Entertainment

After Shah Rukh Khan bagged his first-ever National Film Award, there is a wave of excitement among his fans and industry friends. The actor has been named as a recipient for the Best Actor award at the 71st National Film Awards for his performance in Jawan.

Soon after the announcement, social media was flooded with heartfelt wishes celebrating the superstar’s win. Shah Rukh Khan has responded to those wishes, expressing gratitude. He thanked veteran actor Mohanlal for his congratulatory message and shared his wish to meet him. “Thank you @Mohanlal sir… let’s take an evening off and meet up. Big hugs,” SRK wrote on X.

The Pathaan actor also reacted to Allu Arjun’s congratulatory post, “Thanks @alluarjun garu for your kind words. Your strength, grace and fire (not flower… ha ha) continue to inspire.

SRK shared that congratulatory wishes from actor Kamal Haasan “means a lot” to him, “Means a lot coming from you @ikamalhaasan sir. You have been a true inspiration… thank you for the years of cinema, art and vision… and the next ones to come! Love u always.”

As Shah Rukh Khan, Rani Mukerji, and Karan Johar bagged the National Awards, Gauri Khan penned a short note for her favourites.She shared a couple of pictures with them and wrote, “Three of my absolute favourites just WON big…and so did our hearts. When talent meets goodness, magic happens – So proud, and so ready to brag about them forever!”

To this, King Khan responded in his style, saying, “Please brag about me to me when we sit for dinner tonight… thanks for producing the film.” Shah Rukh and Juhi Chawla have been friends for years. They both appeared in films like Darr, Yes Boss, Bhoothnath, and Duplicate.

As Juhi congratulated King Khan, he thanked her for the lovely wishes. “I’ve learned from the best. you have been an integral part of my journey. Big hugs.”

Actor Dhanush has slammed the AI-altered climax of Ambikapathy, the Tamil-dubbed version of Raanjhanaa. On August 01, 2025, the Tamil version released with a new climax, intended to provide a “happy ending to the story”, according to the producers.

“The re-release of Raanjhanaa with an AI-altered climax has completely disturbed me,” Dhanush wrote in a statement on X. Eros Media World, the banner behind the film, said that the new climax was “creative reimagining.”

“This is a creative reimagining, not a replacement, and is consistent with global industry practices including anniversary editions, alternate cuts, and modernised remasters,” the company’s group CEO Pradeep Dwivedi said.

Dhanush said he had objected to the new version. “The alternate ending has stripped the film of its very soul, and the concerned parties went ahead with it despite my clear objection. This is not the film I committed to 12 years ago,” the actor wrote.

Dhanush called for responsible use of artificial intelligence. “The use of AI to alter films or content is a deeply concerning precedent for both art and artists. It threatens the integrity of storytelling and the legacy of cinema. I sincerely hope that stricter regulations are put in place to prevent such practices in the future.”

ALSO READ: ‘Raanjhanaa’ re-release: Director Anand L Rai and producer at loggerheads over AI-tweaked climax

Aanand L Rai said the original climax had “heart and honesty. “Raanjhanaa didn’t need a new climax. It had heart, and honesty. It became a cult film because people connected to it with its flaws, and imperfections. To see its ending altered without a word of discussion is a gross violation not just of the film, but of the trust of the fans who’ve carried the film in their hearts for 12 years,” the filmmaker said.

While in the original version Dhanush’s character, Kundan, dies after being shot, the new version shows him survive. Kundan wakes up miraculously in the hospital, after being in ICU following the near-fatal injury. The film also stars Sonam Kapoor and Swara Bhasker in key roles.

The closing ceremony of the Kerala Film Policy Conclave in Thiruvananthapuram on Sunday witnessed some dramatic moments when veteran filmmaker Adoor Gopalakrishnan made some controversial statements on the State government’s project to promote filmmakers from Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe communities and the one for women filmmakers, with Minister for Cultural Affairs Saji Cherian countering his assertions in his speech.

“The government is providing ₹1.5 crore for filmmakers from the SC/ST communities to make films. I told the Chief Minister that the government is paving the way for corruption through this, but nothing has changed. The intent behind the project is good, but they should be given at least three months of intensive training to make films. All the filmmakers who have made films under this project have complaints about it. They should be made aware that these are public funds. The amount should be reduced to ₹50 lakh. This money is not meant to make commercial films,” said Mr. Gopalakrishnan.

Regarding a similar project for women filmmakers, he said that “just because one is a woman, the government should not be giving money to make films.” They should also be provided training. They should know all the difficulties involved in making a film, he said.

Mr. Cherian in his speech disagreed with Mr. Gopalakrishnan and said that even ₹1.5 crore was insufficient to make quality films these days, as most of the filmmakers under the project struggled due to funding issues.

‘A rare opportunity’

“In the 98 years of Malayalam cinema’s history, those from the SC/ST communities have not got a mainstream opportunity. This funding project is one of the best decisions this government has taken, because of which many new filmmakers from these communities were able to come forward. They were selected by a committee of experts through an intensive screening process,” he said.

Mr. Gopalakrishnan’s comments invited loud disapproval from a section of the audience, especially singer Pushpavathy. Later, speaking to the media, she said that Mr. Gopalakrishnan was attempting to torpedo a project to promote filmmakers from marginalised communities. “People from the SC/ST communities have experienced oppression for centuries. Our forefathers have experienced slave-like conditions. It has just been decades since we started getting proper education. Any attempt to torpedo such projects has to be opposed. The government has clearly rejected his remarks,” she said.

On IFFK

Mr. Gopalakrishnan demanded that the delegate fee for the International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK) be raised to ensure that only those who were really interested in cinema got in. Recounting an event from the past, he said that “a group of labourers from the Chala market barged into the theatre just to watch the adult content.”

ALSO READ: Adoor questions failure to include Ullozhukku in previous edition of IFFK

He also criticised the 2023 protest movement by the students of the K.R. Narayanan National Institute of Visual Science and Arts demanding the resignation of the institute’s director Shankar Mohan for alleged caste discrimination, which also led to Mr. Gopalakrishnan’s resignation as the institute’s chairperson. He claimed that the institute was primed for take-off during his tenure, but no one knows the state of the institute now. Countering him, Mr. Cherian said that the institution was functioning effectively.

The Minister also countered poet and filmmaker Sreekumaran Thampy’s claim that nothing happened after the K. Hema Committee report was published. “It is because the Hema committee report that this conclave is happening,” he said.

Superstar Rajinikanth on Saturday (August 2) set social media on fire as the trailer of his much-awaited actioner Cooliewas unveiled by the makers. As is the case with all films directed by Lokesh Kanagaraj, the trailer of Coolie has been put under the microscope by eager fans, and many fan theories have already been making the rounds.

So, without much ado, let’s break down the three-minute trailer and see what Lokesh might be having in store for us when Coolie hits the screens on August 14. Again, fair warning to whomsoever concerned — the following are merely assumptions based on the trailer.

What’s up with Sathyaraj and his torture chair?

From the trailer, it seems like veteran actor Sathyaraj’s character acts as the moral centre of Lokesh’s story. We see him operate in a hideout with an electric torture chair of sorts. This character is a father figure to a few young women, including Shruti Haasan’s character, which brings us to the next prediction.

Are Sathyaraj and Rajinikanth fighting sex trafficking in ‘Coolie’?

If LCU is about creating a drug-free society, the world of Coolie seems to be about tackling the social evil of sex trafficking.

Even the opening dialogue, about a new technology that can erase all traces of a human being from the world, adds to this theory. Perhaps this technology helps villains kidnap orphan women and get away with it.

Interestingly, there’s a shot of Nagarjuna’s antagonist character looking towards what seems to be a wall of LED monitors, possibly to speak with his contacts all around the globe (It does remind one of a similar idea from The Dark Knight Rises, and given Lokesh’s admiration for Nolan’s Batman films, this might be another hat-tip).

If our assumptions from the trailer are right, the story might centre around how Sathyaraj’s character — and a vibrant team of young women he has protected over the years — seek revenge from Nagarjuna’s human trafficking kingpin, who uses shipping containers to do the job. Soubin seems to be in charge of the ports.

Sathyaraj uses his torture chair and a deadly serum to interrogate and execute Nagarjuna’s men, while Shruti is tasked to dispose of the bodies.

Perhaps tragedy strikes when the villains discover Sathyaraj’s hideout? And that’s when he brings out his biggest, most deadly weapon — Deva, played by Rajinikanth. And as obvious as it seems from the trailer, Sathyaraj’s character might die in the film, after which an unleashed Deva takes over the mission.

Is Deva inspired by Raja from ‘Thee’?

The biggest highlights of the trailer are shots from a flashback portion, showing Rajinikanth and Upendra’s characters wearing blue uniforms as coolie workers. According to many fan theories doing the rounds, this is a hat-tip to Rajinikanth’s 1981 film, Thee, in which he played a coolie worker named Raja.

A shot of Deva striking a matchstick against his metal badge is straight out of the R Krishnamoorthy directorial, and so is the final negative image short of Deva shifting a cigarette between his lips from right to left.

#Coolie × #Thee Movie 💥 pic.twitter.com/62nI2mEQWD

— TamilaninCinema Akilan (@TamilaninCinema) August 3, 2025