Hindi
Reliance MediaWorks steps out to UK, snaps up iLabs
MUMBAI: Reliance MediaWorks Ltd. has gobbled up the assets of iLabs UK, one of only two film processing facilities operating in London‘s SOHO, for an undisclosed amount.
The acquisition will help the Reliance ADA Group company to offer its services to the filmmakers and broadcasters in UK, one of the world‘s leading post-production markets. Reliance MediaWorks already has a facility in the US through its LA-based subsidiary Lowry Digital.
iLabs does high-end processing work for film, television, commercial and shorts productions. The dedicated film and media services facility in London will, thus, help Reliance MediaWorks offer front-end, processing, restoration, 2D to 3D conversion and post-production services to broadcasters and studios.
Says Reliance MediaWorks CEO Anil Arjun, “Our expansion is growing at a remarkable pace and we are happy to now be offering our services in UK. Through Reliance MediaWorks UK we would provide next generation services for the local film makers and broadcasters, while also catering to Hollywood and Hindi film businesses. We look forward to the creative synergies that integrating of UK operations would bring to the entire film and media services value chain that Reliance MediaWorks has developed across continents.” .
Lowry Digital has handled projects for leading studios like Walt Disney, Paramount Pictures, MGM and 20th Century Fox and entertainment leaders like George Lucas, Steven Spielberg and James Cameron. Also recently, Lowry Digital has handled the restoration of footage sent back to Earth from Apollo 11, as part of the 40th anniversary celebrations of the mission for NASA.
To further enhance the synergy between the services offered by Reliance MediaWorks across India, the US and UK, the company has established an optical fibre network through Reliance Globalcom’s Ethernet Private Line. This network has already been used for close to a year for distributing digital cinema releases of Indian films from Mumbai to the US.
In the past year, iLabs has worked on high-end film originated Drama Series for the BBC. Apart from tying in with Reliance MediaWorks‘ lab facility in Mumbai, it will be able to offer lab, rushes and transfer services to the many Indian films that are shot on location in London and UK each year.
Reliance MediaWorks currently has a comprehensive presence in film services: motion picture processing; visual effects; film restoration and image enhancement; digital mastering: studios and equipment rentals with facilities located at US and India.
Reliance MediaWorks operates Big Cinemas, India‘s largest cinema chain with currently 500 screens spread across India, US, Malaysia and Netherlands.
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.
