'October' review: Varun Dhawan's nuanced performance will surprise you

Nowhere in the film is there a romance spelt out yet, the underlying love and longing makes it stand apart

Director Shoojt Sircar's "October" is a poignant tale about love and hope, where Shiuli or night Jasmine flowers, which are perfumed and spread their fragrance everywhere and abound in autumn, is cleverly used as a metaphor to denote the ephemeral nature of life.

Danish Walia or Dan (Varun Dhawan), as he is fondly called is a hotel management intern at a five star hotel in Delhi, who is known for his brusque and self-assured ways.

Always dreaming of something big, he dislikes the menial chores assigned to him and is irresponsible and undependable. His friends, who are his colleagues at work, including Shiuli Iyer (Banita Sandhu) and Manjeet, often cover up for him and save him from trouble.

A chance accident which lands Shiuli Iyer in hospital, results in the uncaring and indifferent Dan transform into a new person. His whole life revolves around ensuring that Shiuli recovers and he inadvertently becomes a pillar of strength for her family, especially her mother Prof Iyer (Gitanjali Rao).

Although the pace of the film is painfully slow and a large chunk of it is based in a morbid setting -- a hospital, it is completely devoid of melodrama.

Nowhere in the film is there a romance spelt out yet, the underlying love and longing makes it stand apart.

The film appears unhurried, but does not seem jarring, as it complements the flavour of the narrative.

Writer Juhi Chaturvedi skilfully injects humour through the witty dialogues -- whether about varicose veins or wrongly laundered underwear, mostly mouthed by the brash and tactless Dan, thus never allowing monotony to set in.

Each character is well-etched and fits snugly into the plot, which flows smoothly. Although seemingly predictable, the end brings with it an unexpected twist which sums up the film succinctly.

Varun Dhawan excels as Dan and the metamorphosis of his character without seeming overly emotional or mushy, is well-written and astutely handled by him as an actor.(more)

Sachin: A Billion Dreams: A glorified account of an over-glorified celeb

Like his book, Tendulkar's biopic is a nostalgic cruise through his career

As I walked out of the cinema hall after watching Sachin: A Billion Dreams, I wondered: Would I have thought differently of this biopic had I not known anything about the person it is based on? James Erskine’s documentary on one of the most celebrated cricketers in the world – one who has achieved a near-deific status in India – went along expected lines.

But was that because I, like many Indians and cricket followers around the world, already knew so much about Sachin Tendulkar? How would someone living under a rock for the last quarter of a century, and did not know who Tendulkar was, have liked it?

Sachin: A Billion Dreams starts off rather nicely, showing us a naughty curly-haired boy of seven or eight years living in Mumbai’s Bandra suburb, getting up to the usual seven-or-eight-year-old boy things like annoying his neighbours with pranks. The boy then receives a cricket bat as a gift from his elder sister, and this is where the story that most Indians and cricket followers already know begins.

This wasn’t the first time I was watching the celluloid adaptation of a story I already knew. I wasn’t, of course, expecting any suspense or plot twists, but I have been far more entertained by some of those other movies where I already knew what was going to happen, than I was by Sachin: A Billion Dreams. Maybe our man under the rock might think differently, but then a story still needs to be told properly, completely and honestly, and this is where Erskine’s attempt is found lacking. (more)

Brad Pitt in Mumbai to attend War Machine screening, meets Shah Rukh Khan

The 53-year-old actor plays a US General posted in Afghanistan

Hollywood superstar Brad Pitt is in India to promote his latest film, the Netflix satire "War Machine".

Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan will be moderating a special chat session here with Pitt, in which the two actors will discuss the project.

In the movie, the 53-year-old actor plays a US General posted in Afghanistan.

Directed by David Michod, of "Animal Kingdom" fame, the Netflix Original film is inspired by the book "The Operators: The Wild & Terrifying Inside Story of America's War in Afghanistan" by late journalist Michael Hastings.

An investment in the range of $60 million also makes it Netflix's biggest-budget feature to date.

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There is a big fear of Hollywood taking over Bollywood: SRK

Surprise! Brad Pitt in India to promote 'War Machine'

Pitt's character is loosely based on General Stanley A McChrystal, a retired United States Army general best-known for his command of Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC).

His last assignment was as Commander, International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) and Commander, US Forces Afghanistan.

Hastings's blistering profile on McChrystal led to his firing by Obama.

Pitt's company Plan B is also one of the producers of the film.

The first big-budget Hollywood movie on Netflix will be released on May 26.

Cannes gets an added dose of drama as Netflix makes its festival debut

Opening the 2017 Festival is French director Arnaud Desplechin's Ismael's Ghosts

The red carpet has been rolled out and the stars are taking their photo calls as the aristocracy of the film industry gathers at the Palais des Festivals in Cannes for the 70th annual film festival. From Afghanistan to Zambia, film makers, buyers, screenwriters, distributors, critics, academics and cineastes bunker down together for 12 days of communal cinematic consumption in dark rooms interspersed with heady business and critical discussion in the glare of the Mediterranean sunlight.

Opening the 2017 Festival is French director Arnaud Desplechin’s Ismael’s Ghosts, which is screening out of competition and kicks off a line up that includes 49 films from 29 countries, 12 of them by female directors.

Also Read : Deepika shines bright like a diamond at Day 2 of Cannes

The festival groups its selection (invited from more than 1,000 submitted films) into a number of strands: “the Competition”; “Un Certain Regard”; “Director’s Fortnight” and “Critic’s Week” all of which have their own programme of films. Complementing these strands are special events such as “Midnight Screenings”, “Cannes at 70” screenings, “Cannes Classics” and “Out of Competition” screenings – including, this year, a new thriller from Roman Polanski.

Thierry Frémaux, the Festival’s artistic director, is in charge of selection – and this year his choice is characterised by a lower number of Hollywood films than usual. He has also gone for a more pronounced political tone in the films, on themes such as migration, sex trafficking and the refugee crisis. Another feature of this year’s selection is the screening of films financed by media streaming platforms, including Netflix and Amazon, and the inclusion of “cinematic” television dramas. Read more

IPL 10 eliminator: KKR beats Hyderabad by 7 wickets, will face MI next

As Duckworth-Lewis method came into play, KKR had to chase 48 in six overs

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) captain Gautam Gambhir led from the front to knock defending champions Sunrisers Hyderabad out of the Indian Premier League (IPL) with a seven-wicket win and made to Qualifier 2 in a rain-interrupted eliminator clash at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium here on Thursday.

KKR will take on Mumbai Indians on Friday at the same venue.

Chasing 48 to win in six overs after rain and wet outfield ate up a large chunk of playing time, forcing Duckworth-Lewis method to come into play, Gambhir steadied the ship after KKR were 12/3 at one stage with an unbeaten 19-ball 32.

Ishank Jaggi, playing his first match, was not out on five.

Read more : Vivo V5s: An iPhone lookalike that justifies its 'selfie king' label

At the start, Chris Lynn was on the money right away, smacking Bhuvneshwar Kumar for a six in the first ball he faced.

But the second ball saw the destructive Australian get out after replays showed Lynn had edged to wicketkeeper Naman OJha off a Bhuveshwar near-yorker.

Yusuf Pathan, promoted up the order to score at a brisk pace, lasted just one delivery before he was run out. Robin Uthappa did not last long too, holing out to Shikhar Dhawan at deep mid wicket off Chris Jordan's bowling.

Earlier, KKR rode on a superlative show by their bowlers to restrict Sunrisers Hyderabad to 128/7 in 20 overs. Read more

Lara Dutta Launch New Range Of Good knight Repellent

Lara Dutta who was present in Mumbai along with her hubby Mahesh Bhupathi launched a new range of Goodnight out of home repellents.

See more pics : Click here.

Kabali film review: Weapon of mass attraction Edit

The expectations from Kabali are as high as the Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur, the setting for almost 80% of the movie, not least because it's a Rajinikanth movie. The reasons are varied: the audience need a taste of the Rajinikanth of yore, not a do-gooder Samaritan (Lingaa) or a CGI generated version of a warrior Prince (Kochadaiiyaan). Thalaivar fanatics just wanted him to have fun, which was rarely the case ever since Sivaji. The teasers of Kabalisuggested Rajinikanth is back to his glory days of Basha, Padayappa and Pedarayudu.
 
You wanted badass, you get industrial levels of badass in this Pa Ranjith movie. His previous film Madras had a delightful off-kilter sensibility. Sadly, here he spends too much time deifying his larger-than-life protagonist. And that makes the movie a giant 150-minute slog.
 
It opens with the erstwhile gangster getting released from a Malaysian prison after spending 25 years there. As soon as he steps out, he's apprised of how his rival gang (consisting of Kishore and Winston Chao) has grown from strength to strength and has turned the city into a teeming hub of drug abuse and prostitution.
 
Kabali starts cleaning up right away, while getting reunited with his daughter and wife along the way. You have to be punch drunk on Rajini mania to sit through the movie without dozing off or trying to play Pokemon GO at the cinema itself. The only saving grace is the man himself. The wizened visage hasn't lost a bit of its grace and infectious scowl.(more)

Filmy News

Allu Arjun, wife expecting second child

Telugu star Allu Arjun and his wife Sneha Reddy, who have been married for five years, are expecting their second child. The couple already have a son named Ayaan.

"Happy to share that my family is growing a little bigger. Another baby arriving soon," Arjun wrote on his Twitter page.(more)

Naseeruddin Shah impressed with son Imaad's performance in 'M Cream'

Veteran actor Naseeruddin Shah is impressed with his son Imaad's performance in the film film "M Cream", which is all set to hit the screens this Friday.(more)

Anupam Kher remembers 'Pretty Woman' director Garry Marshall

Veteran actor Anupam Kher has remembered late Hollywood filmmaker Garry Marshall and said he had the "privilege" to meet him.

Anupam shared a photograph of himself with "The Princess Diaries" director, who died on Tuesday.(more)

Gaurav Arora's fan moment with Rajinikanth

It's a fan boy moment for Gaurav Arora. The actor will be travelling to Chennai to watch the first day first show of superstar Rajinikanth-starrer Tamil action drama "Kabali" on Friday.(more)

'Kala chashma 2.0' is a party starter: Karan Johar

Filmmaker Karan Johar says the revamped and rejuvenated version of song "Kala chashma" in the film "Baar Baar Dekho" will leave behind "a huge smile on the face and a dance in demeanour".(more)

The Billionaire Club: Reaching for the stars

Gone are the days when the photographer would land up at the venue on the day of the first function. Today, wedding photography starts from the day of the proposal and goes on till the honeymoon is done and over with. "Honeymoon photography is the in-thing. The photographer is taken along for two to three days and made to stay at a separate hotel. The idea is to shoot the couple discreetly from a distance," says Mehak Sagar, co-founder, WedMeGood, a wedding planning website. Glass albums are becoming the latest trend, with photos being printed on a new kind of glass. Read More.

Hat-trick for 'The Revenant', DiCaprio best actor at Golden Globes

Period survival drama The Revenant emerged as the big winner at the 73rd Golden Globes, scoring a hat-trick by taking home trophies for best picture drama, best actor for Leonardo DiCaprio and best director.

The movie saw off competition from Carol, Mad Max: Fury Road, Room, and Spotlight.

The biggest snub of the night was to lesbian romance Carol which returned empty handed despite five nominations.

Considered to be a precursor to the Oscars, Globes win has upped DiCaprio's chances of winning his first Academy award for the true-story inspired role of frontiersman Hugh Glass in The Revenant, directed by Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu.

The 41-year-old actor said it was an incredible honour to win as he acknowledged fellow nominees, his director and co-star Tom Hardy.

Aamir Khan out of Incredible India

Film actor and producer Aamir Khan will cease to be the face of Incredible India, the signature advertising campaign for the tourism ministry to promote India globally, the government confirmed Wednesday late evening, after many twists and turns.

Khan, recipient of the Padma Shri and Padma Bhushan awards, has been the ambassador for Incredible India since 2009, when the Congress-led government was in power. And, had continued since the current government took power in 2014.

The current decision is being attributed to Khan’s recent remark on "rising intolerance in India" but the government tried to distance itself from that controversy. The tourism ministry spoke in many voices through the day on the subject. In the evening, minister of state for aviation and tourism Mahesh Sharma confirmed the development through a tweet, often used as the official medium of communication by this government.

The Force is strong with this one

The new instalment in the Star Wars franchise comes a decade after the last film (Revenge of the Sith in 2005) and three decades after the original trilogy (Return of the Jediin 1983). Directed by J J Abrams - famous for his Star Trekmovies and TV show Lost - the film features Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher, who also starred in the original trilogy. Besides, Adam Driver, Daisy Ridley,John Boyega and Oscar Isaac appear in lead roles.

Ever since the prequels were released, the fans of the saga were divided into two segments: one for whom the original trilogy constitutes the franchise and the other that does not discriminate and loves all six films equally. Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens hoped to please both segments.

The Force Awakens begins where Return of the Jedi left off, set 30 years after the events of the latter. The film features nostalgic elements synonymous with the franchise, such as lightsabers, Death Stars and the Skywalker family. However, for those new to the franchise, certain concepts need to be grasped: the Force, an energy that flows through all living beings, can be used for both good and bad and is measured through the number of midi-chlorians, a fictional microorganism, in one's body. There are two monastic orders in the cinematic universe - the Jedi (the light side) and the Sith (the dark side) - who are also at war with each other.