Latest news with #Zoya
Time of India
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Zoya Akhtar's cryptic post on ‘Shady' industry people sparks buzz; Ananya Panday, Bhumi Pednekar hit ‘Like'
(Picture Courtesy: Facebook) Filmmaker Zoya Akhtar has set social media abuzz with a cheeky Instagram post that many believe carries more weight than just humor. On Sunday, Zoya shared a close-up image of a teddy bear wearing a t-shirt boldly printed with the words: 'INDUSTRY PEOPLE ARE SHADY. ' She captioned it, 'It's A Sign 😂,' leaving fans and followers wondering if there's a hidden message behind the playful post. Celebs React, Fans Speculate The post quickly attracted attention from several Bollywood insiders. Among those who hit the 'like' button were actors Ananya Panday , Bhumi Pednekar, and filmmaker Farah Khan. While none of them commented directly, Reddit threads were soon buzzing with speculation. Some fans saw it as a tongue-in-cheek jab at the film industry's behind-the-scenes politics, while others simply enjoyed the humor. One Reddit user quipped, 'This shirt has more authenticity than half the industry,' while another joked, 'She is industry people…' View this post on Instagram A post shared by ColorsTV (@colorstv) Zoya, daughter of legendary screenwriter Javed Akhtar and sister of Farhan Akhtar, is celebrated for her keen observations on relationships, fame, and ambition through films like 'Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara' and 'Gully Boy'. Recently, she opened up about the online trolling faced by the young cast of her musical 'The Archies'. On Komal Nahta's 'Game Changers' podcast, Zoya admitted feeling responsible for the backlash the debutants faced and emphasized her role in standing by them. A Subtle Dig or Just Humor? While Zoya's post might simply be a fun fashion moment, fans can't help but wonder if it's a subtle dig at the industry's complexities — or perhaps a self-aware nod to her own position within it. Either way, the post has sparked plenty of online chatter. 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 .
Indian Express
24-05-2025
- General
- Indian Express
Tyranny of yearning male validation
'I will not be able to sleep until I know where I am on it,' Shona said, referring to a 'likeability code' that a few boys had designed to slot every girl in their class. 'Where do I fit and how likeable do boys think I am?' was the hot topic among the grade VII girls in the school. I have to admit that earlier in the conversation, I had listened to her with incredulity, which slowly dissipated as I sensed her distress. It was important for me to acknowledge the pain before I attempted to deconstruct generations of patriarchy. Fifteen-year-old Diya blames herself. 'If only I had been thinner, prettier, it would not have happened,' she said, after her boyfriend cheated on her. Seventeen-year-old Chitra is dismayed at how she let her boyfriend 'pressurise me to do things I was not okay with, but could not say no to. If I make a big deal of it, he will just call me a psycho, ghost me and slut-shame me in school.' And in all these conversations, what keeps coming up is the phrase 'seeking male validation.' So rather than brushing this as a Gen Z slang, I became curious. The young generation has a way of coming up with terms that hit the nail on the head at times. These conversations define the cultural moment we are currently finding ourselves in. Patriarchy is a shape-shifting beast. It morphs stealthily into the cultural context it finds itself. Nineteen-year-old Zoya told me how 'yearning male validation' was making her question if she was pretty enough. Her body slumped, eyes fastened on her clenched hands; she was struggling to find words to express her pain. Her phone pinged and suddenly her face lit up. There was a big smile on her face. It was like a bulb being switched on in a dark room. 'Male validation?' I asked her, and she smiled while rolling her eyes. 'A boy I met on Bumble messaged me. It is so ridiculous, but it's like I get a high. I feel so happy and confident every time I get a message from him,' she said. I have also been very curious about dating apps. I am sure many have found love and romance through them but their politics is questionable. They are pitched as being sexually empowering for women. But in Zoya's words, 'Men come to window shop on these apps and women are on display. We are not the users, we are the products.' These dating apps perpetuate the validation economy where men are given the options to 'pick and choose the right product'. 'They have the playing field, and girls are being played.' Add to it the growing misogyny radicalising young men on the internet and we are left with quite an untamed beast that is being weaponised against women. The injustice of it lingers and finds its way into my writing. That's how I make sense of this world. How is it that despite decades of feminism, our girls are still outsourcing their worth by where they fit in the metric of 'likeability' by males? And how the economics of diet, fitness, beauty industries, along with tech giants, are making young women more vulnerable to internalising this ridiculous notion. They are rewarded for every attempt they make to please men. Be smaller, take less space, stay silent, be pretty, be nice, be soft, be demure, be modest. Stay within the lines drawn out. It is interesting to see that sexuality does not make us immune to it. 'Women seek male validation, men seek male validation and maybe even queer folk seek male validation,' explained Zoya and it made perfect sense. Patriarchy does not spare anyone. It delights me that it is young women who are unpacking the notion of 'seeking male validation' and realising that something is off here. It is rancid and has gone way beyond the expiry date. In our conversations, some of the themes have emerged that could be starting points to help us find our way out of this smelly situation. How can girls identify and name the problem when it shows up? When I asked this question, I got a range of responses that underlined how important it is to stay curious: 'I ask myself why am I checking my phone repeatedly? Am I addicted to the dopamine kick that will end up hurting me later?' 'Am I making myself small, soft, sweet to be more desirable to men?' 'Am I okay with what is being said, or done here?' 'Am I holding myself back from speaking up as I know the approval will be withdrawn?' 'Where am I investing my attention, and am I letting it take over my life?' 'Am I waiting to be chosen or am I ready to choose?' Equally important is bringing up our boys to examine their privilege and the 'boy code' that makes them feel entitled. They cannot be complicit in using patriarchy as a leash to make girls perform tricks. It is interesting to note that across the world, the use of dating apps among women has dropped significantly compared to men. They are calling it what it is — economic exploitation in the garb of sexual liberation. I am also meeting more and more girls who are opting out of social media or prefer to use it intentionally. As Diya said, 'I am not okay being seen as a thirst trap.' To consume less and create more. To be doers rather than lookers. Chitra's commitment to 'Go big and go loud' is a heart-warming act of resistance. To speak up, question, take space. To refuse to let the 'likeability code' divide us. When we move beyond that tyranny, we find friendships and platonic love. Where all genders can come together for collective care. Acknowledgement to Anya Sen for keeping this column relevant. Composite stories and pseudonyms are used to maintain confidentiality.
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Business Standard
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Business Standard
This American Woman: Aunti Zarna takes the mic and the spotlight
This American Woman: A One-in-a-Billion Memoir Published by Penguin Random House 306 pages ₹799 One often has to be reminded of their talent and told: 'Hey, you have it in you.' In the Indian-American comic Zarna Garg's case, that person was her daughter Zoya, who asked her mother to try her hand at stand-up comedy. It'd have been daunting for Garg to embark on this ambition, 18 'failed LLCs later'. But Garg acted on her 'special gift' and transformed herself into Auntie Zarna, her onstage persona and as her fans love to call her, bursting onto the standup comedy scene after being a 'stay-at-home mom' for 16 years. Garg's jokes have a near-universal appeal. She encapsulates in them the trials and tribulations of everyday life, enhancing relatability. The avatar of a no-nonsense, middle-class Indian mom further accentuates her screen presence. She's likeable, and the reels and videos she posts are unskippable. But lately, she has been in the news because of her book, This American Woman: A One-in-a-Billion Memoir. Comprising 21 chapters, one of which is written by Zoya, the book begins with a question Garg had asked her agent: 'Do Tina Fey and Amy Poehler need an opener for their new tour?' The response to this question paid dividends, though Garg doubted whether these two famous figures were 'ready for a foul-mouthed real-life Indian auntie who hated meditation'. This anecdote in the introduction to this book intrigues the reader to learn about the 'transformation of a loudmouthed, backtalking Mumbai teen into a manic, deranged Manhattan housewife, and then back into her loudest, backtalkingest, most unshutable beast form: a New York City standup comedian'. The initial chapters describe how Garg was an 'oops' child. Her mother didn't want anything to do with children, for she had already brought her siblings up and gotten them married before marrying herself to a 37-year-old man who had three children from his previous marriage. Perhaps that explains a sort of indifference Garg may have experienced as a child from her mother. However, her siblings, much older than her, mothered and fathered her. Sister Sunita became a friend-cum-confidante, while Suresh acted as that brother-cum-protective figure. Such siblings are comforting when your father happens to be a taskmaster. He wanted to be obeyed. Though Garg admired him, she critiqued him for thinking nothing beyond what he believed a girl child or a woman must do: Marry and rear children. As one sifts through the pages of this breezy memoir full of interesting anecdotes and life lessons, two subliminally influential experiences that helped shape Garg's life before her marriage can be noted. First, despite being in the patriarchal strongholds of her husband, Garg, 'the original troublemaker', remained nonchalant. There was something more to her that people got to learn only upon her death — the evidence of her philanthropy. Garg notes that even after 35 years of her mother's death, the ones she helped still think of her. Second is visiting her sister Sunita and her husband Deepak in Akron, Ohio, in 1983. Experiencing the freedom of roaming freely without thinking of being unsafe or raped or thinking that a 'kid [there] really can be a kid' was revelatory and revolutionary to an eight-year-old Zarna. But more than that, it was an encounter at an American nightclub with a DJ. Upon being asked if she was comfortable, a young Garg replies, 'No, I don't like this at all, but that only proves I am an intellectual destined for great things!' This made the DJ laugh and confused the young girl. Garg writes, 'When I vocalised my opinions in India, people usually told me I was crazy or stupid or to shut up. Only Suresh took me seriously. I wasn't prepared for laughter.' But there's this third thing that she experiences only after her marriage, noticing the unshakeable belief her husband had in her at a charity event. People were having fun at her expense when her husband, Shalabh, quipped that 'they're all scared that one day you're going to find your thing, and then you'll simply be unstoppable'. Nothing prepares one for such moments. The thing that this memoir, written in a conversational tone, teaches you is that you must take life as it comes. As in the case of Garg, it may so happen that you may have to escape being married at 14 or find your husband on an 'Indian singles website' or think of everything failing all over again when you happen to make inroads into your calling when the world gets a lockdown because of a pandemic. But then, the only way to respond to tragic situations is not to lose the ability to laugh, which is precisely what Garg has done throughout her life. Even in her writing. For example, no matter whether a chapter technically deals with grief or guilt, Garg's writing has the quality of delivering a joke on paper. While there's an implicit critique of race, caste, and class, there seems to be a celebration of the American capitalist way of living. There's a moment when Garg notes that now she knows what '[her] price is'. This commonplace acceptance of this notion as a metric to gauge others' success is in many ways problematic. Nonetheless, Garg's memoir is thoroughly readable and keeps you in stitches, inspiring you to take charge of your life. Most importantly, it makes you believe that it's perfectly all right to start again whenever you want, or are ready.
India.com
21-05-2025
- Entertainment
- India.com
Ahead Of War 2, 7 YRF Spy Universe Films You Must Know Of!
Zee Media Bureau May 20, 2025 War 2 is an upcoming Indian action-thriller set to release on August 14, 2025, as part of the YRF Spy Universe. Directed by Ayan Mukerji, the film stars Hrithik Roshan reprising his role as Major Kabir Dhaliwal and introduces Jr NTR as the formidable antagonist, marking his Hindi film debut. Alpha: YRF Spy Universe is an upcoming Indian action film set in the expanding YRF Spy Universe, created by Yash Raj Films. It will introduce a new spy character played by Alia Bhatt, marking the first female-led film in the franchise. Directed by Shiv Rawail, Alpha aims to bring a fresh perspective to the spy universe, which already includes blockbusters like Ek Tha Tiger, Tiger Zinda Hai, War, Pathaan, and Tiger 3. The film is expected to feature intense action, espionage, and a strong female lead, further diversifying and strengthening the YRF Spy Universe. Tiger 3 is a 2023 Indian action-thriller film directed by Maneesh Sharma and produced by Yash Raj Films. It is the third installment in the Tiger franchise, following Ek Tha Tiger and Tiger Zinda Hai. The film stars Salman Khan as Tiger and Katrina Kaif as Zoya, with Emraan Hashmi playing the main antagonist. In Tiger 3, the duo must clear their names after being framed as traitors while also facing a deadly global threat. The film is part of the expanding YRF Spy Universe Pathaan is a 2023 Indian action-thriller film directed by Siddharth Anand and produced by Yash Raj Films. It stars Shah Rukh Khan as Pathaan, a former RAW agent who is called back to stop a deadly terrorist threat led by Jim (played by John Abraham), a rogue ex-agent. Deepika Padukone plays an ISI agent who teams up with Pathaan. The film is part of the YRF Spy Universe, connecting with Ek Tha Tiger and War. Known for its slick action, star power, and patriotic themes, Pathaan marked Shah Rukh Khan's return to the big screen and became a massive box-office success. War is a 2019 Indian action-thriller film directed by Siddharth Anand and produced by Yash Raj Films. It stars Hrithik Roshan as Kabir, a rogue Indian intelligence agent, and Tiger Shroff as Khalid, his former student assigned to track him down. The film is known for its high-octane action, stylish visuals, and plot twists. With themes of loyalty, betrayal, and patriotism, War became one of the highest-grossing Indian films of 2019 and is part of the YRF Spy Universe, alongside Ek Tha Tiger and Pathaan. Tiger Zinda Hai is a 2017 Indian action-thriller film directed by Ali Abbas Zafar. It is the sequel to Ek Tha Tiger and stars Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif reprising their roles as Tiger and Zoya, agents from rival intelligence agencies. The plot is inspired by a real-life hostage rescue mission, where Tiger and Zoya team up to rescue nurses held hostage by a terrorist group in Iraq. The film features intense action, a message of unity, and themes of heroism. It was a major commercial success and further solidified the Tiger film franchise. Ek Tha Tiger is a 2012 Indian action-thriller film directed by Kabir Khan and produced by Yash Raj Films. It stars Salman Khan as Tiger, a RAW (Indian intelligence) agent, and Katrina Kaif as Zoya, an ISI (Pakistani intelligence) agent. The story follows their mission-turned-romance as they navigate espionage, danger, and national loyalties. Known for its high-octane action, exotic locations, and patriotic theme, Ek Tha Tiger was a major box-office success and later became the first film in the Tiger franchise. Read Next Story
The Hindu
19-05-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Schools in Poonch, the worst-hit in military confrontation, reopen to only 16% attendance
With 23 schools in ruins and four children dead in mortar shelling of Pakistan, Jammu and Kashmir's frontier district of Poonch — the worst-affected in the recent India-Pakistan military confrontation — on Monday (May 19, 2025) reopened educational institutes. However, around 16% of students attended classes as fear remains palpable in the district that saw heavy nightlong shelling for several days. All 1,391 schools with around 95,000 students, including high and higher secondary schools, reopened after a gap of 13 days in Poonch, which saw over 14 civilian deaths and injuries to dozens in the recent Pakistan shelling. 'Attendance was on the lower side. Many families which migrated may not have returned to their homes yet. In remote areas, students would not be knowing about reopening of schools. We just recorded 10 to 16% attendance of students on day one,' Syed Iftikhar Hussain Shah, Chief Education Officer of Poonch, told The Hindu. At least 14 children were hit by Pakistani shelling and firing in Poonch after India carried out attacks inside Pakistan on May 7 in the wake of the Pahalgam terror attack on April 22, which left 26 civilians dead. Four children under the age of 15 died in the shelling, who included a brother-sister duo, Ayan and Zoya (12). Maryam Khatoon (7) from Poonch's Qazi Mohra area was one of the youngest to get killed in the military conflict. The students and staff at the Christ School, Poonch, observed a two-minute silence to mourn the tragic deaths of Ayan and Zoya. Many schools could not be fully functional because of the damages inflicted by the shelling. 'Two schools were completely destroyed in the shelling in Poonch's Mankote tehsil,' Mr. Shah said. WhatsApp groups To dissipate fear among students, principals and school heads appealed to students not to pay heed to social media rumours. Several school WhatsApp groups have been activated to motivate students to rejoin schools. 'We have already started online classes for Class 11-12. We will reach out to students to ensure they attend the classes now,' Mr. Shah added. Many students of the high school in Khari Karmara, Poonch, made video appeals, urging students to rejoin the classes. 'It has been around two weeks since we could not attend the classes. We have not met our classmates since then. We appeal to our classmates to rejoin classes now,' a high school student said in a video message. However, many parents said they decided against sending their wards to school because they still feel insecure and saw the current ceasefire between the two countries as 'fragile'. 'Our children are safe only when there is a permanent ceasefire agreement. Every time there is a loud bang, we rush to hide ourselves,' said Zahoor Malik, a parent, who shifted to winter capital Jammu after Poonch was rained by Pakistan shelling. The administration decided to reopen classes a day after the Indian Army clarified that there was no expiry date to the ceasefire agreement. Besides Poonch, schools in border areas of Jammu, Samba, Kathua, Rajouri, and Udhampur also reopened, marking a significant step towards restoring normalcy in the region after days of tension along the Pakistan border, officials said.
