31/01/2026

LYFE SATURDAY | JAN 31, 2026

26

Melania’s big debut U S First Lady Melania Trump recently hosted a private White House screening of a new film family and close friends saw the film in full, said Marc Beckman, the first lady’s outside adviser and agent. The film offers rare behind-the o Film highlights US first lady’s fashion choices, diplomatic engagements

shift to home viewing. But its 2026 upcoming slate, packed with patriotic war dramas, spy thrillers, mythological epics and nationalist narratives – reflects not just a commercial recalibration, analysts say, but a broader change in creative priorities. Propaganda Critics argue Bollywood is increasingly producing polarising films aligned for the ceremony at the US Capitol. It also depicts her role as an adviser to the president, including a moment in which she encourages him to emphasise “peacemaker and unifier” in his inaugural address. Beckman, who produced the film, oversaw the US$40 million (RM157.5 million) movie deal with Amazon’s MGM Studios, plus a follow-up documentary series set for release later this year focusing on some of Melania’s priorities, including children in foster care. “This is not a political film at all,” Beckman said in an interview, adding that the first lady spearheaded the film’s creative direction. The movie highlights her fashion choices, diplomatic engagements and the operations surrounding her Secret Service protection. Beckman said viewers also will see moments that capture the president’s sense of humour. Before the public theatrical release of the film, the president and first lady attended a premiere at the John F. Kennedy Centre for the Performing Arts, renamed the Trump-Kennedy Centre by the Trump-appointed board of directors. The first lady also rang the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange to promote the film, Beckman added. – Reuters

documenting her life in the 20 days leading up to President Donald Trump’s second inauguration, an adviser said. The movie Melania was globally released yesterday. The showing was the first time the president, her

scenes access to the first lady, who has kept a low public profile during her husband’s second term. The trailer opens on Inauguration Day in January 2025, showing her donning a navy wide-brimmed hat

The film documents Melania’s life in the 20 days leading up to her husband’s second inauguration. – PIC FROM GETTY IMAGES VIA AFP

The documentary film offers rare behind-the-scenes access to Melania, who has kept a low public profile during her husband’s second term. – REUTERSPIC

India’s Bollywood bets big on event cinema to lure audiences back I N DIA’ S Bollywood is moving decisively towards a cinema of scale and confrontation – where patriotism, spectacle and ideological clarity increasingly trump nuance and narrative risk, industry insiders say. with the ideology of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu-nationalist government, using cinema’s unrivalled mass reach to shape public sentiment. Gratuitous violence Veteran Delhi-based film critic Arnab Banerjee said political messaging now outweighs craftsmanship.

That strategy appears to be working. Akshaye Rathi, a prominent film exhibitor, predicted a 45–50% rise in net Hindi box-office collections and a 25% increase in young theatre-goers this year. “The year looks poised for historic numbers,” Rathi said. The industry’s financial model was shaken during the Covid-19 pandemic, which coincided with the rapid rise of streaming platforms and a

“It is not the quality of the film that matters today, it is propaganda films that are working. The mood of the nation is such that people are lapping up these subjects. Pakistan-bashing and references to enemy countries are being accepted without questioning,” said Banerjee. Banerjee also criticised what he called an excess of “gratuitous violence”, arguing that “it is social media hype that is deciding the film’s fate”. He pointed to Ikkis , a film on the 1971 India-Pakistan war released in January, which struggled commercially despite positive reviews. “It is a well-made film, but it didn’t work. Perhaps because Pakistan is not shown as the enemy,” he said. Director Ahmed Khan, however, said quality still ultimately determines success, citing his upcoming action comedy Welcome to the Jungle , starring Akshay Kumar. “Whatever the genre – action, drama, comedy or horror – it depends on how well you’ve made it,” Khan said. He pointed to the 2025 successes of the contrasting romantic drama Saiyaara as well as high-octane Dhurandhar . “Both, poles apart in genre, did great business. People’s mood can change any time,” he said. – AFP

“These days, film themes also depend upon who is ruling at the centre – Hindu wave, propaganda, all these are big factors that filmmakers cash in on. But only one or two films work, not all 10 or 15,” said movie business analyst Atul Mohan, editor of film trade magazine Complete Cinema . He cited the success of 2022 blockbuster The Kashmir Files, depicting in harrowing detail how several hundred thousand Hindus fled Muslim militants in Indian administered Kashmir in 1989–90. And he compared that with the 2025 film The Bengal Files , on alleged political violence in eastern India, which he described as a commercial “disaster”. Films centred on geopolitical conflict, internal enemies and heroic masculinity now dominate mainstream Hindi cinema, reflecting the political mood and the economics of theatrical survival. Last year’s gory action thriller Dhurandhar , meaning “formidable”, leaned heavily on hyper-nationalist tropes of Indian agents confronting Pakistan-linked foes, and became one of 2025’s highest-grossing films – following a real-life four-day border clash with Pakistan. Its sequel Dhurandhar 2 , again starring Ranveer Singh, is set for release in March.

The shift has fuelled what experts describe as “event cinema”, as studios rely on big-budget spectacles and top-tier stars to lure audiences – especially smartphone-loving Gen Z viewers – back into theatres.

A wall mural with images of Bollywood actors under a road bridge in Mumbai. – AFPPIC