Happy Wednesday! As the Supreme Court considers whether to uphold a “TikTok ban” set to take effect on Sunday, the app’s users have begun to flock to an alternative Chinese streaming platform: Xiaohongshu. The U.S. government is seeking to outlaw TikTok over its alleged ties to the Chinese Communist Party, but rest assured, Xiaohongshu—which translates…
An Overview of Growth Opportunities and Technological Innovations in the Global Ethylene Carbonate Market, 2027 – Technology Today – EIN Presswire
Sankranthi 2025 is one of the most lucrative seasons when it comes to Telugu cinema. There are a host of films that come out during this time and the same happened this January. Game Changer, Daaku Maharaaj, and Sankranthiki Vasthunnam are the films that hit the screens and opened to decent reviews. Now that Sankranthi is over, the focus is on other major releases in February. Several medium to low-budget films are coming out this February. Here is the list of the most-awaited films that will be out in February 2025.Most-awaited Telugu films to release in February 2025ThandelFirst in line is Thandel, featuring Naga Chaitanya and Sai Pallavi in lead roles. Directed by Chandoo Mondeti, the film is a romantic drama and will hit the screens on February 7, 2025. DSP has composed the music which has already become a rage.
BrahmanandamBrahmanandamBrahmanandam is a special film as the legendary comedian, Brahmanandam, plays the main lead. His son, Raja Gautham will also be seen in a key role in this film which will be out on February 7, 2025. The teaser of the film will be out soon.LailaLaila is Vishwak Sen’s new film that is almost done with its shoot. Ram Narayan directs this film which has Vishwak Sen in the role of a female character named Laila. This is a comedy caper that will be out on Valentine’s Day, February 14, 2025. Aakanksha Sharma plays the female lead.Thammudu updateThammudu is Nithiin’s new film that will be released on February 14, 2025. Venu Sriram of Vakeel Saab fame. So far, not much has been revealed about this film which has been in the making for the last one and half years. Saptami Gowda plays the female lead.Dilruba posterDilruba is Kiran Abbavaram’s new film that will also hit the screens on February 14, 2025. Rukshar Dhillon plays the female lead in this film which has been directed by Vishwa Karun. The teaser has already gone viral on social media and presents Kiran in a new avatar.Mazaka posterMazaka is Sundeep Kishan’s new film that also has Rao Ramesh in a key role. Ritu Varma and Anshu play female leads in this film which will be out on February 21, 2025. Trinadha Rao Nakkina is the director of this film which has been penned by Prasanna Kumar.
The past 25 days have been nothing short of overwhelming for Malayalam actor Unni Mukundan, the latest South star to taste pan-Indian success with his movie Marco which released on December 20, 2024, and has been in the news ever since. While many would attribute the success to the action genre and some to the production quality and hype of the film, there’s no denying that the actor aced the pan-Indian test that few of his contemporaries have managed to do so far, with a theatrical film.Unni also tells OTTplay, in a candid and exclusive interview, that it was the conclusion of a six-year plan that he put into motion in 2018, in a bid to change his action-hero image. But the comeback to the genre, with Haneef Adeni’s Marco has been career-defining and has set new benchmarks for action films to chase in Indian cinema.
The actor talks to us about how he went about executing his vision, what the success of Marco means to him, the next phase of his career and more.Unni Mukundan in a still from MarcoThree years ago, during the release of Meppadiyan, you told us that you were trying to shake off the action-hero image you had in the industry. But with Marco, you have fully embraced it. How did that transition happen?It’s not just three years ago; this plan was in motion from 2018, when I thought I should move and create an environment where I feel motivated to work. It shouldn’t just be about doing films as and when they come. I really wanted to bring about a change as to how people perceived me. Back then, there was this talk about me being ‘all brawn and no brain’, and I felt I needed to take up a particular kind of cinema – maybe a family-oriented movie or a light-hearted film – that could possibly help me shed that image, which came from my successful films that had me in macho avatars.See, I was good at action, but I had to still quit it to fit into this bracket of so-called ‘actor’. Things worked as intended and I launched my production company, Unni Mukundan Films, with the idea of doing movies that I wasn’t being considered for. Meppadiyan, which won a National Award, was the beginning and I went through a body transformation for the role in which my physique didn’t matter.Unni Mukundan in MarcoThe plan then was to do five such films; I did that with Meppadiyan, Shefeekkinte Santhosham, Jai Ganesh, Malikappuram and the upcoming release Get Set Baby, which I completed before Marco.I think the best thing that I had done as an actor was to promote the producer in me. The latter has done complete justice to the job that was assigned, which was to build a company, create the kind of movies I wanted to be part of and create a base of audience who would love to see my movies. This solid ground-level support from the family audience too, sort of helped Marco, which has crossed Rs 100 Cr theatrically across India despite being an A-rated film.
So, yes. There was a plan, and I didn’t deviate from it. I waited six long years to do what I liked the most and maybe what I am best at. Having a vision always helps. Now, I will be working hard towards the next phase, so that even luck favours me.Unni MukundanWhat does this success mean for you as a person and an actor?More freedom and more control. I feel that it has already changed the trajectory of my career. I am now more driven to do subjects, which coming from the Malayalam film industry, might appear riskier. With Marco, Meppadiyan and even Malikkapuram, people had expressed their concerns about how these films would run. But I was convinced that a good film will always work, and do tremendously well at the box office.I feel very much in control right now. I know that’s a loud statement and you are never in total control, but that’s the current feeling. Success is extremely important and now that it has happened at this scale, my obligation towards the audience has also grown.
Before Marco, you were set to do another action film, Bruce Lee with Vysakh, but that didn’t happen.Bruce Lee didn’t happen due to various reasons – one of them could have been because it was difficult to convince people. I had to drop it because I wasn’t convinced about how the film was being mounted. It wasn’t the kind of action film that I wanted to do; Marco was exactly what I had in mind when I wanted to return to the action genre. I didn’t want to do action just for the sake of it; I wanted to set a benchmark, and create an impression. Today, Marco is termed as one of the most violent action films from India, and not just from the Malayalam film industry. That was exactly what I wanted and I am glad I could pull it off with such high production quality.Marco producer Shareef Muhammed and Unni MukundanNow, having tasted success in the same genre – along with a producer who has given you total freedom and a filmmaker who was able to showcase his vision without compromise, how important do you rate these aspects for an actor?These are important, especially if you want to leave an impression by the end of your career. I have a certain taste in cinema and strong opinions. The prime reason I got into films was to express myself. And to be able to do that, you have to be in a position of control. A good amount of initial success can help you reach there, or you will have to create a space where you can take the calls. Things turned around for me once I became a producer.
Also, the producer in me never got stressed out because of the creative obligation. The actor though survived primarily because it was the need of the hour and I had to come good. There was a vision I was chasing in terms of where I wanted my career to go. I believe the movie industry is fickle and the importance of luck can never be overstated. But a hard-working man gets lucky at some point in his life.Unni Mukundan in MarcoMarco is a film that had you invested – physically, emotionally and financially. Were there phases where you were exhausted?There were, because there was too much at stake and too many things happening. But that was the road I chose. I was exhausted physically and mentally, because I wanted to finish the movie within a particular time. Additionally, it was a huge risk that my team and I took with Marco. Even though we were positive, you couldn’t totally shut out the whispers outside. Now, I am taking my own sweet time to start the shoot of my next film.
Before Marco, there were several Malayalam films that had tried to adopt the pan-Indian formula but failed. What went into ensuring that Marco travelled and how involved were you in charting and executing that plan?I never used this term to promote Marco because I felt it had to be organic, at least from my side. I designed a project which had the potential to travel outside Kerala. I believe audiences, wherever they are, should connect with the subject in some way, for the film to work. Connecting in terms of region or culture is tough, but it can be easier through entertainment. That was the whole plan.Unni Mukundan in a still from MarcoI was keen to know how Marco would be accepted by the Hindi audiences and I am glad it did really well. The previous record for a Hindi-dubbed version of a Malayalam film was about Rs 25 lakh, and now we are inching towards Rs 13-15 Cr. That’s a vast difference and it would give immense motivation to other Malayalam filmmakers. I am glad that Marco is the first Malayalam film, or at least the most recent one, to be accepted as a pan-Indian movie and I could get the recognition from audiences outside Kerala too through it.How do you think the success of Marco would impact the next phase of your career?Post Marco, meeting the expectations of the audience will be the only challenge. I have a plan and I hope to execute that. I am keen on seeing how things unfold. I don’t want to dwell too much on the pan-Indian success because every actor wants to grow. It’s just a new term we have coined to define bigger success. I am glad Marco is travelling and now I have a set of audience who don’t speak my mother tongue but are keen to see me on screen. That’s the high for me.Nikhila Vimal, Unni Mukundan in Get Set Baby first lookYou have Get Set Baby to follow, and there’s also Gandharva Jr that was announced. Does Marco’s success impact these projects?It would definitely come good for Get Set Baby, which is directed by Vinay Govind. It’s a wonderful film, with great songs and is a mature take on a mature subject. As an actor, it brings me back to the family audience. The movie will get a different reception. All the new audiences, including the youth, who have watched Marco would find it refreshing to see me in this avatar, with no blood. I am hopeful about Get Set Baby being a good family entertainer.
Netflix users have stumbled upon an animated gem on the platform, boasting an all-star cast and an impressive Rotten Tomatoes score. Puss in Boots: The Last Wish is the latest instalment in the Shrek universe and serves as a sequel to the 2011 spin-off Puss in Boots. It has won over both critics and audiences…
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SINGAPORE: Upset about disrupted holiday plans, a tourist twice threatened to crash his flight while waiting to board at Changi Airport.Moncrieff Marli Curtis Philip, a 36-year-old Australian, was jailed for eight weeks on Wednesday (Jan 15) after pleading guilty to one count of using threatening words to cause alarm.
A second similar charge was considered in sentencing.
The court heard that sometime before Nov 20, 2024, Moncrieff took a Jetstar flight from Perth to Phuket, stopping over in Singapore.
Moncrieff had been planning this trip for a while and it cost him a good deal of money, the prosecutor said.
However, he was denied entry in Phuket as a page of visas was torn out of his passport. He was placed on a flight to Singapore, where he was also denied entry for the same reason.
At Changi Airport, immigration officers helped Moncrieff to retrieve prescription medication for anxiety and depression from his check-in luggage.
He was then brought to a holding room at a boarding gate to wait for Jetstar flight JQ96 back to Perth.
At about 5.40am on Nov 20, 2024, Moncrieff was being escorted to the flight as the first passenger to board the plane.
Upset at how his holiday plans had turned out, he made a threat, saying: “I want the aircraft to crash and kill everyone.”
A flight attendant heard him say this and was alarmed. She consulted her managers and the captain, and they decided to remove Moncrieff from the flight.
They searched Moncrieff and his luggage but did not find anything incriminating.
They then handed him over to local authorities, who brought him to Jetstar’s arrival counter to wait for another repatriation flight at the airline’s expense.
While waiting, Moncrieff was talking to his girlfriend when he said: “If they put me on another flight, I will tell them I will crash the plane again.”
These words were overheard by an Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) officer.
Moncrieff was agitated when he said this, although he did not raise his voice or use vulgarities, the prosecutor said.
Given the severity of what she had heard, the ICA officer asked Moncrieff what he had said in order to confirm it. He repeated the threat.
The ICA officer tried to calm him down, but he remained upset, and continued asking the officer to send him to prison and saying that he wanted to die.
The officer made a police report after discussing the matter with her colleagues, and Moncrieff was arrested later that day.
“MERE WORDS CAN HAVE SERIOUS CONSEQUENCES”
Deputy Public Prosecutor Shaun Lim asked for eight to 12 weeks’ imprisonment.
Mr Lim highlighted the fear that Moncrieff’s remarks caused and the negative impact of the case on Singapore’s reputation as an air hub.
He argued that the context of Moncrieff’s threats, which were made in an airport, warranted a significant jail term for deterrence.
Moncrieff was represented by lawyers from Pro Bono SG’s Ad Hoc Pro Bono Scheme, who sought one to two weeks’ imprisonment.
At the start of his mitigation, Moncrieff apologised to the judge for his reaction at a previous hearing when he was told his charges had been upgraded.
“I just want to apologise for how I reacted in my demeanour. I understand this is your courtroom, you sit in the highest seat,” he said to Principal District Judge Toh Han Li.
Defence lawyer Mr Benedict Koh then addressed the court. He referred to a document from Moncrieff’s psychologist in Australia that reflected a diagnosis of anxiety and depression.
Mr Koh noted that the document was not a forensic psychiatric report, which is what the court typically requires to establish that a psychiatric condition contributed to offending behaviour.
He said that the defence had difficulties obtaining such a report in such a short time given the urgency of the case, and asked the judge to give Moncrieff “the benefit of the doubt”.
Mr Koh said the background to the offences was that Moncrieff had “placed great hope” in his intended holiday and invested significant financial resources and annual leave into the trip.
On top of the stress of losing that holiday, Moncrieff had been away from home for two months and missed two bereavements in Australia during that time, he said.
The lawyer also quoted from an apology letter written by Moncrieff, who said he felt sorry for causing the situation and did not intend to alarm people who were “just doing their jobs”.
Prosecutor Mr Lim said he would not insist on a forensic psychiatric report to show a contributory link to the offences, and that Moncrieff showed a degree of remorse higher than is usually seen.
But he stressed that the court’s sentence cannot be interpreted as “licence for frustrated persons to give vent to their emotions”, given the security concerns when it comes to airports.
While emotions ran high in Moncrieff’s case, this was not unusual in an airport where factors like missed or delayed flights are present, he said.
In sentencing, Judge Toh observed that “mere words can have serious consequences”.
Noting the current climate where aviation security is of utmost concern, the judge said the sentence had to consider general deterrence.
He accepted that Moncrieff’s threats caused no harm beyond checks of his possessions and his removal from the flight. No flights were diverted and emergency responders were not activated.
But Judge Toh said he could not take Moncrieff’s psychiatric condition into account as there was no evidence of a contributory link to the offences.
“To the contrary, it seems to me that the accused understood the seriousness of his words as he contemplated the thought of being sent to jail,” said the judge.
Editor’s note: The charge for which Moncrieff was found guilty has been corrected in this article. We apologise for the error.
Tech Billionaires, Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, and Mark Zuckerberg will attend U.S President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration on January 20, according to reports.
The CEOs of Tesla, Amazon, and Meta will be prominently featured at Trump’s swearing-in ceremony, sitting alongside the Republican Cabinet nominees and other elected leaders.
Mr Bezos’ Amazon and Mr Zuckerberg’s Meta are among the companies that have donated to Trump’s inauguration, each giving US$1 million (S$1.3 million).
Musk – the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX and the majority owner of X – has become one of Trump’s closest allies.
Musk shares Trump’s hard-right politics and put millions of dollars into supporting his presidential campaign.
Donald Trump has tapped Musk to co-lead an advisory commission aiming to slash federal spending and bureaucracy, which while dubbed the Department of Government Efficiency, or “DOGE,” will not be an official US agency.
Meta CEO Zuckerberg signalled a rightward political swerve last week when he announced Facebook and Instagram would scrap fact-checking in the United States, a response to what he characterised as censorship by governments and so-called legacy media.
The founder of Amazon also owns The Washington Post, one of the many newspapers Donald Trump has railed against for years.
Vernon Kay couldn’t hide his excitement when he saw Timothée Chalamet rock up to his film premiere on a rented Lime bike on Tuesday. The French-American actor, 28, attracted a whole host of stars to the screening in London for the unveiling of A Complete Unknown, in which Timothée plays legendary singer, Bob Dylan,. While…