Entertainment

Kapil Sharma is just a natural person, was attracted by his honesty: Nandita Das on Zwigato casting

'Zwigato', written, directed, and produced by Nandita Das in India, reflects on the sociopolitical situation of the gig economy, hollow incentives, and workers' rights by focusing on the trials and tribulations of a food-app delivery driver (played by Indian comedian Kapil Sharma).  Before the movie 'Zwigato' was world premiered at the 47th Toronto International Film Festival, IBNS-TWF Correspondent Asha Bajaj caught up with both Nandita Das and Kapil Sharma on the Red Carpet at TIFF Lightbox

by Trans World Features October 13, 2022

Cinema as hope

The Horse from Heaven by Assamese director Maharshi Tuhin Kashyap has recently been selected for the ‘Best Live Action Short Film competition’ at the Oscars. While exploring this genre of films, Shoma A. Chatterji finds that for the director, cinema is also about hope 

by Trans World Features October 10, 2022

Asha Parekh: The Silver Jubilee queen

Since the Dadasaheb Phalke Award was instituted 68 years ago, only seven Indian women from Indian cinema have been bestowed with the award. Asha Parekh happens to be only the seventh one.  Shoma A. Chatterji profiles one of the most successful heroines of  Hindi films who received the honour from President Droupadi Murmu on Sept 30

by Trans World Features October 03, 2022

No one is too old to romance on-screen: R Madhavan

Indian actor R Madhavan was in Kolkata recently to promote his film Dhoka: Round D Corner, which released last Friday. India Blooms correspondent Souvik Ghosh brings excerpts of Madhavan's interaction with the media in the city

by Trans World Features September 27, 2022

Cricket was used in the story just as a tool: Kacchey Limbu director Shubham Yogi

Kacchey Limbu, the debut feature film of  director Shubham Yogi, is a coming-of-age sibling drama that follows a brother (played by Rajat Barmecha) and sister (Radhika Madan) navigating their family’s conditioning to find their own unique voice. The siblings in the film on competing cricket teams struggle to balance family and team loyalties. IBNS-TWF correspondent Asha Bajaj in conversation with the Yogi at the 47th Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) after the film's World Premiere

by Trans World Features September 20, 2022

Varanasi is a character in my film: Brittle Thread director Ritesh Sharma

Ritesh Sharma’s debut film Brittle Thread is set against the backdrop of Varanasi in the throes of a communal conflict.  It won the Best Debut Feature award at New York Indian Film Festival and had its World Premiere at the Tokyo International Film Festival, 2021. Shoma A. Chatterji in a tete-a-tete with the director

by Trans World Features September 20, 2022

TIFF: Anthony Shims Riceboy Sleeps awarded TIFF Platform Prize

Toronto: The Platform Prize at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) was awarded to Korean-Canadian filmmaker Anthony Shim’s sophomore feature ‘ Riceboy Sleeps’, the festival announced on Sep 18 during the TIFF awards ceremony held at TIFF Light Box.

by Trans World Features September 19, 2022

TIFF: 'The Swimmers' is a true, moving tale of two young refugee sisters from Syria

Toronto: At the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) this month, one of the films that drew the attention of cine lovers is "The Swimmers", a film that captures the miraculous journey Syrian swimming sisters Yusra and Sarah Mardini who fled as refugees from their war-ravaged country all the way to the 2016 Rio Olympics.

by Trans World Features September 19, 2022

TIFF: Carry It On is a tribute to Canadian-American indigenous singer-songwriter Buffy Sainte-Maries life

Canadian American singer-songwriter Sainte-Marie’s life, music, and activism broke barriers to make her an inspiration to fans and fellow musicians alike. Now a documentary premiered at TIFF captures that all.

by Trans World Features September 17, 2022

TIFF: In Her Hands personifies Zarifa Ghafaris courage in the run-up to Taliban takeover in Afghanistan

In the months leading up to the Taliban takeover in 2021, Afghanistan’s youngest female mayor, Zarifa Ghafari, was dealing with danger, uncertainty, and personal turmoil. Now a documentary- In Her Hands- captures it all.

by Trans World Features September 17, 2022

Shekar Kapur's cross-cultural romcom 'Whats Love Got To Do With It? starring Shabana Azmi and Emma Thompson premieres at TIFF

Toronto: Touted as a cross-cultural British romcom, filmmaker Shekhar Kapur's 'What's Love Got to Do With It?', which also stars two powerhouse actors like Shabana Azmi and Emma Thompson with a screenplay by Jemima Khan, was premiered at the Toronto Film Festival.

by Trans World Features September 17, 2022

Most difficult part was directing myself in Rocketry: The Nambi Effect: R Madhavan

Actor-director R Madhavan plays former scientist Nambi Narayanan in his upcoming film Rocketry: The Nambi Effect. Apart from acting, he also wore the director's hat in the film releasing this Friday. In an interaction with the media, Madhavan spoke about the making of the film. IBNS-TWF correspondent Shriya Biswas brings excerpts

by TWF September 03, 2022

Films are not NGOs, can't be responsible to improve society always: Taapsee Pannu

After Manmarziyaan, Indian actor Taapsee Pannu was reunited with popular filmmaker Anurag Kashyap for their second film together, Dobaaraa, which released Friday. IBNS-TWF correspondent Souvik Ghosh interacts with Taapsee who was in Kolkata for her promotional tour

by TWF August 29, 2022

My life has been a saga of one responsibility after another: Lata Mangeshkar

Social and cultural activist Sundeep Bhutoria shares with IBNS-TWF an unpublished interview of Lata Mangeshkar taken during a Kolkata-Mumbai flight as a co-passenger nearly two decades ago

by IBNS-TWF March 05, 2022

Marathi movie Jayanti addresses the issue of casteism, set for screening in Toronto

Marathi movie Jayanti, directed by Shailesh Narwade, produced by Meliorist Film Studio and starring Ruturaj Wankhede, Titeeksha Tawde and Milind Shinde, has been making records in Maharashtra, despite a strong competition from the Bollywood, and pandemic-induced constraints. Ahead of its screening in Toronto, IBNS Canada writer Debarati Mukherjee reports

by Trans World Features December 04, 2021

An artist tends to flow with art: Jackie Shroff

by Trans World Features September 21, 2021

Educating Boomba

Biswajeet Bora, who won the Best Director award for his film God in the Balcony at the 26th Kolkata film festival last year, is out with his new film Boomba Ride in Mising, a tribal language of Assam. The director in conversation with Shoma A. Chatterji

by Trans World Features July 30, 2021

I can make choices now: Manoj Bajpayee

Manoj Bajpai, with three National Awards in his kitty besides other awards, is happy with the thumping success of The Family Man 2. The versatile actor, who is also seen in Netflix's new Satyajit Ray inspired anthology Ray, in conversation with Shoma A. Chatterji

by Trans World Features June 11, 2021

The characters I choose should stand out: Paoli Dam

Paoli Dam is a versatile actress who now has made her mark beyond Tollywood, and on the OTT platform. She is ready to jump into any film or role that challenges her courage to do the unusual and her talent. She opens up to TWF correspondent Shoma A. Chatterji on her journey from television to Bengali cinema to Bollywood films

by Trans World Features May 25, 2021

A Bengali web series that revolves around a dog and comes with the message of loving animals

by Trans World Features May 01, 2021

Satyajit Ray: A secret bond with children

On the Birth Centenary Year of Satyajit Ray, the maestros work will be revisited again and again by admirers and critics. Among others, an area worth exploring is how the creative genius portrayed, and treated, children in his films and stories, writes Shoma A. Chatterji

by Trans World Features April 21, 2021

Rishav Ghosh directed Hindi film Dekho But Pyaar Se slated for April OTT release

Delhi: 'Dekho But Pyaar Se', a Hindi film directed by Rishav Ghosh and produced by Power Publishers & Motion Pictures and Amity School of Film & Drama, is slated for its OTT launch in April this year.

by Trans World Features March 30, 2021

First person: Documentary filmmaker Anupriya Dutta on her work

Anupriya Dutta talks about how she entered the field of documentary film making while heading the book publishing division of Power Publishers & Motion Pictures and about her major projects

by Trans World Features March 01, 2021

Cinema is part of my acting career, not my life: Anupam Kher

Veteran Indian actor Anupam Kher, who has mastered his art onscreen, was the guest at Ek Mulakat Visesh session organised by Prabha Khaitan Foundation and Shree Cement late last month. In a conversation with Ina Puri, Kher spoke not just about his films but his two books. India Blooms correspondent Souvik Ghosh brings excerpts

by Trans World Features February 17, 2021

India didn't love what I wanted to do, Sri Lanka has been amazing: Deepa Mehta

Indo-Canadian filmmaker Deepa Mehta, whose film Fire had stirred a controversy in the late 1990s for depicting lesbianism, was the guest at Ek Mulakat Visesh organised by Prabha Khaitan Foundation and presented by Shree Cement. Her latest film is Funny Boy, set in Sri Lanka during the violent Tamil-Sinhalese conflict telling the story of a young boy and his sexual awakening. India Blooms correspondent Souvik Ghosh brings excerpts of her conversation with Ehsaas Woman of Delhi Archana Dalmia

by Trans World Features February 13, 2021

India gives me stories and Canada freedom to express them: Filmmaker Deepa Mehta

Kolkata/TWF: Filmmaker Deepa Mehta has recently said Canada gives her the freedom to express the ideas which she used to get from India.

by Trans World Features February 10, 2021

Scam Leela, Director Rishav Ghoshs thriller comedy is ready for OTT Release

Kolkata: 'Scam Leela', a short film directed by Rishav Ghosh, and a cast which includes popular actors such as Suvosmita Mukherjee and Judhajit Sarkar, is ready for release in a OTT platform.

by Trans World Features January 30, 2021

Bollywood 2020: A pandemic, death of an actor and the rise of OTT

Bollywood in 2020 wilted under the raging pandemic like any other industry. While movie theaters remained out of bound, what shocked the cine-goers is the yearlong news of deaths - from coronavirus to unnatural ones like the demise of Sushant Singh Rajput opening a Pandora's box of movie world open secrets. IBNS-TWF correspondent Supriyo Hazra looks back alphabetically with a heavy heart.

by Trans World Features December 14, 2020

The courtesan is iconic part of Indian society...but it was different for me to explore her in new territory: Tabu

During one of the conversations series organized by the 2020 Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), Geoff Macnaughton of TIFF catches up with Tanishka Maniktala playing Lata, Ishaan Khatter playing Maan, and Tabu playing Saida Bai in the film A Suitable Boy, a primetime presentation recipient of the Jeff Skoll Award in Impact Media. The director of the film, Mira Nairs six-part drama series is an adaptation of Vikram Seths famous novel about a young Indian woman's struggle to create a balance between family duty and personal independence in post-partition India. IBNS Toronto correspondent Asha Bajaj brings you the excerpts:

by Trans World Features October 16, 2020

Enacting delicate same-sex relationship with Ronan every day terrified me: Kate Winslet

During one of the conversations series organized by the 2020 Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), thed iconic fest's executive director and co-head Joana Vicente catches up with Hollywood stars Kate Winslet and Saoirse Ronan in Francis Lee directed 'Ammonite'. The romantic drama is inspired by the life of 19th century British palaeontologist Mary Anning (Kate Winslet) who was in an all-consuming same-sex love with geologist Charlotte Murchison (Saoirse Ronan). Asha Bajaj brings you excerpts:

by Trans World Features October 10, 2020