Hindi
Cinema: Getting the business model, right?
MUMBAI: Mumbai’s cinema moguls gathered at the 9th Edition of The Content Hub Summit 2025, the industry attempted to hit “rewind” on declining traditional media consumption and combat digital fatigue.
Chaired by acclaimed film critic, journalist & author Mayank Shekhar, the panel boasted a stellar cast of industry heavyweights, including Abhishek Pathak, managing director, Panorama Studios; Aashish Singh, producer, Red Chillies Entertainment; Shailesh Kapoor, CEO, Ormax Media; Devendra Deshpande, CEO, Friday Filmworks; and Pragati Deshmukh, head of content, Zee Studios.
Ormax Media’s Shailesh Kapoor, often the industry’s truth-sayer, kicked off with a candid confession: “Nobody knows for sure.” Yet, his numbers paint a clear picture. Despite the seismic shifts, the core metrics total box office, total footfall, and the number of unique theatre-goers (a consistent 15 crore annually) remain stubbornly unchanged since 2013-14.
Kapoor pointed out that the pandemic’s real plot twist was its coincidental overlap with the streaming boom. “If the pandemic had happened in 2015, this wouldn’t even be a discussion,” he quipped. The lockdown fast-tracked the audience’s discernment between “OTT films” and “theatrical films,” a process that would have otherwise taken years. While star power might dim on OTT, it still shines bright in cinemas, and language barriers are slowly, but surely, dissolving. “Fundamentally, nothing really has changed,” Kapoor concluded, suggesting that content choices, rather than audience habits, are the evolving variables.
Devendra Deshpande of Friday Filmworks, a science fiction writer in the realm of film production, firmly believes in leading with the narrative. “You start with the story because you believe in that story,” he asserted, dismissing hindsight analysis in a business where a film’s journey from conception to screen takes at least two years.
The panel then tackled the curious case of remakes. While Abhishek Pathak’s Drishyam 2 was a massive hit despite the Malayalam original being widely available on OTT, Vikram Vedha (a remake of a Tamil hit) stumbled. Pathak, who directed Drishyam 2, revealed his unwavering confidence: “I always had a feeling that it would do a 150 crore number, this film will surprise the audience.” His logic was that audiences are smarter than we give them credit for, and a strong brand, like Drishyam, transcends language and prior viewing. “People come to the theatre, they give us a formula,” he declared, suggesting that the “mystery to the presentation” and local flavour are key ingredients for a successful remake.
Red Chillies Entertainment’s Aashish Singh weighed in on Jawan’s phenomenal success, attributing it to meticulous planning. The film, directed by a renowned South Indian filmmaker, was conceived as a pan-Indian spectacle from the get-go. With Shah Rukh Khan’s unparalleled star power and a clever blend of North and South Indian talent, Jawan struck a chord across all tiers of Indian audiences. “It’s not about North and South, honestly. But, yes, we have to be conscious about our audience and what they like across the board,” Singh elaborated, highlighting the importance of tailoring content for a diverse national palate.
Pragati Deshmukh of Zee Studios echoed the sentiment, emphasising that for studios, the story’s relevance for the next few years, irrespective of language, is paramount. She revealed that Zee Studios is actively seeking out stories that would travel across languages, indicating a strategic shift towards pan-Indian narratives. The success of films like Gadar 2, which evoked sheer emotion across linguistic divides, underscores this trend.
The conversation then shifted to the nitty-gritty of film finance. Shailesh Kapoor noted the rise of re-releases, a desperate measure by exhibitors to fill empty screens as fewer films are being made. He revealed a staggering 60 per cent drop in the number of films releasing per year, from 45 to a mere 33-34. This “crisis of confidence” is pushing studios to greenlight only certain genres, primarily action. Re-releases, he believes, are a temporary fix and will fade once the release calendar becomes busy again.
Pragati Deshmukh offered insights into the studio’s risk-mitigation strategies. Beyond big-budget spectacles, studios are exploring innovative models for smaller films. She cited examples like securing partnerships with brands or even shooting two films simultaneously to offset costs. The perennial strength of sequels and franchises remains a constant in a volatile market.
Lastly, the discussion also touched upon the vexing issue of ticket pricing. While audiences are still willing to visit cinemas, the average ticket price of Rs 99-100 for new releases, making a night out prohibitively expensive for many, remains a significant hurdle. In contrast, re-releases often come at a much more palatable Rs 75-80.
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Hindi
India’s telecom subscribers cross 1.32 billion in February 2026
Broadband base swells past 1.06 billion as Jio and Airtel tighten grip on the market.
MUMBAI: India’s telecom sector is ringing in steady growth once again adding millions of new connections every month while the race for broadband supremacy continues to heat up like a fiercely contested cricket match. According to the latest data released by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) on 1 April 2026, the total telephone subscriber base in the country reached 1,321.31 million at the end of February 2026. This marked a net addition of 7.31 million subscribers during the month, translating into a monthly growth rate of 0.56 per cent.
Wireless subscribers (including mobile and Fixed Wireless Access) stood at 1,273.31 million, registering a net addition of 6.97 million and a growth rate of 0.55 per cent. Within this, urban wireless connections grew to 730.75 million (growth 0.70 per cent), while rural wireless subscribers reached 542.56 million (growth 0.35 per cent).
Wireline subscribers, though much smaller in scale, showed slightly faster growth. The total wireline base increased to 47.99 million, with a net addition of 0.34 million and a monthly growth rate of 0.70 per cent. Urban areas continued to dominate wireline connections with a share of 89.41 per cent.
Overall tele-density in India improved to 92.66 per cent. Urban tele-density stood at 150.68 per cent, while rural tele-density edged up to 60.02 per cent.
The broadband subscriber base crossed a significant milestone, reaching 1,059.05 million at the end of February 2026. This reflected a healthy net addition of 6.33 million subscribers and a monthly growth rate of 0.60 per cent from January’s figure of 1,052.72 million.
Segment-wise, mobile wireless access continued to drive the majority of growth with 996.52 million subscribers. Fixed Wireless Access (including 5G FWA) added 16.51 million, while wired broadband stood at 46.02 million.
Reliance Jio Infocomm Ltd. maintained its commanding lead with 519.64 million broadband subscribers. Bharti Airtel Ltd. followed with 364.14 million, Vodafone Idea Ltd. with 129.36 million, Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd. with 28.70 million, and Atria Convergence Technologies Ltd. with 2.38 million.
Together, these top five players command a massive 98.60 per cent share of the total broadband market.
In the wireless (mobile) segment, private operators continued to dominate with 92.59 per cent market share, leaving public sector undertakings (BSNL and MTNL) with just 7.41 per cent.
Out of the total 1,257.29 million wireless (mobile) subscribers, 1,177.60 million were active on the peak Visitor Location Register (VLR) date, representing an impressive 93.66 per cent activity rate. Bharti Airtel led in this metric with 99.42 per cent of its subscribers active.
Meanwhile, 14.47 million subscribers submitted requests for Mobile Number Portability (MNP) in February, indicating healthy competition and customer churn across zones.
While urban areas still lead in absolute numbers, rural connectivity is slowly catching up. Rural wireless tele-density stood at 59.46 per cent, compared with the much higher urban figure of 142.32 per cent.
Fixed Wireless Access using 5G technology also showed promising traction, growing to 11.93 million subscribers. Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel are the primary players driving this segment.
The data paints a picture of a maturing yet still rapidly expanding telecom ecosystem. With total telephone subscribers now well past the 1.32 billion mark and broadband users comfortably above 1.06 billion, India continues to solidify its position as one of the world’s largest and most dynamic digital markets.
From bustling city streets to remote villages, more Indians are staying connected than ever before proving that when it comes to telecom, the country’s appetite for growth shows no signs of hanging up anytime soon.
