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Indian actor Vijay Varma is having a moment. With lead roles in several high-profile streaming projects this year, including the hijacking drama “Ic 814: The Kandahar Hijack” for Netflix, Prime Video’s “Mirzapur” and Disney+ Hotstar’s “Murder Mubarak,” Varma has cemented his position as one of India’s most in-demand performers.

The actor recently wrapped filming on Vibhu Puri’s “Ul Jalool Ishq,” a poetic drama co-starring Naseeruddin Shah about an Urdu letterpress owner searching for a reclusive poet. “It’s a beautiful, intimate story between one person who runs a barely surviving Urdu [press] and he wants to desperately hold on to this letterpress, but nothing is getting printed anymore in Urdu,” Varma tells Variety.

He’s currently shooting “Matka King,” a Prime Video original series set in the 1960s and 70s, directed by Nagraj Manjule. “It’s the rise of a very interesting business, at the same time,...

Former Superman Brandon Routh Gives Advice to Incoming Superman David Corenswet - Main Image

It was back in 2006 when audiences were introduced to Brandon Routh as the Man of Steel in Superman Returns, and despite the movie doing poorly critically, Routh has been recently embraced as his own version of Superman by audiences, even coming back to reprise the role for The CW.

With a new Superman making his big screen debut with David Corenswet, Routh was asked what kind of advice he would give to Corenswet, one Superman to another.

Ex-Superman Actor Brandon Routh Offers Advice to New Man of Steel

Appearing at the Ace Superhero Comic Con 2024, Routh said:

“I think the biggest thing for me about Superman is always recognizing the non-physical superpowers that he has. It can be cheesy to relate it to the ‘teach a man to fish’ story, but quite literally that is how I see it,...

Since the dawn of Superman’s cinematic journey, starting with Christopher Reeve, the iconic DC Comics character, has seen a revolving door of actors donning the superhero suit. But in recent years, with a rapid succession of actors stepping into Superman’s boots, DC Studios flew from Brandon Routh to Henry Cavill in no time, while finally settling on David Corenswet, for now.

Brandon Routh in Superman Returns (2006) | Warner Bros., DC Studios

Considering David Corenswet’s upcoming role as Superman in James Gunn’s reboot, much like Brandon Routh had previously shared his words of wisdom for the star in 2023, the actor once again dropped his opinion at Ace Superhero Comic Con 2024.

Brandon Routh’s Words of Wisdom for David Corenswet

Ahead of Henry Cavill’s Superman era, Brandon Routh was known for donning the iconic cape and the suit as DC’s Superman in 2006’s Superman Returns. But unfortunately,...

David Corenswet is donning the Superman suit as we speak for another day of shooting James Gunn’s Dcu film Superman. After replacing Henry Cavill, Corenswet received some backlash for trying to fill the role of Cavill but eventually, people started accepting the actor as the new Superman.

David Corenswet as Superman | James Gunn via Instagram

Corenswet and Henry Cavill were not the only actors who portrayed the role of Superman. In 2006, iconic actor Brandon Routh portrayed the role in Bryan Singer’s film Superman Returns. In a recent interview, Routh had some sage words of wisdom for Corenswet.

Brandon Routh Had Some Wise Words For David Corenswet

It was 2006 when Routh portrayed the role of Superman in Superman Returns. Although the actor was later replaced by Henry Cavill’s Superman in Man of Steel, Routh became one of the iconic actors who donned the cape of Superman.

Brandon Routh in Superman Returns [Credit: co0245917 autoWarner Bros.

India enjoyed a record year at the Cannes Film Festival — winning three major awards and an honor — and this is likely to have a positive impact on the country’s independent cinema scene, according to industry experts.

Payal Kapadia’s “All We Imagine as Light” won the competition grand prix, Anasuya Sengupta was awarded best actress at the festival’s Un Certain Regard strand for “The Shameless” and Chidananda S. Naik’s “Sunflowers Were the First Ones to Know” was crowned the best film at the La Cinef section. In addition, Indian DoP Santosh Sivan was this year’s recipient of the annual Pierre Angénieux ExcelLens in Cinematography award conferred during the festival.

“All We Imagine as Light” was the first Indian film in competition in three decades, since Shaji N. Karun’s “Swaham” in 1994. “Sister Midnight” was a Directors’ Fortnight selection, “Santosh” screened at Un Certain Regard and “Girls Will Be Girls,...

Mumbai, Oct 16 (Ians) Veteran actress Ila Arun has opened up on working with Sushmita Sen in the upcoming crime thriller drama ‘Aarya’ season three, and talked about how their bond gradually turned into an unbreakable one.

Ila plays the character of Nalini Sahiba in the show.

Talking about the same, Ila said: “The moment I landed the role in ‘Aarya 3’, I was filled with anticipation about seeing Sushmita once more.”

“Our previous collaboration on ‘Chingaari’ had already formed a strong bond and mutual respect between us, and it was during that time that I truly got to know the actor in her. Before that, I had known and appreciated her as a model and Miss Universe, but witnessing her on set revealed her incredible strength,” said the ‘Manto’ fame actress.

The 69-year-old actress further shared: “Even when she faced a brief illness during ‘Aarya,’ my concern was palpable. However, when she returned to the set,...

Mumbai, Oct 16 (Ians) Veteran actress Ila Arun has opened up on working with Sushmita Sen in the upcoming crime thriller drama ‘Aarya’ season three, and talked about how their bond gradually turned into an unbreakable one.

Ila plays the character of Nalini Sahiba in the show.

Talking about the same, Ila said: “The moment I landed the role in ‘Aarya 3’, I was filled with anticipation about seeing Sushmita once more.”

“Our previous collaboration on ‘Chingaari’ had already formed a strong bond and mutual respect between us, and it was during that time that I truly got to know the actor in her. Before that, I had known and appreciated her as a model and Miss Universe, but witnessing her on set revealed her incredible strength,” said the ‘Manto’ fame actress.

The 69-year-old actress further shared: “Even when she faced a brief illness during ‘Aarya,’ my concern was palpable. However, when she returned to the set,...

Actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui, who is known for films like ‘Gangs of Wasseypur’, ‘Bajrangi Bhaijaan’, ‘Raman Raghav 2.0’ and many more, is celebrating the fifth anniversary of his biographical film ‘Manto’, in which he starred in the titular role of prominent Urdu author Saadat Hasan Manto.

The actor shared that to essay the character in its full glory, the trick was to tap into the honesty in himself.

“When one speaks the truth, and is honest, he starts to get closer to the character of Manto. Because, when I got into the character of Manto, I thought that if Nawaz had to become Manto, he would have to start speaking honestly. And that way, the characterisation of Manto will be easy,” the actor told Ians.

Written and directed by Nandita Das, ‘Manto’ also starred Tahir Raj Bhasin playing the 1940s Hindi film superstar Shyam Chadda.

Shyam was Manto’s friend, confidant,...

Actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui, who is known for films like ‘Gangs of Wasseypur’, ‘Bajrangi Bhaijaan’, ‘Raman Raghav 2.0’ and many more, is celebrating the fifth anniversary of his biographical film ‘Manto’, in which he starred in the titular role of prominent Urdu author Saadat Hasan Manto.

The actor shared that to essay the character in its full glory, the trick was to tap into the honesty in himself.

“When one speaks the truth, and is honest, he starts to get closer to the character of Manto. Because, when I got into the character of Manto, I thought that if Nawaz had to become Manto, he would have to start speaking honestly. And that way, the characterisation of Manto will be easy,” the actor told Ians.

Written and directed by Nandita Das, ‘Manto’ also starred Tahir Raj Bhasin playing the 1940s Hindi film superstar Shyam Chadda.

Shyam was Manto’s friend, confidant,...

Actress Rasika Dugal, best known for her role in the acclaimed serials ‘Mirzapur’, ‘Delhi Crime’ and ‘Lootcase’, is now celebrating five years of her critically acclaimed film ‘Manto’. Reminiscing the impact it had on her career, she called the film “special.”

Taking to her Instagram, the actress was inside a plane with a book of ‘Manto’ captioned her post: “Just the perfect time (looong) and perfect day to revisit Manto (5 years of @mantofilm) And revisit so many beautiful memories… Some films will always be special. ️ Thank you for the book @nanditadasofficial.”

She added: “Still can’t choose a favourite from these stories…@nawazuddin._siddiqui @tahirrajbhasin @kartikvijay @rajshri_deshpande @shashank.arora @dan.husain @snekhanwalkar @mrsheetalsharma @iamroysanyal @divyadutta25 #MantoTheFilm #Manto #5YearsOfManto #5YearsOfSafia.”

‘Manto’ is a biographical drama that chronicles the life and works of the renowned Urdu author-playwright Saadat Hasan Manto. In the film, Rasika essayed the character of Safia Manto, the...

Actress Rasika Dugal, best known for her role in the acclaimed serials ‘Mirzapur’, ‘Delhi Crime’ and ‘Lootcase’, is now celebrating five years of her critically acclaimed film ‘Manto’. Reminiscing the impact it had on her career, she called the film “special.”

Taking to her Instagram, the actress was inside a plane with a book of ‘Manto’ captioned her post: “Just the perfect time (looong) and perfect day to revisit Manto (5 years of @mantofilm) And revisit so many beautiful memories… Some films will always be special. ️ Thank you for the book @nanditadasofficial.”

She added: “Still can’t choose a favourite from these stories…@nawazuddin._siddiqui @tahirrajbhasin @kartikvijay @rajshri_deshpande @shashank.arora @dan.husain @snekhanwalkar @mrsheetalsharma @iamroysanyal @divyadutta25 #MantoTheFilm #Manto #5YearsOfManto #5YearsOfSafia.”

‘Manto’ is a biographical drama that chronicles the life and works of the renowned Urdu author-playwright Saadat Hasan Manto. In the film, Rasika essayed the character of Safia Manto, the...

New Delhi, July 18 (Ians) Even as her latest film ‘Zwigato’ has found a permanent place in the core collection in the library of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, actor-director Nandita Das laments that it is a pity that ‘smaller’ films are not getting enough releases in cinemas.

Despite the fact that for the past 15 years or so, the participation of independent films made in India has increased dramatically at major international festivals, Das feels the economics of running a theatre has become quite difficult with the advent of Ott platforms.

“Only very big budget films, which are more of spectacles, can afford to be distributed in theatres. We as filmmakers would want our films to be on the big screens where the audience commits their time completely to watch a film. It is a unique, collective, and immersive experience,” says the actor-director who has acted in over...

Mumbai, April 13 (Ians) Actor Alok Arora, who has been part of films like ‘Manto’ and ‘Raazi’, is currently garnering appreciation for playing the character of Raghu Jhalani in the streaming show ‘Jubilee’. Raghu is the owner of a theatre in a refugee camp for those who fled after the Partition.

The actor revealed what helped him understand the character and the story setting better – the fact that his grandparents were affected by the Partition.

Talking about his role he said: “Just being part of a project helmed by Vikramaditya Motwane is a dream for many, and playing such an eminent part added up to my excitement. So the role is about a refugee from divided India who lands in Bombay and is heading a gang of youths in Sindhi camp.”

He further mentioned: “Trying to make a living through black marketing, making spurious liqour, having some influential political contacts. But...

Director: Nandita Das. Cast: Kapil Sharma and Shahana Goswami.

Cinematography: Ranjan Palit. Music: Sagar Desai/Hitesh Soni.

Ians Rating: ****

New India is multi-faceted, multi-optional with many of the well-heeled being spoilt for choices while choosing a vocation. But despite all the so-called growth, several other categories of middle-class young men and women reel under pressure to find themselves age- and skill-appropriate employment.

For the Alpha generation, the e-commerce food delivery companies are a blessing, for they cater to the needs and orders of the customers who are more demanding and have more convenience and control over how and when they order their food. But that’s for the customers; the employees of such businesses face the brunt of it.

A double-edged sword for the unemployed in India, the sudden thriving numbers of delivery services have led to a Catch-22 situation. They have, in some ways, generated some income for those out of jobs,...

Mumbai, March 12 (Ians) Film actress and director Nandita Das shared how comedian and actor Kapil Sharma learned the Jharkhand accent for playing the role of a delivery boy in her directorial project, ‘Zwigato’.

She said: “In the film, Kapil will be seen in a new avatar who will be speaking in a Jharkhand accent rather than his usual Punjabi accent. I was initially concerned about his Jharkhand accent. I even gave him the option of changing his accent to Punjabi if he couldn’t deliver dialogues properly in the accent I chose.”

The 53-year-old actress further praised Kapil saying that he worked hard to learn a new language despite the fact that she insisted on delivering the dialogue in Punjabi. However, he said that he would learn the Jharkhand accent which is needed for his character.

Nandita added: “He immediately declined the offer of delivering dialogues in Punjabi, stating that...

The trailer of the upcoming film ‘Zwigato’, which stars actor-comedian Kapil Sharma in the lead, was unveiled on Wednesday.

It follows the story of the struggle of a food delivery partner played by Kapil and how the mounting pressures of the food delivery app coupled with standard of living in big cities really gets to those who are at the lower rung of the society but still work tirelessly.

Kapil, who is otherwise known for his forte in comedy, takes complete departure from his image as a comic and merges in the dramatic universe of the film as he effortlessly portrays his character

Actress Shahana Goswami plays the wife of Kapil’s character in the film, she works as a masseuse to support her family financially as her husband struggles to keep with the rapidly changing demands of the titular food delivery app and tried to wrap his head around...

He did not need any appurtenances to portray his evil nature onscreen – just a glare from his remarkable eyes, along with his steely voice, and a sneer – where enough.

Pran, however, sought to imbue each performance – whether as villain or supporting actor – with something different, be it mannerisms, make-up, and proper accents. Remember his outings as a Pathan, a Nepali, a Bhopali, and a Goan, or the ones in which he modelled his appearance on Sheikh Mujibur Rehman, Abraham Lincoln, or Sam Pitroda?

Born on this day (February 12) in Delhi in 1920, Pran may not have been a "method actor" but he had natural talent and acute powers of observation of different types of people that he artfully incorporated into his performances.

In the process, he transformed the Hindi film villain from a stereotype to a well-delineated character, who did not even require the willing suspension of disbelief needed for most cinematic performances.

Netflix series “Trial by Fire,” which began streaming Jan. 13, has emerged as a hit for the service, featuring in the top 10 in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh.

Based on the book of the same name by Neelam and Shekhar Krishnamoorthy, the series details the 25-year struggle for justice of the couple whose daughter and son were among the 59 people who died in a fire caused by negligence at Delhi’s Uphaar cinema on June. 13, 1997.

In 2018, the book was optioned by Sidharth Jain’s book-to-screen company The Story Ink, which quickly got the Krishnamoorthys an offer for the rights. However, after meeting the Krishnamoorthys in person, Jain changed his mind.

“I realized that this is no ordinary story. I cannot treat this like any other book to screen deal. The story needed to told responsibly and sensitively. So after a lot of contemplation, I canceled the deal and decided to develop and produce this myself.

Indian actor Rasika Dugal is on a roll, with season 2 of Emmy-winning Netflix series “Delhi Crime” streaming, season 3 of Amazon Prime Video series “Mirzapur” filming and several other series and films in the works.

Dugal describes season 2 of “Delhi Crime” as “very different from season 1, but still very sensitively and beautifully told,” adding that the series is minutely detailed.

While the first season revolved around an horrific 2012 rape case, which caught the attention of the world, the second season follows multiple murders, which are similarly done, and the police investigates.

“It is really about the vulnerability of senior citizens and also the very stark class divide, which is very apparent in a city like Delhi. Somehow, visually in Delhi, it’s much more around than anywhere else. And the season really talks about that very sensitively and carefully and also throws light on the way we treat marginalized communities,” Dugal told Variety.

‘Kgf’ star Yash has praised actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui and confessed that he would love to work with him. The pan-India star in a recent interview was asked which Bollywood actor he desires to work with and Yash said: “Nawazuddin Siddiqui”.

In the interview, Yash said: “I wish to work with Nawazuddin Siddiqui. I feel he is a wonderful actor.”

Nawazuddin is known for his work in films such as ‘Gangs Of Wasseypur’ franchise, ‘Raman Raghav 2.0’, ‘Mom’, ‘Manto’, ‘Serious Men’. He has also done web-series’ such as ‘McMafia’ and ‘Sacred Games’.

Meanwhile, on the work front, Nawaz has an interesting line-up of films which includes ‘Tiku Weds Sheru’, ‘Noorani Chehra’, and ‘Adbhut’ among others.

Yash, whose real name is Naveen Kumar Gowda, gained the spotlight as a leading actor of Kannada cinema with films such as ‘Googly’, comedy-drama ‘Raja Huli’, fantasy action ‘Gajakesari’, romantic comedy ‘Mr. and Mrs. Ramachari’, action...

Prolific Indian studio Applause Entertainment is celebrating its fifth anniversary with a flourishing streaming slate, several films, an ambitious expansion model and a doubling down on investment.

The company is led by CEO Sameer Nair, a pioneer of Indian television with previous stints at Star TV, Ndtv Imagine, Turner General Entertainment, and Balaji Telefilms.

On the film front, Applause’s Hindi-language “The Rapist,” by Aparna Sen, won the prestigious Kim Jiseok award at Busan in 2021. Next up is a film by actor-director Nandita Das, whose last film “Manto” was at Cannes. The film, which has the working title “Zwigato” and is a social satire about the Indian food delivery gig economy, is currently in post. It stars popular TV host Kapil Sharma and Shahana Goswami (“A Suitable Boy”).

Tahira Kashyap Khurrana’s feature debut, the Hindi-language “Sharmajee Ki Beti” is a social comedy that follows five women from different age...

Soon the prestigious London Indian Film Festival will begin! Running from 23 June – 5 July 2022 you can go to the festival in cinemas in London, Birmingham, Manchester and Leeds or experience it on your own sofa, at home, via the digital site www.LoveLIFFatHome.com.

As always, showcasing the best independent films from South Asia, this year’s lineup looks to be amazing! From the opening night film Dobaaraa to the closing night gala screening of Superfan: The Nav Bhatia Story and every film, in the intriguing and exciting strands, Liff is shining the light on brilliant and thought-provoking cinema.

One of the highlights every year are the special and always fascinating In-conversation events, and for Liff 2022, they boast some incredible women.

Taapsee Pannu, the lead protagonist of Liff’s Opening film Dobaaraa, talks about the film and her fantastic career as an actress on June 25th.

The actress has been lauded...

Nawazuddin Siddiqui, the International Emmy-nominated Indian actor, is to take the lead role in U.S. indie film “Laxman Lopez.”

The film is a Christmas-themed movie to be directed by Mexico’s Roberto Girault, who helmed local hits including 2017’s “La Leyenda Del Diamante,” 2015’s “Los Arboles Mueren de Pie” and “El Estudiante” from 2009.

The project is led by New York-based Imagine Infinite Prods. Filming, beginning at the end of this year, will take place entirely in the U.S. Further casting details are to be announced closer to the start of production. The producer is Lalit Bhatnagar, writer and co-producer of horror project “Little Darling.”

Siddiqui has been one of India’s most prolific and most appreciated actors in recent years. His credits include “Manto,” “Raman Raghav,” “Gangs of Wasseypur,” “The Lunchbox,” and recent series including Netflix’s “Sacred Games” and Amazon’s “McMafia.” He received his International Emmy...

Mumbai, March 15 (Ians) Actress Rasika Dugal will soon be seen in a special appearance in the web series "Ok Computer". The sci-fi comedy series stars actor Vijay Varma and Radhika Apte. Rasika says she loved the unique script and was excited to work with Vijay once again.

"I am delighted to have a special appearance in this super quirky show. The script had a very unique sense of humour. Sci-fi and comedy is the perfect recipe for a lot of fun. And the creators of the show Pooja, Neil and Anand have given it a very unique style of storytelling, led by their humour and vision. Am excited to watch it and to watch an ensemble of some very good actors play off each other," said Rasika.

The actress also reveals that being part of this series gave her a chance to work again with Vijay.

"Vijay and I are from the same film school.

New Delhi, March 13 (Ians) While scaling superstardom is often about signing one film at a time, this year many of our actors are ditching the policy to try and flood the market with as many good roles as they can sign up.

With Covid lockdown having kept actors off the big screen for months, many actors are returning with renewed vigour, and lining up multiple releases for the months to come. The likes of Yami Gautam, Taapsee Pannu, Kriti Sanon, Rajkummar Rao have five to nine projects each.

Here, a list of Bollywood's busiest:

Kriti Sanon

She has, as of today five projects. While the shooting of Mimi is complete, she is coming close to wrapping Bachchan Pandey. The actress has already started with her supernatural film Bhediya alongside Varun Dhawan. She will also be seen in Ganpath and Adipurush

Taapsee Pannu

Taapsee is literally living out of the suitcase.

Top Indian actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui, star of series “Sacred Games” and several other Netflix originals, and a regular at Cannes, is currently wrapping feature film “Sangeen” in London.

Written and directed by Jaideep Chopra (“2016 the End”), the film, which also stars Elnaaz Norouzi (“Sacred Games”), is a two-handed thriller largely set in one room. Siddiqui was floored by Chopra’s script and describes his role as a “challenging part.” The action periodically breaks out into wintry London locales. This is Siddiqui’s first time shooting in London, a city currently in lockdown. “The city is completely deserted,” says Siddiqui.

Produced by Gurjit Singh and Ankit Khanna for Golden Era Films and Ak Projekts, the shoot is taking place under strict Covid protocols with a pared down crew in a bio-secure bubble, including two sealed off floors at the unit hotel.

A graduate of India’s prestigious National School of Drama,...

India’s Oscar entry is screening from Jan 27, 3pm UK time.

Screen International has partnered with film market platform Archipel Market on an exclusive series of screenings focused on the international feature awards race.

This initiative is designed to enable each country to organise an event around their submission.

The upcoming screenings are listed below, with more titles set to be added during this year’s awards season.

The screenings are open to awards voters and industry professionals and will be available for 24 hours after the start time.

Click here to RSVP or fill out the form below

For more...

India’s Oscar entry is screening from Jan 27, 3pm UK time.

Screen International has partnered with film market platform Archipel Market on an exclusive series of screenings focused on the international feature awards race.

This initiative is designed to enable each country to organise an event around their submission.

The upcoming screenings are listed below, with more titles set to be added during this year’s awards season.

The screenings are open to awards voters and industry professionals and will be available for 24 hours after the start time.

Click here to RSVP or fill out the form below

For more...

Bookmark this page for all the latest international feature submissions.

Submissions for the best international feature film award at the 2021 Academy Awards have started to come in, and Screen is keeping a running list of each film below.

Scroll down for the full list

The 93rd Academy Awards is set to take place on April 25, 2021. It was originally set to be held on February 28, before both the ceremony and eligibility period were postponed for two months due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Submitted films must have been released in their respective countries between the expanded dates of October 1, 2019, and December 31, 2020. (Last year it was October-September.

New Delhi, Nov 4 (Ians) Actor Vijay Varma has been around in the industry for over eight years but he became a household name only last year, after Gully Boy. He says he is content now, as he found the recognition he was craving for.

Vijay made his acting debut in 2012 with "Chittagong". He was then seen in films like "Rangrezz", "Monsoon Shootout", "Raag Desh" and "Manto". It was only in 2019 that he found fame, after he featured in the Ranveer Singh-starrer "Gully Boy".

"I think I got content as soon as I found the recognition that I was so craving for, which I feel I was rightfully deserving. It's been nice," Vijay told Ians.

He has evolved as a person too, with time.

"Over the years I have evolved as a person and I figured out I cannot be at unrest all the time. Now it is a lot easier.

Just a few weeks, ago that filmmaker Shekhar Kapur shared that he was impressed with the amazing new acting talents that the Ott space has been introducing to the world. The audience is with him on this.

Ians takes a look at actors who have grabbed maximum eyeballs in the digital space, emerging as the new Ott stars:

Amit Sadh

The former "Bigg Boss" contestant began as a television actor in 2002 and later entered Bollywood with "Phoonk 2" in 2010. "Kai Po Che" brought him fame and he went on to feature in films like "Sultan" and "Gold". Now, he is one of the favourites in the digital space as he got a thumbs up for his role as Inspector Kabir Sawant over two seasons of the web series "Breathe". He was then seen as an army officer in the web series "Avrodh: The Siege Within". For him, it seems like the...

The Nawazuddin Siddiqui starrer Manto was released two years ago on this day and Rasika Dugal, who had a pivotal role in the critically-acclaimed film, recalled why the Nandita Das directorial was a special experience.

" 'Manto' gave me the opportunity to work with Nandita and Nawaz. I enjoyed every moment of delving into the many details that Nandita had so deliberately designed. I loved playing off Nawaz's quiet and unassuming but very attentive energy," said Rasika.

While Nawazuddin played the titular role of late Urdu author-playwright Saadat Hasan Manto in the biopic, Rasika was seen as Safia Manto, the author's wife.

Rasika is an avid reader and she said that helped her connect immediately with her character. As part of making the character authentic and believable, she learnt Urdu.

She shared: "When I was offered this role, I was keen to be thoroughly prepared but didn't know how...

While Indian cinemas remain closed due to the coronavirus pandemic, Sony Pictures Networks and Phantom Films’ “Ghoomketu” will become one of the first Bollywood films to release directly on an Ott platform when it begins streaming from May 22 on Zee5.

Indian filmmaker Anurag Kashyap (“Sacred Games”) features as a bumbling cop in “Ghoomketu,” a Hindi-language satire starring Nawazuddin Siddiqui (“Manto”) as an aspiring Bollywood screenwriter. Several top Bollywood actors including Amitabh Bachchan (“Badla”), Ranveer Singh (“Gully Boy”), Sonakshi Sinha (“Mission Mangal”), Chitrangada Singh (“Baazaar”) and Lauren Gottlieb (“Abcd”) play themselves in cameos, as does filmmaker Nikkhil Advani (“Batla House”).

Pushpendra Nath Mishra, who wrote and directed 2020 Netflix series “Taj Mahal 1989”, directs.

Kashyap said: “Every film is a labour of love and I saw the conviction in the director of “Ghoomketu” and hence decided to do something which is my least favourite thing to do, which is act.”

Despite his reluctance,...

Actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui is elated that his "McMafia" has been named as the Best Drama Series at the 2019 International Emmy Awards, and says getting the honour is a "pure delight".

The actor, whose "Sacred Games" was also in the race to get the trophy in the category, was on cloud nine, and took to social media to express his views.

Also Read:?Did Deepika Padukone just confirm about Alia Bhatt's marriage?

"It's a pure delight to be receiving the beautiful winner trophy at the International Emmy Awards 2019 Gala in New York with one of my fav director James Watkins for our work 'McMafia'," he tweeted.

The BBC show is inspired by the 2009 non-fiction book of the same name by Misha Glenny and explores the world of organised crime.

It is about Alex Godman (essayed by James Norton), an educated hedge-fund manager who unwillingly gets sucked into the...

National Award-winning actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui has worked with several talented female filmmakers in his career. Nandita Das called the shots in "Firaaq" and "Manto", Reema Kagti directed "Talaash" and, recently, Tannishtha Chatterjee wielded the megaphone in the upcoming "Roam Rome Mein". Siddiqui says as an actor he does not differentiate between talents based on gender.

"When I work with a filmmaker, I am not concerned about the gender of the storyteller. For me, whether it is Nandita or Tannishtha, they are talented storytellers. They came to me with a vision and I am participating in telling their stories on screen. For me, what matters the most is creativity, and I have to be on the same wavelength with the director. Talent should not be celebrated on the basis of gender. So, when Tannishtha was directing me, not for a single moment did I feel that a woman was giving direction.

Pakistani actor/director Sarmad Sultan Khoosat’s next film will be “Kamli.” Principal photography commences this week at locations across Pakistan. Pakistani superstar Saba Qamar (“Hindi Medium”), Sania Saeed (“Manto”) and Hamza Khwaja, star.

“A tragic love story at heart, the film is going to be a fresh mix of a rustic setting captured in a contemporary, universal sensibility,” Khoosat told Variety. “Unlike other films of the genre, ‘Kamli’ is not only going to depict the vibrancy and humour of rural Punjab, but also its poetic lyricism and love-lore in an international film aesthetic.”

A tentative release is set for Summer, 2020. Khoosat Films is producing.

Khoosat’s “Circus of Life” (“Zindagi Tamasha”) had its world premiere at the Busan International Film Festival where it is also nominated for the prestigious Kim Ji-seok award.

Set in Lahore, the film chronicles the chaos that ensues in the life of a staid, devout...

As many as 1,854 feature films were submitted to be part of the 2019 Official Selection at the Cannes Film Festival from across the world this year. As many as 39 nations are represented as production or co-production countries. India is missing.

Filmmaker Onir rightly questioned: "What are we supposed to celebrate about Cannes 2019... The cinema that's being celebrated or just the clothes our actors wear and the parties they attend. Somehow that is all that seems to be talked about."

Barring the overwhelming red carpet or party looks of Bollywood actresses making a splash on social media, an India Pavilion, organized by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and Ficci, is doing its bit to forge international partnerships in distribution, production, pitch India as a shooting destination and promoting film sales and syndication.

India may be one of the largest film producers in the world, but no film from the country made it in the competition categories.

Actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui has been praised for his portrayal of Bal Thackeray in Thackeray, but the movie, based on late Shiv Sena supremo who had a controversial political career, has been slammed by some critics for being biased. The critically acclaimed actor says Indian audiences do not like to see the protagonist in shades of grey and that if only the negative side of the protagonist is reflected on the big screen, this will severly impact the box office.

Addressing the critical reviews of the film, Nawazuddin told Ians in a telephonic interview: "For the past 40-50 years, we have been continuously presenting our heroes in a good light. The audience does not like to see the protagonist with grey shades. If I portray the only negative side of the protagonist, then it will not run at the box office."

"Our society is not ready to see the negative traits in the heroes.

In today’s Bollywood there is only one star of rap “Raftaar”. A man whose lyrics are clear, but not clean. Whose powerful versus strike at the heart of all listeners while his beats entertain on the screens of streaming media platformers. When music director Sneha Khanwalkar wanted a title song for her latest album Manto, she turned to him to bring his talents. What Raftaar delivered was Mantoiyat: an idealisation of the man behind the story.

Manto the album backs Manto the film, a biopic of the famous Urdu playwright Saadat Hasan Manto, a pre-independence script writer whose films annoyed everyone because he wrote stories that portrayed people, especially girls and young women, as they were treated in that time from his perspective. As he says in the movie “Agar aap meri kahani ko bardaasht nahin kar sakte, to iska yeh matlab hai, ke yeh zamana na kaabile bardaasht...

South Korean filmmaker Jero Yun’s “Beautiful Days” has been announced as the opening title of the Busan International Film Festival, Korea’s biggest film festival.

Starring Lee Na-young, “Beautiful Days” depicts the story of a woman who abandons her husband and child to escape North Korea for a better life abroad. Martial arts drama, “Master Z: The Ip Man Legacy,” by Hong Kong’s Yuen Woo-ping will close the festival.

“‘Beautiful Days’ sees the dissolution and restoration of a family, and also that its subject is very timely,” said festival director Jay Jeon.

For its twenty third edition, the Busan film festival has selected 323 films from 79 countries. That includes 115 world premieres and 25 international premieres.

The festival’s Gala Presentation section screens only three films this year. They are world premieres of Stanley Kwan’s “First Night Nerves” and Zhang Lu’s “Ode to the Goose,” and Tsukamoto Shinya’s “Killing.

Streaming giant, Netflix will bow its first Indian original horror series “Ghoul” on Aug. 24. The three episodes will be available to the service’s 125 million subscribers in 190 countries, including India.

Based on Arabic folklore, “Ghoul” is set in a covert detention center and follows an interrogator who arrives at the facility to discover that some of the terrorists held there are not of this world. Written and directed by Patrick Graham and starring Radhika Apte (“Padman”) and Manav Kaul “Ghoul” is a co-production between Blumhouse Productions, Ivanhoe Pictures and India’s Phantom Films.

“Ghoul” is a thrilling horror series, both frightening and insightful. Its high production value, a chilling performance from Radhika Apte, and quality writing are sure to scare Indian and global audiences alike,” said Simran Sethi, director, Netflix International Originals.

Apte is also one of the stars of the first Netflix India original series “Sacred Games” that released...

Flix"A society can grow and develop only when it gives space for dissent and free thinking. And this shrinking space threatens democracy," Nandita said.IANSPTIDemocracy is under threat in India with "artists, writers and rationalists" being attacked in some form or the other, says acclaimed actress and filmmaker Nandita Das, who feels conservatives and right-wing groups are increasingly becoming the country's moral police. Be it the debate around growing intolerance in India or the agitation around the release of Sanjay Leela Bhansali's film "Padmaavat" or the issues around "S Durga" or the occasional calls to put a temporary ban on Pakistani talent from working in the Hindi film industry -- the conversation around the extent of creative freedom in India keeps coming back. And Nandita feels there have been attempts to silence creative voices. "Martin Luther King Jr. said: 'Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter'. These days whether it is media or individuals, people are being censored by self-proclaimed vigilante groups or are self-censoring themselves, out of fear," Nandita told Ians in an e-mail interview. "Conservatives and right-wing groups are increasingly becoming the moral police. At the same time, official censoring bodies are becoming more bigoted and their rulings are getting more and more subjective and arbitrary," added Nandita, who had faced protests over her socially moving and bold film "Fire". The actress noted that "artists, writers, rationalists are all being attacked in some form or the other and are being silenced". "A society can grow and develop only when it gives space for dissent and free thinking. And this shrinking space threatens democracy and human progress," she said. Taking her forthcoming film "Manto" to draw comparisons with the current scenario, the director said: "Manto was tried for obscenity six times because he wrote about sex workers, giving them dignity that was rare and used the language of the street, deemed inappropriate. He said, 'If you can't bear my stories, it is because we live in unbearable times'." After having helmed "Firaaq" in 2008, Nandita went behind the camera to trace the life of writer Saadat Hasan Manto. Nawazuddin Siddiqui will be seen bringing the character to life. "Manto" is expected to release in India in September. Manto, who died in 1955 at the age of 43, penned an impressive body of work touching various genres. He churned out about 22 collections of stories comprising a novel, essays, personal sketches and movie scripts. Out of his literary gems was a story on Mirza Ghalib, a poet who is often compared with the stature of Shakespeare. His work also gained attention for weaving stories around the ordeal of partition as well as sexuality. "Manto", co-produced by Hp Studios, Filmstoc and Viacom 18 Motion Pictures, was the only Indian film in Un Certain Regard category at 71st Cannes Film Festival. It will also be screened at Sydney Film Festival that will start from June 6 and will go on till June 17. The film provides a window into his life during the tumultuous partitioning of British colonial India into two new nations -- India and Pakistan. Do you think Indians have moved on from there? "Far from it. Partition remains a very important part of the subcontinent's narrative. It has been invoked for all kinds of reasons. "Sometimes for political agendas, sometimes to understand the pain and trauma some still feel today. Close to 14 million people were displaced, hundreds of thousands of people were killed, women raped... all the heinous crimes that come with sectarian violence. It is bound to have a lasting impact. But I am not sure we have learnt all the lessons that we needed to learn." Nandita doesn't agree with the calls to put a temporary ban on Pakistani talent working in the Hindi film industry. She asserts the role of art is to build bridges and not walls. "When there is political tension, culture can become the means to bring people closer, lessen prejudice and trigger conversations. Whenever I have been to Pakistan, I find people in admiration of our democracy, diversity, art, culture and in particular, cinema. Good stories are local in their context but universal in their emotions. It is a pity that we in South Asia cannot travel and collaborate freely. "If we want to be peaceful, we need to have peaceful co-existence with our neighbours." The actress, who garnered critical acclaim with films like "Earth" and "Bawandar", points out that there is a need to fight terrorism. "Fight governments that encourage it instead of stopping it, but we also need to have the wisdom to separate the people from those governments. People are suffering there too. Art can in fact become the balm to our common wounds." (Sugandha Rawal can be contacted at sugandha.r@ians.in) Also read: Dhanush’s debut international film gets positive reviews for ‘warmth, comedic quality’...

“My stories are mirrors for society to see itself,” asserts author Saadat Hasan Manto (Nawazuddin Siddiqui), on trial for obscenity. Dramatizing Manto’s struggles as he excoriates humanity during the most tumultuous time on the Indian Subcontinent, actress-filmmaker Nandita Das’ “Manto” is elegant and old school, epic without losing sight of the personal. However, Das’ heavily expository style is almost too respectable to do justice to the scathing and sexually provocative nature of Manto’s short stories, considered some of the most powerful in the Urdu language. Siddiqui, the chameleon actor of “The Lunchbox” and “Gangs of Wasseypur” gives a tour-de-force portrayal of the writer’s intellect as well as his very human flaws.

“Manto” could garner support among the educated bourgeois crowd in India and Pakistan who likely know the protagonist’s life and oeuvre well; the film’s high-mindedness might not be as readily appreciated by general audiences abroad.

Indian studio, Viacom 18 Motion Pictures has launched a digital content division called Tipping Point to create web series and short films.

Upcoming web series include “X Ray – Selected Satyajit Ray Shorts” based on stories by the late lifetime achievement Oscar winner, and directed by Srijit Mukherji (“Autograph”); an untitled crime thriller from Imtiaz Ali (“Rockstar”); “Jamtara”, a story about India’s phishing capital by Soumendra Padhi (“Budhia Singh: Born to Run”) and psychological thriller “Best Days” by Abhishek Sengupta (“Laakhon Mein Ek”).

The content will initially be available on Viacom 18’s Ott channel Voot and Reliance’s Jio platform. “We are not looking at ourselves just as movie makers but as content makers in the digital ecosystem as well,” Viacom 18 Motion Pictures COO Ajit Andhare told Variety in March. “Our ability to tell stories in film and working with top filmmakers translates very well to produce content in the digital world.

A lot of reasons explain why Nawazuddin Siddiqui is one of the finest actors in Bollywood. One is that he completely transforms himself into a role. So much so and this is not just with make up and costume, from his voice, to his walk, to his bearing he becomes the character and you don’t even know it is him until you read the cast list.

One of his first major roles was in a film titled Patang (2010). The late director Prashant Bhargava told us in an exclusive interview, “I think he is destined to be something quite amazing. There is a power that he has that is going to be something really special.” It certainly seems as if that has come true.

Nawazuddin’s most recent performances have surged his popularity globally. In Sridevi-starrer, Mom, the powerhouse performer amassed praises from his fans and critics for an...

Nawazuddin Siddiqui, news, Mom, Babumoshai Bandookbaaz, Manto, Bollywood...

How was Cannes? Just got back. It was exciting and exhausting. With all its glitz, its primary purpose of being a haven for films and filmmakers cannot be undermined. It was a bit insane to take ten days off in the middle of one’s shoot to want to go to Cannes to share the journeyRead More

The post “It is important that investors make money, so films like Manto are not tagged as Festival films” – Nandita Das appeared first on Bollywood Hungama.