Tag: thriller

  • ‘Thriller’ becomes Michael Jackson’s fourth music video to hit 1 billion views on YouTube

    ‘Thriller’ becomes Michael Jackson’s fourth music video to hit 1 billion views on YouTube

    The 80s hit Thriller has become Michael Jackson’s fourth song on YouTube to cross one billion views.

    The music video for Thriller was released in 1984 – 13 minutes and 41 seconds long short horror film.

    The storytelling, choreography, especially the music, stole hearts and broke barriers in music around the world.The lyrics of the song were written by Rod Temperton, and the music video was directed by John Landis.

    The King of Pop has three other songs that have crossed 1 billion views on YouTube.

    Billie Jean has 1.6 billion views; and was composed and written by Michael Jackson, while the music video, directed by Steve Barron, was released on January 3, 1983.

    Beat It, released on February 14, 1983, has reached 1 billion views.

    Released in 1995, They Don’t Care About Us was a powerful song written and composed by Jackson, and it has 1.1 billion views on YouTube.

    Michael Jackson passed away on June 25, 2009, in Los Angeles, California, USA.

  • Deepika Padukone charged an unheard of amount for ‘Jawan’

    Deepika Padukone charged an unheard of amount for ‘Jawan’

    Shah Rukh Khan’s action thriller ‘Jawan’ has received rave reviews from social media users and critics alike. A special appearance by his close friend and long time collaborator Deepika Padukone was singled out for praise as one of the best scenes in the film.

    The ‘Pathaan’ actress shocked social media when she revealed to Indian magazine The Week that she had charged Rs0 for her cameo and gave a special reason why she refused to take any amount for the appearances she made in films like ’83’ and ‘Cirkus’:

    “I wanted to be a part of 83 because I wanted it to be an ode to women who stand behind their husbands’ glory. I watched my mother do it. This was my homage to wives who make sacrifices to support their husbands’ careers. Other than that, any special appearance for Shah Rukh Khan, I am there. Same with Rohit Shetty.”

    The actress, who garnered applause for her stellar performance alongside King Khan for her first film ‘Om Shanti Om’ (for which hadn’t charged a single penny either!) said the duo call themselves each others’ lucky charms.

     “We are each other’s lucky charm. But honestly, we are beyond luck. We have a sense of ownership over each other,” the actress gushed about the Bollywood Badshah.

    “I am one of the few people he is vulnerable with. There is so much trust and respect, and I think that luck is just the cherry on the top.”

  • ‘I’ve been dreaming about this for a long time’: Ranveer Singh celebrates being cast as ‘Don’

    ‘I’ve been dreaming about this for a long time’: Ranveer Singh celebrates being cast as ‘Don’

    On Wednesday, the internet was blown away when Excel Entertainment announced that the next actor to play the iconic villain ‘Don’ jis ko 11 mulkoon ki police dhoond rahi hai will be Ranveer Singh.

    The thriller icon was previously played by Amitabh Bachchan and Shah Rukh Khan- leading to incredibly high expectations about who would be the next person to fill in such big shoes.

    READ MORE: Ranveer Singh confirmed to be the next ‘Don

    Taking to his Instagram account, Ranveer celebrated the announcement by sharing some throwback pictures of his childhood when he used to pretend to play the villain, calling this something he had been dreaming about for a long time:

    “As a child I fell in love with the movies, and like the rest of us,” gushed the ‘Rocky and Rani ki prem kahani actor. “Watching and worshipping Amitabh Bachchan and Shah Rukh Khan – the two G.O.A.Ts of Hindi Cinema . I dreamed of growing up to be like them. They are the very reason I wanted to become an actor and a ‘hindi film hero’. Their impact and influence on my life cannot be overstated. They’ve shaped the person and actor that I am. Taking their legacy forward is a manifestation of my childhood dream ”

    Addressing some of the critics who were aghast by the announcement, Singh went on to say:

    “I understand what a great responsibility it is to be a part of the ‘Don’ dynasty. I hope the audience gives me a chance and showers me with love, the way they have for numerous characters over the past so many years. ”

  • Ranveer Singh confirmed to be the next ‘Don’

    Ranveer Singh confirmed to be the next ‘Don’

    Don ka intezar sirf gyaaran mulkon ki police nahi, balkay poori dunya kar rahi thi.

    There was a lot of anticipation in the air when it was announced that the iconic thriller film ‘Don’ is going to be revamped for a third film. While rumors suggested that Bollywood Badshah Shah Rukh Khan will reprise his iconic performance in Don and Don 2, many were heart broken when SRK reportedly walked away from the project. At the time, sources revealed to media outlets that the superstar was not sure that this was the kind of cinema he wanted to support.

    READ MORE: Shah Rukh Khan steps away from Don 3

    There was all kinds of suggestion about who would embrace the staple black jacket and say ‘Don ko pakarna mushkil nahi, namomkin hai” which had begun with the veteran actor Amitabh Bachchan.

    But now, it has been revealed that the next Don is…Ranveer Singh.

    A teaser released by Excel Movies yesterday has confirmed the casting.

    In the comment section, fans were incredibly excited with this choice, and were anticipating to when the movie would release in theatres

  • AI, robot alter-egos: fans hail ‘Black Mirror’s new season as its best ever

    AI, robot alter-egos: fans hail ‘Black Mirror’s new season as its best ever

    Warning: spoilers

    Netflix’s thriller series ‘Black Mirror’ set hearts racing with the trailer for its latest season, revealing that the dystopian series was about to provide an even more grim experience. Popular actors like Annie Murphy, Salma Hayek and Aaron Paul star in the episodes.

    The show had been on a break since 2020 because of the Covid-19 pandemic, as series creator Charlie Brooker explained to Entertainment Weekly that in dystopian times, humanity could do with a break.

    The show previously broken records with critically acclaimed episodes like ‘The Entire History Of You’, ‘San Junipero” and even “White Bear” all of them discussed the dangers of depending on tech, and how it breeds the corrupt nature of humans. This time, fans were wondering if the show would be able to surpass its own expectations and deliver an outstanding season after three long years of waiting.

    And it was worth the wait.

    This season delved into the rise of AI generated images and videos, which would soon make deep-fake videos of other people without their consent, how the obsession with murder documentaries leads to a man exploiting his own family, and another episode starring Aaron Paul exploring a new invention in the 1960s that makes robot replicas of two astronauts who are completing a six year mission up in space.

    And twitter users ate them all up.

  • ‘People said I was making a mistake’: Director Abu Aleeha on casting Yasir Hussain for ‘Kukri’

    Director of the anticipated crime thriller ‘Kukri’, Ali Sajjad Shah aka Abu Aleeha, sat down for an interview with Geo Digital, where he opened up about his decision to cast actor Yasir Hussain for the film, revealing that initially people thought he was making a mistake with casting the actor:

    “They said I am committing suicide and Yasir can’t pull off this character, I received many calls from the people associated with our industry; however, the statements changed when the poster came out, and the very same people spoke to me again and said ‘Tum ne ye kiya bana diya hai!’”

    He further praised the ‘Badshah Begum’ actor for being one of the finest in the industry:

     “I have seen Yasir’s best work in the theatre, I know how far I can go with him. People have seen his work in dramas but that’s not his finest work.”

    Speaking on how Aleeha and Hussain built up the notorious serial killer Javed Iqbal’s character, who reportedly murdered and raped more than a 100 boys in Lahore giving himself up to the police, the director said that he and Hussain researched to get the accent right:

    “I took Yasir to many chai dhabbay in Androon–e –Lahore. There, I observed local people chatting in different Punjabi accents. I used to record their conversations and that’s how we picked one of the accents for Javed Iqbal. Later, Yasir practised it.”

    Aleeha also talked about why he had chosen to work on the serial killer, a topic that had intrigued audiences last year when the film was announced under the name ‘Javed Iqbal’. The ‘Taxali Gate’ director cited his stint working as a crime news reporter for ten years, which was when he heard about Javed Iqbal:

    “I’ve been working as a crime reporter for a private channel for 10 years. [I remember] a criminal was arrested in Lahore and accused of raping 100 children. It was around 1999 and since then, the character has been stuck in my mind.

    “Musharraf Sahab’s take over and Javed Iqbal were the two most sensational stories at that time.

    “The case was handed over to the honorary Supreme Court and Javed Iqbal was detained, where he committed suicide. 

    “I got a copy of the challan after a month, from a lawyer and decided to make a web series on the serial killer but no one took me seriously. Then, I published the first book about his crimes and it got a massive response.

    “The second edition I published was about the investigation and the back story of this notorious man; the book came out in eight editions and sold out in six months — which indicated that people are intrigued by the story.

    “Then I decided to make a film on Javed Iqbal.”

     

  • We asked ChatGPT to write a story about crime in Karachi

    We asked ChatGPT to write a story about crime in Karachi

    ChatGPT is all the rage across the world, changing the landscape in more ways than one. Quickly and with ease, it has redefined everything- from writing essays, CVs, acing college exams and even penning novels!

    If ChatGPT is good at writing fiction, then can it paint a fair picture of Karachi’s street crime and give us a good short story about it? We decided to take the challenge and pitched the idea to ChatGPT and here are the results:

    “The sun had set yet the humidity in Karachi hadn’t reduced one bit. The bustling streets continued to be a buzz of traffic, street vendors, and people going about their business. However, with the rise of darkness, a sense of fear crept in the city. Crime was all too familiar, and the residents of Karachi knew to be cautious when stepping out after dark.

    One such resident of Karachi was Ali. He was an honest man, who had built a life of his own after years of struggle. From selling snacks on the streets to owning a small clothing store in one of the famous markets of Karachi, Ali had come a long way. However, his success story had come with a price. The local mafia bosses would continuously extort him, and although Ali always tried to avoid any trouble, he knew it was only a matter of time before things would go out of hand.

    One evening, as Ali was closing down his shop, he was approached by two men who stood lurking near his stall. They looked as if they were from the mafia and had an unmistakable air of danger around them. Ali knew better than to get into trouble with them and tried to avoid any conversation. However, it was too late. Before he knew it, the men had grabbed him by his collar and pulled him towards them.

    “We need the money, Ali; you’d better be quick in delivering it. We don’t want to get our hands dirty,” one of the men sneered.

    “I don’t have any money, I swear,” Ali tried to explain, hoping the men would let him go.

    “Stop lying, Ali. You think we don’t know how well your business is doing in recent times. We want our share of it, and you better do it quick,” the other man shouted.

    Ali realized he was in a sticky situation, and there was no way out. The mafia bosses wouldn’t leave him alone, but continuing to pay them would only put him and his family at risk. He needed a plan to protect himself and his loved ones.

    Despite the intimidation that he was facing, Ali remained calm and thought things through. He knew there was only one way out – to report everything to the police. But that, he knew, was easier said than done. The police had their fair share of corrupt officers, and with the mafia’s influence, it would be difficult to get any help. But Ali had no other choice. He had worked hard to build his life, and he wasn’t going to let anyone ruin it for him.

    The next day, Ali gathered all his courage and walked into the nearest police station. He narrated everything that had happened to him over the years to the police. Initially, the police officers seemed skeptical, but as Ali presented all the necessary evidence he had collected, they began to take him seriously.

    After a few weeks of investigations, the police finally made their move. Undercover officers managed to gather evidence against the mafia bosses, and with the help of Ali’s testimony, they were able to make arrests. The mafia bosses were tried in court and sentenced to jail time.

    In a single stroke, Ali had managed to rid himself of the mafia’s world and restore his business back to being his own. He felt a sense of pride for having stood up to the people who had been victimizing him for years. For the first time in a while, he felt like he had control over his life and could continue to run his business without any interference.

    As Karachi busied itself through its daily grind, Ali went on with his life, passing through the same bustling streets each day, yet with a newfound sense of confidence. The thing with crime in Karachi was that it never quite left you alone. But with the realization that he could stand up for himself, Ali knew that he had taken the first step towards taking control of his life.”