Film and telly folk attended the 29th Lions Gold Awards, which honoured extraordinary achievements in film, television, OTT, music and social welfare commitment.
The Pinkvilla Screen and Style Icons Awards were held in Mumbai, and Bollywood suitably glammed up for the night.
'This is a blip in the 100-year history of cinema.'
'In India, I'm able to work with the biggest stars on creating a scene, creating that emotion, without being too hung up on their persona.'
'When I am doing a film, that film is not propaganda for me. That's a true thing.'
The Independence Day holiday weekend is very popular amongst film-makers and film-goers.
Beloved movies, brand new shows, must-watch documentaries and feel-good fare, it's all there on OTT this week. Sukanya Verma offers a peek.
The purple carpet was rolled out for the OTTplay Awards 2023.
'Kamal has surfed and navigated a lot of tidal waves, manoeuvring the peaks and troughs, combining rare intelligence and commonly available intuitions to overcome unimaginable crises all his life.' 'There is no looking back at the past, for his only motto has been 'Tomorrow belongs to us'!'
With no theatrical releases in the pipeline, the OTT platform is the go-to place for new film and Web show releases.
'In Bangladesh, I have played so many dynamic characters, be it a freedom fighter, a circus trapeze artist, sex worker, and many more.'
Sukanya Verma looks at their eclectic career of over two decades as their latest offering Citadel: Honey Bunny, the Indian leg of the Russo Brothers globetrotting spy universe series, drops on Amazon Prime Video on November 7.
Justice, revenge, romance, tears, take your pick from Sukanya Verma's OTT recommendations for the week.
Following the allegations by TFPC on July 29, the representatives of the actors' body, The South Indian Artistes' Association aka Nadigar Sangam claimed that they got to know about the decision only when it was reported in the media.
Sukanya Verma gives you some interesting options to choose from.
Shriya wins Best Actor...beautiful things are happening for Raashii... Dulquer is back!
'The Zomato delivery guy wants to click a picture with you.' 'My car has gone for servicing so I ended up going in rickshaws and they recognise me from ads.' 'When I'm walking my dog, people stop by and say, "Oh, we loved you in Bigg Boss.' 'I was shooting for Housefull in a village and there, people were coming over and clicking pictures with me.'
Joginder Tuteja looks at August's OTT releases.
'Being someone who wholely believes in God and frequently visits temples across the country, it is the last thing I would intentionally do. To those whose feelings we've touched, I extend my sincere & heartfelt apologies.'
Sukanya Verma looks at what's looking hot on the OTT menu this week.
It means more tickets sold and therefore more revenues and hastens the recovery of the devastated-by-the-pandemic film business.
'I don't see any light in the near future. This is the best I can do to survive.'
'There are very few chances that I can give good mileage.' 'A smaller, lighter car will give more mileage and this was a big reason to be nervous.'
Of late, Bollywood is showing a lot of interest in planes, the commercial and fighter varieties. And audiences seem to love it too!
A demon-hunting spirit takes possession of a frail teenager, an up, close and portentous encounter in the cocaine trade, Shah Rukh Khan and Gauri's Neelam connection, a 21-year-old Kurdish cop understanding the mechanics of war, Gena Rowlands setting the benchmark for badassery -- Sukanya Verma brings all this and more on the OTT scene this week.
Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 is going full throttle with its creeps and cackle, which marks the addition of Madhuri Dixit and re-entry of the OG Manjulika, Vidya Balan.
'Just this year alone, close to 40 major transactions involving Bollywood stars have been recorded.'
Shoojit Sircar picks two Oscar-winning, slice-of-life films which say a lot with the minimum of fuss.
'With passage of time, Kamal did move away from the humdrum of commercial cinema, using it only as a peg to launch a new concept or new technology, as no other actor/film-maker has done in Indian cinema.' N Sathiya Moorthy assesses the career and politics of movie legend Kamal Haasan on his 70th brthday.
'Was Salman Khan the only reason for the success of a film?'
It was a poor weekend at the box office.
'Acting is probably the most wonderful profession anyone can have because you make every film set with 200 people, so you make 200 new friends every four months, and you learn so many things from these new lives.'
'If you ask me where I want my career to go, I have been saying this for a long time: I want to do a K-drama. I want to be in Korea doing a love story, full of romance.'
Will Yudhra spin the formula and bring something new to this already trite genre, wonders Mayur Sanap.
'These days, the whole world is out there on the Net giving a lot of gaalis to the film industry.'
Action, animation, fantasy, romance, sports, crime, zombies, slice of life, coming of age, you name it, it's there on OTT this week.
'You're going to have your own journey and that can be very beautiful.' 'It can also be very terrifying because there is no precedence.'
'If you are watching cricket and don't want to leave the screen, you could check the menu and order through Zomato (or any other app) from a small part of your screen. That is what we are working towards.'
'I will never ever forget Paatal Lok 2 because I left for the shoot the night I got married!'
