Mumbai, Feb 26: The British psychological thriller ‘The Eye’. which stars Shruti Haasan, is set to have its India premiere as the opening feature of the 5th Wench Film Festival, founded by Sapna Bhavnani.

The film festival is dedicated to horror, sci-fi, and fantasy films, and will be held from February 27 to March 2, 2025.

The film marks Shruti’s international debut as a leading lady, and is directed by Daphne Schmon. ‘The Eye’ tells the haunting story of Diana (played by Shruti Haasan), who journeys to the remote island where her husband Felix (Mark Rowley) drowned, seeking closure by scattering his ashes.

However, her grief soon turns to intrigue when she learns of the mysterious ‘Evil Eye’ ritual, an ancient practice that might bring Felix back but demands a dark and unsettling sacrifice. The film has been shot in Athens and Corfu.

Talking about the film’s Indian premiere, Shruti Haasan shared, “Psychological thrillers have always been a genre that fascinates me. To be part of a story that dives deep into human emotions, grief, and the supernatural is incredibly exciting. Besides the fact that the film has a riveting storyline and top-notch production quality, what makes this project even more special is that it was created under an all-women-led production house, which aligns with my passion for supporting women in the film industry”.

“Furthermore, this film champions a sustainable way of filmmaking, something that the world desperately needs. If we want to continue telling our stories, we must be able to tell them in a manner that is conscious of our impact”, she added.

Director Daphne Schmon said, “‘The Eye’ is both a love letter to Corfu, the island where my family is from, and an exploration of the dark psychological impulses surrounding grief. The story demanded an actor who could embody its emotional depth and complexity, and Shruti Haasan was the perfect fit. Her ability to navigate Diana’s grief, paranoia, and resilience with such authenticity is truly remarkable. It was only an artist of Shruti’s calibre who could do justice to this role, and she has delivered a stellar performance that will leave a lasting impact”.

The film has been produced by Fingerprint Content.

New Delhi, Feb 26: Telecom major Bharti Airtel Ltd. on Wednesday said that it is holding bilateral discussions with the Tata Group for a potential merger between Tata Play’s Direct To Home business and its subsidiary Bharti Telemedia.

The statement to the stock exchanges came in response to a media report stating the Tata and Bharti Groups are “near a mega DTH merger”.

“We wish to submit that Bharti Airtel Limited (‘Airtel’) and Tata Group are in bilateral discussions to explore a potential transaction to achieve a combination of Tata Group’s Direct To Home (‘DTH’) business housed under Tata Play Limited, with Bharti Telemedia Limited, a subsidiary of Airtel, in a structure acceptable to all parties,” Airtel said in the statement to the exchanges.

However, Airtel emphasised that “the above is at a discussion stage only”.

The media report cited sources as saying the merged entity is expected to be run by Bharti Airtel, which will likely hold between 52-55 per cent with the remaining held by Tata Play shareholders, including Walt Disney.

Tata Play, a 70:30 venture between Tata Sons and Disney, and Airtel had a combined 35 million paid subscribers as of last September, more than half the 60 million subscribers industry-wide at the time, official data showed.

The two businesses are being approximately valued between Rs 6,000 crore to Rs 7,000 crore each, according to the media report.

In a separate development, Airtel has announced its collaboration with Ericsson to roll out 5G Standalone (SA) network technology. This partnership aims to enhance Airtel’s network capabilities, ensuring a seamless transition to a full-scale commercial 5G SA network over time.

Ericsson will be supplying key 5G equipment to telecom operator Bharti Airtel for a seamless transition to a commercially live, full-scale 5G Standalone (SA) network over time.

“Ericsson’s enduring partnership with Airtel has entered an exciting new phase, marked by the deployment of Ericsson’s 5G core solutions to support Airtel’s transition to 5G Standalone. This rollout will play a pivotal role in Airtel’s long-term 5G strategy, boosting network capacity and enabling the delivery of innovative, differentiated services to customers,” Airtel’s Chief Technology Officer Randeep Sekhon said.

The new capabilities represent a strategic enhancement to Bharti Airtel’s 5G monetisation efforts, enabling the development of new business models, Ericsson said.

In the SA mode, the network is built only on 5G, whereas in the NSA mode, the 5G network operates as a top-up on an existing layer of the 4G and 3G radio network.

As part of the agreement, Ericsson will deploy its signalling controller solution within Airtel’s network. Ericsson’s 5G SA-enabled charging and policy solution will also be introduced. These new capabilities represent a strategic enhancement to Bharti Airtel’s 5G monetisation efforts, enabling the development of new business models.

Mumbai, Feb 25: The pan-India film ‘Devara: Part 1’ starring NTR Jr is gearing up for its release in Japan on March 28.

As a part of the promotions, NTR Jr is busy with the media rounds in the land of the rising sun. He will also travel to Japan on March 22 for promotions. For NTR Jr, Japan has always been a land of love and admiration. His film ‘RRR;, directed by SS Rajamouli, became a cultural sensation there, winning hearts with its breathtaking action and larger-than-life drama.

His fans in Japan have long revered his performances, with ‘Student No. 1’ being a massive success in the region. Now, with ‘Devara: Part 1’, they are set to witness yet another cinematic spectacle headlined by their beloved star.

His portrayal of Devara, a force of nature navigating treacherous waters, has been hailed as one of his most intense and commanding roles. With its upcoming Japanese release, the film is poised to expand its global footprint further.

Meanwhile, on the work, the actor is joining forces with Prashanth Neel, who is known for ‘K.G.F: Chapter 1’, ‘K.G.F: Chapter 2’ and ‘Salaar Part 1: Ceasefire’. The shoot of the upcoming movie tentatively titled ‘NTRNeel’ is underway in Hyderabad with over 2000 junior artists at Ramoji Film City. NTR Jr. will join the shoot from the next schedule.

The dynamic collaboration of NTR and Neel is sure to set new benchmarks in the industry. This highly anticipated action epic is set to hit the big screens on January 9, 2026 in Telugu, Tamil, Hindi, Kannada and Malayalam.

Prashanth Neel, renowned for his blockbuster hits, is expected to bring his unique mass vision to this project, elevating NTR’s on-screen persona to new heights. This is Prashanth Neel’s most ambitious film which in itself is a tall order as Neel’s past films have been the biggest films of Indian Cinema. The film will be produced by the prestigious production houses Mythri Movie Makers and NTR Arts.

The film is bankrolled by Kalyan Ram Nandamuri, Naveen Yerneni, Ravi Shankar Yalamanchili, and Hari Krishna Kosaraju under Mythri Movie Makers and NTR arts banner.