Hindi
Indian films for foreign festivals
NEW DELHI: Saregama India’s home production The Japanese Wife, directed by Aparna Sen, is scheduled to be screened at The International Festival of Independent Cinema in Krakow in Poland.
The Amitabh Bachchan-Abhishek Bachchan-Vidya Balan starrer Paa will also be screened at the event which concludes on 25 April.
The Japanese Wife is in English, Japanese, and Bengali. The film, starring Rahul Bose, Raima Sen, Japanese actress Chigusa Takaku and veteran actress Moushumi Chatterjee, is based on Kunal Basu’s book of the same name. It is the story of an Indian who befriends a Japanese woman as a pen-friend and this gradually grows into more than mere friendship.
Rahul Bose had earlier worked with Aparna Sen in Mr. & Mrs. Iyer and 15th Park Avenue.
Another film, Ek Tho Chance, directed by renowned filmmaker Saeed Akhtar Mirza, has been selected for the 23rd Singapore International Film Festival being held from 15 to 24 April in the Cinema Today section. After Singapore, Ek Tho Chance will travel to London where it has been invited by Cary Sawhney, Director of the very 1st edition of the London Indian Film Festival in July.
The Singapore Festival presents movies from drama to comedy to documentaries that depict the realities of today and are made by some of the world’s most watched filmmakers. This comes close on the heels of 43rd Worldfest Houston where the film has also been selected and nominated for the prestigious Remi award.
“Cinema Today is about a modern interpretation of global issues and although Ek Tho Chance, produced by Pritish Nandy Communications, is aimed at showing the hopeful, the aspirational and sometimes desperate lives of people in the city of Mumbai. We are convinced that people from all across the world would appreciate the efforts of director Mirza and his honesty towards the subject since Mumbai city is top of mind and on the world map after Slumdog Millionaire” says Festival Director Philip Cheah.
PNC Chairman Pritish Nandy said, “Ek Tho Chance is the reason why we are all here in this city. Everyone wants that impossible, incredible, life-changing break and Mumbai never says no. This is what Saeed’s new film is about. Hunting down that chance. Great filmmakers never fade away. After a 13-year hiatus, Saeed had an idea in his head and he was ready to get back on the streets with it and we’re thrilled that we chose to back his vision.”
Director Saeed Akhtar Mirza says, “Ek Tho Chance is a simple narrative but speaks volumes on human nature. The most difficult part of filmmaking is to depict a simple story in an extraordinary way. I am still learning the art of it.”
Mirza’s last festival outing before Ek Tho Chance was at the Cannes Director’s Fortnight for his film Albert Pinto Ko Gussa Kyun Aata Hai in 1981.
Hindi
Dhurandhar 2 hit by YouTube leak amid record box office run
Cam-rip surfaces online but blockbuster streak continues at record pace
MUMBAI: It has been a dramatic week for Dhurandhar: The Revenge. Even as the espionage thriller smashes box office records, a piracy scare briefly threatened to steal its thunder after a full-length version surfaced on YouTube.
The leak emerged on March 30 via a channel titled “A2z movie”, which uploaded what appeared to be a cam-recorded print of the film. Clocking in at nearly three hours and 49 minutes, the footage was reportedly blurry but complete enough to spark spoilers and fan outrage online.
Soon after, users on X began flagging the issue, explicitly naming the “A2z movie” channel in their posts while tagging the film’s makers and urging swift legal action. Fans of director Aditya Dhar and lead star Ranveer Singh were particularly vocal, helping the issue gain rapid traction.
Within hours, the video was taken down, likely through a mix of platform detection systems and intervention by producers Jio Studios and B62 Studios.
Despite the leak, the film’s theatrical run remains virtually unshaken. As of March 31, the sequel has raked in an estimated Rs 872.17 crore net in India, with worldwide collections soaring to Rs 1,392.23 crore. Its Hindi opening day alone brought in Rs 102.55 crore, setting a new benchmark.
In a notable milestone, the film has matched Pushpa 2 as the fastest Indian release to cross the Rs 1,000 crore mark globally, achieving the feat in just seven days.
Interestingly, the version leaked online is believed to be an earlier cut. Midway through its theatrical run, the makers issued revised prints after eagle-eyed viewers spotted a fleeting editing error involving a cameraman’s reflection. The corrected version now plays across cinemas, adding an unusual twist to the film’s release journey.
Directed by Aditya Dhar, the high-stakes sequel stars Ranveer Singh alongside Sanjay Dutt, R. Madhavan, Arjun Rampal and Sara Arjun. The film has drawn praise for its scale and action sequences, though some critics have pointed to its intense violence and layered political themes.
For now, piracy may have made noise, but it has not slowed the juggernaut. If anything, the episode underlines the film’s cultural grip, proving that even a leak cannot derail a box office storm already in full force.
