Film criticism is a strange job these days. If one takes a cursory glance at Rotten Tomatoes pages of some of the recent crowd-pleasing movies, Bollywood or otherwise, there is a huge gulf between the critics' ratings and the audiences' ratings. On social media sites, particularly Twitter, if critics end up giving a negative review to a well-loved movie, trolls heap abuse -- it's a given at this point. There is a certain lack of trust here. And R Balki uses that in his latest, 'Chup: Revenge of the Artist'. Balki is worth admiring for always trying to do something different with each film. The resulting experiments are not always successful, but he deserves the points when most of his peers use readymade formulas to make big bucks.

<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/V51sMMFMWqg" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe>

The concept of 'Chup' alone is worth the price of admission, even if the execution turns out to be clumsy. The film gets enough things right for it to be an oft-interesting-and-never-boring film. It will also probably kick off a debate about critiquing works of art (if we consider films works of art, that is) -- something, I presume, the writers (Balki, Raja Sen, and Rishi Virmani) intended.&nbsp;

A serial killer is loose on the rain-drenched streets of Bandra, Mumbai, and this one is pretty finicky. He (or she?) only murders film critics. And his modus operandi is brutal, almost vengeful. The corpses are found, in different cases, slashed as though by a coked-up wolverine, cut in half a railway track, and in one case, the major internal organs are removed. The killings appear to echo the metaphors used in the reviews.&nbsp;

&nbsp;(it's like R Balki is daring us critics to give 'Chup' bad reviews)

The culprit does have one thing going for them. They are fair. They target those critics too who they believe are over-generous with their star ratings. A movie called 'Kalinga', an expensive spectacle and little else (a reference to 'Kalank', no doubt) is effusively praised by the fearful critics, one of whom is killed anyway.

So who is this picky killer? Is it a disgruntled filmmaker? Or one of their fanatics? Or just a psychopath who believes film critics should not exist. This is the question Inspector General Arvind Mathur (a refreshingly understated Sunny Deol) is tasked to answer.&nbsp;

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/entertainment/bollywood/news-chup-movie-review-dulquer-salmaan-sunny-deols-film-may-silence-most-of-its-critics-518916">'Chup' movie review: Dulquer Salmaan, Sunny Deol's film may silence most of its critics</a>

One other subplot follows a gentle but lonely florist Danny who has a habit of talking to himself. He falls in love with entertainment reporter Nila Menon (a brilliant Shreya Dhanwanthary, who also played a journalist called Sucheta Dalal in 'Scam 1992'), after spotting that she, too, talks to herself (yes!).&nbsp;

Eventually, these two threads coalesce, as they must.

'Chup' is not really a murder mystery, which the trailers had led me to think. The film does not even try to hide the person who has acquired the status of bogeyman for the film critics. Or at least I think that is the case. That would have been fine by me. But the movie tries to cram too many ideas into its plot, which is way more than it can handle. It is, simultaneously, many things -- a tribute to Guru Dutt, a police procedural, a thriller, a meditation on the art of film criticism, and even a bit of a character study. In the end, it fails at being any of those. For instance, Arvind, despite Sunny really nailing the role that requires him to be more subtle than he likely wanted, comes across as something of a dunce for a high-ranking police officer (I am sure that wasn't the attention).&nbsp;

Watch |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/videos/critically-speaking-has-dulquer-salmaan-delivered-his-career-best-in-chup-519144">Critically Speaking: Has Dulquer Salmaan delivered his career best in 'Chup'?</a>

There are moments when 'Chup' throws up a few interesting questions and then leaves one hanging. Also, for an out-and-out psychopathic serial killer, the script goes too long a way into explaining why they became what they became -- the rough childhood, the abusive parent, the dead dog, and so. Oh, the poor thing. One character even says something like, "It's no surprise then they turned into a serial killer." It's not just off-putting, but also rather quotidian.

There are, of course, a lot of things to like here, which is why I said earlier that the movie is never boring even when it stumbles. The performances are excellent all around. Deol, Salmaan, and Dhanwanthary are all pretty great. Cinematographer Vishal Sinha, going along with the movie's throughline, makes Mumbai even more beautifully cinematic than it is during Monsoons. The visuals are quite lovely, and well-complemented by Aman Pant's score. The classic Hindi songs appear in the movie every now and then, and this reminded me of 'Bombay Rose', a stunning hand-animated feature that is, in my opinion, the finest tribute to Bollywood.&nbsp;

And finally, 'Chup' does succeed in bringing out the fraught relationship between filmmakers and critics. So, that's it. This film is largely watchable but is not as profound as it thinks it is. 
&nbsp;

Film criticism is a strange job these days. If one takes a cursory glance at Rotten Tomatoes pages of some of the recent crowd-pleasing movies, Bollywood or otherwise, there is a huge gulf between the critics' ratings and the audiences' ratings.

Film criticism is a strange job these days. If one takes a cursory glance at Rotten Tomatoes pages of some of the recent crowd-pleasing movies, Bollywood or otherwise, there is a huge gulf between the critics' ratings and the audiences' ratings. On social media sites, particularly Twitter, if critics end up giving a negative review to a well-loved movie, trolls heap abuse -- it's a given at this point. There is a certain lack of trust here. And R Balki uses that in his latest, 'Chup: Revenge of the Artist'. Balki is worth admiring for always trying to do something different with each film. The resulting experiments are not always successful, but he deserves the points when most of his peers use readymade formulas to make big bucks. The concept of 'Chup' alone is worth the price of admission, even if the execution turns out to be clumsy. The film gets enough things right for it to be an oft-interesting-and-never-boring film. It will also probably kick off a debate about critiquing works of art (if we consider films works of art, that is) -- something, I presume, the writers (Balki, Raja Sen, and Rishi Virmani) intended. A serial killer is loose on the rain-drenched streets of Bandra, Mumbai, and this one is pretty finicky. He (or she?) only murders film critics. And his modus operandi is brutal, almost vengeful. The corpses are found, in different cases, slashed as though by a coked-up wolverine, cut in half a railway track, and in one case, the major internal organs are removed. The killings appear to echo the metaphors used in the reviews. (it's like R Balki is daring us critics to give 'Chup' bad reviews) The culprit does have one thing going for them. They are fair. They target those critics too who they believe are over-generous with their star ratings. A movie called 'Kalinga', an expensive spectacle and little else (a reference to 'Kalank', no doubt) is effusively praised by the fearful critics, one of whom is killed anyway. So who is this picky killer? Is it a disgruntled filmmaker? Or one of their fanatics? Or just a psychopath who believes film critics should not exist. This is the question Inspector General Arvind Mathur (a refreshingly understated Sunny Deol) is tasked to answer. Also Read: 'Chup' movie review: Dulquer Salmaan, Sunny Deol's film may silence most of its critics One other subplot follows a gentle but lonely florist Danny who has a habit of talking to himself. He falls in love with entertainment reporter Nila Menon (a brilliant Shreya Dhanwanthary, who also played a journalist called Sucheta Dalal in 'Scam 1992'), after spotting that she, too, talks to herself (yes!). Eventually, these two threads coalesce, as they must. 'Chup' is not really a murder mystery, which the trailers had led me to think. The film does not even try to hide the person who has acquired the status of bogeyman for the film critics. Or at least I think that is the case. That would have been fine by me. But the movie tries to cram too many ideas into its plot, which is way more than it can handle. It is, simultaneously, many things -- a tribute to Guru Dutt, a police procedural, a thriller, a meditation on the art of film criticism, and even a bit of a character study. In the end, it fails at being any of those. For instance, Arvind, despite Sunny really nailing the role that requires him to be more subtle than he likely wanted, comes across as something of a dunce for a high-ranking police officer (I am sure that wasn't the attention). Watch | Critically Speaking: Has Dulquer Salmaan delivered his career best in 'Chup'? There are moments when 'Chup' throws up a few interesting questions and then leaves one hanging. Also, for an out-and-out psychopathic serial killer, the script goes too long a way into explaining why they became what they became -- the rough childhood, the abusive parent, the dead dog, and so. Oh, the poor thing. One character even says something like, "It's no surprise then they turned into a serial killer." It's not just off-putting, but also rather quotidian. There are, of course, a lot of things to like here, which is why I said earlier that the movie is never boring even when it stumbles. The performances are excellent all around. Deol, Salmaan, and Dhanwanthary are all pretty great. Cinematographer Vishal Sinha, going along with the movie's throughline, makes Mumbai even more beautifully cinematic than it is during Monsoons. The visuals are quite lovely, and well-complemented by Aman Pant's score. The classic Hindi songs appear in the movie every now and then, and this reminded me of 'Bombay Rose', a stunning hand-animated feature that is, in my opinion, the finest tribute to Bollywood. And finally, 'Chup' does succeed in bringing out the fraught relationship between filmmakers and critics. So, that's it. This film is largely watchable but is not as profound as it thinks it is.

'Chup' is a beautiful, well-acted film, but squanders a lot of interesting ideas

'Chup'

True Crime: Podcasts, documentaries, and shows that changed the course of justice

'The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power', the unwieldy title of Amazon Prime Video's pricey fantasy series, has proven its most vociferous critics wrong -- whether they admit it or not is another matter. The series kicked off slow and steady, but the last couple of episodes have been packed with action, reveals, references, and great moments to satisfy even the most cynical of Tolkienists. The best thing I like is how the aesthetics and the general look and feel of 'Rings of Power' both pay homage to and build upon the Middle-earth that we saw in Peter Jackson's celebrated movies.

The fifth episode of the show, 'Partings', throws up interesting challenges for the characters, setting the stage for an inevitable war against the forces of evil. The unlikely (for Middle-earth) interracial friendship between Elrond (Robert Aramayo) and Durin (Owain Arthur) is endangered when the half-elf learns about the potential destruction of all elves on Middle-earth if Lindon does not get vast amounts of Mithril -- the same substance that the dwarves discovered in the depths of Moria.

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="http://13.235.153.162/entertainment/hollywood/news-the-lord-of-the-rings-the-rings-of-power-review-a-majestic-fantasy-tv-series-worthy-of-jrr-tolkien-511819">'The Lord of the Rings The Rings of Power' review: A majestic fantasy TV series worthy of JRR Tolkien</a>

But considering the coldness of relations between elves and dwarves -- if not outright hostility -- this might be difficult, to say the least.&nbsp;

Meanwhile, at Númenor, Queen Regent Míriel (Cynthia Addai-Robinson) did agree to the proposal put forward by Galadriel to take on the enemy. But there are complications. Halbrand (Charlie Vickers), who every fan of the show seems to believe is actually Sauron, is reluctant and reveals a dark secret about himself (it is not what you think). Isildur (Maxim Baldry) wants a spot on one of the ships leaving Númenor for Middle-earth, come hell or high water.

In Southlands, Adar and his orcs prepares to attack the&nbsp;surviving townspeople in the tower. They are mostly women, children, and the elderly, and are almost defenceless. Some wish to join Adar, believing that will keep them alive. Others, Arondir (Ismael Cruz Córdova) and Bronwyn (Nazanin Boniadi), disagree.&nbsp;

In Pics |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/the-lord-of-the-rings-the-rings-of-power-a-complete-character-guide-511753">'The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power': A complete character guide</a>

'Partings' is another gripping episode of 'Rings of Power' with lovely moments, beautiful cinematography, and performances. I have already written extensively about the stratospheric production quality, the visuals, the costumes, the set designs, and so on. The makers have built something that is epic enough for a Tolkien adaptation. But it constantly surprises me to see how fond I am becoming of the show's writing and characters. This is a moment in Arda when the peoples of Middle-earth (and beyond) are divided and distrust not only other races, but among themselves. But they will need to come together if they have any hope of defeating what is coming. Like any good story set in Middle-earth, there is a sense of impending doom pervading everything. There is certainly plenty of humour and wisecracking, but the main players, at least, realise that ancient evil that once nearly destroyed everything, is awake once again. The dialogue is spare despite the lore it needs to explain to those not intimately familiar with Tolkien's writings.&nbsp;

<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/x8UAUAuKNcU" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe>

I utterly&nbsp;love 'The Rings of Power' so far.&nbsp;

That said, I am perfectly aware of the criticism levelled against the show by a section of Tolkien fans. While most of them are simply miffed that actors of colour were cast in roles that they believe should have gone to white actors, some do have genuine reasons, and that is okay. I think I am able to enjoy this show as much as I have is, I had promised myself I will not compare it with the Jackson movies. The LotR trilogy has a quality that is seen probably once per generation. Even Jackson, with 'The Hobbit' trilogy, himself could not go anywhere near those three movies. What I am doing is, just judging the show. And thus far, I have been pleasantly surprised at the calibre and skill of the cast and crew associated with the series, both behind and

'The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power', the unwieldy title of Amazon Prime Video's pricey fantasy series, has proven its most vociferous critics wrong -- whether they admit it or not is another matter.

'The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power', the unwieldy title of Amazon Prime Video's pricey fantasy series, has proven its most vociferous critics wrong -- whether they admit it or not is another matter. The series kicked off slow and steady, but the last couple of episodes have been packed with action, reveals, references, and great moments to satisfy even the most cynical of Tolkienists. The best thing I like is how the aesthetics and the general look and feel of 'Rings of Power' both pay homage to and build upon the Middle-earth that we saw in Peter Jackson's celebrated movies. The fifth episode of the show, 'Partings', throws up interesting challenges for the characters, setting the stage for an inevitable war against the forces of evil. The unlikely (for Middle-earth) interracial friendship between Elrond (Robert Aramayo) and Durin (Owain Arthur) is endangered when the half-elf learns about the potential destruction of all elves on Middle-earth if Lindon does not get vast amounts of Mithril -- the same substance that the dwarves discovered in the depths of Moria. Also Read: 'The Lord of the Rings The Rings of Power' review: A majestic fantasy TV series worthy of JRR Tolkien But considering the coldness of relations between elves and dwarves -- if not outright hostility -- this might be difficult, to say the least. Meanwhile, at Númenor, Queen Regent Míriel (Cynthia Addai-Robinson) did agree to the proposal put forward by Galadriel to take on the enemy. But there are complications. Halbrand (Charlie Vickers), who every fan of the show seems to believe is actually Sauron, is reluctant and reveals a dark secret about himself (it is not what you think). Isildur (Maxim Baldry) wants a spot on one of the ships leaving Númenor for Middle-earth, come hell or high water. In Southlands, Adar and his orcs prepares to attack the surviving townspeople in the tower. They are mostly women, children, and the elderly, and are almost defenceless. Some wish to join Adar, believing that will keep them alive. Others, Arondir (Ismael Cruz Córdova) and Bronwyn (Nazanin Boniadi), disagree. In Pics | 'The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power': A complete character guide 'Partings' is another gripping episode of 'Rings of Power' with lovely moments, beautiful cinematography, and performances. I have already written extensively about the stratospheric production quality, the visuals, the costumes, the set designs, and so on. The makers have built something that is epic enough for a Tolkien adaptation. But it constantly surprises me to see how fond I am becoming of the show's writing and characters. This is a moment in Arda when the peoples of Middle-earth (and beyond) are divided and distrust not only other races, but among themselves. But they will need to come together if they have any hope of defeating what is coming. Like any good story set in Middle-earth, there is a sense of impending doom pervading everything. There is certainly plenty of humour and wisecracking, but the main players, at least, realise that ancient evil that once nearly destroyed everything, is awake once again. The dialogue is spare despite the lore it needs to explain to those not intimately familiar with Tolkien's writings. I utterly love 'The Rings of Power' so far. That said, I am perfectly aware of the criticism levelled against the show by a section of Tolkien fans. While most of them are simply miffed that actors of colour were cast in roles that they believe should have gone to white actors, some do have genuine reasons, and that is okay. I think I am able to enjoy this show as much as I have is, I had promised myself I will not compare it with the Jackson movies. The LotR trilogy has a quality that is seen probably once per generation. Even Jackson, with 'The Hobbit' trilogy, himself could not go anywhere near those three movies. What I am doing is, just judging the show. And thus far, I have been pleasantly surprised at the calibre and skill of the cast and crew associated with the series, both behind and

'Rings of Power' Episode 5 review: 'Partings' sets the stage for war against Sauron

The latest MCU series 'She-Hulk' is a mixed bag of sorts. While it began really well, until the three episodes, the succeeding two were a miss. With the sixth episode, however, titled 'Just Jen', the series has got its groove back. The hilarious, action-packed episode marries the show's slick production values and good writing with top-notch comedic performances, particularly from its star Tatiana Maslany. And I feel here, more than any preceding episode, the show's brand of fourth-wall-breaking works -- and thankfully it still pops its head rarely. &nbsp;'She Hulk' is not perfect, but it is still head-and-shoulders above everything Marvel Studios has made for Disney+ -- MCU's TV shows, to be precise.

The show has Jennifer Walters (Maslany), who as the title of the show suggests is an attorney by profession, being bestowed with the powers of Hulk after she and her cousin Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo), the original Hulk met with an accident and their blood fused together. Unlike most superheroes, though, she did not want her powers and was happy being an attorney.

<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/fQ_xlE945Cg" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe>

The episode has Jennifer being invited to be her old pal's bridesmaid at her wedding. She is sad to learn that Lulu, the friend, wants her to be just Jen, instead of She-Hulk. It is a wedding episode, as Jen makes it clear in the beginning while speaking directly to the audience.

The episode boasts of surprises, hilarious moments, and even action. It also blazes past its runtime which is already pretty short at less than 30 minutes.&nbsp;

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/entertainment/hollywood/news-she-hulk-meet-malia-arrayah-actress-who-actually-plays-the-marvel-superhero-513518">'She-Hulk': Meet Malia Arrayah, actress who actually plays the Marvel superhero</a>

My only quibble is the CGI quality of the She-Hulk look, which still feels like Marvel Studios hired time-travelling VFX artists from the '90s to work on this. It is not just that the look looks unrealistic and plasticky (which it does), it is also that it looks unfinished as though the artists got bored midway and sent the models. The ultimate effect of the look is that of uncanny valley, the greatest sin in computer-generated imagery.&nbsp;

It is for the dismal quality of CGI and Maslany's performance that 'She-Hulk' is at its best when it is Walters on the screen and not her green rage persona. 'She Hulk' Episode 6 is a great watch.&nbsp;

'She-Hulk' is streaming on Disney+ Hotstar in India.

The latest MCU series 'She-Hulk' is a mixed bag of sorts. While it began really well, until the three episodes, the succeeding two were a miss. With the sixth episode, however, titled 'Just Jen', the series has got its groove back.

The latest MCU series 'She-Hulk' is a mixed bag of sorts. While it began really well, until the three episodes, the succeeding two were a miss. With the sixth episode, however, titled 'Just Jen', the series has got its groove back. The hilarious, action-packed episode marries the show's slick production values and good writing with top-notch comedic performances, particularly from its star Tatiana Maslany. And I feel here, more than any preceding episode, the show's brand of fourth-wall-breaking works -- and thankfully it still pops its head rarely. 'She Hulk' is not perfect, but it is still head-and-shoulders above everything Marvel Studios has made for Disney+ -- MCU's TV shows, to be precise. The show has Jennifer Walters (Maslany), who as the title of the show suggests is an attorney by profession, being bestowed with the powers of Hulk after she and her cousin Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo), the original Hulk met with an accident and their blood fused together. Unlike most superheroes, though, she did not want her powers and was happy being an attorney. The episode has Jennifer being invited to be her old pal's bridesmaid at her wedding. She is sad to learn that Lulu, the friend, wants her to be just Jen, instead of She-Hulk. It is a wedding episode, as Jen makes it clear in the beginning while speaking directly to the audience. The episode boasts of surprises, hilarious moments, and even action. It also blazes past its runtime which is already pretty short at less than 30 minutes. Also Read: 'She-Hulk': Meet Malia Arrayah, actress who actually plays the Marvel superhero My only quibble is the CGI quality of the She-Hulk look, which still feels like Marvel Studios hired time-travelling VFX artists from the '90s to work on this. It is not just that the look looks unrealistic and plasticky (which it does), it is also that it looks unfinished as though the artists got bored midway and sent the models. The ultimate effect of the look is that of uncanny valley, the greatest sin in computer-generated imagery. It is for the dismal quality of CGI and Maslany's performance that 'She-Hulk' is at its best when it is Walters on the screen and not her green rage persona. 'She Hulk' Episode 6 is a great watch. 'She-Hulk' is streaming on Disney+ Hotstar in India.

'She Hulk' Episode 6 review: MCU series gets its groove back

How 'American Tolkien' George RR Martin created the world of 'Game of Thrones'

Marvel Studios, under the blessing of Disney, has built a veritable empire with the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the biggest movie franchise in history. Over nearly one-and-a-half decade, the studio has introduced characters that few knew outside of comics and made them so popular that everybody and their grandma is intimately aware of them. More than that, Kevin Feige and his team have been careful to update the characters, most of whom came out decades ago, according to the times we live in. For instance, Shang-Chi in comics was a monk superhero who spoke little and was basically a western idea of what a Chinese superhero would look like.

In comparison, Simu Liu's Shang-Chi in Destin Daniel Cretton's 'Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings' is your typical Asian-American youth, not really different from other Americans -- well except for the superpowers, of course.

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/entertainment/hollywood/news-captain-america-new-world-order-cast-revealed-shira-haas-tim-blake-nelson-to-star-515083">'Captain America: New World Order' cast revealed, Shira Haas, Tim Blake Nelson to star</a>

Anyway, we are here to talk about a recent casting that has caused unwanted controversy for Marvel Studios. Shira Haas is an Israeli actress who was recently cast in the fourth film in MCU's 'Captain America' franchise, titled 'Captain America: New World Order'. Her character is Sabra, a superheroine hailing from Israel. All seemed normal until the casting, immediately after which outrage arose on social media sites, particularly Twitter.

Here is everything one needs to know about the whole thing:

<h2>Who is Shira Haas?</h2>

As explained above, Shira is an Israel actress. Born on May 11 in &nbsp;Tel Aviv, she earned fame and acclaim in her home country with movies like 'Princess' and 'Foxtrot' and TV shows like 'Shtisel' and 'Hazoref'. She was also a cast member in 'A Tale of Love and Darkness', which was Natalie Portman's directorial debut. Shira played the younger version of Portman's character. Shira also earned praise for the German-American drama series 'Unorthodox'. For her performance in the film 'Asia', she was bestowed with the Tribeca Film Festival Award for Best International Actress.

Watch video |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/videos/why-is-marvel-in-trouble-for-its-new-israeli-superhero-518307">Why is Marvel in trouble for its new Israeli superhero?</a>

<h2>What is Shira's character Sabra?</h2>

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Watching the ridiculous anger from those upset over Shira Haas and the Sabra superhero announcement fills me with joy. 
 
Promote the artistic talent of Israel that has given the world several actors/actresses, shows and movies. 
 
A small nation that has accomplished so much.
— Tyler Samuels (@BluntBlackJew) <a href="https://twitter.com/BluntBlackJew/status/1569385477689561091?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 12, 2022</a></blockquote>
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&nbsp;

This is where it gets interesting. Created by writer Bill Mantlo and artist Sal Buscema, Sabra first appeared in Incredible Hulk #250 in 1980 in a cameo. But the first appearance was Incredible Hulk #256 in the next year. Born near Jerusalem, Sabra, whose real name is Ruth Bat Seraph, manifested superhuman powers. Due to her abilities (the same stuff, superhuman strength, speed, agility, reflexes, stamina, and so on), she was recruited into Mossad&nbsp;Israeli intelligence agency. In her first appearance, she fought the Hulk, believing he was working with terrorists. Later, she joins the X-Men and allies herself with Charles Xavier.

<h2>What is the controversy about?&nbsp;</h2>

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<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Israeli?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Israeli</a> actress, <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/shirahaas?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#shirahaas</a>, will play an <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Israeli?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Israeli</a> superheroine Sabra in the upcoming <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Marvel?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Marvel</a> Cinematic Universe (MCU) film which is set to be released on May 2024. 
 
What do you think her superpowers are? Massacring <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Palestinians?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Palestinians</a> or destroying their homes leaving them homeless? <a href="https://t.co/ZnQBU0dcQk">pic.twitter.com/ZnQBU0dcQk</a>
— ACT 4 PALESTINE 🇵🇸 (@Act4pal1) <a href="https://twitter.com/Act4pal1/status/1569347463516921860?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 12, 2022</a></blockquote>
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&nbsp;

For an Israeli superheroine from 1980, Sabra has actually aged well compared to other superheroes of that era. She is fair-minded and is not racist or xenophobic. She, however, works or at least has worked closely with Mossad and the Israeli government. And with this casting, Marvel Studios, unintentionally, has touched upon the extremely sensitive Israel-Palestine issue. In case you do not know, this issue is one of the most active flashpoints for conflict in the world, and has been for around a quarter of a century. There have been several wars over the issue and despite accords with third parties trying to broker peace, the situation remains precarious. Though to be fair, we know Marvel is going to handle the character while keeping all the sensitivities in mind, otherwise, the Sabra would not have been chosen for the movie at all.&nbsp;

Darts are already being flung from both Israelis and Palestinians and their respective allies. While Israelis call the outrage "anti-semitic" the other side wonders whether Sabra's superpowers will be to massacre innocent Palestinian civilians. This is something Marvel does not want to get into.

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/videos/10-marvel-dc-characters-who-need-their-own-movies-511168">10 Marvel &amp; DC characters who need their own movies</a>

<h2>What is Marvel Studios' response?&nbsp;</h2>

In a statement issued to the New York Times, Marvel Studios said that the MCU movies take characters from the comics, but then go on to create characters that are "freshly imagined" for today's world.&nbsp;

“While our characters and stories are inspired by the comics. They are always freshly imagined for the screen and today’s audience, and the filmmakers are taking a new approach with the character Sabra who was first introduced in the comics over 40 years ago," the full statement read.&nbsp;

Meanwhile, 'Captain America: New World Order' will begin filming early in 2023. Unlike the last three films in the franchise, 'New World Order' will feature Anthony Mackie's Sam Wilson in the role of Captain America. The character assumed the mantle in the finale of 'The Falcon and the Winter Soldier'. The mantle and the signature shield was passed on to Sam by Chris Evans' Steve Rogers himself, the original Captain America. The film is penned by Malcolm Spellman and Dalan Musson, who also scripted &nbsp;'The Falcon and the Winter Soldier'.

'Captain America: New World Order', will release on May 3, 2024.

 
&nbsp;

Marvel Studios, under the blessing of Disney, has built a veritable empire with the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the biggest movie franchise in history. Over nearly one-and-a-half decade, the studio has introduced characters that few knew outside of comics and made them so popular that everybody and their grandma is intimately aware of them.

Marvel Studios, under the blessing of Disney, has built a veritable empire with the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the biggest movie franchise in history. Over nearly one-and-a-half decade, the studio has introduced characters that few knew outside of comics and made them so popular that everybody and their grandma is intimately aware of them. More than that, Kevin Feige and his team have been careful to update the characters, most of whom came out decades ago, according to the times we live in. For instance, Shang-Chi in comics was a monk superhero who spoke little and was basically a western idea of what a Chinese superhero would look like. In comparison, Simu Liu's Shang-Chi in Destin Daniel Cretton's 'Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings' is your typical Asian-American youth, not really different from other Americans -- well except for the superpowers, of course. Also Read: 'Captain America: New World Order' cast revealed, Shira Haas, Tim Blake Nelson to star Anyway, we are here to talk about a recent casting that has caused unwanted controversy for Marvel Studios. Shira Haas is an Israeli actress who was recently cast in the fourth film in MCU's 'Captain America' franchise, titled 'Captain America: New World Order'. Her character is Sabra, a superheroine hailing from Israel. All seemed normal until the casting, immediately after which outrage arose on social media sites, particularly Twitter. Here is everything one needs to know about the whole thing: Who is Shira Haas? As explained above, Shira is an Israel actress. Born on May 11 in Tel Aviv, she earned fame and acclaim in her home country with movies like 'Princess' and 'Foxtrot' and TV shows like 'Shtisel' and 'Hazoref'. She was also a cast member in 'A Tale of Love and Darkness', which was Natalie Portman's directorial debut. Shira played the younger version of Portman's character. Shira also earned praise for the German-American drama series 'Unorthodox'. For her performance in the film 'Asia', she was bestowed with the Tribeca Film Festival Award for Best International Actress. Watch video | Why is Marvel in trouble for its new Israeli superhero? What is Shira's character Sabra? Watching the ridiculous anger from those upset over Shira Haas and the Sabra superhero announcement fills me with joy. Promote the artistic talent of Israel that has given the world several actors/actresses, shows and movies. A small nation that has accomplished so much. — Tyler Samuels (@BluntBlackJew) September 12, 2022 × This is where it gets interesting. Created by writer Bill Mantlo and artist Sal Buscema, Sabra first appeared in Incredible Hulk #250 in 1980 in a cameo. But the first appearance was Incredible Hulk #256 in the next year. Born near Jerusalem, Sabra, whose real name is Ruth Bat Seraph, manifested superhuman powers. Due to her abilities (the same stuff, superhuman strength, speed, agility, reflexes, stamina, and so on), she was recruited into Mossad Israeli intelligence agency. In her first appearance, she fought the Hulk, believing he was working with terrorists. Later, she joins the X-Men and allies herself with Charles Xavier. What is the controversy about? #Israeli actress, #shirahaas, will play an #Israeli superheroine Sabra in the upcoming #Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) film which is set to be released on May 2024. What do you think her superpowers are? Massacring #Palestinians or destroying their homes leaving them homeless? pic.twitter.com/ZnQBU0dcQk — ACT 4 PALESTINE 🇵🇸 (@Act4pal1) September 12, 2022 × For an Israeli superheroine from 1980, Sabra has actually aged well compared to other superheroes of that era. She is fair-minded and is not racist or xenophobic. She, however, works or at least has worked closely with Mossad and the Israeli government. And with this casting, Marvel Studios, unintentionally, has touched upon the extremely sensitive Israel-Palestine issue. In case you do not know, this issue is one of the most active flashpoints for conflict in the world, and has been for around a quarter of a century. There have been several wars over the issue and despite accords with third parties trying to broker peace, the situation remains precarious. Though to be fair, we know Marvel is going to handle the character while keeping all the sensitivities in mind, otherwise, the Sabra would not have been chosen for the movie at all. Darts are already being flung from both Israelis and Palestinians and their respective allies. While Israelis call the outrage "anti-semitic" the other side wonders whether Sabra's superpowers will be to massacre innocent Palestinian civilians. This is something Marvel does not want to get into. Also Read: 10 Marvel & DC characters who need their own movies What is Marvel Studios' response? In a statement issued to the New York Times, Marvel Studios said that the MCU movies take characters from the comics, but then go on to create characters that are "freshly imagined" for today's world. “While our characters and stories are inspired by the comics. They are always freshly imagined for the screen and today’s audience, and the filmmakers are taking a new approach with the character Sabra who was first introduced in the comics over 40 years ago," the full statement read. Meanwhile, 'Captain America: New World Order' will begin filming early in 2023. Unlike the last three films in the franchise, 'New World Order' will feature Anthony Mackie's Sam Wilson in the role of Captain America. The character assumed the mantle in the finale of 'The Falcon and the Winter Soldier'. The mantle and the signature shield was passed on to Sam by Chris Evans' Steve Rogers himself, the original Captain America. The film is penned by Malcolm Spellman and Dalan Musson, who also scripted 'The Falcon and the Winter Soldier'. 'Captain America: New World Order', will release on May 3, 2024.

'Captain America 4' casting controversy: The reason behind outrage over MCU's Israeli superheroine explained

Except for 'The Mandalorian', the direction Disney is taking with 'Star Wars' TV shows does not look good to me. Even the appeal of 'Mandalorian' has a lot to do with the adorable character our hero befriends and an episode structure that is a lot like video games. Since I have not seen this written or spoken anywhere, let me be the one to tell this to Disney: not every character is interesting enough for a whole TV series about them that details the backstory and whatnot. I was under the impression that these shows will embellish the galaxy far, far away by introducing whole new worlds (literally), peoples, cultures, creatures, and so on.&nbsp;

<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/PboKpnin_Wg" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe>

But thus far, they have not only failed to do so, but they are also pretty bad at storytelling -- a cardinal sin for a show or movie set in this universe. 'Andor', sadly, continues this trend despite the best efforts of an excellent cast led by Diego Luna. The series centres on Cassian Andor, a character that Luna played in 'Rogue One: A Star Wars Story', a standalone movie that was released in 2016. Andor in the movie was a brave Rebel Alliance officer. He was also the leader of 'Rogue One', which was a unit of rebel soldiers whose job is to steal the plans of Death Star. This directly led to the first ever 'Star Wars' movie to be released -- also called 'Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope'.

'Andor' explores how the Rogue One commander came to be an important and influential opponent of the Galactic Empire from a cynical, small-time thief.

We see Andor coming under the radar of the Empire officials when he is found to have killed two soldiers. He is searching for his sister and we see flashbacks of his childhood in a remote community of children at a far-flung planet.&nbsp;

It is probably unfair to judge 'Andor' from the three episodes that have been released until now, and this may just be franchise-fatigue talking, but the serie does not inspire confidence thus far. Sure, for a fanatic of 'Star Wars' there is plenty to love. The CGI is solid, we see strange creatures, races, visuals of spacecrafts leaving planets or entering them, and the requisite droid character -- pretty much everything you would want from a 'Star Wars' show. Well, except for a good story and interesting characters.

The show may get better in the rest of the episodes, but don't hold your breath.

In India, 'Andor' is streaming on Disney+ Hotstar.&nbsp; 
&nbsp;

Except for 'The Mandalorian', the direction Disney is taking with 'Star Wars' TV shows does not look good to me. Even the appeal of 'Mandalorian' has a lot to do with the adorable character our hero befriends and an episode structure that is a lot like video games.

Except for 'The Mandalorian', the direction Disney is taking with 'Star Wars' TV shows does not look good to me. Even the appeal of 'Mandalorian' has a lot to do with the adorable character our hero befriends and an episode structure that is a lot like video games. Since I have not seen this written or spoken anywhere, let me be the one to tell this to Disney: not every character is interesting enough for a whole TV series about them that details the backstory and whatnot. I was under the impression that these shows will embellish the galaxy far, far away by introducing whole new worlds (literally), peoples, cultures, creatures, and so on. But thus far, they have not only failed to do so, but they are also pretty bad at storytelling -- a cardinal sin for a show or movie set in this universe. 'Andor', sadly, continues this trend despite the best efforts of an excellent cast led by Diego Luna. The series centres on Cassian Andor, a character that Luna played in 'Rogue One: A Star Wars Story', a standalone movie that was released in 2016. Andor in the movie was a brave Rebel Alliance officer. He was also the leader of 'Rogue One', which was a unit of rebel soldiers whose job is to steal the plans of Death Star. This directly led to the first ever 'Star Wars' movie to be released -- also called 'Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope'. 'Andor' explores how the Rogue One commander came to be an important and influential opponent of the Galactic Empire from a cynical, small-time thief. We see Andor coming under the radar of the Empire officials when he is found to have killed two soldiers. He is searching for his sister and we see flashbacks of his childhood in a remote community of children at a far-flung planet. It is probably unfair to judge 'Andor' from the three episodes that have been released until now, and this may just be franchise-fatigue talking, but the serie does not inspire confidence thus far. Sure, for a fanatic of 'Star Wars' there is plenty to love. The CGI is solid, we see strange creatures, races, visuals of spacecrafts leaving planets or entering them, and the requisite droid character -- pretty much everything you would want from a 'Star Wars' show. Well, except for a good story and interesting characters. The show may get better in the rest of the episodes, but don't hold your breath. In India, 'Andor' is streaming on Disney+ Hotstar.

'Andor' early review: Diego Luna's 'Star Wars' TV show is yawn-inducing so far

The multiverse is a fairly new thing in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It has really been explored in only two MCU movies until now — &nbsp;‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ and ‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’ — and I am already bored out of my mind. A concept that has such fascinating storytelling possibilities should have translated to exhilarating cinematic experiences, visually and narratively, but thus far the most exciting thing about the multiverse in those movies has been cheap fan service. This fits into the larger issues MCU has been facing… and, well, I digress. This is a review of Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert’s ‘Everything Everywhere All At Once’, a film that makes the aforementioned MCU entries look like tired slogs. I do feel&nbsp;that the above comparison was necessary. Let me explain.&nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
Led by Michelle Yeoh, ‘Everything Everywhere All At Once’ (‘Everything…’ hereon) was everything ‘No Way Home’ and ‘Multiverse of Madness’ were not. It had a minuscule budget in comparison, was not backed by a giant, multi-billion dollar grossing franchise, and the cast was not populated by big, bankable movie stars.

 
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/wxN1T1uxQ2g" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe>

And yet if one were to chop off a few minutes of footage from ‘Everything…’, it will still pack in more ideas and wit than the entirety of those two movies. I kid you not, this is the best science-fiction movie in ages and the most fun I've had while watching a movie this year. ‘Everything…’ riffs on everything from ‘The Matrix’ to ‘Ratatouille’ to Hong Kong martial arts movies, and yet feels fresh and inventive. And insane, bizarre, brilliant, and endlessly clever. The English language will run out of adjectives before ‘Everything…’ can be described in a fitting manner. 
&nbsp; 
Yeoh essays the role of a Chinese immigrant Evelyn Wang, who is a harried owner of a launderette. Her life is the very definition of stress. Her marriage is crumbling, she feels disconnected from her American-born daughter, and she is being harassed by the IRS for not being able to explain her expenses. She’s in a soup, all right. 
&nbsp; 
But things get even weirder for her. She is told by an alternate reality version of her husband Waymond (Ke Huy Quan, the Short Round of ‘Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom making his acting comeback) who hijacks her husband's body that she is one last hope of the multiverse against somebody threatening to end everything.

 
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/p2FEhTw7XWk" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe> 
If my description of the basic premise made the movie sound like so many others you have seen in the past, you could not be more wrong. The truth is, it is hard to describe anything more about this story without spoiling it. And the less you know about it, the better. ‘Everything…’ embraces the gloriously bonkers side of the multiverse. It explores horizons most movies delving into parallel worlds can barely touch. The two hour and twenty minutes of screentime, which is formidable for most movies, zips past.&nbsp;

Yeoh is in almost every frame of the movie, and a good thing too. For she is indescribably good -- portraying the pain, confusion, exhaustion, and other moods with a veteran's ease. Stephanie Hsu, who plays her daughter Joy, also impresses, sporting different, gonzo outfits in nearly every other scene, exhibiting her queerness. Ke Huy Quan is endearing as a timid but kind husband, who, lacking the hand-to-hand combat skills of his alt-universe counterpart, relies on his determination and genial, inoffensive personality to deal with things. This is the mother of all comebacks for him.

The themes, admittedly, are somewhat simplistic: generational divide, family values, acceptance, and nihilism. Nothing you have not seen before. But you would be an odd person if you actually pause to examine the thematic depth of this wonderful film. To paraphrase Stephen Fry's words about PG Wodehouse's novels, you do not analyse such sunlit perfection, you just bask in its splendour.&nbsp;

‘Everything Everywhere All At Once’ is an absolute blast.

The multiverse is a fairly new thing in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It has really been explored in only two MCU movies until now — ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ and ‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’ — and I am already bored out of my mind.

The multiverse is a fairly new thing in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It has really been explored in only two MCU movies until now — ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ and ‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’ — and I am already bored out of my mind. A concept that has such fascinating storytelling possibilities should have translated to exhilarating cinematic experiences, visually and narratively, but thus far the most exciting thing about the multiverse in those movies has been cheap fan service. This fits into the larger issues MCU has been facing… and, well, I digress. This is a review of Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert’s ‘Everything Everywhere All At Once’, a film that makes the aforementioned MCU entries look like tired slogs. I do feel that the above comparison was necessary. Let me explain. Led by Michelle Yeoh, ‘Everything Everywhere All At Once’ (‘Everything…’ hereon) was everything ‘No Way Home’ and ‘Multiverse of Madness’ were not. It had a minuscule budget in comparison, was not backed by a giant, multi-billion dollar grossing franchise, and the cast was not populated by big, bankable movie stars. And yet if one were to chop off a few minutes of footage from ‘Everything…’, it will still pack in more ideas and wit than the entirety of those two movies. I kid you not, this is the best science-fiction movie in ages and the most fun I've had while watching a movie this year. ‘Everything…’ riffs on everything from ‘The Matrix’ to ‘Ratatouille’ to Hong Kong martial arts movies, and yet feels fresh and inventive. And insane, bizarre, brilliant, and endlessly clever. The English language will run out of adjectives before ‘Everything…’ can be described in a fitting manner. Yeoh essays the role of a Chinese immigrant Evelyn Wang, who is a harried owner of a launderette. Her life is the very definition of stress. Her marriage is crumbling, she feels disconnected from her American-born daughter, and she is being harassed by the IRS for not being able to explain her expenses. She’s in a soup, all right. But things get even weirder for her. She is told by an alternate reality version of her husband Waymond (Ke Huy Quan, the Short Round of ‘Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom making his acting comeback) who hijacks her husband's body that she is one last hope of the multiverse against somebody threatening to end everything. If my description of the basic premise made the movie sound like so many others you have seen in the past, you could not be more wrong. The truth is, it is hard to describe anything more about this story without spoiling it. And the less you know about it, the better. ‘Everything…’ embraces the gloriously bonkers side of the multiverse. It explores horizons most movies delving into parallel worlds can barely touch. The two hour and twenty minutes of screentime, which is formidable for most movies, zips past. Yeoh is in almost every frame of the movie, and a good thing too. For she is indescribably good -- portraying the pain, confusion, exhaustion, and other moods with a veteran's ease. Stephanie Hsu, who plays her daughter Joy, also impresses, sporting different, gonzo outfits in nearly every other scene, exhibiting her queerness. Ke Huy Quan is endearing as a timid but kind husband, who, lacking the hand-to-hand combat skills of his alt-universe counterpart, relies on his determination and genial, inoffensive personality to deal with things. This is the mother of all comebacks for him. The themes, admittedly, are somewhat simplistic: generational divide, family values, acceptance, and nihilism. Nothing you have not seen before. But you would be an odd person if you actually pause to examine the thematic depth of this wonderful film. To paraphrase Stephen Fry's words about PG Wodehouse's novels, you do not analyse such sunlit perfection, you just bask in its splendour. ‘Everything Everywhere All At Once’ is an absolute blast.

‘Everything Everywhere All At Once’ movie review: This Michelle Yeoh-starrer is a cinematic miracle

Ayan Mukerji's 'Brahmastra' was marketed as the next big thing in Hindi cinema. Borrowing from everything from Hindu mythology to American movie franchises like Marvel Cinematic Universe and 'The Lord of the Rings', the film through trailers and promos, promised state-of-the-art visual effects and a cinematic universe called Astraverse to rival MCU. Starring Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt in the lead roles, the film finally saw the light of day last week. The movie also had Amitabh Bachchan, Mouni Roy, and Nagarjuna Akkineni, in the cast. While it received indifferent reviews from critics, reception among moviegoers was more sanguine. Until now, the film's Hindi version has grossed an impressive Rs 143 crore ($18 million approx).&nbsp;

This is doubly impressive since the movie was quite long by today's standard at around 167 minutes.&nbsp;

Also Read:<a href="https://www.wionews.com/entertainment/bollywood/news-brahmastra-movie-review-ranbir-kapoor-alia-bhatts-film-works-for-its-special-effects-not-for-its-story-514432">&nbsp;'Brahmastra' movie review: Ranbir Kapoor-Alia Bhatt's film works for its special effects, not for its story</a>

<h2>What is 'Brahmastra' all about?</h2>

The movie tells the story of divine, powerful weapons given to sages and warriors of India eons ago. The weapons represented either an element -- like fire, wind, light, and water -- or a diety like the Nandi Astra that harnesses the powers of Nandi.

The main plot begins with the introduction of Ranbir Kapoor's Shiva, who is a man with a mysterious connection to fire. A DJ by profession, he spots Alia Bhatt's Isha among the audience and falls in love with her. Shiva gets strange visions and this journey takes him and Isha to Varanasai and then in Himalayan foothills to discover a threat endangering all existence.

Apparently, there was a weapon more powerful than any other -- the 'Brahmastra' -- with the power to obliterate all life in the universe. One person wanted it all to himself but was stopped by another. In the process, the weapon was broken into three pieces, each of which was entrusted to members of a secret society called Brahmansh. The weapon will stay dormant until the pieces are joined. And the destruction of the cosmos will follow.&nbsp;

The audience clearly forgave the film's muddled plot, atrocious dialogue, and decent but derivative world-building in favour of truly impressive visual effects from DNEG.

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/entertainment/bollywood/news-brahmastra-offers-some-awe-inspiring-cgi-action-but-is-butchered-by-a-dreadful-script-514832">'Brahmastra' offers some awe-inspiring CGI action but is butchered by a dreadful script</a>

<h2>How does 'Brahmastra' budget compare to others?</h2>

The movie was reportedly made on a budget of Rs 410 crore or $51.7 million. This makes it one of the most expensive Indian films ever. Only&nbsp;'RRR' and '2.0' are above it with production costs of Rs 550 crore ($69 million) and Rs 500 crore ($63 million) – Rs570 crore ($71 million), respectively. As should be clear, 'Brahmastra' is the most expensive Hindi film to date. At the second position is Aamir Khan's 'Thugs of Hindostan' (and we know how that ended) with a budget of Rs 310 crore ($39 million).&nbsp;

(Some of these budgets look so inflated that it appears they are money-laundering schemes disguised as movies).

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/videos/critically-speaking-is-brahmastra-worth-the-hype-514845">Critically Speaking: Is 'Brahmastra' worth the hype?</a>

<h2>Is 'Brahmastra' a success?</h2>

The marketing and PR team of 'Brahmastra' has likely led you to believe that the movie is an out-and-out success. But film economics and the truth are more complicated than that. As mentioned above, the film's reported budget is Rs 410 crore or $51.7 million. This is just the production budget. Studios spend a lot of money on marketing and promoting the movie with trailers, advertisement campaigns, and so on. And behind 'Brahmastra' was Walt Disney Studios through its Indian subsidiary Star Studios. We do not know how much money was spent to make sure more and more people booked the tickets to the movie, but it was likely not inconsiderable.

As mentioned above, the film's Hindi iteration has grossed Rs 143 crore or $18 million until now as per reports. This figure does not count all the other language versions, only Hindi. Taking a cue from the big Telugu and Kannada releases, 'Brahmastra' was also targetted at moviegoers down south with dubbed release in Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, and Malayalam.

As per Dharma, the film opened with Rs 75 crore worldwide or $9.4 million on the very first day. Many suggested the figure was suspiciously 'proper' to be true. And indeed, studios and distributors have a history of sharing inflated figures to send a subliminal 'everyone else has seen the movie, and you're missing out!' message to potential viewers.&nbsp;

But whatever the true figures, the film will almost certainly not break even with its budget (inflated budgets are another trick to lure in moviegoers). However, box office returns are not the end of the road for movies' earnings. Once the film is out of theatres, it gets an OTT release on services like Netflix, Prime Video, or ZEE5. In addition to that, there are satellite rights and music rights through which producers can recover their money. Or the star of the film may let go of their fees to recoup the losses. Recently, it was reported that Aamir Khan let go of his fees of Rs 100 crore or $12.63 million to compensate for the flop that was 'Laal Singh Chaddha'. 
&nbsp;

Ayan Mukerji's 'Brahmastra' was marketed as the next big thing in Hindi cinema. Borrowing from everything from Hindu mythology to American movie franchises like Marvel Cinematic Universe and 'The Lord of the Rings', the film through trailers and promos, promised state-of-the-art visual effects and a cinematic universe called Astraverse to rival MCU.

Ayan Mukerji's 'Brahmastra' was marketed as the next big thing in Hindi cinema. Borrowing from everything from Hindu mythology to American movie franchises like Marvel Cinematic Universe and 'The Lord of the Rings', the film through trailers and promos, promised state-of-the-art visual effects and a cinematic universe called Astraverse to rival MCU. Starring Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt in the lead roles, the film finally saw the light of day last week. The movie also had Amitabh Bachchan, Mouni Roy, and Nagarjuna Akkineni, in the cast. While it received indifferent reviews from critics, reception among moviegoers was more sanguine. Until now, the film's Hindi version has grossed an impressive Rs 143 crore ($18 million approx). This is doubly impressive since the movie was quite long by today's standard at around 167 minutes. Also Read: 'Brahmastra' movie review: Ranbir Kapoor-Alia Bhatt's film works for its special effects, not for its story What is 'Brahmastra' all about? The movie tells the story of divine, powerful weapons given to sages and warriors of India eons ago. The weapons represented either an element -- like fire, wind, light, and water -- or a diety like the Nandi Astra that harnesses the powers of Nandi. The main plot begins with the introduction of Ranbir Kapoor's Shiva, who is a man with a mysterious connection to fire. A DJ by profession, he spots Alia Bhatt's Isha among the audience and falls in love with her. Shiva gets strange visions and this journey takes him and Isha to Varanasai and then in Himalayan foothills to discover a threat endangering all existence. Apparently, there was a weapon more powerful than any other -- the 'Brahmastra' -- with the power to obliterate all life in the universe. One person wanted it all to himself but was stopped by another. In the process, the weapon was broken into three pieces, each of which was entrusted to members of a secret society called Brahmansh. The weapon will stay dormant until the pieces are joined. And the destruction of the cosmos will follow. The audience clearly forgave the film's muddled plot, atrocious dialogue, and decent but derivative world-building in favour of truly impressive visual effects from DNEG. Also Read: 'Brahmastra' offers some awe-inspiring CGI action but is butchered by a dreadful script How does 'Brahmastra' budget compare to others? The movie was reportedly made on a budget of Rs 410 crore or $51.7 million. This makes it one of the most expensive Indian films ever. Only 'RRR' and '2.0' are above it with production costs of Rs 550 crore ($69 million) and Rs 500 crore ($63 million) – Rs570 crore ($71 million), respectively. As should be clear, 'Brahmastra' is the most expensive Hindi film to date. At the second position is Aamir Khan's 'Thugs of Hindostan' (and we know how that ended) with a budget of Rs 310 crore ($39 million). (Some of these budgets look so inflated that it appears they are money-laundering schemes disguised as movies). Also Read: Critically Speaking: Is 'Brahmastra' worth the hype? Is 'Brahmastra' a success? The marketing and PR team of 'Brahmastra' has likely led you to believe that the movie is an out-and-out success. But film economics and the truth are more complicated than that. As mentioned above, the film's reported budget is Rs 410 crore or $51.7 million. This is just the production budget. Studios spend a lot of money on marketing and promoting the movie with trailers, advertisement campaigns, and so on. And behind 'Brahmastra' was Walt Disney Studios through its Indian subsidiary Star Studios. We do not know how much money was spent to make sure more and more people booked the tickets to the movie, but it was likely not inconsiderable. As mentioned above, the film's Hindi iteration has grossed Rs 143 crore or $18 million until now as per reports. This figure does not count all the other language versions, only Hindi. Taking a cue from the big Telugu and Kannada releases, 'Brahmastra' was also targetted at moviegoers down south with dubbed release in Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, and Malayalam. As per Dharma, the film opened with Rs 75 crore worldwide or $9.4 million on the very first day. Many suggested the figure was suspiciously 'proper' to be true. And indeed, studios and distributors have a history of sharing inflated figures to send a subliminal 'everyone else has seen the movie, and you're missing out!' message to potential viewers. But whatever the true figures, the film will almost certainly not break even with its budget (inflated budgets are another trick to lure in moviegoers). However, box office returns are not the end of the road for movies' earnings. Once the film is out of theatres, it gets an OTT release on services like Netflix, Prime Video, or ZEE5. In addition to that, there are satellite rights and music rights through which producers can recover their money. Or the star of the film may let go of their fees to recoup the losses. Recently, it was reported that Aamir Khan let go of his fees of Rs 100 crore or $12.63 million to compensate for the flop that was 'Laal Singh Chaddha'.

Is 'Brahmastra' really a success? It's complicated

Happy Batman Day! From Adam West to Robert Pattinson, tracing the 83-year history of the Dark Knight

Thus far, 'The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power' has managed to impress even the most cynicalTolkien fans. Of course, the show might end up undoing all the goodwill by the finale, but that is something&nbsp;only the future can answer. The series is set in the Second Age of Middle-earth, a continent in Arda, the fantasy world created by late English author JRR Tolkien in his books 'The Lord of the Rings' and 'The Hobbit'. Created by J. D. Payne and Patrick McKay, the show has&nbsp;'The Lord of the Rings' in the title, but is not directly based on any writing by Tolkien. It takes material from the LotR book appendices and builds a familiar good vs evil story. Only, the players in this game, except for a couple of exceptions (Galadriel and Elrond), are different.

Charles Edwards, Robert Aramayo, and Morfydd Clark, lead the giant ensemble cast.

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="http://13.235.153.162/entertainment/hollywood/news-the-lord-of-the-rings-the-rings-of-power-review-a-majestic-fantasy-tv-series-worthy-of-jrr-tolkien-511819">'The Lord of the Rings The Rings of Power' review: A majestic fantasy TV series worthy of JRR Tolkien</a>

<h2>What is Númenor?</h2>

If you are watching the show, you must have heard the name of Númenor, a kingdom of Men (uppercase because it signifies the race), and even visited it. Númenor does not exist by the time we meet Bilbo Baggins in 'The Hobbit'. The Fall of Númenor is one of the major events in the history of Arda. The event has been teased in the fourth episode of the show. So what was Númenor? And how did it come to be extinct?

Númenor was a kingdom on the island of Númenor. The war against Morgoth, who was the Dar Lord before Sauron, was fought by the Valar but it was the Men who suffered the most. The Valar gave the Three Houses of The Edain the island as a gift for their sufferings. They were thenceforth called Númenoreans. Elros was the first king of Númenor, his house, called House of Elros, reigned over it until the island was destroyed. After the Fall of Númenor, the House of Elros survived in exile as the survivors sailed to Middle-earth. There, the Númenoreans built two kingdoms: Arnor and Gondor. As you can probably tell, Arnor also did not exist during the War of the Ring, at the end of the Third Age. It was destroyed in squabbles between princes who had divided it into three regions.

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Aragorn was a descendant of the Númenoreans and also a descendant of the House of Elros through Isildur. He was, in fact, the last descendant of Elros. This is why he was called the rightful king of Gondor, the surviving Númenorean kingdom on Middle-earth. After he became the king, he rebuilt Arnor.

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/the-lord-of-the-rings-the-rings-of-power-a-complete-character-guide-511753">'The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power': A complete character guide</a>

<h2>How were Númenoreans different from Men of Middle-earth?</h2>

The Númenoreans were Men but they were quite different from the Men who lived on Middle-earth. They were taller, stronger, and fairer. They also have enhanced lifespans of up to 500 years. They were said to be the greatest of all Men.

<h2>Why did Númenor get destroyed?</h2>

Now we are approaching spoiler territory. So although those who have read Tolkien know what happens, the show fans might want to stop reading at this point. So while Morgoth and his lieutenant Sauron were defeated, Morgoth was sent to a place from which he cannot come back. However, Sauron escaped. He cooked up evil plans and assumed an inoffensive persona and befriended the Númenorean king Ar-Pharazôn (yes, the same one). He began to corrupt the king and fuelled the fire of the monarch's insatiable ambition. At Númenor, he exhorted the locals to worship Morgoth as a god. He was so convincing and wily that he Ar-Pharazôn against the Valar of Aman (also called Undying Lands). Valar are the angels of Arda willed into existence by Eru Ilúvatar, the God, and Morgoth was the greatest of them all (he was, thus, the Lucifer equivalent of Arda). In comparison, Sauron was among the Maiar, powerful spirits also created by Eru (Gandalf and all the other wizards were also Maiar).

Anyway, Sauron convinced Ar-Pharazôn to wage war against the Valar themselves. A powerful fleet set sail for Aman. But it was destroyed by Eru Ilúvatar. Númenor itself was sunk beneath the Sundering Seas. The sad story of Númenor echoes the fall of Atlantis, the mythical Greek kingdom, and Biblical retribution. Tolkien was a devout Catholic and interweaved his beliefs into the fabric of Arda.&nbsp;

As mentioned above, Númenoreans did not just disappear. They survived in the form of Men of Gondor who fought and defeated Sauron's forces in the War of the Ring.

Míriel, the queen regent of Númenor played by Battle of the Pelennor Fields, Cynthia Addai-Robinson witnesses the inevitable fall of her father's kingdom. Sadly, whatever she does, that future will come to pass.&nbsp;

 
&nbsp;

Thus far, 'The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power' has managed to impress even the most cynicalTolkien fans. Of course, the show might end up undoing all the goodwill by the finale, but that is something only the future can answer.

Thus far, 'The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power' has managed to impress even the most cynicalTolkien fans. Of course, the show might end up undoing all the goodwill by the finale, but that is something only the future can answer. The series is set in the Second Age of Middle-earth, a continent in Arda, the fantasy world created by late English author JRR Tolkien in his books 'The Lord of the Rings' and 'The Hobbit'. Created by J. D. Payne and Patrick McKay, the show has 'The Lord of the Rings' in the title, but is not directly based on any writing by Tolkien. It takes material from the LotR book appendices and builds a familiar good vs evil story. Only, the players in this game, except for a couple of exceptions (Galadriel and Elrond), are different. Charles Edwards, Robert Aramayo, and Morfydd Clark, lead the giant ensemble cast. Also Read: 'The Lord of the Rings The Rings of Power' review: A majestic fantasy TV series worthy of JRR Tolkien What is Númenor? If you are watching the show, you must have heard the name of Númenor, a kingdom of Men (uppercase because it signifies the race), and even visited it. Númenor does not exist by the time we meet Bilbo Baggins in 'The Hobbit'. The Fall of Númenor is one of the major events in the history of Arda. The event has been teased in the fourth episode of the show. So what was Númenor? And how did it come to be extinct? Númenor was a kingdom on the island of Númenor. The war against Morgoth, who was the Dar Lord before Sauron, was fought by the Valar but it was the Men who suffered the most. The Valar gave the Three Houses of The Edain the island as a gift for their sufferings. They were thenceforth called Númenoreans. Elros was the first king of Númenor, his house, called House of Elros, reigned over it until the island was destroyed. After the Fall of Númenor, the House of Elros survived in exile as the survivors sailed to Middle-earth. There, the Númenoreans built two kingdoms: Arnor and Gondor. As you can probably tell, Arnor also did not exist during the War of the Ring, at the end of the Third Age. It was destroyed in squabbles between princes who had divided it into three regions. Aragorn was a descendant of the Númenoreans and also a descendant of the House of Elros through Isildur. He was, in fact, the last descendant of Elros. This is why he was called the rightful king of Gondor, the surviving Númenorean kingdom on Middle-earth. After he became the king, he rebuilt Arnor. Also Read: 'The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power': A complete character guide How were Númenoreans different from Men of Middle-earth? The Númenoreans were Men but they were quite different from the Men who lived on Middle-earth. They were taller, stronger, and fairer. They also have enhanced lifespans of up to 500 years. They were said to be the greatest of all Men. Why did Númenor get destroyed? Now we are approaching spoiler territory. So although those who have read Tolkien know what happens, the show fans might want to stop reading at this point. So while Morgoth and his lieutenant Sauron were defeated, Morgoth was sent to a place from which he cannot come back. However, Sauron escaped. He cooked up evil plans and assumed an inoffensive persona and befriended the Númenorean king Ar-Pharazôn (yes, the same one). He began to corrupt the king and fuelled the fire of the monarch's insatiable ambition. At Númenor, he exhorted the locals to worship Morgoth as a god. He was so convincing and wily that he Ar-Pharazôn against the Valar of Aman (also called Undying Lands). Valar are the angels of Arda willed into existence by Eru Ilúvatar, the God, and Morgoth was the greatest of them all (he was, thus, the Lucifer equivalent of Arda). In comparison, Sauron was among the Maiar, powerful spirits also created by Eru (Gandalf and all the other wizards were also Maiar). Anyway, Sauron convinced Ar-Pharazôn to wage war against the Valar themselves. A powerful fleet set sail for Aman. But it was destroyed by Eru Ilúvatar. Númenor itself was sunk beneath the Sundering Seas. The sad story of Númenor echoes the fall of Atlantis, the mythical Greek kingdom, and Biblical retribution. Tolkien was a devout Catholic and interweaved his beliefs into the fabric of Arda. As mentioned above, Númenoreans did not just disappear. They survived in the form of Men of Gondor who fought and defeated Sauron's forces in the War of the Ring. Míriel, the queen regent of Númenor played by Battle of the Pelennor Fields, Cynthia Addai-Robinson witnesses the inevitable fall of her father's kingdom. Sadly, whatever she does, that future will come to pass.

'The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power': The Fall of Numenor explained

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Zee News Rajasthan

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Kshitij Mohan Rawat

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