So here we are, at the end of the first season of Amazon Prime Video’s most expensive show yet, The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. A season that has made us weep (not with joy) more times that it has left us in awe. And after seven episodes of less than stellar storytelling, we finally get an episode that makes the story move forward.

Veteran actor Dharmendra responded to a fan on Twitter who claimed that Amitabh Bachchan was the “weakest link” in the 1975 movie Chupke Chupke. The fan, who also said that Amitabh’s acting in Sholay wasn’t better than Dharmendra’s, received love in return from the Yamla Pagla Deewana star. 

 

The fan had originally reacted to a critic who said that Chupke Chupke was their  favorite film because ‘Bachchan is so nuanced and natural — so perfect’ in it. Replying to the critic, the fan wrote, “This fake adulation is laughable! #ChupkeChupke was a #Dharmendra film, he chewed it! #AmitabhBachchan was the weakest link of the film! And in #Sholay in no way Amitabh was better than Dharmendra, they were at best equal! Stop running down @aapkadharam for someone else’s PR!” Dharmendra wrote in his reply, “So Sweet. Love you Ajay.”

However, Dharmendra and Bachchan remain good friends. He recently wished him on his 80th birthday and penned a heartfelt message on Twitter. He said, “Amit, love you. I got a news from RajShiri production that you are doing a film with them. Great. Most talented actor and the best production house together. Wish you all the best.”

 

The actor’s response comes on the heels of a cryptic reply to Javed Akhtar’s recent interview. The lyricist recently revealed that Dharmendra had rejected the film Zanjeer and that Bachchan was the last choice for the movie. Javed had told India Today, “Amitabh Bachchan was actually the last choice for Zanjeer. The script was written for Dharmendra ji but for some reason he later refused to work on it.”

Dharmendra then clarified and said, “Refusing Zanjeer, was an emotional hurdle which i have mentioned in aap ki Adaalat. So please don’t misunderstand me. i always love Javed and Amit.”

 October 15 is celebrated as the International Day of Rural Women, a tradition which started in 2008. This day highlights the critical role as well as contribution of rural women, including indigenous women, in eradicating poverty, inequality and malnutrition and furthering the cause of education, health and empowerment. Through cinema, of late, more women-centric themes have been explored and many celebrated films and web series have rural women as subject.

We list out those films and web series which put the spotlight on rural women’s plight and achievements.

The digital touch

Web series Panchayat may have a male protagonist who is stuck in a remote village called Phulera in Uttar Pradesh for a job, but Neena Gupta as the reluctant village pradhan, Manju Devi, is no less than a parallel lead. The second season of the series was released this year. Netflix series Jamtara, based in Jamtara, Jharkhand, through its character Gudiya, played by Monika Panwar, has brought forward rural women’s problems as well their aspirations.

Recent Disney+Hotstar release Dahan: Raakan Ka Rahasya, which is set in an imaginary village called Shilashpura in Rajasthan, has also fleetingly touched the subject of atrocities towards women at the hands of patriarchal society and superstitions.

Filmy safar

What may have been initiated with films like Nargis’s Mother India (1957), Hema Malini’s Rihaee (1988) or Dimple Kapadia’s Rudaali (1993), has now continued with the new generation. Many actresses were taken seriously after they showed their versatility by playing a village girl such as Alia Bhatt in Udta Punjab or Patralekha in City Lights. Ayushmann Khurrana-starrer Article 15 also highlighted the atrocities on Dalit girls.

It sometimes takes a woman to bring the stories of women foreword and that’s the case with a multi-starrer female cast film, Parched, directed by Leena Yadav. Parched stars Radhika Apte, Surveen Chawla, Tannishtha Chatterjee and Lehar Khan. The story is set in a village in Gujarat. Madhuri Dixit and Juhi Chawla- starrer Gulaab Gang is about activists and vigilantes ladies in Bundelkhand, who fight against domestic violence, dowry culture and rape.

Pataakha by Vishal Bharadwaj is a story of two sisters born and brought up in a rural setting. And then there is Saand Ki Aankh, a film based on the lives of sharpshooters Chandro and Prakashi Tomar and Pad Man based on the life of Arunachalam Muruganantham, who made low-cost sanitary napkins to promote menstrual hygiene. Other notable mentions are Ishqiya, Anarkali of Aarah, Dum Laga Ke Haisha and Toilet: Ek Prem Katha.

 

 

 From a family of prominent lawyers, he was expected to follow in their footsteps, but instead chose a career in the fledgling Hindi film industry -- and uncharacteristically, not as a hero. Virtually dragooned by his legendary boss taking over a lead role, despite the director's opposition, he, in his first-ever take, muffed up a simple scene with the heroine, and then, left the villain with a fractured leg.

That, in 1936, was the rather farcical start of the career of Ashok Kumar, who was born on this day in 1911.

Undaunted, he went on to establish himself not only as Hindi cinema's first superstar as the 1940s began, but also one who was known for his air of naturalness and his willingness to reinvent himself and experiment with playing morally ambiguous or anti-hero roles.

At the appropriate time, he moved on to playing more mature roles in line with his age, and then a wide gamut of supporting roles -- without ever getting typecast. He, then, went on to become a TV superstar in the 1980s -- even as a narrator.

Most of those who grew up in the 1970-80s may remember Ashok Kumar, affectionately known as 'Dadamoni' ('jewel of an elder brother' in Bangla), in roles of an affable elderly man -- who could later turn out not to be as benign as he appeared. He was capable of infinite variations, his oeuvre spanning romantic love, ghost tales, courtroom dramas, family sagas, 'Muslim socials', thrillers, crime capers, lost-and-found, and even, 'dirty' stories.

In his over six-decade-long career, which lasted nearly till the dawn of the 21st century -- and a few years before his death in 2001 -- and saw him in 340-odd films and TV serials, he, apart from the usual romantic hero, played roles as varied as sons dutiful or debauched, the second and the last Mughal emperors, a monk who falls in love with a courtesan, a conman sadhu, a zamindar who takes up arms against social injustice, an idealistic doctor who ends up killing a molester, an understanding husband who gently and effectively steers his wife out of an adulterous liaison, a committed elderly freedom fighter, and a retired soldier and all-round problem solver at whose home a scruffy-looking Amitabh Bachchan drops in for tax advice.

Ashok Kumar was also responsible for the first-ever Hindi horror film, some crime noir classics, as well as a 1950 spy thriller that incorporates Netaji's Indian National Army. He produced the first film starring Raj Kapoor, gave a break to notable actors such as Dev Anand, Pran, and Madhubala, and raised singers Lata Mangeshkar and (his youngest brother) Kishore Kumar, and filmmakers Hrishikesh Mukherjee, B.R. Chopra and Shakti Samanta to prominence.

He was key in convincing S.D. Burman to stay on in the Hindi film industry -- after a couple of flops; was instrumental in getting Bimal Roy to shift to Bombay; and drew in talented writers such as Saadat Hasan Manto, Ismat Chughtai, Saradindu Bandhopadhyay, Premendra Mitra, and Nabendu Ghosh (later his biographer) into the industry.

And for good measure, he is also credited with introducing rap to the world, with the song "Rail Gaadi" in "Aashirwad" (1968), and made offbeat pictures such as "Bada Kabutar" (1973) a pleasure to watch.

Ashok Kumar was as versatile in his life as in his films -- he was an accomplished painter, chess player (he picked up the habit from close friend, character actor and 'honorary policeman' Iftekhar, and read books on the game to the extent that he began winning), astrologer, limerick composer, fluent in eight languages, and an authorised practitioner of homeopathy, who is said to have cured a teenage girl facing amputation of a leg because of gangrene.

Born in Bhagalpur, in what was then the Bengal Presidency, and now in Bihar, Kumudlal Ganguly, as he was named, was always interested in films from when his mother took him to see 'bioscope' performances when he was young. After completing his B.Sc but failing to get the first division, he enrolled into law classes in Calcutta -- with his father, whose law school hostel roommate was the future President Rajendra Prasad, seeing visions of him rising to become a judge, but he was least interested in the profession.

In his second year, in 1934, he used the money he had to pay his exam fee for a ticket to Bombay, where his brother-in-law Sasadhar Mukherjee was a sound technician at the pioneering Bombay Talkies, run by Himanshu Rai and Devika Rani.

Initially, he wanted Rai's letter of introduction to go and work at the German motion picture production company UFA, but Rai, who detected his potential, convinced him to stay and work with him, saying it would be better.

Initially, he worked as a laboratory technician and film editor, but in 1936, when the male lead of "Jeevan Naiya", Najm-ul-Hassan, went missing, Rai observed him smoking outside and virtually ordered him to take over as the hero. The directive left Ganguly petrified and the director, a German named Franz Osten, unhappy. But, Ganguly, rechristened Ashok Kumar, as was the practice to avoid any caste or regional connotations, complied, the blunders of the first day notwithstanding.

It was "Achyut Kanya" (1938), also helmed by Osten, with its then revolutionary story of an inter-caste romance, that established Ashok Kumar's reputation, and "Kismet" (1943), where he played an anti-hero, became Hindi cinema's first blockbuster hit. And, as the cliche goes, there was no looking back.

In the course of the next four decades, he went on to play a glorious series of roles, big and small -- the haunted man in "Mahal" (1948); the spoilt rich brat in "Sangram" (1950), where his gunfight with the police led the then Bombay Home Minister Morarji Desai to threaten him with arrest; the disappointed lover of "Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi" (1958); the businessman on a mission in "Howrah Bridge" (1958); the judge in the terse, songless court drama "Kanoon" (1960); and the nawab in films such as "Dharmputra" (1961), "Bahu Begum" (1967) and "Pakeezah" (1971).

Then, he was also the surprise villain in "Jewel Thief" (1967), the elderly conman (with Pran) in "Victoria 203" (1972), the occasionally ribald public prosecutor in murder mystery "Dhund" (1973), the flamboyant, billiard-playing, pipe-smoking 'love guru' Colonel Julius Nagendranath Wilfred Singh in the Amol Palekar-starrer "Chhoti Si Baat" (1976), and the naughty old man in "Shaukeen" (1982). The list is endless.

 Mumbai, Oct 14 (IANS) Rajasthani folk singer Mame Khan, who is known for his Coke Studio track 'Chaudhary', has released his new album titled 'Desert Rose' (Registan Ro Gulab).

Featuring some of the most revered musicians in the independent space like Purbayan Chatterjee, Taufiq Qureshi, Gino Banks, Sheldon D'Silva, Ojas Adhiya, Dilshad Khan, Amar Sangam and Nihal Kamboj, the album is a colourful celebration of love, life and Mame Khan's colourful homeland of Rajasthan.

Happy and excited about the release of the music album, Mame Khan said in a statement, "Releasing an album along with six music videos as an independent Folk artist, is a huge achievement. Music is part of my DNA but bringing it out to my audience is another level."

The entire album along with its music videos was released on Friday onward across all audio streaming platforms.

"The title 'Desert Rose' (Registan Ro Gulab) is a mirror of what the listener can expect - something exceptionally unique and filled with beauty and inspiration. As rare and as beautiful like a Rose in the Desert," Mame Khan added.

Mumbai, Oct 13 (IANS) Stand-up comic Amit Tandon is all set to make his acting debut in a dramedy.

Although not much of the details are revealed yet, it's a project he's currently writing and will be going into production early next year.

Sources say, "There is news of Amit Tandon being a part of dramedy. He himself was writing it, and since he come with a background of comedy and storytelling, so the team thought it would be good to have him in front of the camera as well."

"Everything is in its initial stage and still in talks but it will go into production early sometime next year."

The Delhi-based comedian is also writing a web series based on real estate scams in Delhi, which is yet to be titled. The show will be of the comedy-drama genre.

 Los Angeles, Oct 12 (IANS) Disney has paused its film schedule, delaying the releases of 'Blade', 'Deadpool 3', 'Fantastic Four' and other major Marvel properties.

As part of the shuffle, 'Blade' has moved from November 3, 2023, to September 6, 2024.

'Deadpool 3' has relocated from September 6, 2024, to November 8, 2024; 'Fantastic Four' has shifted from November 8, 2024, to February 14, 2025; an untitled Marvel film has been pushed from February 14, 2025, to November 7, 2025; 'Avengers: Secret Wars' has been delayed from November 7, 2025, to May 1, 2026; and another untitled Marvel film set for May 1, 2026 has been removed from Disney's calendar, reports 'Variety'.

In non-comic book news, Searchlight's historical drama 'Chevalier', starring Kelvin Harrison Jr. as the musician Chevalier de Saint-Georges, will open in theaters on April 7, 2023; 'Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes' is set for May 24, 2024; and 'A Haunting in Venice' is dated for September 15, 2023.

In the case of 'Blade', the yearlong postponement is unsurprising, given the recent news that Bassam Tariq exited the project, leaving the film without a director.

Marvel has paused the production -- starring Mahershala Ali as the title vampire slayer -- as the studio looks to hire a new helmer.

Given the interconnected storylines in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the substantial delay for 'Blade' reverberated on the rest of the films in development.

The next Marvel movie to hit the big screen will be November's 'Black Panther: Wakanda Forever', which marks the end of Phase Four of the MCU.

Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige announced in July at San Diego Comic-Con that 'Fantastic Four' will kick off Phase Six, making 'Blade' and 'Deadpool 3' the final two films to round out Phase Five.

Los Angeles, Oct 12 (IANS) The entire world has been bitten by the 'Pushpa: The Rise' bug as now New York City's mayor performed actor's iconic hand gesture from the film.

New York's Mayor Eric Adams was seen doing the hand gesture during an event organised by the Telugu community in the city where he interacted with the people and also celebrated the festival of Batukamma with them.

A clip shared by a fan account on Twitter, Mayor was seen performing the iconic hand gesture with two more guests.

The fan account wrote, "Thank you @NYCMayor for Showing Your Love towards Our Indian Film #Pushpa ai, ! Special Thanks and Congratulations to our @anusuyakhasba gaaru and #mangli for making the event grand Successful Video By : @NYCMayorsOffice @alluarjun ac #Anasuya ac #AlluArjun @PushpaMovie"

Allu Arjun's 'Pushpa: The Rise' became a phenomenon upon its release. The film also stars Rashmika Mandanna and Faahad Faasil. The second installment has gone on floors.

 Bengaluru, Oct 11 (IANS) Since the original Kannada version of 'Kantara' released in the theatres on September 30, it has been receiving great reviews from the masses.

The movie is receiving rave appreciation from celebrities and actors.

The film is all set for its pan-India release on October 14.

'Kantara' is a film intended for pure mass entertainment but made with all the heart, says the film team.

Famous cricketer Anil Kumble says, "Fantastic movie. Very gripping!! Great to see Kantara to a packed house."

Popular Malayalam actor and director Prithviraj Sukumaran said, "Kantara is a glorious cinematic achievement! RishabhShetty is an absolute genius both in front and behind the camera!"

"Hombale films, What a mind blowing portfolio of content you're building. Thank you for leading the way! Brace for a beyond spectacular last 20 minutes," says Sukumaran.

Prashant Neel, the director of KGF series, mentioned that just watched a classic in theatres.

"Kantara movie is Simply superb, Simply phenomenal and Simply Rishab!!!! Congratulations to Ajaneesh (music director) ArvindKashyap, the infallible Hombalefilms and the entire team. Rishab Shetty....... Speechless!," he said.

Kannada superstar Kichcha Sudeep has written a long note showering appreciation on 'Kantara'. "We do witness films that are good and fantastic. But rarely do we come across one that leaves us speechless. 'Kantaara' is one such film which left a huge impact. A simple plot, exceptionally well written and fantastically conceived..," he says.

Raj and DK said, "'Kantara' is the big screen experience we all crave for! All-round brilliance by Rishab Shetty. Thrilling, mesmerising, funny, indigenous, rooted, rousing... non-stop frenzy! Don't miss this rare treat in theatres! Congratulations Vijay Kiragandur, Hombale films for this achievement!"

Superstar Prabhas wrote, "Thoroughly enjoyed watching Kantara, especially the climax. Congratulations to the entire team and wish you all the success."

Hombale films replied, saying, "Really appreciate the gesture, Prabhas sir! Truly humbled that you liked the movie. We really can't keep calm for 'Salaar' now."

Do you yearn for celebrating Dussehra and watching Ramleela an epic show which was staged across cities at various vantage points?

In Mumbai, Ramleela is held at Chowpatty while in Delhi it is staged at Lal Kila. The last day which marked the burning of the evil king Ravana was the highlight where 1 arrow of Ram set the effigy of Ravana in flames.

Today in our hectic lives our children fail to know about this epic, what they learn is through the antics of Hanuman on the telly or YouTube. How about letting your child learn about the classic Ramleela?

8 learnings from Ramleela for your child

1- Travelogue of the past showing cultural diversity

Do you know Ramleela was first played in the 16th century as during those days it was the only source for kids’ travelogue? Now we have travelogue from National Geographic and Lonely Planet for toddlers. But till date we can use it to understand the culture and values during ancient and modern world.

As Rama travels through the forest with his wife Sita and brother Laxman, they see the forest and wild life of that area.

As Sita who gets abducted by Ravana is carried away by him in a chariot, she calls out to the wildlife and describes her fate to vegetation, birds and animals.

As Rama travels to Sri Lanka to get his wife back, he comes across people with different values and culture. This demonstrates cultural diversity and tolerance to different cultures even during those times.

2-Social Equality

You can teach your child about social equality through Ramleela as Rama treats all his warriors with same regard.

Ramleela has always been traditionally a great leveler between the rich and poor and segments of society as people from all the segment of society come together to watch Ramleela.

3-Values and culture

With the advent of digital world and availability of humungous number of cartoon series, video games, it is difficult to teach our children about rich Indian values and culture. Ramleela is not just a story, but also an educational medium to demonstrate the importance of values such as loving and respecting your family, keeping your promises, protecting the weak.

4-Ideal relation

In a world where algorithms are used to build ideal relations, Ramleela depicts that during ancient times also the girl had liberty to choose her groom in swayamvar and even after leading a luxurious life of a princess follow her husband while in exile.

Ram Leela also depicts characters that we should aspire to be like, such as the ideal father, ideal son, ideal brother, ideal leader, ideal wife, etc.

5-Demarcate Right and Wrong

Ramleela can help you teach your child the difference between right and wrong and always choosing right path no matter how tough it is.

Even in doer of evil, resides a pandit Ravana, who was a learned king. But his one wrong act caused his decline and made it a punishable offence.

When Rama was banished from Ayodhya, Bharat could have easily accepted the throne rather when he learnt the reason for Rama’s exile, he performed all the duties of a king without accepting to be the crowned king.

Thus, proving that even if something is extremely desirable, one should still distinguish between right and wrong and accept the most lucrative thing in a fair way.

6-Value your words

Ramleela can be a great source to teach your child the importance to keep your words at any cost.

Dasharatha had granted Kaikeyi two boons when she had saved his life on the battlefield. When Kaikeyi asked Dasharatha to make Bharat the new king and send Rama to exile, no matter how hard it was for Dasharatha to send his beloved son to exile. He just kept his words and did as asked, setting perfect example of how to keep your words at any cost.

7-Love and Respect for Parents

Ramleela is a perfect fable to teach the child about loving your family and respecting their decisions. Rama’s insistence on keeping the promise made by his father also shows the deep love and devotion that he had for his parents. He willingly chose to spend 14 years in exile in a forest to protect his father’s much respected honour.

8-Protecting the Weak

From Ramleela child will learn to stand for protecting the weak.

Jatayu, an aged demigod in the form of a vulture, witnessed Ravana kidnapping Sita and forcefully taking her to Lanka. Jatayu tried to save Sita by fighting Ravana valiantly but failed. Rama and Lakshman came across him where he was lying breathing his last. Jatayu informed Rama about Sita’s whereabouts and Ravana’s plans before breathing his last. Moved to tears by the gallantry and courage of the aged Jatayu, Rama gave the bird its last rites as though the bird was his father.

Guest Author