International
Brian Grazer set to receive Lifetime Achievement Award from PromaxBDA
MUMBAI: Oscar and Emmy award winning producer, Brian Grazer is set to receive the lifetime achievement trophy at PromaxBDA’s upcoming conference as reported exclusively by the Hollywood Reporter.
Grazer will be given the award onstage during a conversation by Piers Morgan, host of CNN’s Piers Morgan Live.
“From Splash to Arrested Development, Grazer is one of Hollywood‘s most prominent television producers and filmmakers and has consistently transformed the content landscape with his innovative films and series,” said PromaxBDA president and CEO Jonathan Block-Verk.
As a writer and producer, Grazer has been nominated for four Academy awards and won the best picture for Oscar A Beautiful Mind in 2002. The movie also earned Grazer the inaugural Awareness Award from the National Mental Health Awareness Campaign.
Grazer, a longtime partner with Ron Howard in Imagine Entertainment, has also won Emmys as executive producer of 24 (best drama series), Arrested Development (best comedy) and From the Earth to the Moon (best miniseries).
Over the years, films and TV shows in which Grazer had been a part of was nominated for a total of 43 Oscars and 149 Emmys.
"I’m honored to accept the 2013 PromaxBDA Lifetime Achievement Award," Grazer said. "For the last three decades, I have been able to share my vision as a filmmaker and a producer while doing something that I truly love and for this I am grateful," he added.
International
Russia-India cinematic spectacle Persimmon of My Love set for grand Moscow debut
Hindi cinema style musical revives Indo-Soviet cinema ties for today
MUMBAI: A new chapter in cross-border storytelling is set to unfold as Persimmon of My Love gears up for its premiere in Moscow on 1 April 2026, marking the first large-scale cinematic collaboration between Russia and India in decades.
Positioned as a modern nod to the cultural exchange that once brought Indian classics to Soviet audiences, the film blends Hindi cinema flair with Russian storytelling, aiming to rekindle a long-standing cinematic friendship.
Directed by Marius Weisberg, the musical comedy follows two brothers navigating a lively world of music, family and romance. The lead roles are played by Demis Karibidis and Mikhail Galustyan, with Karibidis also contributing as a screenwriter.
Shot entirely in India, the production leans heavily into Hindi cinema style spectacle. Filming took place across Mumbai studios and the cities of Udaipur and Jodhpur, whose architecture was used to create the fictional setting of Khurmada. A crew of over 350 worked on the project, with large-scale sequences featuring up to 1,000 extras.
The film also brings Indian creative talent into the mix. Dance sequences are choreographed by Jay Kumar, while music by Zurab Matua features songs in both Hindi and Russian, adding to its cross-cultural appeal.
Backed by TNT channel, MyWayStudio and the Russian Cinema Fund, the project reflects a broader push to strengthen cultural ties between the two countries.
With its mix of colour, comedy and cross-border collaboration, Persimmon of My Love is not just a film release but a reminder that cinema, much like music, travels well across borders.
