iWorld
Rajeev & Surveen’s digital debut on ALTBalaji’s Haq Se
MUMBAI: OTT platform for original and exclusive shows ALTBalaji has announced the star cast of its new show Haq Se. Ekta Kapoor has brought two extremely popular faces together, Rajeev Khandelwal and Surveen Chawla.
Rajeev will be debuting his digital innings with ALTBalaji’s Haq Se. There is a lot of buzz around the lead pairing, which is, needless to say, both fresh and inspiring. Creators of the show are really excited about them playing the lead roles. Other than them, famous actors like Simone Singh and Karanveer Sharma are playing important roles.
Haq Se is set in the beautiful valleys of Kashmir, apart from being a beautiful love story Haq Se is also a captivating story about four sisters Meher, Jannat, Bano and Amal in Kashmir, Haq Se explores their ambition how are they bound down by their geographical situation and the rising fundamentalism in the region. The show is directed by Ken Ghosh, who has directed films such as Amit Sahni ki List and Phir Se and quite a few web shows prior to Haq Se.
Notable cast also includes: Parul Gulati as Jannat Mirza, Aanchal Sharma as Bahira Mirza and Nikeesha Rangwal as Amal Mirza.
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.
