IPL 2021: AB de Villiers joins Royal Challengers Bangalore's bio-bubble in Chennai

Chennai: Star South African batsman AB de Villiers on Thursday joined the Royal Challengers Bangalore bio-bubble here for the Indian Premier League beginning on 9 April.

The 37-year-old batting great has been a key player for RCB since he joined the franchise in 2011. Since then, he has been playing for the Bengaluru-based franchise.

"The spaceship has landed! AB de Villiers has joined the RCB bubble in Chennai," the RCB tweeted.

De Villiers retired from international cricket in 2018 after playing 114 Tests, 228 ODIs and 78 T20 Internationals.

BREAKING THE INTERNET :

The spaceship has landed! 🚀

AB de Villiers has joined the RCB bubble in Chennai. 👽#PlayBold #WeAreChallengers #IPL2021 #AllInForAB pic.twitter.com/pnvXGVl8ww

— Royal Challengers Bangalore (@RCBTweets) April 1, 2021

He scored 8765 Test runs (at an average of 50.66) and 9577 in the ODIs.

Head coach Simon Katich also came out of quarantine, as did pacer Navdeep Saini, as the RCB team underwent another practice session.

The RCB, led by India captain Virat Kohli, began a nine-day conditioning camp on Tuesday.

The team will take on Mumbai Indians in the league's opening clash.

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IPL 2021: From T Natarajan to Rashid Khan, bowlers to watch out for in latest edition

Less than six months on from that enthralling final where Mumbai Indians outclassed Delhi Capitals, the IPL returns to India for its 14^th edition.

While we witnessed run fests last season, the bowlers too had their say, with pacers dominating the top four spots of the bowling charts. DC’s Kagiso Rabada (30 wickets) walked away with the Purple Cap after a tough competition with Jasprit Bumrah (27) and Trent Boult (25).

This time, too, one can expect, similar neck-to-neck battles throughout the tournament, both in the batting as well as the bowling departments.

With less than 10 days to go for IPL 2021, we take a look at 10 bowlers to watch out for:

T Natarajan (Sunrisers Hyderabad)

Salem-based Indian pacer T Natarajan has lived through some life-changing moments since he last featured for Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in an IPL game. From being a ‘net bowler’ during India’s tour to Australia last year to making his international debut across all three formats that summer Down Under, the 29-year-old has quickly established himself as an exponent of deadly yorkers, which every opposition will be wary of.

Not only did he become the first Indian to make his debut across formats in a single tour, but he also cherished it by becoming the highest wicket-taker in the three-match T20Is (six wickets).

A month later, in January, he would go onto make his Test debut in the absence of stars like Jasprit Bumrah and R Ashwin, where he ended up taking three wickets in the first innings.

In fact, he even displayed what he could do under pressure in the recently-concluded third India-England ODI. While he did go for 67 runs in the first nine overs, India, almost running out of bowling options towards the end, called upon ‘Nattu’, as he is fondly referred to, to deal with a rampaging Sam Curran and his partner Reece Topley.

England needed 14 runs off six balls, but Natarajan eventually held on to set-up a nerve-wracking series win.

It is in moments like these that the Hyderabad franchise will need a bowler of Natarajan’s calibre, and it wouldn’t be a surprise if Natarajan, who took 16 wickets in as many games last IPL season, could go all guns blazing once again, on his favourite platform against some of the best big-hitters in the world.

Chris Morris (Rajasthan Royals)

With pace spearhead Jofra Archer ruled out of the first half of IPL 2021, this presents a perfect opportunity for South Africa’s Chris Morris to step up and produce the goods. Morris is an experienced campaigner in the cash-rich league, having played in seven of the last eight seasons, while having picked 80 wickets in 70 games at an economy of 7.81.

And while the 33-year-old did become the most expensive buy in IPL auction history at Rs 16.25 crore this season, Morris recently in a virtual press conference stated that he would be ready for any given role.

"It won't be a new role if I am leading an attack, won't be new if I am supporting. There is a little bit of responsibility when it comes to leading the attack. But like I said it wouldn't be able to be alien to me," he said, while also playing down talks of the price tag pressure.

This could enable Morris to bowl with freedom, and the South African’s experience will come in handy as the Royals look to end their prolonged trophy drought.

Morris’ successful IPL stint came in 2013, where he picked up 15 scalps in 16 matches, and will be looking to emulate that performance come the 14^th edition.

Prasidh Krishna (Kolkata Knight Riders)

The last few weeks have been nothing less of a fairytale for 25-year-old Prasidh Krishna, and making his India debut in the ODI format, where he picked up six wickets, will surely act as a confidence-boosting heading into the lucrative tournament.

Krishna recently ended up as the sixth-highest wicket-taker with 14 scalps in the Vijay Hazare One Day Trophy which concluded on 14 March, before getting his maiden international call-up for the three ODIs against England.

He scalped four wickets in the first ODI, ending with figures of 4-54 as India went onto win the match. He eventually surpassed Noel David’s figures of 3/21 (in 1997) to pick up most number of wickets by an Indian on ODI debut.

Thanks to his height of 6 ft 2, Prasidh Krishna’s ability to generate extra-bounce will be a key factor for KKR in the upcoming season.

Krishna’s best season in IPL may have come three years ago in his debut season where he scalped 10 wickets in seven games, but if his current form is to go by, he looks set to be a genuine threat for all teams.

Pat Cummins (Kolkata Knight Riders)

He may not have had the best of seasons despite being bought by KKR for a whopping Rs 15.50 crore during the IPL 2020 auctions, but Pat Cummins has time and again proved that he is a game-changer and a match-winner.

Despite a slow start to his season last time round, Cummins finished on a high, picking six wickets from the last two games (four of them coming in the final game).

Amidst his below-par performance last season, KKR eventually decided to retain the Aussie quick ahead of this year’s auction. And his immense experience will come in handy this time around in the death overs, as the Kolkata franchise aim for their third IPL crown.

For him, personally, he had his second-best economical figures last time round in the tournament (7.86), with his best being 7.25 back in 2014.

He ended the 2020 edition with 12 wickets from 14 matches with best figures of 4/34, while also contributing with the bat throughout the season (409 runs).

Rashid Khan (Sunrisers Hyderabad)

The 22-year-old leg-spinner from Afghanistan needs no introduction, and cricket fans and pundits across the globe are well aware of the damage he could do with the ball.

Rashid Khan only managed to finish sixth on the Purple Cap standings in the IPL last season (20 wickets), with pacers dominating the top four spots, but this time with the tournament being held in India during summer months, Rashid could even compete against the big boys for the Purple Cap.

What stands out for Rashid in the tournament is his economy. He has been miserly in most seasons, with the numbers remaining below 7. While his overall economy in the tournament reads 6.24 (75 wickets from 62 games), he enjoyed his best economical figures in a single season only last time read (Econ: 5.37; 20 wickets from 16 matches).

Rashid Khan is also coming fresh off an excellent couple of T20Is against Zimbabwe, in which he notched up six wickets from two of the three T20Is played.

So, one can expect him to be at his lethal best in largely favourable Indian conditions and give the opposition a tough time.

Shardul Thakur (Chennai Super Kings)

Right-arm medium seamer Shardul Thakur seems to have finally found his rhythm back and will be looking to give his best this season on the back of some brilliant showcasing with the ball against England recently.

Not only did he manage to strike at the right time for India, but also he finished as the highest wicket-taker in both the T20I (8 wickets) and ODI series (7 wickets).

Thakur’s inclusion also gives CSK a variety of bowling options, with the likes of Lungi Ngidi and Josh Hazlewood in the team set-up.

What makes Shardul even more special is his versatility. Leave alone bowling, he would be even able to handle the extra pressure while batting, just as we witnessed in the final India-England ODI.

Trent Boult (Mumbai Indians)

Defending champions Mumbai Indians have once again retained a majority of their core players, and yet again, this gives the cricketing world the chance to witness the deadly pace duo of Jasprit Bumrah and Trent Boult in the lucrative league.

Although neither managed to win the Purple Cap last time round, with the award eventually going to Delhi Capitals’ Kagiso Rabada, the duo managed to total 52 wickets among them, with Boult claiming 25 of them.

Boult will once again try to make full use of the powerplay overs, as well as attempting to play a crucial part in the death overs.

Following his stupendous performance last season, Boult remains a strong force and will once again be a contender for the Purple Cap.

Jhye Richardson (Punjab Kings)

A bowling all-rounder who can also bat, this will be the Australian Jhye Richardson’s maiden stint in the IPL.

A player with immense experience in the Big Bash League in Australia, Richardson went for Rs 14 crore in the mini-IPL auctions in February, as the bidding war for the 24-year-old between Punjab Kings and Royal Challengers Bangalore became intense, before eventually being bought by the Anil Kumble-coached side.

His base price was Rs 1.5 crore, but his final price was almost 10 times that amount.

Richardson has been a permanent figure for Perth Scorchers in the BBL, where he has played 53 matches and taken 69 wickets, while also scoring 1496 runs.

Richardson’s presence, in fact, adds more balance and depth to the Kings’ squad, who will be looking for a hassle-free tournament after a few nervy finishes last season.

Kyle Jamieson (RCB)

Much like Richardson, New Zealand’s Kyle Jamieson is yet to experience the high-intensity pressure of playing in the IPL, and much like Richardson, Jamieson too went for big money (Rs 15 crore) to the Royal Challengers Bangalore, having started from a base price of just Rs 75 lakh.

The New Zealander’s career has only gone upwards ever since making his international debut in an ODI in February 2020.

Although he has largely been successful in Tests (36 wickets in six Tests), his ability to create that extra bounce will be beneficial for RCB in the upcoming season.

RCB’s Director of Cricket Mike Hesson, in fact, made things clearer of what Jamieson’s role would be.

"Siraj is exceptional with new ball. He has ability to swing the new ball while Kyle will get that bounce and bring in different challenge. Saini has a little bit more pace and bowls a different length. They will be used in different phases of the game,” Hesson said during a virtual media conference.

Rahul Chahar (MI)

While the recently-concluded series against England did not produce anything much for Mumbai Indians’ Rahul Chahar, the legbreak googly bowler did impress in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy earlier this season, taking 11 wickets from just five games.

Chahar has been a regular figure of the Mumbai Indians since 2019, and while MI have struggled in finding a wicket-taking spinner, Chahar could be the key for them this season.

He has been one of the finds of the IPL, after having just played three games for the now-defunct Rising Pune Supergiant, Chahar was signed by MI in 2018. And although he did not feature for them that season, he has just risen in form thanks to memorable stints with the champions in the last two seasons (he picked up 13 and 15 wickets in 2019 and 2020).

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What T-Series joining Indian Performers Rights Society means for the parties and the music industry

Indian music behemoth T-Series is the last of the major music companies in India to join the Indian Performing Rights Society (IPRS), making it a watershed moment for the music industry in the country. After years of resistance to IPRS’ various efforts to bring it onboard as a member, T-Series’ joining of the 5,000-member organisation is widely looked at as a game-changer in the way the industry functions.

How the IPRS stands to gain

T-Series has 70 to 80 percent market share (revenue upwards of $100 million), and as a record label, remains the largest in the country. Its enviable library has over 2 lakh songs (including over 50,000 music videos) across 15 Indian languages such as Hindi, Tamil, Punjabi, Bengali, Marathi, Kannada, Malayalam, Bhojpuri, and Gujarati among others. This roster contains over 15,000 hours of music, and includes the rights to musical compositions and lyrics that form part of their music across all platforms. 

With their new deal with T-Series, IPRS’ cause gets a major boost in its efforts to streamline the process of doing business in the music industry and give music publishing the spotlight that it needs to accurately acknowledge all stakeholders in the creation of a song. Over the years, IPRS has been roping in music publishers, lyricists (authors), and composers as members, with other industry majors like Saregama, Universal Music, Sony Music, and Times Music among others others already being a part of it.

T-Series’ membership into the IPRS gives the country’s only registered copyright society for authors, music composers, and music publishers, a trump card to convert fence-sitters into confirmed members of the organisation. With chairman Javed Akhtar’s vision and CEO Rakesh Nigam’s drive to bring as many beneficiaries into the fold, the IPRS was in 2019 credited by the CISAC as being the fastest growing copyright society in the world. This international confederation of societies of authors and composers represents 239 member societies in 122 countries/territories. 

Apart from working as a tool to drive in more members, it also to some extent works as a show of strength to the IPRS’ tireless commitment to ensuring that its members receive the royalty due to each one of them. 

IPRS’ digital potential and T-Series?

For a company that has been resisting the membership of the IPRS, what would have changed now that caused it to change its mind? In an interview with Musicplus.in, Akhtar suggested why T-Series may have finally joined the IPRS. “T-Series is a very big organisation and they also had their internal system of collecting royalties. They were not sure if they will receive the right amount in royalties, and whether IPRS was capable and transparent enough for it. Whenever a new law is made or one is asked to change the way they function, the first reaction is always resistance. One does not like to venture into uncharted territories. T-Series realised that IPRS has developed a great system of royalty collection and distribution. They realised over a period of time that it is in their advantage to join our ranks,” he said. 

T-Series, in the last two years, has also seen exponential growth in its digital presence. The music company’s flagship YouTube channel is the most widely subscribed to and viewed in the world, with over 170 million subscribers and 135 billion lifetime views respectively. The COVID-19-triggered lockdown slowed down live performances by artists but considerably increased online streaming revenues for the company. At the same time, IPRS has been looking at ways to ensure that authors and composers are given their dues particularly during online performances.

IPRS collected Rs 45 crore in royalties in FY2017-18, Rs 166 crore in FY2018-19, and Rs 170 crore in FY19-20. In a recently released FICC-EY report, it was noted that the average monthly stream count was over 10 billion in the first half of 2020, which rose to 11 billion streams per month during the lockdown. Digital growth is now a significant part of the industry’s present and future. In this regard, T-Series’ worldwide reach and IPRS’ drive to ensure that the money reaches all constituent creators make for a heady partnership. 

IPRS also functions as a crucial ally in the fight for separate royalty rates payable by radio broadcasting stations across India in terms of sound recordings as well as literary works and musical works. T-Series threw its weight behind the copyright board’s fight for more competitive rates than the existing 2 percent fixed royalty rate of net advertising revenues. Simultaneously, in a landmark decision, the Intellectual Property Appellate Board (IPAB) upheld the rights of the Indian Performing Right Society Limited and its lyricist, music composer, and music publisher members to claim royalties in respect of the broadcast of lyrics and music underlying sound recordings by FM radio stations in the country. This win also positions IPRS as a venerable organisation, and aligning with it only makes business sense.

The industry’s benefit

The deal between IPRS and T-Series is momentous because licensing music can now have a single-window clearance process, wherein those seeking rights to use music in a recording or a video or a commercial need to look no further than the IPRS. Today, the licensees for music are more than just television commercials and radio channels. They include telecom companies, short-format video apps, broadcasters, online services, video games and many more big and small businesses that constantly are in need of music to further their brand. By making IPRS the access points to the works of these stakeholders, the music industry stands to reorganise itself and redefine the importance of the creator.

A recent report mentions that growth in audio streaming makes a strong case in favour of IPRS that charges music streaming platforms 12 percent of advertising revenue or a per-stream rate, whichever is higher. The IPRS has clarified that the price per stream will not be valued at less than 10 paise. This means that for a premium or subscription-based service, 12 percent of the end-user price has to be paid in terms of royalties.

Growth of the music industry would only be possible if the major players are onboard such initiatives.

While Yash Raj Films remains unaffiliated with the IPRS, T-Series’ joining can only serve to inspire several other authors and creators to align with the organisation.

While the deal stands to benefit creators associated with T-Series, specifically and the music industry in general, for us consumers, not much has changed as long as our access to music remains. But for a paying subscriber in India, this only reminds us how paying to use such services can create revenue for every contributor in the creative process. 

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Rajinikanth to be bestowed with Dadasaheb Phalke award, announces I&B Ministry

Superstar Rajinikanth will be bestowed with the Dadasaheb Phalke award, Information and Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar announced on Thursday.

"India every year gives Dada Saheb Phalke award to a film personality. This year this selection has been made by a jury comprising Asha Bhonsle, Mohanlal, Biswajit Chatterjee, Shankar Mahadevan and Subhash Ghai. They unanimously recommended that superstar Rajinikanth be conferred with Dada Saheb Phalke award and we accepted it," he said.

The award is for the year 2019.

See the post

51st Dadasaheb Phalke Award will be conferred upon actor Rajinikanth, says Union Minister Prakash Javadekar. pic.twitter.com/682c6qaUXV

— ANI (@ANI) April 1, 2021

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Multiplex Association of India urges Maharashtra govt to not impose second lockdown, says it'll adversely affect industry

The multiplex industry — among the worst-hit due to the coronavirus pandemic — on Thursday said a fresh lockdown, even a partial one, would be disastrous.

The Multiplex Association of India with the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry issued a statement to the Maharashtra government with regard to the negative effects of the second lockdown in the state and recommendations for smooth operations of cinemas.

The statement adds that though the shutdown is expected to be different from last year’s, essentially focusing on preventing crowding, they believe that the lockdowns (if implemented) are going to negatively impact the cinema, retail and shopping industry. "Such measures that curtail smooth operations will not only deter genuine movie-goers and shoppers, who have slowly returned to cinemas and shopping centres, from visiting cinemas and malls but also put into motion a downward spiralling effect on the cinema industry and modern retail that could derail the recovery of these segments," said a press release.

The press release further states that with Zero revenues in 8 months (13 March 2020 till 9 November 2020), and thereafter meagre revenues in the last 5 months (9 November 2020 till 31 March 2021), the cinema exhibition industry is now facing 'possible bankruptcies'. However, the business has already been affected after major films delayed their releases on account of a possible second lockdown imposition.

The association further assures that cinemas halls are equipped with similar or better ability to ensure crowd control with a hygienic environment while maintaining social distancing norms when compared to retail shops in high street areas, local trains, metro services, airlines, railways services etc. Considering the same, we believe, it will be highly discouraging and discriminating, in case a second lockdown is imposed on cinemas.

The release lists down factors contributing to the same such as staggered show timings staggered, restricted entry and exits, availability of waiting areas, limited seating capacity and restrictions on carrying food and beverages inside the auditoriums.

In its conclusion, the association requests the government to not impose a second lockdown and issue necessary orders to allow cinema halls to operate at regular hours while maintaining safety and hygiene standards at all times.

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IPL 2021: CSK pacer Josh Hazlewood pulls out of tournament to avoid bio-bubble fatigue

Australia quick Josh Hazlewood has opted out of the 14th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) just eight days before the scheduled start of the cash-rich tournament. Chennai Super Kings, his franchise, will play their first match on 10 April against Rishabh Pant-led Delhi Capitals at Mumbai's Wankhede Stadium.

Hazlewood was set to leave for India with Australia's IPL-bound players today. But having been in bio-secure bubbles from last August 2020 till January 2021, the pacer decided to spend some time with his family. With the Ashes and T20 World Cup in sight, the 30-year-old wanted to keep himself fresh.

"It's been a long 10 months in bubbles and quarantine at different times, so I decided to have a rest from cricket and spend some time at home and in Australia in the next two months. We've got a big winter ahead too. The West Indies is going to be a long tour, with Bangladesh T20 tour potentially thrown on the end of that," cricket.com.au quoted Hazlewood as saying.

"Then potentially the T20 World Cup leading into the Ashes, so it's a big 12 months, as it always is with Australia, and I want to give myself the best chance to be mentally and physically ready for that. That's the decision I've made, and it sits pretty well with me," he added.

Hazlewood joins fellow Australians — Royal Challenger Bangalore's Josh Phillipe and Sunrisers Hyderabad's Mitchell Marsh — in pulling out of the tournament. While Philippe opted out due to personal reasons, Marsh, just yesterday, pointed at bubble fatigue. Phillipe and Marsh will be replaced by Finn Allen and Jason Roy respectively.

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NBA superstar LeBron James joins Fenway Sports Group

Washington: NBA superstar LeBron James has increased his ownership stake in Premier League club Liverpool via a deal confirmed on Wednesday that makes him a partner in Fenway Sports Group.

FSG announced that James and longtime business associates Maverick Carter and Paul Wachter had become partners in the Boston-based global sports, entertainment and real estate platform, along with RedBird Capital.

James, 36, previously held a 2 percent stake in Liverpool, but now will have a bigger share in the Premier League team as well as a stake in Major League Baseball's Boston Red Sox, a sports management firm, a regional sports cable network and Roush Fenway Racing of the popular NASCAR stock car racing series.

FSG took control of Liverpool in 2010.

The investment and accompanying transactions value the group at $7.35 billion (6.26 billion euros), and the Boston Globe reported that it is a $750 million (639 million euros)investment.

The new investment is expected to allow Liverpool to recover from the financial pressures of the coronavirus pandemic and help Anfield expansion plans go ahead.

The club has proposed a new Anfield Road stand that would increase the ground's capacity to about 61,000.

In a joint statement, FSG principal owner John W Henry, chairman Tom Werner and president Mike Gordon said they were "pleased to welcome to our ownership group LeBron, Maverick, and Paul, with whom we have enjoyed a successful collaboration for well over a decade.

"Their addition is an important milestone for FSG and expands and deepens a long-time friendship and relationship that began in 2010.

"To our fans and supporters: Winning continues to be the driving force for all of us," Henry and his colleagues said.

"The growth of FSG as an organisation allows us to further strengthen our resources and commitment to the communities we serve, and we look forward to having these talented new partners join us in the next chapter of FSG's evolution."

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Bappi Lahiri tests positive for coronavirus, admitted to hospital as 'precautionary measure'

Music composer-singer Bappi Lahiri has been admitted to a Mumbai hospital after the veteran was detected with "mild COVID symptoms", his daughter and singer Rema Lahiri Bansal said.

The 68-year-old singer was admitted to the Breach Candy Hospital as a "precautionary measure," according to the statement issued by his spokesperson late Wednesday night.

"Bappi Da has exercised immense precaution but has been detected with mild COVID symptoms. He has been admitted under the care of Dr Udwadia at Breach Candy Hospital purely as a precautionary measure due to his age. He will be fine and home soon. Thank you for keeping him in your prayers always," Rema Lahiri Bansal said in the statement.

On 17 March, Bappi Lahiri, known for his work in several films of the late 1970s-80s like Chalte Chalte, Disco Dancer, and Sharaabi, had posted on Instagram that he had pre-registered for the COVID-19 vaccine.

Mumbai reported 5,399 new COVID-19 cases on Wednesday, taking the tally to 4,14,773.

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CiNEmatters Ep 3 | In Reema Borah's film Bokul, a closer look at the plight of lives forced to reside on Assam's fringes

CiNEmatters is a podcast by Firstpost that attempts to turn the spotlight on a lacuna in the discourse surrounding Indian entertainment — cinema from the North East, which continues to remain largely inaccessible in the age of OTT, when content in languages from across India and the world is just a click away on our screens.

In each episode, we discuss a new film available for viewing online, going beyond its cinematic scope to explore socio-political and historical nuances.

Tune into CiNEmatters on Firstpost's YouTube channel, Spotify, Apple podcasts, Google podcasts, and wherever else you get your podcasts.

Listen to more episodes of CiNEmatters here.

***

Episode 3: Bokul (2015)

Language/Region: Assamese/Assam

Streaming on: Mubi

Director: Reema Borah

Cast: Urmila Mahanta, Kaushik Sharma, Nirab Das, Udayan Duarah, Bhaswati Patowary, Dwijen Mahanta, Ankita Borah, Anupam Borah

In the third episode of CiNEmatters, we take a closer look at the 2015 Assamese film Bokul, a story of three individuals with the same name, living on the fringes of the same town whose feudal structures have marginalised them systemically.

Themes of identity and homecoming overlap with the two films — Jwlwi: The Seed and Maj Rati Keteki — previously discussed on the podcast, as one finds the story largely being framed by the point of view of the character of Raktim (Udayan Duarah), who returns from Mumbai to his hometown in Assam after several years to attend his sister's wedding. Through Raktim, the audience meets the three protagonists — Bokul Ali (Kaushik Sharma), a rickshaw-puller roughly of Raktim's age, who went to school with him and was a bright scholar. Bokul Ali lost his father Joy, a music teacher, to an incident of local communal violence. Then there is female Bokul (Urmila Mahanta) — a weaver, tea-shop owner, and single mother to a school-going daughter. Finally, we meet the third Bokul (Nirab Das), a poor fisherman who lives with a cat and waits endlessly for some news of his missing son.

The term 'bokul', borrowed from the local tree and its piquantly scented flower that is found abundantly across Assam and other parts of east and south India, exemplifies the lives that survive — and often thrive — on the margins of society, forced to turn invisible, much like the film's protagonists. Reema Borah's nuanced, autobiographical screenplay captures this dichotomy associated with the plant — of being a silent non-entity that does not seek much attention despite its omnipresence — and its name through her Bokuls to explicate the cracks in Assamese society.

In this episode, we are joined by Sebanti Chatterjee — sound anthropologist and teacher of Sociology — to talk about why Bokul comes at a crucial juncture in Assamese cinema, and beyond its subject, how its making reveals to us the cultural situatedness of Assam's film industry whose evolution reflects the state's relentless tussle with identity.

Listen to the episode here —

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French tennis chief 'dare not imagine' Roland Garros cancellation amid COVID-19 surge

Paris: French tennis chief Gilles Moretton told AFP on Wednesday that he "dare not imagine" Roland Garros being cancelled as France continues to struggle to contain COVID-19.

"At the moment, we are on track, the tournament is on the scheduled date (23 May-6 June)," said Moretton.

"But if we are told a general confinement for two months, we will necessarily have to take measures - the worst being the outright cancellation, but I dare not imagine that."

Daily cases of COVID-19 in France have doubled to around 40,000 and hospitals in infection hotspots like Paris are overflowing.

French President Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday said that schools would close next week and a limited lockdown in place in Paris and other regions would be extended to the whole country to battle soaring COVID-19 cases.

Last year Roland Garros was delayed by four months and held in September and October instead of its longstanding May-June slot.

Crowds were limited to just 1,000 spectators each day.

"We are studying a lot of options for Roland Garros 2021," added Moretton.

"There is the total range, or almost total because I dare not imagine a 100 percent crowd level. 

"But that can start from behind closed doors to a level that will not be 100%. All the options with us are ready. 

"We meet all the players regularly and we wait to see how things will turn out."

Moretton said that organisers will be able to take into account lessons learned from other events leading up to the season's second Grand Slam event.

The Australian Open, which kicked off the majors season in February, forced players into a two-week hotel quarantine.

"Before us, there are other tournaments like Monte Carlo which takes place on the same territory and which is outdoors.

"After there are tournaments not too far away (Madrid, Rome), so we are not like the situation in Australia."

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FIFA World Cup 2022 qualifiers: North Macedonia stun Germany; France, England win

Paris: Germany suffered a stunning 2-1 home loss to North Macedonia in World Cup qualifying on Wednesday, while defending champions France edged Bosnia and Herzegovina 1-0 and England beat a Poland side missing the injured Robert Lewandowski.

Napoli midfielder Eljif Elmas secured a famous victory for North Macedonia in Duisburg, scoring five minutes from time to give his country a second win from three Group J matches.

Veteran striker Goran Pandev, 37, put the visitors in front just before half-time but Ilkay Gundogan levelled from the spot after Leroy Sane was fouled in the area.

Timo Werner missed a glorious chance after coming off the bench, and Elmas condemned the four-time world champions to a first defeat in qualifying for the global showpiece since 2001 when he steered in a cut-back from Arijan Ademi.

"I don't know how to explain it. It's not easy to do. We knew that we couldn't underestimate the opponent and I don't think we did that. We just weren't good enough," said Gundogan.

"It's not quite sunk in yet. This is a victory for the whole nation," said North Macedonia coach Igor Angelovski, whose side will make their European Championship debut this summer.

Germany are level alongside North Macedonia in a section led surprisingly by Armenia, who won for the third time in as many games thanks to two late goals in a 3-2 victory over Romania.

Antoine Griezmann scored the only goal of the game in Sarajevo as France recorded a second away win in four days over Bosnia following their 2-0 success in Kazakhstan at the weekend.

After being held 1-1 at home by Ukraine in their opening game on the road to the 2022 finals in Qatar, France are now in a strong position at the top of Group D.

Manchester United defender Harry Maguire struck a late winner for England as the 2018 World Cup semi-finalists overcame Poland 2-1 at Wembley.

Harry Kane put England ahead with a first-half penalty after a foul on Raheem Sterling, but a mistake by John Stones allowed Poland to level through Jakub Moder.

England regained the lead with five minutes left when Maguire smashed home after central defensive partner Stones headed a corner back across goal.

"It is a big win. We are playing to play at a World Cup," Maguire told ITV.

"John (Stones) has been brilliant this year. Defenders make mistakes and when we do we get scrutinised. He made up for it with a great header at the back post."

The nervy win means England top Group I with nine points after wins earlier in the international window against San Marino and Albania.

Wins for Spain and Italy 

Goals from Dani Olmo, Ferran Torres and second-half substitute Gerard Moreno lifted Spain to a 3-1 victory over Kosovo and top of Group B.

However, the qualifier in Seville was overshadowed by a pre-match diplomatic dispute, stemming from the description of Kosovo as a "territory" by the Spanish Football Federation when it published Spain's group fixtures.

Stefano Sensi scored just after his introduction as a half-time substitute to help Italy, who failed to qualify for the 2018 World Cup, register a third successive win in Group C.

Roberto Mancini's team defeated Lithuania 2-0 in Vilnius with Ciro Immobile adding a stoppage-time penalty for the Azzurri.

Andreas Olsen netted twice as Denmark thrashed Austria 4-0 to take charge of Group F, with Joakim Maehle and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg also on target in Vienna.

Scotland are second in the group after easing to a 4-0 win over the Faroe Islands. John McGinn bagged two goals while Che Adams and Ryan Fraser completed the scoring.

Iceland, in the same group as Germany, picked up their first qualifying points with a 4-1 win away to Liechtenstein.

Northern Ireland drew 0-0 at home to Bulgaria while Ukraine were held 1-1 by Kazakhstan in Kiev, a third consecutive draw for the side coached by former national team star Andriy Shevchenko.

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Miami Open: Maria Sakkari ends Naomi Osaka's winning streak to reach semi-finals; Andreescu advances

Miami: Naomi Osaka's 23-match winning streak came to a crashing halt on Wednesday as Japan's world number two was stunned 6-0, 6-4 by Maria Sakkari in the quarter-finals of the Miami Open. 

Japan's Osaka, playing her first tournament since lifting her fourth Grand Slam title at the Australian Open, won just eight points in the first set as she failed to muster a single winner.

Osaka broke in the second game of the second set and seized a 3-0 lead before Sakkari roared back to seal a semi-final spot in the prestigious ATP Masters and WTA hardcourt tournament.

The defeat ended Osaka's chance of overtaking top-seeded Australian Ashleigh Barty atop the world rankings this week, a fact she acknowledged may have upped the pressure she was feeling against Greece's 25th-ranked Sakkari.

"It's hard to say," she said of whether that made a difference in the match.

"The last time I was in this (press conference) seat, I wasn't really thinking at all about rankings, but someone asked me that question, so then I did start to ponder about it a lot.

"So maybe unwillingly that put pressure on myself. But I feel like even if it did, I should be able to rise above that," Osaka said.

Osaka hadn't dropped a set at love since her last defeat, which came in February 2020 in a Fed Cup match.

"She has the most wins so far this year so she's in great form - it meant a lot to me," said Sakkari.

"To be deadly honest, I got a little tight in the first two games of the second set," said Sakkari, who had saved six match points in her fourth-round win over American Jessica Pegula.

"I stayed within myself and started fighting back, hitting a few more balls and winning a few points against her."

Sakkari will face eighth-seeded Canadian Bianca Andreescu for a place in the final.

Andreescu, ranked ninth in the world, clawed out a 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 victory over tenacious 58th-ranked Spaniard Sara Sorribes Tormo.

Andreescu, the 2019 US Open champion trying to work her way back this year after a 15-month injury absence, broke Sorribes in the final game of the opening set, launching a run of eight straight service breaks.

Andreescu was irked by a time violation early in the second, in which Sorribes held serve for the only time in the set for a 5-3 lead - enough of an edge to level the match.

Up a break at 3-2 in the third, Andreescu saved three break points to hold, broke Sorribes again only to drop her own serve but finally sealed it with a stinging backhand down the line on her second match point.

Medvedev seeks semi-finals

Men's quarter-final action got underway at the Hard Rock Stadium with top-seeded Daniil Medvedev taking on seventh-seeded Roberto Bautista Agut.

The Spanish veteran has won both prior encounters with Medvedev, who was runner-up to Novak Djokovic at the Australian Open and reached No 2 in the world with his victory at Marseille in March.

The winner of that match will take on 19-year-old Italian Jannik Sinner, who handled everything Alexander Bublik could throw at him in a 7-6 (7/5), 6-4 victory.

From a 105mph forehand return to an underhand serve, Kazakhstan's Bublik tried everything he could think of, but it was Sinner, with 28 forehand winners, who booked a semi-final berth in just his third Masters 1000 appearance.

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Netflix lands two-film deal for Knives Out sequels, reportedly priced at $450 mn

Detective Benoit Blanc’s next cases will be for Netflix. The streaming company said Wednesday it has reached a deal for two sequels to Rian Johnson’s acclaimed 2019 whodunit, Knives Out.

Netflix declined to say how much it was paying for the films, which Johnson will direct with Daniel Craig returning as inspector Benoit Blanc. But Deadline, which first reported the deal, said the price would approach $450 million — making it one of Netflix’s largest — and most sweater-clad — acquisitions.

It also lands Netflix something it has dearly sought: the kind of major film franchises that traditional studios have long depended on. Production on the second Knives Out, written by Johnson and produced by him and Ram Bergman, is to begin this summer.

Netflix outbid several other streaming services to land Knives Out, something that was even possible because the 2019 film was produced by Media Rights Cable and distributed by Lionsgate on a single-picture deal. Made for $40 million, Knives Out grossed $311.4 million in worldwide ticket sales and landed Johnson an Academy Award nomination for best original screenplay.

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West Indies vs Sri Lanka: Pathum Nissanka shows defiance as visitors trail by 104 runs on rain-affected Day 3

Antigua and Barbuda: Pathum Nissanka kept the West Indies at bay, with Sri Lanka limping to the close at 250 for eight in reply to the home side's first-innings total of 354 on a rain-affected third day of the second and final Test in Antigua on Wednesday.

Bursting with confidence following a debut hundred in the first Test at the same venue just a week earlier, the 22-year-old right-hander defied the Caribbean pacers in compiling an unbeaten 49.

It gave visitors some hope of continuing to whittle away at what is potentially a critical first-innings lead for the West Indies going into day four.

Nissanka's determination for almost three hours, in which he faced 119 deliveries and struck four boundaries, could yet prove beneficial for Sri Lanka should the other overnight batsman, Lasith Embuldeniya, and last man Vishwa Fernando replicate the resistance shown by the West Indian lower order in their first innings.

Before the showers rolled in though, fast bowler Shannon Gabriel produced the most impressive effort of the day, generating the raw, sustained speed which rattled the Sri Lankans on more than one occasion on their last tour of the region in 2018.

Wicketless and out of sorts in the first Test, Gabriel finally claimed his first wicket of the series in the morning session, firing up disconcerting pace to account for Dinesh Chandimal while Dhananjaya de Silva fell to the occasional off-spin of Jermaine Blackwood.

Resuming at the overnight position of 136 for three, Chandimal and Dhananjaya were immediately challenged by the consistent hostility of Gabriel.

Chandimal was lucky to escape when a diving Rahkeem Cornwall could not hold on to catch at first slip but the former captain's luck ran out when he could not control a hook shot to a lifting delivery on the body and substitute fielder Hayden Walsh Jr completed the comfortable catch at deep square-leg to remove Chandimal for 44.

His fifth-wicket partnership with De Silva was worth 75 runs.

Rare wicket for Blackwood 

With the lunch interval beckoning West Indies had even greater cause for celebration when De Silva was adjudged leg-before for 39 to the first delivery of the morning bowled by Blackwood.

Although the batsman trudged off the field dejectedly, television replays of the dismissal confirmed that the decision would have been overturned had he opted for a DRS referral.

Holder removed Niroshan Dickwella to a catch behind while Suranga Lakmal gave Alzarri Joseph his second wicket of the innings via a simple catch to West Indies skipper Kraigg Brathwaite at mid-on in a truncated afternoon period.

When Holder claimed his second wicket by extracting Dushmantha Chameera, the West Indies were doubly keen to push on from that position of 231 for eight to wrap up the innings before the end of play.

However, Nissanka's calm assurance, Embuldeniya's resistance and, most importantly, the return of the rains, which resulted in only 42 overs being bowled in the day, left the West Indies with a job to finish on the penultimate morning.

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Highlights, West Indies vs Sri Lanka, 2nd Test, Day 3 at Antigua: Visitors lose eight wickets, trail by 104 runs

Toggle between the tabs above to switch between quick scorecard, full scorecard and ball-by-ball commentary 

Day 2 report: Left hanging on 99 overnight, West Indies captain Kraigg Brathwaite completed his ninth Test century on Tuesday to place his team in a strong position at stumps on the second day of the second cricket Test against Sri Lanka.

Brathwaite needed only two balls at the start of the day to reach his first century since July 2018. He worked the second ball from Suranga Lakmal to fine leg for a single to also complete his first hundred as West Indies captain from 241 balls with 11 fours.

Brathwaite was the 16th player in Test history to be stranded on 99 overnight and he maintained a streak as all 16 have been converted into hundreds. He has now scored nine of the last 10 centuries by a West Indies opener.

Brathwaite’s 103-run eighth-wicket partnership with Rahkeem Cornwall helped the West Indies to 354 as it batted first after losing the toss. At stumps, Sri Lanka was 136-3, 218 runs behind.

Lahiru Thirimanne followed his scores of 70 and 76 in the first Test with 55 which provided solidity at the top of the Sri Lanka order. Dinesh Chandimal and Dhananjaya de Silva then batted through 25 overs in an unbroken fourth-wicket partnership which was worth 59 runs at stumps when Chandimal was 34 not out and de Silva 23.

De Silva survived a confident appeal for caught behind off Cornwall’s bowling two balls before stumps. He attempted to pull a flighted delivery and there was a clear noise as the ball passed the bat down the leg side.

The umpire rejected Sri Lanka’s appeal for a catch behind and the West Indies called for a review. Replays showed a clear spike as the ball passed the bat. But the television umpire, matching different replay angles with the audio evidence, ruled correctly that the sound didn’t come from the ball hitting the bat.

Jason Holder, who was replaced by Brathwaite as captain, played a major role in encouraging the West Indies players late in the day.

“It’s been a pretty docile wicket so far so we’ve got to try and motivate ourselves,” Holder said. “I took it upon myself to try to encourage the guys and ensure we kept going through the entire innings today.

“It was a pretty good effort from the bowlers so far, not a wicket on which you can just blast people out.”

Holder said the match is closely balanced after two days.

“It’s pretty even-stevens,” he said. “We’ve got two set batsmen at the crease at the moment. Our bowlers toiled very hard, we’re still 60 overs in; maybe if we can grab one of two more wickets before the second new ball then I believe we’ll be pretty much in the game.”

The day began with high anticipation of Brathwaite’s century and he didn’t keep fans waiting.

Cornwall, 43 not out overnight, reached his half century with a four off Lakmal, from 64 balls with eight fours and a six.

Brathwaite survived a confident appeal for lbw when he was 102. Sri Lanka’s appeal was rejected. Replays showed the ball just clipping leg stump.

The century partnership between Brathwaite and Cornwall came from 185 balls with Cornwall contributing 72.

Cornwall had reached a new high score, 73, when he mistimed a drive off Lakmal and provided a gentle, lobbed catch to Vishwa Fernando and mid-off.

Brathwaite stepped up his scoring rate, hitting Lakmal and Dushmantha Chameera to the boundaries at mid-off and mid-on in the next two overs.

He enjoyed a brief stand with Kemar Roach who was out for 9, caught by Niroshan Dickwella off Chameera, giving the wicketkeeper his fifth catch of the innings.

Brathwaite batted through the West Indies innings and was the last man out at 354, dragging a ball from Chameera onto his stumps to end his 514-minute stay at the crease.

With inputs from The Associated Press

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Yashraj Mukhate on the fickle nature of internet fame and desire to create music with longer shelf life

Anyone who has spent enough time mindlessly scrolling on social media all of last year is acquainted with Yashraj Mukhate’s ‘Rasode Mein Kaun Tha’ clip, a comical take on a dialogue from an equally comical and cliched Hindi soap Saath Nibhana Saathiya. An irate Kokilaben (played by Rupal Patel) investigates a damning act of domestic neglect — one of the daughters-in-law, Gopi bahu (Gia Manek) or Rashi (Richa Hasabnis), had placed an empty pressure cooker on the gas stove. She screams the place down, demanding an explanation, “Rasode mein kaun tha? Main thi, tum thi, kaun tha? (Who was in the kitchen? Was it me? Was it you? Who was it?).

The 24-year-old Aurangabad-based musician/producer picked this moment, remixing it into a snappy rap that is set to electronic beats. The video gained viral status in August last year, and overnight, triggered a torrent of memes and Instagram reels (RIP TikTok). Mukhate found the video while he was randomly scrolling on Facebook (There are innumerable hilarious Saath Nibhana Saathiya highlights circulating on the Internet. Remember when Gopi bahu washed a laptop with soap?). But he chose this particular clip for Kokilaben’s rhythmic dialogue delivery. “Musically, unlike my other videos, ‘Rasoda’ has a very basic chord structure, a basic chord progression, and basic programming. There’s nothing much happening music wise,” Mukhate tells me over a Zoom call from his home studio.

He's one of the many Internet entertainers like Ronit Ashra, Ruhee Dosani and Niharika who have garnered a large following in a brief span of time. “I had no expectations that it would go beyond a point that people will recognise me,” he says. 

But now Mukhate has over 4.5 million YouTube subscribers and 2 million followers on Instagram, and has reached a comfortable space where he can pursue projects that truly interest him. Sure, the mashup meme videos get him traction, but they don’t really scratch his creative itch. “I don’t want to be remembered as the guy who just makes catchy tunes.”

A few months ago when Mukhate was still new to the game, the fear of being typecast and losing out on new audiences invariably persisted. “Now I’m stable enough to experiment,” he explains. Mukhate does not wish to let internet trends dictate the kind of music he makes, instead he hopes to push out work with a longer shelf life. In between the meme videos on Instagram, Mukhate often posts covers of his favourite songs; then in January he collaborated with Rekha Bhardwaj for an acapella cover of ‘Insaaf’ (from Meghna Gulzar’s Talvar), and has even worked on a couple of Marathi numbers. As for sustaining himself during the pandemic and even prior to it, Mukhate has always has been working on background scores, jingles for ads. And now that he is recognisable face, even brands are approaching him for endorsements. 

However, there’s a flipside of instant fame, you never know when it's going to blow up in your face. The widespread attention his mixes get has often sparked the question: “Why is he relevant?” Though he has never been subjected to vitriol or incessant trolling, Mukhate accepts that this catch comes with the territory. “People keep asking, ‘Why is this mix being talked about so much? Why is it playing everywhere? So overrated.’ A few months ago I was underrated and suddenly it’s the opposite. I don’t know how that works,” he remarks ruefully.

This attention has made him hyper-aware of his online persona, significantly altering his personal social media habits. "I feel like I’m being watched all the time," says a bemused Mukhate. Or you could make an anonymous account, I suggest. “Of course,” he laughs and raises two fingers to the screen, “I have two. I scroll for memes and reels all day, everyday.” As a creator, he says, the content feels a little pressure to keep his feed limited to his work. “When I had a smaller audience, I used to post little details about my day, what I ate, what’s happening in my life. Not anymore. If so many people are visiting my profile for a particular experience, I only want to give them that.”

Music was introduced early in life, with songs from '60s and '70s Bollywood constantly playing at home. Mukhate's father, a businessman with an avid interest in all things music, was the one who bought him his first-ever keyboard, taught him how to play, and encouraged his ever-growing interest. “The piano you see in the frame was gifted by him too,” he points at the instrument, set against one corner of his studio’s wall.

As a teenager, he discovered the Dev D soundtrack, composed by Amit Trivedi. That’s when his connection with music deepened and he actively changed his listening approach. — dividing it into layers and focusing on its individual parts. Mukhate also has a fondness for Indian regional music, especially Tamil show tunes. We gush over the brilliance of composer Santhosh Narayanan, who Mukhate discovered after watching R Madhavan's Saala Khadoos (the Hindi version of Irudhi Suttru). "I listened to the album and thought to myself that this is different from the usual. I tracked his work, all the original songs of that film and his entire discography."

Armed with a similar passion, when he was much younger, Mukhate dove into acquainting himself with elementary details of music production, and with some amateur mistakes along the way, finally mastered the art. “When the Internet came in and I had access to YouTube, I started looking up my queries. I didn’t even know the term music production. I used to look up ‘How to make a song” or ‘How to make music’. My initial searches used to land me to the website that talked about that topic,” Mukhate tells me. This story, though, isn’t unique. We are all products of a digital age. What’s interesting is the musician has been regularly sharing a “Music Breakdown” series on his YouTube, where he breaks down the different elements that make any popular song, even his own mixes. 

Learning and relearning the know-hows was a solo process. “I worked alone and learned alone. I used to record (a song) and listen to it in my car and it used to sound horrible,” he says, but tips from YouTube and music forums, and his own feedback helped. Even now, Mukhate prefers to work alone, and is a self-proclaimed homebody, even before the pandemic: “I love doing things that require me to stay indoors. I hate leaving my house, there have been times when I haven’t even stepped out of my house’s threshold in weeks.”

Mukhate may be the next big thing; in a recent interaction with Film Companion, AR Rahman lauded the musician for breaking rules of conventionality and creating space for his own art. So what's next in the pipeline? Mukhate, though cryptic about the projects, says, "There have been talks going on with some big production houses. Nothing has been confirmed yet but I’m hoping for good news."

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Godzilla vs. Kong: Tracing why it took six decades for the two monsters to go at each other on big screen

In 1962, the Japanese film studio Toho released King Kong vs. Godzilla, an ambitious monster movie that pitted two of the most popular creatures in cinema history against each other in (supposedly) mortal combat. The movie boasted a drunken Kong; cringeworthy brownface (with Japanese actors darkening their faces to play South Pacific “natives”); and a battle with a giant octopus — played by real octopuses.

The feature became the best attended Godzilla movie in Japan even today, reviving the franchise and setting the stage for scores of monster movies to come.

“In the late 1950s, Toho was creating all these new monsters — Mothra, Rodan — for each new film,” said William M Tsutsui, author of Godzilla on My Mind: Fifty Years of the King of Monsters. “But it really was King Kong vs. Godzilla that cemented Godzilla as the star of Toho’s monster franchise.”

Since then, the two titans have fought giant squids and oversized arachnids and all manner of mechanised beasties — but never each other. Here are two enormously popular movie stars from two countries and film industries obsessed with franchises and sequels and “versus” movies. Why did it take six decades for a rematch? That is the question raised this month when the two finally meet up again in Godzilla vs. Kong, a big-budget, effects-laden feature from Warner Bros and Legendary.

In this latest outing, Godzilla emerges from hiatus and mysteriously runs amok, leading to battles royale with Kong under the sea, aboard Navy ships and in the neon-lit streets of Hong Kong.

(Also read — Godzilla vs. Kong and the future of Kaiju cinema: Why MonsterVerse films herald new direction for the genre)

A lot has changed since 1962. Japanese actors in latex “creature suits” have been replaced by hyperrealistic CGI effects; the creatures are even more enormous (since his film debut, Kong has grown from around 24 feet in 1933 to more than 300 feet today); and the fights are staged on the grandest of scales. And unlike in the first film, when Kong may or may not have been the winner — only he rises from their underwater clash, but seeing as how Godzilla is aquatic, who really knows? — this latest film promises a clear and decisive champ.

That point was crucial for director Adam Wingard, who recalls schoolyard arguments over who would win such a showdown. “There was always the feeling that they didn’t quite get that right, that somebody had to say, look, this is who would win,” he said in a video interview. “I’m not usually a petty person, but maybe this is my way of winning the longest long-term argument in history.”

The path to Godzilla vs. Kong is filled with twists and turns and near-misses. When Godzilla first stomped into Japanese theaters in 1954, the monster was a hit. But a sequel the following year underperformed, and soon, other Toho creatures like Mothra and Rodan were stealing his thunder at the box office. In fact, the 1962 film was originally envisioned by Willis O’Brien, who animated the 1933 stop-motion Kong, as a matchup between the ape and Frankenstein’s monster, but concerns over rights to the Frankenstein character scuttled those plans. Toho stepped in, and offered its celebrated reptile as a replacement partner, timed to the studio’s 30th anniversary.

In the first meeting, the two stars do not start fighting each other until nearly an hour in — and even that is a halfhearted affair, with a lot of bellowing and chest beating but not a lot of brawling. “The fight scenes are intended to be humourous,” Tsutsui said. “This was when Godzilla’s makers were trying to copy pro wrestling, so they’re supposed to be funny and stagy, and didn’t have the gravitas of the Japanese movies from the ’50s, or what we’ve seen more recently from Legendary.”

The ambiguous ending of the film, with Kong rising out of the ocean, led to a popular fan theory that an alternate ending was created for Japanese audiences, with Godzilla as the winner.

“If you’re selling this as Japan vs. the United States, you don’t want either side looking bad,” Tsutsui said. “But more importantly, I think they were thinking remake, King Kong vs. Godzilla II, somewhere down the line.”

Indeed, the box office success of the film in Japan and the US prompted several attempts at a cinematic rematch. Plans for a 1963 sequel fizzled. (In one incarnation, the two beasts work together to save a baby from a raging lava flow.) Later attempts to secure rights to RKO’s version of Kong were rebuffed, leading Toho to a 1967 coproduction with the animation studio Rankin/Bass titled King Kong Escapes, which featured struggles with Mechani-Kong, a robot doppelgänger, and a giant dinosaur. In the early ’90s, Toho considered a remake of the 1962 film as well as a feature pitting Godzilla against Mechani-Kong, but both went nowhere. Still, even without Kong, Godzilla thrived, becoming Toho’s most popular monster and one of the world’s longest running film franchises.

Plans for Godzilla vs. Kong were announced in 2015 as part of Legendary’s MonsterVerse, the multimedia franchise begun the year before with director Gareth Edwards’ Godzilla. After solo outings in 2017 in Kong: Skull Island and Godzilla: King of the Monsters, the pair’s meeting was hyped as a “spectacular battle for the ages” by Legendary and Warner Bros.

Unlike the 1962 original, there is no waiting around for the monsters to show. A third of the way in, we have already seen Kong use sign language, shower and scratch himself; Godzilla lay waste to a swath of Pensacola, Florida; and the two wage a slugfest at sea, with Godzilla’s tail slicing through ships, and Kong, no great shakes as a swimmer, struggling mightily out of his element.

“I saw Kong in the action scenes as this sort of John McClane, ’80s action archetype, where it’s one guy with his back against the wall, and you keep throwing more and more things at him,” Wingard said.

There is a lot to throw, from parts of buildings and fighter jets to an ax fashioned from the spike from the back of one of Godzilla’s distant ancestors. There is even an Easter egg homage to a scene in the 1962 original, in which Kong jams a tree trunk down Godzilla’s gullet.

But the action does not get too bloody, other than maybe one scene in which Kong tears the head off a flying reptile and chugs the green brains from the animal’s decapitated skull. “You never want to go to a place where you’re being grisly just to be grisly,” said Alex Garcia, who has served as a producer on all four of the MonsterVerse films. “But Godzilla’s an animal. He’s gotta eat.”

(Also read — Godzilla vs. Kong: Hollywood has picked a winner, but what does the science say?)

In the end, the filmmakers had to contend with expectations built up over a six-decade-long wait. Just in the past few months, impatient fans have come up with numerous theories about the showdown based on leaked news and snippets from trailers of the film — including one particularly imaginative conjecture, in which the inexplicably rampaging Godzilla is actually Mechagodzilla, the lizard’s evil mechanical rival, wearing Godzilla’s skin.

“Yeah, I saw that one,” Garcia said, laughing. “It actually got a lot of traction. And that’s why I love the Godzilla fans so much. I love that people would go there with it.”

Robert Ito c.2021 The New York Times Company

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England midfielder Declan Rice calls for action over social media abuse of footballers

London: Declan Rice on Tuesday said England players could consider boycotting social media in the future if the current abuse of Premier League stars is not resolved.

Former Arsenal and France star Thierry Henry left all of his platforms earlier this week after saying enough had not been done to tackle racist abuse across social media sites.

A host of Premier League players including Manchester United duo Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial and Chelsea's Reece James have been subjected to vile online taunts.

Calls for social media companies to take stronger action against internet trolls have so far produced an underwhelming response in the eyes of many Premier League players.

Ahead of Wednesday's World Cup qualifier against Poland, West Ham midfielder Rice said the England team had yet to discuss the issue as a group but he hinted they could be forced to take action if the situation doesn't improve.

"I think something definitely has to be done. There has been way too much social media abuse, in the last year especially," Rice told reporters.

"For someone like me, who runs my own account and has that interaction and love with the fans, I don't have any problems with social media.

"I think it's important that a player like me can have that interaction with West Ham fans and England fans.

"But yes, Thierry Henry has obviously boycotted it and I saw (Gareth) Bale came out and say something. It's maybe a decision that will be spoken about in the future by the players."

Ironically, Rice was speaking after becoming a more light-hearted social media meme over the weekend following England's World Cup qualifier against Albania.

As England celebrated a goal in the 2-0 victory, Rice put up his hand for a high five only to be roundly ignored by his team-mates -- an image that went viral on the internet.

"It was funny because as we were on the plane and just about to leave Albania, Harry Kane, I didn't think he'd seen what had happened and he's seen the video and called me and said, 'Dec, sorry mate'," Rice said.

"I turned round to him and had a bit of a laugh. Like I said to the boss, I've been turned into a meme again.

"We had the one with Mason (Mount) scaring me and obviously now I've been left hanging, so I need to improve on that front."

 

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IPL 2021: DC head coach Ricky Ponting feels captaincy will make Rishabh Pant an even better player

Mumbai: Delhi Capitals head coach Ricky Ponting is convinced that leading the side in the upcoming season of the Indian Premier League will make swashbuckling wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant an even better player.

Pant was named the captain of Delhi Capitals for the upcoming IPL after regular skipper Shreyas Iyer was ruled out of the tournament after he injured his left shoulder during the recently-concluded England's tour of India.

"Unfortunate that Shreyas will miss the tournament, but looking forward to seeing @RishabhPant17 grab his opportunity. It's well deserved for his recent performances and he's coming in with a lot of confidence. I'm convinced captaincy will make him an even better player," Ponting tweeted.

Unfortunate that Shreyas will miss the tournament, but looking forward to seeing @RishabhPant17 grab his opportunity. It's well deserved for his recent performances and he's coming in with a lot of confidence. I'm convinced captaincy will make him an even better player. https://t.co/tVqMnLt1Er

— Ricky Ponting AO (@RickyPonting) March 31, 2021

The highly-rated Pant has been in sensational form across formats this year. He played match-winning knocks of 97 and unbeaten 89 in the third and the fourth Test against Australia to help India clinch the Border Gavaskar Trophy Down Under.

He followed that up with a brilliant century against England in the fourth Test in Ahmedabad, forcing the selectors to include him in the white-ball squads.

Making a comeback into the Indian white-ball side, Pant was promoted to No 4 in the series against England, and the 23-year-old did not disappoint. He scored half-centuries in the two ODIs he featured in.

This season will mark the wicketkeeper-batsman's debut as IPL captain. Pant has led Delhi's state team in the past.

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Amazon Prime Video India to premiere Fahadh Faasil's crime drama Joji on 7 April

Fahadh Faasil's Malayalam crime drama Joji will have its world premiere on Amazon Prime Video on 7 April.

Directed by Dileesh Pothan, Joji also stars Baburaj, Shammi Thilakan, Alistair Alex and Unnimaya Prasad in pivotal roles.

The film is inspired by Shakespeare's tragedy Macbeth and aims to presents a "twisted version" of the plot filled with greed, ambition, murder and mystery.

Joji marks the third directorial collaboration between Pothan and Faasil, who have earlier worked for 2016 comedy-drama Maheshinte Prathikaaram and National Award-winning feature Thondimuthalum Driksakshiyum.

The film revolves around Joji, an engineering dropout and the youngest son of the rich plantation family who lives with his aspirations of becoming a super wealthy NRI.

His father, however, thinks of him as nothing more than a loser. Driven by greed and blind ambition, Joji finally decides to execute his plans following an unexpected event in the family, as per the film's official plotline.

Faasil said he decided to board the project the moment he understood his character's journey in Joji.

"I give myself enough time to understand my character and essentially become it, but Joji is one such character that had an edge to it which made the role interesting and appealing to me.

"I am excited that with Joji premiering on Amazon Prime Video, viewers across the globe will be able to enjoy our crime drama," the 38-year-old actor said.

For Pothan, reuniting with his long-time collaborator in Joji was fruitful and the director hoped that the the film will keep audiences "hooked till the end."

"It was an amazing experience to work with such a brilliant and hardworking team. Every actor embraced their characters so beautifully," he added.

Written by Syam Pushkaran, Joji is produced by Bhavana Studios in association with Fahadh Faasil and Friends and Working Class Hero.

(With inputs from Press Trust of India)

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Ryan Reynolds, Samuel L Jackson film The Hitman’s Wife's Bodyguard moves up release to June

The sequel to Ryan Reynolds and Samuel L Jackson-starrer The Hitman’s Bodyguard will now open in the US two months earlier than expected.

The new film, titled The Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard, will be released by Lionsgate on 16 June instead of 20 August, reported Deadline.

Check out the announcement here

only in theaters june 16, 2021. #hitmanswife pic.twitter.com/rAxSbZNvPq

— Lionsgate (@Lionsgate) March 29, 2021

The move came after Disney decided to release action-comedy Free Guy, also starring Reynolds, on 13 August.

The film now arrives the weekend after Warner Bros/HBO Max’s musical In the Heights debuts in the theatres and prior to the release of Universal's F9 on 25 June.

Directed by Patrick Hughes, The Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard sees bodyguard Michael Bryce (Reynolds) and hitman Darius Kincaid (Jackson) stuck in another dangerous mission, this time with Darius' con artist wife Sonia (Salma Hayek).

As Bryce tries to protect this dangerous couple, this trio finds themselves in the crosshairs of a powerful maniac, played by Antonio Banderas.

The movie will also feature Morgan Freeman, Frank Grillo and Richard E Grant.

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Tokyo man charged over cyberbullying and online abuse after Netflix star’s suicide

Tokyo | A man has been charged over online abuse directed at a Japanese star of Netflix reality show Terrace House who took her own life last year, prosecutors said Tuesday.

A spokesman for Tokyo Prosecutors’ Office told AFP they had made a “summary indictment against a man in his 20s” following the May 2020 death of Hana Kimura, a cast member of the internationally popular TV show.

Police referred the man, who has not been named, to prosecutors in December, saying: “The suspect... posted messages on a social media account of the victim, including ‘You have such an awful personality. Is your life worth living?’ and ‘Hey, hey. When will you die?'”

The man has been charged with making public insults but is not obliged to face trial under the indictment, as is often the case for relatively minor offences in Japan.

Local media said a Tokyo court had issued an order to fine him 9,000 yen ($80).

Kimura, a confident pink-haired professional wrestler, was a fan favourite on the Japanese show Terrace House, in which six young people share a home while looking for love.

But she was targeted by a torrent of abuse online, reportedly including comments such as “everyone will be happy if you’re gone”.

The show was cancelled after Kimura’s death, which made international headlines and led Japanese ministers and lawmakers to move to tackle cyberbullying.

Tuesday’s indictment prompted concerns from some on Twitter that the punishment was too light.

“If he can get away with 9,000 yen, I’m worried that the number of cyberbullies will increase,” wrote one user, while another said: “It’s extremely wrong. There is no justice.”

*

A collection of Suicide prevention helpline numbers are available here. Please reach out if you or anyone you know is in need of support. The All-India helpline number is: 022 2754 6669

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Former Bigg Boss contestant Ajaz Khan arrested by NCB in connection to a drugs case

The Narcotics Control Bureau has arrested Bollywood actor and former Bigg Boss contestant Ajaz Khan in connection with a drugs case, a senior NCB official said on Wednesday.

Khan was initially detained by the NCB Mumbai zonal unit on Tuesday after he landed at the city airport, he said.

Khan's name had cropped up during interrogation of drug peddler Shadab Batata, he said.

Accordingly, Khan was questioned by the NCB at its office in south Mumbai and his statement was recorded late Tuesday night.

After examining his role in the crime, he was placed under arrest, the official said

A team led by NCB's zonal director Sameer Wankhede also conducted searches at Andheri and Lokhandwala areas along with Khan in connection with the case.

Khan was taken into custody after he visited the NCB office.

While speaking to media persons before entering the NCB's office on Tuesday, Khan said he was not detained and he had himself come to meet the anti-drug agency's officers. Khan landed in Mumbai only on Tuesday.

(With inputs from Press Trust of India)

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Tokyo Olympics 2020: Xinjiang link prompts concerns over Australian athletes' uniforms

Sydney: Australian Olympians became embroiled in the global row over Chinese forced-labour cotton on Wednesday as the country revealed its uniforms for the upcoming Tokyo Games. 

The Australian Olympic committee faced criticism as they rolled out ASICS-branded sportswear, with the company facing questions over their use of cotton from the Xinjiang region.

"We've been assured that none of the cotton for the Australian Olympic team comes from that region," said Ian Chesterman, Australian Olympic Committee vice president.

"I think athletes at the moment need to focus on what their job is, which is to get out there and compete for Australia," he said during a press conference.

At least one million Uyghurs and people from other mostly Muslim groups are believed to have been held in camps in Xinjiang, in China's northwest. 

Human rights groups, independent media and foreign governments have found evidence that the local authorities have carried out mass detention, forced labour, political indoctrination, torture, and forcible sterilisation.

The United States have described the situation as genocide and banned all cotton from Xinjiang. Australia's parliament is considering a similar move.

Several major fashion brands recently announced they would no longer use cotton from Xinjiang - for fear it has been produced by forced labour.

But ASICS was one of several firms - hoping to safeguard access to China's vast marketplace - that initially responded to the allegations by vowing to "continue to purchase and support Xinjiang cotton." 

'Disgusting and shameful'

Nathan Ruser, a researcher at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, was among the critics describing Australia's use of ASICS sportswear as "disgusting and shameful."

An ASICS spokesperson told AFP on Wednesday that the initial company statement on Chinese social media was "unauthorised" and did not represent "our official corporate position on this matter." 

"We are fully committed to working closely with business partners to ensure human rights are respected and environmental standards are met at all times," the spokesperson said.

The Chinese government have denied carrying out rights abuses but companies that have voiced concerns have been punished.

Swedish fashion retailer H&M disappeared from Chinese shopping apps and been targeted for boycott.

Chinese state-run tabloid the Global Times on Tuesday said ASICS had become "the latest target of a boycott by Chinese customers" and was facing "catastrophic losses" after backtracking on their initial statement.

China are one of the world's largest suppliers of cotton, making up around one-fifth of the global total.

Almost 90 percent of China's cotton is believed to come from Xinjiang.

"I don't think any Australian athlete wants to wear a uniform produced by a company that is sourcing cotton from Xinjiang," Elaine Pearson, Australia director for Human Rights Watch, told AFP.

"This is a test case for companies like ASICS about how committed they are to upholding human rights principles," she said. 

"They should do their due diligence and be transparent in reporting about their supply chain."

"The Chinese government is showing their true colours by pressuring companies to be complicit in abuses rather than working to end violations against Uyghurs and other Turkic Muslims," Pearson added.

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Popularity of shows like Netflix's Lupin, along with EU rules, bolsters European content into mainstream Hollywood

Lupin, a French reboot set in postcard Paris, has made Omar Sy a global star and fulfilled a long-lost dream for Europeans: the confidence to take on Hollywood.

But, in a devilish twist worthy of the gentleman thief himself, the leap forward for European productions comes thanks to Netflix, a quintessentially American success story.

Netflix is investing massively to become a global television player, but when it comes to making shows in Europe, the company, along with rivals Disney Plus and Amazon Prime, actually has no choice.

Since 2018, a European Union rule has dictated that platforms offer their subscribers at least 30 percent European content, and that they invest in local shows.

And, while the Netflix revolution is mostly welcomed, this brave new world of binge-watching and algorithmic programme guides has triggered soul-searching among Europe's creators.

Greenlit in Paris

According to the company, Netflix has 100 films and series in various stages of production across the European Union with production teams and senior executives hard at work in France, Spain, Germany and Italy.

"When we think about European content we're really thinking about: 'Okay, what is a show that's going to be huge in France that our French members will love? What is a German show that our German members will love?" said Larry Tanz, who oversees Netflix's original programming for Europe.

"And what we find is, not to oversimplify, is that shows often fall into two categories. There's the very local shows ... like Love and Anarchy in Sweden ... and then you have shows like Barbarians or Casa de Papel or The Crown with a broader potential."

The Netflix model is radically different from old Hollywood, in which the major studios would unleash their blockbusters or TV series with no interest in setting up shop.

Netflix, on the other hand, wants to be seen as local.

"You go from somebody sitting in Los Angeles, getting a script that has to be translated and they make a decision there, to where we are now, which is an executive sitting in Paris, gets the script in French ... and the decision to make that show is made in Paris," Tanz said.

One of those executives in Paris is Damien Couvreur, who said Netflix wanted to send the signal "that we were willing to commit and find our seat at the table of the French industry".

"We're trying not to replicate what's already available," he added. Netflix is looking for the unique and authentic, he said.

Netflix high

Belgian screenwriter Sanne Nuyens has experienced the incredible high of Netflix fame.

Her show Hotel Beau Sejour, a moody fantasy thriller co-written with Bert Van Dael, became a sleeper hit on the platform, winning praise from bestselling US author Stephen King.

"You write a show for a certain audience and if the audience gets bigger, if it's not only Flanders, or Belgium, but it's also Europe and the whole world, it's fantastic," she said.

But creating quality content is expensive, pushing production companies to team up.

Elly Vervloet is on the frontlines of that new dynamic, in charge of international drama for the Flemish broadcaster VRT, which created Hotel Beau Sejour.

Vervloet's Drama Initiative at the European Broadcaster Union pools money, allowing broadcasters to embark on more expensive projects and fight Netflix toe to toe.

Good partners, but...

If the co-production doesn't work out, Vervloet says that Netflix are "good partners" but "it comes with a cost. You have to talk about your rights, you have to talk about the branding. You have to be strong in your negotiations."

"And if you sell your content to a platform, it is less accessible for other public broadcasters and that is the concern on the European level."

Jerome Dechesne, the head of CEPI, an association for European creators, said Netflix's way of doing business is Hollywood-style: "They finance everything and they keep the final cut."

However, he praised Netflix for breaking what he called the "oligopoly" of major broadcasters -- such the BBC or France's TF1 — that had controlled film and TV drama in Europe for decades.

Moreover, he said, Netflix has put an end to this "inferiority complex" of shows not made in English.

But he noted that the EU reform was pushing platforms to put money into independent content, not just their own shows, which helps preserve the independence of production companies.

Netflix's euro-blockbusters will co-exist with innovative content and "that will be super interesting," he said.

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BJP's Mithun Chakraborty, TMC MP Dev to collaborate on untitled Bengali movie amid West Bengal polls

Leaving behind their political identities, Bollywood superstar Mithun Chakraborty, who has recently joined the BJP, and actor-turned-TMC MP Deepak Adhikari, better known by his screen name Dev, have teamed up for a Bengali film.

The announcement came at a time when the two heroes are busy with campaigns for their respective parties in the West Bengal assembly elections and have been leading roadshows.

The Bengali film, which will be directed by Avijit Sen, is a joint venture between Bengal Talkies and a movie production company of Tollywood heartthrob Dev.

The producer told PTI on Tuesday that the title of the film is not yet finalised.

Describing Chakraborty as "our very own" the TMC MP from Ghatal said he is excited to have him on board.

Check out the announcement here

Proud to present the next joint venture of @DEV_PvtLtd & @BengalTalkies starring none other than our very own #MithunDa & Myself🙏🏻
Super excited and proud to have him onboard.
Directed by @AVIJIT416
Stay tuned for more.😘@AdvARC_official pic.twitter.com/QmaAzwfFFc

— Dev (@idevadhikari) March 28, 2021

They had earlier come together in Bengali blockbuster Herogiri by Ravi Kinnagi in 2015.

Chakraborty will do a Bengali film with Dev for the first time after joining the BJP.

Ray Choudhury, who had produced superhit Bengali films like Muktadhara, Prakton, Belaseshe and Sanjbati said, "Possible shooting dates and storyline will be announced in coming days. I am excited to have Mithun and Dev onboard. I had worked with Dev earlier."

Chakraborty, who earlier maintained close ties with West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, was nominated to the Rajya Sabha by the TMC in 2014.

He, however, quit the Upper House in 2016 citing health reasons, after his name surfaced in the Saradha ponzi scam.

(With inputs from Press Trust of India)

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FIFA World Cup 2022 qualifiers: England, Italy, Germany seek to maintain winning momentum

A look at what’s happening in 2022 World Cup qualifying in Europe on Wednesday:

Group B

Spain host Kosovo looking to improve after disappointing performances in a home draw against Greece and a late win at Georgia. Coach Luis Enrique said he was worried because he expected Spain to face more difficulties getting through the tight defensive scheme that Kosovo will likely use. There was controversy ahead of the match as the Spanish football federation referred to Kosovo as a “territory.” Spain does not recognize Kosovo’s 2008 independence from Serbia. The Kosovo federation warned it wouldn’t play the match unless Spain pledged to respect the Balkan country’s sovereignty, including their anthem and flag. It said Spanish officials promised the game would “be held in line with the FIFA and UEFA rules and protocol.” Greece host Georgia in the other group match. Both teams are yet to win.

Group C

Italy can put pressure on group rival Switzerland with a win in Lithuania. That would move the Azzurri three points ahead of idle Switzerland atop the group in which the other three clubs all have zero points. Italy are on a 24-match unbeaten run but have injury issues with midfielder Marco Verratti and Alessandro Florenzi out following a 2-0 win in Bulgaria on Sunday. Jorginho was not called up due to injury, while captain Giorgio Chiellini, goalscorer Domenico Berardi and Francesco Caputo each picked up physical issues in the opening 2-0 win over Northern Ireland, who now host Bulgaria.

Group D

Defending champions France had a short turnaround before facing a fresh Bosnia-Herzegovina, who did not play last weekend. So the decision by France coach Didier Deschamps to rest key players in the 2-0 win at Kazakhstan on Sunday may prove a wise one. Striker Olivier Giroud is pushing for a return to the France lineup after sitting out against Kazakhstan, while Adrien Rabiot may return to central midfield alongside Paul Pogba. In the other game, Ukraine host Kazakhstan and looks for their first win after draws with France and Finland.

Group F

Denmark can take a huge step toward the only automatic qualification place on offer for the group winner if they can win in Austria. The Danes seek a third straight victory after resting all their first-choice starters for a 8-0 win over Moldova on Sunday. Austria can go top with a win in Vienna and has 23-year-old forward Saša Kalajdžić looking to score for a third straight qualifier. Scotland have fought back to earn draws at home to Austria and at Israel, and need to finally take a lead and win against the Faroe Islands in Glasgow. Moldova host Israel with each having just one point from two games.

Group I

England are looking for a third straight win to open their qualifying campaign when they face Poland, who are without captain and star striker Robert Lewandowski through injury as well as three players who have tested positive for the coronavirus. England have already beaten San Marino and Albania in a gentle start to the group and lead by two points from Poland and Hungary, who drew their opening qualifier 3-3. While England coach Gareth Southgate reported an injury-free squad for the game, his Poland counterpart Paulo Sousa must dig into his reserves. Mateusz Klich, Lukasz Skorupski and Kamil Piatkowski are the players missing because of positive tests for COVID-19 though experienced midfielder Grzegorz Krychowiak could be available after returning a negative test on Tuesday, a day after testing positive himself. Hungary are away to Andorra while San Marino host Albania.

Group J

Even after just two games, it looks like little can stop Germany qualifying as they prepares to host North Macedonia. Opening wins over Iceland and Romania mean that Germany have already beaten both of the teams expected to be their closest rivals in the group. The squad is depleted by injuries and a coronavirus case, though, and coach Joachim Löw was irritated by a string of missed chances which made for a nervy finish to the 1-0 win over Romania on Sunday. Romania look to gets their campaign back on track at the group's surprise early contender Armenia, who beat Iceland 2-0 last time out but are without the injured Henrikh Mkhitaryan. Iceland visit Liechtenstein determined to end a seven-game losing run.

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