Rajinikanth's Coolie Mints Rs 250 Cr Before Release; Aamir Khan Yet To Sell Sitaare Zameen Par OTT Rights
Anticipation high for Rajinikanth's Coolie, which will feature a special appearance by Aamir Khan. Meanwhile, Khan opened up about Sitaare Zameen Par's digital release.
Rajinikanth's Coolie is one of the most anticipated films of the year, and it appears to be all set to dominate the box office. While bookings for the film are already open, it has now been reported that Lokesh Kanagaraj's directorial has also earned Rs 250 crore already. As per Pinkvilla, the Rajinikanth starrer, which has been made on a massive budget of Rs 375 crore, has already earned close to Rs 250 crore from the sale of its international, digital, music, and satellite rights.
Aamir Khan's Sitaare Zameen Par was released in cinemas on June 20 and made its digital debut on YouTube on August 1. While the film had a successful theatrical run, Aamir Khan made a bold move by delaying the film's OTT release and opting for a Pay-Per-View model on YouTube. In a recent chat with Matthew Belloni, Aamir clarified that while he never meant to deprive the film of an OTT release, he is yet to sell the film's digital rights.
A day after 'Udaipur Files' was released in theatres across India, producer Amit Jani claimed that he has been receiving 'death threats" over the film. In an X post on Saturday, Jani stated that he has been getting repeated calls from an unknown number, with the caller threatening to kill him with a bomb or shoot him.
Priyanka Chopra's role in the 2012 film 'Barfi!' is undeniably one of her best performances till date. Her performance left a lasting impression, and the film, which also stars Ranbir Kapoor and Ileana D'Cruz, has since achieved cult status. Now, just days ahead of the film completing 13 years since its release, Priyanka reminisced about her journey of becoming Jhilmil Chatterjee.
Apoorva Mukhija is on a roll! After recovering from India's Got Latent Row, making her Bollywood debut in Nadaaniyan and winning hearts with The Traitors, the YouTube star has now gotten a makeover. She opened up about her beauty journey in her latest vlog and revealed that she spent around Rs 3 lakh on her transformation.
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India Today
an hour ago
- India Today
Kaun Banega Crorepati: Big B's small-screen gamble 25 years ago
(NOTE: This article was originally published in the India Today issue dated July 17, 2000)"Who was the vice-captain of the Indian cricket team for the 1983 World Cup?" As Amitabh Bachchan's deep voice throws up the poser, Mohinder Amarnath's name crosses her mind. But Divya Nair asks herself a more pertinent question. What if I am wrong? If she is, she stands to lose Rs 70,000. So, isn't it prudent to let the question pass? After all, Rs 80,000 in hand after getting eight questions right is better than hazarding a Rs 1.6 lakh guess on the ninth. So she decides to play safe and quits under the spotlight, happy that a chance entry into a "game" was worth the while. advertisementFor Nair, Kaun Banega Crorepati (KBC) may have been just a game, an hour of prime-time fame. But for Star TV and for superstar host Bachchan, it is the biggest gamble ever. It's also the biggest ever show mounted on Indian television. On air for four days a week, for 32 weeks, it has captured the Indian fancy like few other shows have. And though programmes like Close-up Antakshari clocked in record levels of participation, never has so much been at stake before. At Rs 1 crore, the show's prize money is also the highest ever offered on the small screen in India. The talking point across the nation, KBC has got all the critical ingredients: the mystique of a superstar, thrilling drama and the lure of big bucks. More to the point, the kinetics of karma or chance that guides India's huddled masses. As Siddharth Basu, the man behind the questions, points outs, "It is not just another quiz game. It's really about human drama. About hope and disappointment." Anyone from anywhere can win a jackpot, become a star. A PCO operator from Kapurthala, a farmer from Bulandshahr, a cloth salesman from Bangalore, a civil engineer from Delhi, a teacher from Mumbai—they have all shared the limelight with Bachchan. Besides walking away with thousands or even Rs 25 lakh like Ramesh Kumar Arora did. It's part of Star's well-thought-out strategy. After starting off as a market leader in satellite television, Star has simply squandered its first-mover advantage and vacated prime space to the competition. Presently, 33.6 million homes are estimated to have cable and satellite connections in India. Compared to the other two big players Zee and Sony, Star's viewership and ad revenues are the lowest. While Sony made Rs 453 crore from advertisements in 1999-2000 and Zee Rs 400 crore, Star TV came a poor third with Rs 292.5 crore. Also, ratings of the top 50 TV shows by INTAM reveal that only three belong to Star—Saans, Kora Kagaz and Tu Tu Main Main—while Zee tops with 32 shows and Sony 12. When it comes to the top 10 too, Zee is the clear winner with nine programmes (Amanat, Koshish, Mehndi Tere Naam Ki, Yeh Hain Mere Apne, Raahein, Aashirwaad, Muskaan, Sri Krishna and Vishnupuran). Sony has one—Heena—and Star none. advertisementUnlike Zee and Sony, Star has been seen as an upmarket channel catering only to the English-speaking elite. Worse, the channel is facing increasing competition from new entrants like SABe, B4U, Sahara and others who are nudging in to make a place for themselves on the prime band. It was clear to Star that the stables had to be cleaned and new stallions found. As Sumantra Datta, senior vice-president, advertising and sales, puts it, "The channel realised that it needed a unique differentiator. A killer programme with killer content." KBC fit the bill. By setting it up to draw in viewers at the 9 p.m. slot, Star Plus is not simply looking at one show but at the channel as a brand. KBC, licensed from UK-based Celedor who holds the rights to Who Wants To Be A Millionaire, has been a hit across 26 countries. In the Indian context, the added firepower is the presence of Bachchan who was critical to the strategy. Also, the questions have been deliberately kept tame to cater to a wider Cover Story spectrum of viewers. While the quality of the sets are truly international, the show's conduct, language and idiom are aimed at drawing everyone from the CEO to the chowkidar. advertisementWhether it is the audience the show targets or the specifics it entails, KBC is all about scale. The sets are spread across 41,000 sq ft in Mumbai's Film City and includes the programme area, a cafeteria for participants, the audience and the crew, an Austrian chalet for Bachchan and a catwalk with scaffolding for 350 lights. The reflective paper is from Hong Kong, the acrylic from the US. Says Nitin Desai who designed the set: "It's absolutely Hollywood style." The grandness of it all strikes one at the entry level itself. There are 570 telephone lines in four cities which participants can access to win a chance to be on the show. Till date, with 12 episodes in the can, over 30 lakh aspirants have called the numbers listed at an astounding over two lakh callers per day. For this Monday's show, 3,17,962 people called between May 27 and May 30. The computer randomly selects 100 callers who are then quizzed by Basu's team. Ten of them are shortlisted and then flown to Mumbai along with a partner each and put up at the plush Raheja Condos at Powai. While the winners do get to fly back with cheques, even the losers don't really lose out. They get to meet the Big B and, of course, a Warholian shot at stardom. advertisementThe gamble is obviously costing Star TV a fortune. It will end up spending Rs 20 crore just on advertising in the electronic and print media. At the end of 130 episodes, an estimated Rs 75 crore would have been spent—that's around Rs 58 lakh per episode—a sum close to Star TV's programming budget in 1999-2000 and nearly half that of the current year's. Significantly, till date Indian television had reserved 9 p.m. for fiction. KBC is the first non-fiction show to make it to the 9 p.m. slot. If the show clicks, it would be the first programme to break through the voodoo of fiction. It will, in that sense, redefine the perceptions of programming on Indian television. Star insiders point to how Zee is making a feeble attempt to mirror KBC with its Jackpot Jeeto though Zee's Richa Sharma says it is part of the channel's interactive strategy for the 7.30 p.m. band. "We have no worries," she adds. "Nine out of the top 10 programmes are ours." A senior programme executive with a newly launched channel feels Star is focusing on the competition instead of its own programming. Tripti Sharma, head of programming at Zee, agrees: "We have the goodwill of the masses. Over 30 programmes in the top 50 list belong to Zee. How many do the others have? Experimentation cannot bring the magic of entertainment." advertisementCall it experiment, call it strategy. The fact is that business is all about bottom lines. To recover the money spent, Star is targeting to sell a maximum of 10 minutes advertising time in every hour-long episode. It expects to recover Rs 15 lakh a minute which adds up to Rs 1.5 crore an episode and a grand total of Rs 195 crore for the 130 episodes. Considering that the entire expenditure on KBC is Rs 75 crore, that makes Star TV the real crorepati with a profit of Rs 120 crore. Already Star has four sponsors —Colgate Palmolive, LG, Bajaj and Dettol—who have committed Rs 30 crore for the first 13 weeks. But it may become difficult for STAR to command the current ad rates—Rs 2.5 lakh per 10 seconds—for long. Especially since its rivals charge much less: Sony's most popular programme Heena gets Rs 1.3 lakh and Zee's Amanat commands Rs 1.2 lakh for 10 seconds. But adds Sumantra Datta, senior vice-president (advertising and sales), Star TV, "The response is terrific and beyond our expectations." And Datta isn't kidding. Says Arun Nanda, CEO, Rediff DY&R, on why Bajaj went in for the slot: "We could not afford to miss it. The product apart, Bachchan is legend. And in the unique programme, even the man who becomes a crorepati ends up a legend." But given the high stakes, this is a gamble. KBC may have broken the ratings games last Monday as the initial figures show—according to INTAM, 41 per cent of the total universe of cable and satellite-connected homes tuned in were watching KBC, as compared to 9.5 per cent who had tuned in to Sony and 7.5 per cent to Zee. There is a caveat to this success though. Neither Zee's Hudd Kar Di (8.55 p.m.) nor Sony's Aurat (9 p.m.) could challenge a first-day Bachchan show. Then again, the show's novelty could well wear off. Bachchan's charisma may not last 130 episodes. As a young mother pointed out, "We can't watch the show every day because children cannot take its sombre, dark mood." Adds a senior advertising professional: "The questions are too populist, the pace too slow. The number of times Bachchan is talking to himself and the participant is jarring." Star TV CEO Peter Mukerjea, however, claims KBC will lift the benchmark of quality in programming. To regain its Numero Uno status, Star also knows KBC is only one way out. Determined not to let Zee enter the sports arena, Star managed to edge the channel out in the $550 million bid for the World Cup cricketing rights. It is also working on cutting Zee's movie muscle. A core team of officials is working overtime to build a library of the best Hindi film titles for Star Box Office, the movie channel which will flank Star Movies to woo movie buffs. Says Sameer Nair, senior vice president, programming: "We obviously don't want people to switch on to Star only between 9 and 10 p.m. We will have top quality serials to keep the viewer hooked. A rehaul is in the process." But for now, Star is banking on KBC. The show may have cost them a lot in terms of effort and money but if it holds out, the gamble would have paid off. For Bachchan too, it would spell a long-awaited revival. After all, to steal a line from another Bollywood icon Shah Rukh Khan, "Jo haarke jeete use baazigar kehte hain (A man who wins even in defeat is a gambler)." Bachchan and Mukerjea may just turn out to be the baazigars of showbiz in India. —With Natasha Israni Subscribe to India Today Magazine- Ends
Time of India
an hour ago
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Pune-style Ganesh idols growing in popularity in AP cities
Vijayawada: The popularity of Maharashtra's Pune-style Ganesh idols, driven by a flood of viral social media videos over the past two years, seems to have taken Vijayawada by storm. Social media influencers and devotees have been sharing captivating clips of idol-making workshops in Pune and Mumbai, where artisans sculpt idols with meticulous detail. The visuals have stirred a special curiosity among Ganesh pandal organisers in Andhra Pradesh, igniting a fresh wave of demand. Till recently, Vinayaka Chavithi celebrations in Vijayawada were dominated by locally crafted idols, known for their traditional yet modest artistry. However, since 2024, the buzz around the elaborate and vibrant Pune-style craftsmanship seems to have transformed the choices. "Pune-style Ganesh idols are stunning and many organisers want them in their pandals. Last year, the supply couldn't match the demand. Some organisers even brought idols directly from Pune and Mumbai at a very high price," said Kunapareddy Sudhakar, a veteran pandal organiser in the city. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Immediately Do Something if You See These Bugs In Cite Alyssa 1 Undo This year, idol makers in Vijayawada are not letting the opportunity slip. The base structures are moulded in Maharashtra and shipped here, with the final detailing done locally by skilled artisans flown in from Solapur and Pune. Among them is Md Imran, an experienced artist who has been working in Vijayawada for the last two months. "Pune-style Ganesh idols are different from what people here have usually seen. We drap real cloth on the idols, use jewellery that glitters like the real thing, and hair that feels natural. The result is so lifelike that devotees feel a personal connection," Imran explained. The demand is evident — at least 12 vendors are selling Pune-style idols purely on pre-orders, with bookings made as early as three months ago. "These idols cost significantly more than local ones. We have made pre-booking mandatory, and are importing the base moulds as per order. Decoration is in full swing, and artists here are paid as per their skill levels," explained Bandi Jayakumar, an idol seller from Nunna. For organisers, the aim is simple — to stand out from the rest. "Every organiser wants their pandal to attract the crowds. Pune-style idols are trending this year and we have gone for it despite the high prices," said Golla Anjaneyulu, president of Patamata Ganesh Utsav Committee. NEW TREND Social media impact | Influencer videos from Pune and Mumbai workshops fuelled craze for Pune-style idols in Vijayawada Unique features | Real draped clothes, glittering jewellery, and lifelike hair make these idols stand apart Price factor | Pune-style idols are 30-50% costlier than traditional local designs. The base price of an 8-foot-tall Pune-style idol is around Rs 35,000, while 15-foot idol costs around Rs 1.8 lakh Advance bookings | Organisers booked idols up to three months in advance due to high demand Artisan expertise | Skilled craftsmen from Maharashtra specially brought in for final detailing of the idols Stay updated with the latest local news from your city on Times of India (TOI). Check upcoming bank holidays , public holidays , and current gold rates and silver prices in your area. Get the latest lifestyle updates on Times of India, along with Raksha Bandhan wishes , messages and quotes !
India Today
2 hours ago
- India Today
How should Kerala fund films? Decoding the Adoor Gopalakrishnan row
Celebrated director Adoor Gopalakrishnan's remark that the Kerala State Film Development Corporation (KSFDC) review norms of the Rs 1.5 crore funding for filmmakers from marginalised communities and base it on their merit as well as a three-month-long training in film production has left the cinema fraternity at the concluding ceremony of the Kerala Film Policy conclave in Thiruvananthapuram on August 4, Gopalakrishnan, 84, had suggested that the Kerala government pare down the KSFDC funding for Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribe/women debut filmmakers to Rs 50 lakh and insisted on mandatory training for them before extending the financial has invited strong protests from Dalit organisations, artistes as well as leaders from across political parties for what was construed as casteist remarks. At the conclave itself, the veteran director was challenged by Carnatic vocalist and playback singer Pushpavathy Poypadathu, who was in the audience. Later, Gopalakrishnan apparently even questioned Poypadathu's qualifications for attending the film is vice-chairperson of the Kerala Lalithakala Akademi based in Thrissur. 'I respect Adoor Gopalakrishnan as a filmmaker. But his remarks, suggesting that women and the marginalised were receiving undue favours from the government, are deeply rooted in the patriarchal and feudal mindset. So I expressed my objections at the venue itself,' she told INDIA TODAY. While Gopalakrishnan has not taken back his comments, Kerala minister for co-operation, ports and devaswoms V.N. Vasavan sought to cool down matters, saying the director's intent was probably to improve the quality of films made by debut Rs 1.5 crore funding initiative was started by the Pinarayi Vijayan government in 2019 to encourage women filmmakers. It was later extended to filmmakers from marginalised communities. Over the past six years, 10 filmmakers have received support from the government to produce films under the scheme. Among them, six are women. Some of the films have featured in international film festivals and won awards.'Adoor Gopalakrishnan remarked without ascertaining the facts about the funding scheme. The funds are distributed by the Kerala State Film Development Corporation after inviting applications and undertaking a four-level screening process,' explained a KSFDC official, who did not wish to be named.'The filmmakers are selected on the basis of script-reading and interview by an eminent jury. The funds are not released to the filmmakers but kept in the KSFDC account, which produces the films,' the official CPI(M) MP K. Radhakrishnan said Gopalakrishnan's views did not go with his stature, condemnation also came from CPI(M) state secretary M.V. Govindan Master, All India Congress Committee (AICC) general secretary K.C. Venugopal, leader of the Opposition V.D. Satheesan and state social justice minister R. the same time, veteran filmmaker Sreekumaran Thampi defended Gopalakrishnan, saying he was justified in suggesting that eligibility be assessed before granting funds. 'We cannot just give away public money. What is wrong in asking that funds be provided after giving them (filmmakers) necessary training?' said the police have provided security to Gopalakrishnan after Dalit organisations organised a protest parade outside his home in Thiruvananthapuram. Dalit activist Dinu Veyil filed a police complaint against the director, alleging he had insulted the Dalit community and women with his public statements, but the police decided not to register a case after seeking legal to India Today Magazine- Ends
