Movies

Actress Samantha Ruth Prabhu, who is making a powerful comeback on screen following the diagnosis of her autoimmune disorder myositis, says she begged the makers of ‘Citadel: Honey Bunny’ Raj and DK to cast someone else owing to her health concerns. They however did not budge and went ahead with Samantha, who is garnering praise for her action sequences as seen in the trailer that was launched recently.  Samantha Ruth Prabhu suggested 4 names to play Honey  In an interview with Galatta India, Samantha shared, “I begged them to move on because I really didn’t think I could do it. I was really sure I couldn’t. I sent other recommendations, ‘Look at this heroine, she is so amazing. She will kill it. I beg you I can’t do this.’ I sent like four options to them. I was really not well.” She...

NOTE: The following article contains disturbing content. Please read at your own discretion. Sean “Diddy” Combs has again been hit with a slew of new lawsuits accusing him of sexual assault, including one claim alleging the hip-hop mogul molested a 16-year-old boy.Combs, who has already been named in more than a dozen sexual assault lawsuits, was sued by six more people in Manhattan on Monday. The new filings claim Combs was abusive to the victims, who have not been named publicly, at various parties and industry events from 1995 to 2021.Two of the six lawsuits centre around various “white parties” thrown by Combs, where guests dressed in all white clothing to celebrate the Fourth of July or Labour Day weekend at his home in the Hamptons.One accuser said he was 16 at the time of a 1998 par...

The trailer of Varun Dhawan and Samantha starrer Citadel: Honey Bunny was launched on Tuesday. Samantha plays a struggling actress Honey, who is recruited by stuntman Bunny (Varun Dhawan) for a side gig. They are hurled into a high-stakes world of action, espionage, and betrayal. The trailer is full of action-packed sequences, giving both the stars ample opportunity to dabble in this genre. Women-led spy projects are rare. At the trailer launch, Samantha spoke about the opportunity to portray such a role, "I know it sounds cool to be playing a ‘female’ spy, but I would like for it to be equal, like an even playing ground, where intelligence, talent, strength decide your fate, irrespective of gender. That would be an amazing place to be at. I am also very happy to be part of this world whe...

Less than a month from election day in the U.S., Vice-President Kamala Harris is on a media spree. In recent days, the Democratic nominee sat down with CBS’s 60 Minutes, ABC’s The View, the Call Her Daddy podcast and Howard Stern’s radio show. To cap it all off, Harris joined late-night host Stephen Colbert on Tuesday evening in front of a live audience.Off the bat, Colbert asked Harris if she would crack a cold one with him, referencing the old adage that people want politicians that they can sit down and have a beer with. Colbert disclosed that, of course, he asked the vice-president beforehand if she would be willing to drink with him. She requested they drink “the Champagne of Beers”  — a Miller High Life.“That tastes like the beautiful city of Milwaukee, Wisconsin,” Colbert joked afte...

It had been actor-writer Sumeet Vyas’ long-time dream to start directing. The opportunity presented itself when he met writer Khyati Anand Puthran at their kids’ playgroup. Their collaboration, Raat Jawaan Hai, is a story about three best friends who are new to parenthood. To Vyas, the Barun Sobti, Priya Bapat and Anjali Anand-starrer is about the smaller things in life. In conversation with mid-day, the first-time director talks about the SonyLIV show, his own experiences with parenthood, the interesting casting and more. Director Sumeet Vyas. Pics/Instagram, AFP Edited excerpt from the interview. After writing and fronting road trip shows and dark shows, what prompted you to direct something on parenthood and friendship?The show’s writer is Khyati Anand [Puthran]. It was a coincidence...

Another week, another series of sexual assault-related bombshells from the world of music. First, Diddy. The firehose of stories about Sean (Diddy) Combs and his “freak off parties” involve everything from alleged sexual assault and sex trafficking to kidnapping, weapons charges, drug use and arson. The memes involving the more than 1,000 bottles of lube and baby oil (allegedly laced with the party drug GHB) are everywhere, as are those featuring Los Angeles police standing next to a seized barrel filled with 750 dildos.Every day brings more reporting on the A-listers some speculate may have been involved, what some have alleged to have done, the payoffs and cover-ups, the conspiracy theories, and the allegations brought forth by more than 100 complainants. ...

Imagine devouring JRR Tolkien’s books in your childhood, and then becoming a part of its on-screen universe as an actor. Morfydd Clark laughs, saying that as “cheesy” as it sounds, being a part of The Lord of The Rings: The Rings of Power has been a dream come true for her. Having been drawn to the world of fantasy since childhood, playing Galadriel in the Amazon Prime Video series was both exhilarating and challenging for the actor. In conversation with mid-day, Clark sheds light on the character, getting to know the Tolkien community, and the joy of seeing her favourite books come alive. Edited excerpts from the interview. How many of JRR Tolkien’s books have you read?I read The Hobbit when I was little and then I listened to The Lord the Rings’ audiobooks throughout my teenage years. ...

Descrease article font size Increase article font size Canadian comedian and former talk show host Mike Bullard has died at age 67. His family confirmed to Global News that Bullard was found dead of a suspected heart attack. Bullard got his start in comedy doing live standup at comedy clubs across Ontario, before moving to television on the back of his success with standup.He shot to prominence in 1997 as the host of the late night talk show ‘Open Mike With Mike Bullard’ on CTV, which he hosted until 2003 when he was hired away by Global Television to host ‘The Mike Bullard Show.’ That program lasted 13 weeks. 2:10 Radio host and comedian Mike Bull...

From The Crown to Bridgerton, shows based on royalty are having quite the moment. Closer home, actor Vihaan Samat says that he was always keen to try his hand at such a series. Luckily, in came The Royals. The actor says he landed the Netflix series—led by Zeenat Aman, Bhumi Pednekar, and Ishaan Khatter—over a five-month process. “It was a long casting process [that began] in August-September 2023 and things got finalised only in January or February. Mine is a sensitively written role. In the initial meetings, we discussed the character and where we wanted to take it,” recalls Samat, who recently tasted success with Call Me Bae.     Touted to be a regal romantic comedy, The Royals has been largely shot at palaces in Rajasthan. Samat says that it was only when they began filming in the maj...

Descrease article font size Increase article font size Canadian musician Jacob Hoggard has abandoned his bid to appeal his 2022 sexual assault conviction before Canada’s top court. The Supreme Court of Canada website shows the former Hedley frontman discontinued his application for leave to appeal last Friday.That’s the same day Hoggard, 40, was found not guilty of sexual assault in a separate, unrelated case in northeastern Ontario.In the 2022 case, a Toronto jury found Hoggard guilty of sexual assault causing bodily harm against an Ottawa woman, but not guilty of the same charge and of sexual interference in relation to a teenage fan.His lawyers appealed the conviction on four grounds, including that the trial judge made an error in admittin...