Sexual Repression in India and an ‘Agra’ Without Taj Mahal: Kanu Behl on Cannes Directors’ Fortnight Selection

Zee Entertainment Enterprises (ZEEL) MD and CEO Punit Goenka and chairman emeritus Subhash Chandra from holding any managerial or directorial positions in listed companies. The suspension is while SEBI carries out investigations into allegations of insider trading. On Thursday, SEBI, which is set up to “protect the interests of investors in securities and to promote the development of and to regulate the securities market” issued an interim order naming Goenka and Chandra as “noticees.” The detailed 16-page notice, of which Variety has obtained a copy, makes multiple reference to “siphoning” of funds.

There’s new blood at the top of Fremantle UK’s Too Hot to Handle co-producer Thames and The Apprentice maker Naked.

Jazz Tangcay Artisans Editor Composer Daniel Pemberton pushed a few boundaries and “made something really creative and different” when he scored 2018’s “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.” When he returned to score the sequel, “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse,” he knew he would have to “push it as far as we can go.” Pemberton says he had to build the score from the ground up, which was complicated. “You’re trying not to make a score that sounds like other film scores. You’re trying to invent your own language.” Inventing that language took experimentation, research and failure. He explains, “I spent two years researching and developing this score, going through ideas, coming up with concepts and throwing them out.”

Angelique Jackson SPOILER ALERT: This interview contains spoilers from the series finale of “Never Have I Ever” now streaming on Netflix. The senior season of Netflix’s “Never Have I Ever” is here and, with it, the social, cultural, familial and sexual education of Devi Vishwakumar has reached its conclusion. Maitreyi Ramakrishnan stars as the quirky and ambitious first-generation Indian American high schooler, whose fiery temper has gotten her into some hot water in her relationships and into the point position of a simmering teenage love triangle with studly swimmer Paxton Hall-Yoshida (Darren Barnet) and her equally-nerdy nemesis Ben Gross (Jaren Lewison).

EXCLUSIVE: Gaga Corp. and Goodfellas have revealed new sales on Hirokazu Kore-eda’s Cannes 2023 Palme d’Or contender Monster as the drama enjoys a strong theatrical kick-off at the Japanese box office.

Naman Ramachandran India’s Rajshri Deshpande, star of Rotterdam winner “Sexy Durga” and hit Netflix series “Trial by Fire,” headlines “Privacy,” the first teaser for which has been unveiled. The film will have its world premiere at Korea’s Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival (BiFan). “Privacy” is a voyeuristic social thriller set in and around the slums of Mumbai. It follows Roopali (Deshpande), who works at the Mumbai surveillance command and control center as an operator. While being ambitious, she constantly fights her own guilt and resists her dark past. Things start to get complicated when Roopali ignores protocol and begins to investigate a robbery and murder that takes place on her watch. The film takes the neo-noir approach to explore themes of mental health, voyeurism and access to information.

Naman Ramachandran India’s Rajshri Deshpande, star of Rotterdam winner “Sexy Durga” and hit Netflix series “Trial by Fire,” headlines “Privacy,” the first teaser for which has been unveiled. The film will have its world premiere at Korea’s Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival (BiFan). “Privacy” is a voyeuristic social thriller set in and around the slums of Mumbai. It follows Roopali (Deshpande), who works at the Mumbai surveillance command and control center as an operator. While being ambitious, she constantly fights her own guilt and resists her dark past. Things start to get complicated when Roopali ignores protocol and begins to investigate a robbery and murder that takes place on her watch. The film takes the neo-noir approach to explore themes of mental health, voyeurism and access to information.

Taylor Sheridan and will be a Paramount+ original. Dickey, a character actress best known for her roles in “Hell or High Water” and “My Name Is Earl,” will star as Widow Dolliver, an old woman a press release for the series describes as someone “who has seen it all, and who does not waste time suffering fools.” Brings Plenty (“Yellowstone”) will portray one of Bass Reeves’ friends, a Choctaw Native American by the name of Minco Dodge. Morohunfola (“Run the World,” “The Chi”) will play a former Union solider-turned-prisoner known as Jackson “Jackrabbit” Cole.

Naman Ramachandran Netflix’s “Sacred Games,” Prime Video’s “Mirzapur” and SonyLIV’s “Scam 1992: The Harshad Mehta Story” are the top three shows among the 50 all-time most popular Indian streaming series on Amazon’s online film database IMDb. The rankings are determined by the page views of IMDb customers in India between Jan. 1, 2018 to May 10, 2023. The list has representation from 12 platforms including Amazon’s Prime Video and miniTV, Netflix, SonyLIV, Disney+ Hotstar, YouTube, ZEE5, Voot, MX Player, JioCinema, TVF Play and ALTT. Crime drama is the most popular genre represented on the list, occupying 30 out of 50 slots, including the top four positions — “Sacred Games,” “Mirzapur,” “Scam 1992: The Harshad Mehta Story” and “The Family Man.” Pankaj Tripathi played prominent roles in three out of the top 10 series on the list — “Sacred Games,” “Mirzapur” and “Criminal Justice.” Four shows released in 2023 — “Farzi,” “Taaza Khabar,” “The Night Manager” and “Rana Naidu” — made the most popular list.

Naman Ramachandran Bollywood star Bhumi Pednekar, celebrated for her films that advocate social change, has revealed ambitious goals for World Environment Day. Pednekar founded non-profit advocacy platform Climate Warrior – funded from her acting remunerations – through which she strives to neutralizing her and her family’s carbon footprint and making her own home sustainable and the organization also has larger goals. Initiatives include supporting an NGO called Healing Himalayas that clears pollution from the mighty mountain range after every tourist season;  Mumbai beach cleaning drives; working towards plastic free film shoots; working with upcycling and recycling organizations and waste segregation initiatives across India; leading anti open defecation campaigns; marching for climate justice; supporting transformative companies that make ink from pollution and various other projects.

Jordan Moreau SPOILER ALERT: This article contains major spoilers for “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse,” now playing in theaters. Just like the infinite Spider-Verse itself, there are so many different versions of Spider-Man and other spider-themed heroes that pop up in “Across the Spider-Verse” that it’s almost impossible to keep track of everything.

Canadian Press Thursday. The blocks, which the company says will last through the month of June, are the test version of a program Meta is threatening to make permanent if Canadian Bill C-18, known as the Online News Act, becomes law. The act would require large tech companies like Meta to pay publishers for linking to or otherwise repurposing their content online.

Viewers of Britain's Got Talent have slammed the show as a "fix" as one vowed they'll "never watch it again" following the third semi-finals which aired on ITV on Wednesday. Ghetto Kids, Dylan B, Toy Toy Toy, Notorious, Markus Birdman, Miki Dark, Travis George and Harry Churchill were all in the semi-final, as they performed their sets in front of the judges, Simon Cowell, Amanda Holden, Alesha Dixon and Bruno Tonioli.

Leo Barraclough International Features Editor International sales house Totem Films has closed distribution deals in multiple territories for “Blackbird Blackbird Blackberry,” which had its world premiere in Directors’ Fortnight in Cannes. The company also closed a deal for France for another Directors’ Fortnight film, “A Song Sung Blue.” “Blackbird Blackbird Blackberry” was sold to France (Capricci), U.K. (New Wave), Benelux (Vedette), Sweden (Folkets Bio), Greece (Ama Films), Czech Republic (Artcam), and Germany (Eksystent). More deals are in negotiation. The distributor in Switzerland is Frenetic. The film, directed by Elene Navierani, centers on Etero, a 48-year-old woman living in a small village in Georgia. Etero never wanted a husband and cherishes her freedom as much as her cakes. But her choice to live alone is the cause of much gossip among her fellow villagers.

Orlando Bloom is stepping out to promote his new movie at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival!

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief The U.K.’s London Indian Film Festival and Birmingham Indian Film Festival will work together to present a two-city, two-part panoply of feature and short films, kicking off next month with “The Storyteller.” Directed by Ananth Mahadevan, “The Storyteller” sees Adil Hussain play a Gujarati businessman who believes that once physical wealth is accumulated, happiness will follow, but this proves not to be the case. Paresh Rawal plays the titular storyteller. The film is based on a story by the late, great Bengali filmmaker Satyajit Ray and contrasts the pursuit of material wealth with that of intellectual knowledge. Hussain, co-star Tannishtha Chatterjee and Mahadevan are expected to be on hand for Q&A sessions on June 22 at BFI Southbank and on June 23 at MAC Birmingham.

Ed Ames, whose long career included hit recordings, TV stardom, and Broadway roles, died May 21 in Los Angeles at 95. No cause was given.

Pat Saperstein Deputy Editor Ed Ames, a member of the Ames Brothers singing quartet who starred in TV series “Daniel Boone” in the 1960s, died Sunday at his home in Los Angeles. He was 95. Ed Ames and his brothers Vic, Joe and Gene had a hit with their version of “Rag Mop” in 1950. As a solo artist, he had hits with “Who Will Answer?,” “My Cup Runneth Over” and “Try to Remember.” In the 1950s, they had a syndicated TV program “The Ames Brothers Show” and had 49 songs that charted before they broke up in 1963. He then launched an acting career, which included off-Broadway performances in “The Crucible” and “The Fantasticks,” as well as a starring role on Broadway in “Carnival!” He starred with Kirk Douglas, Gene Wilder and William Daniels in the Broadway production of “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.”

Pierre Creton, has won the SACD Prize, awarded by France’s Writers’ Guild for the best French-language movie in the section. Written by Mathilde Girard, Cyril Neyrat and Vincent Barré, and directed by Creton, who combines his film career with work as an agricultural labourer, “A Prince” has weighed in at this year’s Directors Fortnight as one of the most singular of titles, whose central narrative turns on a horticultural student, Pierre-Joseph. His mentors, botany teacher Alberto and plant nursery owner Adrien, soon become his lovers.

John Hopewell Chief International Correspondent “Creatura,” the feature debut of Elena Martín, exploring female sexual desire and repression, has won this year’s 20th Europa Cinemas Cannes Label for best European Film at the 2022 Cannes Directors’ Fortnight. Announced Thursday by Europa Cinemas, ahead of the closing ceremony this afternoon, the prize is one of two at Directors’ Fortnight, and awarded by one of the sidebar’s partners, given the section is non-competitive.   A second partner plaudit, the SACD Prize, handed out by France’s Writers’ Guild, will be announced simultaneously to the Europa Cinemas Label.