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‘Coke and booze didn’t help my creativity’: Joe Eszterhas on his wild times – and his supernatural, anti-woke Basic Instinct reboot

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He was the screenwriting colossus behind Flashdance, Jagged Edge, Showgirls and more. Now clean, ‘Hollywood’s Shakespeare’ talks about today’s scared studios, his refugee trauma – and taking acid with Hunter S Thompson Joe Eszterhas was the swaggering pitchman of 80s and 90s Hollywood; the king of the high-concept, precision-tooled blockbuster. He wrote Jagged Edge, co-scripted Flashdance , and pocketed a then record $3m for his Basic Instinct screenplay. Writers typically skulk near the bottom of the industry food chain but Eszterhas flipped the script to make himself a boss and a brand. ABC called him a “living legend”, while Time magazine posed a breathless rhetorical question: “If Shakespeare were alive today, would his name be Joe Eszterhas?” Pride, as any hack writer will tell you, usually comes before a fall, and so it was with Eszterhas, who confused success with excess and barely got out of the business alive. “The coke and the booze,” he says, remembering. “Those weren’t he...
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The Drama: sex, secrets and that gobsmacking twist – discuss with spoilers

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Zendaya and Robert Pattinson’s dark dramedy is a stylish acting showcase, but does it do justice to its weighty themes? Ever since its first trailer dropped – and, on certain corners of Reddit, even before that – the internet has been abuzz with speculation over just what goes down in The Drama . The auteur production powerhouse A24 somewhat ingeniously pitched writer-director Kristoffer Borgli’s pitch-black film as a tart romantic comedy, with Zendaya and Robert Pattinson as a seemingly happy couple derailed by a disturbing revelation a week before their wedding. The actors, among a cohort of vanishingly few young movie stars, appeared as their characters in a fake wedding announcement in the Boston Globe; Zendaya’s rumored marriage to actor Tom Holland became a meta discussion point on a press tour that saw her method dressing in “something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue”, her wardrobe slowly darkening in a nod to something gone horribly awry. The Norwegi...
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EXCLUSIVE: Not just the mirror mistake, Dhurandhar The Revenge's new print also censors some abuses; Sanjay Dutt's abusive dialogue and few other abuses muted

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A few days ago, Bollywood Hungama exclusively informed readers that a revised print of Dhurandhar The Revenge has been sent to cinemas since last weekend. The earlier print of the Ranveer Singh-Sanjay Dutt-R Madhavan-Arjun Rampal starrer had a minor blunder – the cameraman’s reflection was visible in the mirror in a crucial scene in the second half featuring Hamza aka Jaskirat Singh Rangi (Ranveer Singh) amd Gurbaaz Singh aka Pinda (Udaybir Sandhu). This blunder was rectified in the revised print. Bollywood Hungama has now learned that the makers have made one more change as well. A source told Bollywood Hungama, “In the earlier version, some abuses were muted but many of them were left untouched. In the new print, more cuss words have been censored. The dialogue where (Sanjay Dutt) says ‘L***d c******a kya’ in the Operation Lyari sequence has been muted, though the gesture made by the actor while mouthing the dialogue remains. The abuse, ‘B******a’, said by Rakesh Bedi while getting ...
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Chetak Screen Awards 2026 full winners list: Dhurandhar dominates with 14 wins; Homebound takes Best Film

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The Chetak Screen Awards 2026 honoured some of the most notable achievements in Indian cinema this year, with Dhurandhar emerging as the biggest winner of the night by taking home 14 trophies across major categories. While Dhurandhar dominated the technical and performance honours, Homebound secured the top prize for Best Film, marking a balanced spread of recognition across the industry’s biggest titles. Here is the complete winners' list from the ceremony. Major award winners Best Film Homebound Best Actor (Female) Yami Gautam Dhar – Haq Best Actor (Male) Ranveer Singh – Dhurandhar Best Director Aditya Dhar – Dhurandhar Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Female) Shalini Vatsa – Homebound Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Male) Akshaye Khanna – Dhurandhar Technical category winners Best Action Aejaz Gulab, Sea Young Oh, Yannick Ben, Ramazan Bulut – Dhurandhar Best Background Score Shashwat Sachdev – Dhurandhar Best Choreography Vijay Ganguly – ‘Shararat’ (Dhurandhar) Best Ci...
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Bhooth Bangla trailer sneak peek: The return of Akshay Kumar, Priyadarshan and the comedy OGs promises loads of entertainment; Tabu emerges as the surprise package

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Last night, Bollywood Hungama got a sneak peek of the trailer of the much-awaited film of the month, Bhooth Bangla, more than 12 hours before its launch today (April 6). The film has already created a buzz due to its horror-comedy genre, casting and more, and the trailer is expected to further enhance the hype around it. The trailer is around 2 minutes and 58 seconds long and offers a better idea of the premise. The focus, of course, is on the humour quotient. As expected, Akshay Kumar steals the show. There’s no one like him when it comes to comedy, and he proves it yet again. He is ably supported by a stellar cast comprising Rajpal Yadav, Paresh Rawal and the late Asrani. Just seeing all of them together, that too in a Priyadarshan film, is sure to make fans nostalgic and excited. To add to the nostalgia, the makers have used two famous dialogues from Priyadarshan’s memorable comedies of the past, which are sure to be lapped up. Wamiqa Gabbi and Mithila Palkar get limited screen ti...
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My mother, Audrey Hepburn: the star’s son Sean on her movies, marriages, good works and fascist parents

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The heroine of Roman Holiday and Breakfast at Tiffany’s knew war and poverty, riches and fame, love and betrayal – yet claimed to have lived a ‘terribly boring’ life. Sean Hepburn Ferrer paints a very different picture in his new biography Growing up, Sean Hepburn Ferrer says he never felt like the son of a movie star – but he very much is. His mother was Audrey Hepburn, one of the biggest names in the golden age of Hollywood, an Oscar-winner, a screen star and a fashion icon. Hundreds of millions of people all over the world recognise her from classics such as Roman Holiday, Funny Face and My Fair Lady – besotted with the way she laughs, dances, or poses tastefully in Givenchy couture. Audrey’s image is so ubiquitous in posters, art prints, magazines, on handbags, keyrings or T-shirts, that the family has made hunting for her likeness into a game. “I must have made this crack to my kids,” Sean says. “We were probably waiting for a train or a plane that had been delayed: ‘Three minut...
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Janhvi Kapoor calls out oversexualisation: “Zooming into body parts without consent is invasive”

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Actor Janhvi Kapoor has spoken candidly about being oversexualised in the public eye, addressing concerns around consent, paparazzi culture, and the growing misuse of digital content. During a conversation on the Raj Shamani Podcast, the actress shared how such experiences have shaped her personal and professional decisions. Recalling a recent interaction with paparazzi, Kapoor said, “I actually had a conversation with paparazzi recently. I told them—this is bad for us, it feels invasive and non-consensual. Even if we dress a certain way, we’re not expecting someone to zoom in on specific body parts. And more than us, it reflects badly on them—that they’re commodifying a woman’s body for money and views.” While she noted that the photographers appeared receptive, Kapoor acknowledged the issue runs deeper. “They seemed receptive, but the issue is larger—it’s about consumption. Globally, content that objectifies women is the most consumed. That’s why it keeps getting circulated. Since ...
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Monica Barbaro: ‘Yesterday I went home thinking I’m a terrible actor and they’re finding out’

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The California star may have earned an Oscar nomination for her portrayal of Joan Baez in Dylan biopic A Complete Unknown, but as she prepares for her stage debut in Les Liaisons Dangereuses, she says impostor syndrome is still a big problem “I feel like I’m imitating an American accent, but it really is mine,” Monica Barbaro jokes. The actor has spent the morning rehearsing in an English accent for her stage debut in the National Theatre’s revival of Les Liaisons Dangereuses. During interviews, she says, she switches back. “I feel it’s best to use my own voice.” Today, Barbaro – Oscar-nominated for her portrayal of activist and folk singer Joan Baez in James Mangold’s Bob Dylan biopic A Complete Unknown – is using that voice to reflect on a new chapter as a theatre actor. She is playing Madame de Tourvel, one of literature’s most famous casualties of seduction and manipulation. It’s a daunting challenge, not least because of the role’s formidable li...
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Janhvi Kapoor recalls disturbing early deepfake experience: “I saw a picture of myself on a porn site”

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Actor Janhvi Kapoor has candidly spoken about her first encounter with manipulated imagery resembling deepfakes, recalling a deeply unsettling experience from her school days. Appearing on the Raj Shamani Podcast, the actress shared how the incident left a lasting impression on her and shaped her views on digital ethics and consent. Reflecting on the episode, Kapoor said, “I don’t know if it was technically a deepfake, but it was something like that. I saw a picture of myself on a porn site. We had IT class in school, and the boys used to go on those sites for fun—and my pictures were there. This was while I was still in school. That was a weird experience.” The actor admitted that the incident forced her to confront the darker realities of being in the public eye at a young age. “At some point, I thought, ‘Why? Is this just the price you have to pay?’ Like there’s no morality in these things. With social media, everyone is just putting things out there. If anything, this new ‘woke’ ...
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‘Nobody would forgive me if I told the truth’: new film about pacifist turned Nazi collaborator divides France

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In Les Rayons et les Ombres, Jean Dujardin plays a real-life press baron partying during the horrors of the second world war. Director Xavier Giannoli discusses bringing this still sensitive topic to light Xavier Giannoli’s new film Les Rayons et les Ombres (Rays and Shadows) is told from the postwar perspective of Corinne Luchaire, a French actor who was once hailed as “the new Garbo” but grew too close to the Nazis during the German occupation years. As Luchaire records her thoughts on a borrowed tape recorder, she struggles to reconcile her unfaltering devotion to her father, the once-powerful press baron Jean, with his 1946 execution for treason. Her wilful blindness collapses as the Jewish director who helped launch her career visits her cramped flat. When Corinne, played by newcomer Nastya Golubeva Carax, enquires after his sister, he reveals that she died in a concentration camp. “I didn’t know,” murmurs Corinne, only to be met with the devastating reply: “Did you even try to ...
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