Government hospitals experienced disruptions as resident doctors protested against the rape and murder of a young doctor in Kolkata. The protests, demanding a CBI inquiry and better security, led to suspensions of outpatient services and surgeries in various states. Emergency services, however, continued to operate.
Rani Mukerji and Karan Johar are all set to be a part of a parliamentary session ahead of the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne in Australia. Both of them are the first celebrities who are invited to represent India at the Parliament of Australia on August 13. Rani and Karan will discuss how Indian cinema has bridged the cultural and geographical divides. The actress-filmmaker duo shared their excitement by saying that they are thrilled to be a part of this discussion ahead of the event.
According to a report by Hindustan Times, Rani Mukerji expressed that she is proud to represent the Indian film industry at the Australian Parliament. Mukerji shared that it is her “honor” that she will discuss the growing cultural ties between Australia and India through cinema.
The 46-year-old actress added that Indian cinema is at the forefront of shaping pop culture worldwide as many actors and films are receiving global recognition these days.
Mukerji, who is best known for movies like Mardaani and Bunty Aur Babli, further shared that Indian cinema offers a range of emotions to the audience. The actress added that she is humbled to represent India’s diversity and culture through cinema.
Meanwhile, calling it a “historic event”, Karan Johar shared his excitement to address the Australian Parliament while saying that he is thrilled to be a part of it. KJo elaborated on his feeling that he feels incredible to witness how far Indian movies travel and how they leave a cultural impact of Indian cinema on the world.
The filmmaker added that he feels grateful for receiving the invitation to represent the rich legacy and storytelling of Indian cinema. He also thanked the Australian parliament and its members for the invitation.
Reportedly, the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne will honor late filmmaker Yash Chopra as it will feature the release of his stamp. The film festival will begin on August 15 this year.
On the work front, Rani Mukerji was last seen in Mrs Chatterjee Vs Norway in 2023. Karan Johar recently produced Bad Newz, starring Vicky Kaushal, Triptii Dimri, and Ammy Virk last month.
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Zoe Kravitz’s directorial debut Blink Twice is all set to hit theatres on August 23, 2024. Starring Channing Tatum and Naomi Ackie in lead roles, the psychological thriller follows Frida (Ackie), a cocktail waitress and tech billionaire Slater King (Tatum).
The duo meet during a fundraising gala and Frida gets invited to Slater’s private island for a dream vacation with him and his friends. Sunny days and wild nights take over the group of vacationers before strange things start to happen.
Frida soon finds herself in the middle of unsettling discoveries and embarks on a journey to uncover the truth and make it out alive. Ahead of the release of the film, Pinkvilla exclusively spoke to Zoe Kravitz about her first ever journey as a director and learnt what went behind the creation of Blink Twice.
During her exclusive conversation with Pinkvilla, Zoe Kravitz opened up about her journey as a storyteller, stepping behind the camera and the idea that led to creation of Blink Twice.
“When you’re a child, you see things from a very honest point of view. As you get older, everything becomes a bit more grey. Normalized. Romanticized,” she said. “As I morphed from a little girl; a fly on the wall, to a woman in these spaces, I grew to understand the true complexity of the game at play,” Kravitz added.
The Batman actress went on to share how she had conversation with women, both known and unknown, in a language they are all “unfortunately, fluent in, because it is not safe to speak these thoughts out loud. To do so would be to break the rules of the game.”
Speaking about developing the idea behind Blink Twice, Kravitz said she wanted to see a story that would explore what happens when women stop playing by the rules.
“What if Eve woke up and realized—the Garden of Eden is uh, kinda bullsh*t. And wait, actually, this place suuuucks. And wait, Adam, you also kinda suck. And Wait…This place is fantasy, like a full matrix.And wait! Eve isn’t Eve, Eve is Neo- and girl, eat that apple, follow the serpent, get that f**ng knowledge and get the f** out of there!” she explained.
Delving further into the layers of the movie, the actress-turned-director said that she realized the most engaging and horrific way to tell the story of Blink Twice would be to isolate the characters. “Take this ‘garden’ and turn it into an island—á la Lord Of The Flies,” Kravitz mentioned.
The Big Little Lies Alum went on to share that she started writing in the summer of 2017, “mostly out of disbelief” that no one else had done the same yet. However, “In a modern setting there are obviously many stories that explore similar themes, some of which are my favorite films,” she clarified.
While the actress continued to write her story, several horrifying incidents came to light and left the entertainment industry in a state of shock. “By October of the same year (2017), Harvey Weinstein was exposed—holy sh*t! The public reckoning had begun,” Kravitz recalled, adding, how she then began adjusting her story for a “post ‘time’s up’ world.”
“By 2020, Jeffrey Epstein had been exposed—I had not known anything about him beforehand,” she shared, before adding, “I knew this evil existed in the world and I was horrified and thus inspired to keep going.”
Shortly after, Kravitz clarified that she mentioned the events above to make it clear that her movie is not about any particular person. “This is about people,” she stated.
“Women are being told to smile, every day, all the time. We are expected to ‘forget’ moments of discomfort, terror and abuse and to keep pretending we are having a good time. We are expected to play the game,” Kravitz continued.
The Divergent Series star then revealed that as a true lover and ardent admirer of cinema, it was important for her to make the story of her directorial debut “honest and entertaining at the same time.”
“I wanted to make a film that I wanted to see,” she shared. “Let’s explore these moments of discomfort, no seriously, let’s…hang out here for a minute—‘cuz sh*t this is wild, and is worth looking at,” Kravitz added.
“Humans are so complex, and f*cked up, and funny, and beautiful and brutal. We all want power—social, cultural, financial, political. The question is: what will we do to get it? How do you play the game? This is not a story about empowerment. This is a story about power. Period,” the actress and filmmaker concluded.
Blink Twice is presented by Amazon MGM Studios and is produced by Free Association /This Is Important / and Bold Choice Production. Directed by Zoe Kravitz, it stars Channing Tatum and Naomi Ackie alongside Christian Slater, Simon Rex, Adria Arjona, Haley Joel Osment, Kyle MacLachlan, Geena Davis, and Alia Shawkat.
The film is distributed internationally by Warner Bros. Pictures and will be only in cinemas in India on August 23, 202
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