MUMBAI: Actress Pavitra Jayaram, who essayed the role of Thilottama in the hit Telugu television series Trinayani passed away in a road accident on Sunday. She died on the spot in a horrific car crash near Mehbooba Nagar in Andhra Pradesh. The car lost control and hit the divider. Later, the bus coming from Hyderabad to Vanaparthi collided with the right side of the car. Pavitra was seriously injured in the accident and died on the spot. The accident occurred while returning to Hanakere in Mandy

MALMO, Sweden: Swiss singer Nemo won the 68th Eurovision Song Contest early Sunday with The Code, an operatic pop-rap ode to the singers journey toward embracing a nongender identity. Switzerlands contestant beat Croatian rocker Baby Lasagna to the title by winning the most points from a combination of national juries and viewers around the world. Nemo, 24, is the first nonbinary winner of the contest that has long been embraced as a safe haven by the LGBT community. Nemo is also the first Swiss

The Cannes Film Festival rarely passes without cacophony but this years edition may be more raucous and uneasy than any edition in recent memory. When the red carpet is rolled out from the Palais des Festivals on Tuesday, the 77th Cannes will unfurl against a backdrop of war, protest, potential strikes and quickening #MeToo upheaval in France, which for years largely resisted the movement. Festival workers are threatening to strike. The Israel-Hamas war, acutely felt in France, home to Europes l

'Trinayani actress Pavitra Jayaram dies on the spot in car crash

LOS ANGELES: Roger Corman, the King of the Bs who helped turn out such low-budget classics as Little Shop of Horrors and Attack of the Crab Monsters and gave many of Hollywood's most famous actors and directors early breaks, has died. He was 98. Corman died on Thursday at his home in Santa Monica, California, according to a statement released on Saturday by his wife and daughters. He was generous, open-hearted and kind to all those who knew him, the statement said. When asked how he would like t

Earlier, we reported that director-producer Karthik Subbaraj will be helming Suriya's next, tentatively titled Suriya 44 . The latest update is that Joju George has joined the film's cast. A source close to Joju George has confirmed to us that the actor is on board the film and that he will start shooting after completing his work on Mani Ratnam and Kamal Haasan's Thug Life. It is to be noted that the Malayalam actor has previously worked with Karthik Subbaraj on Dhanush's Jagame Thandhiram. Su

Hayao Miyazakis films, with all the adorable characters, watercolour painting aesthetics, and dreamy worlds, have often touched upon darker themes like death and loss. That being said, The Boy And The Heron , might still be the most sombre Miyazaki film yet. Replete with signature Ghibli cosiness, the film still embraces the ache and unease of grief. A young boy named Mahito loses his mother to a fire accident. His father marries his late mothers sister Natsuko, and then they move to a rural est

KOZHIKODE: A leader of the Revolutionary Marxist Party (RMP), a key constituent in the opposition Congress-led UDF, has courted controversy for making an alleged sexist remark against senior CPI (M) leader K K Shailaja and Malayalam film actress Manju Warrier. RMP leader K S Hariharan made the objectionable remark on Saturday night while speaking at a meeting in Vadakara here which Leader of Opposition in the state Assembly V D Satheesan inaugurated. The event was organised in response to the ru

The success of 2023s live-action Barbie has fueled a trend for origin stories, raising the bar for both fictional and realistic portrayals of how things came to be. The latest is Netflixs Unfrosted. It is comedian Jerry Seinfelds directorial debut and first film as a lead. It tells the story of how Kelloggs invented the so-called revolutionary breakfast pastries, Pop-Tarts. While Seinfeld, along with actors Melissa McCarthy, Amy Schumer and Jim Gaffigan, takes us on a cereal-iously hilarious rid

With four releases, 2024 seems like a Rajkummar Rao film festival. Theres Srikanth, Mr and Mrs Mahi, Vicky Vidya Ka Woh Wala Video and Stree 2. Does that feel pressurising? I am currently tired of all the promotions, but it also helps me stay connected to everyone. So, I would always choose this moment where I can offer the audience four diverse films in terms of genre and treatment. I dont calculate or strategise too much, about whether I should balance a comedy with an action film. If I read a

Honesty is the best policy for director Dibakar Banerjee; both in his films and in life. The filmmaker, who is known for National Award-winning productions such as Khosla ka Ghosla and Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye! admits that his latest, LSD 2, wasnt an easy film to make, particularly because of how accurately it describes the uncomfortable realities of today. Under the umbrella of love, sex and dhokha (betrayal), the film touches upon issues of social media dependency, continued discomfort over differ

BHOPAL: The Madhya Pradesh High Court has issued a notice to Bollywood actor Kareena Kapoor for using the word 'Bible' in her pregnancy memoir Kareena Kapoor Khans Pregnancy Bible. A single-judge of Justice GS Ahluwalia ordered that notice be issued to the respondents on the petition filed by an advocate Cristopher Anthony. The respondents include Kareena Kapoor Khan, Aditi Shah Bhimjyani (co-author), Juggernaut Books, Amazon India and others. While ordering the issuance of notice to Khan and ot

Meenakshi Seshadri recalls her music, dance performances at 3: 'Look at where I am now'

Actor Vasishta N Simhas next film, 'Love Li,' which was in its last phase of production, has finally wrapped up shooting in London. While the films crew has previously shot in prominent locations across Karnataka, including Silicon City and Malpe, the major portion of the filming had taken place in the picturesque locales of London. Along with Vasishta, the female lead Stefy Patel, who marks her Kannada debut, was also part of the filmmaking process. The makers shared a few exclusive stills with

Young filmmaker Suchan Shettys 'God Promise', which marks his debut, commenced with a simple muhurath at Anegudde Ganapathi Temple in Kundapur, Udupi district. At the event, actor Pramod Shetty turned on the camera and music director Ravi Basrur gave the first clap in a sign of their support for the film. Expressing his gratitude for his long-standing collaboration with Ravi Basrur since 2015, Suchan said, Ravi sir is my guru. I assisted him on his directorial projects like 'Kataka', 'Girmit', a

Team 'Devil - The Hero', which unveiled a behind-the-scenes video on the auspicious occasion of Akshaya Tritiya, has sparked excitement among fans. The sneak peek plunges us into the high-octane action sequences, drawing viewers in with a glimpse of whats to come. Directed by Prakash Veer, with music director Ajaneesh Loknath making his first collaboration for a Darshan film, 'Devil - The Hero' has set the perfect tune, along with cinematographer Sudhakar S Raj creating an electrifying backdrop

Prasanna Kumar, popularly known as Jungli Prasanna Kumar, who has played varied roles in over a hundred films, is making his directorial debut with 'Rana Haddu'. Interestingly, the film stars his sons, Shashank and Suraj, in the key roles of the lead and a supporting character, respectively. The makers recently released a song and also announced the films release date, which is May 17. Speaking on the sidelines of the song launch event, Prasanna Kumar, who is also producing the project, mentione

John Malkovich is set to make his debut in Marvel Cinematic Universes 'The Fantastic Four'. Details regarding Malkovichs role and the films plot are still under wraps. WandaVision director Matt Shakman is helming it. 'The Fantastic Four' is jointly scripted by Eric Pearson, Josh Friedman, Jeff Kaplan, Ian Springer and Peter Cameron. Kevin Feige is producing the film, which is set to hit the theatres on July 25, 2025. The cast also includes Pedro Pascal as Reed Richards (aka Mr. Fantastic), Vanes

As reported earlier, a new set of 'The Lord of the Rings' films are in development. The first project in it will focus on Andy Serkiss famous Gollum character and will come out in theatres in 2026 through Warner Bros. Serkis is also attached as the director of the project, with the working title,' Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum'. Peter Jackson, the maker of the first three 'Lord of the Rings' films, will produce the project alongside his partners Philippa Boyens and Fran Walsh. Writers B

KOCHI: Actor Ali Fazal will be making his Tamil film debut with 'Thug Life'. Headlined by Kamal Haasan, the filmis helmedby Mani Ratnam. While the details of Alis character arebeing keptunder wraps, the actor expressed hiselationat being a part of the venture. I am truly thrilled to be a part of Mani sirs vision for 'Thug Life', he said, adding, I can only hope I bring something of significance to this canvas. Its also an honour to work alongside Kamal Haasan sir and share notes with himon this.

KOCHI: Earlier, we reported that Biju Menon and Asif Aliare starringin a film titled 'Thalavan', directed by Jis Joy. Now,the makers have announced that the film willbe releasedonMay 24 in theatres worldwide. Biju Menon is working with Jis Joy for the first time, whileAsif Ali has previously collaborated with the filmmaker on 'Bicycle Thieves', 'Sunday Holiday', 'Vijay Superum Pournamiyum', and 'Innale Vare'. The film is written by Anand Thevarkatt and Sarath Perumbavoor. It also stars Dileesh P

BENGALURU: The trailer for the upcoming film 'The Suit', which revolves around the sentiment behind the titular attire, was unveiled by the makers recently, and is now available to watch on the Anand Audio music label. The team also announced that the film will hit the big screens on May 17. S Bhagat Raj, an erstwhile assistant of veteran filmmaker Kashinath, is making his directorial debut with 'The Suit'. The film will feature themes such as love, sex and art and will explore the depth of huma

BENGALURU: When it comes to actor Rishi, we often drift back to his debut in 'Operation Alamelamma', a film that introduced us to fresh talent in Kannada cinema. This actor later showcased his brilliance in 'Kavaludaari', where he played a traffic cop, and a couple of other films. Yet Rishi is someone who believes in the proverbial slow and steady wins the race mantra. I dont mind taking things slowly, he asserts. For me, what matters most is being fully convinced and excited about my projects.

This week American rapper Macklemore released a new track, Hinds Hall, which has gained a lot of attention because of its explicitly political nature. The track is unapologetically pro-Palestine. It declares the artists solidarity with student protesters occupying campuses across the globe in response to the ongoing conflict in Gaza, which the International Court of Justice has said could plausibly be a genocide. The title refers to student protesters renaming Columbia Universitys Hamilton Hall

MUMBAI: Filmmaker Kiran Rao says it is heartening to see LGBTQ stories finding space in mainstream filmmaking, even though the progress has been quite slow. The Laapataa Ladies director serves as a jury member for the narrative segment of the upcoming edition of Kashish Pride Film Festival, South Asia's biggest LGBTQ+ film festival. Rao said the representation of queer people in films and web series has increased but more needs to be done. There's a long way to go before we can stop having to sp

WASHINGTON: Iranian filmmaker Mohammad Rasoulof has been handed an eight-year prison sentence, as reported by his lawyer. In a statement on X, Rasoulof's lawyer Babak Paknia detailed that Iran's Islamic Revolution Court imposed an eight-year prison term on Rasoulof, along with flogging, a fine, and property confiscation. Paknia confirmed that the verdict was upheld in an appellate court and is now pending enforcement. 1/2 #__ ( ) . . Babak Paknia (@DrPakn

MUMBAI: The fifth accused in connection with actor Salman Khan's residence firing case, Mohammad Rafiq Choudhary , arrested from Rajasthan, said that they had conducted reconnaissance not only at Salman Khan's residence but also at the homes of two other Bollywood actors, according to the Mumbai Crime Branch officials. Gangster Lawrence Bishnoi's brother, Anmol Bishnoi, played a key role in motivating the shooters. After receiving weapons delivery in Panvel on March 15, 2024, Anmol provided the