Sam Heughan and Priyanka Chopra have teamed up to wish their co-star Celine Dion a happy birthday.
12.03.2023 - 08:11 / variety.com
Naman Ramachandran Siva Ananth, one of the producers of Mani Ratnam’s magnum opus “Ponniyin Selvan: 1,” is ecstatic about the film’s rich haul of nominations at the Asian Film Awards. The film has received a total of six nominations, including for best picture. It is an adaptation of Kalki Krishnamurthy’s classic Tamil-language novel. The story is set in 10th century India during a tumultuous time in the Chola empire, when the power struggle between different branches of the ruling family caused violent rifts between the potential successors to the reigning emperor and a civil war became imminent. All the political and military turmoil led to the Cholas becoming the most prosperous and powerful empire in the continent and one of the most successful and longest-reigning in history.
“Ponniyin Selvan” was serialized in the Kalki magazine between 1950 and 1954 and was published as five novels in 1955. Ratnam, alongside Elango Kumaravel and B. Jeyamohan, condensed it into a two-part film, the first part of which released in 2022. “It’s such a big honor, honestly, because ‘Ponniyin Selvan’ is a story that that was written many decades ago, and it represents an era from 1000 years ago. It’s a fictitious but very entertaining representation of Tamil culture. And for that to get global recognition like this is probably the power of cinema. A good story is a good story, so we feel very good about it,” Ananth told Variety. “Technically, this film was a challenge for all the senior technicians, everyone had to work out of their skin. And everyone had to pull out their best cards to achieve this. And for them to get a recognition on a global stage, it can’t be better.” The first part of the film was a massive success, grossing $61
Sam Heughan and Priyanka Chopra have teamed up to wish their co-star Celine Dion a happy birthday.
The Issa Brothers, who own Asda, are 'considering an £8bn takeover of sandwich giant Subway', according to reports.
Users of "very common medicines" are being asked not to buy in bulk as shoppers are being warned of shortages on pharmacy shelves.
Tatiana Siegel On a chilly Oscars eve, Donnie Yen has just returned from the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, where he was rehearsing for the Academy Awards along with a slew of fellow global superstar presenters like Spain’s Antonio Banderas and India’s Deepika Padukone. The “John Wick: Chapter 4” scene-stealer, who hails from southern China, feels good about how the following night might unfold, namely for his friend and Hong Kong neighbor Michelle Yeoh. Her victory and that of “Everything Everywhere All at Once” would be a landmark moment for Asian representation, he says. “I’ve known her for more than 20 years, and that’s one of the reasons I’m here — to support her and share in a possible historical moment,” he says of his “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Sword of Destiny” co-star. “And ‘Everything Everywhere All at Once’ has a lot of Chinese language and it talks about the Chinese heritage, which I find out has been so accepted and embraced here. So, that really warmed my heart. I’m sure hoping for Michelle.”
Tribal Alliance Against Frauds is now demanding the Academy and the producer drop her “false claims” while activists insist she’s at best 1/2048th Cherokee.The group accuses her of profiting from usurping “real American Indian voices and perspectives” and being a fraudulent so-called “Pretendian.”Rae is married to another Hollywood producer, Russell Friedenberg, and the eldest of their three children is actress Johnny Sequoyah, who currently stars in the reboot of Dexter. Ironically, Rae was already caught up in the highest-profile “Pretendian” scandal to hit Hollywood.
Naman Ramachandran Real life husband and wife couple, celebrity cricketer Virat Kohli and Bollywood star Anushka Sharma, are merging their respective foundations – Anushka Sharma Foundation and Virat Kohli Foundation – to launch SeVVA, a joint non-profit initiative aimed at helping those in need. Sharma and Kohli said in a joint statement: “In the words of Kahlil Gibran ‘for in truth it is life that gives unto life – while you, who deem yourself a giver, are but a witness.’ With this sentiment in mind, we have decided to work together through SeVVA aiming to reach out to as many people as possible. SeVVA’s work won’t be confined to a particular issue as it will continue to strive for social good by championing humanity which is the need of the hour today.”
EXCLUSIVE: The UK Asian Film Festival celebrates its 25th anniversary this year, and today, Deadline can share the official lineup for the jubilee edition, running at venues across the UK from May 4 — 14.
Naman Ramachandran After “Mulk” (2018), “Article 15” (2019), “Thappad” (2020) and “Anek” (2022), filmmaker Anubhav Sinha is back with “Bheed,” another hard-hitting film that shines a light on the fabric of Indian society. The film is set during the 2020 Indian pandemic lockdown and tells the poignant story of migrant workers stranded without basic necessities while trying to go home to their villages. Shot in black and white, it is deliberately evocative of the 1947 partition of the Indian subcontinent into India and Pakistan when people were uprooted from their homes in the largest migration in history. “When the pandemic hit, people were seeking help on Twitter. Everybody had different strengths so we were helping each other and, and I really got sucked into it. And that was the time when I felt that this film had to be made, this period of time has to be recorded, and I didn’t want it to be just a Coronavirus film,” Sinha told Variety. “I’ve put in a Bob Marley quote in the beginning of the film, ‘If you know your history, then you would know where you coming from’.”
Manori Ravindran Executive Editor of International Nearly a week after the Oscars, the hurt and disappointment of a missed opportunity still weighs heavily on the minds of some South Asian American dancers, who are setting out to ensure it never happens again. Many in the South Asian dance community were dismayed by the astonishing dearth of South Asian representation in the “Naatu Naatu” performance at Sunday’s Academy Awards. While singers Rahul Sipligunj and Kaala Bhairava were on hand to perform their hit tune from Tollywood smash “RRR” — which made history for India that night by winning best original song — they were joined on stage by not a single dancer of South Asian heritage.
President Museveni has called for doctors to explain why gay people are deviants (Photo: GODL-India)
told IndieWire it would be “incorrect” to say that there were few, if any, without clarifying further.)The Academy did not comment further on the backlash. In an interview with AMPAS’ magazine A.frame, producer Raj Kapoor said he worked with the film’s creative team – including producers, public relations representatives, and composer M.M.
Indo-Canadian singer AP Dhillon rocked the stage at the 2023 Juno Awards.
Top executives from Asian media companies including CJ ENM, Zee Entertainment Enterprises, BEC World and Bona Film Group discussed Asia’s changing media landscape on the first day of Hong Kong’s Filmart.
Julia MacCary editor “There’s nowhere you can walk in this country that is not Native land,” said IllumiNative founder and executive director Crystal Echo Hawk at Rising Native Voices, the Variety and IllumiNative event in partnership with SXSW on Saturday. IllumiNative, which is a Native woman-run social justice organization, DIGA Studios and Madica Productions recently announced their documentary-style podcast “American Genocide: The Crimes of Native American Boarding Schools.” The six-episode podcast examines the human rights violations against Indigenous children at Native American boarding schools, looking for answers specifically at Red Cloud Indian School in Pine Ridge, S.D.
Naman Ramachandran Superstar Rajinikanth, Bollywood star Ajay Devgn, Telugu cinema star Mahesh Babu and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi were among those celebrating India’s double win at the Oscars. “Naatu Naatu” by composer M.M. Keeravaani and lyricist Chandrabose from S.S. Rajamouli’s “RRR” won best original song, while director Kartiki Gonsalves and producer Guneet Monga’s “The Elephant Whisperers” won best documentary short subject. “My hearty congratulations to Shri. Keeravani, Shri. Rajamouli and Shri. Kartiki Gonsalves for getting the prestigious Oscar Award. I salute to the proud Indians,” Rajinikanth tweeted.
Naman Ramachandran Asian content heavyweights revealed their thoughts on several subjects at a panel called “The Asian Wave in 2023 and Beyond” on March 13, the opening day of FilMart in Hong Kong. The lively session, moderated by Variety‘s Asia editor Patrick Frater, featured Sebastian Kim, director of international content sales and acquisition at Korea’s CJ ENM, Sanmesh Thakur, executive VP and territory head, Asia Pacific, at India’s Zee Entertainment Enterprises and Ziraviss Vindhanapisuth, VP, international business at Thailand’s BEC World Public Company. The evergreen topic of co-production was discussed in some depth. Kim said: “We’ve been looking for this formula for decades and for now, we find that the best formula of co-production is more like an adaptation of the original — A place to B place production — that’s how we’ve been doing it.”
Director Kartiki Gonsalves and producer Guneet Monga became the first Indian filmmakers to claim competitive Oscars after their short documentary The Elephant Whisperers won the Academy Award tonight.
95th Oscars.It won’t be easy. On paper, this year’s Academy Awards seem to have things working in their favor.
Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief The much-decorated Japanese drama “Drive My Car” was named the best film Sunday at the Asian Film Awards, defeating hot favorite “Decision to Leave.” Other notable awards went to Japan’s Hirokazu Kore-eda whose “Broker” debuted at Cannes, but which was largely shunned in his home country. “Decision to Leave,” which started the evening with ten nominations, was nevertheless rewarded with three awards, best screenplay, best production design and best actress for China’s Tang Wei.
Amazon Studios & MGM Boss Jennifer Salke and Citadel star Priyanka Chopra Jonas sat down today in what is one of few entertainment business discussions here at SXSW and interviewed each other on an array of topics including pay parity for lead actresses and launching a tentpole series for a global audience. Spy series Citadel, produced by AGBO’s Russo Brothers, drops its first two episodes on Prime on April 28.