In this episode of Notes & Chords, we step into the world of choral music with Kalyani Nair — acclaimed playback and stage singer, composer, and arranger. As co-founder, choir director, and conductor of the Indian Choral Ensemble, which she leads with Karthik Manickavasakam, she brings together a 40-member collective of vocalists and instrumentalists. The…
However much one wishes to separate the dancer from the dance, there is always the desire to learn what went into the making of a classic be it a novel, a play, a song or a painting. Working out the precise catalyst for a transcendent work of art makes us feel genius adjacent. Hamnet (English)…
The Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB) probing the alleged misappropriation of gold and money in connection with the installation of a new temple flag mast at the Sabarimala temple in 2017, has recorded the statements of film stars Mohanlal and Dileep, officials said on Friday (February 27, 2026). Both actors were among 27 people who…
Paramount Skydance emerged as the winner in a months-long battle to acquire Warner Bros Discovery, after streaming giant Netflix on Thursday refused to raise its bid for the storied Hollywood studio. “We’ve always been disciplined, and at the price required to match Paramount Skydance’s latest offer, the deal is no longer financially attractive, so we…
Himanshu Srivastava performing at the Jharna festival. | Photo Credit: M. Srinath Gopikeshwar, a symbolically layered form of Shiva in Vrindavan, is closely associated with Krishna’s Raas Lila. Himanshu Srivastava’s ‘The Abandoned Gopi’ presented at the annual Jharna festival, explored this lesser-known deity and the ideas surrounding him. It is a narrative that is rarely…
Video grab of a scene from ‘The Kerala Story 2’ trailer. Photo credit: The Hindu Even as the Kerala High Court on Thursday (February 26, 2026) issued an interim stay on the release of the Hindi feature film The Kerala Story 2: Goes Beyond and further posted for orders the outcome of the pleas that…
Mahalakshmi Ravishankar | Photo Credit: M. Srinath Under the auspices of Sri Parthasarathy Swamy Sabha, Mahalakshmi Ravishankar gave a solo performance at R.K. Swamy Auditorium. Having started her tutelage under Archana Mahesh, Mahalakshmi continued to train under Janane Sethunarayanan, a disciple of Anitha Guha. Mahalakshmi commenced her performance with Thodayamangalam in Ragamalika, Talamalikai. The dancer…
A promotional poster of ‘The Kerala Story 2: Goes Beyond’ The tickets booked during the day for The Kerala Story 2: Goes Beyond were being refunded and the film has not been released, the lawyers for the petitioners who opposed the movie’s screening said on Friday (February 27, 2026). Advocate Maitreyi Sachidananda Hegde, who represents…
Sahana Selvaganesh at the annual Jharna festival. | Photo Credit: Srinath M. Tied: The Weaver’s Loom — a thematic Bharatanatyam production by Sahana Selvaganesh — was a blend of classical vocabulary and contemporary storytelling. The narrative followed a woman in a marriage marked by infidelity and domestic abuse. Forced to leave while pregnant, she raises her…
Ugo Bienvenu’s Arco is positioned in this year’s animation awards race with an odd, almost endearing self-awareness, fully conscious that it is competing against the pop-weapon momentum of Oscar-frontrunner KPop Demon Hunters while standing in the long shadow cast by last year’s winner, Flow, whose Cannes debut altered the ceiling for what animated cinema could…
