International
Arif Rahman to play young Bruce Lee
MUMBAI: Aarif Rahman, a 23-year-old singer-songwriter who made his acting debut in Echoes has been signed to play the young Bruce Lee in the Bruce Lee biopic Bruce Lee, My Brother.
The film relates the early life story of him who put Hong Kong action films on the map, its director Raymond Yip has said. The film pieces together the superstar‘s childhood as related by his four surviving siblings, Phoebe, Agnes, Peter and Robert.
Said Yip, “The Lee family supplied us with all the details and the tidbits of their family life.So we took great care to be loyal to the truth and avoid anything that felt fake, which made it rather difficult for us in terms of creating the structure of the script. But the Lee family was very pleased with the result, especially with how close it was to what actually happened.”
The biopic took years to put on the screen because of the difficult task of finding a young actor to play the role of the iconic megastar. “We‘ve been on the lookout for a possible candidate all over China since 2008, but no one could capture the Hong Kong spirit of the young Bruce Lee till we met Rahman,” Yip explained.
But when writer-director team of Alex Law and Mabel Cheung, invited the film‘s producer, Manfred Wong, to a screening of their opus Echoes of the Rainbow, the search was over. We chose Rahman to play the young Lee. The Hong Kong-born Rahman, of Malay-Arab-Chinese ancestry, will have to shoulder any potential sequels for the Bruce Lee life story, said Yip.
The film that started rolling in March is scheduled for a 25 November release in Hong Kong.
International
Russia-India cinematic spectacle Persimmon of My Love set for grand Moscow debut
Hindi cinema style musical revives Indo-Soviet cinema ties for today
MUMBAI: A new chapter in cross-border storytelling is set to unfold as Persimmon of My Love gears up for its premiere in Moscow on 1 April 2026, marking the first large-scale cinematic collaboration between Russia and India in decades.
Positioned as a modern nod to the cultural exchange that once brought Indian classics to Soviet audiences, the film blends Hindi cinema flair with Russian storytelling, aiming to rekindle a long-standing cinematic friendship.
Directed by Marius Weisberg, the musical comedy follows two brothers navigating a lively world of music, family and romance. The lead roles are played by Demis Karibidis and Mikhail Galustyan, with Karibidis also contributing as a screenwriter.
Shot entirely in India, the production leans heavily into Hindi cinema style spectacle. Filming took place across Mumbai studios and the cities of Udaipur and Jodhpur, whose architecture was used to create the fictional setting of Khurmada. A crew of over 350 worked on the project, with large-scale sequences featuring up to 1,000 extras.
The film also brings Indian creative talent into the mix. Dance sequences are choreographed by Jay Kumar, while music by Zurab Matua features songs in both Hindi and Russian, adding to its cross-cultural appeal.
Backed by TNT channel, MyWayStudio and the Russian Cinema Fund, the project reflects a broader push to strengthen cultural ties between the two countries.
With its mix of colour, comedy and cross-border collaboration, Persimmon of My Love is not just a film release but a reminder that cinema, much like music, travels well across borders.
