'India gang rape' fashion shoot showing model being harassed on board bus sparks outrage

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".

Mumbai, Jul 2: The Mumbai police have summoned noted filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali for questioning in connection with the Sushant Singh Rajput suicide case. According to several reports, casting director Shanoo Sharma too might be questioned in connection with the star’s death.

Reports also state that Kangana Ranaut and Shekhar Kapur, who are not directly involved with the investigation, are likely to be asked to record their statements.

The development comes days after the cops had asked for the details of SSR’s contract with Yashraj Films. The MS Dhoni actor had starred in Shuddh Desi Romance and Detective Byomkesh Bakshi, which were backed by the banner. He was supposed to team up with YRF for Paani, directed by Kapur, but the movie was on hold due to creative differences between the Mr India helmer and the production house.

Sushant died by suicide on June 14, leaving his near and dear ones in a state of shock. Following his demise, fans alleged that several Bollywood biggies had tried to sabotage his career as he was an ‘outsider’, reigniting the nepotism debate.

SSR, who hailed from Patna, made an impact in the TV industry before entering Bollywood with the sleeper hit Kai Po Che. He impressed fans with his performances in PK and Shuddh Desi Romance, consolidating his standing in the industry. It was, however, MS Dhoni that established him as a bankable star. Chhichore was his last theatrical release before his death. Drive, backed by Karan Johar, released directly on Netflix. His last film Dil Bechara is slated to release on Disney+ Hotstar on July 24.

New Delhi, Jun 6: Actor Ayushmann Khurrana took the internet by storm as he posted a picture of himself in the dark 'Joker' avatar on Saturday.

Artist Swapnil Pawar transformed Khurrana into the 'Joker' through his artwork which the actor posted on his Instagram.

"Do I really look like a guy with a plan? You know what I am? I'm a dog chasing cars. I wouldn't know what to do with one if I caught it ... I'm an Agent of Chaos!" Khurrana quoted a famous dialogue from the film 'Joker' in the caption.

The 35-year-old actor, who hasn't played an outright negative role in his career further revealed his fascination for negative characters in the caption.

"Sinister, menacing, evil, cold, conniving yet brilliant, genius - have always thought of playing a negative character like Joker. Thank you @swapnilmpawar for reading my mind and this incredible artwork!" he wrote.

Khurrana believes that though it is good to portray different roles and he would love to play a negative character but the message at the end should be positive.

"I will be happy to play a negative character. I would love to play a morally corrupt person. That will be out of my realm. But the message, at the end of the day, should be positive. I don't want to endorse wrongdoings on screen," he said.

The new look of the 'Article 15' actor won hearts as the post was flooded with scores of comments from his fans.