The PFI, facing cases over the rally, has disowned only the wording and style of the slogans raised, not the content – with the belief in PFI circles being that “RSS terrorism” needs to be strongly countered.

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PFI state president C P Muhammed Basheer told the media: “We are not ready for any compromise. The RSS cannot silence the PFI. Let the RSS denounce its ideology of hate.”

He also said that Muslims in the country were “fighting for existence”, and that neither the CPM-led LDF nor the Congress-led UDF could put up a strong fight against the RSS. “Our fight is to protect Constitutional values and rights. Recent developments show that the country is in the final stages of being declared a Hindu Rashtra,” he said.

After police booked two PFI leaders, including its Alappuzha district president Vandanam Navaz, in connection with the Alappuzha rally, the PFI held protests across many locations in Kerala. On Saturday, police took away the father of the boy who raised the contested slogans from their residence in Kochi. The father told the media his son “had taken part in agitations against the CAA and the slogans were against the threat created by the Sangh Parivar, and not against any community”.

Over the past 15 years, the PFI has assumed many roles in the state, such as of a social crusader, moral police, and champion of Muslim and Dalit causes. The emergence of the Sangh Parivar has lately helped it project itself as the only Muslim answer to it. The alternative, the Indian Union Muslim League, still the largest political party of Kerala Muslims, treads a more moderate line being part of mainstream politics and an ally of the Congress.

The PFI’s enmity with the RSS goes way back in Kerala, with the body and its earlier version, the National Development Front (NDF), and the Sangh Parivar involved in a series of killings and counter-killings. The NDF, in fact, was launched two years after the Babri Masjid demolition, and the issue has remained central to the PFI. It marks the December 6, 1992, demolition every year, among the only Muslim organisations in Kerala to still do so.

Now, the PFI has taken the lead on the Kashi Vishwanath temple-Gyanvapi mosque row, which has resurfaced following a series of court petitions. It has been telling the Muslim community that its warnings regarding the intentions of the Sangh have come true, and that the Babri demolition was just the start of what was to follow. PFI leaders admit they see the issue getting much resonance among the Muslims.

No Muslim outfit or leader in Kerala has incidentally publicly reacted on the Alappuzha slogans.

Worryingly for Kerala, the rise of the strident PFI is correspondingly fanning Islamophobia among its Christian community, which in numbers and political clout is as strong in the state as the Muslims. Various Christian churches came out with strong statements criticising the slogans raised at the Alappuzha rally.

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The gulf between the two communities is now the widest ever in Kerala, more so than even 2010, when a Christian college professor’s right palm was chopped off by PFI men on charges of insulting Prophet Mohammad.

While the LDF and UDF weigh their words, mindful of their vote banks, the ground is also getting cleared for the BJP. If the PFI claims to be the only legitimate Muslim voice, the BJP was notably the only vocal “Hindu voice” on the Alappuzha rally.

An Alabama-built Hyundai SUV will be featured in one of the most anticipated movies of the year when “Spider-Man: No Way Home” swings into theaters next month.

Hyundai announced Monday its all-new Hyundai Ioniq 5 and all-new Hyundai Tucson will make their Hollywood debut in the Sony Pictures film.

The Tucson is built at the automaker’s plant in Montgomery. Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama (HMMA) has said it plans to produce electric vehicles starting next year but has not revealed which model or models might be produced there. The Ioniq 5 is currently made in South Korea.

“Hyundai Motor Group has a number of innovative vehicle designs they can place in movies and TV shows to market the Hyundai brand on a global scale,” said Robert Burns, vice president of Human Resources and Administration for HMMA. “Including the all-new Tucson in the latest Spider-Man movie will add another reason for our team members to be proud of the Alabama-built vehicles they help build for the North American market.”

Hyundai Motor Company has launched an integrated marketing program leading up to the Dec. 17 release of No Way Home. The campaign includes a global TV commercial and a variety of digital promotional activities. The campaign stems from the global multi-picture promotional partnership Hyundai Motor inked with Sony Pictures in May 2020 to showcase the company’s human-centered mobility vision through product and technological innovations.

“The placement of the all-electric Ioniq 5 and all-new Tucson in ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ marks the first meaningful milestone in the strategic partnership between Hyundai Motor Company and Sony Pictures Entertainment,” said Thomas Schemera, executive vice president, global chief marketing officer and head of the Customer Experience Division of Hyundai Motor Company. “We expect great marketing impact from this collaboration. This exciting film and the two vehicles’ inclusion in key moments of the storyline played by the main characters will exhilarate the minds of millions of viewers around the world.”

“Spider-Man: No Way Home” is the third Spider-Man film created by Sony Pictures and Marvel Studios, starring Tom Holland, who plays the role of high-schooler Peter Parker and his alias, Spider-Man. Its predecessor “Spider-Man: Far from Home” grossed $1.131 billion worldwide as the fourth highest grossing movie of 2019 and the 25^th highest grossing movie of all time.

“Hyundai is synonymous with leading technology and visually innovative design. So, it comes as no surprise that they have created a cutting-edge marketing campaign for the Ioniq 5 and the highly anticipated ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ – the foundation of which is customized content made exclusively for this deal. We have no doubt that Spider-Man fans will have a lot of fun with this innovative collaboration,” said Jeffrey Godsick, executive vice president of Global Partnerships and Brand Management and head of Location Based Entertainment at Sony Pictures Entertainment.

In addition to the product-placement, the campaign includes the long-form commercial, “Only Way Home,” which is directed by Jon Watts, the director of all three of the most recent Spider-Man films, and features Tom Holland as Spider-Man and his best friend Ned Leeds played by Jacob Batalon.

In this TV spot, Spider-Man is bent on clearing his name and comes out of hiding, hitching a 300-mile ride to New York with Ned in the all-electric Ioniq 5. The two characters cruise their way through open country inside the sunlight-reflecting, futuristic-looking Ioniq 5, exchanging banter along the way. A 30-second broadcast version will air as part of high-visibility television programs in the U.S., Europe, China, Russia and other global markets through January 2022.

“Advanced technology empowers the extraordinary, and that’s why we think Ioniq 5 is a great fit for the latest Spider-Man movie,” said Angela Zepeda, chief marketing officer of Hyundai Motor America. “Our promotional partnerships with characters from the Marvel Cinematic Universe have been highly effective, and we think Spider-Man fans around the world will enjoy what we’ve created, while learning more about our breakthrough all-electric SUV.”

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Hyundai Motor has also created a 30-second commercial featuring the Tucson. The commercial shows key scenes from the film, including those starring the Tucson and Tom Holland.

On social media, Hyundai will offer fans the opportunity to obtain a “Hyundai Ioniq 5 x Spider-Man: No Way Home” special edition poster, as well as customized digital wallpapers. A behind-the-scenes video of the Ioniq 5 commercial and other unique contents will also be available online.

“We look at these partnerships as an opportunity to bring content to life that celebrates both brands. By putting Spider-Man in a one-story world, where he has only one way home, we were able to seamlessly give Hyundai a chance to save the day,” said Barney Goldberg, executive create director, Innocean USA.

Following Spider-Man: No Way Home, Hyundai will have marketing initiatives related to the upcoming films “Uncharted,” due to premiere in February 2022, and the sequel to the critically acclaimed, Academy Award-winning animated film, “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse,” due to premiere in October 2022.

Speaking at an RSS event — “International Conference on Harnessing Indian Agriculture for Domestic and Global Prosperity” — in Delhi, Hosabale said: “The link between inflation and food prices needs to be pondered over. Prices of industrial products rise… but people feel food and clothes must come at lower prices. It is among basic needs and should be affordable.”

He said, “The objective of agriculture is to produce sufficient nutritious food for all. Everyone must get nutritious food, so its prices must not increase. Otherwise some people will not get it. So government cooperatives have to play a role in this. The gaps need to be filled,” RSS said.

Hosabale also said, “The farmer must benefit from doubling the farmer scheme. He does not always get a guaranteed income; we must think about the social respect he gets.”

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Flagging concern about a rapidly urbanising India, he said, “India is urbanising fast — more than 52 per cent population lives in cities today. If India’s villages start disappearing, the civilisation and culture that we speak of with such great pride will be impacted. So we have to ensure people live in villages; we have to strengthen agriculture and allied industries.”

By Chloe Melas, CNN

Updated 2:51 PM ET, Wed August 3, 2022

By: Nick Gambino

Game of Thrones went down in history as both the best and worst show of all time depending on who you ask. Season after season the show further cemented itself as the gold standard of what a TV show should be, improving never weakening. That is, until the final six-episode season that left plenty of diehard fans going “Huh?”

These fans were so deeply disappointed (full disclosure: I wasn’t one of them) you barely hear a peep about the show three years after it ended. I don’t even see GOT memes or GIFs. It’s like the collective fanbase simply wants to forget the entire show ever happened.

Enter the prequel series House of the Dragon. Plenty went into this show with trepidations as to whether or not it was just milking a concept that fizzled out years ago. When it debuted last week, it put all of those fears to rest in a single hour of gripping, beautiful entertainment.

Immediately, the opening narration grabs hold and refuse to let go. We are thrust back into the world of throne politics and Shakespearean drama. Everything you love about GOT is in this show – violence, intrigue, the vast web of conspiracy, family drama, and yes, sex. There’s even a birthing scene that I will never forget, though I would give anything to be able to.

In this first episode, we are introduced to a large cast of characters (less than GOT’s first episode but still a lot) who we quickly get a rounded view of. We know who’s who and where they stand in short order. This is the mark of a great first episode. I am not confused. I know the goals of each and what they’re willing to do to reach those goals.

That said, there’s a lot of room left for twists and turns. The episode started with things pretty much in neat order, which of course couldn’t last, and then ends with a proper springboard into a season that I’m sure will be full of surprises.

I really enjoyed House of the Dragon (are we calling it HOD yet?) and can’t wait to see what the rest of the season has in store for us.

Well-known Telugu screenwriter and Rajya Sabha member Vijayendra Prasad, who has worked on major Blockbusters like Baahubali, RRR and Bajrangi Bhaijaan, has said that work on his upcoming projects on the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) will begin soon. Vijayendra Prasad, who is the father of filmmaker SS Rajamouli, said that he is going to helm both a film and a web series glorifying the RSS. Speaking at a book launch event of RSS National Executive Member Ram Madhav in Vijayawada on Tuesday, August 16, Vijayendra Prasad heaped praise on the RSS, and said that his formerly negative opinion of the organisation had changed since he was roped in to write a film on it. 

It was first reported in 2018 that Vijayendra Prasad would be writing a film on RSS and people associated with it including KB Hedgewar, MS Golwalkar, Veer Savarkar, KS Sudharshan, Mohan Bhagwat and others. Vijayendra Prasad was invited as the chief guest at the launch of Ram Madhav’s book ‘Partitioned Freedom’ held at KVSR Siddhartha Pharmaceutical Science College Vijayawada, according to Sakshi. 

Speaking at the event, he said, “I would like to confess something in front of you all. Until three or four years ago, I didn’t know much about the RSS. Like many others, I believed that they killed Gandhi. But four years ago, they asked me to write a film on RSS. As I was being paid for it, I went to Nagpur and met Mohan Bhagwat. I stayed there for a day and understood for the first time what RSS is. I felt a lot of remorse, that I wasn’t aware of such a great organisation for so long.” He went on to say, “If RSS wasn’t there, there would be no Kashmir, it would’ve merged with Pakistan. Lakhs of Hindus would have died due to Pakistan.”

He said he wrote the story within two months, and RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat was happy with it. “I would like to announce some good news, that I am going to begin work on it soon. I am making a film and a web series on RSS,” Vijayendra Prasad announced. He added, “RSS has made one mistake, which is to not speak of itself to the public. I will make up for this shortcoming as much as I can. I promise I will ensure we can all boast about the greatness of RSS with pride.”

In a recent interview with Mid-Day, Vijayendra Prasad said that he would be directing the film, titled Bhagwa Dhwaj. He said that the compelling story of the RSS made him return to direction, and that casting was yet to begin for the film. 

When news of the project first surfaced, The New Indian Express had reported that Akshay Kumar was likely to star in the film, and that it was likely to have a budget of Rs 100 crore with funding from a member of Karnataka BJP. Eighty-year-old Vijayendra Prasad was named as one of the Presidential nominees to the Rajya Sabha earlier in July. The official nomination statement read, “He has been instrumental in instilling cultural pride and nationalistic spirit through cinema.”

In just a few weeks, Olivia Wilde and boyfriend Harry Styles will step on the red carpet at the prestigious Venice Film Festival for the world premiere of their new movie, “Don’t Worry Darling,” which she directed.

They will be joined by Styles’ co-star Florence Pugh, one of Hollywood’s brightest young things. But Hollywood is buzzing that the 26-year-old actress has fallen out with Wilde, 38, over the director hooking up with Styles.

“I can tell you for a fact that Flo seeing Olivia and Harry all over each other on set did not go down well as Olivia was still with Jason when she first hooked up with Harry,” one insider told Page Six, referring to Wilde’s ex, “Ted Lasso” star Jason Sudeikis.

The former couple — who got engaged in 2012 and share kids Otis, 8, and Daisy, 5 — announced the end of their seven-year-romance in November 2020.

At the time, sources cited Wilde’s relationship with Styles as the main reason for the split, with one insider telling Page Six that the affair with Styles, now 28, had been ongoing for a month, leaving “Saturday Night Live” vet Sudeikis distraught.

“Jason and the kids visited Olivia on set at the beginning a few times, so I think this all made people feel a little uncomfortable,” the insider said this week.

Internet sleuths certainly think something is up — finding it strange that, in an industry where stars live and die by Instagram, Pugh failed to “like” a post in which Wilde included the full official trailer for “Don’t Worry Darling” last week.

Wilde followed that up by posting a photo of Pugh with the comment: “Watching this woman work was such a f–king thrill! Cannot wait to show you more. @florencepugh@dontworrydarling.”

Pugh again was conspicuous by her silence — and the fact that, on the same day, she posted a teaser trailer for another new project, “Oppenheimer,” about J. Robert Oppenheimer, the so-called father of the atomic bomb.

It’s a subject of hot debate on social media, with one fan tweeting: “The way Florence Pugh has yet to post about don’t worry darling even though there are two trailers out for it and yet she’ll post about every single other project that she’s doing right now like what did Olivia Wilde do ????”

“i think it’s so funny how florence pugh had said NOTHING about don’t worry darling and olivia wilde keeps trying to hype her up,” tweeted another.

And noted a third Twitter user: “I need to know what Olivia Wilde did to my baby Florence Pugh on the set of DWD because my girl has been SILENT on movie updates.”

But a source told Page Six, “I heard she was already scheduled to post [about ‘Oppenheimer’] that day for some specific reason, it had nothing to do with a response to Olivia.”

“Don’t Worry Darling” is described as a tale of an unhappy 1950s housewife, played by Pugh, who discovers a disturbing truth about her idyllic life, while her loving husband, played by Styles, hides a dark secret.

On the blue carpet in support of a Tiffany Co. opening in London this week, Pugh was asked about working with Styles. She said he was “a total professional and it was a great experience working together.”

She then spoke about the cinematography and styling — “It was a joy to walk into the hair and makeup trailer every day,” Pugh said, noting “the way that everything looks delicious and golden” — but had nothing to say about her director, Wilde.

It’s Wilde’s second film, following the success of 2019’s “Booksmart,” for which she won an Independent Spirit Award. She hired former One Direction heartthrob Styles on “Don’t Worry Darling” to replace actor Shia LaBeouf, who was caught up in a lawsuit by his former girlfriend FKA Twigs over allegations of sexual assault and “relentless” abuse. (LaBeouf has denied the claims, and the case will go before a judge next April.) Wilde famously said she had a “No A–holes” policy on set.

Wilde has further been in the headlines after being served custody papers by Sudekis while promoting “Don’t Worry Darling” in Las Vegas at CinemaCon in April, timing for which he later apologized.

Pugh is currently filming “Dune 2,” playing Princess Irulan, and another Hollywood insider told Page Six: “Florence is shooting ‘Dune’ right now and out of pocket. I’m sure she will be front and center for the [‘Don’t Worry Darling’] promo. Once the promo starts in late August, early September, I’m sure she’ll be visible.”

Reps for Styles, Wilde and Pugh were unavailable for comment.

“We Feed People” wrapped before Andrés went to Ukraine, where he began by distributing soup, tea and flour. That work has expanded to eight countries, serving more than 24 million meals in Ukraine alone and engaging nearly 500 restaurants, food trucks and caterers over 3,000 distribution points. Andrés is eager to get back to the front lines. “Frankly, I was very close to canceling all of this, I’m not going to lie to you,” he says, referring to the marketing push for “We Feed People.” But, he says, he needed to come home to reconnect with his wife, Patricia, and their three daughters. He would soon depart for Spain, where he’s filming a series for Discovery Plus; then, it’s back to Ukraine, where he says daily life is almost surreally bifurcated.

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India’s film industry is one of the biggest in the world, producing on average 2,000 movies a year. But few of them become popular among Western moviegoers.

Indian film director S.S. Rajamouli calls that a “disappointment.”

“We have a long tradition of storytelling in India. We have probably the oldest and most colorful stories,” Rajamouli said. “Not being able to travel across borders has been a disappointment,” he said of his limited success in foreign markets.

Things might have changed, however, with Rajamouli’s new movie RRR. The three-hour-long Telugu-language action film is one of India’s biggest hits ever. It has also climbed box-office rankings in the United States.

And it has found bigger popularity on the streaming service Netflix. For nine weeks, RRR has ranked among the top 10 non-English language films on Netflix. It is currently one of the top 10 most popular films in 62 countries. The film is available in 15 languages on Netflix.

RRR is based on Hindu mythology and the freedom fighters who fought British colonialism. For many people, RRR is their first experience with Tollywood, the Telugu movie industry center. For some, it might even be their first time watching an Indian film.

Tollywood, Bollywood and others make up India’s huge film industry. The names are meant to sound like the U.S. moviemaking center, Hollywood.

RRR has some special effects that make the film similar to a Hollywood superhero movie. But it is also deeply connected to Indian mythology and present-day conditions.

RRR stands for “Rise Roar Revolt.” It also refers to Rajamouli and his two stars, N.T. Rama Rao Jr. and Ram Charan. This is Charan and Rao’s first film together. Both come from highly successful families in the movie industry.

They play real-life Indian revolutionaries who team up in 1920s British-controlled India.

In returning to the beginnings of modern-day India, RRR relates to the nationalism of today’s India.

The 48-year-old Rajamouli has risen to become one of the country’s best-known directors. He launched his two-part Baahubali epic in 2015. The second part, which appeared in 2017, is the country’s biggest box-office hit.

Baahubali was a Telugu hit. It was also the costliest Telugu film ever made, with a budget of $72 million. Its success was a sign that Tollywood in India’s South had possibly passed Bollywood as the country’s top movie factory.

Rajamouli called the worldwide popularity of RRR a surprise to him. The director is now working on his next film. He is often asked about whether he would ever want to make a Hollywood movie. RRR, however, suggests that Western moviegoers are interested in Indian films. And Rajamouli’s aim is to make Indian films for India — and the world.

“Because of the success of ‘RRR’ with Western audiences,” Rajamouli said, “I am trying to make a film for the entire world.”

I’m Ashley Thompson.

Ashley Thompson adapted this Associated Press report for VOA Learning English.

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Words in This Story

disappointment –n. something that happens which leaves a person dissatisfied or unhappy

box-office –adj. describing the sales of movie tickets

ranking –n. (often pl.) a list of people or things that is put in order of some quality the most popular, numerous, or something else

mythology –n. the ancient stories of a culture

roar –v. to make a loud sound like an animal such as a lion or tiger

epic –n. a very long book, movie or poem

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