United News of Bangladesh

The Golden Raspberry Awards, known as the Razzies, have announced their 2026 nominations, spotlighting films and performances judged as the year’s worst, a day before the Oscar nominations. Disney’s live-action Snow White and the science fiction remake War of the Worlds led the list with six nominations each, including worst picture, worst director, worst screenplay and worst remake, according to reports. Snow White also drew nominations linked to performances by Rachel Zegler and Gal Gadot, while its computer-generated dwarf characters were also singled out in categories such as worst supporting actor and worst screen combo. War of the Worlds, inspired by HG Wells’ classic novel, also received major-category nods, including worst actor and worst screen combo, the reports said. Other films mentioned among this year’s nominees include Hurry Up Tomorrow, Star Trek: Section 31 and Netflix’s The Electric State, which features Millie Bobby Brown. The 46th Razzie Awards results are set to be announced on March 14, one day before the Oscars ceremony, with winners chosen by more than 1,100 members of the Golden Raspberry Foundation.   With inputs from NDTV

Veteran lyricist and screenwriter Javed Akhtar has said he would not choose to remake Amitabh Bachchan’s classic film Don, arguing he has no creative regret about the script, and therefore sees no reason to rewrite it. The comments resurfaced as Akhtar recently disclosed that he was approached by the makers of Border 2 to rewrite songs from the 1997 blockbuster Border, but he declined, calling the idea a sign of “creative bankruptcy” and saying he did not want to create nostalgia. In an earlier interview, Akhtar said if he were to remake any of his own films, he would prefer one where he felt he had made mistakes and could improve it on a second attempt. Since he felt satisfied with Don, he said he would not remake it. Akhtar’s son and filmmaker Farhan Akhtar had earlier explained that he picked Don for a remake because he believed the film’s storytelling style and language were modern for its time and could fit easily in a contemporary setting. Javed Akhtar also said he would rather revisit other films where he felt the second half could have been stronger, naming Kaala Patthar, Mashaal and Arjun. Farhan Akhtar remade Don in 2006 with Shah Rukh Khan in the lead, with Priyanka Chopra and Kareena Kapoor also featuring in the film.   With inputs from NDTV

British actor Stephen Graham faced a brief scare after he was separated from his Golden Globe trophy while rushing to catch a flight just a day after winning the prestigious award. Graham, who won the Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Limited Series or Television Film for his role in Adolescence, said his packed travel schedule led to the mix-up. He had to fly from Los Angeles to Madrid the morning after the ceremony to report for filming. Speaking to a UK radio show, Graham said he was rushed through the airport and driven directly to the aircraft, leaving him worried that his luggage would not make it onto the plane. Later, he learned that his suitcase, which contained his clothes and the Golden Globe trophy, had been left behind in Atlanta. The actor clarified that he did not personally misplace the award, but that it was inside the delayed suitcase. Thankfully, the missing bag was located and delivered to him two days later, bringing the stressful episode to a happy end. Graham also won an Emmy last year in the same category for Adolescence, a series about a father whose life is turned upside down after his teenage son commits a serious crime.   With inputs from NDTV

Netflix has revised its $72 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery into an all-cash transaction, streamlining the deal and providing greater certainty for Warner Bros. shareholders. The streaming giant initially proposed a combined cash-and-stock offer, valuing Warner Bros. shares at $27.75 each, with a total enterprise value of $82.7 billion including debt. Under the amended all-cash structure, the per-share value remains unchanged at $27.75, while Warner Bros. stockholders will also receive additional value through shares of Discovery Global following its separation from Warner Bros. Both companies’ boards have approved the revised all-cash deal, which is expected to simplify the transaction process and accelerate the timeline for a shareholder vote.   With inputs from NDTV

Tunisian filmmaker Kaouther Ben Hania says her new film about six-year-old Palestinian girl Hind Rajab, who was killed during the war in Gaza, was made as a way to confront helplessness and bear witness to her story. Ben Hania said she decided to make the film after hearing an emergency phone call recording of Hind pleading for help while trapped in Gaza City in 2024. “They’re shooting at me. Please come get me. I’m scared,” the girl is heard saying in the recording, which forms the centrepiece of the docudrama The Voice of Hind Rajab, released in UK cinemas last week. The two-time Oscar-nominated director said the recording deeply affected her and prompted her to pause another project she was working on. “It haunted me,” Ben Hania told the BBC. “I was angry, sad and felt helpless. I asked myself what I could do. I am a filmmaker, so I make films.” She said the project was a way “not to accept, to bear witness” and to ensure Hind’s voice is heard beyond borders. Hind Rajab was travelling with her family when their car was hit during Israeli military operations in Gaza. Several relatives were killed. Hind later spoke by phone with volunteers from the Palestinian Red Crescent Society, who tried to guide an ambulance to reach her. The ambulance was also struck, and Hind, her family members and two paramedics were killed. Independent investigations by Forensic Architecture, Earshot and journalists from Al Jazeera concluded that damage to the car and ambulance was consistent with Israeli tank fire. The Israel Defence Force said the case is still under review by its Fact-Finding Assessment Mechanism. The film tells the story from the perspective of Red Crescent call centre workers in Ramallah who tried to keep Hind calm as they worked to secure a safe route for rescuers. It combines real audio from Hind’s final calls with a dramatized reconstruction using actors. Ben Hania said the film is “based on true events” and is intended to provoke empathy rather than serve as an investigation. “Cinema can do something better, which is provoking empathy,” she said. The film has received strong reactions from critics and audiences, including a record 23-minute standing ovation at its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival. It has also been nominated for best foreign language film at the Golden Globe Awards and is shortlisted for an Academy Award nomination. Ben Hania said she hopes the film will ensure that Hind Rajab is not forgotten. “This is not just a story,” she said. “This is history in the making.”   With inputs from BBC

Legendary filmmaker James Cameron has once again addressed the long-running debate over the ending of Titanic, saying Leonardo DiCaprio’s character Jack Dawson could not have survived by sharing the floating raft with Rose. Speaking on The Hollywood Reporter’s Awards Chatter podcast, Cameron said he was tired of being asked whether Jack could have lived if he had climbed onto the raft with Rose. “Don’t ask me about the raft, people,” Cameron, 71, was quoted as saying by People. The director, who won three Academy Awards in 1997 for writing, directing and producing Titanic, said the question has already been examined scientifically. He revealed that experiments were carried out to determine whether Jack could have survived the freezing Atlantic waters. Cameron said survival would have required highly specialised knowledge that did not exist at the time of the Titanic disaster in 1912. “If Jack somehow was an expert in hypothermia and somehow knew what science now knows back in 1912, it is theoretically possible, with a lot of luck, that he might have survived,” he said. “But the conditions were not met. There’s no way.” Cameron recently became the first director to deliver four films that crossed the 1 billion dollar mark at the global box office. Alongside Titanic, his Avatar franchise has also enjoyed massive commercial success.   With inputs from NDTV

A security vehicle escorting Bollywood actor Akshay Kumar was involved in a road accident in Mumbai on Monday evening (January 19, 2026) while the actor and his wife Twinkle Khanna were returning home from the airport. According to preliminary information, a car hit an auto-rickshaw from behind, causing the three-wheeler to overturn and crash into Akshay Kumar’s escort vehicle. The impact led to the security car toppling onto its right side on the road. Read more: Race 4 casting update: Akshaye Khanna not part of new film Police and emergency officials reached the spot shortly after the incident and brought the situation under control. No serious injuries were reported. Videos circulating on social media showed the escort vehicle lying on its side, while the auto-rickshaw appeared badly damaged. Akshay Kumar and Twinkle Khanna were travelling back to their Juhu residence after returning from abroad, where they had marked a personal milestone. The couple recently celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary. Further details about the accident were awaited. Read more: James Cameron shuts down Titanic raft debate, says Jack could not have survived With inputs from NDTV

Noah Schnapp, who plays Will Byers in Stranger Things, missed co-star Finn Wolfhard’s Saturday Night Live episode on January 17. Schnapp was in Italy attending Milan Fashion Week and could not join the show, according to PEOPLE. He was seen a day earlier at the Ralph Lauren Men’s Fall/Winter 2026 fashion show in Milan. During the SNL monologue, Wolfhard was joined on stage by Caleb McLaughlin and Gaten Matarazzo. The actors shared a light moment, celebrating their growth from child stars. Other cast members, including Natalia Dyer, Charlie Heaton, and Joe Keery, attended the afterparty. The fifth and final season of Stranger Things was released in three parts: Volume 1 on November 26, Volume 2 on December 25, and the final episode on December 31.   With inputs from NDTV

Actress Jennifer Lawrence said she lost the role of Sharon Tate in Quentin Tarantino’s 2019 film Once Upon a Time in Hollywood because some people online considered her “not pretty enough.” Speaking on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, Lawrence said she was told the part was meant for her but eventually went to Margot Robbie. She added that internet comments may have influenced the casting decision. Lawrence also mentioned that she had previously turned down roles written for her, including a part in Tarantino’s The Hateful Eight. Once Upon a Time in Hollywood stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt as a fading actor and his stunt double, whose lives intersect with Sharon Tate and Roman Polanski before the 1969 Manson murders.   With inputs from NDTV

Actor Akshaye Khanna will not be part of the upcoming Race 4, producer Ramesh Taurani confirmed. Speculation had grown after the success of Khanna’s recent film Dhurandhar, suggesting he might return to the popular Race franchise alongside Saif Ali Khan. Taurani clarified that the makers have not approached Khanna and have no plans to change the storyline to include his character, which ended in the first Race film in 2008. The producer also said that the cast of Race 4 has not been finalised. Rumours about Saif Ali Khan returning or Sidharth Malhotra joining the project were dismissed. The script is still under development. Dhurandhar, starring Akshaye Khanna and Ranveer Singh, has been a box office hit, earning Rs 871.90 crore domestically, and continues to perform strongly.   With inputs from NDTV