(This article is a part of the First Day First Show newsletter that brings you the latest and best from the world of films and entertainment. Subscribe now)
Around Tinsel Town
>> Best of 2024
From cinema from every corner of the country to different languages, mediums and genres across the world, here is a compilation of the best films this year has to offer on the big and small screens.
> Cinema as we all imagine it: The best Indian films of 2024
> Tamil cinema in 2024: Where big films fail to perform and small films take center stage
>Rewind 2024: That was the year of Malayalam cinema
>Telugu cinema 2024: Blockbusters, surprises and many misses
> best anime of 2024
> 2024 and its cinema of desire | Are rom-coms, as we know them, dead?
>> ‘Hero of parallel cinema’ Shyam Benegal passes away
Filmmaker Shyam Benegal, a stalwart of Indian cinema and one of the guiding stars of the parallel cinema movement, died on Monday in Mumbai due to kidney-related ailments. The veteran director was known for poignant and enduring films Ankur, Nishant, Manthan And Zubaidawhich examined the many fault lines of Indian society and chronicled the country’s development while changing its cinematic course
Here is a collection of tributes to Shyam Benegal from The Hindu:
> Veteran Indian cinema artist Shyam Benegal passes away at the age of 90
> Shyam Benegal – The boy from Alwal who put Hyderabad on the national film map
> Shyam Benegal (1934-2024): The filmmaker who gave voice to the voiceless
> How Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi influenced the filmography of late Shyam Benegal
> From ‘Ankur’ to ‘Kalyug’, the best films of Shyam Benegal
>When Anant Nag gave the title of Shyam Benegal’s first film
> Shyam Benegal: Film personalities remember one of the finest filmmakers
> Shyam Benegal’s demise marks the end of a glorious chapter of Indian cinema, television: President Murmu
> ‘I used to be jealous…’: Shyam Benegal’s relationship with cousin Guru Dutt
> Film producer Shyam Benegal was cremated with full state honours.
>> Veteran of Malayalam literature, MT Vasudevan Nair passes away
MT Vasudevan Nair, one of India’s greatest writers of all time, passed away at a private hospital in Kozhikode, Kerala on Christmas Day. A man of words who will endure for generations to come, the creator of films that are forever imprinted in the collective psyche of the Malayalees, Nair was all this and much more.
Here is a collection of tributes to MT Vasudevan NairFrom The Hindu:
> Modern Kerala’s favorite storyteller MT Vasudevan Nair is no more
> MT Vasudevan Nair: A life that influenced Malayalam literature and cinema
> MT Vasudevan Nair, the great of screenwriting
> MT Vasudevan Nair’s words held a mirror up to his fellow Malayalees
> MT Vasudevan Nair: Complete coverage on his life and times
> Film fraternity pays emotional tribute to MT Vasudevan Nair
>MT Vasudevan Nair | Filmmaker Hariharan says I’m glad I could make memorable films with MT
Bollywood
Kartik Aryan and Karan Johar’s fight ends, come together for ‘Tu Meri Main Tera, Main Tera Tu Meri’
Shooting of ‘Housefull 5’ completed, the film will be released in June 2025
First look of Sidharth Malhotra, Janhvi Kapoor’s ‘Param Sundari’ out
Shooting of Sunny Deol’s ‘Border 2’ begins
Junaid Khan, Khushi Kapoor’s next romantic comedy is ‘Loveyapa’
Hollywood
Blake Lively accuses ‘It End’s With Us’ director Justin Baldoni of harassment and defamation campaign
Christopher Nolan to adapt Homer’s ‘The Odyssey’
‘Evil Dead Rise’ director Lee Cronin to remake ‘The Mummy’
The Weeknd announces ‘Hurry Up Tomorrow’ film with Jenna Ortega and Barry Keoghan
Dakota Johnson joins Anne Hathaway in Colleen Hoover’s ‘Verity’ adaptation
regional cinema
Allu Arjun’s house vandalized in Hyderabad
Amid stampede controversy, ‘Pushpa 2’ makers remove ‘Damunte Pattukora’ song
Actors, directors and producers from Telugu film industry met Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy
‘Mental Manadhil’: Selvaraghavan’s film with GV Prakash Kumar is on the floors
‘Retro’: Suriya’s film with Karthik Subbaraj gets the title
Trailers
Sung Jin-woo builds an army worthy of the Shadow Monarch in ‘Solo Leveling’ season 2 trailer
Explosive new love for Denji in ‘Chainsaw Man: The Rage Arc’ teaser
El Serpiente is back to slay Josh in ‘Cobra Kai’ Season 6 Part 3 teaser
essential reading
1) Samuthirakani Interview: On ‘Thiru’. Manikkam’ and how to avoid cheating
>>The actor also remembered his mentor and veteran filmmaker K Balachander on his 10th death anniversary
2) Dialectics of Bikini, ‘Baby John’ and Atlee
>> A brief reference to the ‘Besharam Rang’ controversy in ‘Baby John’ raises the question: How political is Atlee Kumar’s cinema?
3) Ashish Vidyarthi Interview: On Becoming a Stand-Up Comic with ‘Sit Down Ashish’ and More
>>Actor Ashish Vidyarthi dives into stand-up comedy, sharing laughs, life lessons and inspiration with audiences across India
4) ‘Alangu’ director SP Sakthivel tells how Mani, an independent dog, gave birth to the idea for his film
>>As the director’s ‘Alangu’, Set to release on December 27, he relives his childhood memories with Mani
5) Cinema of 2024 and its desires. Are rom-coms, as we know them, dead?
>> The idea of ​​’happily ever after’ has changed, and films and shows are increasingly exploring desire, sexuality and gender
6) Box office results should not be the only yardstick to judge the quality of a film: Amol Palekar
>> Speaking at The Hindu Lit for Life Dialogue, the veteran actor-filmmaker talked about his memoir ‘Viewfinder: A Memoir’.
7) Filmmaker Sandesh Kadur’s new documentary reveals the unique biodiversity of the Nilgiris
>> In ‘Nilgiri – A Shared Wilderness’, renowned wildlife filmmaker Sandesh Kadur explores India’s oldest biosphere reserve.
8) Mixed emotions: Anglo-Indian identity and its portrayal in film
>> While some films offer a more nuanced portrayal of the complexities of the Anglo-Indian community, others continue to romanticize the aesthetics of the colonial era.
what to watch
1) Varun Dhawan celebrates Christmas with raunchy entertainer ‘Baby John’
Read the full review here
2) Netflix’s dystopian, bloody world of chaos and greed gets a worthy sequel in ‘Squid Game’ season 2
Read the full review here
3) Mohanlal’s passion project, ‘Barrows’ ended up being a lost opportunity
Read the full review here
4) Dashing Sudeep drives high-octane ‘Max’ with minor flaws
Read the full review here
5) There are a ton of problems with ‘The Smile Man,’ a joyless, pretentious psycho-thriller
Read the full review here
6) Jason Reitman’s ode to SNL is brilliantly broken in ‘Saturday Night’
Read the full review here
7) ‘La Palma’ is a powerful, poignant, thrilling disaster drama
Read the full review here
8) ‘One Hundred Years of Solitude’ has magic and realism galore
Read the full review here
published – December 27, 2024 04:46 PM IST
