Mumbai, May 29 (IANS) Seems like the release of Kamal Haasan’s next, “Thug Life” is in limbo as the Karnataka Film Chamber of Commerce (KFCC) has announced that the film will not be allowed to be released unless Haasan makes a public apology by May 30.Talking to the media, KFCC former president Sa Ra Govindu announced that in case Haasan fails to apologize by Friday, they will not allow the film to be released in their area. “We have no sympathy for Kamal Haasan. There is no sorry term being specified anywhere from him,” Govindu said.He added, “We will surely not release the film. We (KFCC) will stand with Rakshina Vedike and other kannada organizations.”KFCC president M Narasimhalu also revealed that they are trying to get in touch with Haasan.”Many Kannada groups have demanded a ban on his movie. So, we met and discussed the matter, and we’ve decided that he should apologise. We agree that what he did was wrong, and we are trying to meet and talk to him,” Narasimhalu stated.These statements came in response to Haasan’s controversial remark about the Kannada language. Addressing a promotional event for “Thug Life”, Haasan stated that “Kannada was born out of Tamil”, which led to a massive outrage amongst the pro-Kannada groups.The KRV activists even teared up the posters of “Thug Life” in Bengaluru. They further threatened to disrupt the film’s release, unless Haasan apologized for his remark.KRV president Praveen Shetty has also filed a complaint at Bengaluru’s RM Nagar Police Station, terming Haasan’s remark as “unlawful” and disruptive to Kannadiga-Tamil harmony.Reacting to the outrage, Haasan clarified saying that his remarks on the Kannada language came from a place of love and he would not apologize for something he said in love.”love will never apologise,” Haasan shared.”Thug Life” is slated for a theatrical release on 5 June.–IANSpm/

Mumbai, May 29 (IANS) Filmmaker Subhash Ghai is credited with introducing some prominent faces to the entertainment industry, one of them being Jackie Shroff, who made his Bollywood debut with the 1983 romantic entertainer, “Hero”.
It has been 43 years since the movie reached the cinema halls and Jackie has not looked back since.Ghai used social media to thank his entire team, along with the actors, distributors, and financiers, who contributed to making Mukta Arts what it is today.He further claimed that it took a lot of courage to make a movie with a debutant and deliver a massive hit like “Hero”.Ghai penned on his Instagram, “You need to have a courage to produce a FILM with NEW HERO on big scale with creative freedom to make a block buster like HERO which ran for 75 weeks n its music is still haunting. After 43 years.”The ‘Taal’ maker added, “Thanks to my team my actors n distributors n financier who supported me to establish MUKTA ARTS in 1982. Post HERO mukta arts groomed many stars who are legends today n produced 42 films under mukta…Feel blessed.”With Meenakshi Sheshadri as the leading lady, “Hero” also starred Sanjeev Kumar, Neeta Mehta, Shammi Kapoor, Amrish Puri, Madan Puri, Bindu, Bharat Bhushan, Shakti Kapoor, Urmila Bhatt, Shaikh Azad, and Suresh Oberoi in crucial roles, along with others.The project reached the cinema halls on December 16, 1983, and turned out to be a massive hit at the box office, strengthening Shroff’s position as a bankable lead actor.Following the box office triumph, “Hero” was remade in Telugu and Kannada back in the 1980s. The movie was also retold in 2015 with the same title. It featured debutantes Sooraj Pancholi and Athiya Shetty as the lead pair.–IANSpm/

Mumbai, May 29 (IANS) All is not well for Chamkili aka Ishita Ganguly from “Badi…

Mumbai, May 29 (IANS) Being in the limelight, Karan Johar is used to dealing with the trolls, however now, the filmmaker has shared a glimpse of his in-house trolls – daughter Roohi and son Yash.
KJo dropped a fun video on his IG, where he is seen asking his children about his birthday gift.”It was my birthday and I got nothing from both of you,” he said.Reacting to this, Roohi flaunted a beautiful handmade flower, she made as a birthday present for her father.The director thanked her saying, “You made it so lovely, thank you!”But, Karan only got hugs and kisses from his son Yash.When Karan asked what will he get from Yash next year, the little one said, “I think you need new clothes and a new wardrobe.”Roohi pitched in saying, “We think you should stop taking selfies.”Yash added, “But first, I think you should stop doing this” mimicking his father’s pout.Karan stormed out of there saying, “Yash can you stop… this is my pout.””Can you believe the in-house trolls??????,” he captioned the post.For those who do not know, Karan Johar welcomed twins – Yash and Roohi via surrogacy back in 2017. He co-parents these two with his mother, Hiroo Johar.Apart from being one of the most successful filmmakers of his time, Karan also made his audio debut with a new podcast called, “Live Your Best Life with Karan Johar”.Speaking about his latest outing, KJo said, “As a storyteller, it’s important to keep evolving, explore new ways of connecting, of reaching people where they are, and podcasts have emerged as such a powerful space for real, unfiltered conversations. ‘Live Your Best Life with Karan Johar’ on Audible allowed me to have truly meaningful conversations with some incredible people and ask the questions that truly matter.”During the podcast, Karan had a one-on-one with some notable names from all walks of life such as Konkona Sen Sharma, Prajakta Koli, Mithila Palkar, Dhruv Sehgal, Preeti Shenoy, Ali Fazal, Richa Chadha, Masaba Gupta, Ira Khan, Neha Dhupia, Durjoy Datta, and Avantika Mohan.–IANSpm/

Mumbai, May 29 (IANS) The captivating trailer of Kajol starrer “Maa” was released on Thursday,…

Mumbai, May 29 (IANS) Director Mehran Amrohi, who is awaiting the release of his upcoming movie ‘Chidiya’, has said that he can never reverse engineer a film, and make it as per the market demand.
The director, who is a distant relative of the late filmmaker Kamal Amrohi, spoke with IANS ahead of the film’s release, and shared his opinion that film’s shall be made keeping the heart of the story at the forefront.He told IANS, “I will never be able to make a film like this because I write a film for a year, the market may change after a year, till then, my film will be old. So, I will never be able to work like this. It is my firm belief that if I want to make a film, if I want to tell its story, then I will write that story, and whatever story it is, on the basis of that story, its market should be decided”.He further mentioned, “Unfortunately, there is a situation today, that the market is decided first, and then the story is written, and because of that, the films either look the same, sound the same, or the music sounds the same. If I make a film, I’ll make it from my heart, and then think about how to market it. Only then will I be able to do justice to the film”.The director told IANS that only a handful films that are made in Hindi cinema appeal to this audience and make a mark.“We have such a big industry, we make 200-300 films in a year, but you will remember 5 films, compared to the other 200-250 films, because they were made in a different voice. Otherwise, the market will decide that we should have a certain song, a certain dance, or action, and if we want our industry to flourish, we need to change how we work”, he added.–IANSaa/

Mumbai, May 29 (IANS) Actress Ananya Panday paid a heartfelt tribute to her father, Chunky Panday during the 23rd edition of the Zee Cine Awards.
The diva left her dad surprised with a heartfelt performance, which she had been planning with her mother, Bhavana Pandey.During the performance, Ananya was joined by Chunky as they tapped a foot together on his popular track, “Main Tera Tota” from the 1989 drama “Paap Ki Duniya”. The father and daughter duo set the stage on fire with their scintillating chemistry. Their wholesome performance even left Bhavana teary-eyed.Talking about her special performance, Ananya said, “I’ve grown up watching my dad light up people’s lives with his work, and this performance was my way of saying thank you — not just to him as an artist, but as the incredible father who’s always been my biggest supporter. Mom and I had been planning this surprise for so long and keeping it, a secret wasn’t easy! Every time I rehearsed at home, he’d walk by looking confused, wondering what I was up to. Seeing his reaction tonight made it all worth it. I’m just so grateful I could pull it off, and sharing the stage with him will always be one of the most special moments of my life. I want to thank Zee Cine Awards for giving me the chance to honour my dad in this way.”While Ananya and Chunky have not shared screen space till now, it would be exciting to see the dynamic father and daughter pair together.Work-wise, Ananya is gearing up for the release of Vivek Soni’s “Chand Mera Dil,” in which she has been paired opposite the ‘Kill’ actor Lakshya.The much-awaited drama is being backed by Karan Johar, Adar Poornawala, and Apoorva Mehta under the banner of Dharma Production.Additionally, Ananya will be reprising her role as Bella Chowdhary in the second season of her popular series, “Call Me Bae”.The series will see Gurfateh Pirzada, Vir Das, Varun Sood, Vihaan Samat, Muskkaan Jaferi, Niharika Lyra Dutt, and Mini Mathur in key roles, along with others.–IANSpm/

Mumbai, May 29 (IANS) The government of Telangana unveiled the winners for the 2024 edition of the Gaddar Telangana Film Awards on Wednesday. Stylish star Allu Arjun was named Best Actor for his latest release, “Pushpa 2”.Thrilled about the win, AA penned a special note on his social media. Showing his gratitude towards the Telangana government, Allu Arjun wrote, “I am truly honoured to receive the first Best Actor award for #Pushpa2 at the #GaddarTelanganaFilmAwards 2024.Heartfelt thanks to the Government of Telangana for this prestigious honour.”AA further shared the credit of his win with ‘Pushpa 2’ director Sukumar. “All credit goes to my director Sukumar garu, my producers, and the entire Pushpa team. I dedicate this award to all my fans , your unwavering support continues to inspire me,” the Tollywood heartthrob penned.The second installment in the beloved ‘Pushpa’ franchise talks about a labourer-turned-red sandalwood smuggler, Pushpa Raj (Allu Arjun), who is facing growing threats from his enemies, especially SP Bhanwar Singh Shekhawat (Fahadh Faasil).Produced under the prestigious banner of Mythri Movie Makers in collaboration with Sukumar Writings, “Pushpa: The Rule” stars Allu Arjun, Rashmika Mandanna, Fahadh Faasil, Jagapathi Babu, Sunil and Rao Ramesh in significant roles, along with others.Released in cinema halls across the globe on December 5, 2024 “Pushpa 2” broke several box-office records, becoming the highest-grossing film in India, the highest-grossing Indian film of the year, the second highest-grossing Telugu film, and the third highest-grossing Indian film worldwide.Coming back to the Gaddar Telangana Film Awards, Nivetha Thomas won Best Actress for her film “35 Chinna Katha Kadu” with “Kalki 2898 AD” winning both the Best Film award and the Best Director award (Nag Ashwin).These awards will be presented to the winners during a grand ceremony on June 14 in Hyderabad.–IANSpm/

Los Angeles, May 29 (IANS) Hollywood actress Natalie Portman, who made her debut with ‘Leon: The Professional’, has an illustrious career of 30 years behind her.
But the actress shared that people still “treat her like a child”, reports ‘Female First UK’.The 43-year-old actress, who rose to fame as a child in 1999’s ‘Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace’, insisted that despite growing up in the spotlight and developing a “serious persona” to combat people’s perceptions of her, she is still fighting against it.As per ‘Female First UK’, during a conversation about Jenna Ortega, Natalie told ‘Harper’s Bazaar’ magazine, “We’re both physically tiny, so people will often treat you like a child forever. I’m 43 now, and people kind of pat me on the head. I don’t look like a child, but I often feel like I’m treated like a kid”.She further mentioned, “Child actors often cultivate a serious persona because otherwise they’ll get treated like kids forever. When you start working as a kid, you kind of always feel like a kid in the workplace. Having some of that seriousness helps remind people, ‘I’m a grown-up’. Natalie and Jenna have worked together in new comedy thriller ‘The Gallerist’, and the ‘Fountain of Youth’ actress noticed they have a similar process in between takes”.She explained that they don’t sit in a chair, they just kind of squat in the corner. “Catherine Zeta-Jones, who was also a child actress, said she did it too, that it’s a way of grounding yourself. There’d be all these chairs, but we’d just squat and look at each other and be like, ‘Wow, this is weird’”, she added.Meanwhile, Jenna opened up on how much it’s helped her become friends with the likes of Natalie, Winona Ryder and Natasha Lyonne, who all understand the journey she’s on.She said, “It’s been so beneficial and so cozy. They’ve seen it all, and, honestly, during a much darker time in Hollywood. We’ve all got this jaded way about us that I don’t think we’d have if we hadn’t started so young and had so many brutal realisations and experiences. But they turned out all right”.–IANSaa/

Mumbai, May 29 (IANS) Actress Radhika Apte will next be seen in Karan Kandhari’s “Sister Midnight”. As the versatile diva read the script for the first time, she thought that it was the kind of film that offered the space to experiment.
She said, “It felt very exciting. It was very honest. Karan just had written exactly what he wanted to make without thinking about other things. Like, what would commercial producers think of it? It was solely his vision. There is such sparse dialogue, a lot had to be conveyed through just face and body. I thought that this is that kind of a film where you get to experiment, you really get to try something new.”Sharing his experience of working with Radhika, the filmmaker revealed, “It was the greatest relationship and collaboration I’ve had with an actor ever. And it was like having the best imaginary friend to play with.””The types of performances I go after are quite specific. It’s all behavioural and about removing the intellectual approach to it. Everything Uma does is sort of impulsive and in the present moment. With Radhika, my work was to constantly root ourselves in the body, in the present moment, and react from instinct and intuition.” he added.Penned and helmed by Karan Kandhari, “Sister Midnight” has been backed by Alastair Clark, along with Anna Griffin and Alan McAlex.Featuring Radhika along with Ashok Pathak, Chhaya Kadam, Smita Tambe, and Navya Sawant, the drama has been edited by Napoleon Stratogiannakis and camera work performed by Sverre Sørdal.”Sister Midnight” bagged the nomination for ‘Outstanding British Debut’ at BAFTA Awards 2025.In addition to this, the project was also nominated for the Golden Camera Award in Director’s Fortnight during Cannes 2025.Set against the backdrop of Mumbai’s dense urban life, “Sister Midnight” is scheduled to reach the cinema halls on May 30.–IANSpm/