iWorld
Applause Entertainment ropes in ace director Nagesh Kukunoor for the urban-political thriller titled ‘City of Dreams’
Applause Entertainment, helmed by entertainment veteran Sameer Nair, ropes in celebrated director Nagesh Kukunoor for a powerful political drama set in the backdrop of modern day Mumbai. Titled, ‘City of Dreams’, the series is a gritty, violent story of power, corruption and deceit.
‘A single stone thrown in a seemingly placid lake sets off a series of ripples that touch everyone; hurt many.’ City of Dreams is the story of the feud within the Gaikwad family, which erupts after an assassination attempt on a polarizing political figure. Blurring the lines between moral and immoral in a struggle for power forms the core of this transfixing narrative.
Commenting on the show, Applause Entertainment, CEO, Sameer Nair said “I am a huge fan of big city crime-political dramas. The milieu the people and the atmospherics lend themselves to gripping and intriguing stories, which in a serialized, multi-season format, are being widely consumed by audiences across the globe. This kind of storytelling is at the center of everything we want to build at Applause. Nagesh is known for creating stories that are avant-garde and it is a delight to have him helm this project.”.
Marking the first collaboration between Sameer Nair and Nagesh Kukunoor, ‘City of Dreams’ will showcase the dark underbelly of the political world.
“I’ve always been excited about tackling a genre that I haven’t before and with City of Dreams I get a chance to explore Mumbai, the city known for its extremes – extreme poverty, wealth, corruption, humanity. And a web series format, while really challenging, is a great format to truly explore many characters in depth. Even though I’ve known Sameer from the days of Hyderabad Blues, we are finally collaborating and it’s been fun” says Nagesh Kukunoor.
The shoot is scheduled to begin on the 9th February and will be shot extensively across various locations in Mumbai. The series is expected to release in the latter half of 2018.
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.
