Noted Malayalam film and serial actor Meghanadhan, known for his villainous roles, passed away at a hospital here in the early hours of Thursday, according to film industry sources.

He was 60.

He died at 2 am while undergoing treatment for respiratory-related ailments, they said.

Meghanadhan was the son of the renowned actor Balan K Nair.

He appeared in over 50 films, including notable works such as Chamayam, Chenkol, and Ee Puzhayum Kadannu.

Meghanadhan began his acting career in 1983 with the film Astram, directed by P N Menon.

He gained prominence by portraying villainous roles in Malayalam cinema.

New Delhi: Telugu star Allu Arjun, who launched the trailer of his upcoming film “Pushpa 2: The Rule” in Patna on Sunday, expressed gratitude to fans for showering their love on him by turning up in huge numbers for the event.

“Pushpa 2” is directed by Sukumar and also stars Rashmika Mandanna and Fahadh Faasil.

The trailer of the much-awaited sequel to 2021’s “Pushpa: The Rise” was unveiled at the jam-packed Gandhi Maidan in the Bihar capital. Also present at the event was Rashmika, who plays Srivalli to Arjun’s gangster Pushpa Raj.

It was Arjun’s first visit to Bihar.

“I am grateful to all of you for your love and warm welcome,” he said at the event.

“Pushpa kabhi jhukega nahin, lekin aaj pehli baar, aapke pyaar ke liye jhukega (Pushpa will never bow down in front of anyone, but for the first time, he will bow down only for your love)” the National Award winner said in reference to his popular dialogue from the 2021 original film.

“Thank you Patna, you have given me a lot of love,” Arjun said as he asked the audience to forgive him for his “thoda galat” (poor) Hindi speaking skills.

A stampede-like situation erupted at the venue before the trailer launch began following which police resorted to a mild lathicharge to control the crowd.

Videos of a section of spectators from the same event hurling slippers towards the stage also started circulating on social media on Sunday evening.

Produced by Mythri Movie Makers and Sukumar Writings with music on T-Series, “Pushpa 2” will be released on December 5.

Marathi actor Atul Parchure

Mumbai: Well-known Marathi actor Atul Parchure, known for his comic roles, died at a private hospital here on Monday, family sources said.

Parchure (57), who had recently recovered from cancer, was about to make a comeback on stage but suddenly developed health complications and his condition worsened in the last two days, the sources said.

He started his career as a child actor and soon rose to fame with roles in plays such as “Tarun Turk, Mhatare Ark” and “Nati Goti”.

Parchure also acted in a host of Marathi and Hindi TV serials and films.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, his deputies Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar took to social media platform X to express their condolences.

Shinde condoled Parchure’s untimely death on behalf of the state government and called himself one among thousands of the senior actor’s fans.

“The news of his death was painful,” the CM said, adding the Marathi theatre and cinema has lost a talented actor.

Film actor Bala

Kochi: Film actor Bala was arrested by the police early on Monday following a complaint filed by his ex-wife, a singer, and their daughter.

Police said the charges include defamation via social media, insulting womanhood, and cruelty towards children.

Bala was taken into custody from his home early on Monday.

He is expected to be produced before a court soon, police said.

Malayalam actor Sidhique

Kochi: The Kerala High Court on Tuesday rejected the anticipatory bail plea of Malayalam film actor Sidhique in a rape case registered against him based on a complaint by an actress.

“Application is dismissed,” Justice C S Dias said.

The detailed order giving reasons for rejecting the actor’s plea is not yet available.

Sidhique, who was booked for offences under sections 376 (rape) and 506 (criminal intimidation), has claimed in his plea that the complainant female actor, has subjected him to the “prolonged campaign of harassment and false accusations since 2019”.

In his anticipatory bail plea, he further claimed that she had repeatedly, for the past five years, made unsubstantiated and false claims of sexual misbehaviour and ‘verbal sexual offers’ by him in a theatre in 2016.

“But now she has raised totally contradictory allegation of more serious crime of rape at a different place in the same year,” he had said in his plea.

Sidhique had resigned from his post as general secretary of the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA) following the allegations against him.

Multiple FIRs have been registered against many high-profile Malayalam film personalities following allegations of sexual harassment against various directors and actors in the wake of revelations in the Justice K Hema Committee report.

The committee was constituted by the Kerala government after the 2017 actress assault case and its report revealing instances of harassment and exploitation of women in the Malayalam cinema industry.

Following the allegations of sexual harassment and exploitation cropping up against several actors and directors, the state government on August 25 announced the establishment of a seven-member special investigation team to probe them.

Malayalam film actor Nivin Pauly

Kochi: Actor Nivin Pauly was on Tuesday booked for the offence of rape on a complaint by a 40-year-old woman that he sexually assaulted her over a year ago in Dubai, police said.

An officer of Oonnukal police station, where the FIR under section 376 of the IPC was registered, said that there are six accused, including a woman, in the case.

The first accused is a woman and Pauly is the sixth accused, the officer said.

According to the woman, the incident occurred over a year ago in Dubai, the officer said, and declined to give further details.

Pauly is among the many actors and directors who are facing allegations of sexual harassment or rape by female actors following the publication of the Justice K Hema Committee report.

The committee was constituted by the Kerala government after the 2017 actress assault case and its report revealing instances of harassment and exploitation of women in the Malayalam cinema industry.

Following the allegations of sexual harassment and exploitation cropping up against several actors and directors, the state government on August 25 announced the establishment of a seven-member special investigation team to probe them.

New Delhi: The government has summoned the content head of OTT platform Netflix over the series ‘IC-814 — The Kandahar Hijack’, which has triggered a row over depiction of hijackers.

Official sources said the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has summoned the content head of Netflix India on Tuesday, seeking an explanation on the allegedly contentious aspects of the OTT series.

The depiction of hijackers of the Indian Airlines flight from Kathmandu to Delhi has kicked off a row with a section of viewers objecting to the ‘humane’ projection of the perpetrators.

BJP IT Cell chief Amit Malviya said the hijackers of IC-814 were dreaded terrorists, who acquired aliases to hide their Muslim identities.

“Filmmaker Anubhav Sinha, legitimised their criminal intent, by furthering their non-Muslim names,” Malviya posted on X.

“Decades later, people will think Hindus hijacked IC-814,” he said.

“Left’s agenda to whitewash the crimes of Pakistani terrorists, all Muslims, served. This is the power of cinema, which the Communists have been using aggressively, since the 70s. Perhaps even earlier,” Malviya said.

“This will not just weaken / put in question India’s security apparatus in the long run, but also shift the blame away from the religious cohort, that is responsible for all the bloodshed,” he said.

Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said it was really amusing to see the people who took movies like ‘Kashmir Files’ as the gospel truth having a melt down at the way the events of IC814 are depicted in the Netflix show.

“Now suddenly they want accuracy and nuance packaged in the script,” Abdullah said on X.

Malayalam actor M Mukesh

Kochi (PTI): A rape case has been registered against prominent Malayalam actor and ruling CPI(M) MLA M Mukesh following a female actor’s allegation that he sexually assaulted her years ago, police said on Thursday.

An FIR under IPC 376 (rape) was registered against the actor at Maradu police station in Kochi city on Wednesday night, a police officer said.

The case was registered under the IPC as the offence allegedly occurred before the new Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita came to force, he said.

This is the third FIR against a high profile Malayalam film personality following allegations of sexual harassment against various directors and actors in the wake of revelations in the Justice K Hema Committee report.

On Wednesday, Thiruvananthapuram museum police had booked actor Sidhique for allegedly raping an actress in a hotel eight years ago.

The first case, under IPC Section 354 (assault or criminal force on woman with intent to outrage her modesty), was against director Ranjith on a complaint by a female actor from West Bengal regarding an incident which occurred in 2009.

She had alleged that the director had touched her inappropriately with sexual intent after inviting her to act in the movie Paleri Manikyam.

Following the allegation by the actor, Ranjith had resigned from his post as chairman of the state-run Kerala Chalachitra Academy.

Sidhique had also resigned as general secretary of the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA) following the allegations against him.

The Justice Hema Committee was constituted by the Kerala government after the 2017 actress assault case and its report revealed instances of harassment and exploitation of women in the Malayalam cinema industry.

Amidst allegations of sexual harassment and exploitation cropping up against several actors and directors, the state government on August 25 announced the establishment of a seven-member special investigation team to probe them.

Subsequently, more complaints surfaced.

New Delhi: Amidst the jubilation surrounding her historic win of the Grand Prix at Cannes 2024 for her debut fiction film, ‘All We Imagine As Light’, filmmaker Payal Kapadia’s journey has not been devoid of challenges. A closer look reveals her past activism during her days as a student at the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII).

Back in 2015, Kapadia found herself at the center of a prolonged protest against the appointment of Gajendra Chauhan, a television actor-turned-politician, as the institute’s chairman. Leading a 139-day agitation, she and fellow protestors voiced concerns over Chauhan’s perceived lack of qualifications for the role. Kapadia’s involvement led to disciplinary action by FTII, resulting in the revocation of her scholarship after she boycotted classes in protest.

During the height of the agitation, tensions escalated when the then-director of FTII issued notices for the evacuation of hostel rooms and assessment of incomplete film projects. In response, students, including Kapadia, confronted the director, leading to arrests and further disciplinary measures.

Despite facing adversity, Kapadia’s talent shone through with her short film ‘Afternoon Clouds’ earning recognition at the Cannes International Festival in 2017. FTII eventually reversed its decision, offering support for her endeavors, including participation in international programs.

Kapadia’s commitment to storytelling and social commentary continued with her documentary ‘A Night of Knowing Nothing’, exploring themes of love and estrangement against the backdrop of the protest.

Indian filmmaker Payal Kapadia made history at the Cannes Film Festival by becoming the first Indian to win the Grand Prix award for her film “All We Imagine as Light”. The film, a Malayalam-Hindi feature, captivated audiences with its narrative about friendship and dreams unfolding against the backdrop of urban life. Kapadia’s directorial debut received widespread acclaim, marking a significant moment for Indian cinema on the global stage.

In addition to Kapadia’s win, Indian talent shone brightly across multiple categories at Cannes. FTII student Chidananda S. Naik’s “Sunflowers Were the First Ones to Know…” clinched the La Cinef first prize, while production designer Anasuya Sengupta made history as the first Indian to win the best actress prize for her role in “The Shameless”.

Mumbai: A special court here on Tuesday rejected a plea moved by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) seeking a stay on the broadcast of a documentary series on Indrani Mukerjea, a prime accused in the Sheena Bora murder case, citing that it does not have “inherent powers” to pass such a direction.

CBI special judge S P Naik-Nimbalkar said the probe agency could approach an appropriate legal remedy if advised.

The judge held that the prosecution had not brought to his notice any legal provision for such directions.

The docu-series, titled The Indrani Mukerjea Story: The Buried Truth’, delves into the disappearance of 25-year-old Bora and is scheduled to premiere on streaming platform Netflix on February 23.

In its application filed through public prosecutor C J Nandode, the CBI had asked the court “to issue direction to accused and others concerned for staying/stopping the featuring of the accused persons and the persons connected with the case in the documentary by Netflix and its broadcasting on any platform till the conclusion of the ongoing trial”.

The probe agency on Tuesday argued that the documentary, with its promotional claims of “new revelations” without providing evidence, can create a prejudicial atmosphere and mislead the public, especially prosecution witnesses when the case is pending trial before the court and is at the crucial stage of prosecution evidence.

It further submitted that the motive to feature in the documentary and its release is malafide.

The CBI claimed that this posed a direct threat to the safety and protection of witnesses by potentially disclosing their identities, compromising their security, and deterring them from giving truthful testimony.

Advocate Abad Ponda, appearing for Netflix, contended that only the high courts and the Supreme Court had jurisdiction to pass a direction on such a plea.

He submitted that the provisions of witness protection are available in TADA (Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act) and Maharashtra Protection of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) matters and not in the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC).

The judge, after hearing both sides, held that the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) has the remedy for the exigency of the situation, for which the CBI has called upon his court to invoke its inherent power, “which I fear is not vested with this court”.

The Supreme Court had granted bail to Indrani and laid down certain conditions for her release. However, the CBI has not contended that she has violated the bail conditions, the court said.

“As there is no legal provision brought to my notice and as this court has no inherent power to pass any such order, the application is rejected,” the court said.

The CBI may take the recourse to appropriate legal remedy if advised, it added.

Bora was allegedly strangled to death in a car by Indrani, her then driver Shyamvar Rai and former husband Sanjeev Khanna in April 2012.

Bora was Indrani’s daughter from her previous relationship. Her body was burnt in a forest in the neighbouring Raigad district.

The murder came to light in 2015 after Rai revealed about the killing following his arrest in another case.

Indrani was arrested in August 2015 and granted bail in May 2022.

The other accused in the case, Rai, Khanna and Peter Mukerjea, are also out on bail.