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Keith David on his incredible career: ‘I want you to understand Black men as full-scope human beings’

The hard-working character actor has over 400 screen credits, from The Thing to Platoon to Rick and Morty, and he isn’t slowing down any time soon Keith David’s voice precedes him. Deep and resonant, with mellifluous notes that hark back to his boys’ choir days, it has spent decades inhabiting warriors, gods, rogues, fathers and a welter of cartoon oddballs. Before David appears in a Zoom window from his Los Angeles home office, his voice reverberates through my tinny laptop speakers like a foghorn. “Can you see me now?” he booms once our connection is established after fits and starts. “OK. Outside of technology, you know I’m … OK.” He fizzes about the project he just wrapped: a dark buddy comedy called My Friend Jim, in which he stars opposite Rob Lowe. It’s the latest entry in a seemingly unstinting slew of productions that have kept him booked and busy since the late 1970s, from The Thing to Platoon to There’s Something About Mary to Nope. Continue reading... from Film | The Gua...

EXCLUSIVE: Batwara 1947 trailer to be launched at Jaipur’s iconic single-screen cinema, Raj Mandir, on July 28; Mumbai event on July 29

With less than three weeks to go for its release, the promotions of Batwara 1947 will be taken to the next level this week, as the trailer of the much-awaited film will finally be unveiled in a few days. In a unique initiative, the launch will be held in two different cities on two consecutive days. A source told Bollywood Hungama, “On Tuesday, July 28, the trailer of Batwara 1947 will be unveiled in the iconic single-screen cinema, Raj Mandir in Jaipur, Rajasthan. Fans and local media will be invited to catch the trailer and also catch a glimpse of Sunny Deol and Rajkumar Santoshi.” The source added, “Raj Mandir serves as the perfect venue for such events in Rajasthan. It has hosted several launches previously, so the management has experience handling fans and stars. Moreover, the single-screen is one-of-a-kind in the country in terms of ambience, screen and sound quality, etc. Also, it’s a theatre close to Sunny Deol’s heart. He promoted the re-release of his cult classic, Gadar – ...

EXCLUSIVE: Bhai Tera Star Hai targets 900–1000 screens despite Spider-Man: Brand New Day CLASH; Vivek B Agarwal says, “There was NO other viable weekend until February 2027-end”

The trailer of Bhai Tera Star Hai has caught attention thanks to its quirky content and Raghav Juyal’s promising performance. Interestingly, it’ll release on July 30 and thus clash with Spider-Man: Brand New Day. In an exclusive interview with Bollywood Hungama, producer-director Vivek B Agarwal explained the strategy behind the release. Vivek B Agarwal said, “Honestly speaking, there’s no strategy. I did my homework. After the July 30 weekend, I don’t know if I’ll get another opportunity to release my film until the end of February 2027. There are either a couple of big Bollywood films, a solo monster film or a combination of Bollywood and pan-India South films. There’s something happening every week or every second week.” He added, “Moreover, I realized that apart from Dhamaal 4 in July, there was no substantial Hindi release until the middle of August. It was either a choice of clashing with a big Hindi film or releasing alongside Spider-Man. Hence, this was the only viable option....

EXCLUSIVE: Spider-Man: Brand New Day tickets priced at MEGA BLOCKBUSTER rates, yet slightly below Dhurandhar The Revenge’s pricing; Gaiety-Galaxy, Maratha Mandir among FEW cinemas in India selling tickets below Rs. 200

With just five days to go for the release of Spider-Man: Brand New Day, the excitement is tremendous, to say the least. Advance ticket sales are extremely strong, indicating that the superhero film is set to record one of the biggest opening-day collections ever in India. Given the extraordinary buzz, the studio has decided to position the film in the highest ticket-pricing category. A trade source told Bollywood Hungama, “The studio has sent an email to exhibitors stating that Spider-Man: Brand New Day is the most anticipated film of the year, and not merely of the season. Hence, ‘keeping with the scale, legacy and premium positioning of this release’, it has decided to implement mega-blockbuster pricing bands for the film.” The mega-blockbuster pricing category is a relatively recent phenomenon and has previously been implemented for films that generated tremendous pre-release buzz, such as Pushpa 2 – The Rule, War 2 and Dhurandhar The Revenge. In accordance with this directive, the...

‘People who commit heinous crimes can be victims’: Michael Mann on the provocative power of Manhunter at 40

As a stunning 4K restoration arrives in theaters, the director and cast reflect on creating the disturbing descent into a criminal underworld Michael Mann has shown time and again in films like Thief , Heat , Miami Vice and Public Enemies that he is one of American film’s greatest explorers of the underworld. “It’s like a kind of cultural anthropology,” Mann tells me from his office in Los Angeles. “If you make films, you get to do that in a different place with a different subject every few years. For me, the exploration is the high.” With its unsettling atmosphere and soaring beauty, Mann’s 1986 film Manhunter reimagined how a thriller could look, sound and feel in an early high point for the director. To commemorate its 40th anniversary Manhunter: The Final Cut , a 4K restoration and director’s cut with three minutes of new footage, will see a theatrical release in New York and Los Angeles this weekend with a nationwide US rollout to follow. Continue reading... from Film | The ...

Shabana Azmi diagnosed with swine flu after Jantar Mantar protest, misses Mumbai demonstration; says she stands in solidarity with students

Veteran actor Shabana Azmi has revealed that she has been diagnosed with H1N1 (swine flu), forcing her to miss the student protest held at Mumbai's Shivaji Park on Friday. The actor shared the health update on social media, saying she has been advised to remain in isolation for the next five days. Azmi has been one of the most prominent public figures supporting the student-led protests over the alleged NEET paper leak. Over the past three days, she actively participated in demonstrations at Delhi's Jantar Mantar, where she marched alongside students, joined the "Chalo Sansad" rally and extended support to those on hunger strike. Shabana Azmi shares health update Informing her followers about her absence from the Mumbai protest, Azmi wrote that she had planned to join demonstrators but was unable to do so after being diagnosed with H1N1. She wrote, “"My dear Mumbaikars, I was meant to join your protest yesterday, but I've come down with H1N1 and need to rema...

PVR INOX Q1 results: Profit at Rs 56.5 crore, revenue up 10.4%, box office surges

PVR INOX reported a strong turnaround in the first quarter of FY27, posting a profit after tax (PAT) of Rs 56.5 crore, compared to a Rs 54 crore loss during the same period last year. The multiplex operator also recorded a 10.4 percent increase in consolidated revenue, which rose to Rs 1,622.2 crore from Rs 1,469 crore a year ago. The company's performance comes alongside a robust recovery in the theatrical business, with India's total box office collections growing 20 percent year-on-year during the quarter. Strong film slate boosts admissions PVR INOX credited the quarter's performance to a healthy mix of Hindi, regional and Hollywood films. Among Hindi releases, Bhoot Bangla, Cocktail 2 and Main Wapas Aunga emerged as strong performers. Regional cinema also delivered impressive growth, led by films such as Raja Shivaji (Marathi), Drishyam 3 (Malayalam) and Karuppu (Tamil). Hollywood titles also contributed significantly, with non-franchise films including Project Hail M...

Chuck Russell, director of The Mask and The Blob, dies aged 74

The film-maker, also behind A Nightmare on Elm Street 3, died on Wednesday in his San Diego home Director Chuck Russell, who helped propel actors such as Jim Carrey , Cameron Diaz and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson to the Hollywood A-list, was found dead in his San Diego, California, home on Wednesday. He was 74. Russell directed several box office hits in his decades-long career including A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors, The Blob and The Mask. In 2002, his film The Scorpion King featured The Rock in his first leading role. Continue reading... from Film | The Guardian https://ift.tt/w2junr8 via IFTTT

‘It was the moment I lost innocence’: how a childhood stop-and-search led to the British debut movie of the year

When Imran Perretta was young, he was abruptly pulled by police into a van for questioning. That experience, as well as the death of his mother, inspired him to make Ish, a coming-of-age tale set amongst the British Muslim community. He talks about trauma, designing toilets and making Luton look magnificent Imran Perretta always knew that the title of his debut feature film would be “Ish” – short for Ishmail, the name of the 12-year-old boy from Luton at the heart of his story. Only later did people point out the similarity to other coming-of-age films with three letters in the title: Kes by Ken Loach, and Satyajit Ray’s Apu trilogy. Now, as the reviews trickle in, the comparisons to Kes and Apu keep coming. Like them, Ish is a poetic film that grabs you by the heart and pulls you into a child’s perspective on the world. The response has been lovely, says Perretta, and a relief. “It’s nice that people have compared Ish to those films rather than Kidulthood. I did worry about that.” Why...

Ahaan Panday and Sharvari’s next with Ali Abbas Zafar to release on March 26, 2027

Yash Raj Films has officially locked March 26, 2027, which falls on Good Friday, as the theatrical release date for director Ali Abbas Zafar’s upcoming untitled romantic action drama. The announcement marks a major calendar slot for the project produced by Aditya Chopra. The film features Ahaan Panday and Sharvari in the lead roles, alongside Aaishvary Thackeray and Bobby Deol. It continues the successful working relationship between Chopra and Zafar. Fifth Collaboration Between Aditya Chopra and Ali Abbas Zafar This marks the fifth producer-director pairing for Aditya Chopra and Ali Abbas Zafar. Their earlier films together include Mere Brother Ki Dulhan, Gunday, Sultan and Tiger Zinda Hai. The new project returns Zafar to the YRF banner for a large-scale romantic action drama after a gap. Ahaan Panday, who recently gained attention with Saiyaara, takes on a central role that reports describe as carrying strong intensity. Sharvari joins him as the female lead in what is positioned as...