Identity Crisis U.K.-India Sports Drama ‘A Game of Two Halves’ Sets Global Debut (EXCLUSIVE)

Naman Ramachandran Bollywood A-list actor Ayushmann Khurrana scored another major hit in 2023 with comedy sequel “Dream Girl 2.” But he is still happy to have achieved what he describes as “validation.” The film was one of several medium budget Hindi-language films that became box office successes, including “OMG 2,” “Mrs. Chatterjee vs Norway,” “Zara Hatke Zara Bachke,” “Satyaprem Ki Katha” and “12th Fail.” These effectively debunked the notion that only big budget spectacles like “Pathaan” or “Jawan” would work at the post-pandemic Bollywood box office, which had a poor 2022. “There was a conspiracy theory, maybe a year back, that Indian audiences [were] only looking for spectacles or larger-than-life films, but this year, a lot of films, which not really big budget but mid budget, did really well,” Khurrana told Variety.

Naman Ramachandran The teams behind upcoming sci-fi epic “Kalki 2898 AD,” hit Disney+ Hotstar series “Aarya” and prolific producer Siddharth Roy Kapur spoke with Variety on what has been an eventful 2023 for the Indian entertainment landscape. 2023, the first full year of business since the pandemic, saw Indian audiences return in droves to cinemas.

Disney has taken another big step toward realigning its India strategy. The company has signed a non-binding term sheet with Reliance Industries that would see the two merge their Indian operations, the completion of which would create one of India’s biggest entertainment empires. The news was first reported by The Economic Times.

Naman Ramachandran Amazon Prime Video India‘s streaming service has had a record 2023 with 22 series and three feature films commissioned, the most since it launched in 2016, and a high level of consumer engagement. India continues to top the charts when it comes to Prime member engagement with Prime Video, the service informs Variety. No other Prime territory has a higher percentage of Prime members watching Prime Video each month than India and Indian content trended in the top 10 on Prime Video worldwide for 47 of the last 52 weeks, securing 15% of the total top 10 slots.

Two Indian films Salaar Part 1 – Ceasefire and Dunki buoyed the North American box office on a relatively quiet holiday weekend as Searchlight Pictures’ All Of Us Strangers had a solid per-screen openings and Poor Things a nice expansion.

Prime Video India has unveiled Wedding.con, a true-crime docu-series about women who are deceived and betrayed in pursuit of love. Scroll down for a trailer for the show that launches next week.

EXCLUSIVE: Streamers are slowly coming around in supplying viewing results, especially when the news is good. Apple has some good news.  

Naman Ramachandran Leading Indian studio Yash Raj Films (YRF) has had a phenomenal 2023 with successes across theatrical films and streaming and is looking to build on it going forward. After an indifferent 2022 where the Hindi-language Bollywood film industry was shaded by the mighty south Indian business, the box office roared back in January 2023 with YRF’s “Pathaan,” starring Shah Rukh Khan. The success of “Pathaan” began a stellar box office year for Bollywood and the film was surpassed only by “Jawan,” also starring Khan and distributed internationally by YRF.

Nick Vivarelli International Correspondent Neha Dhupia (“A Thursday”) and Adil Hussain (“Life of Pi”) will star in Egyptian director Ali El Arabi‘s upcoming drama “Blue 52,” about a young Indian soccer fan’s journey as a migrant worker to the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. El Arabi’s “Blue 52” chronicles the true tale of a young man named Ashish, who is a fervent soccer fan.

Naman Ramachandran Raveena Tandon stars in “Karmma Calling,” the Indian adaptation of ABC series “Revenge.” Tandon plays Indrani Kothari, the reigning queen of society in Alibaug, a rich world of glitz, glamor, deceit and betrayal. “Revenge,” which aired from 2011-2015, was produced by ABC Signature, a part of Disney Television Studios, and earned star Madeleine Stowe a best actress nomination at the Golden Globes.

EXCLUSIVE: South Indian stars Adivi Sesh and Shruti Haasan will head the cast of an as-yet-untitled pan-Indian action drama that is being produced by leading Telugu production house Annapurna Studios. 

Naman Ramachandran Top Indian celebrity management firms Matrix IEC and Bling Entertainment are merging, bringing their roster of A-list talents under one roof. Matrix was founded by Reshma Shetty and Vivek Kamath. It represents popular actors including Abhishek Bachchan, Alia Bhatt, Dulquer Salmaan, Farhan Akhtar, Katrina Kaif, Madhuri Dixit Nene, Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Ram Charan, Shahid Kapoor, Varun Dhawan and Vicky Kaushal among others.

Naman Ramachandran Celebrity chef Asma Khan will host food documentary series “Tiffin Stories,” it was revealed at Singapore’s Asia TV Forum & Market. In the six-part “Tiffin Stories,” Asma Khan will be seen interacting with iconic Indians and the Indian diaspora, unearthing their nostalgia associated with food, while bringing to fore their life journeys. The series will be filmed in India and the U.K.

The third annual Red Sea Film Festival handed out its Yusr Awards on Thursday night, with Zarrar Kahn’s In Flames taking Best Feature and Farah Nabulsi’s The Teacher scoring a pair of wins including Best Actor for Saleh Bakri. See the full list below.

Naman Ramachandran The first image that the word ‘Bollywood’ conjures up is one of song and dance. And Netflix’s “The Archies” promises to be a prime example of that. “The Archies” is a 1960s-set feature film adaptation of the Archie comics, which are hugely popular on the Indian subcontinent.

Rafa Sales Ross Guest Contributor With a fast-growing box office expected to hit the billion-dollar mark by 2030 and rising numbers of streaming subscriptions, Saudi Arabia is at a key point in its journey into becoming a key global player when it comes to TV and film production. However, with a market that is only five years old — with Saudi lifting its 35-year ban on cinema in 2018 — local audiences are yet to flock to locally made content, which is still relatively scarce when it comes to the big screen.

Banijay Asia Unveils Leadership Team Following Endemol Acquisition

Naman Ramachandran Arlene Nelson will direct a documentary series on Indian Women’s Premier League cricket team U.P. Warriorz, it was revealed on the sidelines of the Asian TV Forum and Market (ATF). The men’s Indian Premier League (IPL) is one of the most lucrative properties in world sport.

Naman Ramachandran Sandeep Vanga Reddy’s blood-soaked Bollywood epic “Animal,” starring Ranbir Kapoor, emerged as the No. 1 film globally with $42.1 million, according to data published by ComScore. “Animal” released across 38 global territories.

A mystery pneumonia strain rampaging through China is now threatening the UK - with experts suggesting we could see another “Covid-like” pandemic.