All posts tagged: Batra

Cannes 2026: Tara Sutaria serves old-Hollywood glamour; Pooja Batra dazzles in metallic gown | Bollywood News

Cannes 2026: Tara Sutaria serves old-Hollywood glamour; Pooja Batra dazzles in metallic gown | Bollywood News

Published by Webster

4 min readNew DelhiMay 14, 2026 02:38 PM IST Tara Sutaria and Pooja Batra brought glamour, drama and vintage fashion energy to the Cannes Film Festival 2026 as both actors made striking appearances on the French Riviera. While Tara channelled old-Hollywood sophistication in a monochrome Helsa gown ahead of her big Cannes moment, Pooja turned heads on the red carpet in a shimmering metallic ensemble by Anne Barge. Tara Sutaria’s first look at Cannes 2026 Tara officially kicked off her Cannes 2026 journey by sharing a series of pictures from her first day at the prestigious festival. Sharing the photos, Tara wrote, “Thrilled to be invited to Festival de Cannes and to be honoured at the Red Sea Film Foundation’s Women in Cinema Gala. Tomorrow eve is a big moment! Stay tuned.. Until then, some moments from day one..” For her first Cannes look, Tara embraced timeless monochrome elegance in a dramatic black-and-white gown from Helsa. The strapless gown featured a structured corset-style bodice with a sharp white neckline detail. Fitted at the waist, the …

Pooja Batra says she paved way for tall actors like Deepika Padukone, Kriti Sanon: ‘I had to do splits for heroes’

Pooja Batra says she paved way for tall actors like Deepika Padukone, Kriti Sanon: ‘I had to do splits for heroes’

Published by Parlour News

Bollywood actor and former Miss India Pooja Batra recently reflected on her experiences in the film industry and spoke about the challenges she faced because of her height. Recalling the early years of her career, Pooja revealed that she was often asked to perform splits in front of the camera to appear shorter than her male co-stars. She added that the struggles she went through eventually helped pave the way for taller actors like Deepika Padukone and Kriti Sanon to be accepted more comfortably in Bollywood. Pooja Batra says Deepika Padukone and Kriti Sanon should thank her. Pooja Batra recalls losing movies because of her height Pooja started her career as a model and later shifted to acting in Bollywood films. Recalling the transition, she told Harper’s Bazaar India, “It was tough. I remember I was told by Sangeeta Bijlani, ‘You don’t have a chance in the movies because you’re too tall.’ She’s my idol. She’s beautiful, and she’s a model too. I gave every role I got my best even though the heroes got …

Pooja Batra forced to do splits in front of camera to make insecure heroes look taller: ‘I lost films due to my height’ | Bollywood News

Pooja Batra forced to do splits in front of camera to make insecure heroes look taller: ‘I lost films due to my height’ | Bollywood News

Published by Webster

Sangeeta Bijlani, Pooja Batra, Sushmita Sen, Deepika Padukone — what’s common between the three of them? Yes, they’re all former models who became leading Hindi film actors. Another commonality is the height — they were all extremely tall women in an industry where most of their male co-stars were short, but with a rather tall ego that their leading ladies had to look shorter than them. “It was tough. I remember I was told by Sangeeta Bijlani, ‘You don’t have a chance in the movies because you’re too tall,’” recalled Pooja Batra. Sangeeta, who made her Bollywood debut with Qatil (1988) opposite Aditya Pancholi, worked only for eight years as a leading lady, her last film being Nirbhay (1996) opposite Mithun Chakraborty. Pooja admitted she was disappointed by Sangeeta’s word of caution. “She’s my idol She’s beautiful, and she’s a model too,” she told Harper’s Bazaar India. “I gave every role I got my best even though the heroes got intimidated because of my stature. It’s true I didn’t book a lot of movies because …

ITTF World Team Table Tennis C’ships: Manika Batra, Manav lead India’s charge

ITTF World Team Table Tennis C’ships: Manika Batra, Manav lead India’s charge

Published by Webster

India’s top table tennis stars, led by Olympians Manika Batra, G Sathiyan, Manav Thakkar and Harmeet Desai, will take centre stage at the ITTF World Team Table Tennis Championships 2026, beginning April 28 in London. Set to be held at the iconic OVO Arena Wembley, the tournament brings together 64 teams each in the men’s and women’s competitions, making it one of the most competitive global team events in the sport. The championships feature two prestigious trophies, the Swaythling Cup (men) and the Corbillon Cup (women). Each tie consists of up to five singles matches, with the first team to win three matches progressing, placing equal importance on squad depth and consistency. India’s challenge India enters the tournament through Stage 1b, a tougher route compared to the top-seeded teams placed directly in Stage 1a. The men’s team, led by world No. 38 Manav Thakkar, have been drawn in Group 7 alongside Slovakia, Tunisia and Guatemala. On paper, it’s a manageable group, but the margin for error remains minimal given the qualification rules. The women’s team, …

Manav Thakkar, Manika Batra off to disappointing start

Manav Thakkar, Manika Batra off to disappointing start

Published by Webster

Indian table tennis players including manav Thakkar and Manika Batra started their ITTF World Cup 2026 on a disappointing note, losing their respective opening group matches in Macao on Monday. In men’s singles, Manav Thakkar lost to Park Gang-hyeon of the Republic of Korea in straight sets 0-3 (7-11, 6-11, 8-11). The world no 33 will now take on world No. 2 and Olympic silver medallist Truls Möregårdh of Sweden in the final group game. Asian Games medallist Manav is the sole Indian representative in the men’s game. 🚨#news l Manika and Manav lose their opening group stage match at the ITTF World Cup 2026🏆 🇮🇳 Manika Batra lost 3-0 (18-16, 11-4, 11-6) to Japan’s Miwa Harimoto 🇯🇵 While 🇮🇳 Manav Thakkar, went down 3-0 (11-7, 11-6, 11-8) to Korea’s Park Gang-hyeon 🇰🇷 Only the top 16 group… pic.twitter.com/0WItamFWkI — The Bridge (@the_bridge_in) March 30, 2026 Meanwhile, Manika Batra lost to a higher-ranked Miwa Harimoto of Japan 3-0 (16-18, 4-11, 6-11). The world no 47 Indian will be up against Olympian Lily Zhang, ranked 42nd, …

ITTF World Team Table Tennis C’ships: Manika Batra, Manav lead India’s charge

Manika Batra, Manav Thakkar lead India’s challenge – Preview

Published by Webster

India’s top paddlers, led by Manika Batra and Manav Thakkar, are set to take on the world’s best as the ITTF World Cup 2026 begins on March 30 in Macao, China. With 96 players competing across men’s and women’s singles events, the tournament promises high-quality action, and India will be represented by three players: Manika Batra and Sreeja Akula in the women’s draw, and Manav Thakkar in the men’s competition. Tough Group Stage draws for Indian players The tournament begins with a round-robin group stage, where 48 players in each draw are split into 16 groups of three. Only the group winners progress to the knockout stage. Manika Batra finds herself in a challenging Group 4 alongside World No. 5, Miwa Harimoto (Japan), and World No. 42 Lily Zhang (USA). Ranked 47th, Batra will need a strong showing to break through. Sreeja Akula, placed in Group 2, faces an even tougher test with World No. 2 Wang Manyu (China) and Fu Yu (Portugal). Meanwhile, in the men’s draw, Manav Thakkar is grouped with World No. …

Alia Bhatt had to step in to save ‘scared’ Shakun Batra from Rishi Kapoor amid everyday clashes on Kapoor and Sons sets: ‘I won’t give a shot’ | Bollywood News

Alia Bhatt had to step in to save ‘scared’ Shakun Batra from Rishi Kapoor amid everyday clashes on Kapoor and Sons sets: ‘I won’t give a shot’ | Bollywood News

Published by Webster

It is famously known that Rishi Kapoor would give it all to his characters, but at the same time, he would also pose a challenge to newer directors as they felt that they sometimes had a difficult time making him understand what they wanted in their films. Shakun Batra faced a similar challenge when shooting for Kapoor & Sons and recently, on the film’s 10th anniversary, the director recalled that Rishi came on board after he found out that he would be working with a Oscar-winning make-up artiste. Shakun also recalled how he would be “scared” on set as Rishi wasn’t very comfortable with his style of filming in those early days of the shoot. Rishi Kapoor got excited when he learnt he would be working with a Oscar winner In a chat with Galatta Plus, Shakun shared that when he pitched the film to the actor, Rishi had his reservations as he felt that he would “look bad” with “bad make-up” in trying to look like a 90-year-old on screen. Shakun, however, revealed to …

‘Generous of Fawad Khan to do Kapoor and Sons’: Shakun Batra says he isn’t sure if a film like this can be made today | Bollywood News

‘Generous of Fawad Khan to do Kapoor and Sons’: Shakun Batra says he isn’t sure if a film like this can be made today | Bollywood News

Published by Webster

It feels as if only yesterday that Shakun Batra’s Kapoor and Sons  first graced the silver screen. A film that very much defined what one might typically call a slice-of-life cinema. Death and dissolution haunted the narrative, yet alongside his co-writer Ayesha Devitre, Batra managed to illuminate the ordinary textures of a family we all recognise, we all have lived in, we all continue to inhabit. Be it the irritable father, ever counting expenses; the mother, whose affections subtly favour one child over another; the gentle grandfather confronting mortality; the siblings, struggling to coexist. Each figure resonated with the familiarity of lived experience. The film’s brilliance lies in its ability to connect, across generations, across moods, in ways that feel both intimate and universal. It is no small wonder, then, that it not only won hearts but also marked its territory at the box office, even as the landscape of the past decade has shifted so drastically. In an exclusive conversation with SCREEN, as it completes 10 years, Batra reflects on the genesis of the …

10 years of Kapoor & Sons: Fawad Khan asked if homosexuality was a whisper or shout, says Shakun Batra

10 years of Kapoor & Sons: Fawad Khan asked if homosexuality was a whisper or shout, says Shakun Batra

Published by Parlour News

Filmmaker Shakun Batra takes a trip down memory lane as Kapoor & Sons completes a decade. Batra’s, Rishi Kapoor, Alia Bhatt, Fawad Khan, Ratna Pathak Shah, Rajat Kapoor and Sidharth Malhotra starrer, Kapoor & Sons hits the ten year mark on Wednesday, March 18. Kapoor & Sons, Shakun Batra Recalling memories of the making, Shakun tells us, “There was a two year gap between when the film was written and when it got made. A lot of actors turned it down in the beginning. Actors weren’t comfortable playing homosexuals back then and at one point I thought I need to move on, I’ll never get to make the film. Fawad loved the script and called me to ask ‘Is homosexuality a whisper or a shout?’ I told him it’s a whisper and he was on board. That’s the only conversation we had, that homosexuality would be presented in a subtle manner, without saying it out loud.” He adds, “There are little hints like tangerine shoes or self concious moments with his mother. We wanted families …

Lust Stories 3 set to return with Vikramaditya Motwane, Shakun Batra, Kiran Rao and Vishal Bhardwaj

Lust Stories 3 set to return with Vikramaditya Motwane, Shakun Batra, Kiran Rao and Vishal Bhardwaj

Published by Parlour News

The bold anthology Lust Stories is set to return for a third season. This will mark the first Indian anthology to reach a three-season run on Netflix. Each director will present a distinct story exploring themes of love, desire, power, and social hierarchies, staying true to the franchise’s reputation for fearless and thought-provoking storytelling. Filming for all four segments has been completed, with the project currently in post-production and a mid-2026 premiere planned.  As per reports by Variety India, Lust Stories 3 will feature four new short films helmed by an acclaimed lineup of filmmakers. The lineup includes Vikramaditya Motwane, Shakun Batra, Kiran Rao and Vishal Bhardwaj. The third installment also boasts a strong ensemble cast. Radhika Apte and Konkona Sen Sharma headline Vikramaditya Motwane’s segment, while Shakun Batra’s short stars Ali Fazal and Radhika Madan in lead roles. Kiran Rao’s story features Gurfateh Pirzada alongside newcomer Sana Thampi, and Vishal Bhardwaj reunites with Padmaavat actor Aditi Rao Hydari for his contribution to the Lust Stories anthology. Lust Stories 3 is being produced by Ronnie …