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Tag: Indian movies

  • India’s cinematic triumphs: IMDb unveils 2024’s top 10 movies & web series

    India’s cinematic triumphs: IMDb unveils 2024’s top 10 movies & web series

    MUMBAI: 2024 has been a year where art met admiration, and storytelling soared to breathtaking new heights. From edge-of-your-seat thrillers to soul-stirring dramas, Indian cinema and web series delivered a cinematic buffet that left audiences both overwhelmed and awestruck. To celebrate this artistic bliss, IMDb—the global beacon for movie and TV show enthusiasts—has meticulously curated its Top 10 Most Popular Indian Movies and Web Series of 2024.

    Driven by the tastes and ratings of over 250 million monthly users worldwide, this list isn’t just a ranking—it’s a reflection of what captivated hearts, sparked conversations, and kept us binge-watching late into the night. Whether you’re a movie buff craving masterpieces or a web series aficionado looking for your next binge, IMDb’s definitive list ensures you’re only a play button away from the best entertainment 2024 has to offer.

    For the third consecutive year, IMDb honoured the creators of these top 20 titles with custom-made awards. In 2024, the celebration went a step further with the introduction of limited edition magnets that capture the unique essence of each work. Additionally, IMDb launched fan magnets featuring iconic dialogues and memorable visuals, allowing audiences to express their love for their favourite movies and series.

    The recognition celebrates creators’ outstanding contributions to Indian cinema and web content while strengthening IMDb’s role as the connection between fans and entertainment professionals.

    Sharing their gratitude, creators took to social media to celebrate.

    Bhuvan Bam, whose Taaza Khabar Season 2 made the Top 10 Web Series, said, “What?! Taaza Khabar S2 is in the Top 10 Most Popular Indian Web Series of 2024! Humbled and forever grateful to each one of you.”

    Stree 2 director, Amar Kaushik shared his excitement: “Stree 2 spooking its way to becoming one of 2024’s most popular Indian movies on IMDb.”

    Meanwhile, actor Kartik Aaryan expressed his joy, stating, “Thank you IMDb for this honour!”

    IMDb top 10 most popular Indian movies of 2024:

    1. Kalki 2898-AD

    2.   Stree 2: Sarkate Ka Aatank

    3.   Maharaja

    4.   Shaitaan

    5.   Fighter

    6.   Manjummel Boys

    7.   Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3

    8.   Kill

    9.   Singham Again

    10. Laapataa Ladies

    IMDb Top 10 most popular Indian web series of 2024:

    1.   Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar

    2.   Mirzapur

    3.   Panchayat

    4.   Gyaarah Gyaarah

     5.  Citadel: Honey Bunny

    6.   Maamla Legal Hai

    7.   Taaza Khabar

    8.   Murder in Mahim

    9.   Shekhar Home

    10. The Great Indian Kapil Show

    The IMDb year-end lists include movies and web series released between 1 January and 25 November 2024, with an average IMDb user rating of five or higher. These titles stood out as the most popular globally, based on page views.

    Viewers can explore these titles and add them to their IMDb watchlist at imdb.com/watchlist to receive updates on streaming releases.

  • Straight to digital: Amazon Prime to globally premiere seven movies

    Straight to digital: Amazon Prime to globally premiere seven movies

    MUMBAI: Amazon Prime Video today announced that an additional six highly-anticipated Indian films will be premiering directly on the streaming service. This follows the announcement of the upcoming premiere of Shoojit Sircar’s Amitabh Bachchan (Black, Piku) and Ayushmann Khurrana (Shubh Mangal Zyaada Saavdhan, Andhadhun) starrer Gulabo Sitabo.

    Spanning five Indian languages, the Direct-to-Service line-up features additional releases such as Anu Menon’s Shakuntala Devi with Vidya Balan (Dirty Picture, Kahaani) in lead, legal drama Ponmagal Vandhal starring Jyothika (Chandramukhi) in addition to Keerthy Suresh (Mahanathie) starrer Penguin (Tamil and Telugu), Sufiyum Sujatayum (Malayalam), Law (Kannada) and French Biryani (Kannada). The movies will premiere exclusively on Prime Video over the next three months and will be available in 200 countries and territories worldwide.

    “At Prime Video we believe in listening to what our consumers want and working backwards from there. This belief is the genesis of our latest offering,” said Vijay Subramaniam, director and head, content, Amazon Prime Video, India. “Over the last two years, Prime Video has become the destination of choice for our customers to watch new releases, across the languages, within weeks of their theatrical release. Now we’re taking this one step further, with seven of India’s most-anticipated films premiering exclusively on Prime Video, bringing the cinematic experience to their doorstep.”

    “Indian audiences have been eagerly awaiting the release of these seven  highly anticipated films and we are delighted that Amazon Prime Video will now be premiering these movies for our customers – who can enjoy watching these from the safety & comfort of their homes and on a screen of their choice. Prime Video with its deep penetration in India, with viewership across over 4000 towns and cities, and its world-wide reach in more than 200 countries and territories, will give a large global release footprint to these films. We feel truly excited about this initiative and are confident of delighting our Prime Members with this offering” said Gaurav Gandhi, director and country general manager, Amazon Prime Video India.

    Amazon Prime Video’s direct-to-service slate:

    Ponmagal Vandhal (Tamil), from 29 May

    Starring Jyothika, Parthiban, Bhagyaraj, Prathap Pothen and Pandiarajan, Ponmagal Vandhal is a legal drama. The movie is written and directed by J.J. Fredrick and produced by Suriya and Rajsekar Karpoorasundarapandian.

    Gulabo Sitabo (Hindi), from 12 June

    Starring Amitabh Bachchan and Ayushmann Khurrana, Gulabo Sitabo is a quirky family comedy depicting day to day struggles of the common man. The movie is written by Juhi Chaturvedi, directed by Shoojit Sircar and produced by Ronnie Lahiri and Sheel Kumar.

    Penguin (Tamil and Telugu), from 19 June

    Starring Keerthy Suresh, Penguin is written and directed by Eshavar Karthic. The film is produced by Stone Bench Films and Karthik Subbaraj.

    Law (Kannada), from 26 June

    Starring Ragini Chandran, Siri Prahlad and veteran actor Mukhyamantri Chandru, Law is written and directed by Raghu Samarth and produced by Ashwini and Puneeth Rajkumar.

    French Biryani (Kannada), from 24 July

    French Biryani features actors Danish Sait, Sal Yusuf and Pitobash as leads. The movie is written by Avinash Balekkala, directed by Pannaga Bharana and produced by Ashwini and Puneeth Rajkumar and Gurudutt A Talwar.

    Shakuntala Devi (Hindi), release date to be announced

    Featuring Vidya Balan in the lead, Shakuntala Devi is a biographical drama on the extraordinary life of Shakuntala Devi, mathematics genius, writer and astrologer who was popularly known as the human computer. Also featuring Sanya Malhotra and Directed by Anu Menon, the film is produced by Sony Pictures Networks Productions and Vikram Malhotra.

    Sufiyum Sujatayum (Malayalam), release date to be announced

    Starring Aditi Rao Hydari and Jayasuruya, Soofiyum Sujatayum is written and directed by Naranipuzha Shanavas and produced by Vijay Babu’s Friday Film House

    The new releases will join the thousands of TV shows and movies from Hollywood and Bollywood in the Prime Video catalogue. These include Indian-produced Amazon Original series like Four More Shots Please!, The Family Man, Mirzapur, Inside Edge and Made In Heaven, and award-winning and critically acclaimed global Amazon Original series, including Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan, The Boys, Hunters, Fleabag and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, all on Prime Video, which is available at no extra cost for Amazon Prime members. The service includes titles available in Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Punjabi and Bengali.

    Prime members will be able to watch all titles anywhere and anytime on the Prime Video app for smart TVs, mobile devices, Fire TV, Fire TV stick, Fire tablets, Apple TV, etc. In the Prime Video app, Prime members can download episodes on their mobile devices and tablets and watch anywhere offline at no additional cost. Prime Video is available in India at no extra cost with Prime membership for just ₹999 annually or ₹129 monthly, new customers can find out more at www.amazon.in/prime and subscribe to a free 30-day trial.

  • Thai Film industry looking for Indian movies to be produced in Thailand

    Thai Film industry looking for Indian movies to be produced in Thailand

    MUMBAI: In a media interaction at the 44th International Film Festival of India (IFFI) in Panjim, Goa today, the lead actor of the Thai film, Only God Forgives Vithaya Pansringarm said that Thailand has a great opportunity for production of Indian movies. He said that Thailand, being a film destination for Hollywood/international movies, production of Indian films is also possible there. He added that Indian movies are liked in his country and DVDs and films with Thai subtitles are also available in the Thai market.

     

    In the film Only God Forgives, Pansringarm played a retired police officer’s role who believes that he`s God and an Angel of Vengeance who also has a responsibility to protect his society from any bad karma or bad spirits. The film talks about a young lady’s struggle to avenge the murder of her brother on the demand of her mother, in Bangkok.

     

    Producer of Thai film Tang Wong, Soros Sukhum said that his film is part of independent cinema and Thailand film industry should make film based on modern concepts in place of superstitions. Soros Sukhum has also supported the idea of producing more films in Thailand. Tang Wong is about four Bangkok boys who had taken different wishes to perform a performance of a traditional Thai dance, if their wishes are fulfilled. The struggle to perform this dance is the main theme of the film.

  • Indian movies should focus on serious issues

    Indian movies should focus on serious issues

    NEW DELHI: Indian movies should focus on serious social issues. That is what India Against Corruption member Arvind Kejriwal wants and lauds high praise on Prakash Jha‘s ‘Chakravyuh‘.

    “Movies reflect the face of the society. By making a film on such a serious issue, Prakash Jha has shown how dedicated he is towards the issues prevailing in our society,” Kejriwal said.

    ‘Chakravyuh’, starring Arjun Rampal and Abhay Deol in the main roles, is based on Naxalism.

    He added, “I congratulate Prakash Jha and his entire team for giving us a film like ‘Chakravyuh’. The film had real good performances. I wish him great success for the film and want him to keep making such films which showcase the various issues of our society so that the people of India get to know what all is happening in their country.”

  • Institutional finance on the up for Indian movies

    Institutional finance on the up for Indian movies

    MUMBAI: Institutional finance is beginning to flow in to fund Indian movies. IDBI, for instance, has sanctioned Rs 5.5 billion on a cumulative basis over the last five years. Exim Bank, similarly, has extended lending to over Rs 4 billion for film projects which have potential to earn foreign exchange.

    “Overseas earnings from films recently financed by us has touched Rs 1.15 billion. We are not only financing on the production, but also on the overseas distribution side. The industry has a lot of potential even in the animation business,” said Exim Bank chairman & managing director TC Venkat Subramaniam, while speaking at “India The Big Picture,” a seminar here today on the film entertainment industry organised by the CII.

    Exim Bank has a lending cap of Rs 250 million for a single film project. The film industry earns an estimated Rs 69 billion a year, contributing 26 per cent to the total revenue of the entertainment sector. This is just 1.7 per cent of the global market, said Subramaniam.

    Export revenues have jumped from Rs 2 billion in 1998 to Rs 4 billion in 2000 and further to Rs 11 billion in 2005, accounting for 16 per cent of the total earnings. “There is a healthy outlook as we increase earnings from the international market, strengthen animation outsourcing, provide institutional financing and extend government incentives,” he added.

    IDBI is also cautiously bullish on the industry. “We have funded 70 movies. We are not only providing rupee loans but also in dollars for borrowers to hedge foreign exchange risk. Besides, we are extending line of credit so that film producers can cover up not on one but a slate of movies,” said IDBI general manager Aloke Dasgupta.

    IDBI funds only projects which have a minimum budget of Rs 4 billion and have a debt-equity ratio of 1:1. “We are providing financial support only for film production. We don’t fund in the reail and distribution end of the business. But for supporting smaller movies, we are in dicussions with NFDC to ensure that money is put in the right place for such projects,” said Dasgupta.

    But are the southern films having access to institutional finance? South Indian Film Exporters association president and MD of Ananda Exports L Suresh said film financing had not trickled down to the southern region. “It is probably because most of the banks are headquartered in Mumbai. Besides, banks take a long time to sanction loans and we finish production within three months. Besides, banks insist on collateral securities,” he said.

    Speaking on the sidelines, Dasgpta, however, said IDBI had financed Tamil and Telugu movies.

    Speaking on the occasion, Sony Pictures India MD Uday Singh said financial rigour was essential as the movie business is not without risks and revenue leakages. Media is fragmented and there are market access issues in certain states. “We have done enough hard work and there is now a bottom-up realism. We are extending from our distibution business and getting into film production as well. We are starting with one but are in alks with other directors as well. Our mandate is to have a slate of at least 2-3 films in a year’s time,” he said.

    Emphasising on the importance of a theatrical success, he said the Hollywood studios are realising that fast growth would come from the BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India and China) markets.

    Ernst & Young partner and head of media practice Farokh Balsara said the home video segment accounted for just 4 per cent of filmed entertainment revenues while in the US it was as high as 50 per cent. This sement could see increased activity as ventures capitalists have started to invest into new models of home video.