Bollywood's biggest stars ignite the screen! From the dazzling premiere of [mention a recently released film or event] to the brewing controversies surrounding [mention a current entertainment scandal], India's entertainment scene is ablaze. This week saw [mention a significant entertainment event, e.g., a music launch, award ceremony, or box office milestone], further cementing India's position as a global entertainment powerhouse. The battle for box office supremacy heats up as [mention competing films or actors], while the digital realm witnesses the rise of [mention a trending OTT series or online sensation]. Beyond Bollywood, regional cinema continues to flourish, with [mention a noteworthy achievement in regional cinema]. From the vibrant world of music to the captivating realm of television, Abtak.com brings you the pulse of Indian entertainment. Dive in and stay updated on the latest news, reviews, and exclusive interviews—your ultimate destination for all things entertainment. Explore the captivating stories unfolding now!
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The 30th edition of the International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK) is facing a bizarre crisis with the Centre refusing to issue censor-exemption certificates to 19 films, including four from Palestine, scheduled to be screened at the event. The withholding of clearances has invited rebuke from various corners, with a slew of socio-political and cultural leaders, including CPM general secretary M A Baby, and veteran filmmakers Adoor Gopalakrishnan and T V Chandran criticising the Union information and broadcasting ministry's decision. With no censor exemption, at least seven films which were scheduled to be screened over the last two days, and eight movies set for Tuesday will have to be cancelled, Chalachithra Academy officials said. Entries selected for a film festival should either have a censor certificate or a censor-exemption document issued by the ministry. While academy officials say they had sought approval for the 180-odd films that were proposed to be screened at the festival, permits for only 164 films were provided, that too in phases. The Palestinian flicks include this year's opening film 'Palestine 36'; 'Wajib', which won the Golden Crow Pheasant at the 2017 IFFK; 'All That's Left Of You'; and, 'Once Upon A Time in Gaza'. Notably, the Israeli production 'The Sea', which depicts the journey of a Palestinian child, was given clearance.
New Delhi, Jul 19 (PTI) INDIA bloc parties on Saturday resolved to raise during the Parliament's Monsoon session the issues of Pahalgam attack terrorists not being brought to justice, US President Donald Trump's repeated claims of brokering a 'ceasefire' between India and Pakistan and the special intensive revision of electoral rolls in Bihar that the opposition alleges "threatens people's voting rights". Ahead of the start of the session on July 21, the leaders of 24 opposition parties of the bloc held an online meeting and decided to raise eight major issues like foreign policy "failure" an ...Read More >
Thrissur: Lok Sabha MP and CPM leader K Radhakrishnan criticised veteran Malayalam filmmaker Adoor Gopalakrishnan for his remarks against aspiring directors from SC/ST communities, stating that the renowned director is promoting an outdated feudal mindset in society. Radhakrishnan said that such a statement was not expected from someone of Adoor's stature. "I fear people might soon demand the cancellation of reservations for SC/ST communities. The government provides financial aid and reservations to Dalits for their upliftment. A capital fund is essential to encourage women and SC/ST filmmak ...Read More >
Ranchi (Jharkhand) [India], August 4 (ANI): The Jharkhand government declared a three-day state mourning, starting Monday, following the passing of the state's former Chief Minister and co-founder of Jharkhand Mukti Morcha, Shibu Soren. "In honour of the late Honourable former Chief Minister-cum-Rajya Sabha MP, the State Government has decided to observe 03 (three) days of state mourning from August 4 to August 6," the message from the Jharkhand government read. Also Read | Kerala Shocker: 47-Year-Old Man Dies by Suicide After Failing to Arrange Funds for Son's Engineering College Admission. ...Read More >
Thiruvananthapuram (Keralam) [India], April 5 (ANI): Ahead of the Keralam assembly elections, CPI-M General Secretary M A Baby on Sunday said a detailed discussion were held about how to develop a broad political arrangement to expose, isolate, fight and defeat fascistic RSS-controlled BJP. "We had a detailed discussion about how to develop a broad political arrangement to expose, isolate, fight and defeat fascistic RSS-controlled BJP at the All India level. What is available at the all-India level now is the INDIA Bloc political arrangement. But those who belong to the INDIA Bloc may be comp ...Read More >
Hyderabad: Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) working president KT Rama Rao (KTR) on Tuesday, September 16, criticised the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) supporters for condemning the Supreme Court verdict on the Waqf Amendment Act. In a post on X, the former Telangana minister said, "As expected, some BJP bhakts are rattled by BRS Party welcoming the Supreme Court's interim order on the Waqf Amendment Act 2025. They respect neither the Indian Constitution nor the orders of the apex court." The Sircilla MLA attacked the Centre for allowing the India-Pakistan cricket match at the ongoing Asia Cup des ...Read More >
Thiruvananthapuram, Dec 16 (SocialNews.XYZ) Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Monday termed as "most unfortunate" the controversy over the Union government's refusal to grant clearance to 19 films scheduled for screening at the International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK), warning that the episode could embarrass India before the global film community. IFFK, a flagship cultural event of Kerala now in its 30th year, is regarded as the country's most popular film festival after the International Film Festival of India (IFFI). In a strongly worded statement, Tharoor said the original list of films ...Read More >
Thiruvananthapuram: For the first time ever, the Central government has insisted on the Ministry of External Affairs' (MEA) sanction to screen select bunch of films at the ongoing International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK) in Thiruvananthapuram. The pending censorship exemption for 19 films has led to cancellations and schedule revisions, leading to protests. On Tuesday, four films were given exemption, but clearance for 15 films was put on hold. Kerala State Chalachitra Academy chairman Resul Pookutty told Onmanorama that the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting referred the films to t ...Read More >
Dehradun (Uttarakhand) [India], July 16 (ANI): Following the tragic road accident in the Muwani area of Pithoragarh district on Tuesday that claimed eight lives, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami announced that the state government would provide Rs 2 lakh each to the families of the deceased and Rs 50,000 to the injured. This would be in addition to the ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh from the Prime Minister's National Relief Fund (PMNRF), announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, which would be given to the next of kin of the deceased. Also Read | Weather Forecast Today, July 16: Check ...Read More >
Thiruvanathapuram (Kerala) [India], December 16 (ANI): After the Union Ministry of Information and Broadcasting refused screening permission for several films at the International Film Festival of Kerala 2025, the Kerala CM, Pinarayi Vijayan, said that all films that were denied screening permission will be screened at the festival. On his Facebook page, Kerala CM called the Union Government's decision to deny screening of scheduled films "unacceptable". "The Union Government's decision to deny screening permission to films scheduled to be shown at the 30th International Film Festival of Ker ...Read More >
New Delhi, Apr 5 (PTI) The amended transgender law has triggered fears of "regular surveillance" among members of the community, with many worrying that they could be repeatedly subjected to scrutiny, harassment, and even stripping in the name of verification. For many transgender persons, activists say, the anxiety is not limited to appearing before a medical board for certification. They fear that with self-identification now abolished under the amended law, they could be forced to repeatedly "prove" their gender identity before police, employers, hospitals and other authorities. The Trans ...Read More >
Srinagar (Jammu and Kashmir) [India], June 7 (ANI): PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti and her daughter Iltija Mufti offered Namaz in Srinagar on Saturday on the occasion of Eid-al-Adha. Pointing out that the gates of the Jama Masjid have been 'locked again', PDP leader Iltija Mufti said, 'Mirwaiz Umar Farooq has been put under house arrest again. I want to ask the NC government and the LG why Mirwaiz is still being placed under house arrest when you claim everything is normal. As India's only and the largest Muslim majority state, we Kashmiris have the right to worship... More than infrastructure, we ...Read More >
New Delhi, Jun 8 (PTI) Communist Party of India (Marxist) General Secretary M A Baby on Sunday expressed concern over an accident involving the convoy of RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav, and demanded that the incident be probed. A speeding truck hit two vehicles of the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader's cavalcade in Bihar's Vaishali district early Saturday. While Yadav escaped unhurt, three security personnel were injured in the accident, police said. In a post on X, Baby said, "Deeply concerned about the accident involving Tejashwi Yadav's convoy in Vaishali. Relieved to hear that you are safe". ...Read More >
Thiruvananthapuram, July 19 (SocialNews.XYZ) Two years after his death, Oommen Chandy's legacy continues to cast a long shadow over Kerala politics -- and over the ruling CPI(M) in particular. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's emotional speech on Chandy's second death anniversary on Friday has unsettled the Left, which had already begun projecting Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan's re-election in the 2026 Assembly polls as a certainty. While speaker after speaker paid glowing tributes at the commemorative event, it was senior Congress leader and eight-time MLA K.C. Joseph -- a close confidant of ...Read More >
Senior Congress leader KC Venugopal has alleged that not only the PM SHRI scheme but every new incident in Kerala is part of a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-Communist Party of India (Marxist) secret understanding. Speaking at a press conference here, Venugopal accused the left government of cooperating with the BJP on multiple fronts while pretending to oppose it publicly. Venugopal clarified that the Congress was not implementing the PM SHRI scheme. "It's wrong to say Congress is implementing P ...Read More >
Thiruvananthapuram, Oct 26 (PTI) Senior CPI leader K Prakash Babu said on Sunday that CPI(M) general secretary M A Baby didn't give any reply except kept silence on Kerala's signing of the PM SHRI scheme during his recent discussion with D Raja in this regard. He said though Raja, the CPI general secretary, came to meet Baby to discuss the matter, even skipping his lunch on Saturday, the Left leader didn't reply on anything regarding the topic. "Raja went to meet Baby to convey the party's concerns on the PM SHRI and make its stand clear. It was actually the joint stand of the CPI and the CP ...Read More >
IFFK 2025: Kerala Govt Defies Centre, Screens 'Battleship Potemkin' and 18 Films Without CBFC Nod In this report from the 30th International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK), India Today's Shibi Mol details the state government's decision to defy the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC). The Pinarayi Vijayan administration has decided to screen 19 films that were denied clearance by the Centre, including Sergei Eisenstein's classic 'Battleship Potemkin' and several Palestinian narratives such as 'Once Upon a Time in Gaza' and 'Wajib'. Shibi Mol notes that the state government has 'challen ...Read More >
New Delhi, Jun 8 (PTI) Communist Party of India (Marxist) General Secretary M A Baby on Sunday expressed concern over an accident involving the convoy of RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav, and demanded that the incident be probed. A speeding truck hit two vehicles of the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader's cavalcade in Bihar's Vaishali district early Saturday. While Yadav escaped unhurt, three security personnel were injured in the accident, police said. Also Read | Encroachers Can't Claim Right To Continue Occupying Public Land, Says Delhi High Court. In a post on X, Baby said, "Deeply concerned a ...Read More >
Palestinian Ambassador to India Abdullah Abu Shawesh has emphasised the importance of addressing the Palestinian issue with a "rational perspective." Speaking at a discussion organised by the National Platform for the Rights of Disabled on Sunday, Shawesh also described the recent remarks by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the United Nations General Assembly as "dangerous." Shawesh specifically responded to Netanyahu's statement at the UN General Assembly, where the Israeli Prime Mi ...Read More >
Thiruvanathapuram (Kerala) [India], December 15 (ANI): The 12th edition of the International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK) has run into a crisis following the failure to obtain censor exemption certificates, leading to the cancellation of multiple film screenings in Thiruvananthapuram. According to organisers, screenings of seven films scheduled over the last two days were stalled due to the absence of the mandatory exemption certificate. At present, 19 films have not received permission for screening. In film festivals, movies without a Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) certifica ...Read More >
Thiruvananthapuram, Feb 17 (PTI) Despite mounting pressure from opposition, the Left ministers in Kerala on Tuesday refused to clarify the government's stance on the Sabarimala women entry issue, instead they said that they have always supported the devotees. Law Minister P Rajeev and Devaswom Minister V N Vasavan maintained that the Supreme Court, on Monday, had just constituted a bench to consider the review pleas, and the apex court had yet to ask the government about its stand. While responding to the questions, Vasavan said the arguments in the case will be held in April only, and the g ...Read More >
Mumbai, June 29 (SocialNews.XYZ) It was a belligerent, brilliant, and breathtaking performance from the Chennai Bulls, who were crowned the first ever champions of the Rugby Premier League, here in Mumbai, at the Shahaji Raje Bhosale Sports Complex. The Chennai Bulls thrashed the Delhi Redz by a scoreline of 41-0 in the final, to clinch the title. In fact, the margin of victory is the biggest across Season 1 of the GMR RPL. Meanwhile, the Hyderabad Heroes, who had finished top of the table in the league stage, came away with a third-place finish, after they won 17-12 against the Bengaluru Bra ...Read More >
New Delhi, July 19: INDIA bloc parties on Saturday resolved to raise during the Parliament's Monsoon session the issues of Pahalgam attack terrorists not being brought to justice, US President Donald Trump's repeated claims of brokering a 'ceasefire' between India and Pakistan and the special intensive revision of electoral rolls in Bihar that the opposition alleges "threatens people's voting rights". Ahead of the start of the session on July 21, the leaders of 24 opposition parties of the bloc held an online meeting and decided to raise eight major issues like foreign policy "failure" and "a ...Read More >
Srinagar- More than 100 current BBC employees have signed a scathing open letter accusing the broadcaster of failing its editorial standards and acting as "a mouthpiece" for Israel amid its coverage of the war in Gaza. The letter, also endorsed by over 300 media figures -- including actors Miriam Margolyes and Charles Dance, filmmaker Mike Leigh, and historian William Dalrymple -- criticizes the BBC for sanitizing the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and for internal censorship. "All too often it has felt that the BBC has been performing PR for the Israeli regime and military," the letter reads, ...Read More >
Thiruvananthapuram, Jul 8 (PTI) Kerala Transport Minister K B Ganesh Kumar said that state-run KSRTC buses would continue operating on Wednesday, despite central trade unions calling for a nationwide strike. Speaking to reporters, the minister said the Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) had not received any formal notice from trade unions indicating participation in the strike. "There is no situation in KSRTC at present that warrants employees joining the agitation," he said. "As far as KSRTC is concerned, employees are happy and content. The unions have not issued any notice. ...Read More >
New Delhi: Prominent leaders from various political parties attended an all-party meeting convened by the central government on Sunday, ahead of the Monsoon Session of Parliament scheduled to begin on Monday. The meeting was called in by the government to seek cooperation from opposition parties for the smooth conduct of the House. Leaders of various political parties attended the meeting, where the government was represented by Parliamentary Affairs Kiren Rijiju and his junior minister Arjun Ram Meghwal. Gaurav Gogoi and Jairam Ramesh of the Congress, Supriya Sule of NCP-Sharad Pawar, DMK's ...Read More >
CPI(M) general secretary M A Baby firmly denies any alliance or discussions with the SDPI for the Kerala Assembly elections, countering UDF allegations and reaffirming the party's stance against communal politics. Photograph: ANI photoKey PointsCPI(M) general secretary M A Baby denies any alliance or discussions with SDPI for the Kerala Assembly elections.CPI(M) asserts it will not engage with parties pursuing politics based on communal lines.Baby accuses UDF of depending on communal parties and ...Read More >
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A fresh political row has erupted after Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, claimed that the Left Front would "cease to exist" after the assembly elections, prompting the CPM to raise serious questions over the intent behind the Congress leader's statement. Campaigning in Alappuzha, Rahul Gandhi, in a sharp attack on the LDF, said that "after the election, there would be nothing left of the Left Front." The statement has opened a Pandora's box, with the CPM accusing Rahul of effectively aligning with BJP. "The Congress should clarify whether Rahul's s ...Read More >
Madurai: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday chaired the core committee meeting of Tamil Nadu BJP unit here and said that the people of the state are fed up with the "massive corruption" of the DMK government. The BJP top leader was in the temple city to review the preparedness of the party to face the Tamil Nadu Assembly election next year and devise a strategy to fight polls. "The people of Tamil Nadu are fed up with the massive corruption of the DMK govt. The BJP Karyakartas will reach out to every locality, neighborhood, and home with Modi Ji-led NDA's vision for a prosperous and deve ...Read More >
Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan announced on Tuesday that all films denied permission for screening at the 30th International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK) will still be shown at the event. He criticised the Union Government's decision, calling it unacceptable and a sign of the Sangh Parivar regime's totalitarian approach, which stifles diverse voices and creative expression in the country. "Enlightened Kerala will not bow to such censorship. Every film denied permission will be screened at the festival," he said in a Facebook post. The films to be screened withou ...Read More >
Jaipur, July 19 (SocialNews.XYZ) In a significant breakthrough, Rajasthan Police's CID Crime Branch has busted a major coal adulteration racket in Sirohi, exposing a scam worth crores of rupees. The gang was found mixing fake coal dust into high-quality petcoke imported from the US, causing massive financial losses to the cement and steel industries. Additional Director General of Police (Crime) Dinesh M.N. revealed that the racket involved a well-organised network operating from a rented, defunct factory behind Tulsi Hotel on the Pindwara-Abu Road National Highway 27. Coal mafias, primaril ...Read More >