Actress Revathy clarifies comment on girl who sought help

Agencies
October 14, 2018

Thiruvananthapuram, Oct 14: A day after criticising Malayalam actor's body AMMA, senior south Indian actress Revathy Sunday came out with a clarification on a comment she had made on the the experience of a minor girl during the shooting of a film years ago.

In a press note, Revathi said, the incident, which she mentioned, had happened 25 or 26 years back and not in recent years as some people were projecting it to be.

The 'Kilukkam' actress also made it clear that the girl, who had sought her help was not sexually or physically assaulted.

The actress-director came out with a clarification after many people had criticised her silence and a man reportedly filed a police complaint against her for "hiding" the incident all these years.

While detailing the necessity to make the film industry a safer place for women, Revathy had said in the press meet called by Women in Cinema Collective in Kochi Saturday that, a 17-year-old girl had knocked at her doors, pleading to save her during the shooting of a movie.

The meet was to expose the alleged apathetic stand taken by the leadership of the Association for Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA) against the young actress who was abducted and molested in her car in February, 2017.

"On that night, at around 11.30 PM, a 17-year-old girl, whose identity I do not wish to disclose, came running to my room and knocked on my door," Revathy said.

She had said that some one repeatedly knocked at her door asking her to open and she did not know who it was.

This happened in spite of her grandmother staying with her, Revathy said adding she asked her to come inside the room and locked the door.

"The girl was scared and I was also equally scared and both of us waited out that night in fear. No sexual or physical assault actually happened. That is an incident which has always troubled me all these years," the senior actress said.

Revathy said she had shared the experience since she did not want such incidents to be repeated in the industry any more.

"Though a lot of people might think it was a trivial issue, it was a traumatic experience for me and that girl.

No one should dare to come and scare a young artist into submission," she said adding that she did not have the courage to go and confront whoever was out there that night.

The WCC members including Revathy Saturday had criticised AMMA and its leadership for allegedly showing "bias" against the assaulted actress and supporting actor Dileep, the accused in the sensational case.

A platform of women actors, directors, script writers and singers of the Malayalam industry, the WCC was launched soon after the shocking actress assault incident, to ensure gender justice and safeguard women's rights in the film world.

The WCC members have been on the warpath since the actors' body had decided to reinstate prominent actor Dileep, who was arrested on charges of conspiracy in the actress assault case and later released on bail.

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News Network
May 14,2020

Mumbai, Mar 14: Animal Planet has announced a new documentary "The Zoo: COVID-19 And Animals", which seeks to explore the effects of coronavirus on animals.

The special will see Dave Salmoni, Animal Planet’s big cat expert, talking to a number of experts, from the World Health Organization to wildlife biologists, in order to find out how COVID-19 is affecting animals and what pet owners can do to safeguard them.

The issue came to forefront when a four-year-old Malayan tiger tested positive for COVID-19 at Bronx Zoo in New York.

The documentary will feature chief veterinarian of Bronx Zoo, who will give an update on the big cats and their treatment, and also Dr Peter Embarek from WHO's COVID-19 Task Force, who works particularly on all aspects of the virus related to animals.

In a statement, Salmoni said, "When news about Nadia the tiger came out the questions immediately began; what about my pets? How do I keep my animals and family safe? We’re going to answer these questions and more through this documentary."

"We're speaking to a wide range of experts from the World Health Organization, to wildlife biologists, to veterinarians. We are at war with this disease and so we get down to the nitty-gritty, and discuss practical questions about daily lives with our pets," he added.

Sai Abishek, Director – Content, Factual & Lifestyle Entertainment – South Asia, Discovery, said, "We have been the forefront of busting myths around novel coronavirus with international documentaries. With this latest film, we take a hard look at how animals are being treated during such a crisis and the safety measures that can be taken to keep both, the people and their pets healthy."

"The Zoo: COVID-19 And Animals" will premiere on May 17 on Animal Planet, Animal Planet HD and Discovery Plus app.

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News Network
July 1,2020

Los Angeles, Jul 1: Bollywood stars Alia Bhatt, Hrithik Roshan and costume designer Neeta Lulla are among the 819 artistes and executives who have received invitations to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS).

Bhatt's last movie, the Zoya Akhtar-directed Gully Boy was India's official entry for best international feature category at the 2019 Oscars. However, the film had failed to make it to the final five.

Other prominent Indian names to receive invitations are casting director Nandini Shrikent, documentary filmmakers Nishtha Jain, Shirley Abraham, Amit Madheshiya, visual effects supervisors Vishal Anand and Sandeep Kamal.

In a statement, the Academy said the new invitees include 36 per cent of people of colour and 45 per cent women. Artistes from 68 countries have been invited as members.

Those who accept the invitation will have voting rights at the 93rd Academy Awards, scheduled to be held on April 25, 2021.

"The Academy is delighted to welcome these distinguished fellow travellers in the motion picture arts and sciences. We have always embraced extraordinary talent that reflects the rich variety of our global film community, and never more so than now," Academy President David Rubin said.

The Academy has been actively working to introduce more diversity in its voting to avoid a controversy like 2016 when the Oscars were dubbed "white" for failing to recognise talents of colour.

The 2020 batch boasts of major Hollywood names like Cynthia Erivo, John David Washington, Constance Wu, Zazie Beetz, Florence Pugh, Zendaya, Awkwafina, Yalitza Aparicio, Mackenzie Davis, Ana de Armas, Adele Haenel, Thomasin McKenzie, Olivia Wilde and others.

The stars of multiple Oscar-winning South Korean movie Parasite -- Jang Hye-Jin, Jo Yeo-Jeong, Park So-Dam and Lee Jung-Eun -- are among the invitees.

Directors Lulu Wang, Ari Aster, Terence Davies, Matthew Vaughn, Robert Eggers, Matt Reeves, Alma Har’el are on the list as well.

The Academy has announced a new five-year plan that includes implementing inclusion standards for nominees.

"We take great pride in the strides we have made in exceeding our initial inclusion goals set back in 2016, but acknowledge the road ahead is a long one.  We are committed to staying the course.

"We look forward to continuing to foster an Academy that reflects the world around us in our membership, our programs, our new Museum, and in our awards," Academy CEO Dawn Hudson said.

In 2019, the organisation had invited 842 new members which included Indian names such as filmmakers Zoya Akhtar, Anurag Kashyap and veteran actor Anupam Kher.

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May 24,2020

Los Angeles, May 24: Filmmaker Frank Marshall, one of the producers behind Jurassic World: Dominion, says the forthcoming film is not a conclusion of the franchise.

Colin Trevorrow, who rebooted Steven Spielberg's blockbuster Jurassic Park franchise with 2015's Jurassic World, is back on the director's chair after sitting out on second movie Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018).

Asked about the upcoming movie, Marshall told Collider: "It's the start of a new era."

Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard are coming back for the third film, which will also feature original stars of 1993's Jurassic Park -- Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum and Sam Neill.

The producer also revealed how he sees the film franchise extending into the future.

"The dinosaurs are now on the mainland amongst us, and they will be for quite some time, I hope," Marshall said.

The film was three weeks into production when it was shut down over coronavirus concerns, but the producer said the team has the sets built in London and will be "back in business" once they have guidelines from the British government.

Dominion is still slated to be released on its scheduled date of June 11, 2021.

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