Shekhar Kapur, Preity Zinta, Dibakar Banerjee Lead International Art Machine Slate (EXCLUSIVE)

Video: Beyoncé and Billie Eilish confirmed to perform at Oscars (Cover Video)Jared Leto aborde le sujet de son éternelle jeunesseNEWS OF THE WEEK: Beyoncé and Billie Eilish confirmed to perform at OscarsNEWS OF THE WEEK: Justin Bieber dismisses defamation lawsuitNEWS OF THE WEEK: John Travolta earns 737 plane licenceNEWS OF THE WEEK: Chrissy Teigen completes latest round of IVFNEWS OF THE WEEK: Kylie Jenner announces son is no longer named WolfNEWS OF THE WEEK: Rosamund Pike joins protest outside Russian embassy in LondonNEWS OF THE WEEK: Daddy Yankee retiring from musicNEWS OF THE WEEK: Amy Schumer wanted Ukraine President Zelenskyy to make virtual appearance at OscarsNEWS OF THE WEEK: Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall replaces Meghan, Duchess of Sussex as National Theatre patronNEWS OF THE WEEK: Kanye West has been barred from performing at the 2022 Grammy Awards due to "concerning online behaviour"NEWS OF THE WEEK: Norman Reedus 'getting better' after accident on set of The Walking DeadNEWS OF THE WEEK: Shawn Mendes reflects on new 'reality' following Camila Cabello splitIN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Maluma launches debut clothing collectionIN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Meghan, Duchess of Sussex to explore labels 'that hold women back' in new podcastCardi B and Offset to guest star on Baby Shark's Big Show! Reacting to her performance, the star wrote on Twitter, "I literally was just in Puerto Rico less than 24 hrs ago performing, my dress had just came in last night from India, and that was thee FIRST FEMALE RAP PERFORMANCE at the OSCARS ever ! Im definitely in grind mode (sic). " The We Don't Talk About Bruno number followed Colombian singer Sebastián Yatra's rendition of Dos Oruguitas, Encanto's Best Original Song nominee.

Naman Ramachandran Disney Plus Hotstar, in association with All3Media International, is readying an Indian adaptation of IFTA-winning series “Blood.”Created by Sophie Petzal, the series starred Adrian Dunbar (“Line of Duty”) and Grainne Keenan (“The Wife”), and is a psychological thriller about familial bonds, memories, and the past’s impact on the present. The Indian adaptation will be under the Hotstar Specials label with Gurmmeet Singh as showrunner and Mihir Desai as director.

Refresh for latest…: After setting a new opening day record for a local title in India, S.S. Rajamouli’s RRR (Rise! Roar! Revolt!) continued a strong run in the home market throughout the weekend and picked up an estimated $3.8M from 16 offshore hubs along with $9.5M from North America.

S.S. Rajamouli’s highly-anticipated Telugu title RRR has come roaring out of the gate, both at home and abroad. With an estimated 137 crore ($18M) on Friday in India, the epic smashed records to set the best opening day for a local film ever. In so doing, Rajamouli topped his own previous record-holder in the market, 2017’s Baahubali 2: The Conclusion. Worldwide, the opening day in India, along with North America and other offshore launches, came in at an estimated 223 crore ($30.5M)

Manori Ravindran International EditorHBO is developing a long-awaited adaptation of Rohinton Mistry’s critically acclaimed, award-winning novel “A Fine Balance,” Variety can reveal.The seven-part series is being produced by “A Very British Scandal” and “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” producer Blueprint Pictures and “Anne With an E” outfit Northwood Entertainment. Ritesh Batra, who directed the late Irrfan Khan and Nimrat Kaur in “The Lunchbox,” is attached to both write and direct.The show would look to shoot in India from early June through November.First published by Canada’s McLelland and Stewart in 1995, “A Fine Balance” went on to win the 1995 Giller Prize and was shortlisted for the 1996 Booker Prize.

Kate Middleton and Prince William enjoyed their first full day of their Caribbean tour with a visit to a cacao farm in Belize on Sunday.  Their visit replaced another planned outing to a different cacao farm, which was canceled on Friday after villagers protested the royal’s arrival.  According to local reports, a protest was staged on Friday opposing the royal visit to Akte ’il Ha cacao farm in Indian Creek village in the foothills of the Maya Mountains. Belize news outlet Channel 7 reported that there was a dispute between village residents and Flora and Fauna International, a conservation charity William supports as patron.

Prince William and Kate Middleton have called off what was to have been the first stop on their royal tour of the Caribbean due to protests.

Queen Elizabeth II, is intended to strengthen the U.K.’s ties with Commonwealth countries as the queen marks 70 years on the throne.But the trip suffered a hitch before the couple set out, when a planned visit to a cacao farm in the Central American nation of Belize was scrapped because of local opposition.According to local reports, a protest was staged on Friday opposing the royal visit to Akte ’il Ha cacao farm in Indian Creek village in the foothills of the Maya Mountains. Belize news outlet Channel 7 reported that there is a dispute between village residents and Flora and Fauna International, a conservation charity William supports as patron.The royal couple’s Kensington Palace office said that “due to sensitive issues involving the community in Indian Creek, the visit has been moved to a different location.” The government of Belize said “another venue has been selected to showcase Maya family entrepreneurship in the cacao industry.”The couple, formally known as the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, also are due to visit Jamaica, where they are due to celebrate the legacy of Bob Marley and island’s rich musical and sporting heritage.

Kate Middleton and Prince William have cancelled the first stop on their tour of the country Belize.The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were forced to backtrack on their first royal engagement of their Caribbean tour, following protests from the local residents. Kate, 40, and 39 year old William had planned to visit a cocoa farm after landing in Belize. But, the plans were soon scrapped following protests over indigenous rights.

Elsa Keslassy International CorrespondentDiversity on screen and diversity behind the camera are key factors driving international audiences, according to a consumer survey conducted by Starz, in partnership with the Center for Scholars & Storytellers at UCLA. The poll study, which examined consumer perceptions and demands for diverse and inclusive media representation, will be unveiled at the Starz #TakeTheLead “Transparency Talk” on March 16 to celebrate the Women’s History Month.

Naman Ramachandran Bollywood royalty Kareena Kapoor Khan leads the cast of Netflix’s Indian adaptation of Japanese author Higashino Keigo’s bestselling 2005 novel “The Devotion of Suspect X.”“Kahaani” filmmaker Sujoy Ghosh will direct. The cast also includes Jaideep Ahlawat (“Paatal Lok”) and Vijay Varma (“Gully Boy”). Ghosh had initially set up the project at Ekta Kapoor’s Balaji Telefilms several years ago.

Kristin Chenoweth has nothing but love and support for Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo as they take on their roles in !“I feel great about both choices,” the actress, who played Glinda in in the original Broadway production, told ET’s Lauren Zima during the 27th Critics’ Choice Awards red carpet. “I have known Grande since she was 10, so Ariana, I am very very proud of you. She knows," Chenoweth assured. «We talk every day and it’s an honor and a pleasure to pass the wand and the crown to you.”  Grande, who will play Glinda in the Jon M. Chu-directed adaptation, is already getting some helpful tips from her predecessor.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefIn a move that befits the streaming era, Japan’s Tokyo Broadcasting System Television is looking to make itself more of an international force. It will invest in more international shows and strike new coproduction partnerships.The company unveiled its new strategy on Friday at the South By South West (SXSW) festival in the U.S.It followed ten months on from the launch of TBS’s Vision 2030 program which sought to increase content spending, launch a new division and expand into related areas such as licensing.

LONDON -- Polish Nobel literature laureate Olga Tokarczuk and Israeli novelist David Grossman are both in the running, for a second time, for the International Booker Prize for fiction in English translation.Tokarczuk’s “The Books of Jacob” and Grossman’s “More Than I Love My Life” are among 13 books on the long list for the award, whose 50,000-pound ($66,000) prize money is split between a book’s author and its translator.Both are previous winners: Grossman in 2017 for “A Horse Walks into a Bar” and Tokarczuk for “Flights” in 2018, the same year she was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature.The list announced Thursday features works from 12 countries on four continents, including “Tomb of Sand” by India’s Geetanjali Shree; “Heaven” by Japan’s Mieko Kawakami; “After the Sun” by Denmark’s Jonas Eika; and “Elena Knows” by Claudia Piñeiro of Argentina.Translator Frank Wynne, who is chairing the judging panel, said the books circled the globe and ranged “from the intimate to the epic, the numinous to the profane.”Six finalists are set to be revealed on April 7 and the winner will be announced on May 26.The International Booker Prize is awarded every year to a book of fiction in any language that is translated into English and published in the U.K. or Ireland.

DEALSLittle Mix’s Jade Thirlwall has signed a solo deal with Sony’s RCA. She’s also signed a management deal with Irving Azoff’s Full Stop Management. This all follows her 2019 publishing deal with Sony Music Publishing.Warner Music has signed Indian star Diljit Dosanjh to a global record deal.

Naman Ramachandran India’s Super Cassettes Industries, operating under the label T-Series, has revealed plans for a 100-film slate across various Indian languages.The company was founded by the late Gulshan Kumar in 1983 as a music business. He soon grew it into India’s biggest music label.

Naman Ramachandran Principal photography has commenced on Netflix original drama-comedy film “Kathal” (Jackfruit) from Ekta Kapoor’s Balaji Telefilms and Guneet Monga’s Sikhya Entertainment. The woman-led film starring Sanya Malhotra (“Dangal,” “Photograph”) and Anant Joshi (“Cobalt Blue”) is set in a small town and revolves around a local politician whose prized jackfruits go missing and a young police officer who is adamant to solve this bizarre case to prove herself.

Naman Ramachandran Radhika Madan, star of 2018 Toronto winner “The Man Who Feels No Pain,” will play the lead in acclaimed Indian filmmaker Sudhanshu Saria’s “Sanaa.” The film, a social drama, follows a headstrong and ambitious girl who is raging against an internal battle that is rooted in unhealed trauma.Saria is writing, directing and producing via his Four Line Entertainment outfit. Saria said: “I’ve always believed in making films that are ambitious in quality and rich in story and messaging. I’ve nurtured this dream for seven years and I couldn’t be more excited that Radhika Madan agreed to bring my titular character to life.

Jazz Tangcay Artisans EditorPalm Springs International Film Society announced today that the annual Palm Springs International ShortFest, one of the largest showcases of short-form cinema in North America, will return with in-person screenings June 21-27. For this year’s edition veteran programmer, Sudeep Sharma will act as interim 2022 ShortFest Director, with the planned maternity leave of PSIFF Artistic Director Lili Rodriguez.“Sudeep’s been an excellent collaborator, holding key roles at ShortFest for close to a decade,’” said Artistic Director Lili Rodriguez.