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Chennai, Oct 5 (IANS) Ace director S. Shankar, who is known for films like 'Robot', 'I' and 'Nayak',is the latest person to praise director Mani Ratnam's magnum opus, 'Ponniyin Selvan 1', which is based on the literary classic by eminent writer Kalki.

Taking to Twitter on Wednesday, Shankar wrote: "'PS1' captivates. A quality Tamil historical film after years. Mani Ratnam sir's mastery in filmma'King' proven yet again (sic)."

He then went on to praise the film's technical team and said: "Hats off to cinematographer Ravi Varman's picturesque depiction. A R Rahman music riveting! Full three hours intrigue you for the sequel. Hail to the vast Army that made this epic!"

Shankar isn't the only one to be impressed by the magnum opus. Scores of people including celebrities like Telugu star Nagarjuna too have been impressed by the epic.The film, which released last Friday much to the delight of fans, has been receiving a thunderous welcome from audiences.

It grossed a worldwide sum of over Rs 80 crore on its very first day, thereby entering history books as the film with the biggest ever opening in Tamil cinema.

The film's brilliant story is based on the early life of prince Arun Mozhi Varman, who went on to be known as the great Raja Chozhan.

Called by Mani Ratnam as his dream project, the film features a host of top stars including actors Vikram, Aishwarya Rai, Trisha, Karthi, Jayam Ravi, Jayaram, Parthiban, Lal, Vikram Prabhu, Jayaram, Prabhu and Prakash Raj.

--IANS
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Mumbai, Oct 5 (IANS) The teaser of the upcoming Hindu mythological film, 'Adipurush' has triggered netizens over its content. While some people on the Internet are trolling the film for the poor VFX, other sections are criticising the film over inappropriate portrayal of gods in the film.

The director of the film, Om Raut, who has earlier made 'Tanhaji: The Unsung Warrior', seems to be disheartened because of the trolling.

The teaser of the film was unveiled on October 2 and it was called out for its sub-par animation and graphics.

In an interview with Indian Express, Om Raut opened up on the reactions to his film's teaser. He said: "I was disheartened for sure, not surprised because the film is made for a larger medium, the big screen. You can cut it down to some extent but can't bring it down to a mobile phone."

He further mentioned: "That's an environment I can't control. Given a choice, I'd never put it on YouTube but that's the need of the hour. We need to put it there so that it reaches a wide audience."

The film, which features Prabhas as Lord Ram, Saif Ali Khan as the Raavan, Kriti Sanon as Sita and Sunny Singh in lead roles, is set to debut in theatres on January 12, 2023, in several languages.

--IANS
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Los Angeles, Oct 5 (IANS) Velma from the cartoon series 'Scooby-Doo' is officially a lesbian now. Clips from the new movie 'Trick or Treat Scooby-Doo!' which show the Mystery Inc member googly-eyed and speechless when encountering costume designer Coco Diablo, have gone viral on Twitter, confirming suspicions held by the "Scooby" fan base for decades, reports Variety.

"OMG lesbian Velma finally," read one tweet, which has over 100,000 likes. It's long been an open secret among fans and "Scooby-Doo" creatives that Velma is gay. According to Variety, even James Gunn, who wrote the early live-action films, and Tony Cervone, who served as supervising producer on the "Mystery Incorporated" series, have confirmed the character's sexuality, but they were never able to make it official on screen.

In 2020, Gunn tweeted that he "tried" to make Velma a lesbian in the live-action movies. "In 2001 Velma was explicitly gay in my initial script," he wrote. "But the studio just kept watering it down & watering it down, becoming ambiguous (the version shot), then nothing (the released version) & finally having a boyfriend (the sequel)."

Variety further states that during the 2020 Pride Month, Cervone wrote on Instagram, "I've said this before, but Velma in 'Mystery Incorporated' is not bi. She's gay. We always planned on Velma acting a little off and out of character when she was dating Shaggy because that relationship was wrong for her and she had unspoken difficulty with the why."

He further mentioned in his Instagram post: "There are hints about the why in that episode with the mermaid, and if you follow the entire Marcie arc it seems as clear as we could make it 10 years ago. I don't think Marcie and Velma had time to act on their feelings during the main timeline, but post reset, they are a couple. You can not like it, but this was our intention (sic)."

--IANS
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Chennai, Oct 5 (IANS) Pan Indian star Rana Daggubatti, who is best known for his role in S.S. Rajamouli's 'Baahubali', is set to collaborate with three other producers to jointly produce two films. All four producers of the Telugu film industry - D.Suresh Babu, Rana Daggubati, Suniel Narang, and Puskur Ram Mohan Rao - made this joint announcement on the auspicious occasion of Dussehra on Wednesday.

D.Suresh Babu's Suresh Productions, which has been in the filmmaking, distribution, and exhibition business for the last few decades, will be joining hands with the Asian Group, which happens to be the largest multiplex chain in the Telugu states.

Daggubati's own production banner, 'Spirit Media' will be a part of this group that will produce two pictures. A statement released by the producers, read: "D.Suresh Babu, Rana Daggubati, Suniel Narang, and Puskur Ram Mohan Rao are excited to announce the collaboration of their respective production houses Suresh Productions Private Limited, Spirit Media and Sree Venkateshwara Cinemas LLP (SVCLLP - Asian Group) for the joint production of two upcoming films. Details regarding the films will be announced shortly. See you in the cinemas."

Sources in the industry say that the joint production ventures from the leading production houses will be high on content, production values and technicalities.

--IANS
mani/aa/kvd

Lucknow, Oct 5 (IANS) Om Raut's magnum opus 'Adipurush' is now attracting political flak.

Uttar Pradesh deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak said that no one will be allowed to play with the sentiments of millions of Hindus.

He said that a number of saints had objected to the portrayal of gods in 'Adipurush' and their demand to ban the film was justified.

BJP MP Sakshi Maharaj said that the film makes a mockery of Hindu deities.

"Ravan looks like a Muslim invader in the film while Hanuman's image has been distorted beyond recognition which is highly condemnable. Film makers think they can get away with any level of cinematic liberty. This cannot be permitted," he said.

Mahant Satyendra Das, chief priest of Ram Janmabhoomi temple, said, "No one can be allowed to misrepresent the Hindu mythology and distort the image of Hindu gods and goddesses."

Sunil Raj of Hindu Rashtra Sena, a fringe outfit, said that the film's teaser also portrays Sita in a poor light. "She looks more like a film heroine than a goddess. We will not allow the film to get a release."

Adipurush, a Hindu mythological film based on the epic Ramayana stars actor Prabhas as Lord Ram, Saif Ali Khan as Ravana, and Kriti Sanon as Sita. The film is directed by Om Raut.

It is scheduled to release in January next year.

--IANS
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Freetown, Oct 5 (IANS) The government of Sierra Leone has introduced the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine to protect girls from cervical cancer, said a press statement by the Ministry of Health and Sanitation (MoHS).

MoHS, with support from Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, the UNICEF, and WHO, will administer HPV vaccines nationwide through schools targeting 153,991 10-year-old girls, who will each receive two doses over a six-month period, the statement added on Tuesday.

MoHS said the HPV vaccine has provided a proven and safe tool to protect women and girls against the risk of cervical cancer and it is one of the key strategies that the government is implementing for cervical cancer elimination in the country, Xinhua news agency reported.

"The Government of Sierra Leone wholeheartedly welcomes the introduction of the HPV vaccination drive and urges all to support girls aged 10 years to be vaccinated and thus preventing them from cervical cancer and its consequences during the course of their entire lives," said Minister of Health and Sanitation Austin Demby.

According to Thabani Maphosa, the Managing Director of Country Programs at Gavi, supporting countries to catch up and improve HPV coverage is a critical priority and will require action on the demand and supply side.

The MoHS added an intensive promotion is ongoing at a community level to help raise public awareness about the HPV vaccine and make sure the targeted age group of girls, community members, and leaders are empowered and informed about the tools available to prevent cervical cancer.

--IANS
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Mumbai, Oct 4 (IANS) Actor Zayn Ibad Khan, who will be soon seen in the upcoming season of the romantic thriller 'Aashiqana', has shared that its second season will showcase how his character Yash reacts when his uniform is taken away from him. The trailer of the show was unveiled on Tuesday.

Talking about the new character developments, Zayn said in a statement: "In Season 1, we saw Yash in a powerful role as a celebrated cop, but in Season 2, we will see him in a completely new avatar. It explores his strengths and weaknesses when his uniform is taken away from him. I am very excited for this season because it takes a very unconventional tone with his marriage and chemistry with Chikki entering a new dimension."

Taking off from Season 1's cliff-hanging finale, where Yash and Chikki reluctantly enter into marriage, their love continues to grow as they help each other out of respect and history. Yash, as a suspended cop, enters a new phase of life where he must clear his tainted name. As marriage, family and duties take over, past traumas continue to haunt both Yash and Chikki.

Actress Khushi Dubey, who portrays the character of Chikki, shared: "You know that feeling when your dreams do come true? I have been overwhelmed by the love and appreciation the show has received so far. In a way, it feels like, along with Chikki, I am also getting to live my dream in real life as the show rolls out a new season on Disney+ Hotstar."

The show features an ensemble cast of Geeta Tyagi, Vipul Deshpandey, Geeta Bisht, Anshul Singh, Anshu Srivastava, Inderjeet Modi, Manohar Teli, Harshita Shukla, Sneha Chauhan, Palash Prajapati, Pankaj Singh, Maira D. Mehra, Rati Pandey, Anurag Vyas and Siddhant Karnick, Niyati Fatnani, Rekha Dubey, Karanvir Bohra, Aamir Khan, Dipali Sharma, Amit Gupta and Muzaffer Khan.

Season 2 of 'Aashiqana' will be available to stream on Disney+ Hotstar from October 10.

--IANS
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Chennai, Oct 4 (IANS) Malayalam superstar Mammootty's much-awaited Malayalam film, 'Rorschach', is all set to release on October 7 this year, the makers have announced. Touted to be one of the most intriguing projects of the year, the film, directed by Nisam Basheer, is an action-thriller that has been produced by Mammootty under the banner of Mammootty Kampany.

Dulquer Salmaan's Wayfarer films is to distribute the movie in Kerala while Truth Global Films has grabbed its overseas rights.

Belived to be extreme thriller with a layered plot, the movie will have Mammootty playing the role of Luke Anthony, a man with a mysterious past and looking to exact some sort of revenge.

Fans are eager to watch Mammooty in the spine-chilling avatar as he gears up to deal with his 'prey'. Rorschach is Nisam Basheer's second directorial venture after the Asif Ali-led romantic drama, 'Kettyolaanu Ente Malakha'.

Apart from Mammootty, the cast includes Sharafudheen, Jagadish, Grace Antony, Bindu Panicker, Sanju Sivaram, Kottayam Nazeer, Babu Anoor and Mani Shornur.

Sameer Abdul, who had penned movies like 'Adventures of Omanakkuttan', 'Iblis', has penned the script for 'Rorschach' as well. Nimish Ravi and Kiran Das have served as cinematographer and editor, respectively. Music for the film is by Midhun Mukundan.

--IANS
mani/kvd

Chennai, Oct 4 (IANS) Post its global box-office juggernaut, superstar Kamal Haasan's 'Vikram' is all set to have another international recognition under its belt.

The film will be screened at the prestigious Busan International Film Festival (BIFF) slated to take place from October 5-14.

'Vikram' will be screened under the Open Cinema category that recognises new and internationally acclaimed films that strike the perfect balance between popular and artistic cinema.

Produced by multi-faceted legend Kamal Haasan and R. Mahendran, 'Vikram' released on June 3 earlier this year and went on to become a box office phenomenon across the world and also the highest grossing Tamil film in the UK. Director Lokesh Kanagaraj masterfully created an immersive universe in the film. That coupled with a stellar star cast made 'Vikram' one of the most successful Indian movies of 2022.

"The response to Vikram all over the world has been extremely overwhelming. The Busan International Film Festival is another feather in the film's cap and its selection is a win for the entire team. We are proud to have our film being screened along with some of the finest films across the globe and are grateful for all the love and adulation from the audiences," said V. Narayanan, CEO Raaj Kamal Films International.

--IANS
mani/uk

Mumbai, Oct 4 (IANS) Television star Tejasswi Prakash, who is in a relationship with her former 'Bigg Boss' co-contestant Karan Kundrra, has a hilarious reaction to the question of marriage and also shared some "serious" advice for other girls on the subject.

The two have been facing questions about when they are getting married. Instead of dodging, Tejasswi had a funny response to such questions.

Tejasswi took to Instagram on Monday to share her rendition of a meme, where she lip-synced to the lyrics: "Mujhe nahi pata hai, mujhe nahi pooch na (I don't know, don't ask me).

In the clip, she wrote: "Paps: shaadi kab hogi" at the top, hinting that her reaction is to the paparazzi constantly asking her when she and Karan are getting married.

For the caption, she wrote: "But on a serious note, it's always better to be sure than sorry. This is especially for all the girls out there. Take all the time you need to be sure."

The actress is currently working in 'Naagin 6', where she plays the lead role.

--IANS
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