The much-anticipated rom-com Shotgun Wedding will premiere exclusively for Lionsgate Play members starting from January 27 exclusively on Lionsgate Play in India, via Prime Video Channels with add-on subscriptions. It stars Jennifer Lopez, Josh Duhamel, Jennifer Coolidge, Sonia Braga, Cheech Marin, Selena Tan, D’Arcy Carden, Callie Hernandez, Desmin Borges, Steve Coulter, Alberto Isaac and Lenny Kravitz. It is directed by Jason Moore and written by Mark Hammer.
In Shotgun Wedding, Darcy (Jennifer Lopez) and Tom (Josh Duhamel) gather their lovable-but-very-opinionated families for the ultimate destination wedding, just as the couple begins to get cold feet. And if that wasn’t enough of a threat to the celebration, suddenly everyone’s lives are in danger when the entire party is taken hostage and ‘Till death do us part’ takes on a whole new meaning in this hilarious, adrenaline-fueled adventure as Darcy and Tom must save their loved ones.
The story goes this way Darcy and Tom are about to get married on an island. Everything is done; the arrangements, dress, and guests everything is done. On the day of the wedding, the whole family and guests are captivated and everything is spoiled. Darcy and Tom somehow escape and now they have to rescue everybody along with their beautiful day. The movie goes on with lots of humor, drama, and action; with Jennifer Coolidge, the movie is going to be filled with laughing gigs.
Prime Video released the trailer for Shotgun Wedding in October. The trailer introduces us to the beautiful couple from the film, Darcy (Jennifer Lopez) and Tom (Josh Duhamel), who is about to have the island wedding of their dreams. Of course, no special day is complete without the couple’s eccentric families, a handsome ex on the guest list, and cold feet, but it’s probably just butterflies.
Actor Madhuri Dixit took to Instagram and shared video as she grooved to Ghodey Pe Sawaar. She left fans impressed with her dance moves on Wednesday as she grooved to the popular song, Ghodey Pe Sawaar from Tripti Dimri, Babil Khan and Varun Grover’s movie, Qala. The original dance video featured Anushka Sharma in special appearance. Reacting to Madhuri’s dance, fans felt that she danced better than Anushka. Many fans reacted to her dance post.
In the video, Madhuri decked up in green ethnic outfit with white embroidery on it, and wore matching bracelet. She left her hair loose. She danced and gave perfect expressions while Ghodey Pe Sawaar played in the background. She was all smiles and lip-synced to the song as well. The song is sung by Sireesha Bhagavatula and penned by Amitabh Bhattacharya, and music is directed by Amit Trivedi.
Sharing the clip, Madhuri wrote, “Balma ghodey pe kyu sawar hai (why is my lover in a hurry)?” She used ‘wednesday’, ‘wednesday mood’, ‘ghodey pe sawaar’, ‘trending reels’, ‘reels instagram’ and ‘explore page’ as the hashtags. Singer Sireesha Bhagavatula commented, “OH MY GOD!!! The best (three red heart emojis) My mom would be on cloud nine seeing this!!! Fav fav.” Actor Chitrangda Singh wrote, “You’re love (red heart emoji).”
Reacting to Madhuri’s dance video, one of her fans wrote, “She did it better than Anushka.” Another fan commented, “The queen of Reels is back.” Other fan wrote, “You are made for this song (smiling face with red heart eyes emoji).” A fan commented, “No one can defeat you.” “The epitome of grace and beauty”, added one. Source: HT
India has made history as the first Asian song with ‘Naatu Naatu’ (film, ‘RRR’) winning the Golden Globe Award for BEST ORIGINAL SONG – MOTION PICTURE, SONGWRITER M.M. KEERAVAANI for 2022!
Further, films from India have been Shortlisted by The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (The 95th – ‘Oscars’) in three categories: Documentary Feature Film, International Feature Film and Music (Original Song).
The ten categories are Documentary Feature Film, Documentary Short Film, International Feature Film, Makeup and Hairstyling, Music (Original Score), Music (Original Song), Animated Short Film, Live Action Short Film, Sound and Visual Effects.
The nominees for ‘The Oscars’ will be announced by The Academy on Tuesday, January 24 and the Awards Ceremony will take place on Sunday, March 12.
In the Documentary Feature film category, ‘All That Breathes’ has not only won several awards and recognitions at several film festivals and organizations (see poster) but was also shortlisted in the Documentary Feature Film category by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
‘OSCAR’ SHORTLISTS
DOCUMENTARY FEATURE FILM
‘All That Breathes’
Dir/Co-Prod: Shaunak Sen l Co-Prods: Aman Mann and Teddy Leifer l 2022 l India/USA/UK l 1h 34m
‘All that Breathes,’ poster (Credit / allthatbreathes.com)
In one of the world’s most populated cities, two brothers – Nadeem and Saud – devote their lives to the quixotic effort of protecting the black kite, a majestic bird of prey essential to the ecosystem of New Delhi that has been falling from the sky at alarming rates. Amid environmental toxicity and social unrest, the ‘kite brothers’ spend day and night caring for the creatures in their makeshift avian basement hospital. Director Shaunak Sen (Cities of Sleep) explores the connection between the kites and the Muslim brothers who help them return to the skies, offering a mesmerizing chronicle of inter-species coexistence.
Gotham Film Awards, in presenting the Best Documentary Feature Award to Shaunak Sen commented – “a sublime mix of social issue focus and poetic artistry that embraces the interconnectedness of all living things in this portrait of a pair of Muslim brothers who tend to sick birds (primarily predatory kites) that fall from the polluted sky in New Delhi and are nursed to health in their small basement clinic.”
‘All That Breathes’ took the top prize for Outstanding Achievement in Non-Fiction Feature Filmmaking as well as the award for Cinematography.
INTERNATIONAL FEATURE FILM
‘Last Film Show’
Dir/Writ: Pan Nalin l Gujarati l 1h 51m
Last Film Show (Credit / lastfilmshow.net)
In the ‘Last Film Show,’ Samay, a 9-year-old boy living with his family in a remote village in India discovers films for the first time and is absolutely mesmerized. Against his father’s wishes, he returns to the cinema day after day to watch more films, and even befriends the projectionist, who, in exchange for his lunch box, lets him watch movies for free. He quickly figures out that stories become light, light becomes films, and films become dreams. Samay and his wild gang of friends move heaven and earth to catch and project light to achieve a 35mm film projection. But little do they know that soon they’ll be forced to make heartbreaking choices as an era is approaching to annihilate everything they love about their 35mm dreams…
MUSIC (ORIGINAL SONG)
“Nattu Nattu” (from film “RRR”)
Dir: S.S. Rajamouli l 2022 l India l Telugu w/Eng subs l 3h 2m
The music for “Naatu Naatu” is composed by M.M. Keeravani with Lyrics by Chandrabose.
Naatu Naatu dance scene. (Credit /RRR.)
From writer-director S. S. Rajamouli (Baahubali) comes the international blockbuster that has enchanted movie audiences of all ages with its jaw-dropping action sequences, swooning romantic intrigue, infectious musical numbers— including the sensation “Naatu Naatu”—and rousing central friendship between two pre-Independence revolutionaries, played by Telugu-language megastars Ram Charan and N.T. Rama Rao, Jr. (better known as Jr. NTR).
From an original story by V. Vijayendra Prasad, the historical action epic RRR (short for Rise, Roar, Revolt) follows the fictionalized paths of real-life freedom fighters Alluri Sitarama Raju (Charan) and Komaram Bheem (Rama Rao) as they come together in 1920s Delhi to battle the nefarious British Raj for the rescue of a kidnapped girl from Bheem’s tribe.
(Mabel Pais writes on The Arts and Entertainment, Social Issues, Health & Wellness, Cuisine and Spirituality)
Naatu Naatu, the irrepressible, fun number from the blockbuster RRR, danced its way to a Golden Globe as the ‘best original song-motion picture’ — and to Indian showbiz history — at a star spangled awards ceremony in Los Angeles on Tuesday, January 10, night.
The song, which beat the likes of Taylor Swift, Rihanna and Lady Gaga, to win the coveted award is the first time that an Indian production has won a Golden Globe.
RRR had also been nominated in the ‘best picture-non English’ category and lost out to Argentina’s historical drama Argentina, 1985. But there was compensation aplenty. “And the Globe goes to Naatu Naatu RRR,” actor Jenna Ortega announced on stage to loud cheers from the RRR team.
The track has been composed by veteran music director MM Keeravaani and voiced by singers Kala Bhairava and Rahul Sipligunj. Naatu Naatu, filmed on Ram Charan and Jr NTR, roughly translates to dance like no one’s watching in Telugu. Choreographed by Prem Rakshith, it has legions of followers still trying to master its steps. Naatu Naatu was nominated alongside Taylor Swift’s Carolina from Where The Crawdads Sing, Ciao Papa from Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio, Lady Gaga’s Hold My Hand from Top Gun: Maverick and Rihanna’s Lift Me Up from Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.
Bollywood star Tiger Shroff’s glimpses from his upcoming action entertainer film ‘Bade Miyan Chote Miyan’ are gaining momentum on social media. The film also stars Akshay Kumar, who had a rough patch on the professional front in 2022. In the pictures, Tiger can be seen doing what he does best – high octane action sequences and acrobatics. Dressed in a sleeveless jacket, Tiger effortlessly fits his part as an action hero.
The film is set to be one of the biggest films this year with ‘Bade Miyan Chote Miyan’ presenting the new squad of Akshay Kumar, Tiger Shroff, and Prithviraj Sukumaran in some of the larger-than-life visuals. Prithviraj Sukumaran will play the antagonist in the film.
Produced by Vashu Bhagnani, Jackky Bhagnani and Deepshikha Deshmukh under the banner of Pooja Entertainment, ‘Bade Miyan Chote Miyan’ has been directed by Ali Abbas Zafar, who has earlier helmed films like ‘Tiger Zinda Hai‘ and ‘Sultan’ and Tiger Shroff’s fans are looking forward to it.
TV czarina Ekta Kapoor has announced that she will be casting a new face for her upcoming film and would enter the ‘Bigg Boss 16’ house to look for the cast. Ekta also bid adieu to Tejasswi Prakash, who had bagged Ekta’s ‘Naagin’ Season 6 while she was in the Bigg Boss 15 house last season. As the show’s sixth season is wrapping up, Ekta penned an emotional note for Tejasswi, whom she tagged as Nagina.
Ekta wrote, “Lots of love for this nagina! Found her in the bigg boss house n in throes of corona n high fever n cough forced @colors n Manisha that I wanted to cast her!”
She is also excited to enter Bigg Boss 16 house to cast a new face for an upcoming film.
“Hopefully going to big boss for an exciting film announcement, let’s see who we find there this time #byebyyenagin.” In another video, sharing the promo of Naagin 6, she bid adieu to the show.
Priyanka Chopra has officially launched her first make-up collection with Max Factor. The launch took place in the UK. The collection includes the Masterpiece Eye Palette, nine Colour Elixir Lipsticks and eight Miracle Pure Nail Polishes. Priyanka Chopra looked the epitome of glamour in the campaign shoot.
“Inclusivity is the backbone of this collection and to help women feel confident and as a woman of colour, I am all too aware of the struggles many people can have when searching for the right make-up for them,” said Priyanka Chopra, as reported by Independent UK. She added, “I know the transformative impact it can have not just on my appearance, but on my self-confidence. For me, make-up has always been a tool of discovery and self-expression, and a way to feel like the best version of myself.” Back in 2020, Priyanka Chopra was announced as the new face of Max Factor, who will serve as global ambassador and consultant for the make-up giant.
On the professional front, the 40-year-old actress has a bunch of projects in the pipeline; Love Again, Citadel (web series), and Ending Things to name a few. She also has a Farhan Akhtar film in her kitty, titled Jee Le Zaraa, which stars Katrina Kaif and Alia Bhatt.
James Cameron’s Avatar: The Way of Water is still going strong at the global box office, even after multiple weeks of release and is nearing the $2 billion mark. The film which released on December 16, had crossed $1 billion within 12 days of release. Now director James Cameron has said that he is not in the mood to entertain any ideas of the film eyeing a digital release so soon.
During an interview with Variety at the Golden Globes red carpet, where Avatar The Way of Water was nominated for Best Motion Picture (Drama) and Best Director (it lost both to Steven Spielberg’s The Fablemans), James Cameron addressed the enthusiasm of the audience to go to the theatres and watch a movie on the big screen rather than move in for a streaming date. The director was reminded in the same interview that the sequel to his 2009 original has now emerged to be the seventh biggest movie of all time and is showing no such signs of slowing down. Also, James Cameron has now directed three of the top 10 biggest movies ever, including the first Avatar and Titanic.
To this James responded, “I’m not thinking of it in those terms, I’m thinking of it more in the terms of, we’re back to theaters around the world. People are going back to theaters. They’re even going back to theaters in China where they’re having this huge COVID surge. We’re seeing as a society we need this, we need to go to movie theaters and have that experience. Enough with the streaming already! I’m tired of sitting on my a**.”
The Golden Globes made a comeback as films, from Steven Spielberg’s “The Fabelmans” to “Top Gun” and “Avatar” sequels, competes for top honours. The awards were taken off air last year amid controversy over ethical lapses and a lack of diversity in the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, which organises the Beverly Hills gala.
Here is the full list of winners at the 80th annual Golden Globe Awards:
FILM
– Best film, drama: “The Fabelmans”
– Best film, musical or comedy: “The Banshees of Inisherin
– Best director: Steven Spielberg, “The Fabelmans”
– Best actor, drama: Austin Butler, “Elvis”
– Best actress, drama: Cate Blanchett, “Tar”
– Best actor, musical or comedy: Colin Farrell, “The Banshees of Inisherin”
– Best actress, musical or comedy: Michelle Yeoh, “Everything Everywhere All at Once”
– Best supporting actor: Ke Huy Quan, “Everything Everywhere All at Once”
– Best supporting actress: Angela Bassett, “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever”
– Best screenplay: Martin McDonagh, “The Banshees of Inisherin”
– Best music, original score: Justin Hurwitz, “Babylon”
– Best music, original song: “Naatu Naatu” from “RRR”
– Best non-English language film: “Argentina, 1985”
– Best animated feature: “Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio”
TV
– Best drama series: “House of the Dragon”
– Best drama actor: Kevin Costner, “Yellowstone”
– Best drama actress: Zendaya, “Euphoria”
– Best musical or comedy series: “Abbott Elementary”
– Best musical or comedy actor: Jeremy Allen White, “The Bear”
– Best musical or comedy actress: Quinta Brunson, “Abbott Elementary”
– Best supporting actor, television: Tyler James Williams, “Abbott Elementary”
– Best supporting actress, television: Julia Garner, “Ozark”
– Best limited series or TV movie: “The White Lotus”
– Best limited series or TV movie actor: Evan Peters, “Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story”
Lisa Marie Presley, singer-songwriter and daughter of Elvis and Priscilla Presley, passed away aged 54. People confirmed the news with a statement shared by Priscilla where she said, “It is with a heavy heart that I must share the devastating news that my beautiful daughter Lisa Marie has left us” on Thursday, January 12. Lisa Marie’s mother further paid her a tribute calling her “passionate strong and loving woman” she has ever known.
The news of Lisa Marie Presley’s passing comes after it was reported on Thursday morning that she had been rushed to the hospital following a possible cardiac arrest. A spokesperson for the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department confirmed to People that paramedics responded to the 5900 block of Normandy drive in Calabasas to treat a woman in her 50s who was not breathing. The statement mentioned that after the paramedics began CPR and, upon noting the patient had “signs of life,” transferred her to medical care.
Hugh Jackman has denied ever taking any steroids to bulk himself for his superhero characters. He will be returning to play his most iconic character Logan aka Wolverine in the upcoming superhero film Deadpool 3 with his good friend, actor Ryan Reynolds. The actor is currently on Broadway for The Music Man; his final performance will be on January 15, 2023 before he has to get into shape back again for Wolverine.
The actor broke through in Hollywood with X-Men (2000) where he first played Logan, alongside co-stars Patrick Stewart, James Marsden, Famke Janssen and Ian McKellen in the comic book adaptation. Since the, Hugh has played Wolverine in X2 (2003), X-Men: The Last Stand (2006), X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009), X-Men: First Class (2011), The Wolverine (2011), X-Men: Days Of Future Past (2014), X-Men: Apocalypse (2016) and Logan (2017).
In a new interview on HBO’s talk show Who’s Talking to Chris Wallace, the actor responded to claims that if he had even taken any steroids in order to transform into the character. The journalist asked him that over the years, people have wondered, “Did he juice?” Hugh replied, “No, I love my job. And I love Wolverine. I got to be careful what I say here, but I had been told anecdotally what the side effects are of that. And I was like, ‘I don’t love it that much.’ So no, I just did it the old school way. And I tell you, I’ve eaten more chickens — I’m so sorry to all the vegans and vegetarians and to the chickens of the world. Literally the karma is not good for me. If the deity has anything related to chickens, I’m in trouble.”
“There has also been a concerted effort to suppress projects which do not fit the BJP’s vision of and for India. Consequently, barring some notable exceptions, India’s film fraternity consciously self-censors itself, hoping to ride out the storm. Faced with a dispensation that stops at nothing, this self-preservation imperative is understandable. After all, why should an actor or producer or director stand up for constitutional values when they face boycotts and threats, when investigative agencies are unleashed on them, and when no one publicly stands with them?”
By Pushparaj Deshpande
In 1938, Charlie Chaplin started work on The Great Dictator. Even though it critiqued the Nazis, Chaplin was forced to self-sponsor, direct and write the project himself because most mainstream Hollywood studios were hesitant to disrupt ties to German finance, or risk making an overtly political project. Additionally, many in the establishment felt appeasing Adolf Hitler could work, so official censorship was also a real threat. Yet, showing tremendous personal and ideological fortitude, Chaplin forged ahead. The film belied expectations and became Chaplin’s biggest commercial success. It was nominated for five Academy awards and became a cult classic.
Contextualize the enormity of Chaplin’s achievement. Swimming against the tide, his film mocked Hitler’s fetish for photo-ops, self-aggrandizing schemes and critiqued the attacks against minorities to distract from economic failures. Most importantly, it exposed the futility of placating authoritarian figures. This was when Hollywood consciously eschewed taking an anti-Nazi stand on screen, even if it privately opposed Nazism.
A site of contestation
A similar situation has come to pass in India. India’s film industries are now a site of ideological and political contestation, as The Kashmir Files and Pathaan controversies highlight. The BJP is consistently leveraging films to sway mass audiences. Mixing religious imagery, patriotism and nationalistic ideals, these films methodically propagate key Sangh Parivar mythologies. The importance given to this endeavor is demonstrated by the fact that no less than the Prime Minister had multiple meetings with key film industry stakeholders, in an effort to prod them into producing “nation-building films”.
There has also been a concerted effort to suppress projects which do not fit the BJP’s vision of and for India. Consequently, barring some notable exceptions, India’s film fraternity consciously self-censors itself, hoping to ride out the storm. Faced with a dispensation that stops at nothing, this self-preservation imperative is understandable. After all, why should an actor or producer or director stand up for constitutional values when they face boycotts and threats, when investigative agencies are unleashed on them, and when no one publicly stands with them?
Coincidentally, this assault comes at a time when the nature of film consumption is undergoing a structural shift. As the DVD and retail business model has been rendered obsolete, filmmakers no longer get a second shot at turning a profit. This has been exacerbated by the unfortunate reality that confronting regressive values and uncomfortable truths is now a high-risk endeavor, for it could invite the wrath of regressive forces. Faced with these legitimate concerns, filmmakers are opting to churn out extravagant, high-budget films that are divorced from reality, or ‘safe’ films.
But India’s film industries do not have the luxury of escaping socioeconomic and political realities. First, the BJP is creating a ‘committed film sector’ by attacking the structural integrity of the film and television sectors. By marshalling the full resources of the state (the merging of four film media units ignoring criticism from the industry, subsidizing projects of aligned filmmakers, the censor board withholding clearances, etc.) and coaxing its core vote bank to support films that pander to its political and ideological projects, the BJP is gerrymandering the market. That is partly why films like The Kashmir Files and Tanhaji did well commercially.
Second, progressives are targeted not just for their project choices or because they dissent from the BJP, but for what they represent — an India where you could succeed no matter who you are or where you came from. Motivated by their ideological imperatives, these regressive forces need to constantly reinforce two things to their core vote bank, namely that broad-minded, outspoken and disruptive actors/filmmakers cannot shape India’s image of itself, nor do they have an equal space in films.
Third, audiences do not seem to be watching films as an escape from reality. An ideologically captive audience is seemingly endorsing films that mirror what they are force-fed daily through the electronic and digital media. This is not just an act of solidarity with populist mythologies connected to national, religious and community pride; it also enables them to exert illusionary control over those they don’t agree with.
However, following Newton’s third law, it follows that there is a liberal audience that spurns films with regressive values. That is why films like Samrat Prithviraj, Dhaakad, Manikarnika, etc. tanked at the box office, despite the initial leg-up they got from the BJP’s ecosystem. If viewership trends on OTT and digital platforms are anything to go by, a silent majority is desperate for films that do not propagate communal, casteist, xenophobic, racist and undemocratic values. In this reading, films that objectively and sensitively address socioeconomic and political realities can succeed commercially. These include Jai Bhim, Mandela, Article 15, Sardar Udham, Raazi, Mulk and Pink. Similarly, films on the farmers’/students’ movements; the lived realities of women, Sikhs, Muslims, Christians, Kashmiri Pandits, OBCs, Adivasis and Dalits; and India’s multiple successes since 1947 could resonate with, and bind Indians together positively.
Admittedly, actualizing these requires courage. But the film fraternity needs to realize that it is an equal partner in fostering a national consciousness. While it does not need to wade into polarized political debates, it can (and must) use its craft in defense of our shared values. Unless it spearheads films and serials that remind us to preserve our humanity, that weave a symphony from the many voices of India and that envision a better tomorrow (while being truthful about today), this tsunami of hatred will not pass.
The shared work of progressives
Yet, the onus of furthering constitutional values is not on India’s film fraternity alone. It is also on other progressive forces (including political parties). Given how insidiously regressive forces are colonizing the minds of our fellow Indians, all progressives need to support each other in this normative battle for India’s soul. We need to propagate our shared values creatively because high-sounding appeals to protect secular, democratic and liberal values do not sway the silent majority. Furthermore, given the state of a section of India’s media, we need to open up new fronts. Unless we display politico-cultural dynamism, the BJP will keep changing its goalposts and unleashing new culture wars that liberals will struggle to catch up to. That is why progressives need to support the film and television industries. Civil society/political action against outfits attacking film sets, raising their issues in the legislature, the media and the judiciary, and establishing new platforms and means of support are just a few ways in which India’s film industries can be tangibly supported.
B.R. Ambedkar had argued that “constitutional morality is not a natural sentiment. It has to be cultivated”. Seen in this light, it is incumbent on progressives to collaborate in the cultivation of mass emotions. Doing this would mean influencing social consciousness through soaring political rhetoric, disruptive movements like the Bharat Jodo Yatra, and the strategic use of popular culture. Notwithstanding the attack on India’s constitutional edifice, we must recognize that this is also a moment of possibilities — to redesign our operational methodologies, to shed ideological infirmities and to create a more liberal, just and compassionate India.
(Pushparaj Deshpande is the Director of the Samruddha Bharat Foundation, a multi-party platform that furthers India’s constitutional promise & the series editor of the Rethinking India series [Penguin] )
