
Bollywood Meets the Gulf: Bablu Aziz Barudgar Unveils Film Studio and Hospitality Project in Oman
During his recent visit to Oman, Barudgar met with His Excellency Mr. Pankaj Khimji, Chairman of the Oman-India Business Council, to discuss fostering deeper ties between the Indian film industry and Oman's growing tourism and entertainment sectors. The meeting marked a milestone, as Mr. Khimji responded with enthusiasm to Barudgar's proposal, praising its alignment with Oman's vision for international collaboration.
The proposed film studio will serve as a full-fledged production facility, while the bungalow hospitality scheme will offer premium accommodations for Indian film crews and stars during overseas shoots. This concept, Barudgar believes, will seamlessly blend with Oman's thriving tourism landscape, offering both comfort and cultural immersion.
The initiative builds on the producer's prior success with 'Holiday banquet -cum-studio and Holiday apke liye resort 'which is located in khopoli near Mumbai. The project, which uniquely integrates entertainment, luxury, and production facilities, has already become a model for destination-based filmmaking.
'Oman is a tourism-friendly country that actively encourages international ventures,' Barudgar stated. 'With Bollywood's growing interest in overseas locations, Oman offers a rare combination of proximity, affordability, and scenic diversity–making it a perfect choice for film production.'
With just a two-hour flight from Mumbai, Oman presents logistical convenience and cost-efficiency–crucial factors for international film shoots. If approved, the project will result in the largest Bollywood-focused film studio outside India, establishing Oman as a premier gateway for Indian cinema in the Middle East.
(ADVERTORIAL DISCLAIMER: The above press release has been provided by VMPL. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of the same)
This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Mint
13 minutes ago
- Mint
Export-ready, but not SIM-ready? Industry wants policy fix for smart devices
Manufacturers looking to export connected cars, GPS trackers, and other smart gadgets have a crucial requirement—foreign SIM cards. Without these chips, making products export-ready isn't easy. Telecom operators have written to the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) seeking a dedicated licence with at least a 10-year validity for importing foreign SIM or embedded SIM cards for testing and installing in products meant for exports. They have also asked that only companies holding a unified telecom licence—such as licensed telecom operators and registered machine-to-machine (M2M) service providers—be allowed this import licence. A dedicated policy on importing SIM cards for use in devices would not only create an additional revenue stream for telecom operators but also open up significant export potential for manufacturers in several sectors. Currently, according to a government official, companies are not allowed to import foreign SIM cards for use in devices. Existing rules only allow companies to sell or rent international roaming SIM cards or global calling cards to individuals in India after obtaining a no-objection certificate (NOC) from the government. 'The reason why foreign SIM cards are not allowed to be imported and used in devices even for exports is due to security concerns and fraud prevention, as often these are difficult to trace," the official said, declining to be identified. Typically, SIM cards are installed in M2M and internet-of-things (IoT) devices during the manufacturing process. In absence of foreign SIM cards, manufacturers have to either assemble the devices overseas and embed the SIM cards there or use Indian SIM cards in those devices on roaming, which would add to costs. Machine-to-machine devices can collect and exchange data with other smart devices or systems without human intervention, while IoT devices are part of a network of interconnected devices. 'We suggest that a new service authorisation should be introduced for the sale of foreign telecom service providers' SIMs/eSIM cards in India for the use in M2M/IoT devices meant for export purposes," Kavita Nair, senior director, CII Digital (IT-ITeS, AI, Telecom, Digital Transformation), at the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), told Trai in a submission dated 1 August. A call from DoT The demand from CII, which has over 9,000 companies as its members, was in response to a consultation paper from Trai on whether India's telecom rules need to evolve to support this export-oriented use case. Trai issued its consultation paper in July after the department of telecommunications (DoT) asked it to frame rules for issuing or renewing no-objection certificates for importing foreign SIM cards. 'M2M technology is creating significant opportunities and has a proven potential of revolutionizing the performance of various verticals of different sectors, businesses, and services, by providing automation and intelligence to the end devices," DoT told Trai in a communication in September. The telecom department said manufacturers were seeking foreign SIMs for integration into products meant for use outside India. However, DoT said it would be difficult to fit this use case under the existing NOC policy, and sought Trai's recommendation. 'DoT should coordinate with the Ministry of Finance to lay down a clear framework allowing import of foreign TSP (telecom service provider) SIM/eSIM profiles only as well as SIM profiles along with SIM hardware—for use in M2M/IoT devices meant for export," Rahul Vatts, chief regulatory officer at Bharti Airtel Ltd, said in a submission to Trai on 1 August. Airtel also sought a framework allowing Indian telecom operators to export their SIM cards for use in M2M devices meant for importing to India. The operator added that the government should allow the import and export of M2M and IoT devices with SIM or eSIM cards soldered and embedded in them. Reliance Jio echoed Airtel's views while focusing on the testing aspect. 'As the SIMs will be used in varied devices like motor vehicles, wearables, smart meters, connected cameras, GPS trackers, smart car devices, remote sensors, asset trackers, etc., the testing and assembly requirements will be equally varied. Accordingly, we submit that sufficient time for testing would be required for these devices," Reliance Jio told Trai in a letter dated 1 August. Light-touch regulation Telecom operators suggested that foreign SIMs be allowed to remain active in India for a maximum of six months for testing purposes only. However, they don't want the government to impose any authorisation fee for the sale of foreign SIM cards for use in smart devices meant for exports. 'There should not be any requirement for monthly reports to DoT or security agencies," S.P. Kochhar, director general of the Cellular Operators Association of India, said in a letter to Trai. 'The authorized entities should be required to submit an annual return of number of foreign SIMs issued for export to OEMs (original equipment manufacturers) or M2MSPs (machine-to-machine service providers) along with the name and details of the entity to whom such SIMs have been issued," he added. Vodafone Idea pointed to the possibility of automakers using imported SIM cards for their connected cars. 'Automotive OEMs (original equipment manufacturers) like Maruti Suzuki, Hyundai, Mahindra & Mahindra, Tata Motors, are launching connected cars with live-tracking, remote diagnostics, and over-the-air (OTA) updates. These features require constant and reliable cellular connectivity, hence, it becomes necessary for these vehicles to connect with the SIMs/eSIMs," Vodafone Idea said in its submission to Trai. 'Enabling foreign profiles support to the SIM/eSIM being integrated in the vehicles being domestically manufactured for exports is vital for scalability, competitiveness and alignment with global best practices," it added.


India Today
15 minutes ago
- India Today
Indian woman worships Labubu doll, calls it Chinese God in viral video
A video of an Indian woman worshipping a Labubu doll as a 'Chinese God' has gone viral on social media.A Labubu is a mischievous monster doll from the collectable art toy world, often sporting exaggerated ears, a toothy grin, and whimsical the video, a voice in the background asks the woman who is dressed in a salwar kameez and is seen holding the doll, 'Kaun hai yeh? (Who is this?). She replies, 'China ke bhagwaan (Chinese god),' before placing the doll at her temple and appearing to perform a small act of At one point, a man sitting in the vicinity even touches the feet of the doll to seek blessings. During the act, the woman also says, 'Ram Ram ji.'The video, shared by the X account Oppressor, was captioned: 'An Indian girl told her mother that Labubu is a Chinese god. Just hearing this, she started worshipping Labubu. Jai Labubu.'Watch the video here: As the video went viral, social media users shared their opinions. "This is literally how religions start. Someone makes something up, others believe it, and suddenly we're all worshipping 33,000 gods,' a user commented, 'This is the last generation of innocence.' One of the users added, 'Idol worshippers spare no chance for resorting to ritualism.'Labubu dolls went viral in May after several celebrities, including actor Ananya Panday, were seen carrying it.- Ends


India.com
15 minutes ago
- India.com
Good news for Anil Ambani, Reliance Infra wins Rs 5260000000 arbitration award against…
Reliance Infrastructure (RInfra) on Wednesday said it has secured an arbitration award of Rs 526 crore against Aravali Power Company Pvt Ltd. In an exchange filing, the company stated that the arbitration was initiated after Aravali Power wrongfully terminated a contract in 2018. RInfra Wins Rs 526 cr Arbitration Award 'The arbitral tribunal, by a majority award, has held the termination to be invalid and awarded consequential claims Rs 526 crore in favour of Reliance Infrastructure,' it said. Proceeds from the award will be utilised for growth capital, RInfra said. Reliance Infrastructure is a major player in providing Engineering and Construction (E&C) services for developing power, infrastructure, metro and road projects. Why RInfra Invoked Arbitration Against APCPL? Reliance Infrastructure (RInfra) had invoked arbitration against Aravali Power Company Pvt Ltd (APCPL) in 2018, after the latter's termination of a contract that RInfra claimed was wrongful. The dispute began after APCPL alleged a breach of contract, issued a termination notice, and also invoked arbitration the same year. On July 1, the Delhi High Court sought RInfra's response to a petition by APCPL seeking enforcement of a Rs 600-crore arbitral award it secured against the Anil Ambani-led firm in December last year. RInfra is part of the Reliance Group, is an Indian private-sector enterprise engaged in power generation, infrastructure, construction, and defence. As of August 13, the company's market capitalisation was at Rs 10,501 crore. (With Inputs From PTI)