Malcolm and Marie, written and directed by Sam levinson, follows the tumultuous relationship between Malcolm, a narcissistic filmmaker, and Marie, his girlfriend and muse. impressively, the film was created entirely during the pandemic, using a crew of only around 20 people and minimizing filming locations. even though the setting of the film is confined to only a luxurious apartment, Malcolm & Marie is a visual treat nonetheless. it uses windows and doors as framing devices, portraying the characters in an aesthetically pleasing way. The monochromatic hues of the film remind viewers of old hollywood glamor. The cast comprises just two members: John David washington and Zendaya, two well-known actors who are no strangers to the world of hollywood. John David washington—who has performed excellently in roles such as the protagonist in Nolan’s Tenet, and Detective Ron Stallworth in BlacKkKlansman— fails to live up to the expectations set by his previous work.

Zendaya, on the other hand, shines in her role as Marie and seems to be caught in a typecast of playing depressed characters, as depicted by her role in the television series Euphoria. Nevertheless, Zendaya is a brilliant artist and drives the plot of the film meticulously with her performance. her type-casted role works well for her in this film as she embodies Marie’s depressive and high episodes, seeming that the role was written for her from the beginning, and rightly so. Given the film only features two characters, the dialogue between them is the essence of the film and is meant to be a tool to illustrate the highs and lows of the toxic relationship between Malcolm and Marie. On paper, the dialogue is well-written, but the delivery leaves much to be desired. The monologues by the characters often come out sporadic, and many lines of dialogue fail to evoke the emotions they intend to from the viewer. The tumultuous recession and the random escalation of tension are confusing.

 The film also delves into the dilemma of being a Black artist. Malcolm’s film receives an excellent review from a “white lady” critic, but this does not appease Malcolm. The critic, a Los Angeles Times writer seems to forget that Black individuals can exist solely as individuals without blackness affecting the point of view of their art. She points out the racism the protagonist experiences despite this not being part of Malcolm’s agenda. Malcolm is infuriated by this and delivers an extended monologue criticizing her, venting his pent-up frustration of not being understood as a Black filmmaker. There are conversations surrounding racism in Malcolm’s film, and Malcolm and Marie  talks about Malcolm’s experiences as a Black filmmaker who wants to break free from the shackles of just being viewed through the lens of race. There are a lot of films exploring this theme, but  this one stands out as it delves into racial discourse from a different perspective, where characters can be viewed just as individuals like any white character would be.

Saina Nehwal biopic was a roller-coaster ride. The film, with Parineeti Chopra in lead, has a theatrical release date and the makers are making the most of the current buzz. The film releases on 26 March.

Saina is helmed by Amol Gupte, teaser of the film was released last week leaving fans impressed with Parineeti’s look and her commendable imitation of the Olympic winning badminton player.

The team also got public display of support from Saina herself as she shared the teaser on social media and wrote, “Always makes me proud to see my national flag soar high!” Saina also complimented Parineeti’s look, writing, “Woww this is superb… love the look as mini saina.”

The teaser gives us glimpses into the badminton champ’s life and how she took up the sport early on, when she was a small girl, and how India cheered for her as she participated in international tournaments. 

Parineeti also spoke about the contribution of women in her family in her journey. “I have been brought up in a family where there was not any disparity between men and women. I came across to gender disparity after I entered Bollywood. My parents spent the most on my education and there were several times when I was given more opportunities than my brothers. So, I don’t even know why we talk about it.”

The actor spoke on the real strength of the biopic, saying, “The winning point for the film is how it shows what went into making Saina a winner. It was about Saina’s complete journey.”

Shraddha Kapoor was a going to play Saina, she had trained herself for the role and shot some scenes for the film but she was diagnosed with dengue and later Parineeti was finalised to play the lead role.

New Delhi: On the occasion of international women’s Day, Aparshakti Khurana spoke about his favourite female directors and the positive energy they bring with their craft. Three years back, leena Yadav directed Aparshakti in Rajma Chawal, a slice-of-life film. The actor captured the attention of the viewers with his earnest performance which was sketched and molded by the director. in 2019, Aparshakti appeared in Ruka Ruka, a music single with singer Shalmali. The music video was directed by Ukrainian director Dar Gai. A while back, Aparshakti shot for an anthology film and one of the directors on that project is Nitya Mehra of Made In Heaven and Baar Baar Dekho fame. Two years back, Aparshakti was directed by director-writer, Tahira Kashyap. “i have had the good fortune of working with these women directors,” he said.

NEW DELHI: Bollywood debutant Sharvari, who will soon be seen opposite actor Siddhant Chaturvedi in Bunty Aur Babli 2, has posted a heartfelt wish for her screen idol Rani Mukerji on The International Women’s Day.

Sharvari said, “I have idolised a lot of women characters who I have seen on the big screen and invariably most of those women have been played by none other than Rani ma’am! So, on Women’s Day this is my appreciation post for her. Thank you for inspiring me to be an actor. It was such a dream come true for me! Happy Women’s Day to all the Babli’s out there!”

Sharvari’s debut is touted to be one of the biggest launches in Bollywood this year. Bunty Aur Babli 2, produced by Yash Raj Films, is set to release on 23 April. Sharvari and Rani will be sharing the screen together in the film as well.

NEW DELHI : Actor Anushka Sharma on the occasion of International Women’s Day on Monday, spoke about how she took a conscious decision to change the portrayal of women on screen as an artist and a producer. The 32-year-old actor, through her characters in films like Sultan, Band Baaja Baaraat, NH10, Sui Dhaaga, among many others, has portrayed that women can be confident, self-reliant, ambitious, and free-spirited to take their own life decisions. Through her production ventures also, Anushka has presented audiences with women who lived their lives on their own terms.

Speaking about the power of cinema, Anushka said, “Our films have the power to impact change and if done correctly, films can also condition people to make them determine between what is right and what is wrong. By being clear about how we will portray women in cinema, we can alter the mindset of people towards how they perceive women and shatter age-old, regressive beliefs, customs, and traditions.”

She then talked about how she consciously decided to change the portrayal of women and said, “I think I have been conscious enough to select roles and films that I felt could contribute towards changing the portrayal of women on screen. It took a lot of self-belief for me to do this as an actor and then as a producer because I was somehow swimming against the tide and challenging the notion of how women were so far portrayed on screen.”

This decision liberated Anushka as a performer and a producer, as she decided to focus on changing the mindset of audiences towards how they see women on screen. The actor said, “It was liberating for me to stand up and do this for myself. I was done seeing myself as an accessory and I vowed that as a producer I will also not allow any woman to be portrayed regressively. So, my film choices and then my productions are a testimony to the fact that I’m committed towards sparking a conversation in society about equality, self-respect, and empowerment.”