23/04/2026

LYFE THURSDAY | APR 23, 2026

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Indian epic film Ramayana aims for global audience

T HE filmmakers behind big-budget Hindu epic Ramayana are aiming to bring a classic Hindu story to global audiences this year. Ramayana tells a 5,000-year-old story about Prince Rama, an incarnation of the Hindu deity Vishnu, played by Ranbir Kapoor, who is exiled to the forests for 14 years along with his wife and brother. When his wife is kidnapped, the story brings Rama into conflict with Ravana, the demon king of Lanka, played by Indian actor Yash. “I have tried to internalise the whole essence of Ravana and tried to make him as human as possible at times. It’s important for people to relate to him, especially since we have global ambitions, so we need to make it familiar to a Western audience as well,” Yash said in an interview recently. The team behind the films, which have a combined budget of up to US$500 million (RM1.98 billion), appeared at the CinemaCon convention in Las Vegas, where Ramayana posters were displayed alongside promotions for Hollywood’s upcoming releases. The first movie will be released in India o Movie adaptation of 5,000-year-old Hindu story, starring Ranbir Kapoor, hits cinemas on Nov 8

Spielberg’s new flick puts limelight on UFOs STEVEN Spielberg described his 1977 UFO film Close Encounters of the Third Kind as his own “speculation” about intelligent life on other planets. His new alien movie Disclosure Day will offer what Spielberg believes is “more truth than fiction,” the veteran filmmaker told cinema operators recently at the CinemaCon convention in Las Vegas. The maker of E.T. and 2005’s War of the Worlds said he decided to journey back into the extraterrestrial realm after reading a 2017 New York Times report about US military pilots who reported seeing mysterious flying objects. “I really, truly believe this movie is going to answer questions. And this movie is also going to cause you to ask a lot of questions. “All you need to get from the beginning to the end is a seat belt,” Spielberg said of Disclosure Day , without elaborating on the plot. Footage shown to the CinemaCon crowd gave a brief glimpse of an alien leaning over a human child. The film stars Emily Blunt, Josh O’Connor, Colman Domingo and Colin Firth. Disclosure Day will be released by Universal Pictures in June. Universal also brought out another acclaimed director, Christopher Nolan, to promote his upcoming film The Odyssey . The film, set to debut in July, is based on Homer’s epic about a Greek king trying to return home after the Trojan War. “ The Odyssey is a story that has fascinated generation after generation for 3,000 years. It is not a story. It’s the story,” he said. The Oppenheimer director said The Odyssey was “an absolute nightmare to film, but in all the right ways.” Star Matt Damon, who plays Odysseus, endured rough conditions throughout the project, Nolan said. “He was just there, out there on the boats, up in the mountains, in the caves, in beating sunshine, in sideways rain, wind. “It’s meant to be difficult. That’s the nature of the story,” he said. – Reuters Spielberg speaks during the Universal Pictures and Focus Features presentation at CinemaCon in Las Vegas, Nevada, US.

Ranbir is playing Prince Rama, the protagonist of Ramayana , a cinematic adaptation of the Hindu epic slated for release this November. – ALL PICS FROM REUTERS

and the US on Nov 8 to coincide with Deepavali, the Hindu “festival of lights.” The second will come out in 2027. Producer Namit Malhotra said the film would mix elements of fantasy and human drama from movies such as The Lord of the Rings and Gladiator . “It will promise a very different experience unlike anything traditionally that, let’s say, Indian movies offer or even Hollywood for that matter. It’s meant for the world and it’s got the best of the East and the best of the West coming together to make it happen,” said Namit. – Reuters RDJ, Chris Evans reunite for Avengers: Doomsday

AVENGERS movie stars Robert Downey Jr and Chris Evans teased the next Marvel Studios superhero adventure Avengers: Doomsday recently, unveiling the first trailer to cinema owners who expect the film to end the 2026 box office year with a bang. Downey Jr, who played Iron Man in earlier Avengers blockbusters, will appear in Avengers: Doomsday as the villain Doctor Doom. The

(From left) Downey Jr and Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige during the Walt Disney Studios presentation at CinemaCon in Las Vegas, Nevada, US.

rousing applause and cheers, prompting Downey Jr to ask for the trailer to be played a second time. Marvel movies have generated nearly US$33 billion (RM130 billion) at global box offices, the highest total for any film franchise in history. Avengers: Endgame , released in 2019, is the second highest-grossing movie of all time. Avengers: Doomsday will be released on Dec 18, the same day as the third instalment of Warner Bros sci-fi series Dune , setting up a box office battle dubbed “Dunesday”. Cinema operators said they believed both movies to be among the year’s biggest releases. Disney also promoted the upcoming Star Wars film The Mandalorian and Grogu , which heads to cinemas in May, and a live-action version of Moana that is due for release in July. – Reuters

movie is the first from Walt Disney-owned Marvel to unite the Avengers and the X-Men. “Honestly, I could not have imagined reuniting with this amazing team, after such a glorious run of success and creative joy, let alone as a new character,” Downey Jr said on stage at the CinemaCon convention of cinema owners. Evans, who portrayed Steve Rogers and his alter-ego Captain America in earlier Marvel films, said his return was unexpected. “I said I would only come back if there was a real reason, and in Doomsday , there is a very real reason that these heroes need Steve Rogers now,” he said. In scenes shown to the CinemaCon crowd, Thor, played by Chris Hemsworth, is heard saying “we are going to need a miracle,” before spotting Rogers. The CinemaCon crowd responded with

In Avengers: Doomsday , Evans is once again playing Steve Rogers and his alter-ego Captain America.

Nolan’s upcoming film The Odyssey is slated for a July 16 release in Malaysian cinemas.