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Shaurya Thapa

Shaurya Thapa

Sub-editor

shaurya.thapa@aajtak.com

Thapa harbours an interest in writing about Entertainment, Pop Culture, History, and everything else in between.

By Shaurya Thapa

Arnold on Netflix Review: Arnold Schwarzenegger pats his own back but only scratches the surface

If you think this is the documentary where Arnold breaks the silence on such tumultuous events of his life, be warned. He barely scratches the surface and just mentions these instances like details from his Wikipedia page.

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Zomato turns Kachra from Lagaan into literal trash in casteist ad, takes it down after trolling

While Lagaan fans will be delighted to see actor Aditya Lakhia reprise his role as Kachra in the new Zomato ad, many aren't impressed with what they feel is blatant casteism.

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Science Wrap: Chandrayaan updates, 62 new plants in Western Ghats and North Korea's satellite blunder

This week in science saw new updates about ISRO's future missions and the discovery of 62 new plant species that can survive without water. Additionally, the world might soon get a disaster-prevention system that can detect Earth's disasters from outer space.

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Why has Airbnb sued the city of New York?

Airbnb Inc filed a lawsuit against the city for its new law that will limit the number of people who can host rental spaces. Among short-term rental providers like Airbnb, this law is turning into a 'de facto ban' against them. The law is set to come into effect in July. 

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How NCERT Class 10 book will teach evolution and periodic table now on

This is a satirical piece written with regards to NCERT's recent decision to permanently remove specific chapters from the Class 10 Science textbook. Now, if a tenth-grader in India wishes to learn how to classify the elements or to understand the origins of life on Earth, this is perhaps what the NCERT will go with.

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Spider-Man Across The Spider-Verse Review: Sequel is 'miles' ahead of Spidey lore

Miles Morales and the pack of innumerable Spider-People are back for a visually-enthralling journey that's more emotional than expected. And even Spider-Man India is fun!

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Revisiting Sia's controversial 2021 film Music after singer reveals she is on the autism spectrum

With the singer-songwriter revealing that she is on the autism spectrum, revisiting her controversial 2021 film Music has become trickier.

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That shocking Succession finale plot twist was predicted by King Lear, and probably a baseball player

From Shakespeare references to an obscure baseball player, the Succession finale is leading to multiple fan theories.

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Beau is Afraid and the audience is mindf**ked: A Review 

The three-hour-long surreal journey starring Joaquin Phoenix is an absurdly hilarious (and sometimes frustrating) epic. Love it or hate it -you can't ignore it.

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Citadel on Prime Video Review: Did ChatGPT write this mediocre spy thriller?

Despite all the hullabaloo it tried to create, Citadel falls short... very very short of whatever it is that it promised. A rehashed mishmash of all the greatest hits of the spy genre (James Bond, Jason Bourne, Mission: Impossible, real-world CIA politics; even Pathaan some would say), Citadel premiered on Prime Video with a first season comprising six episodes. 

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Science Wrap: A deer-bite virus, El Nino hitting coffee, Musk to implant brain chips in humans

This week in science witnessed a rare but deadly virus in America, global coffee supply being affected by high temperatures and Elon Musk's company Neuralink getting approval for study of brain implants in humans.

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The only Indian movie to win Cannes top prize was never released in India

Chetan Anand's debut film Neecha Nagar was a compelling anti-imperialist drama that won acclaim overseas but sadly couldn't get a wide Indian release.

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Cannes has a history of LONG standing ovations, but what is it with the neverending clapping?

Standing ovations have become a classic Cannes cliche with perhaps the festival attendees just clapping and clapping out of peer pressure!

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As Queen of Rock 'n' Roll Tina Turner passes away at 83, a look back at her Indian connection

Dubbed as the “Queen of Rock N’ Roll”, Tina Turner has been a musical icon since the 1980s with her trademark single “What’s Love Got to Do With It?” and many other iconic tracks. With 83-year-old Turner passing away on May 24 (Wednesday) due to a prolonged illness, it is worth revisiting her eventful life.

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Cannes 2023: The Indian films (not the red carpet celebs) that you need to know about

A 90s classic from Manipur, Anurag Kashyap’s latest neo-noir, the Titli director’s sophomore effort and an FTII student’s short film represent Indian cinema at Cannes 2023.

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Squid Game becomes Takeshi's Castle as Netflix gears up for its reality show spin-off

Netflix's breakout South Korean original Squid Game is getting its own spin-off with a reality series titled Squid Game: The Challenge. One can hope that the contestants don’t actually get shot to death while playing “Red Light Green Light”!

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Fast X Review: Family doesn’t matter, the ability to (not) take it seriously does…

Despite a nauseating car ride, Fast X does deliver on its expected doses of physics-defying hi-jinks, characters' mumbling the word "family" and the mandatory product placement of Corona beer. 

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Science Wrap: A new Earth, a new dinosaur species, and 2024 could be hottest year ever

This week in science saw the discovery of a new exoplanet that resembles Earth, a fossil of a meat-eating dinosaur recovered from Spain and the possibility of 2024 becoming the hottest year EVER.

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Hallstatt in Austria sets up fence to keep selfies out, and it is not the only place fighting too many tourists

The visual inspiration for animation movie Frozen, the Austrian mountain town of Hallstatt attracts tourists from across the world, mainly to just click selfies at its scenic locations. But with hordes of tourists flocking to Hallstatt, the town’s mayor has set a boundary for them (quite literally).

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A brief history of the Indian Spider-Man Pavitr Prabhakar

In the latest Spider-Verse movie, audiences will be introduced to an Indian Spider-Man, Pavitr Prabhakar. The original Pavitr has had quite an interesting and slightly stereotypical history in the comics.

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Tom Cruise, 60, risks life once again in the new Mission Impossible Dead Reckoning trailer

'Our lives are the sum of our choices,' plays a voiceover dialogue as Tom Cruise's Ethan Hunt revs up a dirt bike at the edge of a cliff. Cruise's life is definitely the sum of his death-defying choices as the 60-year-old just wishes to amp up the danger level of his stunts with every passing movie.

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Alexandra Cooper once called Priyanka Chopra 'disgusting' 'lesbian' on her podcast. She just invited PC on it

Priyanka Chopra Jonas recently appeared on Alexandra Cooper's Call Her Daddy podcast where she talked about her experiences with bullying. The irony is that Cooper herself had said some really nasty things about Chopra in an old podcast episode that netizens have now unearthed.

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Who is the director of the new Johnny Depp film at centre of Cannes controversy and why did she spit on a journalist?

Leaving such a trail of controversies, it’s not surprising that Maiwenn collaborated with fellow controversy poster child Johnny Depp. They make quite the 'dream team' at Cannes 2023.

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Fast X drops this week, and here's every ridiculously over-the-top thing to expect from the movie

Starting out as just a movie on drag racing and then evolving into an over-the-top 'masala' franchise of superspies with supercars, the Fast & Furious franchise is modern-day blockbuster cinema at its cheesy best. And now, May 18, the Fast saga returns with Fast X. 

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New WhatsApp Chat Lock feature is here to make your chats extra private, but how does it work?

Apart from keeping chats archived, WhatsApp users will now also be able to "lock" their chats using the app's new "Chat Lock" service. While it has not appeared in the latest update in India yet, WhatsApp will soon enable users to keep certain chats locked with a device authentication method like a pass code, face ID or fingerprint.

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K-Pop star Haesoo dies by apparent suicide at 29, in latest celeb death from South Korea

Just weeks after K-pop singer Moon Bin’s suicide, yet another South Korean idol has taken her own life. K-pop star Haesoo died by suicide in her dormitory on May 12 (Friday). Haesoo was supposed to perform at an event on May 20 before her death came as a shock to her fans.

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Air Movie Review: Ben Affleck tells the Air Jordan story sans Michael but it is more fun than expected

Recently released on Prime Video, Air is a thrilling drama-comedy about the not-so-thrilling business deal between Nike and Michael Jordan, a revolutionary collaboration whose impact can still be seen in Air Jordans (and its knock-offs) all over the world.

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Science Wrap: Cyclone Mocha, a new meteorite, and a river on Mars

An intensifying cyclone, a potato-sized meteorite, stunning images of the Moon's craters and an ancient Martian lake dominate this week's science news.

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Breaking down India’s B-boying and B-girling champions: Dispatch from Mumbai’s Red Bull BC One Cypher

As breaking becomes an Olympic sport, India's very own b-boys and b-girls harbour a lot of optimism. This could be seen at this year's Indian round of the premier one-on-one breaking championship RedBull BC One Cypher.

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Science Wrap: Saturn rings disappear, a 3D-printed fish, and 2023's first lunar eclipse

This week's science news is dominated by disappearing Saturn rings, the year's first lunar eclipse, an artificial fish fillet, and a face-off between cannabis and painkillers.

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