As interesting as it’s been watching fashion’s game of creative director musical chairs over these past few months, it’s been tiresome witnessing white man after white man getting appointed at these top fashion houses. Some women have broken through the noise, such as Bottega Veneta’s Louise …
Continue reading
The filmmaker tells IndieWire that he really wanted Iran to submit his “It Was Just an Accident” for the Oscars. (France submitted it instead.) Or, better still, for the Academy to change the rules of international feature film eligibility so they don’t favor democracies.
These are the stories making headlines in fashion on Monday. Kering will sell its beauty division to L’Oréal for €4 billion (approximately $4.6 billion), the companies announced on Sunday. Per the agreement, the beauty conglomerate will acquire Kering’s fragrance line Creed, and have a …
Continue reading
MTV’s “Buzz” was acclaimed alongside “Twin Peaks” as one of TV’s most innovative series in the early ’90s before falling into obscurity. Co-creator Pellington goes inside the show’s evolution and why he wanted to revisit it for the documentary “This Is Buzz.”
ICC Wales has announced the appointment of Craig Bingham as its new Managing Director, bringing a wealth of knowledge and expertise to the venue as it continues to grow its presence in the global business events sector.
Bingham joins from Wyndham Hotels, where he was Head of Global Sales & Sales Operations EMEA. He brings extensive experience from leading venues including the QEII Centre, Hilton Metropole, Park Plaza, Eastside Rooms in Birmingham, and leading MICE operations for Aimbridge Hospitality EMEA. He is also an active member of industry association beam.
In his new role Bingham will bring vision, insight and leadership to ICC Wales, where he will manage the operational and sales teams, drive business growth, and help shape future strategy.
Discussing Bingham’s appointment Julie Hammond, CEO of ICC Wales and The Celtic Collection said: “Craig’s appointment comes at an exciting time for ICC Wales. With his extensive experience across leading venues and international hospitality brands, he will play a pivotal role in driving innovation, enhancing our service offering, and ensuring every event we host meets the highest standards of excellence. I am delighted to welcome Craig to the team.”
Craig Bingham, Managing Director, ICC Wales said: “I’m thrilled to join ICC Wales at such an important stage in its growth. The venue has an outstanding reputation for hosting world-class events, and I look forward to working with the team to build on this, delivering exceptional experiences for organisers and delegates, and expanding ICC Wales’ presence in the global business events market.”
The recently concluded Filmfare Awards 2024 in Ahmedabad celebrated what many called a landmark year for Hindi cinema, with Laapataa Ladies emerging as the night’s biggest winner. The film bagged 13 trophies, including Best Film, while Abhishek Bachchan and Kartik Aaryan jointly won Best Actor, and Alia Bhatt took home Best Actress. However, not everyone was impressed. Director Sudipto Sen, best known for The Kerala Story, has lashed out at the awards, calling them a “tamasha” and accusing the organisers of promoting hypocrisy in the name of art.
Taking to Instagram, Sen shared a strongly worded note criticising the Filmfare Awards and the films that dominated this year’s ceremony. “This year Filmfare truly is an expose of Indian ‘nouvelle vague’… A blatantly plagiarised film… a film which is a tutorial of brutality and a film which did not survive the box office for more than 72 hours took away most of the crowns,” he wrote. “As expected, the best work of 2024 remains elusive. Realised why Filmfare was so vocal against The Kerala Story receiving National Awards. I am happy that this ‘wood’ community does not recognise, invite or choose us.”
Sen didn’t hold back as he criticised the glamour and perceived insincerity of Bollywood’s award culture. “We are spared from faking smiles, faking camaraderie, and most importantly, not indulging in any sycophancy,” he continued. “In the end, I am happy that we are saved from hobnobbing with this tamasha in the name of cinema in Mumbai and clicking selfies in Cannes. At least we are spared from these ugly hypocrisies and fake tapestry in the name of cinema.”
Also Read: Charu Asopa, Rajeev Sen Are Back Together? Reunion Buzz Sparks After Cosy Photos Emerge
In his caption, the filmmaker elaborated further on his disillusionment with the Indian film establishment: “I never expect anything great from any Indian cinema establishment, particularly when it is media or cinema journalism. Mostly enamored by the glamour and rich world of the stars, exactly the way people from villages and small cities gather in front of Mr. Bachchan or SRK’s house. They actually have zero contribution towards cinema, cinema art, the way world media does for world cinemas.”
While Sen refrained from explicitly naming the films he criticised, many inferred his targets from the context. The “blatantly plagiarised film” appeared to be a dig at Laapataa Ladies, directed by Kiran Rao. The “tutorial of brutality” was widely understood as Kill, a high-octane action film backed by Karan Johar, and the one that “did not survive the box office for more than 72 hours” likely referred to I Want To Talk.
Sen’s post quickly caught attention online, reigniting debate around credibility, favoritism, and artistic merit in Bollywood award functions. Some agreed with his sentiments, praising him for calling out what they saw as a long-standing culture of superficial celebration. Others accused him of bitterness, pointing out that The Kerala Story had already received national recognition and that dismissing other films’ artistic merit was unfair.
This isn’t the first time Sudipto Sen has stirred controversy. Just last month, he won the National Award for Best Director for The Kerala Story, which also earned the award for Best Cinematography. The film, based on the story of women from Kerala allegedly forced to convert to Islam and join ISIS, polarized audiences and critics alike. While it was hailed by some as a bold and necessary story, others condemned it as propagandist and divisive.
Despite the backlash, The Kerala Story proved to be one of the most commercially successful and talked-about films of the year, grossing over ₹250 crore worldwide. Sen’s strong words against Filmfare now underline his ongoing rift with Bollywood’s mainstream circles — a clash between what he perceives as “authentic cinema” and what he calls “fake glamour.”
For many, Sen’s post has once again raised uncomfortable but necessary questions about whether Indian film awards truly celebrate cinematic excellence or simply reward popularity and influence within the industry.
Published on: Oct 14, 2025 06:27 am IST
Ra.One, the sci-fi film produced by Shah Rukh Khan and starring him in the lead role, arrived with high expectations when it was released during Diwali in 2011. However, the film opened to mixed reviews and underperformed at the box office. In an interview with the YouTube channel Ulta Chasma UC, director Anubhav Sinha has now opened up about the film’s reception and the impact on him at that time.
During the conversation, Anubhav said, “I meet a lot of people who now tell me they like Ra.One, but at that time, the film was declared a flop. There was a lot of pain after it flopped. I made a film with Shah Rukh Khan and it was a flop and people didn’t like it at that time. That film broke me emotionally. It took time for me to recover from that.”
Anubhav went on to talk about collaborating with Shah Rukh Khan in the film, and added, “I was very fortunate that I was able to meet Shah Rukh Khan. I value him more than a star and an actor. Even if I don’t work with him ever, but I know him as a person and that is enough for me, you learn a lot from him. He is a very passionate, compassionate person. Despite all the stardom, he has a middle-class mind. You can learn all of these things from him. Of course, I would love to work with him, but I don’t have a story for him now and he also will not have time for me now.”
Anubhav went on to make films like Mulk, Article 15, Thappad and Bheed in the years succeeding the release of Ra.One.
Meanwhile, Shah Rukh recently won the National Award for Best Actor for his performance in Jawan. The actor was last seen in 2023’s Dunki, and will be seen next in King, which will also star Deepika Padukone and daughter Suhana Khan.
Superstar Salman Khan chanced upon a recent Bigg Boss 19 Weekend Ka Vaar episode to deliver a fiery, direct response to the persistent allegations made by filmmaker Abhinav Kashyap, the director of the first Dabangg film.
Without naming him initially during a conversation with comedian Ravi Gupta, Salman addressed the controversy head-on, questioning Kashyap’s current professional standing in the industry.
“We have one more Dabangg person,” Salman began. “He even dragged Aamir [Khan] into this. During Weekend Ka Vaar last week, I asserted ‘Just do your work, nobody’s interested.’ Today, I want to ask again, ‘Did you get any work, brother?’”
Salman went on to criticize Kashyap’s public behavior, suggesting it’s detrimental to his career. “If you’re going to criticize everyone, people will not work with you. Now, the person you have named will not work with you, nor the people associated with the person,” he asserted.
He revealed that despite the friction, his team had offered Kashyap a film, which the director refused. “When we offered you a film, you said you wouldn’t do it.”
#SalmanKhan exposes Abhinav Kashyap in wkv #BiggBoss19pic.twitter.com/xWiB8hPRWe
— Devil V!SHAL (@VishalRC007) October 12, 2025
While expressing how the allegations have personally hurt him, Salman emphasized that he still believes Kashyap is a talented filmmaker who should focus on his craft.
“The one thing that hurts me the most is that you are destroying yourself,” Salman shared. He then gave Kashyap blunt advice, urging him to prioritize his personal life and family. “If you want to get after someone, please go after your family or your brother (Anurag Kashyap). Or, love your brother, your parents, your wife. That’s the least you can do.”
He concluded his advice by encouraging the director to reconsider his current path: “I want to see you grow, you are a talented man. He is a good writer. Don’t go down this lane, take a u-turn from this highway.”
Salman also took the opportunity to respond to one of Kashyap’s most inflammatory recent remarks, where the director claimed Salman would soon “fall to his knees and even beg.”
Addressing the threat directly, the Sikandar actor stated: “Only God will take care of you. And friend, you talk about me going down on my knees, I go down on knees every morning but to pray.”
Abhinav Kashyap has been making various claims against Salman Khan for a while. He has alleged that the superstar took undue credit for Dabangg and was involved in manipulation within the industry.
Kashyap recently appeared on a podcast where he revisited an old incident from the set of Tere Naam, claiming that Salman made things so difficult for his brother, Anurag Kashyap, that Anurag was forced to walk away from the project.
Regarding Salman’s recent supportive comments about Anurag’s film Nishaanchi, Abhinav had scoffed at the praise. He had said, “It is written in Salman’s destiny that now he will lick our feet. I had called him a goon in an interview, and now he is trying to show that he is a big admirer of ours. The same Anurag Kashyap whom he harassed during Tere Naam… Now he will fall to his knees and even beg.” Salman’s Bigg Boss rant was his public counter to these specific attacks.
Superstar Salman Khan is not one to stay silent on the allegations made by Dabangg director Abhinav Kashyap. During the recent Bigg Boss 19 Weekend Ka Vaar episode, Salman addressed the controversy head-on and went on a fiery rant against the director, asking if he is getting any work in the industry.
Salman addressed the allegations made by Abhinav Kashyap in the Weekend Ka Vaar episode of Bigg Boss 19 on Sunday. He spoke about the stir during a conversation with comedian Ravi Gupta.
Without naming him directly at first, Salman said, “Ek Dabangg insaan hai. Mere sath uhnhone Aamir (Aamir Khan) ko bhi lapete mein le liya. Pichle weekend ke Vaar pe maine ek aise hi bola tha ke ‘Kaam karo yaar. Nobody’s interested.’ Aaj wapas se puchna chahta hoon, ‘Kaam mila kya bhai?’ (We have one more Dabbang person. He even dragged Aamir (Aamir Khan) into this. During Weekend Ka Vaar last week, I asserted ‘Just do your work, nobody’s interested.’ Today, I want to ask again, ‘Did you get any work?’)”
Salman continued, “Aur aise harkatein karne ke baad, har ek ki burai karoge aap, yeh jo naam aap le rahe ho, intelligence ki had hoti hai, yeh toh life mein aapke saath kaam nahi karenge. Ab inke saath jitne log jodde hai woh bhi nahi karenge. Aur phir humne jab apko ek picture offer ki, apne bola nahi karenge. ( If you’re going to criticise everyone, people will not work with you. Now, the person you have named will not work with you, nor the people associated with the person. When we offered you a film, you said you wouldn’t do it).”
Salman expressed that the allegations have hurt him, but he emphasised that he still believes Abhinav is truly talented and should concentrate on his work.
The actor shared, “Mujhe baat buri sirf ek hee cheez lag rahi hai ki apne apne aap ko destroy kar diya. Agar kisike parivar ke peeche padhna hai toh khudke parivar ke peeche padho. Apne bhai ke peeche padho, usse pyar karlo, Maa Pita se pyar karlo, biwi bachho ka khayal rakh lo. Yeh toh least hai (The one thing that hurts me the most is that you are destroying yourself. If you want to get after someone, please go after your family or your brother (Anurag Kashyap). Or, love your brother, your parents, your wife. That’s the least you can do).”
The Sikandar actor also gave advice to Abinav, saying, “I want to see you grow, you are a talented man. Aacha likhta hai (He is a good writer). Yeh gali mat jao. Wapis se aa jao highway pe (Don’t go down this lane, take a u-turn from this highway).”
During the conversation, Salman also responded to Abhinav’s remark claiming Salman will soon “fall to his knees and even beg”.
“Upar wala hi karega tumhare liye. Aur dost mujhe ghutno pe leke jaate ho na, main roz subha ghutno pe aata hun lekin uske liye (Only God will take care of you. And friend, you talk about me going down on my knees, I go down on knees every morning but to pray),” Salman shared.
For the unversed, Dabangg director Abhinav Kashyap has been making several claims and accusations against Salman for quite some time. He claimed that the actor took undue credit for Dabangg and hinted that Salman was involved in manipulation. Abhinav recently appeared on a podcast where revisited an old incident from the set of Tere Naam, claiming that Salman made things so difficult for his brother Anurag Kashyap that he had to walk away from the project.
Talking about Salman supporting Anurag’s film Nishaanchi, Abhinav said, “Salman ki takdeer par likha hai, ab yeh humare hi talve chaatega. Maine ek interview diya tha usko gunda bulaaya tha, toh ab yeh dikha raha hai ki yeh bada prashansak hai humara. Vohi Anurag Kashyap jisko Tere Naam main pereshaan kiya tha. Anurag ne voh film chodhi thi inhone nikala nahi tha. Ab uski tareef karte nazar aarahe hai voh toh karenge. Ab yeh ghutnon pe aayenge, bheek bhi mangenge (It is written in Salman’s destiny that now he will lick our feet. I had called him a goon in an interview, and now he is trying to show that he is a big admirer of ours. The same Anurag Kashyap whom he harassed during Tere Naam. Anurag had left that film, they hadn’t removed him. Now he is seen praising Anurag’s work, of course he will do that. Now he will fall to his knees and even beg).”
It’s only a matter of weeks until the release of Wicked: For Good, the anticipated follow-up to the box-office-smashing Wicked: Part One.
The film will see Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande reprise their leading roles as Elphaba and Glinda, with this second instalment set to be more emotional than the first. The recently released trailer surprised many fans with just how much was included, including the appearances of the Tin Man and the Scarecrow.
And it’s those character reveals that are really set to take viewers’ breath away, according to director Jon M. Chu.
Speaking during a panel talk at the London Film Festival 2025, Chu shared: “Wait until you see the Tin Man and the Scarecrow. These are not digital effects. These are real, physical makeup and hair. And it is extraordinary.
“I couldn’t show anybody here, but when you see it, when you look at it, know that there was no room for error on it. And the team that did it is just incredible.”
The glimpses we get of both characters in the trailer are definitely ones for the books, and the fact that they’re not digital effects makes them that bit more impressive. We’ll just continue patiently counting down the days until the release of Wicked: For Good for now!
After the dramatic ending of Wicked: Part One, things took quite the turn for Elphaba and Glinda as the true intentions of both the Wonderful Wizard of Oz (Jeff Goldblum) and Madame Morrible (Michelle Yeoh) became all too clear.
With the whole of Oz being indoctrinated to think of Elphaba as wicked, this upcoming second film will dig even further into the consequences for both women, who were once best friends.
Read more:
Cynthia Erivo told Variety of the second part: “We’re diving deeper into the consequences of the characters’ choices. The story is richer, and the stakes are higher. It’s not just a continuation; it’s a transformation.”
Speaking about what it was like to shoot the second film, Ariana Grande also told Variety: “Shooting For Good was unlike anything I’ve ever experienced.
“It was such a long and emotional process. I kind of left my body. We filmed it over the course of a week, and it stayed with me. I haven’t even seen the final cut yet because I’m not sure I’m ready to feel all of it again.”
Wicked: For Good is scheduled for release on 21st November 2025.
Check out more of our Film coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what’s on. For more TV recommendations and reviews, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.