City Mumbai Showbiz Latest News and Updates

In the introduction to the SXSW premiere of his movie, Dev Patel joked that he had recently stumbled across an internet article asking where he was now. According to Patel, that answer is simple: he’s been working on “Monkey Man,” the Mumbai-set actioner he wrote, directed, and starred in.

As Barry Hulse walked into the number eight barracks at the maximum security Arthur Road Jail in Mumbai his mind reeled. Awaiting trial for drugs smuggling offences, he'd been locked up with hardcore addicts, terrorists and some of India's most ruthless gangsters.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Rachel Perkins has been appointed as chair of the Australian Film, Television and Radio School (AFTRS) council for a period of three years. She follows previous chairs Russell Howcroft and Debra Richards. AFTRS is Australia’s leading specialist education, training and research institution, supporting excellence in Australian screen and audio storytelling. “Rachel is one of Australia’s leading storytellers, particularly when it comes to First Nations stories,” said Minister for the Arts, Tony Burke. A graduate of AFTRS, writer, director and producer, Perkins founded Blackfella Films, which has gone onto become one of Australia’s leading production companies.

Naman Ramachandran Indian actor Vipin Sharma is earning global acclaim for playing a trans character in Dev Patel‘s feature directorial debut “Monkey Man.” Sharma plays Alpha, the leader of a trans community known in India as hijras, who is instrumental in providing a new lease on life to Patel’s character when he’s down and out in “Monkey Man.” Aamir Khan’s “Taare Zameen Par” (2007) was Sharma’s breakthrough role, and since then he has won plaudits for “Paan Singh Tomar,” “Gangs of Wasseypur” and “Shahid” (all 2012), “Raanjhanaa” (2013), “Raman Raghav 2.0” (2016), “Paatal Lok” (2020) and “Dear Jassi” (2023). When director Anthony Maras offered Sharma a role in “Hotel Mumbai” (2018), starring Patel, the actor accepted.

and girlfriend Tilda Cobham-Hervey have officially made their red carpet debut as a couple, and aren't they just a pair of smitten kittens? Patel and Cobham-Hervey were photographed hand-in-hand and making googly eyes at one another at the Los Angeles premiere of Patel's new movie Monkey Man on April 3, marking the first time they've made their relationship a “thing” in public.Patel dressed in a minimalist gray suit for the event, while his paramour opted for a flowy red sundress with a floral pattern and white ruffles at the shoulder. From the pictures, which include shots of the pair laughing and giggling at one another while Cobham-Hervey leans on Patel's shoulder, you'd think they were still in the obsessive, honeymoon stages of the relationship.

Naman Ramachandran U.K.-based sales agent Reason8 Films has sold 2023 Venice title “The Red Suitcase” to HBO for Europe and Suraya Filem for Malaysia and Brunei. The 15 territories covered under the HBO deal include Albania, Czech Republic, Slovak Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Moldova, Croatia, Slovenia, Serbia, Kosovo, Montenegro, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Macedonia and Bulgaria. Reason8 Films said that advanced negotiations are on for North America and Latin America.

Naman Ramachandran Popular Bollywood actor Boman Irani is making his directorial debut with “The Mehta Boys.” Irani starred in 2002 Locarno title “Let’s Talk” and shot to Bollywood fame with his roles in “Munna Bhai M.B.B.S.” (2003) and “Main Hoon Na” (2004). He also had significant roles in “Khosla Ka Ghosla” and “Don” (both 2006) and “3 Idiots” (2009). Irani has more than 100 acting credits with his most recent film release “Dunki” being one of the top 10 Indian hits of 2023.

use Instagram as a means to document sweet moments and milestones from life.About a month after Jonas shared a series of photos from two-year-old Malti Marie’s , it was Chopra’s turn to highlight their stunning family on the grid. Earlier this week Chopra shared a rare video, as well as a series of photos, from the family’s latest trip to India. “Blessings for the little one and the family,” she captioned the dump.

In case you missed the buzz out of SXSW, director/star Devl Patel (“The Green Knight”) and producer Jordan Peele (“Nope”) have joined forces for an original Mumbai-set action film, “Monkey Man” that will be released by Universal Pictures early next month. Following excellent reviews out of Austin (read ours here), Universal has unleashed a new trailer.

Naman Ramachandran Prime Video has unveiled a 69-title 2024 slate of new and returning series and original and licensed films. The slate was revealed at a star-studded event in Mumbai on Tuesday hosted by Indian media personality Karan Johar. Amazon executives present at the event included Mike Hopkins, head of Prime Video and Amazon MGM Studios, Kelly Day, VP Prime Video International, ⁠James Farrell, VP, international originals, Gaurav Gandhi, VP, APAC and MENA, Sushant Sreeram, country director, India, Aparna Purohit, head of originals, India and Southeast Asia, Manish Menghani, director, content licensing, India, and Nikhil Madhok, head of Hindi-language, India.

Naman Ramachandran The first edition of India’s Cinevesture International Film Festival (CIFF) has revealed 20 projects that will participate in its accompanying market. Comprising 17 features and three series, several of the projects are by creators who have found acclaim both internationally and in South Asia.

Ed Sheeran sang in Punjabi for the first time during his show in Mumbai last night (March 16), alongside the Indian popstar Diljit Dosanjh.Sheeran was playing at the Mahalaxmi Race Course in the Indian city, where he invited Dosanjh on stage with him to sing the latter’s song ‘Lover’.The ‘Shape of You’ singer sang his lines in Punjabi, receiving cheers from the crowd. Check out the clip below:A post shared by Ed Sheeran (@teddysphotos)“Got to bring out Diljit Dosanjh tonight in Mumbai and sing in Punjabi for the first time.

Paramount Global has sold its 13% equity interest in Viacom18 Media to Indian conglomerate Reliance Industries for the equivalent $517 million.

Owen Gleiberman Chief Film Critic “Enter the Dragon,” starring Bruce Lee, is one of the four or five greatest action films ever made. Yet it has a thin, awkward, lurching story.

After stints heading local-language production at Disney APAC and HBO Asia, Hong Kong-based Jessica Kam-Engle is now heading CreAsia Studio, a new Banijay Asia venture in Southeast Asia, in the role of EVP & Business Head.

Naman Ramachandran Bollywood star Sonakshi Sinha is all praise for her director Sanjay Leela Bhansali, whose anticipated magnum opus series “Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar” is due on Netflix this year. Netflix describes the series as “an epic saga of love, power, revenge and freedom.” With a cast that also includes Manisha Koirala, Aditi Rao Hydari, Sharmin Segal, Richa Chadha, and Sanjeeda Sheikh, the series is set in the midst of multiple power struggles in Heeramandi, Lahore (now part of Pakistan) and more generally in undivided, pre-independence India, where anti-colonial freedom movements were emerging.

Naman Ramachandran The Indian media industry is improving when it comes to women in significant positions but there is a way to go before gender parity is reached, a high-powered panel debated at Mumbai’s Frames conference. The annual media industry conference is organized by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI). Aparna Purohit, head of India and Southeast Asia originals, Amazon Prime Video, talked about the early “tough days” when she started her journey.

Naman Ramachandran Production will commence in 2024 on leading Indian studio Yash Raj Films‘ spy universe film headlined by Alia Bhatt, the studio CEO Akshaye Widhani has confirmed. Widhani was speaking at Mumbai’s FICCI Frames media industry conference, where he was in conversation with Monika Shergill, VP, content, Netflix India. Created by producer Aditya Chopra, the spy universe kicked off with the Tiger franchise, starring Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif, beginning with “Ek Tha Tiger” (2012) and “Tiger Zinda Hai” (2017), and continued with “War” (2019), starring Hrithik Roshan and Tiger Shroff.

Naman Ramachandran The India heads of some of the world’s top media groups outlined their growth plans for the market at the Mumbai’s FICCI Frames media conference. The conference is organized by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI).

Naman Ramachandran Bollywood A-list star Rani Mukerji was in refreshingly candid form at Mumbai’s FICCI Frames media industry conference, proffering frank opinions on the Indian theatrical business. The usual Hindi-language domination of the all-India box office was reversed for a period in 2021-22, when films from the south of India, including “RRR,” “Kantara,” “Ponniyin Selvan” and “Vikram” dominated, and the northern counterparts from’ Bollywood’ struggled to become hits. Since then, the north-south competition has evolved again.

Naman Ramachandran The Indian media and entertainment industry grew 8% in 2023 to reach a value of $27.9 billion, according to the annual EY report released during the ongoing Frames conference in Mumbai, organized by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI). The growth was 21% above its pre-pandemic levels in 2019. The report collates data from television, digital media, film, animation and VFX, out of home media, live events, music, radio, online gaming and print.

Naman Ramachandran Fresh off the Sundance-winning “Girls Will Be Girls,” Indian actor-producers Richa Chadha and Ali Fazal have unveiled a further slate from their Pushing Buttons Studios. Directed by Shuchi Talati, “Girls Will Be Girls” is the debut production from Pushing Buttons Studios, in collaboration with Crawling Angels, Blink Digital and Dolce Vita Films.

Naman Ramachandran Pankaj Udhas, the Indian singer renowned as an exponent of the ghazal form of musical poetry, died in Mumbai after a prolonged illness. He was 72. Udhas’ daughter Nayaab revaled the news via an Instagram post: “With a very heavy heart, we are saddened to inform you of the sad demise of Padmashri Pankaj Udhas on 26th February 2024 due to a prolonged illness.” Udhas debuted with ghazal album “Aahat” in 1980.

Naman Ramachandran Ameen Sayani, the doyen of Indian radio, died on Tuesday in Mumbai following a heart attack. He was 91. The news was confirmed by his son Rajil Sayani.

Naman Ramachandran Its raining biopics of revered 17th century Indian ruler Shivaji Bhonsle in Mumbai. Days after Sandeep Singh’s “The Pride of Bharat – Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj” was announced, billionaire Mukesh Ambani‘s Jio Studios and actors Riteish and Genelia Deshmukh’s Mumbai Film Company have unveiled their collaboration on “Raja Shivaji.” Both films were revealed on the occasion of the 394th birth anniversary of Shivaji, Feb. 19.

Naman Ramachandran A-list Bollywood actor Rani Mukerji and Turkish star Hande Ercel will be among the luminaries speaking at the Frames conference in Mumbai. Organized by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), the annual confab is one of the largest media and entertainment industry events in Asia. The theme of Frames 2024 is “RRR: Reflections, Realities and Road Ahead.” Participants this year also include Arjun Nohwar, senior VP and general manager, South Asia, Warner Bros.

Dev Patel is making his directorial debut with the upcoming thriller Monkey Man and Jordan Peele has signed on as producer.

Sonali Shah, known for presenting on BBC's Escape to The Country and Magic FM, has had quite the journey. From reading news on BBC children's Newsround to presenting on BBC's world news, she's had a successful career in journalism. But there's more to Sonali than meets the eye.

EXCLUSIVE: India’s box office revenue reached a record $1.47BN (Rs122.3BN) in 2023, a 15% increase over the previous year, according to a report from Mumbai-based Ormax Media. But growth was partly due to rising ticket prices as admissions have still not recovered to the same level as 2019. 

Naman Ramachandran A screening of Isabel Herguera‘s San Sebastian winner “Sultana’s Dream” will kickstart the inaugural edition of AniMela, India’s first-ever international festival for animation, VFX, XR, gaming and comics, in Mumbai. The screening will be followed by a Q&A with Herguera, alongside her Spanish and Indian crew, including Indian animation expert Upamanyu Bhattacharyya.