India Showbiz Latest News and Updates

Naman Ramachandran Amazon MGM Studios, in collaboration with India’s Excel Entertainment and Tiger Baby, has released the trailer for its upcoming Hindi-language original film, “Superboys of Malegaon.” “Superboys of Malegaon” is set to make its world premiere at the Toronto Film Festival on Sept. 13, followed by its European premiere at the BFI London Film Festival on Oct. 10.

Aruna Vasudev, a champion of Asian cinema and Network for the Promotion of Asian Cinema (NETPAC) founder, passed away on September 5 at the age of 88.

Alex Ritman “The Ritual,” the upcoming exorcism horror in which Al Pacino and Dan Stevens play troubled priests, has sold out for most international territories by XYZ Films. From director David Midell, the film was written by Midell and Enrico Natale, and produced by Andrew Stevens, Mitchell Welch and Natale.

Netflix has updated the opening disclaimer for Indian series IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack after the show sparked controversy in the country.

Naman Ramachandran Aruna Vasudev, founder of publication Cinemaya and the Network for the Promotion of Asian Cinema (NETPAC), died on Thursday of multiple age-related ailments in New Delhi, India. She was 88. Vasudev was a key figure in promoting Asian cinema on the global stage.

Jamie Lang Serial Maven Studios has given Variety exclusive access to the trailer for Neil Diamond and Joanne Robertson’s “So Surreal: Behind the Masks,” a Native American documentary world premiering at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival. The film follows Cree filmmaker Neil Diamond (“Reel Injun,” “Red Fever”) as he studies the anthropological connection between Yup’ik and Northwest Coast ceremonial masks and surrealist artists inspired by them.

Marta Balaga Poland’s American Film Festival is continuing to bet on U.S. independent films, ignoring the Hollywood blockbusters and bigger budget auteur films from the mini-majors. “The fest selects a very precise type of project – they are real independent films, not in that Independent Spirit Award, less-than-$40 million sense,” says director and producer Rob Rice.

Marta Balaga The challenge is on: the industry sidebar of Poland’s American Film Festival, U.S. in Progress, is ready to top its “exceptionally successful” 2023 edition in November. “U.S.

EXCLUSIVE: James McAvoy‘s upcoming directorial debut California Schemin‘ has pre-sold to a raft of international buyers, including Studiocanal for the UK and Ireland.

A charity food festival is coming back to Manchester next month, raising money for victims of torture.

Naman Ramachandran Nearly 35 years after its original debut at the Venice Film Festival, Peter Brook‘s epic film adaptation of “The Mahabharata” is returning to the Lido in a meticulously restored 8K version. The restoration, spearheaded by the late director’s son Simon, marks a new chapter for the groundbreaking 1989 production that brought the ancient Indian epic to global audiences. “The Mahabharata” holds a unique place in Peter Brook’s storied career.

Naman Ramachandran Tara Gaming Limited has unveiled plans for “Bharatvarsha / The Age of Bharat,” an ambitious entertainment franchise set in ancient India. The venture, which aims to launch its first AAA fantasy video game by late 2026, brings together bestselling author Amish Tripathi and veteran game producer Nouredine Abboud. AAA (triple-A) games are high-budget, high-profile titles typically produced and distributed by major publishers.

Freddie Flintoff's Field of Dreams has drawn to an emotional close, with fans calling for the former cricketer to be knighted.

Naman Ramachandran The 68th BFI London Film Festival has unveiled its star-studded 2024 lineup, featuring Angelina Jolie, Elton John, Daniel Craig, Florence Pugh, Andrew Garfield, Saoirse Ronan, and more in a program boasting 39 world premieres and 12 international premieres among its 253 feature, short, series and immersive works. The festival’s headline gala screenings will showcase a range of high-profile films.

Anna Marie de la Fuente Buenos Aires-based FilmSharks has closed more theatrical deals for Paraguayan horror-maestro Hugo J. Cardozo’s “Do Not Enter” (“No Entres”), which debuts its international trailer in Variety before its Asian premiere at the Busan Film Festival. Busch Media for Germany, Austria and Switzerland, Brazil’s Playarte, Portugal’s Nos Lusomundo and Corazon Films for Mexico have inked theatrical deals for the horror pic, joining previous accords struck with Program Store for France and Russia/CIS’s Nashe Kino.

Naman Ramachandran India’s Film Heritage Foundation (FHF) is set to commemorate the centenary of Telugu cinema legend Akkineni Nageswara Rao with a countrywide film festival. Rao, known for his versatility, worked in the Telugu, Tamil and Hindi-language cinema industries over a 71-year career spanning more than 250 movies. He was a recipient of numerous accolades, including the Padma Vibhushan and Dadasaheb Phalke Award, India’s highest acting honor.

Netflix fans have been left ‘chilled’ by a new series based on real plane hijacking from 1999.The series, IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack tells the story about the longest plane hijacking in Indian history, where passengers were held onboard for seven days. The new series takes place in December 1999, when a plane travelling from Kathmandu to Delhi with more than 175 passengers on board is taken over by masked hijackers.The flight, which was only meant to be one hour long, reroutes a number of times before eventually landing in in Taliban-controlled Afghanistan. Before the final destination, the plane landed in Amritsar in India, Lahore in Pakistan and Dubai, where 27 of the 176 passengers were released although one was fatally stabbed and others wounded.

Tim Chan If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Variety may receive an affiliate commission. Scott Eastwood has taken on a lot of roles since bursting into Hollywood more than a decade ago, but the actor is taking on his most ambitious role yet, as the face — and investor — behind Laundry Sauce, a new laundry brand that pairs stain-fighting ingredients with luxury smelling scents.

Indie filmmaker John Swab’s action thriller King Ivory, a multi-faceted dive into the U.S. fentanyl crisis that weaves together storylines from various angles of the war on drugs, had its world premiere in the Horizons Extra strand at the Venice Film Festival this week. Much of the main cast was on hand to reunite on the Lido after having shot the movie under an interim agreement last year in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Noel Gallagher has been in the hotseat again, and this time it’s fans who have been quizzing him on Oasis’ ‘Definitely Maybe’.In a video posted to Oasis’ YouTube account, Gallagher answered questions that were submitted via oasismynet, a website for fans of the band, earlier this year. They covered the Monnow Valley session, Irish influence in the Oasis sound, and how the album might fare if it came out in 2024, among other topics.When asked if there are any songs on the album that his view has changed on over time, he said that he has “grown more fond” of ‘Supersonic’ over the last few years.

Naman Ramachandran In a landscape where South Indian cinema is reaching new heights, AGS Entertainment is poised to make its mark with its most ambitious project to date. “The Greatest of All Time” (“GOAT“), starring megastar Vijay, is the company’s 25th production. Archana Kalpathi, CEO of Chennai, Tamil Nadu-based, AGS Entertainment and creative producer of “GOAT,” sat down with Variety to discuss this high-stakes venture, the company’s strategic vision, and her perspective on the current golden age of South Indian filmmaking.

Elsa Pataky is celebrating Father’s Day with some super cute photos of husband Chris Hemsworth and their three kids!

Subhash Chandra, chairman emeritus of Indian media giant Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd (ZEEL), has accused Madhabi Puri Buch, chair of regulator Securities and Exchange Board (SEBI) of scuppering the Sony-ZEEL merger. In a press conference on Monday, Chandra alleged that Buch is “corrupt” and “vindictive” and that Zee’s issues with SEBI was the “main reason” that the merger fell apart. In June 2023, SEBI barred ZEEL MD-CEO Punit Goenka and Chandra from holding any managerial or directorial positions in listed companies.

Richard Curtis is back with a new festive flick, just over 20 years since Love Actually debuted. The 2003 film, starring Hugh Grant, Martine McCutcheon and Liam Neeson, is a staple of the festive season.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent French-American actor and director Julie Delpy has tackled culture clash in comedies before in ”Two Days in Paris” and “Two Days in New York,” but it’s never been as poignant as in “Meet the Barbarians,” where she explores the journey of a Syrian family who find refuge in a village in Northern France. The movie, which marks Delpy’s feature comeback after helming the Netflix series “On the Verge,” is set in Paimpont, a small town in France’s Brittany region that is preparing to welcome Ukrainian refugees. But instead of Ukrainians, Syrian refugees settle in town, causing some tension among locals and testing their liberal beliefs.

Metallica‘s ‘Master Of Puppets’ on America’s Got Talent – the first time the band have permitted for their music to appear on the show.Last week, Neelaknatan performed at the quarter finals of America’s Got Talent, where she ripped through a cover of Metallica’s ‘Master Of Puppets’. It marks the first time that the thrash metal legends have ever allowed their music to be performed on the show.She said in a pre-performance vignette: “I’m the first act Metallica have ever given permission to play on AGT.

Are you thinking about visiting the Canary Islands but you’re not sure which one to choose? We hopped around several on P&O’s Spain, Portugal and the Canary Islands cruise – and it’s opened up a whole new way to take a holiday.This 14-day trip on board the ship Britannia calls at Tenerife, Gran Canaria, Lanzarote, Lisbon, Cádiz, La Palma and Madeira, and from world-class entertainment to Michelin-starred meals, there’s a variety of exciting things to get up to on this floating haven. Cooking with Marco Pierre White While a cruise ship may not seem the most obvious place to brush up on your culinary skills, P&O’s Britannia has a dedicated cooking club where top chefs such as Marco Pierre White have residencies.

Naman Ramachandran The restored version of Indian auteur Girish Kasaravalli‘s 1977 Kannada-language debut feature “Ghatashraddha” (“The Ritual”) is set to premiere at the Venice Film Festival. This restoration, a collaboration between Martin Scorsese’s the Film Foundation’s World Cinema Project and Shivendra Singh Dungarpur’s Film Heritage Foundation (FHF), with funding from George Lucas and Mellody Hobson’s Hobson/Lucas Family Foundation, brings the Indian classic back to international audiences 47 years after its initial release. Based on a novella by U.R.

Tourists visiting 'Britain's prettiest village' have been branded vile by fuming locals after they were confronted about blocking residents' driveways. Locals living in Bibury in the Cotswolds claim they have been threatened by visitors - and even punched and kicked by coach drivers.

EXCLUSIVE: Disney+ Hotstar‘s action drama Taaza Khabar will return to the Indian streamer on September 27.

“Where do things truly start?” wonders the narrator of Emmanuel Mouret’s relentlessly middlebrow romantic comedy Trois Amies, a story of three women and their relationships that never feels like it’s ever going to end. Though it lasts just under two hours, it feels as bright and breezy as a flight from Newark to Singapore, spinning a complicated web of emotional intrigue that, finally, seems to go on and on just for the sake of it.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor Donald Trump is the legendary Man of Steel — at least, according to a meme the Republican presidential candidate posted on his Truth Social account. The image shows Trump and various associates and supporters depicted as superhero characters from DC’s cinematic universe. The 45th U.S.

A first official glimpse at the final episodes of Yellowstone‘s fifth season arrived amid talks about the show’s future!

UPDATED: Paramount Network has released the first trailer for the second half of Season 5, which opens with Kevin Costner‘s John Dutton back at the ranch. “Legacy,” he says as the trailer begins, pensively looking off into the distance. “You build something worth having, someone’s going to try to take it.”

Naman Ramachandran Indian filmmaker Ali Abbas Zafar is returning to Yash Raj Films (YRF), the studio where he made his first four films, Variety has learned. Zafar made his feature directorial debut with YRF’s 2011 romantic comedy “Mere Brother Ki Dulhan,” starring Katrina Kaif, Imran Khan and Ali Zafar. The film was a hit and Zafar followed up with the studio’s action film “Gunday” (2014), starring Ranveer Singh, Arjun Kapoor, Priyanka Chopra and Irrfan Khan, which was a massive success.

Even with his sterling career and collection of awards, Manoj Bajpayee was still overjoyed after clinching a Special Mention at India‘s 70th National Film Awards for his role in family drama Gulmohar. The film also won Best Feature Film in Hindi and Best Screenplay (Dialogues).