Noticias

Stree 2 TV Premiere Success ( Photo Credit – Instagram )

The World TV Premiere of Stree 2 on Star Gold, which aired on March 15 during the Holi weekend, attracted a staggering 41.2 million viewers, making it the most-watched movie premiere on Indian television. The horror-comedy, which performed exceptionally well at the box office with global earnings of Rs 884 crores, has now replicated its success on the small screen.

Maddock’s last horror-comedy Munjya garnered a viewership of 34.6 million with its world premiere. Now Stree 2 has surpassed this number with 6.8 million higher views, setting a massive record, to enhance the viewer experience, Star Gold supplemented the premiere with a Roundtable discussion featuring the film’s cast and director, Amar Kaushik, along with a showcase of unseen deleted scenes.

Dinesh Vijan, CEO of Maddock Films, acknowledged the film’s continued success, highlighting that Stree 2 has resonated deeply with audiences, both in cinemas and on television.

Director Dibakar Banerjee talks with Subhash K Jha about Love Sex Aur Dhokha as it hits 15 years.

In Love Sex Aur Dhokha, Dibakar Banerjee created a digital world resorting to desperate measures. His characters are ordinary people extraordinarily challenged by the sheer obligation of day-to-day living. While these characters-social ‘mess’-fits symptomatic of a new materialistic ‘muddle’ class-record all their moves and action on self-operated cameras the director records their stories without overt cinematic interventions. This is where the film’s main problems propped up. The director’s vision is so unified with the way the characters see themselves that a section of the audience may feel it’s watching a hugely self-indulgent work that wants to keep the ‘cinema’ out of the cinema. The material binding the three stories is edited like a home video where the relevance of the characters depends on our off-camera familiarity with them. The...

It’s been two days since I have watched Dibakar Banerjee’s “Tees” (2024), and it has bothered me to no end, my inability to articulate my thoughts about the film in a coherent fashion. Perhaps that could be because Banerjee, unlike many other filmmakers dealing with social messaging, is extremely cognizant about the evils plaguing the current climate and how insidious they actually are in exhibiting themselves—be it in the garb of bureaucracy or of jealousy.

You can argue that “Tees” is a grab bag of social messages that Banerjee and screenwriter Gaurav Solanki throw into a blender, but that would take away from the nuanced and controlled storytelling the film exhibits within its anthology structure. Essentially taking the conceit of three different anthologies of storytelling united by Banerjee’s own acerbic perspective on the present, a further wrinkle is introduced by creating the three stories as part of a multi-generational tapestry.

Quick LinksDoc Season 1, Episode 7 Reveals Sonya's Disturbing HistoryDoc Knows What Not to Do in Episode 7Doc Episode 7 Puts Richard Miller Back on the Right Path

The following contains major spoilers for Doc Season 1, Episode 7, "Secrets and Lies," which debuted Tuesday, Feb. 18 on Fox. It also contains discussion of sexual assault.

Doc Season 1, Episode 7, "Secrets and Lies" is the episode nobody saw coming. It's an episode that doesn't make sense with how the Fox medical drama has generally played it safe or even melodramatic. But it's an incredibly meaningful hour, not only for the important issue that it draws attention to, but for how it makes audiences look at the show's two antagonists in a completely different light.

"Secrets and Lies" gives the spotlight to Dr. Sonya Maitra and Dr. Richard Miller, both of whom have been underwritten since the Doc series premiere. But when Sonya has to face the man...

The February 18 episode of Doc is going to be the toughest one yet for Dr. Sonya Maitra (Anya Banerjee) — and the person she has to rely on is none other than Dr. Amy Larsen (Molly Parker), with whom she has a complicated history. “Secrets and Lies” sees Sonya wrestle with treating the man, Ravi (Ritesh Rajan), who raped her, and TV Insider has an exclusive sneak peek of her making a shocking decision about his treatment. Banerjee tells us “it’s so difficult” for Sonya to both try to be a doctor to her rapist and also trust someone else who has hurt her in the past (Amy). “Since the beginning of the season, viewers have seen how much Sonya dislikes Amy, but in this episode, we actually get a little bit of insight as to why. We got a flashback from before where Amy tells Sonya to consider that...

Director Karan Tejpal, whose debut “Stolen” (2023) premiered in Venice’s Horizon’s strand before screening at BFI London Film Festival, Zurich Film Festival, and SXSW Sydney, has boarded Indian psychological horror feature “Ummeed” (Hope). The project, selected for the Berlin European Film Market’s Fiction Toolbox Program at Berlinale 2025, is aiming for a November production start.

The film follows a same-sex couple in small-town India pursuing parenthood through illegal sperm donation. When Tithi cannot conceive, her partner Rahi becomes pregnant, leading to a descent into paranoia fueled by societal harassment and dark secrets about the pregnancy itself.

“Though it’s wrapped in thick atmospheric dread, ‘Ummeed’ deeply moved me with the emotional complexity of the characters and their resilience against societal prejudice,” says Tejpal. “More than a psychological horror film, this is a story about redemption and hope.”

The screenplay comes from Abhishek Banerjee, known for the horror film “Pari...

Amy dives into a puzzling case on Fox’s Doc season one episode three, “Day One.” Episode three will air on Tuesday, January 21, 2025 at 9pm Et/Pt.

Molly Parker plays Chief of Internal Medicine Dr. Amy Larsen, Omar Metwally is Dr. Michael Hamda, Amirah Vann is Dr. Gina Walker, Jon Ecker is Dr. Jake Heller, and Anya Banerjee is Dr. Sonya Maitra. Season one guest stars include Scott Wolf as Dr. Richard Miller and Patrick Walker as Dr. Tj Coleman.

“Day One” Plot: Amy, allowed to return to work under strict guidelines, teams up with Tj (Walker) to treat a patient suffering from mysterious liver problems. Sonya (Banerjee) and Jake (Ecker) help an elderly couple navigate the final chapter of their love story.

Molly Parker in ‘Doc’ episode 3 (Photo © 2025 Fox Media LLC) Doc Series Description, Courtesy of Fox:

After a late-night car crash results in severe head trauma, Amy wakes...

Netflix and Hulu offer the most intense true-crime stories - here’s what you can binge.

They were always popular, but true-crime scripted TV shows really got hot when Netflix released “Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story” late last year. The true story of two well-to-do brothers murdering their parents (for reasons that become clear as the show unfolds) was too wild for us to look away, even leading to a reopening of the Menendez brothers’ case. If you love these kinds of scripted true-crime stories, there’s really two streamers that you need to subscribe to: Netflix and Hulu. Here’s why they are the best streamers for true-crime scripted TV series.

Everything you need to know about the best streamers for true-crime scripted TV shows:

What popular true-crime scripted TV shows can you stream on Hulu?

What true-crime scripted TV shows can you watch on Netflix?

What...

Former Netflix producer Dimpy Agrawal’s production banner Gubbara Entertainment has unveiled a slate of six projects at India’s Film Bazaar, including a project starring Anasuya Sengupta, who made history as the first Indian actor to win best performance at Cannes’ Un Certain Regard for “The Shameless.”

Sengupta will headline short “Ma,” penned by Columbia University Mfa graduate Riddhi Talreja (“Sadak Chaap”), examining women’s identity and motherhood in contemporary Indian society. The project has attached cinematographer Amal Sudhakaran, whose work has appeared on Netflix, Amazon, and Discovery, with one credit gaining Emmy recognition.

The slate includes “Puthussery Police Case” from writer-director Nithin Lukose, whose debut “Paka: River of Blood” premiered at Toronto in 2021. The Kerala-set drama follows a lawyer investigating his father’s death against the backdrop of a tiger threatening a rural village.

“Ummeed,” a psychological horror exploring same-sex relationships and fertility in Delhi, comes from “Pari...

Sony Pictures Networks India (Spni) has revealed a series of leadership changes, affecting key positions across its entertainment channels.

Nachiket Pantvaidya, a seasoned media executive with previous stints at Star TV and Balaji Telefilms, has been appointed as the business head of Sony Entertainment Television (Set). This marks Pantvaidya’s third stint with Spni. He will retain his current role as general manager at Sony Pictures International Productions, allowing him to leverage his expertise across both platforms.

Tushar Shah, currently the business head of English, Bengali, and infotainment channels and the chief marketing officer at Spni, will expand his portfolio to include oversight of Sony Max, Sony Max HD, Sony Max 2, Sony Wah, and Sony Pal. Shah, who has been with Spni for nearly 18 years across two tenures, has been instrumental in driving growth and profitability for the channels under his purview.

Ajay Bhalwankar, who has been with Spni since...

Outsider Pictures is bringing the critically acclaimed Indian Bengali-language film “Manikbabur Megh” (“The Cloud and the Man”) to U.S. shores on Aug. 9.

The film, which has been making waves in Bengal since its July 12 theatrical release, will initially open in Chicago and San Jose.

Directed by newcomer Abhinandan Banerjee, the film tells the story of Manik, a loner in Kolkata who forms an unlikely bond with a cloud. The narrative explores themes of loneliness, connection and transformation.

The film stars Chandan Sen in the lead role, supported by an ensemble including Debesh Roy Chowdhury and Bratya Basu.

“The Cloud and the Man” has attracted considerable attention on the international festival circuit, screening at over 25 festivals including Tallinn Black Nights, Hong Kong, Edinburgh and Santa Barbara. It has also collected several awards, including the Netpac Award for Best Asian Film at the Kolkata International Film Festival.

Paul Hudson of Outsider Pictures said,...

Shoots have resumed in the Bengali-language film industry, after boycotts were called over a filming dispute.

Filming resumed today after an intervention from West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.

Last week, technicians boycotted a production on which director Rahool Mukherjee was serving as creative producer. On July 23, the Federation of Cine Technicians and Workers of Eastern India (Fctwei) had banned Mukherjee from making films for three months for violating rules for shooting overseas in Bangladesh. The ban was later lifted by the local directors’ guild on July 27, but the technician boycott continued.

The production was set to feature actors Prosenjit Chatterjee and Anirban Bhattacharya.

In a bid to show solidarity with Mukherjee, members from the Directors Association of Eastern India announced that they would cease work from July 29, bringing the Bengali film industry to a halt. Top filmmakers like Aparna Sen, Kaushik Ganguly, and Srijit Mukherjee signed a statement supporting...

Sony Pictures Networks India has named Disney+ Hotstar content chief Gaurav Banerjee as its new Managing Director and CEO.

He’ll replace N.P. Singh, who recently announced he was transitioning out of the role after 25 years in senior leadership positions at Sony’s Indian division. Banerjee’s hire will become effective on or before August 26, subject to regulatory approvals.

“I am deeply honoured to take on the role of MD & CEO at Spni,” said Banerjee. “Under N.P. Singh’s remarkable leadership, Spni has achieved tremendous success and innovation in the entertainment industry. I am excited to lead talented teams as we explore new frontiers in original programming, enhance our viewers’ experiences, drive our distribution footprint across India, and significantly boost our revenues. Together, we will set new benchmarks in entertainment and deliver exceptional value to our audiences and stakeholders.”

Banerjee is among India’s most experienced content execs, and...

Sony Pictures Networks India (Spni) has confirmed Gaurav Banerjee as its new managing director and CEO. He will take the reins on or before Aug. 26, pending approvals.

Banerjee will step into the shoes of N.P. Singh, who’s signing off after a 25-year run at the company. Singh will move into the role of non-executive chair to support the transition through the end of the financial year.

A content veteran with over 20 years in the business, Banerjee comes from Disney’s India arm, where he wore multiple hats including head of content for Hindi-language entertainment and Disney+ Hotstar. His track record boasts hits like “Anupama” and “Imlie,” plus streaming successes such as the Emmy-nominated “Aarya.”

Banerjee cut his teeth as a producer and anchor at the Aaj Tak news channel before moving to Star News. He’s armed with a master’s in filmmaking from Jamia Milia Islamia and a history degree from St.

Dibakar Banerjee’s LSD 2: Love, Sex, and Dhoka 2 intends to make your stomach churn, and it leaves you feeling uncomfortable. The narrative has a Black Mirror-ish vibe to it, and it critiques the world we are living in. Personally, it left me thinking about where we are headed as a generation. We have all watched reality shows; we have all witnessed influencers doing anything and everything to get those views on their videos, but when you view them from the perspective of Banerjee, you realize the absurdity behind everything. LSD 2 consists of three shorts and in between, you start questioning the kind of world you are living in and if the advent of AI, the internet, and other technologies can prove to be so fatal for mankind in general. It is essential to say here that not everything on the internet is evil or that not all influencers are megalomaniacs or mad about views,...

Stree & Paatal Lok Star Abhishek Banerjee Exposes Bollywood Industry Trends.( Photo Credit – Instagram )

Abhishek Banerjee surprised everyone with his impactful acting chops in Paatal Lok. And while he may come across as someone new to the industry, the reality is the opposite. Abhishek is the founder of one of Bollywood’s most sought-after casting agencies. So, regarding industry trade and trends, we trust Abhishek’s word. The Paatal Lok and Stree actor recently surprised everyone with his candid answers about industry trends. Abhishek Banerjee’s honest review of the pay disparity in the industry shocked everyone.

Large budgets and the unbridled demands of big-name actors have been in the news since this year’s horrendous box office performances of Hindi films produced at exorbitant costs began. Abhishek Banerjee, a prominent figure in the industry recognized for his work on films such as Stree, Bhediya, Dream Girl, Dream Girl 2, Pataal Lok,...

Exclusive: Disney+ Hotstar isn’t done with the Criminal Justice franchise just yet — in fact, it might only just be getting started.

We can reveal the streamer has ordered a fourth season of the Hindi-language series, which is from Applause Entertainment and was originally based on the 2008 BBC series of the same name.

Peter Moffat’s British show went to two seasons, but Gaurav Banerjee, Disney+ Hotstar’s Head of Content for Disney+ Hotstar and HSM Entertainment Networks, Disney Star, and his team have now taken the Indian show well beyond that point. You can watch a teaser trailer for the fourth season here.

“This is a pretty special moment because it marks five years of the Hotstar Specials journey, which launched in 2019,” he said. “Criminal Justice was our first big fiction series, and it is fantastic to see the franchise become stronger and continue to get critical acclaim and consumer love.

Yami Gautam’s Article 370 & Vidyut Jammwal’s Crakk Ott Release Dates Out ( Photo Credit – IMDb )

Yami Gautam’s Article 370 and Vidyut Jammwal’s Crakk arrived in the theaters on the same date. While people had high hopes for Vidyut’s action film, it was Yami who survived the clash. In fact, the political drama cemented its position quite literally at the box office.

On the other hand, Jammwal’s Crakk had a disastrous run at the box office. Now, after their theatrical verdicts, the two films are all set to rule the digital world, and hopefully, Vidyut’s film will redeem its status since he is loved on Ott.

This week, the theaters are beaming with light choices such as Vidya Balan’s Do Aur Do Pyaar and Dibakar Banerjee’s Love Sex Aur Dhokha 2. Even children might enjoy the animation film Appu. But if you want to enjoy your weekends perfectly at home,...

The anticipation surrounding “Love Sex Aur Dhokha 2″ escalates as the second song, ”Gulabi Ankhiyan”, is unveiled by the dynamic duo of Ekta Kapoor and Dibakar Banerjee. Scheduled for release on 19th April 2024, the film promises to be a captivating journey into the complexities of relationships and human emotions.

Directed by Dibakar Banerjee:

Renowned filmmaker Dibakar Banerjee takes the helm once again, steering the narrative with his signature style and vision. With ‘Love Sex Aur Dhokha 2’, Banerjee delves deep into the intricacies of modern-day romance and the intertwining dynamics of love, sex, and betrayal.

Produced by Shobha Kapoor and Ekta Kapoor:

The powerhouse duo of Shobha Kapoor and Ekta Kapoor join forces to bring this cinematic masterpiece to life. With their keen eye for storytelling and production prowess, they ensure that ‘Love Sex Aur Dhokha 2’ resonates with audiences on a profound level.

Stellar Musical Ensemble:

Featuring soulful vocals by Jubin Nautiyal...

Renowned producer Ekta Kapoor is making headlines yet again, this time for her bold move in casting a trans woman in the lead role of her upcoming film, “LSD 2: Love Sex Aur Dhokha 2”. The trans woman, known as Bonita, will portray the character named Kulu in the movie.

Directed by Dibakar Banerjee, the film is set to hit cinemas on April 19, 2024. This groundbreaking casting decision marks a significant step forward in promoting inclusivity and representation in Indian cinema.

Ektaa Kapoor Launches Trans Woman In Lead Role In ‘LSD 2’… Meet #Bonita as #Kulu… #EktaaKapoor is launching a trans woman in lead in her forthcoming film #LSD2: #LoveSexAurDhokha2.

Directed by #DibakarBanerjee, the film arrives in *cinemas* on 19 April 2024. pic.twitter.com/jkCFRV1VoG

— taran adarsh (@taran_adarsh) April 7, 2024

Ekta Kapoor’s initiative is commendable and reflects a progressive approach towards diversifying narratives and embracing the talents of individuals from all backgrounds.

Exclusive: Fox has assembled the cast for its new medical drama series Doc around the previously cast lead Molly Parker. Omar Metwally, Amirah Vann, Jon Ecker and Anya Banerjee are set as series regulars, and Scott Wolf and Patrick Walker will recur in the show from writer, executive producer and showrunner Barbie Kligman, executive producers Hank Steinberg and 3 Arts’ Erwin Stoff, Sony Pictures Television and Fox Entertainment Studios. Production on Doc has started in Toronto, Canada.

Based on the popular Italian series Doc — Nelle tue mani, which has a male protagonist, the Fox drama centers on the hard-charging, brilliant Dr. Amy Larsen (Parker), Chief of Internal Medicine at Westside Hospital in Minneapolis. After a brain injury erases the last eight years of her life, Amy must navigate an unfamiliar world where she has no recollection of patients she’s treated, colleagues she’s crossed, the man she loves, or...

The Bollywood film ‘Love Sex Aur Dhokha’ hit theaters in 2010, receiving a positive response from audiences and benefiting its makers immensely. Now, a sequel titled ‘Love Sex Aur Dhokha 2’ is set for release. Producer Ekta Kapoor announced the film’s new motion poster and release date on Valentine’s Day.

The sequel, helmed by director Dibakar Banerjee, is slated to hit screens on April 19, 2024. This announcement marks a reunion of Ekta Kapoor and Dibakar Banerjee, raising anticipation among fans of the original film.

Ektaa Kapoor – Dibakar Banerjee Reunite: ‘LSD 2’ Release Date Locked… 19 April 2024 is the release date of #LoveSexAurDhokha2 [#LSD2]… Directed by #DibakarBanerjee.#EktaaKapoor #ShobhaKapoor pic.twitter.com/yoSet20LGi

— taran adarsh (@taran_adarsh) February 14, 2024

‘Love Sex Aur Dhokha’ was praised for its bold storytelling and innovative narrative style, and expectations are high for its sequel. With Kapoor and Banerjee joining forces once again, the audience can anticipate another gripping cinematic...

Indian streamer Disney+ Hotstar is planning a major push into animation content for adults.

The push follows the success of Graphic India’s 3D animation “The Legend of Hanuman,” the third season of which debuted earlier this month to a critical and audience reception that the streamer is happy with. The series is derived from ancient Indian mythological epic “The Ramayana.”

“There are so many stories around around ‘The Ramayana’ that are remaining to be told. We feel that this is a franchise, which has lots of storytelling left, and we want to really scale up and build this world in an exciting manner,” Gaurav Banerjee, head, content, Disney+ Hotstar and HSM (Hindi-language speaking markets) Entertainment Network at broadcaster Disney Star, told Variety.

Disney+ Hotstar is teaming with Graphic India again for another adult animation series, which will be unveiled within the next six months, but it is coy about specific details at the moment.

Lucknow, Dec 12 (Ians) Lucknow will host the 57th All India Prakash Chandra Ghosh Memorial full length Bengali drama competition which will begin at Bengali Club from December 23.

The 18-day event will see teams from New Delhi, Kolkata and other parts of the country.

The plays will begin from 7 pm onwards daily and entry will be free.

Plays including – ‘Rabindranath Tagore’s Kabuliwala, Shree Charankamleshu, Bisharjjan and Mahamaya, Vijay Tendulkar’s Kamala and Utpal Dutt Hari Fathebe will be staged during the competition.

Directors like Shomik Roy, Rajkumar Pal and Gautam Bhattacharya are participating in the competition which will be judged by artists Indrajeet Mitra, Reena Biswas and Prabir Dey.

“There has been a decline in amateur theatre over the years. The festival aims to promote theatre among the youth,” said Bengali Club President Arun Banerjee.

The competition was started in 1963 after the demise of Bengali theatre artist Prakash Chandra Ghosh...

Lucknow, Dec 12 (Ians) Lucknow will host the 57th All India Prakash Chandra Ghosh Memorial full length Bengali drama competition which will begin at Bengali Club from December 23.

The 18-day event will see teams from New Delhi, Kolkata and other parts of the country.

The plays will begin from 7 pm onwards daily and entry will be free.

Plays including – ‘Rabindranath Tagore’s Kabuliwala, Shree Charankamleshu, Bisharjjan and Mahamaya, Vijay Tendulkar’s Kamala and Utpal Dutt Hari Fathebe will be staged during the competition.

Directors like Shomik Roy, Rajkumar Pal and Gautam Bhattacharya are participating in the competition which will be judged by artists Indrajeet Mitra, Reena Biswas and Prabir Dey.

“There has been a decline in amateur theatre over the years. The festival aims to promote theatre among the youth,” said Bengali Club President Arun Banerjee.

The competition was started in 1963 after the demise of Bengali theatre artist Prakash Chandra Ghosh...

Starring Abhishek Banerjee, the thrilling drama Stolen is receiving critical acclaim from all over the world. The film earned rave reviews at the Zurich Film Festival and received a standing ovation at the Venice Film Festival premiere. Continuing its success, the Karan Tejpal directorial debut recently screened at the prestigious 67th BFI London Film Festival and Stolen again received an outstanding response.

Along with Banerjee, the gripping thriller also stars Shubham and Mia Maelzer. In Stolen, worlds collide when two siblings find themselves drawn into the kidnapping of a tribal woman’s baby in a rural Indian town. Stolen narrates what happens when the kidnapping draws the attention of brothers Gautam and Raman, leading them to face various challenges that test their relationships and convictions.

Stolen was part of the Thrill strand at the festival, and present for the screening were Producer Gaurav Dhingra, Director Karan Tejpal, and actors Abhishek Banerjee and Shubham.

Kolkata, Sep 1 (Ians) A section of members of the West Bengal cabinet is making an attempt to include former Indian cricket team captain and former Board of Control for Cricket in India (Bcci) chief in the delegation led by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee overseas to scout for investments in the state.

A senior member of the state cabinet, speaking on condition of anonymity, revealed that they have contacted the former Indian cricket team captain with this request.

“Sourav Ganguly is the symbol of success from the state. The overseas tour is to show-case West Bengal as an ideal investment destination. In such a situation if he is part of the delegation led by the Chief Minister, it will help in serving the basic purpose of the tour. We are hopeful that he will agree unless there is any last moment pre-occupation,” the cabinet member said.

Banerjee is supposed to leave...

This story about “Welcome to Chippendales” stars Kumail Nanjiani and Annaleigh Ashford first appeared in the Down to the Wire: Drama and Limited Series issue of TheWrap’s awards magazine. All actor interviews in that issue were conducted before the SAG-AFTRA strike began.

All four main cast members of a limited series about the rise and fall of a male strip club mogul were nominated for Emmys, making “Welcome to Chippendales” one of the big shocks of this year’s noms. Kumail Nanjiani and Annaleigh Ashford tell us how they did it.

Kumail Nanjiani Kumail Nanjiani in “Welcome to Chippendales” (Hulu)

Kumail Nanjiani’s lead actor Emmy nomination for Hulu’s “Welcome to Chippendales” took him completely by surprise, much as his first nomination did in 2019 when he was recognized for an episode of Jordan Peele’s “The Twilight Zone” reboot. “That was the first time I played...

This year’s batch of Emmy-nominated series is rich with visually arresting locations that subtly buttress dramatic themes and flesh out the lives of its leading men, from the Altadena Craftsman that serves as the home of grieving therapist Jimmy (Jason Segal) in Apple TV+’s “Shrinking” to the California prisons (the California Correctional Institution in Tehachapi and the Stark Youth Training Facility in Chino) that house Bill Hader’s title character in HBO’s “Barry” to the downtown L.A. high rise where covert-agent-on-the-lam Dan Chase (Jeff Bridges) lives when he’s posing as a wealthy investor in FX’s “The Old Man.”

And, it turns out, choosing a location is not dissimilar to casting an actor, with looks, price, and personality all factoring into the decision.

For the fourth and final season of HBO’s “Succession,” the production traveled from its New York City base in search of...

Kumail Nanjiani was just Emmy nominated for outstanding lead actor in a limited or anthology series or movie for his searing dramatic performance in the Hulu limited series “Welcome to Chippendales.” But the news came at a peculiar time, as the Emmy nods were announced the day before SAG-AFTRA went on strike, joining WGA members on the picket line.

“I was extremely surprised,” Nanjiani told Variety that morning, during those last moments before SAG-AFTRA members were no longer able to talk to press about their projects. “And also thrilled because my co-stars Juliette Lewis and Annaleigh Ashford and Murray Bartlett were recognized. And our costume designers. So, it’s been this pretty good morning … on the eve of a historic strike.”

Nanjiani spoke to the Variety Awards Circuit podcast about his nomination, what convinced him to do “Welcome to Chippendales” and his sheer ubiquity on the screen. But first, on the Awards Circuit Roundtable,...

Mumbai, June 27 (Ians) The upcoming streaming show ‘Adhura’ will tell the story of a nostalgic reunion which turns sinister, touching upon the themes of guilt, remorse and revenge. The motion poster of the show was unveiled on Tuesday and it features a spine-chilling image of a school boy as the animation gives an impression of him being possessed.

The show stars Rasika Dugal, Ishwak Singh, Shrenik Arora, and Poojan Chhabra, Rahul Dev, Zoa Morani, Rijul Ray, Sahil Salathia, Aru Krishansh Verma, Kc Shankar and Jaimini Pathak.

The story unfolds through two timelines, in 2022 and 2007, as secrets and chilling events plague the students and staff of a prestigious boarding school when Adhiraj Jaisingh (Ishwak Singh) encounters Vedant Malik (Shrenik Arora), a troubled 10-year-old student. As the past and present collide, a dark secret threatens to emerge, linking Adhiraj to Vedant.

Nikkhil Advani, producer, Emmay Entertainment, said, “With ‘Adhura’, we are exploring the horror,...

Prime Video announced the global premiere of its first Hindi horror series, ‘Adhura’, starting 7 July. Featuring Rasika Dugal, Ishwak Singh, Shrenik Arora, and Poojan Chhabra, the series also stars Rahul Dev, Zoa Morani, Rijul Ray, Sahil Salathia, Aru Krishansh Verma, Kc Shankar and Jaimini Pathak. Directed by Ananya Banerjee and Gauravv K Chawla, and written by Banerjee, the series is produced by Monisha Advani, Madhu Bhojwani and Nikkhil Advani, of Emmay Entertainment.

Adhura delves into the deep-rooted fears and inner demons of its characters, promising a gripping and suspenseful journey into the supernatural realm. It follows the theme of guilt, remorse and revenge.

The story unfolds through two timelines, in 2022 and 2007, as secrets and chilling events plague the students and staff of a prestigious boarding school.

What starts as a nostalgic reunion turns sinister when Adhiraj Jaisingh (Ishwak Singh) encounters Vedant Malik (Shrenik Arora), a troubled 10-year-old student. As the past and present collide,...

Transforming actors into well-known figures such as Tammy Wynette and Princess Diana was a challenge for artisans, who experimented with techniques to come up with hair and makeup that would look authentic to viewers.

Cate Hall spent hours with Elizabeth Debicki while recreating Princess Diana’s sophisticated coiffure from the early 1990s for Season 5 of “The Crown.” Through a series of incremental adjustments to the wig — and plenty of patience from Debicki – Hall got the look she desired.

“You hold one another’s hand as you keep slicing the wig with a razor and inching towards a shape that feels recognizable,” she recalls of her collaboration with Debicki.

Hall admits that in her first attempt at the wig, Debicki looked more like a “lady called Brenda from 1983” than the glamorous royal. But she kept working on it.

And once the hair was right, it was a matter of the other...

London, May 27 (Ians) Five subtypes of heart failure that could potentially be used to predict future risk for individual patients have been identified using artificial intelligence (AI) tools, according to a new study, led by an Indian-origin researcher.

Heart failure is an umbrella term for when the heart is unable to pump blood around the body properly. Current ways of classifying heart failure do not accurately predict how the disease is likely to progress.

For the study, published in Lancet Digital Health, researchers from the University College London looked at detailed anonymised patient data from more than 300,000 people aged 30 years or older who were diagnosed with heart failure in the UK over a span of 20 years.

Using several machine learning methods, they identified five subtypes: early onset, late onset, atrial fibrillation related (atrial fibrillation is a condition causing an irregular heart rhythm), metabolic (linked to obesity but with a low...

"I fell completely in love with the role, and somewhere in the back of my mind, I knew it had the potential to change my life. Of course, I had no idea that people would probably know me as ‘Hathoda Tyagi’. I have to constantly try and do something which is as exciting as Hathoda, which is going to be very difficult," actor Abhishek Banerjee tells Ians.

The actor will soon be seen in the Short ‘Sex, Likes and Stories’, directed by Keith Gomes on an iPhone, where he plays the character of ‘Chokra Boy’, hailing from a simple social and economic background who uses the social media to pretend to be someone else and tries to live a completely different life. Banerjee smiles that the character is completely opposite to who he is. "I am who I am. Believe me, I cannot even pretend in an interview with a media person.

Kanpur, May 12 (Ians) A team of researchers from the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur has proposed a universal mechanism for turbulent relaxation, which can be applied to a wide range of fluids, including plasmas and complex fluids.

This principle, called the principle of vanishing nonlinear transfer (Pvnlt), explains how a turbulent system attains a steady, stable state of relaxation when the driving force is switched off.

The study titled ‘Universal turbulent relaxation of fluids and plasmas by the principle of vanishing nonlinear transfers’ has been published in the journal ‘Physical Review E (Letters)’.

The team comprises professor Supratik Banerjee, and researchers Arijit Halder and Nandita Pan from the Department of Physics, Iit Kanpur.

According to an official release, the researchers used the example of mixing milk in a cup of coffee.

“When we stir the coffee, we create eddies and turbulence that cause the milk to mix quickly. However, when we stop stirring,...

New Delhi, May 12 (Ians) The All India Football Federation will celebrate June 23, the birthday of legendary player Pradip Kumar Banerjee, India’s captain in the 1960 Rome Olympics and popularly known as Pk, as ‘Aiff Grassroots Day’ to promote the sport throughout the country.

The Aiff Grassroots Day is in keeping in line with the Strategic Roadmap ‘Vision 2047’, which seeks to increase grassroots participation in the country. The aim is to engage 35 million children in football by 2026 and up to 100 million by 2047, the federation announced on Friday.

Explaining the reason behind choosing Pk’s birthday, Aiff Secretary General Dr. Shaji Prabhakaran said it is a well-known fact that Pk was an exemplary footballer, who played a pivotal role in India’s historic gold medal triumph in the 1962 Asian Games.

“However, we often forget Pradip da was a teacher par excellence too. Once he hung up his boots, he took up coaching and for the next 30 years,...

Kolkata, May 11 (Ians) West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday directed state Health Secretary Narayan Swaroop Nigam to explore the possibilities of introducing a three-year diploma course in medicine in the state that will run in a parallel manner with the existing Mbbs degree course.

She directed Health Secretary to form a committee in this regard to evaluate the possibilities of introducing the diploma course on this count.

Her proposal has, however, evoked controversies with the opposition parties and a section of the medical fraternity described the decision as a risky proposition.

Addressing media persons, the Chief Minister said that although many hospitals are coming up in the state, there is acute shortage of doctors there. “So, we will have to examine whether a three-year diploma course in medicine can be started in line with the diploma in engineering. In that case, many students will also be able to study that course,...

After launching a scathing attack on Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for banning the screening of the film ‘The Kerala Story’ in the state, the West Bengal Bjp is likely to challenge the interdict in the Calcutta High Court.

A state committee member of the party said that the main contention is about the justification for banning it in Bengal, when the same is being screened in Kerala. “We will be consulting the legal brains and as suggested by them we might move the court against the decision to ban on specific grounds,” he said.

Meanwhile, the state spokesman of Bjp in West Bengal said that the banning of the film in West Bengal is a classic example of the surrender of the state administration to religious fanatics.

“In a way the chief minister also insulted the common people from the minority community who are equally against such fanaticism. This decision...

Gaurav Banerjee, head of content at Disney+ Hotstar, India, has revealed the streamer’s growth strategy in the country.

Banerjee was speaking at Indiantelevision.com’s annual industry event, The Content Hub, in Mumbai on Tuesday, in conversation with the organization’s founder, CEO and editor-in-chief Anil Wanvari. The thrust is to expand original programming in languages beyond Hindi, Banerjee said.

“We recognized early on that massive growth in India is going to come by thinking about our content strategy and multiple languages, and not just in Hindi,” Banerjee said. The streamer currently commissions in the Hindi, Tamil and Telugu languages and also programs in the Malayalam language.

Banerjee talked up the success of originals in Tamil, including “November Story” and “Kana Kaanum Kalangal” and “Parampara” and “Jhansi” in Telugu. “Bigg Boss,” the Indian version of “Big Brother” is produced in multiple languages including Malayalam. The service has found success...

India on Monday recorded a single-day rise of 918 new Covid cases in the past 24 hours pushing the active cases to 6,350, according to the Union Health Ministry data.

The highest Covid cases were reported from Kerala, followed by Maharashtra, Gujarat (740), Karnataka (616), Tamil Nadu (363), Telangana (237), and Delhi (209). The country also reported four Covid deaths — two in Rajasthan, and one each in Karnataka and Kerala.

"We believe that this is a change between the two seasons and we are seeing a spurt in the cases because of that. As soon as the summer sets in and the sweltering heat comes in, hopefully these cases will go down," Dr Rahul Pandit, a member of the Covid task force and Chair, Critical Care, Sir H.N. Reliance Foundation Hospital, told Ians.

"Covid is now just like the flu or a common cold. There is no significant increase in hospitalisation, ICU admission or death rate," added epidemiologist Dr.

Kolkata, March 20 (Ians) West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee claimed on Monday that she had suggested industrialist Sanjiv Goenka to remove the ‘Atk’ tag from Mohun Bagan, the Kolkata football giant which annexed the Indian Super League (Isl) title by defeating Bengaluru Fc in the final on Sunday.

“I asked Sanjiv Goenka why is the Atk tag there before Mohun Bagan. Atk Mohun Bagan does not sound good. Just Mohun Bagan sounds much better,” the Chief Minister said while addressing an event at the tent of the iconic club here, organised to felicitate the members of the Isl champion team.

The principal club owner and Chairman of Rpsg Group, Sanjiv Goenka, had announced after the victory that Atk Mohun Bagan will be rebranded as Mohun Bagan Super Giants at the end of the ongoing 2022-23 session.

Banerjee also announced a one-time state government grant of Rs 50 lakh for the development of the club.

When the 10th and final season NBC’s venerable spy drama The Blacklist premieres on Sunday, February 26, Raymond Reddington (James Spader) has gone missing and the FBI’s Special Task Force is down by two other agents. (Amir Arison’s and Laura Sohn’s characters exited in last season’s finale.) Who will fill the gap? Enter Siya Malik. Played by Anya Banerjee, Siya is an operative with Britain’s MI6 and the daughter of CIA agent Meera Malik (Parminder Nagra), who was murdered in Season 1, on an operation with Donald Ressler, Diego Klattenhoff. TV Insider has the exclusive first look at Banerjee’s first scene in The Blacklist Season 10 premiere. As seen in Siya’s introduction above, the character is whip-smart and already knows more top-secret intel than the feds are comfortable with, all thanks to her mother’s firsthand experience. “Siya is super quick-witted, funny, and skilled,” says Banerjee,...

London, Feb 23 (Ians) Organ damage persisted in 59 per cent of long Covid patients a year after initial symptoms, even in those not severely affected when first diagnosed with the virus, according to researchers, led by one of an Indian-origin.

The findings, published in the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine, confirmed that 29 per cent of patients with long Covid had multi-organ impairment, with persistent symptoms and reduced function at six and 12 months. About 59 per cent of long Covid patients had single organ impairment 12 months after initial diagnosis.

“Symptoms were common at six and 12 months and associated with female gender, younger age and single organ impairment,” said senior author Professor Amitava Banerjee, Institute of Health Informatics at University College London.

The study reported a reduction in symptoms between six and 12 months — extreme breathlessness (in 38 per cent to 30 per cent of patients), cognitive dysfunction (48 per cent to 38 per cent) and poor...

Hello and welcome back to your weekly International Insider. Berlin’s back and with most of our team in the German capital, it’s Jesse Whittock here bringing you the latest from the worlds of TV and film.

Berlin Sensation Kristen Stewart at Berlin

“I’m kind of shaking”: Straight over to Zac Ntim with this dispatch from the first night of Germany’s top film fest: Kristen Stewart, Sean Penn and Anne Hathaway were among the big names present as the 73rd Berlin Film Festival opened Thursday evening. This year is the festival’s full-blown return since the pandemic and the festivities began early Thursday morning as the festival jury, headed by Kristen Stewart, was presented to the press. “In full transparency, I’m kind of shaking,” Stewart said when asked about her jury duties at the opening presser. She was joined by fellow jurors Golshifteh Farahani, Valeska Grisebach,...

Exclusive: Indian director Dibakar Banerjee’s Tees has been shelved by Netflix and the auteur is now seeking a new home for the feature.

Netflix confirmed it has no plans to release the feature, but has not commented on the reasons for shelving it.

Tees was announced in 2019 as a Netflix original under its previous title Freedom as “the story of an Indian family interwoven with the personal, ideological and sexual history of India.”

Banerjee shot the Hindi-language film in 2020 and delivered it to Netflix in May 2022, but it remained in limbo for several months until the streamer confirmed that it has no plans to proceed with a release.

The International Film Festival of Rotterdam (IFFR) invited Tees to premiere in the Limelight section of this year’s edition, but Banerjee was unable to secure Netflix’s approval to screen the film.

Netflix confirmed that it has given Banerjee permission...

Kolkata, Jan 30 (Ians) An edition of the iconic Kolkata Book Fair will also be held in the national capital from next year onwards, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said on Monday while inaugurating the 46th edition of the fair here.

“I think that an edition of this book fair should also be organised in Delhi. The state government is ready to offer all necessary cooperation on this count. There will be participation from all the districts of West Bengal in that event. There will also be participation from people from different castes, cultures and religions.

“We will invite representatives from other countries in that event as well. We will provide whatever support is required for the event. Kolkata Book Fair is an international event in its true sense. we have representations from other states as well,” the Chief Minister said.

Six new books penned by the Chief Minister were...

Indeed reality shows can help in making a career in showbiz and it seems it holds true for ‘Bigg Boss 16’ contestant Priyanka Chahar Choudhary as superstar Salman Khan has expressed his desire to work with her.

In the latest episode of the controversial show, Salman shared that Priyanka is heroine material and he may work with her in future.

Salman even made former contestant Sajid Khan praise her as the filmmaker was present on the show with Abdu Rozik.

That’s not it. Contestant Nimrit Kaur Ahluwalia, too, has bagged a movie after being a part of the controversial reality show.

Nimrit has been signed for Ekta Kapoor’s upcoming sequel to the 2010 film ‘Love Sex Aur Dhokha’.

To promote their upcoming movie ‘LSD 2’, Ekta and Dibakar Banerjee entered the Bigg Boss house. They disclosed that ‘LSD 2’, is based on a reality show similar to Bigg Boss.

‘Love Sex Aur...

Television actress Nimrit Kaur Ahluwalia, who is currently a contestant in controversial reality show ‘Bigg Boss 16’, has been signed for Ekta Kapoor’s upcoming sequel to the 2010 film ‘Love Sex Aur Dhokha’.

To promote their upcoming movie ‘LSD 2’, Ekta and Dibakar Banerjee entered the Bigg Boss house. They disclosed that ‘LSD 2’, is based on a reality show similar to Bigg Boss.

A segment from Ekta Kapoor’s show was given to the contestants to recreate, serving as a sort of audition for the film LSD 2. As a result, Nimrit and Shiv imitated a scene from ‘Naagin 1’, with Nimrit playing Naagin (Mouni Roy) and Shiv playing Nevla.

Nimrit’s performance was praised by Ekta Kapoor and Dibakar Banerjee, who have offered her a role in ‘LSD 2’.

‘Love Sex Aur Dhokha’ is a 2010 Indian Hindi-language anthology found footage drama film directed by Dibakar Banerjee and written by Banerjee and Kanu Behl. It...

There’s substance underneath all the cocaine and thongs,” says Welcome to Chippendales creator Robert Siegel. The writer/producer behind Pam & Tommy, Hulu’s 2021 dramatisation of Pamela Anderson and Tommy Lee’s sex tape scandal, has turned his attention to the wild story behind the establishment of America’s first male strip club. The eight-episode drama – out now on Hulu in the US and Disney+ in the UK – follows Kumail Nanjiani as Somen “Steve” Banerjee, the Indian entrepreneur who founded Chippendales, as he grasps for the American dream. Banerjee’s hubris, however, ultimately led to destruction, murder, and suicide.

The story began in 1975 with Bombay-born Banerjee purchasing a failing discotheque in West Hollywood, which he intended to turn into the city’s first backgammon club. He named the venue “Destiny II” – there was no Destiny I but, as Nanjiani’s Banerjee explains in the series, “The II implies it’s a sequel,...