Hollywood
Five romantic films to watch before ‘Past Lives’
Mumbai: Being entangled in love is one of the most challenging experiences an individual can face as they search for connection within art and culture. While the feeling of uncertainty can be distressing, films about heartbreak provide solace and help us cope with the painful aftermath of separation. With the highly anticipated romantic drama “Past Lives” releasing in theaters today, including PVR and INOX cinemas, here are five films centered around love that will leave you yearning for closure from unrequited love.
The Notebook
“The Notebook” is a captivating tale set in 1940s South Carolina, following the love story of Noah Calhoun (Ryan Gosling), a working-class mill worker, and Allie (Rachel McAdams), a young woman from a wealthy background. Despite their deep love for each other, Allie’s parents strongly disapprove of their relationship. The onset of World War II separates the couple, seemingly bringing an end to their passionate affair. During Noah’s absence, Allie becomes involved with another man (James Marsden). However, when Noah returns to their small town years later, just as Allie is about to marry, it becomes evident that their romance is far from over.
Eternal Sunshine of a Spotless Mind
The film depicts a painful breakup in which Clementine (Kate Winslet) undergoes a procedure to erase memories of her ex-boyfriend Joel (Jim Carrey) from her mind. When Joel learns about Clementine’s drastic measure to forget their relationship, he decides to undergo the same procedure, gradually losing his memories of the woman he deeply loves. Directed by Michel Gondry, a former music video director, this visually stunning film delves into the complexity of relationships and the anguish of loss.
500 Days of Summer
The movie follows Tom (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), a greeting-card writer and hopeless romantic caught completely off-guard when his girlfriend, Summer (Zooey Deschanel), suddenly dumps him. He reflects on their 500 days together to try to figure out where their love affair went sour, and in doing so, Tom rediscovers his true passions in life.
Raanjhanaa
Raanjhanaa tells the story of Kundan and his childhood love, Zoya, played by Dhanush and Sonam Kapoor, respectively. Kundan tries to move on from Zoya when he discovers she is interested in someone from her community. However, things take a different turn when Kundan discovers that Zoya has lied about her fiancé’s religion, deeply upsetting him.
Sanam Teri Kasam
Starring Harshvardhan Rane & Mawra Hocane, Sanam Teri Kasam is a story of Saraswati’s father throwing her out of the house. Inder stands with her against all odds, bringing them close to each other. However, destiny has its own plans to separate them.
Past Lives
Making her debut in direction, Celine Song has written Past Lives as well. The film revolves around Nora and Hae Sung, two deeply connected childhood friends torn apart after Nora’s family emigrates from South Korea. Decades later, they are reunited for one fateful week as they confront destiny, love and the choices that make a life.
Hollywood
Paramount Skydance secures financing for Warner Bros Discovery deal
Debt syndication and new loans push $111 billion merger closer to close
WASHINGTON: Paramount Skydance has taken a major step towards its planned acquisition of Warner Bros Discovery, securing fresh financing and completing the syndication of its bridge loan facility.
In a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, the company confirmed that the bridge facility has now been distributed among a group of 18 banks, reducing total commitments to $49 billion from an earlier $54 billion. The move spreads risk across lenders and signals growing confidence in one of the year’s largest media deals.
Alongside this, the company has finalised permanent financing arrangements, including $5 billion in senior term loans and a $5 billion revolving credit facility. A previously planned $3.5 billion credit line has been dropped as part of the restructuring.
The loans are secured against key assets, including Paramount Global, Skydance Media and Warner Bros post-merger, underlining the scale and complexity of the transaction.
The financing push follows a competitive bidding process earlier this year, which saw interest from players such as Netflix before Paramount Skydance emerged as the frontrunner. The deal, valued at $111 billion, is expected to close in the third quarter, subject to regulatory approvals.
Adding to the momentum, the company has also secured significant equity backing, including investments from Middle Eastern funds, with support from billionaire Larry Ellison, who has guaranteed the equity portion of the transaction.
Commenting on the development, Paramount Skydance chief strategy officer Andy Gordon said, “Our successful debt syndication and new debt facilities represent another important milestone towards the completion of our acquisition of Warner Bros Discovery.”
Once completed, the combined entity is expected to carry net debt of just under $80 billion, reflecting the sheer scale of the merger.
As Hollywood continues to consolidate in the streaming era, this deal could reshape the competitive landscape, with Paramount Skydance betting big on scale, content and financial muscle to take on global rivals.
