City Mumbai Showbiz Latest News and Updates

Jazz Tangcay Artisans Editor Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) has announced its plans to expand global operations. The former head of studio at DNEG Bangalore and Chennai, Kiran ‘KP’ Prasad will head a full pipeline studio which will be based in Mumbai.  The visual effects division of Lucasfilm Ltd. is headquartered in San Francisco and has studios in Vancouver, London, Singapore and Sydney. It will open a new full pipeline studio, operating full visual effects and animation services for film and television in Mumbai to gain access to the talent base in the region.  Prasad will lead operations and report to ILM SVP and General Manager, Janet Lewin. 

Naman Ramachandran Arvind Pratap’s “Mariam,” which has post production support from the Busan International Film Festival’s Asian Cinema Fund, tackles a range of social issues in India. Millions of families from rural India move to the big cities in search of employment and “Mariam” follows one such migrant worker family. The breadwinner is Mariam, who has to look after her three daughters and also takes on an illegal surrogate pregnancy to earn for her family in Mumbai. Pratap, who previously directed the acclaimed “The Reluctant Crime,” got the idea for the film from a newspaper article detailing changes in the Surrogacy Regulation Bill by the Indian Supreme Court, where single parents were excluded from surrogacy.

Naman Ramachandran “Adipurush,” one of the most anticipated Indian films of 2023, unites the talents of Prabhas (the Baahubali franchise) and Om Raut, who directed Ajay Devgn-starring “Tanhaji: The Unsung Warrior,” the biggest Indian box office hit of 2020 with a $50 million gross. “Adipurush” is Raut’s take on Indian mythological epic “Ramayana,” by Valmiki, where Rama, the king of Ayodhya, travels to Lanka to rescue his wife Sita, who has been abducted by the king Ravana. “Adipurush” is set 7,000 years ago and in the film, Prabhas’ character is not called Rama, he is Raghav, another name for Rama. Sita, played by Kriti Sanon, is called Janaki, while Saif Ali Khan’s Ravana is Lankesh, also derivatives of their “Ramayana” names. Adipurush literally means “first man,” but here the interpretation is that of “best man.”

EXCLUSIVE: VFX outfit Outpost has bolstered UK operations with a new London studio now open for business.

Fighting With My Family and The Night Manager producer Ink Factory has promoted Michele Wolkoff to Creative Director out of LA, leading teams in London, Mumbai and Seoul.

Kajol, one of India’s best-loved actors, stars in Disney+ Hotstar series “The Good Wife – Pyaar, Kanoon, Dhoka,” an adaptation of the CBS series of the same name. Disney unveiled a first look image for the show that is now in production. With the Indian title translating as ‘The Good Wife – Love, Law, Deception,’ Kajol plays a housewife who is forced to return to work as a lawyer after her husband’s public scandal puts him behind bars. The series is directed by Suparn Verma (Amazon Studios series “The Family Man”) and produced by Mumbai-based Banijay Asia. Kajol has credits that include romance “Kuch Kuch Hota Hai,” melodrama “Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham…,” romantic thriller “Fanaa,” drama “My Name Is Khan,” and hit the action comedy “Dilwale,” in 2015. She hails from the Mukherjee family which is studded with actors, directors and producers, and has been married to Ajay Devgn for more than twenty years.

Hold on to the memories, they will hold on to you!

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Travis Fimmel (“Vikings,” “Warcraft”), Simon Baker (“The Mentalist,” “Breath”) and Phoebe Tonkin head the adult cast of “Boy Swallows Universe,” an Australia-set fantasy-drama series. Production has now begun in Brisbane, Queensland. The eight-part limited series is an adaptation of Trent Dalton’s international best-selling novel “Boy Swallows Universe” and is being produced by Brouhaha Entertainment, together with Anonymous Content and Chapter One, for streaming platform Netflix. “Boy Swallows Universe” follows working-class Brisbane teenager Eli Bell in a whirlwind story about drug addiction, ex-cons, poverty, violence and the discovery of hope through the power of love. Dalton has pitched the story as involving “a boy who receives a message on a red rotary dial phone in a secret underground room that tells him he must bust into Brisbane’s notorious Boggo Road Prison to save his mum’s life on Christmas Day.”

EXCLUSIVE: Arjun Rampal is on his way to a shoot in Poland after a week’s work in London and a short stop in his home country India when he sits down for a chat with Deadline.

EXCLUSIVE: Criminal Minds showrunner Simon Mirren and his production partner Benjamin Anderson are currently in Mumbai working on a procedural drama series with Indian firms Applause Entertainment and Locomotive Global, Deadline can reveal.

Naman Ramachandran Bollywood star Hrithik Roshan has revealed a direct link between “The Lord of the Rings” and his sci-fi franchise “Krrish.”Roshan was one of the guests at Amazon Prime Video’s “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power” Asia-Pacific premiere in Mumbai on Thursday. The actor revealed that his father Rakesh Roshan, who directed “Koi… Mil Gaya” binge-watched Peter Jackson’s “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy in 2004.

By The British-Indian actor Alia Bhatt is . The 29-year-old comes from a family of filmmakers (her dad, the Hindi film director Mahesh Bhatt, gave her her first acting job at just 5 years old), and has starred in more than 25 films during her two decade-long career.But Bhatt is just getting started.Despite her extraordinary achievements, she’s still a bit lesser known in America.

EXCLUSIVE: Applause Entertainment is readying a sketch comedy show billed as ‘Saturday Night Live meets The Kumars at No. 42,’ as the company turns five. Also on the slate is a travelog tracing the journey made by legendary prince Lord Ram and a documentary on the climate crisis in India, Deadline can reveal. An access doc on Hindi movie megastar Salman Khan is also nearing completion.

Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith were spotted for the first time in public together following the actor’s infamous Oscars slap.

Indian Matchmaking host Sima Taparia doesn’t believe the Netflix series lives up to the reality of the system, as she returns to matchmake clients around the world for series two. ‘Aunty Sima from Mumbai’ is back and this time around, she’s reuniting with a few old faces like Pradhyuman Maloo and Nadia Jagessar as well as new ones as she matches biodatas and sets up some dates. Along the way, there’s dating fails, meeting-the-families on a first date, and wish-lists that cover everything under the sun from Taco Bell lovers to man-buns.

India has always been a popular destination for international productions, hosting everything from European independent films and British series, most recently ITV’s Beecham House and Netflix/BBC’s A Suitable Boy, to studio movies like Christopher Nolan’s Tenet and Netflix’s Chris Hemsworth-starrer Extraction.

Naman Ramachandran Acclaimed filmmaker Mahesh Narayanan and popular actor-producer Kunchacko Boban are re-teaming for “Ariyippu” (“Declaration”), the first Indian film in Locarno’s international competition in 17 years.The Malayalam-language film follows Hareesh (Boban) and Reshmi (Divya Prabha), an immigrant couple from Kerala working in a medical gloves factory near Delhi, who aspire to go abroad for a better life. During the COVID-19 lockdowns, when an old video resurfaces among the factory workers, it opens up a Pandora’s box that threatens the couple’s jobs and marriage.Narayanan got the germ of the film’s idea from a newspaper article about a female bank employee who had approached the Mumbai high court demanding a “declaration” clarifying that a video which had been circulated in her bank was a look alike and not her.

Lollapalooza has announced its upcoming venture into India with a festival scheduled to run in late January next year.Announced via Lollapalooza’s official accounts on social media, the inaugural edition of Lollapalooza India is currently scheduled to run on January 28 and 29 in “the heart of Mumbai”.

Naman Ramachandran The Russo brothers and Ritesh Sidhwani and Farhan Akhtar’s Indian production house Excel Entertainment (“Gully Boy,” “Made in Heaven”) are exploring a partnership. Joe and Anthony Russo were in Mumbai for the premiere and press meet for Netflix film “The Gray Man,” following which they met with Akhtar and Sidhwani.

Will Smith has not been seen in public since April, nearly a month after he slapped Chris Rock at the Academy Awards, but is he currently laying low with his family or is he still residing in India? The star was spotted in Mumbai just a few weeks after the headline-making altercation and looked calm and collected as he was greeted by fans. MORE: Where is Will Smith? - Three months on from Chris Rock Oscars slapHis wife, Jada Pinkett meanwhile stayed in Los Angeles and continued to work on her Red Table Talk show, leaving fans wondering when they'll be reunited. WATCH: Will Smith and Jada Pinkett's marriage Neither Will nor his longtime wife have given away their summer plans but there is buzz online that he may still be abroad.The Hindustan Times reported that while Will was in India, he stayed at the JW Marriott Hotel Juhu, a 5-star rated luxury resort by the beach that features both an infinity pool and a salt water pool.MORE: Chris Rock makes huge career announcement after Will Smith Oscars altercationMORE: Will Smith features in video as son Jaden celebrates his birthday Will apologized to Chris Rock and his fans after his Oscars slap and a number of his famous friends have since come out to give an update on their celebrity pal.  Will has had the support of his wife and children Most recently, Kevin Hart spoke to Entertainment Tonight and said: "Will is apologetic, you know, he's in a better space, of course, than what he was after."People are human and as humans sometimes we make mistakes.

Ubisoft has shared that the development of Splinter Cell VR, Ghost Recon: Frontline and two other unannounced titles have been cancelled.This was revealed during Ubisoft’s recent earnings call, where chief financial officer Frederick Duguet revealed Ubisoft would be undergoing “sizeable cost optimisation” in the upcoming fiscal year. With this in mind, Ghost Recon: Frontline, Splinter Cell VR and the two unannounced games have been cancelled so Ubisoft can put more resources into the company’s “biggest development opportunities” (via PC Gamer).Splinter Cell VR was announced in late 2020 for release on Oculus devices.

Naman Ramachandran The Russo brothers have revealed that their “Gray Man” assassin Avik San (also known as the Lone Wolf), played by Tamil cinema star Dhanush, could very well return.In the Anthony and Joe Russo’s Netflix movie, when the CIA’s most skilled operative accidentally uncovers dark agency secrets, a psychopathic former colleague puts a bounty on his head, setting off a global manhunt by international assassins. One of them happens to be Dhanush’s Avik San — a killer with a moral code.Speaking at a press event in Mumbai on Thursday, Joe Russo said: “It’s based on a book series, so there is the opportunity to expand this into future movies.

When Yash Raj Films’ Shamshera opens at the Indian box office tomorrow, all eyes in Mumbai’s Hindi-language film industry, popularly known as Bollywood, will be closely watching the release.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefAustralia-set fantasy-drama “Boy Swallows” is to shoot in Brisbane, Queensland from next month. The series is an adaptation of Trent Dalton’s international best-selling novel “Boy Swallows Universe” and is being produced by Brouhaha Entertainment for streaming platform Netflix.“Boy Swallows Universe” follows working-class Brisbane teenager Eli Bell in a whirlwind story about drug addiction, ex-cons, poverty, violence and the discovery of hope through the power of love, said local screen agency Screen Queensland.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefAbhishek Rege, currently CEO of Endemol Shine India, is to leave the company after 15 years in multiple roles. His successor has not been announced.Rege joined Endemol in 2007 as head of commercial and legal, and was then promoted to COO in 2012.

Naman Ramachandran Leading entertainment marketing and content production company Trailer Park Group is continuing its Asia Pacific expansion drive with the hiring of two key executives.The company, which recently acquired Mumbai-based boutique creative agency White Turtle Studios, has appointed Tamagna Ghosh as APAC MD, and Gina Grosso as senior VP of global production, both reporting into group CEO Rick Eiserman. Specializing in streaming, film, gaming, technology and lifestyle brand clients, including Amazon, Disney, HBO, Netflix and Xbox, the group has production capabilities across its specialty studios – Trailer Park, Art Machine, MXW, Mirada, and now White Turtle Studios.Mumbai-based Ghosh joins from Amazon India, where during his six years as head of creative marketing for Prime Video, he led campaigns for hit originals “The Family Man,” “Mirzapur,” “Paatal Lok” and “Made in Heaven.” During a previous stint with Walt Disney Studios he introduced Indian localized theatrical marketing strategies for the Avengers and Star Wars franchises and for “The Jungle Book.” He will be in charge of Trailer Park’s expansion across the APAC entertainment and gaming landscape, which is expected to include further mergers and acquisitions and significant investment in state-of-the-art technology.

Will Smith shocked the celebrity world by slapping Chris Rock at the Oscars. The Men in Black actor thrust himself and his family further into the limelight with the incident but has since retreated. MORE: Will Smith receives upsetting career news in wake of the OscarsWill hasn't posted on social media since he issued an apology for his actions and called violence in all of its forms, "poisonous," and "destructive".WATCH: Will and Jada-Pinkett Smith's marriage He turned comments off on the post but they remain on the photos posted ahead of the attack.Many fans are still asking him if he is ok and saying that they miss him. Will hasn't responded, leaving his followers wondering what has happened to him. MORE: Tyler Perry reveals Will Smith's reaction after slapping Chris Rock MORE: Will Smith's family celebrate special milestone involving his nephewHe was all smiles when he emerged in Mumbai on 23 April where he was seen for the first time since the Academy Awards.  Will slapped Chris Rock for making a joke about his wife Jada-Pinkett's alopeciaWill was snapped by paparazzi outside his hotel and also posed for pictures with fans TMZ reported.

City Football Group (CFG), the owners of Manchester City, are hoping to add an 11th club to their resume.

“Nimona” for Annapurna Pictures and Netflix and the animated “Garfield” movie set at Alcon Entertainment and Sony, as well as Locksmith’s next animated title “That Christmas.” They’re also working on an unannounced episodic animated title for a streamer. Prior to DNEG, Burton had worked within animation for both Disney Animation and DreamWorks.

Naman Ramachandran Shailaja Padindala’s Kannada-language film “Naanu Ladies” won best narrative feature and Pedro Peira’s English and Spanish-language film “LA QueenCianera” best documentary feature at the 2022 Kashish LGBTQ+ film festival in Mumbai.Gujarati-language shorts “Muhafiz” by Pradipta Ray and “Dal Bhat” by Nemil Shah” won best Indian narrative short and the Riyad Wadia Award for best emerging Indian filmmaker respectively. “Muhafiz” also won best screenplay for Ray and Ashutosh Pathak.Padindala said: “ ‘Naanu Ladies’ is a film attempting to identify cis-het culture [as it] weaves itself into the queerness of everyday life.