AR Rahman is one of the most revered music composers in the world, having won major international attention–including the Academy Award–for his work over the years. In an interview with Forbes, AR Rahman shared how he got pigeonholed despite his international work in 127 Hours, Million Dollar Arm and Pele among others.

What Rahman said
AR Rahman talked about his directorial debut, Le Musk and how he wanted to experiment with his creative process and new technology. In the interview with Forbes, Rahman said, “As an Indian composer, winning an Oscar and all that stuff, there is a pigeonhole you are put into. ‘Oh Indian stuff, let’s go to AR!’ Even though I have done 127 Hours, Pele and other stuff but still the urge… There’s nothing bad with that. I am doing a lot of Indian movies. I love doing Indian movies. I am proud. But I also love to do something that is completely unrelated to India, as a creative expression. To get those is very difficult in Hollywood, all the places are already taken.”

AR Rahman on Rocketry’s big win
AR Rahman has won two Academy Awards, two Grammy Awards, a BAFTA Award, a Golden Globe Award, and six Indian National Film Awards. He recently tweeted after the 69th National Awards were announced last week where R Madhavan’s Rocketry: The Nambi Effect won the honour for Best Feature Film. AR Rahman wrote, “Congrats Madhavan….I still remember the impact of your movie watching at Cannes ….have to confess now (great timing)… I liked yours better than #Oppenheimer.” Oppenheimer, directed by Christopher Nolan, is set during World War II, and follows physicist J Robert Oppenheimer, played by Cillian Murphy.

AR Rahman had recently visited the Oscar Museum in Los Angeles with actor Kamal Hassan. Both of them also watched the Hollywood classic The Godfather. Kamal Haasan took to Instagram and shared a glimpse of their encounter, where they were seen reflecting on AR Rahman lifting the Oscar on stage.

Vin Diesel seems to be missing India. The Fast X star shared a throwback picture on his Instagram on Friday, in which he is posing with Deepika Padukone inside a colourful autorickshaw. The image is from his trip to India in 2017 to promote their Hollywood action film xXx: Return of Xander Cage.

Vin’s throwback post
Vin Diesel took to Instagram on Friday and posted the photo with the caption, “So grateful and blessed, to have traveled to so many wonderful countries, like India… and to experience their beautiful cultures… a lucky kid from New York. Haha. All love, Always.”

Fans react
While many Indian fans asked Vin to visit again, a lot of Instagram users could not resist making some hilarious autorickshaw jokes. One commented, “*Vin Diesel rash driving this auto rickshaw* Deepika: Aiyyo!! Be careful!! Mere appa ka favourite gaadi (sad emoji).” Another wrote in the comments, “The next fast and furious 11 with auto (teary eyed laughter emoji).”

A third user commented, “Fast tuk tuk and furious.” Another wrote, “Fast and furious 11 scene leaked (fire emoji).” “Make f11 in india dude (face with sunglasses emoji),” commented another. “We want @deepikapadukone x @vindiesel again but this time for fast and furious movie,” a fan’s comment read. A user slid in a hilarious one, “Vin Diesel be like : or andar nahi jayega madam (can’t take it further inside).”

Vin and Deepika
Vin and Deepika starred opposite each other in DJ Caruso’s 2017 action thriller xXx: Return of Xander Cage, the third instalment in Vin’s popular franchise. The first two parts, XXX and XXX: State of the Union, released in 2002 and 2005 respectively. Also starring Donnie Yen, Ruby Rose, Tony Jaa, Toni Collette, and Samuel L Jackson, it became the biggest hit of the franchise by earning $346 million worldwide, on a budget of $85 million.

Fast and Furious
The first part of the tenth instalment in Vin’s Fast and Furious franchise released earlier this year. A Part 2 of Fast X is also slated to release next year.

The Rajinikanth mania is not only taking India by storm but the USA too. Jailor is taking the box office by storm as it gears to hit screens tomorrow, August 10. As per advance box office reports coming in, the film is nearly crucial millstones in both the above mentioned countries, and its massive buzz is likely to make it the biggest Tamil opener of 2023

Scroll below to know the exciting details about the pre-release theatrical business!

As per a latest 123telugu report, Rajinikanth-led Jailer has already grossed over $800K at the US box office before its theatrical release. Given this data, trade pundits expect the Nelson-directorial to reach the $1 million mark in the USA through premieres alone.

If the predictions come true, Rajinikanth’s Jailer will become the first Indian film to cross the $1 million mark at the USA box office this year. The hype for the film is high, thanks to its well-crafted trailer and other promotional material.

As per a Pinkvilla report, as of 3 pm on Wednesday (August 9), Jailer had sold approximately 1,50,000 tickets in the three national chains – PVR, Inox and Cinepolis, and is expected to close the count with around 2,00,000 tickets. The site further noted that the film has sold tickets worth Rs 13 crore in Tamil Nadu for the opening day alone, with weekend sales accumulating to over Rs 30 crore. As per the report, the film targets an opening day of Rs 20 to 23 crore in Tamil Nadu and an all-India income of around Rs 40 crore.

Tom Cruise-starrer Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One has completed three weeks in theaters. The film debuted in India with Rs 12.3 crore. According to industry tracker Sacnilk, it collected Rs 60 lakh on its 21st day of release, bringing its total earnings in India to Rs 103.85 crore. With this, Cruise has delivered his first Rs 100 crore earner at the Indian box office.

Mission: Impossible 7 was impacted commercially by Oppenheimer and Barbie, but despite the ‘Barbenheimer’ effect, the movie has continued to stay afloat. The film faced further competition this weekend, with the release of Karan Johar’s indian film
Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani.

Despite its underwhelming global performance, Mission: Impossible 7 has emerged as a hit in India. The film has made around $451 million worldwide. The last film in the franchise, Mission: Impossible – Fallout, had earned Rs 80 crore in India in 2018, but made way more than Mission: Impossible 7 worldwide. Vin Diesel’s Fast X and Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer are the two other Hollywood films that made it to the Rs 100 crore club in India this year.

Oppenheimer, which stirred controversy among Hindutva activists due to the reading of the Bhagavad Gita in the midst of a sex scene featuring Cillian Murphy as Robert Oppenheimer and Elizabeth Pugh, has emerged as a clear box office winner, leaving Barbie trailing far behind in India.

According to trade data website Sacnilk, Barbie was projected to earn approximately Rs 18.58 crore (gross collection, before tax deductions) by the end of Sunday. Despite a lackluster opening of Rs 5 crore on Friday and only marginal improvements thereafter, the film struggled to gain momentum at the Indian box office.

On the other hand, Oppenheimer, in direct competition with Barbie, finished its first weekend with an impressive collection of Rs 49.25 crore (gross). The film maintained a steady flow, earning around Rs 17 crore on each of the first three days. This significant difference in performance demonstrates the overwhelming preference of Indian audiences for Oppenheimer over Barbie.

Interestingly, the box office scenario in North America presents a stark contrast to that in India. Barbie reigns as the clear leader in North America, poised to cross the $300 million mark worldwide by Sunday, with an estimated $150 million-plus each from North America and a combined 69 overseas markets, according to Deadline. On the other hand, Oppenheimer is projected to earn $165.9 million worldwide through Sunday, with $88.9 million from international markets.

In the Indian market, the Tom Cruise starrer Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning – Part One continues to dominate, having grossed Rs 98.35 crore until Friday, July 21.

Taylor Swift now has more number one albums than any other female artist in history following the recent release of “Speak Now (Taylor’s Version),” Billboard said Monday.

The record debuted at the top of the Billboard charts, becoming the pop queen’s 12th number one album and surpassing Barbra Streisand for the most among women.

For male performers, Jay-Z and the Beatles both have over a dozen number one albums, though Billboard notes it has changed its album ranking system over the decades to include anthologies.

Swift, 33, has also become the first living artist in nearly 60 years to have four albums in the top 10 at the same time, the organization added.

They include “Midnights,” “Lover” and “Folklore.”

Billboard said Swift had also become the first living artist to have 11 albums in the top 200 simultaneously.

Swift’s record-breaking feats come as she performs many of her best hits on the fan-frenzied “Eras” tour.

The 106-date stadium concert series kicked off in March and is within striking distance of becoming the first billion-dollar tour.

“Speak Now” was originally released in 2010. Swift has vowed to re-record her first six albums so she can control their rights — a process she was contractually allowed to begin in November 2020.

She has also re-recorded “Fearless” and “Red.”

Last October, Swift became the first artist ever to simultaneously nab all 10 spots on the top US song chart after the release of her tenth studio album “Midnights.”