Latest news with #Manmarziyaan
Time of India
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Anurag Kashyap returns to screen as a fearless cop in 'Dacoit', recalls BTS moments with Abhishek Bachchan; shares a memory from 'Manmarziyaan'
Filmmaker Anurag Kashyap, the creative force behind cult classics like Gangs of Wasseypur, recently stirred nostalgia on social media by sharing an unseen behind-the-scenes photo featuring Abhishek Bachchan from the sets of Manmarziyaan. Taking to his Instagram Stories, Kashyap captioned the picture simply as 'memory from Manmarziyaan,' giving fans a heartfelt glimpse into the making of one of his most emotionally layered films. Manmarziyaan (2018), which starred Abhishek Bachchan, Taapsee Pannu, and Vicky Kaushal, was praised for its raw and realistic portrayal of modern-day love and complex relationships. Abhishek's understated performance as the calm, emotionally mature Robbie stood in poignant contrast to Vicky Kaushal's impulsive and chaotic DJ Sandz. The film's love triangle remains one of Kashyap's most nuanced storytelling feats. While reflecting on his filmmaking journey in a recent chat with Bollywood Hungama, Kashyap made a surprising revelation—he has five feature films that are yet to see the light of day. 'There are five feature films that are still not released. Out of which two films are going to be released; hopefully the third one also,' he shared. Calling himself 'the most unreleased filmmaker in the country,' Kashyap's candid admission highlights the many hurdles he has faced despite his reputation as one of Indian cinema's most daring voices. Take a look: But Anurag isn't just about the director's chair—he's equally comfortable in front of the camera. The Black Friday director has taken on a slew of acting roles over the years, ranging from cameos to full-fledged characters, many of which showcased his knack for portraying gritty, morally grey figures. His acting credits include appearances in No Smoking, Dev D, Gulaal, Soundtrack, Happy New Year, and I Am, along with significant roles in Akira, Imaikkaa Nodigal, Maharaja, and Bad Cop. Now, the multifaceted filmmaker-actor is set to return to the screen in a compelling new avatar with Dacoit: A Love Story, a pan-India action drama that pairs him with Adivi Sesh and Mrunal Thakur . Anurag will be seen playing a sharp, no-nonsense police inspector—a devoted Ayyappa follower and an unwavering crusader against corruption. Known for his biting wit and intellectual firepower, his character promises to bring a unique flavor to this high-octane narrative. With Dacoit already generating buzz for its powerful cast and gripping storyline, fans can expect yet another intense cinematic experience—this time with Anurag Kashyap not just behind the lens, but in the thick of the action. Check out our list of the latest Hindi , English , Tamil , Telugu , Malayalam , and Kannada movies . Don't miss our picks for the best Hindi movies , best Tamil movies, and best Telugu films .
India.com
14-05-2025
- Entertainment
- India.com
Taapsee Pannu Donates Insulated Water Coolers To Underprivileged Communities, Encourages Fans To ‘Give It A Try'
Mumbai: With temperatures soaring, actress Taapsee Pannu stepped in to help the underprivileged by donating insulated water coolers to equip them for the summer season. Taapsee took to Instagram, where she shared a motley of pictures from her humanitarian work. She could be seen walking through a narrow alleyway lined with makeshift homes dressed in a fluorescent green safety vest paired with dark green T-shirt, blue jeans, and white sneakers. In one image, she is carrying large insulated water coolers and even giving out some insulated bottles. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Taapsee Pannu (@taapsee) For the caption, she wrote: 'The next round With @hemkunt_foundation Helping them equip themselves for this summer this time it was to help them store some cool water for their families. Joy of helping people out of your comfort zone is real, try it.' The actress had earlier too donated fans and water coolers. Speaking about her involvement, the actress had shared, 'We often take basic comforts like a fan or a cooler for granted, but for so many people, especially in this unbearable heat, even a small breeze can feel like a blessing.' 'Being part of this initiative moved me deeply. It's not just about giving—it's about standing with people, understanding their pain, and doing what little we can to ease it.' Talking about acting, Taapsee has completed filming for her upcoming movie 'Gandhari'. 'Gandhari' promises a riveting storyline filled with relentless determination and intense personal stakes, set against the backdrop of gripping mystery and high-powered action. Audiences will see Taapsee Pannu as a fierce mom on a mission,' reads the plot description from streaming giant Netflix,reports 'Gandhari', which also stars Ishwak Singh marks Kanika Dhillon and Taapsee's sixth collaboration after back-to-back success with 'Manmarziyaan', 'Haseen Dilruba', 'Phir Aayi Hasseen Dilruba' and many more.
India Today
12-05-2025
- Entertainment
- India Today
Why Pushkar Mahabal's ‘Black, White & Gray' is a killer crime-thriller
Writer-director Pushkar Mahabal is on cloud nine these days, basking in the adulation for his debut series Black, White & Gray: Love Kills on SonyLIV. Taking an ingenious approach to a crime thriller—part documentary with talking heads, part fictional re-enactments with clever use of found footage—the series has gained currency through word-of-mouth publicity.'It's overwhelming,' says Mahabal. 'I was sure we won't get negative reviews because we knew it wasn't a bad show. What surprised me was how people have picked every single beat and minute detail.'advertisementTracing the bloody footprint of a serial killer, the show, through the course of six episodes, leaves viewers with multiple perspectives of the crimes. It does so by featuring voices of multiple individuals—the accused and his parents, the victims' friend and family, police officers, an assassin, to name a few. By the end of it, viewers are left to wonder who's telling the truth and what truly saas-bahu TV shows and a little-seen film to his credit, Mahabal had his share of struggles to find a taker for his series. SonyLIV came to his rescue. 'From the first meeting with SonyLIV we knew we were at the right place,' says Mahabal. 'Saugata Mukherjee, [head of content, SonyLIV,] felt it was well thought out. Rarely does it happen that a platform says we will give you feedback but you make the show you want to make.'advertisement It helped that Mahabal had gone with bound scripts for all six episodes rather than a traditional bible that outlines the story. It's a unique approach and a risky one too, but was worth it. 'Entering this field is gamble enough,' adds Mahabal. 'Why not go one step further and follow one's gut?'The opportunity also came at a time the streaming industry is going through a creative churn, with writers and creators finding it tough to get projects going with streaming platforms. 'It's a systemic problem, not one to pin on an individual. Everyone will have creative interpretations and clashes, back and forth will happen, and feedback will be taken negatively,' says Mahabal. 'I want to invest my time in writing a show that I believe in. I don't want to get into development phase with a network because that doesn't work.'Mahabal came to Mumbai from Nagpur, harbouring a passion for music. He started by composing for Marathi films. Six years on, he pivoted to direction, scoring his big break with the TV show Manmarziyaan. 'After that, I did a lot of regressive work; the more regressive it was the more money I made. I have done even close-ups of sindoor,' he says stint in TV helped forge many friendships and taught him many lessons. 'TV gave me an idea that I should only write things that I can produce should I not find a producer,' he wasn't long before Mahabal and his two friends, writer-producer Ankita Narang and cinematographer Saee Bhope, banded together and decided to get out of their comfort zone to make a film, investing their own savings and taking loans. The result was Welcome Home, which found home on SonyLIV. 'We launched ourselves because nobody else would give us the opportunity,' he says.A fan of true-crime documentaries and an ardent watcher of shows such as Forensic Files, Mahabal describes Black, White & Gray as a true-crime doc that he wanted to see. Having heard interviews of American serial killers such as Ted Bundy and Jeffrey Dahmer and seen Netflix docs Night Stalker and Don't F*** With Cats triggered the idea. 'I was envious because I felt I didn't have the patience or the resources or the skills to make a true-crime doc. I thought if I can't make a real one, let me just fake one,' he also felt the saturated market of OTT crime thrillers needed a fresh outlook. 'I was bored of watching the same things, sometimes shot badly or sometimes in a brilliant manner. No one was playing with non-linear screenplay. There was no experimentation in the genre,' he recalled a friend's brief misadventure in Goa where his girlfriend lost consciousness, briefly leaving him panicked if she was dead and how to contend with the situation. 'I thought it would be a funny dark comedy and did write it, but then left it midway,' he recounts. By 2022, he was revisiting the anecdote and giving it a new of Black, White & Gray's appeal is how Mahabal uses the talking heads to infuse his socio-cultural worldview on issues such as misogyny, class disparity, state of TV news, taboos around love, and so on. Even as viewers become aware of his narrative ploy, the Rashomon way of storytelling ensures one's following the story. That's largely due to the compelling faces casting directors Trishaan and Shubham find for the interviews and the way Mahabal directs More (of Kota Factory fame) is the most familiar face in the cast, but the scene-stealer here is Sanjay Kumar Sahu, who plays the accused. The FTII-trained actor and acting coach commands every scene, playing an ordinary man caught in the most extraordinary of circumstances and one whose moral compass is hard to the show is a breakthrough moment in his career, the filmmaker is not letting the attention get to him even as he contends with the expectation that comes his way. 'I have to be careful. I have been getting messages 'Tum uss jaise (filmmaker) mat ho jaana'. So, I am a bit scared also. I am doing a very small Hindi film right now. I just want to focus on it. I don't want to fall into a trap where everyone is like—do something big,' he to India Today Magazine
India.com
23-04-2025
- Entertainment
- India.com
Taapsee Pannu Empowers Barabanki Girls With Education And Bicycles During Annual Visit
Mumbai: Actress Taapsee Pannu traveled to Barabanki on Wednesday for the fourth time with her husband Mathias Boe. Taapsee visited a primary school Garri located in the Ramnagar development block of Barabanki. During this visit, she inspired the female students to empower themselves through education and sports. The 'Thappad' actress even provided them with educational materials, danced with them, and encouraged them to study hard and move forward in life. Taapsee also gifted bicycles to the girls, so that they could ride them to school. When asked about the same, the 'Badla' actress shared, "I have been coming here to meet these girls every year since 2022, when I took on the responsibility of their education. They were in standard 1 back then and now they will be graduating from 5th to 6th standard, moving from the primary to the elementary school. I do not want any girl to opt out of school because their elementary school is far away. So, I decided to come and boost their morale and gift them bicycles so that they could travel to school on their own." View this post on Instagram A post shared by Taapsee Pannu (@taapsee) Under the Nani Kali project run by the Nandi Foundation, the education department collaborates to provide 2 hours of free tutoring after school for children at Primary School Garri in the Ramnagar block of Barabanki district. Tapsee has taken the responsibility of educating 60 of these girls with her badminton player husband. Work-wise, Taapsee will next be seen in the much-anticipated drama "Gandhari'. Made under the direction of Devashish Makhija, the project has been written and produced by Kanika Dhillon. "Gandhari" marks the sixth professional association between Kanika Dhillon and Taapsee Pannu after 'Manmarziyaan,' 'Haseen Dilruba,' and 'Phir Aayi Hasseen Dilruba,' among others. Co-starring Ishwak Singh, the project will share the journey of a mother's pursuit to find and rescue her kidnapped daughter, exploring themes of revenge and redemption. "Gandhari" will be streaming on Netflix later this year.
Hindustan Times
22-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Hindustan Times
Kanika Dhillon on doing an action film with Taapsee Pannu in Gandhari, how it differs from other mother-child films
She began her film journey as a screenwriter and has now turned producer. Ask Kanika Dhillon if much has changed, and she responds that even now, all she wants to do is tell stories. As she gets ready to launch her next project, Gandhari (yet again with her frequent collaborator Taapsee Pannu), she speaks with HT about the genesis of the film and why partnering with Netflix time and again makes sense for her. Gandhari is a revenge drama directed by Devashish Makhija and starring Taapsee in the lead role. Talking about how the film came into being, Kanika tells us, "This is about a different sort of fear, or rather fierceness as a human being. To what extent can a mother go to protect her child? That idea is where Gandhari started. Action is something that I think is a very exciting genre. I've not done something like that before. So all these things came together." Kanika has worked with Taapsee in the two Haseen Dilruba films as well as Manmarziyaan, in which she was the screenwriter. Talking about bringing her on board, she says, "She was also in the right frame of mind that she wanted to do an action film. So, it just kind of happened at the right time. Also, as people and as artist, I think we were ready for it to kind of delve into something as emotional and as driven as the story we have here." Time and again, it has been argued that the audiences won't accept women-led action or mass films. But Kanika disagrees. "I don't think the onus is on the audience to accept or not to accept. I think they are very open to connecting to a well-told story. So, I think it is on us to tell it how we want to. I think it's a more internal conflict of a creator rather than an audience preference. I think a well-told story always finds an audience," she says. Before Gandhari, there had been other films based on mothers fighting for their children. But Kanika is not wary of any comparisons. Every child and mother's bond is as old as nature and earth, and as unique, because you can't replace your own mother," she says, adding, "So in the same way, this emotion is so universal, while being unique. Each mother is a world in her own self, and the bond that that mother shares with her child is unmatchable and is so unique that you will not find it replicated in another mother-child bond." She adds that Gandhari's setting also differentiates it from other similar films. Kanika explains, "Gandhari is very rooted in its cultural bearing. That differentiates it. So, I don't think there are going to be comparisons or overlaps because it has a unique story, standing on its feet with its fierce emotions." She talks about expanding the horizons, and naturally, the conversation moves to taking such Indian stories global via streaming. Talking about partnering with Netflix again (for Gandhari after Haseen Dilruba), she says, "It has a global audience, and as creators, what we're looking for a medium to reach the biggest audience that there is out there. With the advent of streaming giants like Netflix, our stories can get to travel and reach those audiences. It can put us on the map there. We didn't have that access to a global audience earlier which we do have now and that's great." Gandhari, backed by Kanika's Katha Pictures and directed by Devashish Makhija, is set to premiere on Netflix later this year.
