Pooja Pillai is an entertainment journalist with Asian Media Group, where she covers cinema, pop culture, internet trends, and the politics of representation. Her work spans interviews, cultural features, and social commentary across digital platforms.
She began her reporting career as a news anchor, scripting and presenting stories for a regional newsroom. With a background in journalism and media studies, she has since built a body of work exploring how entertainment intersects with social and cultural shifts, particularly through a South Indian lens.
She brings both newsroom rigour and narrative curiosity to her work, and believes the best stories don’t just inform — they reveal what we didn’t know we needed to hear.
Elizabeth Hurley isn’t holding back as she steps into her sixties. On 10 June, the Bedazzled star celebrated her milestone birthday by posting a nude photo taken in a field, using nothing but her pose and a necklace. In the caption, she reflected on an emotional and eventful year, describing it as a “wild ride” and revealing she’s “in love” with country star Billy Ray Cyrus.
Alongside the image, Hurley highlighted three major personal landmarks: 30 years working with Estée Lauder, 20 years of her swimwear label Elizabeth Hurley Beach, and her new romance. “Feeling very blessed and grateful for having the best friends and family in the world,” she wrote.
Hurley and Cyrus find love after reconnecting post-divorce
Hurley and Cyrus met on the set of the 2022 holiday film Christmas in Paradise. Although there was some sparks at the time, they lost touch and reconnected in 2024, after Cyrus ended his short-lived marriage to singer Firerose. It was Hurley who reportedly reached out during his divorce, a message that led to a deeper connection.
By April 2025, the pair made their relationship public on Instagram. The singer later posted a birthday message calling Hurley “the love of my life.”
Hurley confirms her relationship with country singer Billy Ray CyrusCosmopolitan
The couple also made a red carpet appearance together in Rome on 24 May, further confirming the romance. While Cyrus has faced strained relationships with some of his children, particularly daughter Miley, reports suggest he’s trying to rebuild those ties. Miley, who cut off contact with her father in 2023, has softened her stance, recently saying that while it was difficult at first, “everyone deserves to be happy.”
Family support and healing amid past drama
Hurley’s son, 23-year-old Damian, commented warmly on her birthday post, calling her his “best friend forever.” Friends and celebrities, including Heidi Klum and Sarah Michelle Gellar, also sent their love. Meanwhile, insiders say Cyrus is now prioritising family time and hopes his relationship with Hurley marks a new chapter, both personally and publicly.
Damian Hurley calls his mother his best friend in a birthday tributeGetty Images
As Hurley embraces 60 with confidence, she seems set on making this decade her boldest one yet.
Amrit Ramnath says the word “Sakhiye” just happened and became the heart of the song.
Sitara’s voice added a new layer, making the duet feel alive and unexpected.
He mixes Malayalam roots with modern sounds, keeping the classical influence but making it fresh.
Ramnath opens up about taking risks in independent music and film work without overthinking it.
The song is all about love and celebration, already appearing in wedding videos and personal posts online.
In an exclusive interview with Eastern Eye, Amrit Ramnath talks about the making of Sakhiye, taking musical risks, and teaming up with Sitara. He doesn’t just walk into music; you can feel it’s stitched into him. Every word he says about melody, risk, and the urge to experiment carries that energy.
Amrit Ramnath on Sakhiye, the melody that found its own words and the duet that changed everything Instagram/amritramnath
Music stitched into him
And then, of course, there’s the part you can’t ignore: his mother is Bombay Jayashri. The Bombay Jayashri. A legend. So when that Carnatic depth surfaces in his work, it isn’t a carefully researched influence, but inheritance.
But his sound is also a mash-up of everywhere else he’s from. A little Marathi, some Hindi, a touch of Urdu. For a long time, however, Kerala was the place he knew of, but didn't truly know.
That changed with his first film score for the Malayalam movie Varshangalku Shesham, a total knockout. The film was a super hit, and its songs were celebrated everywhere. For Amrit, something clicked. "The film really took me back to, obviously, the place, the language, the culture, all of it," he says.
Sakhiye is a product of that reconnection, an act of reminiscing. He also admits, “I do have a significant audience there, and I really enjoy the language.” Even though he’s not super fluent, he understands a fair bit.
This brings us to the song’s unexpected nucleus. Amrit built the melody first. He sent a scratch track, a tune hummed without words to lyricist Vinayak, and the word was already there, nestled in the gibberish. He explains: “the word sakhiye kind of came automatically in my sort of gibberish melody singing, so to speak, and it stayed that way.” Vinayak chose to keep it. That accidental utterance became the song’s emotional pivot. “From Sakhi, it takes a turn, in my opinion,” he says.
So what is a ‘Sakhi’? A person? A memory? Just love?
“I think you can tick all three,” he says. It’s the overarching idea of love, but the word itself is fluid. “Sakhi also could refer to a friend if I'm not wrong.” Friend, lover, memory, the ambiguity is the point.
Then there’s Sitara. Bringing her on board was, to most listeners, a masterstroke. But what did she actually bring to Sakhiye? Amrit lights up. He wanted to play with their vocal ranges. Her sections are lower, reminiscent of the ‘Cherathukal’ vibe from Kumbalangi Nights. His, in parts, are higher than he’d normally go. “The moments I swear the two voices come together, especially the second Sakhi, and right after that… those were the moments of synergy.” You can hear the excitement in his voice just talking about it.
His sound is often described as a bridge, like classical roots meeting contemporary arrangements. Is that a deliberate tightrope walk?
“For me, a lot of the language also draws me into certain cultural aspects,” he explains. The melody is inspired by that rooted, Indian core. But the arrangement is where he contemporises. He points to the track itself: “the song starts with a very… plucked acoustic sort of guitar riff that moves into a slightly… Afro beat.” It’s not a calculated fusion. “It's something that's very like core to my identity. So I think it sort of just happens.”
What about risk? Careers? The boring, inevitable question. Amrit didn’t offer a canned PR answer. He admitted it’s “a tricky question” and something he’s “learning along the way.” He nailed the honest bit: the music industry isn’t just about music anymore; it’s a whole ecosystem. But for him, the risk is innate. “It’s not a calculated career move. It’s curiosity.”
He’s currently juggling two lanes: independent music and film composing. “I have a fairly loyal audience when it comes to independent music. And I'm also growing my audience as a film composer; I just finished a Tamil film. Before that, I had a Malayalam film, and now I'm in the process of beginning a couple more projects.”
On sustainability, he is pragmatic: “The risk to reward ratio is never going to be great with any art form.” But he finds the reward in the act itself. “Taking risks in itself is so rewarding.”
Amrit Ramnath opens up on his creative risks and the magic behind Sakhiye’s duet with Sitara Krishnakumar Instagram/amritramnath
Chasing emotion, not audience
On the rise of regional music, he is clear-eyed: “It’s mostly organic.” He hesitates at the word ‘responsibility’. “Responsibility is a heavy word,” he says. But within that organic movement, “there is a responsibility for me to do as much as I can… it's only fair that if there is a voice that exists, then it's only fair that you express it.”
His process now is about stitching different fabrics and styles together, chasing a feeling, not an audience. “I'm trying to see if I can chase a certain emotion.” That’s the project now: chase the feeling, not the demographic.
So what’s the emotion he’s chasing with Sakhiye? What’s the one feeling he wants to leave people with?
“I just hope it gives them that, you know, that butterfly feeling.” Of love, yes, but also of celebration. He’s noticed it popping up in countless Instagram wedding reels. “So I thought, like, overall, it can be a song of celebration… if people are feeling that, then I feel like we've won.”
So there you have it. A melody that held onto a word. A duet that plays with range. A composer in love with the next curiosity. Listen once and you’ll feel it. Listen twice and you’ll hear the place where Sakhiye finally lands.
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Madonna returns to Warner Records with her first new album since 2019
Madonna confirms new album for 2026, her first since 2019.
The project is a sequel to her hit 2005 record Confessions on a Dance Floor.
She has reunited with original producer Stuart Price for the work.
The pop icon has signed a new deal with her original label, Warner Records.
Madonna is making a major return to her musical roots. The global superstar has announced a new dance album scheduled for 2026, her first studio release in seven years. In a significant full-circle moment, the project will be released under Warner Records, the very label that launched her iconic career. This highly anticipated record is set to be a direct follow-up to her Grammy-winning album Confessions on a Dance Floor.
Madonna returns to Warner Records with her first new album since 2019 Instagram/madonna
What is the new Madonna album called?
Right now, we don’t have an official title. Madonna herself has been referring to it informally as Confessions on a Dance Floor Part 2 or simply COADF Pt. 2 in her social media posts. That’s a pretty strong indicator of the sonic direction she’s aiming for.
The original Confessions on a Dance Floor album was a critical and commercial juggernaut, so this title sets a clear expectation for fans and the industry. Whether that’s the final name or just a working title remains to be seen, but it’s certainly got people talking.
This is the real story, isn’t it? It’s a homecoming. Her statement said it “feels like home” and that’s not just PR talk. Warner was her label home for the first 25 years of her career, the period that produced virtually all of her most defining work from Like a Virgin to Ray of Light. She left after 2008’s Hard Candy for a lucrative deal with Live Nation and Interscope.
But this return to Warner isn’t just about new music, but more like a holistic deal. It finally brings her entire catalogue, including those later Interscope albums, under one roof at Warner. That’s huge for legacy management and reissues. It seems to be about consolidating her empire and working with a partner that understands her history.
She’s bringing in the big gun for this specific sound: Stuart Price. His involvement is the clearest signal that Madonna is deadly serious about recapturing that Confessions magic. Price wasn't just a producer on the original album. He was its architect, co-writing and producing the majority of its tracks. He’s the genius behind those seamless, euphoric mixes that made it feel like one continuous nightclub journey. His recent work with her on the shelved Veronica Electronica remixes from the Ray of Light sessions seems to have reignited that creative spark. It’s a trusted partnership, and that’s often when she does her best work.
If Price is back, expect pure, unadulterated dance-pop. The original Confessions on a Dance Floor was a reaction to the guitar-driven rock of her previous American Life album and a successful return to her clubland origins. Given that she’s calling this a sequel, the logic follows a similar path. We’re likely looking at a record built on driving four-on-the-floor beats, soaring synth melodies, and those clever, subtle disco samples she and Price used so effectively before. It is music made for the dancefloor, designed to be both nostalgic and futuristic. After the more experimental and political tones of Madame X, this feels like a deliberate shift back to crowd-pleasing, euphoric energy.
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Bella Hadid shares emotional hospital photos amid ongoing health battle
Bella Hadid shared worrying images from a hospital bed on Instagram.
The model apologised to fans for her frequent social media disappearances.
Sister Gigi and mother Yolanda offered public messages of love and strength.
The post has sparked fresh concern about a potential relapse of her chronic Lyme disease.
Bella Hadid has sparked major concern among her fans after posting a series of raw and emotional pictures from what appears to be a hospital room. The supermodel, known for her high-profile fashion work, shared a cryptic apology for her absence, directly linking it to an ongoing health struggle. The post has prompted serious conversation about the severity of her long-term Lyme disease diagnosis and the hidden realities of living with a chronic illness.
The Instagram carousel was a typical ‘photo dump’ in style, but its content was anything but casual. It opened with more aesthetic shots, including a double rainbow and some flowers, but quickly shifted to intensely personal images. Close-up selfies showed a tired-looking Bella with an IV line in her arm, another with a cooling pad on her head, and one where she is visibly emotional.
Perhaps the most alarming shot featured her lying in a medical bed wearing an oxygen mask. Her caption was simple: “I’m sorry I always go MIA. I love you guys.” It felt less like a curated update and more like a genuine, weary message from someone in the thick of it.
They reacted immediately and with full support. This was not a case of silent worry; her family publicly rallied in the comments. Her sister and fellow model, Gigi Hadid, wrote, “I love you! I hope you feel as strong and good as you deserve, soon.” Their mother, Yolanda Hadid, who has her own very public battle with the same illness, simply commented “Lyme warrior”, heavily implying the reason for this latest health scare. That one phrase from Yolanda essentially confirmed what many were thinking, turning the concern into a wider discussion about the family's shared health struggle.
Gigi Hadid and Yolanda Hadid send love to Bella after hospital scareInstagram Screengrab/bellahadid
What is Lyme disease and how does it affect people?
This is the crucial bit everyone is searching for. According to health authorities, Lyme disease is a bacterial infection you get from the bite of an infected tick. If caught early, antibiotics often clear it. The problem is that it is often missed. When it becomes chronic, it can be brutal. We are talking severe fatigue, joint and muscle pain, neurological issues and brain fog, a whole suite of debilitating symptoms that are mostly invisible. That is exactly what this looks like.
Who else has spoken out about having Lyme disease?
Bella and the Hadids are far from alone in this, though their platform is huge. This is why the topic gets so much traction. The list of celebrities who have battled Lyme is surprisingly long and includes singers such as Justin Bieber and Avril Lavigne, the latter of whom had to step back from her career for years because of it. Shania Twain’s documentary detailed how it caused terrifying blackouts on stage.
Lyme Disease: Everything you need to know about it Getty Images/iStockphoto
More recently, Justin Timberlake revealed his own diagnosis. When this many high-profile people talk about the same debilitating struggle, it stops being a private illness and becomes a public health conversation. Bella’s post, whether she meant to or not, has added another loud voice to that.
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Post Malone picks Guwahati for his first India concert
The Grammy-nominated artist will perform his first-ever solo headline show in India on 8 December.
The concert will be held at the Khanapara Veterinary Ground in Guwahati, Assam.
Tickets for the highly anticipated event go on sale on 20 September via BookMyShow.
The Assam government is backing the event to boost concert tourism in the Northeast.
Post Malone is finally giving his Indian fans a full headline show, and he is picking a surprising location for it. The icon will play his first-ever solo concert in the country on 8 December at the Khanapara Veterinary Ground in Guwahati. This Post Malone India concert is a huge coup for the Northeast region and signals a major shift in where international artists are choosing to perform. The event is a key part of the state's new push to become a live entertainment destination.
Post Malone picks Guwahati for his first India concert Getty Images
What are the details for the Post Malone India concert?
Right, the stuff you actually need to know. The date is locked for 8 December 2025. The place is the Khanapara Veterinary Ground in Guwahati. This is not some tiny club gig. It is a proper full-scale stadium show. If you want in, you have to move fast. Tickets go live on 20 September at noon IST, and they will be sold exclusively on BookMyShow. You can bet they will disappear quickly given this is his only scheduled stop in the country.
It is a fair question. Why Guwahati and not Mumbai or Delhi? The answer is a strategic partnership. The Assam government has signed a deal with BookMyShow to develop the state's live event scene. This Post Malone India concert is the first big fruit of that labour.
The state's tourism chief called it a 'testament' to India's expanding entertainment landscape. They are actively pitching the Northeast as a viable, passionate and untapped market for global acts. And they are putting their money where their mouth is.
Guwahati lands Post Malone’s first India showGetty Images
What is the setlist for the Post Malone concert?
He has got a back catalogue stuffed with hits, so predicting the exact setlist is tough. But you can absolutely expect the big ones. He will almost certainly play the smooth, nostalgic vibe of Circles and the massive hip-hop banger Rockstar. His Spider-Man track Sunflower with Swae Lee is a guaranteed crowd-pleaser. And given his recent work, do not be shocked if he throws in his feature on Taylor Swift’s Fortnight or his country-tinged collaboration with Morgan Wallen. His style is a mix of genres, so the show will have a bit of everything.
Post Malone to headline in Guwahati this DecemberGetty Images
How does this fit into India's concert scene?
This is more than just one show. It feels like a corner being turned. For years, international tours meant a couple of stops, usually Mumbai and sometimes Delhi or Bangalore. Now we have had Ed Sheeran in Mumbai, and now Post Malone is heading deep into the Northeast. It proves promoters are looking beyond the usual hubs, recognising that fans everywhere deserve big events. With names like Travis Scott and Linkin Park also rumoured for later dates, India’s live music map is genuinely expanding, and Guwahati is now firmly on it.
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Varun Dhawan interrupts Janhvi’s AI deepfake comments with a lighthearted quip
Janhvi Kapoor spoke about the serious issue of AI morphed images at a trailer launch.
Varun Dhawan interrupted her with a joke about their new film.
A clip of the exchange sparked anger among social media users.
Many criticised Varun for being disrespectful and dismissive of a genuine concern.
A serious conversation about artificial intelligence took an awkward turn at the Sunny Sanskari Ki Tulsi Kumari trailer launch. Janhvi Kapoor was discussing the alarming rise of non-consensual AI morphed images when her co-star, Varun Dhawan, cut her off with a light hearted quip. The moment, captured on video, has since caused a firestorm on social media, with fans criticising Varun for his timing and lack of sensitivity on the pressing issue of digital safety.
Varun Dhawan interrupts Janhvi’s AI deepfake comments with a lighthearted quip Getty Images
What did Janhvi Kapoor say about AI?
Janhvi Kapoor was articulating a worry shared by many public figures. She pointed out the sheer volume of fake AI content created in her likeness that circulates online without her permission. Her central concern was about public perception, noting that while industry insiders might spot a fake, the average person could easily be fooled.
“You and I can say it’s an AI image, but the common man will think, ‘Yeh toh yeh pehen ke pohonch gayi (She actually went out wearing this)’,” she explained, bringing to light the very real damage such falsehoods can cause to a person’s reputation and mental wellbeing. It was a valid point, one that deserved a considered response.
— (@)
Why was Varun Dhawan criticised for his AI comments?
Just as Janhvi was mid flow, Varun interjected. He turned to the film’s director, Shashank Khaitan, and asked, “There is no AI na in this film, Shashank?” His comment, clearly intended as a joke to lighten the mood, completely derailed the conversation. The serious tone Janhvi was setting evaporated instantly, shifting the focus back to movie promotion.
Viewers online perceived this as a dismissal of her valid concerns, interpreting it as a move to prioritise PR over a meaningful discussion. It was not the content of his joke that caused offence, but the jarringly poor timing that showed a lack of engagement with what she was saying.
Social media slams Varun Dhawan for dismissing Janhvi Kapoor’s serious concernsGetty Images
How did social media react to the interruption?
The backlash was swift and largely unanimous. A clip of the interaction spread quickly on X, with most comments siding with Janhvi. One user called it “so disrespectful,” adding that Janhvi “looked so pissed and rightfully so.” Others questioned Varun’s intent, with one asking, “Genuinely, what was even his point? Was he not paying attention?”
The overarching sentiment was frustration that a woman speaking on a serious subject was talked over by a male co-star making a gag. Many labelled the moment immature and attention seeking, criticising his inability to read the room and let a colleague finish her thought.
— (@)
What is the film Sunny Sanskari Ki Tulsi Kumari about?
Despite the off screen drama, the project itself remains a major release. The film is a wedding themed comedy directed by Shashank Khaitan, who previously worked with Varun on the Dulhania series. It stars Varun Dhawan and Janhvi Kapoor in the lead roles, supported by Sanya Malhotra, Rohit Saraf and Akshay Oberoi.
Produced by Dharma Productions and Mentor Disciple Entertainment, it is one of the most anticipated Bollywood films set for release on 2 October this year. The incident, while sparking conversation, is unlikely to dent the commercial prospects of the large scale production.