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Marathi cinema has come a long way from introducing the Indian audience to the medium of film. One of the first pioneers of Marathi cinema, Dr Dadasaheb Phalke, brought the moving images to the audience with Raja Harishchandra, the first Indian silent film, in 1913. Marathi cinema also gave Indians the first feature film- Shree Pundalik, directed by Dadasaheb Torne, released on 18 May 1912.

The Marathi cinema suffered a significant comedown after the 1970s. With Mumbai becoming the dominant kernel for the more successful and more extensive cannon of Hindi cinema (or Bollywood), the theatre-oriented Marathi cinema seemed to shrink in size before the titan. However, in a period of the last five years when the regional-language cinema is getting more acceptance beyond the nation, the Marathi films are soaring once again for the plinth they once owned exclusively. In this piece, we curate the best of the 21st-century Marathi cinema.

15. Nude...

In the first half of the 20th century, somewhere in rural Karnataka, Naani, a young Brahmin boy, is left to board at a seemingly run-down Vedic school by his father. It is time for him to follow the traditional path of learning Sanskrit and mastering priestly rituals, the duty of his caste. As the junior of three young-adult students, Naani is frequently bullied but finds comfort in Yamuna, the headmaster’s sad and silent daughter, a young widow in her twenties. Soon, she turns to Naani for escaping from the meddling Godavarama, who becomes suspicious of her recent absence from her father’s religious ceremonies. Could Yamuna be unwell?

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Let’s pause here. Assuming you haven’t seen the film and wishing to avoid any spoilers. Still, these first 20 minutes are sufficient to grasp the underlying mechanics driving the story forward.

Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah’s Og Tapu Raj Aandkat Is Ready With His Next Project (Photo Credit – Instagram )

Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah is one of the most loved shows on Indian Television, where all the characters from the TV series are loved. One such character was Tapu, who was originally played by actor Raj Anadkat. Raj played Tapu for almost five years and over 1000 episodes before leaving the show.

Now, the Tmkoc actor is all set with his next project, which might set a new benchmark in regional television. The actor will be seen on ‘United States of Gujarat,’ a new offering on Colors Gujarati that might bring a vibrant, delightful blend of tradition, modernity, and heartfelt storytelling.

The show features a stellar cast, including Raj Anadkat, Sana Sheikh, Ragini Shah, Siddharth Randheria, Apara Mehta, and Vandana Vithlani, among several others. Raj Anadkat (essaying the role of Keshav...

Is it safe to say propaganda movies are a rage these days. There is no dearth of movies that cater to only bashing a sector of people without an iota of nuance or subtlety. Of course, as soon as someone points this out, there’s going to be hordes of replies claiming that the real stories are far more gruesome than the fictionalized version of them. Nevertheless, these movies seem to come packaged with an agenda that is obvious right from the start. Bastar is yet another feather in Sudipto Sen’s hat after the infamous The Kerala Story, released in 2023. Bastar covers the story of a village festered with Naxals. The film was released on Zee5 Global on May 17, 2024.

Bastar begins with a bail plea argument for intellectual Narayan Bagchi, who was arrested on the charges of conspiracy to kill Crpf officers and leaking information about their movement to...

Amazon Prime Video has had several shows that talk about deities and nature conservation. Richie Mehta’s Poacher was a game changer, and two years ago, Suzhal: The Vortex was a murder mystery surrounded by elements of divinity with a connection with nature. Created by Nandhini J.S., Inspector Rishi is a murder investigation tale coupled with the local tales of mythical creatures focusing on the fear created about them. The ten-episode show extensively talks about the small town of Thaenkaadu, which was surrounded by vast forests.

Spoilers Ahead

What Were The Kinds Of Murders Taking Place?

Inspector Rishi began with an incident that occurred twenty years ago. A local tribe conducted a ritual for their deity and killed themselves in a pyre of fire they created. There was no explanation given for these mass suicides, but they set things in motion for Thaenkaadu, a town surrounded by vast forests...

Bigg Boss Malayalam 6: Meet the Contestants Ready to Rule the House! (Photo Credit – Instagram)

The much-awaited Bigg Boss Malayalam season 6 has arrived, gracing our screens with a grand launch episode. Hosted by the inimitable Mohanlal, this season promises entertainment galore with a carefully curated list of 19 contestants. From established actors to social media stars, this diverse bunch is ready to bring their unique personalities and strategies to the forefront in the quest for ultimate victory.

Let’s meet the housemates who will be vying for the coveted Bigg Boss Malayalam 6 trophy:

From the Silver Screen: Trending Atlee Demands 100% Higher Salary Than Jawan For His Next With Allu Arjun? Manjummel Boys Box Office Day 19: Stays Strong On 3rd Monday; Marches Towards 100 Crore Club Ansiba Hassan

This actress started young, but her role as Mohanlal’s daughter in Drishyam skyrocketed her fame. She’s also a talented host for popular TV shows.

The title of Girish Kasaravalli's 1977 film "Ghatashraddha" is directly translated as "The Ritual," although the on-screen English title is "Ritual of Excommunication." Both titles reflect the bleak circumstances of the film's protagonist, even though "The Ritual" implies that women are abused and discarded as a matter of course. "Ghatashraddha" is a bleak tragedy about a woman named Yamuna (Meena Kuttappa) who lives with her religious schoolteacher father (Ramaswamy Iyengar) and who is already a widow at a young age. Yamuna is already seeing another man, also a schoolteacher, although their affair is secret ... as is her pregnancy. The only person who treats Yamuna with any friendliness is a young boy named Naani (Ajith Kumar), who serves as a witness to the story.

When her father goes out of town to raise money for his school, everything falls apart. The school deteriorates, gossip begins to spread, and Yamuna becomes an outcast.

In the realm of high-class murder cases, there’s a belief that no murder can be executed flawlessly. Even the most carefully planned crime tends to have a loophole or two, and uncovering that flaw becomes the true mission of a detective or investigator. This pursuit of discovering imperfections is what drives them to solve intricate cases that would puzzle anyone. In the film Kolai, the central focus is on the murder of Leila Borkar, a promising model and singer. Her case grips the public’s attention due to its sensitive nature and the absence of any clear leads about the identity of the killer. This is when Detective Vinayak, renowned for solving over 200 cases during his career, steps in to take on the investigation.

Spoilers Ahead

What Happens After Leila’s Body Is Discovered?

After Leila’s body is discovered, the police determine that she was strangled to death.

Dhruv Vikram, the talented young actor and son of Chiyaan Vikram, is all set to make a big announcement on August 25th. According to reliable sources, the actor will reveal the details of his 4th movie, which will be directed by E.V. Ganesh Babu, who has previously helmed Yamuna and Kattil. The movie is expected to be a romantic drama with a social message, and will feature a fresh face as the female lead.

The most exciting news for the fans is that the music for the movie is likely to be composed by none other than the Mozart of Madras, A.R. Rahman. The Oscar-winning composer has worked with Dhruv’s father in several films, such as Raavanan, I and Mahaan, and has also scored the music for Dhruv’s debut film Adithya Varma. If the reports are true, this will be the second collaboration between Dhruv and Rahman,...

Rourkela (Odisha) July 2 (Ians) Hockey Madhya Pradesh and Hockey Mizoram registered victories in their respective matches as action continued on Sunday in the 13th Hockey India Junior Women’s National Championship 2023 at the Birsa Munda Hockey Stadium here.

In the first match of the day, Hockey Madhya Pradesh defeated Hockey Karnataka 7-1. Captain Yogita Verma (9’) opened the account for Hockey Madhya Pradesh, followed by goals from Bhumiksha Singh, Jyoti Singh (45’), Soniya Kumre (46’), Gurmail Kaur (48’), and Sonam (56’). Yamuna (10’) scored the lone goal for Hockey Karnataka.

Hockey Mizoram defeated Hockey Chandigarh 6-0 in the second match of the day. Lal Tlanchhungi, Lalrinpuii, and Vanlalhriatpuii all scored a brace each for Hockey Mizoram and secured three points.

Earlier on Saturday, Hockey Haryana defeated Telangana Hockey 24-0. The goal scorers for Hockey Haryana were Bhteri, Sakshi Rana, Kanika Siwach, Ishika, Pinki, Manisha, Sejal, Sukhpreet Kaur, and Kajal Malik (52’).

Hockey Rajasthan recorded a 4-4 draw...

Rourkela (Odisha), June 27 (Ians) Hockey Karnataka, Hockey Madhya Pradesh and Hockey Chandigarh started their campaign with victories in their respective matches in the 13th Hockey India Junior Women’s National Championship 2023, which kicked off spectacularly at the Birsa Munda Hockey Stadium here on Tuesday.

Hockey Karnataka defeated Hockey Jammu and Kashmir 13-1 in the opening match of the tournament. Dechamma P.G. netted four goals, while Sowmya H.V. scored a hat-trick for Hockey Karnataka. Yamuna, Jeevitha B.G (19’), Nisarga S.B., and Aishwarya S. Kalli (54’) were also on the scoresheet for the winning team. For Hockey Jammu and Kashmir, Gunjan Preet Kour (15’) scored a consolation goal.

In the second match of the day, Hockey Madhya Pradesh registered a comprehensive 25-0 win against Le Puducherry Hockey. Bhumiksha Sahu netted seven goals to end the game as top scorer, while Sonam struck six goals for the winning side.

Gurmail Kaur found...

ReviewThe worst Mohanlal film is here. That’s the most succinct and kind review possible for 'Alone'. Mohanlal is the worst thing about this (even worse) Mohanlal film.Sowmya RajendranThe worst Mohanlal film is here. That’s the most succinct and kind review possible for Alone. Written by Rajesh Jayaraman and directed by Shaji Kailas, Alone is about a motivational speaker who moves to a new flat from Coimbatore to Kochi during the pandemic. He then starts hearing voices in the flat and concludes that it is haunted [the flat number is 13A, so what were you expecting?]. He decides to investigate the matter, and by the time he uncovers the truth, I was hearing voices in my head that asked me to run from the theatre as fast as I could. Kalidasan (Mohanlal) is the lucky owner of several colourful T-shirts. His hobbies include getting drunk and calling various people who have inordinate amounts of time and patience to put up with him.

MollywoodSingle motherhood has not had a very successful or composite representation in Malayalam cinema.Neelima MenonManju Warrier plays a lawyer who is also a single mother in 'Ennum Eppozhum'It’s been the subject of everything from derision to romanticisation. Motherhood in general. Single motherhood on the other hand has not had a very successful or composite representation in Malayalam cinema. We trace the many representations from early 80s to our very own new wave. Urvashi in the Thulasidas directed Chanchattam (1991) (remake of a K Bhagyaraj film), is a divorcee and a single mother. She walks out of a marriage citing infidelity. Later, she moves to the city with her infant boy and finds employment in a firm that unfortunately has her ex-husband as her boss. Though she is shown as independent, it’s a very grumpy picture you get. Wearing oversized glasses, Yamuna still hasn’t gotten over her husband...

KollywoodThe film, which is based on the butterfly effect, rides high on emotion and has too little of the scares.Sowmya RajendranA butterfly flutters into the traffic and enters a bus, distracting the driver. He slams into the vehicle in front of him, setting off a chain reaction which ends with someone bumping into Yamuna's (Nanyanthara) two wheeler and breaking the tail light. Quite literally, the butterfly effect. Km Sarjun's Airaa is all about a small incident snowballing into something that alters the course of lives. The director has tried to spin an emotional tale with supernatural elements, with parts of it reminding us of Mysskin's Pisasu. The effect, however, is rather underwhelming. The film begins on a chilling note. Two policemen go to an eerie bungalow in Pollachi when someone calls for help. They witness strange happenings and are dragged away by a demonic force and then...cut. We...

Kollywood‘Mahanadi’ is among the Tamil films that have aged well, winning appreciation years after the release though it was only an average grosser in 1994. Sowmya RajendranIt’s 25 years since Kamal Haasan’s film Mahanadi released. Directed by Santhana Bharathi, the film was about a man whose daughter is trafficked and sold into sex work. Kamal played the lead role, with singer Shobana playing his young daughter, Kaveri. The veteran actor also wrote the story and the screenplay for the film, which went on to win the National Award for Best Feature Film in Tamil. In 2017, Kamal revealed what made him write such a story. When his daughters were very young, his domestic workers had allegedly conspired to kidnap one of them for ransom and had even done a dry run of the plan. However, Kamal found out about it by accident. “I have never spoken of what prompted me to write Mahanadi.

A row of women, bent over on the river bank, uniform, toiling away at dirty laundry on the outskirts of their village. One of them, Yamuna (Kalyanee Mulay) breaks formation. She turns to dive into the water, and to free herself from the shackles of tradition and gendered expectation. The mere swerve of her foot […]

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