Hindi
UTV Motion Pictures makes into top 20 distributors list in US
MUMBAI: UTV Motion Pictures has emerged amongst the top 20 film distributors in North America, according to the US box office performance in the first six months of 2008.
UTV releases grossed $5.48 million in the first 28 weeks of the year, making the company the leading Indian motion picture distributor in the United States and the only foreign language movie distributor in the Top 20.
The Company claims to have achieved this rank with three releases this year, namely Jodhaa Akbar ($3.44 million), Race ($ 1.37 million) and Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na ($539,857). The box office total was also supported by Aamir Khan‘s Taare Zameen Par, which was released in December 2007 but which continued its run into 2008.
“Entering the Top 20 is a major achievement for an Indian studio, given the fact that the market for Indian movies in the US is a small fraction of the mainstream American market. This is especially remarkable considering that UTV is one of the youngest Indian film distributors in North America, having established operations in the US only four years ago in 2004,” said UTV Motion Pictures CEO Siddharth Roy Kapur.
UTV’s latest release, Kismat Konnection, starring Shahid Kapur and Vidya Balan, has garnered approximately $280,000 in its opening weekend.
UTV‘s forthcoming films include Madhur Bhadarkar‘s Fashion, Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra‘s Delhi 6 and Main Aur Mrs Khanna, a co-production with Sohail Khan Productions.
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.
