At the 76th Berlin International Film Festival (running from Feb. 12-22, 2026), while acclaimed German filmmaker Wim Wenders holds the fort as the Jury President, South Korean cinema is sneaking into the Berlinale’s halls with both the confidence of a seasoned auteur and the grit of a rising star. Beyond the mainstream buzz, South Korean directors are spread across the slate, with everything from haunting historical dramas to quirky meta-narratives. Whether it’s filmmaker Hong Sang-soo once again feeling right at home in Berlin or emerging indie voices making waves, here are the Korean films worth checking out at the 2026 Berlinale.

My Name (Chung Ji-young)

Director Chung Ji-young enters the festival’s Forum section, famous for experimental and brave filmmaking, with a movie that’s already being heaped with praises. The winner of the Jeju 4·3 Peace Foundation Scenario Grand Prize, it stars the incredible Yeom Hye-ran as a mother caught in a tug-of-war over her 18-year-old son’s identity while trying to protect his name — and his future. It unfolds against the backdrop of the immensely violent history of the Jeju 4.3 incident in 1948, a communist-led uprising on Jeju Island that was met with extreme government repression and led to mass civilian killings. My Name isn’t your light popcorn flick, but a deeply emotional journey that talks about long-held silences, generational trauma, and finding healing in the wreckage of history.

The Day She Returns (Hong Sangsoo)

It wouldn’t be a Berlinale without the festival’s favorite “prolific auteur,” Hong Sangsoo. Returning to the Panorama section after a string of Silver Bear wins in previous years, Hong brings The Day She Returns. It follows an actress (played by Song Sun-mi) who takes a break from her career after getting married, only to fall right back into the madness of an acting class. The film is part comedy, part existential crisis about the profession itself. It’s meta, funny, and likely going to leave you analyzing your own life choices.

En Route To (Yoo Jae-in)

Marking a bold international debut in the Generation 14plus section, this film doesn’t shy away from the messy parts of life. Yun-ji, a pregnant student, finds herself totally alone after her teacher vanishes. Desperate to pay for an abortion, she makes the heartbreaking decision to steal her roommate’s savings. It’s an unfiltered look at bodily autonomy, social isolation, and the brutal choices young people are forced to make, promising to bring a fresh, slightly uncomfortable, but necessary voice to the Berlinale.

Speedy! (Oh Ji-in)

This Korean short film has secured a spot in the Generation Kplus competition. As the title and section suggest, it’s a quick, punchy, and likely very visual story designed to resonate with younger audiences. Speedy! revolves around a young girl who wants to be the fastest reader, just like the local cool kid in 1989 Seoul, but in trying to be so, she realizes the whole “prodigy” thing is tougher than she thought. The movie’s inclusion in the international premiere lineup suggests it’s got that signature creativity that Korean shorts are famous for.

For the complete 2026 schedule and screening times, visit the Official Berlinale Program here.

The post RSI Recommends: Must-Watch Korean Films at the Berlin International Film Festival 2026 appeared first on Rolling Stone India.

As soon as I step onto the concrete floor of Bangkok’s FVTURE hyperclub on its opening night, the bass thrums beneath my feet, while the pulsing flash of LED lights keeps my eyes in a near-perpetual blinking state. Its scale hits as hard as the bass pounding through the L2 and L2D acoustic system, with snaking, labyrinthine levels leading backstage, where a massive LED screen stretches from floor to ceiling. 

Even as hostesses in shiny silver costumes slink past customers jostling for drinks at the bar, the walls remain bare, the ceilings expose hanging sockets, and the whole space has this unfinished, industrial ruggedness that almost feels intentional. And as co-founder Victor Wang points out, it is. “This is not the final version of FVTURE,” he tells Rolling Stone India. “What you’re seeing now is FVTURE 1.0 that everyone can experience in a more raw industrial look and feel.“

Referring to FVTURE as an evolving stage isn’t simply a design strategy. Bangkok, once known for its backpack-slingers, beer pong battlers, and nightlife that thrived on excess and the illicit, has been steadily undergoing an upheaval, one that’s pushed major EDM festivals like Tomorrowland, Creamfields, and EDC to consider it a serious stop in their global expansion plans. As the city grows into its own, FVTURE feels like an attempt to catapult that culture forward without erasing the often unruly, DIY energy that makes its nightlife simultaneously notorious and magnetic.

“We saw a lot of potential and a big gap in Bangkok: a large-scale club to put Bangkok on the world stage of electronic music was missing,” Wang says. The process of building the club, from assessing the market to locking the venue, was fairly swift, likely owing to the founders’ decision to roll it out in stages. 

FVTURE also positions itself as a “hyperclub,” a cross between a high-capacity nightclub and an arena-style event space, interpreting it as a format that uses cutting-edge technology to dismantle the barriers between the artist and audience. “Hyperclubs have their own story, personality, and future, and also have a lot to do with the geographical location,” Wang says. “FVTURE has its own unique story that can’t be associated or compared to any other hyperclub. I think what will define FVTURE is the team, the ideas, and the dedication in the months and years to come.” 

It’s on the dance floor that FVTURE’s hyperclub vision truly materializes. Backstage, opening DJ Axl Stace helms the decks, firing up breakneck jolts of EDM that set the night’s pace. By the time headliners Artbat arrive, the sprawling 4,000-square-foot venue, capable of holding 6,000 people, is packed with ravers ready to be beamed up in the DJ duo’s visual vortex.

Enlisting Artbat, the Ukrainian duo of Artur Kryvenko and Vitaliy “Batish” Limarenko, feels like yet another strategic bet. Known for sensorial performances that play out like an interdimensional interplay of sound and visuals, their humanoid figures and cyber-futuristic avatars move fluidly across FVTURE’s 360° LED canvases as the duo tears through familiar bangers like their remixes of Camelphat’s “Cola,” Monolink’s “Return To Oz,” and Gotye’s “Somebody That I Used To Know.” The set ends on a turbulently emotional high, before deck duties are handed over to Thai DJ Nakadia, who keeps the momentum going with her built-for-blast-off techno. 

FVTURE’s roster mixes global dance music heavyweights like Camelphat (performing on Jan. 23, 2026) and Danny Avila (who performed on Jan. 10, 2026), with rising electronic acts, including Spain’s Prophecy and Brazilian‑Italian DJ/producer Nobilee. “Our main goal is diversity in music and sound. We will have a bit of everything for everyone.” From D&B to trance, everything seems to be on the table. “In general, we like to approach music by feeling as an art, not as a science.”

FVTURE doesn’t exist in isolation. Its opening reflects a recalibration happening across Bangkok’s club landscape, where size and production value are becoming just as important as lineups. Large-scale venues and superclubs like Atlas and MUIN have begun cropping up across the city, each leaning into high-impact sound systems and larger-than-life visual environments. Some are even experimenting with multi-format rooms that mirror the logic of festivals. These are spaces designed to hold bigger crowds and multiple moods at once, drawing in locals, expats, and globe-trotting ravers who want something that feels closer to a festival without leaving the city.

In the broader context of Asia, where electronic music audiences are growing faster than the infrastructure built to serve them, this shift feels consequential, especially as global touring circuits look eastward. Clubs like FVTURE feel built to absorb the city’s energy and push it back out with the bass cranked all the way up.

Update: Nina Kraviz was previously mentioned as part of FVTURE’s upcoming slate. Her appearance is no longer confirmed and has been removed from the article.

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A global confluence that underscores the best of consumer electronics, the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) held in January every year is known for launching inventions that feel like they belong in a Black Mirror episode. This year, nascent startups, tech heavyweights and legacy brands displayed a plethora of innovative gadgets, ranging from beauty, lifestyle, pet care, wellness, and more, many of which were attempting to bridge the gap between AI and humans.

From hyper-real humanoids to adorable cyberpets, Rolling Stone India spotlights some of the most interesting products from the lineup below.

You Can Now Suck on Your Favorite Song

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One of the most viral products to emerge from the showcase, Lollipop Stars, a product designed by multinational Indian brand Lava Tech, lets you listen to a song simply by biting, licking, or sucking on a lollipop. The secret is bone conduction technology, powered by a reusable electronic module that sends the vibrations straight to your inner ear. They’ve even rolled out artist-inspired flavors, including Ice Spice (peach), Akon (blueberry), and Armani White (lemon). As the industry leans deeper into multisensorial experiences, could this quite literally be the future of music consumption?

BRB, On A Pawference Call: Glocal PetPhone

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While PetPhone, an AI-powered, collar-mounted wearable often dubbed the “world’s first smartphone for pets,” was first introduced in 2025, it returned to the spotlight at CES 2026 with expanded capabilities as part of a broader ecosystem. Featuring high-precision motion sensors, the newer version builds on its early promise to give pet parents deeper insights into their pet’s activity and overall well-being. Most notably, PetPhone enables two-way communication, allowing owners to call their dogs and soothe them during moments of separation or stress. Paired with global connectivity and real-time location tracking, the device also logs movement patterns and social interactions, positioning itself as a holistic blend of communication, wellness, and community, all wrapped around your pet’s collar. Who knows, maybe one day your pet will be doomscrolling too.

The Rise of The Humanoid Robots

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While the convention was packed with cutting-edge tech, few things stole the spotlight quite like humanoid robots. From customizable physical companions to hyper-realistic, full-bodied AI-powered sex dolls, these robots showcased an uncanny ability to imitate the most complex human sentiments and movements. Aside from that, “Robosports,” which had already gained prominence through endeavors like World Humanoid Robot Games in Beijing, was also explored in great detail by the Chinese robotics firm Unitree. Rivalling the likes of Real Steel, in a human referee-officiated match, two humanoid robots threw jabs and uppercuts at each other with calculated agility, often stumbling and recovering just like real athletes. Beyond the ring, exhibits also displayed robots at their domestic best, be it LG’s laundry folding robot or Dreame’s Cyber10 Robovac vacuum cleaner that can climb up the stairs. Humanoid co-workers next? Not a distant thought anymore.

Nail-Tech, Literally: Color-Changing Press-On Nails

Florida-based startup’s “iPolish” smart color-changing nails might just save you from those long hours at the salon. Thanks to electrophoretic nanopolymer technology (or e-ink), these press-ons can shift between over 400 color variations within seconds. Controlled through the brand’s in-house app and activation device, you can now get a fresh set of nails every week, or possibly, every hour.

Lego Smart Play

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Old-school nostalgia meets futuristic tech with Lego’s Smart Play system, which might just make it to the top of your Christmas wishlist. At the centre are Smart Bricks that look exactly like classic Lego pieces, but are packed with sensors that respond to movement, touch, light, and sound. These are paired with Smarttags, scannable elements built into sets and Minifigures, which carry unique identifiers. Together, they unlock different lights, sound effects, mini-games, and missions.  

Secret Lives of Cyberpets

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Cyberpets were a standout category at this year’s CES. Amalgamating emotional intelligence with intelligent interaction design, these robotic creatures emulate warmth, anticipate needs and offer companionship to their owners in unique ways. For instance, Sweekar, a pocket-sized, tamagochi-esque creature, is the world’s first AI-powered, physically growing pet. Likewise, the cutesy Ollobot grows with its respective family, adapting to behavioral mechanisms and personalities through its memory system, which even stores milestones or special achievements. 

Customized Slumber Soundtracks

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Almost like having a DJ for your dreams, MyWaves is a wearable, non-invasive device that converts the delta waves in your brain into personalized sound pattern designs. Aimed at improving sleep patterns, it uses a patented process to help extend and deepen REM cycles, reduce fatigue, and promote more restorative rest.

The post CyberPets, Musical Lollipops and AI Sex Dolls: Our Standout Tech Picks From CES 2026 appeared first on Rolling Stone India.

Singer-songwriter Lyla has emerged with a four-song EP, Heart on Rent, which immediately makes you notice the titles of the songs — “Pomegranate Lips”, “Second Draft”, “If I Die Today”, and “Heart on Rent” — are almost hints of the intimacy and warmth within the music.

Hailing from Nashik, Lyla studied Hindustani classical music as a young girl and has done jingles and other commercial work, but was drawn to the music of Janis Joplin, Bob Dylan, and Jimi Hendrix. Her journey into blues and jazz deepened after she heard and met Tipriti Kharbangar from the Shillong blues band Soulmate, an experience that left a lasting impression. Immersing herself in the voices of Bessie Smith, Alberta Hunter, Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, and Betty Carter, she felt the pain and resilience in their singing. “That’s where my unapologetic storytelling comes from,” Lyla tells Rolling Stone India. “There’s no going back once you hear jazz and the blues.” Her singing conveys much of the pain she feels in her songs.

Those influences and experiences surface clearly on her Heart on Rent EP. The lyrics are creative and imaginative throughout, and we singled out “Second Draft” as best representing the artist’s voice and the effect of the accompaniment in a jazz setting. 

While Lyla is the vocalist and lyricist on the EP, piano and arrangements are the work of Surel Ingale and I.D. Rao plays the saxophone on “Pomegranate Lips.”The title track, “Heart on Rent,” has the potential to become a standard if it gets the exposure it deserves. Its lyrics and mood remind us of the very popular jazz tune “Love for Sale,” sung extensively by jazz vocalists. “Heart on Rent” could be a sequel.

“Pomegranate Lips” is catchy, but we found the percussion throughout to be a bit excessive and in need of tempering to give the vocals proper justice.

“Second Draft” gives us a glimpse of Lyla as a jazz crooner. Her lyrics create a mood essential for a jazz performance, and the accompanying trumpet complements the atmosphere nicely.

“If I Die Today” is a good vehicle for a jazz song, even if the lyrics are a little melodramatic. The song has the potential to be molded into several interpretations and styles.

If there is a young jazz musician today deserving greater recognition and exposure, it would have to be Lyla. She has demonstrated a fine feeling for jazz, both in her lyrics and singing, and will only get better with time.

Lyla has places to go. And we think she will get there.

The post Jazz Radar: Lyla’s ‘Heart on Rent’ EP Makes Her a Promising Jazz Voice to Watch appeared first on Rolling Stone India.

Among the rappers in desi hip-hop, if there’s anyone who has full rights to flex, brag, and narrate his journey with total conviction, it’s DIVINE. Along with the likes of Naezy, Mumbai’s Finest aka Ace, Dopeadelicz, D’Evil, Enkore, and others, DIVINE was championing honest and heartfelt hip-hop right from the start.

When his early albums Kohinoor and Punya Paap came out in quick succession in 2019 and 2020, respectively, DIVINE was consolidating his place as an alpha. There were a few tracks like “Mirchi” and “Chal Bombay” which showcased a commercial, club-friendly sound, but the ones that hit the hardest were tracks like “3:59 AM.” 2022’s Gunehgar came a couple of years later but quickly became a smash thanks to songs like “Baazigar” with beatsmith Karan Kanchan sampling an iconic Nineties Bollywood hit and DIVINE tapping Punjabi star Karan Aujla as his upward rise was well underway to create Street Dreams together in 2024.

So where does the gully rap great go when he has to drop his fifth album? The answer, as heard on the 16-track Walking on Water, is a tightrope balancing act between keeping his early fans happy, feeding his own growth as an artist and proving he can be a mainstream rapper (if he wanted).

There is only one rapper who can claim to have brought down Mass Appeal to India, only one rapper who took an entrepreneurial approach to desi hip-hop after the Bollywood movie Gully Boy made the style mainstream and only one rapper who could pull in the likes of Pusha T and Nas to perform in Mumbai. It’s all on the opening title track, “Walking on Water,” and all anyone can do is just listen to a master of the pen game keeping it real, backed by ad-libs and dreamy, classical-informed vocals.

That’s just the intro for DIVINE, and he’s aimed to show evolution and reflection on the rest of the album, but it’s come up with mixed results at best. By leaning on a mix of longtime and new producers on Walking on Water, the sonic quality of the album doesn’t miss at all.

The previously released “Triple OG” sees Phenom turn up percussive and orchestral hits that are refreshing. “Boom – Bonus Version” with Esna samples A.R. Rahman’s “Kehna Hi Kya” while “You & I” with Zzorawar samples R.D. Burman’s “Mehbooba Mehbooba.” Stunnah Beatz samples a Konkani song for fanfare on “Jungle Juice” that allows DIVINE to flow like Kendrick Lamar. “ABCD.” with producer Late Night Ricky’s synth line drops you straight to a late night on the streets.

Singer-songwriter Anami (who is heard in the intro) lends her vocal flair to the wistful “Rain,” produced by Stunnah Beatz that ably interpolates “Give Me Some Sunshine” from the 2009 movie 3 Idiots. “Tequila Dance” with Adil and Hanumankind is an instant bop with its groovy but fast-paced rhythms, and “Dada” with its heavy-footed piano produced by Mercy is resolute.

When DIVINE tries to turn on the charm on “You & I”, it works for a while, until it really doesn’t. Unlike “Chal Bombay” or other previous material that’s in this romantic space, the rapper should realize he might just be trying too hard. It’s not that he can’t fit in (he’s done that well in the past), but this one might be a misfire. Even the preceding track “Doordarshan” borders on forgettable in terms of not offering anything new sonically or lyrically.

With help from artists like Gurinder Gill on “Late Knights” and Riar Saab on “Saucy,” DIVINE gets to tap into Punjabi elements with some of the best in the business. In terms of collaborations, “ABCD.” with MC Altaf and Sammohit is yet another addition how the Gully Gang vibe is still going strong, with each rapper’s verse complimenting the other.

“Tequila Dance” is one of the strongest moments on Walking on Water, along with the heart-baring “Drama.” They’re on different ends of the thematic spectrum — one is a celebratory team-up, while the other is a note to oneself about the beauty of dreaming out loud. “Homicide” sees the rapper call on Phenom once again, but the danger and menace is so much more palpable here compared to “Doordarshan.” Cutthroat in its storytelling, DIVINE keeps listeners on the edge with this thriller of a track.

Five albums in, any sane punter would say DIVINE doesn’t have to prove his place in Indian hip-hop. But he’s out there still putting the word out and pushing in different directions. Some work, some don’t — but at the end of it, we can see the rapper is not doing this for relevancy (if he was, you’d see a lot more apparent gimmicks that we’ve seen from other rappers trying to grab the spotlight) but more in a continual search for authenticity. As long as that’s in sight, albums like Walking on Water will seem less like miracles and more like a milestone.  

The post DIVINE’s ‘Walking on Water’ Balances Money Moves and Gully Rap Roots appeared first on Rolling Stone India.

The first teaser trailer for Avengers: Doomsday is finally here. Instead of featuring the absolutely massive cast for the, the clip confirms one more notable addition: Chris Evans will return as Steve Rogers, the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s original Captain America.

The short clip zooms in on a rural house, where Steve hops off his motorcycle. Inside, he cradles an infant in his arms and smiles. “Steve Rogers Will Return in Avengers: Doomsday,” the title card notes before the film’s release date of Dec. 18, 2026 flashes on the screen.

Avengers: Doomsday is directed by Joe and Anthony Russo and will feature Robert Downey Jr. in a new role as villain Doctor Doom. Earlier this year, Marvel unveiled an almost-implausible cast list featuring many of the stars of the studio’s latest films. Among them: Chris Hemsworth as Thor, Tom Hiddleston as Loki, Anthony Mackie as Captain America, Sebastian Stan as The Winter Soldier, Letitia Wright as Shuri, Vanessa Kirby as Sue Storm, Paul Rudd as Ant Man, Simu Liu  as Shang-Chi, Florence Pugh as Yelena Belova, Patrick Stewart as Professor X, Ian McKellen as Magneto, Channing Tatum as Gambit, and Pedro Pascal as Mister Fantastic (just to name a few).

Evans was last seen at the end of 2019’s Avengers: Endgame. His character passed the Captain America torch to Mackie’s Sam Wilson, who led this year’s Captain America: Brave New World. Steve, meanwhile, traveled back in time to create a life with Hayley Atwell’s Peggy Carter. She is presumably the mother of the child in the new teaser.

The actor previously asserted that he had concluded his Marvel run. After several outlets reported he was planning to return as Steve Rogers, Evans told Esquire in January that the rumors were false. “This always happens,” he said. “I mean, it happens every couple years — ever since Endgame. I’ve just stopped responding to it. Yeah, no — happily retired.”

While Evans has yet to comment on the end of this supposed retirement, the Russo Brothers — whose first entry into the Marvel Cinematic Universe was 2014’s Captain America: The Winter Soldier — shared a short note on Instagram about bringing Steve Rogers back: “The character that changed our lives. The story that brought us all here together. It was always going to come back to this…”

Marvel released several films in 2025, including Captain America: Brave New World, Thunderbolts*, and The Fantastic Four: First Steps. Doctor Doom notably appeared in a post-credits scene in The Fantastic Four: First Steps.

From Rolling Stone US.

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Matt Damon‘s Odysseus sets out on a tumultuous journey home in the first trailer for Christopher Nolan‘s highly-anticipated next film, The Odyssey.

The clip opens in the aftermath of the Trojan War. “After years of war, no one could stand before my men and home,” Damon intones over shots of soldiers. There are brief glimpses of Anne Hathaway‘s Penelope, Odysseus’ wife, and Tom Holland, who plays their son Telemachus. The trailer hints at the difficulties that await Odysseus as he travels across the sea, including the cyclops Polyphemus and terrifyingly rough weather.

The Odyssey, an adaptation of Homer’s famed Greek epic, was directed by Nolan, and stars Damon, Holland, Hathaway, Robert Pattinson, Lupita Nyong’o, Zendaya, and Charlize Theron. It is set to arrive in theaters on July 17, 2026.

“There’s a bit of everything in it,” Nolan recently told Empire of his desire to adapt the lengthy tale. “I mean, it truly contains all stories. As a filmmaker, you’re looking for gaps in cinematic culture, things that haven’t been done before. And what I saw is that all of this great mythological cinematic work that I had grown up with – Ray Harryhausen movies and other things – I’d never seen that done with the sort of weight and credibility that an A-budget and a big Hollywood, IMAX production could do.”

Nolan also revealed that he and his crew shot over two million feet of film over 91 days, with much of the production done on the open ocean. “It’s vast and terrifying and wonderful and benevolent, as the conditions shift,” he noted. “We really wanted to capture how hard those journeys would have been for people. And the leap of faith that was being made in an unmapped, uncharted world.”

Recently, Nolan released the six-minute prologue for The Odyssey in select IMAX theaters ahead of screenings of Sinners, One Battle After Another, and James Cameron’s Avatar: Fire and Ash. According to Variety, the prologue includes footages of the famous Trojan Horse landing in Troy and Odysseus’ leading his army to victory.

From Rolling Stone US.

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There are two dates that are considered sacred to movie lovers, film historians, and those who diligently chart the evolution of the seventh art. The first is October 6th, 1927, when Al Jolson told the audience “you ain’t seen nothin’ yet!” and The Jazz Singer officially ushered in the sound era. The second is December 9th, 2009, a.k.a. the premiere of Avatar, when the general pubic could finally bask in what James Cameron had conjured up in the name of turning the fantastic into the eerily photorealistic, and hear characters breezily throw around the word “unobtainium.”

We’re kidding (or are we?!), yet you can’t underestimate how seismic this blockbuster was in terms of technological breakthroughs any more than you could blow off its box-office bona fides — it remains the highest grossing movie to date. Nor could you deny that all that hyperpixelized 3D sound and fury was being utilized to tell a story that felt as elemental and simplistic as a cave painting. It was part of Avatar‘s global appeal as much as the overwhelming visuals; love, war, and the colonial ransacking of resources in the name of corporate bottom lines tend to play universally. For some, it also had the feeling of several philharmonic orchestras being assembled to play an extravagantly Wagnerian rendition of “Mary Had a Little Lamb.”

Avatar: The Way of Water (2022) made up for that aspect by quadrupling the in-franchise mythology and pioneering underwater performance-capture filmmaking, thus combining three of Cameron’s passions: deep-sea exploration, developing state-of-the-art tech, and putting actors through hell. Everyone now expects the writer, director, and King of the World to reinvent the wheel every time out, yet three films into what he’s said is a five-film series, Avatar: Fire and Ash suggests that he’s happy to simply settle into a groove for a bit. There are more stand-offs between the natives of Pandora and the “sky people” who want to ransack the planet, more family drama and ecological strife, more firefights in the heavens and on the All-Mother’s earth, more blue-skinned teens calling each other “bro.” Familiarity doesn’t breed outright contempt here, but it certainly doesn’t inspire shock or awe, either. The story continues, while Cameron goes to great pains to give the people what he believes they want: the most expensive three-hour video-game cut scene ever made. Mission accomplished.

Abandon hope, all ye who do not remember every single detail of the previous two films or possess a Ph.D in Avatar Narrative History 101. Part Three throws viewers right into the fire, with the Sullys collectively mourning the loss of their eldest child at the end of The Way of Water. Their collective grief is interrupted by the fact that the resident human among them, Spider — played by Jack Champion, whose name sounds like a James Cameron character — is in need of help ASAP. The batteries on his oxygen mask have a habit of cutting out at inconvenient moments, so Jake (Sam Worthington) makes an executive decision: The kid needs to return to his kind. His wife Neytiri (Zoe Saldaña), his son and Spider’s best bro Lo’ak (Britain Dalton), their adopted daughter Kiri (Sigourney Weaver), and the Sullys’ youngest, Tuk (Trinity Jo-Li Bliss), don’t want him to leave. Spider’s whole vibe is very “Whoa, think I took too many ‘shrooms during Phish’s second set,” and his survival may be at risk, but this “pinkskin?” He’s still family.

The idea is that they’ll transport Spider back to the base where the Na’vi-friendly humans live via caravan, with members of the reef tribe known as the Metkayina accompanying them for safety. It will be an adventure, Jake says. It will also be an ambush. Because there’s this other tribe, see, called the Mangkwan, and because their home terrain was in the path of a raging volcano, they’ve essentially become warring godless heathen. Led by Varang (Oona Chaplin, Charlie’s granddaughter), they swoop down on the group’s blimp-like skyships and give Cameron & co. the chance to break up the handwringing by staging a massive attack sequence. The Sullys are split up. Spider nearly asphyxiates to death, until Kiri connects him to the spirit that connects all living things on Pandora and voila, the kid with the dreads can survive without a mask now.

Meanwhile, Spider’s biological dad, Colonel Miles Quaritch (Stephen Lang) — tough-as-shit marine, former dead person resurrected as a human-Na’vi “recombinant,” big blue bad guy — still wants to capture Jake for being a “traitor to humanity.” If he has to form an alliance with Varang and Mangkwan to make that happen, and if said alliance means he’s going to get horizontal with this unhinged kindred warrior, so be it. Plus: Evil scientists, venture capitalists, and shorts-wearing former corporate bigwig Parker Selfridge (Giovanni Ribisi) all want to study Spider to see if they can replicate his ability to breath Pandora’s air, which would be gamechanging in terms of strip mining resources en masse. Also: The tulkun, those whale-like creatures with their own tribal culture, are still being hunted for their brain juice, and still stick to their pacifist ways; their exile of a member that fought back has Lo’ak in a tizzy. And: the Metkayina remain skeptical that Jake is the one meant to unite all tribes, and fear his presence will once again bring enemies to their home.

Lots going on here subplots-wise, in other words. Lot of eye candy being served up, in great big scoopfuls. A whole lotta lead-up to a huge, epic battle that takes up the bulk of Fire and Ash‘s final quarter, cross-cut between skirmishes in the sky and aquamarine melees, punctuated by huge beasties going full kaiju on ships and mecha-suited troops. There are births and deaths and the reminder that, for all of the digital blitzkrieg on display, the performance-capture technology that Cameron helped both upgrade and refine remains the secret weapon of this whole endeavor. Some actors utilize this in a way that feels both thrilling (Lang and Chaplin create the best villainous double act since Boris and Natasha) and extremely impressive (God bless Weaver, who does such an incredible job channeling an emotional 16-year-old that you forget the character isn’t being played by an adolescent). Others are merely forced to say lines like “The fire of hate leaves only the ashes of grief,” or “When you ride the beast, you become the beast,” or “We do not suck on the breast of weakness,” and pray the digi-touch-up team ensures their characters keep straight faces while delivering such howlers.

Cameron has said that the fate of Chapters Four and Five will depend on the financial success of Fire and Ash, and that if necessary, this could function as the final movie of a trilogy. But who the fuck are we kidding here? This is not the huge leap forward that the previous Avatars were — there’s a distinct middle-child feel to all of this, and the filmmaker’s insistence that the next two movies are gonna be out of this world only heightens the feel that this one’s here to get you from one point to the next. But it’s still an Avatar movie, which means it will still likely make a gajillion dollars no matter what, and we’ll still be left wondering, either reluctantly or breathlessly, what happens next. You can crow about the fact that it’s merely a going-native narrative dressed up in fancy 1’s and 0’s, or that this I.P. leaves little to no cultural footprint, or that its hodgepodge of Joseph Campbell and Alan Watts and mix-and-match Indigenous cultural myths is somehow way too much yet not nearly enough. More are coming. It’s just a question of when.

The irony is that the Avatar films are the products of a true visionary who’s figured out a new way of storytelling without having a new story to tell, and has simply made a bigger, bolder, more bleeding-edge campfire around which to sit while the old warhorse origin tales are trotted out. These movies have also bled a lot of viewers’ love of spectacle dry in the process, to the point where even a mammoth production like this feel like business as usual. You may feel, with its immersive 3D set pieces and screensaver imagery blown up to IMAX proportions, that you’re entering a bold new world. But transportive is not the same as transcendent. The piles of ash here looks and sounds phenomenal. What you would not give to feel some actual fire burning behind all of this.

From Rolling Stone US.

The post ‘Avatar: Fire and Ash’ Is the Most Expensive Video-Game Cut Scene Ever Made appeared first on Rolling Stone India.

I flew from Mumbai to Bahrain and then on to Riyadh on Gulf Air, already bracing myself for the usual festival travel chaos, but that never really came. Pick-up was smooth, hotel check-in was frictionless, and there was an underlying sense that things had been thought through before I even landed. That feeling of being taken care of stayed with me all weekend, and by the time Soundstorm began, it felt less like arriving at a massive event and more like stepping into something that was already running exactly the way it was supposed to.

I went in expecting Soundstorm to be impressive because that’s what everyone says about Soundstorm, but what I wasn’t prepared for was how easy it felt to exist inside. It sounds like a strange compliment for a festival this massive, but it matters, especially when you’re clocking multiple nights, walking kilometres without realizing it, bouncing between stages, moods, genres, and still somehow not feeling irritated or overwhelmed.

Once you’re inside the site, the scale hits you instantly, but what stands out more is how structured everything is. This isn’t one giant field with stages scattered around in the hope that people will figure it out. Soundstorm is designed to function like a city, with clear districts, pacing, and purpose, a clarity that changes the entire experience over three long nights. You don’t just scramble between performances; you move through environments, and that sense of orientation stays with you even when you’re wandering without a plan.

Downtown sits right at the heart of this layout. It’s not a headline stage zone, and it’s not something you rush to tick off, it’s the space you keep returning to between sets, moods, and energy spikes. It houses five satellite stages, Yard, Roog, Greenhouse, Swing and Mixtape, each programmed differently, which means you’re constantly stumbling into something unexpected rather than waiting for a scheduled moment. This is where you eat properly instead of panic-snacking, where you sit without guilt, where you people-watch, regroup, and recalibrate before diving back into the chaos. With over 40 food and beverage vendors spread across the area, the food feels woven into the experience rather than pushed to the edges, and that small detail ends up mattering more than you realise at 3 am.

From there, the rest of Soundstorm opens up in a way that feels deliberate. You move from open-air stages built for spectacle into enclosed, immersive spaces designed for focus, then back out again, without ever feeling like you’ve stepped outside the festival’s rhythm. The Tunnel stage, fully enclosed and weatherproof, is built around a massive sun installation behind the DJ booth, creating this almost surreal, cinematic atmosphere where the outside world disappears completely. With space for over 12,000 people and a solid concrete floor that keeps the sound tight and physical, Tunnel feels less like a festival tent and more like a warehouse dropped into the desert. 

The underground and techno-heavy zones lean even further into that idea of immersion. Soundstorm West, built using over a thousand shipping containers, becomes its own club district, packed with Plexi, Log, Port and Silk stages, plus Tunnel anchoring the area, and the Elrow-designed Port stage adds a playful, slightly chaotic edge to the otherwise dark, driving energy. This is where hours slip by without you noticing, because the environment is doing as much work as the music. 

There’s also a quieter but deeply meaningful shift when you wander toward the new 6AG stage. Designed like a modern Arabic wedding, it immediately stands out from everything else on site. Draped structures, ceremonial lighting, and a layout that encourages gathering rather than confrontation make it feel communal instead of imposing.

With a capacity of around six thousand, the space never feels like a crowd being managed. People stay longer than planned, face each other as much as the stage, and settle into the warmth of the lighting and the closeness of the sound. It’s also where Soundstorm’s commitment to local and regional artists feels the most confident, not as a cultural checkbox, but as something infused naturally into the festival’s core.

And then there’s the Big Beast main stage, which anchors everything. Towering over the site, it’s impossible to ignore, yet it never feels like it’s compensating for anything. Knowing that this stage previously broke world records for height and LED scale makes immediate sense when you’re standing in front of it, but what matters more is how well it functions. The visuals are massive, the sound travels cleanly across huge distances, and even when you’re all the way back, you don’t feel disconnected from what’s happening on stage. With a capacity of 65,000 and an overall site pixel count pushing past 90 million LEDs across stages and screens, the visual language feels continuous rather than fragmented.

Over three days, Soundstorm drew more than 500,000 people to the site, and yet still managed to feel navigable rather than overwhelming, which is no easy feat at this scale.

That’s exactly why Cardi B’s set landed as one of the most important moments of the weekend for me. She understood the scale instantly and played with it instead of attempting to overpower it. Her quips loosened the crowd, her now-viral “Assalamu alaykum” cut through the night with humor and warmth, and when she performed songs from her latest album AM I THE DRAMA? live for the first time, it felt very intentional. This wasn’t just her Saudi debut; it felt like a preview, almost a trailer for what her upcoming world tour might look like, and choosing Soundstorm for that moment felt deliberate rather than symbolic.

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Post Malone shifted the energy entirely. There was a softness to his set that landed hard in the middle of all that scale. Watching him move through older hits like “White Iverson” and “Rockstar” alongside newer material felt reflective rather than nostalgic, like someone comfortably sitting inside their catalogue instead of racing through it. It was one of those sets where the crowd didn’t feel frantic; it felt collectively present, which is rare at a festival this size.

One of the most unexpected standouts for me was Benson Boone. His set created a strange pocket of intimacy at a festival designed for tens of thousands; people were listening intently, and that shift in energy felt rare. Loyle Carner was another highlight, bringing thoughtful, grounded U.K. rap that translates beautifully live, especially if you’ve spent time with his latest release. Watching him felt like being let into his head rather than watching a performance engineered for spectacle.

Tyla was sharp, fluid, magnetic, completely comfortable in her movement and presence, and Pitbull turned his slot into a full-blown 2000s club night dropped into the desert, chaotic in the best way. Not everything worked. Young Thug felt lost on a stage this big, like the scale swallowed his energy instead of lifting it. In contrast, The Kid LAROI was surprisingly solid, emotionally present, and confident, while Davido turned his set into a celebration; you could literally see the African crowd gravitate towards his stage, the energy shifting into something communal and joyful within minutes.

The electronic programming is where Soundstorm’s creative direction really flexes. Anyma’s set felt less like a DJ performance and more like an installation, visuals and sound locking together so tightly that time started to blur. Swedish House Mafia delivered nostalgia without it feeling dated, while Steve Aoki, Afrojack, Major Lazer and DJ Snake kept the site pulsing. ARTBAT were relentless and immersive, and BLOND:ISH delivered one of those rare sets where you forget to check the time entirely because leaving feels wrong.

Ben Böhmer finally made sense to me here. I’ve seen him live multiple times in India and, if I’m being honest, it’s never quite landed for me the way I wanted it to. But this time was different. The magnitude of the stage, the restraint of the visuals, the way the crowd leaned in instead of talking over it — everything aligned. Something about Riyadh, the night air, the pacing of his set, and the audience’s chemistry made it click in a way it never had before, making it one of those performances that quietly rewires how you remember an artist, and I know I won’t forget that set anytime soon.

One of my biggest personal surprises of the weekend also came with Halsey. I’d seen her live at Lollapalooza India before and walked away underwhelmed, but this version of her felt transformed, fully charged and completely in control. Watching her now, especially after hearing her speak about creative freedom with Zane Lowe, it’s hard not to feel like her best work emerges when she’s trusted to evolve without interference.

What stayed with me most, though, was how thoughtfully the HER experience, a dedicated female-only viewing zone, was embedded into the festival rather than treated like a side note. Eight zones spread across stages, along with dedicated HER lounges and bars, clearly marked “HER” pathways running across the site. There was even a double-decker viewing platform designed specifically for women. All of these quietly changed how you move through Soundstorm. You don’t have to plan around safety or access; it’s already been planned for you, and that ease is felt constantly, not announced loudly.

The same care showed up in places you don’t always expect, especially the media centre, which was genuinely impressive. Proper media walls, real desks, catering that didn’t feel like an afterthought, and a large lounge-style setup meant journalists were treated with respect. It felt calm, functional, and generous, and after covering enough festivals to know the difference, that stood out.

Even the in-between moments felt considered. Over sixteen hundred drones lighting up the sky, massive site-wide screens stretching across thousands of square metres, lightwork that followed you even while walking between stages, so the experience never fully switched off. Sustainability efforts operated quietly in the background, water bottles recycled, cans collected, cardboard repurposed, systems in place without screaming for attention.

By the final night, I was tired, obviously, but not in that hollow, exhausted way most massive festivals often leave you with. I still wanted to wander, to discover, to catch one more set before heading out. That’s rare at this scale, and that’s why the journey from Mumbai didn’t feel indulgent or excessive; it felt justified.

Soundstorm didn’t just impress me, it held me, and that’s a much harder thing to pull off. Five stars, without hesitation.

The post I Flew From Mumbai to Riyadh to Watch Music Take Over One of the Biggest Stages in the World appeared first on Rolling Stone India.

“They tearin’ down the real ones,” rues 21 Savage on “Atlanta Tears,” the penultimate track from his latest album, What Happened to the Streets? For the 33-year-old rapper who has earned four Billboard chart-topping albums, a 2020 Grammy Award for his 2019 single “A Lot,” and a reputation as a defining voice in Southern rap for the past decade, “the real ones” are not only the multiple friends he lost to the street life. It’s also the “soldiers” navigating an Atlanta ruptured by the untimely murders of Lil Keed and Takeoff from Migos, the yearslong racketeering trial against Young Thug’s YSL Records, and the repercussions those incidents engendered. Given his own experience in becoming a target of national scrutiny, thanks to a high-profile 2019 arrest by ICE for emigrating as a child from his birthplace in Britain, it seems like 21 Savage is well positioned to address and heal some of the fractures in his hometown scene.

However, 21 Savage also wants to remind us that he’s not a pussy. “Millionaire, but I’m still a soldier,” he growls on “Where You From,” a track where a quintet of producers led by Southside and Wheezy nestle loud, barking dogs in the background. Aptly, another track is called “Dog $hit,” where the rapper and guest Glorilla flex about their swollen bank accounts. With so much money, it seems like 21 Savage could leave behind the reputation he enjoyed as a teenager “thuggin’” in Atlanta’s Zone 6, where “shit like Vietnam/Gun smoke in my lungs,” as he puts it on “Where You From.” But in rap, “the streets” are also a metaphor for the Black community, which often nurtures and inspires its children, only to loudly and painfully wonders if they’ve left it behind once they’ve grown up and achieved success. “You know you got them niggas out here sayin’ the fame changed me,” he says on “Gang Over Everything,” a track on which he raps over longtime collaborator and super-producer Metro Boomin’s chipmunk soul beat. “I got thirty niggas right here sayin’ that I’m the same me.”

The tension between bridging a community’s divides while remaining committed to its unspoken codes should lie at the heart of What Happened to the Streets?. Tragically, it doesn’t. 21 Savage may have had some success on last year’s American Dream by balancing reflections on his status as a wealthy immigrant artist with enough of his patented trap talk to satiate hardcore fans. But here, he succumbs to the latter bit far too often. He wastes time threatening the online commentariat trolling his every move. “All your internet niggas, I see you. All you content creators, catch you down bad and break your MacBook,” he warns on “Where You From.” It’s the same tactics that rap dudes like Drake (who recently boasted of physically confronting a bystander for mocking him while he recorded a livestream) and Snoop Dogg (smarting over detractors mad about his MAGA courtship) have deployed when criticized. Speaking of Drake, the Canadian American superstar cameos on “Mr. Recoup,” and trots out a nonplussed flow that hearkens to his newly minted “Iceman” persona. Latto uses “Pop It” to rap, ““Buy a Birk(in), I squirt, buy a car, I cream.” She’s responding to 21 Savage’s rules for committing to monogamy: “Ten bodies or less, you a fuckin’ queen/If it’s less than nine, condoms ain’t a thing/And if it’s less than eight, you get a fuckin’ ring.”

21 Savage remains a compelling artist capable of adding depth to his sundry rants about shooting opps and never trusting bitches. On “Cup Full,” he opens with dialogue from Young Thug, who explains how past trauma informs their disastrous life choices. “We don’t know how to, like, cope with agony. We cope with bad things by doing drugs, sippin’ syrup, smoking weed, poppin’ Percs, doin’ ecstasy,” he says. But these moments of needed context can’t disguise that much of What Happened to the Streets sounds inessential, and inferior to past peaks like 2017’s Issa Album and 2018’s i am > i was. Tracks like “Stepbrothers” with Young Nudy, “Mr. Recoup” (where he and Drake repeat “Us, us, it was us”), and “Dog $hit” falter over weak choruses and a lack of real emotional stakes.

There are five strong cuts near the end of What Happened to the Streets? that suggest the album it could have been. On “Code of Honor,” 21 Savage and G Herbo snap hard over a thrillingly ominous beat from Taurus and Casper as they honored friends dead from gun violence. “Tattoos cover my face/Scars on my whole body/On the cup bad, I’m missing Johnny/I had shootouts with him right beside me,” raps 21 Savage as he drowns his sorrows in liquid intoxicants. “Gang Over Everything” and “Halftime Interlude” build on the momentum as he raps on the latter, “Streets murdered all my niggas and I’m traumatized.” On “Big Stepper” he admits navigating hurt feelings after his girl uncovers evidence of a sexual interlude with a “pretty girl” sidepiece, leaving him to conclude, “Everybody fuck up.” “Atlanta Tears” features a strong verse from Lil Baby. Perhaps chastened by the failure of his recent solo album, WHAM, he claims, “I don’t do this shit for fuckboys, so you ain’t gotta listen.”

What Happened to the Streets closes with “I Wish.” As 21 Savage reminisces about fallen rappers like Takeoff and Lil Keed as well as Juice WRLD and Nipsey Hussle, and Jawan Harris sings the chorus with spiritual fervor, one imagines it to be a maudlin but sincere follow-up to American Dream’s closer, “Dark Days” and 21’s advice for kids to stay in school…until one realizes that “I Wish” is a cover of an 2000 R. Kelly hit single. The moment eventually feels disastrous. 

Why would 21 Savage try to rehabilitate R. Kelly, a man who assaulted and sexually abused countless women and children for decades? Maybe he’s a fan that still enjoys Kelly’s music despite the harm that disgraced singer has done. Or perhaps, like too many other rappers, he’s keenly interested in male exaltation and redemption, regardless of how that mentality hurts everyone else.

From Rolling Stone US.

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