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Deadline •

Analysis: Bollywood’s Relationship With Narendra Modi’s BJP Under The Microscope As Elections In World’s Largest Democracy Get Underway

The delayed release of Indian feature film The Sabarmati Report has placed new scrutiny on Bollywood’s relationship with the country’s political machine, as elections in the world’s largest democracy enter their second week.

The political movie about the disputed 2002 Gujurat riots was due to be released early next month, right in the midst of the six-week election period, but it has been pushed back to August 2. Local reports have cited fears around inciting communal tensions as voters head to
The Guardian •

MS Swaminathan, ‘visionary’ father of India’s green revolution, dies at 98

The year was 2005. There had been a wave of farmer suicides in the Indian state of Maharashtra. The mainstream press paid scant attention, but MS Swaminathan rushed to the scene with a team of officials. “He was in tears listening to the families of those who had ended their own lives,” says journalist P Sainath in a tribute.

This image of the renowned scientist – well into his golden years – championing distressed farmers is one that epitomises MS Swaminathan’s life’s work.

Swaminathan, who h
The Guardian •

How India's moon landing has boosted its self image | Hannah Abraham

“I let out an involuntary whoop when it landed,” my friend Shivansh told me. He was travelling on London Underground at the time. “Everyone on the tube was staring at me.”

Shivansh is just one of millions of Indians all over the world who are celebrating the successful landing of the Chandrayaan-3 lunar exploration mission. Indians even broke YouTube’s record for livestreams, with more than 8 million people staying glued to their screens last Wednesday, as the spacecraft edged close to the luna
Variety •

Reports of Actor ‘Saint Von Colucci’ Dying of Cosmetic Surgeries to Resemble BTS Singer Jimin Appear to Be Elaborate Hoax That Used AI

A report circulating about a 22-year-old actor named Saint Von Colucci dying from cosmetic procedures to look like BTS singer Jimin have turned out to be an elaborate hoax likely involving the use of AI imagery.

News of the alleged death was first published on the Daily Mail website on April 24, and has now been pulled. The outlet, which does not appear to have issued any form of retraction, did not respond to Variety’s multiple requests for comment.

The alleged news was also picked up by seve
Variety •

1 in 4 British TV Offices Inaccessible to Disabled Talent: Industry Survey Sheds Light on ‘Abysmal’ Failings in Accessibility

A virtual panel organized by Channel 4 has shed light on the findings of the recent Access into Action Industry Access Survey. The Wednesday panel was moderated by Channel 4 journalist Jordan Jarrett-Bryan, and included well-known industry figures like screenwriter Jack Thorne and producer Bryony Arnold.

The Access into Action survey was conducted in late 2022 as a joint effort by Channel 4 and Amazon Studios U.K. as part of an ongoing effort to increase accessibility and inclusion in Britain’s
News9live •

‘Boys Over Flowers’ to ‘Extraordinary Attorney Woo’: Tracing evolution of female friendships in K-dramas

‘Woo to the Young to the Woo’

Admit it — your mind voice just replied with ‘Dong to the Geu to the Ra Mi’, didn’t it?

Netflix’s Extraordinary Attorney Woo has been doing fantastically on the platform, holding spots on the top ten lists in several countries. Other than Park Eun Bin’s stellar portrayal of the autistic Young Woo, Kang Tae Oh’s lovable lead Jun Ho, and Kang Ki Young’s latest addition to the long list of reasons why he needs to headline a drama, Extraordinary Attorney Woo also gave
News9live •

Girls Generation: New album ‘Forever 1’ underlines towering legacy, enduring supremacy of KPop’s OG queens

Last week, the KPop group Girls Generation released their album Forever 1 in honour of their fifteenth anniversary. It is a tribute to their dedicated fans (called SONEs).

Fifteen years ago, if someone had told me that South Korean pop music would permeate the socio-cultural fabric of global pop culture so deep that over the years ‘behind the scenes’ would become the second most popular meaning of its abbreviation, I would have requested them to share their hallucinogens with me. And yet, here
News9live •

Stanning Steve Harrington: How Stranger Things’ stereotypical jock turned into its MVP

Stanning Steve Harrington: How Stranger Things’ stereotypical jock turned into its MVP

Few onscreen journeys have been as satisfying to witness as the evolution of Steve Harrington on Stranger Things.

As the fourth season of Stranger Things continues to serve up demogorgon-sized amounts of shock and awe, it is a testament to the Duffer Brothers’ vision and outstanding writing, that the side characters have not only stayed on but also evolved into fan favourites. While main characters like Elev
News9live •

With BTS on hiatus, which K-pop band will rule the Hallyu Wave?

With BTS on hiatus, which K-pop band will rule the Hallyu Wave?

While Blackpink would be the clear winner if looking at only female acts, there are many more names that come to mind in the male artist space.

In a move that sent shockwaves through its legions of fans (and the entertainment world at large), K-pop icons BTS recently announced that they would be taking a hiatus from making music together.

On an informal YouTube live to celebrate their anniversary and promote their anthology album
News9live •

Apple TV, Amazon, Disney+ want Hallyu hits. Is Netflix’s head start too much to beat?

Apple TV, Amazon, Disney+ want Hallyu hits. Is Netflix’s head start too much to beat?

Netflix continues to be the biggest global distributor of Korean dramas, and competitors like Amazon, Disney + Hotstar and Apple TV+ have been left to play catch-up.

Once upon a time — or, if you must insist on our being specific, around the early 2010s — being a Kdrama enthusiast meant having to resort to ad-ridden proxy websites (and suspicious torrent files) just to keep up with the latest updates. Thankfu
Film Companion •

Superstore Is The Funniest Sitcom You Never Saw

In March of 2021, underrated sitcom gem Superstore aired its final episode. Overshadowed by a continued pandemic, news of the vaccine and the Oprah-Harry-Meghan bombshell, the end of Superstore may not have been missed widely, but it was definitely missed deeply.

Debuting on NBC in 2016, Superstore has consistently pushed the envelope for sitcom storytelling while remaining firmly planted in its comedic roots. The show was created by The Office writer Justin Spitzer, and the similarities are re
The Week •

The vicious realm of Korean cyberspace

The news has broken—yet another Korean celebrity has passed away, and all evidence points to suicide. Almost two years after singer Kim Jonghyun was found dead in his residence at 27 years of age, singer-actor Choi Sulli was discovered dead in her home. She was only 25.

Sulli debuted in the entertainment industry when she was 11, with a role in the drama The Ballad of Seodong. Four years later, she made her K-Pop debut with the SM group f(x), along with band mates Krystal, Amber, Victoria, and
The Week •

The undying genius of George Bernard Shaw

On November 2, 1950, the world lost a literary legend, Nobel Prize winner and political activist. Known for his intellectual works (Pygmalion being the most famous one), he once made King Edward VII break a chair from laughing so much at one of his plays. Shaw is often touted as Britain’s finest dramatist (second only to Shakespeare), and here we take a look at some of the interesting elements in his varied life.

He started working when he was 15: Shaw hated going to school and attended four of
The Week •

Tyrus Wong, the underrated artist honoured by Google doodle today

Google Doodle can always be relied upon to shed the spotlight on figures that deserve recognition. Their latest prodigy is Tyrus Wong, the Chinese-American illustrator who would have celebrated his 108th birthday on Thursday.

The doodle, whose animation is a clear homage to Wong’s artistic style, starts out featuring a young Tyrus practicing his calligraphy on newspapers. His father’s support is also paid tribute to, showing him smiling at his son while gently placing a cup near him. Snatches o
The Week •

How K-Pop is making waves in India

If you are a millennial who does not reside under the proverbial rock, chances are that the words ‘BTS’ or ‘K-Pop’ would have popped up on your social media feed at least once in the recent times. Having exponentially gained traction over the past years, Korean Pop has now evolved into a phenomenon that has swept the world music scene, showing no signs of going anywhere anytime soon.

India’s love affair with Korean culture has its epicentre in the northeastern parts of the country, specifically

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