Movies
Bengali film Posto to premiere on Hoichoi before satellite TV
NEW DELHI: Digital Bengali entertainment content platform Hoichoi has acquired exclusive digital rights of this year’s most successful Bengali feature film Posto, ensuring it a world digital premiere today before a satellite TV premiere.
This will provide Bengali moviemakers a robust additional pipeline of movie-loving Bengali diaspora across the world, who have so far been deprived of many movies in the language because most have a weak or no international theatrical release.
Hoichoi has already created a huge buzz in the Bengali entertainment industry with the launch of a slew of engaging original web series and shorts, and the acquisition of the Shiboprosad Mukherjee and Nandita Roy directorial venture, Posto, is set to further disrupt the industry.
SVF & Hoichoi co-founder Mahendra Soni said, “What adds to our delight is that it is with this, the most successful film of 2017 so far, that Hoichoi will not only delight the Bengali diaspora across the world but will also help the Bengali film industry to overcome the challenges and limitations of international theatrical releases and take their forthcoming movies to a massive global audience of movie lovers worldwide.”
Posto, which grossed more than Rs 50 million within four weeks of its release, received critical acclaim from the film fraternity. Portrayed by Arghya Basu Roy, Posto is a little boy raised by his grandparents (Soumitra Chatterjee and Lily Chakraboty) in Shantiniketan, a small town in Birbhum district, West Bengal. Posto’s parents (Jisshu Sengupta and Mimi Chakraborty) who are settled 200 km away in Kolkata, visit their son only on weekends.
Trouble ensues when Posto’s father gets a new job offer outside India and plans to take Posto along with him. The boy’s grandparents are against the decision and the argument finally drags the kid into the courtroom.
The film’s director, Shiboprosad Mukherjee, said, “It gives me great pleasure to announce that Posto will be exclusively available on Hoichoi, which has become the one-stop destination for people looking for great Bengali entertainment content. Any director would want his creation to be seen and liked by as many people as possible and Hoichoi will enable my film Posto to do just that!”
Hoichoi showcases exclusive original shows every month and more than 500 Bengali movies. Founded in 2017, it is SVF New Media’s maiden venture. Hoichoi is headed by co-founder Vishnu Mohta, who is also SVF’s executive director.
Documentary
Netflix and Warner Music ink landmark documentary deal
The streaming giant has just unlocked one of the richest vaults in music history. Its rivals should be worried
CALIFORNIA AND NEW YORK: Netflix and Warner Music Group have signed an exclusive multi-year deal to produce documentary series and films drawn from the label’s storied artist roster, the companies announced on Friday — a move that hands the streaming platform access to one of the most formidable catalogues in music history.
Warner Music Group represents legends including David Bowie, Cher, Fleetwood Mac, Aretha Franklin and Joni Mitchell, alongside contemporary superstars such as Charli XCX, Coldplay and Bruno Mars. That is a staggering breadth of material for a platform hungry for prestige content and subscriber growth to match.
Under the agreement, Warner Music will work with Unigram, the production company aligned with the label, which will serve as the studio for its long-form projects. Each title will be developed in collaboration with the artists themselves or their estates, ensuring the kind of intimate access that turns a documentary into an event.
The deal reflects an intensifying race between music-rights owners and streaming platforms eager to turn deep catalogues into premium visual content. Music documentaries have become a vehicle for fan-driven, culturally resonant programming — a trend underscored by Taylor Swift’s “Eras Tour” film, which grossed over $260 million globally and reminded every platform chief just how lucrative the genre can be.
Netflix already boasts formidable credentials in music storytelling, with “Homecoming: A Film by Beyoncé” and “Quincy” among its highest-profile releases. The Warner deal sharpens that edge considerably. Rival platforms have not been idle: Disney+ has released “The Beach Boys”, while Max has drawn attention with “Stax: Soulsville U.S.A.” Apple Music, meanwhile, has pushed into original content through its Apple Music Live series, producing documentaries and livestreamed concerts featuring Harry Styles and Billie Eilish.
The battle for music’s visual soul, then, is well and truly on. Netflix has just made its boldest move yet.
