The Salman Khan-Katrina Kaif starrer is a sequel to the thriller drama "Ek Tha Tiger", which too hadn't released in the country. Photo: Twitter

New Delhi, India (BBN) - Bollywood's much-anticipated movie Tiger Zinda Hai has been refused the No-Objection Certificate (NOC) for import by Pakistan's Ministry of Information, Broadcasting and National Heritage.

The Salman Khan-Katrina Kaif starrer is a sequel to the thriller drama Ek Tha Tiger, which too hadn't released in the country, reports IANS.

Pakistan's Central Board of Film Censor (CBFC) Chairman Mobasher Hasan told The Express Tribune: "'Tiger Zinda Hai' has been refused the NOC, citing the same reason as the first installment of the franchise.

"The image of Pakistan and its law enforcement agencies has been compromised."

Directed by Ali Abbas Zafar and produced by Yash Raj Films (YRF), the movie is about two spies -- one Indian and the other Pakistani. It is slated to release in India on December 22.

Sulaiman S. Lalani, Executive Director, Geo TV Network, which was geared up to distribute the movie, is disheartened.

"Our preferred option was that 'Tiger Zinda Hai' should have been allowed for import, presented to censor board, and if any objectionable material was found against the interests of Pakistan/ Islam, exhibition of the film shouldn't have been allowed then.

"In fact, if there was any thing against the national interests of Pakistan in the film, we ourselves wouldn't have sought the exhibition but this could have been done only after preview of the film," Lalani told IANS over phone from Karachi on Wednesday.

He said they were verbally advised that Ministry of Information has decided not to issue NOC for import of "Tiger Zinda Hai" with "no reasons assigned".

Lalani is expecting a written response from both parties on Thursday.

Given Salman's fan following in Pakistan, there was a high interest level in the movie.

"Pakistan loves Salman Khan. 'Sultan' was a mega blockbuster and minted approximately $3 million at the box office in Pakistan. His 'Bajrangi Bhaijaan' was also loved by fans here," Lalani said.

Tiger Zinda Hai director Zafar told IANS in an earlier interview that it's a largely a story about humanity.

"The film is a very human story... it is not political at all. The idea is that when there is a fight between right and wrong, what is at stake is humanity. And there's nothing bigger than humanity," he said.

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Dazzled by its own possibilities ... Ryan Gosling in Blade Runner 2049. Photo: Columbia Pictures/Kobal/Rex/Shutterstock

Los Angeles, US (BBN) - Blade Runner 2049 was the sequel that dared to dream it might surpass its creator. It was the blockbuster that breathed, the film replicant made flesh.

In returning to the source material of the original Blade Runner (itself adapted from Philip K Dick’s 1968 novel), director Denis Villeneuve could by rights have got away with ticking the appropriate boxes and contentedly riding a wave of shared nostalgia, reports The Guardian.

Instead, he opted for full immersion, a deep dive into the subject matter, even at the risk of losing his bearings. I’ve rarely seen a film so dazzled and entranced by its own possibilities.

Scripted by Hampton Fancher and Michael Green, Blade Runner 2049 alights in dystopian LA three decades after the end of the Ridley Scott classic. Ryan Gosling plays K, a replicant cop on a four-year time clock, charged with hunting down the last of the more durable early models. In the dust-blown grounds of a protein farm, he finds a box of bones. The box, in turn, points the way towards a missing child and a vast existential mystery that could conceivably be a new creation myth.

His boss, Lieutenant Joshi (Robin Wright) is outraged by the discovery. If replicants can reproduce, does that not make them human? “This breaks the world, K,” she says. “Do you know what that means?” And K believes that he does, at least up to a point.
But after that he’s working blind because the implications of the bones strike close to home, calling into question his very self. It’s hard to dispassionately investigate a mystery when the mystery is you.
Scott’s 1982 original was a beguiling cyber-noir, perfectly realised and tightly wound, opening up in its final section to leave a trail of tantalising loose ends.
Villeneuve’s film duly resolves some of those outstanding questions, tracking down hard-boiled Rick Deckard (Harrison Ford) to a ghostly Las Vegas that appears to have been refashioned as a pop-culture dustbin. But, crucially, it also piles in with fresh questions of its own. The script’s reference to Nabokov’s Pale Fire (“cells interlinked with cells interlinked”) made me think of the studies that claim the majority of body cells regenerate every seven years to the point where we become almost wholly different people. Blade Runner 2049, perhaps, is the cinema equivalent: a prog-rock extrapolation of the earlier film, rapturous, transformative and endlessly self-questioning.
Even during its fraught fights and chases, one has the sense that the picture (like its hero) is examining itself in the mirror, wondering what it is and just where it fits in.
Small wonder that some of the old elements sit awkwardly on its frame. When it was released in October, Villeneuve’s film drew criticism for cleaving to the original’s 80s-era gender politics, laying on a spread of soft-porn commercials and scantily clad sex-bots. And fair enough; these trappings could be jarring.
But the sequel was at least smart enough to acknowledge that such sexual shorthand may itself be a construct – or a crude algorithm by which the users are eventually able to form a genuine bond. Returning to his poky apartment, K (a replicant) is greeted by Joi (a hologram). K and Joi are false; their life is phoney – and yet this relationship is arguably the film’s warmest and most human interaction. Their love is a program, but that doesn’t mean it’s not love.
Is it redundant to note that a film about artificial life should itself be artificial? Do we need to be reminded that the world on screen is fake? Those rainswept urban canyons were concocted by technicians and beautifully framed by the cinematographer Roger Deakins.
So Villeneuve’s movie is a simulacrum, an artificial landscape staffed with paid performers, just like every other fiction film ever made. That’s the deal, it’s what cinema does. But it’s so layered and textured that it infects us, transports us.
And somewhere along the way we become like K and Joi, immersed in their drama, “more human than human”. This is surely the key test of every great movie. Audaciously, Blade Runner 2049 suggests it may be the key test of life. If we believe in the illusion, it means that, for us, it is real.
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Zaira Wasim in a screenshot from her Instagram live video. Photo: NDTV

New Delhi, India (BBN) - Twitter has reacted strongly after actress Zaira Wasim, best known for her starring role in Aamir Khan's Dangal, alleged she's been molested on board an Air Vistara flight by a male passenger sitting behind her.

The actress made her way to Twitter's top trend on Sunday morning after netizens condemned the alleged molestation in angry words and tweeted: "I stand with Zaira Wasim". "The person who doesn't how to sit in a flight is not a person actually he's an animal with a boarding pass," read a tweet while another user wrote: "I am SHOCKED by Zaira Wasim's Insta video," reports NDTV.

In Instagram stories posted around midnight, Zaira alleged the man rubbed his foot against her neck and back, and even had his foot placed on her arm rest. "This is the worst thing," she said in an Instagram live video. Zaira Wasim was travelling from Delhi to Mumbai.

Zaira Wasim breaks down in the live video as she says: "So, I just landed and you know the whole irony of this is that the guy... this is not done at all. This is not the way, this is not a girl should be made to feel because this is terrible. Is this how they are doing to take care of girls? No one will help us if we don't decide to help ourselves." The alleged molester "must be shamed," said Twitter. "I support young girl Zaira Wasim for her courage. Zaira, we are with you," added a Tweet.

National Conference leader Omar Abdullah, who is from Zaira Wasim's home state of Jammu and Kashmir, tweeted that legal action should be taken.
Wrestling champ Geeta Phogat, whose role Zaira Wasim played in Dangal, also tweeted in support of the actress and so did her sister Babita.
In separate Instagram stories around midnight, Zaira had said she could just manage a shot of the man's leg as the lights were dim. "Managed to get this (shot of the molester's foot). The lights were dimmed so it was even worse. It continued for another 5-10 minutes and then I was sure of it. He kept nudging my shoulder and continued to move his foot up and down my back and neck," she uploaded. In another post, she added: "I tried to record it on my phone to understand it better. But because the cabin lights were dimmed, I failed to get it. I ignored it the first time, blamed the turbulence for it. Until I woke up to this pleasant sight of his beautiful foot rubbing my back and neck... Guess he couldn't sit like a civilized human being and placed his foot on my arm rest while he's fully 'pheloaed' his body on his seat (sic)."
Netizens are also particularly curious about how much progress the airline has made into the investigation after one of Zaira's stories said: "Slow clap for Air Vistara crew! Wonderful!". Vistara's responded with a tweet which says investigation is under-way and that they have "zero tolerance" policy for such incidents.
Zaira Wasim was last seen in Secret Superstar, which was her second film with Dangal co-star Aamir Khan.
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Photo: Zee News

Mumbai, India (BBN) - Bollywood fraternity has come out in support of Sanjay Leela Bhansali and Deepika Padukone, who have been threatened by fringe groups for being a part of a film titled Padmavati, based on one of the most significant chapters of Indian history.

However, there’s one actress, who has refused to back Deepika Padukone and that is none other than Queen star Kangana Ranaut, reports suggest, reports ZEENEWS.

According to a report in thequint.com, Shabana Azmi initiated a petition to the Prime Minister and got it signed by leading names in the film industry to seek protection for Deepika who has received death threats for essaying the role of Rani Padmavati in the controversial film.

The latest buzz suggests that Kangana has refused to sign the petition.
“Kangana refused point-blank. She said an outright no to signing the Deepika Bachao petition, much to Shabana’s shock and annoyance,” the website quoted a source as saying.

For the uninitiated, Kangana and Deepika don’t share a great equation. The latter had reportedly dedicated her award won for Happy New Year to Kangana’s performance in Queen. This irked Kangana, who felt that Deepika could have directly appreciated her performance instead of talking about it in public in such a manner.
Moreover, when Kangana was embroiled in a legal battle against Hrithik Roshan, none from the industry showed solidarity with her. She fought a lone battle against an army of celebrities who stood by Hrithik’s side.
Interestingly, Kangana too is all set to reprise a historical character in an upcoming film titled Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi. And the film has Deepika’s former boyfriend Nihaar Pandya on board.
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Photo: ZEENEWS

New Delhi, India (BBN) - It looks like fans will have to wait longer before they can watch the Rajinikanth, Akshay Kumar starrer 2.0.

The movie stars Amy Jackson as well and is a sequel to 2010 Tamil film Enthiran (Bollywood- Robot), zeenews.india.com.

As per a Tweet by noted film critic and trade analyst Taran Adarsh, the movie will hit the theaters on April 27, 2018. Earlier, the release date of the film was January 25, 2018.

Taran took to Twitter and wrote-
'#BreakingNews: #2Point0 to release on 27 April 2018... Stars Rajinikanth and Akshay Kumar... Directed by Shankar.'

2.0 will see the return of Chitti the robot and is one of the most highly- awaited films of 2018.
The audio launch of the film recently took place in Dubai and the telecast of the programme was carried out by Zee TV Tamil.
The movie has been in limelight ever since the first look posters were out.
2.0 is directed by S Shankar.
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Academy Award nominee Iranian Director Majid Majedi with Indian lead casts Ishaan Khatter and Malavika Mohanan during a press conference at IFFI in Panaji on Tuesday. Photo: PTI

Goa, India (BBN) - They don’t know fact from fiction about fabled Rajput queen Padmavati, but the uproar over Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Padmavati has made visiting international movie talent here sit up and take note of how “autocratic” and “dangerous” voices and actions are infringing on freedom of expression in India’s film industry.

Iranian filmmaker Majid Majidi and Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) artistic director Cameron Bailey, who were at the just-concluded 48th International Film Festival of India (IFFI), were vocal in their support for Bhansali, reports Hindustan Times.

“Artistes face this kind of situations because of the talent and desire they have. That extends to filmmakers too. They should not stop innovation in their work because of adverse conditions,” Majidi said on the opening day of the festival.

Padmavati is a fictional queen in an epic poem by 16th-Century poet. Photo: Viacom 18 motion pictures

He was among a string of artistes and filmmakers who visited IFFI, which itself was caught in a controversy over the exclusion of two films -- S. Durga and Nude -- from its Indian Panorama section. The brouhaha over these and Padmavati -- which is under attack for alleged distortion of facts -- became a crucial talking point throughout the fest.

Michael J. Werner, a film and media strategic consultant who attended the Film Bazaar here, told IANS: “I think it is a dangerous trend because you shouldn’t have a government dictating history. What is happening with this particular movie (‘Padmavati’) seems to be a minister or a department or a state saying that we don’t accept that representation of history.
“I don’t know whether it is factual or not, but it is still a kind of an autocratic response.”
Padmavati, which sets out to tell the tale of the valour and courage of Rani Padmavati, whose historicity is in doubt, has been under the scanner since its shoot began. Its National Award-winning director was assaulted and the set vandalised in Jaipur by Rajput organisation Karni Sena over the conjecture that the movie will feature intimate scenes between the characters of Padmavati and the invader Alauddin Khilji.
Thereafter, the Karni Sena has continued its protest and has been intense in its effort to stall the film’s release, which has been deferred from its original December 1 date as of now.
There were threats to burn down theatres if the film was released and a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader announced a reward of Rs 10 crore for beheading Bhansali and the movie’s lead actress, Deepika Padukone.
In the midst of this, Padmavati got a go-ahead from the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) for release. But the makers are waiting for a decision by India’s censor board.
French producer Ilann Girard feels a film shouldn’t be held hostage by any conflict.
“I have been watching things on television and asking my Indian friends about the situation. I understand it touches some cultural element about a female character who is seen as a very important symbolic figure for Hindus,” Girard, Managing Director of Online Film Financing (OLFI), told IANS.
Girard, who was visiting India for the third time, didn’t want to pass any judgment as it’s an “Indian topic”, but said: “My perception is that film and the cultural industry should not be taken hostage of the conflicts.”
Narrating his own struggle with freedom of expression, he said: “I have produced a film in Israel about the war in Lebanon, and we are facing some embargo from filmmakers trying to pressurise film festivals not to take our movie. I think it is a wrong thing to do. Because, on the contrary, the film explains the situation... Filmmakers should remain free to tell the story that they want.”
TIFF’s Bailey said people must wait for censor clearance before drawing assumptions and conclusions.
“One of the small mercies with censor authorities is that they actually do watch the film before they pass judgment. So one hopes that anyone who hears about a film that they think that they might have an objection to, should first watch the film,” Bailey told IANS.
Bailey feels the film should be given a “benefit of doubt before passing judgment”.
“We can all have differences of opinion with any art form, but I think we live in a better world where we wait to actually see what the film is before we pass judgment. Also, we accept that other people have different responses to that. What I might not like to see on-screen, some others might. That doesn’t mean I should prevent that person from seeing it.”
Mike Dougherty from Radiant Films International, a worldwide distribution company, feels the controversy is unfortunate for “the filmmakers and for the audiences eager to see the film”.
He, however, said the row will perhaps draw more eyeballs to the movie across the world.
“The issues causing unrest around Padmavati here in India are not known in other parts of the world. If anything, I think controversies like this just increase a film’s profile and its value internationally, making people more eager to see what the uproar is about,” Dougherty added.
As dark clouds still loom over the future of Padmavati, Ana Tiwary, a Sydney-based producer-director of Indivisual Films, hopes the controversy will die down soon.
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Photo: Getty Images

Las Vegus (BBN) - After three (long) (but beautiful) hours of pageant histrionics, host Steve Harvey crowned 22 year-old Demi-Leigh Nel-Peters, Miss South Africa, as our 2017 Miss Universe.

Out of 92 finalists — the largest ever group of contestants to compete for the title — Nel-Peters won one of the four preliminary judge-awarded finalist spots awarded to contestants from her part of the globe (the somewhat-am0rphous "Africa & Asia Pacific" region), and remained a clear front-runner throughout the live broadcast, from swimsuit round to "final look," not to mention both of the tricky Q&A rounds now incorporated into the pageant, reports COSMOPOLITAN.com.

During the show, Nel-Peters also shared the story of literally being abducted by car-jackers on the night of being crowned Miss South Africa, and how she channeled the trauma into running self-defense programs for young women in her country.

And she also managed to keep a straight face during Fergie's performance.

Nel-Peters accepts her crown from her doppelganger, basically — Iris Mittenaere, Miss Universe 2016 (as pictured above). Falling just short in the finale, the first and second runner-ups were Miss Colombia, Laura González, and Miss Jamaica, Davina Bennett*, respectively. Miss Thailand, Maria Poonlertlarp, and Miss Venezuela, Keysi Sayago, rounded out the top 5.
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Uma Thurman in Kill Bill, which was produced by Harvey Weinstein’s company. Photo: Miramax/Everett / Rex Features

Los Angeles, US (BBN) - Uma Thurman has broken her silence on Harvey Weinstein, saying of the ongoing stream of allegations against him: “I’m glad it’s going slowly – you don’t deserve a bullet.”

The actor, who worked on seven films with Weinstein including Pulp Fiction and the Kill Bill movies, posted a picture of herself as The Bride from Kill Bill, reports the Guardian.

In the post, ostensibly about Thanksgiving, she said she was “grateful today, to be alive, for all those I love, and for all those who have the courage to stand up for others”.

Referring to a video interview from October in which she said she was too angry to discuss the Weinstein scandal, she seemed to confirm she had been a victim of sexual harassment and abuse in Hollywood.

“I said I was angry recently, and I have a few reasons, #metoo, in case you couldn’t tell by the look on my face.”
In words reminiscent of the revenge thriller, in which Thurman played a woman bent on avenging her unborn child and methodically torturing and murdering her abusers, she went on to say she was pleased to witness Weinstein’s downfall.
“I feel it’s important to take your time, be fair, be exact, so … Happy Thanksgiving Everyone! (Except you Harvey, and all your wicked conspirators – I’m glad it’s going slowly – you don’t deserve a bullet).”
The post ended with the words “stay tuned”, suggesting Thurman plans to reveal more soon.
The statement comes weeks after Thurman was first asked about Weinstein by Access Hollywood. Her rage is obvious in the footage.
“I don’t have a tidy soundbite for you, because I have learned, I am not a child. And I have learned that when I’ve spoken in anger, I usually regret the way I express myself,” she said.
“So, I’ve been waiting to feel less angry, and when I’m ready, I’ll say what I have to say.”
Thurman’s statement on Thursday was applauded by actor Rose McGowan, one of the first and most vocal Weinstein accusers. McGowan tweeted: “Hi Uma. Welcome.”
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Padmavati is a fictional queen in an epic poem by 16th-Century poet. Photo: Viacom 18 motion pictures

Mumbai, India (BBN) - The British Censor Board has listed the film on its official website, stating, ‘Padmavati’ (12A) moderate violence, injury detail.’

Sanjay Leela Bhansali-directed ‘Padmavati’, whose release has been postponed amid the protests in India, has been cleared by British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) for the UK audience, reports The Hindu.

The BBFC has given the film a 12A rating and was passed without any cuts. The 12A rating mandates that the film cannot be viewed by a child under the age of 12 unless accompanied by an adult.

The British Censor Board has listed the film on its official website, stating, 'Padmavati’ (12A) moderate violence, injury detail.'

It also mentioned that “all known versions of this work passed uncut”.
“Padmavati” has been facing the wrath of various Rajput groups and political leaders, who have accused Bhansali of distorting history.
Many groups have been protesting amid rumours that there was a romantic dream sequence between Rajput queen Padmini and Allauddin Khilji.
However, Bhansali said in an appeal that there was no dream sequence and it was all a rumour.
Historians are divided on whether Padmini actually existed. She finds mention in the 16th century epic poem 'Padmavati'.
Earlier scheduled to arrive in cinema halls on December 1, the release date of the film has been postponed by the makers till further notice.
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Padmavati is a fictional queen in an epic poem by 16th-Century poet. Photo: Viacom 18 motion pictures

Mumbai, India (BBN) - Producers of a Bollywood period epic have indefinitely delayed its release following countrywide protests by Hindu right-wing and caste groups. Sudha G Tilak explains the controversy.

WHAT IS THE DISPUTE ABOUT?
The film Padmavati tells the story of a 14th-Century Hindu queen belonging to the high Rajput caste and the Muslim ruler Alauddin Khilji, reports BBC.

Bollywood stars Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh play the lead roles in Sanjay Leela Bhansali's lavish production.

Hindu groups and a Rajput caste organisation allege that the movie depicts an intimate romantic scene between the two characters, a claim the producers of the film have denied.

Padmavati is a fictional queen in the epic poem Padmavat by 16th-Century poet Malik Muhammad Jayasi.
The epic in Awadhi language extols the virtue of Padmavati who committed sati, the practice of a widow immolating herself on her husband's funeral pyre, to protect her honour from the invading Muslim emperor Khilji who had killed her husband, the Rajput king, in a battle.
Sati is believed to have originated some 700 years ago among the ruling class or Rajputs in India.
The Rajput women burnt themselves after their men were defeated in battles to avoid being taken by the victors. But it came to be seen as a measure of wifely devotion in later years. The custom was outlawed by India's British rulers in 1829 following demands by Indian reformers.
Historians point out that Jayasi's epic ballad about a Muslim emperor attacking a kingdom smitten by the beauty of a Hindu queen was written in the 16th Century, more than 200 years after the historical record of the invasion. They say the folklore around Padmavati have also been problematic as they have glorified sati.
As the recent protests show, Padmavati is deified and held as a symbol of female honour among Rajputs even today.
WHAT ARE HINDU GROUPS UP IN ARMS AGAINST THE FILM?
Rumours of a scene in the film of the Muslim king dreaming of getting romantic with the Hindu queen enraged many like the Rajput Karnik Sena, a fringe caste group, who have called for the film to be banned.
Last week, the group, which had disrupted the shooting and slapped Bhansali on the set of the film earlier this year, vandalised cinemas, and threatened to chop off Padukone's nose, referring to a story in the epic Ramayana where a character has her nose chopped off as punishment.
The group also held protests against the film in several states, including Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana, which are ruled by the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party.
Rajput community members have burnt effigies of Bhansali and sought a ban of the film. Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje has said it should not be released until "necessary changes are made so that sentiments of any community are not hurt".
A regional leader of the BJP at the weekend announced a reward of nearly $1.5m (£1.3m) for anyone beheading Bhansali and Padukone.
Some former royals in Rajasthan also called for the film's release to be cancelled. One of them, Mahendra Singh, said it was "an artistic and historic fraud to portray an incorrectly attired courtesan-like painted doll in the song as the very "queen" the film purports to pay obeisance to" - referring to a song where Padmavati is dancing. Such scenes would lead to "anarchy." he said.
Bhansali has said the film does not feature such "dream sequence" at all.
"This movie embroiled into so many controversies because of some rumour," he said.
But his pleas have fallen on deaf ears among those who want to "protect the honour" of a fictitious queen.
Many others have expressed shock against the open threats of violence against an actress and a filmmaker.
WHAT ARE HISTORIANS AND SCHOLARS SAYING?
Historians and scholars have thrown their lot behind Bollywood's filmmakers and actors, who have come together to protest against the threats and call for ban.
They have called it absurd that fiction in a movie has evoked such violent reactions.
Historian Irfan Habib of Aligarh Muslim University said Padmavati is not a "historical but an imaginary character".
Some liberals have complained that the trailer shows the Muslim emperor Khilji in a distorted fashion as a meat-eating, deranged marauder.
Author Devdutt Pattanaik tweeted that Bhansali's film "glamorises" sati.
Others like Krish Ashok bemoaned the "pointless" media coverage about the controversy.
On Sunday the producers announced that the 1 December release had been indefinitely delayed following the protests.
And actress Twinkle Khanna hopes the film will prove to be a hit to give "befitting rejoinder to loony threats".
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