Hindi
Two PNC films to grace Houston WorldFest 2010
MUMBAI: This year‘s Houston International Film Festival will feature not one but two films from the PNC stable.
The first, Ek Tho Chance, has been directed by filmmaker Saeed Akhtar Mirza while the second would be Saluun made by debut director Nikhil Bhat. Both the films have been nominated for the prestigious REMI awards in the feature film category at this year‘s festival.
“Saluun definitely represents the fresh breed of Indian filmmakers and it‘s a great pleasure for us to screen the film at the Festival,” says WorldFest Houston International Film Festival chairman and founding Director J. Hunter Todd.
“Saluun is funny, clever, heart-warming and it introduces a new director, Nikhil Bhat, who brings fresh insight into where popular Bollywood cinema can go. We are also very excited about Saeed Akhtar Mirza‘s Ek Tho Chance, which has been already acclaimed at various international platforms,” Todd adds.
Avers PNC Chairman Pritish Nandy, “Ek Tho Chance marks the return of the master, Saeed Akhtar Mirza (Albert Pinto Ko Gussa Kyun Aata Hain, Salim Lande Pe Mat Ro, Mohan Joshi Haazir Ho, Nukkad). Ek Tho Chance is a delightful new take on Mumbai, the City of Dreams.
“Saluun is based on a true incident and it brings the magic of India to our screens. The film is about middle-class, middle India that you rarely see in today‘s Bollywood movies. It‘s a narrative of hope and magic.”
The ten-day festival starts on 9 April.
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.
