iWorld
Eros Now’s bittersweet drama ‘A Monsoon Date’ by Tanuja Chandra to premiere at MAMI
MUMBAI: JIO MAMI Mumbai Film Festival is known for bringing the best of world cinema to the city. After presenting a remarkable line-up of movies at the festival this year, the Jio MAMI 20th Mumbai Film Festival with Star will be premiering 'A Monsoon Date' presented by Eros Now, a premium over-the-top
(OTT) South Asian entertainment platform by Eros International PLC and directed by critically acclaimed Tanuja Chandra under the category 'Anthology Of Shorts'.
'A Monsoon Date' written by Gazal Dhaliwal and produced by Rakesh Singh is about an eventful, rainy evening when a young woman is on her way to see a young man she is dating. Along the way, she experiences bittersweet moments with a series of strangers, even as a storm brews inside her. Today, she has decided to reveal to the young man a heart-breaking truth about her past.
This truth, she knows, is not possible for anybody to understand. And yet, she hopes that he would. With her heart pounding like the torrential rain around her, she holds on to this unreasonable hope.
The short film will be followed by a panel discussion hosted by Ritam Bhatnagar, Head of Indian Film Project with panelists Tanuja Chandra, Konkona Sen Sharma, Gazal Dhaliwal and Ridhima Lulla, Chief Content Officer, Eros Group.
iWorld
Anirudh Ravichander and Universal Music India join forces to take South India’s sound to the world
The composer behind 13 billion streams launches Albuquerque Records with UMI as its exclusive global partner
MUMBAI: Universal Music India has struck an exclusive partnership with Albuquerque Records, the freshly minted independent label of singer-composer Anirudh Ravichander, in a deal that bets big on South India’s booming pop and hip-hop scene going global.
The arrangement, announced on 17 March, will see Universal Music India handle future pop and hip-hop releases by Anirudh himself, as well as artists signed to the new label. A first release is already in the pipeline for April, featuring Anirudh.
The numbers behind the man are hard to ignore. Debuting in 2012 with the viral sensation “Why This Kolaveri Di”, Anirudh has since clocked over 13 billion audio streams across more than 770 tracks, cementing his position as the No.1 South Indian artist on Spotify by total streams. His fingerprints are all over some of the Tamil film industry’s biggest musical moments, from Hukum and Vaathi Coming to Arabic Kuthu and the A23 Theme.
But Albuquerque Records is a different beast. Built for the non-film space, it is designed to nurture independent talent and champion the next wave of Indian pop voices. “Universal Music India’s leadership in pop and hip-hop made them the natural partner,” said Anirudh. “I’m excited to take independent voices to audiences around the world.”
Universal Music India’s chairman and CEO Devraj Sanyal was equally effusive. “Anirudh represents the future of Indian music, bold, original, and with enormous potential,” he said. “Identifying transformative talent is our superpower, and this partnership reflects that belief.”
Sanujeet Bhujabal, managing director of Universal Music India, framed the deal as more than a distribution play. “Albuquerque Records represents Anirudh’s bold artistic vision in the world of pop and hip-hop,” he said. “True to his legacy of innovation, this partnership is set to establish yet another landmark creative space, this time for the emerging world of iPop and beyond.”
For Universal Music India, the deal deepens a long-running push into South India’s four key language markets: Tamil, Malayalam, Kannada and Telugu. The label already has regional imprints, film partnerships with Maddock Films and Excel Entertainment, and a growing non-film roster. Landing Anirudh, arguably the south’s most bankable music brand, is a statement of intent. South Indian music has the streams. Now it is coming for the world.
