Globalwoodnews

Vivek Agnihotri directorial The Bengal Files witnessed a fresh controversy as Shantanu Mukherjee, grandson of celebrated Bengali freedom fighter Gopal Mukherjee, filed a police complaint against the filmmaker. The grievance comes in response to the trailer of Agnihotri's upcoming political drama, unveiled on August 16, which coincides with the 80th anniversary of the "Great Calcutta Killings," also known as 'Direct Action Day.' According to Shantanu Mukherjee, the film inaccurately portrays his grandfather, calling him “Kashai” (meaning butcher) and “Patha” (meaning goat), terms he describes as deeply disrespectful. "My grandfather was an important figure in the freedom movement, working alongside prominent leaders, with his ideology aligned with Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose. To label him in such derogatory terms is not only historically inaccurate but also offensive to our family and the community," Shantanu stated in a statement reported by India Today...

Multi-part series on ex-NFL player who protested racial injustice will not continue over ‘creative differences’ Director Spike Lee ’s multi-part documentary series for ESPN Films about former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick , who sparked a national debate when he protested racial injustice nearly a decade ago, will not be released, the filmmaker and ESPN said. “ESPN, Colin Kaepernick and Spike Lee have collectively decided to no longer proceed with this project as a result of certain creative differences,” ESPN said in a statement to Reuters on Saturday. “Despite not reaching finality, we appreciate all the hard work and collaboration that went into this film.” Continue reading... from Film | The Guardian https://ift.tt/9OQqcVA via IFTTT

On Saturday, the trailer launch of Vivek Agnihotri’s upcoming and much-debated film The Bengal Files, which depicts the 1946 Calcutta communal riots, was halted at a luxury hotel in Kolkata. The move was met with little surprise, given the sensitive subject matter and the expected backlash. The ruling All India Trinamool Congress (TMC) in West Bengal is known for its strong stance on protecting the state’s minority community. A senior Trinamool leader, who is also a veteran actor, told this writer on condition of anonymity, “It is unlikely Agnihotri’s film will be released in West Bengal. He has a reputation for being a troublemaker. The Kashmir Files stirred up disturbing anti-Muslim sentiments. That won’t be allowed to happen here.” Responding to the incident, Vivek Agnihotri took to social media, tweeting, “With anguish I inform you: Today West Bengal police, on orders of ‘top authorities’, illegally stopped the trailer of #TheBengalFiles. First theatres, now even a private hotel....

Netflix, in collaboration with Red Chillies Entertainment Pvt. Ltd., has unveiled the much-anticipated first look of The Ba***ds of Bollywood, marking Aryan Khan’s official directorial debut. The streaming giant shared a teaser across its social media platforms, giving audiences a first taste of what promises to be an unconventional, high-energy series. The teaser opens with a voiceover reminiscent of the romantic tone from his father Shah Rukh Khan starrer classic Mohabbatein, evoking nostalgia for Bollywood’s golden era. However, the atmosphere quickly shifts, landing a biting punchline that signals a departure from convention. While the voice might faintly remind audiences of Shah Rukh Khan, the delivery, intent, and freshness is introduced by none other than Aryan showcasing his uniqueness. With this teaser, Aryan Khan steps into the limelight as a storyteller in his own right. His opening words in the video encapsulate the essence of the show: “Bollywood – jisse aapne saalon se ...

The Indian Film Festival of Melbourne (IFFM) 2025 turned into a star-studded celebration as Indian cinema’s finest talents were honoured at the prestigious Awards Night. Applause, emotion, and pride filled the air as filmmaker Neeraj Ghaywan’s poignant drama Homebound emerged as the evening’s biggest winner, bagging both Best Film and Best Director. Bollywood icon Aamir Khan was conferred with the coveted Excellence in Cinema Award, recognising his unparalleled legacy and contribution to Indian cinema. Speaking about his win, Aamir Khan said, “I have been attracted to telling stories from a very young age. Filmmaking is a collaborative art and this award and recognition wouldn’t have been possible without my writers, directors, co-stars, and the audiences who have given me the opportunity to tell the stories and be part of the many stories I have been part of.” Meanwhile, Abhishek Bachchan delivered an emotional moment on stage as he won Best Actor (Male) – Film for I Want to Talk. A...

Utterly absorbing Slovenian debut reinvents the cliched idea of a Catholic girl’s sexual awakening, and proves that no teacher can be as cruel as a music teacher This elegant and mysterious debut from Slovenian director Urška Djukić, with its superb musical score and sound design, reinvents the cliched idea of a Catholic girl’s sexual awakening. It’s also proof, if proof were needed, that no teacher in the world can be as cruel and abusive as a music teacher. We have already seen JK Simmons’ terrifying jazz instructor in Damien Chazelle’s Whiplash and Isabelle Huppert’s keyboard monster in Michael Haneke’s The Piano Teacher; now there is Slovenian actor and musician Saša Tabaković playing a demanding, yet insidious choirmaster in charge of a group of talented, vulnerable teenage girls. The film incidentally has a lesson for any teenage person watching: if a music teacher asks you to sit next to them on the piano stool with no one else in the room and murmurs “You can confide in me” … ...

Madsen cameos as a stuntman visiting a smalltown movie theatre on its last day before closing down in this amiable, bittersweet story for cinephiles The late Michael Madsen makes his final, posthumous appearance as a boozy stuntman called Rex Fuel in this laidback ensemble film from feature first-timer Mas Bouzidi, a piece of moviegoing melancholy developed from the director’s short of the same title. Bouzidi gives us the time-honoured scenario of a smalltown movie theatre’s last day before closing down, resonantly named the Royal Alamo and showing for its last stand a couple of films on 35mm. The place has been stricken, of course, by the prevalence of digital streaming, although the wistful mood doesn’t seem too different from Bogdanovich’s The Last Picture Show from 1971, when Netflix wasn’t a problem. The Royal Alamo is now a bittersweet place of memories whose spirit is perhaps epitomised by the two guys listlessly working at the concessions stand, and bickering amusingly like ...

Andrew Kötting’s complex docu-essay about his daughter Eden, who has Joubert syndrome, refuses conventional grammar Artist and film-maker Andrew Kötting returns to the themes of consciousness and memory (both individual and collective) in this playful and ruminative docu-essay, in which he is again working with his daughter Eden; she is at once his subject and his collaborator. Eden was born in 1988 with the genetic disorder Joubert syndrome ; she draws and paints and often appears in Kötting’s films. I have in the past wondered aloud if Kötting might tackle the challenges of being with Eden more straightforwardly. But perhaps that was obtuse of me; it could be that it is only this complex, layered, tonally elusive approach which refuses the conventional grammar of clinical concern does justice to the idea of seeing the world as Eden sees it. Continue reading... from Film | The Guardian https://ift.tt/5iojNdF via IFTTT

The Bombay High Court has thrown out a copyright infringement plea against Balaji Telefilms over its 2023 comedy Dream Girl 2, ruling that the film’s storyline is entirely different from the applicant’s work and that the claim of breach of confidence was ‘far-fetched’. The case was filed by writer Ashim Kumar Bagchi, who claimed the Ayushmann Khurrana-starrer was based on his script originally titled Kal Kisne Dekha and later re-registered as The Show Must Go On. Bagchi alleged that his story — a gender-swap comedy about a man impersonating a woman and navigating hilarious situations whenever his real identity was at risk — had been shared in confidence with one of the film’s credited writers years ago. He argued that elements of his work had been used without permission. However, the court observed that what Bagchi was seeking amounted to a monopoly over generic ideas and common comedic tropes — such as mistaken identity and disguise — that cannot be protected under copyright law. T...

An old video of actress Mrunal Thakur from her Kumkum Bhagya days resurfaced online a couple of days ago, sparking controversy and heated discussions across social media. The clip, dating back to her time on the popular Ektaa R. Kapoor show on Zee TV, features Thakur in a light-hearted media interaction with her co-star Arjit Taneja. In the video, Mrunal is heard asking, “Would you rather marry someone who is more manly with muscles?” When Taneja responds that he would prefer a physically fit partner, she quips, “Go marry Bipasha then. Listen, I am far better than Bipasha.” While seemingly meant as playful banter, the remark did not sit well with fans of Bollywood actress Bipasha Basu, many interpreting it as body-shaming and dismissive. As the clip gained traction online with fans and followers slamming Thakur for her opinions, Mrunal decided to address the matter head-on by issuing a candid apology on her social media page. “19-year-old me as a teenager said many silly things. I di...

In a move as bold as it is rooted, Ugaoo — India’s #1 home gardening company — has announced beloved actor and pop culture icon Jackie Shroff as its brand ambassador. This collaboration with the well-known environmentalist marks a pivotal moment for Ugaoo as it evolves from a green brand adored by urban audiences to a cultural mainstay across India’s Tier 2 and 3 cities. Having spent a decade cultivating a greener India, Ugaoo has played a key role in shaping how urban Indians perceive and interact with nature in their everyday lives. The brand has steadily built emotional equity through a strong content-first strategy, using storytelling, community-driven campaigns, and relatable plant care content to make gardening less intimidating and more joyful for everybody. Ugaoo’s digital presence has cultivated a loyal, plant-loving community that views houseplants not just as décor, but as meaningful companions, symbols of personal growth, and tools for emotional expression. As Ugaoo enter...

In Songs from the Hole, a man convicted of murder when he was a teenager finds healing in music during his sentence In 2014, a sergeant at a California state prison sent James “JJ’88” Jacobs, who was 25 at the time, to “the hole” – solitary confinement in a 6-by-6 cell. One bunk, one strip of a window. Jacobs had already been incarcerated for a decade by then; at 15, he was given a double life sentence for second-degree murder. Alone in the hole, Jacobs thought, as he always did, about the most devastating month of his life, April 2004: on the 16th, he shot and killed a fellow teenager outside a nightclub in his home town of Long Beach, California. Three days later, another young man shot and killed his beloved older brother Victor. For years, Jacobs was caught in a terrible cycle of grief – for what he had done, for what had been done to him. In the hole, Jacobs would lie on the floor, eyes closed, and imagine his life outside prison. He’d make beats by pounding on his bunk or chest...