Movies
Cricket comes to the big screen: PVR INOX to show Champions Trophy matches
MUMBAI: PVR Inox, India’s largest cinema chain, has partnered with JioStar to screen live matches from the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, beginning with the highly anticipated India-Pakistan clash on 23 February in Dubai.
The cinema exhibitor will broadcast matches across more than 150 screens nationwide, including the India versus New Zealand fixture on 2 March. Additional screenings of semi-finals and finals will be arranged should India progress in the tournament.
“This association combines two of India’s greatest passions: cricket and cinema,” said Gautam Dutta, chief executive of revenue and operations at PVR INOX. He noted that similar screenings last year drew substantial audiences across cities, demonstrating strong demand for communal sports viewing experiences.
The initiative will span major metropolitan areas and tier-2 and tier-3 cities, including Mumbai, Delhi NCR, Kolkata, Ahmedabad, Pune, and Lucknow. Viewers will have access to PVR INOX’s full range of food and beverage offerings during matches.
The partnership represents a significant move by PVR INOX to diversify its entertainment portfolio, leveraging its cinema technology to create stadium-like atmospheres for major sporting events. All matches will be shown at 1:00 PM GST (Gulf Standard Time).
The screenings mark an interesting convergence of traditional cinema exhibition and live sports broadcasting, potentially opening new revenue streams for the theatre chain while providing cricket fans with an alternative viewing experience.
Movies
Green Gold Animation creates CG character for Telugu film Rākāsā
Chhota Bheem studio expands into mainstream VFX with dialogue-free digital lead.
MUMBAI: Green Gold Animation, the house that gave India Chhota Bheem, is now stepping out of the kids’ zone and into the big screen with a rather silent but powerful performer. The Hyderabad-based studio’s VFX division has delivered a fully computer-generated character for the upcoming Telugu-language comedy-fantasy thriller Rākāsā, set for theatrical release on 3 April 2026. Directed by Manasa Sharma and produced by Niharika Konidela under Pink Elephant Pictures in collaboration with Zee Studios, the film marks a notable move for Green Gold into complex, character-driven work for mainstream cinema.
What makes the project stand out is its ambitious central character, a completely digital creation that does not speak a single line. Instead, the character relies entirely on animation, movement, facial expressions and body language to convey emotion and connect with audiences. This is a relatively unexplored approach in Telugu cinema at this scale.
Green Gold’s VFX team was involved from early pre-production through to final delivery, completing over 750 CG shots with a team of more than 100 artists. The work included detailed character animation, performance design and fluid simulations, all executed within tight timelines and practical budgets through strong planning and close collaboration.
Green Gold Animation founder & CEO Rajiv Chilaka said the project pushed the team to approach character creation differently. “Building a fully digital character where every emotion had to come through performance and detailing was very meaningful,” he noted.
Green Gold VFX supervisor and VFX creative director Murali Manohar Reddy added that the emotional depth had to be communicated entirely through visual performance. “This wasn’t about reinventing technology, but about using our tools and processes with precision to serve the story,” he said.
Producer Niharika Konidela praised the collaboration, saying the Green Gold VFX team understood the vision and brought strong detail and emotion to the character while working within practical constraints.
The film blends humour, action and mythological elements, following an NRI protagonist on a chaotic and magical adventure. It stars Sangeet Shobhan, Nayan Sarika, Vennela Kishore, Brahmaji and Ashish Vidyarthi, with music by Anudeep Dev.
For a studio best known for colourful kids’ animation, delivering a silent, emotionally expressive CG lead for a mainstream theatrical release is quite the plot twist. With Rākāsā, Green Gold Animation is quietly proving it can speak volumes even without dialogue.
