<img class="gwt-Image" src="/photo/50772432.cms" /> <keyword id="143" type="CITY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Bollywood">Bollywood</keyword> heartthrob <keyword id="114453" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Arjun-Kapoor">Arjun Kapoor</keyword>, who would soon be seen hosting the next series of adventure based reality show Khatron Ke Khiladi, has confirmed that he is busy preparing for his role of a Bihari guy Madhav in his next movie <keyword id="2459041" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Half-Girlfriend">Half Girlfriend</keyword>, based on the novel of the same name, written by <keyword id="6390428" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Chetan-Bhagat">Chetan Bhagat</keyword>. 
 The movie would be directed by <keyword id="23758" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="mohit-suri">Mohit Suri</keyword>, who had last directed Hamari Adhuri Kahaani, and is the first movie to be produced by Chetan Bhagat. He would be producing the movie along with Ekta Kapoor, the czarina of Indian television and creative director of Balaji Telefilms. The movie would also see Shraddha Kapoor as Riya, the female lead. 
 
Before Arjun Kapoor was cast for the role, Sushant Singh Rajpoot was selected to play the role; however, he had to opt out of it since the dates were clashing with Dinesh Vijan’s untitled movie that Rajpoot had signed before Half Girlfriend. 
 
The movie would most probably be shot in Bihar, Delhi and New York, three cities that Madhav Jha, the protagonist travels to. The story is about a boy who hails from Bihar and finds it difficult to secure admission in a prestigious college in Delhi University. Securing admission from the sports quota, he falls in love with Riya, an upper class English-speaking girl, who later becomes his half-girlfriend and teaches him English. 
 
For preparing for his character, Kapoor would be seen donning the mannerisms and accent of a guy from Bihar. Maybe this is why he has said that he would need two and a half months for the role before he starts shooting.

Arjun Kapoor all set to portray Half Girlfriend’s Madhav
Jha

<ul><li>All shaving ads include a petite woman taking a bath in a tub full of bubbles, grabbing a razor in hand to shave her hairless legs and flawless hands.</li><li>We speak to women from the advertising and digital world to understand why brands hesitate from showing body hair in advertisements and what kind of ads they wish to see as we move forward.</li><li>We also discuss Veet’s latest ad starring Shraddha Kapoor and Ahsaas Channa that targets school girls and claims to offer a ‘skin whitening’ mechanism in its cream.</li></ul>“I vividly remember asking my mother after our send-off in high school, "Why am I so hairy?" ⁣I had draped a beautiful sari that day, as the tradition goes. I felt pretty and confident until I saw the other girls in my class had waxed their arms. It made me feel a little uncomfortable,” shared Yugandhara Shinde, a 24-year-old graphic designer, as she tried to recall the first time she felt uncomfortable with her natural body. While Shinde blames social conditioning, unsolicited judgements from people and societal beauty standards for making her uncomfortable about her body hair until today, these standards have been perpetuated through advertising and media that expect women to be hairless all the time. Thin and fair-skinned models in ads across the world have made women like me feel uncomfortable with my body. We look in the mirror only to notice our flaws, turn to beauty products to fix ourselves and hide our body hair. Advertisements have been profiting from these vulnerabilities and feeding on our insecurities. They portray women achieving happiness and success after hair removal. <div type="image" title="Shaving" msid="82165665" hostid="261"></div> All shaving ads include a petite woman taking a bath in a tub full of bubbles, running a razor through their already shaven and almost flawless hands and legs. For example, look at the petite, fair-skinned and hairless women in Gillette Venus’ ads over the years. <div type="image" title="venus collage" msid="82165673" hostid="261"></div> Chances are, you will need a microscope to find a single strand of unwanted hair on their bodies, forget a hint of stubble! While it is absolutely okay to shave your bodies, this article is about those who choose not to. You would feel a penetrating gaze, full of judgement, coming from people around if you decide to just sport your body hair one day. We have spent years hiding our body hair under long sleeves and jeans or shaving every strand off our armpits before anyone else catches a glance. "Hww, log kya kahenge," has haunted us for years. While half this blame goes to our biased society, the rest is on unreal ads and cinema that have made us feel like less of a woman if we choose not to shave. Last week, we happened to stumble upon Hair Removal brand Veet’s advertisement starring actor Shraddha Kapoor and Digital Creator Ahsaas Channa. It is about a young school girl, played by Channa, feeling anxious about going to a salon because well, we all know how uncomfortable that is. She is wearing a full-sleeved uniform to hide her body hair. Kapoor comes to ‘her rescue’ and offers her Veet’s shaving cream. Much to our surprise (but frankly, not so much), she shaves her already-shaved armpits and hands. As per the brand’s ad, the product also gives you smoother and visibly ‘brighter’ underarms. <div type="Youtube" id="p8AeyIGEuVo" title="Veet Hair Removal Cream- Mini Pack |Shraddha Kapoor | Hinglish : 30 sec" thumbUrl="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/p8AeyIGEuVo/mqdefault.jpg"></div> Veet isn’t the first brand to sell us underarm lightening cream. There’s Dot &amp; Key, Sanfe, Nimaya and <a href="https://youtu.be/RP7SkFUCcLc">Venus</a> that help you ‘glow.’ According to ResearchAndMarkets, the Indian female grooming market stood at $152 million in 2018 and is projected to grow at a CAGR of over 26% to surpass $623 million by 2024. We reached out to Dr Tanaya Narendra, Doctor and Content Creator, aka Dr Cuterus to find out if hair removing creams can brighten your armpits. She said, “Unless the hair removal cream contains bleach, I wouldn't imagine it would be possible to actually lighten the skin. Even then, the effect would be temporary. Actually putting clinically effective skin lightening formulations in their OTC cream would not be permitted, so this is a blatant lie. It also feeds into the larger message of ‘lighter skin is better skin’, which, I do not need to point, is based on our colonial past and its associated hangups.” Elaborating on how having darker skin parts is completely normal, Dr Cuterus added, “We continue to idealise Eurocentric beauty standards, in people of non-European descent. It is perfectly normal for the skin of our genitals, underarms, and skin folds to be darker than the rest of our body. It's the result of hormones, constant friction, and our genetic skin type. Companies like Veet, Nimaya, Dot &amp; Key, Sanfe, etc capitalise on this insecurity and sell expensive skin lightening serums, which obviously don't work (as they don't contain any clinically effective ingredients), leading to more insecurity, and more sales for the companies.” While we are used to seeing hairless bodies on the big screen by now, Veet’s latest ad targets school girls this time. It is reaching out to young, impressionable minds, suggesting that you cannot go to a party unless you shave your body. Telling us how the ad made her feel, Akshara Vasavda, Creative Lead, Schbang, shared, “It makes me feel like we're devolving instead of evolving. It's like Indian advertising is still stuck in the past while the rest of the world is moving on. It's a bad ad, to begin with, even just creatively speaking, and on top of that, they've taken the most overused, mind-numbing route to showcase their product. 'Ghisa Pita' is the word we use in Hindi. That's this ad.” She also pointed out that we need more representation in our ads to help women accept their bodies, and even its darker areas. “In Veet's ad, we have a young student probably in high school who is more worried about waxing than whatever is going on in school? Because that's the only thing girls care about, of course. Then we have Shraddha Kapoor entering the picture, looking like she just stepped off a red carpet. Have SOME aspect of realism to your ads at least? And then there's the whole issue of colourism that these brands constanty reinforce. Most girls do not have smooth, even-toned underarms. Brown skins are bound to be pigmented and the entertainment industry is 100% responsible for making millions of girls conscious about their dark underarms. I think most of us spent our entire lives trying various methods to fight pigmentation and ingrown hair. We need more skin colours in these ads. We need pigmented underarms without the false promise of 'whitening' them because a) our skins simply do not work that way b) it's entirely unnecessary. These brands need to be held accountable for misinformation in my opinion,” added Vasavda. Sharing how DIY has become the need of the hour due the lockdown, Ashwini Deshpande, Co-founder &amp; Director, Elephant Design, said, “Selfcare &amp; DIY grooming products is absolutely the need of the hour. Hair removers, hair colours, pedicure kits, facial kits etc are here to stay. Grooming is also gaining popularity irrespective of gender. Boys seem equally concerned about their look as girls. I do not see all advertisements of grooming products as gender misappropriation issues. It is mostly about turning out well and feeling good/ confident about oneself. However, the didi giving a solution to the younger sibling in the latest VEET commercial is quite the beaten path. I don't believe GenZ is looking for advice from millennials. So the story just wasn't convincing for me.” Alpa Dedhia, Business Director, VMLY&amp;R India said, “The larger issue here is pushing younger girls to focus on these set beauty norms like she should look a certain way, act a certain way, dress a certain way. I also believe putting pressure on teens on how they should look or be a certain way impacts the overall confidence of young girls. No girl should have to worry about the way she looks. Brands should be taking the baton and training these minds to think beyond superficial beauty norms. Campaigns like #likeagirl have done a similar job in a great way.” <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="So, what should the brands do?" text="So, what should the brands do?">So, what should the brands do?</cmsannotation> While some people feel empowered by shaving or waxing their bodies, it is their choice to shave or not to shave. However, it is often considered that body hair is ‘unhygienic’, when it is in fact a natural gift and meant to protect us from bacteria. We also asked ad women and Content Creator Dr Cutreus about the kind of ads they wish to see now. “What I would like to be discussed more is how having body hair is not unhygienic, and this is a personal choice. I understand that this is difficult, as having such a disclaimer in ads would be weird. That said, it would be incredible to see more representation about body hair from more mainstream celebrities, rather than "radical" Instagram influencers. Another welcome change would be to see some actual body hair being removed in these ads. I mean, they're marketing a product whose efficacy has a giant question mark on it as we cannot see any body hair on these people anyway! They shave hairless legs! If we can have ads that show a man with a five o'clock shadow, and a fancy animation showing the blades slicing away his facial hair, why can't we see that with a woman's underarm hair,” asked Dr Tanaya. Dedhia said, “All hair removing brands have focused on the same messaging.. ‘Set yourself free from unwanted hair,’ ‘hairless arms will make you more attractive, beautiful and more feminine.' I want to see ads that are progressive in their thinking and approach. Instead of saying that you will miss out on all the fun if you don’t do this or that, maybe we could focus on hygiene?” Vasavda said, “When it comes to the target audience of these brands, the majority of women should not have an issue with slightly more realistic depiction of hair removal, even if we don't go all out like some international ads. And like I said earlier, there is zero excuse for these brands to continue propagating such harmful beauty standards. This is one issue that is completely in the hands of the media, and if they are still making such regressive content, it's because they want to. They want to maintain a certain aesthetic for their brand imagery because of personal biases, and that's it. Hair removal is a basic need. No one's going to stop buying their products. If I need to shave, I'm going to buy a razor and it's probably going to be Gillette because they own the market share and my chemist only stocks that up. They don't have the pressure of fighting for market share at this point, so what's stopping them? Nothing but the mindset of people running these brands on the client side.”

Leg hair, don’t care: Why showing women’s body hair in Indian ads is long overdue

<ul><li>In 2016, <keyword id="7645" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="sanjay-dutt" source="Orion">Sanjay Dutt</keyword> advised <keyword id="6357861" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="ranbir-kapoor" source="Orion">Ranbir Kapoor</keyword> to “act in macho films” and not do “softie” rom-com roles as he did in Barfi. </li><li>Ranbir Kapoor’s last film, Brahmastra, raked in the collections — but failed to impress the critics or alter his rom-com hero image. </li><li>Kapoor currently has two upcoming releases, the <keyword id="24069" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="romantic-comedy" source="Orion">romantic comedy</keyword> <keyword id="15782428" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="tu-jhoothi-main-makkaar" source="Orion">Tu Jhoothi Main Makkaar</keyword> and the action drama Animal.</li></ul>Ranbir Kapoor-starrer romantic comedy Barfi! released in 2012 but it was only in 2016 that actor Sanjay Dutt, who Kapoor would go on to play in the 2018 biopic Sanju, saw the film. Kapoor played a kind-hearted but crafty deaf-mute hero in Barfi!, leaving both critics and the audience impressed. But not Dutt, who advised the young actor at a party not to do ‘softie’ roles, and instead, be ‘a macho man’. “Act in macho films. You can’t be doing films like Barfi! You should be holding guns and doing action films. Do you think actors like me, Salman and Ajay would have been around for so many years if we had not played macho characters on screen? You have no connect with the masses and that is very important,” said Dutt, as per a <a href="https://www.dnaindia.com/entertainment/report-be-a-macho-man-sanjay-dutt-s-advice-to-ranbir-kapoor-2278180">report by DNA</a>. If we take Box Office reports as the yardstick of success, Dutt’s advice is on point. At present, more than rom-com (which Bollywood has exploited to the point of saturation), socially-relevant topics, biopics, patriotism and action resonate with the masses. From the macho cops of Dabangg, Singham, etc. to the elaborate fight sequences of RRR to one-man-army fights in KGF or Pushpa – originally popularised in the 80s by the ‘angry young man’ Amitabh Bachchan – action clearly sells. Even the original king of romance, Shah Rukh Khan has taken to action movies now! Case in point – his latest film Pathaan, which broke multiple Box Office records. In fact, as revealed in the Netflix documentary series The Romantics, Khan was reluctant to play a romantic hero in the first place. But Kapoor appears to still be chasing rom-coms. If that’s his attempt at challenging the Bollywood stereotype, he could have perhaps taken a more novel approach than sticking to the formulaic character tropes as showcased in the trailer of his upcoming film, Tu Jhoothi Main Makkaar. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="The star kid who once took the road less taken" comment="subhead2" text="The star kid who once took the road less taken">The star kid who once took the road less taken</cmsannotation> Since Kapoor’s flimsy-towel debut in Saawariya in 2007, he’s starred in a leading role in 20 films — many of them were critically acclaimed, but only half of them could be declared as Box Office (BO) hits. In the beginning, Kapoor delivered a range that was rare for most newcomers, especially star kids — as the romantic hero of Ayan Mukerji’s Wake Up Sid (2009) where he lent gravitas to the role; and as a lovable goofball in Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani (2009) he showed a natural aptitude for comedy, a genre oft described as the most difficult to excel. In the same year, he also appeared as the millennial with a moral code in Rocket Singh: Salesman of the Year — a critically-acclaimed film whose BO failure left the <a href="https://www.pinkvilla.com/entertainment/news/ranbir-kapoor-reveals-rocket-singh-broke-his-heart-opens-about-his-shah-rukh-khan-kind-acting-1153293">star ‘heartbroken’.</a> The year 2009 proved Kapoor had the kind of range that his parents, uncles, sisters, and majority of the Kapoor clan was famous for. Here was a star kid who benefited from nepotism but certainly deserved to be in front of the camera — a claim that was proven absolutely true with a career-defining performance in Raajneeti (2010). In a film starring industry veterans like Nana Patekar, Kapoor held his own — letting his eyes speak volumes, searing himself in your memory. “The key performance comes from Ranbir Kapoor (the son of Bollywood star Rishi Kapoor) as Samar Pratap…The slim, bespectacled Kapoor displays ruthless intensity in his role, and his performance is a highlight of the film,” <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/raajneeti-film-review-29704/">stated</a> The Hollywood Reporter in its review. While his career started with novel experiments, it swayed into a genre once dominated by his father Rishi Kapoor — romance. Kapoor enjoyed a slew of critical and commercial hits in the genre — Rockstar in 2011, Barfi! in 2012, and Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani (YJHD) in 2013 that placed him well ahead of the curve from his contemporaries like Imran Khan. But most, if not all his romantic avatars appeared to be drawn from the same template — the lost, young man. And the genre that once launched him into stardom started failing him. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="A string of failures across action, comedy, and romance" comment="subhead2" text="A string of failures across action, comedy, and romance">A string of failures across action, comedy, and romance</cmsannotation> Often hailed for his acting chops, Kapoor was never an out-an-out action hero, wielding guns and breaking bones. But he wasn’t securing hits elsewhere either — Jagga Jasoos didn’t find an audience and Tamasha was a slow burner. It acquired a cult status long after its Box Office run was over. And Ae Dil Hai Mushkil would have benefitted more from releasing as a music album, than a film. During this time, Kapoor’s real-life romances–actual and rumoured—caught more attention from the media than his movies. As he quipped during an appearance on the chat show Koffee With Karan, Ibiza should pay him for promoting tourism. He was referring to being secretly photographed by the paparazzi with his then-girlfriend, actor Katrina Kaif, on a beach. Success ultimately came with Sanju in 2018. Kapoor played the titular character in the biopic on the life of actor Sanjay Dutt, directed by Rajkumar Hirani. Even though the whitewashed storyline let down the film, Kapoor’s performance and transformation were the talk of the town. While Indian film critic Saibal Chatterjee remarked that Kapoor “dazzled as Sanjay Dutt”, The Guardian stated, “Kapoor proves (to be) a lightweight film’s strongest suit”. Unfortunately, the hype created by Sanju well and truly died by the time Kapoor returned to the silver screen — four years later in 2022, with Brahamastra and Shamshera. Though the former raked in the collections, Kapoor’s innate magic seemed to be missing. The latter was better performed, but the muddled, slow-paced storytelling didn’t sit well with the audience. None could alter his image of a romantic hero. Perhaps Kapoor wasn’t meant for action, as advised by Dutt. Certainly, the few earlier glimpses that he provided with Besharam (2013) and Bombay Velvet (2015) left the audiences and critics unimpressed. For his upcoming films now, the actor has joined hands with directors known for delivering commercial hits —Tu Jhoothi Main Makkaar by Luv Ranjan and Animal by Sandeep Reddy Vanga. The former belongs to the genre that has failed Kapoor in the recent past, and the latter is an action drama, where Kapoor is yet to deliver a hit. Only time will tell if this approach will give a much-needed boost to the 40-year-old star kid’s career, or drag him into the list of ‘has-beens’. SEE ALSO: <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/entertainment/news/imdb-shares-top-rated-indian-films-nominated-for-oscars/slidelist/98470341.cms">Two-decade-old Lagaan outscores RRR amongst Oscar-nominated Indian movies on IMDb</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/from-cleanest-to-the-best-airports-at-arrivals-here-are-awards-won-by-indian-airports/slidelist/98473853.cms">From cleanest to the best airports at arrivals, here are awards won by Indian airports</a>

In an industry where action sells, Ranbir Kapoor continues to chase romance on-screen

<img class="gwt-Image" src="/photo/50465274.cms" /> Last year, we saw <keyword id="6355887" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Shahid-Kapoor">Shahid Kapoor</keyword> and Alia Bhatt coming together for the first time, for Shaandaar. Even though the movie tanked, their pairing was praised by fans and critics alike. Similarly, Varun Dhawan and <keyword id="89958" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Shraddha-Kapoor">Shraddha Kapoor</keyword> danced their way into a million of hearts with ABCD 2 and <keyword id="6354583" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Salman-Khan">Salman Khan</keyword> and <keyword id="710" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Sonam-Kapoor">Sonam Kapoor</keyword> managed to look adorable in Prem Ratan Dhan Paayo despite the visible age gap between the two. 
 This year, however, has more to offer than one can imagine. There are a lot of movies that would be shot with fresh pairings of new-age <keyword id="143" type="CITY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Bollywood">Bollywood</keyword> stars, who would spice up things with their hopefully affable chemistry. 
 
Here are the jodis that would rock Bollywood in the first six months of 2016. 
 
<a href="http://www.howhd.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/kaifkapoorfitoor.jpg">Image source</a>

These are some fresh romantic pairings that Bollywood would give us in the first half of 2016

<img class="gwt-Image" src="/photo/34077450.cms" /> <keyword id="143" type="CITY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Bollywood">Bollywood</keyword> has finally come up with a fun-filled, breezy rom-com that features the Gen Y with a genuine frankness and without the traditional trappings of a boy-meets-girl story. But this time, the man is from the North, the woman is from the South and the cultural clashes, strongly upheld by the two pairs of in-laws, nearly ruin the relationship. Inspired by <keyword id="6390428" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Chetan-Bhagat">Chetan Bhagat</keyword>’s best-selling novel, <keyword id="694041" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="2-States-The-Story-of-My-Marriage">2 States: The Story of My Marriage</keyword>, the Arjun Kapoor-Alia Bhatt-starrer <keyword id="72970" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="2-States">2 States</keyword> sparkles on-screen (at least during the first half) and has made a big bang at the <keyword id="827271" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Domestic-Box-Office">domestic box office</keyword>, collecting around Rs 38 crore nett over its debut weekend. The first Monday (Day 4, April 21) did not disappoint either and earnings stood at around Rs 6 crore, as per Koimoi. Total <keyword id="1996079" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Overseas-collections">overseas collections</keyword> during the first weekend amounted to an estimated Rs 13.66 crore. 
 
“2 States has a FANTABULOUS weekend. Friday Rs 12.42 crore, Saturday 12.13 crore, Sunday 13.51 crore. Total: Rs 38.06 crore nett. SUPER HIT,” tweeted trade analyst Taran Adarsh. According to <keyword id="255727" type="COMPANY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Box-Office-India">Box Office India</keyword>, the film has emerged as the biggest hit of 2014 and has the potential to be the first Super Hit film of the year, depending on how well it can sustain over the next 10 days or so. 
 
Other two releases of the week include <keyword id="1135108" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Dekh-Tamasha-Dekh">Dekh Tamasha Dekh</keyword>, a brutally honest and vitriolic political <keyword id="1462374" type="COMPANY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Satire">satire</keyword> directed by theatre icon Feroz Abbas Khan (of Tumhari Amrita fame), and <keyword id="1167288" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Lucky-Kabootar">Lucky Kabootar</keyword>, a <keyword id="24069" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="romantic-comedy">romantic comedy</keyword> starring <keyword id="1364986" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Eijaaz-Khan">Eijaaz Khan</keyword> and <keyword id="3212" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Kulraj-Randhawa">Kulraj Randhawa</keyword>. The latter, directed by <keyword id="1660883" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Shammi-Chhabra">Shammi Chhabra</keyword>, has been released after too many delays and depicts how <keyword id="6369280" type="COMPANY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Lucky">Lucky</keyword> (Eijaaz) ends up marrying the Plain Jane <keyword id="1734" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Laxmi">Laxmi</keyword> (Kulraj), instead of the glam babe <keyword id="190428" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Kammo">Kammo</keyword> (<keyword id="33221" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Shraddha-Das">Shraddha Das</keyword>). But for both the movies, the collections are hardly notable, thanks to very little promotion and near-zero hype. While Lucky Kabootar collected a little over Rs 1 crore in the first two days (Sunday and Monday numbers are still <keyword id="6357415" type="ENTERTAINMENT" weightage="60" keywordseo="missing">missing</keyword>), Dekh Tamasha Dekh garnered around Rs 4.7 crore during the same time span. But we will take a closer look at these two after decoding the tremendous <keyword id="25892" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="box-office">box office</keyword> success of 2 States. 
 
<img class="gwt-Image" src="/photo/34077499.cms" /> 
 With the <keyword id="6364416" type="COMPANY" weightage="80" keywordseo="Good-Friday">Good Friday</keyword> fervour adding to its charm, <keyword id="2208706" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Abhishek-Varman-directed">Abhishek Varman-directed</keyword> 2 States saw 50-60% occupancy at multiplexes on the first day and also did well in the mass belt. Till date, the best performers are Mumbai and Mysore, with Mumbai amassing over Rs 13 crore nett and Mysore collecting around Rs 3 crore nett. The movie’s opening is the second biggest ever for a non-star-cast film after <keyword id="6621270" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Grand-Masti">Grand Masti</keyword> (2013). <keyword id="127336" type="ENTERTAINMENT" weightage="100" keywordseo="Bhaag-Milkha-Bhaag">Bhaag Milkha Bhaag</keyword> (2013), <keyword id="549195" type="ENTERTAINMENT" weightage="100" keywordseo="Student-of-the-Year">Student Of The Year</keyword> (2012) and <keyword id="1710502" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Shuddh-Desi-Romance">Shuddh Desi Romance</keyword> (2013) are the next in order after 2 States. 2 States is also one of the highest grossers of 2014 and has already surpassed the lifetime collections of some noted <keyword id="569603" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Bollywood-flicks">Bollywood flicks</keyword> including <keyword id="1520199" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Hasee-Toh-Phasee">Hasee Toh Phasee</keyword>, <keyword id="853887" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Shaadi-Ke-Side-Effects">Shaadi Ke Side Effects</keyword>, <keyword id="6354768" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="Highway">Highway</keyword> and <keyword id="1434830" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Yaariyan">Yaariyan</keyword>. That is definitely good news for producers <keyword id="27326" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Sajid-Nadiadwala">Sajid Nadiadwala</keyword> and <keyword id="3778" type="PERSON" weightage="80" keywordseo="Karan-Johar">Karan Johar</keyword>. 
 Going by its <keyword id="1996031" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Box-office-performance">box office performance</keyword>, 2 States seems to have done a commendable job, with <keyword id="6354526" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Alia-Bhatt">Alia Bhatt</keyword> (<keyword id="2204646" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Ananya-Swaminathan">Ananya Swaminathan</keyword>) and <keyword id="114453" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Arjun-Kapoor">Arjun Kapoor</keyword> (<keyword id="2204645" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Krish-Malhotra">Krish Malhotra</keyword>) showing a rare on-screen chemistry that rocks and sizzles. The young people meet at the <keyword id="6429635" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="IIM-Ahmedabad">IIM-Ahmedabad</keyword> campus and fall in love, but it is, by no means, a campus romance as harsh social realities await them outside. And the movie, too, stumbles at that point as we are led to <keyword id="122267" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="80" keywordseo="orthodox">orthodox</keyword> households (Krish is a <keyword id="5105" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="Punjabi">Punjabi</keyword> lad and Ananya is a <keyword id="6356629" type="COMPANY" weightage="100" keywordseo="tamil">Tamil</keyword> lass from Chennai as all of you must know by now), instead of modern abodes housing millennial open culture, and two pairs of stereotype Bollywood parents. The rest of the struggles and tribulations faced by the young lovers follow the beaten path until the final-and-inevitable reconciliation that makes everyone happy. 
 
Interestingly, Bhagat’s work has managed to ward off the cliché that lies inherent in cultural clashes and generation gaps. However, the movie has an overdose of everything although it manages to retain some kind of charm that will keep you hooked. As Saibal Chatterjee of NDTV so rightly pointed out, “2 States is a <keyword id="2208734" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Cross-culture-love-story">cross-culture love story</keyword> that strives to be sweet, funny and emotionally wrenching all at once. It is occasionally funny and sweet in parts all right, but the <keyword id="1204454" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="family-drama">family drama</keyword> at the film’s core has a severely stultified feel… It sets out to be a slice-of-life drama about a real couple grappling with the politics of <keyword id="2208729" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Inter-community-marriage">inter-community marriage</keyword>, but it fails to generate enough energy and warmth to draw the audience into a tight clinch.” 
 
In stark contrast to 2 States, Dekh Tamasha Dekh (starring <keyword id="317266" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Vinay-Jain">Vinay Jain</keyword>, <keyword id="2218" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Satish-Kaushik">Satish Kaushik</keyword> and <keyword id="1559" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="tanvi-azmi">Tanvi Azmi</keyword>) is based on a true story and ruthlessly reveals a nation’s <keyword id="2208740" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Political-hypocrisy">political hypocrisy</keyword> and <keyword id="877158" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Communal-Disharmony">communal disharmony</keyword> with the help of its twin tools – satire and <keyword id="424300" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Irony">irony</keyword>. Too many human elements are woven here in a complex tapestry, but the very core of <keyword id="6355987" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="violence">violence</keyword>, <keyword id="6388475" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="tragedy">tragedy</keyword> and hopelessness would hit us hard and keep us wondering about the multi-layered reality we are compelled to confront every day. Although not a typical art house film, this movie is meant for a niche audience and offers a <keyword id="2208742" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Gripping-tale">gripping tale</keyword> of the <keyword id="911828" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="dark-forces">dark forces</keyword> that we are not likely to forget in a hurry. 
 
Images: Indiatimes

Box Office: 2 States Raking
In Big Bucks; Dekh Tamasha Dekh Offers A Gripping Tale

The star-studded premiere was held at the Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre (NMACC), here on Tuesday night. <keyword id="6359862" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="srk" source="Orion">SRK</keyword>'s daughter <keyword id="543349" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="suhana-khan" source="Orion">Suhana Khan</keyword>, who is making her much awaited acting debut with the movie '<keyword id="12509997" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="the-archies" source="Orion">The Archies</keyword>', was seen coming to the event with her family. She looked breathtaking in a blood red body con shimmer dress. With her hair open, red lips, and golden high heels, Suhana won the hearts with her glamorous look. She was accompanied by her father and superstar SRK, who was seen in an all black outfit. The 'Pathaan' actor wore a black coat, matching trousers, and a tee shirt with Archies imprinted on it. Suhana's mother Gauri looked beautiful in a black cut out dress. While her brother-Aryan and AbrRam were also present at the venue. The director of the movie <keyword id="36968" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="zoya-akhtar" source="Orion">Zoya Akhtar</keyword> arrived at the venue wearing a white blazer, matching flare pants and a top. She completed the look with a heavy neckpiece. Megastar Amitabh Bachchan's grandson <keyword id="1438654" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="agastya-nanda" source="Orion">Agastya Nanda</keyword>, who is also starring in the movie 'The Archies', arrived at the premiere with his grand family. Amitabh was accompanied by his wife Jaya, son Abhishek, daughter-in-law Aishwarya Rai, granddaughter Aaradhya, daughter Shweta Bachchan Nanda, her husband Nikhil Nanda, and their daughter Navya Naveli. While they were all dressed up in black outfits, Navya opted for a red dress, and Jaya was seen in an ivory white suit. Filmmaker Boney Kapoor's daughter, and actress Janhvi's younger sister- Khushi Kapoor, who is also making her acting debut with 'The Archies' was seen at the premiere wearing an off-shoulder silver shimmer gown, with a matching choker. She tied her hair in a neat bun. The evergreen Rekha arrived at the premiere night in a green and silver saree. She kept her hair open, and opted for her signature red lips. She completed the look with a matching potli bag. Filmmaker Karan Johar posed for the cameras with model and BFF Malaika Arora, and Amrita Arora. 'Jawan' director Atlee graced the red carpet with his wife Krishna Priya. The couple was dressed in black outfits. Ranbir was accompanied by his mother Neetu Kapoor. He wore a silver coat, navy blue pants, and a white shirt. He completed the look with red striped tie, and brown formal shoes. The 'man of the hour' Bobby Deol, who is winning love for his performance in the recently released movie 'Animal', was seen at the event wearing a silver shirt and white trousers. He was accompanied by his wife Tanya. Katrina won the hearts with her elegant look. She wore a black sleeveless body con dress and completed the outfit with silver heels. She was accompanied by her sister Isabelle Kaif. Hrithik was spotted with his girlfriend Saba Azad at the event. He wore a black half sleeves shirt, grey trousers, and a bucket hat. While Saba gave retro vibes in a pink crop top and matching floral skirt. Ranveer Singh was seen in his usual funky style, wearing a white coat, shirt and black pants. Others who graced the event were Javed Akhtar, Farhan Akhtar, his wife Shibani Dandekar, Jackie Shroff, Neil Nitin Mukesh, Ayushmann Khurrana, Arjun Kapoor, Madhuri Dixit, Aditya Roy Kapur, Janhvi Kapoor, Ibrahim Ali Khan, Karisma Kapoor, Manushi Chhillar, Konkana Sen, Kapil Sharma, Kajol, Ananya Panday, Hema Malini, Esha Deol, Shilpa Shetty, Manish Malhotra, Genelia and Ritiesh Deshmukh, Shanaya Kapoor, Sonali Bendre, and Kiran Rao.

Bollywood royalty shine at star-studded premiere of 'The Archies'

<ul><li>March 2022 turned out to be the best months for both <keyword id="799" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="pvr" source="Orion">PVR</keyword> and <keyword id="6407732" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="inox" source="Orion">INOX</keyword> Leisure due to stellar movie releases.</li><li>The companies can still replicate the March success due to the strong movie pipeline set up for this year.</li><li>“2022 or financial year 2023 will be one of the best for the Indian film industry,” INOX CEO Alok Tandon said.</li></ul>Afer a stellar March business, movie theatres are hoping to make a comeback — but they need movies that can move the audiences away from OTTs and TVs. This is the view held by five brokerage firms — ICICI Securities/Direct, Motilal Oswal, Prabhudas Lilladher and ShareKhan. They believe that good movies can help them replicate the March success which came with superhits like the controversial Kashmir Files; Rajamouli’s RRR, Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s period drama Gangubai Kathiawadi, followed up by KGF 2 in April. “They witnessed a March — which was the best ever in the history, led by superlative performances of movies,” ICICI Direct said in its views on PVR and INOX both. The March footfalls made up for half of the Jan-March quarters footfalls in theaters. But both these companies need more than a good month to turn things around. A strong recovery in footfalls and sales of these listed theatre companies will be driven by ‘strong content slate lines’, as per ICICI Direct. If all goes well, it estimates that both these companies can cross their pre-covid earnings in the current financial year. These companies are in desperate need of a ‘recovery worthy’ movie releases. In spite of a good revenue growth, INOX and PVR both are still in the red — posting losses of ₹239 crore and ₹478 crore in the fourth quarter, respectively. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="The Khan-Karan factor" comment="subhead" text="The Khan-Karan factor">The Khan-Karan factor</cmsannotation> The next phase of turnaround can come from another set of long-delayed and much-hyped movies with A-list stars. All the three Khans have movies planned this year — which had become a rare occurrence even in the years before the pandemic. Aamir Khan has Lal Singh Chaddha, that’s a remake of Tom Hanks’ Forrest Gump. Salman Khan also promises another movie from his formulaic stable — called Kabhi Eid Kabhi Diwali. The King of Khans — Shah Rukh Khan too is releasing a movie after four years called Pathan. The fact that these Khan movies are ‘much-awaited’ can help drive footfalls. INOX CEO Alok Tandon spoke of an influx of good releases in FY23, in a conversation with Business Insider India. “2022 or financial year 2023 will be one of the best for the Indian film industry… I feel like we have some very, very strong lineup,” Tandon said. He also confirmed that March was their best month yet and the movie business had been operating in limited capacity over the last few years due to Covid-19. Then other bankable stars like Ranveer Singh and Ranbir Kapoor too have releases this year — at least one of them is bankrolled by Dharma Productions, lead by Karan Johar. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Movies that can move PVR, INOX Leisure’s profits from red to green" comment="subhead" text="Movies that can move PVR, INOX Leisure’s profits from red to green">Movies that can move PVR, INOX Leisure’s profits from red to green</cmsannotation> <table style="border-width: initial; border-style: none; table-layout: fixed; width: 468pt;"><colgroup></colgroup><col /><col /><col /><tbody><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Upcoming Movie </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Expected Release </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Cast </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Samrat Prithviraj </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">June 2022 </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Akshay Kumar, Sanjay Dutt, Sonu Sood </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Ek Villain Returns </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">July 2022 </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">John Abraham, Arjun Kapoor, Aditya Roy Kapur, Disha Patani </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Laal Singh Chaddha </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">August 2022 </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Aamir Khan, Kareena Kapoor </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Brahmastra </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">September 2022 </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Ranbir Kapoor, Alia Bhatt, Amitabh Bachchan, Nagarjuna, Mouni Roy </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Avatar: The Way of Water (English) </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">December 2022 </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;"> Zoe Saldaña, Sigourney Weaver, Stephen Lang, Cliff Curtis </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Kabhi Eid Kabhi Diwali </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">December 2022 </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Salman Khan, Pooja Hedge, Kriti Sanon, Aayush Sharma </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Pathaan </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">January 2023 </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Shah Rukh Khan, Deepika Padukone, Salman Khan, Dimple Kapadia, Ashutosh Rana, John Abraham </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Rocky Aur Rani Ki Prem Kahani </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">February 2023 </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Ranveer Singh, Alia Bhatt, Dharmendra, Shabana Azmi </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Luv Ranjan's next starring Ranbir Kapoor </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">March 2023 </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Ranbir Kapoor, Shraddha Kapoor </td></tr></tbody></table> <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Badly in need of a superhit" comment="subhead" text="Badly in need of a superhit">Badly in need of a superhit</cmsannotation> The many high profile releases must deliver as per expectations with ‘superhits’, for the companies to get back to their pre-Covid financials and footfalls. “Deterioration of content quality might affect footfalls and advertising revenue growth, inability to take adequate price hikes at the right time might affect earnings given rising input cost, and inability to maintain cost savings initiatives likely to impact operating profitability,” a ShareKhan report read. A lot of high profile releases also fell flat in the months ahead of March. There was a big buzz around Ranveer Singh and Deepika Padukone-starrer 83 — which was based on the 1983 cricket world cup that India won. However, it disappointed movie distributors as it was declared a theatrical flop. Singh’s Jayeshbhai Jordaar too did not live up to its expectations. Kangana Ranaut’s Dhakkad, Akshay Kumar’s Bachchan Pandey, Prabhas’ Radhe Shyam too failed to impress the audiences. Apart from 83, all the other movies were released after India had overcome the third Covid-19 wave. Pushpa and Spider Man in the Hindi belt — both released in December along with 83 — were among the few movies that managed to do well despite Omicron fears. SEE ALSO <a class="tout-title-link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/thelife/personalities/news/mukesh-ambani-gets-his-richest-indian-crown-back-with-a-wealth-of-104-4-billion/articleshow/91977090.cms" style="">Mukesh Ambani gets his ‘richest Indian’ crown back with a wealth of $104.4 billion</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/careers/news/inox-leisure-to-hire-3000-people-as-it-plans-to-add-77-new-movie-screens/articleshow/91964819.cms" style="">INTERVIEW: INOX Leisure to hire 3,000 people as it plans to add 77 new screens</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/startups/news/india-created-14-unicorns-in-the-first-half-of-2022-before-funding-slowdown-hit-them/articleshow/91955385.cms" style="">India created 14 unicorns in the first half of 2022 — before funding slowdown hit them</a>

Brahmastra, Laal Singh Chaddha and Avatar — movies that can determine the fortunes of INOX and PVR

<keyword id="2823" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="akshay-kumar" source="Orion">Akshay Kumar</keyword> and <keyword id="2069863" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="bhumi-pednekar" source="Orion">Bhumi Pednekar</keyword>, who will soon share the screen in 'Raksha Bandhan', have been named the Most Beautiful Vegetarian Celebrities of 2021 by <keyword id="139276" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="peta-india" source="Orion">PETA India</keyword>. Bhumi, who also champions the cause of environmental conservation and the climate crisis through her campaign Climate Warrior, became vegetarian over a year ago as for her eating meat just "didn't feel good anymore". For Akshay, "Health matters most" and the actor relies solely on a plant-based diet for protein requirements. The "true-blue animal lover" also makes a point to speak up for animals of all species, and raises awareness around animal cruelty on Twitter. <keyword id="25253" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="PETA" source="Orion">PETA</keyword> India Director of Celebrity and Public Relations, <keyword id="1188462" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Sachin-Bangera" source="Orion">Sachin Bangera</keyword> said, "From being one of the fittest actors in Bollywood to leading a climate revolution from her dinner table, Akshay Kumar and Bhumi Pednekar are showing everyone how easy it is to stay fit and eco-friendly while saving animals. PETA India is recognising them for being beautiful inside and out." Earlier, prominent figures like Prime Minister Narendra Modi, actors Shraddha Kapoor, Sonu Sood, Manushi Chhillar, Anushka Sharma, Kartik Aaryan, Vidyut Jammwal, Shahid Kapoor, Rekha, Amitabh Bachchan and footballer Sunil Chhetri have been conferred with the title, which until 2020 was called the Hottest Vegetarian Celebrity Award. SEE ALSO: <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/these-9-stocks-are-down-as-much-as-15-since-being-the-top-diwali-picks-6-weeks-ago/articleshow/88387967.cms">From ICICI Bank to INOX, these 9 stocks are down as much as 15% since being the top Diwali picks 6 weeks ago</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/international/news/with-64-fully-vaccinated-population-israel-enters-fifth-wave-of-covid-19-triggered-by-omicron-variant/articleshow/88386931.cms">Israel faces fifth wave of COVID-19 even though more than half of its population is now vaccinated</a>

Bollywood actors Akshay Kumar and Bhumi Pednekar named as PETA's Most Beautiful Vegetarian Celebrities 2021

<ul><li>Kabir Singh was the most searched film on Google in India followed by 3 exceptional Hollywood movies — Avengers: Endgame, Joker and Captain Marvel. </li><li>Everything related to Kabir Singh was a success. The film became the highest-grossing Indian movie after minting ₹276 crore </li><li>Marvel’s Avengers: Endgame became the highest-grossing film of all time with its total box-office collection hitting $2.789 billion. </li></ul>As 2019 draws to a close, Google narrows down the top movies that users searched for the most in India. Kabir Singh was the most searched film on Google in India followed by 3 exceptional Hollywood movies — Avengers: Endgame, Joker and Captain Marvel. Here’s a list of the top 10 movies searched for on Google in 2019: Kabir Singh <div type="image" title="Kabir_Singh" msid="72475823" hostid="261"></div>

 Everything related to Kabir Singh was a success. The film became the highest-grossing Indian movie after minting ₹276 crore. Its music album was the ‘most favourite’ on Spotify music in 2019. Kabir Singh, starring Shahid Kapoor and <keyword id="1788525" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Kiara-Advani">Kiara Advani</keyword>, is a remake of the famous Telugu hit film Arjun Reddy. The film revolves around a self-destructive lover who struggles with anger issues gets addicted to drugs and alcohol after his girlfriend is forced to marry someone else. Avengers: Endgame <div type="image" title="PRI_95933080" msid="72475830" hostid="261"></div>

 Avengers: Endgame was the most awaited movie from the Marvel Comic Universe — the final film in the Avengers trilogy. Most of the fans wanted to know what Doctor Strange and <keyword id="6414070" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Iron-Man">Iron Man</keyword> will do to reverse Thanos’ snap, which killed off half the human on Earth at end of Infinity War. Marvel’s Avengers: Endgame became the highest-grossing film of all time with its total box-office collection hitting $2.789 billion. It broke Avatar’s record, which it had for almost a decade, of $2.788 billion. Joker <div type="image" title="maxresdefault" msid="72475867" hostid="261"></div>

 Joker is one of the oldest villains in DC's comics — and famed for being Batman’s arch-nemesis. This film is based on his origin story which has been evolving since the 1940s. It portrays how a disturbed loner Arthur Fleck, with difficult parentage and childhood, turns into a sociopath. Joker grossed $331 million in India. Globally, Joker’s collections hit $234 million, with $140.5 million coming from 73 offshore territories. Joker grossed $93.5 million globally over its first weekend, making it the best October debut ever. Captain Marvel <div type="image" title="_105912023_marvel1_disney" msid="72475876" hostid="261"></div>

 Captain Marvel introduces the Marvel Cinematic Universe's (MCU) first standalone, female-franchise title character, Carol Danvers or Captain Marvel. The film follows Danvers' journey as she becomes one of the universe's most powerful heroes. It released in India just before Avengers: Endgame and garnered $427 million. It is among the highest grossing US films in the country. Super 30 <div type="image" title="E80B6AAF-D127-4C31-B8E0-E3268124FAA6" msid="72475883" hostid="261"></div>

 Super 30 is a biopic starring Bollywood’s Hrithik Roshan who plays the role of an inspiring teacher, Anand Kumar. Based on a true-story, Kumar revolutionises the education system in the heartlands with his Super 30 programme. He coaches talented but underprivileged children who wish to crack engineering entrance exam of IIT-JEE. Hrithik Roshan’s Super 30 crossed ₹100 crore mark, 11 days after its release in India. Its overall earning were ₹147 crore. Mission Mangal <div type="image" title="ED13004A-DD88-44AA-97A5-0E227DEE2B6F" msid="72475892" hostid="261"></div>

 <keyword id="2823" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Akshay-Kumar">Akshay Kumar</keyword>’s Mission Mangal is based on India’s space mission to Mars. And, one of the many reasons it caught the attention of the masses was because ISRO was simultaneously planning its real-life launch of Chandrayaan 2 — India’s second mission to the moon. It was released over the weekend — owing to the holiday on August 15 for Independence Day— which boosted collections. Mission Mangal crossed ₹29 crore within 24 hours of release covering 20% of the movie’s total budget of ₹140 crore. Overall, it earned around ₹192 crore. Gully Boy <div type="image" title="201911035_1-h_2019" msid="72475899" hostid="261"></div>

 Gully Boy is loosely based on the life of street rappers, Divine and Naezy. The film was shot in Dharavi — one of the world’s largest slum. The movie stars <keyword id="143436" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Ranvir-Singh">Ranvir Singh</keyword> as the lead with Kalki Koechlin, Vijay Raaz and Siddhant Chaturvedi in supporting roles. 'Gully Boy' was India's official entry to the Oscars in 2019. It earned ₹134 crore at the box office. War <div type="image" title="_d4ebc3ea-e4f2-11e9-939f-ba4a7f73df5c" msid="72475905" hostid="261"></div>

 War is an action thriller where an Indian soldier Khalid, played by Tiger Shroff, is assigned to kill his mentor Kabir, Hrithik Roshan — a spy gone rogue. The movie crossed ₹250 crore within 11 days of its release, according to film critic Taran Adarsh. It became the second-highest grosser of 2019, a title previously held by Aditya Dhar’s Uri: The Surgical Strike. Housefull 4 <div type="image" title="104308-houseful4-trailer1" msid="72475915" hostid="261"></div>

 The third Akshay Kumar movie int Google’s top 10, Housefull 4, earned ₹53 crore in the first three days of its release. The incarnation dramedy involves three brothers who are supposed to marry three sisters but things go haywire after one of the brothers ‘remembers’ their past. The film features Akshay Kumar, Riteish Deshmukh, Bobby Deol, <keyword id="210696" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Kriti-Sanon">Kriti Sanon</keyword>, Kriti Kharbanda, Pooja Hegde and Chunkey Pandey. Housefull 4 has also earned a whopping ₹77 crore in international markets. Uri - The Surgical Strike <div type="image" title="806551-uri" msid="72475923" hostid="261"></div>

 Uri - The Surgical Strike starring Vicky Kaushal is a jolting reminder of India's surgical strikes against Pakistan in 2016. The movie was lauded for triggering the patriotic feelings in India. The film earned an estimated ₹342.06 crore. It is the first midrange movie to cross ₹200 crore.Both Kaushal and Uri’s director won the national award for the film.

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