Amazon and MGM Studios have released a teaser for their upcoming live-action lord of the universe The film is attracting the attention of Generation X audiences by appealing to nostalgia for the popular franchise. The new adaptation stars Nicholas Galitzine, best known for his role in your opinionand is directed by Travis Knight, whose previous works include kubo and this two strings. The teaser gives fans a glimpse of the updated vision while referencing the series’ classic roots.

The teaser primarily focuses on evoking nostalgia for longtime fans, with imagery and themes reminiscent of the original franchise.

Nicholas Galitzin plays the lead role In this new iteration, following a growing list of credits in recent years. The decision to cast Galitzine and keep Travis Knight at the helm signals a concerted effort to blend established talent with a modern cinematic approach.

Travis Knight, recognized for directing kubo and this two stringsBrings his experience to the live-action adaptation. The collaboration is expected to contribute to a distinctive style that aligns with the legacy of the franchise while introducing contemporary storytelling techniques.

Live-action reboot comes after Kevin Smith’s animated reboot lord of the universeWhich ended in 2024 after running for three seasons. This recent animated series has provided a refreshing narrative for the property, and the new film now looks to continue building on that renewed interest.

The teaser reflects the latest development in Amazon and MGM Studios’ efforts to revive established intellectual properties, focusing on segments of the audience with strong nostalgic connections. The decision to release selected shots in the teaser highlights the intention to build anticipation while maintaining a close connection to the visual appeal of the original series.

Although the teaser does not reveal extensive plot details, brief scenes and casting announcements are designed to reconnect audiences familiar with the original lord of the universe And Kevin Smith’s recent animated interpretation.

live-action lord of the universe The project exemplifies the trend of reimagining classic franchises for contemporary audiences. With production underway and key creative figures on board, the film is set to attract both returning fans and new viewers wanting a modern take on the enduring series.

A wide shot opens up near a paddy field in a village. Four men are carrying a dead body between them for cremation, a child is walking a few steps behind. The camera doesn’t move. There is no music to guide this moment, just sounds as we walk.

Someone told that election gifts have started in the neighboring village. Saree for women. Wine and peanuts for men. The other one asks if that’s all. The reply comes, we are also giving Rs 500. A man complains that it is the same as last time and unless it is Rs 1,000, he will not bother to vote. Anyway, what difference will one vote make, some say. Even if you don’t go, they will mark it in your name. Take whatever they give. Vote for whoever you want.

They pause for a moment. The body is heavy. The child looks up and asks why his grandmother is being taken so far away from the village. The answer comes quietly: God has written our destiny this way. Births and deaths are meant to occur outside the boundaries of the village.

They keep going. At the bridge, they cannot take the normal route to the lake. The temple stands in the way, not merely as a place of worship, but as an obstacle. Their race is not allowed to pass through, leaving them with only one option: to lower the body from the bridge using ropes.

The ropes are tied. People gather below. The body is slowly lowered. The rope breaks halfway. The body falls. The loose end of the rope hung in the air and waved for a second longer than expected.

And then the title appears: dhandora.

For a moment it doesn’t look like a Telugu film at all. Not because of the language, but because Telugu cinema rarely allows itself to be so quiet, so uncomfortable and so disinterested in spectacle. This inconvenience persists because it cuts exponentially compared to where the industry stands today.

From Oscar conversations to international collaborations and Hollywood filmmakers inviting directors like SS Rajamouli to visit the sets, Telugu cinema is now global. Numbers that once seemed unimaginable have become regular headlines. But somewhere within that expanse, grassroots, socially attentive cinema has waned. After the pandemic, films that demand patience rather than awe have become increasingly rare.

dhandora It may not have completely made its mark during its theatrical run, but its OTT release has helped it get the attention it deserves from audiences and industry voices alike. What makes this film special?

A story where thinking becomes the problem

what makes dhandora A destabilizing experience is not a single act of violence or dramatic confrontation, but the ease with which injustice becomes embedded in everyday life. The film is less interested in identifying villains and more interested in highlighting how thinking itself gets messed up. Here caste discrimination does not come in the form of anger or show-off. It operates quietly through habit, obedience and social convenience.

Set in unified Andhra Pradesh in 2004, the film begins with the death of Shivaji, a respectable upper caste farmer of Tullur village in Medak. Even in death, he is denied dignity. The elders of his own caste refused to cremate him in the village cemetery. What happens next is treated not as a mystery to be solved, but as a rift that exposes how fragile social connection really is.

The questions the film raises are deceptively simple. Why does a community turn against one of its own people? Which choices led Shivaji to this point? What does his son Vishnu risk by turning against the order that everyone else accepts? Why does the Sarpanch enter into a conflict which he could have easily avoided? And how does Ravi, a man from a marginalized caste, become a disproportionate casualty in a system that ultimately destroys everyone, in different ways?

A village that looks familiar

one of Dhandora’Its quiet powers lie in how it builds its village. Each character, even those who later make cruel or cowardly choices, is first established as familiar. These are not symbolic figures or issue-based stand-ins, but rather people who feel like relatives and neighbors with whom you can identify.

Informal conversations, shared meals, idle humor and everyday dependencies create bonds even before conflict enters the frame. That intimacy is intentional. When caste and hierarchy finally assert themselves, the betrayal becomes even deeper because it comes from people who otherwise appear normal, even kind.

The film refuses to put the demons to rest. Instead, it forces viewers to sit with an uncomfortable truth: These humans have been shaped by a system so deeply normalized that cruelty seems routine. The hurt comes not from what they do alone, but from how much they are recognized while doing it.

cinema without rest

dhandora No interest in hero vs villain. It’s about humans versus the structures they continue to nurture, often without malice and almost always without reflection. The most troubling idea of ​​this is this: oppression does not always move in predictable directions. Systems built on hierarchy eventually turn inward.

Director Muralikant stages this world without embellishment. There are no unnecessary fight scenes, no heroic highs, no background score telling the audience when to get angry or excited. Even the humor, when it appears to be there, is uncomfortable rather than relieving, born of irritation and irony rather than punchline.

Sivaji delivers a performance built on control, presenting the film’s moral tension through posture and restraint. As the story progresses, Nandu grows into his role and plays a conflict role without leaning towards heroism. Ravi Krishna brings vulnerability to the character torn between love and inherited fear, while Navdeep, as the sarpanch, provides comic relief rooted in exhaustion rather than jokes. The supporting cast imbues the village with lived-in credibility.

Technically the film remains grounded. Mark Robin’s music supports the narrative rather than overpowering it. Venkat Shakamuri’s cinematography captures the countryside without romanticising it. There are rough edges, but there is never any carelessness.

Here is the trailer:

An honest film with visible cracks

dhandora Not a perfect movie. Its uneven pace and narrative gaps prevent it from being completely immersive, especially in the first half. Some changes feel sudden, and the emotional weight sometimes arrives before the script is fully developed.

But these flaws do not weaken the intention of the film. If anything, they underline how difficult it is to tell stories like this without softening their edges.

Why does Dhandora matter now?

When? dhandora It got noticed after its release in theatres. Critics responded positively. The intention was accepted. What it didn’t get was footfall. Like many serious rural dramas, it slipped through the cracks of the theatrical ecosystem driven by urgency and scale.

This changed after its OTT release. Audiences started getting the film late and were wondering how they had missed seeing it. The conversation grew and grew in scope to the moment Jr. NTR publicly praised the honesty and conviction of the film.

There is an irony here that seems almost appropriate. A film about dignity denied had to wait for itself. The passion for watching spectacle is increasing in cinema culture, dhandora It stands as a reminder that sometimes a film’s greatest political task is to look at reality and not blink.

Victoria Beckham has finally spoken out amid the ongoing Beckham saga, although her reason goes far beyond the ongoing tension surrounding her home. On Wednesday, January 21, she posted a heartfelt birthday wish for Emma Bunton, her former bandmate in the pop group Spice Girls, on her Instagram Stories.

Victoria shared an old clip of Emma from her heyday with the band, writing, “Happy Birthday @EmmaBunton. I love you so much.”

This is the first public post by English fashion designer, singer and television personality Victoria since the family feud broke out in the Beckham family. David and Victoria have been the targets of an all-out attack from their eldest son Brooklyn Beckham, and the family drama has played out quite extensively in public.

The first signs of tension in the Beckham family appeared in April 2022, when David and Victoria’s son Brooklyn Beckham married American actor and heiress Nicola Peltz in Palm Beach. Despite a picture-perfect marriage, rumblings of discord began surrounding the nuptials, with initial speculation suggesting that the conflict between Victoria and Nicola began over Nicola’s wedding dress. Reports claimed Nicola decided not to wear the dress designed by her mother-in-law Victoria. Nicola told later The Sunday Times Victoria’s atelier was unable to complete the dress on time.

Victoria’s post comes a day after her husband, former footballer David Beckham, broke his silence following the Brooklyn attack. But cnbc‘S squawk boxDavid said: “I’ve always talked about social media and the power of social media. For good and for bad,” he added: “We’ve talked about the bad that kids can access these days – it can be dangerous. But what I’ve also found personally, especially with my kids, is to use it for the right reasons. I’ve been able to use my platform and my followers for UNICEF. And that’s for kids all over the world.” “It’s been the biggest tool for making people aware of what’s going on in the U.S.”

“I’ve tried to do the same thing with my kids, to educate them. They make mistakes, but kids are allowed to make mistakes. That’s how they learn. That’s what I try to teach my kids. Sometimes you have to let them make the same mistakes,” he said, referencing his children — Brooklyn, 26, Romeo, 23, Cruz, 20, and Harper, 14.

Earlier in January, Brooklyn opened Pandora’s box when she released a lengthy statement accusing her parents of trying to undermine her marriage and having controlling attitudes. Brooklyn alleged that David and Victoria had tried to sabotage her wedding to Nicola, and claimed that Victoria had canceled plans to design Nicola’s dress at the “eleventh hour”. Brooklyn also said that his parents pressured him to sign over the rights to his name and continued to “control the narrative” in the press.

Brooklyn has made it clear that he will not reconcile with his parents.