Entertainment
Disney announces 100 original shows for Indian OTT market
As content streaming heats up in India, The Walt Disney Company has revealed that it is working on 100 original shows in local content for the country where its Disney+Hotstar OTT platform is currently the leader.
The company, which added 7.9 million new subscribers to Disney+ in the March quarter (Q1), taking the total to 137.9 million, said during the earnings call late on Wednesday that it has about 500 shows in the pipeline for local content outside of the US or English speaking.
“When you look at that 500, I’ll give you some broad breakdowns. In the Asia-Pacific region, including Southeast Asia, of that 500, 140 is in that region. In EMEA, it’s 150. In India, it’s 100. And in Latin America, it’s 200,” said Christine McCarthy, Senior Executive Vice President and CFO, The Walt Disney Company.
Disney’s video streaming service Disney+Hotstar added 2.6 million paid subscribers for the quarter ended January 1, taking its total base to 45.9 million users.
Although the company did not break down the recent figure of 7.9 million new subscribers, it is obvious that a bulk of new users are coming from India where the OTT consumption has exploded.
“We ended Q2 with more than 205 million total subscriptions after adding 9.2 million in the quarter. That includes 7.9 million Disney+ subscribers, keeping us on track to reach 230 million to 260 million Disney+ subscribers by fiscal 2024,” said Bob Chapek, CEO of The Walt Disney Company.
The announcement of 100 new original shows for the Indian market came after Amazon Prime Video said last month that it will launch 40 new titles in Hindi, Tamil and Telugu across original shows, movies and co-productions in the next two years.
“Our world-class creative teams are focused on creating content that will drive subscriber growth in targeted segments and deeper engagement across the platform. This includes leveraging our existing intellectual property. Also, we’re intent on creating new franchises,” said McCarthy.
Bollywood
Farah Khan ties pagdi for Rajkummar Rao in throwback picture from his wedding with Patralekha
Mumbai, Jan 9: Bollywood couple Rajkummar Rao and Patralekha are celebrating the birthday of choreographer-director Farah Khan.
On Thursday, Raj and Patralekha shared a joint post on their Instagram handles. The post showcases many heartwarming moments featuring them with Farah.
They wrote in the caption, “Happiest Birthday to our dearest @farahkhankunder ma’am. Wishing you only the best in life..We love you to the moon and back”.
The couple and Farah are known to be best of friends. Farah even attended their wedding ceremony in November 2021 in Chandigarh. One of the pictures shows Farah tying a pagdi for Rajkummar during the ceremony.
Rajkummar Rao and Patralekhaa’s wedding was one of the most cherished moments for not just their fans but also for the members of the film fraternity. The who’s who of Bollywood graced the wedding celebrations and blessed the newly – wed actors.
The names included bigwigs like Farah Khan, Rao’s close friend Hansal Mehta, ‘Article 15’ director Anubhav Sinha, Luv Ranjan; the famed director of ‘Pyaar Ka Punchnama’ series, ‘The Family Man’ creators; Raj and Dk.
Raj and Dk’s social media handle recently shared a picture from previously concluded reception of Rajkummar and Patralekhaa where all the directors along with Rajkummar, look all decked up in black tuxedos. They captioned the post in Español, “Hombres De Negro (Men In Black)”
The comment section was soon flooded by fans and the film personalities. While Rajkummar expressed his feeling for the most influential people in his life by commenting, “I love you guys”, Shreya Dhanwanthary wrote, “Omg. All that’s missing from this photograph is background musicOmg. All that’s missing from this photograph is background music”. Actor and casting director Abhishek Banerjee wrote, “League of extraordinary gentlemen !!”
Bollywood
Jackie Shroff finds ‘peace’ as he spends time in nature
Mumbai, Jan 9: It is no secret that aside from being a celebrated actor Jackie Shroff is also a nature freak. Proving the same, the ‘Housefull 3’ star recently shared a clip on his official Instagram handle, giving the netizens an insight into his recent visit to a center for cows.
The video has Jackie Shroff spending time with the animals. His latest Insta post was captioned, “𝑃𝐸𝐴𝐶𝐸”. However, this is not the first time that Jackie Shroff has openly shown his love for nature. Time and again, the actor is seen talking about the need to plant more trees to save the planet.
On another front, Jackie Shroff is all set to be a part of the highly-awaited crime series, “Chidiya Udd”. Scheduled to premiere on the OTT platform Amazon MX Player on 15th January this year, the drama is inspired by Aabid Surti’s popular novel Cages. “Chidiya Udd” will revolve around the life of a young Rajasthani woman named Seher, who gets caught up in the dark world of Mumbai’s crime syndicate. The story moves forward as she attempts to break away from the chains of power and violence. The makers recently unveiled the official trailer of the forthcoming web series.
Helmed by Ravi Jadhav, the project has been jointly bankrolled by Harman Baweja and Vicky Bahri. Apart from Jackie Shroff, “Chidiya Udd” will also feature Bhoomika Meena, Sikandar Kher, Madhur Mittal, Mayur More, and Mita Vashisht in crucial roles. Jackie Shroff will essay on the character of Qadir Khan in his next.
In addition to this, Jackie Shroff will also star in the highly-talked-about sequel, “Housefull 5”. He will be seen sharing the screen with Akshay Kumar, Nana Patekar, Sanjay Dutt, Abhishek Bachchan, and Riteish Deshmukh, along with others. Directed by Tarun Mansukhani, the movie will reach the cinema halls on 6th June this year.
Bollywood
John Abraham Says He’s Never Touched Drugs, Urges Students Not To Smoke Or Drink At Navi Mumbai Event
Actor John Abraham recently attended the Nasha Mukt Navi Mumbai program, an anti-drug awareness campaign launched by Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis. While addressing the students present, the actor made a surprising revelation, stating that he has never touched drugs in his life. Further, the Pathaan actor urged the students to be role models, good citizens, and to train hard to build strong muscles, setting a positive example.
He said, “I want to say to students, I have personally not touched drugs ever in my life, also no smoking, no drinking, but no drugs is very important. Be very disciplined in life, be a role model to your friends, colleagues. Be a good citizen of Maharashtra, India, and train hard to get some good muscles.”
John further congratulated Navi Mumbai Police Commissioner Milind Bharambe and Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis for the initiative. “This is a very important initiative for Maharashtra and the youth of Navi Mumbai,” he added.
On the work front, John was last seen in Vedaa, which was released in 2024. The film also starred Sharvari, Tamannaah Bhatia, Abhishek Banerjee, Ashish Vidyarthi, Kumud Mishra, Rajendra Chawla, Tanvi Malhara, Anurag Thakur and Urvashi Dubey, among others.
The film clashed with Shraddha Kapoor’s Stree 2 and Akshay Kumar’s Khel Khel Mein at the box office on Independence Day, August 15, 2024.
Next, John has Tehran in his pipeline alongside Manushi Chhillar, which is produced by Dinesh Vijan. The film is reportedly based on real-life events on the backdrop of the Russia-Ukraine war.
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