When Mani Ratnam's wife Suhasini called out Bollywood's lack of originality: 'Aamir Khan, Shah Rukh Khan, Amitabh Bachchan do stereotypical roles'
Acclaimed filmmaker and actress
, wife of National Award winning filmmaker Mani Ratnam, once stirred conversation with her sharp critique of Bollywood's creative direction.
In a 2010 interview with The Times Of India, the National Award-winning actress expressed disappointment with how Hindi cinema often lifts ideas from international films without credit.
Tired of too many ads? go ad free now
Reviewing Anjaana Anjaani, she said it felt strikingly similar to Before Sunrise and The Girl on the Bridge, adding, 'Bollywood sometimes blatantly copies without buying rights or acknowledging the original work.'
Criticism of Bollywood Icons and Formulaic Choices
Meanwhile in another interview with The Telegraph, Suhasini didn't shy away from criticizing Bollywood's most iconic actors. 'Aamir and
are still doing stereotypical roles,' she remarked, also pointing out that
, despite his legendary status, stuck largely to his 'angry young man' image.
According to her, mainstream Hindi cinema hasn't pushed its stars into unexplored territories, making their body of work predictable over the years.
Why She Finds Hindi Films 'Unbearable'
Suhasini further revealed she had stopped watching commercial Hindi films years ago, calling them 'absolutely unbearable.' She lamented their lack of regional grounding, contrasting them with South
which, she said, reflects its roots more authentically.
'Only now are Hindi films becoming regional,' she noted, citing exceptions like Shahid, but criticized the larger trend of 'pan-Indian' stories that lack cultural depth, such as Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham or Kal Ho Naa Ho.
Kamal Haasan's brother and actor Charuhasan hospitalised
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
24 minutes ago
- Time of India
A-list stars light up Jeff Bezos & Lauren Sánchez's star-studded final wedding bash in Venice with dance party
The wedding celebration of American tycoon and former journalist Lauren Sánchez Bezos in Venice culminated on Saturday, June 29, 2025, marking the third and final day of festivities. Athletes, celebrities, influencers, and business leaders converged to revel in the extravagant affair, attracting a high-profile crowd, including Oprah Winfrey, Bill Gates, NFL legend Tom Brady, and the Kardashians. The celebrity couple was seen enjoying one more special day with their guests amid an unforgettable wedding week. Billionaire Amazon founder, 61, and the Emmy Award-winning journalist, 55, tied the knot on the island of San Giorgio Maggiore in Venice, Italy, on Friday, June 27. The nuptials, which were preceded by a star-studded welcome party, are being capped off with a final blowout bash on Saturday night, June 28. Ahead of the final day of the star-studded celebration, a source told PEOPLE that two of the newlyweds' friends and favorite musicians, Usher and DJ Cassidy, will perform at the party. Play Video Pause Skip Backward Skip Forward Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration 0:00 Loaded : 0% 0:00 Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 1x Playback Rate Chapters Chapters Descriptions descriptions off , selected Captions captions settings , opens captions settings dialog captions off , selected Audio Track default , selected Picture-in-Picture Fullscreen This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Opacity Opaque Semi-Transparent Text Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Opacity Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Caption Area Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Opacity Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Drop shadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. "[They're] going to set the tone. Tonight is all about the music," PEOPLE quoted the source as saying about the musical performances. "It's the culmination, the final big party." "The first night was dinner, the second was the ceremony with Andrea Bocelli's son performing, and tonight's the full-on dance floor," the source further stated. Ahead of the final bash, many of the celebrity guests were photographed getting into water taxis en route to the venue. The list included Oprah Winfrey, Gayle King, Leonardo DiCaprio, Kendall Jenner, Kylie Jenner, Kris Jenner, and Brooks Nader. Live Events Sánchez shared her first wedding photo on Instagram just hours after the ceremony. About half an hour after her first post, the former journalist shared a second post gushing over her wedding dress—a high-necked, hand-appliquéd Italian lace wedding dress designed by Dolce & Gabbana. "Not just a gown, a piece of poetry. Thank you @dolcegabbana for the magic you made," Lauren wrote. Meanwhile, hundreds of protesters marched through Venice's central streets on Saturday to say 'No' to billionaire Jeff Bezos , his bride, and their wedding extravaganza, which reached its third and final day amid celebrity-crowded parties and the outcries of tired residents. The couple's wedding, which took place at a private ceremony on the secluded island of San Giorgio, angered many Venetians, with some activists protesting it as an exploitation of the city by the billionaire Bezos, while ordinary residents suffer from overtourism, high housing costs, and the constant threat of climate-induced flooding. As the two newlyweds prepared for the final party Saturday evening, hundreds of Venetians and protesters from across Italy filled Venice's tiny streets with colorful banners reading 'Kisses Yes, Bezos No' and 'No Bezos, no War.' Venice has around 50,000 residents. The demonstration contrasted with the expensive wedding bonanza, seen by critics as an affront to the lagoon city's fragile environment and its citizens, overwhelmed by throngs of tourists. Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez announced their relationship in 2019. Four years later, the Amazon founder proposed to the former journalist with a 30-carat engagement ring in May 2023. Following the engagement, the celebrity duo kept their wedding plans private, though they shared bits and pieces here and there.
Indian Express
an hour ago
- Indian Express
Kannappa box office collection day 2: Mohanlal, Akshay Kumar, Prabhas can't save Vishnu Manchu's film from dipping on Saturday
Kannappa box office collection day 2: Mukesh Kumar Singh's mythological epic Kannappa boasts of a stellar star cast. While it's led by Vishnu Manchu, the film has a pan-India ensemble cast, ranging from Malayalam cinema's Mohanlal, Hindi cinema's Akshay Kumar, and Telugu cinema's very own, Prabhas. However, the combined might of these powerhouses couldn't help the film secure a consistent opening weekend. After opening at Rs 9.35 crore on Friday, Manchu's biggest opening yet, Kannappa dropped down to Rs 7 crore across all four languages at the domestic box office. While the native Telugu version scored the lion's share of that figure, it was followed by the dubbed Hindi, Malayalam, and Tamil versions, respectively. As per trade tracker Sacnilk, the domestic box office collection of Kannappa stands at Rs 16.35 crore. It's rare for a pan-Indian film to register a dip in figures on the second day itself, that too on a weekend. Whether it's able to bounce back on Sunday or not will determine its further trajectory at the domestic box office. Ahead of the release, the makers issued a statement warning trolls against creating 'intentional and destructive attacks' on the film. The notice read, 'The film has been created responsibly to engage with the public at large and we thereby respectfully request all critiques to watch the film first, appreciate its substance, understand the intent and then comment on it with responsibility, rather than succumbing to premeditated biases or vendetta-fuelled commentary.' It added, 'While we recognize that the right to freedom of speech and expression is sacrosanct and enshrined under Article 19 (1) (a) of the Constitution of India, it is also equally established, by judicial interpretations that intentional and destructive attack, whether physical or reputational, on a creative work is not protected speech but a form of actionable injury and we reserve our rights to take appropriate legal action in this regard.' 'Furthermore, it is pertinent to note that the Hon'ble Delhi High Court has granted protection to the personality and publicity rights of two key stakeholders and principal actors of Kannappa, namely, Dr. Mohan Babu and Mr. Vishnu Manchu, and any dilution or tarnishment of their persona, image or district attributes, including any form of unauthorized use of dissemination of content which misappropriates or defames them, whether for commercial, personal, or any other gains may invite consequences under the present direction from the Hon'ble Court as well as under applicable laws,' read the statement. The mythological epic narrates the story of Kannappa, a devotee of Lord Shiva. The film is produced by Manchu's banners AVA Entertainment and 24 Frames Factory. Besides Vishnu Manchu in the titular role, Prabhas as Rudra, Akshay Kumar as Lord Shiva, and Kajal Aggarwal as Parvathi, the film also stars Preity Mukhundhan, Mohan Babu, R Sarathkumar, Arpit Ranka, Brahmanandam, Brahmaji, Siva Balaji, Kaushal Manda, Rahul Madhav, Devaraj, Mukesh Rishi, Raghu Babu and Madhoo. Also Read — Kannappa movie review: Vishnu Manchu's ambition cannot fully save this tediously long saga In the Hindi market, Kannappa is facing stiff competition from RS Prasanna's coming-of-age sports comedy Sitaare Zameen Par, a spiritual sequel to Aamir Khan's 2007 directorial debut Taare Zameen Par. The film, starring Aamir and Genelia D'Souza, among others, has crossed the Rs 100 crore mark in nine days. Its domestic box office collection stands at Rs 109.27 crore.
Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
Will Smith alludes to VIRAL Chris Rock Oscar slap in freestyle: "Disrespecting me on the stage, expect..."
Three years have passed since Will Smith infamously slapped Chris Rock during the Oscars ceremony, getting him banned from the awards show for 10 years. In his most recent work, the rapper and actor appears to be thinking back on the incident. The Academy Award-winning actor seemed to make reference to the 2022 viral moment during his appearance on Fire in the Booth with British DJ Charlie Sloth earlier this week. As stated by Just Jared, Smith raps, "If you're talking crazy out your face up on the stage and disrespecting me on the stage, expect me on the stage," in verse two of his freestyle. He goes on, "Jokers dish it out, cry foul when it's time to take it/ City full of real ones, wasn't raised to fake it." Although Smith did not specifically name Rock, his remarks brought to mind the 2022 award show, where he got up from his seat, walked onto the stage, and smacked Rock on live television shortly after the comedian made a joke about Jada Pinkett Smith. After the slap, Rock seemed visibly stunned. "Keep my wife's name out of your f---ing mouth!" Smith said as he headed back to his seat. Later, the King Richard actor apologized to Rock in public. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Your Rayenda Home Value Just Changed (Take a Look) Homes Values Click Here Undo Smith wrote, in part, on Instagram, "Violence in all of its forms is poisonous and destructive." "My behavior at last night's Academy Awards was unacceptable and inexcusable. Jokes at my expense are a part of the job, but a joke about Jada's medical condition was too much for me to bear, and I reacted emotionally." "I would also like to apologize to the Academy, the producers of the show, all the attendees, and everyone watching around the world. I would like to apologize to the Williams family and my King Richard family, the actor went on. "I deeply regret that my behavior has stained what has been an otherwise gorgeous journey for all of us. I am a work in progress." In July 2022, several months after the incident, Rock stated that while the slap "hurt," he was "not a victim." Smith appeared to refer to the slap on two different tracks from his first album in 20 years, Based on a True Story, which was released in March 2025. Watch the video below to see Will's full freestyle session.
