Hindi
A Critic is not a Judge, but a person who loves cinema: Samir Farid
New Delhi: Renowned Egyptian film critic Samir Farid says “I don‘t like people who consider a critic as a judge. I hate to consider myself a judge. I consider myself a man of cinema.”
Farid, who has been awarded the Aruna Vasudev Lifetime Achievement award at the 12th Osian‘s Cinefan Festival of Asian and Arab Cinema, said “everyone has a right to like or dislike any work of art or film. A critic is a professional. It is his home profession to see a film or to read or to listen to music or any kind of art. Professional critic means he has a method.”
In a lecture at the OCFF, he said he studied literature and theatre and not cinema. “Each art has its own language.”
One of the challenges is for a critic to know how to define a success or a failure. The film critic has no choice. He must be a reader by profession, Farid said, stressing that a film critic should be a reader of other works of arts so that he can differentiate cinema from the other arts.
He said “There are two big branches of art. The first one belongs to the popular heritage in music and literature or anything. The second being films or works of art that suppresses the individual or the work of an individual.” He added: “When I write an article, I‘m looking for my reader. There has to be a harmony between the content, style and substance of a piece of art.
When asked how he was first exposed to foreign cinema as it is not widely available in Egypt, Farid said: “My first trip outside of Egypt was to the Cannes Film Festival in 1967. This was the 20th edition of the film festival. I was very fortunate to see films like Blow-Up by Antonioni at the Festival.”
“Egypt produces around 40 films a year. It was about 120 in the 1990s. The industry is still alive and popular. Egyptian films have more than 70% of the market share and 30% is from American films. Hindi films are limited to 5 films a year as they are scared of the Indian film market. There is only Egyptian or American films, no third kind of culture existed for the last 20 years,” he said.
Hindi
Dhurandhar returns to theatres worldwide on March 13 ahead of Dhurandhar The Revenge release
Jio Studios re-releases blockbuster across 500 screens globally before sequel
MUMBAI: The spy saga of Dhurandhar is gearing up for a big-screen encore before its next chapter arrives.
Ahead of the release of Dhurandhar The Revenge on March 19, Jio Studios and B62 Studios are bringing the original Dhurandhar back to cinemas worldwide in a rare international theatrical re-release.
The global blockbuster is returning across nearly 500 screens, including around 250 in India from March 12 and another 250 overseas beginning March 13.
For fans of the franchise, the move offers a chance to revisit the film that ignited the high-octane spy-action universe just days before the sequel lands in theatres. It also sets up a rare back-to-back big-screen experience, allowing audiences to relive the original before diving straight into the next chapter.
While re-releases of popular films are occasionally seen in India, international re-runs of Hindi films remain uncommon. The scale of the rollout reflects the growing global appetite for the franchise.
In North America alone, Dhurandhar will return to theatres across nearly 185 screens, highlighting the strong anticipation surrounding the upcoming sequel.
The excitement is set to build further with special Wednesday premiere shows of Dhurandhar The Revenge scheduled across the US and Canada on March 18, a day ahead of its global release. Many of these premieres will be hosted on premium large format screens, featuring wall-to-wall displays, immersive sound systems such as Dolby Atmos, enhanced projection and luxury seating.
These formats are typically reserved for major Hollywood event films, and early bookings suggest strong demand with several shows already sold out.
The recently released trailer of Dhurandhar The Revenge has also sparked buzz among exhibitors and trade circles, with expectations running high for the film’s international performance.
Dhurandhar The Revenge is written, directed and produced by Aditya Dhar. The film is produced by Jyoti Deshpande and Lokesh Dhar.
Jio Studios presents a B62 Studios production, an Aditya Dhar film.
The spy-action thriller will release worldwide on March 19, 2026, in five languages including Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada.
The film arrives in theatres globally on the occasion of Gudi Padwa and Ugadi, just ahead of Eid, setting the stage for a festive box office run.
