City Times

Four viral trends of 2025

In the age of tech, every day seems to be about the next big trend. These encompass borders, and in a way unify people of different cultures. With Gen Z and Gen Alpha picking up on these instantly, they often use their lingo to “confuse the...

CELEBRATE IN STYLE

Michelin-starred midnight at Burj Al Arab Al Muntaha at Jumeirah Burj Al Arab is hosting an ultra-luxe New Year’s Eve gala dinner curated by Michelin-starred Chef Saverio Sbaragli, offering guests an elevated culinary journey. With breathtaking...

Brigitte Bardot, icon of French cinema, dies at 91

Actress Brigitte Bardot shot to international fame dancing the mambo barefoot in And God Created Woman, her tousled hair and fierce energy radiating a magnetism rarely before seen in mainstream cinema. A global icon was born. At just 21, she...

SEASONED STAR

There are rare moments in an actor’s career when multiple narratives run in parallel, all led by the same force. Saba Qamar is living that moment. Much like 1969, when Rajesh Khanna had Aradhana playing at the Bombay Opera House and Do Raaste running...

A VETERAN SPEAKS

The moment Mohanlal walked into the room, the press conference in Dubai stopped being just another promotional event. Applause erupted, and phones went up. Held in the city ahead of Vrusshabha’s release on December 25, the event brought together the...

THROTTLED BY STARDOM

From fleets of private trailers to personal chefs and sprawling entourages, Bollywood stars’ “obnoxious” demands are driving up production costs and putting a strain on the Indian film industry’s finances, insiders say. Bollywood has long been...

ROMANCE, REWRITTEN

Dubai got its share of rain for the year, and it was the kind of unexpected albeit necessary drizzle that instantly romanticises the city — and Bollywood actor Kartik Aaryan is clearly enjoying the mood. “Romance,” he says instantly, when asked what a...

GOING BIGGER

When James Cameron swept the Oscars in 1998 for Titanic — the epic he called Romeo and Juliet, but wet — he got onstage and crowed that he was “the king of the world.” “That was a big eye-roll on the part of the audience,” Cameron recalled. Going...

THE ART AND ARTIST

At the very first rehearsal of the new off-broadway play This World of Tomorrow our director, Kenny Leon, stopped us after two minutes — two minutes. “I don’t want to hear how you are saying the lines,” he told us actors. “I want to hear what you are...

YOU CAN’T MISS THESE CONCERTS!

David Guetta Global EDM icon David Guetta will bring his high-energy, hit-packed sound to the Ushuaïa Dubai Harbour Experience on Friday, December 19, promising one of the city’s biggest dance events of the year. The Grammy-winning French DJ and...

CAPTIVATING GENERATIONS

Rob Reiner, the son of a pioneering television comedian who became a popular sitcom actor himself before directing a slate of beloved films, including This Is Spinal Tap, When Harry Met Sally… and The Princess Bride, died Sunday. He was 78. His death,...

ONE FOR THE SWIFTIES

Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour concluded a year ago in Vancouver, British Columbia, but the pop superstar isn’t done with her record-breaking live show just yet. Last week, she dropped the concert film The Eras Tour: The Final Show on Disney+ along with the...

Superstar Rajinikanth turns 75

More than 50 years ago, when a young man with tousled hair and a tie that was as loose as a hangman’s noose, pushed open a gate and strode past gently in Apoorva Raagangal, few would have expected him to rewrite the rules of Tamil—and Indian—cinema....

Lot of drama in Zendaya, Pattinson’s next film

In a playful tease, the makers of Hollywood stars Zendaya and Robert Pattinson’s upcoming film The Drama have unveiled the film’s poster, leaving fans surprised. What initially appeared to be an engagement announcement turned out to be a clever trick...

‘My pivots were about survival’

When Priyanka Chopra Jonas took to the stage at BRIDGE Summit 2025 in Abu Dhabi on December 9, she did more than recount her glitzy successes. She peeled back the veneer and laid bare years of struggle and shifting identities—not as glamorous...

Actor Dileep acquitted

Actress-filmmaker Parvathy Thiruvothu on Monday took to social media to post her feelings after a Kerala trial court acquitted Malayalam actor Dileep in the 2017 sexual assault case. “We watch a carefully crafted screenplay unfold so cruelly now,”...

FUTURE TENSE

In October, when Warner Bros. Discovery hung a “For Sale” sign on itself, Hollywood was sad. Mega-producer Larry Gordon likened the feeling to a death in the family. In group Whatsapp chats, screenwriters used words like “heartbreaking” and...

A NEW IMAGING

For more than three decades, Dr Meenakshi Singhal lived in a world defined by grayscale; the sharp contrasts and subtle shadows of radiological images that guided her hand as a healer. A radiologist trained at the renowned Armed Forces Medical College...

LET IT BE

This week’s Disney+ debut of The Beatles Anthology is, for many fans of the Fab Four, a cause for celebration. The Anthology series is the only authorised Beatles documentary, originally produced in 1995 with the full cooperation and participation of...

THE TRUE DETECTIVE

In the HBO series Task, whose first season concluded in October, Mark Ruffalo plays Tom Brandis, an FBI agent investigating the disappearance of a young boy and a string of drug thefts tied to a biker gang. The agent also carries heavy baggage: His...

ENDURING WORKS

On a sticky August day in London 23 years ago, I walked into the Royal National Theatre with glazed eyes, a heavy tread and what felt like an unconquerable weariness. I was fresh — or rather stale — off a plane from New York, and before me lay nineplus...

City Times Monday

Vol 21—#275, December 1-2025 khaleejtimes.com/citytimes

READ BEFORE YOU STREAM

When Stranger Things debuted on Netflix in the summer of 2016, it arrived without much advance hype, at a time when Netflix had introduced only a handful of original series. Created by twin brothers Matt and Ross Duffer—virtual unknowns before...

A PERFORMER REBORN

Strangely, Anurag Kashyap’s acclaimed film Kennedy, with actor Rahul Bhat as its protagonist, stays unreleased in India, but is popular the world over. Bhat’s role in the film is that of a cop who is declared dead in records, but is actually alive and...

WHAT DOES IT REALL TAKE? REALLY

You’ve just completed your 100th consecutive triathlon. The crowd is buzzing. The media is everywhere. Phones are pointed at your face, cameras are rolling, people are shouting your name, congratulating you, wanting a piece of you. It’s your moment...

FAREWELL, HE-MAN OF BOLLYWOOD

Amagnificent pillar of Indian cinema has fallen. Dharmendra, the beloved “He-man” of Hindi films, passed away on November 24, 2025, leaving behind a legacy that spanned over six remarkable decades. With a career lasting 65 years, he remained a symbol...

COLOUR MEETS COMMUNITY

In the heart of Dubai’s ever-evolving creative district, a vast wall now hums with colour, movement, and meaning. Called The Vibrant Voices of Al Quoz, this 500-square-metre mural has swiftly become a cultural landmark and conversation piece. Its...

THE NEXT ACT

“Would you like a lozenge?” Ariana Grande asked, trilling her question as though it were the opening salvo to a song. It was a rainy October afternoon in New York, and I had met Grande in The New York Times offices just after a photo shoot but before...

FUELLED BY FEAR

The last time we spoke to Bassem Youssef, it was 2023, and he’d told us he wanted to change the rules of stand-up comedy in Arabic. Two years later, on a late-night Zoom call, we ask him how that’s going. “Not far enough,” he says with a laugh that’s...

IN THEIR SIGHT

Internationally acclaimed actor Naseeruddin Shah once remarked that one of the most common mistakes actors make while portraying blindness is the excessive movement of hands, something that real-life visually impaired individuals rarely do. “They rely...

iPhone 18 rumours: Release date, design, and what to expect from Apple’s next

After shaking things up with the iphone 17 — giving the basic model a long-awaited 120Hz display and introducing the ultra-slim iphone Air — Apple looks set for another interesting year. The iphone 18 family is already generating buzz, even though it’s...

A Witness TO THE WORLD

GLOBALISING BHANGRA

In a crowded hall at Japan Expo this year, Hardy Singh’s feet did all the talking. Surrounded by an audience that barely understood Punjabi but instinctively felt the rhythm, the Dubai-based bhangra artist spun, leapt, and grinned his way through a...

SURPRISE ELEMENT

Some Hollywood deals are hammered out in a boardroom, but the creative collaboration between Colin Farrell and director Edward Berger began somewhere far less conventional three years ago, when they encountered each other in a London sauna. Their...

MASTER OF VARIETY

When Arshad Warsi logs on to Zoom from his home in Dubai, he looks relaxed, amused even. The city suits him, and the sharp humour remains intact — the same one that made Circuit from Munna Bhai M.B.B.S. (2003) a household name. Over two decades later,...

Tasty weeknight recipes

Quick turkey chilli By Genevieve Ko Yield: 6 to 8 servings Total time: 30 minutes Ingredients: • Grapeseed or canola oil • 1 large yellow onion, diced • 3 Hatch or Cubanelle peppers, seeded and diced • 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped • 1...

Sidharth Malhotra reveals his morning routine and the desi nuskha behind his glow

Ask Bollywood actor Sidharth Malhotra about his favourite scent, and you’ll get more than a one-word answer — you’ll get a peek into his moods, memories, and even childhood nostalgia. The actor, who was in Dubai to unveil Rayhaan’s new fragrance...

BORN TO PERFORM

One of the many equilibrium-testing experiences Jeremy Allen White had playing Bruce Springsteen came, appropriately enough, at the Stone Pony, the beachside club in Asbury Park, New Jersey, where the Boss cut his teeth. In the last weeks of shooting,...

A QUIET CHAPTER

Like several celebrities from Mumbai, one of India’s most popular authors, screenwriter and former banker, Chetan Bhagat has quietly moved base to Dubai. And it is not in the recent past, but for the last one and a half years. “I was looking for a...

BEYOND THE HULK

Mark Ruffalo is no stranger to complex, layered characters — from the morally conflicted journalist in Spotlight to the troubled father in The Kids Are All Right, and of course, the genius scientist Bruce Banner in the Avengers franchise. But in TASK,...

Top Halloween events in Dubai

Looking for the ultimate Halloween experiences in Dubai this year? From immersive carnivals and electrifying nightlife to family-friendly treats and spooky food adventures, the city is brimming with events that promise thrills for all ages. Whether...

COMEDY IN CRAFT

Wahaj Ali’s meteoric rise to stardom wasn’t overnight. He has been working as a TV actor for almost a decade, but it was the hit TV show Tere Bin and the critically acclaimed Jo Bichar Gaye that made Wahaj a household name. The 36-year-old actor’s...

BEN STILLER GETS PERSONAL

Ben Stiller has long since stopped analysing what draws him to projects. Why bother? For most of his nearly four-decade career as an actor and filmmaker, he has topped the box office or slyly captured the zeitgeist, devising — with a stuck zipper, a...

'THE STAGE IS MY FREEDOM"

“Iwas raised between chaos and culture,” says Lebanese stage actor Darina Al Joundi, her words weighted with memory. “Two forces that, in their own way, shaped my creative lens.” It’s a line that captures everything about the 1968-born actor,...

Selena Gomez, Benny Blanco make red carpet debut as married couple

The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures held a star-studded gathering, marking its annual Academy Museum Gala. Among the standout moments of the evening was the first official red carpet appearance of newlyweds Selena Gomez and Benny Blanco, who made...

Pitbull’s Dubai concert details

Pitbull fans, get ready! ‘Mr Worldwide’ is heading to Dubai in December, bringing his explosive I’m Back Tour to the UAE. The American rap superstar will be performing at the Coca-cola Arena on December 14, Live Nation announced recently. Known for...

Taking A WILD TURN

When you are having a chat with Ayushmann Khurrana, he doesn’t strike you as the kind of guy who spends his nights fighting mythical creatures on misty mountaintops or jumping across rooftops. Yet, here he is, describing how he was flung across the...

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Breaking the myth

Fresh off the roaring success of The Ba***ds of Bollywood, the Aryan Khan directorial that has taken streaming charts by storm, Indian actress Sahher Bambba is on a career high. Though not her debut, the breakout show has marked a powerful relaunch of...

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Pakistani stars Mahira Khan, Fawad Khan shine in Neelofar teaser

Fawad Khan and Mahira Khan — whose on-screen pairing became iconic through Humsafar — are reuniting in Neelofar, a film that’s been in the making for years. After dropping the first look just a few days ago, the makers released the teaser, offering...

INSIDE: Top things to do this weekend in the UAE

From Dubai’s newest arcade wonderland to cosmic adventures, fine French dining, and a cause worth supporting, here’s your ultimate weekend guide across the city Blast Off at Alif Galactic Adventure Turn half-term into a cosmic journey at Expo City...

ELECTRIC ENERGY

The Tron franchise has always been a fever dream of light, sound, and identity — a digital world pulsing with human questions. More than a decade after Tron: Legacy made Daft Punk’s synths the heartbeat of cyber cinema, Disney is returning to the grid...

Strings OF HEALING

When Rishab Rikhiram Sharma plays the sitar, it’s music to the ears. It heals and touches the soul and spirit. The man is legendary sitar maestro Pandit Ravi Shankar’s last and youngest disciple. In a candid chat with City Times, he shares what music...

Martin Scorsese wanted to be a priest, but was rejected for ‘bad behaviour’

Celebrated filmmaker Martin Scorsese has shared a surprising chapter from his teenage years when he once wanted to become a priest, before life took a different turn. In Rebecca Miller’s new Apple TV+ docuseries Mr. Scorsese, which premiered at the...

Central Cee, Naomi Campbell, and other stars shine at restaurant launch in Dubai

It was a night of star power, fine dining, and unapologetic glamour as CARBONE Dubai officially opened its doors at Atlantis The Royal with a glittering red-carpet affair on Saturday night. Celebrity guests in attendance included Central Cee, Naomi...

THE BREAK BECKONS

From desert spectacles to soulful dining and glam nights out, this weekend is packed with experiences that go beyond the ordinary. Let’s explore what this weekend has in store for us. Mussels Month CQ French Brasserie is celebrating mussels in all...

STRIKING A NEW CHORD

Known worldwide as the ‘King of the Waltz,’ André Rieu has spent decades redefining how audiences experience classical music. From childhood memories of watching his father conduct to building a career with the Johann Strauss Orchestra, Rieu’s journey...

THE MASTER OF SCARES

Horror doesn’t often creep into Arab cinema — but when it does, chances are Majid Al Ansari is behind it. The Emirati filmmaker has carved a niche in psychological thrillers and genre storytelling, from his breakout Zinzana to Netflix’s Paranormal and...

Why Jon Cryer was paid a pittance for Two and a Half Men

Actors Jon Cryer and Charlie Sheen shared screen space in the TV sitcom Two and a Half Men, created by Chuck Lorre and Lee Aronsohn. However, Jon Cryer’s salary was a pittance compared to Charlie Sheen’s payday, reported People. “He’s in the midst of...

BEYOND THE Skyline

From record-breaking penthouses to award-winning towers, Boubker Benjelloun has become one of the most influential voices shaping Dubai’s skyline. The Moroccan-born architect and founder of Benjelloun & Partners is behind two of the city’s most...

Twist of luck landed Kate Hudson a key role in Almost Famous

Marking the 25th anniversary of her Oscar-nominated breakout performance in Almost Famous, Kate Hudson reflected on the iconic role of Penny Lane. Almost Famous is a 2000 American comedy-drama film written and directed by Cameron Crowe, starring Billy...

STRAIGHT FROM THE HEART

A pop superstar for nearly a decade and a half, Ed Sheeran is always mindful of what — and who — is coming up next. On the first track of Play, his eighth studio album, he raps a verse about the anxieties that have wracked him in recent years,...

Top things to do this weekend in UAE

Take a stroll in Dubai’s sunken city Dubai’s newest underwater adventure is here — Sunken City Walk at Deep Dive Dubai. This guided, certification-free experience lets you wander through a cinematic, submerged cityscape complete with quirky details...

SLIM, SMART, OR SAME OLD?

Apple’s September keynote has always been a spectacle, and last night’s event was no different. From the ultra-thin iphone 17 Air to the camera-heavy Pro lineup, plus refreshed Apple Watches and Airpods, the Cupertino tech giant rolled out its full...

A NEW CHAPTER

Award-winning Malayalam actor Shwetha Menon has had a whirlwind fortnight. Ever since she made history as the first woman to be elected president of the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA), she has been under sharp public scrutiny. The...

COLLISION COURSE

When Brad Ingelsby tells a story, it never sits neatly in a box. His Emmy-winning Mare of Easttown was more than a murder mystery; it was a tapestry of small-town grief and resilience. With Task, his latest HBO original now streaming weekly on OSN+ in...

THE STAGE BECKONS

Keanu Reeves was deep in some narrow library stacks, wedged between biographies and PHD theses, when — not for the first time that April afternoon — he started channeling one of Samuel Beckett’s most famous works. “Do you see me?” he said, standing...

ON HIS OWN TERMS

Meet Ishaan Khatter, the 29-year-old Bollywood heartthrob who’s making waves with his captivating performances and impeccable style. From his early days as an assistant director on films like Udta Punjab to his breakthrough role in Majid Majidi’s...

THE SPINOFF STALWART

Last year, Italian actress Sabrina Impacciatore moved to Studio City, California. After years of career instability, she had arrived in this safe, sun-soaked harbour with a starring role on The Paper, the highly anticipated spinoff of the beloved 2000s...

MAD ABOUT THE HATTER

The oversized hats were an instant crowd favourite at Dubai Fashion Week. Sculptural, dramatic, and impossible to ignore, they crowned (literally) Kresha Bajaj’s debut international showcase, The Archive of Hidden Things. But what the audience didn’t...

FROM RISK TO REVELATION

Aone-film-old director. An experimental movie centred on a female superhero. A young cast with minimal star value. At first glance, Lokah Chapter 1: Chandra seemed like a risky bet for Malayalam cinema. But when the film was released globally on August...

City Times Monday

Vol 21—#212, September 1-2025 khaleejtimes.com/citytimes

ONE FOR THE WEEKEND

From unlimited breakfast deals and immersive wellness experiences to live shows, festivals, and soulful concerts, here’s your ultimate guide to enjoying the UAE this weekend PAW Patrol live Join Ryder and the pups on a treasure-hunting, pirate-themed...

TAYLOR, TRAVIS SAY YES

Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce are officially engaged! And the announcement was as witty and playful as fans would expect. Taylor revealed the news on Instagram with a cheeky caption: “Your English teacher and your gym teacher are getting married.”...