Hindi
Deepika Padukone, Taurani patch up for Race 2
MUMBAI: After two days of negotiations, Deepika Padukone has finally decided to jump back on board for Ramesh Taurani‘s ‘Race 2‘, though she has set some conditions.
It is being said that after meeting Taurani yesterday, Padukone realised that it wouldn‘t be in her best interest to contest the filmmaker on monetary grounds.
Though the official CINTAA (Cine and TV Artistes‘ Association) meeting was called off 30 minutes before its scheduled time on Wednesday, the actress did end up meeting CINTAA general secretary Dharmesh Tiwari who asked her to stay away from monetary hassles and say ‘yes‘ to Taurani.
The conditions that Padukone has set are that she will not allot fresh dates to ‘Race 2‘, as she will be busy with Rajinikanth‘s ‘Kochadaiyaan‘ and the Ranbir Kapoor starrer ‘Jawaani Diwani‘. She has asked both Taurani and director Abbas-Mustan to not work with middlemen; she will only work with her chosen set of designers, hair stylist and makeup artist; she wants the makers to consult her for the release of their film because she wants no misunderstandings during the promotional phase of the film; and in case of a foreign schedule, the actress wants to be informed a month in advance.
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.
