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India’s Oscar hopes dashed as ‘Homebound’ misses final nomination list

Rahil Jamil
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India’s Oscar hopes dashed as ‘Homebound’ misses final nomination list

India’s official Oscar entry ‘Homebound’ has failed to secure a nomination at the 98th Academy Awards, bringing a silent end to its campaign. The film, which had been considered a strong contender amid early buzz and much critical acclaim, was absent from the final list of nominees announced on Thursday.

Earlier, ‘Homebound’ was shortlisted under the International Feature Film category at the upcoming Oscars alongside entries from Argentina, Brazil, France, Germany, Iraq, Japan, Jordan, Norway, Palestine, South Korea, Spain, Switzerland, Taiwan, and Tunisia.

Nominated for the coveted trophy under International Feature Film are ‘The Secret Agent’, ‘It Was Just An Accident’, ‘Sentimental Value’, ‘Sirat’, and ‘The Voice of Hind Rajab’.

‘Homebound’ has received significant global acclaim, including premieres at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival, Toronto International Film Festival and the Melbourne International Film Festival.

With its Oscar shortlist, ‘Homebound’ also reached a rare milestone, becoming the fifth Indian film to be shortlisted for Best International Feature Film in the Academy Awards’ 98-year history.

Ishaan Khatter and Vishal Jethwa starrer ‘Homebound’ was among the 15 films that have become eligible for the final nominations.

The film follows childhood friends Shoaib (Ishaan Khatter) and Chandan (Vishal Jethwa), whose shared dream of joining the police force shapes their lives, with Janhvi Kapoor adding emotional depth to a story grounded in friendship, duty, and the pressures facing young India.

Directed by Neeraj Ghaywan, the film is produced by Karan Johar, Adar Poonawalla, and Apoorva Mehta, and co-produced by Marijke deSouza and Melita Toscan Du Plantier, with Martin Scorsese and Pravin Khairnar serving as Executive Producers.

Wagner Moura makes Oscar history as first Brazilian best actor nominee

Rahil Jamil
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Wagner Moura makes Oscar history as first Brazilian best actor nominee

In an unprecedented moment on the global stage, Brazil’s ‘The Secret Agent’ is shining with Best Picture and Best Actor nominations at the 98th Academy Awards.

Actor Wagner Moura picked up the torch for Brazil with a Best Actor nod for his performance in Kleber Mendonca Filho’s ‘The Secret Agent’, becoming the first Brazilian to be nominated in the category, reported Deadline. He is the third Brazilian to be nominated for acting at the Oscars, after Fernanda Torres (I’m Still Here) and Fernanda Montenegro (Central Station) – both won as actresses.

He has been nominated alongside Timothee Chalamet (Marty Supreme), Leonardo DiCaprio (One Battle After Another), Ethan Hawke (Blue Moon), and Michael B Jordan (Sinners). Besides, the film has also received nominations for Best International Feature, Best Picture, and the inaugural Casting category.

In another milestone, the film has marked its second nomination for Best Picture after last year’s ‘I’m Still Here’, as per The Hollywood Reporter.

Written and directed by Kleber Mendonca Filho, ‘The Secret Agent’ is a political thriller set against the backdrop of Brazil’s 1977 military dictatorship. Moura, as a hunted political dissident, returns to Recife to reunite with his son, only to find himself forced to live like a spy.

The film also premiered at the Cannes Film Festival, emerging as the most decorated film of the lineup.

Moura, who won the Best Male Actor at the 2026 Golden Globes, in his acceptance speech, said, “The Secret Agent is a film about memory, or the lack of memory, and generational trauma. I think that if trauma can be passed along generations, values can too. So this is to the ones that are sticking with their values in difficult moments.”

While the final voting is set to take place from 26 February to 5 March, 2026, the 98th Oscars will be held on 15 March.

The Night Agent season 3: What began with a call, became a calling

Rahil Jamil
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The Night Agent season 3: What began with a call, became a calling

‘The Night Agent’ has returned, and this time he’s escaping assassins.

The Season 3 trailer for Netflix’s hit spy show debuted Wednesday, giving fans a glimpse into what FBI agent Peter Sutherland has coming his way this time around. The new season will be released on the streaming platform globally on 19 february.

After Sutherland was tasked with stifling a CIA mole’s plans to blow up Manhattan in the second season, the agent is now busy tracking down a Treasury Agent who murdered his boss and then fled the country with sensitive government intel. Sutherland must investigate a network of dark money and evade its assassins, which puts him on a collision course with a persistent journalist.  “Working together, they uncover buried secrets and old grudges that threaten to bring the government to its knees and get them both killed in the process,” reads the official logline.

Gabriel Basso returns as Sutherland, in addition to series regulars Louis Herthum, Stephen Moyer, Callum Vinson, David Lyons, Fola Evans-Akingbola, Jennifer Morrison, Albert Jones, Ward Horton and Genesis Rodriguez.

“The Night Agent” first debuted on Netflix in 2023, becoming a major success for the streaming service. Variety previously reported that Season 2 of the action series debuted at the top spot of Netflix’s Top 10 with 13.9 million views in its first four days of availability. The series was adapted from the 2019 political thriller of the same name, written by Matthew Quirk.

Shawn Ryan (“The Shield,” “S.W.A.T.”) is the creator and showrunner of “The Night Agent.” He also serves as an executive producer in addition to Season 3 executive producers including Marney Hochman with MiddKid Productions, Seth Gordon and Julia Gunn with Exhibit A; James Vanderbilt, William Sherak, Paul Neinstein and Nicole Tossou with Project X; David Beaubaire with Sunset Lane Media, Munis Rashid, Paul Bernard, Guy Ferland, and Seth Fisher. Sony Pictures Television is the studio.

‘Masters of the Universe’ trailer: Nicholas Galitzine powers up as He-Man

Rahil Jamil
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‘Masters of the Universe’ trailer: Nicholas Galitzine powers up as He-Man

Amazon MGM has released the trailer for Masters of the Universe, Travis Knight’s live-action adaptation of Mattel’s iconic He-Man and the Masters of the Universe animated series.

The film stars Nicholas Galitzine as the sword-wielding, musclebound He-Man, who must battle to save his home planet Eternia from the evil Skeletor, played by Jared Leto, and his minions.

Joining Galitzine and Leto are Camila Mendes as Teela, Alison Brie as Evil-Lyn, Morena Baccarin as The Sorceress, Idris Elba as Duncan/Man-At-Arms, James Purefoy as King Randor, Charlotte Riley as Queen Marlena, Sam C. Wilson as Trap Jaw, and Sasheer Zamata as Suzie. The cast also includes Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson, Hafthor Bjornsson, Kojo Attah, John Xue Zhang and Christian Vunipola.

Produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Mattel Films, and Escape Artists, the film is distributed by Amazon MGM. Escape Artists’ Todd Black, Jason Blumenthal and Steve Tisch, who have been developing the project since 2010, produce alongside a screenplay by Chris Butler.

After years of development across multiple studios, directors and casts, the long-awaited live-action adaptation finally landed at Amazon MGM in 2023, with Travis Knight and Chris Butler confirmed as director and screenwriter in February 2024. Principal photography began in London in January 2025.

Masters of the Universe is set to charge into cinemas worldwide on 5 June 2026.

The 2026 Oscars nominations are finally here

Rahil Jamil
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The 2026 Oscars nominations are finally here

Danielle Brooks and Lewis Pullman unveiled the 2026 Oscar nominees on 22 January at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Los Angeles, Calif.

It’s been a winning award season for Ryan Coogler’s Sinners, which sank its teeth into the competition with 16 nominations at the 15 March ceremony, including Best Picture, Best Directing and Michael B. Jordan’s Best Actor in a Leading Role. The vampire horror proved its weight in gold, earning the most Oscar nominations ever, besting Titanic and La La Land’s 14 nods, respectively.

Meanwhile, Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another earned 13 nominations at the 98th Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Leonardo DiCaprio’s Best Actor in a Leading Role and Teyana Taylor’s Best Actress in a Supporting Role.

And Marty Supreme may be turning in table tennis paddles for some sparkling trophies. The film earned nine nods, including Best Picture and Original Screenplay. And Timothée Chalamet is going head-to-head with Leonardo, Michael, The Secret Agent’s Wagner Moura and Blue Moon star Ethan Hawke.

For Timothée, bringing Marty Mauser to life had proven to be a golden decision. After all, the 30-year-old’s latest nomination follows his win for Best Performance by a Male Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy at the 2026 Golden Globes and Best Actor at the 2026 Critics Choice Awards earlier this year.

Although Timothée took a moment to spotlight his girlfriend Kylie Jenner during his acceptance speech, he also praised director Josh Safdie’s for taking a chance on the sports dramedy.”You made a story about a flawed man with a relatable dream, and you didn’t preach to the audience about what’s right and wrong,” the 30-year-old explained on stage. “We should all be telling stories like that. So, thank you for this dream.”

Some of the Oscars 2026 Nominees:

Actor in a Supporting Role

Benecio Del Toro – One Battle After Another

Jacob Elordi – Frankenstein
Delroy Lindo – Sinners
Sean Penn – One Battle After Another

Stellan Skarsgård – Sentimental Value

Actress in a Supporting Role

Elle Fanning – Sentimental Value

Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas – Sentimental Value
Amy Madigan – Weapons
Wunmi Mosaku- Sinners

Teyana Taylor – One Battle After Another

Best Picture

Bugonia

F1
Frankenstein
Hamnet
Marty Supreme
One Battle After Another
rThe Secret Agent
Sentimental Value
Sinners

Train Dreams

Actor in a Leading Role

Timothée Chalamet – Marty Supreme

Leonardo DiCaprio – One Battle After Another
Ethan Hawke – Blue Moon
Michael B. Jordan – Sinners

Wagner Moura – The Secret Agent

Actress in a Leading Role

Jessie Buckley – Hamnet

Rose Bryne – If I Had Legs I’d Kick You
Kate Hudson – Song Sung Blue
Renate Reinsve – Sentimental Value

Emma Stone – Bugonia

Best Original Song

“Dear Me” from Diane Warren: Relentless

“Golden” from KPop Deamon Hunters
“I Lied to You” from Sinners
“Sweet Dreams of Joy” from Viva Verdii

“Train Dreams” from Train Dreams

Animated Feature Film

ArcoElio

Kpop Demon Hunters
Little Amélie or the Character of Rain

Zootopia 2

Directing

Chloé Zhao – Hamnet

Josh Safdie – Marty Supreme
Paul Thomas Anderson – One Battle After Another
Joachim Trier – Sentimental Value

Ryan Coogler – Sinners

Best Adapted Screenplay

Bugonia

Frankenstein
Hamnet
One Battle After Another
Train Dreams

Best Casting

Hamnet

Marty Supreme
One Battle After Another
The Secret Agent
Sinners

‘Aasma’ song unveiled from Mrunal & Siddhant’s ‘Do Deewane Seher Mein’

Rahil Jamil
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‘Aasma’ song unveiled from Mrunal & Siddhant’s ‘Do Deewane Seher Mein’

A new song titled ‘Aasma’ from Mrunal Thakur and Siddhant Chaturvedi’s film ‘Do Deewane Seher Mein’ was unveiled on Thursday.

Aasma brings real, lived-in love alive on screen, “capturing the quiet excitement and vulnerability of a couple still finding their way through romance,” read a press note.

Sharing the video, Mrunal on Instagram wrote, ” How can one not fall in isq with this track? Aasma – OUT NOW! This Valentines, isq se isq ho jayega! – 20th Feb. In cinemas only

Soulfully sung by Jubin Nautiyal and Neeti Mohan, Aasma strikes an emotional chord.

Zee Studios and Bhansali Productions will present Do Deewane Seher Mein. It stars Mrunal Thakur and Siddhant Chaturvedi, directed by Ravi Udyawar.

The film is produced by Sanjay Leela Bhansali, Prerna Singh, Umesh Kumar Bansal, and Bharat Kumar Ranga, in association with Ravi Udyawar Films. Do Deewane Seher Mein is set to release in cinemas on 20 February, 2026.

SZA embraces whimsy, comfort and creativity at Paris Fashion Week

Rahil Jamil
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SZA embraces whimsy, comfort and creativity at Paris Fashion Week

SZA feels like her best self when she leans into fashion’s whimsical side. While the singer describes her style as creative, comfortable, and expressive, she also offers up some colorful specifics.

“I feel like there’s some forest fairy, dirty, perennial, long-living teenage boy that is inside me, but with a mix of old oracle woman,” she tells Vogue whilst shuttling between shows during men’s fashion week in Paris. (When she isn’t sitting front row, she likes to kill time by biking through the streets. “It makes me feel naughty and fun.”)

And, according to SZA, Pharrell Williams is the high priest of playfulness. “When I think of Pharrell, I think of whimsy,” she says. “I think that’s what he brings to any space. It’s like a whimsy and a freshness.” SZA was also among the front-row attendees at Williams’s fall 2026 Louis Vuitton show, where she was especially taken by the creative director’s holistic approach to the production. “You could tell he put a lot of thought into the live music with the orchestra and the choir,” she says. “The sounds were crazy.”

For the Vuitton show, SZA had comfort top of mind, wearing a white button-up opened to the sternum, pajama-like striped trousers, and a brown leather coat. She dressed up the laidback look with a pair of one-of-a-kind Vans embellished by New York jeweler Rachel Goatley, and toted a bag straight from the spring 2026 runway. “I picked the look because it was comfortable, very relaxed, but super high-quality leather,” she says. “The coat was butter and the bag felt like a vacation.”

Cruz Beckham subtly reacts to Brooklyn Beckham’s allegations involving Victoria Beckham

Rahil Jamil
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Cruz Beckham subtly reacts to Brooklyn Beckham’s allegations involving Victoria Beckham

Cruz Beckham has waded into the ongoing family drama involving his older brother Brooklyn Beckham, subtly poking fun at Brooklyn’s recent claims about their mother Victoria Beckham.

According to E! News, The 20-year-old appeared to mock Brooklyn’s recollection of events by liking a 19 January Instagram post joking about Victoria’s alleged dance moves at Brooklyn and Nicola Peltz Beckham’s 2022 wedding. The post compared the moment to Victoria’s performance of her single Not Such An Innocent Girl at the TMF Awards in 2001, where the former Spice Girls member was seen dancing suggestively on stage in leather trousers and a bra top beneath a sheer black vest.

Cruz also liked a 20 January Instagram Reel from comedian Olly Hume, who parodied the wedding by pretending to be the DJ. In the skit, Hume announced, “And now for the song requested by the mother of the groom for her first dance with her son,” before reacting in mock shock as Ginuwine’s Pony began to play. The clip was captioned, “Interesting moves Victoria.” E! News mentioned.

The renewed attention follows Brooklyn’s claims that his mother “hijacked” his first dance with Nicola, which he said had been planned weeks in advance. In Instagram Stories shared on January 19, the 26-year-old wrote that singer Marc Anthony called him to the stage in front of around 500 guests, where he had expected to dance with his wife. Instead, he said, his mother was waiting for him.

“She danced very inappropriately on me in front of everyone,” Brooklyn wrote. “I’ve never felt more uncomfortable or humiliated in my entire life.”

Sources had previously told E! News that the mother-and-son dance left Nicola, 31, in tears. Brooklyn added that he and Nicola chose to renew their vows in August so they could create new memories of their wedding day that brought “joy and happiness, not anxiety and embarrassment”.

Victoria and David Beckham, who are also parents to Romeo Beckham, 23, and daughter Harper, 14, have not commented publicly on the situation. However, Cruz has previously addressed speculation around the family rift. In December, he denied rumours that the family had unfollowed Brooklyn and Nicola on Instagram.

“NOT TRUE,” Cruz wrote on Instagram Stories beneath a screenshot of a Daily Mail headline. “My mum and dad would never unfollow their son. Let’s get the facts right. They woke up blocked… as did I.”

“Priyanka Chopra is unstoppable and always surprises,” says SS Rajamouli as he gives shoutout to The Bluff

Rahil Jamil
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“Priyanka Chopra is unstoppable and always surprises,” says SS Rajamouli as he gives shoutout to The Bluff

Priyanka Chopra continues to build anticipation for her upcoming film The Bluff, with buzz around the project intensifying after filmmaker SS Rajamouli publicly praised her performance. The director, who is also collaborating with Priyanka on his much-anticipated film Varanasi, shared his appreciation on social media, describing her presence in The Bluff as commanding and impactful.

The praise comes as Priyanka balances major international and Indian projects. Rajamouli’s Varanasi, which stars Mahesh Babu and Prithviraj Sukumaran alongside Priyanka, is expected to release during Sankranti 2027. In the film, Priyanka will be seen as Mandakini, while Mahesh Babu essays the role of Rudhra and Prithviraj Sukumaran plays Kumbha.

Meanwhile, The Bluff marks another significant outing for Priyanka on the global stage. Set in the 19th-century Caribbean, the film follows a former female pirate whose past resurfaces, placing a bounty on her head. Karl Urban portrays a feared pirate who leads the pursuit against her.

Produced by AGBO Studios and backed by Amazon MGM Studios, The Bluff continues Priyanka’s collaboration with the studio following Citadel. The film is scheduled to premiere on Prime Video on 25 February.

Taylor Swift to become youngest woman in Songwriters Hall of Fame

Rahil Jamil
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Taylor Swift to become youngest woman in Songwriters Hall of Fame

Pop icon Taylor Swift is set to become the youngest woman to be inducted into the ‘Songwriters Hall of Fame’.

The 36-year-old pop singer has qualified for the honour this year because it has been 20 years since the release of her first single, Tim McGraw, and has made it through the ballot ahead of the organisation’s 2026 Induction and Awards Gala in New York City on 11 June, reports ‘Female First UK’.

Taylor received the Songwriters Hall of Fame’s Hal David Starlight Award, which honours promising songwriters, in 2010 and will be the first winner of the accolade to receive full Hall of Fame status. Also set to be inducted later this year are Alanis Morissette, KISS’ Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons, and Kenny Loggins, as well as non-performing writers Walter Afanasieff, Terry Britten and Graham Lyle, and Christopher ‘Tricky’ Stewart.

As per ‘Female First UK’, Walter is best known as Mariah Carey’s co-writer on her hits including My All, Hero, and All I Want for Christmas is You, while Terry and Graham penned Tina Turner’s We Don’t Need Another Hero and What’s Love Got To Do With It.

Tricky is responsible for Rihanna’s Umbrella and Beyonce’s hits Single Ladies and Break My Soul. Songwriters Hall of Fame chair Nile Rodgers said in a statement, “The music industry is built upon the incredible talent of songwriters who create unforgettable songs. Without their artistry, there would be no recorded music, concert experiences, or engaged fans. Everything originates from the song and its creator. We take great pride in our ongoing commitment to recognising some of the most culturally significant composers in history. This year’s line-up not only showcases iconic songs but also celebrates unity across various genres”.

Among the writers who failed to make it through the ballot this year were LL Cool J, Pink, Talking Heads’ David Byrne, Sarah McLachlan, and the Go-Gos’ Charlotte Caffey, Kathy Valentine and Jane Wiedlin.

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