Bihari actor creates a buzz in Latin American film industry

Agencies
January 2, 2018

Washington, Jan 2: Patna-born Prabhakar Sharan has become a rising star in the Latin American film industry with his first Spanish movie "Enredados: la confusion" (Entangled: The Confusion), becoming one of the most popular films of the year in Costa Rica.

Said to be the first Latin American film made in typical Bollywood style of songs and dance, it was shot in Costa Rica, Mumbai and Panama.

Prabhakar, who plays the lead role opposite Nancy Dobles, a popular Costa Rican television hostess, plans to release his dream project in English, Hindi and Bhojpuri as "Ek Chor, Do Mastikhor" in March-April.

Ex-world wrestling champion and Hollywood actor, Scott Steiner plays a lead role in the movie, which has been produced by Costa Rica-based Pacific Investment Corporation.

The supporting cast includes local actors Mario Chacon and Jose Castro in the film. Panamanians, Colombians and Argentines have also collaborated on the project.

Released in February last year, and distributed by Cinepolis in six countries Costa Rica, Panama, Nicaragua, Honduras, Guatemala and San Salvador, the movie registered box office success.

Cinepolis is now planning to release the movie in more than a dozen Latin America countries in March or April this year and also in the US.

"Khiladi 786" fame Ashish Mohan initially directed the movie. However, Prabhakar himself ended up directing the movie after he and Mohan parted ways following differences.

"It is a film that bonds the two communities (Indian and Latins) together," Prabhakar said in an interview.

Jose Castro, film commissioner Costa Rica said it was for the first time that a Costa Rican cinema had such kind of production and entertainment.

"This movie is not a just a movie for theatre it has become a milestone in the Latin movie industry for the new difference and changes by its style," Prabhakar said.

But the journey to making the movie has not been easy.

Prabhakar landed in Costa Rica as a student for studies at Universidad Panamericana in 2000. After completing his studies, he started a chain of Indian clothing and restaurants.

By 2006, he started bringing Bollywood movies to Costa Rican theatres and Monster Truck shows from the US.

"My company was the first to bring Bollywood movies commercially to Central America," he said.

However, his endeavour in business was not successful.

He moved back to India between 2010 and 2013, during which he divorced from his wife.

With nothing working for him in India, Prabhakar decided to move back to Costa Rica in 2014 and revive his passion of making the first Bollywood movie in Latin America where he met Teresa Rodriguez Cerdas, a university owner, educationist and philanthropist.

"She took my dream as her own and helped me generate a sum of USD 1.5 million for the movie," he said.

He is a successful businessman now but cinema remains his passion. His next project is "Borders without Life", about people who risk their lives to come to the US illegally.

Prabhakar's parents Prabhunath Sharan and Subhadra Prasad are retired bankers from Motihari.

He was born in Patna and did his schooling from Bhurkunda and Ramnagar which is now in Jharkhand. He went to Rohtak for his college education and moved to Costa Rica to complete his studies.

Top Indian diplomats stationed in Latin America have praised Prabhakar for his effort in promoting Indian films.

"The movie is a proud step which will create the landmark in the Latin cinema industry, it promotes our culture and it's a fusion of Indian and Latin cinema...," said Sandeep Chakravorty, the former Indian Ambassador to Peru and the Consulate General of India in New York.

"Prabhakar Sharan is the flower of my garden and he has taken the first step to open a big market in Latin America for Bollywood. The movie entertains local community in our big Bollywood style," said Shamma Jain, Ambassador of India for Costa Rica, Panama, Nicaragua.

"Very entertaining and a big step for the two cultures and the two industries. 'Enredados: la Confusion' is just not a movie, it's the first step where we can see the local community enjoying Bollywood culture," said Sandeep Babu Kurup, Ambassador of India to Guatemala.

According to Mariela Cruz, Ambassador of Costa Rica to India, the film is an important initiative because of its fusion of two cultures.

"As an ambassador of Costa Rica to India, I am very proud of this great effort that will serve as a platform to enhance the beauty of our country and to make known in other latitudes the first Bollywood-style film produced in Costa Rica for all of Latin America," he said.

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News Network
May 26,2020

Washington, May 26: Making a slight change to the name of their newborn, Tesla CEO Elon Musk and his singer girlfriend Grimes have now named their first child X AE A-Xii.

The difference is only in the numeral part of the name which is now written in the Roman format.

Earlier this month, the celebrity couple hogged headlines for naming their son X AE A-12.

The change in the name came when an Instagram follower of the Canadian singer asked if she had considered changing the name of the child and she replied with, "X AE A-Xii."

However, the performer didn't provide further insight concerning the reason behind the change.

Canadian singer Grimes gave birth to her first child on May 4.

The 32-year-old had earlier taken to Twitter and explained the meaning of the baby's name.  

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Agencies
January 5,2020

Los Angeles: Kevin Feige may have confirmed that the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) will be getting its first transgender superhero but the Marvel Studios has said there is no definite timeline for that.

During a Q&A at the New York Film Academy, a fan had asked Feige about whether the studio plans to introduce LGBTQ characters into the MCU, "specifically the trans characters".

To this, the Marvel Studios president had replied, "Yes, absolutely, yes... And very soon. In a movie that we're shooting right now."

But sources in the company clarified to Variety that Feige only confirmed the first part of the comments that a trans character will appear in the MCU in future but he did not give a time period.

Though Feige did not reveal the name of the project that will introduce a LGBTQ character, fans speculate that he may have been referring to "The Eternals".

The film, which will feature an ensemble cast of Richard Madden, Angelina Jolie, Salma Hayek, Kit Harington and others, is set to unveil a gay superhero in the MCU.

Marvel Studios has been making efforts to incorporate more diversity in its films after the success of "Black Panther", which featured a virtually all-black cast, and its first woman-fronted superhero movie "Captain Marvel".

"Avengers: Endgame", which became the highest grossing movie of all-time, had featured the MCU's first gay character, a cameo by director Joe Russo.

In 2020, the studio has two releases -- Scarlett Johansson-starrer "Black Widow" and "The Eternals" -- which have been helmed by women directors.

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Agencies
February 10,2020

Hollywood star Joaquin Phoenix finally ended his dry run at the Oscars as he picked up the best actor trophy for his performance in and as "Joker" at the 92nd Academy Awards.

The 45-year-old actor had earlier bagged a BAFTA, a Golden Globe and a Screen Actors Guild Award for his turn as a failed, unhinged stand-up comedian who descends into chaos.

In a lengthy and rambling speech, Phoenix touched upon racism, climate change and gender inequality. He also remembered his brother River Phoenix, who died of a drug overdose at the age of 23 in 1993.

"When he was 17, my brother wrote this lyric. He said, 'run to the rescue with love and peace will follow'," Phoenix said. At the Academy Awards and the entire Hollywood award season, Phoenix had emerged as an undisputed frontrunner even though he was up against the likes of Leonardo DiCaprio ("Once Upon a Time in Hollywood"), Adam Driver ("Marriage Story"), "Antonio Banderas ("Pain & Glory") and Jonathan Pryce ("The Two Popes").

An Oscar had eluded Phoenix for the most part of his career, despite his successful collaborations with Ridley Scott ("Gladiator"), James Mangold ("Walk The Line") and Paul Thomas Anderson ("The Master"), all of which had earned him nominations.

But as Arthur Fleck aka The Joker, Phoenix finally managed to break that jinx and became the second actor to win an Oscar for playing the DC comic book villain after the posthumous best supporting actor win to Heath Ledger in 2008.

As Joker, Phoenix took a deep dive into character, capturing its essence as well as maniacal spirit in both body and soul.

He lost 52 pounds to get into the physicality of Fleck and turned to a pathological disorder to get his distinct laughter right.

Phillips wrote the part keeping Phoenix in mind though the actor took some convincing to play the role.

Phoenix started the film's festival circuit tour on a positive note at Cannes last year that followed by stops at Venice and Toronto.

The film had also courted controversies, owing to its theme of gun violence in the movie as well as Phoenix's temperamental press tour that saw him walking out of an interview midway.

But critics and the fans loved the actor's riveting turn in the movie and his pointed speeches.

At the Golden Globes, he called out the industry for its insensitivity towards climate change and pulled up his peers for using private jets for travel, while at the SAGs, he joked how he would always lose a role to DiCaprio and asked Christian Bale to deliver a bad performance for once in his career.

In his acceptance speech at the BAFTAs, Phoenix acknowledged the lack of diversity in the nominations, calling himself a part of the problem. Phoenix's career most praised performances include "Signs ", "We Own the Night", "Two Lovers", "The Immigrant", "Her", "You Were Never Really Here" and "Inherent Vice".

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