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Around Tinsel Town

Here are some stories from the ongoing Cannes Film Festival 2026:

>> John Travolta surprised with honorary Palme d’Or at the festival

>> Cristian Mungiu’s ‘Fjord’ draws emotional response at premiere

>> Andrey Zvyagintsev’s ‘Minotaur’, about murder and corruption in Putin’s Russia, jolts the festival

>> Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s ‘All Of A Sudden’ earns longest ovation yet as Palme d’Or buzz intensifies

>> Scarlett Johansson misses James Gray’s call as ‘Paper Tiger’ earns 7-minute standing ovation

>> Meet FTII’s Mehar Malhotra, whose Punjabi short is India’s only film in competition

>> Pedro Almodovar criticises Trump, wears ‘Free Palestine’ pin

>> ‘Amma Ariyan’ screened at the festival in restored 4K version

>> How Maradona and Cantona football documentaries stole the show

>> Nepal’s Abinash Bikram Shah: My goal is to move from ‘them’ to ‘us’

Bollywood

‘Pritam and Pedro’: Rajkumar Hirani’s comedy-drama series sets release date

Shekhar Kapur to direct ‘Foreign Bodies’, a film on vaccine pioneer Waldemar Haffkine

Hindi & Malayalam version of ‘Drishyam 3’ will have different narratives, say makers

‘Vibe’: Kunal Kemmu’s action-comedy gets theatrical release date

Kritika Kamra to headline upcoming drama film titled ‘Dumbbell’

Regional

‘Mega 158’: Chiranjeevi’s film with Bobby Kolli goes on floor; Pawan Kalyan attends launch

Kamal meets Vijay, submits 6 demands Tamil film industry’s development

Prashanth Neel, NTR’s ‘Dragon’ first glimpse reveals a blood-soaked saga

Tamil producer K. Rajan passes away

Karthik Subbaraj collaborates with Ilaiyaraaja for his next directorial

‘Karuppu’ team to modify Ilaiyaraaja dialogue: No intention to disrespect maestro, says production house

Fahadh Faasil, Sshivada to headline Prem Kumar’s next

Trailers

‘Peddi’ trailer shows Ram Charan as a crossover athlete in Buchi Babu Sana’s film

In ‘Main Vaapas Aaunga’ trailer, Diljit Dosanjh headlines Imtiaz Ali’s epic musical love story set around partition

‘Michael Jackson: The Verdict’ trailer gives a glimpse into Netflix docu-series which dissects the pop icon’s controversial trial

In ‘Bandar’ trailer, Bobby Deol plays a fading star accused of rape

In ‘Pritam and Pedro’ teaser, Rajkumar Hirani promises a blend of humour and mystery

Teaser of Na Hong-Jin’s alien thriller ‘Hope’ unveiled after Cannes premiere

Essential Reading

1) Jyotika on working in Hindi OTT: ‘I am getting to do roles which I wouldn’t have got otherwise after forty’

>> The actor, along with Sonakshi Sinha and Ashutosh Gowariker, opens up about collaborating with Ashwiny Iyer Tiwary in ‘System’, Jyotika’s shift to Hindi films, how Sonakshi and Ashutosh brought realism to their performances, and more

2) An actor’s wealth lies in the number of people he knows: Anupam Kher

>> Ahead of the staging of his new production, ‘Jaane Pehchaane Anjane’, Anupam Kher reveals the secret of his longevity on screen and stage, and why he sees theatre as a tool for emotional communication

3) Saiju Kurup on ‘Mohiniyattam’: This success came 21 years after my debut

>> Actor Saiju Kurup on the success of ‘Bharathanatyam 2: Mohiniyattam,’ which he has co-produced as well, at the box office and OTT

4) Twins Jinil Rexa and Jivin Rexa on finding their space in Malayalam cinema as actors

>> The twins are in the limelight post the success of ‘Mohiniyattam’, the sequel of the 2024-film ‘Bharathanatyam’

5) Samyuktha Viswanathan: Social media following should not affect an actor’s relevancy

>> The ‘Katchi Sera’ star talks about her upcoming film ‘Double Occupancy,’ balancing streaming and theatrical projects, and starring alongside Dulquer Salmaan in ‘I Am Game’

6) Lights, Camera, Women: A networking collective for cinema aspirants

>> Through online sessions and offline workshops in Hyderabad, the group connects aspirants to professionals in the industry and aims to create a safe space for conversations

7) Mahesh Babu’s ‘Athidhi’ and the trend of digitising and restoring archival titles

>> As Mahesh Babu starrer ‘Athidhi’ gears up for re-release, Abhishek Prasad, director and CTO of Prasad Corp, discusses the uptick in restoration of older films

8) Content creator Shelvin James on playing Parashu in the Basil Joseph-Tovino Thomas starrer ‘Athiradi’

>> Shelvin James on working with Basil Joseph in Arun Anirudhan’s ‘Athiradi’ and his decade-long career in content creation

9) Actor Indrans credits RJ Balaji for helping him overcome apprehensions in ‘Karuppu’

>> The actor talks about working with Suriya and how he got over fear of being able to handle Tamil when he signed on for ‘Karuppu’

10) From cinema to content: The rise of Indian influencers at Cannes Film Festival

>> As Indian digital creators become more visible than Indian cinema at Cannes, a debate is raging over who belongs on the red carpet — and who gets to decide

What to watch

1) In ‘Drishyam 3’, Mohanlal is the saving grace in the least effective film of the franchise

>> Read the full review here

2) Sonakshi Sinha and Jyotika starrer ‘System’ gives a split verdict

>> Read the full review here

3) ‘Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu’ isn’t the reboot people saw coming

>> Read the review here

4) In ‘Chand Mera Dil’, Ananya Panday and Lakshya light up an agonisingly poignant romance

>> Read the full review here

5) ‘Off Campus’ is a chaotic, charming, and addictive Hockey romance

>> Read the full review here

6) In ‘Margo’s Got Money Troubles’, Elle Fanning anchors a warm, star-studded dramedy

>> Read the full review here

7) ‘Nemesis’ is Extraordinarily predictable and decidedly ludicrous

>> Read the full review here