Preeti Panigrahi as teenager Mira in ‘Girls Will Be Girls’

Preeti Panigrahi, star of Girls Will Be Girls, missed the award ceremony that won her a special jury prize for acting at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year. She was an hour behind on the clock, and asleep. The person who roused her from her nap was her mum, talking on the phone. “She was like, ‘Where are you? You got an award!’”

You can imagine a similar scene unfurling in Shuchi Talati’s shaded mother-daughter indie. Set in the Himalayan foothills, the film centres on Mira (Panigrahi), a bright, rule-following high schooler in the midst of her romantic and sexual awakening. The film is shaped by Mira’s tricksy relationship with her mother, played by Kani Kusruti, and set in motion by the entrance of a lanky, charming international exchange student (Kesav Binoy Kiron) into their lives.

Shot in real schools in Mussoorie, the film captures the rhythms of Indian boarding school life, while critiquing (without much fuss) its codes of tradition and excellence. Richa Chadha, a friend of Talati’s, picked out the script with husband Ali Fazal as their maiden production venture. The couple, who recently turned parents, have named their producing outfit Pushing Buttons Studios.

“In our individual careers as actors, we have worked with production houses who make you sign contracts and you end up feeling stuck,” Ali says. “Our driving philosophy at Pushing Buttons is not to hold back artists.” “Freedom is a prerequisite to art,” Richa chips in.

Bollywood actors and couple Richa Chadha and Ali Fazal during the promotion of their debut film production ‘Girls Will Be Girls’, in Mumbai, Wednesday, Dec. 11, 2024
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Their upcoming slate includes a feature documentary on their own inter-faith wedding (RiAlity) and other titles. There is an experimental slant — a fantasy drama by cult hero Kamal Swaroop is in the oven — as well as more middle-of-the-road offerings.

“I owe my career to left-of-centre films like Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye! and Masaan,” Richa remarks. “In fact, Masaan, in its initial moments, when Shaalu and Deepak are courting each other, is a sweet, entertaining love story.”

Girls Will be Girls was shot with a mostly female crew; Taiwanese cinematographer Jih-E Peng wielded the camera. Talati created an open, safe space for her young actors to perform, Preeti attests (an official intimacy coordinator wasn’t available owing to budgetary constraints).

“We had consent in everything,” affirms Preeti, who is 22 and studying animation at the Satyajit Ray Film & Television Institute (SRFTI). “Scenes of intimacy were properly choreographed and rehearsed. On set, people who were not required to be in our eyeline, they were asked to leave.”

Ali, known for Mirzapur, Khufiya and Kandahar, attended La Martiniere College in Lucknow and later The Doon School in Dehradun, an all-boys boarding setup. “You have crazy power dynamics and living up to standards. I could relate to the personality types you see in Girls Will Be Girls.”

All we Imagine as girlhood

Kani Kusruti had a tremendous screen year with Killer Soup, All We Imagine as Lightand Girls Will be Girls. In an earlier interview with The Hindu, the famously reticent actor had said she avoids festivals and premieres. That has changed since — just so. “I’ve been to some now,” laughs Kani, who stole the limelight at Cannes with her watermelon clutch, a symbol of Palestinian solidarity.

Her character, Anila, in Girls Will Be Girls, is overbearing, ungainly envious, yet possessed of the girlish wishfulness hinted at in the title. It’s as silently shaded a performance by Kani as the one in All We Imagine… “Throughout the story, Anila wants to be the best mother to her daughter. At the same time, we see reflections of her own unfulfilled self. It’s a complex dynamic that resonates throughout.” In one scene, we see her turn up in an oversized pink frock, and later drape a saree around her daughter.

“Mira looks painfully odd-aged in that saree,” Preeti observes. “There is way more maturity in her face than a young adult should have.”

Girls Will Be Girls streams on Prime Video from December 18

नई दिल्ली. राज कपूर उन फिल्म निर्माताओं की पीढ़ी से थे, जो एक फिल्म बनाने के लिए अपनी जिंदगी की सारी जमा पूंजी दांव पर लगा देते थे. राज ने ऐसा तब किया जब उन्होंने ‘मेरा नाम जोकर’ बनाई और जब वह फिल्म बॉक्स ऑफिस पर फ्लॉप हो गई. ड्रीम फिल्म की फ्लॉप होने के बाद राज साहब टूट गए थे. लेकिन उन्हें खुद पर भरोसा था. उन्होंने साल 1973 में उन्होंने फिर से दांव लगाया और बॉक्स ऑफिस पर वो इतिहास रचा, जिसकी बातें आज 51 साल बाद भी सिनेमा प्रेमी करते हैं.

बॉलीवुड में शो मैन के नाम से पहचाने जाने वाले राज कपूर ने अपने दौर में कई ऐसी फिल्म की और बनाई हैं जो यादगार साबित हुईं. उनकी फिल्मों का रोमांस दर्शकों का दिल जीत लेता था. ‘मेरा नाम जोकर’ को बनाने में उन्होंने सबकुछ दांव पर लगा दिया था. कहते हैं फिल्म के फ्लॉप होने के बाद राज साहब ऐसे कर्ज में डूबे कि उन्हें कर्ज उतारने के चक्कर में राज कपूर की पत्नी कृष्णा कपूर को अपने गहने तक बेचने पड़े थे. फिल्म के घाटे से उबरने के लिए और अपने बेटे ऋषि कपूर को लॉन्च करने के मकसद से फिल्म ‘बॉबी’ बनाई थी.

साले के कहने पर राज कपूर ने बदला था क्लाइमैक्स
फिल्म जब रिलीज हुई तो जबरदस्त सुपरहिट हुई. ‘मेरा नाम जोकर’ की सारी असफलता धुल गई और लोग राज कपूर को महान डायरेक्टर मानने लगे. लेकिन इस फिल्म की किस्मत में एक महत्वपूर्ण योगदान बॉलीवुड के फेमस विलेन और राज साहब के साले रहे प्रेमनाथ का था. हाल ही में एक इंटरव्यू में, प्रेम नाथ के बेटे मोंटी ने फिल्म बॉबी से जुड़ा एक किस्सा शेयर किया. उन्होंने बताया कि फिल्म की आखिर में फिल्म के हीरो-हीरोइन को को एक चट्टान से कूदना था, लेकिन प्रेम नाथ ने राज कपूर को एक हैप्पी एडिंग का सुझाव दिया.

‘लैला मजनू’, ‘रोमियो जूलियट’ की तरह ‘राजा और बॉबी’ को भी मरना था
विक्की लालवानी से बात करते हुए, मोंटी ने बताया, ”बॉबी’ मूल रूप से एक प्रेम कहानी थी और सभी प्रेम कहानियों की तरह, ‘लैला मजनू’, ‘रोमियो जूलियट’ की तरह ‘राजा और बॉबी’ को भी मरना था. ऑरिजनल स्क्रिप्ट में, ऋषि और डिंपल के किरदार पहाड़ी पर जाते हैं और फिर पानी में कूदते हैं और वे मरना था. मोंटी ने कहा कि जब तक दोनों किरदार चट्टान तक पहुंचते हैं, स्क्रिप्ट वैसी ही थी. लेकिन बदलाव उस कूद के बाद हुआ.

अगर दोनों पिता के किरदार बच्चों को बचा ले तो…
मोंटी ने बताया कि प्रेम नाथ, जिन्होंने फिल्म में डिंपल के पिता की भूमिका निभाई, उन्होंने सुझाव दिया कि दोनों पिता के किरदार बच्चों को बचा लें ताकि एक हैप्पी एडिंग हो सके. प्रेम नाथ राज के साले भी थे, क्योंकि राज ने प्रेम की बहन कृष्णा से शादी की थी. मोंटी ने बातचीत में बताया कि मेरे पिता ने सुझाव दिया कि फिल्म की अंत दुखद न रखें. इसे हैप्पी एडिंग वाली फिल्म बनाएं. मेरे किरदार को ‘चिंटू’ को बचाने दें और प्राण साहब ‘डिंपल’ को बचाएं. वे दोनों पानी में तैरते हैं और बच्चों को बचाते हैं और फिर दोनों मिल जाते हैं.

‘आप इस जहाज के कप्तान हैं, फैसला आपका…’
प्रेम नाथ के बेटे ने आगे कहा, ‘सुझाव देने के बाद, पापा ने फैसला लेने का राज कपूर पर छोड़ दिया. पापा ने फूफा जी से कहा, ‘आप इस जहाज के कप्तान हैं. आप इसे शूट करें और रखें, हम पहले से ही लोकेशन पर हैं. एक्टर यहां हैं. बाकी, आप एडटिंग के दौरान फैसला लें.’

Tags: Dimple kapadia, Raj kapoor, Rishi kapoor

Ajith Kumar, Trisha and Magizh Thirumeni on the sets of ‘Vidaa Muyarchi’
| Photo Credit: @LycaProductions/X

Vidaa Muyarchi, Tamil superstar Ajith Kumar’s upcoming film with director Magizh Thirumeni, is in its final leg of shooting, the makers announced on Tuesday (December 17) with new stills from the film.

Ajith, donning a tuxedo, looks stylish in the stills, reminding fans of the Billa days. One of the picture feature him alongside superstar Trisha, the female lead of the film. With the post, the makers have also asserted that they are planning on releasing the film during Pongal in January 2025.

In an interesting turn of events, yet another Ajith Kumar-starrer, Good Bad Ugly, directed by Adhik Ravichandran, had its eyes set on the Pongal release window, leading to speculations that one of the films might announce a new release date. According to trade talks, Good Bad Ugly might postpone its release plans to avoid this unusual clash.

In a special pre-release event for Pushpa 2: The Rule in Chennai, producer Naveen Yerneni of Mythri Movie Makers, the banner backing Good Bad Ugly, had hinted that they had been trying to release the film for Pongal and that a confirmation about the same will be announced soon.

The post from Lyca Productions, the banner backing Vidaa Muyarchi, comes just days after the makers of Good Bad Ugly unveiled a special behind-the-stills picture to mark Ajith’s final day of shooting the film.

Vidaa Muyarchi also stars Arjun Sarja and Regina Cassandra. Mostly shot in Azerbaijan, the film seems to be an action-packed crime drama set in a desolate region. Anirudh Ravichander has composed the music for the movie while Om Prakash and Anirudh Ravichander are the cinematographers.

Good Bad Ugly features Prabhu, Prasanna, Arjun Das, Sunil, Rahul Dev and Yogi Babu among others. The film is produced by Naveen Yerneni and Y Ravi Shankar under their Mythri Movie Makers banner. The film will have music composed by Devi Sri Prasad, who is reuniting with Ajith after their 2014 film Veeram. Abinandhan Ramanujam serves as the cinematographer while Vijay Velukutty is on board as the editor.

In yet another coincidence, both Vidaa Muyarchi and Good Bad Ugly features Trisha as the female lead.

Meanwhile, Ajith is set to pursue racing again after a long gap. The actor is set to participate in endurance racing as team owner and principal driver of Ajith Kumar Racing in 2025.

How is it that Eddie Redmayne’s name has never come up for James Bond? Watching his turn as the cold, ruthless assassin in The Day of the Jackal, throwing sinuous coils of deception on those chasing him and his clients, he seems tailor-made to take the secret agent with a licence to kill in wholly new and unexpected directions.

The Day of the Jackal is an update of the eponymous 1971 Frederick Forsyth novel detailing a fictitious plot to kill the French president, Charles de Gaulle. An anonymous British assassin, codenamed Jackal, is hired to do the job. The Jackal misses his target by a hair’s breadth when de Gaulle bends to kiss the cheek of a veteran. Inspector Claude Lebel, who is on the Jackal’s trail, catches up with his quarry, and the two acknowledge each other with grudging respect before Lebel shoots the assassin dead.

Fred Zinnemann adapted the novel into a film in 1973 with Edward Fox as the Jackal. And now more than 40 years later, we have a 10-episode series, which is as gripping as the spare novel and film. The Day of the Jackal set the template for all those cold-blooded nameless assassins that populate our screens from David Fincher’s The Killer to Knox Goes Away and “don’t mess with my dog or car” John Wick.

Much of the thrill of The Day of the Jackal was in how the Jackal set about his job, including getting a false passport (through a loophole that was open till 2007), meeting his gunsmith, and his various disguises. Forsyth said in an interview, if set in today’s world, The Day of the Jackal would be a short book thanks to advances in technology!

One of the strengths of the show is its seamless updates. While more characters and subplots have been introduced, the show does not sag under their weight. It moves along smoothly anchored by Redmayne’s extraordinary turn and to a lesser extent by Lashana Lynch as Bianca, the MI-6 agent doggedly on the Jackal’s tail.

The Jackal,  in his identity as a rich Englishman, Charles Calthrop, has a wife, Nuria (Úrsula Corberó), and a sweet toddler, Carlito, in Cadiz, Spain, Nuria’s good-for-nothing brother, Alvaro (Jon Arias), wants to use his brother-in-law’s money for hare-brained schemes. Bianca faces flak from the department for the way Jackal seems to get away, though MI6 Deputy Chief of Staff, Isabel Kirby (Lia Williams), is supportive. Edward Carver (Jonjo O’Neill) investigates the department for a mole.

A still from ‘The Day of the Jackal’

Things are not so good at home for Bianca either, as her college professor husband, Paul (Sule Rimi), and daughter Jasmine (Florisa Kamara), feel they are not as important to Bianca as her job. Bianca is shown to be not above manipulating people including grieving parents. There are call-backs for those who are familiar with the book, including the names of Jackal’s aliases, Calthrop and Alexander Duggan. Ulle Dag Charles (Khalid Abdalla), the tech billionaire and the Jackal’s latest target, is often called UDC quite like De Gaulle was referred to as CDG.

Apart from the considerable thrills, chases, near-misses and shootouts, The Day of the Jackal is great fun for the globetrotting where action moves from the dusty plains of Afghanistan and the burnt hues of Spain, to Munich, the brilliant blue sea of Croatia, the shadowy boardrooms of London and New York and the wilderness of Belarus.

While Redmayne owns the Jackal, being at once formidable and fragile, blinking his blond eyelashes in the sun like a vulnerable nocturnal animal caught in the light, it is excellent to see Charles Dance being his coolly wicked self as the Jackal’s employer. The music is excellent and all the songs from The Who’s ‘Won’t get Fooled Again’ and Radiohead’s ‘Street Spirit’ to alt-J’s ‘Tessellate’ are on my Liked songs list.

The announcement of the show being renewed for a second season reduced the tension of the final showdown a bit, but all in all The Day of the Jackal is a splendidly bingeable round-the-world thriller from the James Bondesque opening credit song (Celeste’s ‘This Is Who I Am’) to the inevitable cliffhangers at the end.

The Day of the Jackal streams on JioCinema

Diane Delano, best known for her role in Northern Exposure, has passed away at the age of 67, People reported.

Her agent, Dennis Sevier, confirmed that Delano died at her home in Los Angeles on December 13 following a brief illness. The official cause of death has not yet been released. “When Diane entered any room, you knew she was there! She was full of life and loved being an actor. She will be missed,” Sevier said in a statement.

Delano was widely recognised for her roles in film and television, including Sergeant Barbara Semanski on the CBS series Northern Exposure and Roberta “Bobbi” Glass on The WB series Popular. Northern Exposure ran for six seasons from 1990 to 1995. Her other notable credits include The Wicker Man, Days of Our Lives, St. Elsewhere, L.A. Law, and Perfect Strangers, according to People.

The actress also lent her voice to animated shows such as Teen Titans and Batman: The Brave and the Bold. Delano earned an Indie Series Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in the made-for-TV movie Fumbling Through Pieces. In 2019, she received the Best Ensemble Prize for her work in Relish at the Los Angeles Film Awards.

She was last seen in the bluegrass musical comedy Paradise: A Town of Sinners and Saints, which was released in May, People reported.

The nightlife in Kozhikode is turning more vibrant now with tourists flocking to the beaches and eateries remaining open till late at night.
| Photo Credit: K. Ragesh

The vibrant nightlife of Kozhikode became a topic of heated discussion among councillors in the Kozhikode Corporation Council meeting on Friday when one of the councillors cited it as the root cause of the rising crime rate in the beach region, and as a nuisance to the public.

Indian Union Muslim League councillor K. Moideen Koya, in a submission, pointed out that the crime rate in and around Kozhikode beach had increased three times in one year and alleged that the groups of youngsters who flocked to the beach past midnight were a disturbance to the public. He went on to say that drug abuse was rampant on the beach around this time and that the celebrations of youngsters with no care about the world around were causing a state of anarchy.

The submission led to quite an elaborate discussion. While some councillors agreed with Mr. Koya, he drew flak from many young councillors who questioned the veracity of his claims.

CPI(M) councillors Varun Bhasker and C.M. Jamsheer were unanimous in their opinion that nightlife was not the problem, but lack of surveillance was. “A buzzing nightlife is a symbol of the city growing. With the changing times, many of our youngsters work at night. Going out at midnight is very casual for them. We cannot shut down the city at 10 p.m. anymore,” Mr. Jamsheer said.

However, several councillors appealed to the Mayor to seek the help of the police to increase surveillance at night, especially on the beach. IUML councillor K. Ramlath highlighted the lack of proper lighting in some parts of the beach and sought immediate action.

The issue of nightlife popped up again as part of an item in the agenda seeking time restriction for wayside eateries along the Kovoor- Vellimadukunnu road. Local councillor T.K. Chandran had pointed out that the eateries working late at night resulted in a large number of people, especially youngsters from far and near, ‘lurking around them and creating problems for local residents’. Their celebrations on the road created disturbances, he said.

Mr. Chandran had suggested the closing time of these eateries as 10.30 p.m and for other eateries in the city as 11.30 p.m. However, the council did not find this suggestion just.

Health Standing Committee chairperson S. Jayasree pointed out that loud sounds at night could be a disturbance to the elderly and steps needed to be taken to address this issue.

“Playing the music loud to attract people at night and riding altered vehicles that produced loud noise was rampant these days. This needs to be checked,” she said.

Mayor Beena Philip said that laws were already in place against such practices and that they only needed to be implemented.