EXCLUSIVE: Siddharth Anand shares a special moment with Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar; says “White is the story of the GLORY of India”

In a significant meeting on January 20, India’s premier blockbuster filmmaker Siddharth Anand met global spiritual leader Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar along with producer Mahaveer Jain. Both Siddharth Anand and Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar have had several conversations before but this meeting was special. It was held in an atmosphere of deep reflection and vision, centred around the upcoming international thriller White, a project that marks a unique milestone in Indian cinema. The film, which features National Award winner Vikrant Massey alongside an international cast, is inspired by the incredible true story of the 52-year-long civil conflict in Colombia and its historic resolution through non-violence and peace. Reflecting on the film’s vision after his meeting with Gurudev, Siddharth Anand shared his excitement for the film, “In many ways, White is the story of the glory of India. At a time when the world is grappling with unprecedented division, this film is truly the need of ...

Golda review – lifeless Meir biopic hides Helen Mirren’s talent in a cloud of cigarette smoke

As a drama about the Yom Kippur war, this film is bafflingly dull. As a portrait of Golda Meir, Israel’s prime minister at the time, it’s even worse

Helen Mirren’s latexed and enhanced portrayal of Golda Meir, Israel’s “Iron Lady” prime minister during the 1973 Yom Kippur war, has been overtaken by a debate about “Jewface” casting because Mirren is not Jewish – addressing why Jews are casually excluded from the otherwise fiercely policed sensibilities about authenticity and identity on screen. (Would they get a white actor, for example, to black up as President Anwar Sadat?) It’s a valid and important question, but not exactly the problem in this stately, stuffy and at times almost comatose TV-movie-type drama about tension in Israel’s corridors of power as the Yom Kippur war exploded and the country faced off against Egypt, Syria and Jordan in a battle for its very existence.

Mirren, normally such a sparkling performer, is lumbered with a grey wig, false nose and jowls, with occasional headscarf and handbag, making her look as if she is playing the Queen doing an impression of Richard Nixon. This Golda Meir impassively chainsmokes her way through wooden potted-history dialogue scenes with her military top brass, while everyone blows cigarette smoke at each other; occasionally she takes a break to lie prostrate on a hospital bed, stoically smoking and dying of cancer. Is she going to die? Why not? The film is flatlining.

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