Entertainment

Saji Cherian, Cultural Affairs Minister of Kerala, advised the Kerala State Chalachitra Academy on Tuesday (December 16) to proceed with the screening of all the films that are part of the 30th International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK).

This includes 15 documentaries waiting for censor clearance from the union Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (I&B).  The Minister has made a strong statement against the Union government, as it was adversely affecting Kerala’s progressive cultural tradition.

“This is anti-democratic,” he said. “Anything that tries to meddle with the arts and the spirit of the festival will have strong opposition."

"We can't accept an approach which harms our tradition and progress of IFFK." "The State government will not back down from any attacks on artistic freedom," Cherian stated.

The Minister further stated that all 19 movies that were at first denied Central approval have since been identified and well-received by audiences across the globe. He stated that festival delegates had a valid cause to watch the movies since the movie titles were contained in the festival schedule and catalog sent out in advance.

The Chief Minister, Pinarayi Vijayan, also expressed his condemnation regarding the judgment made by the Union government. In his statement, he mentioned that the restrictions imposed on celebrating the festival resulted in authoritarian traits to suppress diverse voices of creativity. "Kerala won't give in to such censorship," declared the Chief Minister. "Every movie that has not got permission to be exhibited is all set to be exhibited at IFFK," further added Pinarayi Vijayan.

The festival that has been an annual event for the last 30 years faced its worst crisis ever when the censor exemption was denied. Several politicians and artists expressed their outrage against the Centre's decision that is seen as an attack on the freedom of speech. On Monday night, there were protests at the Tagore Theatre, which is the principal venue of the event. The protest was carried out by the Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI).

Partial Approval Given.

The I&B Ministry gave the green light to five of the 19 movies rather early today, however. Some of the movies which were given the green light include Beef, Eagles of the Republic, Heart of the Wolf, Yes, and Once Upon a Time in Gaza.

Yet there are some popular films that are banned as well. These Palestinian films are “Palestine 36” and “All That’s Left of You.” Another example of a classic film banned by the country’s Ministry of Information is “Battleship Potemkin.” This is actually a very well-known classic film directed by Sergei Eisenstein and released in 1925 during the Soviet era and is actually known as a landmark in the field of cinema.

 Also banned are films such as “Santosh.”

“Timbuktu,” “Bamako,” directed by Abderrahmane Sissako, are also included in this list. This time, Sissako will be bestowed with the Lifetime Achievement Award at IFFK this year. “Bamako” examines the impact of international economic bodies such as IMF and World Bank on economic conditions in Africa.

Some of the films prohibited include the Egyptian drama film "Clash," the Argentine film "Hour of the Furnaces," which had been held at previous editions of the film festival. Other films yet to receive certification include "Red Rain," "Riverstone," "Tunnels: Sun in the Dark," and "Flames." Despite this ongoing standoff, the organizers of the festivals announced that movie shows are to take place as usual, in obedience to an order by the State government.

Dileep's Bha Bha Ba, short for Bhayam Bhakthi Bahumanam, exploded in Kerala theaters on December 18, 2025, marking his strong comeback with pure entertainer energy. Helmed by debutant Dhananjay Shankar from a script written by Fahim Safar and Noorin Shereef, the 2h45m-long UA action-comedy is from Sree Gokulam Movies and has Dileep as a successful conman, with Vineeth Sreenivasan and Dhyan Sreenivasan in interconnected lives, while Mohanlal has an extended cameo that steals the frames. 

Bha Bha Ba Public Review

Twitter buzz has termed the first half "pure madness" - no logic, just non-stop laughs, spoofs, retro fights, and Shaan Rahman BGM that fuels theater roars in Kochi, Trivandrum, Ernakulam, Calicut, and Dubai hubs.​

Trade site Sacnilk shared that Dileep and Mohanlal-starrer Bha Bha Ba had an overall 63.16% Malayalam occupancy in the Morning Shows on Thursday, December 18, 2025. By 3 pm the film made about Rs 1.89 Cr India net. 

A user on X wrote, “Bha Bha Bha is pure theatre material. Loved the whole atmosphere. The second half and climax was literally owned by this man with an extended cameo. Dileep is back after a while with a solid performance. Totally a paisa vasool (worth the money) entertainment.

People are also saying that Mohanlal’s cameo in the film stood out for a lot of fans. A netizen  wrote, “The moment Mohanlal enters, the film shifts gears completely. Pure aura, vintage swag, and iconic dance. Dileep continues in peak form, owning the screen with pure entertainer energy. Nonstop whistles.”

What Works (Pros)

• Dileep in peak form: Vintage comedy-action, stunts, self-mockery & Ghilli references bring in whistles.
• Sreenivasan brothers: Vineeth-Dhyan chemistry brings in the emotional hook amidst chaos.​
• Mohanlal cameo: Power-packed second-half entry builds massive hype.
• Mass vibes: Remix songs, trailer energy of "World of Madness"

What Doesn't (Cons)

• Second half drags in 165-min runtime with repetitive tropes.
• Overloaded mass elements might tire subtle comedy fans.

Verdict: 3.5/5 – A decent mass entertainer for Dileep fans; nice theater blast. Book My Show tickets get sold out in no time in PVR Lulu, Forum Mall.​ 

Bha Bha Ba Box Office Collection

The first day Bha Bha Ba collection is estimated to reach 3cr. It currently stands below 2cr but First Weekend Collection, as per critics, is expected to reach ₹10–13.5 Crore (Estimated).

Life Lessons from Bha Bha Ba (Bhayam Bhakthi Bahumanam) 

The title unpacks real student struggles: 

1. Bhayam (Fear) - Beat exam anxiety like Dileep's fearless conman facing the consequences. 
2. Bhakthi (Devotion) - Consistent revision turns grind unstoppable. 
3. Bahumanam (Respect) - Effort earns prof nods and placements; brotherly bonds teach group project teamwork. 

Should students watch the Bha Bha Ba Kochi/Trivandrum shows? 

Yes, it’s the ultimate 3hr stress-buster for JEE/NEET/Kerala PSC batches wanting to have laughs after revision. Skip if deep plot or exam eve; the cinema lovers may find it too chaotic. 

Tip: Book online/offline now – post-movie, hit 1hr study for Dileep energy to fuel success!

Jayalalithaa was one of the most iconic actresses and amongst the most powerful women politicians in Indian history. She is one of the best leaders Tamil Nadu has ever produced. Whatever she touches, she does so with such elegance, intelligence, and instinctive purposefulness.

Besides being celebrated as a highly talented actor, there was one lesser-known fact about young Jayalalithaa: she happened to be a brilliant student. Her academic growth was marked with mileposts, forming a bedrock of strong commitment to education as Chief Minister. Jayalalithaa had won a State Gold Medal for topping Class 10 exams in Tamil Nadu-a shining example of her truly outstanding academic brilliance.

She shone in every sphere-be it academics, arts, or sports-at Church Park Convent, Chennai. With her graceful Bharatanatyam and Kathak dances, brilliant singing, and acting even from her school days, she stood out. She spoke Tamil, Kannada, Telugu, Malayalam, Hindi, and English with ease and commanded elocution even in classical languages with the same ease. As head girl, she took up her responsibilities with seriousness and leadership that left a lasting impression on teachers and peers.

She won a government scholarship for higher education after school, joined Stella Maris College, Chennai, intending to do Law; but life had other plans. At her mother’s insistence, she quit college to join the film industry to help the family through difficult times economically. Though her academic career was short-lived, it was an important component in the molding of her intellect and discipline that later came to define her as a political leader. Her abiding respect for learning was reflected in her policies as Chief Minister, in which she made learning accessible, equitable, and empowering. Jayalalithaa believed in quality education, skill development, and equal opportunities, particularly for children from disadvantaged groups of society. 

Having experienced the snapping of her academic pathway, Jayalalithaa worked during her lifetime to make sure that no child was denied education owing to circumstances. She initiated various welfare programs aimed at the provisioning of essential school accessories and infrastructure. She distributed free laptops among higher secondary students; this was an epoch-making step to bridge the digital divide for improving digital literacy. She started the schemes aimed at providing free uniforms, bags, notebooks, and geometry boxes to the students of government schools. Realizing the problems many girl students face to reach school, she brought in the Free Bicycles Scheme aimed at improving access to education. Jayalalithaa also gave prime importance to infrastructure improvement in schools by announcing a series of new building projects and smart classrooms throughout Tamil Nadu. Jayalalithaa's most striking initiatives are the Amma Education Loan Scheme, which helped the unemployed youth to pay off their student loans without burden and allowed them to pursue their dreams.

The Amma Call Centre brought in counseling and career guidance, making them a right and not a privilege, thus giving a voice and direction to every student. During her tenure in the 1990s, she also fortified the 69% reservation in education and employment by providing legislative protection and ensuring its continuity and inclusiveness. Jayalalithaa's legacy runs much deeper than cinema and politics. Her contribution towards changing the face of education remodelled opportunities for millions of children in Tamil Nadu. Her strong academic foundation became the cornerstone of her visionary policies. A brilliant student who knew the transformative power of learning, Jayalalithaa remains an eternal role model for future generations.

Dhurandhar released on December 5, 2025,  is making headlines everywhere. Ranveer Singh's spy role in this Aditya Dhar thriller keeps the Instagram reels viral with tears and cheers. Inspired by real events like the IC-814 hijack, the attack on Parliament, and 26/11 Mumbai terror, it follows IB boss, Ajay Sanyal ,as he converts a death-row man to agent Hamza to infiltrate the terror gangs of Pakistan. Crowds at recent shows had wet eyes and tight fists; everybody came out super proud of our army heroes and secret spies keeping India safe.​

Is Dhurandhar Good?

Of course! Personally, I’d rate it 9/10. On IMDB, Dhurandhar critics review is 8.1/10. 

The movie clearly shows how much research and efforts were put into making this movie. This action-packed emotional ride of 3h32m collected ₹10+ crore on Day 1. Ranveer's acting and Akshaye's power steal the show. Dhurandhar worldwide box office collection day 3 is ₹150 crore, and it is being promoted organically through word-of-mouth more than inorganically. Instagram is flooding with appreciation and applause for this movie. People searching for "Dhurandhar full review" or "Ranveer new movie 2025" are all influenced by the  worthy hype for this movie.​

Star Cast Making Dhurandhar Unforgettable.

Directed by Aditya Dhar, the 2025 spy thriller Dhurandhar has excellent casting. The star cast list is as follows:

• Ranveer Singh as Hamza Ali Mazari / Jaskirat Singh Rangi (India spy)
• Akshaye Khanna in the role of Rehman Dakait (Lyari gang leader).
• R. Madhavan, playing Ajay Sanyal, IB Director (played by Ajit Doval)
• Sanjay Dutt as S.P. Chaudhary Aslam (suspended police officer).
• Arjun Rampal plays the role of Major Iqbal (ISI officer).
• Yalina Jamali (love interest) is played by Sara Arjun.
• Jameel Jamali (local politician) is played by Rakesh Bedi.
• Manav Gohil as Sushant Bansal.
• Gaurav Gera as Mohammad Aalam (juice shop owner)
• Naveen Kaushik as Donga
• Uzair Baloch played by Danish Pandor.
• General Shamshad Hassan is portrayed by Raj Zutshi.
• Saumya Tandon in the role of Ulfat (wife of Rehman)
• Paresh Rawal (cameo)
• Special Appearances Krystle D’Souza, Ayesha Khan (item numbers); others, such as Asif Ali Haider Khan (Babu Dakait), Carl Andrew Harte (David Headley), Dalvinder Saini (Ajmal Kasab).

Dhurandhar Tickets, Runtime, Streaming, Trend

• Tickets: Available for booking both online and offline
• Runtime: 3h32m (A-rated for violence/language).
• IMDB/Booking Ratings: 8.1/10 
• Movie Loved: 92% 
• Theaters: Packed in Bangalore, Mumbai, Delhi-NCR, Ahmedabad, Pune and more
• Streaming: Netflix/Prime Video expected 2026 
• Trending Searches: "Dhurandhar full movie review", "Ranveer Singh Dhurandhar emotional scenes", "26/11 scenes Dhurandhar", or "best spy movie 2025 India"? 

Top 5 Reasons to Watch Dhurandhar

• 26/11 Red Screen Shock: Screen turns blood red with real terrorist chats on Taj massacre-166 lives gone. Goosebumps hit, chest swells with pride for our revenge forces.
• Ranveer's Tear-Jerker Line: "I handed that boy the gun"-voice breaks, eyes flood. heart-wrenching for real spies living that pain for Bharat. 
• Viral Instagram Buzz: #Dhurandhar trending with Ranveer brawls, Akshaye stares, Madhavan cameos. Fans are posting insta stories calling it "Movie of the year!"
• Pure Patriotism: Army salutes bring roars,  honours known/unknown guardians fighting terror daily.
• Non-stop thrills: Lyari gang infiltrations, betrayals and raw emotions like no other spy movie.
• Hooking BGM: Entry songs of Rehman Dakait are on another level. Worth  the hype and vibe. 

​Should Students Watch Dhurandhar Movie?  

Dhurandhar is a film that students must watch at all costs; it skilfully blends learning and sheer emotion, crafting into a memorable story of how to be courageous and how to sacrifice for the greater good. To NDA, UPSC or history students, it is a treasure trove: and it makes geopolitics, terror funding and R&AW policies so much easier to understand, and goes on to give you the patriotic sobs and determination in the heart of the operatives, that you will never forget this. 

The people who watched this movie came out of the theatre with eyes of pride, weight of harm, and heightened gratitude for our silent guardians proving that this spy-story is not for entertainment purpose but to inspire emotionally intelligent and nation-loving leaders, who stand and will stand for Bharat proudly.

The only thing to highlight is that Dhurandhar is a patriotic wake-up call that our taxes are not going wasted, our country is not yet doomed, and there are heroes in the shadows doing everything just to keep our country safe. So, the Dhurandar movie is indeed worth the watch.Jai Hind!

It all starts with a mask in the forest—Avantika's sturdy, battle-worn mask, forgotten almost like evidence of a life spent fighting. But for Baahubali, it becomes something else altogether. In "Khoya Hai," he doesn't envision the fierce rebel she is; he envisions an apsara gliding through waterfalls, hair billowing like a shampoo commercial. Before even meeting her, he etches a fantasy in sand—replete with flowing hair and perfectly carved eyes. 

All the way back in 2015, journalist Anna M.M. Vetticad had caught this contradiction early. In her sharply titled piece “The Rape of Avantika,” she questioned the way Baahubali turns a soldier into his personal makeover project in the name of romance. Almost a decade later, Tamannaah Bhatia revisited that article in an interview—and instead of examining the filmmaking, she claimed the critique policed her sexuality. But the article wasn’t about her; it was about the cinematic language which equates a woman’s resistance with flirtation, and her discomfort with character development.

Take, for example, the infamous “fight” scene. Avantika is throwing punches like her life depends on it; Baahubali is… smiling. Leisurely dodging blows, gently undressing her, untying her hair and—why not—giving her a waterfall bath. There's beauty in the visuals, sure. But beneath the spectacle lies the subtext: her fierceness is a hurdle, her masculinity-coded armour something to literally wash away. The camera insists that she must be softened, lightened, prettied up—because only then can she be worthy of his love song.

Years later, Rajamouli justified the scene, referring to Avantika as a "wounded divine feminine", as if the audience was supposed to be grateful that Baahubali unleashed her inner goddess through unsolicited grooming. 

This isn't new. Bollywood and South Indian cinema have a long love affair with troubled men and the women expected to love them into redemption. Just ask Dia Mirza, who has openly admitted that Rehnaa Hai Terre Dil Mein hasn't aged well. On the other hand, there are actors like Rashmika Mandanna, defending deeply flawed characters like Ranvijay from Animal as "raw expression," as though audiences exist in a vacuum devoid of influence. Kiara Advani keeps insisting that Kabir Singh is not "about the slap"-as if editing out one moment erases the trail of toxic entitlement leading up to it.

Their defenses reveal a fascinating truth about the industry: actresses often bear an onus of contextualising problems they didn't create. Caught between massive fandoms, strict PR machines, and the politics of pleasing directors, responses from actresses become partially survival strategy, partially conditioning, partially unexamined loyalty. But when they defend the indefensible, they unknowingly reinforce the very stereotypes their on-screen characters suffer under.

Which brings us back to Avantika, and Baahubali's grand re-release. Nearly a decade later, the visuals still dazzle, the soundtrack still soars—but the questions linger louder than ever. Does an actor's responsibility end once the camera stops rolling? Can fantasy excuse every narrative blind spot? And how is it that a character written as a warrior ends up remembered for a makeover she never asked for? Perhaps the true epic isn't what transpires on screen but, rather, the conversations we're finally willing to have about it.

More than 100 specially curated films from 25 countries, including France, Spain, Germany, Kyrgyzstan, and the UAE, will light up classrooms across India in the eighth edition of the School Cinema International Film Festival.

It is scheduled from November 14 to 30 and would be screened in more than 40,000 government and 1,000 private schools across the country, marking one of the largest educational film outreach programs in the world.

"SCIFF was born of this simple yet profound belief that cinema should be within the reach of every child, not confined to exclusive festivals or privileged spaces," said Syed Sultan Ahmed, Festival Director at SCIFF, Founder & Chief Learner at LXL Ideas.

According to Ahmed, thanks to SCIFF, any school in India can now host its film festival, turning classrooms into windows to the world.

This is in tune with the National Education Policy 2020, which also advocates for integrating creative media into education, such as cinema, for learning to be truly holistic.

"Through SCIFF, we aspire to nurture young minds that watch with awareness, learn with curiosity, and express with empathy. Every frame becomes a classroom, and every story a life lesson," he said.

This edition has drawn international partnerships and recognition. Prestigious film festivals like Annecy International Animation Film Festival of France, AniMela Festival of India, Giffoni Film Festival of Italy, and ZERO PLUS International Film Festival of Russia will support SCIFF 2025 in this journey to carry diverse cinematic voices to Indian schools.

The country partners in this festival are France and Spain.

Opening on Children's Day, November 14, the 2025 edition will showcase over 103 curated films in more than 20 Indian and international languages.

Building on the engagement with 23,000 schools and over one lakh students last year, this time around, the festival hopes to reach a far larger number.

SCIFF follows a framework: "WATCH, LEARN, MAKE," which involves the students in all aspects of cinema.

WATCH Cinema transforms classrooms into mini theaters where movies are screened that require involvement and discussion.

The LEARN Cinema program takes students behind the camera through a range of in-person workshops and online masterclasses led by experts in scriptwriting, cinematography, sound, and editing. MAKE Cinema supports students in filmmaking and entering a competition; winners join the youth jury as members the following year. The SCIFF, earlier known as the IKFF, has grown since 2017 as a transformational educational initiative in which art, learning, and social awareness come together. Having engaged over 10 million students and 60,000 schools thus far, the festival has redefined how film can function as a pedagogical instrument in teaching empathy, creativity, critical thinking, and global awareness. By turning regular classrooms into cinematic sites of exploration, SCIFF continues to make storytelling one of education's most powerful tools, inspiring young viewers to learn, imagine, and create a better world.