Category: Hindi

Watch the world television premier of “Nirahua Hindustani”on 30th december at 1 PM only on Dabangg

MUMBAI: SABGROUP’S foremost regional channel – Dabangg is geared for the World Television Premier of the highest revenue grossing Bhojpuri Blockbuster of all times, ‘Nirahua Hindustani’. The telecast will air on the 30th December,2017 at 1pm, followed by the repeat at 8pm.

‘Nirahua Hindustan’ features a star-studded cast of Dinesh Lal Yadavand the leading lady Amrapali Dubey who made her debut with this Bhojpuri hit,with a 7.7 IMDB rating and becoming the highest revenue grosser of the Bhojpuri industry ever.

SABGROUP, Group CEO, Manav Dhanda said, “Dabangg has displayed uncharted growth in recent years. It has always been our endeavour to entertain our audiences & to continue doing so we have acquired a vast library of super-hit movies for World Television Premiers.We have also entered into an understanding with the undisputed #1 Star of Bhojpuri Cinema Mr. Dinesh Lal Yadav(Nirahua) to telecast his movies on Dabangg in an attempt to grow the genre and give our audience the epitome of entertainment.”

In a bid to amplify the World Television Premier, creative campaigns have been generating an intense buzz for the date to come. Extensive promotions have taken root within key markets through a 360 degree marketing campaign. To enhance the cinematic experience for the audience multiple contests have been initiated on the channel. The audience will also be able to know the star cast & their experience of shooting the movie through strategically placed interviews during the telecast. With brands like Dabur Amla and P&G Tide coming on board for the special screening as the presenting & powered by sponsors respectively, along with Head&Shoulders, Vicks, Indigo Paints & Colgate supporting the telecast.

Mr. Dinesh Lal Yadav (Nirahua) revealed it to be the perfect time for audiences to revisit the film especially in the wake of the sequel, this year. He further conveys that “The movie did exceptionally well on the big screen, thus this exclusive transmission via Dabangg which is known to give its audience the best movie experience on the small screen,will allow fans to indulge and enjoy “Nirahua Hindustani” again with new vigour and enthusiasm, while newbies have a tonne of excitement in store for them.”

December 27, 2017
BookMyShow reveals how India entertained itself in 2017

MUMBAI: As the year comes to a close, BookMyShow looks back at what entertained India this year, from movies to plays, sports, events and music. In 2017, millions of Indians reached out to BookMyShow to meet their entertainment demands basis which the platform is delighted to present #Bestof2017*.

BookMyShow, Director, Parikshit Dar said, “As we near the end of 2017, we’d like that to thank all our customers who chose BookMyShow for all their entertainment needs. Through BookMyShow’s #Bestof2017, we have revisited a truly incredible year. With mega blockbusters like Baahubali 2, mammoth events like Justin Bieber, Ed Sheeran, and classic productions like Mughal-e-Azam, this year the entertainment sector in India evolved and so did the audience. We are happy to have been a significant part of such an amazing journey and are now excited to embark upon the New Year with our customers, with the promise to open up the world of entertainment for them like never before.”

Movies

With over 1450 films that were listed on BookMyShow in 2017, it was clearly the year of Baahubali 2: The Conclusion with BookMyShow alone selling over 16 million tickets for the film which had consecutive run of 175 days at the box office! Following Baahubali 2, was Rohit Shetty’s Golmaal Again and Akshay Kumar starrer Jolly LLB 2.

Here’s some more interesting facts and insights:

The first ticket for Baahubali 2: The Conclusion was purchased on BookMyShow for its Telugu version a month before the release of the film from Banki, a small town in Odisha

Sunday was the most preferred day to watch a film. Well, no surprises there.

Afternoon movie show times were most preferred. Did we all think it would be Night shows?

Hyderabad fans saw the most films this year and gave serious competition to and left behind movie buffs in Mumbai, Bengaluru and NCR in terms of total movie ticket sales

Drama, followed by Action, Comedy, Romantic Comedy and Thriller were the most popular film genres

Regional cinema continued to show impressive growth in 2017 with Gujarati cinema leading the way. Gujarati cinema registered over 44% growth viz-a-viz 2016 in terms of transactions on BookMyShow, followed by Malayalam cinema which registered 38% growth

Movie goers across India preferred Hindi cinema, followed by Tamil, and English cinema

Non-Movies (Including plays, events, and sports)

India went beyond movies and took to non-movie entertainment in a huge way in 2017. BookMyShow saw close to 20% increase in the total number of non-movie listings on the platform viz-a-viz 2016

Indians were highly receptive towards sports. This was clearly evident from the fact that this year the number of sports events listed on BookMyShow increased by over 55% v/s 2016.

Events, on the other hand, including concerts such as by Justin Bieber, Ed Sheeran and A.R. Rahman shown immense promise and potential, registering over 45% increase in terms of ticket sales v/s 2016. A special mention goes to the 31st Surajkund International Craft Mela 2017 that saw lakhs of people who preferred booking their tickets on BookMyShow.

Among power plays of the year, right at the top is Feroz Abbas Khan’s Mughal-e-Azam that mesmerized the audiences in Delhi and Mumbai.

Mumbai, NCR, Pune, Kolkata and Bengaluru showed maximum uptake for non-movie entertainment in 2017.

Jukebox

BookMyShow introduced its audio entertainment service towards the last quarter of the year (September 2017) and here is what people listened to:

Majority of audio content was listened to around 5 pm and on 3G indicating the positive effect of data and smartphone penetration on the digital audio industry.

December 26, 2017
Catch Bollywood Actor Irrfan Khan this Week on Off Centre

MUMBAI: This week on Off Centre, Anuradha Sengupta talks to one of the finest Bollywood actors in the industry, Irrfan Khan. From being noticed and welcomed as a romantic lead after 22 years in business to his latest release and love, sex, romance in today’s time, he expresses his views and explains his take on the same.

Commenting on being chosen to play the romantic lead in movies, he says, “For me, it was always kind of my desire to do love stories, from my childhood I wanted to play Devdas. Love stories are something that have gripped your imagination. The kind of love the cinema has given to you, you don’t find that in real life. ‘That (films) definition and that perception of love you keep inside yourself, you don’t want to erase it from your senses.”

Further talking about the meaning of love, sex, romance in today’s time, Irrfan Khan says, “In today’s time, relationships have changed and people are experimenting with relationships. Unless and until you know a woman, you experiment with relationships; you’ll never be able to respect a woman. I think sexual suppression is something which creates a different kind of ideas inside a man’s head about woman.”

December 22, 2017
Zee Studios International’s Secret Superstar hits it big in Taiwan

Zee Studios International has collected $700,681 from its release of Aamir Khan-starrer Secret Superstar in Taiwan, making the movie the widest Bollywood film in the country. The film, which also features Zaira Wasim, lit up the box office in India.

The distribution company began the next phase of the international release for the film by opening in a key territory, Taiwan, on 24 November 2017 across 73 screens, a record for an Indian film in the Chinese-speaking territory.

Vibha Chopra, head – Zee Studios International (film marketing, distribution and acquisition), said, “Content is what wins hearts worldwide and Secret Superstar, which is heavy on content, is proof of that. So much so that it is the widest Bollywood film release in Taiwan. We are happy to see how positively international markets are reacting to the film.”

After releasing across markets such as the UK, USA, Canada, Australia, Singapore, UAE, Pakistan, Turkey, Malta, Hungary, and the rest of the world, Secret Superstar is serving as a bellwether for Zee Studios International and Aamir Khan Productions.

“Given that Secret Superstar has connected with various audiences across the globe, we are excited to see how well the film does in the coming months in other territories as well,” she added.

In the movie, Wasim plays a teenage girl named Insia who dreams of becoming a singer. The film is about how she fulfils her dreams by keeping her identity hidden.

December 15, 2017
PVR acquires minority stake in US luxury theatre chain

MUMBAI: PVR Ltd (PVR) will acquire a minority stake in US-based luxury restaurant and theatre iPic-Gold Class Entertainment (iPic).

Upon completion of its initial public offering (IPO), iPic will appoint PVR chairman and managing director Ajay Bijli to the board of directors.

iPic owns and operates 16 luxury theaters with 121 screens across 10 States in the US.

The company informed the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) that the board of directors has approved the proposed investment and the strategic partnership between PVR and iPic, which will give PVR valuable exposure in the American cinema exhibition market.

The completion of the proposed investment is subject to receipt of relevant corporate and regulatory approvals.

iPic had previously announced its intention to file a Regulation A+ IPO that would allow all of its loyal fans and theater goers, along with everyone else, the opportunity to invest in its luxury restaurant-and-theatre concept.

Serving 75 million patrons annually, PVR acquired Cinemax in 2012 and had taken over DT Cinemas in the year 2016. Currently, the theatre chain operates a cinema circuit of 600 screens at 131 properties in 51 cities (18 states and 1 Union Territory).

November 16, 2017
Eros reports higher profit margin despite fewer releases

BENGALURU: Sunil Lulla-led Eros International Media Limited (Eros) reported 21 per cent margin (on operating income) for consolidated profit after tax (PAT) for the quarter ended 30 September 2017 (Q2 FY 2017-18) as compared with 12.8 per cent margin for the corresponding quarter a last ago. The company’s revenue shrunk by 44 per cent during the quarter under review as against Q2 FY 2016-17. Eros released just seven films (two medium and five small-budget films) in Q2 FY 2017-18 as compared with 17 (including two high-budget films) in the quarter ago quarter. Earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT) margin on total income for the quarter under review was 31.7 per cent as compared with 19.9 per cent in Q2 FY 2016-17. Though the profit margin was higher in this year’s quarter, overall actual profit was lower than the profit reported for Q2 FY 2016-17 because revenue during the period last year was much higher.

Company speak

Eros vice chairman and managing director Sunil Lulla said, “We have reported healthy performance during the quarter on the back of strong releases, satellite sales, and higher contribution from library monetisation. During Q2-18, we released films such as the hit comedy Shubh Mangal Savdhan, the much-celebrated Newton starring Rajkumar Rao, the Tiger Shroff‐starrerMunna Michael, Trinity’s first release Sniff, and Projapati Biskut(Bengali).”

“It is a matter of pride for us thatNewton was chosen as India’s official entry for the Best Foreign Language Film category at the Oscars 2018. This underscores our strategy of focussing on content-driven films rather than high-budget, big-star formula films. During the period, the company also continued to focus towards investing in a Hindi and regional film language slate and Trinity Pictures, India’s first franchise‐driven studio,” revealed Lulla.

“Looking forward, we have a host of highly anticipated releases coming up, which include Mukkabaaz in January,Happy Bhaag Jayegi Returns,Chandamama Door Ke, the India‐China co‐productions, Panda by Kabir Khan, Trinity Pictures’ Elephant Man by national-award-winning director Prabhu Solomon, and the Colour Yellow Productions film starring Shah Rukh Khan,” he said.

The reported numbers

Eros reported operating revenue of Rs 2,682.6 million for Q2 FY 2017-18 as compared with Rs 4,787.9 million in Q2 FY 2016-17. Total income, including other income, for the quarter under review declined by 44 per cent year-on-year to Rs 2,739.3 million from Rs 4,887.3 million. The company has given the breakup of revenue in its investor presentation for the quarter as follows: 36.7 per cent for theatrical; 13.3 per cent for overseas revenue; and 50. Per cent for television & others.

Profit after tax in Q2 FY 2017-18 declined by 8 per cent y-o-y to Rs 575.1 million from Rs 625.2 million. EBIT was 10.7 per cent lower y-o-y in the quarter under review at Rs 867.5 million as compared with Rs 971.5 million. Operating profit (EBIDTA) for the quarter declined by 6.4 per cent y-o-y to Rs 835.2 million (31.1 per cent margin) from Rs 892.2 million (18.6 per cent margin).

Total expenditure declined by 48.2 per cent y-o-y to Rs 2,085.4 million during the quarter from Rs 4,022.4 million. Film rights costs, including amortisation costs, are a major cost head for Eros. These costs declined to less than half y-o-y to Rs 1,189.5 million in Q2 FY 2017-18 from Rs 2,762.9 million Q2 FY 2016-17.

Employee benefits expense declined by 9.4 per cent y-o-y to Rs 150.4 million from Rs 166.0 million. Finance costs doubled to 100.4 per cent in the quarter under review to Rs 213.6 million from Rs 106.6 million. Other expenses decreased 21.9 per cent y-o-y in Q2 FY 2017-18 to Rs 507.1 million from Rs 649.7 million.

November 15, 2017
Inox reports increase in revenue, profits for second quarter

BENGALURU: Indian cinema chain Inox Leisure Limited (Inox) has reported improved revenue and net profit after tax (PAT) for the quarter ended 30 September 2017 (Q2-18, current quarter) as compared to the corresponding quarter of the previous year (Q2-17, year ago quarter). Inox revenue from operations for Q2-18 increased 4.7 percent to Rs 3,112.6 million from Rs 2,973.8 million for Q2-17 (y-o-y). Profit after tax for the current period increased more than sevenfold (7.49 times) y-o-y to Rs 116.8 millon from Rs 15.6 million.

Total income increased 4.9 percent y-o-y in Q2-18 to Rs 3,141.5 million from Rs 2,995.1 million. Operating profit (EBIDTA) for the current quarter increased 63.4 percent y-o-y to Rs 444.2 million from Rs 271.9 million.

Inox says in its investor presentation that net box office collection (NBOC) increased in the current quarter to Rs 1,856 million from Rs 1,794 million. Advertisement revenue increased to Rs 321 million from Rs 23.8 million. Other operating revenues increased to Rs 264 million from Rs 240 million. Net food and beverages (F&B) revenue in the current quarter reduced to Rs 671 million from Rs 702 million in Q2-17.

Though overall footfalls in Q2-18 increased to 12.75 million from 12.7 million in Q2-17, occupancy declined by 1 percent to 25 percent in Q2-18 from 26 percent in Q2-17. Overall average ticket price increased to Rs 186 in the current quarter from Rs 183 in the corresponding year ago quarter.

The company says that the top five grossing movies in Q2-18 were Toilet-Ek Prem Katha (1.244 million footfalls, Gross Box Office Collection or GBOC of Rs 247.5 million; Spiderman Homecoming (0.623 million footfalls, GBOC Rs 131.1 million; Jab Harry Met Sejal (0.539 million footfall, GBOC Rs 119.6 million); Jagga Jasoos (0.605 million footfalls, GBOC Rs 113.9 million) and Mubarakan (0.561 million footfalls, GBOC Rs 103.3 million).

Let us look at the other numbers reported by the company

Total expenditure declined 13.1 percent y-o-y to Rs 2,963.1 million in Q2-18 from Rs 2,968 million. Exhibition costs increased 2.1 percent y-o-y in the current quarter to Rs 884.6 million from Rs 866.3 million. F&B costs declined 8.5 percent y-o-y to Rs 167.6 million y-o-y from Rs 183.1 million. Employee benefits expense increased 6.8 percent y-o-y to Rs 233 million from Rs 218.1 million. Finance costs in the current quarter increased 25.3 percent y-o-y to Rs 73.2 million from Rs 58.4 million. Other expenses reduced 3.6 percent y-o-y to Rs 1,383.2 million in Q2-18 from Rs 1,434.4 million.

October 31, 2017
1700 films received on ending violence against women film contest

NEW DELHI: Around 1700 entries from over 600 colleges have come in response to a campaign launchged earlier this year for two-minute films on generating debate and promote positive change in cultural and social norms around the value of women in India.

The campaign ‘#BasAbBahutHogaya – Enough is enough’ was launched by actor Farhan Akhtar along with Population Foundation of India, Farhan Akhtar’s MARD and noted director Feroz Abbas Khan with a pledge to end violence against women and girls.

The shortlisted films will be judged by a high profile jury comprising Padma Shree Dr. Kiran Karnik, director Shekhar Kapur, actor Shabana Azmi and Feroz Abbas Khan.

“When we announced the film-making contest, we feared that the students will speak only of the issues which are covered by the mainline media. However, there are many more aspects to the issue of violence against women and girls. The students surprised us with their take on even the minutest and not-spoken-of issues. The varied topics covered by all the participants are a proof of the fact that they realize what is happening around them and are willing to change it for the better”, said Population Foundation of India ED Poonam Muttreja.

Noted director Feroz Abbas Khan said, “We have received an overwhelming response from students across the country. With almost 1700 entries and an unending zeal, the younger generation just proves that they are ready to turn the patriarchal system of India upside down with their new-age take on this issue.”

The film-making contest is a part of Bas Ab Bahut Ho Gaya- Enough is Enough, a campaign that aims at generating debate and promote positive change in cultural and social norms around the value of women in India.

National celebrities have joined this campaign to relay messages that motivate young girls to stand up against violence, and show boys that masculinity is not connected with violence. Apart from the films, there will be several activities including panel discussions and a series of films about violence against women. The campaign will culminate in a concert in Mumbai.

October 30, 2017
Reduce GST on film industry, IMPPA pleads to FM Jaitley

NEW DELHI: The Indian Motion Pictures Producers Association (IMPPA) has urged the government to fix 5 per cent as the maximum GST rate that should be charged on all goods and services connected with the entertainment industry including entertainment tax.

In a letter to finance minister Arun Jaitley, IMPPA President T P Aggarwal said, “This will provide life to an industry which is being crushed under the heavy burden of tax and which needs immediate help and support of the government to survive”.

Pointing out that IMPPA was the oldest body of filmmakers having been set up in 1937, Aggarwal said the film industry has been burdened with the extreme end of high GST.

“In all other products, tax is levied after recovery of cost of production as well as input credit where all taxes and GST paid are adjusted in the GST payable,” he added. But in the film industry, GST has to be paid on goods and services as well as on sale of tickets irrespective of the fact whether the expenses incurred on making the film along with taxes paid thereon have been recovered or not.

GST in the form of entertainment tax has to be paid on the sale of tickets from the first ticket onwards where it has been fixed at the highly unreasonable level of 18 per cent for tickets up to Rs 100 and 28 per cent for tickets more than Rs 100.

The letter said that the imposition of uniform 18 per cent GST on majority of goods and services is also largely responsible for the miserable state of the film industry because very few films are profitable propositions and majority of films are disasters leading to the annihilation of the producers.

Aggarwal wrote that the government should be “providing free entertainment to the people who pay so many taxes.” Instead, it levies heavy entertainment tax which has to be paid by the poor citizen on films. Producers deserve to get the full money since the films are self-financed without any government aid.

He said that very few hit films make money while the rest are reeling in losses. Meanwhile, both the central and state governments cash in by imposing GST at every level. He demands that the practice of state governments choosing their own amount of entertainment tax must be abolished.

October 28, 2017
PVR reports lower numbers for second quarter

BENGALURU: Indian entertainment and exhibition company PVR Limited (PVR) reported a slight decline in total revenue for the quarter ended 30 September 2017 (Q2-18, current quarter) as compared to the corresponding year ago quarter (y-o-y). Operating profit (EBIDTA), net profit after tax (PAT) and total comprehensible income attributable to equity shareholders (TCI) of the parent company for current quarter were also lower as compared to Q2-17.

PVR’s operating revenue declined 1.1 percent y-o-y in the current quarter to Rs 5,553.6 million from Rs 5,613 million. Total Income (TI) in Q2-18 declined 3.3 percent y-o-y to Rs 5,595.2 million from Rs 5,613 million. EBIDTA including other income for Q2-18 declined 18 percent y-o-y to Rs 946.7 million (16.9 percent of TI) from Rs 1,154.6 million (19.9 percent of TI). PAT for the current quarter declined 13.6 percent y-o-y to Rs 251.7 million (4.5 percent of TI) from Rs 291.3 million (5 percent of TI). TCI declined in Q2-18 by 14.4 percent y-o-y to Rs 246.5 million (4.4 percent of TI) from Rs 288.1 million (5 percent of TI).

PVR reports revenue from two segments – movie exhibition and others. The movie exhibition segment saw a 3 percent y-o-y increase in operating revenue to Rs 5,321.9 million from Rs 5,164.6 million. The segment had 4.4 percent y-o-y decline in operating results at Rs 381.7 million from Rs 399.4 million. Others segment revenue saw 42.3 percent y-o-y to Rs 331.8 million from Rs 575.2 million. Others segment had an operating loss of Rs 8.9 million as compared to an operating profit of Rs 40.5 million as compared to the corresponding year ago quarter.

PVR’s total expenditure for the current quarter was almost flat (up by 0.6 percent) y-o-y at Rs 5,202.3 million from Rs 5,173 million. Finance cost was up 6.9 percent y-o-y to Rs 207.1 million in Q2-18 from Rs 193.7 million.

Movie exhibition cost in Q2-18 increased 16.4 percent y-o-y to Rs 1,334.5 million from Rs 1,146.4 million. Cost of food and beverages in the current quarter increased 8 percent y-o-y to Rs 384.7 million from Rs 356.5 million.

Employee benefits expense in Q2-18 increased 7.8 percent y-o-y to Rs 586.6 million from Rs 544 million. Rent expenses in the current quarter were almost flat (declined 0.2 percent) y-o-y to Rs 971.6 million from Rs 973.4 million. Other expenses in Q2-18 declined 15 percent y-o-y to Rs 1,371.1 million from Rs 1,613.6 million.

October 27, 2017