Hindi
Big Cinemas opens at Manhattan
MUMBAI: With the reopening of ImaginAsian Theatre as Big Cinemas Manhattan in Midtown East – New York, Big Cinemas has strengthened its global footprint.
After undergoing major renovations over the last few months, including aesthetic, audio and visual enhancements, the theatre, in its new form, now features brand new and comfortable recliner seating, remodeled restrooms, expanded lobby with an updated concession stand, LCD screens and box-office as well as BARCO 2k digital projection.
The theatre strives to bring the best of movie-going experience and customer service to its patrons. It will host several premier and special shows in keeping with its aim to provide a distinguished programming plan to its patrons.
New York has a large and affluent Asian Indian population with over 300,000 Indians having a strong affinity towards Indian movies and the theatre will now provide a destination for a luxurious cinematic experience.
Says Reliance MediaWorks CEO Anil Arjun, “New York, with its fast-growing and prosperous population of Indians, is the epicenter of growth for us and we see considerable opportunity here in the exhibition infrastructure space starting with the redevelopment of Big Cinemas Manhattan. The theatre has undergone some remarkable changes and we are proud to present it as such a distinguished movie destination with best of amenities, services and film programming.”
Similarly to its strategy in India, Big Cinemas is setting up standalone properties and cinemas in malls in the US and existing properties are being taken over, renovated and operated by the company while taking advantage of their already considerable infrastructure and brand value.
Big Cinemas has aggregated a network of over 188 screens in 27 theaters across East Coast, Midwest and West Coast that now regularly screen Hindi, Tamil, Telugu and Punjabi movie features, in addition to Hollywood.
Hindi
Hansa Entertainment launched to produce across OTT, TV and film
New venture from R K Swamy Hansa Group eyes multi-language stories for digital-first audiences.
MUMBAI: Hansa Entertainment has just stepped into the spotlight because when a legacy media house decides to script its next act, even the credits get excited. Hansa Entertainment Private Limited has been incorporated to develop and produce original programming across digital, television, OTT platforms and theatrical features. The company will create short-running series, long-running series and original films for OTT, alongside standout theatrical ventures. It will also launch a podcast platform called Hansa Spotlight and produce content for the fast-growing vertical drama format. Stories are initially planned in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Bengali and Kannada.
The venture is founded by Sruti Swamy and Siddharth Swamy, drawing on the rich legacy of Hansa Vision and the broader R K Swamy Hansa Group. Sruti brings creative expertise with a master’s in architecture, interiors and design from Milan and a postgraduate degree in business management from the Indian School of Business. Siddharth contributes a data-driven perspective, having studied data science at Imperial College London.
Sujatha Narayanan has been appointed CEO of Hansa Entertainment. With over two decades of experience in creative content curation and production across film and OTT, she is also a well-known film columnist and media entrepreneur.
R K Swamy Hansa Group executive chairman Srinivasan Swamy said, “The launch of Hansa Entertainment marks an exciting new chapter. The new entity is the brainchild of the next generation and will be independently managed by Sruti Swamy, who is the Director and the newly appointed CEO.”
Hansa Entertainment director Sruti Swamy added, “I am very optimistic about the future of Hansa Entertainment, given the content explosion and the opportunities offered by new technologies for production.”
Hansa Entertainment director Siddharth Swamy noted, “The idea is to grow a contemporary production house that creates compelling stories for today’s multi-platform audiences while drawing inspiration from the rich storytelling traditions that audiences have appreciated over the years.”
Hansa Entertainment CEO Sujatha Narayanan said, “Hansa Entertainment will evolve as a story-first, IP-driven entity. We have already put together a smart team of interesting and dynamic creators who will helm our vertical dramas, shows and films.”
In the ever-evolving world of Indian entertainment, where stories now travel faster than the scripts that birth them, Hansa Entertainment is stepping onto the stage with fresh ink and big ambitions proving that even the best legacies know when it’s time for a compelling sequel.
