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Hobart, Oct 16 (IANS) Ahead of the start of West Indies' campaign in the ICC T20 World Cup with the game against Scotland in Group B of the First Round here on Monday, skipper Nicholas Pooran has said a lot of people might be having doubts the side might not even qualify for the Super 12, but promised whatever be the outcome the team will "stick together".

Two-time T20 World champions West Indies have to go through the grind of the First Round where the top two teams from each group go into the Super 12 stage, and Pooran's side will take on the gritty Scotland in their first Group B encounter in Hobart on Monday.

"Yeah, it (qualifying for Super 12 and then win the World Cup) would definitely be something special. Obviously for this group here, it's a new group, new faces; a lot of younger players in the team. For us to obviously win this World Cup, it would be our biggest achievement as individuals," said Pooran.

"We are underdogs in this tournament as much as we have won the tournament twice, and a lot of people, a lot of media you see, a lot of people don't think we can even qualify (for Super 12), as well. So it will mean a lot for us. We spoke about sticking this time together. Whether we win or lose we're going to stick together as a group, so winning this tournament, yeah, obviously we need to work really hard, but it would mean the world to us," he added.

The wicketkeeper-batter added the team management is yet to select the Playing XI for the opener, given the conditions in Hobart, which are a bit cold for his players.

"Yeah, we obviously have to select the team still. It's quite early here in Australia. We haven't sat down and discussed who's playing tomorrow. The makeup of the team obviously varies due to the conditions here obviously, here in Hobart which has been cold for a while now, we have to go back and look at it."

Pooran said the game against Scotland will be tough though he expressed confidence in the ability of his team-mates and the fact that they had got the opportunity to acclimatise to the conditions for nearly a fortnight.

"Yeah, it'll be a challenge (playing against Scotland). But our guys are confident. We've been here for over two weeks now. I think the guys are ready to go and acclimatising to these conditions. A lot of these guys haven't played in Australia. This will be the first time, but the guys are confident, they're happy. The preparation has been really good, and we just can't wait for tomorrow to start our game."

--IANS

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London, Oct 15 (IANS) Iranian filmmaker Mani Haghighi had his passport confiscated at the airport as he was about to board a flight to attend the BFI London Film Festival.

Haghighi was expected to present there the UK premiere of his latest film, 'Subtraction', reports Variety.

In a filmed video statement, which will be played before his film screens on Saturday Haghighi said: "I'm very sorry that I'm unable to be there with you tonight in the theatre. I was prevented by the Iranian authorities from boarding my flight to London on Friday."

"They gave me no reasonable explanation for this utterly rude behaviour."

"So naturally on the way home from the airport, I was wondering about this and I was asking myself, why would the Iranian regime want to prevent me, a filmmaker, from leaving my own country? And I came up with two theories. The first one is this: a couple of weeks ago, I recorded an Instagram video in which I criticised Iran's mandatory hijab laws and crackdown on the youth who are protesting it and so many other incidents of injustice in their lives."

"Perhaps the authorities thought that by keeping me here they could keep a closer eye on me, perhaps to threaten me and shut me up. Well, the very fact that I'm talking to you in this video right now kind of undermines that plan."

"The second theory is that this is an exile in reverse," he continued.

"For them to make my own country and my own home an unbearable prison for me and to punish me by forcing me to stay in it as a prisoner. Well, let me tell you that being here in Tehran right now, is one of the greatest joys of my life."

"I cannot put into words the joy and the honor of being able to witness first-hand this great moment in history. And I would rather be here than anywhere else in the world right now. So if this is a punishment for what I've done, then by all means, bring it on. I hope you enjoy the film."

"I promise to be with you with my next film very soon. And let me end this with the three words that have given us Iranian so much joy and courage in the last few weeks: woman, life, freedom."

A BFI London Film Festival spokesperson issued the following statement: "The Iranian filmmaker Mani Haghighi was due to travel to London today to support the UK premiere of his film Subtraction, which is screening tomorrow at the BFI London Film Festival, but has been prevented from boarding his flight to the UK."

"He was turned away by authorities in Iran and has his passport confiscated. He has returned to his home in Tehran. We understand that no reason has been given to Mani Haghighi for the confiscation. The BFI London Film Festival supports Haghighi and all filmmakers in their freedom to make their films and present them around the world."

"Earlier this week, in solidarity with imprisoned Iranian filmmakers and the brave women of Iran who are challenging for their freedom, BFI London Film Festival filmmakers and delegates joined Festival Director Tricia Tuttle in a moment of solidarity and reflection."

Iranian authorities have been carrying on a major crackdown on the filmmaking community for several months. Iranian filmmakers Mohammad Rosoulof and Mostafa Al-Ahmad were arrested in July for posting a statement on social media in the wake of a violent government arrest.

A few days later, dissident Iranian auteur Jafar Panahi, known globally for prize-winning works such as 'Offside' and 'Taxi', was also arrested after inquiring about his imprisoned peers.

Iran is currently in turmoil following the death of 22 year-old Mahsa Amini while in police custody.

Protests have been held across the country and around the world to denounce the oppression and violence brought by the Iranian regime. Amini, a Kurdish woman, died in custody on September 16, three days after being arrested in Tehran because she allegedly breached the Islamic republic's strict dress code for women.

Iranian authorities have reportedly been using lethal force against the protesters.

--IANS
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London, Oct 15 (IANS) Scottish actor, comedian and writer Robbie Coltrane, who played the lovable half-giant Rubeus Hagrid in the 'Harry Potter' franchise, has died, his agency WME confirmed to 'Variety' on Friday night. He was 72.

Coltrane featured in every 'Harry Potter' movie, from 'Sorcerer's Stone' in 2001 to 'Deathly Hallows Part 2' in 2011, and was much beloved for bringing the character from J.K. Rowling's book series to life.

He was among one of the first characters to appear on screen, and he recited the famous line, "Yer a wizard, Harry," to a young Daniel Radcliffe as he embarked on his journey into the wizarding world.

A towering figure, but softie at heart, notes 'Variety', Hagrid had a sweet spot for ferocious beasts. He cared for some of the 'Harry Potter' world's most ferocious, and iconic, creatures.

Under his care were Buckbeak the hippogriff, Fang the boarhound, Fluffy the three-headed dog, Norbert the Norwegian Ridgeback dragon, Aragog the massive talking spider, and the eerily majestic Thestrals.

In a heart-warming tribute to Coltrane, Daniel Radcliffe said: "Robbie was one of the funniest people I've met and used to keep us laughing constantly as kids on the set. I've especially fond memories of him keeping our spirits up on 'Prisoner of Azkaban', when we were all hiding from the torrential rain for hours in Hagrid's hut.

"He was telling stories and cracking jokes to keep morale up. I feel incredibly lucky that I got to meet and work with him and very sad that he's passed. He was an incredible actor and a lovely man."

Coltrane will forever be known to millions as Hagrid in the 'Harry Potter' movies, but he was also a member of the James Bond franchise, having appeared in 1995's 'Golden Eye' and 1999's 'The World Is Not Enough'.

Most recently, Coltrane returned to his 'Harry Potter' roots and appeared in HBO Max's 20th anniversary 'Return to Hogwarts' reunion special along with Radcliffe and other stars, notably Emma Watson and Rupert Grint, adds 'Variety'.

"The legacy of the movies is that my children's generation will show them to their children," Coltrane said in the reunion special. "So you could be watching it in 50 years' time. I'll not be here, sadly, but Hagrid will, yes."

Controversial 'Harry Potter' author J.K. Rowling separately honoured Coltrane with a post on Twitter, writing, "I'll never know anyone remotely like Robbie again. He was an incredible talent, a complete one off, and I was beyond fortunate to know him, work with him and laugh my head off with him. I send my love and deepest condolences to his family, above all his children."

--IANS
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By Narendra Puppala
Bengaluru, Oct 14 (IANS) With Kannada movie 'Kantara' scoring big at the box office and taking other markets by storm, the southern film industry continues its winning streak in the pan-India market. But what sets 'Kantara' apart from other recent southern blockbusters like 'Pushpa' or 'RRR', is its refreshing take on the age-old conflict between man and nature.


"The human-nature conflict is present all over the world. This conflict is present ever since humans appeared on the scene. This is what I set out to tell," the movie's director and lead actor Rishab Shetty told IANS.

After bringing in Kannada audiences in droves to theatres, 'Kantara' is repeating its success story in other languages too. Rishab Shetty confessed that while he knew he had a winner on his hands, he definitely did not anticipate the scale of success it clocked.

"I have always strongly believed that the more local we go, the more rooted our stories are, the more universal they become."

Interestingly, the story of the movie has its genesis in a real-life incident that happened thirty years ago in his hometown. Shetty stumbled upon the seed of his story in the course of random conversation he had about organic farming to with his friend during the Covid lockdown. Locking the subject immediately, he delved into his own memories from younger days, and 'Kantara' was born.

"In coastal Karnataka region, agricultural land is not merely land, it involves divinity. Every aspect of life is associated with that earth. I looked at agricultural land as a bridge between man, god, and beliefs. I felt that it's also important to tell the outside world about our culture and traditions," Rishab explained.

The movie is also from the Hombale Films banner which has produced the hugely successful KGF series, starring Yash.

After making his presence felt with interesting movies made on modest budgets, Rishab Shetty is happy that 'Kantara' which was made on a relatively high budget has made its mark at the box office.

But acting and directing the movie certainly put him under pressure, he confessed.
"Directing a scene and jumping in to enact my role was certainly tough. But I never let the others sense it. Looking back I don't think I can go through it again."

--IANS
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Mumbai, Oct 14 (IANS) Actress Huma Qureshi, who has two upcoming films lined up for release -'Double XL' and the streaming movie 'Monica, O My Darling', decided to break the notion of beauty standards with her work in both the films and seems to be walking the talk.

While 'Double XL' required the actress to get into the mind of a girl-next-door who faces discrimination and rejection because of her body weight, 'Monica, O My Darling' required that the actress channel the oomph quotient. The actress shot for both the films back-to-back and was faced with a dilemma.

For her part in 'Double XL', Huma had put on extra kilos and had initially planned a diet and workout schedule to lose the weight for 'Monica, O My Darling'. However, while shooting for 'Double XL', the actress also decided that just because she was playing a femme fatale in her next film and had to look glamorous, losing weight was not the answer.

She said in a statement, "The point of me wanting to produce a film like 'Double XL' was to shatter notions of how weight is equated with beauty and desirability. When I was all set to play a femme fatale, why was I succumbing to the rules made by society and not feeling beautiful in my own skin? I have realised that feeling and looking sexy is not because of the clothes you wear or because somebody weighs a certain weight."

The actress believes that in a world where beauty standards are set by patriarchy, confidence is the key.

"It's all about feeling confident and believing that one can look glamorous if one feels glamorous. Patriarchy and society conditions us into believing that a girl who weighs a certain weight is not beautiful or glamorous. It's high time we do away with these notions. Also, I felt that since I was from an industry where glamour is an essential aspect of the profession, the message coming from me might help other girls who obsess over their weight, feel differently about themselves", she added.

'Double XL' is all set to hit the screens on November 4, followed by 'Monica, O My Darling' dropping on Netflix on November 11.

--IANS
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Chennai, Oct 14 (IANS) After hitting the bull's eye at the box office, Kannada movie 'Kantara' is now trending across the country with accolades pouring in from all quarters. Union Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports, Anurag Thakur met the Kantara team Thursday and wished them success.

Taking to social media, Anurag Thakur shared a picture of his meeting with the team of 'Kantara'. Thakur tweeted:

"I met @hombalefilms team and wished them success for their film #Kantara. Also listened to their ideas to make India film hub of the world."

Several celebrities like Dhanush, Anil Kumble, and Prashanth Neel have expressed their application for the film.

With its pan-India release, Hombale films' 'Kantara' is garnering all-round praise. The film began to spread its charm from the very first day of its release in Kannada and continued its winning streak when it released in Hindi.

--IANS
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Mumbai, Oct 14 (IANS) Bollywood star Hrithik Roshan went down memory lane as he shared a throwback picture with his girlfriend Saba Azad from their trip to London.

Hrithik posted the photo from their vacation to the UK during summer earlier this year on his Instagram. This is the first time he shared a picture of his girlfriend on his account.

Saba looked stunning in a white dress and sneakers. Hrithik donned a red and white outfit.

The actor captioned the image: "Girl on a bench. Summer 2022. London. The Van Gogh immersive experience."

In the selfie clicked by Hrithik, Saba was seen sitting on a bench looking away from the camera. Hrithik was seen smiling as he looked at Saba. Hrithik posted the photo on the occasion of Karwa Chauth.

Saba commented: "Van Gogh on a lazy summer afternoon (smiling emoji) best day with the best egg (black heart emojis)."

On the acting front, Hrithik's latest release is 'Vikram Vedha', which also stars Saif Ali Khan and Radhika Apte. He will next be seen in 'Fighter' alongside Deepika Padukone.

--IANS
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Mumbai, Oct 14 (IANS) 'Udaariyaan' actress Priyanka Chahar Choudhary will be seen breaking down in the upcoming epsode of 'Bigg Boss 16', where host Salman Khan will be seen revealing co-contestant Soundarya Sharma's nasty remark.

In the latest promo shared by the channel, Salman can be seen telling Priyanka that Soundarya had said: "Ankit's mother will kill herself when she enters her house as daughter-in-law."

Priyanka is later seen questioning Soundarya over the comment.

However, Soundarya also defends herself saying: "You are allowed to talk. You got personal to me that day," she said. Following this, Ankit can be seen consoling Priyanka as she breaks down.

The Colors show currently features Abdu Rozik, Tina Dutta, Sajid Khan, Sreejita De, Manya Singh, Sumbul Touqeer Khan, Shiv Thakare, Soundarya Sharma, Shalin Bhanot, Gautam Singh Vig, Archana Gautam, MC Stan, Ankit Gupta, Priyanka Chahar Choudhary, Nimrit Kaur Ahluwalia, and Gori Nagori.

--IANS
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Mumbai, Oct 14 (IANS) Actresses Maanvi Gagroo, Sayani Gupta and Bani J revealed an interesting behind-the-scenes moment where they jumped into a freezing lake to get the perfect shot for the third season of 'Four More Shots Please!'

Sharing the incident, Maanvi, who plays Siddhi in the show, said: "When we were shooting in Italy, we had to shoot a lake scene, and it was freezing cold. The water was so cold that our director Joyeeta (Patpati) asked us to skip it. But, Bani was prepared to do it, leaving Joyeeta surprised. That pumped us up and Sayani and I too decided to go for it."

Revealing how she convinced them to live this once in a lifetime moment, Bani shared that she was like: "I got you guys, you have my back, don't worry. But then, something unexpected happened. The scene was shot in a single take, as it was the last shot of our outdoor schedule."

"I was hyping everyone up as I was super excited to go for it. I ran towards the lake and jumped, and then I realised it's deeper than I imagined, my heart went numb. I was like 'Oh Goodness, Breathe Breathe! But before I could warn Sayani and Maanvi to not take the risk, it was too late."

Bani revealed that she has all the moments captured on her phone, but viewers will have to wait until the season drops on 21 October.

"I have been the unofficial BTS videographer. In every season, whenever we shoot something, I'm always ready with my phone to capture photos and videos. I've created a new season for myself. When the team will see the vlogs, they will get a flashback of all their memories, but this will go only after the season is out."

--IANS
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Chennai, Oct 14 (IANS) Maverick Indian filmmaker Aravindan Govindan's acclaimed film 'Thamp'(1978) has been selected as the only Indian film to be screened in the Treasures Section of the BFI London Film Festival 2022.

The screening, which is to happen on Friday, was a sell out in a few hours of going live.

Film Heritage Foundation, a not-for-profit organisation, joined forces with Prasad Corporation to embark on a mammoth mission of restoring the acclaimed film in association with The Film Foundation's World Cinema Project and Cineteca di Bologna.

The restoration was selected for a red-carpet premiere at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival this year as the only Indian film to have a world premiere in the Cannes Classic section of the festival.

Establishing yet another colossal achievement, the restoration has now been selected as the only Indian film to be screened in the Treasures Section of the BFI London Film Festival 2022.

Shivendra Singh Dungarpur, Director, Film Heritage Foundation states, "I'm so proud that Film Heritage Foundation's restoration of Aravindan Govindan's 'Thamp' is the only Indian film that has been selected for the Treasures section of the BFI London Film Festival this year and the October 14 screening is already completely booked.

"Ever since the restoration premiered at the Cannes Film Festival earlier this year, this poignant masterpiece shot in black and white with a cinema-verite approach has, not surprisingly, captured the imagination of festival curators and audiences around the world. We are so happy that we were able to restore this film which had no original negative surviving and which was in danger of vanishing from circulation."

The son of the legendary filmmaker Aravindan Govindan, Ramu Aravindan, said: "It's just wonderful that Aravindan's restored 'Thamp' is getting screened at the 2022 BFI London Film Festival. Thamp was screened at the 1979 London Film Festival. And, his next film, 'Kummatty', also recently restored, was screened at the 1980 edition. It's special that this film is getting screened again after 43 years at the same event. I think the restoration brings back to life a very specific kind of visual-poetic sensibility that the present generation of film viewers may have heard about but couldn't get to watch earlier."

Aravindan Govindan's 'Thamp' is a poetic, allegorical film, that gently explores the transience of human relationships and the rootlessness of the marginalised through the ripples created in the bucolic existence of a village on the banks of a river by the arrival of a roving circus troupe.

In cinema-verite style, G. Aravindan rounded up a troupe of actual circus artistes and travelled with them to the village of Thirunavaya on the banks of the Bharathapuzha river. On the first day, the circus was set up and all the villagers were invited to watch the show.

Aravindan said in an interview: "We did not have a script and we shot the incidents as they happened... There were a lot of people who had not seen a circus before. We shot their responses as they were watching. After the initial hesitation, they forgot the lights and the shooting and got completely involved in the circus." For three days, the circus is the centre of attention of village life, but soon the villagers lose interest and move on to the preparation for a local festival and the circus troupe packs up and trundles away leaving no trace.

Aravindan Govindan was one of India's most extraordinary filmmakers and a leading light of the New Indian Malayalam cinema of the 1970s and '80s. A true Renaissance man - he was a painter, cartoonist, musician, theatre director, and filmmaker. An autodidact, his films were free from the weight of film canon, marked by an entirely original approach to cinema. In a tragically short career spanning from 1974 to 1991, he made 11 films and 10 documentaries with almost all of his films receiving national or state awards.

--IANS
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