Hindi
Excel Entertainment lines up six films
MUMBAI: Head honchos of Excel Entertainment, Ritesh Sidhwani and Farhan Akhtar, have gone ahead and announced the making of six films in the coming 10 months for an investment of Rs 3 billion.
Sidhwani said Zoya Akhtar‘s next after Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara would go on floors by the yearend. The production house has almost finished the Aamir Khan-Kareena Kapoor-Rani Mukerji starrer Talaash that will release in November. The director Reema Kagti is already planning her next film jointly written by her and Zoya.
Farhan‘s next after Don 2 will go on floors in early 2013; he is translating the idea he has in mind into a script. Abhishek Kapoor has completed the script of Rock On 2, and has started working on its screenplay along with Pubali who wrote Rock On!
The fifth film is a story submitted by Abhinay Deo of Delhi Belly fame to Farhan and Ritesh. This film, about two friends, will have two stars in the lead.
The script by a new writer-director has been approved but Sidhwani refused to divulge the name, saying that a formal announcement will be made later.
Hindi
UFO Cine Media Network unveils ‘India’s biggest cinema moment ever’
Dhurandhar 2 and Toxic tipped to deliver rare pan-India scale for brands
MUMBAI: UFO Cine Media Network is pitching an upcoming dual-film release weekend as what it calls the largest advertising opportunity cinema has offered in India, banking on an estimated 100 million cumulative footfalls nationwide.
The initiative, branded “India’s Biggest Cinema Moment Ever”, is anchored around the simultaneous release of Dhurandhar 2 – The Revenge and Toxic, two high-profile action films expected to dominate screens across regions and languages. Trade projections, supported by cinema measurement tool Procat, suggest the combined lifetime theatrical run could deliver one of the widest audience concentrations seen in recent years.
Dhurandhar 2 – The Revenge, an India–Pakistan spy thriller, is set to release in five languages, broadening its appeal across northern and southern markets. The franchise has already built a sizable multilingual following through theatrical runs and streaming platforms. Toxic, fronted by pan-India star Yash, is expected to draw heavy footfalls across southern circuits and beyond, buoyed by the actor’s proven box-office pull.
UFO, which operates an in-cinema advertising network spanning more than 4,100 theatres, is positioning the release window as a rare moment of synchronised national attention. Its footprint covers multiplexes and single screens across over 1,500 towns and cities, allowing advertisers to deploy campaigns at scale during a single weekend.
Executives at the company argue that cinema’s value lies not just in reach but in attention. Unlike digital or television, audiences are captive, emotionally engaged and free from distraction, they say, translating into stronger recall and measurable returns for brands. With advertisers increasingly focused on performance-led media planning, UFO is framing the dual release as comparable in scale to India’s largest broadcast and sporting properties.
Industry observers note that as theatrical exhibition expands deeper into Tier 2 and Tier 3 markets, such tentpole weekends are becoming anchor moments for annual media strategies. If Dhurandhar 2 – The Revenge and Toxic deliver as expected, the weekend could set new benchmarks not only for box office numbers, but also for cinema’s evolving role as a high-attention advertising medium.
