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India Today
18-07-2025
- Entertainment
- India Today
Veteran Tamil director-cinematographer Velu Prabhakaran dies at 68 in Chennai
Popular Tamil filmmaker, cinematographer and actor Velu Prabhakaran died in the early hours of Friday (July 28) at a private hospital in Chennai. His relatives confirmed that he died of a prolonged illness. The filmmaker was in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) for the last few days in critical mortal remains will be kept for public homage at Valasaravakkam in Chennai, from Saturday evening (July 19) to Sunday afternoon (July 20). The film industry has been mourning the death of Velu Prabhakaran ever since the news broke. The cremation will take place at Porur crematorium on Sunday evening, in the presence of close family and filmmaker was previously married to actor-director Jayadevi. Years after his separation, he remarried at the age of 60. In 2017, he married actor Shirley Das, who acted in his 2009-film 'Kadhal Kadhai'.VELU PRABHAKARAN'S CAREER Velu began his film career as a cinematographer. In 1989, he made his directorial debut with the 1989 film, Nalaya Manithan'. A year later, he helmed its sequel, 'Adhisaya Manithan'. After tasting two consecutive failures with 'Asuran and Rajali', Velu diverted his attention to helming action films in the late 90s and early 2004, he began work on a film titled 'Kadhal Arangam', featuring newcomers Preethi Rangayani and Shirley Das in 2004. The film touched upon topics including caste system, sexuality. However, the Censor Board of Film Certification (CBFC) objected to certain scenes and dialogues. After a few years, the director agreed to remove objectionable scenes and mute certain dialogues apart from changing the film's title from 'Kadhal Arangam' to 'Kadhal Kadhai'.A video message was added to his film where he explained the difficulties he faced over the years. He also added that some parts of the film were autobiographical. However, the movie was unanimously panned by the 2009, a series of films that the director decided to mount failed to take off. In 2017, he helmed his last directorial, 'Oru Iyakkunarin Kadhal DIary'.Since 2019, Velu Prabhakaran has been taking up acting projects. Some of his notable films include 'Gangs of Madras', 'Cadaver', 'Pizza 3: The Mummy', 'Raid', 'Weapon' and 'Appu VI STD'. His last on-screen appearance was in 'Gajaana'.- Ends
India Today
17-07-2025
- Entertainment
- India Today
Janaki V vs State of Kerala review: Noble intentions marred by flawed execution
'Janaki V vs State of Kerala' made a lot of noise before its release. Courtesy: The Censor Board of Film Certification's (CBFC) objection to the film's title 'Janaki', which refers to Goddess Sita. Starring Malayalam actor and Member of Parliament Suresh Gopi and Anupama Parameswaran, the film ran into trouble due to legal issues over its title and censorship controversy The movie finally released in theatres on July 17 after a minor change in its Suresh Gopi-starrer attempts to hold a mirror to the 'system' in Kerala, but presumably resonates with the conditions faced by several citizens across the country. Was the film good and effective? Let's find out!The story revolves around Janaki V (Anupama Parameshwaran), an IT employee working in Bengaluru who gets sexually abused while visiting her hometown for a festival. David Abel Donovan (Suresh Gopi) is a lawyer who defends the accused in Janaki's case, therefore standing between her and justice. Who is right and who is wrong? What is the Indian judicial system standing on? What happened to Janaki? Along with a 'whodunnit' screenplay, the answers to these questions and more form the plot of the film. Director Pravin Narayanan has penned an interesting story, revolving around issues that women still face across the country. From cybercrime, stalking, eve-teasing, to physical assault and abuse, social stigma, and the conversations surrounding abortion – the filmmaker has included all these elements in his story, and on paper has crafted a smartly written legal drama. However, when it comes to screenplay and execution, the director seems to have gotten confused about the kind of film he wanted to make. The film chooses several sub-plots to use as misdirections but ends up developing them to an extent where the sub-plot seems more intriguing, only for them to be dropped abruptly. The inconsistent integration of mass elements, seemingly just to tap into Suresh Gopi's star appeal, feels more like a distraction than an elevation.'Janaki V vs State of Kerala' paves the way for conversations that are important in today's society. But the in-your-face social message, which only receives prominence at the very end of the film without proper setups throughout its runtime, seems forced and ends up being barely effective. Considering all the elements at the director's disposal - the story, theme and Suresh Gopi - an obvious struggle in managing and utilising available resources is Gopi returns to the big screen after a significant gap and brings the same dramatic charm and energy he always has. However, his performance – particularly the dialogue delivery – is on a completely different acting wavelength from the rest of the cast. Carrying a more theatrical approach, the character of Advocate David Abel Donovan often feels out of place and distracting from the film's core Parameshwaran delivers an impressive performance as Janaki V. Effectively communicating her grief, pain, trauma, circumstances, and strength all at once, Anupama becomes the emotional bridge between the audience and the story. The 'Premam' actor carries this weight well. The rest of the cast also deliver strong film, edited by Samjith Mohammed, could have benefited from a crisper cut. Several shots lingered for far too long, affecting the overall pace. While some sequences showcased a creative attempt to convey emotions, none stood out as particularly innovative. Both the cinematography and music followed a traditional approach, with nothing that left a lasting conclusion, 'Janaki V vs State of Kerala' is a film that sets out with noble intentions and a socially relevant premise but falters in execution. While the story is rooted in pressing real-world issues, the film struggles to find a consistent voice. With a more cohesive screenplay, restrained editing, and a clearer narrative focus, this courtroom drama could have made a far greater impact.- EndsMUST WATCH:
Pink Villa
10-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Pink Villa
Superman: CBFC cuts 33-second sensual scene from James Gunn's film, passes with U/A 13+ certificate
Superman, directed by James Gunn, is all set to hit the big screens tomorrow. The much-awaited superhero movie has undergone several changes as Censor Board of Film Certification (CBFC) suggested some modifications before issuing the censor certificate. Censored 3 days ago on July 7, Superman makers were asked to remove all the abusive words from the whole print wherever they were mouthed. Moreover, CBFC members scissored a 33-second long sensual scene from the submitted print. Interestingly, a part of the kissing scene has been retained while the remaining chopped out. As the studio agreed to all the modifications, Superman was passed with a UA/13+ certificate from the Censor Board. This certificate denotes that the movie is suitable for public exhibition for individuals equal or more than 13 years old. When CBFC created an uproar on social media There have been many times when CBFC not only faced backlash but also created an uproar on social media for censoring such scenes of Hollywood movies. One prime example is modifying Oppenheimer's intimate scene between the leads, Cillian Murphy and Florence Pugh. More recently, the Censor Board members have asked to remove two inappropriate scenes from Tom Cruise' Mission: Impossible- The Final Reckoning. Hollywood Studios have also started implementing self-censorship in their movies, to reduce the delay in receiving the censor certificate. Recently, Brad Pitt's F1 makers had censored a scene where Pitt's character was sending a middle finger emoticon to another character while chatting on the phone. In the Indian version, it was replaced by a fist bump. Superman targets a good start of Rs 8 crore in India The runtime of Superman is 130.44 minutes, which is 2 hours 10 minutes and 44 seconds long. The makers have planned a wide release for the movie, on more than 2800 screens including all the IMAX screens for the whole week. The movie is expected to open in the range of Rs 8 crore to Rs 9 crore net in India, depending on how walk-ins and spot-bookings help the movie on its opening day. It will face Rajkummar Rao's Maalik and Vikrant Massy, Shanaya Kapoor starrer Aankhon Ki Gustaakhiyan. Stay tuned to Pinkvilla for more updates.
India Today
09-07-2025
- Entertainment
- India Today
Bad Girl: Controversial Tamil film on Brahmin portrayal censored, release date out
Director Varsha Bharath's coming-of-age drama, 'Bad Girl', is slated for release across India on September 5. TheTamil film has been cleared by the Censor Board of Film Certification (CBFC) with a U/A certificate. When the film's teaser released on YouTube in January, it courted controversy over the Brahmin portrayal and showcased a young woman resorting to alcohol and smoking.'Bad Girl', produced by Vetri Maaran and presented by Anurag Kashyap, has already garnered international acclaim, winning significant awards at various film festivals. It took home the NETPAC Award for Best Asian Film at the International Film Festival in Rotterdam and the Young Jury Award for Best Feature Film at the Cinema Jove - Valencia International Film the poster: The film's technical aspects are overseen by a skilled team, including cinematography by Preetha Jayaraman, Jagadeesh Ravi and Prince Anderson, and editing by Radha Sridhar. The music score is composed by Amit Trivedi, enhancing the film's thematic depth.'Bad Girl' is also set for screenings at more international festivals, such as Karawan Fest in Italy and New Horizons International Film Festival in Poland, further cementing its global ensemble cast features Anjali Sivaraman, Shanthi Priya, Hridhu Haroon, TeeJay Arunasalam, Sashank Bommireddipalli, and Saranya Ravichandran. Their performances have been a notable aspect of the film's success on the festival film's sound and visual elements are crafted by expert designers, with sound design by Vinoth Thanigasalam and VFX by R Harihara Suthan. This meticulous attention to detail is expected to offer viewers a rich cinematic experience.'Bad Girl' will release alongside SIvakarthikeyan and director AR Murugadoss's 'Madhrasi'.- EndsMust Watch
India Today
26-06-2025
- Entertainment
- India Today
Churuli director Lijo Jose rubbishes Joju George's non-payment claims, shares proof
Malayalam director Lijo JoSe Pellissery issued a statement addressing actor Joju George's claims over non-payment of dues for his cameo in 'Churuli'. In a note on Facebook, the filmmaker shared the proof of his payment to Joju George and explained that the film still hasn't been released in theatres because of the A certificate given to it by the Censor Board of Film Certification (CBFC).advertisementWritten in Malayalam, his Facebook post read, "To my dear Joju, this clarification is being issued considering the disappointment caused to our producer friends." He mentioned that the film has an A certificate and still hasn't seen the light of the day, as he attached the proof of the a look: Stating that there is a High Court order against the film regarding its use of explicit dialogue, he also emphasised that none of them associated with 'Churuli' misled Joju George during the film's 'Malaikottai Vaaliban' director also clarified that "I don't remember anyone misleading Joju during the film. Thankan Chettan (character played by Joju George) has a good understanding of this language," he then added that 'Churuli' is streaming on SonyLIV and shared the proof of the transaction with Joju George for his three-day call sheet. The filmmaker also added that 'Churuli' will definitely release in theatres if there is a perfect clarification stemmed from actor Joju George's latest interview with The New Indian Express. He alleged that he was not paid for the film and violated the terms by not releasing the uncensored version in theatres. 'Churuli', directed by Lijo Jose Pellissery, is written by S Hareesh. The film also features Vinay Forrt, Chemban Vinod Jose, Soubin Shahir and Jaffar Idukki in pivotal roles, with Joju George in a cameo. After the film premiered at the International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK) in February 2021, it was later released on SonyLiv on November 19, 2021.- Ends
