Category: Movies

Mumbai: Kangana Ranaut is lighting up the screen on &pictures. Witness unstoppable thrill, action and suspense with the channel premiere of Dhaakad on 22 April 2023 at 10pm on &pictures.

Ranaut takes on a fierce role as she portrays female warrior Agent Agni, in the action thriller Dhaakad. When a deadly coal mafia (played by Arjun Rampal) threatens to plunge the world into chaos, our heroine must use her skills as a master fighter to take him down. But Agni’s journey is not just about physical prowess, she must also confront her inner demons and come to terms with her troubled past.

Directed by debutante director Razneesh Ghai, the film is shot by Japanese cinematographer Tetsuo Nagata. As the action unfolds and the stakes get higher, the tension builds to a pulse-pounding climax that will leave you on the edge of your seat. Kangana delivers a fierce and action-packed performance as she is seen doing some high-octane action sequences. Arjun Rampal as a menacing baddie is sure to send chills down the spine of viewers. Divya Dutta as Arjun’s partner and a brothel owner give a commendable performance.

Talking about the film, Ranaut said, “Actions films are usually associated with male actors, and with Dhakaad, our idea was to attempt and tell the world that even female actors can do some high-octane action stunts. Apart from getting into the mindset of the character, I had to undergo a major physical transformation as well. Razneesh has made a stylized film that looks and feels like an international film. I am happy that Dhaakad will be reaching a wider audience with the channel premiere on &pictures.”

Mumbai: The holy month of Ramzan will conclude on 21 April with Eid-ul-Fitr celebrations and for Zee Theatre’s artists, Vaquar Shaikh, Shahbaz Khan, and Zakir Hussain, this time of fasting, prayer and reflection is very special.

Shaikh who stars in  ‘Kasganj,’  Zee Theatre’s brooding cop drama, said he started keeping ‘Rozas’ around the age of 14 and celebrated Eid in the cantonment as his father was in the army. He recalled, “Even though it was hard to fast the whole day as a teenager, the prospect of delicious food in the evening during ‘Iftar’ kept me going. As a token of appreciation, my grandfather would give me a rupee every day and it is still one of my favourite memories.”

Since then, Shaikh has of course understood the deeper significance of Ramzan and said, “This time teaches you self-discipline and hunger teaches us to empathise with the hungry and to help people in need. Ramzan is  also a time to cleanse ourselves and refrain from speaking ill of anyone, rejecting feelings of envy and living with compassion and gratitude.”

Shaikh often has extended shoots during Ramzan and shared, “Speaking long dialogues while remaining thirty can be challenging but I manage it. I also make it a point to spend time with my family during ‘Sehri’ in the morning and ‘Iftar’ in the evening. At home, we all chip in to make milkshakes, juices, samosas, kababs, biryani,  sheer khurma and fruit chaat. This family time is the most beautiful part of Ramzan for me. This year though festivities will be a little low-key as I lost my dad last year and this will be our first Eid without him.”

Khan who played poet Daagh Dehlvi in Zee Theatre’s teleplay, ‘Daag-O-Hijab’ has many childhood memories associated with Ramzan and said, “As a child, I looked forward to the ‘sehri’ that my mother made so special with her presence and her cooking. Now Ramzan has become a month of self-introspection away from the chaos of worldly pleasures. Fasting teaches you what hunger is all about and you realise that even a little percentage of your earnings can change someone’s life forever.” This is also a time, he says, to detox the mind, body and soul, forge a deeper bond with God and strive to grow into a better human being. This year as always, he hopes to spend   Eid with family and friends and says, “Eid is all about bonding, eating and laughing together.”

Hussain who starred in Zee Theatre’s teleplays “Rajdarshan” and “Baaki Itihaas” said, “Ramzan is about balancing and detoxifying your mind and body and learning the value of every mouthful. I like staying busy while keeping ‘rozas’ because, during a shoot, your mind is focused towards your work and not distracted by hunger or thirst. I am looking forward to celebrating Eid with loved ones and enjoying ‘kheer’ and ‘sewainyaan.’ I also hope to internalise  the spiritual lessons learnt during this month of fasting so that going forward, they remain with me every single day.”

Mumbai: Media analytics firm Ormax Media has released its latest research report titled Ormax Cine Sense: 2023. Ormax Cine Sense is based on primary consumer research conducted among 9,500 audiences across Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam theatrical markets in India, to understand their viewing behaviour, content preferences and media habits in the post-pandemic era.

Ormax Cine Sense is a follow-up to Sizing The Cinema: 2023 report, which Ormax Media released in February 2023, that pegged India’s total theatrical audience base at an estimated 12.2 Crore (122 Million). In Ormax Cine Sense, regular theatre goers in each language were interviewed, to understand their behaviour and perceptions on a wide range of topics related to their movie-going choices, ranging from their genre preferences, motivators and barriers to watch (or not watch) films, OTT consumption, marketing sources for new films, etc.

Some of the questions Ormax Cine Sense answers are:

1. What is the contribution of different audience segments, such as those by gender, age, markets, theatre type, etc., to footfalls, lifetime box office and first-day box office?
2. Films can be watched on OTT and television too. Then why do audiences go to theatres at all?
3. Whom do audiences go and watch films with? How and where do they book their tickets?
4. Besides theatres, where else do audiences consume films?
5. Which genres hold the highest appeal for theatrical audiences in different languages?
6. How do audiences decide to select or reject a film for theatrical viewing?
7. Which online and offline media are the primary sources for information on new films?
8. Where do movie-going audiences spend their media time and money, such as social media, OTT, print, radio, gaming, etc.?

Speaking about Ormax Cine Sense, Ormax Media partner Gautam Jain said, “Audience’s movie-going behaviour has changed significantly in the last two years, since theatres re-opened after being shut down for more than a year due to the pandemic. Our business partners expressed the need to understand audience behaviour in the post-pandemic scenario, and Ormax Cine Sense provides rich and layered audience data in five languages to this effect”.

Ormax Cine Sense reports (Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada & Malayalam) are available by subscription for film studios, production companies, investors, exhibitors, distributors, media agencies and other companies associated with the theatrical category in India. The reports are also a part of the all-access offering called super subscription, launched by Ormax Media earlier this year.

Mumbai: Watching film trailers can be an exciting and engaging experience. It provides a glimpse into the film’s story, character and overall tone, allowing viewers to anticipate and get eager about the upcoming releases. Taking this a notch higher, PVR INOX, India’s film exhibitor, has announced world’s first curated trailer screening show on the big screens, at just rupee 1. The 30-minute screening will feature over 10 handpicked trailers of the upcoming Bollywood, Hollywood and regional movies, and offer a unique, quick and an unprecedented content option for the audiences.  

With the increasing demand for new, innovative and engaging content, the 30-minute trailer show will offer a perfect opportunity for movie enthusiasts to stay up to date on the latest entertainment doze. It would also offer a differentiated experience to the true connoisseurs of cinema entertainment. The new trailer show is being showcased across PVR and INOX multiplexes in the country, from 7 April, and has received a stupendous response.

Speaking about the launch of the new show, PVR INOX co-CEO Gautam Dutta said, “Watching trailers on the big screen with high-quality sound and visuals can enhance the movie-going experience and add to the excitement of seeing a highly anticipated film, it offers an immersive and social experience that cannot be replicated at home. With the launch of our 30-minute trailer screening show, we aim to present our viewers with a short, power-packed snackable entertainment offering on the big screen at a price as low as Re.1. This first-of-its-kind content offering is for every cinephile who wants to watch a quick screening of their favourite upcoming movie trailers whilst sitting comfortably and binging on delicious snacks. In addition, it is not heavy on the pocket too. We invite the movie-lovers from all over the country to enjoy this eccentric cinema experience.”

PVR INOX has always been at the forefront of innovation and has consistently introduced modern technologies and experiences to enhance the movie-watching experience. With the launch of this new show, the multiplex chain aims to provide its audiences with an unparalleled cinema experience and re-ignite their love for watching entertainment on the big screen. The trailer show would be played at all the major cinemas at prime time slots.

Mumbai: “Middle-Class Hero, High-Class Pyaar, will his Naiya Go Paar.” Middle Class Love, featuring Prit Kamani, Eisha Singh, and Kavya Thapar is all set to have its World Television Premiere this Saturday 15th April 2023 at 12 pm on & Pictures. Love and complications go hand in hand. No love story is complete without any drama! This summer Yudi Sharma (Prit Kamani) takes us on a fun and humorous ride as he decides to go beyond his middle-class identity and tries to patao a rich girl on campus landing himself in a love triangle. The film is a comic take and a celebration of the middle-class milieu as it hinges on characters, settings, and relationships that are relatable and real. It’s unlike other campus dramas Bollywood has seen before.

Helmed by Ratnaa Sinha, who has earlier directed the film Shaadi Main Zaroor Aana featuring Rajkummar Rao and Kriti Kharbanda, Middle Class Love also marks the big screen debut for Eisha Singh who has been a part of some successful television shows like Ishq Subhan Allah and Kavya Thapar who was recently seen as Shahid Kapoor’s girlfriend in a recently released web series. The presence of actors Manoj Pahwa and Sapna Sand (as Yudi’s parents) is the cherry on the cake. Both actors have once again worked their magic on the screen with their extremely impressive acting skills and comic timing. With an ace cast and light-hearted drama, the film entertainer is sure to leave you in splits.

Set in a small town, Middle-Class Love is the story of an ordinary boy, Yudi Sharma (Prit Kamani), who thinks that every middle-class family suffers from a khatarnak bimari known as “middle-classosis”. But Yudi is on a mission to get out of his mediocre life. He seeks admission into the most elite college where he encounters the most popular girl, Sysha Oberoi (Kavya Thapar). But there is a third person in the mix, Aisha Tripathi (Eisha Singh), who isn’t fond of Yudi. Sysha and Aisha have a past in which Yudi too gets involved and things get complicated.

Talking about the World Television Premiere, Kamani said, “Middle Class Love is a classic Bollywood romantic-family-comedy, in a way a tribute to the 90s cinema, but with a very young, fresh touch & a beautiful message in the end. I always wanted to be a Hindi film hero and with Yudi I got to live that dream, with romancing to two beautiful and talented actresses to Himmesh Reshammiya songs and lip syncing to Jubin Nautiyal, to making an attempt to make the audience laugh and cry at the same time. Working with Manoj Pahwa sir was a great learning experience, he is amazing! It was a dream to work under Ratnaa Sinha’s direction, the one who gave Rajkumar Rao, Shaadi mein zarur aana and a producer like Anubhav Sinha who has made path breaking films. It’s a pure Indian film, so come join me as this middle-class family entertainer takes over the TV sets, with the World Television Premiere of Middle Class Love on &Pictures.”

Sharing her experience, Thapar who also makes her Bollywood debut said, “My excitement was at an all-time high given it was my first film and every day was a great experience.  We shot in the picturesque locales of Mussoorie and being on the sets with Prit, Eisha and the entire team was so much fun. I am sure the audience would enjoy watching the movie on small screens with &pictures.”

Talking about the film, Sinha said, “Middle class love is a fun entertainer manoeuvring through the chaotic mind of a campus kid and his family.I feel today’s youth will be able to relate with the story of this movie in more ways than one. I am excited for the World Television Premiere on &pictures.”