All posts tagged: social

Suresh Triveni admits films are edited keeping social media in mind today: ‘Attention span is a constant conversation’

Suresh Triveni admits films are edited keeping social media in mind today: ‘Attention span is a constant conversation’

It has been happening increasingly of late that a new film uses a viral meme or trending song as part of its hook. The digital, social media age has encroached filmmaking and changed how cinema is created, let alone consumed. Suresh Triveni, adman turned filmmaker, admits that even the editing of many films is affected by makers’ perception of the audience’s attention span. Ahead of the release of his upcoming film, Maa Behen, the filmmaker speaks to Hindustan Times about comedy and filmmaking in the age of social media. Suresh Triveni is the director of films like Maa Behen, Subedaar, and Jalsa. Suresh Triveni on shift to comedy Maa Behen sees Triveni venture into comedy. As the maker of dramas like Jalsa and Subedaar, it is a drastic shift for him. “Comedy sets are easier on the actor. As a director, I feel less guilty towards them,” he says. Ask him to elaborate, and he adds, “With dramas, I keep telling them to be intense throughout the day. Here, it is much lighter. One looks …

₹65,887 crore disbursed for social welfare pensions since July 2024, says Naidu

₹65,887 crore disbursed for social welfare pensions since July 2024, says Naidu

Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu interacting with a differently-abled pension beneficiary at Chamavaram village in Kakinada district on Monday. | Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu has announced that the government has distributed more than ₹65,887 crore under the NTR Bharosa pension programme since July 2024, and nearly ₹32,000 crore is being spent annually on pensions alone. In June, ₹2,729 crore has been allocated for the disbursement of pensions to 62.34 lakh beneficiaries. Addressing a gathering of beneficiaries of the social welfare pensions during the 21st Pedala Sevalo programme at Chamavaram village in the Tuni constituency of Kakinada district on Monday, Mr. Naidu said that June would always remain a historic month in Andhra Pradesh’s political journey as it marked the people’s mandate against destructive governance and the formation of the coalition government. Mr. Naidu said that aid under the Thalliki Vandanam scheme would be disbursed to mothers of students immediately after the reopening of schools.  On health care initiatives, Mr. Naidu said that AI-enabled healthcare assistance would be introduced to help people …

Got ₹7 lakh ‘gifts’, wanted car: UP woman found dead months after wedding with social media influencer

Got ₹7 lakh ‘gifts’, wanted car: UP woman found dead months after wedding with social media influencer

A 24-year-old social media influencer from Lucknow was found hanging at her matrimonial home in the Saadatganj area of the Uttar Pradesh capital on Sunday, barely six months after her marriage, with her family alleging murder and dowry harassment. Police said they inspected the scene and sent the body for postmortem examination after completing inquest proceedings. (Representational) Lucknow police have registered a case against the victim’s husband, who is also a social media influencer with almost 7.5 lakh followers on Instagram, along with other family members. According to a police statement, the woman had married a resident of Lucknow‘s Saadatganj area on December 9, 2025. Her family alleged that after the marriage, she was repeatedly harassed by her husband and other relatives over demands for additional dowry, including a car. According to the family, they had given ₹7 lakh in cash and various other household items as ‘gifts’ during the course of marriage. Told family about alleged torture The victim’s family has claimed that their daughter told them about the alleged torture meted out by …

Jamiat chief says do not sacrifice prohibited animals, avoid sharing slaughter photos on social media

Jamiat chief says do not sacrifice prohibited animals, avoid sharing slaughter photos on social media

People offer prayers inside the Tipu Sultan Shahi Mosque, ahead of the Id-ul-Fitr, in Kolkata on May 22, 2026. | Photo Credit: PTI Ahead of Id-ul-Fitr, Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind chief Maulana Arshad Madani on Tuesday (May 26, 2026) urged Muslims not to sacrifice prohibited animals and avoid sharing pictures of slaughtered animals on social media. Id: a test of faith In his message to the Muslims, Mr. Madani said a person on whom sacrifice is obligatory must perform this obligation. He said that in view of the current situation, it is important that Muslims take precautionary measures on their own. “Avoid advertising, especially sharing pictures of slaughtered animals on social media,” Mr. Madani said. He also suggested that Muslims must strictly follow the government guidelines while performing the sacrifice and avoid the sacrifice of prohibited animals. Eid prayers disallowed at Srinagar’s Jama Masjid for eighth year in a row “If mischievous elements, at any place, prevent the sacrifice of a buffalo, some sensible and influential people should take the administration into confidence, and then sacrifice should …

Imtiaz Ali ignores social media chatter around work: ‘Most of them don’t go to theatres to watch our films’ | Exclusive

Imtiaz Ali ignores social media chatter around work: ‘Most of them don’t go to theatres to watch our films’ | Exclusive

Filmmaker Imtiaz Ali is taking audiences back in time in his next film, Main Vaapas Aaunga. The film is a romantic drama set during India’s partition and independence, using one of the world’s greatest tragedies as a backdrop for a love story. Ahead of the film’s release, the filmmaker sat down with HT to discuss the film, his idea of romance, and why being less active on social media is a boon for him. Imtiaz Ali talks about his new film, Main Vaapas Aaunga. Imtiaz Ali on the timelessness of romance Over the years, Imtiaz has established himself as an acclaimed teller of love stories on celluloid. His latest, Main Vaapas Aaunga, is different as it is set almost eight decades ago. But the filmmaker feels that does not change much for the characters. “I don’t think love changes (with time). Everyone discovers it in different ways. No two people will have the same opinion about love. What we get confused about is the outside mechanism of love. People didn’t text back then, but sent …

‘Spare our culture, Bollywood’: Social media trolls Ananya Panday’s Bharatnatyam performance in Chand Mera Dil

‘Spare our culture, Bollywood’: Social media trolls Ananya Panday’s Bharatnatyam performance in Chand Mera Dil

Chand Mera Dil, starring Lakshya and Ananya Panday, opened in theatres last Friday to a lukewarm response. What’s creating headlines though is not the film itself- but her dance. Bharatnatyam, to be precise. Ananya Panday Social media is busy trolling her for her performance. In two key sequences in the romance drama, Ananya’s character Chandni is shown doing a robotic-Bharatnatyam fusion: one, when she is a college student, where Lakshya’s character sees her for the first time. And the second time, during her college’s Alumni meet. Unconvinced by her efforts, people were quick to dissect it. Check out some of the angry reactions: The comments have not been encouraging too. One read, “Should have had AI do those steps Would have been better Why are we still being given such substandard” Another comment said, “She is literally making fun” One of the comments criticised a traditional dance form being executed like this “Such a disgrace. Her performance is an insult to the beautiful dance form,let these bollywood kiddos stick to hops and other western dance …

Vir Das says it was an ‘utterly dumb move’ to hack Cockroach Janata Party’s social media accounts: ‘Legitimised it’

Vir Das says it was an ‘utterly dumb move’ to hack Cockroach Janata Party’s social media accounts: ‘Legitimised it’

Ever since the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) movement gained popularity, its founder, Abhijeet Dipke, has claimed that attempts have been made to suppress their social media accounts. After the latest mishap surrounding CJP’s Instagram account, actor and comedian Vir Das opined that such incidents only ‘legitimise’ the movement further. (Also Read: ‘Why is Cockroach Janata Party withheld in India?’: Chinmayi, Vir Das, Prakash Raj react as their X account faces issue) Vir Das thinks supressing the Cockroach Janata Party movement only legitimises it further. Vir Das reacts to Cockroach Janata Party’s social media woes On Saturday, Vir took to X (formerly Twitter) to say it was an ‘utterly dumb move’ to suppress CJP’s social media accounts. He wrote, “Whether the cockroach janta party is a legitimate movement or not, is not the question. Time will tell. But the traction they received, the sentiment behind it, the rhetoric from the youth, all legitimate. And if all that wasn’t legit enough, the utterly dumb move of shutting down their accounts legitimised everything.” “Vir sir, the Cockroach Janta …

FIR filed against Bengali actors Parambrata Chattopadhyay, Swastika Mukherjee over social media posts after 2021 polls

FIR filed against Bengali actors Parambrata Chattopadhyay, Swastika Mukherjee over social media posts after 2021 polls

Bengali actors Parambrata Chattopadhyay and Swastika Mukherjee landed in hot water over their social media posts a few years ago. As per the latest update from news agency PTI, an FIR has been lodged against actors Parambrata Chattopadhyay and Swastika Mukherjee over alleged provocative social media posts made during the 2021 post-poll violence in West Bengal, police said on Thursday. (Also read: Swastika Mukherjee says she won’t be able to vote in the West Bengal Assembly Elections for this reason) Parambrata Chattopadhyay and Swastika Mukherjee’s reaction to the 2021 polls have landed them in trouble. What is the complaint? The complaint was filed at Gariahat police station by advocate Joydeep Sen, who alleged that the actors had made remarks on social media that could have incited political violence in the charged atmosphere following the assembly election results in May 2021. According to the complaint, Parambrata had posted on X, then Twitter, on May 2, 2021, after the Trinamool Congress crossed the majority mark, “Let today be declared World Thrashing Day”. Swastika allegedly responded to the …

Pa Ranjith welcomes Tamil Nadu CM Vijay’s cabinet expansion as a historic step for social justice | Tamil News

Pa Ranjith welcomes Tamil Nadu CM Vijay’s cabinet expansion as a historic step for social justice | Tamil News

3 min readHyderabadMay 21, 2026 09:25 PM IST When Pa Ranjith speaks about politics, he does not speak as a casual observer. He speaks as someone who has spent his entire career, across films like Kabali, Kaala, Madras and Sarpatta Parambarai, arguing that the stories a society tells about itself are inseparable from the power structures it maintains. On Thursday, he turned that lens on Tamil Nadu’s cabinet. The second phase of Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay’s cabinet expansion recently took place at Raj Bhavan in Chennai, with 23 new ministers sworn in by Governor Rajendra Arlekar, bringing the total strength of the TVK government’s council of ministers to 32. Pa Ranjith, through his social media, offered his congratulations to the new government. But the congratulations came wrapped in context, and that context was the point. He tweeted, “The second phase of the cabinet expansion of the Tamil Nadu Vijayakazhagam government took place today. In addition to four women taking oath as ministers, key departments have also been entrusted to them. Likewise, it is noteworthy …

Thin line between defamation, criticism: Delhi high court tells Raghav Chadha on plea against social media posts

Thin line between defamation, criticism: Delhi high court tells Raghav Chadha on plea against social media posts

There is a thin line between political criticism and defamation, the Delhi High Court told MP Raghav Chadha as he sought taking down of “defamatory” content allegedly showing that he “sold himself for money” after his switch to the BJP from AAP. MP Raghav Chadha (in picture) switched from the AAP to BJP along six other MPs on April 24, 2026. (PTI) Chadha had filed a lawsuit in the high court against the publication of alleged malicious and fabricated social media posts that, he said, are gravely prejudicial to his reputation and personality rights, news agency PTI reported. Chadha was represented by senior advocate Rajiv Nayar who contended there were posts with profane content. Also read: X withholds CJP account in India, platform says done due to a ‘legal demand’ “The line between defamation and criticism is quite thin, right? It’s very easy to slip to the other side, which affects your right to live with dignity and you cannot infringe on this side at the same time. Your Article 19 (1) (a) right also …