With Piravi, Shaji N Karun joined the select group of great masters of film. Malayalam once upon a time used to produce such films. Today, it is only mindless violence, politics and grotesque humour. The films have no soul, although they are technically quite good. With Shaji's passing, and earlier with his mentor G Aravindan's untimely death, an era is coming to an end. Rajeev Srinivasan salutes the master, who passed into the ages on April 28.
'VS was a man who devoted every moment of his life, from the beginning till his death at the age of 100, to the struggle against the injustices inflicted upon land, nature and the common man.'
"L2: Empuraan", the second part of the "Lucifer" movie, a trilogy planned by the Prithviraj-Mohanlal team, has become a topic of hot debate over its critique of right-wing politics and the covert mention of the Gujarat riots.
Long lost brothers, downtrodden masses, a long forgotten prophecy, and a psychotic drug cartel out for blood, Kingdom plays out with the familiar ethos of umpteen films we have seen. But the execution is slick, notes Arjun Menon.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has seized Rs 1.5 crore in cash from the premises of a chit fund company owned by Gokulam Gopalan, one of the producers of the Malayalam movie "L2: Empuraan", in connection with foreign exchange law violations. The searches were conducted at locations in Kozhikode, Kerala and Chennai, Tamil Nadu. The ED alleged that the company collected subscription to chit funds from persons residing outside India without due permission and violated regulations framed by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).
What grabs your attention is the end credit which has a montage of BTS pictures of Sangeeth Sivan from the sets. He is smiling, chatting, laughing with his team
'Story-telling is at the core of everything I do.'
The chargesheet filed at the Ernakulam judicial magistrate court claims that there is digital evidence against Mukesh in the case.
Quite a few films didn't do well, but particularly disappointing were the films that came from the south.
'Aamir messaged me asking me, 'Is my sister good in the film?' I said, 'Sir, she is a lot better than good.' Mayur Sanap, Hitesh Harisinghani and Afsar Dayatar report from the trailer launch of L2: Empuraan.
Income tax raids, killer games, village elections, criminal investigations, things are rather exciting on OTT this week, as Sukanya Verma notes.
Senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor has criticised the Emergency declared by Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in 1975, saying the people of the country responded clearly to the excesses of that period by voting her party out of power by a large margin.
'He was a tremendous artist of a very high order, gone too soon. He not only reshaped the visual language of Indian Cinema through his cinematography in Aravindan's films, Shaji sir gave us all a sense of direction through his mainstream work as a cameraman.'
Anil Menon, the latest to join the list of American astronauts with Indian roots, will fly to the International Space Station in June 2026 as a flight engineer.
Lakshmi Manchu, actress, producer and television presenter, will be among the contestants on Karan Johar's upcoming reality show, The Traitors.
Aavesham is smooth in its storytelling and leaves a chilling aftertaste, thanks to its one-of-a-kind anti-hero, applauds Arjun Menon.
As an IAS officer in Kerala, Gyanesh Kumar -- who the Congress described as Amit Shah's 'right hand man' -- had a good working equation with the state's Congress and Left leaders.
Housefull 5 may not be getting rave reviews but it's got the thumbs up from audiences.
It remains a mystery that when its scientists were accused of selling technologies which did not exist in ISRO, ISRO's leadership did not say to the public that they were searching in a dark room for a black cat which was not there, points out Ambassador T P Sreenivasan.
Can a culture survive as a way of life, even as the language and writing at its core, alter with time? Can we be rational and Malayalee or do we have to necessarily be religious and proudly cultural to be Malayalee? asks Shyam G Menon.
If Deva is indeed a remake of Mumbai Police, then Shahid most probably plays a closeted homosexual police officer who uses his hypermasculinity as a camouflage.
'I was so full of josh, with all my friends cheering me on, I gave it everything from the get-go.' 'By nightfall, the pain had set in. My legs were aching, my back was on fire and I was in tears.' 'I turned to my mom and said, "I can't do this."'
This special biryani from north Kerala is known far and wide for its distinctive taste that comes from the use of a distinctive rice.
''We are moving through a challenging period, especially bringing the crowd back to cinemas.'
Shahid losing his memory, Nicole losing her mind, Mufasa holding on to both, only on OTT this week.
'His scenes will be released as a part of the deleted scenes.'
Where does Kamal Haasan stand on the issue of imposition of Hindi in the south? "I stand with Punjab. I stand with Karnataka. I stand with Andhra," is his quick reply.
'They just showed riots created by some political party. They never mentioned the name of the place or the political party.' 'I don't know why these people are agitated.'
Kankhajura could have been so much better given its initial promise, observes Mayur Sanap
Kareena Kapoor Khan and Prithviraj Sukumaran have signed up a new film to be directed by Meghna Gulzar.
Former Kerala Chief Minister and veteran CPI(M) leader V S Achuthanandan, a key figure in Kerala's political history, died on Monday at the age of 101. He was a founding member of the CPI(M) and served as Chief Minister from 2006 to 2011.
The top officer said that shadow police would be present at all shooting locations and raids would be carried out if information is received about use or sale of drugs.
A Bob Dylan biopic, Mohanlal's vendetta, super serious Suriya and more on OTT this week.
The glorious singer is simply sensational at 77 and we just love her!
There is no guarantee that if we speak in only Indian languages, all our faults will be washed away and India will shine. Why then do they bully and belittle the English-speaking? asks Shyam G Menon.
Year after year, Malayalam cinema throws stunning surprises at us. 2022 was no exception.
The Critics Choice Awards saw a lot of talent on the red carpet, as actors got recognised for their work.
The biggest hit of 2025 arrives on OTT this week, along with many other highs and horrors.
Witches, werewolves, pilots, engineers, the OTT scene is bursting with all kinds of extremes this week, and Sukanya Verma lists them out.
