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Wham! 10 Days in China review – pop meets politics in George and Andrew’s great leap east

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The duo’s groundbreaking 1985 tour reveals a strange collision of pop stardom and communism, a re-edit of Lindsay Anderson’s efforts that got him fired Here is a documentary that has a very important story to tell, maybe more important than it feels comfortable admitting. It’s about two separate subjects – or maybe three: Wham!, China and film-maker Lindsay Anderson. A superpower nervously edging towards western-style openness, a pop band nervously doing what needed to be done to make it big in the US, and a great film director, needing the money, taking on a project he didn’t really believe in. In 1985, Wham!’s beetle-browed manager Simon Napier-Bell had a cunning plan for how George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley could break the US: Wham! would be the first ever western pop band to perform in mainland China. They would play where the Beatles, the Stones and Elvis had never played, and the resulting global publicity would launch them into the US. (He was right – it did.) In our modern ag...
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EXCLUSIVE: Vikrant Massey completes dubbing for White; Mahaveer Jain calls the film "a precious gift from India to the world"

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Actor Vikrant Massey is on a roll at present. After wowing audiences with two diverse performances in Pritam And Pedro and Musafir Cafe, the actor has now set his eyes on his most ambitious project to date – White. Bollywood Hungama has learned that the actor recently completed dubbing for the film. We also stumbled upon an exclusive image of the actor in the dubbing studio. On this joyous occasion, which coincides with Guru Purnima, producer Mahaveer Jain told Bollywood Hungama, “At a time when the world is seeking solutions to wars and conflicts, White comes at the right moment. Through its powerful narrative, it shows the way forward and is a precious gift from India to the world.” He added, “Vikrant has outdone himself in the film. I am sure that his powerful portrayal of global spiritual leader Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, coupled with the film’s profound impact, will mesmerize audiences worldwide.” White is a thriller with human drama set against a political background. It is i...
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‘She wasn’t acting, she wanted to live it’: how a fake pregnancy resulted in the wildest true crime film of the year

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Netflix documentary A Child of My Own tells the stranger-than-fiction story of a hospital worker who went to extreme lengths in her efforts to become a mother. Its director recounts their meetings in a Mexican prison The CCTV footage of the hospital corridor is grainy but you can make out a young woman carrying an oversized gift bag. Nothing unusual there. Except that inside the bag is a newborn baby girl, just hours old. And the woman carrying the bag, walking out of the hospital’s main entrance, past two security guards who are idly chatting, is not the baby’s mother. Her name is Eleonor Alejandra Marín Mendoza, known to everyone as Alejandra. When film-maker Maite Alberdi met her in a low-security Mexican prison, Alejandra was in the final year of a 13-year jail sentence for snatching the baby. Alberdi listened rapt as Alejandra told her story: “Everything she was telling me was extraordinary, stranger than fiction.” Continue reading... from Film | The Guardian https://ift.tt/QG...
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EXCLUSIVE: Kartik Aaryan-starrer Naagzilla wraps shoot on a sweet note; Ravi Kishan and team celebrate as Mahaveer Jain, Mrighdeep Singh Lamba say, "Dharma is the BEST company to partner with"

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Bollywood Hungama has been at the forefront of breaking news on Naagzilla. We have now exclusively learned that it’s a wrap on the film’s shoot. Moreover, we also stumbled upon an exclusive picture of the cake that was cut on the last day of filming. A source told Bollywood Hungama, “Most of the shoot of Naagzilla had been completed, but one day of filming remained. It took place yesterday, Sunday, July 26, in Mumbai. Ravi Kishan was present along with director Mrighdeep Singh Lamba, writer Gautam Mehra and co-producer Divyansh Jain. They were jubilant about the wrap but also emotional, as they had shared a fun-filled and memorable journey while making the film. It was a hectic yet highly exciting shoot for the cast and crew.” The source further said, “To celebrate the occasion, a cake bearing the words ‘Naagzilla Film Wrap’ was brought in and enjoyed by the cast and crew. Incidentally, July 25 was director Mrighdeep Singh Lamba’s birthday, which further added to the celebratory mood ...
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Pankaj Tripathi starrer Ohh My Dog release postponed to August 7 due to Spider-Man: Brand New Day screen shortage

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Pankaj Tripathi's upcoming family drama Ohh My Dog has reportedly suffered a last-minute release setback. The Amit Rai directorial, which was initially slated to arrive in theatres on July 31, has now been postponed by a week, with reports suggesting that the decision was taken to avoid a direct box office clash with Marvel Studios' highly anticipated Spider-Man: Brand New Day. The film will now arrive on August 7. According to sources close to the development, the makers of Ohh My Dog have been facing a shortage of screens as exhibitors are expected to prioritize Spider-Man: Brand New Day, one of the most eagerly awaited films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Headlined by Tom Holland and Zendaya, the superhero entertainer is expected to command a massive theatrical rollout, making it challenging for smaller films to secure adequate showcasing. The postponement is believed to be a strategic move aimed at ensuring Ohh My Dog receives better screen availability and a stronger t...
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‘My mother was 4ft 11in and scared the hell out of people’ – Sean Astin on child stardom, The Lord of the Rings and surviving 45 years in Hollywood

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His mother was an Oscar-winning actor who had been exploited from a young age; Astin appeared in The Goonies at just 13. Now, he has followed in his mother’s footsteps again as a union leader. He talks Stranger Things, AI and why playing Samwise Gamgee cost him his house Sean Astin is showing me around his new office. There’s framed movie prints on the walls, piles of paperwork and a stack of boxes of Stranger Things Funko Pops. “If you were here, you could look out this window and see a 10-storey building with our iconic Sag-Aftra logo on it,” he says proudly on video call, gesturing out of the window to the Los Angeles skyline. “But you just have to trust me that it’s there.” He shows me a framed photo of his mother, Patty Duke, aged 16, with the best supporting actress Oscar she won in 1963 (for playing Helen Keller in The Miracle Worker), and even more proudly, a framed copy of Duke’s business card from when she was president of the Screen Actors Guild in the mid-80s – the role he ...
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Prosit Roy to collaborate with Dharma Productions for a psychological romance after Raakh success: Report

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Prosit Roy, who recently garnered widespread appreciation for his Amazon Prime Video series Raakh, is reportedly gearing up for an exciting new collaboration. According to a report by Pinkvilla, the filmmaker is expected to join hands with Dharma Productions for an untitled psychological romance, marking a rare and intriguing creative partnership. While Dharma Productions has long been associated with grand romantic entertainers and commercial cinema, the production house is now said to be exploring a psychological love story with Roy at the helm. If the reports are to be believed, the project is currently in its initial stages of development, with the casting process yet to begin. As per the report, the makers are aiming to take the film on floors by the end of this year, provided everything progresses as planned. A source quoted in the report shared insight into Roy’s vision for the project, saying, “Prosit has a very strong conviction for psychological stories, and that is clearly ...
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Keith David on his incredible career: ‘I want you to understand Black men as full-scope human beings’

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

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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 – ...
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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”

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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....
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