Entertainment

Prime Video announced the cast of its upcoming fictional series, Raakh, an investigative crime thriller that delves into the psychological complexities of morality and justice. Produced by EndemolShine India and Gulbadan Talkies, the series is executive produced and directed by Prosit Roy, and created, written and co-directed by Anusha Nandakumar and Sandeep Saket along with dialogues by Ayush Trivedi.

Raakh boasts of an ensemble cast led by Ali Fazal, Sonali Bendre and Aamir Bashir. The series is slated to premiere in 2026 on Prime Video in over 240 countries and territories worldwide.

“At Prime Video, we want to continue pushing the boundaries of traditional storytelling and bring nuanced narratives to our customers,” said Nikhil Madhok, director and head of Originals, Prime Video, India.”

“As filmmakers and storytellers, we are drawn to narratives that not only entertain but also challenge perspectives and ignite meaningful conversations,” said executive producer and director Prosit Roy. “Raakh is exactly that — a deeply immersive world that pushes boundaries while exploring the complex layers of human nature. Anusha and Sandeep have crafted a narrative that delves into the grey areas of morality, justice, and redemption, all while keeping viewers thoroughly engaged.

ALSO READ: Sonali Bendre on ‘The Broken News’: These are not stories that are told very often

“For me, the series represents a bold step forward in Indian storytelling, blending intense drama with nuanced character studies. With the unwavering support by Prime Video, coupled with the exceptional talent of our multi-faceted cast – Ali, Sonali and Aamir who have brought unprecedented depth to their characters, I’m excited to bring this powerful and thought-provoking story to global audiences.”

Ashutosh Gowariker asks, through his protagonist, if in spite of all the imperfections that we exist in, can we seek to love? Here, his love has more than one meaning. When Mohan Bhargava decides to take a leave from his work at NASA and travel to India for two weeks in search of Kaveri Amma, a woman who was more of a mother to whom than his nanny, his journey takes him to Charanpur, a small village where the people are eccentric and electricity is a guest who stays only for couple of hours every day. As he reunites with Kaveri Amma, he also meets Gita, a childhood friend. What was an attempt to convince Kaveri Amma to travel back to the US with him slowly becomes the glimpse of a country’s grassroots.

Mohan’s journey takes him to the depths of rural India, and he finds himself in a world whose rooted traditions and lack of modernity manage to strike a chord that affects him beyond measure. In fact, at times, you might just forget you are watching a film set in modern India until you see Mohan using his MacBook. This unconventional connection is one that is beyond the normal; it is born out of not careful observation, but fleeting moments of feeling and deep human connection, which Mohan finds himself building as he begins to realise that maybe the soil from his homeland is not that bad after all. You see, Mohan isn’t necessarily someone who is irrationally disapproving of the nation, and has a genuine reasoning behind certain opinions.

At the time of its release, Swades was never taken too well by audiences, but years later, the film was deemed ahead of its time. Gowariker’s film captures the landscape of rural India in all of its large scope. He allows the character to soak in the guilt of his privilege and forces him to find a way to be part of the people and not the problem. Mohan never has inhibitions; he sees people as human beings and is never one to believe in the notions of caste, a practice he constantly deems as a thing of the past that should never have survived through the years in the first place. His nostalgia for the past is broken by the reality he is put in, and in his stay over the few weeks (which he even extends later), there are several moments that bring forth a change in Mohan’s entire thought process. He finds himself extremely affected by those around him and does not quite do things out of the need for self-fulfilment as much as he does out of genuine niceness. He is not the confused NRI who is mystified by his motherland – Mohan is the returning NRI who finds love in nature, the very nature wherein he was nurtured.

There are notes of melodrama in Gowariker’s film, but there is also a genuine heart that beats throughout. As Mohan finds love for Gita, he finds love for his homeland. He finds more to the nation than just culture and tradition, in the people whom he cannot quite get out of his mind. As an audience member, I remember the first time I watched this film, I too could not forget this film and the people in it. While Ashutosh Gowariker’s Swades is naive, sometimes it is that exact kind of honesty that allows you to find belief in the very spirit of human connection itself. As we celebrate Independence, we must remind ourselves that as a people, it is not necessarily taking the big step that is crucial. In fact, sometimes, even the smallest steps can lead to the greatest of change for the better. Swades is a film for the people, and as Mohan finds a newfound love for India, he knows that despite all its imperfections, there is a charm about this nation that makes you believe in its people

Director Shaji Kailas, known for his mass entertainers, is teaming up with Joju George for Varavu, the makers announced on Sunday (August 17). This is the first collaboration of the duo.

The title poster with the tagline ‘Revenge is not a dirty business’ hints at another action movie for Shaji, known for his commercial potboilers in political and crime genres. He is joining hands with scriptwriter AK Saajan again after Chintamani Kolacase (2005), Red Chillies (2009) and Dhrona 2010 (2010).

Saajan himself has directed films such as Pulimada, starring Joju in the lead, the Mammootty-Nayanthara starrer Puthiya Niyamam and Asif Ali’s Asuravithu.

Varavu will go on floors on September 6, and the locations include Munnar, Marayoor, Kanthalloor and Theni. The film is said to feature a bevvy of prominent actors.

The action-heavy movie has four stunt choreographers on board, including Kalai Kingson and Phoenix Prabu. Cinematographer Sujith Vaassudev, editor Shameer Muhammed and composer Sam CS form the technical crew. Naisy Reji is producing the movie for the banner Olga Productions.

While Joju was last seen early this year in Malayalam in Narayaneente Moonnaanmakkal and the Tamil movie Thug Life, Shaji’s latest directorial venture was Hunt, headlined by Bhavana.

Shilpa Mudbi Kothakota (researcher, singer, performer, theatre artiste and documentary filmmaker) and Jogati Ramakka (transgender woman and folk artiste from North Karnataka) share a great camaraderie. The two have now devised a concert, Ramakka and I, featuring themselves. It was presented by Centre for Community Dialogue and Change (CCDC) at the Indian Social Institute, Bengaluru, recently. 

Earlier, they also performed at Suchitra Cinema and Cultural Academy. The concert, held in an intimate setting, turned out to be a dialogue between the artistes and the audience.

“We are not always looking to taking it to the proscenium. We are more interested in talking about the song and why it is being sung. It means so much to a community,” says Shilpa, who has also learnt to play instruments such as choudki and tuntuni. She even organises choudki workshops to encourage people to learn to play it.

Shilpa has always been invested in the lives of Jogatis — transgender individuals and folk artistes, dedicated to the worship of goddess Yellamma — a marginalised community. In 2012, Shilpa set out to document the forgotten or vanishing folk art forms of Karnataka, and in 2017, along with her husband Adithya Kothakota, established the Urban Folk Project. The aim is to highlight Karnataka’s lesser-known art forms in urban settings and represent varied communities.

Shilpa and Ramakka performing at Centre for Community Dialogue and Change (CCDC) at the Indian Social Institute, Bengaluru
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement

Growing up in Bengaluru, Shilpa felt a disconnect between urban and rural life. She got drawn to folklore while exploring her own Dalit-Bahujan roots. It was while working on a play on the Sri Lankan civil war in Puducherry, she engaged with the folk forms of Yellamma, practised in North Karnataka. In this ritualistic performance, Jogatis and Devadasis sing and dance, depicting Renuka Yellamma’s life story, narrating how Renuka, mother of Parasurama, transformed into the revered Yellamma. 

Talking about the idea behind launching the Urban Folk Project, Shilpa says, “People who earn most from folk performances are not those who have been practising these art forms for generations. There is not much understanding about what is folk and who it belongs to.”

Ramakka Jogati
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement

Shilpa, along with her family, left the hustle and bustle of Bengaluru to make Kalaburagi home and built a space for research, performances, residency and workshops that delve into the world of jogatis and their lives. Before that, for two years, Shilpa and Adithya conducted Yellamma storytelling sessions at the Cubbon Park Bandstand in Bengaluru. During the pandemic, through the Urban Folk Project, they live-streamed their sessions from Kalaburagi.

Shilpa met Ramakka in 2019, when the duo recorded ‘Aadi baa magane Raama, Noduve kannina tumbaa’ (Come, my son Rama, let me look at you to my heart’s content). Little did they know that the song would go viral and was later included in the Kannada film, Oorina Gramastharalli Vinanthi. The song was sung by Jogatis — Ramakka, Manjamma, Anjalimma and Gowramma.

 Having spent years with jogatis, Shilpa is aware of their struggles too — they are feared yet bullied, have interpersonal rivalries and are vulnerable to diseases. “I have interacted with them so much that I have come to understand what sexuality and gender mean,” says Shilpa.

Netflix and Red Chillies Entertainment Pvt. Ltd. unveiled a first glimpse of the highly anticipated series The Ba***ds of Bollywood, marking Aryan Khan’s directorial debut.

In the first glimpse, Aryan’s voiceover ushers in a romantic vibe only to close with a stinging rejoinder, kicking off the familiar Hindi film nostalgia. But what seems like a soft homage quickly flips into something sharper and louder.

The makers described the series as as, “Set against a filmy backdrop, the first glimpse signals a generational shift, where the romance of the past meets the vision of a new storyteller. The Ba***ds of Bollywood is a genre-defying series that blends self-awareness with cheeky humour.”

Aryan takes centre screen for the first time, teasing his debut series. In the video, he says, “Bollywood – jisse aapne saalon se pyaar bhi kiya aur vaar bhi kiya, main bhi wohi karunga, bohot saara pyaar… aur thoda sa vaar (You have loved Bollywood for years and attacked it as well. I will do the same).”

The series hints at a stylised yet chaotic world, provocative yet rooted. The Ba***ds of Bollywood stars Bobby Deol, Lakshya, Sahher Bambba, Manoj Pahwa, Mona Singh, Manish Chaudhari, Raghav Juyal, Anya Singh, Vijayant Kohli, and Gautami Kapoor.

ALSO READ: “I am a bloody star”: SRK during title unveiling of ‘The Ba***ds of Bollywood’

Bilal Siddiqi and Manav Chauhan are the co-creators of the series. Aryan has co-written the show with Siddiqi and Chauhan. Gauri Khan has produced the series under the banner Red Chillies Entertainments Pvt. Ltd. Bonnie Jain and Akshat Verma are the executive producers.

The flight of stairs at Rajaji Hall on the Omandurar Government Estate has borne witness to some of the most iconic moments in Tamil cinema, ones that remain unforgettable to date. It is on these stairs that actors Mammootty (cast as Devaraj) and Amrish Puri (Kalivardhan) share a subtle yet intense exchange in the presence of Rajnikanth (Surya) in Mani Ratnam’s Thalapathi, and even prior to that, it is on these stairs that the character played by actor Karthik is shot dead in broad daylight in front of the character played by actor Revathi as she waits for him to arrive for their wedding, in another of Mani Ratnam’s hit Mouna Ragam.

The Rajaji Hall, with its grand colonial-era architecture, makes for a popular shooting locale in the heart of the city. Featured in several Tamil films, the building, which was constructed in 1802-03 and served as a public hall attached to the Governor’s residence with its wide staircase, iconic columns, and imposing facade, has been the go-to place for scenes involving places such as government offices and courtrooms.

In yet another protagonist-antagonist sequence, actors Vijayakanth and Prakash Raj meet on the stairs in the 1996 film Alexander, in which the former plays a Central Bureau of Investigation officer.

‘A location like no other’

There was no place like Rajaji Hall in Chennai, says director A.M. Nandakumar, who has worked on 38 movies, including ones with directors such as P. Vasu. “I liked Rajaji Hall for its large working space. Scenes of several movies were shot here. For instance, the Sathyaraj-starrer Rickshaw Mama, in which I worked as an assistant director, had scenes shot there. Some scenes of Walter Vetrivel, Idhu Namma Bhoomi, Sethupathy IPS, and Vaimeiye Vellum were also shot here,” he recalls.

In 2000, a grand song sequence was shot here for his movie Kodiesvaran (which is yet to see a theatrical release), featuring actors Eby Kunjumon and Simran. “We created a set measuring 40,000 sq.ft here. We had 120 dancers on a stage and nearly 1,000 junior artistes. Such was the grandeur of the place,” he said.

Currently, the Public Works Department is in the process of renovating the hall and plans to complete the work soon.
| Photo Credit:
M. Srinath

In fact, Mr. Nandakumar, who went on to work on a Japanese film Nattu Odoru! Ninja Densetsu, says that their search for a palace setting brought them back to Rajaji Hall. “We visited some places, including Mysuru, but Rajaji Hall was the best fit. A set for a huge palace was created for the film,” he added.

Actor Mohan V. Raman, who played a role in the Japanese film, recalled that Rajaji Hall had then lacked proper amenities for actors. “Caravans were brought in, and the film crew had put up tents for actors,” he said.

The hall, which commemorates the victory of the British over Tipu Sultan, was constructed in the style of a Greek temple. It was remodelled between 1875 and 1895. Currently, the Public Works Department is in the process of renovating the hall and plans to complete the work soon.