All posts tagged: Malayalam cinema

From a superstar’s driver to Malayalam’s most powerful producer: The Antony Perumbavoor story | Malayalam News

From a superstar’s driver to Malayalam’s most powerful producer: The Antony Perumbavoor story | Malayalam News

Whenever a movie becomes a massive success, the lion’s share of credit usually goes to the director and the main cast. The remaining goes to the rest of the technical crew and, sometimes, the supporting actors. Producers rarely receive recognition for bringing a script to life. Yet their role in every film is impossible to overlook. Although the industry has had several prolific producers over the years, Antony Perumbavoor is widely regarded as the most successful Malayalam film producer of all time. And his life story may be even more intriguing than that of his movies. Malekudy Joseph Antony originally hails from Perumbavoor in Ernakulam district and rose to fame through his association with Mohanlal. However, it wasn’t as a producer or even as a film professional that Antony first met the Malayalam superstar. In fact, he stepped into Mohanlal’s life as a driver. Must Read | ‘Cried like a child’: Cochin Haneefa kept his fatal illness a secret from friend Mammootty How a 22-day driving job changed Antony Perumbavoor’s life When the production of …

Aishwarya Lekshmi calls Kangana Ranaut a ‘mad genius,’ praises her Parliament speeches | Bollywood News

Aishwarya Lekshmi calls Kangana Ranaut a ‘mad genius,’ praises her Parliament speeches | Bollywood News

3 min readHyderabadJul 27, 2026 05:15 PM IST Actor Aishwarya Lekshmi has offered a glowing endorsement of Kangana Ranaut, calling the actor-turned-politician a “mad genius” and praising her growth as a public speaker and her work in Parliament. “I love Kangana Ranaut. I feel like she is a mad genius,” Aishwarya said in a conversation with Galatta Plus. “I like how she taught herself to talk well and be a good orator. I love the speeches she gives in Parliament.” The career of Kangana Ranaut Kangana Ranaut arrived in Mumbai as a teenager from Manali in Himachal Pradesh with no backing, no formal training in acting, and limited command over English or Hindi. She has spoken openly about how she was mocked in the early years of her career for her accent and her lack of polish. Over the next decade, she taught herself to speak fluently in both languages, worked on her diction, and went on to win four National Film Awards for Best Actress, a record matched by very few in Hindi cinema. …

‘I’ll be CM, Navya can sit in front row’: Dhyan Sreenivasan’s Vijay-Trisha joke goes viral | Tamil News

‘I’ll be CM, Navya can sit in front row’: Dhyan Sreenivasan’s Vijay-Trisha joke goes viral | Tamil News

4 min readHyderabadJul 16, 2026 08:45 PM IST Malayalam actor Dhyan Sreenivasan turned a routine promotional event for his upcoming film Visitor into a comedy set that has since gone viral, taking pointed digs at Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Vijay‘s political rise and landing a joke about Trisha Krishnan that had the audience roaring without him ever having to name her directly. Speaking at the event, Dhyan said he has been spending more time doing stage shows and advertisements than films lately. He then launched into a story about being at an event in Australia when the news broke that Vijay had become Chief Minister. That, Dhyan said, inspired him to follow the same path. Dhyan Sreenivasan then pulled his friend and fellow actor Aju Varghese into the joke, claiming Aju had advised him to first become president of Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA), before attempting to become Chief Minister. “He also said I could become Chief Minister later after doing charity work and impressing people,” Dhyan said, before delivering the twist. “Then he called …

Exclusive! Dr Biju reacts to Digger director’s email about casting an Indian actor

Exclusive! Dr Biju reacts to Digger director’s email about casting an Indian actor

When the trailer for Digger dropped, audiences couldn’t stop talking about Tom Cruise’s startling transformation. Alejandro González Iñárritu’s casting choices and the film’s striking characters quickly became a talking point. But amid the frenzy, another filmmaker unexpectedly found himself in the spotlight—three-time National Award-winning Malayalam director Bijukumar Damodaran, better known as Dr. Biju. Tom Cruise in a still from Alejandro González Iñárritu’s upcoming film Digger. Dr Biju shared an email that Iñárritu wrote to him back in 2018, asking Biju to recommend “an Indian actor between 40-60 years old” who had a “real face” and not “actor face.” For many, it was a fascinating glimpse into Iñárritu’s casting philosophy. For Dr. Biju, it was also a reminder of a friendship that began years before that email arrived. They both go back a long time. Yet, he was surprised by the email because until then the email exchanges had been casual, but this time the filmmaker known for Babel, The Bridman and other acclaimed films, “wanted my professional opinion on casting for his film”. “Back in …

‘Challenges power structures’: Parvathy says I, Nobody is more than just a heist film | Malayalam News

‘Challenges power structures’: Parvathy says I, Nobody is more than just a heist film | Malayalam News

3 min readNew DelhiUpdated: Jul 6, 2026 10:04 PM IST Prithviraj Sukumaran is gearing up for the release of his upcoming film I, Nobody on July 9. While many fans believe the film is a heist thriller, actor Parvathy Thiruvothu says there’s much more to it than meets the eye. During the 15th edition of Expresso in Chennai, Parvathy explained the significance of the film’s intriguing title. “It is a film called I, Nobody. The intrigue begins with the title itself,” she said, adding, “It also resonates with my own journey. You may become somebody, be given a platform and spaces to showcase your talent, but the speed with which you’re pulled off those pedestals is astonishing. The ease with which authorities and power structures can take away your privileges is something we are witnessing across the world today.” Citing an example, she added, “Recent studies show that women’s rights are declining at an alarming rate globally. We’re watching it happen with disbelief, yet it continues to unfold.” Also Read – ‘Newcomers are still exploited’: …

Parvathy says women are burdened with responsibility of being ‘likeable’ on screen | Malayalam News

Parvathy says women are burdened with responsibility of being ‘likeable’ on screen | Malayalam News

Parvathy Thiruvothu, National Award-winning actor and founding member of Women in Cinema Collective, has pointed out that the change in portrayal of women on screen has been “very slow” and she’s not happy with that progress. The actor, speaking at the 15th edition of Screen Expresso in Chennai, also underlined how the responsibility of being likeable on screen is only placed on the women, and not as much on the men. “This bread crumbing of progress doesn’t bode well with me. I’d still take this tokenistic approach of hiring women over nothing. We do need our foot in the door to make some changes. But what we’re missing in terms of representation of our characters, be it a man, woman or any person writing them, are all of us seeing ourselves on screen?” said Parvathy. She added that the representation exists mostly in templates, from the ‘best friend’ template to the ‘mother’ template to ‘the lover girl’ template, which she’s rather familiar with. “Trust me, I’ve played a lover girl for over a decade before …

Ansiba moves court over defamatory videos; Shwetha Menon won’t step down as AMMA chief | Malayalam News

Ansiba moves court over defamatory videos; Shwetha Menon won’t step down as AMMA chief | Malayalam News

4 min readKochiJul 3, 2026 12:46 PM IST The troubles that have been plaguing the Association of Malayalam Movie Artistes (AMMA) for the past few weeks seem to be snowballing further, as actors Ansiba Hassan and Shwetha Menon have decided to take drastic measures to stand their respective grounds. While Ansiba has chosen to take the legal route against actor Lakshmi Priya and others for making alleged defamatory remarks against her, Shwetha has reportedly taken a U-turn on her decision to resign as the organisation’s president. Ansiba Hassan seeks FIR over defamatory videos In a petition filed at the Judicial First Class Magistrate Court in Ernakulam, Ansiba has sought a direction to the police to file an FIR on the basis of a complaint she submitted against Lakshmi and two representatives of an online media outlet, The Hindu reported. She has accused them of circulating videos on social media intended to tarnish her image and subject her to public humiliation. Only in SCREEN | Malayalam cinema 2026 half-yearly report: Death of multi-starrers and rise of …

The A-Team that changed Malayalam cinema | Malayalam News

The A-Team that changed Malayalam cinema | Malayalam News

5 min readUpdated: Jun 30, 2026 10:24 PM IST VK Cherian was a science student in Thiruvananthapuram Kerala, in the late 1970s when he first started watching films at Chitralekha, the cooperative film society founded by Malayalam screenwriter-director Adoor Gopalakrishnan. He didn’t become a filmmaker. Neither did Cherian pursue MBBS that his family wanted him to. Instead he went to the Indian Institute of Mass Communication, New Delhi, and became a journalist. But those early years of watching world cinema in small theaters, interacting with Adoor and G Aravindan – giants of Malayalam parallel cinema – stayed with him. Long enough to eventually become a book. Noon Films and the Magical Renaissance of Malayalam Cinema (Atlantic Publishers and Distributors, 2024) is VK Cherian’s attempt to document the two decades, between 1970 and 1990, tracing how a group of filmmakers trained from Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), Pune, including directors Adoor, Aravindan and John Abraham – whom he collectively calls the “A-Team” changed what Malayalam cinema looked and felt like. “That period really changed …

PM Modi meets Panchayat actors Binod and Bhushan, asks ‘Panchayat sunta hai ki nahi?’ | Web-series News

PM Modi meets Panchayat actors Binod and Bhushan, asks ‘Panchayat sunta hai ki nahi?’ | Web-series News

4 min readBengaluruJun 24, 2026 10:23 AM IST Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s interaction with Panchayat actors Ashok Pathak and Durgesh Kumar has gone viral online. The Prime Minister recently met the actors, best known for playing Binod and Bhushan in the hit web series Panchayat. The interaction took place during a public event attended by several notable personalities, including actor Ram Charan and entrepreneur Upasana Konidela. A video from the interaction, shared by PM Modi on social media, was filled with laughter, warmth and light-hearted conversation. Prime Minister Narendra Modi meets Bhushan and Binod In the video, the Prime Minister is seen greeting the actors and jokingly asking, “Panchayat sunta hai ki nahi sunta hai?” The remark left both actors smiling and made it clear that PM Modi is familiar with the popular series. Sharing a glimpse of the interaction on Instagram, PM Modi captioned the post, “Binod se kuch baatein.. (A few moments with Binod).” The video was shared with Panchayat’s iconic theme music, adding a special touch for fans of the show. The …

Padma Awards 2026: Mammootty, Alka Yagnik and R Madhavan receive honours from the President of India. See pics

Padma Awards 2026: Mammootty, Alka Yagnik and R Madhavan receive honours from the President of India. See pics

India’s biggest civilian honours, the Padma Awards, were presented during the second investiture ceremony in Delhi on Tuesday evening. Some of the revered names from cinema, music and theatre were conferred with the Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan, and Padma Shri. Among the ones who were present to receive the Padma Bhushan were actor Mammootty, singer Alka Yagnik, while actor R Madhavan was honoured with the Padma Shri. President Droupadi Murmu confers the Padma Bhushan to actor Mammootty during the second civil investiture ceremony, at Rashtrapati Bhavan, in New Delhi, Tuesday, June 23, 2026. (PTI Photo/Kamal Kishore)(PTI06_23_2026_000277B) (PTI) Mammootty receives Padma Bhushan 74-year-old Mammootty received the award at the Civil Investiture Ceremony-II held at Rashtrapati Bhavan in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, among other distinguished dignitaries. Among those in attendance at the ceremony was Dulquer Salmaan, son of Mammootty and an acclaimed actor himself, who clapped and cheered as he received the honour. Mammootty is a legend in Malayalam cinema, with a repertoire of over 400 films. He …