Entertainment
M. Night Shyamalan reveals his daughter Ishana ‘has a fantasy bent in her interests’
Los Angeles, June 3 (IANS) Indian-origin Hollywood filmmaker M. Night Shyamalan has talked about his daughter, Ishana Night Shyamalan, who is making her feature directorial debut with ‘The Watchers’ and said that she has a fantasy bent in her interests.
M. Night Shyamalan, who serves as a producer on the upcoming film, said: “Ishana — who wrote and directed several episodes of ‘Servant’ — has a fantasy bent in her interests. ‘The Watchers’ is an amazing book for her to adapt.”
“She read it, fell in love, and wanted to both write and direct it. It was a very organic way that it came about. We said, ‘It’s from an Irish author and based on Irish folklore — it would be a beautiful genre movie, and we could shoot it in Ireland.’ And we did,” he said.
The film follows Mina, a 28-year-old artiste, who gets stranded in an untouched forest in western Ireland. She unknowingly takes shelter alongside three strangers who are watched by mysterious creatures each night.
Talking about the genesis of the story and what drew her to it, Ishana said: “When I was deciding what my first feature should be, I looked at lots of different sources for inspiration; I really wanted to play with combining fantasy and thriller elements. A.M. Shine’s book was presented to me, and I started to read… by page 70, I was like, ‘I have to make this movie’.”
Based on the novel by A.M. Shine, Ishana described it as “a wonderful book, kind of structured like a movie… it’s so visual.” She added, “It begs you to think about how these worlds and characters look. It felt like an unending pool of inspiration to draw from—that’s the dream as both a writer and director. Some scenes in the movie are exactly the way I imagined them the first time I read the book.”
Delving further into her influences, Ishana said, “I knew from the start that this film was going to be a thriller/horror—it’s not only the vibe of the book but also the genre I enjoy the most. There was this darkness we wanted to embed in it. I was very inspired by Lars von Trier’s ‘Antichrist’—that witchy, dark, textural tone connected to nature felt right for this.”
The film is based on the novel by A.M. Shine, and Ishana called it “a wonderful book, kind of structured like a movie… it’s so visual.”
“It begs you to think about how these worlds and characters look. It felt like an unending pool of inspiration to draw from — that’s the dream as both a writer and director. In my writing of the script, it was very much about remembering how I felt the first time that I read the book and what those visuals were. And literally, some scenes that are in the movie are exactly the way that I imagined them the first time that I read the book,” she added.
Delving further into her influences to direct, Ishana said: “I knew upon entry into this film that it was going to be a thriller/horror — it’s not only the feeling and vibe of the book, but it’s also the genre I enjoy the most.”
“There was this darkness that we wanted to be embedded into it. I was very inspired by Lars van Trier’s ‘Antichrist’, that witchy, dark, textural kind of tone and feeling — and it’s very connected to nature. That felt the right approach to this.”
She shared that as soon as she began working on it, there was so much joy and light in the process that it ended up becoming much more tonally vibrant than she ever could have imagined.
“It’s very rich and full of life in the way it looks and in the characters. All of that emerged with the group that came together,” she concluded.
Starring Dakota Fanning, Georgina Campbell, Olwen Fouere, and Oliver Finnegan, ‘The Watchers’ is set to open in cinemas in India on June 14. It will be distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures.
–IANS
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Entertainment
Salman Khan flaunts new hairdo in brand new pic on Instagram
Mumbai, July 3 (IANS) Bollywood superstar Salman Khan, who will be next seen in ‘Sikandar’, on Wednesday took to Instagram and shared a picture of himself with a new hairdo.
In the picture, the actor could be seen sitting in the open in a contemplative mood wearing a black T-shirt.
He wrote in the caption, “Green Zone.”
Fans in the comments section were wondering if the new hairdo is for his film ‘Sikandar’, which marks Salman’s first collaboration with director A.R. Murugadoss of ‘Ghajini’ fame.
Murugadoss has so far worked with two Bollywood superstars — with Aamir Khan in ‘Ghajini’ and Akshay Kumar in ‘Holiday: A Soldier is Never Off Duty’, which also starred Sonakshi Sinha.
Produced by Sajid Nadiadwala under the banner of Nadiadwala Grandson Entertainment, ‘Sikandar’ is set to hit the theatres during Eid next year.
The film promises to be an action-packed thriller, aligning perfectly with Khan’s well-established persona of a larger-than-life hero.
–IANS
aa/arm
Entertainment
Sidharth urges people to 'exercise caution' after fan alleges scam by actor's 'fanpage'
Mumbai, July 3 (IANS) Actor Sidharth Malhotra on Wednesday reacted to news that his fan had allegedly been scammed of Rs 50 lakh, stating that neither he nor his family or team supports this, as he urged people to exercise caution when dealing with such matters.
According to media reports, a US-based fan of Sidharth named Minoo Vasudevan claimed on social media that a fanpage of the actor, which is run by Aliza and Husna Parveen, allegedly duped her of Rs 50 lakh.
Minoo accused the admins — Aliza and Husna — of creating fabricated stories about the ‘Student of the Year’ actor, and how his life is in danger because of his wife and actress Kiara Advani.
She also claimed that Aliza told her that Kiara forced Sidharth to marry her by threatening to kill his family, besides doing black magic on him.
The fan also shared how she paid charges to get the inside information about the actor, claiming that the total loss was to the tune of Rs 50 lakh.
Reacting to the claims, Sidharth took to social media and posted a note, which read: “It has been brought to my attention that certain fraudulent activities/scams have been circulating on various social media platforms, allegedly claiming to be associated with or in relation to me, my family and people claiming to be my fans and seeking money.”
“I want to assure everyone reading this that neither I nor my family or team support any of this. I urge all of you to exercise caution when dealing with such matters. If you receive any suspicious requests, report them to the appropriate authorities and avoid spreading false information. My fans have always been my biggest strength and your trust and safety are my top priorities. Big Love and Hug,” added the ‘Ek Villain’ actor.
In the caption, Sidharth wrote: “To all my fans.”
Sidharth married Kiara on February 7, 2023, in Jaisalmer in a traditional Hindu wedding ceremony.
On the work front, Sidharth was last seen in the action thriller ‘Yodha’ co-starring Raashii Khanna and Disha Patani.
–IANS
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Entertainment
'No more comments': Luv Sinha deletes X post on not attending sister Sonakshi’s wedding
Mumbai, July 3 (IANS) Bollywood actress Sonakshi Sinha’s brother Luv Sinha, who recently shared the reason behind not attending his sister’s wedding in Mumbai on social media, has now deleted the said post.
Luv Sinha, who was last seen in the Sunny Deol-starrer ‘Gadar 2’, earlier took to X to state that he didn’t approve of his sister’s marriage to Zaheer Iqbal.
Sharing a news article with his post, the actor wrote, “Why I chose not to attend. Running an online campaign against me on a false premise won’t change the fact that for me, my family will always come first.”
However, now the actor has deleted the post in question and issued another statement saying that the words in his second tweet were wrongly attributed to him.
He wrote, “The quote that is being incorrectly attributed to me is not my statement, and was written in an article by a senior journalist. The matter is now closed, and I will not be commenting on it any further”.
Sonakshi and Zaheer exchanged wedding vows on June 23 in Mumbai under the Special Marriage Act of the Indian Constitution. While the celebrations of the newly-wed couple were attended by the bigwigs from the film fraternity, her twin brothers Luv and Kush were absent from the festivities.
–IANS
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Entertainment
'Bigg Boss OTT 3': Ranvir, Armaan rubbish Vishal-Lovekesh's 'just for the show' friendship
Mumbai, July 3 (IANS) Actor Ranvir Shorey, who is currently a part of the streaming reality show ‘Bigg Boss OTT 3’, spoke with his fellow contestant Armaan Malik about the friendship between Vishal and Lovekesh.
The duo concluded that the friendship between Vishal and Lovekesh is just for the show, as it lacks substance in real life.
Armaan also expressed his disappointment over a recent disagreement with Lovekesh, saying, “After our fight yesterday, I had to eat leftover roti because he didn’t make fresh ones for me. Later, I heard he was telling others that I should have made fresh rotis for him to appear generous even after our argument.”
Ranvir questioned if Lovekesh’s actions were merely for the show, to which Armaan affirmed, noting his familiarity with the show’s format.
Ranvir said, “I feel Lovekesh and Vishal are playing up this brotherly friendship angle for the cameras. It seems like a strategy they’ve planned from outside — to stick together and subtly undermine others.”
Armaan concurred as he suggested that their friendship might not be as genuine as portrayed.
‘Bigg Boss OTT 3’ streams on JioCinema Premium.
–IANS
aa/arm
Entertainment
How social media has been a game-changer for actress Shivangi Verma
Mumbai, July 3 (IANS) Actress Shivangi Verma has shared how social media has played a significant role in her life and career, calling it a game-changer and blessing for artistes like her.
Known for her work in the show ‘Choti Sarrdaarni’, Shivangi said: “Social media plays a very important role in my life. It’s a game-changer. If used right, it can take someone from zero to 100 in terms of fame and recognition. For artistes like me, who might not have received the respect they deserve solely based on their talent, social media has been a blessing.”
“Initially, I was hesitant about it, but my mother encouraged me to showcase my work and personality online. As a result, things started working in my favour. I’ve been cast in significant projects through social media, such as the biggest music album of my career with Himesh Reshammiya and other projects in 2021,” she said.
The actress also said that she stays in touch with many influential casting directors and industry people through her social media platforms.
“However, I also understand the importance of setting boundaries. Too much of anything can be harmful. Social media can expose us to all kinds of people, both good and bad, and sometimes inappropriate content. But despite its downsides, I find social media to be the best thing.”
“Social media has enhanced my career significantly, adding more stars to it. Through social media, people have come to know me better and more deeply. Many of my casting opportunities have come directly from social media, and I believe it will continue to play a crucial role in my career growth,” she added.
On the algorithm changes and fluctuations in views on reels, Shivangi said that she takes social media seriously but does not get frustrated when her reels do not receive views. Instead, she works harder to improve her content and increase their circulation.
–IANS
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