Latest news with #AsifAli
Mint
5 days ago
- Sport
- Mint
South Africa Champions vs Pakistan Champions Live Streaming: How to watch WCL clash in India? SAC vs PAKC probable XIs
Having won all their three matches so far in the ongoing World Championship of Legends (WCL), South Africa Champions will be aiming to make it four wins in a row when they take on Pakistan Champions in an mouth-watering clash on Friday at the Grace Road in Leicester. The match starts on 9 PM IST. South Africa Champions began their campaign with a win over West Indies Champions via a bowl-out. The AB de Villiers-led side then got better of defending champions India Champions by 88 runs in a game marred by rain before registering a 10-wicket victory over England Champions in their third game. Pakistan Champions: Shoaib Maqsood, Asif Ali, Misbah-ul-Haq, Younis Khan, Shoaib Malik, Shahid Afridi (c), Sarfaraz Ahmed (wk), Abdul Razzaq, Sohail Tanvir, Wahab Riaz, Saeed Ajmal. South Africa Champions: JA Rudolph, SJ Erwee, AB de Villiers (C), JP Duminy, JT Smuts, MN van Wyk (wk), WD Parnell, CH Morris, GC Viljoen, D Olivier, Imran Tahir. South Africa Champions have only once faced Pakistan Champions in WCL in 2024 with the Proteas winning the clash. This will be their second-ever meet in the tournament's history. Star Sports are the official broadcasters of the World Championship of Legends in India. The South Africa Champions vs Pakistan Champions clash in WCL 2025 will be live telecast on Star Sports channels. Live streaming of South Africa Champions vs Pakistan Champions will be available on FanCode app and website. South Africa Champions: Jacques Rudolph, Sarel Erwee, AB de Villiers(c), Jean-Paul Duminy, JJ Smuts, Morne van Wyk(w), Wayne Parnell, Chris Morris, Hardus Viljoen, Duanne Olivier, Imran Tahir, Hashim Amla, Albie Morkel, Henry Davids, Richard Levi, Aaron Phangiso, Dane Vilas Pakistan Champions: Kamran Akmal(w), Sharjeel Khan, Umar Amin, Mohammad Hafeez(c), Shoaib Malik, Asif Ali, Sohaib Maqsood, Aamer Yamin, Sohail Tanvir, Sohail Khan, Wahab Riaz, Rumman Raees, Misbah-ul-Haq, Abdul Razzaq, Younis Khan, Shahid Afridi, Imad Wasim, Fawad Alam, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Saeed Ajmal
India Today
19-07-2025
- Entertainment
- India Today
South mid-year box office 2025: Malayalam-Tamil hold fort, Telugu-Kannada in crisis
Six months into 2025, only a handful of films have truly rocked the box office. While the Malayalam and Tamil film industries are faring relatively well, the Telugu industry has struggled after a few early Sankranti hits. The Kannada industry, meanwhile, is still searching for a ray of hope, having had an abysmal start to the was 2022 that marked the rise of South cinema with back-to-back hits across all industries. From 'RRR' to 'Vikram', 'KGF' and 'Kantara', these films won hearts not just in their native languages but across the country and even internationally. Since then, South cinema has consistently delivered memorable hits, often outperforming Bollywood, which is still trying to find stable footing in the post-Covid has been a mixed bag for the South industries as well. Many films, big-budget ones at that, which were considered safe bets, flopped big time, while the small and medium-budget films, which remained dark horses, turned out to be fan favourites. As July draws to a close, let us take a look at how the four South industries have performed at the box MAINTAINS MOMENTUM DESPITE INITIAL SETBACKIn 2024, Malayalam cinema held its ground while the other three industries grappled with back-to-back blows. This year, too, Mollywood has churned out many memorable films. But, this year, it maintained the equilibrium with big-budget entertainers and content-backed early months of 2025 were worrying - aside from the success of Asif Ali's 'Rekhachitram'. In February alone, 17 films released with a combined budget of Rs 75 crore. According to a report from the Kerala Film Producers Association (KFPA), the theatrical share of these films stood at a paltry Rs 23.55 saw Mohanlal and Prithviraj Sukumaran's 'L2: Empuraan' take over the box office. Despite being drowned in controversies, the film surpassed 'Manjummel' Boys' to become the highest-grossing Malayalam analyst Ramesh Bala exclusively told India Today, that 'L2: Empuraan', followed by the success of Mohanlal's 'Thudarum', Basil Joseph's 'Ponman' and Kunchacko Boban's 'Officer on Duty', were among the top performers. 'Thudarum' became the first film to collect Rs 100 crore in Kerala alone. The industry continued to deliver more films which performed fairly well (considering its moderate budget). Films like Naslen's 'Alappuzha Gymkhana', Tovino Thomas's 'Narivetta', Roshan Mathew's 'Ronth' and Dileep's 'Prince and Family' received positive reviews from critics and audiences first six months of 2025 exposed a pattern in terms of the audience's liking towards thrillers. While there were far and few exceptions, the majority of the hit films were MIXED BAG: ENTERTAINERS TRIUMPH OVER STAR POWERClosely following Malayalam cinema is Kollywood, which has had a mixed year so far. While there were a handful of films that dominated the box office, many big-budget anticipated films became duds at the box office. In the last six months, Ajith Kumar has had two releases - 'Vidaamuyarchi' and 'Good Bad Ugly'. His second offering remains the biggest hit of 2025 till June by collecting Rs 153 nett in India. Following 'Good Bad Ugly' is Pradeep Ranganathan's 'Dragon', which netted Rs 102 crore across for 'Good Bad Ugly', many superstar films, including 'Vidaamuyarchi', Kamal Haasan's 'Thug Life', Suriya's 'Retro', Vikram's 'Veera Dheera Sooran' and Dhanush's 'Kuberaa' (hit in Telugu) had an underwhelming run at the box office. Small and medium-budget films, including 'Tourist Family', 'Maaman' and 'Kudumbasthan', attracted family audience to the theatres and made them leave with a smile on their faces. 'Tourist Family' raked in Rs 61 crore nett at the domestic box office, despite being made on a modest surprise winner was the 12-year-old 'Madha Gaja Raja' outperforming director Shankar and Ram Charan's 'Game Changer' in Tamil Nadu. In fact, the Vishal-starrer was deemed the Pongal winner this Mathivanan, owner of GK Cinemas in Chennai, called 2025 summer the best in the last 2-3 years. "In our property, 'Good Bad Ugly', 'Dragon, 'Tourist Family' and 'Maaman' performed exceedingly well. Till May, we recorded great footfalls," he observed a pattern in Tamil cinema where pure entertainers turned out to be crowd's favourite. "This year, till June, belongs to entertainers. People are having a hard time in their lives and when they visit theatres, they want to be entertained," he a similar thought, trade analyst Ramesh Bala said, "There is a decline in number of hits. However, we can see an outright rejection when it comes to middling films. Audiences have been showing no mercy to films that reek of mediocrity. These films hardly mint Rs 1-2 crore gross and there are so many such films this year."TOLLYWOOD'S ROCKY ROAD POST-SANKRANTI CONTINUESTelugu cinema, aka Tollywood, had a rocky first half, unlike Tamil and Malayalam cinema. The year started off with the biggest disappointment when Ram Charan's 'Game Changer' hit theatres. With Shankar at the helm, the film earned Rs 131.2 crore gross in India, a dangerously low number for a film that boasts superstars. However, other Sankranti releases, Venkatesh 'Sankranthiki Vasthunnam' and Balakrishna's 'Daaku Maharaaj' compensated for the loss by earning Rs 187 crore and Rs 91 crore nett in Chaitanya and Sai Pallavi's 'Thandel', Nani's 'HIT 3' and Dhanush's 'Kuberaa' made a splash. Smaller films (in terms of budget), including 'Court: State vs a Nobody' and 'Mad Square' collected Rs 40.7 crore nett and Rs 50 crore nett, respectively. 'Kannappa', which hit theatres towards the end of June, received a lukewarm response. advertisementAnupam Reddy, former secretary of the Telangana State Film Chamber of Commerce, at a press conference in Hyderabad, said, "Looking back at the last six months, I can only name about six movies that actually did well at the box office and that clearly explains how the industry has fared so far."'Kuberaa' producer and exhibitor Suniel Narang pointed out that audiences are selective these days, while highlighting the current challenges. Stressing that content is king, the producer said, "Within hours of a film's release, opinions start flooding social media platforms like X, Instagram and YouTube. Real-time feedback heavily influences theatre footfall. Audiences are very clear about their choices - if they're investing in buying a theatre ticket, they want to be sure that the film is worth their time and money."SANDALWOOD HITS ROCK BOTTOMThe first half of 2025 has been terrible for Kannada films as the highest-grossing film (titled 'Choo Mantar') earned Rs 7.5 crore worldwide. The industry that gifted 'KGF' films and 'Kantara' hardly had any hits that even raked in double digits. Films like 'Agnyathavasi' and 'Edagaiye Apaghatakke Karana' received critical terms of box office numbers, 'Choo Mantar' topped the charts, and is followed by 'Maadeva' and 'Yuddhakaanda Chapter 2'. Now, the industry is looking forward to Rishab Shetty's 'Kantara: Chapter 1', and Shiva Rajkumar-Raj B Shetty-Upendra's '45' to revive the industry from the slump.A PACKED SECOND HALF OF 2025Ruban Mathivanan pointed out that the second half of 2025 looks "jam-packed with many important spectacle films lined up for release." Rajinikanth's 'Coolie', Dhanush's 'Idly Kadai', Sivakarthikeyan's 'Madhrasi', Pawan Kalyan's 'Hari Hara Veera Mallu', 'They Call Him OG', Prabhas' 'The RajaSaab', Vijay Deverakonda's 'Kingdom', Mohanlal's 'Hridayapoorvam', 'Kantara: Chapter 1', and many other tentpole films, apart from many other small and medium-budget films are set to smash box office in the months to first half of 2025 presents a tale of contrasts for South Indian cinema. However, with the success of the upcoming films, South cinema is poised for a potential revival.- Ends
Yahoo
09-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Asian American, Pacific Islander comics headline LA festival
Belly Laughs is mounting an unprecedented gathering of 30 Asian American and Pacific Islander stand-up comics next weekend in Los Angeles — along with food vendors set up like a Taiwanese night market. Asif Ali is performing alongside Hasan Minhaj, Kumail Nanjiani and Margaret Cho. (July 8)
Pink Villa
26-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Pink Villa
9 best South films of 2025 first-half: Tourist Family, Nani's HIT 3 to Thudarum
The first half of 2025 saw some massive releases from South Indian cinema, including Ram Charan starrer Game Changer, Kamal Haasan's Thug Life, Mohanlal's L2: Empuraan, and more. While some satisfied the audiences, others fell short. As we step towards the latter half of 2025, let's take a look back and explore some of the top-rated releases from 2025's first half. Where to watch top 9 South films of 2025 on OTT 1. Rekhachithram (Malayalam) Cast: Asif Ali, Anaswara Rajan, Manoj K Jayan, Siddique, Jagadish, Saikumar, Harisree Ashokan, Mammootty (AI-cameo) Director: Jofin T Chacko Genre: Crime Drama Runtime: 2 hours and 20 minutes Where to watch: SonyLIV Rekhachitham, starring Asif Ali and Anaswara Rajan in the lead, is considered one of the first hits from Malayalam cinema this year. The mystery crime drama is an alternative historical film, which takes place at the shooting location of Mammootty starrer Kathodu Kathoram (1985). The film focuses on the story of a newly reinstated CI Vivek Gopinath, who comes across an old case of a young girl gone missing, shrouded in mystery. 2. Kudumbasthan (Tamil) Cast: Manikandan, Saanve Meghana, R Sundarrajan, Guru Somasundaram, Kudassanad Kanakam Director: Rajeshwar Kalisamy Genre: Comedy Drama Runtime: 2 hours and 35 minutes Where to watch: ZEE5 Kudumbasthan is a Tamil-language comedy drama featuring Manikandan in the lead role. The top-rated movie features the story of Naveen, a man from a lower-middle-class family who marries his girlfriend despite hailing from different caste backgrounds. As he becomes the sole earner of the family, the film features the financial turmoil he faces, balancing mounting debts and family tensions after losing his job. Whether he succeeds in his journey or fails forms the entire story. 3. Choo Mantar (Kannada) Choo Mantar is a Kannada-language film featuring the tale of 4 friends who decide to enter the Morgan house. In hopes of finding a secret treasure, they accidentally find something much more sinister. 4. Court: State vs A Nobody (Telugu) Court: State vs A Nobody is a legal drama that features the tale of a teenager who is presumed to be guilty of a heinous crime. How a passionate defense attorney fights for him against the system of prejudice and corruption becomes the central focus of the film. 5. Veera Dheera Sooran: Part – 2 (Tamil) Cast: Chiyaan Vikram, SJ Suryah, Suraj Venjaramoodu, Dushara Vijayan, Prudhvi Raj, Baalaji SU, Ramesh Indira, Maala Parvathi Director: SU Arun Kumar Genre: Neo-noir Action Thriller Runtime: 2 hours and 30 minutes Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video Veera Dheera Sooran: Part - 2 is a neo-noir action thriller written and directed by SU Arun Kumar. The Tamil-language film features the story of Kaali, a former henchman of a mobster who is brought back for a mission to put an end to a police officer. The entire film focuses on the night's journey of how Kaali manages to complete the mission and what it costs him. 6. Thudarum (Malayalam) Cast: Mohanlal, Shobana, Prakash Varma, Farhaan Faasil, Maniyanpilla Raju, Binu Pappu, Irshad Ali, Aarsha Chandini Baiju Director: Tharun Moorthy Genre: Crime Thriller Runtime: 2 hours and 43 minutes Where to watch: JioHotstar Thudarum is a Malayalam film featuring Mohanlal and Shobana in the lead roles. The crime thriller drama focuses on the story of Shanmugham aka Benz, once a stuntman in cinema, who leads a quiet life with his family in a town in Kerala. However, once his son goes missing and what happens to him forces Benz to take revenge on the wrongdoers. 7. Tourist Family (Tamil) Tourist Family features the story of a Sri Lankan family of four who move out of their country due to economic crisis. The film focuses on the family's interaction with the rest of the neighbors after they arrive in Tamil Nadu. 8. HIT: The Third Case (Telugu) Cast: Nani, Srinidhi Shetty, Rao Ramesh, Samuthirakani, Tisca Chopra, Adivi Sesh, Karthi Director: Sailesh Kolanu Genre: Neo-noir Action Thriller Runtime: 2 hours and 30 minutes Where to watch: Netflix HIT: The Third Case, starring Nani in the lead role, was released on the big screens earlier this year. The action thriller film features the story of a ruthless police officer, Arjun Sarkaar, who is sent by the Homicide Intervention Team (HIT) in order to capture a group of serial offenders, leading to a bigger conspiracy at play. The movie was the 3rd installment in the HIT Cinematic Universe, with a fourth installment titled HIT: The Fourth Case in the lineup. 9. Padakkalam (Malayalam) Padakkalam is a supernatural fantasy comedy featuring the tale of four comic nerd friends who suspect their college professor, Renjith, of practicing black magic. After locking horns with him, the rest of the film features how the gang deals with a body swap situation along with another professor, Shaji.
The Hindu
06-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Hindu
‘Aabhyanthara Kuttavaali' movie review: A one-sided pamphlet against Section 498A
The way a filmmaker conceives a single sequence can sometimes reveal the entire thought process behind the film. This is especially true of single-agenda films like Aabhyanthara Kuttavaali, the debut directorial of Sethunath Padmakumar. Sahadevan (Asif Ali), the protagonist who is facing a case under Section 498A over dowry harassment and domestic abuse, is shown returning to his wife's family the 100 sovereigns of gold that he got as a 'gift', a modern-day euphemism for dowry. A sentimental background score accompanies this sequence which is framed fully from the man's perspective, although he was earlier shown to have denied his wife's demand for a part of the gold to fund her higher education. Even this demand on her part appears unjust by the way the film looks at it. This sequence fits well with the rest of the film which is an emotional narrative of men 'victimised' by Section 498A. By now, we have a handful of such films, a number significant enough to call them as part of a universe of films proudly carrying the flag of men's rights associations. In most of these films, nuance is shown the way out, with bias welcomed in through the same door. 'Aabhyanthara Kuttavaali' (Malayalam) Director: Sethunath Padmakumar Cast: Asif Ali, Thulasi Haridas, Shreya Rukmini, Sidharth Bharathan, Jagadeesh Run-time: 123 minutes Storyline: A man faced with a fake dowry harrassment case goes to great extents to prove his innocence While it is true that there have been cases of women misusing the law to frame their husbands and claim alimony, the number of such cases are miniscule compared to the actual cases of domestic abuse and dowry harassment even in recent years in Kerala. Yet, in the world of Aabhyanthara Kuttavaali, men of all ages are at the mercy of this law. To convince us, the film provides us with three case studies, including the central one of Sahadevan. Now, a good number of the allegations against Sahadevan, like the one related to domestic abuse, are shown to be fake, which can be reflective of real-life examples. Family court lawyers occasionally make such claims to bolster their side's case. The problem arises when the film generalises this case and gives the protagonist an opportunity to deliver two long preachy speeches inside a courtroom, emphasising how this law has made life hell for men. The accused man has to make this speech because the female advocate (Shreya Rukmini) who is supposed to represent him is too scared to make her point in court. By some sheer coincidence, this lack of voice is a common affliction of all of the female characters in the film, due to which we rarely get to know what any of them thinks. Even Nayana (Thulasi Haridas), Sahadevan's wife, gets only a short monologue towards the end of the film. By the time she gets to speak, the agenda has been well set that the feeble attempt of the makers at appearing to be balanced and gaining some progressive brownie points, seems to be insincere. Even Asif Ali's natural flair in emotional scenes cannot lift this film, partly because it comes in the service of a regressive idea. The only safeguard, perhaps, is that the film intended to spread such ideas is not particularly well-made, with the treatment mirroring that of television soaps. Aabhyanthara Kuttavaali is currently running in theatres
