Cinema

'Pushpa 2' creates history, earns Rs 294 cr worldwide on opening day

'Pushpa fire nahi, wildfire hai', the popular dialogue from Allu Arjun's "Pushpa" franchise has come true with the historic box office performance of the second part, which has amassed Rs 294 crore gross globally on day one of its release. The day one collection of the Sukumar-directed movie, a sequel to 2021's Telugu blockbuster "Pushpa: The Rise", has shattered the record for the highest opening in the history of Indian cinema, which earlier belonged to SS Rajamouli's "RRR" (Rs 223.5 crore), followed by "Baahubali 2" (Rs 217 crore) and "Kalki 2898 AD" (Rs 175 crore). The film's collection has beaten expectations of the trade pundits, who had pegged the film's opening figure to be slightly over than Rs 150 crore. Production banner Mythri Movie Makers, which has bankrolled "Pushpa 2", shared the box office figures. "The Biggest Indian Film creates History at the box office. #Pushpa2TheRule grosses 294 crores worldwide on Day 1 making it the highest opening day in Indian Cinema," ..

Amidst ongoing crisis, Malayalam cinema to get new film association

At a time when the Malayalam cinema industry is reeling from the shocking revelations in the Justice K Hema Committee report, a group of film personalities are set to launch a new film body aimed at revitalising the sector and promoting a fair and just workplace. A vision note of the proposed outfit, Progressive Filmmakers' Association, has been circulated among the industry members. The note, accessed by the media, is purportedly signed by well-known filmmakers Anjali Menon, Lijo Jose Pellissery, Rajeev Ravi and Aashiq Abu, actress Rima Kallingal and producer Bineesh Chandra. According to the vision note, the Malayalam film industry, despite its significant contribution to the state's economy and cultural landscape, remains tethered to outdated systems and practices. "As filmmakers-producers, directors, technicians-we are the foundation upon which this industry stands: creating jobs, driving innovation, and fostering creativity. Yet, we often find ourselves navigating an ...

Unsafe at any place: Hema Committee underlines distance to gender equality

Recent revelations in the Justice Hema Committee report on women in Malayalam film industry and events following the rape and murder of a medical student in Kolkata point to a disturbing regression

Malayalam director Ranjith, actor Siddique resign over abuse allegations

Noted actor Siddique on Sunday resigned as the general secretary of the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (A.M.M.A.) following sexual assault allegations raised by a woman actor on August 24. Talking to a television channel, the senior actor said he had sent his resignation letter to the President of the organisation, Mohanlal. "Yes. I have tendered my official resignation to the president of the organisation, Mohanlal. Since there were allegations against me, I have decided not to continue in the post and resigned," Siddique said. A female actor had on Saturday alleged Siddique had sexually abused her after inviting her for a movie discussion. The allegations came in the wake of the churn in the Malayalam film industry following the release of Justice Hema Committee report, which pointed towards numerous incidents of casting couch and sexual abuse in the field. The report had revealed instances of harassment and exploitation of women in the Malayalam cinema industry, prompti

India leads global VFX industry with rich history, cutting-edge technology

History and tech power have ensured India remains at the forefront of the global visual effects business

The Kerala script: What is behind the resurgence of Malayalam cinema?

Few would have imagined the blockbuster year for Malayalam cinema that 2024 is turning out to be

More than 157 million Indians bought 943 million movie tickets in 2023

Theatre-going population in India on the rise, says Ormax data

Robert Downey Jr. wins supporting actor, his first Oscar for 'Oppenheimer'

Three decades after receiving his first Academy Award nomination, Robert Downey Jr. has won his first Oscar. Downey won best supporting actor on Sunday for his portrayal of Rear Adm. Lewis Strauss in Oppenheimer, hailed as one of Downey's best performances in years. It was the third career Oscar nomination for a veteran actor known as one of Hollywood's most versatile performers but before Sunday had never won an Academy Award. He was nominated in 1993 for best actor for Chaplin and in 2008 for best supporting actor in Tropic Thunder. Oppenheimer, Christopher Nolan's three-hour deep dive into the development and fallout of the atomic bomb during World War II, led the Academy Awards with 13 nominations. Downey beat Sterling K. Brown for American Fiction, Ryan Gosling for Barbie, Mark Ruffalo for Poor Things and Robert De Niro for Killers of the Flower Moon. The win solidified Downey's frontrunner status this awards season. He also took home the top honor for supporting actor at the

Preserving the magic

Martin Scorsese's rich legacy not only includes a compelling oeuvre but also the numerous films he has preserved and restored for future generations to cherish

Dadasaheb Phalke Award: Shah Rukh wins Best Actor, Vanga Best Director

Filmmaker Sandeep Reddy Vanga bagged the Best Director award for his film 'Animal' at the Dadasaheb Phalke International Film Festival Awards 2024

Grieving through popular culture

Cyril Radcliffe, the man who physically drew the line separating Hindu-dominated India from the Muslim one in the west and the east, had the worst job possible

Rashmika Mandanna thanks Delhi Police after deepfake video creator arrested

Actor Rashmika Mandanna has expressed gratitude towards Delhi Police after it arrested a B-Tech graduate from Andhra Pradesh in connection with a deepfake video of the "Animal" star that was widely circulated on social media. The video went viral on social media in November which showed a woman, dressed in a black workout onesie, stepping inside an elevator. The accused, who has been identified as 23-year-old Eemani Naveen, a native of Guntur, Andhra Pradesh, had morphed British-Indian social media personality Zara Patel's face using artificial intelligence (AI) to resemble the actor. On Saturday, Mandanna shared a note on her official X page and tagged the handle of Delhi Police's Cyber Crime Unit. "Expressing my heartfelt gratitude to @DCP_IFSO. Thank you for apprehending those responsible. Feeling truly grateful for the community that embraces me with love, support and shields me," the 27-year-old wrote. "Girls and boys - if your image is used or morphed anywhere without your .

Cinema daily shows up to 623 in 2022, theatre attendance drops: Delhi govt

The average number of cinema shows per day rose from 450 in 2010 to 623 in 2022 but the average number of cinema goers per day declined in the last 13 years, according to the Delhi Statistical Handbook-2023. The number of theatres in Delhi rose from 129 in 2008 to 137 in 2022, with the peak point being in 2017, when the number was 142, it said. The handbook containing data on socio-economic parameters of the national capital was released by the Delhi government's Economic and Statistics department. The number of multiplexes has also risen from 21 in 2008 to 33 in 2022, the handbook said. The average number of cinema goers per day was 90,000 in 2010 when the theatres, including multiplexes, were showing an average of 450 shows per day. With the average number of shows going up to 510, 98,000 cinema goers visited cinema halls on an average per day in 2011. It rose to 1,07,000 and 1,15,000 in 2012 and 2013, respectively, as the number of shows also surged. In 2014, the average numbe

Barbie wins inaugural Cinematic & Box Office Achievement at Golden Globes

'Barbie' was the dominant force heading into the evening, landing a leading 10 nominations across all categories, including nods in the musical or comedy categories of best feature film

On the slow road: From drive-in cinemas to smaller outdoor screenings

'Drive-in theatres occupy a huge area of land. It is difficult to scale that kind of business'

Andre Braugher, actor who starred in 'Brooklyn Nine-Nine', dies at 61

Andre Braugher, the Emmy-winning actor who would master gritty drama for seven seasons on "Homicide: Life on The Street and modern comedy for eight on Brooklyn 99, died Monday at 61. Braugher died after a brief illness, his publicist Jennifer Allen told The Associated Press. No further details were given. The Chicago-born actor would establish himself in the role of Detective Frank Pembleton, the lead role on Homicide: Life on the Street, a dark police drama based on a book by David Simon, who would go on to create The Wire. The show, which focused on the homicide unit of the Baltimore Police Department, ran for seven seasons on NBC, and would win critical acclaim with Braugher as its dramatic centre and breakout star. He would win his first career Emmy for the role, taking the trophy for lead actor in a drama series in 1998. He feared he would be typecast after spending most of the 1990s as the brooding detective. "If I do it too long then I'll stop really searching and probing

Govt committed to boosting creative economy for cinematic quality: Thakur

Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting Anurag Thakur on Tuesday said the government is committed towards boosting creative economy, mentoring outstanding artists and encouraging youngsters to achieve cinematic excellence. Prime Minister Narendra Modi believes in the energy of youth and he wants that more opportunities and platforms be given to them, Thakur said. He was speaking after inaugurating the '75 Creative Minds of Tomorrow' section on the sidelines of Film Bazaar of the ongoing International Film Festival of India (IFFI) 2023 in Goa. This is the third edition of the section in which 75 young filmmakers have been selected from 19 states. Thakur said, Nine years back, India was nowhere in the startup domain, but with a new policy, India has emerged as the third largest startup ecosystem in the world with one hundred thousand startups in the country." When the world was facing the COVID-19 pandemic, India had 50 unicorns, he said. You can well imagine, when big comp

National Cinema Day 2023: Know how to book a ticket at just Rs 99?

The National Cinema Day is being celebrated nationwide on October 13 this year and the film lovers will can watch films at an affordable cost, says Multiplex Association of India (MAI)

Ambani's JioCinema to appoint former Google Manager Kiran Mani as CEO

Mani formerly ran Google's Android operations in the Asia Pacific region

Dev Anand at 100: Film festival kicks off with 'Johny Mera Naam' screenings

A film festival celebrating the birth centenary of screen icon Dev Anand, opened on Saturday evening with packed shows of the actor's popular films "Johny Mera Naam" and "Guide" at PVR Juhu here. The two-day event named 'Dev Anand @ 100 - Forever Young', curated by Film Heritage Foundation (FHF), is showcasing four of the actor's movies. The other two films "CID" and "Jewel Thief" will be screened on Sunday. Waheeda Rehman, Dev Anand's co-star of films such as "CID" and "Guide", actor Jackie Shroff, filmmaker Sriram Raghavan, and FHF director Shivendra Singh Dungarpur introduced the two titles marking the opening of the festival. Rehman recounted being introduced to Dev Anand on the sets of "CID", the 1956 film which marked her Hindi cinema debut. "I feel very lucky that I did my first film 'CID' with Dev sahab. When we were introduced, I called him 'Dev sahab', he said 'Waheeda, you won't call me Dev sahab'. I said 'I'm not that ill-mannered, you are elder to me and such a big sta