Hindi
Slumdog sweeps Baftas with 7 awards
MUMBAI: Pacing up to set new records for itself, Academy Award winner Danny Boyle’s Slumdog Millionaire has bagged seven top honours at the British Film Academy Awards (Bafta) after being nominated in 11 categories.
At the Bafta, the rags-to-riches story not only won Boyle the best director award, but also brought India’s coveted musician A R Rehman the award for best music. The other Indian to sweep a Bafta Award this year for Slumdog was Resul Pookutty for sound mixing.
Also, apart from winning the best film title, the Mumbai-based story further notched top honours screenplay (by Simon Beufoy), editing and cinematography.
Slumdog Millionaire tells the story of a young, uneducated man from the slums of Mumbai who appears on the Indian version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? (Kaun Banega Crorepati– Hindi version) and exceeds people‘s expectations, arousing the suspicions of the game show host and of law enforcement officials.
Meanwhile, Dev Patel, the lead protagonist in the film who was also nominated in the best actor category for Slumdog, lost the prize to Hollywood actor Mickey Rourke for The Wrestler.
British actor Kate Winslet pocketed the best actress award for her role as a Nazi concentration camp guard in The Reader.
While Spain‘s Penelope Cruz won the best supporting actress award for Vicky Cristina Barcelona, late Heath Ledger of Australia was named the best supporting actor for his outstanding role as the Joker in The Dark Knight.
Meanwhile, Slumdog will be eyeing more honours at the Oscars where it has got 10 nominations including for best picture. The film already won the Golden Globe award for best drama.
Hindi
Marico founder Harsh Mariwala’s book Harsh Realities set for film adaptation
Almighty Motion Picture taps Karan Vyas to script Marico story
MUMBAI: Almighty Motion Picture is turning its lens on India Inc., with plans to adapt Harsh Realities: The Making of Marico into a screen project. The story charts the rise of Harsh Mariwala, the chairman and founder of Marico, and is currently in early development, according to a report by Variety.
Writer Karan Vyas, known for his work on Scam 1992, Scoop and Made in India – A Titan Story, is attached to pen the screenplay. The project continues the studio’s growing interest in real-life Indian narratives that blend business with human drama.
At the heart of the story lies a defining moment in 1987, when Mariwala chose to step away from the family-run Bombay Oil Industries and strike out on his own. What followed was not just the creation of a company, but the reinvention of a legacy. Marico would go on to become a global FMCG player, with brands like Parachute, Saffola, Set Wet and Livon becoming household names, reaching nearly one in three Indians.
The source material, co-authored by Mariwala and renowned business strategist Ram Charan, offers more than a boardroom chronicle. It captures the grit behind the growth, the risks behind the rewards and the leadership lessons forged along the way.
The adaptation aims to move beyond balance sheets and brand milestones, focusing instead on the person behind the enterprise. Expect a narrative that leans into the emotional stakes of entrepreneurship, where decisions are as personal as they are professional.
Today, Marico draws about a quarter of its revenue from international markets across Asia and Africa, reflecting its steady transformation from a domestic player into a multinational force. Yet, if the makers have their way, the screen version will remind audiences that every global success story begins with a leap of faith.
With development set to begin soon, this is one business story that may just trade spreadsheets for storytelling, and profit margins for moments that linger
