‘RRR,’ ‘K.G.F 2,’ ‘Ponniyin Selvan: 1,’ ‘Kantara’ Drive South Indian Media and Entertainment Industry to Record $3.5 Billion Revenues, Report Reveals

May is Asian Heritage Month, and to commemorate the occasion we’ve gathered five quotes from Priyanka Chopra, in which the “Citadel” star shares her insights on making her mark on Hollywood as a South Asian woman.

Naman Ramachandran Indian studio Excel Entertainment has promoted business head Vishal Ramchandani to the newly created position of CEO. An MBA by qualification, Ramchandani joined Excel in 2008, in the marketing division. In 2013, he was entrusted with the duties of heading the division, where he spearheaded award-winning marketing campaigns for films such as “Fukrey,” “Baar Baar Dekho,” “Gold” and “Gully Boy.” In 2018, Ramchandani was elevated to the position of business head. In this role, he played a pivotal role in transforming Excel Entertainment from a creative production house to a studio that self-funds, markets and distributes its films. Under his leadership, the company’s distribution business diversified with the K.G.F. franchise, which became a nationwide blockbuster. He was also instrumental in Excel expanding into different verticals such as a talent division and co-production deals, as well as facilitating new media ventures.

Zendaya and Tom Holland have taken their romantic travels back to the Bay Area for some date night fun in San Francisco. On Thursday, the couple checked out Game 2 of the Western Conference Semifinals, watching the Golden State Warriors defeat the Los Angeles Lakers 127-100.The stars kept it casual for their date night, with the Oakland native sporting a white shirt, black cap and gold-rimmed glasses.

Shalini Dore Features News Editor When last we saw the title character of Mani Ratnam’s epic “Ponniyin Selvan” saga, the real-life prince who would expand the Chola empire from South India all the way to the Ganges in the north was drowning as he crossed from Lanka to India. Instead of picking up at that cliffhanger, the action-packed second installment rewinds a few decades to focus on different characters, before circling back to reveal the fate of Jayam Ravi’s title character, also known as Arunmozhi Varman. “Ponniyin Selvan: Part Two” starts by filling in the backstory of how Arunmozhi’s older brother, Crown Prince Aditha Karikalan (Vikram), fell for Nandini (Aishwariya Rai Bachchan), an orphaned girl living with a priest family at the local temple. The royal family disapproved of him marrying a girl whose antecedents weren’t known, and so she was chased off. The story then picks up to when reports reach town that the younger prince has drowned.

Naman Ramachandran The Indian media and entertainment industry grew 20% to reach INR2.1 trillion ($26 billion) in 2022, 10% above pre-pandemic 2019, according to the annual EY report released during the ongoing Frames conference in Mumbai, organized by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry. The report collates data from television, digital media, film, animation and VFX, out of home media, live events, music, radio, online gaming and print. Overall, the M&E sector is projected to grow 12% to reach $28.6 billion in 2023, the report says. While television remained the single largest component of the M&E sector in 2022 with a valuation of $8.6 billion, it shrank 1.5% from 2021 levels, despite advertising revenues growing 2% to reach levels just behind 2019. The reason for the shrinkage is that subscription revenue continued to fall for the third year in a row, reducing 4% due to a reduction of five million pay-TV homes and stagnant average revenues per user. Linear TV viewership declined 7% over 2021. Television is projected to grow slightly to $8.8 billion this year.

Naman Ramachandran Veteran Indian actor Anupam Kher (“New Amsterdam,” “Silver Linings Playbook”) will headline made-for-streaming film “Vijay 69” from leading Indian studio Yash Raj Films’ streaming production arm YRF Entertainment. “Vijay 69” will tell the story of a man, played by Kher, who decides to compete in a triathlon contest at the age of 69. It will be directed by Akshay Roy, who has previously directed “Meri Pyaari Bindu” for Yash Raj Films and who previously worked as an assistant director on Mira Nair’s “The Namesake,” Aamir Khan’s “Taare Zameen Par” and Deepa Mehta’s “Water.” It is being produced by Maneesh Sharma, who previously directed “Band Baaja Baaraat” and produced “Dum Laga Ke Haisha” and “Sui Dhaaga: Made In India,” all for Yash Raj Films. Sharma is currently directing “Tiger 3,” the next film in Yash Raj Films’ spy universe, starring Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif.

Naman Ramachandran Indian media and entertainment company IN10 Media Network has launched its film division, MovieVerse Studios. The film studio aims to “produce fresh and engaging content in Hindi and regional languages that connect with theatre-going audiences and those on streaming platforms,” the studio said in a statement. The studio has revealed a diverse slate across genres. These include an action survival rescue drama based on a true story in partnership with Bake My Cake Films, helmed by Sandeep Leyzell and Shobhna Yadav, which has hit films like “Batla House,” “Dasvi” and the upcoming “Tehran” to its credit. It will be directed by Umang Vyas (“Ventilator,” “Dear Father”).

, and by all accounts, this year's (confidential) guest list is primed to be the most star-studded one yet. All the information you want to know about fashion's biggest night—including how and when to watch—is below, and I'll be there to bring you all the looks and via Glamour's .Speaking of fashion and spectacle, this week finally brings the premiere of the Bridgerton prequel, Queen Charlotte, which for over a year.

Zendaya and Tom Holland shared a rare moment of PDA and fun this week! The couple attended Usher's Las Vegas residency show, jamming out to the 44-year-old performer's hits in the audience at The Colosseum.Zendaya documented part of the fun on her Instagram Stories, singing along to «Confessions Part II,» as she panned the camera over to Holland and then to some other friends.For the outing, Zendaya wore a tan halter dress, hoop earrings and oversized glasses. Holland, 26, rocked a green hoodie.Fans also filmed the couple hugging one another in the stands as they enjoyed the show.A post shared by tomdayaahub (@tomdayaahub)A post shared by ♡ Happy and in Love very ♡ (@lovefortomdayax_)The jet-setting pair have been traveling all over the world together, spending time in London, England, Mumbai, India, New York City, andParis, France, in recent months.Zendaya was in Vegas for the CinemaCon Big Screen Achievement Awards, which she attended on Thursday.

Naman Ramachandran Indian streamer Sony LIV and production house Applause Entertainment have extended their existing partnership with two new series and renewals for four more. Among the new series, “36 Days,” produced in association with BBC Studios India is a suspense thriller, directed by Vishal Furia, featuring an ensemble cast including Neha Sharma, Purab Kohli, Shruti Seth, Chandan Roy Sanyal, Amruta Khanvilkar, Sharib Hashmi, Shernaz Patel, Faishal Rashid, Chahat Vig and Kenneth Desai. “Kafas” (“Cage”) is a social drama series starring Sharman Joshi, Mona Singh, Vivan Bhathena, Preeti Jhangiani and Mikail Gandhi in lead roles and directed by Sahil Sangha.

Naman Ramachandran A galaxy of senior Indian content creators shared their insights on burning topics dominating the local landscape. They were speaking at at Indiantelevision.com’s annual industry event, The Content Hub, in Mumbai on Tuesday. At the Content Creation: No More Formulas panel, Shobha Sant, head of content alliances at Jio Studios, broke down the process behind the selection of its 100-title slate. Sant said that the selection was the result of five years of very a definite plan in terms of understanding audience segmentation and what people are watching.

The countdown is on for King Charles' Coronation at Westminster Abbey on May 6 and it's no wonder that many want to be there to witness the historic event.

Naman Ramachandran The rights of three songs from iconic 1959 Rodgers and Hammerstein musical “The Sound of Music” have been acquired by Indian film “Music School.” The musical was adapted as a 1965 film by Robert Wise, starring Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer, which went on to win five Oscars and also had two live television adaptations – on NBC in 2013 and ITV in 2015. “Music School” is directed by Indian civil service officer-turned filmmaker Paparao Biyyala, who has obtained the rights for three songs from “The Sound of Music” – “Do Re Mi,” “So Long Farewell” and “Sixteen Going on Seventeen.” Veteran Indian composer Ilaiyaraaja has recreated the songs along with the London Philharmonic Orchestra to suit the sensibilities of an Indian audience.

Prince William and Kate Middleton showed their desire to be “very accessible by the public” during their latest royal engagement, a body language expert said. The Prince and Princess of Wales enjoyed a fun-filled day in Birmingham on Thursday, as they played darts and tried their hands at making Indian street food.

Naman Ramachandran The cream of the southern Indian film industry was present in force at the just concluded Dakshin South India Media and Entertainment Summit in Chennai. Organized by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), southern region, the event kicked off with recent south Indian Oscar winners, Kartiki Gonsalves, director of winning documentary short “The Elephant Whisperers” and Prem Rakshit, choreographer of winning original song “Naatu Naatu” from “RRR” being felicitated. The stage was then set for a heavyweight filmmakers panel moderated by former Variety correspondent Anupama Chopra, with Mani Ratnam, director of Tamil-language blockbuster “Ponniyin Selvan: 1”; Vetrimaaran, whose acclaimed Tamil-language “Viduthalai Part 1” is currently on release; Rishab Shetty, star and director of Kannada-language smash hit “Kantara”; and Basil Joseph, director of Malayalam-language Netflix superhero film “Minnal Murali” participating.

The Prince and Princess of Wales enjoyed a fun-filled day in Birmingham on Thursday, as they played darts and tried their hands at making Indian street food. Kate, 41, and Prince William, 40, visited the city in the Midlands to celebrate its diverse culture by meeting future leaders in the arts and creative industries on 20 April. This Morning host Alison Hammond, who hails from Birmingham, excitedly met the Royal couple as they attended an event at The Rectory - a dynamic venue overlooking the city’s historic Jewellery Quarter.

Naman Ramachandran BAFTA-winning “The Last King of Scotland” writer Jeremy Brock will adapt independent studio Wiip and India’s Roy Kapur Films’ series based on the book “The Anarchy: The Relentless Rise of the East India Company” by author and historian William Dalrymple. “The Anarchy” will be mounted as an international co-production between Wiip and Roy Kapur Films to be produced across the U.S., U.K. and India. The book tells the story of how one of the world’s most magnificent empires, the Mughal empire, disintegrated and came to be replaced by the British East India Company – a dangerously unregulated private company based thousands of miles away in a small London office just five windows wide.

The Queen’s bridesmaid Lady Pamela Hicks has not been invited to King Charles's coronation, her daughter India Hicks has said. In a post on Instagram, the designer and former fashion model revealed that Buckingham Palace had told her mother that she would not be invited to the coronation due to their decision to slim down the guest list. She said that the Palace rang her mother to give her the news.

Netflix Orders Season 2 Of ‘Rana Naidu’

Naman Ramachandran “Rana Naidu,” the Indian adaptation of “Ray Donovan,” has been renewed for a second season by Netflix. The news emerged the same day that Netflix announced a 1.75 million jump in subscriptions worldwide. The action thriller that stars Venkatesh Daggubati and Rana Daggubati trended on the No.1 spot as the most watched series in India for three consecutive weeks after launch last month and continues to be in the top 10 series in India for the fifth week in a row. It trended in Netflix’s global top 10 for non-English TV for two weeks after it launched on March 10.