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Konstantin Bojanov, the Bulgarian director behind India's Cannes sensation

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Cannes, May 25 (IANS) Konstantin Bojanov, who? This is the question raging in the minds of people who woke up on Saturday to the heart-warming news that a production designer-turned-newbie actress discovered by Bojanov had become the first Indian to win a major acting prize in the 77-year history of the Cannes Film Festival.

Bojanov, 55, is a visual artist who first graduated from the National School of Fine Arts in his home city, Sofia (Bulgaria), before earning a Master’s degree from the Royal College of Art, London.

He made his first feature film, ‘Ave’, in 2011. Based on a story about heroin addicts in Sofia, the film had its world premiere at Cannes and then it went on to win a Young Talent Award (Hamburg), Special Jury Prize (Sarajevo) and the FIRPRESCI Prize in Warsaw.

Bojanov made his second film, ‘Light Thereafter’, starring the acclaimed Irish actor Barry Koeghan, in 2017 and it was shortlisted for competition at the International Film Festival Rotterdam.

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In an interview with the Festival du Cannes on ‘The Shameless’, the film that has catapulted Anasuya Sengupta into the day’s headlines, Bojanov said he fell in love with moving pictures because of the movies that he would skip classes to watch at the arthouse cinema close to his college.

“I really wanted to make films, but I did not know how, so I started writing stories,” Bojanov said. “I am a self-taught filmmaker.”

“The adventure of ‘The Shameless’,” as Bojanov puts it, began 12 years ago when he started filming a documentary with four distinct stories from William Dalrymple’s ‘Nine Lives’.

Through these stories, Bojanov said, “I sought to explore a number of themes, including love, sexuality, free will and artistic expression, within the confines of castes and the religious beliefs of present-day India.”

Bojanov continued, “In 2014, I began filming the first of these stories, centered around the life of Reshma, a 32-year-old devadasi sex worker from northern Karnataka. The close bond between Reshma and another sex worker, Renuka, inspired me to create a fictional love story between a woman on the run from the law and a young girl born into the devadasi system. Reshma’s beginnings also influenced the character of the young girl, Devika.”

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In ‘The Shameless’ Anasuya plays the fictional character Renuka (chain-smoking, foul-mouthed, lesbian, who takes to sex work just to get by) inspired by Reshma.

For Devika, Bojanov settled for Omara Shetty, who was last seen in a bit role in the 2021 Katrina Kaif-Ishaan Khattar-Siddhant Chaturvedi film, ‘Phone Bhoot’, after seeing a photograph of her hugging a puppy.

For Bojanov, it was the casting process that turned out to be the most exacting. As he told Festival du Cannes, it took him eight months to complete it, and though he was looking at other actresses to play Renuka, he kept returning to the pictures of Anasuya, who is his Facebook friend.

“It was more than just her appearance; it was her attitude too,” Bojanov said. “I knew that she was primarily a production designer. Nonetheless, I took a chance and asked her if she was interested in the role.”

He was happy to find out his hunch was right. “It took [Anasuya] over a month to send me her [audition] tape, but as soon as I saw it on screen, I knew I did not need to look any further,” Bojanov said with a sense of relief.

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Describing Anasuya play Renuka in ‘The Shameless’, ‘Variety’ comments, “It’s an impeccably, self-assured performance, rife with enrapturing nuances that create a liberating sense of queer Indian femininity seldom depicted on screen.”

When asked what he would want people to remember from the film, Bojanov shared his vision with Festival du Cannes: “That storytelling can transcend cultural boundaries and reveal the shared humanity beneath our societal disparities.”

–IANS

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Pushpa 2 earns RS 1085 CR in pre-release collection

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Pushpa 2 Allu arjun

Allu Arjun is poised to dominate the box office with his highly anticipated film, Pushpa 2: The Rule, set to release on December 6, 2024. The excitement surrounding this film is phenomenal, already making headlines with an impressive pre-release collection of RS 1,085 crores! This achievement is particularly notable, given that it reached this milestone well before the movie even debuts in theaters.

Fans are eagerly looking forward to Allu Arjun’s return as Pushparaj, the character that earned him a National Award for Best Actor in the first installment, Pushpa: The Rise. The buzz surrounding Pushpa 2 is unparalleled, and the film is expected to break even more records upon its release. The pre-release collection includes a record-setting deal for theatrical rights, sold for ₹640 crores, making it one of the most lucrative film deals in Indian cinema.

Additionally, Pushpa 2 has secured a significant digital distribution agreement with Netflix, which acquired the rights for ₹275 crores, highlighting the high demand for the film. The overall pre-release earnings have been impressive across various regions, with ₹220 crores collected in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, ₹200 crores in the North, ₹50 crores in Tamil Nadu, ₹30 crores in Karnataka, ₹20 crores in Kerala, and ₹40 crores from overseas markets. The music rights were sold for ₹65 crores, while the satellite rights fetched ₹85 crores, contributing a total of ₹425 crores from non-theatrical rights.

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Directed by Sukumar and produced by Mythri Movie Makers, Pushpa 2: The Rule features a talented cast, including Rashmika Mandanna and Fahadh Faasil alongside Allu Arjun. The film’s music will be released by T Series, further adding to the anticipation.

With Allu Arjun’s National Award win and the remarkable pre-release collections, it’s clear that Pushpa 2 is set to be a blockbuster. As the release date approaches, fans are excited to see how this film will perform at the box office. If the pre-release collections are any indication, Pushpa 2 is bound to shatter records and become a massive success!

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'Aashiqui' star Anu Aggarwal recalls how filmmakers would come to her without scripts

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'Aashiqui' star Anu Aggarwal recalls how filmmakers would come to her without scripts

'Aashiqui' star Anu Aggarwal recalls how filmmakers would come to her without scripts

Mumbai, Aug 22 (IANS) Actress Anu Aggarwal, who rose to fame with “Aashiqui”, and “King Uncle”, recalled the time when filmmakers would come to her with money for signing a film and would not have a script ready.

In a conversation with Lehren shared on Instagram, the actress could be seen talking about it.

“I was shocked to see that people who don’t have their scripts are not ready when they would come to sign me up for a film. They would have the money ready and I would say I don’t want to sign with the money. I would like to hear the script.”

“They would say the script will be made so you can sign,” she added.

“This was the way and because I am an actor I would like to see what my role, story is. Everything is important. Nobody would have a script… 98 per cent of people would not have the script,” she said.

Anu Aggarwal gained immense popularity in the 1990s after featuring in the musical romantic drama “Aashiqui” directed by Mahesh Bhatt.

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She starred alongside Rahul Roy and Deepak Tijori.

The film was known for its music, by composer duo Nadeem–Shravan establishing their careers.

The soundtrack album has been rated fourth by Planet Bollywood on their “100 Greatest Bollywood Soundtracks”.

It was the best-selling Bollywood album at the time of its release.

The film was remade in Kannada as “Roja” in 2002.

A sequel to the film, “Aashiqui 2”, with a completely new theme, directed by Mohit Suri, with Aditya Roy Kapur and Shraddha Kapoor, was released in 2013.

–IANS

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Ram Charan's daughter Klin achieves this milestone on grandfather Chiranjeevi's birthday

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Ram Charan's daughter Klin achieves this milestone on grandfather
 Chiranjeevi's birthday

Ram Charan's daughter Klin achieves this milestone on grandfather
 Chiranjeevi's birthday

Mumbai, Aug 22 (IANS) On the 69th birthday of actor and politician Chiranjeevi, his son Ram Charan has shared a peek into their family vacation to Paris, France, which is also the first trip of his daughter Klin Kaara with her grandparents.

Ram took to his Instagram account, where he has 23.9 million followers, and shared a family picture from Paris.

The snap shows his parents– father Chiranjeevi, mother Surekha, his wife Upasana Kamineni, and their furry friend–pet dog. We can see Chiranjeevi holding his granddaughter Klin adorably in his arms.

Ram looked dapper in a black shirt, matching trousers and an olive green jacket.

They are posing against the backdrop of Eiffel Tower.

The post is captioned as: “Klin Kaara’s first trip with her grandparents!!! Memorable”.

In another post, Ram dropped a photograph with his father, wearing matching South Indian ethnic outfits.

He wrote in caption: “Happpiest birthday, Appa!!”

Meanwhile, on the occasion of Chiranjeevi’s birthday, UV Creations and director Vashistaa Mallidi have unveiled the highly anticipated first look poster for ‘Vishwambhara’, a fantasy adventure film.

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Sharing the poster on social media, the makers wrote: “When darkness and evil take over the world, a Magnanimous Star shall shine bright to fight, Happy birthday, MEGASTAR @KChiruTweets, Let the world witness your aura with #Vishwambhara, Get ready for a MEGA MASS BEYOND UNIVERSE, In cinemas from January 10th, 2025.”

The movie promises to be a cinematic spectacle, featuring Chiranjeevi in a lead role. The film also stars Trisha Krishnan, Ashika Ranganath and Kunal Kapoor.

The film will be released on January 10, 2025.

Chiranjeevi was last seen in Telugu action drama ‘Bhola Shankar’ directed by Meher Ramesh. It also featured Tamannaah Bhatia, Keerthy Suresh and Sushanth.

Meanwhile, Ram Charan last appeared in action drama ‘Acharya’, directed by Koratala Siva. The film starred Chiranjeevi, alongside Pooja Hegde, Sonu Sood and Jisshu Sengupta.

He next has ‘Game Changer’, and ‘RC16’ in the pipeline.

–IANS

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Rani Mukerji: Shivani Shivaji Roy shows how a woman can lead from front in a male-dominated field

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Rani Mukerji: Shivani Shivaji Roy shows how a woman can lead from
 front in a male-dominated field

Rani Mukerji: Shivani Shivaji Roy shows how a woman can lead from
 front in a male-dominated field

Mumbai, Aug 22 (IANS) Actress Rani Mukerji has talked about why she loves her character Shivani Shivaji Roy from “Mardaani,” which has completed 10 years in Hindi cinema on Thursday.

She said: “Shivani Shivaji Roy is my most favourite on-screen character. She is a defiant, fierce force of nature who will stand up for what is right no matter what. She is someone who subverts gender norms in cinema and shows how a woman can also lead from the front in a male-dominated field.”

As the film celebrates its 10th anniversary, Rani is grateful for all the love and acclaim that she has received.

She said: “I’m truly proud of my ‘Mardaani’ franchise. It is a franchise that keeps on giving. The love, adulation, and the respect that I have received from Mardaani is truly humbling.”

On Thursday morning, the makers of the film teased fans about the next chapter of the franchise.

Production Yash Raj Films banner took to YouTube, where they dropped a teaser of sorts, which begins from the first installment, which first released in 2014.

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The production company captioned it: “10 years of #Mardaani and the next chapter awaits… Celebrating the feisty, daredevil cop #ShivaniShivajiRoy and the spirit of #Mardaani today. Thank you for a decade of love and appreciation for our beloved franchise. We are inspired… again… thanks to you. #RaniMukerji #10YearsOfMardaani.”

Rani is too excited to reprise the role and don the cop uniform once again.

She said: “I’m looking forward to bringing back Shivani Shivaji Roy on the big screen soon. It’s been a while since I have donned the cop uniform and paid tribute to the women police force of our country.”

“Each (woman cop) one of them relentlessly works hard to keep our families safe and I have always loved to salute these fearless women. Shivani will be back and I hope you will give as much love to her as you have always showered for 10 years now!” added the actress.

–IANS

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Sonam Kapoor flaunts her ‘minimal, bold and effortlessly on point’ look

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Sonam Kapoor flaunts her ‘minimal, bold and effortlessly on point’ look

Sonam Kapoor flaunts her ‘minimal, bold and effortlessly on point’ look

Mumbai, Aug 22 (IANS) Bollywood actress and fashionista Sonam Kapoor brought out her A-game in fashion, where she flaunted “minimal, bold and effortlessly on point” look.

The actress took to Instagram, where she shared a string of pictures. In the pictures, she is seen wearing a powder pink shirt, paired with a blazer and long skirt. She completed her look with sunglasses.

“Celebrating @perniaq season 2 podcast drop with that sleek @phoebephilo energy—minimal, bold, and effortlessly on point. Shoutout to the squad for keeping the vibe,” she wrote and also mentioned that she is styled by her sister Rhea Kapoor.

Recently, Sonam shared several glimpses from her son Vayu’s vintage car themed cake as he turned two on August 20.

Sonam took to Instagram, where she shared a reel of the two-tier toddler friendly, refined sugar free chocolate cake. It featured a vintage ice blue car atop of the cake with the number 2 written on it.

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The actress had also penned a heart-felt note for her son Vayu.

“My baby turns two today!!! Happy 2nd Birthday to our sweet, precious Vayu! W Being your mom is the greatest gift I could ever receive. You’ve filled our lives with so much joy, laughter, and wonder,” Sonam said.

The actress shared that with her son, everyday is an adventure filled with “your boundless curiosity, your infectious laughter, and your sweet, loving nature.”

“You’ve brought so much light and happiness into our world, making every moment more beautiful and every relationship stronger. You’ve deepened the love between your dadaa and me in ways we never imagined, and you’ve brought pure, unfiltered joy to everyone who loves you-your nani and nana, dadi and baba, kaaa masa, Masi and chachu,” she said.

“Your sweet spirit and playful energy make our family complete, and we are so blessed to have you in our lives.”

She tagged Vayu as her sunshine, music, little genius, and their endless “source of happiness”.

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“We love you more than words can say, and we can’t wait to see all the amazing things you will continue to bring into our lives,” Sonam said.

–IANS

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