City Mumbai Showbiz Latest News and Updates

Indian Matchmaking host Sima Taparia doesn’t believe the Netflix series lives up to the reality of the system, as she returns to matchmake clients around the world for series two. ‘Aunty Sima from Mumbai’ is back and this time around, she’s reuniting with a few old faces like Pradhyuman Maloo and Nadia Jagessar as well as new ones as she matches biodatas and sets up some dates. Along the way, there’s dating fails, meeting-the-families on a first date, and wish-lists that cover everything under the sun from Taco Bell lovers to man-buns.

India has always been a popular destination for international productions, hosting everything from European independent films and British series, most recently ITV’s Beecham House and Netflix/BBC’s A Suitable Boy, to studio movies like Christopher Nolan’s Tenet and Netflix’s Chris Hemsworth-starrer Extraction.

Naman Ramachandran Acclaimed filmmaker Mahesh Narayanan and popular actor-producer Kunchacko Boban are re-teaming for “Ariyippu” (“Declaration”), the first Indian film in Locarno’s international competition in 17 years.The Malayalam-language film follows Hareesh (Boban) and Reshmi (Divya Prabha), an immigrant couple from Kerala working in a medical gloves factory near Delhi, who aspire to go abroad for a better life. During the COVID-19 lockdowns, when an old video resurfaces among the factory workers, it opens up a Pandora’s box that threatens the couple’s jobs and marriage.Narayanan got the germ of the film’s idea from a newspaper article about a female bank employee who had approached the Mumbai high court demanding a “declaration” clarifying that a video which had been circulated in her bank was a look alike and not her.

Lollapalooza has announced its upcoming venture into India with a festival scheduled to run in late January next year.Announced via Lollapalooza’s official accounts on social media, the inaugural edition of Lollapalooza India is currently scheduled to run on January 28 and 29 in “the heart of Mumbai”.

Naman Ramachandran The Russo brothers and Ritesh Sidhwani and Farhan Akhtar’s Indian production house Excel Entertainment (“Gully Boy,” “Made in Heaven”) are exploring a partnership. Joe and Anthony Russo were in Mumbai for the premiere and press meet for Netflix film “The Gray Man,” following which they met with Akhtar and Sidhwani.

Will Smith has not been seen in public since April, nearly a month after he slapped Chris Rock at the Academy Awards, but is he currently laying low with his family or is he still residing in India? The star was spotted in Mumbai just a few weeks after the headline-making altercation and looked calm and collected as he was greeted by fans. MORE: Where is Will Smith? - Three months on from Chris Rock Oscars slapHis wife, Jada Pinkett meanwhile stayed in Los Angeles and continued to work on her Red Table Talk show, leaving fans wondering when they'll be reunited. WATCH: Will Smith and Jada Pinkett's marriage Neither Will nor his longtime wife have given away their summer plans but there is buzz online that he may still be abroad.The Hindustan Times reported that while Will was in India, he stayed at the JW Marriott Hotel Juhu, a 5-star rated luxury resort by the beach that features both an infinity pool and a salt water pool.MORE: Chris Rock makes huge career announcement after Will Smith Oscars altercationMORE: Will Smith features in video as son Jaden celebrates his birthday Will apologized to Chris Rock and his fans after his Oscars slap and a number of his famous friends have since come out to give an update on their celebrity pal.  Will has had the support of his wife and children Most recently, Kevin Hart spoke to Entertainment Tonight and said: "Will is apologetic, you know, he's in a better space, of course, than what he was after."People are human and as humans sometimes we make mistakes.

Ubisoft has shared that the development of Splinter Cell VR, Ghost Recon: Frontline and two other unannounced titles have been cancelled.This was revealed during Ubisoft’s recent earnings call, where chief financial officer Frederick Duguet revealed Ubisoft would be undergoing “sizeable cost optimisation” in the upcoming fiscal year. With this in mind, Ghost Recon: Frontline, Splinter Cell VR and the two unannounced games have been cancelled so Ubisoft can put more resources into the company’s “biggest development opportunities” (via PC Gamer).Splinter Cell VR was announced in late 2020 for release on Oculus devices.

Naman Ramachandran The Russo brothers have revealed that their “Gray Man” assassin Avik San (also known as the Lone Wolf), played by Tamil cinema star Dhanush, could very well return.In the Anthony and Joe Russo’s Netflix movie, when the CIA’s most skilled operative accidentally uncovers dark agency secrets, a psychopathic former colleague puts a bounty on his head, setting off a global manhunt by international assassins. One of them happens to be Dhanush’s Avik San — a killer with a moral code.Speaking at a press event in Mumbai on Thursday, Joe Russo said: “It’s based on a book series, so there is the opportunity to expand this into future movies.

When Yash Raj Films’ Shamshera opens at the Indian box office tomorrow, all eyes in Mumbai’s Hindi-language film industry, popularly known as Bollywood, will be closely watching the release.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefAustralia-set fantasy-drama “Boy Swallows” is to shoot in Brisbane, Queensland from next month. The series is an adaptation of Trent Dalton’s international best-selling novel “Boy Swallows Universe” and is being produced by Brouhaha Entertainment for streaming platform Netflix.“Boy Swallows Universe” follows working-class Brisbane teenager Eli Bell in a whirlwind story about drug addiction, ex-cons, poverty, violence and the discovery of hope through the power of love, said local screen agency Screen Queensland.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefAbhishek Rege, currently CEO of Endemol Shine India, is to leave the company after 15 years in multiple roles. His successor has not been announced.Rege joined Endemol in 2007 as head of commercial and legal, and was then promoted to COO in 2012.

Naman Ramachandran Leading entertainment marketing and content production company Trailer Park Group is continuing its Asia Pacific expansion drive with the hiring of two key executives.The company, which recently acquired Mumbai-based boutique creative agency White Turtle Studios, has appointed Tamagna Ghosh as APAC MD, and Gina Grosso as senior VP of global production, both reporting into group CEO Rick Eiserman. Specializing in streaming, film, gaming, technology and lifestyle brand clients, including Amazon, Disney, HBO, Netflix and Xbox, the group has production capabilities across its specialty studios – Trailer Park, Art Machine, MXW, Mirada, and now White Turtle Studios.Mumbai-based Ghosh joins from Amazon India, where during his six years as head of creative marketing for Prime Video, he led campaigns for hit originals “The Family Man,” “Mirzapur,” “Paatal Lok” and “Made in Heaven.” During a previous stint with Walt Disney Studios he introduced Indian localized theatrical marketing strategies for the Avengers and Star Wars franchises and for “The Jungle Book.” He will be in charge of Trailer Park’s expansion across the APAC entertainment and gaming landscape, which is expected to include further mergers and acquisitions and significant investment in state-of-the-art technology.

Will Smith shocked the celebrity world by slapping Chris Rock at the Oscars. The Men in Black actor thrust himself and his family further into the limelight with the incident but has since retreated. MORE: Will Smith receives upsetting career news in wake of the OscarsWill hasn't posted on social media since he issued an apology for his actions and called violence in all of its forms, "poisonous," and "destructive".WATCH: Will and Jada-Pinkett Smith's marriage He turned comments off on the post but they remain on the photos posted ahead of the attack.Many fans are still asking him if he is ok and saying that they miss him. Will hasn't responded, leaving his followers wondering what has happened to him. MORE: Tyler Perry reveals Will Smith's reaction after slapping Chris Rock MORE: Will Smith's family celebrate special milestone involving his nephewHe was all smiles when he emerged in Mumbai on 23 April where he was seen for the first time since the Academy Awards.  Will slapped Chris Rock for making a joke about his wife Jada-Pinkett's alopeciaWill was snapped by paparazzi outside his hotel and also posed for pictures with fans TMZ reported.

City Football Group (CFG), the owners of Manchester City, are hoping to add an 11th club to their resume.

“Nimona” for Annapurna Pictures and Netflix and the animated “Garfield” movie set at Alcon Entertainment and Sony, as well as Locksmith’s next animated title “That Christmas.” They’re also working on an unannounced episodic animated title for a streamer. Prior to DNEG, Burton had worked within animation for both Disney Animation and DreamWorks.

Naman Ramachandran Shailaja Padindala’s Kannada-language film “Naanu Ladies” won best narrative feature and Pedro Peira’s English and Spanish-language film “LA QueenCianera” best documentary feature at the 2022 Kashish LGBTQ+ film festival in Mumbai.Gujarati-language shorts “Muhafiz” by Pradipta Ray and “Dal Bhat” by Nemil Shah” won best Indian narrative short and the Riyad Wadia Award for best emerging Indian filmmaker respectively. “Muhafiz” also won best screenplay for Ray and Ashutosh Pathak.Padindala said: “ ‘Naanu Ladies’ is a film attempting to identify cis-het culture [as it] weaves itself into the queerness of everyday life.

EXCLUSIVE: U.S. marketing giant Trailer Park Group has taken its first steps into India with the acquisition of Mumbai-based creative agency White Turtle Studios.

Naman Ramachandran Varun Agarwal’s bestseller “How I Braved Anu Aunty and Co-Founded a Million Dollar Company” is being adapted as young-adult comedy-drama film “Bas Karo Aunty!”The project is backed by some of the biggest names in Bollywood, including the “Dangal” director Nitesh Tiwari and “Break Point” filmmaker Ashwini Iyer Tiwari’s Earthsky Pictures, Ronnie Screwvala’s RSVP, Siddharth Roy Kapur’s Roy Kapur Films and Star Studios.The film is about today’s youth and their dilemmas, the thrills, risks, and romance of embarking on a new life path and chasing one’s dreams, and aims to capture the zeitgeist and entrepreneurial spirit of young India. It is directed by debutant filmmaker Abhishek Sinha and written by Nitesh Tiwari and Nikhil Mehrotra (“Chhichhore”).

Naman Ramachandran Indian actor Jackie Shroff (“Sooryavanshi”) will play the lead in Singapore-France-India co-production “Slow Joe,” it was revealed at the Cannes Film Market.Shroff will play the late Indian musician Joseph Manuel Da Rocha, known as Slow Joe, a former heroin addict and drug dealer who was born in Mumbai, was disowned by his family, heartbroken at 50 and who moved to Goa and cleaned up. On a trip to Goa in 2007, Lyon-based French musician Cédric de la Chapelle met Joe, now a frail 64-year-old who was making ends meet as a hotel room broker. Joe, also a poet and musician, sang for de la Chapelle, who was captivated by his voice and recorded some of his a cappella songs.Back in France, de la Chapelle played Joe’s songs for music producer Olivier Boccon-Gibod of Horizon Musiques, who was also entranced.

Naman Ramachandran Deaf Crocodile Films and Gratitude Films have acquired Indian films “Lalanna’s Song” and “Dhuin” for North American distribution. The deals were completed during the Cannes Market.“Dhuin” is one of six Indian titles selected by India’s Ministry of Information and Broadcasting for a market screening.

Naman Ramachandran Netflix has boarded “Darlings,” headlined by top Bollywood star Alia Bhatt and directed by feature debutant Jasmeet K. Reen.Written by Reen, Parveez Sheikh (“Queen”) and Vijay Maurya (Disney+ Hotstar series “The Great Indian Murder”), “Darlings” is billed as a dark comedy which explores the lives of a mother-daughter duo trying to find their place in Mumbai, seeking courage and love in exceptional circumstances while fighting against all odds.The film is produced by Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan’s Red Chillies Entertainment and Bhatt’s Eternal Sunshine Productions.

EXCLUSIVE: Aaron Kaplan’s Kapital Entertainment, Crazy Rich Asians producer SK Global, Jeff Sagansky and Florence Sloan have teamed to launch Jaya Entertainment, a content company focused on developing, producing and financing premium international series. Top TV producer Kaplan, prominent media investor Sagansky, Sloan and SK Global (via Ivanhoe Pictures) previously partnered in a Mumbai-based venture that produces hit Hindi-language Netflix series Delhi Crime, which won the International Emmy Award for Best Drama Series and returns for a second season on the streamer later this year.

Naman Ramachandran Principal photography has wrapped on “The Storyteller,” directed by Ananth Narayan Mahadevan (Busan title “Bittersweet”).The film is based on Indian Oscar winner Satyajit Ray’s short story “Golpo Boliye Tarini Khuro.” In the story about originality versus plagiarism, Ray was raising the question: “What is more important – the story or the storyteller?”A restored version of Ray’s “The Adversary” is playing at the Cannes Classics strand of the Cannes Film Festival.The cast includes Paresh Rawal (Amazon Prime Video film “Sharmaji Namkeen”), Adil Hussain (“Star Trek: Discovery”), Revathi (Netflix anthology “Navarasa”) and Tannishtha Chatterjee (Busan title “Roam Rome Mein”).The film is produced by billionaire Mukesh Ambani’s Jio Studios (Netflix film “Dasvi”) in association with Purpose Entertainment (“Hotel Mumbai”) and Quest Films (Busan Kim Ji-seok Award winner “The Rapist”). Mahadevan said: “As part of the celebrations around the life and work of the legend Satyajit Ray, we are very happy and honored to share our own humble homage to the master storyteller.

Naman Ramachandran Paris and Mumbai-based production service company La Fabrique Films is looking forward to a further surge in business in the wake of new Indian filming incentives that were announced in Cannes.International productions filming in India can be reimbursed up to 35% of qualifying production spend in the country.La Fabrique, which specializes in European films shooting in India, has been operational since 2013 and films they have provided production services for include “Les Cowboys,” “The Best Is Yet to Come” and “And Tomorrow We Will Be Dead.” La Fabrique has just wrapped work on Laetitia Colombani’s “The Braid” and company principals Déborah Benattar and Javed Wani are currently attending the Cannes Film Market. The initial reimbursement for international shoots in India is 30%, which can go up by an additional 5% for productions employing 15% or more manpower in India.“The incentives will be a great advantage for foreign producers who decide to come and shoot in India also, because there is this bonus of 5%, they may want to employ more Indian technicians, because, from our experience, we have amazing technicians in India.

Will Smith spoke with David Letterman about “pain” and protecting one’s family prior to this year’s Oscars and the subsequent ‘slap heard ’round the world.’

Naman Ramachandran Australian film “The Laugh of Lakshmi,” by renowned theater director turned filmmaker S. Shakthidharan, will be one of the first films to make use of the newly announced Indian filming incentives.The film, a dance drama, is the story of a mother and a son separated by war.

Naman Ramachandran “The Boy Who Belonged to the Sea,” the multiple award-winning 2001 novel by Canadian author Denis Theriault, has been acquired for film adaptation by fledgeling U.K. outfit the White Lotus Picture Company.Set on the rugged north shore of the Gulf of St.

Indian superstar Salman Khan has teased his fans with a picture of him in action on the set of his upcoming film Kabhi Eid Kabhi Diwali.

Netflix’s upcoming Indian musical drama The Archies from director Zoya Akhtar has set its cast. The ensemble, who play characters from the iconic Archie Comics franchise, includes emerging talent such as Mihir Ahuja (Bard of Blood), Khushi Kapoor (The Garhwal Rifles) and Shah Rukh Khan’s daughter Suhana Khan in a but role.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefIndian activist filmmaker Pa. Ranjith is to begin production later this year on “Vettuvam” (aka “The Hunted”), a linked film and TV series about standing up to injustice and which is largely set in a prison.The projects are backed by Golden Ratio Films, the film production arm of Vistas Media Capital, and Neelam Studios.The story involves a rural gangster, who is a modern day Robin Hood to his people, but who turns himself in to the police in order to avoid his enemies.

K.J. Yossman Sir William Sargent, CEO and founding member of Oscar-winning VFX studio Framestore, whose work includes blocbusters such as “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” and “No Time to Die,” has revealed he is stepping down.Chief operating officer Mel Sullivan will replace him, with a mandate to focus on the company’s strategic direction.Sargant, who has been at Framestore for 26 years, will remain with the wider business, focusing on the Framestore Company 3 Group.CFO Claire Price will oversee the finances of Framestore and Company 3 from July while Fiona Walkinshaw is upped to CEO of film and episodic and Charles Howell serves as president of global advertising and content.

Naman Ramachandran South Asian focused streamer ZEE5 Global and BBC Studios India have partnered to create a slate of Hindi-language originals across genres, commencing with series “The Broken News,” an adaptation of Mike Bartlett’s BBC show “Press,” directed by Vinay Waikul (Netflix’s “Aranyak”). The plot turns on two rival news channels based in Mumbai – Awaaz Bharati, an independent, ethical news channel, and Josh 24/7 News, which offers sensationalist and invasive journalism, and what transpires between the main characters in their quest for news.

Naman Ramachandran Shivkumar Sharma, Hindustani classical musician and co-composer of several memorable Bollywood film soundtracks for the late Yash Chopra, died on Tuesday in Mumbai. He was 84.

EXCLUSIVE: Bollywood multi-hyphenate Farhan Akhtar will be part of the cast of Disney Plus’ upcoming series Ms. Marvel, Deadline has learned. Details regarding the character are under wraps, though his participation has been couched as a guest-starring role.

Will Smith is working to move forward following his high-profile Oscars altercation. A source tells ET that the star «has been going to therapy after the Oscars incident,» in which he stormed onstage and slapped Chris Rock in the face over a joke aimed at Smith's wife, Jada Pinkett Smith.ET has reached out to Smith's reps for comment.The news comes nearly two weeks after Smith — who went on to win the Oscar for Best Actor shortly after the infamous slap — was spotted in public for the first time in India.Smith arrived at a private airfield in Mumbai on April 23, where a horde of paparazzi awaited his arrival.

Adam Thomas has spoken about the moment he tried to save his dad's life. Dougie James, a much-loved Manchester music promoter and lead singer of the 1970s band Dougie James and the Soul Train, died in November 2020, aged 72.