iWorld
ALT Balaji announces Dhimaner Dinkaal – its first Bengali original
MUMBAI: The clear message that came out of Indiantelevision.com’s second VIDNET was that you have to have exclusive or original programming. And delivering it in India’s regional languages – well that is something OTT players will have to do if they want to get granularity in their traction.
Almost as if taking it as a cue, The Balaji Telefilms promoted ALT Balaji has looked to the east of India while announcing the launch of its second regional show Dhimaner Dinkaal. The language you may have got it by now from the title is Bengali. The digital series has well known Bangla artistes like Saswata Chatterjee, Sreelekha Mitra, Khoraj Mukherjee and Sudipta Banerjee and has Saugata Nandi helming it.
Dhimaner Dinkaal is the story of an ordinary man (Dhiman played by Chatterjee) who lives a life of simplicity away from the madness of technology and internet. The show will explore how his life takes an unexpected turn when he is forced into embracing the new world of technology.
Dhiman is confined to his old habits; he still believes that internet and modern technology are just a farce in third world countries. Dhiman lives in a contrasting world where his wife’s and daughter’s lives are dominated by internet but he prefers to breathe in a space devoid of technology. What happens when he is forced into the digital world? When his life turns upside down because a stranger enters via social media, will he be able to maintain his sanity?
“ALTBalaji is the No 1 repository of exclusive and original digital content in Indian languages today. After launching with 6 Hindi and a Tamil show, we continue our commitment to Indian languages. We are confident that this will be a favourite for Bengalis in and out of India,” says ALT Balaji CEO Nachiket Pantvaidya.
At launch, ALT Balaji had stated that it would be gradually be rolling out 32 originals on its digital OTT service over the next few months. And the introduction of Dhimaner Dinkaal at this time could be the first of many other shows that could be at the entry gate just waiting to be revealed to its four million odd audience that has downloaded the app, say sources. They further indicate that the 15 part Bengali series is quite likely to have a second season and has a budget of about Rs 600,000 per episode.
Subscribers can only expect the slate of show launches to be spurred to a faster clip following the move by the Mukesh Ambani headed Reliance group to pick up a 24.92 per cent stake in Balaji Telefilms for Rs 413.28 crore.
Clearly, the action in the Indian OTT space has only just begun.
iWorld
OpenAI hits back at Elon Musk’s lawsuit ahead of trial
Company calls claims “baseless” and accuses Musk of trying to disrupt a rival.
MUMBAI: When the stakes are measured in billions and egos are involved, even Silicon Valley titans can turn a courtroom into a battlefield. OpenAI has issued a sharp public response to Elon Musk’s ongoing lawsuit, accusing the billionaire of filing the case to harass a competitor rather than address genuine concerns. In a strongly worded statement shared on its official X account, OpenAI described Musk’s allegations as “baseless” and suggested the lawsuit is an attempt to disrupt the company as the case heads toward trial later this month in Oakland, California.
The response comes after Musk’s legal team recently amended the complaint, proposing that any damages potentially exceeding $150 billion should go to OpenAI’s nonprofit entity rather than to Musk personally. OpenAI questioned the timing and motive behind this change, calling it a late-stage attempt to “pretend to change his tune” on the nonprofit structure.
The company further labelled the lawsuit a “harassment campaign”, arguing that Musk’s actions are driven by personal rivalry, ego, and a desire for greater control and financial upside.
At the heart of the dispute is Musk’s claim that OpenAI has abandoned its original nonprofit mission of developing artificial intelligence for the benefit of humanity. A co-founder who left in 2018, Musk is seeking governance changes, including the removal of CEO Sam Altman from the nonprofit board, and the return of certain financial gains linked to Altman and President Greg Brockman.
OpenAI has firmly rejected these allegations, maintaining that its current hybrid structure, a public-benefit corporation overseen by a nonprofit parent remains true to its long-term goals. The company has also previously accused Musk of anti-competitive behaviour aimed at weakening its leadership.
As the case prepares for a jury trial, this public exchange highlights the deepening rift between two of the most influential figures in the AI revolution and raises broader questions about governance, mission, and power in the fast-moving world of artificial intelligence.
In the high-stakes game of AI, it seems the real drama isn’t just inside the models, it’s playing out in courtrooms too.
