He-Man: Masters of the Universe is just days away from its India release. The Travis Knight directorial stars Nicholas Galitzine as He-Man and Jared Leto as Skeletor, among others. 

Knight recently opened up about how Leto came on board and shared his experience of working with the actor. 

According to him, an outlandish sense of humour was what landed the role for Leto, an Oscar-winner for Dallas Buyers Club who starred as The Joker in 2016’s Suicide Squad and Zack Snyder’s Justice League.

Knight said, “Jared was also a big fan of He-Man, and he understands the world, in addition to being an exceptional actor. What I think a lot of people don’t know about Jared is that he’s also really, really funny.” 

While Skeletor is menacing, Knight said some sequences naturally tipped over into absurdist comedy. “We were shooting a scene, and I was laughing so hard that he brought me to tears,” Knight said of Leto. 

Knight added, “He will make these choices that you don’t see coming, and that really does help to make Skeletor distinctive. He’s just an extraordinarily memorable villain.”

Post-production animators tried to mirror Leto’s onscreen expressions as they crafted the final visage for Skeletor, and the actor worked extensively with Knight to devise a voice that was unique, not an homage to any previous version of the character or other legacy villains. The filmmaker and actor ultimately came up with a deep, thundering resonance for this Skeletor, a contrast to his snivelling voice in the original animated series. 

Knight described it as “both menacing and theatrical.” 

Backed by Amazon MGM Studios and directed by Travis Knight, He-Man and the Masters of the Universe stars Nicholas Galitzine as Prince Adam, Camila Mendes as Teela, and Jared Leto as Skeletor, with Man-At-Arms played by Idris Elba. The film also features Alison Brie, Morena Baccarin, and Kristen Wiig as the voice of Roboto. The film aims to bring one of pop culture’s most iconic fantasy worlds back to life for a new generation.

Ashutosh Gowariker’s epic period sports drama Lagaan is all set to re-release in theatres on its 25th anniversary. The Aamir Khan starrer was the most expensive Indian film at the time of its release in 2001. 

On Wednesday, Aamir Khan Productions shared the trailer on its official channel, invoking nostalgia. They wrote, “A timeless epic that touched every heart. On the 25th Anniversary of LAGAAN the epic saga returns to the big screen. Relive the magic in theatres on 12th, 13th and 14th June.”

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About Lagaan 

Lagaan is set in 1893, during British rule in India. It revolves around the people of a drought-hit village, where they are crushed under heavy taxes, or “lagaan,” imposed by British officers. When a young villager named Bhuvan challenges a British captain, the villagers are given an unusual deal. If they can defeat the British in a game of cricket, their taxes will be completely waived for three years. Despite knowing nothing about the sport, the villagers come together to learn cricket and fight for their dignity, survival and freedom.

Besides Aamir Khan, it stars Gracy Singh, Rachel Shelley, Paul Blackthorne, Suhasini Mulay, Kulbhushan Kharbanda, Rajendra Gupta, Raghubir Yadav, Rajesh Vivek, and Aditya Lakhia. 

Lagaan was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. It also became the most awarded film at the 47th Filmfare Awards. 

The film will be shown in theatres on June 12, 13 and 14. 

Also Read: Vicky Kaushal Responds After Aamir Khan Says He Could Play Bhuvan in Lagaan

Actor Rakul Preet Singh got candid about one of the most difficult phases of her life while appearing alongside husband Jackky Bhagnani on Neha Dhupia and Angad Bedi’s popular talk show, Double Date. In a heartfelt and honest conversation, Rakul opened up about suffering a severe lower back injury after attempting an 80 kg deadlift without wearing a safety belt.

She also spoke about how the injury affected her mentally beyond the physical pain. “It was not only a physical injury, but it was also affecting me mentally. It was a mental mess-up because I was going through physical turmoil. Suddenly, I was not able to do anything, and that really triggers you,” she shared.

Reports of Rakul’s injury had earlier surfaced after she injured her lower back while lifting 80 kgs without protective support, which reportedly jammed the nerves. Despite being in pain, the actor continued fulfilling her professional commitments with the help of muscle relaxants before eventually taking enforced bed rest.

Also Read: Rakul Preet Singh Reacts After Jackky Bhagnani’s Situationship Remark Goes Viral