RRR came, saw and absolutely conquered the 95th Academy Awards in Los Angeles. Naatu Naatu won the Oscar for Best Original Song – let’s be honest, was it ever not going to? – and there is no question of keeping calm and carrying on. The Oscars were awarded to composer MM Keeravaani, who sang a version of The Carpenters’ hit Top Of The World as his acceptance speech, and lyricist Chandrabose. The insanely viral track is from RRR, directed by SS Rajamouli and featuring actors Ram Charan and Jr NTR, all of whom attended the Academy Awards. Naatu Naatu beat a slate of heavy-weight competitors – Lady Gaga’s Hold My Hand from Top Gun: Maverick, Rihanna’s Lift Me Up from Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, This Is A Life from Everything Everywhere All At Once, and Applause from Tell It Like A Woman.

It was the second win for an Indian film – The Elephant Whisperers won Best Documentary Short Subject. All That Breathes was also nominated for Best Documentary Feature Film – the Oscar went to Navalny.

After Naatu Naatu’s big win at the Oscars, members of the Indian film fraternity united to congratulate team RRR. Film legends Rajinikanth and Chiranjeevi, RRR stars Alia Bhatt, Ajay Devgn, Academy Award winning composer AR Rahman, actors Hrithik Roshan, Mahesh Babu were among the many celebs that extended their wishes after the film’s glorious victory.

Naatu Naatu’s global domination is now complete, having also won the Golden Globe for Best Original Song in January. The song was performed live during the Oscar ceremony by singers Rahul Sipligunj and Kaala Bhairava, and danced by Lauren Gottlieb. Deepika Padukone, the third Indian to attend as a presenter after Persis Khambatta and Priyanka Chopra, introduced the performance.

MM Keeravaani and Chandrabose join a select group of Indians to have previously won Oscars – costume designer Bhanu Athaiya, composer AR Rahman, lyricist Gulzar, sound engineer Resul Pookutty, and legendary filmmaker Satyajit Ray who received an honorary award. Naatu Naatu is the first Indian song – and RRR is the first Indian film – to have won an Oscar.

RRR, set in British India, has won hearts across the world – it’s running to full houses in Japan and recently held its largest screening yet in a Los Angeles cinema where the audience danced along to Naatu Naatu. The song, filmed outside the Presidential Palace in pre-war Kyiv, Ukraine, is an infectious dance battle between Ram Charan and Jr NTR’s characters, Raju and Bheem, versus their British counterparts. Raju and Bheem are the last men standing, sorry dancing, after their complicated routine bests their opponents.

Hollywood actor Paul Rudd has a lot on his to-do list, exploring India as well as the desi culture is on the top. He admits his love affair with the country started with the whiff of the Indian delicacies, which his whole family has grown to adore.

Sometime back, pictures of him enjoying an Indian meal with his friend Dan Levy in London went viral, delighting a;l the fans of the actor, who has found a new fan base with his superhero avatar of Ant-Man.

“I just love Indian food,” gushes Rudd when reminded about the picture.

The 53-year-old adds,“Well, I went back to that restaurant quite a few times, as well as a few other Indian restaurants. I live in New York and there are some really good options for Indian food in New York”.

“There is something about a good biryani…. Ahh and naan. For instance, my daughter, who doesn’t eat anything, would say I want Indian food. My whole family loves it,” says the actor, who is reprising his role of the superhero for the third instalment of Ant-Man film, Ant-Man And The Wasp: Quantumania, which is set after the events of Avengers: Endgame.

He speaks like a true foodie, and it makes us wonder if his love has put him on the path to explore more about the cuisine or the culture. And the actor, who worked really hard on his physical regime to get in shape for Quantumania, adds that coming to India is on the top of his to-do list, especially after receiving love for his superhero avatar.

“I have never been to India. If there’s one country that I’ve never been to and I really want to visit, it will be India. And this has been the case for many years. I’ve never been to India. I have a really dear friend who lived in India for a year, in an exchange program, and it changed his life. So, yes I want to visit India… This is the great thing about life. There are still places to see, experience to undergo and explore. And India is probably number one for me,” says the actor.

At the moment, he is best known with onscreen name, Scott Lang, but his filmography boasts of projects such as Clueless and Friends, which helped him chart his way to fame.

Talking about reprising his Ant-Man avatar, he says it was his challenge as a father as well as a superhero which resonated with him.

“The identity of him as a father — is the core of who Scott Lang is, and it is certainly the core of who I am… He loves his daughter, and it is his biggest superpower, because a father will go to any and all lengths to protect his child,” he ends.

With a fairy-like twirl and a twinkle in her eyes, Raveena Aurora floats on stage at Lollapalooza India, in Mumbai this past weekend. In an iridescent, shimmery dress, with her hair tied in a wavy ponytail, the 29-year-old Indian-American singer, holds onto a mic covered with pink and purple flowers, and croons one of her most popular songs, “Honey…,” her dreamy voice washing over the crowd.

For Raveena, performing in India is a dream come true. Her music exists in between genres, pulling influences from R&B, pop, and old-school Bollywood. “In my own journey as an artist, and visually, I love combining Bollywood influences. It’s the dreamiest, most ethereal space. It’s what I was raised on, it just feels so natural,” she says, in an interview with The Hindu.

Her latest concept album, Asha’s Awakening, follows Asha, a Punjabi space princess, exploring love, loss, modern society and herself. The Indian touch is undeniable, with soft taps on the tabla introducing the song “Time Flies…,” and a chorus in Hindi on “Kismet…”

“We’re going to sing in Hindi now,” she cries out to the audience. “ Ek, do, theen, char, chalo na, mere saath:” she sings the start to “Kismet,” adding the shimmy-esque moves and dramatic sighs that defined Hindi films in the 60s and 70s.

Powerful lyrics
Raveena’s artistic strength lies in her ability to pair soothing sounds with powerful, soul-baring lyrics. “There’s a certain sweetness, but also incredible strength and passion to Indian women. I love exploring that dichotomy in my music. So much of the sounds we hear from famous Indian women in music like Lata Mangeshkar and Asha Bhosle, have such an enchanting and innocent quality about them. But what we go through as brown women is tough. It’s really insane what we’re put through in these bodies, as women. So I try to speak to that experience.”

Her songs have tackled topics like sexual assault, heartbreak, sexuality and identity politics. The raw quality of her lyrics and her melodic style create something of a syrupy safe space, where loving, learning and losing come together, without feeling cloying.

Raveena says having music as a way to process and reflect on these experiences “saved” her. “Everything I do is based on this healing quality, it’s like about soothing the self and inspiring other people to love themselves deeper and care for themselves and understand themselves better, as I do that myself.”

Rooted to culture
Raveena is unabashedly proud of her Indian roots. Raised by Sikh-practicing parents, she grew up between New York and Connecticut in a rich Indian immigrant community. “I grew up in a very brown space. I just felt like if I had something to offer to music, it was this experience in both cultures. It’s definitely a challenge because musically it’s so different, there’s literally different scales, and entirely different sounds and rhythms and, and patterns. But I think that’s the beautiful challenge of being a musician.”

Raveena’s exploration of sexuality and identity makes her something of a changemaker, especially with regards to queer South Asian representation.

In her 2018 single, Temptation, she revealed she is bisexual. Being able to perform in India, at a time when the fight for LGBTQ+ rights and societal acceptance is in full swing, she says makes her feel honoured “to be able to provide a bit of representation in that space and be a little agent of change. I know there’s a long way to go… but it’s hopefully a step in the right direction.”

At Lollapalooza, Raveena paid tribute to Asha Bhosle. Slinging her guitar over her ponytail, she began strumming the riff to “Dum Maro Dum,” from the 1971 Bollywood film, Hare Rama Hare Krishna. Her energy, as she lowered her voice to match Bhosle’s, and then raising it as she vocalised, sent Lollapalooza’s crowd into a frenzy.

Raveena sang “Dum Maro Dum,” at Coachella in California last year, where she was the first artist of Indian origin to perform. She says she later found out that her performance had triggered racist comments on South Asians. She says that while Asha’s Awakening “really hit” among brown people, the album revealed to her that, “there was a lot more education in America to do, around Indian music, around certain stereotypes that they still have around South Asian people.”

Performing at Lollapalooza India, however, really feels like a big moment for her, she says. “It’s really interesting coming here and feeling way more celebrated and way more understood… It’s so comforting. I feel so at home and loved.”

Although she visited India regularly while growing up, this is the first time Raveena was in Mumbai for work. Visiting as an artist, she says, allowed her to get “perspective” on India’s art scene, as a member of the diaspora. “I just want to be a student right now and just soak up everything and learn from people. There’s so much amazing art coming out of here constantly, I want to learn from all the creatives here.” She said she would love to collaborate with artists like Prateek Kuhad, who also performed at Lollapalooza, and from the diaspora, Bangladeshi-British singer Joy Crookes and Indian-British artist Jai Paul.

Jr NTR has been included in a list by a prominent US magazine as one of the frontrunners in the best actor category in the upcoming Oscars. The official nominations for this years Academy Awards will be announced on January 24.

RRR has had a tremendous run at the recent Hollywood awards, winning the Golden Globe and Critics Choice awards for Naatu Naatu in the Best Original Song category, alongside being nominated for a host of other awards in the Best International Film category. Ahead of the 95th Academy Awards nominations that will be announced on January 24, RRR is also looking forward to being considered in a number of categories including Best Original Song. Now, a prominent American magazine has named actor Jr NTR as one of the frontrunners in the Best Actor category.

Jr NTR plays a freedom fighter, Komaram Bheem, in SS Rajamouli’s film, which has been creating waves among the western audience. Now the magazine has predicted that Jr NTR’s performance in the film must have been noticed by the Academy and it might possibly land him a nomination in the Best Actor category.

“Here are 10 performances from deserving folks we hope are remembered in this year’s Oscar race,” mentioned the article, as it went on to rank Jr NTR at the top of the list that also includes names of actors like Tom Cruise, Paul Dano, Mia Goth, Paul Mescal and Zoe Kravitz. Earlier Jr NTR was also mentioned by Variety among their unranked predictions for the 2023 Academy Awards.

Mentioning Jr NTR’s performance in RRR, writer Brian Truitt wrote, “Academy, is it possible to go halfsies on a best actor nod? Because this action-packed musical adventure’s two Indian mega-stars are what makes “RRR” such an audience-friendly powerhouse: Ram Charan’s British army soldier and Rao’s loyal warrior become friends, butt heads as foes and then come back together as a fighting force, with an all-time bromance and an amazing dance-off along the way. If we have to pick, though, the charismatic Rao has the edge for leading an army of wild animals and juggling a motorcycle with ease.”

Recently, Priyanka Chopra Jonas also shared some photos from a recent RRR screening in the US, where she posed with filmmaker SS Rajamouli and composer MM Keeravani, and gave a speech on stage. Priyanka wrote on Instagram Stories, “Least I can do to contribute to this incredible Indian film’s journey. Good luck and congratulations RRR, SS Rajamouli, MM Keeravani, Ram Charan, Jr NTR, Alia Bhatt, Ajay Devgn, Prem Rakshith (choreographer), Kala Bhairava (singer), Chandrabose (lyricist)…”

Mentioning Jr NTR’s performance in RRR, writer Brian Truitt wrote, “Academy, is it possible to go halfsies on a best actor nod? Because this action-packed musical adventure’s two Indian mega-stars are what makes “RRR” such an audience-friendly powerhouse: Ram Charan’s British army soldier and Rao’s loyal warrior become friends, butt heads as foes and then come back together as a fighting force, with an all-time bromance and an amazing dance-off along the way. If we have to pick, though, the charismatic Rao has the edge for leading an army of wild animals and juggling a motorcycle with ease.”

Recently, Priyanka Chopra Jonas also shared some photos from a recent RRR screening in the US, where she posed with filmmaker SS Rajamouli and composer MM Keeravani, and gave a speech on stage. Priyanka wrote on Instagram Stories, “Least I can do to contribute to this incredible Indian film’s journey. Good luck and congratulations RRR, SS Rajamouli, MM Keeravani, Ram Charan, Jr NTR, Alia Bhatt, Ajay Devgn, Prem Rakshith (choreographer), Kala Bhairava (singer), Chandrabose (lyricist)…”

Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan with his more than three decades of work in the film industry has garnered millions of fans all over the world and an estimated net worth of ₹627 million ($770 million), making him the richest actor in Asia and fourth richest actor all over the world.

Beating fellow immensely famous and cult actors like Tom Cruise, Jackie Chan, and George Clooney, Shah Rukh Khan took the fourth position in the list of eight richest actors of the world released by World of Statistics.

Shah Rukh Khan who is ready to make his comeback with his action thriller Pathan in Janaury 2023 had been away from movies for a period of almost four years sans his cameos in R. Madhavan’s Rocketry: The Nambi Effect and Ayan Mukerji’s Brahmastra Part 1: Shiva.

The richest actor according to this list was Jerry Seinfeld with a net worth of ₹82 billion ($1 billion). The American actor tied with Diary of a Black Woman fame Tyler Perry at $ 1 billion. They were followed by Dwayne Johnson at ₹64 billion ($800 million).

Other actors ranked in the list are

Tom Cruise: ₹50 million ($620 million)

Jackie Chan: ($520 million)

George Clooney: ($500 million)

Robert De Niro: ($500 million)

Look at the list here

SRK’s ‘Pathan’ trailer showcased at Burj Khalifa
Shah Rukh Khan attended the trailer of his action thriller in ‘Pathaan’ style at Dubai’s Burj Khalifa.

The trailer of SRK, Deepika Padukone and John Abraham was showcased in Dubai on Saturday. The film, helmed by Siddharth Anand and produced Aditya Chopra, will be releasing in theatres worldwide on January 25, 2023 in Hindi, Tamil and Telugu.

The film also stars Deepika Padukone as the female lead, and John Abraham as the antagonist. The overseas advance bookings for the film have already started.

Recently the makers unveiled the official trailer of the film which received massive responses from the fans.

The two-and-a-half-minute-long trailer showcases Shah Rukh Khan and Deepika as spy agents standing against a powerful enemy, played by John Abraham, who is planning a big attack in India.

Recently, the makers unveiled the songs ‘Besharam Rang’ and ‘Jhoome Jo Pathaan’ which received massive responses from the fans.

‘Pathaan’ marks Deepika and Shah Rukh’s fourth collaboration after their super hit films ‘Om Shanti Om’, ‘Happy New Year’ and ‘Chennai Express’.

Apart from this, he will also be seen in filmmaker Rajkumar Hirani’s ‘Dunki’ opposite Taapsee Pannu and Atlee’s ‘Jawan’, which will hit the theatres on June 2 this year.