and new seasons of popular shows. Tnm StaffNetflix users have a lot to look forward to in 2021 as the Over-the-Top platform gears up to release exciting new films, series and documentaries. Stars like Dhanush, R Madhavan, Revathy, Arvind Swamy will be gracing the screens soon. Dhanush’s much-awaited Jagame Thandhiram will be released on Netflix as announced earlier. The makers of the film recently released a teaser, giving a glimpse of what Dhanush’s character Suruli is like. It is reportedly a gangster film set in London. The film also stars Aishwarya Lekshmi, James Cosmo, Joju George, Kalaiyarasan Soundararaja, Deepak Paramesh and Vadivukkarasi in important roles. Produced by Ynot studios and Reliance Entertainment, the film shows Suruli’s dilemma in having to choose between good and evil while looking for a ‘home’. Written and directed by Karthik Subbaraj, this film will be released on Netflix on March 14, 2021. Meanwhile,...

Netflix today hosted an event in Mumbai unveiling a hefty slate of upcoming films, series, documentaries, reality programs, and comedy specials.

There were a total of 40 projects touted during today’s showcase, some of which were previously announced, such as the Alfonso Cuaron-exec produced feature The Disciple, which as Deadline revealed Netflix took world rights on following the movie’s premiere at Venice last year.

Also on the slate are: the series Bombay Begins from Endemol Shine India, Endeavor Content and Chernin Entertainment; the relationship drama Ajeeb Daastaans, from directors Shashank Khaitan, Raj Mehta, Neeraj Ghaywan and Kayoze Irani; the feature Pagglait from Umesh Bist; and Reliance Entertainment’s Bulbul Tarang.

The full list of titles is below.

Accompanying today’s announcement, Monika Shergill, Vice President of Content at Netflix India, said: “Growing up in India you see and feel entertainment all around you. Our country is filled with beautiful,...

The Critics’ Choice Awards recently announced the list of nominations for its third edition. After the success of two editions of Critics’ Choice Awards, Film Critics Guild and Motion Content Group in collaboration with Vistas Media Capital join forces again for the third edition of the highly acclaimed awards, to honour talent, artists and technicians in feature films, web series and short films across all Indian languages. The unique bit is that the award is determined to honour all mediums of storytelling.

Sharing her views on the nominations, Anupama Chopra, Chairperson, Film Critics Guild says, “It’s been a watershed year for entertainment but despite the gargantuan odds of 2020, great stories have survived and thrived. The upcoming awards ceremony is a celebration of these stories that have sustained us!”

Sudip Sanyal, Business Head- Motion Content Group India shared, “In such a period of unprecedented unpredictability, the one thing which has...

Entertainment brand, Filmfare, is ready to embark on the next journey of celebrating excellence in the Ott space after introducing the first-ever edition of Flyx Filmfare Ott Awards. To mark this momentous occasion, Filmfare hosted a virtual press conference on Thursday, 17th December 2020 along with the ever-so-charming actor Kartik Aaryan.

Through the inaugural Flyx Filmfare Ott Awards, Filmfare is all set to felicitate the who’s who of the Ott space and set a milestone in recognizing talent yet again. In its first edition, the nominations were selected basis the votes of the audience across an array of categories spanning across various sections of comedy, drama, web-original and critics’ choice for both web series and web films.

While the crime-thriller Paatal Lok bagged a whopping 11 nominations, Raat Akeli Hai earned 5 nominations. It promises to be a close contest as stellar actors such as Abhishek Bachchan, Jaideep Ahlawat, Manoj Bajpayee, Amit Sadh,...

Actress Neena Gupta says her version of a perfect date is one where she can eat and drink anything she likes.

"(My idea of a perfect date is) That someone will take me to a very beautiful place for a candle light dinner and we could talk about many things. I should be able to order what I want to eat or drink. That's my ideal perfect date!" Neena Gupta said.

The actress also opened up about generation gap, saying she believes that a beginning has to be made by both parties.

"Today's parents have been brought up a certain way and it's not very easy to change their mindset. But I think time has come when you have to try and talk to them. You might not succeed but the beginning has to be made," she said.

The actress will be seen having a conversation about dating in Bumble...

Social Media In the video, the actor removes the filter on her camera and shows her face without makeup.Tnm StaffActor Parvathy Thiruvothu's new video challenging others to show their 'real skin' has already gone viral, with more than 868k views and 96.2k likes. "Here is the new challenge for you guys. Stop what you are doing. Do not get ready for this video. So you're on the screen with filters in beauty mode. Take off the filter, then take off the beauty mode and zoom in to the most tested area on your face. This is my face and this is normal," the voice in the video says. The challenge was started by the Instagram handle inmyseams by fashion advisor Janatte. In the video challenge posted in September, Janette shows her face covered with acne and without makeup. Parvathy takes up the challenge and follows whatever is being said in the audio.

Entertainment 'Pushpavalli' is an Amazon Prime Video original series that premiered in 2017.Tnm StaffScreenshot/Amazon Prime VideoComedian and actor Sumukhi Suresh’s web series Pushpavalli won accolades at the Istanbul Film Festival for October. The series won in three categories. Director Debbie Rao won for Pushpavalli in the best web series and best woman director categories, and Sumukhi won in the and best actress – feature film category. Announcing the same, Sumukhi said on Twitter, “Pushpavalli won the Istanbul Film Awards for Best Series, Best Female Director and Best Actress. Istanbul is in Turkey. We are in cloud number nine. Just like Bryan Adams.” She also thanked writers Naveen Richard, Sumaira Sheikh, Kumar Shivam and Ayesha Nair; as well as Debbie Rao and Amazon Prime Video India on which the series was released. Sumukhi is also one of the writers of the series. Special love for the writers @NaveenRichard @sumairashaik Kumar...

OTTSumukhi is wonderful as the wounded but increasingly deranged Pushpavalli, still creeping around the one man she can’t get over. Saraswati DatarThe most heartbreaking words I have heard recently on any medium are said between Nikhil (Manish Anand) and Pushpavalli (Sumukhi Suresh) at a crucial juncture in Season 2 of Pushpavalli now streaming on Amazon Prime. Nikhil asks Pushpavalli why she didn’t just tell him how she felt instead of stalking him for so long. “Because you look like you, and I look like me” she says, voicing the reality of women around the world who have been told for years to aspire for love with reference to their looks. Season 1 of the show introduced us to Pushpavalli, or Lee as Nikhil calls her. She is smart, witty and ‘fun’, but in a world of photoshopped perfection, Pushpavalli is the opposite of what is projected as beauty. Obviously unfamiliar to kindness and attention,...

Get ready to laugh, Los Angeles: Netflix’s comedy brand, Netflix Is a Joke, will host a week-long comedy festival starting in April.

Entitled “Netflix Is a Joke Fest,” the festival will take place across over 20 venues in Los Angeles, including the Hollywood Bowl, Greek Theatre, Hollywood Palladium and The Largo, between April 27 and May 3. Produced by Netflix in association with Live Nation, it will feature some of the best in today’s standup performing, as well as paying homage to comedy legends.

Some of the performers taking part are Dave Chapelle, Martin Lawrence, David Letterman, Ali Wong, Wanda Sykes, Amy Schumer, Pete Davidson, Kevin Hart and more.

But more importantly for the festival, Netflix is also partnering with Comedy Gives Back, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to create a safety net for comedians in need with mental health, medical and financial crisis support. During the festival, Comedy Gives...

The fact that Hrithik Roshan is one of the most desirable men in the world is not unknown. He has in fact topped many of these lists for many years. But what we have recently come across is that Hrithik has also featured in an American documentary series, "Sex Explained" alongside desirable personalities across the globe.

The show "Sex Explained" is an informative episodic series covering topics across sexual health and fantasies.

In the episode titled "Attraction", Hrithik was the only Indian celebrity to feature along with other prominent celebrities worldwide who are known for their desirabilities like Chris Hemsworth, Jennifer Lopez, Jason Momoa, and others. This only proves Hrithik Roshan?s desirability being discussed across the globe.

This is not the first time that Hrithik has been mentioned when discussing fantasies. Earlier a video vent viral of comedian Sumukhi Suresh from Lust Stories giving a female manual to masturbation...

SandalwoodThe sequel will be a 10 episode web-series and will go on floors by November or December this year.Digital NativeRadio jockey-turned-actor Danish Sait earlier this year announced that he would return with the sequel of Humble Politician Nograj directed by Saad Khan. Now it is said that the sequel will not hit the silver screens but will be released on a streaming platform directly. The sequel will be a 10 episode web-series and will go on floors by November or December this year. The release date will be announced later. Incidentally, Humble Politician Nograj created a buzz by becoming the first Kannada film to be picked up by Amazon Prime for a huge price. Danish Sait was quoted by Cinema Express as saying," Working on Nograj sequel is getting a lot crazier. A film limits your creativity, which will not be the case with a series. The 10-episode series in Kannada...

Comedian Kaneez Surka, one of the mentors of the new season of comedy reality show "Comicstaan Season 2", says the participants are much prepared this time.

At the show's press conference on Wednesday, Kaneez said: "I have to mention that the new participants are better prepared. I think they have now the reference of our previous season so that they got the idea of the competition. Their jokes are better."

The event was graced by the host of the show comedian Urooj Ashfaq and Abish Mathew.

The participants of the show will be mentored and judged by some of the celebrated comedians like Zakir Khan, Neeti Palta, Sumukhi Suresh, Biswa Kalyan Rath, Kanan Gill, Kenny Sebastain along with Kaneez.

"Comicstaan Season 2" will stream on Amazon Prime Video from July 12. A new episode will be released on every Friday.

Acting in Hindi-language web shows in 2018 has been at par with the traditionally recognized practice of acting in Hindi cinema. From Saif Ali Khan in Sacred Games to Sumukhi Suresh in Better Life Foundation S02 - here are the best performances we saw in web series this year

The post Top 5 Hindi Web Show Performances Of 2018 appeared first on Film Companion.

SandalwoodConsidering the huge popularity of its lead star Danish Sait, whose online shows are hugely popular, the filmmakers have decided to release it in the Us.Digital NativeDigital NativeThe much-awaited political satire, Humble Politician Nograj hit the silver screens on January 12th and is doing well at the box office. Directed by Saad Khan, the film has been bankrolled by Pushkara Mallikarjunaiah, Hemanth Rao and Rakshit Shetty under the banners Pushkar Films, Lost & Found Films and Paramvah Studios. With the film getting positive reviews and running to packed houses, it has turned out to be a profitable venture for its makers. And the latest we hear from the team is that Humble Politician Nograj is all set to be released in the United States of America, as Danish has a strong fan base there. Considering the huge popularity of its lead star Danish Sait, whose online shows are hugely popular, the filmmakers have decided to release it in the Us. Sources in the trade say that Humble Politician Nograj will be released in various centers across the Us. While Danish Sait plays the lead role in the film, it also stars Vijay Chendoor, Sumukhi Suresh, Roger Narayan, Sruthi Hariharan and Srinivas Prabhu in important roles. The highlight of the Humble Politician Nograj is that it has the Sandalwood superstar Puneeth Rajkumar appearing in a cameo role. The film has been written by Danish Sait, Saad Khan and Vamsidhar Bhogaraju and its technical crew also include Sricharan Pakala, Jeet Singh, DJ Jasmeet and Prajwal Pai for music, Kam Chawla for cinematography and Jagadeesh, Ram Sabare and Chandni Asnani for editing. In an interview to The New Minute earlier, Danish, while speaking about the film had said, “In the film, we are not telling you whom to vote for but we are telling you whom not to vote for.” On making a sequel to Humble Politician Nograj, he had said that it is too early to talk about it and would move things one at a time. Meanwhile, Saad, is wrapping up his next film, Love and She, about postpartum depression. It is an intense film and will be releasing in the Us during the summer and will be premiered in India later.

SeriesThe show pushes the envelope in terms of characterisation, exploring the many shades of grey in each personAnjana ShekarScreenshot - Amazon Prime VideoBoy meets girl. Boy falls in love with girl. Girl does not feel the same way. Boy stalks girl, tries to woo her. Girl is still not interested. Boy kills girl. Now, if you thought that it escalated quickly, you haven't been paying attention to the news around you. Scorned lovers are not the only ones plotting acts of revenge anymore. Men who weren’t even a part of the picture, men who have been living lives inside their head, convinced the girl loves them, are also the ones who murder for ‘love’. Taking a 180-degree turn from this usual plot is Sumukhi Suresh’s Pushpavalli, a web series that premiered on Amazon Prime Video on December 15, 2017. The eight-episode series shows Pushpavalli as a seemingly normal girl-next-door who, slowly but surely, takes on darker tones – quickly becoming president of stalker-town. This unusual plot line is the result of Sumukhi questioning the unrealistic characterisation of women on screen. “I am tired of people expecting a female character to only be good. There are shades of grey as well and clearly, Pushpavalli here is the anti-hero. You empathise with her, but you never agree with her.” Decades of Indian cinema showed us that stalking as a means to woo the opposite sex is ‘normal’. Up until a few years ago, people never understood, or discussed, the gross negligence on the storyteller’s part for promoting such actions on screen. At this juncture, Pushpavalli is bold enough to venture into this line of thought and initiate an important dialogue. When does a seemingly normal relationship become an obsession? Are stalkers only men? Why does stalking hit the headlines only when it results in a violent crime? And do we take women stalkers seriously enough? ‘Looking up someone on social media’ (it’s stalking, guys, let’s call a spade a spade here) has become normalised in the digital world we live in. For those of us who have done that, we don’t have to take this series – that’s based on ‘true-ish events’– with a pinch of salt. This should be our wake-up call. Early on in the series, we get a whiff of Pushpavalli’s obsession with Nikhil, played by Manish Anand, whom she had met at a food expo in Bhopal. We also get to know that her intent to move to Bengaluru from Bhopal is to get closer to Nikhil (a lot like the American TV series, My Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, but the similarities stop here). The series has a nonlinear storyline that jumps from the present to the past, where we get most of the backstory from. In retrospect, we also consider the possibility that if Nihkil lead her on during their short-lived encounter in Bhopal, does that justify Pushpavalli's obsession with him? The best part about the series is that with the anti-hero as the lead, we come to understand the shades of grey in every character. Pushpavalli’s well-meaning, conservative mother plays a part in making her daughter feel inadequate. Her roommates, who are always together and even talk at the same time, have a penchant for drama that stops at nothing. “She also turned out to be boring. Wish we could get a murderer like last year,” they say in one scene, referring to Pushpavalli. The dark comedy in the show also tries to dispel the aura of awkwardness that surrounds periods. In one scene, single mother Swati (Preetika Chawla) questions quick-tempered Pankaj’s (Naveen Richard) insensitive explanation of a period pad to a child. This rings a bell with so many of us who have dodged uneasy questions coming from children. The series effortlessly jumps from cringe-comedy to hard-hitting truth that culminates in the end with Pushpavalli’s breakdown. You feel sorry for her but you also don’t expect her to turn over a new leaf either. The success of the series lies in how it steers the focus away from the idea of what’s right and wrong. Instead, we look at its characters, their flaws and what makes them relatable. The series in itself is not without glitches. We've got loud characters who are always on the cusp of breakdowns and Pankaj's overuse of swear words becomes excessive after a point. Our conditioning as viewers has long demanded that in a story, the bad character repents, quarrels come to an end and problems are resolved. As an audience, we need closure - the ‘happily ever after’. “That is just lazy writing. Nobody turns over a new leaf just after one confrontation,” says Sumukhi. Which is true. Although, as a community, we’ve got a long way to go when it comes to identifying and fixing such behaviours, Sumukhi’s Pushpavalli creates the right kind of dialogue just in time for us to maybe start acting on it.

ReviewBut ‘Humble Politician Nograj’ is just not irreverent enough.Rakesh MeharEarly on in Humble Politician Nograj, the title character – ably played by Rj and comedian Danish Sait – sings: “Maadodella maadthira, naavu maadidre problemmu (You’ll do everything you want, but when we do it, it’s a problem).” The telling illustration that follows this points out, “You’ll give bribes, but if we take them it’s a problem.” With lines like that early in the film, you’d expect Humble Politician Nograj to grow into a powerful satire that properly pins the blame on all of us for the sorry state of our politics these days. But as Nograj’s story unfolds, you realise that the film is never quite willing to stick its neck out all the way. So, instead of a delicious black comedy that really hits a raw nerve, you end up with a humorous but predictable film that merely repeats the ‘commonsense’ about scamster politicians and gullible voters. Even the film’s most powerful line – that a corrupt politician could not buy all his votes, but must get at least some from honest voters – never goes anywhere beyond stating this truism. To be fair, Nograj’s Machiavellian journey from Corporator to Mla – co-written by Danish and director Saad Khan – is never boring. Indeed, at points the absurdity of the tale does work quite well. When Nograj engineers a power shutdown and then threatens to do himself harm unless his constituents get the electricity they need, for instance, you can’t help but chuckle at the theatrics of such political stunts. In much the same vein is the photoshoot in which he poses with a diya for Diwali, the picture of a goat for Bakr-Eid and ribboned bells for Christmas. Nograj’s political philosophy is fairly simple: tell people what they want to hear and they’ll let you get away with outrageous stuff. Ranged against him is Arun Patil (Roger Narayan), an Nri businessman who jumps into politics out of a genuine desire to do something for the people, but finds himself struggling to play the system. Arun is easily the weakest character in the plot, falling for Nograj’s plots so easily that you are left wondering if such a man can be the great middle-class hope. He often becomes the foil that keeps the film from foraying into more interesting territory by focusing solely on Nograj. In terms of humour too, Humble Politician Nograj sometimes takes the easy way out. While there are some hilarious lines and situational set-ups in the film (a robbery that Nograj attempts in Arun’s office, for instance), there are far too many jokes involving Nograj’s thickly accented and badly structured English. A series of jokes around a homosexual party functionary do not strike a pleasing chord either. But the film stays entertaining throughout thanks to some great performances, including from Danish, who completely inhabits his character. Nograj’s wheezy, slightly disturbing laugh, for instance, is one trait that really brings home the character. Vijay Chendoor as Nograj’s sycophantic assistant and Sumukhi Suresh as the politician’s jolly wife are just as brilliant. Sruthi Hariharan, however, is fairly wasted in the role of Arun Patil’s wife. Humble Politician Nograj manages to hit quite a few funny notes and definitely qualifies as enjoyable timepass. But it leaves you wondering at how much more fun this film could have been if it had been just a tad more irreverent. Disclaimer: This review was not paid for or commissioned by anyone associated with the film. Neither Tnm nor any of its reviewers have any sort of business relationship with the film's producers or any other members of its cast and crew.