Ranbir Kapoor, Ayan Mukerji on ‘Brahmastra’: ‘We Had The Opportunity To Create Our Own Marvel’ (EXCLUSIVE)

Naman Ramachandran “Agneepath” director Karan Malhotra’s epic “Shamshera” is gearing for a theatrical release in a post-pandemic moment when audiences are flocking back to cinemas.The film is set in the fictitious city of Kaza in the 1800s, where a warrior tribe is imprisoned, enslaved and tortured by ruthless authoritarian general Shudh Singh (Sanjay Dutt). It tells the story of Shamshera (Ranbir Kapoor), an enslaved man who became a leader and then a legend by relentlessly fighting for his tribe’s freedom and dignity.

Stacey Dash is going back to school for a reality TV show, but her first class may be awkward for her: African American studies.The star is taking part in the BET+ reality series, where she and seven other celebrities will live together and attend Texas Southern University. The group — also comprised of NeNe Leakes, Ray J, Lamar Odom, Big Freedia, Dreamdoll, India Love and Slim Thug — will try to expand their educational horizons in the eight-episode series premiering June 27 on BET+.In a sneak peek of the series, the group navigates college life through a celebrity lens while showcasing the unique cultural and academic experience of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU).

Nick Vivarelli International CorrespondentAs Paramount+ prepares for its splashy, star-studded U.K. and Ireland launch in London on Monday, Paramount’s president and CEO of streaming Tom Ryan spoke to Variety about the rebranded company’s global streaming biz expansion that, besides being powered by original content, stands out in the field for its diversified model.This model involves a mix of platforms and partnerships, combining direct-to-consumer and a la carte offerings with a market-by-market approach.

Naman Ramachandran Indian actor Anil Kapoor, known globally for his roles in “Slumdog Millionaire” and “Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol” has a raft of projects lined up.First up is Viacom18 Studios and Dharma Productions’ “Jug Jugg Jeeyo,” directed by Raj Mehta (“Good Newwz”), which is due a June 24 release. The film follows a father and son pair who are considering divorcing their respective spouses, but hold the news back because of impending family festivities.“Sometimes in a serious situation, you feel it is serious, but the way it has been written, the way the storytelling is, it’s very funny,” Kapoor told Variety.

Marta Balaga Anim’ato Mada, a new workshop for animators, was announced at the Annecy Intl. Animation Festival on Thursday.

Naman Ramachandran Global short film network ShortsTV has launched its SVOD service on Amazon Prime Video Channels in the U.S.The service is available as an add-on subscription to Prime members at $1.99 per month after a seven-day free trial. Available at launch are 500 short films, including “The Continuing and Lamentable Saga of the Suicide Brothers,” starring Kiera Knightley and Rupert Friend; “Nancy, Sid & Sergio,” starring Charlie Cox; “Silent Things,” starring Andrew Scott, “Interstate,” starring Gina Rodriguez; and “Hotel,” starring Art Malik.In addition, alongside ShortTV’s annual theatrical release of Oscar nominated shorts, Prime members will also get access to these, as well as original shows taking audiences behind the scenes on the road to the Oscars, including leading film festivals and award shows including the BAFTAs, and interviews with award-winning filmmakers.

Naman Ramachandran “Tanaav,” the Indian adaptation of hit Israeli series “Fauda,” will debut on streamer SonyLIV. Set in Kashmir in 2017 and shot on locations there, “Tanaav,” which means tension, chaos, stress, tells the story of a Special Covert Ops Unit over 12 episodes.

Bollywood star Ranveer Singh is heading into the harsh forests of Serbia with adventurer Bear Grylls in an interactive special for Netflix India.

Emilio Mayorga Cinema Management Group (CMG) has inked multiple new sales deals for César Zelada’s sophomore feature “Kayara,” an animated teen-empowerment fable produced by Lima-based Tunche Films in co-production with India’s Toonz Media Group via its Canary Islands-based Fortoon Island.In the latest wave of sales, Mis. Label Aps has acquired “Kayara” for Scandinavia, Films4You for Portugal, Bir for Turkey, Bohemia for Czech and Slovak Republics, Blitz for Ex-Yugoslavia, Five Star for Israel, Muse for Taiwan, Singapore and Malaysia, Falcon for Indonesia, and Mongol Films Distribution for Mongolia.“With the continued interest in authentic, indigenous animated stories, we are confident ‘Kayara’ will, like our previous animated hit ‘Ainbo: Spirit of the Amazon,’ be licensed to blue-chip independent distributors in every territory around the world for release in 2024,” CMG President Edward Noeltner told Variety.

Coming off of an Oscar win for his short-animated film The Windshield Wiper, Alberto Mielgo is continuing his exploration of the meaning of love and the many forms it takes in “Jibaro”, his latest addition to the Love Death + Robots anthology.

Naman Ramachandran Amazon Prime Video India has set its first Tamil-language long-form scripted original series, “Suzhal – The Vortex,” written and created by Pushkar and Gayatri (“Vikram Vedha”).The eight-part crime thriller revolves around the investigation of a missing girl that wreaks havoc and disrupts the fabric of a small town in South India. It is produced by Wallwatcher Films and directed by Bramma and Anucharan M.

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 “Sex Education” producer Eleven has revealed a cast of rising stars for upcoming BBC and Netflix horror series “Red Rose.”Created by the Clarkson Twins – Michael and Paul (“See,” “The Haunting of Bly Manor”), the eight-part series explores the relationship between teenagers and their online lives. Set over a long hot summer following high school, the teens’ friendships are infiltrated by the Red Rose app, which blooms on their smartphones, threatening them with dangerous consequences if they don’t meet its demands.

Michele Amabile Angermiller Epic Records has promoted Ayanna Wilks to vice president of publicity and has hired Natalie Geday as VP of publicity as well.Both report to Melissa Victor, SVP and head of publicity for the Sony Music label. Both are based in Los Angeles.Wilks (pictured at left) was previously senior director of public relations and has worked on the media campaigns for Giveon, Bia and Mimi Webb as well as newcomers India Shawn, Melvoni and MK xyz, among others.

Naman Ramachandran India’s Kamal Haasan is a true multi-hyphenate. Beginning as a child actor in 1960, he is one of the country’s most consummate actors with films like “Pathinaru Vayathinile” (1977) “Moondram Pirai” (1982) “Nayakan” (1987), “Thevar Magan” (1992) and “Vishwaroopam” (2013) behind him.He also produces via his Raajkamal Films International (RKFI), writes, directs, and runs the  Makkal Needhi Maiam political party.The upcoming “Vikram,” directed by Lokesh Kanagaraj (“Master”) and costarring Fahadh Fasil (“Maalik”) Vijay Sethupathi (“Kadaisi Vivasayi”), will be Haasan’s first release since 2018’s “Vishwaroopam 2.” It is produced by RKFI.Haasan was at the Cannes Market to launch NFTs based on “Vikram” from Fantico, a digital licensed platform of Singapore’s Vistas Media Capital.

Naman Ramachandran Indian activist filmmaker Pa. Ranjith has revealed an extensive production slate featuring top stars and socially relevant themes.Ranjith was at the Cannes Film Market, where he revealed “Vettuvam”, a linked film and TV series, a co-production between his and Aditi Anand’s Neelam Studios and Golden Ratio Films, the film production arm of Vistas Media Capital.First up for Ranjith is “Natchathiram Nagargirathu,” starring Dushara Vijayan (“Sarpatta Parambarai”), Kalaiyarasan Harikrishnan (“Kuthiraivaal”) and Kalidas (“Paava Kadhaigal”). The film is set against the backdrop of the Tamil-language theater scene and explores different facets of love that go beyond gender, and includes straight and LGBTQ+ romances, Ranjith says.

Naman Ramachandran Rotem Shamir, whose credits include hit series “Fauda” and “Hostages” will make his Indian film debut as director of “Garud.”Inspired by real events, “Garud” will present a fictionalized depiction of the rescue mission in Afghanistan, based on the story of a police officer and his team of special forces.The film will be produced by Ajay Kapoor (“Attack”) for Ajay Kapoor Productions and Subhash Kale for Vikrant Studio. The cast is being finalized.Kapoor said: ” ‘Garud’ is a huge project for me, I’m emotionally driven to the film and want to give it the best treatment possible.

Elsa Keslassy International CorrespondentSony Pictures Classics has acquired Sylvain Chomet’s “The Magnificent Life of Marcel Pagnol,” an animated feature about the life of the legendary author Marcel Pagnol. The deal covers all rights for North America, Latin America, Scandinavia, Middle East, Israel, India, Italy, and worldwide airlines and ships at sea in all languages.Two of Chomet’s previous films, “The Triplets of Belleville” and “The Illusionist” were also distributed by Sony Pictures Classics.

Naman Ramachandran Michel Fessler, co-writer of “Little Nicholas,” selected at Cannes this year as a special screening, has boarded Ravi K. Chandran’s “Tamara” as scriptwriter.Based on a story by Paris-based playwright and actor Vasanth Selvam (“Dheepan”), the film will follow 26-year-old Indian origin woman Tamara from Camargue in the south of France, who seeks her roots in the southern Indian territory Pondicherry, which was once a French colony.

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.