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Tag: Gangubai Kathiawadi

  • ‘RRR’ brings tsunami at the box office, signalling normalcy in film business

    ‘RRR’ brings tsunami at the box office, signalling normalcy in film business

    Mumbai: Star filmmaker SS Rajamouli’s latest magnum opus “RRR” opened to a terrific response across 7,000 screens in India and globally on Friday. The fantasy-drama film recorded the highest opening numbers after “Baahubali: The Conclusion,” the filmmaker’s last outing. Trade pundits believe that it is the glowing word of mouth that helped “RRR” to become immensely popular amongst moviegoers within just three days of its release.

    “RRR” is the first film after two continuous years of instability to have a 100 per cent opening in terms of occupancy. Reportedly, the film overtook “Baahubali 2” with the first day’s earnings and has earned Rs 580 crore till Sunday evening.

    On its debut day, the film earned Rs 18 crore in the Hindi belt alone. On the second day, the film continued to rake in Rs 24 crore. On the global front, the film is doing well in Australia and USA as well. It earned Rs 223 crore worldwide. In India, the film earned Rs 156 crore, while in the USA, the film minted Rs 42 crore and in the non-US market, it nabbed Rs 25 crore, which takes the total to a solid Rs 223 crore. 

    Rajamouli’s marketing strategy did the magic for “RRR”

    The marketing team of “RRR” has done a tremendous job to create a buzz around the film even before its release. While being a visual masterpiece, “RRR” has been in talks since 2018, when the shooting schedule was planned.

    “RRR” was never meant to be a Tollywood film. As a pan India film, it targeted gen-Z and millennials by using social media applications like Snapchat.

    Movie business returning to normalcy

    Experts believe that full-year FY23 box office revenue should be in line with pre-Covid levels as of now. Even on a like-to-like basis – while comparing March 2019 too, there is a 30 per cent + growth in box office revenue for exhibitors, estimated by Elara Capitals before the release of “RRR.”

    With back-to-back hits, including “RRR,” “The Kashmir Files,” “Gangubai Kathiawadi,” March 2022 has seen Hindi box office revenue growth of at least 30-35 per cent versus pre-pandemic levels of March 2019.

    Elara Capital’s Taurani expects this momentum to accelerate from April 2022 onwards.

    Bollywood business growth for 2022 is backed by promising content lineup

    If we see the trend so far, the year opened with “Badhaai Do,” a comedy-drama crafted around the LGBTQI+ community and same-sex relationships.

    Soon after, Bollywood saw two big historical films – “Gangubai Kathiawadi” and “The Kashmir Files.” The two films turned out to be a great surprise not just for the audience but for producers too by collecting Rs 150 crore and Rs 250 crore, respectively.

    Along with the huge openings in the first quarter, big-budget films like “Jersey,” “Brahmastra,” “Heropanti 2,” “KGF 2,” “Tejas,” “Ram Setu” are also lined up for release in the next few months.

    Looking at the content lineup for the next nine months of 2022, it can be said that the present growth will sustain and 2022 will manage to match pre-Covid levels leading to normalcy in the film business.

    What is the story of “RRR”

    Set in the 1920’s, “RRR” is based on the lives of Telugu freedom fighters, Alluri Sitarama Raju (played by Ram Charan) and Komaram Bheem (Jr NTR). Bankrolled by DVV Danayya, “RRR” was reportedly made on a massive budget of Rs 450 crore. Alongside the lead turn from Ram Charan and Jr NTR, the film also features Ajay Devgn and Alia Bhatt in extended cameos.

  • Digital is among biggest markets for films today: Pen Studios’ Jayantilal Gada

    Digital is among biggest markets for films today: Pen Studios’ Jayantilal Gada

    Mumbai: Last week, Pen Studios’ “Gangubai Kathiawadi” starring Alia Bhatt joined the 100 crore club, despite the strong competition (“The Batman”) and theatres still running at 50 per cent capacity in Mumbai and Delhi circuits. The film grossed Rs 92.22 crore at the box office in its second week, with the worldwide box office gross standing at Rs 108.3 crore. The success of his latest production notwithstanding, Pen Studios founder Jayantilal Gada is hopeful about the future of digital, even as the industry returns to normalcy post the Covid-19 pandemic.

    In a quick chat with IndianTelevision.com, he spoke about how the digital medium has grown to become indispensable for the film business today.

    “Digital is today the biggest market for films, having replaced television as a medium of film advertising and promotion as well as distribution,” says Gada, adding that, “the 80:20 ratio between TV and digital in terms of marketing budgets and distribution deals has been reversed completely.”

    For all Pen Studios productions, while the theatrical window of 60 days remained sacrosanct even during the pandemic, digital has already overtaken TV as the second release platform, enjoying another exclusive 60-day window before the satellite premiere.

    However, despite all of digital’s merits, Gada maintains that the cinema experience is irreplaceable. “The market for digital grew by leaps and bounds during the pandemic. Even though it is stabilising at a higher value than pre-pandemic, it can never replace cinema,” he asserts. “The theatrical market will bounce back to what it used to be; in fact, it already has, as shown by the success of Gangubai. The audience will continue to go for the theatrical experience while digital takes over as the second screen, surpassing TV.”  

    In the last couple of years, Pen Studios has shifted focus to digital for film promotions in a big way. “Gangubai Kathiawadi” was the first-ever Hindi film promoted by Instagram Global to its 475 million followers. The film based on the journey of real-life madam Gangubai of Kamathipura, was released in over 5000 screens worldwide.

    https://www.instagram.com/reel/CabOSMuDNdA/?utm_medium=copy_link

    The teaser of the company’s forthcoming production, John Abraham starrer “Attack,” garnered 227,000 engagements and 24.2 million total views across all platforms, in addition to trending on YouTube in number one position.

    “Digital is the fastest medium to reach out to the audience today. The share of TV has diminished in the recent past. As a perception building and reminder medium, outdoor gets the same weightage as before,” Gada tells. “The last two years have been a great learning experience which gave us the time to remodel our processes to come up with new strategies for upcoming releases.”

    While Pen Studios’ 2022 slate is yet to be out, for now, it is looking forward to its next big release, SS Rajamouli’s magnum opus “RRR” on 25 March. The company also has Shahid Kapoor starrer “Jersey” and Chiranjeevi and Ram Charan starrer “Acharya” in the pipeline.

  • ‘Gangubai Kathiawadi’ to premiere at 72nd Berlin International Film Festival

    ‘Gangubai Kathiawadi’ to premiere at 72nd Berlin International Film Festival

    Mumbai: Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s much-anticipated film “Gangubai Kathiawadi” starring Alia Bhatt and Ajay Devgn will be screened at the 72nd Berlin International Film Festival in February. The screening will also mark the world premiere of the film that is set for theatrical release on 18 February 2022.

    “Gangubai Kathiawadi” has been chosen to be screened as part of Berlinale Special, a segment of the film festival which is dedicated to showcasing exemplary cinema. This year’s selections are films that have been shot during the pandemic. “We are happy to premiere Gangubai Kathiawadi and to be continuing the tradition of the Berlin Film Festival being a special setting for Indian movies, this time with a film that joins the usual craft in shaping camera movement and the choreography of bodies with a subject that is socially relevant, also beyond in India,” stated artistic director of Berlin International Film Festival Carlo Chatrian. “From the very beginning we were taken by the story of Gangubai, an exceptional woman dragged into exceptional circumstances.”

    As Sanjay Leela Bhansali celebrates 25 years in the world of cinema, this will be his tenth film. “The story of Gangubai Kathiawadi has been very close to my heart. My team and I have given it all to make this dream possible. We take pride and honour in showcasing it at the prestigious Berlin International Film Festival,” said Bhansali.

    Producer Jayantilal Gada of Pen Studios added, “I believe in Mr. Bhansali and his craft. It gives me great joy that our film will be presented at the Berlin International Film Festival and I am proud to associate with him for it. Alia has given a great performance and I am thankful to Ajay Devgn too for being a part of this project. It’s a story that will engage and appeal to global audiences.”

  • Saregama strikes long-term music deal with Sanjay Leela Bhansali

    Saregama strikes long-term music deal with Sanjay Leela Bhansali

    KOLKATA: It’s the confluence of two iconic entities in the Indian film and music industry. Saregama and Sanjay Leela Bhansali have now decided to collaborate, where Saregama has come on board as the music label for three forthcoming projects of the award-winning filmmaker. These projects will be the much awaited Alia Bhatt-starrer Gangubai Kathiawadi – the music rights of which have been acquired from Pen Studios; the next untitled Bhansali directorial and his first non-film Hindi originals album which will have music composed by him.

    “Many a childhood memory of mine are of listening to the golden classics of Hindi cinema that the Saregama library holds and imagining my own world of stories around it. These songs and the music have been an essential part in my formative years. What an absolute delightful moment it is for me then that the music of three of my most zealous projects in the near future will add to this rich legacy of Saregama. This is a special collaboration for me, and one which is personal,” Bhansali said.

    Saregama India managing director Vikram Mehra commented, “There is history that breathes in the golden libraries of Saregama. And we believe history is about to be made again with our partnership with Sanjay Leela Bhansali. In today’s modern times of Hindi cinema, few raconteurs have come close to the consistent brilliance that he has shown in his movies and the music that he composes. His music sense is unparalleled – it imparts his stories a narrative purpose, and the songs stand on their own as that which transcend the immediate to find a more permanent place in our hearts.”

    “Saregama has preserved the work of some of the biggest talent from our music and film industry, and what an apt addition this will be. I can't wait for us to bring the music of three of Bhansali’s projects to audiences. It’s going to be special, for sure,” he added further.

  • Maharashtra shuts all TV, film shoots till 1 May

    Maharashtra shuts all TV, film shoots till 1 May

    New Delhi: With no slowdown in sight in the surge of Covid2019 cases, the Maharashtra government has decided to shut down all ongoing television and film shooting from 8 pm on Wednesday. The restrictions will remain in effect till 7 am on 1 May.

    The state is grappling with an alarming rise in the number of Covid2019 infections and has the maximum caseloads, more than any other state, amidst the second wave tearing through the country. Chief minister Udhav Thackeray said the current situation was “scary”, with hospitals across the state battling with acute shortage of beds, oxygen cylinders and lifesaving drugs.

    Thackeray stopped short of using the term ‘lockdown’, but said only essential activities and services will be permitted to operate for the next two weeks. The government has announced closure of all schools, colleges, restaurants, hotels, cinema halls, theatres, multiplexes, gyms, sports complex, amusement parks and all religious places. E-commerce will be allowed for the delivery of goods. Section 144 will be imposed across the state from 8 pm Wednesday till 7 am on 1 May.

    Television producers and broadcasters who were already reeling under the economic fallout of the pandemic will now have to face the challenge of running daily shows amid these strict restrictions. Several TV and film shoots have already been bearing the brunt of the pandemic during the last two weeks, with an increasing number of artists and staff members testing positive for Covid2019.

    Shooting of TV shows like Wagle Ki Duniya, Anupamaa and films like Gangubai Kathiawadi, Mr Lele, Ram Setu were halted after several Covid-positive cases were reported on the sets. The Indian Film and Television Producers Council (IFTPC) had also been urging the producers to ensure their staff is being regularly tested for Covid2019. The government had already announced the closure of cinema halls and multiplexes last week.

    The cases and fatalities have peaked sharply in Maharashtra over the last few weeks with as many as 60,000 cases being reported daily. The state has already lost as many as 58,000 lives to the pandemic. The capital city of Mumbai has reported as many as 7,898 new positive cases on Tuesday and reported 26 deaths, taking the total number of positive cases to 5,35,017.