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Around Tinsel Town
>> Rows over ‘Hamare Baarah’, ‘Maharaj’
As many as three Hindi films had their releases suspended this week by apex courts. The Supreme Court on Thursday ordered the public screening of the film ‘Hamare Baarah’ to be halted for the time being. The film, featuring Annu Kapoor, has been accused of promoting Islamophobia after Muslim organisations raised concerns over the ‘provocative’ and ‘insulting’ portrayal of the community in the film. The Bombay High Court and the Karnataka Government had earlier stalled the film’s screening.
Meanwhile, Maharaj, a period film starring Aamir Khan’s son Junaid in his debut role, has been temporarily halted from releasing on Netflix by the Gujarat High Court. A petition was filed by members of a Hindu group claiming the film was likely to incite feelings of ‘hatred and violence’ against their sect. The film is based on the Maharaj libel case of 1862. Earlier, hashtags like ‘Boycott Netflix’ and ‘Ban Maharaj Film’ trended on social media.
The Bombay HC also stayed the release of ‘Shaadi ke Director, Karan aur Johar’, after finding a prima facie case that the makers used director-producer Karan Johar‘s name in the movie title without his authorisation.
Bollywood
Sunny Deol announces ‘Border 2’, JP Dutta to produce
Salman Khan to start shooting for ‘Sikandar’ from June 18
Ajay Devgn’s ‘Singham Again’ to release on Diwali
Alia Bhatt’s ‘Jigra,’ directed by Vasan Bala, gets a new release date
Hrithik Roshan to present acting coach Vinod Rawat’s directorial debut ‘Pushtaini’
‘Stree 2’ books August 15 release date
Vijay Varma-starrer ‘Matka King’ series starts shooting
Diljit Dosanjh to appear on Jimmy Fallon’s ‘The Tonight Show’
Hollywood
Hunter Schafer to be seen in ‘Blade Runner 2099’
Nicolas Cage, JK Simmons, Giancarlo Esposito and more to star in ‘The Prince’
Emily Blunt in talks for Steven Spielberg’s next movie
Hugh Jackman, Emma Thompson to star in live-action ‘Three Bags Full: A Sheep Detective Movie’
Kristen Stewart to make series debut with Amazon MGM’s ‘The Challenger’
‘House of the Dragon’ renewed for Season 3
‘Knives Out’ sequel ‘Wake Up Dead Man’ reveals first look at Daniel Craig as Benoit Blanc
Tokyo Vice canceled by HBO Max after two seasons
Sandra Bullock, Nicole Kidman all set to return for ‘Practical Magic 2’
Zack Snyder’s Director’s Cuts of ‘Rebel Moon’ set late summer launch on Netflix
Regional Cinema
Police take Darshan, arrested in murder case, for spot inspection; No ban on actor yet, says film chamber
International concept artist accuses ‘Kalki 2898 AD’ makers of plagiarism
Jr NTR’s ‘Devara: Part 1’ to arrive early, gets a new release date
Actor Pradeep K. Vijayan found dead in his house in Chennai
New release date of Dhanush’s ‘Raayan’ announced
Kunal Kapoor joins cast of Chiranjeevi’s fantasy film ‘Vishwambhara’
Amal Neerad’s film with Fahadh Faasil titled ‘Bougainvillea’; first-look poster out
Aishwarya Arjun marries Umapathy Ramaiah; photos from the star-studded ceremony out
Actor Premgi Amaren marries Indhu; pictures go viral
Kerala government honours Malayalam actors who shone at Cannes
Ilaiyaraaja did not retain copyright of his film songs, Echo tells Madras High Court
World Cinema
Riz Ahmed starrer ‘Dammi’ sets release date on MUBI
Catherine Laga’aia to lead Disney’s live-action ‘Moana’
‘Tower of God’ Season 2 sets India release, new key visual unveiled
Frank Grillo joins horror-thriller film ‘Werewolves’
Pixar CCO says live-action remakes of studio’s films are “not very interesting”
Trailers
Prabhas leads an epic search of hope in ‘Kalki 2898 AD’ trailer
Ajay Devgn and Tabu are sundered soulmates in ‘Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha’ trailer
Matt Damon and Casey Affleck are robbers on the run in the trailer for ‘‘The Instigators’
Lakshya unleashes his violent avatar in ‘Kill’ trailer
Unexpected friendship uncovers dark truths in ‘Sunny’ trailer
Rohit Saraf, Pashmina Roshan navigate modern love in ‘Ishq Vishk Rebound’ trailer
A conclusion to Vi and Jinx’s story in ‘Arcane’ Season 2 trailer
Essential Reading
1) Anurag Kashyap on ‘Maharaja’, ‘Bad Cop’ and the state of artistic freedom in India
>> The filmmaker and inveterate actor discusses his spree of ‘baddie’ roles, the timidity of streamer services and more
2) Tamil cinema in 2024: Average first half, resurgent second half?
>> With Tamil cinema experiencing a lull in 2024, industry insiders discuss potential reasons behind the same
3) What has helped Malayalam cinema scale new heights in the first half of 2024?
>> Malayalam cinema’s resurgence in terms of thematic diversity and box office success is fuelled by several factors
4) Darshan, an enigmatic star who lost his sheen
>> Tracing the Kannada star’s fall from grace after he arrested in 2011 for assaulting his wife
5) Dhananjaya interview: On ‘Kotee’ and why he loves the middle-class hero
>> The Kannada actor talks about his new release and the crucial phases of his 11-year career
6) ‘Kalki 2898 AD’ trailer breakdown: From ‘Dune’ to ‘Blade Runner’, here are the sci-fi inspirations in Prabhas’ film
>> Prabhas’ new film features tropes that remind one of several enduring Hollywood productions
7) ‘Paruvu’, a web series that emerged from honour killings in Andhra Pradesh
>> Directors Siddharth Naidu and Rajashekar Vadlapati discuss their show that explores socio-political dynamics in the Guntur-Vijayawada belt
8) In his birth centenary year, tracing TR Mahalingam’s rise to stardom in Tamil cinema
>> A singing sensation and an actor with many box office hits, Mahalingam carved a niche for himself in cinema
9) Forgotten Odia film ‘Maya Miriga’ is back in circuit
>> Nirad Mohapatra’s 1984 Odia classic ‘Maya Miriga’ has been revived for global audiences
10) ‘Darshan typically looked at harassment issue from the perspective of toxic masculinity’
>> With thousands of women being subjected to online harassment on an everyday basis, women’s rights activists opine that lodging a complaint would have been the right approach
11) The Rubik’s Cube as a metaphor for love, life and everything in between
>> Over the past 50 years, the Cube has turned up regularly in blockbuster movies and TV shows
12) Tamil film ‘Tractor’ is an ode to Tamil Nadu’s farmers
>> Ramesh Yanthra’s film talks about how the arrival of the machine sends a farmer’s life on a downward spiral
What to watch
1) Kartik Aaryan punches his way to a podium finish in ‘Chandu Champion’
>> Read the full review here
2) Vijay Sethupathi stands out in almost-there thriller ‘Maharaja’
>> Read the full review here
3) Superhero abuse and election blues in ‘The Boys’ Season 4 premiere
>> Read the full review here
4) ‘Bridgerton’ Season 3 Part 2 is all scotch and sex in the Regency
>> Read the full review here
5) Lacklustre writing lets down the premise of ‘Yevam’
>> Read the full review here
6) ‘Harom Hara’, starring Sudheer Babu, tries too hard
>> Read the full review here
7) Dhananjaya gives it his all in ‘Kotee’
>> Read the full review here
8) ‘Shivamma Yarehanchinala’ is a delightful take on the life of a spirited woman
>> Read the full review here
9) ‘Paruvu’ is a binge-worthy addition to the Telugu digital space
>> Read the full review here
10) Rushed writing, hollow characters bring down K-drama ‘Hierarchy’
>> Read the full review here
11) ‘Delicious in Dungeon’ is a Michelin-star anime
>> Read the full review here
12) Glen Powell hits the mark in sultry romedy ‘Hit Man’
>> Read the full review here
