Hollywood
Hugh Jackman quits the Houdini Broadway project
MUMBAI: Actor Hugh Jackman has apparently quit the upcoming Broadway musical Harry Houdini. The actor, who won the 2004 Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical for The Boy from Oz, was associated with Houdini since last two years and was supposed to portray the title role of the illusionist and escape artist, Houdini.
However, he pulled out of the musical because of his scheduling demands commit to the time this role will require. The actor in a statement announced that he has tremendous respect and admiration for the creative team and wished everyone the best. He also said that the team is on its way to make something extraordinary.
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The producers of the as-yet-unscheduled show announced in January 2012 about the association of Jackman. The actor reportedly had been involved unofficially before this. Houdini has gone through several personnel changes since first being announced in 2008 with a planned 2010 premiere. Film composer Danny Elfman was originally announced to do the music, with lyrics by David Yazbek and a book by Kurt Andersen. Jack O’Brien has remained as director, though Stephen Schwartz is now composing the songs, while David Ives provides the book. Aaron Sorkin had been attached as writer in 2012 when Jackman was announced.
Hollywood
Who is Geeta Gandbhir? The director behind two separate Oscar-nominated films in one historic year
The Emmy-winning filmmaker makes history with dual documentary nominations at this year’s Oscars.
LOS ANGELES:Â If Hollywood loves a breakout moment, this year it belongs to Geeta Gandbhir. Long respected within documentary circles, Gandbhir has suddenly become a mainstream name after scoring two Oscar nominations in the same season, one for a feature and one for a short. It is a rare feat. It is historic. And it has prompted one big question: who exactly is the filmmaker behind this double triumph?
Before stepping into the director’s chair, Gandbhir built her reputation as a razor-sharp editor. That technical grounding shaped her storytelling style, which is precise, unsentimental and emotionally direct. Her early career included working alongside Spike Lee, an apprenticeship that sharpened both her political lens and cinematic instincts.
Over the years, she accumulated multiple Emmy Awards and a Peabody, quietly becoming one of the most respected nonfiction voices in American television.
Her feature-length nominee, The Perfect Neighbor, released on Netflix, investigates the fatal shooting of Ajike Owens through stark police body-cam footage. The film strips away dramatic embellishment and instead relies on unfiltered visual evidence to confront viewers with uncomfortable truths.
At the same time, her short film The Devil Is Busy, streaming on HBO Max, offers an intimate, ground-level look inside an abortion clinic in Atlanta. Co-directed with Christalyn Hampton, it trades scale for immediacy and delivers impact in under an hour.
The contrast between the two projects, one investigative and expansive, the other intimate and observational, highlights Gandbhir’s range. Yet both share a common thread, which is a focus on lived reality rather than spectacle.
Documentary filmmaking is often seen as awards adjacent and respected but rarely spotlighted. Gandbhir’s dual nomination changes that narrative. It positions her not just as a contender, but as a defining nonfiction voice of her generation.
Whether she takes home one statuette or two, the achievement itself has already reshaped the Oscar conversation and cemented her place in film history.
