In The Iron Claw, Zac Efron, Jeremy Allen White, Harris Dickinson and Stanley Simons step into the ring to portray the Von Erich brothers who made history in the world of professional wrestling in the 1980s. Their story is that of extraordinary highs and lows. Directed by Sean Durkin, the film also chronicles their personal tragedies. During a press conference attended by Filmfare, the cast and filmmaker came together to open up about the film’s making.

Zac Efron, best known for his roles in High School Musical and The Greatest Showman, admitted that he did not know much about the Von Erichs before he came on board to play Kevin Von Erich in the biopic film. He said, “I wasn’t aware of the Von Erichs before I read the script but after speaking with Sean, it seemed like that’s too much to happen to one person or one family. It didn’t feel as much like a wrestling movie as it did a really great movie about family and loss and being able to triumph over a crazy curse. It was really deep and I still can’t believe it.”

When asked how the film compares to the experience of filming The Bear, Jeremy Allen White, who continues to win acclaim for his performance on the show, said, “The intensity of the kitchen vs the intensity of professional wrestling – it seemed like it wouldn’t be competitive. That would be the obvious answer. But I find both industries to be very competitive and anxiety-ridden. I will say that I found the process of filming The Iron Claw was less anxiety-inducing for me than The Bear.” White plays Kerry Von Erich in the film. 

Triangle of Sadness star Harris Dickinson, who plays David Von Erich, opened up about going down the rabbit hole and researching for the film. He shared, “It’s really tricky because there is so much content on the brothers. There’s material to go off of and find your rhythm. But there are versions where they are in promo mode or in the ring where it’s all heightened. There aren’t enough of them just talking or at the farm or at home. We had to wonder what that might have looked like. It can get pretty obsessive. I spent a lot of time watching and listening to them. It’s a strange thing. I remember David’s nieces came up to me and said ‘You’re a British guy, how the hell did you do Dave?’ But I think it was lovely, they received it very well.”

The Iron Claw is set to release in theatres soon.

Indian-American lawmakers have expressed deep concern over an Indian being charged with an alleged plot to kill Khalistani terrorist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, an American-Canadian citizen.

If the issue is not addressed appropriately, it could cause significant damage to the US-India partnership, they warned after a classified briefing by the Biden administration of Nikhil Gupta’s indictment.

Mr Gupta was detained at the Prague airport in June in an action that came at the request of the US, the Czech government told NDTV on Friday. The US had submitted an extradition request two months later, they said.

Friday’s classified briefing were attended by US Representatives Ami Bera, Pramila Jayapal, Ro Khanna, Raja Krishnamoorthi, and Shri Thanedar.

“We believe the US-India partnership has made meaningful impact on the lives of both of our people, but we are concerned that the actions outlined in the indictment could, if not appropriately addressed, cause significant damage to this very consequential partnership,” they said in a statement.

The US Congress members said the charges were deeply concerning and the safety of their constituents are their most important priority. They welcomed India’s move to form an enquiry committee, but said it should assure the US that such incidents will not happen again.

“We welcome the Government of India’s announcement of a Committee of Enquiry to investigate the murder plot and it is critical that India fully investigate, hold those responsible, including Indian government officials, accountable, and provide assurances that this will not happen again,” they said.

Mr Gupta, 52, moved the Supreme Court on Friday via a family member and claimed multiple violations of fundamental rights, including threats to himself and his family, and requested the Indian government to intervene in his extradition to the US. The hearing has been adjourned till January 4.

He claimed he was intercepted by “American agents” on his arrival in Prague, then bundled into a black SUV and interrogated for three hours while being driven around the foreign city. He claimed he was “forced” to eat only pork and beef during his first few days in the prison.

Nikhil Gupta has been charged by US federal prosecutors with working with an Indian government employee in the foiled plot to kill Pannun, a designated terrorist in India.

In September, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had alleged the role of Indian agents in the June murder of another Khalistani terrorist, Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Canadian citizen. India had rejected the allegations as “motivated”.

The Israeli army said its troops shot and killed three hostages on Friday after “mistakenly” identifying them as a threat.

“During combat in Shejaiya, the IDF (army) mistakenly identified three Israeli hostages as a threat. As a result, the troops fired toward them and they were killed,” the army said in a statement.

“The IDF began reviewing the incident immediately… Immediate lessons from the event have been learned, which have been passed on to all IDF troops in the field,” it added, expressing “deep remorse over the tragic incident”.

The army identified two of the hostages as Yotam Haim, who was taken from Kibbutz Kfar Aza during Hamas’s October 7 attack, and Samer El-Talalqa, taken from Kibbutz Nir Am.

It said it was withholding the third hostage’s name at the family’s request.

Hamas kidnapped around 250 hostages during its October 7 attack on Israel, which killed 1,139 people, according to official figures.

Israel’s retaliatory war against the group has killed more than 18,700 people, according to the territory’s Hamas-run health ministry.

The Israeli government has repeatedly stated that bringing home all of the hostages is one of its chief war aims.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)