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Indian Express
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Indian Express
Will Aryan Khan's show The Ba***ds of Bollywood be to India what Seth Rogen's The Studio is to Hollywood?
The eighth episode of The Studio, Seth Rogen's Hollywood workplace drama on Apple TV+, revolves around his character of Continental Studios head Matt Remick desperately trying Zoe Kravitiz (playing herself) to thank him in her acceptance speech at the Golden Globes. Of course, that doesn't happen, but when Remick comes across Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos in the washroom and congratulates him for being thanked in every acceptance speech, the latter nonchalantly tells him that's a contractual obligation. Rogen revealed that when he pitched this episode to Apple TV, executives wanted Apple CEO Tim Cook in place of Sarandos. But Rogen stuck to his vision and got Sarandos onboard. To have the head of a rival studio do a cameo in your flagship show, and also to have him make fun of himself, is something The Studio team would've achieved with the same do-or-die efficiency the cast exhibits throughout the show. Based on a growing Hollywood studio's inner workings — conflicts, chaos, accomplishments, setbacks — The Studio has already been renewed for season 2. Watching it unfold weekly often begs the question, especially in the minds of those who work inside or on the periphery of the Hindi film industry — if a Bollywood studio would ever commission such a self-critical satire. 'With the current state the film industry and the streamers are in right now, do you really think so? Had they been so perceptive, we wouldn't have hit rock bottom,' says a screenwriter, whose show around the same lines is stuck in the pipeline of a leading streaming platform. 'I'm ready to change names or even try to get the NOCs, but the platform is not even admitting if that's the issue,' they add. The said show, the writer admits, is a no-holds-barred hitjob on the studio system in India, how major global players like Walt Disney Studios and Fox Star Studios wrapped up operations in the country, and how the corporates have streamlined the business, but killed the good ol' joy of making movies. 'At the end of the day, my show is a plea in favour of the movies. But of course, the studios don't get it,' says the writer. It's not like the Hindi film industry hasn't taken potshots at itself ever. Farah Khan's 2007 reincarnation saga Om Shanti Om and Zoya Akhtar's 2009 directorial debut Luck By Chance attempted the same too. 'Om Shanti Om was a blockbuster more because of the reincarnation storyline. The film industry setting was incidental,' said an industry insider. 'Shah Rukh Khan made more fun of his own character more than the industry itself, just like he did in Fan (2016), though in a different vein. And Farah's barbs were sharper and more direct in the first half, which was about the yesteryear film industry, instead of the contemporary setup,' added the insider. 'Farah and Shah Rukh had the muscle to bring together 31 stars for the 'Deewangi Deewangi' song. But that's what that film is remembered for — the celeb spotting, instead of some of the celebrities cracking jokes on themselves. Do we remember the witty and juicy Filmfare Awards segment more than the song?' The insider also pointed out, 'As a matter of fact, Farah shot that segment in true Studio-fashion: putting up a camera outside the actual awards.' Both Farah and Zoya, cousins and daughters of a film producer and screenwriters, respectively, grew up on the sidelines of the film industry. They both saw their families struggle financially, which gives them a fair vantage point to criticize the industry as much as love it. But unlike Farah's film that packed in more themes, Zoya's love letter to the Bollywood outsider didn't find as many takers. 'Don't get me wrong. It's a much-loved film! But as a junior artist told Seth Rogen on the sets of The Studio, 'I hope this is not a very expensive inside joke.' That's what Luck By Chance was: an inside joke that a few would appreciate, but many would struggle to decode the narrative winks. Hrithik Roshan, Rishi Kapoor, and Dimple Kapadia are all on point in the film, but ultimately, the film is from the point of view of the outsider,' said an assistant director who's worked with Zoya closely in the past. Moreover, Luck By Chance depicts the whims and quirks of the film industry insiders through a lens of love, instead of a magnifying glass that has more scrutiny. Konkona Sen Sharma's character remains a TV actor for years while Farhan Akhtar's rises the ranks because he blends in. The film presents both paths, instead of cornering the film industry to reflect and change itself. Both Om Shanti Om and Luck By Chance were written at a time when the studio system hadn't entirely found a stronghold on the Hindi film industry. Madhur Bhandarkar, who'd already explored a part of the world with Page 3 in 2005, promised to expose the industry with Heroine (2012), starring Kareena Kapoor. 'Like all Bhandarkar films, Heroine also sensationalized the events and characters. It's not that they weren't true. The origins were. But they were exaggerated for gratuitous effect. Whereas in The Studio, it's not the events or the characters, but the situation that's heightened. That places people we know in circumstances we fear, instead of dumping characters far removed from reality in situations of the same nature,' underlined a former film critic, now an industry insider. Just last year, there were two shows — Showtime on Disney+ Hotstar and Industry on Amazon MiniTV — that offered a ringside view of the contemporary film industry. Produced by Karan Johar, once alleged as 'the flagbearer of nepotism,' Showtime was as pulpy as that punchline, but eventually drowned in its own excesses. Whereas Industry, created by Navjot Gulati, has its moments, but is yet again a 2024 Aaram Nagar counterpart of Luck By Chance. 'Showtime and Industry are fun to watch, but they don't have the bite of Entourage or The Studio. For god's sake, The Studio made Martin Scorsese weep on camera because he was removed from a film! Will a Sanjay Leela Bhansali do that cameo here,' said an insider. To even come close, one needs a fresh directorial voice who hits that sweet spot between being an insider and operating on the margins. And a strong studio to back it up: You need corporate muscle and tremendous goodwill to combat potential lawsuits and Reddit threads. So, is Aryan Khan's directorial debut The Ba***ds of Bollywood that show? Backed by Shah Rukh's Red Chillies Entertainment, the show hasn't revealed any of its cards, including the cast or the plot. But everyone, from Karan Johar to Ted Sarandos, have sung laurels about the show. 'It's a fiercely guarded show. I can't say whether it on the lines of The Studio, but the word out there is Aryan has the right distance to be objective and the apt position to be an observer,' says a former employee of Netflix India. Right distance after his infamous arrest in 2021? 'No, even before that, unlike his father, Aryan's ambition wasn't to be a movie star. He always wanted to be a filmmaker. If Shah Rukh Khan's son can have and assert that clarity from such a young age, you definitely have to give him that he's objective,' the source adds. Also Read — The Studio review: Seth Rogen's scathing showbiz satire can take Apple to the next level; it's a Ted Lasso-level triumph Whether The Ba***ds of Bollywood turns out to be to Bollywood what The Studio is to Hollywood is left to be seen, but the screenwriter (whose show is stuck) is hopeful Aryan's show will empower other studios to greenlight scripts like theirs. 'I'm all for good stories. As long as we want to empower them,' they say, adding, 'Bollywood isn't really known for poking fun at anything, whether it's politics or businesses, but the least it can do is make fun of itself. Maybe that's the story it needs to get out of this creative crisis.'
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
How New Jersey Landed Netflix
Look what's growing in the Garden State. The Hollywood Reporter was on-site Tuesday morning when Netflix broke ground on its new East Coast home, Netflix Studios Fort Monmouth in central New Jersey. (Yes, there is a central New Jersey.) The gigantic renovation project — in which Netflix will turn a long-abandoned U.S. Army base into a dozen soundstages, a backlot, state-of-the-art postproduction facilities, general office space and basically 500,000 square feet of all things Netflix — was brought to you by one thing: tax credits. More from The Hollywood Reporter Gov. Phil Murphy Pans Trump's Foreign-Film Tariffs - Even Though They Would Help New Jersey Jordan Boosts Film, TV Production Cash Rebate to Up to 45 Percent Rams Owner Plots Major TV and Film Production Facility at Hollywood Park You might want to take some notes here, California. Before a wrecking ball even thrice ceremoniously slammed into some random, already-crumbling decommissioned military building (we were provided with hard hats, thank you for your concern), and before the pork roll, egg and cheese sandwiches were handed out to guests in attendance, including The Sopranos creator David Chase, Netflix had seven productions currently filming in New Jersey. In the coming years, that number is about to be a whole lot more. Why did the world's leading streaming service bet its future on not-New York? Gov. Phil Murphy may be a bit biased, but he believes New Jersey has 'the single best film-incentive program in the entire country,' as he announced between the groundbreaking and the building-breaking. From his Netflix-branded director's chair on the same stage, Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos applauded that line vigorously — and maybe a bit early. Perhaps someone peaked at the teleprompter. Sarandos' enthusiasm for the project is evident. It's also just good business. Sarandos runs a near-$500 billion publicly traded company; he didn't choose New Jersey as Netflix's home away from home just because he was born here — though he was — Sarandos chose it as a fiduciary responsibility. New Jersey's tax credits for film and TV production are indeed very good. The state offers a credit for up to 35 percent of qualified film production expenses, and up to 40 percent for digital media (like Netflix) postproduction, which Sarandos singled out as a major piece to Netflix Studios Fort Monmouth. Generous incentives have helped to make New Jersey the sixth-largest state for film and TV productions, according to an April 8 study by ProdPro. With $536 million in trailing 12-month spend, New Jersey ranks just behind Illinois ($725 million), New Mexico ($805 million), Georgia ($2.23 billion), New York ($4.07 billion) and California ($6.34 billion). Murphy told THR that the best thing about New Jersey's film tax incentive program isn't even about how much money they're willing to allocate, but rather for how long they're willing to allocate it. The New Jersey Film and Digital Media Tax Credit Program has already been extended through June 30, 2039. It's an 'explicit statement that this is not about us,' Murphy said, 'this is about generations to come.' 'And that to me is the strongest statement you could make,' he added. During his turn at the lectern, Sarandos recalled being 'in love with this idea' of Netflix Studios Fort Monmouth from 'the very first conversation' he had with Murphy, New Jersey's outgoing two-term governor. Though Murphy's presence was certainly felt at Fort Monmouth, he is not the only New Jersey politician who wooed Netflix to Monmouth County. And thank goodness, they all got a turn to make a speech on this rainy Tuesday in Eatontown. The tax credits were touted at every turn. (State Sen. Vin Gopal took a moment to point out the other good reasons to come to New Jersey, like the shore and the schools.) 'Boy, what a difference film credits can make,' Speaker of the New Jersey General Assembly Craig Coughlin said. Sen. Declan O'Scanlon admitted it took him 'a while' to be in favor of the program that birthed Netflix Studios Fort Monmouth. And then O'Scanlon said the rarest words you will ever hear out of a politician's mouth: 'I was wrong.' They also each carved out a moment to let their Jersey shine through. For Coughlin, that moment was to take a shot at HBO, Netflix's chief rival in premium TV programming. 'To hell with' seeing another Boardwalk Empire, which was set in classic Atlantic City, skip New Jersey for New York. As for O'Scanlon, it was this declaration: 'We're kicking California's ass.' Welcome to New Jersey. Though it clearly isn't (and probably never will) in terms of overall spend and production, there is some truth to O'Scanlon's point. California's hubris over Los Angeles' positioning in the entertainment industry has resulted in so much production flight. Only now is its own governor, Gavin Newsom, playing catch-up on film incentives. Local governments also didn't do Hollywoodland any favors in terms of their permitting processes, which often created giant backlogs. The same problems won't exist here, Monmouth County Commissioner Director Thomas Arnone promised. 'We will make this easy for you,' he said to Sarandos. Best of The Hollywood Reporter How the Warner Brothers Got Their Film Business Started Meet the World Builders: Hollywood's Top Physical Production Executives of 2023 Men in Blazers, Hollywood's Favorite Soccer Podcast, Aims for a Global Empire Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Business Insider
15-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Business Insider
Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos explains why he thinks the HBO Max rebrand 'makes sense'
Add Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos to the voices welcoming back the HBO name. Warner Bros. Discovery announced on Wednesday that it would change its streamer's name back to HBO Max, abandoning the Max name it adopted two years ago. "They had so many years trying to start with so many different brands, that this move makes sense," Sarandos said, chatting with Business Insider after the streamer's annual TV upfront presentation. Sarandos said that branding was one area in which Netflix had an easier time than its legacy media rivals. It didn't have to make the transition from cable TV to streaming and integrate different TV assets into one company. "We have the luxury of being one brand from the beginning," he said. "I look at '90 Day Fiance,' it's bigger than 'Hacks' on the top 10, so it's like, how do you argue that you're not this or that?" he went on, referring to an example of the lowbrow Discovery reality shows and HBO prestige fare that WBD tried to bring together with Max. Despite the variety of content, Sarandos previously made it known that he was surprised WBD had dropped "HBO" from the name of the streamer. "They put all that effort into one thing that they can tell the consumer — it should be HBO," he told Variety earlier this year. In that interview, he also said he didn't understand Amazon and Apple's streaming strategies. Apple's strategy includes tapping Sarandos himself for a cameo in Apple TV+'s " The Studio." He played himself in the Seth Rogen-starring parody of Hollywood. "It would be the most meta moment of television for me to win an Emmy and thank my friends at Apple," he joked after the upfront event. Sarandos also weighed in on another media rival, Versant, the new name for the Comcast cable networks — including USA, CNBC, MSNBC, and Golf Channel — that will soon be spun off.
Business Insider
15-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Business Insider
Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos tells BI what he thinks of the HBO Max rebrand
Add Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos to the voices welcoming back the HBO name. Warner Bros. Discovery announced on Wednesday that it would change its streamer's name back to HBO Max, abandoning the Max name it adopted two years ago. "They had so many years trying to start with so many different brands, that this move makes sense," Sarandos said, chatting with Business Insider after the streamer's annual TV upfront presentation. Sarandos said that branding was one area in which Netflix had an easier time than its legacy media rivals. It didn't have to make the transition from cable TV to streaming and integrate different TV assets into one company. "We have the luxury of being one brand from the beginning," he said. "I look at '90 Day Fiance,' it's bigger than 'Hacks' on the top 10, so it's like, how do you argue that you're not this or that?" he went on, referring to an example of the lowbrow Discovery reality shows and HBO prestige fare that WBD tried to bring together with Max. Despite the variety of content, Sarandos previously made it known that he was surprised WBD had dropped "HBO" from the name of the streamer. "They put all that effort into one thing that they can tell the consumer — it should be HBO," he told Variety earlier this year. In that interview, he also said he didn't understand Amazon and Apple's streaming strategies. Apple's strategy includes tapping Sarandos himself for a cameo in Apple TV+'s " The Studio." He played himself in the Seth Rogen-starring parody of Hollywood. "It would be the most meta moment of television for me to win an Emmy and thank my friends at Apple," he joked after the upfront event. Sarandos also weighed in on another media rival, Versant, the new name for the Comcast cable networks — including USA, CNBC, MSNBC, and Golf Channel — that will soon be spun off.
New York Post
14-05-2025
- Business
- New York Post
Netflix breaks ground on $900M movie studio at former NJ army base
Netflix officially broke ground this week on a sprawling new $900 million production hub in central New Jersey — with more than a third of the funding coming from tax credits provided by the Garden State. Netflix Studios Fort Monmouth will transform a long-abandoned US Army base into a 500,000-square-foot facility housing soundstages, a backlot, post-production suites and offices. The deal to build the new campus in Eatontown — marking a significant East Coast expansion for the video streaming giant — was boosted by $387 million in tax credits, according to state officials. 4 New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy (D) is seen left with Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos on Tuesday. Getty Images for Netflix New Jersey's film and digital media tax credits offer up to 35% for production expenses and up to 40% for digital post-production — figures Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos cited as critical to the company's investment. California's status as the nation's film hub has been eroded in recent years as studios have opted to film movies in lower-tax locales such as Georgia and the United Kingdom. 'We're kicking California's ass,' New Jersey State Sen. Declan O'Scanlon told The Hollywood Reporter, underscoring the state's aggressive push to attract film and television production. O'Scanlon, a Republican who represents Monmouth County, admitted he was initially skeptical of the tax credit program. He then delivered a rare political confession: 'I was wrong.' Sarandos, speaking from a stage on the rain-soaked site, described the project as both a passion and a business decision. 4 Netflix broke ground on a new facility in Monmouth County. Getty Images for Netflix 'I was in love with this idea from the very first conversation with Gov. [Phil] Murphy,' Sarandos said. Sarandos added that the company expects 'that these studios will create thousands of jobs for New Jersey residents, billions of dollars of economic output and many cultural benefits for the region and for the state.' Though born in New Jersey, Sarandos emphasized that the decision to build in the Garden State was based on economics, not sentimentality. 4 New Jersey state officials touted tax credits and incentives offered to Netflix to entice the company to build a facility in Monmouth. Getty Images for Netflix According to an April report by ProdPro, New Jersey now ranks sixth in the US for film and TV production, with $536 million in spending over the past year, trailing only California, New York, Illinois, New Mexico, and Georgia. Murphy, who was seated in a Netflix-branded director's chair during the ceremony, called the state's film incentive program 'the single best in the entire country.' He noted that the program has already been extended through June 30, 2039. 4 The project, located in Eatontown, was made possible by tax credits as film studios like Netflix look to cut costs. REUTERS 'This is not about us,' Murphy said. 'This is about generations to come.' Netflix already has seven productions filming in New Jersey and is expected to significantly ramp up activity once the Fort Monmouth facility is complete, projected to be in 2028. Monmouth County Commissioner Director Thomas Arnone promised the company a streamlined permitting process. 'We will make this easy for you,' Arnone said, referencing the permitting gridlock that has plagued film productions in California.
