Hindi
Box Office: ‘Brothers’ collects Rs 50 crore in opening weekend
MUMBAI: Brothers faced negative reports and a below par opening on Friday. The film had average collections on Friday to show a marked improvement despite bad word of mouth on Saturday thanks to 15 August, the mandatory Independence Day holiday. However, the film’s lack of merit caught up with it soon enough and despite being a Sunday, the film took a drubbing at the box office. The collections dropped instead of growing on Sunday to end its opening weekend with Rs 49.7crore.
Gour Hari Dastaan: The Freedom File is a biopic about a freedom fighter from a small town in Odisha who has contributed to India’s freedom struggle against the British rule. This film about the protagonist’s 32 year determined drive to earn recognition for his contribution from the authorities is rather personal, slow moving account and, hence, not the kind to impact the box office. Though appreciated on the international festival circuits, it has found scant patronage with the moviegoer.
Bangistan can be called a mediocre effort on all counts. With poor opening weekend, the movie continues with its poor run through its first week to end with collection figures of Rs 5.1 crore.
Jaanisar fails to relive the era that the maker’s earlier film, Umrao Jaan created. The film met with total rejection at the box office as it completes its first week run.
Drishyam fares reasonably well in week two in the absence of any strong opposition. There is a section of people who have positive things to say about the film, which helped it maintain in its second week. The film has collected Rs 17.45 crore to take its two week total to Rs 58.75 crore.
Masaan collects Rs 35 lakh in its third week to take its three week total to Rs 3.8 crore.
Bajrangi Bhaijaan establishes itself as among the biggest hits as it continued to hold sway even its fourth week to collect Rs 11.4 crore, taking its four week total to an unassailable Rs 312.85 crore.
Baahubali: The Beginning (Hindi- Dubbed) also continues to draw people. The film added an impressive Rs 5.3 crore in its fifth week taking its five week total to Rs 104.15 crore.
Hindi
Government backs film production through DCDFC, co-production push
Scheme funds cinema, WAVES 2025 boosts global ties and industry growth.
MUMBAI: Lights, camera… policy action. As India’s screens glow brighter at home and abroad, the government is quietly scripting a bigger role behind the scenes funding films, fuelling collaborations and nudging the country closer to its “create for the world” ambition. At the centre of this effort is the Development, Communication & Dissemination of Filmic Content (DCDFC) scheme, a 100 per cent centrally funded initiative designed to support film production across the country. Through this scheme, the government provides direct financial backing to projects, aiming to strengthen both mainstream and alternative storytelling ecosystems while encouraging cinematic excellence.
The implementation runs through the National Film Development Corporation (NFDC), which plays a key role in facilitating film production, including regional cinema and documentaries. Beyond the screen, the scheme also feeds into the broader economy creating jobs for local technicians, artists and service providers, and strengthening grassroots production networks across states.
The push, however, is not limited to funding alone. India’s ambition to position itself as a global content powerhouse was on display at the World Audio Visual & Entertainment Summit 2025 held in Mumbai, which brought together creators, producers, startups and global stakeholders from over 100 countries. The summit acted as a convergence point for Indian storytelling and international capital, with OTT platforms, investors and technology leaders exploring partnerships in a rapidly evolving content economy.
Complementing this is the government’s focus on audio-visual co-production agreements, which effectively operate on a public-private partnership model. By enabling Indian and international producers to collaborate, these agreements are designed to bring in investment, global expertise and advanced filmmaking practices while also giving Indian stories a wider global footprint.
Support also extends to film culture and preservation. Grants are provided for domestic film festivals recommended by state governments, alongside curated film packages, masterclasses and workshops to nurture talent and audience engagement. The NFDC further collaborates with State Film Development Corporations, offering technical expertise across the filmmaking value chain and supporting the preservation of local film heritage.
Many states, in parallel, are encouraging the development of film infrastructure including production studios often through public-private partnership models, signalling a coordinated push to build a more robust audiovisual ecosystem.
The update was shared in Parliament by Ashwini Vaishnaw in response to a query from Thirumaavalavan Tholkappiyan, outlining a multi-layered approach that blends funding, infrastructure, policy and global outreach.
Taken together, the message is clear: India is not just telling more stories, it is building the machinery to tell them bigger, better and to the world.
