POP CULTURE PRACHAARAN

From A.R. Rahman to Music Director Merlin D'Souza, part of the studio behind Mastercard's sound: Indian music directors who went global, ahead of Earthshot.

Christmas songs, Grease, Buddy Holly and a 20-year legal fight. Here's how a Beatle reached $1.4 billion, number by number.

A 91 per cent jump from Sunday, a BookMyShow record and Rs 346.35 crore in five days. Ramayana didn't just survive Monday. It owned it.

Four years, one Superman, one Supergirl bomb and a $110 billion merger later, the DCU's architects are out. Here's everything we know.

Of a childhood favourite, a shy philanthropist, a proud Maratha, and an actor who insisted on going to Kargil. A reader's tribute to Nana Patekar.

A record US opening for a Japanese monster film. But the bigger question is why a giant lizard can make grown adults cry. A look at the psychology of monster movies.

A Diwali-day record, a four-day total past Adipurush and a worldwide figure knocking on ₹500 crore. And one number that tells a more complicated story.

From a laughing denial to a Greek destination wedding. Here's everything we know about Anirudh Ravichander and Kavya Maran's wedding, and what is still only reported.

Full spoilers. Who is Vita, who dies in the finale, where Sam goes, and why the last line of Black Doves season 2 is the most loaded question in the show.

Rajinikanth on Prime Video, Middle-earth at war, a murder at St Teresa's and Pankaj Tripathi in love. This week's biggest OTT releases, trailers included.

Take That, Shreya Ghoshal, Shashwat Sachdev and Music Director Merlin D'Souza: the full Earthshot Prize Mumbai performer lineup, explained.

Netflix is building a 1950s Stranger Things prequel. We've never seen a single episode of the original. So we tried to understand why everyone loves it.

A Japanese monster sequel is beating Hollywood at home, while Ramayana dominates India. Here's why Godzilla Minus Zero's opening matters.

The diyas are lit and the speaker is on. Here are the Bollywood Diwali songs that belong on tonight's playlist, with every video right here.

25 years after K3G, Karan Johar hosts Earthshot in Mumbai on 17 November, with Music Director Merlin D'Souza, who conducted his film, on the bill.

A packed Chennai venue, fans turned away, a heartfelt Dhanush speech, Mammootty back in Tamil cinema and Sai Pallavi still being called Rowdy Baby Akka. The full OM recap.

Nayanthara is back as the goddess. Here's everything on Mookuthi Amman 2: the release, cast, ₹100 crore budget, opening day numbers and OTT plans.

Velvet was the word of the night. A look at the men who stood out at Manish Malhotra's Diwali bash, from Vicky Kaushal's burgundy to Vedang Raina's brooch.

A Mark Twain epigraph, a line about monopolies on violence, and a hero defending his neighbours' land. The writer of Ghost Soldier explains where it came from.

Decipher the absurd climax of Scene (2026), how Inbaraj outsmarts contract killer Eeswaran in his booby-trapped house, and what the ending signifies.

Discover what happens at the end of The Cat in the Hat (2026), how Gabby uses the Go-Backer, and what all four wacky post-credits stingers really mean.

Music Director Merlin D'Souza, the music wizard behind K3G's sound, joins Prince William's Earthshot Prize in Mumbai on 17 November.

For Raashii Khanna, Dhanteras is about family and blessings. She talks about the puja, Yama Deepam and a set of gold bangles that has passed down the generations.

A message sent without expectations got a reply from an Oscar winner. Riz Ahmed's words for JUNGLYWOOD director Chand Mohammad, and what the film is about.

He was in his late thirties when he walked away from advertising to act. Nearly four decades later, Denzil Smith has played Jinnah, worked with Christopher Nolan and become a face many Indian viewers know.

Under the visionary leadership of IAS officer Nidhi Choudhari, Director of the National Gallery of Modern Art, Mumbai, the institution is embracing greater engagement with private stakeholders and India's evolving cultural industries. Mumbai, 5 November 2026: AltBollywood marked a significant milestone in its journey as an independent cultural media platform with the signing of a Memorandum of Agreement at the National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA), Mumbai. Kenneth Hopkins, Fo

Sixteen years since their last joint couch. The final season. Saif's new internet fame. The expectations were enormous. Here's what landed and what didn't.

The film ends not in battle but in grief and a promise. And then Hanuman shows up after the credits. Here's what it all means for Part 2.

I walked into the press show scared of two things: the CGI and the dialogues. I walked out having watched an epic. My full Ramayana: Part 1 review.

A 1939 prologue, a dive into Vision's subconscious and a reveal nobody quite saw coming. Our full breakdown of 'Immolation'.