iWorld
Eros International joins hands with Ajay Kapoor of Kyta Productions for Pataakha & Kirik Party
MUMBAI: Eros International Media Ltd (Eros International), the leading Indian film and entertainment company, announced its collaboration with Kyta Productions Pvt Ltd for two forthcoming films – Vishal Bhardwaj’s Pataakha and the Hindi remake of Kannada super hit Kirik Party.
Eros will team with producers Dheeraj Wadhawan, Ajay Kapoor, Ishant Saxena, Vishal and Rekha Bhardwaj to release in India the eagerly awaited Pataakha, a Rajasthan-set drama about two warring sisters. The comedy drama starring Sanya Malhotra and Radhika Madan along with Vijay Raaz and Sunil Grover has already created huge anticipation since the release of its trailer and will release on 28th September.
Equally exciting is the announcement of the remake of Kannada blockbuster Kirik Party, yet untitled in Hindi which will feature Kartik Aaryan and Jacqueline Fernandez where Eros will be jointly producing with Ajay Kapoor, Dheeraj Wadhawan and Vrithika Laykar and releasing the film worldwide. A romance set in a college campus scheduled to go on floor in October, the film will be directed by Abhishek Jain of Bey Yaar and Kevi Rite Jaish fame.
Sunil Lulla, Managing Director, Eros International Media Ltd said on the announcement, “We are delighted to come on board with Kyta and showcase this brilliant line-up to audiences. Both films boast of a very interesting pool of acting and directorial talent. The initial reactions to Pataakha are phenomenal and we are confident Vishal Bharadwaj’s dramedy will be high on entertainment. We are equally excited to be a part of Kirik Party and are positive audiences will embrace Abhishek Jain’s interpretation of the successful Kannada hit love story”.
Says Ajay Kapoor, Producer & Managing Director, Kyta Productions, “We have found great partners in Eros International, they have the capability and the distribution network to take the films to its deserved potential. We couldn’t have asked for a better platform for their showcasing”.
iWorld
WhatsApp tests ‘WhatsApp Plus’ paid subscription tier
€2.49 plan adds customisation tools, messaging and calls remain free.
MUMBAI: Your chats may soon get a glow-up at a small monthly price. WhatsApp is testing a new paid subscription tier called ‘WhatsApp Plus’, signalling a shift towards premium personalisation features while keeping its core services free. The feature is currently being rolled out to a limited set of Android beta users, with early reports from WABetaInfo indicating a price of €2.49 per month (approximately Rs 274). Meta has confirmed the test, stating that it is designed for users who want more control over how they customise and organise their app experience.
Importantly, the subscription remains optional. Core functionalities including messaging, voice calls and community features will continue to be available free of charge, ensuring that the platform’s primary use case remains unchanged.
Instead, WhatsApp Plus focuses on aesthetic and organisational upgrades. These include exclusive sticker packs, new themes, custom app icons and personalised notification tones. On the functional side, subscribers may be able to pin up to 20 chats significantly higher than the current limit of three along with access to custom chat lists and enhanced categorisation tools.
Industry observers suggest the offering is largely cosmetic. Social media consultant Matt Navarra noted that the features lean more towards visual and usability enhancements rather than altering the app’s core functionality.
While global pricing has not been finalised, the subscription is expected to remain a low-cost monthly plan, with reports indicating a possible one-month free trial for eligible users. The feature is still in beta, meaning the final set of offerings could evolve before a broader rollout. Support for iOS users is also anticipated in the coming weeks.
The move mirrors a broader trend in the social and messaging ecosystem, where platforms such as Snapchat and Instagram have introduced similar subscription layers adding premium features without placing core services behind a paywall.
For WhatsApp, the strategy appears clear, keep the conversation free, but charge for a little extra flair around it.
