The age factor

Heroines have often heard that they don’t get good roles after a certain age. Now, filmmaker Sooraj Barjatya says his biggest challenge is to create “something relevant and fresh” for Salman Khan, who is a few months shy of turning 60. The director, who has shaped Salman’s screen image through films like Maine Pyaar Kiya (1989), Hum Aapke Hain Koun..! (1994), and Prem Ratan Dhan Payo (2015), confirmed to PTI that their rumoured new collaboration has been put on hold. “Sometimes you are unable to crack the climax or get the kundali of the character in place. If I can’t, I don’t start a project. I’ve barely made seven films, but this is how I work,” he explained. Addressing Khan’s recent box-office struggles, the director defended the actor: “Everyone should be allowed to make a mistake and learn. He is such a good person, so strong, that he is going to come back in a very big way.”

A ray of hope for Indie films

A still from ‘Humans in the Loop’.

Filmmakers Kiran Rao and Biju Toppo are set to back Humans in the Loop, an award-winning feature about an Adivasi woman working as an AI data-labeller. Directed by Aranya Sahay, the film follows Nehma, an Oraon woman in Jharkhand whose livelihood exposes the invisible labour powering artificial intelligence while questioning the erasure of indigenous knowledge systems. On backing the film, Kiran said, “I loved Humans in the Loop from the very first viewing. It is deeply moving and thought-provoking. The film has wings and carries a very important global message.” Toppo, regarded as a pioneer in Adivasi cinema, added, “This film speaks directly to the lives of people I have known and seen. Humans in the Loop boldly expresses our perspective.” The film will release in Mumbai on September 5 before travelling to other cities.