
Opinion Shaji N Karun, Malayalam cinema's master of shadows and silences
Before he became a celebrated director, Karun was already a highly regarded cinematographer, collaborating with eminent filmmakers — his work with Aravindan shaping his sensibilities and teaching him, as he would say later, the expressiveness of silence. This is on full display in, for example, M T Vasudevan Nair's Manju (1983), and in Aravindan's Chidambaram (1985), the natural beauty of whose setting amplifies the desire, forbidden and fatal, that drives the plot. By the time Karun made Piravi — an Emergency-era tale of a father's wait for his missing son — he was in command of his gifts. Piravi won Best Film and Best Director at the National Film Awards that year and the Camera d'Or (Special Mention) at Cannes in 1989.

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Mint
an hour ago
- Mint
Why India's music labels are eyeing regional catalogues
Tepid growth in paid subscriptions and increasing content creation costs are pushing music labels to step up consolidation efforts in the industry. Experts say this is a relatively easy way to expand libraries and improve market share. Entering newer realms brings an opportunity to collaborate with more artists, many of whom are well known in smaller, specific markets, improving their monetisation as well. Saregama's acquisition of NAV Records, a Haryanvi music catalogue, last month shows how players are looking at unlocking potential in newer languages. This June, Sony Music India announced a strategic joint venture with LA-based global entertainment firm The Hello Group (THG) to form THG India, designed to help Indian artists, particularly within the booming live music sector. Earlier, Warner Music India had formed partnerships with key regional players, including a majority stake in Divo, a South Indian music label, and a strategic alliance with Sky Digital, which specialises in Punjabi music. The company also acquired 26% of Global Music Junction, a dominant player in the Bhojpuri, Kannada, Gujarati, Haryanvi, and Oriya language markets and the music and entertainment subsidiary of JetSynthesys. Big companies like Saregama maintain 30-35% of all music releases in India, and partnering with regional labels can, in some cases, account for over 50% releases in the market for the specific language . 'These moves illustrate how regional strengths can be scaled through strategic partnerships. They have helped unlock value by streamlining rights and royalty systems, expanding digital distribution, and bringing under-leveraged catalogues into the streaming mainstream while maintaining their cultural identity," said Vivek Raina, managing director, Believe India, a global digital music company, that has acquired majority stake in south Indian label Think Music, Ishtar (formerly Venus Music) in the Hindi catalogue space, and the catalogue of White Hill Music. According to a recent Ficci EY media and entertainment report, the Indian music industry's revenue declined by 2% to reach ₹5,300 crore in 2024. The industry recorded 12 million paid streamers and 192 million free streamers in the year. The right tune Consolidation can act as a strong accelerator, especially for regional or mid-sized players that have valuable IP and deep local roots but limited access to infrastructure, global platforms, or capital, Raina added. Entertainment industry experts emphasize that organic growth for music players includes expanding artist rosters, creating original content, leveraging social media trends, optimizing playlists, and deepening audience engagement through live events or fan communities. Inorganic growth comes via acquisitions, mergers, catalogue licensing deals, and strategic partnerships with brands, streaming platforms, or tech companies. Organic methods build long-term brand equity and loyal audiences, while inorganic moves offer rapid scale, larger catalogues, and immediate market share gains. Both can be highly complementary — organic growth sustains creativity and authenticity, while inorganic strategies accelerate reach and revenue, enabling music labels and platforms to stay competitive in a fast-evolving industry. A senior executive at a leading label pointed out that as monetization from paid subscriptions plateaus and content costs continue to rise, few companies can afford to keep producing content on their own. Music labels such as T-Series, Sony Music, and Saregama, among others, have seen film soundtrack acquisition costs spike five to eightfold since the pandemic. Meanwhile, audio streaming platforms have lowered their pay rates (the amount paid per stream for a song) by about half over the past few months, as audience preferences shift away from music to other genres of entertainment, such as stand-up comedy and podcasts on YouTube. 'Capital expenditure goes up with rising content costs, and there is no way anyone can make more content on their own. This (acquisitions or joint ventures), on the other hand, is a one-time investment that allows you a stronger footprint in the market without having to create from scratch," the person said, adding that it automatically allows for better commercial terms from audio streaming platforms that music labels sell rights to. Such catalogue partnerships make sense for smaller labels which are heavily dependent on streaming and YouTube revenue and are unlikely to operate at scale, according to Mandar Thakur, CEO of Times Music. 'The former has dried up and the latter has begun to focus on long-form content. As long as you have a catalogue, you should make something out of it or the current wave of capital could go down," Thakur added. Consolidation in India's music industry could help smaller and national players by pooling resources, expanding catalogues, and increasing bargaining power with platforms, brands, and advertisers, said Gaurav Dagaonkar, co-founder and CEO of Hoopr, a music licensing platform. 'It can enable shared marketing, technology adoption, and data-driven strategies that might otherwise be costly for individual players. A unified catalogue offers better licensing opportunities, attracts larger deals, and improves discoverability for diverse music," Dagaonkar said. For artists, it can mean wider reach and fairer monetisation. That said, the trend can also have a downside. Bigger players entering regional markets can lead to monopolistic scenarios, inflating costs in the short term as they pay relatively higher sums to artists and then suddenly leading to correction. While challenges like maintaining creative diversity remain, strategic consolidation could be a viable path forward, fostering competitiveness, scalability, and sustainable growth in an increasingly globalised and digital-first music ecosystem, Dagaonkar added.


Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
Sridevi's 62nd Birth Anniversary: Boney Kapoor's emotional tribute wins hearts worldwide
Today marks the 62nd birth anniversary of the late iconic actress Sridevi . Known as Indian cinema's first female superstar, she made an unforgettable impact on the film industry before her sudden passing in 2018. Commemorating this special day, her husband, Boney Kapoor , shared an emotional birthday post on social media. Boney's heartfelt tribute Continuing his annual tradition, Boney shared a lovely photo of Sridevi from her film 'English Vinglish' on Instagram, accompanied by a touching caption expressing his lasting love and affection for her. 'Yesssss You are not 62 today. You are 26 Happy birthday we are still reliving all your happy birthdays." he mentioned in the caption. Timeless Love Boney's heartfelt words touched fans around the world. Even years after her passing, his tribute reflects how deeply her memory stays alive in his heart through both happy and difficult moments. Fans react Several fans gushed to comment on this post, saying, 'Always in our hearts " and 'Immense respect and gratitude for the iconic lady who still lives in our hearts !!" Sridevi's remarkable journey Sridevi's career shone across Hindi, Tamil, and Telugu cinema, earning her the title of Indian cinema's first female superstar. Known for her versatility and charm on screen, she became a true trailblazer. Sadly, she passed away on February 24, 2018, in Dubai due to accidental drowning. Family and Legacy Sridevi, who wed Boney in June 1996, share two daughters, Janhvi and Khushi Kapoor , who are now building their own careers in Bollywood. Janhvi is gearing up for her upcoming film 'Param Sundari' with Sidharth Malhotra, releasing on August 29, 2025. Khushi's recent film 'Nadaaniyaan', opposite Ibrahim Ali Khan, received mixed reviews from both critics and audiences.


Time of India
3 hours ago
- Time of India
‘Sholay' ushered in tech revolution, changed movie experience for ever
Kolkata: On a cool Oct morning in 1975, nearly two months after 'Sholay' hit Bombay and Ahmedabad screens, the film finally unspooled at Kolkata's Jyoti Cinema. The delay hardly mattered. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now What followed was nothing short of cinematic history — a run that lasted 103 weeks, a week short of two years, and rewrote the rulebook for how the city experienced movies. "For Kolkata audiences, 'Sholay' was not just a film; it was an event, an initiation into a new era of spectacle," said Jyoti Choukhani, owner of Bharat Laxmi Studio and Navina Cinema Hall. Movie halls needed superior projection quality to have that effect. Thus, the upgrades were far from cosmetic. In the mid-1970s, most Indian films were shot in 35 mm, but Sholay was converted to 70 mm with stereophonic sound in London — a process impossible to do in India at the time, Choukhani added. Jyoti's technical preparedness meant that when Kolkata finally got 'Sholay', it wasn't just screening a film, it was experiencing an imported technological marvel. The original owners of Jyoti, the Mansata family, went to extraordinary lengths to ensure that the viewing experience matched the grandeur of the film, said Asish Banerjee, the current secretary of the Eastern India Motion Picture Association (EIMPA). They installed a massive 70 mm screen — one of the few in eastern India — and a state-of-the-art stereophonic sound system tailored for 'Sholay'. "I vividly recall the scene where Amitabh tosses the coin and it lands on its edge," said longtime moviegoer Gaurav Gayen, now in his early 70s. "The sound was so sharp and the screen so large, it felt as if the coin landed right at my feet." "My parents' wedding anniversary is always remembered as 'the year Sholay came'," chuckled film-buff Anirban Chatterjee. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now "It became a time marker for our lives." Jyoti's success with 'Sholay' also underscored how a well-equipped cinema could draw repeat crowds and sustain long runs without deficit matinee shows — rare in Kolkata's Hindi film circuit. Not only Jyoti, 'Sholay' was in high demand across Bengal. "Even at Berachampa, our hall (Banirupa) ran housefull for months together after my father managed a print after a long struggle. I still remember how the movie brought fortune to my family," said Subhas Sen, now EIMPA vice-president. His is one of the few theatres from the 'Sholay' era that still survives the flux. Industry insiders note that 'Sholay' also changed the economics for exhibitors. "A film of that scale meant better ticket pricing, longer bookings, and stable revenue for nearly two years," said a retired cinema distributor. "It gave theatres the confidence to invest in sound, projection, and seating." Off-screen, the film's record-breaking run coincided with the coining of the term 'Bollywood' and a redefinition of Hindi commercial cinema. Gabbar Singh's "Kitne aadmi the?" and Jai-Veeru's friendship anthem entered everyday speech. Britannia even used Gabbar in a biscuit ad — the first time a Hindi film villain was tapped to sell a consumer product. Looking back, the story of 'Sholay' in Kolkata is as much about new cinema vision as it is about the film itself. By marrying technological ambition with a once-in-a-generation film, the Mansatas gave the city a cinematic memory that still echoes, stereophonically, through time.