Hindi
Amritraj, UAE firm ink $250 mn movie production deal
MUMBAI: Imagenation Abu Dhabi, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Abu Dhabi Media Company, has signed a $250 million financing deal with Ashok Amritraj‘s Hollywood-based Hyde Park Entertainment.
As per the deal, Hyde Park Entertainment will get the financial support to develop, produce and distribute feature films. The agreement aims to create up to 20 films over seven years and will include additional financing for the production of local language and cross-cultural films.
Hyde Park Entertainment will also establish its regional headquarters at ‘Two Four 54,’ the recently unveiled free media zone in Abu Dhabi.
Hyde Park Entertainment chairman and CEO Ashok Amritraj said, “We intend to produce films that stretch from Hollywood to Asia, enabling us to foster a better understanding between the West, the Middle East and Asia.”
Imagenation Abu Dhabi chairman Mohamed Khalaf Al-Mazrouei added, “Abu Dhabi‘s investment with international media partners is putting the Emirate in the global spotlight at a critical time for the movie industry. Through partnerships like this one with Hyde Park, we can create feature films which open a window on Middle Eastern and Asian culture, enabling audiences around the world to look in and appreciate the region‘s rich and increasingly dynamic heritage.”
In addition to its Abu Dhabi headquarter, Hyde Park‘s LA base will provide a front office function. Hyde Park‘s EVP Patrick Aiello will supervise creative affairs for the partnership, while newly named President of Hyde Park International Mimi Steinbauer will handle foreign sales for pictures produced by the company. Imagenation Abu Dhabi CFO Stefan Brunner will oversee the financial aspects of the joint venture.
Hindi
Rashmika Mandanna, Shanaya Kapoor and Naila Grrewal climb IMDb’s Indian celebrity rankings
Upcoming films and returning shows are driving fan interest across Bollywood and streaming
MUMBAI: Bollywood’s popularity contest has a new weekly scorecard, and the numbers are telling. IMDb’s Popular Indian Celebrities list for this week places Shanaya Kapoor at number six, buoyed by buzz around her film Tu Yaa Main. Naila Grrewal slots in at seven on the back of the returning comedy series Maamla Legal Hai, while Rashmika Mandanna climbs to eighth, riding mounting anticipation for Cocktail 2.
The list, available exclusively on the IMDb app for Android and iOS, tracks trending Indian entertainers and filmmakers each week, drawing on data from more than 200m monthly visits to the platform worldwide.
Further down the rankings, Raaka is keeping two of its biggest names in the spotlight. Deepika Padukone holds 11th position, with Allu Arjun close behind at 13th, as the film continues to find traction with audiences.
The list offers fans a weekly pulse on who is breaking through, who is holding steady, and who is fading. It is a barometer as unsparing as the box office itself.
