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By C Shyam Sundar Chennai, Apr 17 () Physical fitness is hardly a concern but the lack of any competitive action has been hard to handle, said veteran TT player Anthony Amalraj as he reflected on how he has coped with the coronavirus-forced lockdown, helped by a hypnotherapist he engaged in 2011. The country's no.4 player is keen to make sure that he remains positive during these testing times so that frustration doesn't get to him and helping his cause is city-based hypnotherapist TK Vadivel Pillai. "It is important to stay physically fit...It is even more important to remain mentally fit and in a positive frame of mind as sportspersons can get frustrated due to lack of activity," Amalraj told . "I am aware of the need to stay positive and have been working with Vadivel Pillai, who conducts classes via video call. It has been a great help and keeps me motivated," he added. Amalraj, who is ranked 100th internationally and is behind A Sharath Kamal (No.31), G Sathiyan (32) and Harmeet Desai (72), was chasing the dream of playing in the Olympics after a team gold medal at the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast. However, the coronavirus pandemic that has shaken the sporting world, has put also his plans on hold. "It is difficult to be not playing now. But it has happened due to the coronavirus, which has brought the world to a standstill. It is important that we stay home and help fight the disease. Though I am not at the table playing, I am practising mentally," the 34-year old Amalraj added. "Once I get back to the table, I am confident I will regain the rhythm in a matter of a few days," he added. Amalraj then spoke about his long-standing association with Pillai. "I used to lose matches from winning positions. I used to get overexcited and this led to me losing when I should have been winning," recalled Amalraj. It was then that he met Pillai through a friend "My game was good but I wasn't mentally strong so I was faltering against top players. Vadivel Pillai advised me on how to approach matches against different players," he said. "Working with him brought about a change in my career and I began to beat the big names more often," Amalraj said, recalling the 2011 national title, which he claimed after beating the seasoned Sharath Kamal no less. Right now, Amalraj said Pillai is helping him stay motivated and focussed. Pillai, on his part, explained the science behind hypnotherapy. ...by relaxing the body and the mind, one can access the subconscious mind. It is in this subconscious mind that new thoughts and beliefs of successfully achieving goals are sown," he explained. "...by a process of repetition it starts to manifest outside as new thought patterns, actions and behaviours come about in their life," he added. Amalraj enjoyed a good start to 2020 and was keen to rise up the rankings after breaking into the top-100 before the pandemic halted his progress. "I did well in the Qatar Open where I was the only Indian to come through the qualifying phase," he pointed out. Pillais aid with Amalraj, his focus is primarily on keeping a check on negative thoughts. "It is tough for professional sportspersons to keep themselves physically and mentally fit during such a break. My training helps Amalraj remove all the negative thoughts, fear and anxiety in the sub-conscious mind," he said. SS PM PMPM

Coping with COVID: long-engaged hypnotherapist helps TT player Amalraj stay positive

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Insider spoke to <keyword id="13544839" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="luke-newton" source="Orion">Luke Newton</keyword> and director Alex Pillai about the drug scene in "<keyword id="12012626" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="bridgerton" source="Orion">Bridgerton</keyword>" season two.</li><li>Both Colin and Benedict were originally hallucinating in early scripts, Newton told Insider. </li></ul>As soon as the "<a href="https://www.insider.com/category/bridgerton">Bridgerton</a>" cast got their hands on the script for "A Bee In Your Bonnet," the third episode of season two, Luke Newton's phone was inundated with texts.All of the messages were slightly different variations of: "Have you read this episode yet?"Newton, who returns to the Regency romance series as Colin Bridgerton, prefaced the anecdote by telling Insider that he's a "slow reader" (the 29-year-old recently opened up about <a href="https://www.thegentlemansjournal.com/article/bridgertons-luke-newton-talks-dancing-dyslexia-and-the-perfect-pompadour-hairstyle/">having dyslexia</a>).He recalled responding, "I'm getting there. I'm getting there. Why? What's going on?" "There's this scene with you and Benedict," his castmates wrote back, he said. "It's amazing."<div type="image" title="colin bridgerton season 2" height="1172" width="2076" msid="90808532" hostid="261"></div>In episode three, which <keyword id="11892922" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="netflix" source="Orion">Netflix</keyword> released on March 25 with the rest of season two, Benedict Bridgerton (<keyword id="13418285" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="luke-thompson" source="Orion">Luke Thompson</keyword>) tries Colin's hallucinogenic tea, purchased during his travels to Greece, as he awaits word on his acceptance to the prestigious Royal Academy.Even though Colin warns Benedict that "it only takes the smallest of doses to feel the effects," his brother plops the entire bag of drugs into his cup and downs it in one gulp, desperate for a diversion.According to Newton, the powdery concoction "wasn't very nice to drink" in real life. Luckily, he only had to drink a "tiny sip" while Thompson "had to down the whole thing." "The first take, he spilled it all down his tie and he had this light-colored tie. I was like, 'Bro! it's bright blue, that stuff. We're going to have to wait ages now,'" Newton recalled with a laugh, praising his costar for bringing "something new to every single take." <div type="image" title="benedict bridgerton tea" height="1174" width="2344" msid="90808533" hostid="261"></div>Going into filming the scene, Alex Pillai, the director of episodes three and four, told Insider that he had several behind-the-scenes discussions about drugs with the cast and crew.However, he said the tea wasn't based on one specific substance.When asked about the ingredients that went into creating the Bridgerton boys' bright purple "elixir," Pillai replied: "Well, it was edible and not poisonous."<div type="image" title="bridgerton tea" height="1158" width="2332" msid="90808534" hostid="261"></div>Hours after ingesting the hallucinogens, Benedict takes his place at the Bridgerton dinner party. Colin does his best to cover for his older brother, who's sweaty and enraptured by the "twinkle of the candles" on the wall.The scene that made it into the final edit ended up being a more played-down version of what was originally on the page, Newton said. "Originally, they were both on this absolute trip, and then eventually, it was funnier if Benedict was, and Colin was a bit more worried about the situation and being caught," he explained.<div type="image" title="colin and benedict bridgerton" height="1172" width="2330" msid="90808535" hostid="261"></div>The two middle brothers' episode-three storyline is without a doubt comedy, but it's also about the characters' deep yearning for self-realization, Pillai told Insider. The director spoke with the "Bridgerton" actors about their characters' return to their ancestral home Aubrey Hall, a setting that he said, "takes them back to their childhood.""Therefore, all the frustrations of teen years that we're all familiar with come back. That frustration of knowing the world is out there and not being able to get out there," Pillai explained. He went on: "For Benedict, he's gotten a bit out in the world, but he wants to express himself through his art and that's going to be his escape from this world. For Colin, he's been out there. He's experienced some things, but really his missing piece is Marina. Hopefully, it's going to be Penelope Featherington."To symbolize their internal struggle, Pillai said the team placed Colin and Benedict inside the Aubrey Hall playroom during the drug scene. They seated them in "little chairs," and, if viewers look behind them, they'll find dolls and children's toys in the background. <div type="image" title="colin and benedict tea scene bridgerton" height="1178" width="2348" msid="90808536" hostid="261"></div>The episode-three scenes between Colin and Benedict mirrored Newton's off-screen friendship with Thompson, a "weird coincidence" the actor said he noticed when he read the script. "It almost felt like the friendship that we built together as actors on season one then was suddenly thrown into season two as our characters," Newton told Insider. He added: "We obviously like to think, 'Oh, they saw a little bit of us having fun on set,' but it's just how the story is going."

'Bridgerton' star Luke Newton says Colin was originally supposed to be on a wild drug trip with brother Benedict on episode 3

Taking a cue from the success of <keyword id="758541" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Amazon-Prime">Amazon Prime</keyword> and <keyword id="128682" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Netflix">Netflix</keyword> in India, a host of start ups are now ready to go live with their video contents. Video streaming in India is gathering steam. Technically called over-the-top (OTT) content, these videos are streamed on mobile devices with a simple internet connection. 
 
If reports are to be believed, there are 66 million unique video viewers in India. Of them 1.3 million are OTT paid video subscribers. 
Tracxn , an analytics firm has estimated that there are at least 40 new ventures in the space and around $30 million have been invested by venture capital firms. The focus is on short videos as those are easily stream-able and takes less data and time to watch. 
 Mumbai-based Dekkho provides short videos of 2 to 45 minutes, from 22 content providers. Founder <keyword id="4090681" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="vinay-pillai">Vinay Pillai</keyword>, whose experience includes working for Drama Fever, a video streaming website for Korean shows, in <keyword id="6355838" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="New-York">New York</keyword>, has raised $2 million from angel investors. The platform is ad supported. <keyword id="6364181" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="pillai">Pillai</keyword> told The <keyword id="6474066" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="economic-times">Economic Times</keyword>, subscriptions may work for long form content, but for ad support, "we need to keep it short."

Future of content is in video
streaming. These start ups are proof

That we may have differences with the way Greenpeace makes its opposition to some issue or matter is a different thing. The activists, sometimes, can get very seriously involved in something that can be deemed anti-government and edge on getting the government on their wrong side, so much that they can be charged with legal sections that can attract serious punishments. 
 
Greenpeace is known for its off-the-track protests and demonstrations like breaching security, waylaying ministers, taking their battle to high seas and making it difficult for the government to come across for sane talks. But then, come to think of it that is what social activism is all about. 
 
Always enemies 
 
No confrontational non-governmental organization can ever work in accordance with the government while wanting to convince the state that its decisions are anti-people and detrimental in the long run. Now, this could be a matter of perspective too. Like what the government would assume to be of larger good, may not come across in the same manner when thought from an NGO perspective. Tribal rights and development have always been issues that are at logger heads. 
 
The Priya case 
 
When Greenpeace activist Priya Pillai was off loaded from the plane last month, citing reasons that were clearly beyond the comprehension of millions of activists who have been working on various rights issues across the country, the country watched the drama unfold with total disbelief. 
 
A lookout circular was making rounds in the lady’s name with a clear instruction – offload. Duly so, she was offloaded in Delhi early January and set the war cry going. 
 
Priya was on her way to UK to address the British Parliamentarians on the human rights and forest rights violations by a subsidiary of a British registered company – Essar Energy – in the forests of Mahan in Madhya Pradesh. 
 
The government was termed ‘overzealous’ in this matter for having jumped the gun and pressed the panic button. This was an attempt to malign her reputation and curb freedom of speech and compromise the very concept of democracy, cried the activists and all those who were not with the government. The NGO haters only smiled smugly and thought government had finally cracked the whip on so-called saviours who are exploiting people of India, setting them up against the government at the cost of receiving foreign funds, enjoying a fine life and yet pretend to be the voice of voiceless. 
 
Charges and explanation 
 
But what followed the offloading was not too much of a pretty picture that was well within the logical framework. The Home Ministry said, via an affidavit filed in the court that Pillai had planned to talk to British Parliamentarians about the rights of tribal folks trampled by corporations. They were being falsely accused of ulterior motives by Greenpeace and Ms. Pillai. 
 
The government was worried that she would be speaking about the problems that plagued India such as tribal rights being compromised upon, female foeticide that was taking a toll on India’s growth graph, the rising number of crimes against women so on and so forth. 
 
Old rivalry 
 
Come to think of how long does the rivalry between governments and social sector date, it would be a curious study to delve deep into. There are grassroots activists who would have studied the issue they are fighting for, and would have spent their life working on it. It is obvious when the government sets out to do something in some areas that are far from the word ‘development’ that the NGOs have already been working there since long. After all, NGOs reach where the government doesn’t try to crawl. 
 
Till the time a government is in power, it will always be a powerful establishment. And no matter which party is in power in the form of a government, it will always be against anybody who opposes its plans. 
 
When NGOs take on the government, establishment resorts to other methods of gagging. The battle would be interesting to watch, since the winner is not always the winner, and the loser always gets the sympathy of millions like him.

Priya Pillai
vs Indian Govt: An old tussle in new bottle

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Sam Smith's 2023 Brit Awards ensemble is the talk of the internet and has left opinion divided. </li><li>The eye-catching latex balloon outfit was made by UK-based design label Harri. </li></ul>Out of all t<a href="https://www.insider.com/brit-awards-most-daring-red-carpet-outfits-photos-2023-2">he daring celebrity looks at the 2023 Brit Awards</a>, not one has received as much attention as Sam Smith's latex balloon outfit.Smith, 30, arrived at the award show in London on Saturday in the custom-designed ensemble consisting of an inflatable latex full-body suit featuring exaggerated balloon-shaped legs and shoulders, platform boots, and black gloves.The look swiftly divided opinion online, with some Twitter users comparing it to an overcooked <a href="https://twitter.com/ShonaMcLean86/status/1624521605387804681" target="_blank" rel="noopener">spatchcock chicken</a> and others questioning whether he sought inspiration from <a href="https://twitter.com/AntiqueDust/status/1624531845349089280" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a similar look worn by the late David Bowie</a> in 1973. But according to the designer of the quirky ensemble, there is a reason why Smith opted on wearing it on the red carpet. <div type="image" title="Sam Smith at the 2023 Brit Awards." height="2400" width="3199" msid="97846005" hostid="261" sizebytes="277310"></div><a href="https://wwd.com/fashion-news/fashion-scoops/sam-smith-brit-awards-red-carpet-custom-latex-look-harri-1235518511/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Speaking to WWD</a>, Harikrishnan Keezhathil Surendran Pillai, who founded the label Harri, said Smith's decision to wear the inflatable design came as the singer has been dealing with online abuse about their body recently."Sam was having a lot of hate comments recently after 'Unholy' about their body image," Pillai said. The designer, who graduated from the London College of Fashion, added that Smith's ensemble celebrates their "natural form and the beauty of being one's self.""I wanted to create an image which people have never seen Sam in," Pillai continued.Representatives for Harri did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment. Smith's look is just one of many similar-looking styles designed by Pillai's label. <a href="https://apoc-store.com/collections/harri" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The brand's website</a> offers a variety of inflatable clothing items that range in price from £870, or around $1,050, to £4,000, or around $4,800.<a href="https://www.buzzfeed.com/ryanschocket2/sam-smith-body-shaming-music-video">As BuzzFeed reported,</a> Smith was met with a barrage of online body-shaming at the beginning of February after they debuted a music video for their new song, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hYjHhqLSiN4" target="_blank" rel="noopener">"I'm not here to make friends."</a><div type="image" title="Sam Smith" height="682" width="910" msid="97846006" hostid="261" sizebytes="29396"></div>The music video showed Smith wearing an array of daring looks, including a corset and nipple tassels. Smith also went on to rile right-wing influencers with the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/conservatives-kim-petras-sam-smith-satan-unholy-grammy-devil-2023-2">Satan-themed lace and latex outfit</a> they wore to perform "Unholy" at the 2023 Grammys. Even so, Smith and Kim Petras went on to make history at the award ceremony as the first openly <a href="https://www.insider.com/grammys-2023-kim-petras-first-transgender-woman-best-pop-duo-group-winner-2023-2" rel="">transgender woman and first openly non-binary artist to win the Grammy for best pop duo for their single "Unholy."</a>

Sam Smith's inflatable Brit Awards outfit is a celebration of their 'natural form,' according to the designer

<ul class="summary-list"><li>The pall-mall game in "<keyword id="12012626" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="bridgerton" source="Orion">Bridgerton</keyword>" season two was one of the adaptation's most anticipated moments.</li><li>The scene is based on a chapter in Julia Quinn's novel "<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Viscount-Who-Loved-Epilogue-Bridgertons-ebook/dp/B00UG8RP22" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener sponsored">The Viscount Who Loved Me</a>."</li></ul>Much of the conversation surrounding "Bridgerton" revolves around the <keyword id="11892922" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="netflix" source="Orion">Netflix</keyword> series' Regency-era romances, women-centric sex scenes, and ornate costumery. But it was the Bridgerton family's pall-mall game — with its wickets, mallets, and wooden balls — that was at the top of many fans' minds going into season two.The scene was inspired by <a href="https://juliaquinn.com/extras/inside-the-viscount-who-loved-me/">one of the most beloved chapters</a> in Julia Quinn's "Bridgerton" novels. The game first appears in the 2000 novel "<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Viscount-Who-Loved-Epilogue-Bridgertons-ebook/dp/B00UG8RP22" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener sponsored">The Viscount Who Loved Me</a>," the second of her eight books that serve as source material for the show."I am very hands-off, but one of the few things where I have made my opinion well known was that scene had to be in there," Quinn recently <a href="https://www.townandcountrymag.com/leisure/arts-and-culture/a39190295/bridgerton-pall-mall-scene/">told Town &amp; Country</a>. "I basically said this needs to be [in the show], and they're like, oh yeah, we're on it."Insider spoke with members of the cast and crew about their experience bringing the iconic moment to the screen in the show's second season, which premiered on March 25.<h2>But first, what is pall-mall?</h2><div type="image" title="bridgerton pall mall season 2" height="2404" width="3600" msid="90854154" hostid="261"></div>The field sport — <a href="https://www.townandcountrymag.com/leisure/arts-and-culture/a39209705/rules-of-pall-mall-bridgerton/">inspired by a 16th-century French game called jeu de mail</a> and loosely resembling modern-day croquet — served as a rare opportunity for the crème de la crème of Regency society to let their guard down. In briefly relinquishing their stringent roles during the competition, the characters showcase their true dynamics.The Shondaland series uses Quinn's chapters as more of a general guide than a detailed road map, mainly because the real rules were too complicated.According to Netflix's production notes, a "Bridgerton" team member visited the Museum of London to learn about pall-mall ahead of filming — but by the time the researcher left the museum, they realized that taking a historically accurate approach to the scene would be nearly impossible."The actual game is very complex," Alex Pillai, the director of the two episodes, told Insider. "At the end of it, you have to actually get a ball through a hoop. Now, anyone looking very, very carefully, I think there's a hoop somewhere in the ground, but we thought that was going to be beyond us even trying to tell that story."So he came up with a different strategy. Pillai drafted his own set of rules, compiled them into a one-page guide, and handed out copies to the cast members.The director told Insider he had an endgame in mind while crafting this "Bridgerton" version of pall-mall: Kate's (Simone Ashley) black ball had to land in the wooded area right next to Anthony's (Jonathan Bailey) pink one. It's there, removed from their families' gazes as they retrieve the balls, that they have one of their first heartfelt conversations."I don't know whether the rules stand up when you do watch it, but that was really the only mechanism to get both of their balls out into the mud," he said.<h2>Finding the perfect location was a hurdle</h2><div type="image" title="aubrey hall bridgerton" height="900" width="1200" msid="90854155" hostid="261"></div>Rules in hand, the "Bridgerton" team set out to find the perfect pall-mall pitch.For the Bridgertons, pall-mall is a long-standing tradition. The titular family grew up playing the sport, and their matches always took place at their ancestral home, Aubrey Hall.The "Bridgerton" audience visits the countryside estate for the first time in episodes three and four, when the family host members of the ton for a weeklong respite from the city's hustle and bustle."We knew that Aubrey Hall, which was introduced for the first time, had to be something spectacular," Pillai told Insider.Pillai and Will Hughes-Jones, the "Bridgerton" production designer, landed on <a href="https://www.wrothampark.com/">Wrotham Park in Hertfordshire, England</a>, about an hour north of London. The Palladian-style house is a popular shooting location for British period pieces including the "Kingsman" film series, Netflix's "The Crown," and the 2019 "Downton Abbey" movie.Between its proximity to the series' main studio in London and its malleability (Pillai said he "knew they could dress it and use visual effects and flowers and make it a 'Bridgerton'-style home"), the manor was the perfect locale. Plus, it sits on 2,500 acres — ample space for pall-mall.<h2>The scene came to life as the actors nailed the characters' in-game dynamics</h2><div type="image" title="colin bridgerton" height="900" width="1200" msid="90854156" hostid="261"></div>"What a shame," Colin Bridgerton says as he sends Kate Sharma's pall-mall ball into the woods, whizzing in the same direction that Anthony's ball had landed moments prior. "You two better go fetch them."Colin's tactics may have come straight from the episode-three script, but the actor Luke Newton told Insider he wanted them to convey a subtle callback to "The Viscount Who Loved Me."In Quinn's novel, the third-eldest Bridgerton child is one of the first to pick up on the charged animosity — and the magnetic draw — between his older brother Anthony and Kate, a newcomer. He repeatedly pushes them together for his own amusement."I really tried to play that a little bit, but it's not really in there," Newton said of the script, adding, "I tried to play it in that scene when he hits the ball and he thinks he's setting it up, but in truth it's only Daphne out of the siblings that sees what's going on."Newton was one of seven contenders vying for victory in the fan-favorite scene. As the actors sent balls soaring through the English countryside, they carefully balanced their characters' histories, desires, and secrets.<div type="image" title="bridgerton pall mall kate anthony edwina" height="2404" width="3600" msid="90854157" hostid="261"></div>From the moment Kate and Anthony set foot on the grass, they're at each other's throats. Anthony's eldest sister, Daphne (Phoebe Dynevor), now a self-assured duchess, is the game master. Eloise (Claudia Jessie), a fiery and well-read feminist, is the clever player determined to take down her brothers. Benedict (Luke Thompson) and Colin, the middle children each searching for their sense of self, take the back seat to their siblings. Edwina (Charithra Chandran), the delicate diamond of the 1814 season, is hopelessly out of place."The thing is to bring it all out," Pillai told Insider. "You want to see those Bridgerton sons and daughters shining or not shining."Pillai had in-depth conversations with each actor about their character's role in the pall-mall game before the 2 1/2 days they spent capturing the scene in summer 2021."The job became about keeping them within character within the sequence so that they knew really what they were doing, what they were playing out. Then it's about just finding moments for that to shine," he said, adding, "They're all fantastic actors, so it wasn't so hard."<h2>The actors became quite competitive on set</h2><div type="image" title="eloise bridgerton" height="900" width="1200" msid="90854158" hostid="261"></div>At certain points, the director encouraged the cast members to act on their own instincts. The dialogue stayed true to the script, but the competition — specifically the Bridgertons' scramble for mallets — was organic."Once they went for it, it was a free-for-all. I had to say, 'OK, we'll do another take, but a bit calmer,'" Pillai said. "Because they were almost elbowing each other out of the way for that one." Pillai recalled that Thompson hit the ball with such vigor that he broke two mallets.Despite his on-set destruction, Thompson was the victor of one of the cast's off-camera competitions. They took turns attempting to chip their ball through a propped-up ring."We were like, 'That's never going to happen! That's a gold shot. We'll never get that,'" Newton recalled, adding that Thompson "put it between his feet, flicked it up, and it went straight through the hole."He was promptly crowned the cast's pall-mall champion."It was one fluky shot, and you get to take the title!" Newton said with a laugh."You began to see everyone's competitive side," the actor told Insider. "Everyone actually wanted to be quite good at it."<div type="image" title="lady danbury bridgerton" height="900" width="1200" msid="90854159" hostid="261"></div>Even Lady Danbury (Adjoa Andoh), the well-connected dowager sponsoring the Sharmas for the 1814 season, had some skin in the game. While the matriarchs Violet Bridgerton (Ruth Gemmell) and Mary Sharma (Shelley Conn) sipped tea on the lawn, she was on her feet, egging on the players from the sidelines."Lady Danbury wants pall-mall to be something where we all get together: You kids play together. You don't have to worry about what you're thinking, what you're saying, because there is a structure available," Andoh told Insider.Andoh said that to get into Danbury's "incredibly competitive" headspace, she channeled her own mother, who was the game mistress at her school."Mother would be shouting, 'Andoh! Run up that wing, girl!' I just suddenly had a little flash of me as my mother barked at people on the pitch, and really just relishing it and enjoying it," she said."They're very lucky she just doesn't get up and grab the mallet of death herself and start swinging," Andoh went on. "I bet she was a mean pall-mall player in her youth."<h2>The 'Bridgerton' team walked off the pall-mall pitch proud of their performances</h2><div type="image" title="bridgerton daphne kate anthony" height="2404" width="3600" msid="90854160" hostid="261"></div>The "Bridgerton" season-two premiere was still days away when Insider spoke with Pillai, who had yet to see the final cut of his episodes.Given the massive fandom surrounding Quinn's books and the success of the show's first season (which became <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/netflix-says-bridgerton-is-its-biggest-debut-series-all-time-2021-1">Netflix's biggest original-series debut</a> following its release in 2020), he knew expectations were high."We do talk about fandom when we're making the show," Pillai told Insider. "The fans are absolutely in our world of understanding and a part of who we want to please."He added, "Then I have to throw that away."Netflix said the week after the eight new episodes premiered that <a href="https://www.indiewire.com/2022/04/bridgerton-season-2-breaks-inventing-anna-netflix-viewership-record-1234714504/">they'd garnered 251.7 million hours of viewership</a>, setting the platform's record for an English-language series' opening week. Clearly, interest in Shondaland's Regency-era world had not waned.But viewership numbers and fans' reactions aside, it was the cast's reaction at the end of the final summer day of filming the pall-mall sequence that stuck with Pillai. As soon as the actors put their mallets down, the director heard one of them say, "God, we've had so much fun today."

A deep dive into the epic 'Bridgerton' season 2 pall-mall scene with the cast and crew

Mumbai, Feb 25 () TransUnion Cibil, the largest credit information bureau, on Tuesday appointed Rajesh Kumar of HDFC Bank as its new managing director and chief executive. Kumar succeeds Satish Pillai who has moved to become the president of Asia region business of the US-based company. Prior to joining Cibil, Kumar was the group head for retail credit and risk at HDFC Bank. With two decades of experience at HDFC Bank, he helped the second largest bank grow its retail lending book to USD 50 billion, leading a team of more than 3,000 officers. In his role as the MD and chief executive, Kumar will be responsible for steering Cibil India's business into the next phase by ensuring it continues to support the domestic finance industry and consumers. Speaking on Kumar's appointment, Pillai said, "Kumar brings vital leadership and expertise to our business. His deep rooted experience in helping build one of the most successful retail credit business at HDFC Bank gives him great insight into better serving our clients and driving growth of our credit information infrastructure, insights, products and solutions for the benefit of all." BEN MRMR

Cibil ropes in HDFC Bank's Rajesh Kumar as MD, CEO

<ul><li>Lecturer-turned-filmmaker Unnikrishnan B. believes a film today needs to be “extra special” to draw the audience to the theatres. </li><li>As per Unnikrishan, <keyword id="25099" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="malayalam" source="Orion">Malayalam</keyword> cinema is much ahead of other languages in terms of quality of content, but not the size of the business. </li><li>His last film Christopher was a vigilante action drama that opened to positive reviews.</li></ul>The aftermath of the lockdowns has redefined the fundamentals of the business of cinema. While Shah Rukh Khan-starrer <keyword id="12756474" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="pathaan" source="Orion">Pathaan</keyword> may have broken box office records on its way to a blockbuster status, a Malayalam film with a tenth of the former’s collections is also a superhit now – all thanks to the dynamics of the OTT (over-the-top) ecosystem, says an ace Malayalam film director. The advent of a host of OTT platforms such as Netflix, Amazon Prime, Disney+Hotstar etc and the pandemic-induced changes in the way cinema is consumed has brought on a fundamental change in the business of cinema, says Unnikrishan Bhaskaran, in an exclusive conversation with Business Insider India. As a writer-director, Unnikrishnan has been a part of the industry for over two decades and has over ten films under his belt. He debuted in the industry as a writer with the drama Jalamarmaram (1999) - that won him his first Kerala State Film Award for Best Screenplay. He ventured into direction with Smart City in 2006 and went on to direct films like Madampi (2008), Pramani (2010), Grandmaster (2012), and the latest, Aaraattu (2022) and Christopher (2023), among others. While acknowledging that the collections of Pathaan are “mind-boggling” and no other film has succeeded in bringing people to theatres in large numbers after the pandemic, Unnikrishnan insists the way to declare a film a hit or flop has changed. Since its release on January 25, 2023, Pathaan has <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/entertainment/news/indian-films-that-grossed-1000-crore-worldwide/slidelist/98144028.cms">grossed </a>over ₹1,000 crore in worldwide collections - only the fifth Indian film to do so in cinematic history. “In Malayalam, when you say a film is a superhit, it usually collects over ₹10-₹12 crore. But now if your film collects ₹5-₹6 crore from theatrical runs, you should regard it as a hit because there’s another vertical (OTT) or source of revenue that compensates for the lack of theatre revenue,” says Unnikrishnan . His latest film, the vigilante crime-drama Christopher starring Mammootty released on February 9 in theatres and opened to positive reviews - <a href="https://www.boxofficebusiness.in/2023/02/christopher-day-1-box-office-collection-worldwide.html">reportedly </a>raking in ₹11 crore in worldwide collections in 10 days of its release. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Malayalam cinema: quality over quantity" comment="subhead2" text="Malayalam cinema: quality over quantity">Malayalam cinema: quality over quantity</cmsannotation> According to Unnikrishnan, Malayalam cinema has high-quality content that is better than most other languages, but it’s a small industry, lacking the strength to compete with bigger industries like Tamil or Telugu language cinema. “If you take commercial figures as a yardstick, we’re (Malayalam cinema) far behind - because our films only release on 200-300 screens whereas a Vijay (a Tamil star), Rajni (Rajnikant), or Kamal Haasan film releases in over 1,000 screens. Volume-wise it can’t be compared to other languages but if you take content quality as a benchmark, we’re much much ahead,” shared Unnikrishnan. Indeed, from thrillers like the Drishyam series to feminist dramas like The Great Indian Kitchen and family dramas like Kumbalangi Nights, Malayalam cinema has long been pushing the bar with original and engaging content. As Unnikrishnan puts it, despite the constraints, “when it comes to content and innovative stuff, every language in cinema looks at Malayalam with awe.” <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Only ‘extra special’ films can draw in the crowds" comment="subhead2" text="Only ‘extra special’ films can draw in the crowds">Only ‘extra special’ films can draw in the crowds</cmsannotation> Malayalam cinema may deliver high-quality content - but it can’t always pull crowds into theatres, because content alone doesn’t attract audiences, especially after the pandemic. Unnikrishnan believes that only “extra special” films can now draw the crowds to theatres – because the rise of OTT during the pandemic led to the end of “average-run” movies. Average-run movies are typically movies that enjoy a limited run in theatres but the collections are not low enough for them to be categorised as box-office flops. “There’s no middle path now - either you watch in theatres, or when it comes to OTT. There was something called an average-run film before Covid - that’s no longer there. The majority of the audience stays away from theatres because it’s a habitual thing - they’re so used to watching it in the cosy atmosphere of their homes,” remarks Unnikrishnan, who has dabbled in both films and the television industry. The lecturer-turned-filmmaker has written and directed three award-winning films back to back – the 2003 telefilm Antharangal, the 2004 Asianet television drama Black and White and the 2005 film Annum Mazhayayirunnu. He also directed the crime drama Villain (2017)- the country's first movie entirely shot in 8K quality. In a career spanning over two decades, Unnikrishnan has seen various trends emerge, from remakes to content driven by OTT platforms. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Remakes: No longer an easy business" comment="subhead2" text="Remakes: No longer an easy business">Remakes: No longer an easy business</cmsannotation> As per Unnikrishnan , OTT hasn’t just ended the average-run movies but also the remake industry by providing movies with subtitles and dubbed versions of movies. “Remake market is now very difficult because when OTT platforms buy your content, you’re forced to dub it in all regional languages. For instance, Christopher is dubbed into Tamil and Hindi. (Now) an idea should be so fascinating that you take it up and really rework it to give a totally different film - that’s what they did with Lucifer when they remade it in Telugu,” added Unnikrishnan. Lucifer, released in 2019, is a Malayalam crime thriller and the highest-grossing Malayalam film ever - <a href="https://www.hindustantimes.com/regional-movies/mohanlal-s-lucifer-storms-into-rs-200-crore-club-first-for-malayalam-cinema/story-vTm7JXaAdz0FWFTllE4n2I.html">earning over ₹200 crore</a>. Its Telugu remake was released in October 2022, titled Godfather - it <a href="https://www.indiatoday.in/movies/regional-cinema/story/godfather-box-office-collection-day-5-megastar-chiranjeevi-nayanthara-100-crore-2282883-2022-10-09">entered the ₹100-crore club in just three days</a>. Ajay Devgn-starrer Drishyam 2 also <a href="https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/hindi/bollywood/box-office/drishyam-2-box-office-collection-day-29-ajay-devgns-film-continues-to-mint-money-despite-competition-from-avatar-the-way-of-water/articleshow/96295871.cms">raked in over ₹200 crore in collections</a>. It’s the official remake of the Malayalam thriller of the same name, starring <keyword id="29511" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="mohan-lal" source="Orion">Mohan Lal</keyword>. As per Unnikrishnan, the success of the Hindi language Drishyam was largely due to how the movie was adapted, and also because the original release on OTT was available in only one language. Meanwhile, despite delivering one of the biggest hits of 2022 (Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2) Kartik Aaryan- starrer Shehzada failed to draw the crowds. Shehzada is the official remake of the 2020 Telugu film Ala Vaikunthapurramuloo. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="“The OTT euphoria is transitory”" comment="subhead2" text="“The OTT euphoria is transitory”">“The OTT euphoria is transitory”</cmsannotation> Clearly, OTT has changed the way we view cinema. But, even though the pandemic led to the rise in the popularity of OTT platforms, Unnikrishnan believes “OTT euphoria is transitory”, engineered by the pandemic. “When the pandemic happened, the theatres closed and we had no options - we were all glued to OTT platforms. And they (OTT) also had to constantly give you content. So people had the illusion that good cinema finally found its platform,” said Unnikrishnan. He believes that once the theatres opened after the pandemic, OTT platforms predictably changed their policy - with films releasing in theatres before coming on to OTT. “During the pandemic, many brilliant films premiered on OTT and everyone took notice of it. For instance, Drishyam 1 was a huge theatrical success but its sequel had an equally brilliant run when it (was) released on OTT. But if Jeethu and Mohanlal ( Jeethu Joseph was the director and Mohanlal was the lead actor of Drishyam) come up with a third part, definitely the OTT will insist for it to be released in theatres first,” said Unnikrishnan.

We need to change the way we define hits, says ace Malayalam director Unnikrishnan B.

Rift between the founders and the management board in <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=infosys&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Infosys </a>has been widening since more than one year now. The two sides are at loggerheads over the large severance paid to former <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=rajiv+bansal&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">CEO Rajiv Bansal</a>, disclosed in 2016, and<a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=vishal+sikka&amp;sortorder=effectivedate"> CEO Vishal Sikka</a> ($11million). 
 
The founders are upset and as per several media reports, some promoters were also upset with the appointment of Punita Kumar-Sinha, an investment banker and wife of Union minister Jayant Sinha, as an independent director. 
 However, the main reason behind the dispute is governance issue and “violation of core <keyword id="6354512" type="CITY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Infosys">Infosys</keyword> values”. 
 
ET reported some of the founders have held the board responsible for what they perceive to be its inability to enforce governance norms. In July 2016, one of Infosys' prominent promoters reached out to a top legal professional in Mumbai. 
 The agenda: to hunt for a co-chairman for Infosys. This, despite the fact that <keyword id="484178" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="R-Seshasayee">R Seshasayee</keyword> had been serving as Infosys non-executive chairman for just a year, since his appointment in June 2015. 
 
"The idea was to look for someone who understood core values of Infosys,” an executive told ET. 
 
A few names were thrown up as candidates, including a former Infosys finance hotshot and a retired founder. But the idea fizzled out as Seshasayee stepped down on July 28 as non-executive vice-chairman of Ashok Leyland - a post he had held since 2011- to focus on Infosys. 
 
Industry experts told ET the situation is not yet past the point of no return. "The end goal is the promoters, the board and the management should be aligned. I don't think the situation is irredeemable. If the founders air their problems, this could still be resolved. This isn't like the Tata case,” Shriram Subramanian, MD of shareholder advisory firm InGovern, told ET. 
 
Meanwhile, efforts are going on resolve the dispute. ET quoted two people saying among those involved is a prominent investor in the company - Baburaj Pillai. 
 
Reports of disputes over "internal governance issues, between some of the company's founders and a management keen on charting a new path have spurred efforts to broker peace by the Singapore-based fund manager as well as other influential people, said the sources cited above. 
 
Pillai, the founder of investment firm Arohi Capital, met with co-founder <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=narayana+murthy&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">NR Narayana Murthy </a>and chief executive officer <keyword id="6369763" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Vishal-Sikka">Vishal Sikka</keyword> late last year, according to people aware of the talks. 
 
"Pillai met with both of them to try and create common ground. He does not want Sikka to be forced to leave and he also does not want Murthy to feel as though his voice is not important,” one of the people aware of the discussions told ET. 
 
"With regard to concerns on governance being discussed in the media, we would like to reiterate that all decisions have been made bona fide, in the overall interest of the company, and that full disclosures have already been made thereon,” Infosys told ET in a statement.

Trouble is brewing between Infosys founders and board. Here’s everything you should know

New Delhi, Dec 9 () Amazon.in on Monday said it is focusing on three areas -- vernacular, voice and video -- to help merchants connect better with customers and increase their sales.
 Amazon India Vice President Seller Services Gopal Pillai said its seller base in the country has grown to over 5.5 lakh, and the company continues to work on a number of initiatives to bring more small and medium businesses on its platform.
 "We continue to focus on 3 Vs - vernacular, voice and videos to help sellers. We provide support in five vernacular languages for them, and are working on growing that," he said without disclosing more details.
 Amazon.in is locked in a bruising battle for market leadership in India against Walmart-backed Flipkart, which is also working on bringing more small and medium businesses on its platform.
 Earlier on Monday, Walmart announced that it will open 25 institute hubs in India over the next five years. 
 These hubs will train 50,000 entrepreneurs from the micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME) sector and are part of Walmart's "long-term commitment to India", Walmart International President and CEO Judith McKenna said.
 Talking about the company's plan, Pillai said it is organising Small Business Day on December 14.
 "The event will see participation from thousands of manufacturers, small brand owners, start-ups, artisans, and weavers and will encourage shoppers to discover and buy unique and hard-to-find products offered by small businesses and micro entrepreneurs," he said.
 The specially curated online event will offer customers the opportunity to discover and purchase products under its various programs such as Amazon Launchpad, Amazon Saheli, Amazon Karigar and others.
 Amazon also announced its partnership with CII to conduct awareness workshops and training in pre-identified locations to enable small and medium businesses start their e-commerce journey.
 Pillai said Amazon and the industry body will conduct various activities, including a series of awareness workshops, road shows, and e-commerce training, among other initiatives.
 These workshops will be held across India, focused on domestic MSMEs and potential exporters with a view to sensitise these MSMEs on the potential of enhancing market access by leveraging Amazon's global marketplace, he added.
 "E-commerce has played a significant role by lowering entrance costs and barriers to help MSMEs engage in international trade and Global Value Chains (GVC). The inclusiveness of GVC could be greatly enhanced by expanding and extending the benefits of e-commerce platforms to Indian MSMEs," CII Director General Chandrajit Banerjee said.
 CII and Amazon agreed to start with a series of workshops in five cities in identified MSME clusters of leather &amp; footwear, apparels and textiles, automobile, cycle parts and handicrafts, he added.
 The workshops will aim to raise awareness about e-commerce, and focus on how MSMEs can leverage e-commerce for their success, particularly for B2C (business-to-consumer) exports, he noted. SR RVK

Amazon.in bets on vernacular, voice and videos to help sellers boost sales

<div class="el__leafmedia el__leafmedia--sourced-paragraph el__leafmedia--"><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"></div></div></div><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/the-20-best-airlines-in-the-world-according-to-skytrax-2015-6">Qatar Airways was just named the Best Airline in the World</a> for 2015 by leading aviation consumer website <a href="http://www.worldairlineawards.com/">Skytrax</a>.The Gulf-based carrier also took home gold for best airline in the Middle East and best business class seat.The awards are based on votes by 18.9 million passengers across 110 countries, who judge airlines on everything from food to friendliness.</div>While Qatar has been making a name for itself with its epic <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/flying-the-boeing-dreamliner-on-qatar-2013-6">Boeing 787 Dreamliner</a> and its incredible first class amenities, it offers an awesome in-flight experience from the front of the plane all the way to the back.

Here's why Qatar Airways was just named the best airline in the world

<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"></div></div></div>New York City is known for its vast and intimidating food selection.
As part of its 2015 restaurant survey results, released Wednesday, Zagat created a list of the best restaurants in New York City for every type of cuisine.
Whether it's an authentic New York City deli or delicious Mexican food in Williamsburg, there's something here for everyone.
There were also a few repeats on the list this year, with Chinese restaurant RedFarm and Pearl Oyster Bar both making multiple appearances.
Food ratings are out of 30 on the Zagat scale.

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