Alibaba Co-Founder Joe Tsai Backing Ink Factory Expansion in Asia (EXCLUSIVE)

Naman Ramachandran Samantha Ruth Prabhu, one of India’s top actors, has boarded the cast of feature film “Arrangements of Love.”The film is to be directed by BAFTA-winning Welsh director Philip John, whose credits include “Downton Abbey” and “The Good Karma Hospital.”The film is produced by Sunitha Tati’s Indian outfit Guru Films, whose “Oh! Baby,” the 2019 Telugu-language adaptation of 2014 Korean film “Miss Granny,” was a commercial success.

Naman Ramachandran Jan. 7, 2022, is a date looked forward to with feverish anticipation by both the Indian filmgoing public and the subcontinent’s film industry at large.

Naman Ramachandran Acclaimed Indian actor Adil Hussain (“Star Trek: Discovery,” “Life of Pi”) will headline “Blue: The Colour of Guilt,” one of the projects being introduced at the Film Bazaar virtual co-production market. It is to be directed by first-time feature director Nilakshi Sengupta.The India-U.K.

Naman Ramachandran Saif Ali Khan is a Bollywood A-lister known for heroic roles, but that hasn’t stopped him from playing against type in recent years.The star of Emmy-nominated Netflix series “Sacred Games” is constantly in motion, with a raft of varying roles coming up, starting with this week’s release of “Bunty Aur Babli 2.”Directed by feature debutant Varun V.

Naman Ramachandran Saurav Vishnu’s award-winning documentary short “Tailing Pond” is being expanded into a six-part documentary series with the involvement of “Sex and the City” actor Cynthia Nixon.Nixon narrated the documentary short, which investigates the horrifying effects of uranium extraction on the health of the indigenous population of Jadugora, Jharkhand in East India, where thousands of children are falling ill and dying from radioactive waste pollution.

Naman Ramachandran The first series from leading Indian studio Yash Raj Films’ streaming arm YRF Entertainment will be an as yet untitled investigative thriller, Variety has learned.Set in Bhopal, the capital of the central Indian state Madhya Pradesh, the series is budgeted at INR1 billion ($13.4 million) and will be a four-hero project, Variety understands.

Naman Ramachandran Leading Indian studio Yash Raj Films (YRF) is to enter India’s burgeoning streaming market, Variety has learned.YRF’s streaming business (alternatively know as over-the-top or OTT) will be called YRF Entertainment and is being set up with an initial investment of INR5 billion ($67.1 million) Variety understands.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefMagnet Releasing, the genre arm of Magnolia Pictures, has acquired North American rights to “Ip Man: Kung Fu Legend.” The film is a currently in-production sequel to “Ip Man: Kung Fu Master,” which Magnet previously released.“Ip Man: Kung Fu Legend” is written and directed by Li Liming and produced by Beijing-based Kai Pictures.

Naman Ramachandran Comic book characters Archie Andrews and his friends are set for an Indian film version on Netflix.

Jay-Z was back in a New York courtroom yesterday, though this time to listen to the closing arguments in his legal battle with perfume company Parlux, rather than spar with any lawyers working for the fragrance firm.Parlux partnered with the rapper to launch a perfume product called Gold Jay-Z back in 2013.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefThe decision to make a second season of Netflix global hit “Squid Game” is a sound one, according to analysis firm Media Partners Asia which finds that Korean and Thai content have the strongest cross-border travel potential within the Asia-Pacific region.The company’s “Netflix in the Asia Pacific: The Scalability of Local Content” report is based on passive measurement of 30,000 streaming consumers in Australia, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Philippines,

Cynthia Harris (1934–2021), actress known for “Mad About You”Deon Estus (1956–2021), bassist for Wham! and George MichaelRonnie Tutt (1938–2021), drummer for Elvis Presley, Jerry GarciaLizzie Bravo (1951–2021), Beatles fan who sang on “Across the Universe”Jerry Remy (1952–2021), Boston Red Sox All-Star and commentatorRay Fosse (1947–2021), Oakland Athletics and Cleveland Indians catcherChris Ayres (1965–2021), “Dragon Ball” voice actorJack Angel (1930–2021), voice actor in “Super Friends,”

Brent Lang Executive Editor of Film and MediaJet Media Network has closed a $2.5 million seed round of funding led by Los Angeles Media Fund. Other investors in the data-driven digital publishing company include 10X Capital, Gaingels, JetSynthesys, Spivy Private Capital and Equinox Systems.The investment comes as Jet Media Network is preparing to launch its first mobile app — a collaboration with former Brazil, Barcelona and AC Milan soccer star Ronaldinho.

Naman Ramachandran Ram Madhvani, creator of Emmy-nominated Disney Plus Hotstar series “Aarya” and director of upcoming Netflix original film “Dhamaka,” is now prepping series “The Waking of a Nation.”The series is set against the backdrop of an infamous event in Indian colonial history, the Jallianwala Bagh massacre, which took place on Apr. 13, 1919.

Naman Ramachandran Bollywood blockbuster “Sooryavanshi” will receive a wide international release across 1,300 screens and 66 countries on Nov.

EXCLUSIVE: Concourse Media has launched world sales rights during the virtual AFM on social impact drama-thriller On Sacred Ground, starring William Mapother, David Arquette, Amy Smart, Kerry Knuppe, Frances Fisher, Irene Bedard and Mariel Hemingway.

Joe Wicks has given a glimpse inside his sprawling Los Angeles home with an outdoor shower and chandeliers in the huge kitchen. The Body Coach, 36, who shares children Marley, one, and Indie, three, with model wife Rosie, has given a glimpse inside his two-bedroom Santa Monica 'dream' beach house to his 4.1million Instagram followers.

Lorraine Kelly took a cheeky swipe at CNN reporter Wolf Blitzer after he tweeted that he was reporting live from COP26 - in Edinburgh.

CLEVELAND -- Jay-Z's added another title to a resume that includes rapper, songwriter, Grammy winner, billionaire business mogul, and global icon — Hall of Famer.The self-proclaimed “greatest rapper alive” was inducted Saturday night as part of an eclectic 2021 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame class that included Foo Fighters, Carole King, Tina Turner, The Go-Gos and Todd Rundgren.Once a drug dealer on the tough streets of Brooklyn, New York, Jay-Z rose through the rap world with hard, straight-forward