Hindi
‘Daawat-e-Ishq’ triumphs over ‘Khoobsurat’ at BO
MUMBAI: Daawat-e-Ishq opened to a lukewarm opening response and the collections remained on the lower side on Friday, improving marginally on Saturday and as well as on Sunday only to slide again today onwards.
A Muslim background love story with an anti-dowry message, its linear narration makes it a routine fare. The film managed to collect Rs 13.6 crore for its opening weekend.
Khoobsurat, having borrowed the basic plot from Hrishikesh Mukherjee’s 1980 hit of the same name, about a freewheeling woman entering and challenging the norms of the house laid down by the woman of the house, a royal one at that, comes a cropper. An insipid, poorly scripted and executed film, it started with below average opening with a little improvement on Saturday and Sunday as weekends normally do add to the collections. The film collected Rs 10.5 crore for its opening weekend.
Finding Fanny, a zany road movie about a senior citizen being helped by his village mates find his childhood love, has made a little impact at the box office. Despite some favourable reviews by critics, the film has been able to put together just about Rs 23.5 crore in its first week.
Creature 3-D, another Vikram Bhatt horror had to its credit a fully locally computer generated man-eating creature but the film lacked in substance, got monotonous as its stretched too long and failed to generate interest in the viewer. The film collected a poor Rs 16.8 crore in its first week.
Mary Kom sustained ably in its second week in the absence of any formidable opposition and added Rs 11.15 crore in its second week taking its two week total to Rs 53.35.
Raja Natwarlal added Rs 10 lakh in its third week taking its three week tally to Rs 23.85 crore. The movie will be a loser at the box office.
Hindi
YRF Entertainment appoints Saugata Mukherjee as head of content
Former SonyLIV content head to steer films and series at streaming arm
MUMBAI: YRF Entertainment, the streaming arm of Yash Raj Films, has appointed Saugata Mukherjee as head of content, signalling a strong push to scale its original films and series slate.
Mukherjee joins the company following a successful three-and-a-half-year stint at SonyLIV, where he served as executive vice president and head of content. In his new role, he will report to CEO Akshaye Widhani and lead the creative direction and commissioning strategy for YRF Entertainment’s growing slate.
The appointment comes on the back of YRF Entertainment’s recent global success with titles such as The Romantics, The Railway Men and Mandala Murders, which have helped position the studio as a serious player in the streaming space.
At SonyLIV, Mukherjee played a key role in shaping the platform’s identity as a premium content destination. Under his leadership, the service delivered acclaimed originals across genres, building a reputation for storytelling depth and creative risk-taking. His exit was described as “one of the harder goodbyes”, reflecting both the impact of his tenure and the strength of the team he leaves behind.
Mukherjee brings with him a wide-ranging career that spans publishing, television and streaming. Before SonyLIV, he led content initiatives at HBO Max under Warner Bros. Discovery, where he was instrumental in shaping the platform’s India strategy. His earlier roles include senior leadership positions at Hotstar and Star TV, where he worked on building original content pipelines and collaborating with top creative talent.
With a career that began in publishing at firms like HarperCollins and Pan Macmillan, Mukherjee’s journey reflects a deep-rooted understanding of storytelling across formats and platforms.
His move to YRF Entertainment comes at a time when the battle for streaming audiences is intensifying, with studios doubling down on high-quality originals to stand out in a crowded market.
For YRF, the appointment is more than just a leadership hire. It is a clear signal that the studio is ready to scale its streaming ambitions, with Mukherjee expected to play a central role in shaping its next chapter.
