Jacqueline Fernandez represents India at Cannes 2025; Lapataa Ladies' Nitanshi Goel pays tribute to cinema icons
Also read: The Bharat Pavilion gets inaugurated at Cannes 2025, Anupam Kher and Shekhar Gupta attend ceremony
The Kick star arrived at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival decked up in silver tones with a white shirt, matching bottom and bedazzled metallic silver chains that extended till the waist, properly adhering to this year's dress code with 'no nudity and no volume,' looking elegant in a sleek hairstyle pushed back in a bun. Matching earrings sealed the look with black pumps and minimal makeup, giving a touch of elegance. She was among the top 6 honourees from around the world recognised under the Red Sea Film Festival's new initiative alongside Sarah Taibah, Elham Ali, Amina Khalil, Engfa Waraha, Gaya Jiji, and Rungano Nyoni. Jacqueline took to her Instagram to share the pictures with fans and captioned her day as, 'Cannes Day 1 with @redseafilm. Delighted to be an honouree at the Women in Cinema initiative that champions female storytellers. #redseaiff #womenincinema #redseafilmfoundation'.
A post shared by Jacqueline Fernandez (@jacquelienefernandez)
Among the newcomers at the Cannes Film Festival was award-winning film Lapataa Ladies' Nitanshi Goel, who opted for two looks. For the red carpet walk, she chose a black strapless structured gown with gold-toned intricate patterns, a slightly voluminous tulle, and a small lacy train. For the second look, she went for a traditional lehenga saree with pearls embellished on the top. Her hair, tied back in plaits, paid tribute to legendary stars Rekha, Madhubala, Meena Kumari, and Nargis, with framed portraits.
Also read: 'Naked' dresses and long trains? No Cannes do, except if you're a star
Nitanshi Goel at the Cannes Film Festival 2025 🖤✨#Nitanshi #NitanshiGoel pic.twitter.com/ewK3572QDr
— WV – Media (@wvmediaa) May 15, 2025
#Cannes2025 | @nitanshi_goel of #LapataLadies fame at the #CannesFilmFestival, representing India & giving tribute to the golden era of Hindi cinema@jaya_delhi @ficci_india @nfdcindia @FICCIFRAMES #BharatAtCannes #CannesFilmFestival2025 #Cannes pic.twitter.com/QGtMhJwfAY
— DD News (@DDNewslive) May 15, 2025
Whether it's Indian films or stars, all have been making rounds straight from NYC to France, and fans are waiting for the grand entrance of Aishwarya Rai, who is one of the most recognised faces of Cannes, having graced the event for years. This year, Alia Bhatt was scheduled to walk as well, however, her absence from the opening ceremony has left fans disappointed and even concerned about whether it's happening anymore. Other stars like veteran Sharmila Tagore will also grace the event. On the other hand, stars like Anupam Kher and Shekhar Kapur were present as the Bharat Pavilion was launched at the 78th Cannes Film Festival on Thursday.
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The Hindu
21 minutes ago
- The Hindu
Lost song of the Sundarbans' fisherfolk
In the Sundarbans, which hosts the world's largest mangrove forest, monsoon used to be different. Not the weather itself so much as the activities connected to it. Even in the first decade of the century, fisherman Swapan Kumar Mandal used to have his evenings packed with rehearsals. He used to manage Bishnupriya Opera, a jatra pala (folk theatre) troupe that specialised in Bonbibir Pala, a folk theatre form based on the legend of Bonbibi, the Sundarbans' guardian deity who protects fishers and honey gatherers from tiger attacks. This year, however, among the members of the troupe, lead singers Shreemonto Sheet and Khokon Sana are in Andhra Pradesh, working as agricultural labourers. Once the fishing season begins, they are engaged in marine fishing. Some of the other musicians and actors will also soon travel to Kerala to work in the fishing trawlers. 'Dwindling income from fishing in West Bengal has left the state's fishers in dire straits. Folk music and drama troupes are disintegrating due to migrations. Besides, television and smartphones are taking away the space for traditional outdoor entertainment,' says Mandal, in his 50s. A farmer-cum-carpenter, he lives in Sonaga village, Gosaba, the largest island in the Indian part of the Sundarbans deltaic landscape. The Sundarbans, West Bengal's prime fishing hub, made up of mangrove forests, islands and criss-crossing rivers, creeks and channels, is home to about 250 fish species. It serves as the biggest supplier of fish to the capital city of Kolkata, which has a population of six million, and where fish is an essential part of the daily diet. Yet, small and marginal fishers of Sundarbans are struggling to survive. With reduction in fish hauls, income is dwindling. This year, the mood is additionally sombre, with the hilsa, the golden crop of Bengal's waters, largely eluding the nets. 'Only about 10% of the boats got hilsa in mid-to-end-June. There was absolutely nothing for about a month. At the end of July, roughly 10-15% boats had some hilsa hauls. The rest returned with other fish,' says Narayan Das, the South 24-Parganas district unit president of Dakshinbanga Matsyajibi Forum (DMF), an organisation of small and marginal fishers. Moving South Das cites decreasing fish haul to be the impact of trawling, increasing pollution, and rising salinity in the rivers, among other reasons. He says that laws prohibit bottom trawling — wherein fishing nets go up to the floor of the sea — as it destroys the seabed ecosystem. Besides, trawling is only allowed 12 nautical miles away from the coast, as the coastal waters are reserved for traditional fishers. However, there is no mechanism to monitor or implement these regulations and, therefore, there are rampant violations. 'We have seen trawlers engaging in bottom trawling within the prohibited zone of 12 nautical miles. As a result, the seabed ecosystem is damaged and inland fishing has been badly hurt,' says Das. Migration of fisherfolk from the Sundarbans began on a large scale after Cyclone Aila, in 2009, devastated the region, especially by increasing soil salinity in thousands of acres of farmland and filling freshwater ponds with saline water. While land fertility has recovered over time, decreasing fish haul has kept up the out-migration momentum. Take the case of Krishna Das, a 45-year-old resident of Shibpur Paschim village in Kakdwip block. Starting this month, Krishna and his two brothers, Chaitanya and Prabir, will be working in Kerala for the next 10 months, with occasional visits back home. Since the last four years, they have been spending time in their Sundarbans home — where their parents, wives and children live — only in the months of June and July, when Kerala implements the annual trawling ban. 'By mid-August, more than 200 men from our village will be in Kerala,' says Krishna. There is another section of migrant workers who fish in the Sundarbans till September, but move to Kerala during the drier months (October-March/ April), the lean period for fishing in West Bengal. In Kerala, migrant workers who work on larger vessels that go on fishing trips lasting one or more weeks usually live on the boat itself when it's docked at shore. Some also live in cheap lodging facilities, sharing small rooms among three to four persons. A 2023 working paper that focused on migration of traditional fishers from Sundarbans to the harbours of Ponnani and Beypore in Kerala — a migration corridor has developed over the past couple of decades — says that continuous in-migration of workers from other states has been a major factor that seems to have helped boat owners in Kerala increase their fleet size. However, the migrant workers have to deal with 'informal work arrangements, non-standard forms of wage payment, lack of proper amenities like housing and sanitation, and a near absence of state initiatives to protect their rights and entitlements', says the paper, co-authored by Roshan Menon, Tara Nair and Atanu Ghosh. Disappearing community A 2024 Jadavpur University research paper, titled 'Ma Bonbibi: A Goddess in the Folk Culture of Sundarbans Region in India & Bangladesh', says that migration from Sundarbans to other parts of India 'is not only affecting the population of the region, but also has a significant impact on local perception and attachment to the deltaic landscape'. Traditional folk art forms are mostly kept alive by amateurs, who do other work to earn a living. In the Sundarbans, the folk singers, dancers and theatre actors usually depend on fishing, farming or honey gathering. Puranjan Mandal, a Gosaba resident who works with the Kolkata-based Banglanatak Dot Com, a social enterprise to conserve intangible cultural heritage, says that migration is one of the key reasons behind the disintegration of folk art groups in the region. 'A decade ago, there were about 20 Bonbibir Pala teams in our locality. Now, there are only five,' he says. The organisation has been working towards documentation and promotion of the art form, including using it for awareness campaigns on human trafficking. Migration-prone areas are also trafficking-prone, say experts. Sanjoy Ganguly helms the theatre group Jana Sanskriti, which has been working in the Sundarbans region for over two decades. Their activities among the adolescents in Patharpratima block of Sundarbans mostly get female participants today. 'Teen boys are migrating for work. Besides, screen addiction keeps many young adults away from group social activities,' says Ganguly. 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Time of India
39 minutes ago
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(Picture Courtesy: Facebook) Ashwin Kumar's animated mythological film 'Mahavatar Narsimha' continues its surprising box office momentum as it enters its second weekend. Despite being a fully animated film rooted in ancient Indian mythology, the film has caught the attention of the audiences across age groups and languages. Mahavatar Narsimha Movie Review According to the Sacnilk website, in just eight days, it has collected a strong Rs 44.25 crore at the Indian box office, making it one of the most successful Indian animated films in recent memory. The Hindi version continues to drive a large portion of the collections, showing a growing interest among the north Indian audience for mythological content in animated form. The film saw significant growth over the weekend after a modest start on Day 1 with Rs 1.75 crore. The film collected Rs 4.6 crore on Saturday and Rs 9.5 crore on Sunday. Word-of-mouth has clearly played a vital role here as we can see steady growth in collections from day one onwards. 'Mahavatar Narsimha' Rockets to ₹37 Crore in Six Days—Animated Epic Becomes Surprise Hit Monday's drop was expected but still respectable at Rs 6 crore, while Tuesday and Wednesday surprised with steady figures of Rs 7.7 crore each. A new era for animation in Indian Cinema? Director Ashwin Kumar, alongside writers Jayapurna Das and Rudra Pratap Ghosh, has crafted a film that feels both ancient and futuristic. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like No annual fees for life UnionBank Credit Card Apply Now Undo From the Twitter reviews it's sure that the audiences are loving the movie. One Twitter user wrote, "#MahavatarNarsimha It's the incredible story of how Lord Viṣṇu took the fierce form of Narasiṁha to protect His devotee Prahlāda, showing that the Lord will go to any extent to protect those who surrender to Him — even if it means breaking through pillars and time itself!. " Another one wrote, "Just watched Mahaavatar Narasimha and it brought tears to my way they portrayed Bhagwan Narasimha and Bhakta Prahlad was beyond powerful. Every scene was filled with divine energy, especially the Varaha Avatar and the majestic presence of Sri Vishnu."
News18
an hour ago
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Mrunal Thakur Birthday: Net Worth, Car Collection And Bold Fashion Looks
Last Updated: Mrunal Thakur Birthday: From TV beginnings to hits in Hindi and Telugu cinema, Mrunal has risen as one of the most celebrated and versatile stars in Indian entertainment. Mrunal Thakur Birthday: The ever-charming and talented Mrunal Thakur turns 33 on August 1, and fans across the country are sending in their warmest wishes. With her versatile acting, fashion prowess and growing fanbase across industries, the actress has proved she is here to stay. From her initial days on television to back-to-back films across Hindi and Telugu cinema, Mrunal has become one of the most celebrated names in the Indian entertainment industry and deservingly so. On her special day, let us commemorate Mrunal Thakur by tracing her inspiring journey, impressive net worth, luxurious car collection and five bold fashion moments. Mrunal Thakur's Journey Born on August 1, 1992, in the Dhule district of Maharashtra, Mrunal Thakur completed her schooling at St Joseph's Convent School and later joined Vasant Vihar High School. Her academic career took a sharp turn when she enrolled at KC College in Mumbai, but left her degree midway after bagging her first big acting break. She made her television debut with Mujhse Kuchh Kehti… Yeh Khamoshiyaan on Star Plus, where she played the lead role of Gauri Bhosle opposite Mohit Sehgal. While the show marked her entry into the entertainment world, it was just the beginning as she eventually became a household name through her role in Kumkum Bhagya followed by Nach Baliye 7, Saubhagyalaxmi and Arjun. While television brought her into the limelight, Mrunal had to achieve big in Bollywood, where her debut came with the critically acclaimed film Love Sonia. In the film, she portrayed the journey of a young girl caught in human trafficking, which earned her immense respect for her acting skills. Her breakthrough role came with Super 30, where she shared screen space with Hrithik Roshan. Since then, Mrunal has given standout performances in films like Batla House, Toofan, Dhamaka, Jersey, Pippa, and Lust Stories 2. She has also made waves in the Telugu film industry, with her gripping performances in Sita Ramam and Hi Nanna. Mrunal Thakur's Net Worth According to a report by Lifestyle Asia, Mrunal's estimated net worth stands at an impressive Rs 33 crore. The actress reportedly charges around Rs 2 crore per film, and her monthly income is believed to be around Rs 60 lakh, the primary source of which remains movie roles, OTT projects, brand endorsements and event appearances. Mrunal Thakur's Car Collection When she is not busy with work, Mrunal enjoys travelling in style, and her car collection is solid proof of her love for luxury rides. 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View this post on Instagram A post shared by Mrunal Thakur (@mrunalthakur) Contemporary Fusion Mrunal wowed fans when she slipped into this mix of modern and ethnic style for a dramatic fashion shoot, effortlessly blending Indian silhouettes with Western aesthetics. Her ease in switching styles screams a knack for fashion, and we are rooting for her. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Mrunal Thakur (@mrunalthakur) Structure Glam Channeling strong, confident vibes, she redefined contemporary fashion in a structured monochrome outfit. Without letting makeup and accessories overshadow her stunning ensemble, she made a fashion statement, proving minimalism is here to stay. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Mrunal Thakur (@mrunalthakur) Power Dressing In a body hugging black gown featuring a golden wavy pattern around the neckline and the bust, she took the fashion game to a whole new level. 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