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Around Tinsel Town
>> Tamil Nadu elections 2026 | Rajinikanth, Kamal Haasan, Ajith Kumar and others cast their votes
Polling for the crucial Tamil Nadu Assembly elections began across all 234 constituencies on April 23 (Thursday). Amid tight security measures, many A-list film stars, including Rajinikanth, Kamal Haasan, Ajith Kumar and Vijay, cast their votes at polling booths across the state. Several actors, including Vikram, Dhanush, Trisha, Sivakarthikeyan, Vijay Sethupathi, Sachu, Pradeep Ranganathan, Prabhu, Vikram Prabhu, Sasikumar, Arun Vijay, Sneha, Prasanna, Gautham Karthik, and Jai, registered their votes. Directors, including Sudha Kongara, Atlee, Pa Ranjith, H Vinoth, and Ra Parthiban, were also seen casting their votes. Music composers, including legendary composer Ilaiyaraaja, also registered their votes.
Bollywood
Manoj Bajpayee to star in ‘Governor: The Silent Saviour’
Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s ‘Love & War’ gets new release date
Ayushmann Khurrana, Sharvari’s ‘Yeh Prem Mol Liya’ gets a release date
Emraan Hashmi-Disha Patani film ‘Awarapan 2’ gets a release date
Hollywood
‘Project Hail Mary’ puppeteer James Ortiz eligible for Best Supporting Actor at Oscars
Regional Cinema
Jr NTR-Prashanth Neel film gets new release date
Rajinikanth’s ‘Jailer 2’ with Nelson wrapped up
After ‘Narsimha’, Hombale Films announces next Mahavatar Cinematic Universe film
Vikram teams up with Anand Shankar and Sathya Jyothi Films
Vijay Deverakonda to work with Shouryuv of ‘Hi Nanna’ fame
Actor-director Joju George announces his second directorial venture ‘Paripadi’
World Cinema
Filmmaker Payal Kapadia named jury president for Cannes Critics Week
French film star Nathalie Baye dead at 77, says family
Trailers
‘Kara’ trailer shows Dhanush star in a gritty, violent drama
Riteish Deshmukh as the valiant Maratha warrior battles the Mughals in ‘Raja Shivaji’ trailer
‘Clayface’ teaser shows body horror take centre stage in DC’s darkest origin story yet
‘KD’ trailer promises a violent gangster drama on cards from Dhruva Sarja-Prem combination
‘Pati Patni Aur Wo Do’ teaser shows Ayushmann Khurrana, Wamiqa Gabbi in a quirky romantic-comedy
Trailer of Netflix series ‘Glory’ promises high-stakes boxing drama with thrills and suspense
Essential reading
1) Rajat Kapoor: Marketing independent films is tougher than making them
>> Rajat, along with Vinay Pathak and Ranvir Shorey, discusses the recently released murder-mystery ‘Everybody Loves Sohrab Handa’
2) ‘Jaws’ at 50: Still has bite
>> Watching the 4K restored version to celebrate 50 years of Spielberg’s iconic film was an unmitigated thrill ride and a chance to marvel at the blockbuster template
3) Srinidhi Bengaluru on crafting ‘Jerax,’ a quirky fantasy thriller about a human-cloning machine
>> Bengaluru speaks about his upcoming Kannada fantasy comedy thriller, set to premiere on ZEE5, starring Nagabhushana and Payal Chengappa
4) Sai Tamhankar interview: The ‘Matka King’ actor on working across languages and her quest for longevity
>> Tamhankar opens up about being part of the movie industry for long and her thoughts on challenging people’s perception
5) Summer 2026 in Telugu cinema: Where are the big films?
>> With a few potential crowd pullers opting out of the summer race, box office prospects appear uneven
6) In Bollywood’s backyard, Marathi cinema finds a fresh voice
>> In a state dominated by big-budget Hindi films and Bollywood stars, Marathi cinema is carving out space with fresher, more rooted stories
7) From the sets of ‘Maddy’: How Rio Raj and Saniya Iyappan ace a scene in the upcoming rom-com
>> The team behind the upcoming Tamil rom-com highlights the importance of collaboration and a positive atmosphere on set
8) ‘Nukkad Naatak’: How street theatre and social media helped this indie film stand out
>> Tanmaya Shekhar’s debut film uses street theatre to examine activism, privilege and the realities of child labour
9) Gauthami Nair is buoyed by the response to the Tamil web series Kaakee Circus
>> The actor also talks about focussing on education and turning her attention to acting
10) ‘Umas’: How Rachita Gorowala’s haunting short deconstructs bodies with care
>> The film was among the three projects selected for the Asian Short Film Fund at the Hong Kong International Film Festival 2026, where it was recently screened
11) George Kutty, a beloved figure in Bengaluru’s film society movement, no more
>> As the driving force behind the Bangalore Film Society and the editor of Deep Focus magazine, Kutty brought thought-provoking and socially relevant films to the forefront
What to watch
1) Sanctimonious heroics nearly derail a clinically sharp second shift of ‘The Pitt’
Read the full review here
2) ‘Madhuvidhu’ is a light-hearted film that squanders a promising conflict
Read the full review here
3) Bob Odenkirk powers ‘Normal,’ a darkly comic small-town shootout
Read the full review here
4) ‘Beef’ Season 2 review has too many cooks, but not enough meat on the bone
Read the full review here
5) In ‘Trevor Noah: Joy in the Trenches,’ Noah asks the tough questions, but makes you laugh anyway
Read the full review here
6) ‘Mr. X,’ Arya-Gautham Karthik’s promising mission undone by excess
Read the full review here
7) Tovino Thomas’ ahistorical period drama ‘Pallichattambi’ undone by heavy-handed approach
Read the full review here
Published – April 24, 2026 06:08 pm IST
