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Around Tinsel Town
Ace Tamil filmmaker Bharathiraja no more
Renowned Tamil film director Bharathiraja passed away in Chennai on Wednesday (June 10, 2026). The ace director who had been ailing for a while, was 84.
Celebrated for shifting Tamil cinema from studio-bound filmmaking to authentic rural landscapes, and for his iconic opening line, “Yen Iniya Tamil Makkale,” delivered in his distinctive voice, he was a transformative force in not just Tamil but Indian cinema. He was laid to rest at his farmhouse in Theni district with full state honours.
Here is a list of stories that celebrates the legacy of Bharathiraja:
>> Strong heroines, mellow heroes, engaging stories and fierce social commentary define Bharathiraja’s repertoire
>> Dreaded don to dear grandfather: Actor Bharathiraja’s many faces
>> Bharathiraja’s masterpiece movie ‘Mudhal Mariyathai’: a Russian connection and initial misgivings
>> ‘Guess the climax if you can’: The day Bharathiraja challenged film critics
>> Go well, Bharathiraja sir: Ponvannan’s heartfelt tribute to ‘Iyakkunar Imayam’
>> Bharathiraja and Balachander: The story of ‘Rettaisuzhi’, their only film together
>> Bharathiraja and Ilaiyaraaja: a relationship that ebbed and flowed
>> En iniya Thamizh makkale: unforgettable celluloid legacy of a son of the soil
>> Bharathiraja, the master filmmaker: How the ‘Iyakkunar Imayam’ captured the soul of Tamil Nadu for posterity
Bollywood
Sunny Deol’s ‘Lahore 1947’ renamed as ‘Batwara 1947’; film to release on August 14
‘Eetha’: Shraddha Kapoor’s next with ‘Chhaava’ director Laxman Utekar gets release date
Hollywood
Idris Elba says James Bond shouldn’t be made ‘woke’ amid ongoing 007 casting search
‘24 Jump Street’ in development at Sony as Jonah Hill, Channing Tatum and Ice Cube eye return
Glenn Close, Ridley Scott and Floyd Norman to receive Honorary Oscars at 2026 Governors Awards
Regional
Rajinikant’s ‘Kochadaiiyaan’ set for an AI-remastered version
AMMA issues show-cause notices to actors Joy Mathew, Tini Tom, Lakshmipriya for ‘tarnishing image’
Kichcha Sudeep breaks silence on ‘Billa Ranga Baasha’, gives big update
World Cinema
‘Look Back’ live-action film reveals cast, teaser trailer and September release
Trailors
‘The Social Reckoning’ trailer offers a glimpse at a new chapter in the story of Facebook
‘The Bear’ Season 5 trailor shows Carmy and Sydney’s final fight to save the restaurant
Alia Bhatt makes an action-packed entry into YRF Spy Universe in ‘Alpha’ teaser
‘The Dog Stars’ trailer shows Jacob Elordi’s searches for hope in Ridley Scott’s pandemic-ravaged world
‘The Cat in the Hat’ trailer hints at Bill Hader’s wild new take on Dr. Seuss’ iconic trickster
Essential Reading
1) The enduring impact of Singeetham Srinivasa Rao’s films on contemporary filmmakers
>> As Singeetham Srinivasa Rao, 94 years young, gears up for the release of his new Telugu film ‘Sing Geetham’, directors Vivek Athreya, Mohana Krishna Indraganti, and Venkatesh Maha travel down memory lane to recall his iconic films
2) What are the Backrooms? A beginners guide to the creepypasta that inspired Kane Parson’s liminal horror
>> The internet’s most infamous yellow room has finally reached cinemas. Here’s the strange history behind the Backrooms phenomenon
3) From Instagram Reels to ‘Sing Geetham’: Ahilya on her unconventional journey to films
>> The actor discusses her debut in ‘I Want To Talk’, her role in ‘Sing Geetham’ and collaborating with veteran filmmaker Singeetham Srinivasa Rao
4) The long road to ‘Disclosure Day’: How first-contact cinema taught us to imagine the Third Kind
>> For over a century, science fiction has used aliens to talk about empire, paranoia, language, and power — here’s how first-contact cinema became a mirror for humanity’s shifting fears and ambitions
5) Manoj Bajpayee interview: On ‘Governor’, OTT fatigue and why box office obsession must end
>> The actor talks about his film ‘Governor’, which dives into India’s financial crisis of the ‘90s, and also addresses the growing OTT fatigue and the problem of the relentless chase of box office numbers
6) Ali Fazal interview: ‘Everybody should have access to pride’
>> The actor opens up on playing a Dalit police officer in ‘Raakh’ and his tryst with making himself and the audience uncomfortable
7) Decoding the visuals of Ram Charan’s ‘Peddi’ with colourist Andreas Brueckl
>> German colourist Andreas Brueckl, now based in Hyderabad, on how colour grading can enhance the impact of a film’s narrative
8) As Satyajit Ray goes viral again, rare photographs show what made him great
>> Nemai Ghosh’s photographs, on show at DAG, preserve Satyajit Ray’s creative life as a long and slow act of observation — a timely lesson in the age of AI
9) Salim Kumar (1969-2026) – from ignominy to meme king
>> Salim Kumar, a comedic actor par excellence, left a signature in Malayalam cinema
10) Curry Barker, Kane Parsons and a quick history of YouTube creators reshaping modern horro
>> With the success that followed ‘Obsession’ and ‘Backrooms’, here’s a look at how YouTube has steadily become of the industry’s most fertile scouting grounds for the next generation of horror filmmakers
11) There and back again: A Tolkien fan’s pilgr
>> The iconic Hobbiton Movie Set — built on a 1,250-acre Waikato farm discovered by Peter Jackson in 1998 — turns a lifelong memory of the Shire into an unforgettable adventure through Middle Earth for a lifelong Tolkien fan
12) A new short film spotlights the caste-based sex work tradition still trapping girls in Madhya Pradesh
>> Drawing from real-life testimonies and police records, Shobhita Thakur’s ‘Khilawadi’ shines a light on the exploitation of women trapped by caste and tradition
13) Nemai Ghosh’s colour protraits of Satyajit Ray lend a new dimension to the legend
>> An ongoing exhibition at the Delhi Art Gallery captures the filmmaker in vivid colours, making it less a display of images and more a rediscovery of him
14) ‘Kavithavum Kooraipalliyum’:A Tamil short film with a lasting impact
>> Directed by Geetha Ilangovan, the Tamil micro-drama streaming on Kadhaishorts encourages women to ask a simple yet profound question: What do you want?
What to watch
1) ‘Backrooms’, Kane Parsons’ postmodern labyrinth, is a mesmerising moodboard for the horrors of the internet age
>> Read the full review here
2) ‘Disclosure Day’, Steven Spielberg’s latest close encounter with wonder, is proof of life
Read the full review here
3) ‘Sing Geetham’ is a bold musical fantasy from ‘Singeetham Srinivasa Rao’
>> Read the full review here
4) ‘Main Vaapas Aaunga’ is Imtiaz Ali’s love story for the ages
>> Read the full review here
5) In ‘Governor: The Silent Saviour’, Manoj Bajpayee struggles in a narrative vaccum
>> Read the full review here
6) Jennifer Lopez and Brett Goldstein fail to pop up ‘Office Romance’, a confused, dreary rom-com
>> Read the full review here
Published – June 12, 2026 05:35 pm IST
