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Indian film and television veteran Siddharth Roy Kapur points to increasingly polarized theatrical results and a period of strategic recalibration in streaming as key trends that shaped Indian entertainment in 2024, characterizing it as a “hiatus year” dominated by business-to-business developments rather than consumer-facing initiatives.

“People are getting much more particular about which films they will watch in a movie theater,” says Roy Kapur, founder of Roy Kapur Films and former Disney India head in his yearly analysis of the Indian entertainment business for Variety. “The habits that got reinforced through Covid have only accelerated in terms of people deciding to come out for very specific films in a year theatrically.”

Roy Kapur notes that while successful theatrical releases are performing better than pre-pandemic levels, films that don’t generate strong word-of-mouth are underperforming compared to previous years. This polarization was amplified by fewer theatrical releases in 2024, which he attributes partially...

The persisting socioeconomic and political issues in India, which have plagued the country since independence, have ended up creating a breeding ground for conmen, religion peddlers, and embezzlers—basically people who rampantly exploit the existing greed of the poverty-stricken majority of the populace. Director Karuna Kumar’s Telugu period action drama, Matka, based on the real-life exploits of ‘Matka King,’ notorious gambler Ratan Khetri, chronicles the story of such a man who used his wits and guile to cripple the nation’s economy in such a way that the lingering effects of it are prevalent to this day. However, the narrative refuses to adopt a more serious approach to the gravity of the situation and provides a typical action masala movie treatment instead—much like a plethora of similar Indian mass action movies have been made glorifying, at times justifying, the despicable actions of criminal minds by sugarcoating them as...

Indian actor Vijay Varma is having a moment. With lead roles in several high-profile streaming projects this year, including the hijacking drama “Ic 814: The Kandahar Hijack” for Netflix, Prime Video’s “Mirzapur” and Disney+ Hotstar’s “Murder Mubarak,” Varma has cemented his position as one of India’s most in-demand performers.

The actor recently wrapped filming on Vibhu Puri’s “Ul Jalool Ishq,” a poetic drama co-starring Naseeruddin Shah about an Urdu letterpress owner searching for a reclusive poet. “It’s a beautiful, intimate story between one person who runs a barely surviving Urdu [press] and he wants to desperately hold on to this letterpress, but nothing is getting printed anymore in Urdu,” Varma tells Variety.

He’s currently shooting “Matka King,” a Prime Video original series set in the 1960s and 70s, directed by Nagraj Manjule. “It’s the rise of a very interesting business, at the same time,...

Shalin Bhanot Swarmed By Scorpions, Vijay Verma Shoots Matka King – Top Trending News ( Photo Credit – Instagram )

Find out what’s buzzing today in the world of entertainment! On the film front, actor Vijay Verma began filming for the crime thriller series “Matka King,” while sci-fi epic Kalki 2898 Ad boasts a major boost with the involvement of the VFX team behind Iron Man. Reality TV took a dramatic turn as Shalin Bhanot reportedly endured a painful encounter with over 200 scorpions while filming Khatron Ke Khiladi.

Meanwhile, actors Kartik Aaryan and Sanjay Gandhi offered contrasting experiences in the industry. Aaryan opened up about his past financial struggles, while Gandhi expressed frustration about his unclear role in the Bengali serial “Jhanak.”

Scroll down to read the complete news wrap! Shalin Bhanot Swarmed by Scorpions on Khatron Ke Khiladi!

Ouch! In a shocking incident during the filming of Khatron Ke Khiladi season 14, contestant...

Second Coming

Distributor, Gkids is celebrating the 20th anniversary of the award-winning Japanese anime classic, “Ghost In The Shell 2: Innocence,” in a new 4K restoration. It will be available in theaters across North America for three nights only from June 23-26.

Directed by Oshii Mamoru, “Ghost In The Shell 2: Innocence,” is a cyberpunk crime drama based on the manga “Ghost in the Shell” created by Masamune Shirow.

Imagined as a standalone return to the world of Ghost in the Shell, the story is centered on the character Batou from the original film. Featuring visuals that demanded five years in production, “Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence” debuted in competition at the 2004 Cannes Film Festival, thus becoming the first and only anime in history to compete for the Palme d’Or.

Grand Ambitions

Media industry veteran Francis Coady is launching Grand Pacific Entertainment, a new Australia-based venture aiming to develop and fund scripted drama,...

picture credit – google

Amazon Prime Video recently unveiled the poster for Vijay Varma’s upcoming project, “Matka King.” The poster was shared with the caption, “ready to place our bet! #MatkaKingOnPrime soon but filming now .”

In the poster, Vijay Varma is seen wearing a white shirt with a joker frame around him, hinting at the gambling theme of the series. The makers have announced that filming is currently underway.

Mirzapur S3 Teaser: Pankaj Tripathi and Ali Fazal are back with lot of action and drama

“Matka King” was part of the slate of series announced earlier by Amazon Prime Video. The series follows the story of an enterprising cotton trader in Mumbai who starts a new gambling game called Matka. This game quickly takes the city by storm, democratizing a realm previously reserved for the rich and elite.

After the success of “Dahaad,” Vijay Varma will once again be seen...