Holly to Bolly: Kabir Bedi to honour Attenborough, Cumberbatch relishes superhero role, and more

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Indian actor Kabir Bedi will deliver a speech at the Arts for India charity event in London on Wednesday, October 19, to honour the late filmmaker Richard Attenborough. The charity, in association with the British Film Institute (BFI), will host the fund-raising evening at the headquarters of the British Academy of Film & Television Arts (BAFTA) in London's Piccadilly. Attenborough, who died in 2014, was previously BAFTA's president and won two Academy Awards for his film about Mahatma Gandhi in 1983. "Lord Attenborough remains an iconic figure in world cinema," says Bedi, best-known for his roles in the James Bond movie Octopussy and the TV drama the Bold and the Beautiful. "I first met him at the London press screening of Ghandi, where I bowed and touched his feet — in Indian style, as a mark of reverence. The event, which will include a dinner and awards ceremony, is a fund-raiser for those underprivileged in the creative arts in India. — IANS

Axwell & Ingrosso to headline New Year celebrations at Meydan

Swedish DJ duo, Axwell & Ingrosso are to perform at Dubai's Meydan Racecourse on December 31. The pair, who formed an alliance in 2014, are former members of the electronic music group Swedish House Mafia. In recent years, they have released the singles Can't Hold Us Down, Something New and Sun is Shining. "There's is a great energy that comes with the duo Axwell & Ingrosso that Dubai will absolutely love," says Nicolas Vandenabeele, director of Envie Events. "Meydan is the perfect venue for News Year's considering it has the best view of the Burj Khalifa's fireworks." Early bird tickets, starting from Dh299, are now available on www.envie-events.com. Gates open at 7pm and close at 3am. — The National

Benedict Cumberbatch relishes superhero role

Ahead of his latest film Doctor Strange being rolled-out in cinemas globally on November 4, actor Benedict Cumberbatch has admitted that he loved the challenge involved with playing the lead role. "It sort of fulfilled everything that you could have imagined from a Marvel film," he said at the world premiere in Hong Kong. "It's big. It's bold and it is very new, visually obviously, but also some of the tone of it." Cumberbatch, who rose to international fame for his role in the TV series, Sherlock, was joined at the event by co-star Tilda Swinton, director Scott Derrickson and Marvel Studios executive producer Kevin Feige. Cumberbatch plays Stephen Strange, a neurosurgeon who loses the use of his hands in a car accident and discovers the world of sorcery, with Swinton his mentor. — Reuters

Ang Lee nervous about high-tech movie’s reception

Mixed reviews greeted Ang Lee's long anticipated Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk at the New York Film Festival. The premiere was closely watched events because the drama — an adaptation of Ben Fountain's 2012 novel — was made with a filming technique which produces images in hyper-realness. Aside from being in 3D and 4K resolution, Lee shot the film — about an Iraq War hero on a victory tour at an NFL game — at 120 frames-per-second, five times the traditional speed. "I've done this a lot but you can see I'm nervous," says Lee. "It's new to our eyes. I found clarity is very soothing. Our eyes do want it." Sony Pictures will release the film on November 11, with only select cinemas equipped to show it in the format Lee intended, given the newness of the technology. Other theatres will screen adapted versions. — AP

Certain Women named Best Picture at London Film Festival

Writer-director Kelly Reichardt's Montana drama Certain Women won the best-picture prize at London Film Festival. A jury headed by Greek director Athina Rachel Tsangari praised the imagery and quiet modesty of Reichardt's film about three women — played by Kristen Stewart, Michelle Williams and Laura Dern — struggling with life in a small town. French director Julia Ducournau's horror story Raw was named best first feature during the festival's black-tie awards ceremony and Syrian photographer Issa Touma's 9 Days — From My Window in Aleppo won the short-film prize. Steve McQueen, a British director and Turner Prize-winning video artist, was presented with the British Film Institute Fellowship award by actor Michael Fassbender, who has appeared in all three of the director's feature films — Hunger, Shame and 12 Years a Slave. — AP

Celebrity models at India Fashion Week in New Delhi

Actress Athiya Shetty wowed the crowds in a monochrome ensemble designed by Masaba Gupta for the latest Spring-Summer collection of the 28th edition of Amazon India Fashion Week (AIFW) in New Delhi. Meanwhile, fellow Bollywood star Nimrat Kaur strode the runway in a regal sari with mother-of-pearl detailing by designer Mandira Wirk. The four-day fashion extravaganza will draw to a close on Sunday evening with noted couturier J.J. Valaya’s show titled Guru Shishya, bringing the curtain down. — IANS