After #metoo, the industry has changed in a big way: Sruthi Hariharan
Set in the US, Sruthi plays Namrata who is the primary accused in the murder of a rich Indian-American lady. The courtroom drama follows the story of whether she's guilty or not and who is the actual culprit.
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Hindustan Times
16 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
With Alappuzha Gymkhana, Khalid Rahman reignites the sports drama free of its genre clichés
For as long as I can remember, the sports drama genre in Indian Cinema has been about the underdog story. Films in this genre chart the predictable arc of a character who is initially treated as a throwaway, an extra. Then they survive, persevere, and learn the game day in and day out to ultimately become a master. There is no question about it, the protagonist will win in the end. Sure, there is nothing wrong with that story, but why do we insist on this template over and over again? Surely, not everyone is cut out for a game or destined to be a champion. Khalid Rahman's Alappuzha Gymkhana is one of those rare sports dramas that understands this very contradiction. The idea that figuring out can be a sport of its own, where there will be a mix of wins and losses. Rahman's fifth feature is a joyous, welcoming departure from the pitiless cliches of the genre of a sports film, a sort of clutter-breaker that punches the genre itself to secure the win. (Also read: Tourist Family marks the arrival of a major new voice in Abishan Jeevinth) The film sets off unassumingly, when Jojo (a charming performance from Naslen) has an incredulous idea. He convinces his gang- Shifas Ahmed (Sandeep Pradeep), Shifas 'Cheruth' Ali (Franco Francis), DJ (Baby Jean), and Shanavas (Shiva Hariharan) to get into boxing, as that can get them easily into college through the sports quota. Later, a self-taught fighter, Deepak (a scene-stealing turn from Ganapathi), also joins. Their shared conviction is what gives the film its light-hearted energy: these boys do not know much about what's in store for them in the upcoming few weeks, and are up for the demands of the game. Their earnestness is the right step in the direction. The physical training begins, and from hereon, Alappuzha Gymkhana traces the journey of these boys as they prepare for the district-level games. Rahman's control over the tone of the film is utterly refreshing here. The boys share a doggedness as a whole, but what is unmistakable is that each of them arrives at the game with their quirks and concerns. That shows in the way they enter the ring and face the opponent. Jojo is excellent at boosting the morale of his boys when needed, but is not too sure about his own game. He understands it just in time, and Rahman gracefully welcomes that wisdom. But then Cheruth shows what he is capable of in the ring, and the mood of the team suddenly shifts. Their coach (Lukman Avaran) is exacting and determined, but the film is intelligent enough not to give him a flat, unidimensional role. It is not like he can do no wrong, or that he is simply always correct about his instincts. At the end, he is just as capable of losing his calm. But Alappuzha Gymkhana is so much more than just the idea of winning. Yes, the game matters to these boys for the time being, but thank goodness this film makes it clear that this is not the end of the world. This is a film that truly gets these boys and their careless, uninhibited spirit. Rahman builds their story just with the sheer force of conviction, peppering the narrative with their idiosyncratic day-to-day practice sessions. There's a lot of love and dignity for these boys here. The film does not boast of walking over these kids with a superior sort of intelligence, and dares them to see what lies beyond the next few days. Jojo sees himself a little too clearly by the end, and that little pronouncement is no less than a win. Unlike so many other sports dramas of yore, Alappuzha Gymkhana prioritises the life-force that these boys bring to the ring and does not punish them for their somewhat naive choices. The boys lose at certain points, accept defeat, and continue to cheer on for their friends. There's no self-aggrandising on the fact that one of them won or the other lost. It is all part of the game, is it not? Just like life. The boys work as a team, and their collective bond is so much bigger and valuable than winning or losing. Alappuzha Gymkhana is one of those films that might or might not inspire a young kid to take up boxing, but it will reaffirm the idea that whatever they may take up in life at some point, they might as well give it their all. Such is life, it gives you chances and then asks one fine morning, 'Are you ready to fight for what's yours?' Alappuzha Gymkhana is available to stream on SonyLiv.
The Print
19 minutes ago
- The Print
FATF condemns Pahalgam attack; to soon release case reports on state-sponsored terror funding
'Terrorist attacks kill, maim and inspire fear around the world. The FATF notes with grave concern and condemns the brutal terrorist attack in Pahalgam on 22 April 2025. This, and other recent attacks, could not occur without money and the means to move funds between terrorist supporters,' the FATF said in a statement. The rare condemnation by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) shows that the 'international community has felt the severity of the attack', which killed 26 people in Pahalgam, Kashmir,on April 22, and spotlights that such attacks will not go unpunished, sources said, adding the terror attack was done by Pakistan-trained terrorists. New Delhi, Jun 16 (PTI) Condemning the brutal Pahalgam terror attack in April, global watchdog FATF on Monday said it has enhanced its focus on the steps that the countries have taken to combat terror financing, and will soon release a report on terror financing cases, including state-sponsored terrorism. Sources said FATF rarely issues condemnation of terrorist acts. It is only the third time in last decade that they have issued condemnation of a terrorist attack. It had earlier issued condemnations once in 2015 and then in 2019 in severe cases of terrorist attacks. The FATF statement comes in the backdrop of Indian authorities highlighting Pakistan's persistent support for terrorism and its funnelling of multilateral funds for arms procurement. According to sources, such action by Pakistan warrants that the country be put in the 'grey list' of the FATF. India has consistently held that Pakistan has given safe haven to designated terrorists and the same was evident when senior military officials were present at the funeral of the terrorists killed in Indian military attacks of May 7. Ahead of the next meeting of the Asia Pacific Group (APG) of FATF on August 25 and the next FATF plenary and working group meeting on October 20, India is preparing a dossier on the omissions and commissions by Pakistan with respect to FATF anti-money laundering and terror financing norms. India will be submitting to the FATF for grey listing of Pakistan. The FATF, which is a global money laundering and terrorist financing watchdog and sets international standards that aim to prevent these illegal activities, also said that it will soon release a 'comprehensive analysis of terrorist financing', compiling cases provided by its global network consisting 200 jurisdictions. 'It will also host a webinar to help public and private sectors understand the risks and stay alert to emerging threats,' it added. Sources said the report on terror financing risks would be released in a month's time. This is the first time the concept of 'state sponsored terrorism' is being acknowledged by FATF as a funding source. 'Only India's National Risk Assessment (NRA) recognises state-sponsored terrorism from Pakistan as a key TF risk. The inclusion of 'state sponsored terrorism' as a concept in the report demonstrates international recognition of state-sponsored terrorism by Pakistan,' sources added. Pakistan's history with FATF's 'grey list' dates back to February 2008, when it was placed in the monitoring list. In June 2010 it was removed from the list, only to be brought back in February 2012, and then removed again in February 2015. It was brought back in the list again for the third time in June 2018, and was later removed in October 2022 with FATF asking Pakistan to continue to work with APG to further improve its anti-moneylaundering/combating the financing of terror (AML/CFT) system. Currently, there are 24 countries in FATF 'grey list'. These countries are under increased monitoring and they have to address strategic deficiencies to counter money laundering, terrorist financing, and proliferation financing. The FATF statement further said that as terrorism continues to threaten societies and citizens around the world, the global watchdog is supporting over 200 jurisdictions within its global network to build and enhance their counter-financing of terrorism (CFT) measures including through the strategic use of financial intelligence — making this one of the most powerful instruments for dismantling terrorist financing networks. 'In addition to setting out the framework for combating terrorist financing, the FATF has enhanced its focus on the effectiveness of measures countries have put in place. That is how, through our mutual evaluations, we have identified gaps that need to be addressed,' it added. The FATF has been working for 10 years to help countries stay ahead of terrorist financing risk — for example relating to abuse of social media, crowd funding, and virtual assets. FATF President Elisa de Anda Madrazo at the recent 'No Money for Terror Conference' in Munich, had said: 'No single company, authority, or country can combat this challenge alone. We must be unified against the scourge of global terrorism. Because terrorists need to succeed only once to achieve their goal, while we have to succeed every time to prevent it.' PTI JD CS HVA This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.
Mint
36 minutes ago
- Mint
Few winners, many misses in Bollywood's lopsided H1 recovery story
Costly multiplex tickets and refreshments and release of only a handful of tentpole movies continue to hurt Bollywood business, with the first half of calendar 2025 expected to see a meagre 10-20% increase in revenue over the same period a year ago, trade experts said. But for the few big-ticket releases, the Hindi film business would have fallen short of the box-office collection in the first half of calendar 2024, they added. Among those that aided box-office momentum this year include Vicky Kaushal's Chhaava, which leads the pack with ₹600.10 crore, followed by Ajay Devgn's Raid 2 ( ₹176.93 crore), Housefull 5 ( ₹162.69 crore), Bhool Chuk Maaf ( ₹72.58 crore), Kesari Chapter 2 ( ₹93.28 crore), and Salman Khan's Sikandar ( ₹103.45 crore). Still, trade insiders flag weak returns for big-star titles like Sikandar, Housefull 5 and Kesari, pointing to an urgent need for a steadier stream of theatrical hits. Also read: The rise of small-town stories on OTT: A cost-effective, culturally rich trend The gross box office collections of Hindi films in the first six months of 2024 stood at around ₹1, 700 crore, trade experts said. Business was impacted by the Lok Sabha elections and the IPL (Indian Premier League) as producers deferred multiple releases. 'Things are marginally better than last year but the first half is usually impacted by the fact that most producers prefer to release big films in the second half when there are more holidays and festivals," Rahul Puri, managing director, Mukta Arts and Mukta A2 Cinemas said. While that often leads to a slew of big titles bunched up together, unlike the West that sees summer as a lucrative period for theatre-going, Indian film studios naturally gravitate towards festivals like Diwali, Independence Day and Christmas, all of which fall in the second half, Puri added. Also read: Indian film stars' political ambitions can dim box office allure, experts warn To be sure though, while box-office earnings may appear stable due to higher ticket prices, Bollywood still isn't faring well as far as the number of released films finding draw, goes. According to media consulting firm Ormax, 2024 had registered 88.3 crore (883 million) footfalls, reflecting a 6% decline from 2023. Footfalls in 2024 were lower than the last two years, and continue to remain lower than pre-pandemic levels. While 13 Hindi films had crossed the ₹50-crore mark in domestic box-office collections in the first half of 2019, the figure stands at eight in 2025. Also read: From influencers to moguls: Why digital creators are launching production houses 'The business continues to remain skewed towards the big winners that are riding the wave. But you can't call this a revival unless the average improves," film producer Shariq Patel said. Further, multiple films have benefited from buy-one get-one offers and ₹99 discounted ticket rate initiatives, carried out over the past few months. Independent exhibitor Vishek Chauhan agreed that the business would have fallen short if not for the handful of hits like Raid 2, Chhaava and Housefull. Unlike pre-covid when medium and small-budget films were finding favour in cinemas along with big franchises and tentpole titles, it is clear that the theatrical landscape is now dominated by franchises and everything else has moved to home viewing. 'The big concern, however, is that the pipeline is still staggered and films aren't getting launched or released with the same consistency as pre-covid. Also, movies still aren't taking big openings. Lifetime earnings are a function of several things, but a good start shows people are at least interested in giving the film a shot," Chauhan added.
