Watch: Anu Menon calls stand-up comedy ‘difficult' as people are ‘easily offended'
Indian comedy, especially political comedy, faces an existential challenge in the current socio-political climate, observed Anuradha Menon, a pioneering standup comedian and VJ of India, in a session at The Huddle by The Hindu.
Best known for her Malayali-coded 'Lola Kutty' alter ego on television, Anu Menon sat down for a light-hearted session on the inaugural day of The Huddle.
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Business Standard
6 minutes ago
- Business Standard
India-Sri Lanka defence dialogue discusses enhancing maritime security
India and Sri Lanka explored ways to further expand their bilateral defence cooperation, especially in areas of maritime security, the island nation's defence ministry said. The deliberations took place at the Sri Lanka-India Defence Dialogue held in Colombo on Thursday. It was the first high-level meeting after India and Sri Lanka signed the first ever defence partnership on April 5. A statement from the Defence Ministry said that the Sri Lankan delegation was led by Defence Secretary Air Vice Marshal Sampath Thuyacontha (Retd), while the visiting Indian Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh led the Indian delegation. The high-level dialogue focused on strengthening bilateral defence cooperation, enhancing maritime security, and exploring new avenues for collaboration in training and strategic engagement, the statement said. Senior officials from both sides participated in the discussions, reaffirming the longstanding defence partnership between Sri Lanka and India, it said. The Indian Defence Secretary also met the Deputy Minister of Defence, Major General Aruna Jayasekara (Retd) and Thuyacontha separately. On April 5, India and Sri Lanka signed the first-ever defence partnership agreement -- firmed up during talks between visiting Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake -- signalling a major boost the the bilateral defence ties nearly four decades after the Indian Peace Keeping Force's intervention in the island nation strained the relations. The agreement will institutionalise the existing military engagement and pave the way for more structured cooperation including potential collaboration in the defence industrial sector, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri had said then.
The Hindu
8 minutes ago
- The Hindu
Reviews of ‘Thug Life' and ‘Housefull 5'
Around Tinsel Town >> HC hears case on Kamal Haasan's remark on Kannada; veteran actor postpones 'Thug Life' release in Karnataka After a major controversy erupted last week surrounding veteran actor Kamal Haasan's remarks on Kannada at the audio launch of his latest film 'Thug Life,' the actor's banner Raaj Kamal Films International approached the Karnataka High Court for the release of 'Thug Life' without disruption in Karnataka. The petition further added that the banner is not willing to screen the movie in the state unless an encouraging dialogue takes place with the Karnataka Film Chamber of Commerce. Following the same, the HC suggested that Kamal apologise for his remark and end the controversy; however, the veteran stood his ground and refused to apologise, opting not to release the film in Karnataka on June 5. The 'Vikram' star asserted he has always stood for the equal dignity of all Indian languages and remains opposed to the dominance of any one language over another. According to trade analysts, the actor is set to face a loss of ₹35 crore to ₹40 crore in gross box office revenue and a loss of ₹12 crore to ₹15 crore in producer share due to the postponement of the film's release in the state. >> Kerala Police drops Hema Committee report cases; Parvathy Thiruvothu slams CM over inaction The Kerala Police, earlier this week, decided to drop the cases that emerged from the Hema Committee's findings on sexual exploitation and the misogyny within the Malayalam film industry. According to official sources, despite repeated summons by both the SIT and the court, the survivors declined to provide statements in connection with the cases. This came just a day after actor Parvathy Thiruvothu publicly criticised the Kerala government's handling of the Hema Committee report, mocking the administration's delay in implementing reforms promised more than five years ago. Bollywood Aamir Khan confirms 'big-scale' superhero action film with Lokesh Kanagaraj, to enter production in mid-2026 Ananya Panday joins Kartik Aaryan in 'Tu Meri Main Tera, Main Tera Tu Meri' Aamir Khan says 'Mahabharata' could be his final film Diljit Dosanjh's 'Punjab 95' stuck in censor board limbo with 127 demanded cuts Dharma Productions issues statement after sexual misconduct allegations against 'Homebound' cinematographer Pratik Shah Hollywood Tom Cruise sets Guinness World Record with blazing parachute stunt in 'Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning' Disney to lay off several hundred employees in film, TV, finance globally Luca Guadagnino in talks to direct OpenAI drama 'Artificial' for Amazon MGM Judge rules in favour of Justin Baldoni as Blake Lively's emotional distress case faces setback 'Stranger Things' Season 5 gets premiere date, split into three volumes Regional Cinema Nivin Pauly joins Lokesh Cinematic Universe with Raghava Lawrence's 'Benz' Actor Akhil Akkineni ties the knot with Zainab Ravdjee Prabhas' 'The Raja Saab' locks December release following multiple delays Tamil director Vikram Sugumaran passes away at 47 World Cinema 'One Piece' Live-Action Season 2 unveils first look at fan-favorite Tony Tony Chopper Kamal Haasan's 'Vikram' shines in Japan amid 'Thug Life' release Trailers 'Wicked: For Good' trailer shows Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande return for a grand finale at Oz 'Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery' teaser shows detective Benoit Blanc take on his 'most dangerous case yet.' Margot Robbie and Colin Farrell revisit the past in 'A Big Bold Beautiful Journey' trailer Jennifer Lopez steals the spotlight in trailer of Bill Condon's retelling of popular musical 'Kiss of the Spider Woman' Trailer of Noah Hawley's FX series 'Alien: Earth' drops biggest Predator crossover tease 'Frankenstein' teaser shows Oscar Isaac in Guillermo del Toro's Mary Shelley adaptation Teaser of 'Gen V' Season 2 adresses Chance Perdomo's death Aditya Roy Kapur, Sara Ali Khan lead vignettes of urban love stories in trailer of 'Metro In Dino' 'Maareesan' teaser shows Fahadh Faasil, Vadivelu reuniting in an intriguing road thriller Essential reading 1) Chinmayi interview on 'Thug Life' song: 'Despite praise, I feel numb' >> The singer looks back at the 'Thug Life' experience and the last few years post the #MeToo movement 2) Jafar Panahi | The auteur of dissent >> The Iranian filmmaker, whose 'It Was Just an Accident' won Palme d'Or at Cannes, says he stands in solidarity with the women who clashed with the country's orthodox moral system 3) When Kamal Haasan changed his movie's title after finding no support from Jayalalithaa >> During a controversy over the title 'Sandiyar,' Kamal tried to meet the then Chief Minister, hoping to sort out the issue; however, she did not grant him an audience immediately 4) Darshana Rajendran interview: On how acting went from being a hobby to a full-fledged career >> The actor speaks about her Malayalam play 'Bye Bye Bypass,' which she says resonated with her, as at its core lies the idea of what a home is 5) Want information about any Hindi or Tamil film song? Ask record-collector T.S. Gopal >> An encyclopedia on music and a wizard at video editing, Gopal has been documenting film songs for the past 60 years 6) Five Kamal Haasan films that courted controversies >> What sets the latest controversy surrounding 'Thug Life' apart is that, unlike past instances, the row has nothing to do with the movie itself What to watch 1) Kamal Haasan's fiery performance aside, Mani Ratnam's gangster drama 'Thug Life' shoots blanks Read the full review here 2) Housefull 5 Read the full review here 3) Abhishek Banerjee's road thriller 'Stolen' is gritty but not revelatory Read the full review here 4) The Life of Chuck Read the full review here 5) Tom Hardy, Pierce Brosnan, Helen Mirren preside over 'MobLand,' a messy, magnetic enterprise Read the full review here 6) Radhika Apte elevates the punk black comedy 'Sister Midnight' Read the full review here 7) Jon Hamm is riveting in the black satire series 'Your Friends & Neighbors' Read the full review here 8) 'Moonwalk' is a heartfelt tribute to the breakdancing subculture Read the full review here
The Hindu
8 minutes ago
- The Hindu
Concerns arise over expansion of Theppakadu Elephant Camp in the Nilgiris
Conservationists and elephant experts have voiced their concern over the continued development of the Theppakadu Elephant Camp in the core area of the Mudumalai Tiger Reserve (MTR). They are of the view that that the recent setting up of a township for 44 mahouts and their families, as well as plans to expand the camp itself into a 'world-class facility' may impact wildlife within the reserve. In a 2014 paper 'Prioritizing Elephant Corridors in Mudumalai Tiger Reserve, Tamil Nadu,' authors K. Kannan, P.S. Jayakumar Thampy, Arunachalam, and B. Ramakrishnan write: 'The Theppakadu-Mandradiyar Corridor is situated in the southeastern part of MTR. It is a crucial elephant corridor that connects Mudumalai and Bandipur tiger reserves to the east of the former and also the Sigur Plateau. Moyar Gorge in the northern side and Morgan Betta in the southern side naturally constrict this corridor. Theppakadu tribal settlements, the forest elephant camp, and lodges are at the exact centre of the corridor, naturally preventing the free movement of elephants.' During Chief Minister M.K. Stalin's visit to Theppakadu camp last month, he told reporters that there were plans to further improve the facility, stating that the new developments would be announced in due time. This was after he inaugurated the township for mahouts. An elephant expert, who wished to remain anonymous, told The Hindu: 'The sudden expansion of the camp could sever the connectivity that allows elephants to move freely between Mudumalai's core and buffer zones, as well as Bandipur.' However, Mr. Ramakrishnan, one of the authors of the 2014 paper, the head of the department of wildlife biology at the Government Arts College in Udhagamandalam, and a member of the International Union for Conservation of Nature's (IUCN) Asian elephant specialist group, disagrees with conservationists' concern over the camp's development severing elephant pathways. 'As per notifications, all four corridors within MTR are located only in the buffer zones and none are in the core area. There are five to six other points between Theppakadu and Thorapalli where elephants are known to cross the Moyar,' he said. But conservationists reiterated that corridors within core areas had been left out of notified elephant corridors precisely because they were believed to have already been 'secured' due to being in a highly protected area of the MTR core. 'Moreover, when there have been clampdowns on the construction of private resorts in the MTR buffer zone, it seems contradictory for the government to set up a township in the core area and ponder upgrading the elephant camp,' said a conservationist from the Nilgiris, adding that while the Supreme Court had ordered for illegal structures within the tiger reserve to be demolished, the government seemed to have free reign to construct structures at the elephant camp. Another conservation and landscape ecologist said, 'The core area is the most precious habitat for the elephant. The new constructions have ignored the fact that the site was in the core area of the elephant population and in the most important corridor in south India. How is it possible to reduce habitat and increase the human footprint at a reserve, when the Bandipur Tiger Reserve has set an example by building new facilities outside its protected area?' 'The Theppakadu camp and the mahout village should be shifted to the periphery of the core zone like in Thorapalli. This way, mahouts can have better access to services, and tourism facilities can also be developed. Such intense human presence in Theppakadu creates a bottleneck in the elephant corridor connecting Bandipur and Mudumalai. It increases disturbance to wildlife, pollution, and noise, while the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) has also clearly laid out plans to phase out tourism from within the core areas of the reserve,' he added. Rules exist for development projects to be undertaken with permissions from different regulatory bodies. 'The rules are even stricter for development within the core areas of tiger reserves, where permissions have to be obtained from the NTCA,' said a prominent Tamil Nadu-based conservationist. 'As a general rule, concrete structures should be kept to a minimum within protected areas, particularly tiger reserves. Moreover, the pressures arising out of such activities and associated infrastructure will only be detrimental to wildlife and biodiversity,' he added. When contacted, R. Kiruba Shankar, Field Director of MTR, said the Forest Department did not need permission from the NTCA for the construction of houses, since these are for staff involved in the daily protection of the tiger reserve. He said houses were constructed near existing ones, and it had no major impact on wildlife movement in the area. 'The electric fencing put up around the site is only for the protection of people living there,' he said, adding that there are no plans to build any concrete structures to further improve the camp. 'Right now, the plans only involve some temporary structures,' he said, adding that the department would approach the NTCA for relevant permissions before taking up any further development at the camp.
