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Actor <keyword id="6384030" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="raveena-tandon" source="Orion">Raveena Tandon</keyword> says she is elated that through <keyword id="25105" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="padma-shri" source="Orion">Padma Shri</keyword>, the fourth highest civilian award in the country, her work in both mainstream and independent cinema has been recognized. The actor, whose name was announced among the Padma awardees on the eve of the Republic Day, said 2023 has begun on a good note. "It has been a year of awards for 'KGF 2' and 'Aranyak'. But this (Padma Shri) was the best of all because this encapsulated my entire body of work. It encapsulates everything, the commercial successes, the songs that are so eternal that people remember," <keyword id="6544" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="raveena" source="Orion">Raveena</keyword> told PTI. The actor, who ruled the 90s cinema with hits such as "Mohra", "Dilwale" and "Dulhe Raja" while also making a mark in off-beat movies such as "Daman", "Satta" and "Shool", made her successful streaming debut with Netflix series "Aranyak" in 2021. She also played an important role in "KGF: Chapter 2". "It feels good that there are people watching and appreciating you. I thank everyone who has been with me on this journey and supported me throughout," the actor she said. The popularity of mainstream entertainers usually dominate an actor's filmography, but Raveena feels "lucky" that her performance-oriented roles in "Satta", "Shool" and "Daman", for which she won the National award best actress, did not go unnoticed. "Huge commercial successes sometimes overshadow the body of work that you have done in realistic cinema because of the hit songs and films that people remember. I am so happy that an award like Padma Shri gives credit to the fact that I have done films like 'Satta', 'Daman', 'Matr' and 'Shool'." The actor said it was a struggle to fight stereotypes back and recalled how she had to convince <keyword id="6355246" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="ram-gopal-varma" source="Orion">Ram Gopal Varma</keyword> to cast her in 1999 film "Shool". Raveena, who eventually played a Bihari housewife to Manoj Bajpayee's character in the film, recalls <keyword id="8478" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="varma" source="Orion">Varma</keyword> saying, "when I close my eyes, I can see you doing 'Aankhiyon Se Goli Maare''. "In the 90s, it was easy to get stereotyped. It was a conscious decision to start challenging myself as an actor. I was getting stuck in that stereotype, I had to break away from it. It was a conscious decision to stop signing glamorous roles." Workwise, 2023 has many interesting projects in the pipeline for the actor. She will be seen in Arbaaz Khan-backed social drama "Patna Shukla", a romantic-comedy "Gudchadhi" with Sanjay Dutt and a show with Disney+ Hotstar. "'Gudchadhi' is a sweet romantic-comedy, 'Patna Shuka', which is topical and relevant to the problems that we face in our society. Then I have a show that I am doing for Hotstar, which is a thriller, on 'Aranyak', I think the writing work is going on and soon we will be looking forward to KGF 3," Raveena said. SEE ALSO: <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/budget/news/the-union-budget-is-round-the-corner-but-is-your-budget-sorted/articleshow/97370691.cms">The Union Budget is round the corner, but is your budget sorted?</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/have-you-ever-observed-your-mothers-time-management-skills-modi-on-pariksha-pe-charcha/articleshow/97370498.cms">Have you ever observed your mother's time management skills?: Modi on Pariksha Pe Charcha</a>

'Padma Shri' honour encapsulates my entire body of work: Raveena Tandon

Unless you were in coma or live in a cave, you must be aware of the whole hubbub over Aamir Khan’s ‘controversial’ remark on the growing intolerance in the country. However, remove what’s being circulated in social media and whatsapp forwards, and we have a clear picture of what Mr. Khan said. In his statements, there was no talk of intolerance; the word ‘religion’ wasn’t mentioned anywhere, and no one talked about leaving the country or being anti-national. 
 
Still, Aamir Khan has faced police complaints, protests, burnt effigies and even claims of people being promised cash rewards for slapping him. 
 Here is what Aamir Khan had to say on this matter; one thorough read and you would know what Mr. Perfectionist and the leading actor in <keyword id="143" type="CITY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Bollywood">Bollywood</keyword>’s most successful film had in mind while giving the statement. 
 
<blockquote cite="https://www.facebook.com/aamirkhan.com/posts/10153284718467799">
	
		First let me state categorically that neither I, nor my wife Kiran, have any intention of leaving the country. We never...
	Posted by <a href="https://www.facebook.com/aamirkhan.com/">Aamir Khan</a> on&#xa0;<a href="https://www.facebook.com/aamirkhan.com/posts/10153284718467799">Wednesday, 25 November 2015</a></blockquote>
 Now that we know what was on his mind, let’s not forget that there are many in Bollywood, who have questioned Aamir’s patriotism and sanity over the comments that he had made. The list includes reputed actors like Anupam Kher and <keyword id="6357914" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Paresh-Rawal">Paresh Rawal</keyword>, all of them revered in their profession and winner of multiple awards. 
 
Here is what they said. 
 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">
	
		Dear <a href="https://twitter.com/aamir_khan">@aamir_khan</a>. Did you tell Kiran that you have lived through more worse times in this country &amp; but you never thought of moving out.
	— Anupam Kher (@AnupamPkher) <a href="https://twitter.com/AnupamPkher/status/668854367013965824">November 23, 2015</a></blockquote>
 
A few days back, Shah Rukh Khan was in news for having said something similar about intolerance in the country, but Mr. Kher didn’t have anything to say about him, maybe because of the close professional relations that they both share? 
 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">
	
		A true patriot will not run away n leave his motherland behind in turmoil or in troubled times (if any )...don't escape - build it ..
	— Paresh Rawal (@SirPareshRawal) <a href="https://twitter.com/SirPareshRawal/status/668866047336812546">November 23, 2015</a></blockquote>
 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">
	
		Some celebs complaining about Intolerance should be the last ones to complain becos they became celebs in a so called intolerant country
	— Ram Gopal Varma (@RGVzoomin) <a href="https://twitter.com/RGVzoomin/status/669006133823012864">November 24, 2015</a></blockquote>
However, as we said, not everyone in Bollywood decided to overlook the facts and join the bandwagon or choose the convenient way of being mum about it. Here are some celebrities who decided to show their support to Aamir Khan, wide and open. 
 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">
	
		More power to your voice, <a href="https://twitter.com/aamir_khan">@aamir_khan</a> Sir! This is OUR country, it belongs to ALL Indians. Not to rabid lunatics from any party/religion! — <keyword id="6373601" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Vishal-Dadlani">VISHAL DADLANI</keyword> (@VishalDadlani) <a href="https://twitter.com/VishalDadlani/status/668862632808460289">November 23, 2015</a></blockquote>
Oscar-winning music composer <keyword id="10356" type="ENTERTAINMENT" weightage="100" keywordseo="A-R-Rahman">A R Rahman</keyword> said that he too has faced similar circumstances a few months ago, when a Muslim had group issued a fatwa against him after he composed the music for an Iranian film, 'Muhammad: Messenger of God'. 
 
Raveena Tandon too clarified her stand over the whole controversy -after media reported her to be anti-Aamir. 
 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">
	
		Please a request,agree/disagree is our right,I agreed to sm things aamir said,disagree with a few ..He has his right to opinion,pls refrain-
	— Raveena Tandon (@TandonRaveena) <a href="https://twitter.com/TandonRaveena/status/669378433525219328">November 25, 2015</a></blockquote>
The whole growing debate over religious intolerance stemmed from the killing of Akhlaq, a Dadri resident, on rumors that he had consumed beef. Superstar Shah Rukh Khan, on being pestered for comments on this topic had said that Indian youth should work towards making India a secular, progressive country. He too was misquoted and this went on to become a hot topic of discussion for many days, as we saw people citing Khan to be a traitor and advising him to settle down in Pakistan. 
 
To conclude the whole debate, by creating sparks about nothing and standing outside someone’s house to protest, forcing him to send his wife and kids outside the city for safety,aren’t people proving that India is actually growing intolerant, not that Aamir said anything about it at all? 
 
<a href="http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/photo/42530280.cms">Image source</a>

Aamir Khan isn’t alone in this, because not everyone in Bollywood is an Anupam Kher

Mumbai, Filmmaker Prashanth Neel says movies like his "<keyword id="6400922" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="kgf" source="Orion">KGF</keyword>" franchise that organically travel across the country do well, a phenomenon he hopes is repeated with his latest directorial "<keyword id="10367331" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="salaar" source="Orion">Salaar</keyword>: Part 1 - Ceasefire". Neel and Yash, the lead star of "KGF" series, rose to national prominence after the success of "KGF: Chapter 1", the 2018 Kannada period action film. Its 2022 follow-up, "KGF: Chapter 2" also starred Bollywood actors Raveena Tandon and Sanjay Dutt in key roles. The director, who made his debut with 2014's "Ugramm", said he never plans his films as pan-India projects. "I've written a story and I've executed it. I don't know if it ('Salaar') is going to be a pan-India movie or not. But if it becomes a pan-India movie, then that's an absolute bonus for all of us. Like, 'KGF' happened very organically. "Movies that happen organically always do well. You can't plan to make a pan-India movie, you can't plan and say that I'm going to bring these actors from this industry to make it a pan-India movie. It doesn't work like that," Neel told PTI in an interview here. "Salaar" revolves around two friends Deva and Vardha, played by <keyword id="104063" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="prabhas" source="Orion">Prabhas</keyword> and <keyword id="572189" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="prithviraj-sukumaran" source="Orion">Prithviraj Sukumaran</keyword>, who end up becoming arch rivals. It will be released on Friday. The 43-year-old director said the journey of the film started over 15 years ago. "It was an idea that was in my head. But it needed a very big budget. So, I made my first film 'Ugramm', then I made 'KGF'. I was occupied with 'KGF' for almost eight years. During COVID-19, I narrated this subject ('Salaar') to Prabhas sir and he agreed to do it," he recalled. The USP of "Salaar" is an emotion between two friends and how this emotion translates to violence forms the core of the story, Neel said. According to the director, equal importance should be given to the story and the characters in big-budget films. "We make a movie to tell a story and we want the right characters, right actors to portray every role. There's a commercial aspect with a star and we get bigger budgets to do what we want. But the criteria is the same that this is the character, it is not the hero who is playing the hero because if we think like that then we have lost the battle," he added. With "Salaar", Neel said his aim was for Prabhas ("Baahubali") to shed his superstar persona. "There was never a pressure to make 'Salaar'. The idea is to make sure that the actor looks like a character. You don't want to show Prabhas as Prabhas, you want to show him as a character and I tried our best to do something like that," he said. While the director acknowledged that Prabhas has had a difficult run at the box office with his recent releases "Adipurush" and "Radhe Shyam", he said a star can always bounce back after a hit film. "Prabhas is a big star. After 'Baahubali', he became the biggest star. People are not going to forget something like that. Stars have always been stars; they can have one flop or 20 flops, they just need to give one hit. Recently, <keyword id="1671" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="shah-rukh-khan" source="Orion">Shah Rukh Khan</keyword> showed us that a star is always a star, there's no denying that," Neel added. A box office showdown is expected between "Salaar" and Rajkumar Hirani's "Dunki". The latter, starring Shah Rukh Khan, will hit the screens a day before "Salaar" on Thursday. About the release, Neel said he doesn't meddle in the business aspect of a movie. "I don't get involved in the logistics of what happens after the movie is ready. My brief is I've to make a movie on a given budget and I've to give it to them at a time that they want to release," he said. The filmmaker said he has utmost respect for Hirani and Shah Rukh. "I loved whatever they put out (referring to assets of 'Dunki'). People always want to see the most human thing in any trailer or teaser, so we try to do that. Even in the larger-than-life movies we try to do that." Produced by Hombale Films, "Salaar" also stars Shruti Haasan, Eshwari Rao, Jagapathi Babu and Sriya Reddy.

Stars are always stars, says Salaar director on Prabhas' recent box office run

<ul><li>Shares of multiplex chains <keyword id="105311" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="inox-leisure" source="Orion">Inox Leisure</keyword>, <keyword id="799" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="pvr" source="Orion">PVR</keyword> rallied on Monday as Maharashtra reopens theatres from October 22.</li><li>With this, movies like Sooryavanshi, <keyword id="8378806" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="bunty-aur-babli-2" source="Orion">Bunty Aur Babli 2</keyword>, Shahid Kapoor-starrer Jersey, <keyword id="6355923" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="aamir-khan" source="Orion">Aamir Khan</keyword>’s Laal Singh Chaddha can be viewed in theatres.</li><li>Maharashtra is one of the biggest markets for the theatre industry as it contributes 25-30% to a Hindi film's box office collections.</li></ul>Movie buffs in Maharashtra will be able to watch their favourite stars’ new releases in theatres from October 22. On Saturday, the state’s Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray announced the reopening of theatres in the state bringing a relief to the theatre industry. Theatres and auditoriums will be reopened in Maharashtra from October 22, Thackeray tweeted on September 25. <div type="javascript" title="Custom" contenttype="Image"><cdata><![CDATA[ ]]></cdata></div> This is positive news for multiplex companies as the state <a href="https://www.moneycontrol.com/news/trends/entertainment/relief-for-multiplex-players-pvr-inox-as-maharashtra-allows-theatres-to-reopen-7507301.html">reportedly</a> contributes 25-30% to a Hindi film's box office collections, making it key to big Bollywood releases. In fact, shares of PVR, Inox Leisure rallied on stock exchanges on Monday as investors showed their excitement of theatres reopening. On Monday, shares of multiplex companies PVR and Inox Leisure surged to reach their 52-week high of ₹1,662.20 and ₹412.20 respectively. <div type="image" title="PVR" height="900" width="1200" msid="86549218" hostid="261"></div> The announcement came after Thackeray’s discussion with filmmakers Rohit Shetty and Kunal Kapoor, theatre personality Makarand Deshpande, Marathi actors Subodh Bhave, Aadesh Bandekar and other party members. “Opening of Maharashtra is specifically significant because 18% of our screen strength lies in the state, the highest in our circuit and serves as a focal centre for the entertainment industry," said Gautam Dutta, chief executive officer (CEO), PVR to <a href="https://www.moneycontrol.com/news/trends/entertainment/relief-for-multiplex-players-pvr-inox-as-maharashtra-allows-theatres-to-reopen-7507301.html">Moneycontrol</a>. Alok Tandon, CEO, INOX Leisure <a href="https://www.moneycontrol.com/news/trends/entertainment/relief-for-multiplex-players-pvr-inox-as-maharashtra-allows-theatres-to-reopen-7507301.html">reportedly</a> said that with this announcement, content producers would also plan their releases, which should strengthen the Hindi film content pipeline in the months to come and usher in better health for the cinema exhibition industry. <div type="image" title="inox leisure" height="900" width="1200" msid="86549238" hostid="261"></div> The green signal to screen movies in theatres in Maharashtra led to many announcements from movie makers. <a href="https://www.hindustantimes.com/entertainment/bollywood/sooryavanshi-laal-singh-chaddha-and-heropanti-2-here-are-the-bollywood-films-that-have-announce-new-release-dates-101632670713127.html">Reportedly</a>, <keyword id="12183083" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="rohit-shettys-sooryavanshi" source="Orion">Rohit Shetty’s Sooryavanshi</keyword> has been announced to release on Diwali, in November. The film will be followed by the release of Bunty Aur Babli 2 on November 19, starring Saif Ali Khan, Rani Mukerji, Siddhant Chaturvedi and Sharvari Wagh. The much awaited Ranveer Singh’s sports drama movie ‘83’ will be screened on Christmas this year in theatres. Another sports movie ‘Jersey’ starring Shahid Kapoor will release on December 31, 2021. Meanwhile, Suniel Shetty’s son Ahan Shetty's debut film Tadap is slated to release on December 3. 2022 line-up <ul><li><keyword id="2823" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="akshay-kumar" source="Orion">Akshay Kumar</keyword>'s Prithviraj on January 21</li><li>Aamir Khan’s Laal Singh Chaddha on Valentine's Day</li><li>Ranveer Singh's Jayeshbhai Jordaar on February 25.</li><li>Akshay’s Bachchan Pandey on March 4</li><li>Ranbir Kapoor’s Shershaah on March 18</li><li>Kartik Aaryan’s Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2 on March 25</li><li>KGF 2 set for April 14</li><li>Ajay Devgn's Mayday on April 29</li><li>Tiger Shroff's Heropanti 2 on May 6</li></ul>Several big budget films such as Gangubai Kathiawadi, Brahmāstra, and Pathan are yet to reveal their release dates. SEE ALSO: <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/reliance-industries-shares-hit-record-high-trading-at-over-2500/articleshow/86547883.cms">Reliance Industries’ shares hit record high, trading at over ₹2500 in early morning trade</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/zee-entertainment-shares-fall-in-todays-trade-as-invesco-insists-the-board-to-hold-egm-before-sony-deal/articleshow/86546922.cms">Zee Entertainment shares fall 3% in today’s trade as Invesco insists the board to hold EGM before Sony deal</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/tata-motors-coal-india-ntpc-and-other-underperforming-stocks-in-last-10-years/slidelist/86535881.cms">Those who have held these stocks for a decade have only lost money</a>

These upcoming movies from Akshay Kumar, Aamir Khan and Ajay Devgn will get a boost as PVR, INOX and other screens in Maharashtra open next month

While the whole world knows and praises Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt for adopting three babies from underprivileged countries and giving them all the happiness and joy that they could ever ask for, we take a look at the generous and big-hearted celebrities closer home, who have adopted children and continue to be an inspiration for everyone around them.

10 Indian Celebs Who Have Adopted Kids

Mumbai, May 13 () Filmmaker Farah Khan says her daughter Anya has raised over Rs 2.5 lakh by sketching pets, the proceeds of which will go towards feeding the homeless and stray animals affected by the coronavirus pandemic.Last month, the filmmaker took to social media to announce that Anya, 12, decided to sketch a pet and sell the artwork for Rs 1,000 to support such neglected animals.Farah on Wednesday gave an update on Anya's sketches, saying that her daughter had so far finished 100 sketches and is ready for the next set of orders. The video was shot by the "Om Shanti Om" director's other daughter Diva."Over a 100 sketches done and a little more than 2 and a half lakhs collected and donated!! Thank you to all the generous contributors. Anya is ready for round 2 of orders.. #sketchapet #sketchforcharity .. video shot by… #divakunder," Farah wrote on Instagram.Anya has so far fulfilled orders by several Bollywood celebrities, including Zoya Akhtar, Gauri Khan, Abhishek Bachchan, Shweta Bachchan, Sonu Sood, Aditi Rao Hydari, Sonali Bendre Behl, Raveena Tandon, Tahira Kashyap. KKP RDSRDS

COVID-19: Farah Khan's daughter raises Rs 2.5 lakh to feed homeless stray animals

Certain roles are meant to be played by certain stars. But that’s not how every <keyword id="143" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Bollywood">Bollywood</keyword> story begins. Many a times, roles are written for someone else and are enacted by other actors and actresses. With Rock On 2 finally landing in Shraddha Kapoor’s kitty after originally being offered to <keyword id="6354526" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Alia-Bhatt">Alia Bhatt</keyword>, here are a few characters which were written keeping a particular actor in mind but went to someone else. 
 
Can you imagine Karan Arjun without <keyword id="6354583" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Salman-Khan">Salman Khan</keyword>? Well, the role was originally written with <keyword id="6354714" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Ajay-Devgn">Ajay Devgn</keyword> in mind. It was when Ajay refused to play the part that it went to Salman. Later, the movie directed by <keyword id="1989" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Rakesh-Roshan">Rakesh Roshan</keyword> became an epic. 
 
Is Salman Khan a star by fluke? It wasn’t just Karan Arjun that landed with him by chance but also his launch pad, Maine Pyar Kiya. Yes, the blockbuster wasn’t originally written for him but for Vikas Bhalla. Imagine the disaster that was averted! 
 
In yet another tale, Munna Bhai MBBS wasn’t meant for Sanju Baba but for <keyword id="1671" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Shah-Rukh-Khan">Shah Rukh Khan</keyword>. And we thank the makers for that. Jadu Ki Jhappi and the whole tapori act would have lost its charm if SRK had played the role. Whether you believe it or not, <keyword id="7645" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Sanjay-Dutt">Sanjay Dutt</keyword> was supposed to play the character of cancer patient, which was later enacted by <keyword id="18965" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Jimmy-Sheirgill">Jimmy Sheirgill</keyword> in the movie. 
 Shah Rukh Khan has all the reasons to thank <keyword id="2823" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Akshay-Kumar">Akshay Kumar</keyword>, Arbaaz Khan, Salman Khan and even <keyword id="6354700" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Anil-Kapoor">Anil Kapoor</keyword>. Wondering why? Well, Baazigar, the film that established him as a star was first offered to all of them. When no one agreed to play the negative character, the role went to King Khan. 
 
Talking about Shah Rukh Khan, even Chak De! came to him when Salman Khan said no to it.Knowing this, we wonder how Salman would have delivered the famous “sattar minute” speech? 
 <keyword id="11193" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Karisma-Kapoor">Karisma Kapoor</keyword> wasn’t the original choice for Raja Hindustani. The film, which catapulted Karisma’s career was actually supposed to be <keyword id="6366471" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Aishwarya-Rai">Aishwarya Rai</keyword> Bachchan’s debut vehicle. Thanks to Aishwarya’s <keyword id="145" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Miss-World">Miss World</keyword> commitments, the film went to Karisma. 
 ‘Kuch Kuch Hota Hai’ was first offered to Karisma Kapoor, Twinkle Khanna and Raveena Tandon. It was when they rejected; the role went to <keyword id="587883" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Rani-Mukerjee">Rani Mukerjee</keyword>. 
 
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan wasn’t the original choice for playing Nandini in Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam. It would be hard for you to believe, but it was <keyword id="2165" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Kareena-Kapoor">Kareena Kapoor</keyword> who was initially considered to play Nandini. 
(Image: farzitimes.com)

Here's when an actor's loss became someone else’s gain

<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><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

Brihan Mumbai Municipal Corporation’s decision to impose a ban on the sale of meat for four days hasn’t gone down too well amongst many citizens, and our <keyword id="143" type="CITY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Bollywood">Bollywood</keyword> celebrities are no different. Known to have a say in everything that happens, these celebrities took on to the social networking site Twitter to express their opinions on the #meatban. 
 
Here are some of the tweets that came from Bollywood galleries. 
 
1. Soha Ali Khan 
The pretty actress showed why she is one of the most well-read actresses in Bollywood. 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">
	
		Let's try to ban hunger before we ban meat? <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/meatban?src=hash">#meatban</a>
	— soha ali khan (@sakpataudi) <a href="https://twitter.com/sakpataudi/status/641254293522112512">September 8, 2015</a></blockquote>
 
2. Raghu Ram 
The man behind the success of youth reality show Roadies shared his anger about such political moves. 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">
	
		Then ban meat for ever. I'm cool with that. This is divisive, unnecessary, political opportunism. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MeatBan?src=hash">#MeatBan</a> <a href="https://t.co/cZ4hqPwwDg">https://t.co/cZ4hqPwwDg</a>
	— Raghu Ram (@tweetfromRaghu) <a href="https://twitter.com/tweetfromRaghu/status/641253857578778626">September 8, 2015</a></blockquote>
3. Konkona Sensharma 
The power-house actress who would next be seen playing a mother in Meghna Gulzar’s Talvar asked the question that we all want an answer to. 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">
	
		When will we learn to live and let live? <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/meatban?src=hash">#meatban</a>
	— Konkona Sensharma (@konkonas) <a href="https://twitter.com/konkonas/status/641229354010210304">September 8, 2015</a></blockquote>
 
4. Twinkle Khanna 
Writer and former actress who was in news for the release of her book Mrs. Funnybones went ahead to play with words. Puntastic, we think. 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">
	
		Want to eat meat,go ahead&amp;if someone has a beef with that then hold your ground-don't chicken out or there really will be egg on your face
	— Twinkle Khanna (@mrsfunnybones) <a href="https://twitter.com/mrsfunnybones/status/641986500242964481">September 10, 2015</a></blockquote>
5. Anubhav Sinha 
The Ra.One director also played around with words, and asked if ‘meatings’ were also banned during the four days of the Jain festival. 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">
	
		Can we have a meating during those four days? <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/meatban?src=hash">#meatban</a>
	— Anubhav Sinha (@anubhavsinha) <a href="https://twitter.com/anubhavsinha/status/641203492539895808">September 8, 2015</a></blockquote>
6. Raveena Tandon 
The national award winning actress shared the image of a newspaper clipping from last year’s proposal to ban meat, while raising a genuine question. 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">
	
		So apparently the meat ban had happened before too.. But only this time highlighted .. Why? <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/iknowwhybutstillasking?src=hash">#iknowwhybutstillasking</a> <a href="http://t.co/IlTcjVKjgc">pic.twitter.com/IlTcjVKjgc</a>
	— Raveena Tandon (@TandonRaveena) <a href="https://twitter.com/TandonRaveena/status/641305056441069569">September 8, 2015</a></blockquote>
7. Rahul Dholakia 
The actor, whose upcoming movie Raees is much-anticipated, tried to find something funny in the grave situation. 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">
	
		Is Ramdev starting a Subzi Mandi ? <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/meatban?src=hash">#meatban</a>
	— rahul dholakia (@rahuldholakia) <a href="https://twitter.com/rahuldholakia/status/641341426349936641">September 8, 2015</a></blockquote>
 
<a href="http://maharashtratimes.indiatimes.com/thumb/msid-48907080,width-300,resizemode-4/maharashtra/mumbai/meat-ban-hc-jain-paryushan/-/meat-ban.jpg">Image Source</a>

Bollywood reacts on #MeatBan in hometown Mumbai

Every year has its own share of controversies and interesting twists and turns play a crucial role in the events. The year 2015 was no exception either. This year too, the country had its incidents, incidences and things that cropped up as aftermath, making some of them hot cakes in terms of news this year. 
 
As we close in on wrapping up the year, here’s what made the headlines in 2015 and shaped the country’s opinion both, socially and politically, sometimes ushering in major change in perception about the country in the world’s eyes. 
 
<keyword id="3119826" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Award-Wapsi">Award Wapsi</keyword> This must have been the most significant event of the year and happened right before the <keyword id="175111" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Bihar-elections">Bihar elections</keyword>. Award wapsi, a movement of sorts, was started a little while after murder of rationalist thinker and writer M M Kalburgi in Karnataka. Writers Nayantara Sehgal and Uday Prakash were among those who set the tone. This year, the biggest literary event was not a book release or something, but more like a writer standing up for his right to speak what he sees as truth. The writers were chided for siding with Congress party since most of them received awards during the tenure of Congress government. 
 
National Herald case 
Apart from Award Wapsi, this was another headline grabber which almost made demi gods out of Congress first line leaders. AICC Chairperson Sonia Gandhi and her son Rahul Gandhi made an appearance in court over murky National Herald assets usurping case, which cost the country quite dearly since Congress stalled the discussions over some crucial issues such as GST in parliament, over ‘vendetta’ politics. 
 
Modi Pakistan-Afghan visit 
Towards the end of the year, the Prime Minister who has been jocularly targeted for his trips aboard sprang up a surprise and visited his counterpart in Pakistan absolutely out of turn, thus catching everyone by surprise. His move was both appreciated and criticized in equal measures by those who love him, and by those who simply didn’t like this approach. But, it looks like the White House seems to have welcomed this new found bonhomie between neighbours who have been sworn enemies over several issues. 
 
Shah Rukh, Aamir Khan’s (controversial) intolerance remarks 
This year when people spoke of social and cultural differences, they were targeted on social media and how! Shah Rukh Khan and Aamir Khan who spoke against the rising incidents of ‘intolerance’ and the subsequent fear that has been the result of this, they were targeted badly for everything they said and did. Many from Bollywood including Raveena Tandon, Madhur Bhandarkar and Anupam Kher condemned these remarks made by the two Khans. The issue still simmers on. 
 
No women in temples, so what! 
It started with Ayyappan temple in Sabarimala, Kerala where a trustee said they would put scanners soon to keep menstruating women from visiting temples and angering the gods. Soon after, BJP leader Pankaja Munde in Mumbai seemed to have agreed with this line of thought. She asked, in all calm tone, yes women have not been allowed to visit temples in particular days. So what?! This irked feminists and people across the social media, who ensured their spoke their minds against this medieval stance against menstruating women. 
 
Meat ban during Paryushan Parva 
The BJP government in Maharashtra banned meat during the Jain fasting period called Paryushan Parva. This angered people from across social strata, who were sure that the BJP was driving a wedge between communities that ate meat and those that didn’t consume meat. This was called a social experiment of the worst kind, which would have repercussions on people’s food habits where forced opinions would mean democracy had ceased to exist even in people food habits. 
 
Sadhvi Prachi 
In keeping with the continued tradition of letting lose a volley of abuses and irrational statements, asking people to go to Pakistan if they were opposed to the ideologies of BJP government which predominantly upheld Hindu values and the way of life, that an alternate faith was next to impossible. Sadhvi Prachi being just a representative of all those medieval thoughts and barbaric mindset, kept the newspapers busy with her idiosyncrasies while BJP leadership failed to rein her in. 
 
Yakub Memon 
Hanging of 1997 Mumbai blast main accused Yakub Memon, who was held guilty by courts in 2007 the country witnessed some tense moments and swift working by the courts even on the previous night he was to be hanged on July 30. 
 
Though his death didn’t create a law and order situation, international media lost no opportunity to ensure this incident was bracketed under ‘intolerance’ towards Muslim brethren. 
 
Bihar elections 
This was the single most significant incident that probably indicated the image of BJP was on a journey downhill. Having doled out goodies in form of packages, and most engaging and intense campaigning by the who’s who of BJP including Amit Shah and PM Narendra Modi, the MahagatBandhan with Nitish Kumar and Lalu at the helm held people’s hopes. That is where exactly their votes went too. But in the run up to event, there was a lot of bad blood that spilled forth. 
 
(Image: Indiatimes)

Political controversies that made headlines in 2015

The trailer of <keyword id="2499664" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Shaandaar">Shaandaar</keyword>, Vikas Bahl’s upcoming movie, is collecting rare reviews ever since its release. The movie, which is about a destination wedding, stars Shahid Kapoor as Jagjinder Joginder and Alia Bhatt as Alia, along with Pankaj Kapoor, Sanah Kapoor, Sushma Seth, Sanjay Kapoor and others. 
 
Here is the trailer: 
 
 
 Destination weddings are always fun, given the mix of two cultures that one experiences. Here in, we have a look at some of the destination weddings that took place for real in <keyword id="143" type="CITY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Bollywood">Bollywood</keyword>. 
 
1. Raveena Tandon 
The actress chose a palace hotel in Udaipur, situated at the banks of Pichchola Lake for her wedding to distributor Anil Thadani. 
 
2. Kunal Kapoor 
The swanky actor got married to Naina Bachchan (Amitabh Bachchan’s niece) in a beautiful beach wedding in Seychelles. 
 
3. Hrithik Roshan 
The Greek God married long-time girlfriend Sussanne Khan in Bengaluru, at Golden Palms resort, reportedly owned by Sussanne’s father Sanjay Khan. 
 
4. Celina Jaitley 
The blue-eyed beauty got married to Austrian hotelier Peter Haag in a 1000-year old monastery in Austria. 
 
5. Lara Dutta 
The actress got married to tennis star Mahesh Bhupathi in a beach wedding at Goa, at the luxurious Taj Aguada Hotel. 
 
6. Kalki Koechlin 
The Ooty-born actress chose her hometown, a perfect hill station in Southern India, as the place for exchanging vows with her husband Anurag Kashyap. 
 
7. Rani Mukerji 
Even though nothing much is known about the actress’s marriage to producer-director Aditya Chopra, we know that Italy is a beautiful place to get married.

Shaandaar Trailer: A Look At The Destination Weddings Of Bollywood

Mumbai voted and so did Delhi. Bangalore did it, too! And Kolkata was not left behind either. While the whole country seems reluctant to comment on whether there is a genuine Narendra Modi wave this time around or whether it is the handiwork of the media, no one can possibly deny a couple of poll trends which have come up this time. 
 To start with, the number of first-time voters has been the highest this time. The other trend, apparently new in the Indian context, is the emergence of the ‘<keyword id="1725157" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="80" keywordseo="Selfie">selfie</keyword> brigade’ as voters pose with index-finger-inked selfies on their respective social networking sites. 
 In a narcissistic world, anything that glorifies the self is welcomed with open arms. Err… did we say arms? We mean the hands that take the pictures, of course. Social networking sites seem to thrive on the selfie culture, helping people glorify the self, even if it means throwing privacy and caution to the wind. In that sense, being ‘social’ is more about self-promotion, rather than networking with people and meeting them. <keyword id="6354576" type="CITY" weightage="40" keywordseo="Facebook">Facebook</keyword>, <keyword id="819905" type="COMPANY" weightage="40" keywordseo="Instagram">Instagram</keyword> and Twitter are the new Page 3. 
 
When you say that all the world’s a stage, the elections must be the biggest platform to stage a great performance. So what other option was left for the 23.16 million young, peppy, cyber-savvy Gen Y, hitting the polling booths to exercise their franchise? It had to be a flood of inked selfies, expressly showing their joy and pride that come with casting the ballot. 
 
Giving into this trend were celebrities and politicians who would not lose a chance to show that they did fulfil their responsibility. Rajinikath’s fans posted a picture of the thalaiva voting; Shah Rukh posed with his inky finger outside the booth, and so did Aamir and his wife Kiran. Sachin Tendulkar also surrendered to this selfie craze. Director-actor <keyword id="5015" type="PERSON" weightage="40" keywordseo="Farhan-Akhtar">Farhan Akhtar</keyword> posted his selfie with the picture taken at his house; Rahul Bose took his selfie with a poker face; <keyword id="8145" type="PERSON" weightage="40" keywordseo="Preity-zinta">Preity Zinta</keyword> went for a selfie pose for a snapshot while Raveena Tandon looked beautiful, shooting her inky index finger inside her car. 
 
But there were even more luminaries who followed the trend. Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Abhishek Bachchan voted without giving it a miss. Singer Kailash Kher turned to his camera soon after voting and showed the world he had performed his duty as an Indian citizen. Sonam Kapoor looked all radiant while posing with that inky finger right in front of her. And an almost forgotten Dino Morea posted his selfie soon after voting was done. English Vinglish director Gauri Shinde didn’t miss posing before her own camera after she voted. In a nutshell, the selfie frenzy took over during the polls and caught hold of everyone, almost everywhere. 
 
The ones who didn’t post their selfies were probably the most ‘tech-unabled’ people. The incessant flow of selfies were fast and furious, came in all shapes and sizes, and featured varied expressions – right from brilliant, billion-dollar smiles to haggard to merry ones. But the most disappointed lot of this season were those who went to the booth armed with their cell phones (naturally 3G-enabled ones, which would enable them to post a picture even before the ink on their fingers dried), only to find that their names were missing from the voters’ list. Their disappointment was as huge as Viswanathan Anand’s when he lost the World Championship to young Magnus Carlson. What a pity. And what a selfie-opportunity missed for life (or at least for the next five years). 
 
Just as the indelible ink has made its mark throughout the democratic process, pinpointing the serious nature of our political responsibilities, people posting selfies after voting also tells us another story – a different story altogether. It amply shows that upholding the democratic system in India has now become a heady combination of duty and exhibitionism. 
 
Now, we call that finger-lookin’ good! 
 
Image: Sachin Tendulkar/Twitter

This
Time Around, Polls Are Driven By Selfie Passion In India

<keyword id="6358210" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Dangal">Dangal</keyword> And Baahubali-2 continue to create history at the box office, globally and have disrupted the scale at which success is measured, changing the definition of a mega blockbuster by multi-fold, from Rs 200 crore to 2000 crore. Here are some interesting business and strategy lessons that <keyword id="2784442" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Co-working-spaces">co-Working spaces</keyword>, which themselves are becoming the choice of the new generation of smart workforce, can learn from these two superhits. 1. Focus on making High Quality Core Product Nothing Beats Quality, Still. One unique thing which was quite evident in both the blockbusters was the superlative script, high octane performances by the cast, top notch direction and overall a very well-crafted film that leaves you feeling inspired as well gives you full bang for your buck. While last two years saw crass comedies and run of the mill films also crossing 100 cr, both these films teach us that it's very important to get the core product which is script, acting and direction right for the end result to be of high impact. Similarly, co-working spaces, while requiring all the bells and whistles like new age fancy architecture and gadgetry, also need to get the core right i.e comfortable ergonomic seating, high speed internet, availability of conference rooms, F&amp;B, thinking space and most importantly, a curated ,well designed community and activities. The brands need to bring the best of the breed mentors, collaborations, partners and services to make the experience of co-working a delight. The workplace should be such that people look forward to coming to office to work and stay motivated to make the dent in the universe that they aspire to. 2. Right Strategic Collaborations After all Co in Co-Working is Collaboration <keyword id="6354370" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="baahubali">Baahubali</keyword> witnessed coming together of two heavyweights of Indian Motion Picture Industry, S S Rajamouli and Karan Johar, leaders in Telugu and Hindi Film Industry. By getting Karan Johar to present the movie in part 2, movie franchise deal, S S Rajamouli pulled off a major scoop by covering all the major movie markets of India between two of them like Hindi, Telugu, Tamil , &amp; Malayalam making it the biggest Pan India hit till date . Co-working spaces are an essential bridge between need and fulfillment .On one side you have a high energy, disruptive linkster and millennial workforce with demand of technology, capital, guidance and customers and on the other side, the right collaborations. An apt or prefect collaboration has to be in place to provide the necessary services, mentorship, partnerships and access to global collaborative networks to make it happen for the tenants. 3. Multiple Revenue Streams Warren Buffett, famously, said “never rely on a single source of income" Baahubali 2 have shattered all Box Office records for Indian Film Industry and look set to surpass 2000 Cr by the time you read this. Not to mention, the satellite rights for both movies smashed all records by going for a huge 75 Cr. The revenue from Music, Merchandise, Mobile games, and for a first, a spin-off Animated series on Amazon Prime, Baahubali : The Lost Legend , shows how new revenue streams can keep the cash register ringing for long. This shows importance of exploring new revenue streams for co-working spaces. Some of the trends that have already caught up with Co-working space offering is more than a seat and include things like legal, financial, professional services, software development to digital services to having branded in-house cafes, events and more. 4. Go Global Baby The World is truly Flat, Make Local, and Sell Global. Dangal Released in India and was a smash hit and could have been content with Rs 500 cr. it made in India and Rs 250 cr in Europe and Americas. But being Mr. Perfectionist , Aamir khan decided to play the Chinese checkers and as on date out of the whopping 2000 Cr gross Dangal has managed to collect around Rs 1200 cr from China only, Yes China, you read it right, a big market for Hollywood films but hitherto never exploited to its full potential by Bollywood movies .Meanwhile Baahubali 2 is also smashing domestic and overseas records with a total of around 1800 cr till date &amp; considering China’s new found fondness for Bollywood, it can easily cross Rs 2500 cr or maybe even Rs 3000 cr . This shows how global collaborations can truly change the game for Indian service providers and can scale new heights by such partnerships. Few example recent collaborations like Vikarm Solar tie up Israel’s Water-Gen and Creator’s Gurukul, collaborated with Global Leaders like F6S and Startup Grind from Europe and <keyword id="6357722" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="silicon-valley">Silicon Valley</keyword> respectively to curate a truly global experience. 5. Community Building Love Thy Neighbor These two mega hits built a clan of Fan-boys and Fan-girls giving the movies a cult status of a kind unheard in Bollywood till date. While it was rooting for women power “Mhari Choriya Chorro se kum hain ke” from Dangal to curiosity around the question that the entire Nation wanted to know” Kattapa Ne Baabhubali Ko Kyu Maara?”, whereby the marketing team hacked virality and social media, so well, that it created an entire legion of Baahubali aficionados leading to unprecedented frenzy around these movies. The shared values among the fans created a sense of togetherness and debuted a new kind of community around Bollywood films. Similarly, what differentiates a co-working space, at the most from a typical office, is that people with different strong suited, capabilities and know how help each other in the areas of weakness to achieve the respective goals. While people working out of a co-working might be from different companies, they help each other to achieve success because there is a feeling of “belongingness”, a community bond which means success for one is success for all. Globally, people take pride in calling them “We-Workers” nearly as much as a “Googler” or so ... We can soon expect co-working spaces to have the portraits of Mahendra Baahubali and Mahavir Singh Phogat to inspire the workforce and have #LikeABaahubali replace #LikeABoss . (The article is authored by Abhinav Tandon and Mohammed Sirajuddin, Co-Founders, Creator’s Gurukul)

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