Hindi
Ajay Devgn rebrands NY Cinemas as Devgn Cinex in metro push
MUMBAI: Ajay Devgn is putting his name on cinema screens—literally. The actor launched Devgn Cinex on Maha Navami, rebranding the NY Cinemas chain at North Bombay’s Durga Puja celebrations alongside his wife, actor Kajol. The move signals an aggressive expansion play across Indian metros and the south, backed by Vishwa Samudra Holdings.
Vishwa Samudra group managing director Shivdutt Das hailed the rebrand as more than cosmetic. The company promises to turn multiplexes into “spaces of innovation, comfort, and culture”, deploying premium formats and what it calls “immersive experiences”. Whether that means reclining seats, better sound systems or something more ambitious remains unclear—cinema chains have long promised whilst delivering incremental upgrades.
NY Cinemas has operated quietly for years, but the Devgn tie-up suggests plans to compete with PVR Inox, which dominates India’s multiplex market with over 1,700 screens, and Cinépolis, which runs around 450.
Devgn, one of Indian cinema’s bankable stars and a producer through his Devgn Films banner, brings celebrity firepower to a sector recovering from pandemic losses and grappling with streaming competition.
The emphasis on south India is telling. Regional-language films have outperformed Hindi movies at the box office in recent years, with Tamil and Telugu blockbusters like Pushpa and RRR drawing massive crowds. Metros in Chennai, Bengaluru and Hyderabad have become battlegrounds for cinema chains chasing affluent audiences willing to pay premium ticket prices.
Vishwa Samudra Holdings operates across real estate, hospitality and entertainment. Its bet on Devgn Cinex suggests it sees room for another national player, despite consolidation that saw PVR and Inox merge last year.
Says a media observer: “There’s a shortage of cinema screens in India compared to its massive 1.5 billion or so population. The population is underserved, which has stunted the growth of Indian cinema. The more the screens, the better can be the box office collections for good productions.”
But whether Indian audiences need yet another multiplex brand—celebrity-backed or not—to fill that gap is another question entirely.
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.
