Anurag Kashyap recently had a meeting with Sandeep Reddy Vanga and expressed admiration for his latest film, Animal. Taking to Instagram on Saturday, Anurag praised Sandeep as the “most misunderstood, judged and reviled filmmaker at the moment” and shared pictures of their encounter.

In the initial photo, Anurag Kashyap smiled, placing his hand around Sandeep’s shoulder. For the occasion, Anurag sported a cream T-shirt under a black jacket and denim pants, while Sandeep was seen in a printed shirt and trousers. Both shared smiles and posed for the photographs.

Captioning the images, Anurag wrote, “Had a great evening with @sandeepreddy.vanga. The most misunderstood, judged and reviled filmmaker at the moment. To me, he is the most honest, vulnerable and a lovely human being. And I really don’t give a f””” what anyone thinks of him or his film. I wanted to meet the man and I had questions and he answered everything I asked of him about his film that I actually saw twice.”

“Thank you for being patient and being yourself. 40’days since I first saw Animal and 22 days since I saw it the second time. The biggest game changer of Hindi cinema in the longest time and a film whose impact (good or bad) which can’t be denied. And the filmmaker who takes it all on his chin. Great evening spent with him,” he added.

Animal was one of the biggest blockbusters of 2023. However, it was also criticised for its depiction of misogyny. The film revolves around a troubled father-son relationship, featuring Ranbir Kapoor in the role of Rannvijay Singh, seeking revenge after an assassination attempt on his father.

Exciting news for Tom Cruise fans as the action star is set to reprise his role as Navy pilot Pete ‘Maverick’ Mitchell in the greenlit Top Gun 3. According to media reports, Paramount is in the early stages of developing the third instalment, with Ehren Kruger, co-writer of Top Gun: Maverick, working on the script.

Top Gun 3 is expected to bring back familiar faces, including Miles Teller and Glen Powell, along with producers Jerry Bruckheimer and David Ellison. Joe Kosinski, the director of Top Gun: Maverick, is reported to either direct or produce the upcoming instalment. Currently, Tom Cruise is occupied with Mission: Impossible Dead Reckoning Part 2, and production for Top Gun 3 is slated to commence after Mission: Impossible 8.

The last Top Gun instalment, Maverick (2022), stands as Tom Cruise’s highest-grossing movie, earning $1.49 billion. It also received critical acclaim, winning an Oscar for Best Sound and garnering six Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture.

In a recent development, Warner Bros announced a non-exclusive deal with Cruise to jointly develop and produce original and franchise theatrical films. However, Top Gun remains under the ownership of Paramount, the studio overseeing Top Gun 3, which is anticipated to be Cruise’s next film.

Paramount also holds the rights to the Mission: Impossible series, including the delayed eighth instalment, Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part Two, directed by Christopher McQuarrie and set for a May 2025 theatrical release.

Lodging a strong protest against a visit by the British High Commissioner in Islamabad to Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, the Ministry of External Affairs has said that the infringement on India’s territorial integrity is unacceptable, and reiterated that Jammu and Kashmir has been and shall always remain an integral part of the country. 

Reacting to the visit by British High Commissioner Jane Marriott, the ministry said on Saturday, “India has taken a serious note of the highly objectionable visit of the British High Commissioner in Islamabad, along with a UK Foreign Office official, to Pakistan occupied Kashmir on 10 January 2024. Such infringement of India’s sovereignty and territorial integrity is unacceptable.”

“Foreign Secretary has lodged a strong protest with the British High Commissioner in India on this infringement. The Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh are, have been and shall always remain an integral part of India,” the ministry said.

Sharing some photos from her visit to Mirpur in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, Ms Marriott had posted on X, “Salaam from Mirpur, the heart of the UK and Pakistan’s people-to-people ties! 70% of British Pakistani roots are from Mirpur, making our work together crucial for diaspora interests. Thank you for your hospitality!”

Salaam from Mirpur, the heart of the UK and Pakistan’s people to people ties! 70% of British Pakistani roots are from Mirpur, making our work together crucial for diaspora interests. Thank you for your hospitality! pic.twitter.com/3LyNFQan9H

— Jane Marriott (@JaneMarriottUK) January 10, 2024

The handle of the British High Commission in Pakistan also shared a video of Ms Marriott’s visit to the area, which showed her going to a bakery and interacting with district officials.

In October last year, India had raised its concerns with the US over the visit of American Ambassador to Islamabad, Donald Blome, to Gilgit-Baltistan in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. The Ministry of External Affairs had called on the world community to respect the country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. The US ambassador had visited Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir in 2022 as well.

Speaking in Parliament in December, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said 24 seats have been reserved in the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly for Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, emphasising that “PoK is ours”.