Movies
1st Edition of Navarashtra Planet Marathi Film and OTT Awards 2023 a grand success
Mumbai: Planet Marathi, the group behind cutting-edge Marathi language content, set a new benchmark with the first-ever Navarashtra Planet Marathi Film and OTT Awards 2023. Along with Navarashtra, the group celebrated and felicitated the best talent and work done by the Marathi entertainment industry in a larger than life celebratory evening.
The event was graced by some of the prominent names of the Marathi industry, including Sonalee Kulkarni, Adinath Kothare, Anita Date, Nikhil Mahajan, Prarthana Behere, Gaurav Nalavade. Rajendra Shisatkar, Jitendra Joshi among others. It was a star-studded night that celebrated the outstanding contribution of actors, technicians, filmmakers, musicians and a host of other performers and talent. The awards recognised and honoured the most significant and exceptional works of the year. The winners of the night included Sonalee Kulkarni named Best Actress for Tamasha Live, Prasad Oak named Best Actor for Dharamveer, Shantanu Rode won Best Story for Goshta Eka Paithanichi, Prajakta Mali named Best Actress for OTT for Raanbaazaar, Ajay-Atul named Best Music Composer in film for Chandramukhi and Mahesh Manjrekar for Contribution To Marathi Cinema to name a few. Other major content wins of the night included Raanbaazaar, Goshta Eka Paithanichi, Athang, Godavari, Chandramukhi, Mi Vasantrao among others. Special awards were awarded to Suhas Joshi who received the Lifetime Achievement Award for his contribution and an award dedicated to Nishikant Kamat, director of Drishyam and Dombivali Fast, which was awarded to Nikhil Mahajan for the film Godavari.
The event was a grand success, with the entire Marathi industry congregating under one roof to witness the mega extravaganza.
Planet Marathi has been a major trailblazer in the Marathi Entertainment Industry, having given the industry many of its firsts and putting it in the mainstream spotlight. Akshay Bardapurkar, the visionary behind Planet Marathi, launched Marathi’s globally exclusive OTT, Planet Marathi OTT, providing the industry with its most significant digital win. With the Navarashtra Planet Marathi Film and OTT Awards, the group aims to acknowledge exceptional work from the industry and provide a well-deserved platform for recognition.
National Award Winner & Planet Marathi founder and CEO Akshay Bardapurkar commented, “The first edition of Navarashtra Planet Marathi Film and OTT Awards was an evening to remember and we are delighted to have successfully completed it for this year. Our team is elated to have achieved our vision of providing a larger platform for the tireless efforts of the entire Marathi entertainment industry. The tremendous response and participation from industry insiders and audiences alike were truly heartening, inspiring us to continue this IP in the years to come.”
Actor-director, Prasad Oak shared, “I strongly believe that recognizing and celebrating good work is crucial to the growth of the Marathi industry. This awards ceremony is a fantastic platform that inspires and encourages talent and recognises good work done.
Actor Sonalee Kulkarni commented, “I’m honoured to receive recognition for a very different kind of Cinema “Tamasha Live” and would love to share the credit with my entire team especially the director Sanjay Jadhav. And I applaud Planet Marathi along with Navarashtra for this award ceremony.”
Director Shantanu Rode shared, “Gosht Eka Paithanichi received a huge applause and acclaim all over, and it feels even more special to be recognised within your own industry. A huge thank you to the organisers of this ceremony which is honouring the talent and the fraternity I am proud to be a part of.”
Hollywood
Paramount Skydance secures financing for Warner Bros Discovery deal
Debt syndication and new loans push $111 billion merger closer to close
WASHINGTON: Paramount Skydance has taken a major step towards its planned acquisition of Warner Bros Discovery, securing fresh financing and completing the syndication of its bridge loan facility.
In a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, the company confirmed that the bridge facility has now been distributed among a group of 18 banks, reducing total commitments to $49 billion from an earlier $54 billion. The move spreads risk across lenders and signals growing confidence in one of the year’s largest media deals.
Alongside this, the company has finalised permanent financing arrangements, including $5 billion in senior term loans and a $5 billion revolving credit facility. A previously planned $3.5 billion credit line has been dropped as part of the restructuring.
The loans are secured against key assets, including Paramount Global, Skydance Media and Warner Bros post-merger, underlining the scale and complexity of the transaction.
The financing push follows a competitive bidding process earlier this year, which saw interest from players such as Netflix before Paramount Skydance emerged as the frontrunner. The deal, valued at $111 billion, is expected to close in the third quarter, subject to regulatory approvals.
Adding to the momentum, the company has also secured significant equity backing, including investments from Middle Eastern funds, with support from billionaire Larry Ellison, who has guaranteed the equity portion of the transaction.
Commenting on the development, Paramount Skydance chief strategy officer Andy Gordon said, “Our successful debt syndication and new debt facilities represent another important milestone towards the completion of our acquisition of Warner Bros Discovery.”
Once completed, the combined entity is expected to carry net debt of just under $80 billion, reflecting the sheer scale of the merger.
As Hollywood continues to consolidate in the streaming era, this deal could reshape the competitive landscape, with Paramount Skydance betting big on scale, content and financial muscle to take on global rivals.
