News Broadcasting
East meets west in ‘Where’s the party yaar’
MUMBAI: Ever wondered what a mother of a meeting it would make when an American desi jams with someone who’s ‘fresh off the boat’ (FOB). Well that’s exactly what Where’s the party yaar , entails. Add to that an American desi (AD) producer, director and star cast and what you get is an Indo-American crossover flick. The film essentially targeting the American audience, producer Sunil Thakkar was on the look out for an American distributor for over a year. Unfortunate on that front, his good destiny led him to Sunil Mutreja, managing director of Channel Nine entertainment bagging himself a distributor in India.
The fun filled party flick, set in America is scheduled for a nation-wide release on 28 May. Kakkar says ” It’s a weird, funny and fresh mix and tells a tale of an individual who is awkward and does not funny. The movie is not to be taken seriously.” Following a storyline focusing on Hari Patel, a villager who visits an astrologer before his first trip to America. The astrologer, an outlandishly dramatic character, makes several puzzling predictions about Hari’s future. “In America you will meet the woman of your dreams. It will be a full moon night. There will be lightninga fever, and then she will fall madly in love with you. Her name will start with a “P”.” Throughout the film, Hari seeks to make sense of these bizarre revelations.
Upon his arrival in America, Hari stays with the Bakshi family where he meets his Americanized counterpart, Mohan Bakshi (Mo). Mo is spoiled, rich, popular, yet a likeable character. Mo helps promote Indian parties on the campus. Ray, the party thrower, is on a mission to keep the FOB’s (Fresh Off the Boat) out of the party to maintain a cool image for his events. However, as the astrologer’s revelations begin to materialize, Hari realizes that he must go the party to get the girl of his dreams. This sends Hari and his FOB friends on a relentless search to find out “where is the Party yaar?”
From their part -time jobs at an Indian restaurant to college life with the dueling cliques, Mo and Hari’s crazy antics lead the audience on a pursuit for their true loves and the big party. Cultural conflicts, romantic adventures, and family struggles arise in the comedic twists and turns of this movie. From the unforgettable boy- band dance routine in the rain to the climatic party at the end, this movie sure promises to be one not to be taken seriously.
The main lead Kal penn originally Kalpen Patil also has an interesting history. A crossover artist Kal penn has television credits that include Spin City, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Sabrina-The teenage witch, ER and The Steve. Penn is currently talking his first lead as Kumar in Harold and Kumar go to white castle. Also up his sleeve is Mask 2, and come September and Penn takes on a new NBC series Homeland Security .
Technically, Benny Mathews (director) and Sunil Thakkar (producer) debut as director and producer with the launch of this motion picture. Although what one is not aware of is that this duo had made a flick earlier too titled Thanks for a lovely dinner. Essentially an experimental movie, the duo decided to get serious and get into the movie making business with a bang. Infused by the party scene in America, Thakkar has invested $ 250000 dollars into this flick.
Hopefully this not to be taken serious movie will make some serious waves in both the east and west.
News Broadcasting
News TV viewership jumps 33 per cent as West Asia war draws audiences
BARC Week 8 data shows news share rising to 8 per cent despite T20 World Cup
NEW DELHI:Â Even as individual television news channel ratings remain under a temporary pause, the genre itself is seeing a clear surge in audience attention.
According to the latest data from Broadcast Audience Research Council India, television news recorded a 33 per cent jump in genre share in Week 8 of 2026, covering February 28 to March 6.
The news genre accounted for 8 per cent of total television viewership during the week, up from 6 per cent the previous week. The spike in attention coincided with escalating geopolitical tensions involving the United States, Israel and Iran, which have kept global headlines firmly fixed on West Asia.
The rise is notable because it came at a time when cricket was dominating television screens. The high-stakes stages of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, including the Super 8 fixtures and semi-finals, were being broadcast during the same period.
Despite the cricket frenzy, viewers appeared to be toggling between sport and global affairs, boosting the overall share of news programming.
The surge in genre share comes even as the government has enforced a one-month pause on publishing ratings for individual news channels. The move followed regulatory scrutiny of the television ratings ecosystem.
While channel-level rankings remain temporarily out of sight, the genre-level data suggests that when global tensions escalate, audiences continue to turn to television news for real-time updates.








