Author: Madhuri Prabhu
Madhuri Prabhu
Madhuri Prabhu is a post-graduate degree holder in Electronic Media (Department of Journalism & Communication, Mumbai University) and the brain behind Cutting Shots. She began her journey in showbiz with an internship under a TV producer and worked on a couple of daily soaps. Post her brief stint as an executive producer and assistant casting director for a YouTube channel, Hindi Kavita, Madhuri hopped into the world of entertainment journalism.
Lakshmi Manchu, in an exclusive tête-à-tête with Cutting Shots, shows us why she stands out from the crowd. “The world’s prerogative is to say no. How you are going to say yes to yourself is only up to you,” Lakshmi Manchu tells me when I ask her about how she sails through opinions and judgements that crosses her way. As someone who believes that being yourself is the most real thing, expect no sugar-coated confessions here! Excerpts- Q. After completing your UG in acting, you moved to LA to sharpen your skills further at Beverley Hills Playschool, where you believe…
Farida Jalal recalled how Gulzar would often ask her to cut down on glamour on the sets of their 1975 film, Khushboo. Hear the film name, Khushboo, and immediately, Kishore Kumar’s haunting ‘O manjhi re, apna kinara’ song flashes through your mind! The Gulzar-directorial, based on Sharat Chandra Chattopadhyay’s popular novel, ‘Panditmashai’ dropped a surprise for the audience when it released as it presented the film’s lead pair- Jeetendra and Hema Malini in a deglamorized avatar. Be it the bespectacled Jeetendra or Hema ditching her bonnet hairstyle and glamorous outfits for non-coiffed hair and cotton saris, the film’s director Gulzar made…
Tanuj Virwani, in an exclusive conversation with Cutting Shots, breaks down how he it all comes together for him when changing skins for his characters on screen. Further, he also unpacks more; from his only ‘regret’ about his last theatrical release, Yodha to spilling the beans about the person who is his harshest critic. “Game badalna toh meri fitrat mein hain.” Remember Vayu Raghavan aka Tanuj Virwani’s famous dialogue from Amazon Prime’s Emmy-nominated series, Inside Edge? Off screen too, the actor refuses to let the knockdowns in his life define him. “I know there will be many more ups and downs…
Gunaah headlined by Gashmeer Mahajani, Surbhi Jyoti and Zayn Ibad Khan is currently streaming on Disney+ Hotstar. Cast: Gashmeer Mahajani, Surbhi Jyoti, Zayn Ibad Khan, Shashank Ketkar, Darshan Pandya Director: Anil Senior Writers: Based on Turkish series ‘Ezel’, Adapted Screenplay by Sanjay Kumar, Sweta Mishra, Dialogues by Sanjay Masoom, Shailesh Pratap Singh Showrunner: Anirudh Pathak Like the title of the first episode says, ‘Hell Hath No Fury Like A Man Wronged’, Gashmeer Mahajani as Abhimanyu Nayak introduces you to the cards (characters) in this deck (show) as he gears up to extract his revenge. His introductory scene- a close-up shot…
Mr. & Mrs. Mahi movie review: Rajkummar Rao-Janhvi Kapoor’s romantic sports drama deserved a better pitch (writing) Cast: Rajkummar Rao, Janhvi Kapoor, Arjit Taneja, Kumud Mishra, Zarina Wahab, Rajesh Sharma, Purnendu Bhattacharya Director: Sharan Sharma Writers: Nikhil Mehrotra, Sharan Sharma When Mahendra (Rajkummar Rao) confronts his father about feeding a bunch of lies to his prospective bride and her family on their way back home, the latter equates him to goods and says, “Main hoon salesman, tum defective piece ho. Mujhe mere tareeke se bechne do.” Despite being packaged as an ‘all-rounder’ entertainer, Mr. & Mrs. Mahi fails to hide…
Srikanth movie review: Based on the real-life story of visually-impaired entrepreneur Srikanth Bolla, this Rajkummar Rao-Jyotika starrer makes for an inspirational watch. Cast: Rajkummar Rao, Jyotika, Alaya F, Sharad Kelkar, Jameel Khan Director: Tushar Hiranandani Writers: Sumit Purohit, Jagdeep Sidhu When a young Srikanth’s father asks him why he didn’t flee away when he was getting bullied by his classmates under the pretext of a cricket match, the blind boy intrepidly replies, “Kahan bhaagta Nana, main bhaag nahin sakta sirf ladh sakta hain.” Likewise at several instances throughout the film, it is pointed out to us how the visually-impaired Srikanth…
Crew movie review: Tabu, Kareena Kapoor Khan and Kriti Sanon sneak a smile onto your face in this heist comedy. Cast: Tabu, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Kriti Sanon, Diljit Dosanjh, Kapil Sharma, Rajesh Sharma, Saswata Chatterjee Director: Rajesh A Krishnan Writers: Nidhi Mehra, Mehul Suri “Iss coffee ke sau dollars diye hain. Main toh iska jhaag bhi pee kar jaongi,” Geeta (Tabu) says nonchalantly and continues to take a sip while her partners-in-crime, Jasmine (Kareena Kapoor Khan) and Divya (Kriti Sanon) rise to their feet for their next plan of action. Rajesh A Krishnan’s latest heist comedy Crew glitters the most in such relatable…
Yodha movie review: An engaging Sidharth Malhotra, armed with some slick action sequences, makes sure that this hijack thriller does not go down in flames. Cast: Sidharth Malhotra, Raashii Khanna, Disha Patani, Sunny Hinduja, Tanuj Virwani, Kritika Bhardwaj Director: Sagar Ambre, Pushkar Ojha Writers: Sagar Ambre “Iss picture ka hero main hoon,” Arun Katyal (Sidharth Malhotra) proudly declares as he takes his opponent by surprise and gets him on the ground during the final face-off. When we talk about Sidharth Malhotra’s latest release Yodha, the actor indeed turns out to be one who takes the flight to the right path with…
Shaitaan movie review: R Madhavan and Janki Bodiwala brew compelling performances to keep you engaged in Vikas Bahl’s supernatural thriller also starring Ajay Devgn and Jyotika. Cast: Ajay Devgn, R Madhavan, Jyotika, Janki Bodiwala, Anngad Raaj Director: Vikas Bahl Writers: Krishnadev Yagnik (original screenplay), Aamil Keeyan Khan (adapted screenplay, dialogues) Sensing that the unwelcome guest in his house has some ulterior motive up his sleeve, Kabir (Ajay Devgn) warns him, “I think you should leave.” Hearing this, the stranger (R Madhavan) in a chilling tone, replies, “Aap shayad samjhe nahi, mein nahi jaane wala hoon.” Well, you don’t want him to…
Teri Baaton Mein Aisa Uljha Jiya movie review: Shahid Kapoor-Kriti Sanon’s romantic comedy suffers from too many glitches despite some sizzling chemistry. Cast: Shahid Kapoor, Kriti Sanon, Dimple Kapadia, Dharmendra, Ashish Verma, Rakesh Bedi, Anubha Fatehpuria, Rajesh Kumar Director: Amit Joshi, Aradhana Sah Writers: Amit Joshi, Aradhana Sah In one of the scenes in Teri Baaton Mein Aisa Uljha Jiya, Aryan (Shahid Kapoor) walks up to Sifra (Kriti Sanon), apologizes to her for his previous rude behaviour and sighs, “Someday, it will make sense.” How we wished we could say the same about this Shahid Kapoor-Kriti Sanon film which ends up…