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First Post
14-07-2025
- Entertainment
- First Post
Netflix 'Aap Jaisa Koi' actors R. Madhavan & Fatima Sana Shaikh on Kolkata food: ‘I binged on puchkas'
In an interview for 'Food Talk' with Firstpost's Lachmi Deb Roy, R Madhavan talks his growing up days in Jamshedpur and his Bong connection with food. WATCH the full video to know about Kolkata food. Bongs food connection and their love for hilsa. read more Recently R. Madhavan & Fatima Sana Shaikh were seen in Netflix's 'Aap Jaisa Koi'. The film was mostly shot in Kolkata and part of it in Jamshedpur. The film has shown a lot about Bong food and culture. In an interview with Firstpost, R. Madhavan who has spent a major part of his growing up years in Jamshedpur, has a huge connection with Kolkata culture. 'I grow up in Jamshedpur and there is a huge Bong community there. I have celebrated Durga Puja and Saraswati puja. It was a very integral part of my growing up.' STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Madhavan adds, 'Food in Kolkata is not only a part of nourishment. It is a part of the culture. Including the bhog that we eat after the pujas that too is so tasty. In fact, food is an integral part of their existence.' More from Entertainment Who is San Rechal Gandhi, the model who spoke about colourism and has now died by suicide? To this Fatima says that in many places like Kolkata, food is a huge part of one's culture. 'Like in Mumbai we eat whatever we get. We don't put much thought into it because there are a lot of other pressures.' Madhavan mentions, Lucknow too takes a lot of pride in their cuisine. 'Another cultural difference is that when you go to a Punjabi house, they will never be short of food even if you go to their houses uninvited. In south India, it's not like that. If anybody just drops in, we have to keep them waiting and then make the food.' Fatima believes that food is very important to people because they show love through food. She further adds, 'Whenever I go to Jammu, my hometown, to visit my relatives, they make sure that eat in everybody's house.' WATCH the full interview here: About the film _Aap Jaisa Koi_' reimagines and repositions family drama. Set across two distinct worlds of Jamshedpur and Kolkata, the film follows Shrirenu, a man shaped by habit and tradition, as he begins to re-examine long-held beliefs about masculinity, companionship, and emotional expression. In Madhu, a spirited woman who refuses to shrink herself to fit societal moulds, he finds not just a romantic partner, but a mirror to his own conditioning. As the two navigate family expectations, emotional baggage, and the weight of societal conditioning, Aap Jaisa Koi becomes a story not just about romance, but about reclaiming a woman's agency. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Marking Madhavan's much-awaited return to the romance genre, Aap Jaisa Koi pairs him with Fatima Sana Shaikh in a story that defines what inner liberation and 'barabari wala pyaar' (equal love) truly mean. Directed by Vivek Soni (Meenakshi Sundareshwar) and produced by Dharmatic Entertainment, the film is brought to life by a powerhouse ensemble cast including Ayesha Raza, Manish Chaudhari and Namit Das, each adding nuance to this honest, heartfelt exploration of family, identity, patriarchy, and the emotional truths we often hide — even from ourselves.
Korea Herald
10-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Korea Herald
‘A Story of Man and Wife' conveys Korean realities via classical vocals
Composer Ryu Jeajoon and lyricist Bong Joon-soo present music a drama that offers a candid reflection on housing, marriage and parenting A couple's story unfolds through classical vocals with hyper-realistic lyrics. Sung by beautiful voices over flowing piano melodies, the witty yet candid lyrics touch on high housing prices, interest rates, exhausting marriage preparations, child care allowances and much more. Composed by Ryu Jeajoon, 54, with lyrics by Bong Joon-soo, 55, an English literature professor at Seoul National University, the music drama "A Story of Man and Wife" grapples with one of South Korea's biggest societal challenges: the low birth rate. 'The composer has been pondering why the birth rate is so low, and when you trace the issue down to its roots, you find that many people simply aren't dating at all,' Bong said during an interview after a rehearsal in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, on June 27. The creation of the piece involved extensive back-and-forth between Bong and Ryu as they explored the fundamental question: Why aren't young people dating? But that doesn't mean the music drama offers a clear answer. There were no "right answers," so Bong and Ryu decided to show the reality as it is. 'I went through a lot of statistics on this issue, but I couldn't find anything I could confidently point to as the answer. Social scientists have published countless papers on why people aren't getting married, but honestly, I still don't really know,' Bong said. 'So instead of focusing on what's 'right,' I thought about what would immediately resonate with people if it were thrown out there. That's how the lyrics for a song like 'Jeonse Prices' came about — from that line of thinking.' Jeonse is a housing rental system in South Korea where a tenant pays a large, refundable lump-sum deposit to the landlord instead of monthly rent. Bong said that conversations with his graduate students helped him better understand the realities young people face today, while he also tried to recall his own experiences. "A Story of Man and Wife" is the latest project by composer Ryu, who aims to diversify the classical vocal repertoire by adding Korean songs. 'Korean vocalists almost always include Schubert, Schumann and Brahms lieder in their recital programs. Yet in many cases, the audience either nods off or doesn't really understand what they're hearing. The moment that gets the biggest applause is always when they sing a Korean song as an encore," the composer added. 'There are so many great vocalists out there in Korea,' Ryu said. 'It would be wonderful if they could sing stories that are ours." His previous music drama "Apt," a two-person music drama unveiled in 2021, deals with the country's housing issue. 'Having tackled housing issues and low birthrate, I'm thinking of addressing discrimination as the next theme," added Ryu, who also serves as the artistic director of the Seoul International Music Festival and Ensemble OPUS. "A Story of Man and Wife" is directed by Chang Semoon, whom the composer described as meticulous and finely attuned to detail. Chang, known for her opera work, said that "Through this work, my views on marriage and parenting have changed a lot. I used to see them purely as social issues, but perhaps because I've looked more deeply into individuals' inner lives, I now feel there are many more choices available." "What makes this work interesting is that there's no single 'right answer,'" she added. The 90-minute music drama, featuring 16 songs and seven piano solos, is performed by bass-baritone Han Hae-yeol and soprano Lee Sang-eun, with Lim Hyo-sun on piano.
Time of India
05-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
How Bong Joon Ho's $11 million ‘Parasite' beat Nolan, Fincher, and the rest to become the 21st century's greatest film?
How the List Was Compiled Why Parasite Resonates So Deeply — CinemaTweets1 (@CinemaTweets1) Surprising Snubs and Curious Trends — grecobes (@grecobes) — screentime (@screentime) In an era dominated by Hollywood blockbusters, reboots, and billion-dollar superhero universes, few expected a dark Korean comedy to outshine them all. But that's precisely what Parasite has done. Bong Joon Ho 's Palme d'Or–winning film has clinched the top spot in The New York Times ' list of the 100 greatest films of the 21st century — beating works by Christopher Nolan, the Coen Brothers, and David more, Parasite didn't just impress the critics. It also topped the readers' poll, reaffirming its wide cultural impact. Made on a modest $11 million budget and released globally after rave reviews at Cannes, the film went on to win four Academy Awards — including Best Picture — making history as the first non-English-language film to do mark the first quarter-century of this millennium, The New York Times, in collaboration with The Upshot, reached out to over 500 celebrated figures from the film industry — including directors, actors, and producers — asking each to name ten films released after January 1, 2000, that they considered truly responses were aggregated into a ranked list of 100 films. The final top 10, revealed in late June, has already stirred passionate debate. Participating names included Oscar winners like Bong himself, Pedro Almodóvar, Sofia Coppola, and Guillermo del Toro, as well as actors like Julianne Moore and John its core, Parasite is a razor-sharp commentary on class divisions, disguised as a home-invasion thriller with a comedic twist. The New York Times praised Bong's ability to shift between tones — from darkly funny to horrifyingly tragic — without ever losing narrative control. That genre fluidity, paired with social commentary and unforgettable visuals, has made the film an enduring cultural began as a local story about economic inequality in South Korea quickly became a global parable. Audiences everywhere related to its portrayal of social ladders, survival tactics, and the illusion of behind Parasite was David Lynch's mind-bending Mulholland Drive, followed by Paul Thomas Anderson's There Will Be Blood. Rounding out the top five were In the Mood for Love and Moonlight. Hollywood hits like Get Out, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, and The Social Network also cracked the top perhaps the biggest surprise came from Interstellar, which was loved by readers — earning a top-five spot in the public poll — but ranked only 89th in the critics' major trends emerged from the list that reflect the evolving cinematic their box office domination, franchise films — Marvel, DC, Star Wars — barely made a dent in the top 100. Hollywood's reliance on sequels, reboots, and IP-driven storytelling may have mass appeal, but it hasn't earned much critical reverence. Although streaming services have redefined how we watch films, their impact on this list was minimal. Only one Netflix original, Alfonso Cuarón's Roma, made the cut — and at number 46. Theatrical cinema still commands more respect in artistic circles, at least for Nolan, with five entries including Inception, Memento, and Oppenheimer , leads the list in terms of volume. Paul Thomas Anderson follows closely with multiple titles, including Phantom Thread and Punch-Drunk Love. Other familiar auteurs like David Fincher and Alfonso Cuarón also received multiple nods, proving that strong directorial vision remains a prized hallmark of 11 of the 100 films were directed by women, highlighting the continuing gender disparity in cinema. Notable entries include Lady Bird by Greta Gerwig and Lost in Translation by Sofia Coppola — yet none of these films made it into the top the most encouraging trend is the prominence of non-English films. The global dominance of Parasite is no anomaly. The list also features French dramas like Anatomy of a Fall and Portrait of a Lady on Fire, Norwegian coming-of-age gem The Worst Person in the World, Spanish-language standout Roma, and German thriller The Zone of Interest. Even hybrid productions like Everything Everywhere All At Once, which blends English, Cantonese, and Mandarin, reflect the modern viewer's growing openness to stories beyond linguistic boundaries.
Indian Express
04-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Indian Express
Two quizmasters, on the facts
Two quizmasters in conversation. Derek O'Brien: This is the first time we're doing something like this. Thank you, Siddhartha. Siddhartha Basu: It's the first time ever the both of us have been together, and I'm delighted. DOB: You and I met just three years ago. And it was such a beautiful occasion. We had dinner at home. You started Quiz Time in 1985, I was 24, you were 31. You were doing television shows, and I was more into stage shows before I did TV. Yes, but we only first met in 2022. And it's been so lovely. SB: I'm thankful to hear that from you, because your family has been right at the forefront of open quizzing. Let us chat about the whole business of the purpose of general knowledge, quizzing and life lessons, too. DOB: It's very interesting that you've used the word 'business'. For you and me, it was business. But the interesting story is how it moved from a hobby into a business. SB: Prannoy Roy used to joke with me, 'You'll always be a Bong yaar', because he thought I wasn't businessman enough. We hadn't thought of it that way, but, fortunately, the business followed. DOB: Yes, from 1967 to the 1980s, nobody ever charged a rupee for a quiz. You and I did. SB: You know Quiz Time or a national inter-college quiz wasn't my idea; I was roped into it by happenstance as a host. I was asked to come for 10 minutes and just give an introduction. I was in and out. And then, one month later, they said, 'Why don't you be the quiz master for Rs 1,000 an episode?' I left my job instantly. My son was yet to be born and I took the plunge. DOB: While working for eight years in an advertising agency, Ogilvy, I started doing quizzes on weekends for a fee, Rs 2,000 a quiz — for Maggi and Bata. This was in the late 1980s. SB: Since you mentioned the Maggi Quiz, the largest ever live ground quiz I have done was the national finals of the Maggi Quiz at the Indira Gandhi Stadium in Delhi for 15,000 kids. I want you to rewind to when the first open quiz was conducted by your father, Neil. DOB: In 1966, my dad, who was in his 30s, was sent by his employers to the UK. My parents were there for three months and that is where they were exposed to University Challenge, a quiz started in 1962. The local parish in Kolkata used to have a contest for one-act plays. So, Neil and his cousin Errol came up with the idea to change that to an inter-parish quiz. And so was born India's first open quiz, the Eddie Hyde Memorial. The Bournvita Quiz Contest on TV came in 1993. Then you and Amitabh Bachchan, with Kaun Banega Crorepati, took quizzing to another level. SB: Kolkata has been the capital of quizzing. The city had many quizzards and a number of them came later on Mastermind, which is another show that I was doing. But then I think there are all those people who know the strangest things about the strangest things. I've always been averse to the term trivia, because I don't think it needs to be about peripheral information. DOB: Today, it's not just the recall of knowledge which excites young people. 'Can I speak better English? Can I feel confident?' That is where young people are moving to. SB: What has become terribly important now is to have contextual knowledge and information. See how much misinformation and propaganda is out there. And WhatsApp University. How do you train, particularly young people, but also ourselves, to have our antennas up… on another note, because even your brothers (Andy, Barry) have been quizzing, tell us about growing up. DOB: My father would always tell us to read. Then write it down. That will help you recall. He had his diaries, so he would read, and he would write. SB: Note it down? DOB: Yes. Write it down as a quiz question in a diary. From 1967, he's had all these questions. So you never have to prepare for a quiz when you're setting a quiz. For all the research you do, whether for a quiz or in Parliament, there is a simple rule: You need three authentic sources. SB: Minimum. Reliable. Authentic sources. DOB: Yes, verified sources. And that is where the authenticity comes in. So do not forward information you receive on your mobile phone. Check first. SB: It is incumbent on everybody to be sure of the facts before they spread it or just forward it. DOB: You receive a piece of information, you put it on your family WhatsApp group without checking, and you are the editor who is putting it out. So you have to be careful. SB: Fact-checking for anything that is shared publicly has now become very important, and everybody needs to be able to do it at their level. DOB: I have enjoyed this conversation. I really want the two of us to do a couple of quizzes together — for a good cause. And whatever we raise from those quiz shows, we will give to a charity of our choice. SB: I accept, let's figure it out. The writer is MP and leader, All India Trinamool Congress Parliamentary Party
Borneo Post
28-06-2025
- Politics
- Borneo Post
Policy on matriculation entry draws flak for excluding A- students
Bong says under the said implementation, only candidates with straight-A's and A+ grades would receive automatic admission, while those with A- results must undergo a merit-based selection process. KUCHING (June 29): The Ministry of Education (MoE)'s implementation of the automatic matriculation admission policy has drawn criticism from the Youth section of the Kuching branch of Sarawak United People's Party (SUPP). Under the said implementation, only candidates with straight-A's and A+ grades would receive automatic admission, while those with A- results must undergo a merit-based selection process. According to SUPP Youth Kuching branch's deputy secretary Alan Bong, this deviates from the assurance given by the Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim last year. 'The Prime Minister promised that 'students with 10As regardless of race would be guaranteed entry'. 'There was no clarification that A- grades would be excluded from that definition. 'Hence, the MoE's current implementation, which limits automatic offers to candidates with only A and A+ grades, effectively narrows the original promise,' said Bong in a statement yesterday. He further claimed that the inconsistency between policy intent and execution had resulted in at least 214 students — who achieved 10As, including A- grades — being rejected, raising concerns about fairness and transparency in policy implementation. Bong also noted that under the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) grading system, A-, A, and A+ grades are commonly recognised as top-tier results. In this respect, he said it was understandable that people would interpret 10As to encompass all three variants. 'However, the present policy introduces an unexpected threshold that distinguishes between students based on marginal grade differences. 'For instance, a student scoring 9As and 1A+ qualifies for automatic admission, while another with 9As and 1A- is subject to additional filtering.' Bong then said this had created a disparity within the same achievement category, undermining the value of a full-A performance and weakening the policy's ability to reward academic excellence fairly and effectively. 'Since the MoE has clarified that no official statement was ever issued to redefine A- as a non-A grade, the policy execution ought to better reflect consistency, clarity, and the spirit of the Prime Minister's announcement,' he stressed. 'If 10As are meant to recognise comprehensive academic excellence, then A- should not be arbitrarily excluded. 'After all, achieving 10As, including the A- grade, is never an easy feat and such academic excellence ought to be fairly recognised and rewarded. 'The introduction of informal, technical exclusions risks sending mixed signals to students and eroding trust in institutional fairness,' he added. Bong thus called for the distribution of educational opportunities be grounded in academic merit above all else. He cited Sarawak's ongoing efforts in this area, such as the removal of ethnic quotas in university admissions, provision of performance-based financial aid, and the planned rollout of universal free tertiary education next year, as examples of a more consistent, outcome-focused model. 'Such a system, anchored in clear academic standards, helps to minimise structural inequalities and preserve the integrity of student achievement. 'As Malaysia looks ahead, I believe that the federal government should consider emulating the policies pursued in Sarawak. 'A fairer, more transparent selection framework will not only strengthen national competitiveness, but also ensure our brightest students are retained and recognised,' said Bong.
