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2014 is coming of age for Prime Focus World: Namit Malhotra
MUMBAI: Basking in the glory of the success of Academy award winning Gravity and close on the heels of the box office successes of Noah, Non Stop and The Amazing Spiderman 2, Prime Focus World (PFW), the creative services subsidiary of Prime Focus has been busy with Hollywood’s summer line up.
Recently released film credits of PFW are Walt Disney Pictures’ dark fantasy adventure Maleficent starring Angelina Jolie and Warner Bros. Pictures’ sci-fi flick Edge of Tomorrow starring Tom Cruise. The team behind the special effects for Maleficent and Edge of Tomorrow are located in London and Mumbai.
“2014 is seeing the coming of age of Prime Focus World as a credible creative services provider to the biggest studios in Hollywood,” said Prime Focus founder and chairman & CEO of Prime Focus World Namit Malhotra. “There is genuine appreciation for our creative prowess, global scale and most importantly our unique business model, all of which have matured over the years. The spectacular success of films that we have collaborated on has only reinforced our overall value proposition in Hollywood.”
In the last five years since PFW went global, it has consistently invested in talent and infrastructure to build capability and capacity to deliver world class visual effects and stereo 3D for highly demanding Hollywood studios. If the summer line-up of 2014 is anything to go by, PFW has achieved a degree of acceptance and credibility no other Indian company in the creative services space has ever managed in Hollywood. PFW’s visual effects and stereo 3D conversion teams have been busy working on some of the biggest Hollywood summer releases, which is almost half of all the mainstream releases from the studios this summer!
Maleficent which opened last week has flown to number 1 at the Box Office on its opening weekend and is the biggest ever debut for star Angelina Jolie. Time magazine in its review has called Edge of Tomorrow which releases on 6 June “a furiously time-looping joy ride and the smartest action film of the early summer season”.
Along with being the Exclusive 3D conversion partner for Edge of Tomorrow, Prime Focus is also the Exclusive 3D conversion partner and VFX provider for Seventh Son, starring EMMY Award winner Julianne Moore (Game Change) and Kit Harrington (Game of Thrones) scheduled to be released next year.
Prime Focus World is the exclusive VFX partner on Sin City: A Dame To Kill For, Robert Rodriguez’s long-awaited, ultra-stylized comic book sequel. Sin City: A Dame To Kill For is PFW’s largest VFX commission to date and will produce over 2,000 visual effects shots for the stereo 3D movie, currently slated for an August 2014 release.
NEW DELHI: Hamdard Laboratories gathered a cross-section of India’s achievers in New Delhi on Friday, handing out the Hakeem Abdul Hameed Excellence Awards to figures who have left their mark across healthcare, education, sport, public service and the arts.
The ceremony, attended by minister of state for defence Sanjay Seth and senior officials from the ministry of Ayush, celebrated individuals whose work blends professional success with a sense of public purpose. It was as much a roll call of achievement as it was a reminder that influence is not measured only in profits or podiums, but in people reached and lives improved.
Among the headline awardees was Alakh Pandey, founder and chief executive of PhysicsWallah, recognised for turning affordable digital learning into a mass movement. On the sporting front, Arjuna Awardee and kabaddi player Sakshi Puniya was honoured for her contribution to the game and for pushing women’s participation onto bigger stages.
The cultural spotlight fell on veteran lyricist and poet Santosh Anand, whose songs have echoed across generations of Hindi cinema. At 97, Anand accepted the honour with characteristic humility, reflecting on a life shaped by perseverance and hope.
Healthcare honours spanned both modern and traditional systems. Manoj N. Nesari was recognised for strengthening Ayurveda’s place in national and global health frameworks. Padma shri Mohammed Abdul Waheed was honoured for his research-backed work in Unani medicine, while padma shri Mohsin Wali received recognition for his long-standing contribution to patient-centred care.
Education and social development also featured prominently. Padma shri Zahir Ishaq Kazi was honoured for decades of work in education, while former Meghalaya superintendent of Police T. C. Chacko was recognised for public service. Goonj founder Anshu Gupta received an award for his dignity-centred rural development initiatives, and the Hunar Shakti Foundation was honoured for empowering women and young girls through skill development.
The Lifetime Achievement Award went to former IAS officer Shailaja Chandra for her long career in public healthcare and governance, particularly in the traditional systems under Ayush.
Speaking at the event, Hamdard chairman Abdul Majeed said the awards were a tribute to those who combine excellence with empathy. “These awardees reflect Hakeem Sahib’s belief that healthcare, education and public service must ultimately serve humanity,” he said.
Minister Seth struck a forward-looking note, saying India’s young population gives the country a unique opportunity to become a global destination for learning, health and wellness by 2047.
The ceremony also featured the trailer launch of Unani Ki Kahaani, an upcoming documentary starring actor Jim Sarbh, set to premiere on Discovery on 11 February.
Instituted in memory of Unani scholar and educationist Hakeem Abdul Hameed, the awards have grown into a national platform that celebrates those building a more inclusive and resilient India. For one evening at least, the spotlight was not just on success, but on service with substance.
