Philip Seymour Hoffman became known for distinctive supporting roles in films such as Boogie Nights, Magnolia and The Talented Mr. Ripley, then began taking leads in independent films. He won the Academy Award for Best Actor for playing Truman Capote in Capote (2005), and was nominated for Best Supporting Actor three times. He also worked heavily in theatre, joining the LAByrinth Theater Company and earning Tony nominations for Broadway revivals. He died in 2014 from an overdose of heroin, cocaine, benzodiazepines and amphetamine, after long struggles with substance abuse.

Hampi is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Karnataka, India, with more than 1,600 surviving remains spread over 4,100 hectares. It was the capital of the Vijayanagara Empire from 1336 to 1565. Travellers from Persia and Portugal described it as a prosperous, wealthy and grand city with temples, markets and farms along the Tungabhadra River. By 1500 it was estimated to be the world's second-largest city after Beijing, and probably India's richest at the time. In 1565 a coalition of Muslim sultanates defeated the Vijayanagara Empire, its capital was conquered and destroyed, and the city was left in ruins. Hampi remains a religious centre, with the active Virupaksha Temple at its heart.