Latest news with #DoubleNegative
India Today
29-07-2025
- Entertainment
- India Today
Ranbir Kapoor is not just actor in Ramayana, but also an investor in its VFX firm
Actor Ranbir Kapoor has made a huge leap in his professional career by moving forward from Bollywood to Wall Street. he is not just playing Lord Rama in Nitesh Tiwari's 'Ramayana' but has also invested in Prime Focus, which owns the global VFX giant - Double Negative (DNEG)Investment in Oscar-wining VFX giantRanbir, who plays Lord Rama in Nitesh Tiwari's 'Ramayana', has made a Rs 15 crore investment in a film, as reported by ET Markets. His giant feat has led to a surge of over 90% in the company's stocks, the report has acquired 12.5 lakh shares of Prime Focus, the company behind the visual effects of 'Ramayana'. The price per share of his Rs 15 crore investment is around Rs 15 crore. The estimates also mentioned that since April, Prime Focus stock has jumped over 90%, hitting a record high of Rs 175 from Rs 85. The rise in the company's stock has been witnessed ever since the first glimpse of 'Ramayana' was released on July 3, Prime Focus owns Double Negative (DNEG), a global VFX giant behind Oscar-winning films like 'Tenet', 'Dune: Part 2' and 'Oppenheimer'. DNEG has received eight Academy Awards over the years. The visual effects of 'Ramayana', have led to its gigantic budget of Rs 4000 crore, spread across two parts. An India Today report quoted a source who said, "The film is being mounted at an international level and by the time both films would be made, the budget would reach over Rs 4000 crore. The team is planning to have world-class VFX and special effects to give the best experience to the audiences."Watch the first glimpse here: A visually-appealing epic in the worksPrime Focus, in which Ranbir has made the investment, is owned by producer Namit Malhotra, who is also backing 'Ramayana'. Namit is also the CEO of its British-Indian subsidiary DNEG, which specialises in visual effects. Apart from the grand visuals, action sequences of the film are designed by 'Mad Max' stunt director Guy Norris. Almost two months ago, actor Yash was seen shooting for an intense scene with Ramayana'Ramayana' is based on Sage Valmiki's epic of the same name and Sage Tulsidas's ancient text - Ramcharitmanas. It also features actor Sai Pallavi as Goddess Sita, actor Yash as the demon king Ravana and actor Sunny Deol as Lord Hanuman. Television actor and producer Ravie Dubey portrays Laxman in the epic-drama. Actors - Kajal Aggarwal, Vivek Oberoi, Rakul Preet Singh, Arun Govil, Lara Dutta, Indira Krishnan, Kunal Kapoor, Sheeba Chadha and others also play key roles in the Nitesh Tiwari first part, titled 'Ramayana: Part 1', is slated to be released on Diwali 2026. The final instalment will be released on Diwali 2027.- Ends
News18
04-07-2025
- Entertainment
- News18
Who Is Namit Malhotra, The Brain Behind Ranbir Kapoor's Ramayana?
Ranbir Kapoor's Ramayana will be released worldwide: Part 1 on Diwali 2026 and Part 2 on Diwali 2027. When the teaser of Ranbir Kapoor's Ramayana was finally released on Thursday, it left everyone super excited for the movie. The three-minute-long first glimpse of the Nitesh Tiwari directorial has been getting immense love from the audience and is getting praised for its brilliant VFX and music. However, do you know who is Namit Malhotra, the producer and the brain behind this movie? Let's find out: Who Is Namit Malhotra, The Brain Behind Ranbir Kapoor's Ramayana? Namit Malhotra is an Indian film producer and visual‑effects pioneer. He is also the founder of Prime Focus – which is known for its visual effects, animation and production. Malhotra founded this company from his father's garage in Mumbai in the mid‑1990s. He later merged it with Video Workshop to revolutionise VFX in Bollywood. Namit also collaborated with London's Double Negative to form DNEG, where, as CEO, he led the company to win eight Oscars in Best Visual Effects for films like Inception (2011) and Dune: Part Two (2025), among others. Malhotra, now collaborating with Ranbir Kapoor and Yash on Nitesh Tiwari's Ramayana, is utilising his Oscar-winning artistic and technical expertise to bring this epic tale to life with state-of-the-art VFX on an unprecedented scale. What Did Namit Malhotra Say During The Ramayana Teaser Launch? Addressing the media in Mumbai, Namit Malhotra talked about the Ramayana movie and said, 'This is a cultural movement for every Indian around the world. With Ramayana, we're not just retelling history; we're introducing our legacy to the world. Bringing together the finest global talent allows us to tell this story with authenticity, emotion, and state-of-the-art cinematic innovation. We've seen Ramayana portrayed before — but this version reimagines its landscapes, creatures, and battles with the scale and splendour they deserve. As Indians, this is our truth. Now, it will be our gift to the world." Talking about the Ramayana teaser, it starts from the roots – the trinity of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva who rule the world. With striking animation, the video then introduces characters from Ramayana – Lord Rama played by Ranbir Kapoor, Sai Pallavi as Sita and Yash as Ravana. Ramayana will be released worldwide: Part 1 on Diwali 2026 and Part 2 on Diwali 2027. First Published:
Gizmodo
19-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Gizmodo
Here's Why You Can't See Arnold Schwarzenegger Riding a Giant Dinosaur
Arnold Schwarzenegger, on top of a giant dinosaur, massive gun in hand, shooting Nazis. It was footage that launched a thousand blog posts across the internet. Leaked footage, in fact, from a movie called Kung Fury 2 which, despite being filmed in 2019 and also featuring Michael Fassbender as a cocky, over-the-top supercop, has never been released. But that's not because audiences aren't ready for all that Arnold awesomeness. It's because of money. Isn't it always? In a new interview with Variety, Kung Fury 2 star, writer, and director David Sandberg details multiple lawsuits that continue to plague the film, now over five years later. Those center mainly on Creasun Entertainment USA, the U.S. branch of a Chinese film company called Creasun Media. In 2019, Creasun signed on to help finance two-thirds of Kung Fury 2, including about $10 million in visual effects work from the company Double Negative. Production went fine, but then something changed. 'Once we started getting to VFX, things started to really slow down, and things became a bit weird,' Sandberg said. 'And then it turned out that our Chinese financier had basically stopped all payments.' A lawsuit was filed and, after about a year and a half, a settlement was reached in which Creasun was going to pay what it owed. But, apparently, that still didn't happen. So Creasun was sued again, but it didn't stop there. Creasun filed countersuits accusing producers of stealing money from the production. Sandberg says that isn't true, and Variety reports some of the other producers on the film tried to buy Creasun out. It declined. 'They just kind of stonewalled every single attempt to solve the issue,' he said. 'And it was just really heartbreaking for me as an artist who's worked on this for years. And there are so many people who have poured their hearts into this, and I feel super terrible for them.' And so the slow legal process continues, ensuring that despite principal photography being complete, as well as an edit of the movie, between $5 and $10 million of visual effects remain unfinished. In fact, the footage that leaked earlier this month had temporary effects, which were never supposed to be seen by the public. 'It's a fantastic movie and I'm so bummed that I can't show it,' Sandberg said. 'But I haven't given up on it. One day, for sure, it will get released. But we just have to power through it. But it's incredible. Fassbender is incredible. Arnold is incredible. We had such a wonderful experience on set and everyone felt the love behind it. So it's just a shame that it would end up this way. But it's not over. It will get out there eventually.' Read more from Sandberg, including some teases of the movie he's been making as the Kung Fury 2 legal battle continues to play out, over at Variety.
