iWorld
HCL Concerts partners Jashn-e-Rekhta 2025 as exclusive music lead
NEW DELHI: HCL Concerts has teamed up with the Rekhta Foundation as the exclusive music partner for Jashn-e-Rekhta 2025, adding fresh energy to the much-loved Urdu festival set for 5 to 7 December at Baansera Park in New Delhi.
For nearly a decade, Jashn-e-Rekhta has been the city’s winter magnet for poetry, language and performance, drawing younger audiences into the world of Urdu. This year’s musical slate, curated with HCL Concerts, promises a lively sweep of styles that travel from classical to qawwali, film to orchestral experimentation.
Across two stages, Mehfil Khana and Dayaar-e-Izhaar, the festival will host a notable line-up. The opening day features Mehakti Khushbu ka Safar Gulzar ke Saath with Gulzar and Divya Dutta, followed by Rang-e-Mausiqi by Sukhvinder Singh.
On 6 December, audiences can experience Dhruv Sangari’s qawwali at Dayaar-e-Izhaar, while Mehfil Khana presents Saaz Aur Sama by Salim-Sulaiman and Rang Aur Noor, Huma Khalil’s homage to cinematic gems shaped by Urdu poets.
The final day brings an Orchestral Qawwali by Abi Sampa and Rushil Ranjan, before closing with Dil Abhi Bhara Nahin, a tribute to Sahir Ludhianvi led by Javed Akhtar, Shankar Mahadevan and Pratibha Singh Baghel.
HCL Group associate general manager Nikhil Soni, said the association reflects the platform’s commitment to widening access to performing arts and supporting artists who shape India’s musical legacy.
Rekhta Foundation head of programmes and festival Satish Gupta, noted that music has always been central to the festival’s charm and that HCL Concerts shares its vision of keeping artistic traditions deeply rooted yet widely resonant.
With this partnership, HCL Concerts continues its push to build a vibrant ecosystem for Indian performing arts while helping cultural expression reach broader, more diverse audiences.
iWorld
Epic Company launches unified Epic Studio for films and OTT
Vivek Krishnani to head films business; Samar Khan leads OTT & Television.
MUMBAI: Epic just merged its creative superheroes under one cape because when films and OTT need to fight for attention together, you don’t keep them in separate universes. The Epic Company has launched Epic Studio, a next-generation creative and production powerhouse that unites Juggernaut Productions and Movieverse Studio under a single banner. The move creates a streamlined, scalable platform for premium storytelling across theatrical films, OTT originals, television, digital-first formats and branded content.
Vivek Krishnani has been appointed chief executive officer, Epic Studio (Films), overseeing the theatrical and film business with a focus on culturally resonant narratives across Hindi, Telugu, Tamil, Gujarati and Malayalam cinema. Samar Khan continues as chief executive officer, Epic Studio (OTT & Television) and retains his role as chief content officer for Docubay and Epic On.
The Epic Company managing director Aditya Pittie said, “Epic Studio brings together our entire creative ecosystem under one unified studio vision. This is not just an integration of verticals, but the creation of a collaborative environment where writers, filmmakers, creators, and brand partners can seamlessly develop and scale stories across formats and screens.”
Vivek Krishnani added, “We are building an audience-focused mainstream film studio committed to delivering fresh, engaging, and innovative stories for both theatrical and streaming platforms.”
Samar Khan commented, “This alignment allows us to approach storytelling with a unified studio mindset. We are building IP under one creative umbrella, with scale and longevity in mind from inception.”
The unified structure eliminates silos, enabling ideas to flow fluidly from concept to screen while adapting to evolving audience behaviour. Epic Studio positions itself as a creator-led ecosystem championing purposeful, resonant storytelling with commercial strength.
In an entertainment landscape where stories now leap between screens faster than plot twists, Epic isn’t just building a studio, it’s crafting a single launchpad where every tale gets the best shot at soaring across every platform.
