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First Post
15-05-2025
- Entertainment
- First Post
John Abraham's The Diplomat on Netflix: ‘The script of The Diplomat enamoured me and I…'
As John Abraham's The Diplomat is doing even better on Netflix, here is a look back at what he said and how the role enamoured him. read more EXCLUSIVE! John Abraham on The Diplomat: Is it getting nominated for the National award; here's what he had to say | Not Just Bollywood John Abraham plays the role of diplomat JP Singh, a man of few words but strong-headed and knows his job like the back of his hand. In the The Diplomat which is now showing on Netflix, John Abraham had mentioned in an EXCLUSIVE interview with Firstpost just after it's theatrical release, he had mentioned, 'People think since it's my film, he is going to fight, beat people and throw people. We did none of them. There wasn't a single scene where we went over the top.' STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD WATCH the full video interview with John Abraham on The Diplomat here: A very engaging espionage film, The Diplomat deals with finer details of diplomacy. It is not a typical high-octane action packed drama where we see John flexing his muscles, it is indeed far from it where he is shown as a very firm, sorted and no-nonsense diplomat. It tells the real life story of Uzma Ahmed who was forced to get married and held captive by her husband in Pakistan's Buner in 2017. Considering it is a very different film for John Abraham where he didn't get a chance to flex his muscles, he said 'The script of The Diplomat enamoured me and I fell in love with it. Each and every character in this film has an arc. It's a laborious process and what came out was beautiful at the end. I think the film deserves to be one of the nominees for the National award. I feel India should make more films like this.' Directed by Shivam Nair, The Diplomat featuring John Abraham as JP Singh and Sadia Khateeb as Uzma Ahmed is an engaging real-life story which will give you shivers down your spine. The Diplomat is in fact John Abraham's career best performance. Directed by Shivam Nair with John Abraham and Sadia Khateeb as leads, the movie revolves around the real-life story of Uzma Ahmed's (Sadia Khateeb) brave escape from Pakistan with the help of JP Singh (John Abraham). WATCH the trailer of The Diplomat movie here: STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD
India.com
06-05-2025
- Entertainment
- India.com
370 films, over 150 flops and 47 disasters, this actor gave most flops in Indian cinema, used to sleep on footpath, now owns...
370 films, over 150 flops and 47 disasters, this actor gave most flops in Indian cinema, used to sleep on footpath, now owns... In 90s, the film industry was dominated majorly by superstars like Amitabh Bachchan, Dharmendra, Vinod Khanna and Rajesh Khanna. During this phase, an actor entered Bollywood and gave tough competition to these stars. Although, he holds the record of giving the maximum flops in Indian cinema, but still the word superstar attached to his name never left. We are talking about none other than Mithun Chakraborty, the actor who made debut with Mrigayaa in 1976 and won the National award for his impeccable performance. In a span of 47 years, the actor has worked in over 350 films. Of these, according to reports, 133 have been flops and 47 disasters. In 2000s, he became more selective about his projects, means his flop count lowered down in the last decade or so. Despite giving maximum number of flops, you must be wondering why Mithun Chakraborty is regarded as a superstar. The reason is that he gave several successful projects too, which is till date cherished by masses. Apart from winning the National Award, he gave the industry its first Rs 100-crore hit Disco Dancer . In 80s, he also starred in many solo and ensemble hits. On the top of that, his dance moves helped him attain superstardom in Bollywood. Before becoming superstar, the actor faced several hardships in his journey. He once revealed that he did not have roof over his head and used to sleep on footpath when he was trying to make it in the industry. However, leaving all that back, now the actor has carved a name for himself and continues to maintain his superstardom. Report suggest that he has a net worth of Rs 50 million, roughly equivalent to Rs 400 crore. He also owns high-end collection of cars, including the Mercedes Benz 1975, Toyota Fortuner, and Ford Endeavour. Moreover, he also owns several real estate holdings around India. Meanwhile, on the work front, Mithun Chakraborty was last seen in Kabuliwala , which was released in 2023. He also made his OTT debut in 2022 with Prime Video's show Bestseller. In 2024, he also played the title role in Bengali film Shastri and in another successful Bengali project, Shontaan.
The Hindu
01-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Hindu
How Shaji N Karun captured the realities of life through his lens
A pall of gloom hangs over 'Piravi', Shaji N Karun's residence in Thiruvananthapuram. This was where the auteur and ace cinematographer met admirers from all walks of life. This is where he had conceptualised all his works, including documentaries and short films. This is where I met Shaji more than three decades ago as a student of journalism as part of my course. He had shared that it was his wife Anusuya Warrier's idea to name their house 'Piravi'. Shaji spent considerable time speaking to a rookie reporter, discussing his maiden film Piravi (1988), his second film Swaham (1994) and his student days in Pune. Piravi , a huge success, was about the story of a father's futile search for his son, who has been picked up by the police. The film brought alive the excesses during the Emergency, in a poignant way. It won Shaji the Camera d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival in 1989 and the National award for best director along with several other honours from across the world. Swaham (1994) was also screened at Cannes. It was Shaji's fascination for the images painted by light that made him take to cinematography. After his graduating in Physics from University College, he chose to join the Film and Television Institute of India in Pune. He passed out with a gold medal in cinematography. Shaji always spoke passionately about the magic and moods of the tropical sun. He would excitedly capture its constantly changing hues and direction. His attention to detail was amazing. His simplicity was in stark contrast to the world he saw through the lens. Since he lived in the neighbourhood of my mother's house, I have often seen him walk quietly along the road. He was then the chairman of the Kerala State Chalachitra Academy. He was also the executive chairman of the International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK). He was able to get the best of filmmakers and technicians to these festivals because of his personal equation with them. Over the years, I have had the opportunity to speak to him several times. Each time, I was left with a sense of wonder at the filmmaker's ability to delve into varied themes set in different periods of times. Shaji was not a prolific director. He took time to shape a story or a theme and then spent some more time visualising it in a language and idiom that was all his. Among the many awards that Shaji had won, he particularly treasured the Sir Charlie Chaplin Award instituted to commemorate the birth centenary of the legendary comic actor (1989) at the Edinburgh Film Festival. 'After I boarded my flight to India, the flight attendants announced that I had won this prestigious award and the passengers gave me a standing ovation,' he had recounted during an interview to The Hindu. Shaji's deep affinity for music and painting was evident in all his films. His bond with artist Namboothiri resulted in the documentary Neruvara on the latter's life. Moving Focus – A Voyage captured the artist KG Subramanyam's journey. The free-flowing lines and strokes were beautifully translated onto the screen by Shaji. He had stepped into the world of cinema by cranking the camera for KP Kumaran's Lakshmi Vijayam (1976). But it was his long association with G. Aravindan that marked his cinematographic oeuvre. Kanchana Sita (1977), Thampu (1978), Kummatty (1979), Esthappan (1979), Pokkuveyil (1981), Chidambaram, Oridathu and Unni were all filmed by him. He had an uncanny ability to understand what Aravindan had in mind. Shaji was able to transform Aravindan's abstract ideas into perfectly composed frames. 'Aravindan's screenplay was often very brief. Thampu, for instance, had only four pages,' he had recalled during the screening of the film's restored version in Cannes. He had also worked with other great directors such as P. Padmarajan, M.T. Vasudevan Nair, K.G. George and Lenin Rajendran. He was the cinematographer of writer-director Padmarajan's Koodevide, which marked actor Suhasini's debut in Malayalam films. Paying tribute to Shaji, Suhasini had shared on Instagram: 'Remembering Shaji Karun. Some people we meet are evergreen and eternal. He was the cinematographer for my debut film Koodevide. I was his Subhadra in Vanaprastham. A true artiste and a great human. People like him made our industry safe and marvellous for newcomers. Will miss him…' In Vanaprastham (1999), Shaji's third feature film, Mohanlal came up with an award-winning performance as a poverty-stricken Kathakali performer and his inner struggle as an artiste and man. Kutty Srank (2010) remains one of the most complex films of Shaji. It traced the past life of a dead Chavittunatakan artiste and the different memories he left behind in the places he had lived. Blurring reality and fiction, Shaji's story in a sense was also the story of certain regions of the State and the arrival of different faiths and belief systems. Mammotty effortlessly played the three avatars of Kutty Srank and his relationship with three women. Shaji had once said that Mohanlal's large expressive eyes was his biggest advantage while Mammootty was so handsome that it was difficult to mask his good looks. 'Even if one were to smear his face with soil, it would difficult to hide his features.' After Swaapanam and Olu, Shaji's heartfelt desire was to direct a musical. He had said how disappointed he was when a top actor, who had received several awards for his work in Shaji's films, had come up with all kinds of excuses to not work in the musical. It was to have been a mega Indo-European project. With Shaji's passing, Malayalam cinema has lost a director and technician who elevated it to global standards. I recently watched Vanaprastham on television and experienced the meditative pace at which Shaji's camera captured every nuance of emotion. It reflected Shaji's approach to life — observing and enjoying every moment in quietude.
