Latest news with #Jaishankar
The Hindu
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Hindu
The short film surge in Kannada: Young filmmakers are oozing promise with relatable stories
For the third consecutive year, the Kannada film industry is enduring a dull phase. Barring a few impressive attempts from newcomers (Nimma Vasthugalige Neeve Javabdararu, Nodidavaru Enantare, Edagaiye Apaghatakke Karana), Sandalwood hasn't produced enough quality content to pull the audience to theatres. Robbed of the big-screen experience, movie lovers have turned to YouTube to watch films, albeit in a shorter format. The biggest positive amidst the dry period is the consistent flow of interesting short films from aspiring filmmakers. These youngsters haven't compromised on the quality of their projects, ensuring the concept and production are on par with any mainstream feature film. To their advantage, the movies have been backed by Kannada stars, who have released the shorts on their official channels. Jaishankar Aryar's festival hit Shivamma (2022) — a beautiful rural satire on a woman's rollercoaster journey in a multi-level marketing business — was produced by Rishab Shetty. Now, the youngster has received the backing of the Kantara actor-director for his short It Was Nice Meeting You. Breakup cycle The beautiful relationship drama, streaming on Rishab Shetty Films, has 4.5 lakh views so far. 'Prime Video released the Modern Love Mumbai and Modern Love Hyderabad in 2022. I directed this movie as my entry for a possible Modern Love Bengaluru series, but the OTT platform wasn't interested in Kannada content. So the film remained in the can for three years,' says Jaishankar. ALSO READ:'Shivamma Yarehanchinala' movie review: A delightful take on the life of a spirited woman Post the widespread acclaim for Shivamma, Jai Shankar revived his short with sound mixing and music. It Was Nice Meeting You, starring Jaishankar and Ashwitha Hegde, is a realistic take on a couple's break-up cycle. The short delves into the struggles of letting your loved one go. 'Some relationships don't work, and a separation is the best outcome for both individuals. I have tried to reflect the need for closure in relationships,' says Jaishankar, who is overwhelmed by the response to the short. 'People are calling it their story. Reels from my film have reached lakhs of people.' Jaishankar has a script for a feature-length romance. 'We celebrate 96 (starring Vijay Sethupathi and Trisha) so much, but I feel Kannada needs to have its own poignant romantic dramas. Of course, there is Paramathma (2010), but we need to have more.' Tryst with AI The urge to experiment drew Abhay to direct Imagine, a 15-minute short on the dangers of AI. Streaming on PRK Audio, a YouTube channel helmed by Ashwini Puneeth Rajkumar, producer, and wife of superstar Puneeth Rajkumar, the film has gained praise for its technical brilliance. 'My DOP, Rahul Roy, and I wanted to create something with the blazar anamorphic lens, which is perhaps the most affordable anamorphic lens. We wanted to shoot a film in two days. I wrote a two-page script, and we shot the movie in four hours,' reveals Abhay. The short is a gripping one-night story of a youngster trying to break himself free from the control of AI. Apart from directing and starring in the film, Abhay has also written and edited Imagine. 'I explored my cinematic abilities with the movie,' says Abhay, who acted and executive-produced the 2024 dark comedy Family Drama. ALSO READ:'Family Drama' movie review: This dark comedy comes into its own in a hilarious second half Family Drama, with many hilarious stretches, is an interesting attempt despite its flaws. However, the film failed at the box office, and Imagine is sort of a redemption for Abhay. He is writing a feature film script and awaiting the release of his next, Valavaara, a movie about familial bonds and sibling rivalry. Coming-of-age tale Madhu Kalale worked in the direction team of the impressive crowd-funded college drama Daredevil Musthafa (2023), distributed by Dhananjaya. The actor has released Madhu's short, Summer Love, on his channel, Daali Pictures. Madhu is a fan of love stories. 'Amruthavarshini (1997) is one of my favourites. I also like the Mani Ratnam kind of romantic dramas,' he says. Summer Love isn't a conventional love story involving the meet-cute moments of a young couple. The film is a boy's (played by a charming Aashith) coming-of-age tale as he struggles to express his feelings for his childhood friend. 'We show the story of a young boy, comfortable with his laidback lifestyle and hesitant to take responsibilities, getting a reality check,' says Madhu. The tone of the film is delightfully gentle, and the smooth conversations between the characters are the highlight. Reflecting on the response (2.3 lakh views) to his short, Madhu says Summer Love has given him the confidence to film a feature. 'It has helped me understand the pulse of the audience. I co-write the script with Aashith. As a director, to bounce ideas off your lead actor was a unique experience.' Of loneliness and problems of men Rupesh SK, who directed and starred in the short Seniors, maintained the high production value of a feature film. The emotional drama deals with the theme of loneliness in old age. It also reflects the ignorance of modern men's issues in society. The short is available on KRG Connects, the official channel of the popular banner KRG Studios. 'We shot a promotional song that depicted the challenges of making this film. It caught the attention of KRG Studios,' says Rupesh about his crowd-funded project. 'We shot the film in two and a half days, but the post-production happened in phases as we waited for funds.' After several private screenings, which involved the presence of film industry members, Rupesh has managed to form a film community aimed at helping newcomers. An aspiring actor, Rupesh is relieved that his movie has generated conversations about men's problems and emotionally resonated with the elderly. ALSO READ:Karthik Gowda: Kannada cinema lacking in consistency The charming mini-series Colors on Rishab Shetty Films and the haunting short Chaaye, available on Raj B Shetty's Lighter Buddha YouTube channel, are other impressive short-form content in recent times. The Kannada short film community is buzzing more than ever before, and the committed and gifted young filmmakers have given hope to the industry.
The Wire
2 days ago
- Politics
- The Wire
Can an Opportunistic Foreign Policy Doctrine Help India?
Menu हिंदी తెలుగు اردو Home Politics Economy World Security Law Science Society Culture Editor's Pick Opinion Support independent journalism. Donate Now Top Stories Can an Opportunistic Foreign Policy Doctrine Help India? Aakar Patel 4 minutes ago We have chosen to be transactional with the world, as our UN votes reveal. The major powers understand and accept this, and they will in turn be transactional with us. Prime Minister Narendra Modi departs for Alberta (Canada), after concluding his official engagements in Cyprus, Monday, June 16, 2025. Photo: PMO/PTI. Real journalism holds power accountable Since 2015, The Wire has done just that. But we can continue only with your support. Contribute now On June 12, 2025, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution demanding an immediate, unconditional and lasting ceasefire in the Gaza Strip. It spoke of ending Israel's use of starvation as a weapon of war. A total of 149 nations voted in favour, with the United States and Israel voting to oppose it. India abstained from voting, repeating a pattern it has adopted all through the Narendra Modi era. This has upset some Indians because it is a break from India's longstanding position on Palestine and Palestinians, but it is in keeping with the thrust of the BJP's Hindutva ideology. On the other hand, the government's supporters have been upset by the even-handedness with which the world has approached our recent conflict with Pakistan. We cannot get nations to take our side and condemn Pakistan over its support to terrorism. This column is not a critique of India's foreign policy under Narendra Modi; it is an attempt to explain it. The manifestoes of the BJP from the very beginning, in its Jan Sangh avatar in the 1950s, have little to offer in terms of foreign policy doctrine. However, external affairs minister S. Jaishankar has laid out his thesis in his writings and this will help us appreciate what India is attempting to do in the world. Jaishankar assumes that in our time the United States and Europe will look inward (his first book of essays was published just before Donald Trump lost in 2020), while China would continue to rise. This would open the space for countries like India to be opportunistic in their engagements with the world, and for this they did not need consistency. Also read: What India's Refusal to Engage on Global Questions of Principle Means What India wanted was a 'multi-polar Asia' — meaning one in which India could claim parity with China. Many balls would need to be kept in the air, Jaishankar writes, and India will be able to handle them with dexterity. This was opportunism but that was all right because opportunism, he tells us, was in India's culture. We should understand our abstention from voting against genocide and starvation of children by Israel in this light. The lessons of the Mahabharata, Jaishankar says, are that deceit and immorality are merely to 'not play by the rules'. Drona's demanding of Eklavya's thumb, Indra's appropriation of Karna's armour, Arjuna using Shikhandi as a human shield, these were but 'practices and traditions'. Inconsistency in policy was not only fine but required because 'obsessing about consistency' made little sense in changing circumstances. So, what was such a doctrine to be called? In a speech he made where he first laid out this doctrine of opportunism and inconsistency, Jaishankar said it is hard to think of a name. He takes up and discards the phrases — 'multi-alignment' ('sounds too opportunistic') and 'India first' ('sounds self-centred'). He settles at 'advancing prosperity and influence', which he says is accurate but thinks it is not catchy. He believes some name for it will eventually come if it is pursued long enough, because a part of the challenge is that we are still in the early phase of a major transition. The opponent will point out that this was no real foreign policy at all. This was a cover on top of what was already going on. What interested Narendra Modi, and what was inconsistent but made for pageant and ceremony, was being passed off as something meaningful. The opponent will also ask why Jaishankar's doctrine is detached from the rhetoric offered by the BJP. There is no role for India, the civilisational entity, which nationalists from Nehru to the BJP have made much of. There is no 'Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam' – style romanticism or a 'Vishwa Guru' – type bombast here, and Jaishankar's nameless doctrine is stripped of all forms of morality and ethic. This is not India engaging with the world on the strength of Indian pluralism. The world is a transactional place and India must be dexterous enough to be able to take advantage of it. One important element of this line of thinking was to take advantage of the war in Ukraine and buy cheap Russian oil. Europe, dependent on Russian gas for energy, could hardly press other nations to buy from Russia. India did so, along with China. How much cheaper was it? The average landed price of imported crude for April-December 2022 was $99.20 per barrel. If oil from Russia was excluded, the average price was $101.20, meaning a saving of $2 per barrel. And this money did not come back to the Indian citizen as we have seen in the price of petrol and diesel; instead, it only enriched private refiners. Jaishankar, however, does not appear to have anticipated that this theory of his worked both ways. In such a world as he imagined, others would also seek to take advantage of India, and treat it in an opportunistic fashion. This might help explain why our global outreach has received such a tepid response. We have chosen to be transactional with the world, as our UN votes reveal. The major powers understand and accept this, and they will in turn be transactional with us. Whether this is good, bad or indifferent foreign policy is for the reader to decide. Aakar Patel is a senior journalist and columnist. The Wire is now on WhatsApp. Follow our channel for sharp analysis and opinions on the latest developments. Make a contribution to Independent Journalism Related News How Pakistan's Charm Offensive Helps Keep Its Bilateral Ties Alive Who Is India's All-Weather Friend in This World? What India's Refusal to Engage on Global Questions of Principle Means Weakened Russia, Rising China and an Unsteady US: A Strategic Triangle That India Must Navigate Hugs, Hashtags, and Hard Passes: The Curated Spectacle of Modi's Diplomacy Violent Pakistan Storms Trigger Floods, Landslides Killing At Least 10 Jaishankar to UK Foreign Secretary: 'Perpetrators of Evil' Can't Be Put at Par With Victims Indus Treaty: Can India Stop All the Water? Modi's Cult-Driven Foreign Outreach Efforts Have Left India Friendless View in Desktop Mode About Us Contact Us Support Us © Copyright. All Rights Reserved.
India Gazette
3 days ago
- Business
- India Gazette
Global South feels strong desire for change in the world order
S. Jaishankar has said there are rising voices in the BRICS+ nations condemning the unfairness of global affairs Indian Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar has said that "strong sentiments" in the Global South regarding the perceived unfairness of the present international order are fueling a desire for change, according to the news agency AFP. Jaishankar's statement, made on Sunday, came ahead of the G7 Summit in Canada where Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is one of the invitees representing the Global South. "There are very strong feelings in the Global South about the inequities of the international order, the desire to change it, and we are very much part of that," he said. The Indian foreign minister added that it is important for New Delhi to make its presence felt at the Canada summit. "We have been an outreach country in the G7 for many years, and I think it brings benefits to the G7," he said. The G7, or Group of Seven, is an informal intergovernmental forum which was established in the mid-1970s consisting of seven of the world's most advanced economies: Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States. While not a member, India plays an important role in the G20, an expanded group which was established in 1999. BRICS, an intergovernmental organization established in 2009 by Brazil, Russia, India, and China (as BRIC), with South Africa joining in 2010, is widely seen as representative of the Global South. The group later expanded to include Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Ethiopia, Indonesia and Iran. Vietnam recently joined the bloc as a partner country. The original five countries are all members of the G20, where they are seen as a counterweight to the G7. India's active trade involvement with Russia and other members of BRICS, particularly in sectors such as oil and defense, has drawn the ire of G7 countries such as the US. Recently, US Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick said while addressing the eighth US-India Strategic Partnership Forum that India's participation in the group, which challenges the hegemony of the US dollar, is "not really the way to make friends and influence people in America." The original five BRICS countries overtook their G7 counterparts in share of the world's total gross domestic product (GDP) in terms of purchasing power parity in 2018, according to the German online platform Statista. The current BRICS members now account for 35 percent of the world's GDP, compared to 30 percent held by the G7 countries, according to Statista.
The Hindu
4 days ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
India starts relocating citizens from Tehran to other parts of Iran, considers exit routes from Israel for Indian citizens
As the conflict between Iran and Israel continues to escalate, the government has initiated efforts to move Indian citizens in both countries to safer areas, although no evacuation plans are currently in progress. It has also advised them to limit their movements, given the daily aerial strikes. The Indian embassy in Tehran began working with local Iranian authorities on Monday to shift Indian citizens by bus to safer places outside the capital and from other cities being targeted by Israeli strikes, while more than 100 students have crossed the border to Armenia. Israel-Iran conflict LIVE updates In Israel, where the airspace is closed completely, Indian embassy officials in Tel Aviv are guiding citizens who can move out towards the land borders with Jordan and Egypt. External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, who has been in touch with his counterparts in Iran and Israel in the last few days, also spoke with others in the region on Monday. In separate posts on social media, Mr. Jaishankar said that he had 'discussed ongoing developments in the region and [India-Armenia] close cooperation' with Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan, and also discussed the 'role of diplomacy' with with Foreign Minister of United Arab Emirates, Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan. The Indian embassy in Tel Aviv has registered Indian citizens, held zoom calls with them and issued an advisory telling them not to undertake 'unnecessary movements'. The number of Indian citizens in the country has grown rapidly to an estimated 25,000 over the past 18 months after India agreed to Israeli requests for skilled labour to work on construction projects after authorities cancelled thousands of work permits to Palestinians. At present, it is possible to leave Israel through the border crossings to Jordan and Egypt, officials said, and those wanting to return to India are being advised on the best possible routes to reach the border sites. 'No details of arrangements for transport and visas or an evacuation plan have been shared with us so far. It would be good to know what the government is thinking about,' an Indian research scholar based in Israel, who asked not to be named, told The Hindu. In Iran, sources said that buses have started relocating Indian students from the Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Islamic Azad University-Tehran Medical Sciences, and the Iran University of Medical Sciences in Tehran. India has been discussing with Armenian authorities to enable Indian citizens cross the border at Agarak. While border crossings from Iran to Turkiye and Azerbaijan are also open at present, sources suggested that those crossings may prove less convenient given the tense ties with both countries in the aftermath of Operation Sindoor. A similar relocation of students is expected to take place soon from the Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences in Tehran and Urmia University of Medical Sciences near Iran's border. Indian officials have advised students that 'it is highly advisable to move out of Tehran by availing of this bus facility'. Indian visitors are entitled to a 14-day visa-free period but with no easy way out of the country, travellers and religious pilgrims are worried that their permits will run out. Given the uncertain situation, officials said the Indian Embassy in Tehran will try to relocate Indians, including about 7,500 students to safer cities and towns outside the capital area. The embassy is continuously assessing the situation, the officials said. Indian authorities have registered citizens in Iran through Google forms and set up hotlines and social media groups to keep them updated.
Calgary Herald
4 days ago
- Politics
- Calgary Herald
India a voice for Global South at G7, says foreign minister
Article content India, whose leader has been invited to the G7 starting on Sunday, is eager to represent the Global South on the world stage, acting as a 'bridge' between different countries, Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar said. Article content India is not a member of the G7 — which comprises Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States — but the world's most populous nation and one of its biggest economies has been invited to summits since 2019. Article content Article content Article content 'We have been an outreach country in the G7 for many years, and I think it brings benefits to the G7,' he told AFP in Paris. Article content Article content 'There are very strong feelings in the Global South about the inequities of the international order, the desire to change it, and we are very much part of that,' he added. Article content 'It is important for us to organize ourselves and make our presence felt.' Article content The leaders of the G7 kick off a yearly summit in the Canadian Rockies on Sunday. They have invited Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, along with the leaders of Ukraine, Mexico, South Africa and South Korea, to attend at a time of global turmoil and a radical new US approach to world affairs. Article content The member nations are also expected to deliberate on troubled relations with China and Russia. Article content India is a leading member of BRICS — a bloc of leading emerging economies that includes Russia and China, whose leaders are set to meet in early July. Article content Article content BRICS has growing economic clout and is increasingly seen as a G7 rival. Article content Jaishankar said India had 'the ability to work with different countries in a way without making any relationship exclusive'. Article content 'To the extent that that serves as a bridge, it's frankly a help that we do to international diplomacy at a time when, mostly what you see are difficult relationships and excessive tensions,' he added. Article content But Jaishankar — whose nation is a political ally of Russia and trades with Moscow — said sanctions such as those against President Vladimir Putin's government did not work.
