Portal:Film

Ajay Devgn is an Indian actor, director and producer who works in Hindi films. He debuted as an actor in Phool Aur Kaante (1991), which won him the Filmfare Award for Best Male Debut. Devgn then played a kickboxer in the martial arts film Jigar (1992) and a blind in Vijaypath (1994) and starred in Suhaag (1994), Dilwale (1994), Diljale (1996), Jaan (1996), Ishq (1997), Pyaar To Hona Hi Tha (1998), and Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam (1999). He garnered Filmfare Best Actor nominations for Naajayaz and Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam and also won his first National Film Award for Best Actor for his performance in Zakhm (1998). In 2000, Devgn started Ajay Devgn FFilms, producing and headlining the commercially unsuccessful Raju Chacha. He received a Filmfare Best Supporting Actor nomination for enacting a dacoit in the ensemble film Lajja (2001).

2002 proved to be a banner year for Devgn as he received universal acclaim for his performances in Company, The Legend of Bhagat Singh and Deewangee. He won his second National Award for portraying revolutionary Bhagat Singh in The Legend of Bhagat Singh and the Filmfare Critics Award for Best Actor for it and Company, along with a Filmfare Best Villain Award for Deewangee. In 2003, he acted in the Bhoot, a sleeper hit, and played a police officer in Gangaajal, which earned him another Filmfare Best Actor nomination. He was next featured in Yuva (2004), Kaal (2005), and Omkara (2006). Rohit Shetty's Golmaal series established Devgn in comic roles, producing Golmaal (2006), Golmaal Returns (2008) and Golmaal 3 (2010). However Devgn was highly panned for Aag (2007), based on the 1975 cult classic Sholay. Today, it is considered one of the worst films. In 2008, he made his directorial debut with his own production U Me Aur Hum. 2010 proved to be a milestone year for him as he delivered his first 100 Crore Club film with Golmaal 3 and received positive feedback for the top-grossing films Raajneeti and Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai. The latter fetched him a Filmfare Best Actor nomination, as like his next Singham (2011), the first part of Shetty's Cop Universe, which was later reprised in Singham Returns (2014) and briefly in other standalone films of the universe, culminating in Singham Again (2024). (Full article...)

Argo is a 2012 political thriller directed by Ben Affleck, and produced by Grant Heslov, Affleck and George Clooney. The screenplay by Chris Terrio was adapted from sections of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) operative Tony Mendez's memoir The Master of Disguise: My Secret Life in the CIA, and the 2007 Wired article The Great Escape by Joshuah Bearman on the Canadian Caper. The film stars Affleck as Mendez, who attempts to rescue six United States diplomats from Tehran, Iran, during the 1979–81 Iran hostage crisis by pretending that they are part of a film crew scouting the country for the filming of a fictitious science-fiction film, Argo. Bryan Cranston, Alan Arkin, and John Goodman feature in supporting roles.

After successful screenings at the Telluride Film Festival, and the Toronto International Film Festival, Warner Bros. gave the film a wide release in the United States at more than 3,200 theaters on October 12, 2012. Argo grossed over $232 million at the worldwide box office on a production budget of $44.5 million. Rotten Tomatoes, a review aggregator, surveyed 348 reviews and judged 96% to be positive. (Full article...)

Indian-American filmmaker M. Night Shyamalan wrote, directed, and starred in his first project, the independent film Praying with Anger, while he was a student at New York University; inspired by his cultural upbringing, the movie was released in 1992 and earned him praise at film festivals. His next film, the comedy-drama Wide Awake about a grieving child struggling with his Catholic faith, was completed in 1995 but shelved by the studio Miramax until 1998. During this period, he did an uncredited rewrite of the script for the romantic-comedy She's All That that allegedly "got the movie green-lit" and co-wrote the live-action/animated film Stuart Little (both released in 1999). Also in 1999, he wrote and directed the supernatural drama The Sixth Sense, starring Bruce Willis as a child psychologist whose patient claims he can see and talk to the dead. The three projects were commercially successful, with The Sixth Sense becoming the second-highest grossing film of the year and earning Shyamalan international attention and name recognition from critics and audiences and Academy Award nominations for Best Director and Best Original Screenplay.

He reunited with Willis on the thriller Unbreakable about a seemingly average man, David Dunn, who learns he has superhuman abilities. The film co-starred Samuel L. Jackson and was released in 2000. Like Unbreakable, his science-fiction thriller Signs (2002) and period drama The Village (2004) found financial success and solidified him as a filmmaker known for his twist endings and cameo appearances. The next decade, however, saw a series of critical misfires with Lady in the Water (2006), The Happening (2008), and the higher-budgeted The Last Airbender (2010) and After Earth (2013). In 2015, he had a career resurgence after partnering with Universal Pictures on the found footage horror film The Visit, which made $98.5 million on a $5 million budget he self-funded by taking out a loan against his estate. He worked with Universal again on Split (2016) and its sequel Glass (2019), which with Unbreakable comprise the Eastrail 177 Trilogy; Old (2021); and Knock at the Cabin (2023). He partnered with Warner Bros. Pictures for his latest films: Trap (2024) and Remain (2026). Since The Visit, he has partly self-financed his films. In television, he directed the pilot of Wayward Pines (2015) and showran Servant (2019–2023). (Full article...)

Trisha Krishnan is an Indian actress known for her work primarily in Tamil and Telugu cinema. She is one of the South Indian actress to have sustained a successful career as a leading actress for over two decades in Tamil cinema. She was first seen in 1999 in a minor supporting role in Jodi and later appeared in 2000 in the music video of Falguni Pathak's song 'Meri Chunar Udd Udd Jaye'.

The first project she accepted as a lead actress was Priyadarshan's Lesa Lesa but a delay in the film's release meant that her first appearance in a lead role was in Ameer's directorial debut Mounam Pesiyadhe in 2002, which was a commercial success. The following year, Trisha portrayed a woman battling a terminal illness in Manasellam (2003). Her next release was Hari's action film, Saamy (2003) in which she played a soft-spoken Brahmin girl and attracted praise for her performance, and the film became a major commercial and critical success, resulting in Trisha receiving new offers, including those from several high-budget productions. Lesa Lesa, which was to have been her debut as a lead actress, was released next, earned her the ITFA Best New Actress Award. She starred in Alai (2003) and the Tamil-Telugu bilingual film Enakku 20 Unakku 18 (2003) (Nee Manasu Naaku Telusu) were commercially unsuccessful. Trisha's next Telugu release, Varsham (2004), was a major commercial and critical success, earning her the first Filmfare Award for Best Actress-Telugu and more Telugu film offers. Trisha starred in Ghilli (2004) as a damsel in distress, and the film became a major critical and commercial success. She starred in Mani Ratnam's political drama Aayutha Ezhuthu (2004). She starred in Thirupaachi (2005), which became a major commercial success. Trisha played a village girl in the romantic comedy Nuvvostanante Nenoddantana (2005), a commercial and critical success that earned her a second Filmfare Award for Best Actress and a Nandi Award for Best Actress. Athadu (2005), Aaru (2005), Stalin (2006), were major commercial successes. She reprised the role in the Tamil remake Unakkum Enakkum (2006) which was also successful. She played the titular role in Pournami (2006). Aadavari Matalaku Arthale Verule (2007) was a critical and commercial success, earning Trisha her third Filmfare Award for Best Actress and the same year Kireedam (2007) was a commercial success. Krishna (2008) and King (2008) became blockbusters, while Bheema (2008) was commercially unsuccessful, and Kuruvi (2008) and Bujjigadu (2008) emerged as hits. In Abhiyum Naanum (2008), Trisha's performance was widely praised, and earned her Tamil Nadu State Film Award and a Filmfare nomination for Best Actress. Her 2009 films Sarvam and Sankham did not do well and became average grossers. The following year, Vinnaithaandi Varuvaayaa (2010) was a major success and a career breakthrough for Trisha, earning her a Filmfare nomination for Best Actress. She made her debut in Hindi cinema with the film Khatta Meetha (2010) Upon release, the film received mixed reviews from critics and box office India declared it an average performer at the box office. However, it earned her nomination for a Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut. Her sole Telugu release that year was Namo Venkatesa. Both her 2011 releases –Teen Maar and Mankatha were successful. She had two releases in 2012, Bodyguard and Dammu were successful. Her two Tamil films in 2013 the mystery thriller Samar, and Endrendrum Punnagai (2013), which earned her a Filmfare nomination for Best Actress. Her sole release in 2014 was Power, which marked her debut in Kannada cinema was a commercial success. (Full article...)

Orson Welles (1915–1985) was an American director, actor, writer, and producer who is best remembered for his innovative work in radio, theatre and film. He is widely considered one of the greatest and most influential filmmakers of all time.

While in his twenties, Welles directed a number of stage productions before creating the infamous 1938 radio adaptation of H. G. Wells's novel The War of the Worlds. Welles's directorial film debut Citizen Kane (1941), in which he also starred as Charles Foster Kane, garnered him the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay and nominations for Best Actor and Best Director. The film is consistently ranked as the greatest film ever made. Welles's second film was The Magnificent Ambersons (1942), which he wrote and directed. He worked as actor, screenwriter, uncredited producer and uncredited co-director of 1943's Journey Into Fear, and directed and co-starred in 1946's The Stranger, his only substantial commercial success as a director. He then directed and starred in the film-noir The Lady from Shanghai (1947), appearing opposite his estranged wife Rita Hayworth. (Full article...)

Laurence Olivier (1907–1989) was an English actor and director who, along with his contemporaries Ralph Richardson, John Gielgud and Michael Redgrave, dominated the British stage of the mid-20th century. He also worked in films throughout his six-decade career, playing more than fifty cinema roles. From 1955, Olivier also performed in radio broadcasts and, from 1956, had considerable success in television roles.

After attending drama school, Olivier began his professional career with small touring companies before being taken on in 1925 by Sybil Thorndike and her husband, Lewis Casson, as a bit-part player, understudy and assistant stage manager for their London company. In 1926 he joined the Birmingham Repertory Company, where he was given the chance to play a wide range of key roles. In 1930 he had his first important West End success in Noël Coward's Private Lives, and in 1935 he played in a celebrated production of Romeo and Juliet alongside Gielgud and Peggy Ashcroft, and by the end of the decade he was an established star. In the 1940s, together with Richardson and John Burrell, Olivier was the co-director of the Old Vic, building it into a highly respected company. There his most celebrated roles included Shakespeare's Richard III and Sophocles's Oedipus. In the 1950s Olivier was an independent actor-manager, but his stage career was in the doldrums until he joined the avant garde English Stage Company in 1957 to play the title role in The Entertainer. From 1963 to 1973 he was the founding director of Britain's National Theatre, running a resident company that fostered many future stars. His own parts there included the title role in Othello (1964) and Shylock in The Merchant of Venice (1970). (Full article...)

Green Book is a 2018 American biographical comedy-drama film directed by Peter Farrelly. The film is set in 1962 and follows Italian–American bouncer Frank "Tony Lip" Vallelonga (Viggo Mortensen), who is hired as a chauffeur by African American pianist Don Shirley (Mahershala Ali) for a tour of concert venues in the Deep South. Written by Farrelly alongside Lip's son Nick Vallelonga and Brian Hayes Currie, the film is based on interviews with Lip and Shirley, as well as letters Lip wrote to his wife. It is named after The Negro Motorist Green Book, a guide book for African American travelers created by Victor Hugo Green in 1936 and published until 1967.

Green Book premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 11, 2018, where it won the Grolsch People's Choice Award. The film was given a limited release in 20 cities in the United States on November 16, 2018, before being expanded nationwide on November 21, 2018. Releases in other territories followed through to March 2019. Produced on a budget of $23 million, the film grossed $321 million worldwide. Green Book received generally positive reviews from critics, who especially praised Ali and Mortensen's performances and chemistry. However, some also criticized the film's portrayal of race, variously calling it clichèd, naive and tone deaf, a "racial reconciliation fantasy", and as perpetuating a white savior narrative. Shirley's brother also argued that the film misrepresented the pianist and his relationship with both his family and Lip. Both Farrelly and Mortensen pushed back against these criticisms. On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 77% based on 362 reviews. (Full article...)

Jojo Rabbit is a 2019 satirical drama film written and directed by Taika Waititi, who adapted the screenplay from Christine Leunens's 2008 book Caging Skies. It stars Roman Griffin Davis as Johannes "Jojo" Betzler, a ten-year-old Hitler Youth member who finds out that his mother, Rosie (Scarlett Johansson), is hiding a Jewish girl, Elsa (Thomasin McKenzie), in their attic. He then begins to question his beliefs while dealing with the intervention of his imaginary friend, a buffoonish version of Adolf Hitler (Waititi). The film also features Sam Rockwell, Rebel Wilson, Stephen Merchant, and Alfie Allen.

Jojo Rabbit premiered at the 44th Toronto International Film Festival on September 8, 2019, where it won the People's Choice Award. The film was released theatrically by Fox Searchlight Pictures in the United States on October 18, opening in five theatres before expanding over the following weeks. It was released in New Zealand on October 24 and in most other territories in January and February 2020. Produced on a budget of $14 million, the film grossed $90.3 million worldwide during its original theatrical run, with a 2023 re-release in New Zealand bringing its total gross up to $93.6 million. The film received mixed reviews from critics. Some lauded the satire and humor, with praise also directed towards the writing and acting. Others criticised how the film handled the sensitivities of the subject matter, taking aim at the comedy, inconsistent tone, and lack of historical accuracy. On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 80% based on 430 reviews. Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 58 out of 100 from 57 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". (Full article...)

Piku is a 2015 Indian comedy-drama film directed by Shoojit Sircar and produced by N.P. Singh, Ronnie Lahiri and Sneha Rajani. The film stars Deepika Padukone as the eponymous protagonist, alongside Amitabh Bachchan and Irrfan Khan. Moushumi Chatterjee and Jisshu Sengupta play supporting roles. It was written by Juhi Chaturvedi and the musical score was composed by Anupam Roy. Piku tells the story of a headstrong Bengali architect, who along with her hypochondriac father and a helpful businessman embark on a road trip from New Delhi to Kolkata.

Made on an estimated budget of ₹420 million (US$4.5 million), Piku was released on 8 May 2015, and grossed approximately ₹1.41 billion (US$15 million) worldwide. The film garnered awards and nominations in several categories, with particular praise for its writing, music, and the performances of Padukone and Bachchan. As of June 2016, the film has won a minimum of 35 awards. (Full article...)

Ayushmann Khurrana is an Indian actor, playback singer and television host who works in Hindi films. Khurrana first appeared in 2004 teen drama reality show MTV Roadies, winning the second season of the show. He went to star in many other MTV shows, including MTV Fully Faltoo Movies, Cheque De India and Jaadoo Ek Baar, and hosted multiple television shows, including India's Got Talent and Music Ka Maha Muqqabla. In 2012, he made his feature film debut with the romantic comedy Vicky Donor, about sperm donation, which received critical acclaim and performed strongly at the box office. Khurrana won the Filmfare Award for Best Male Playback Singer (for the song "Pani Da Rang"). He then starred in a series of commercially unsuccessful films, including the comedy-drama Nautanki Saala (2013), romantic comedy Bewakoofiyaan (2014), and drama Hawaizaada (2015).

In 2015, Khurrana starred in the Sharat Katariya-directed romantic drama Dum Laga Ke Haisha opposite Bhumi Pednekar. His performance was praised, and the film emerged as a commercial success. He then starred in Meri Pyaari Bindu (2017), Bareilly Ki Barfi (2017), and Shubh Mangal Saavdhan (2017). The latter two were commercially successful. In 2018, he starred in the black comedy Andhadhun and the comedy-drama Badhaai Ho. The former grossed ₹4.56 billion (US$64 million) worldwide, and became one of Indian cinema's biggest grossers; for his performance he won the National Film Award for Best Actor (shared with Vicky Kaushal for Uri: The Surgical Strike) and the Filmfare Critics Award for Best Actor. Badhaai Ho became a sleeper hit, earning over ₹2.21 billion (US$31 million) worldwide. This success continued with Khurrana's 2019 releases, Article 15, Dream Girl, and Bala. For the first of these, he won the Filmfare Critics Award for Best Actor. In the comedy Bala, he played a man plagued with premature balding. (Full article...)