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How language streaming services Hoichoi, Aha shake up entertainment market
The numbers seem small. In 2024, streaming video generated ₹35,600 crore in advertising and pay revenues from 125 million subscribers, according to Media Partners Asia
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Eken Babu is an unlikely detective. The rotund, balding character was created in 1991 by the late author Sujan Dasgupta for Bengali magazine Anandamela. Eken Babu became a web series on Hoichoi, a Bengali streaming service, in 2018. The show is now in its eighth season. Eken Babu's popularity prompted Hoichoi's parent, SVF Entertainment, a major studio and distributor based in Kolkata, to produce a film featuring the character in 2022. This May saw the release of the third film in the franchise, Eken: Benaras e Bibhishika. Hoichoi, a subscription-based service, which launched in 2017, now makes a small profit
Disclaimer: These are personal views of the writer. They do not necessarily reflect the opinion of www.business-standard.com or the Business Standard newspaper
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Business Standard
4 hours ago
- Business Standard
How language streaming services Hoichoi, Aha shake up entertainment market
The numbers seem small. In 2024, streaming video generated ₹35,600 crore in advertising and pay revenues from 125 million subscribers, according to Media Partners Asia premium Listen to This Article Eken Babu is an unlikely detective. The rotund, balding character was created in 1991 by the late author Sujan Dasgupta for Bengali magazine Anandamela. Eken Babu became a web series on Hoichoi, a Bengali streaming service, in 2018. The show is now in its eighth season. Eken Babu's popularity prompted Hoichoi's parent, SVF Entertainment, a major studio and distributor based in Kolkata, to produce a film featuring the character in 2022. This May saw the release of the third film in the franchise, Eken: Benaras e Bibhishika. Hoichoi, a subscription-based service, which launched in 2017, now makes a small profit Disclaimer: These are personal views of the writer. They do not necessarily reflect the opinion of or the Business Standard newspaper
Hindustan Times
4 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
Shooting of Bengali film stalled in fresh impasse between directors and technicians
Kolkata, In a fresh standoff between a section of directors and technicians belonging to the Federation of Cine Technicians and Workers of Eastern India, the shooting of a Bengali film was stalled on Monday as none among the crew turned up at the location in Kolkata. Expressing frustration over the development, director Kinshuk Dey said 85 per cent of the shooting of the film 'Harry Om' had been completed in the past one year amid disruptions and setbacks and only 15 per cent was left. "Though as per the practice we had given 'call time' to everyone - actors and the crew - none of the technicians turned up at the location at Baghajatin area in Jadavpur today. I had the hunch this is going to happen as there was no response when I posted the call time on our WhatsApp group last night," Dey said. Some of the technicians might have some emergencies, but no alternate names were suggested as is the practice, the director said. Dey was among the 14 Bengali film directors who had filed petitions at the Calcutta High Court on the issue of alleged interference by the Federation in deciding the names and number of technicians in their film projects. The charge was denied by the Federation President Swarup Biswas who accused the directors of insulting the federation and technicians. He said this was not new as the shooting of a feature film by director duo Abhijit Guha and Sudeshna Roy had similarly been affected before a rapprochement could be arrived. Voicing helplessness over the situation, actor-director Anirban Bhattacharya said, "We asked for some queries only and are yet to get any reply in the past one year. If technicians do not come, it will affect them economically," he said. Dey and Bhattacharya said the directors have sought an audience with the Information and Cultural Affairs Secretary on Tuesday to settle the matter. "We will seek the government's guidance and suggestion to wriggle out of the situation," Bhattacharya added. In the past one year, the shooting of several directors like Srijit Roy and Rahool Mukherjee had suffered temporary setbacks on the same issue before being resolved. Biswas, when contacted, said he had no idea about the disruption of the shooting of Dey's upcoming movie as shootings of countless other feature films, OTT series, and TV soaps were continuing as usual.
The Hindu
9 hours ago
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‘Agni Sakshi' director Partho Ghosh passes away at 76
Partho Ghosh, director of landmark, spine-chilling 90s thrillers like 100 Days and Agni Sakshi, passed away due to a cardiac arrest on Monday (June 9). He was 76. Paying tribute on social media, Bengali actress Rituparna Sengupta wrote, 'Heartbroken beyond words. We have lost an exceptional talent, a visionary director, and a kind soul. Partho da, you will always be remembered for the magic you created on screen. Rest in peace.' A veteran of both Bollywood and Bengali cinema, Partho Ghosh director several memorable films of the 1990s. His debut, 100 Days (1991), starring Madhuri Dixit, was a murder mystery built around extrasensory perception (ESP). In 1996, Ghosh remade Sleeping with the Enemy as Agni Sakshi, themed around domestic violence and featuring a scary, National Award-winning performance by Nana Patekar. Ghosh's other notable films included Dalaal (1993), Ghulam-E-Mustafa (1997), Yugpurush (1998) and Khote Sikkey (1999). For Jeevan Yudh (1997) he was nominated for a National Award for Best Director. Ghosh continued to direct films in the new millennium, with a notable gap between 2010 to 2018. His last Hindi directorial, Pyar Mein Thoda Twist, featuring music by Bappi Lahiri, was released in 2022.
