iWorld
Bing releases the top search trends of 2013
MUMBAI: Women are on top, literally! The 2013 search trends released by Bing that includes search data from Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Spain, the U.K. and the U.S, reveal that women ruled and were in the top searches. In eight of the 12 participating countries around the world, women were the most searched. Beyoncé reigned in the US, while Miley Cyrus’s highly publicised twerking made her the top-searched person in both Australia and Canada.
Former flames Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez were the most-searched people in the U.K. and Germany, respectively. Actress and actors Bruna Marquezine, Wen Zhang and Salman Khan were the most-searched people in Brazil, China and India, while singers Rihanna and David Bisbal ranked at the top for France and Spain, and gorgeous TV personalities Danmitsu and Belen Rodriguez were favorites in Japan and Italy.
It was also a year of American songs, superhero movies, Facebook love, high-end designer brands, controversial sports stars, European getaways and fierce women.
Bing search trends, found at www.BingTrends.com, indicate what has most captivated people around the world in 2013.
However, when it came to the top searches in India, surprisingly, it was not the master blaster Sachin Tendulkar, who bid adieu to international cricket in 2013, who was searched the most. He was at number four, only after Salman Khan, Shah Rukh Khan and Katrina Kaif.
While he may have led the search among actors, Salman’s films did not feature in the top ten most searched films. The fast paced action flick Race 2 bagged top honours followed by Shahrukh starrer Chennai Express. And the surprise package among the top 10 Hindi movies was Nasha, starring Poonam Pandey. And Shah Rukh Khan may have missed top spot in the most searched actor and film, but his Lungi Dance from Chennai Express made it to the top of charts as the most searched song in India. This was followed by Party on My Mind from Race 2 and Challa from Jab Tak Hai Jaan.
Sports stars too were popular. While Sachin Tendulkar was the most searched among sports stars, young and feisty Virat Kohli too made it to the top ten. However, the surprise entry was sprinter Milkha Singh, proving that the biopic on him did arouse curiosity about him in the country. Shuttlers Jwala Gutta and Saina Nehwal made sure that their sport was represented in the top ten dominated by cricketers.
iWorld
Subedaar puts Indian original cinema on the global map with record-breaking Prime Video debut
MUMBAI: Prime Video has a runaway hit on its hands. Subedaar, the gritty action drama starring Anil Kapoor, has stormed to become the most-watched Indian original movie on the platform in its opening weekend, cracking the Top 10 across 31 countries and landing in 91 per cent of India’s pin codes within days of its March 5 premiere.
The film, a visceral, emotionally-charged story of a retired soldier, Subedaar Arjun Maurya, wrestling with civilian life amid crime and corruption, has struck a nerve. Directed by Suresh Triveni and co-starring Radhikka Madan, Mona Singh, Saurabh Shukla, Aditya Rawal, Faisal Malik, and Khushboo Sundar, the film is already being hailed as a showcase for what Indian original storytelling can achieve on the world stage.
“Subedaar’s success is a reflection of the growing scale and global resonance of Indian storytelling,” said Nikhil Madhok, director and head of originals at Prime Video India. “The film’s emotional narrative, its rooted portrayal of a soldier confronting his toughest battles beyond the battlefield, has struck a chord. Anil Kapoor delivers an acting masterclass, while Suresh Triveni’s solid direction and great performances from the ensemble cast have resulted in love and appreciation from customers across the world.”
Kapoor, 62, has been here before, but rarely at this altitude. Written by Triveni and Prajwal Chandrashekar, with dialogues by Triveni, Saurabh Dwivedi, and Chandrashekar, the film is a production by Opening Image Films in association with Anil Kapoor Film & Communication Network (AKFCN), produced by Vikram Malhotra, Kapoor, and Triveni.
Subedaar streams exclusively on Prime Video in Hindi, Tamil, and Telugu across India, and in over 240 countries and territories worldwide.
For Prime Video, the numbers tell the real story: one weekend, one film, a global footprint, and a very loud signal that Indian original cinema is no longer just travelling well. It’s arriving.
