Hindi
Defunct Bombay Talkies reopens after 58 years
MUMBAI: Besides marking the centenary of Indian cinema, the year 2012 will also see the revival of Bombay Talkies.
The iconic studio, which was established in 1934, was closed down in 1954. Owned by Dube Industries, the studio will start with the launch of two films in June.
As the first public limited film company, Bombay Talkies was registered under the Indian Companies Act and soon emerged as an organised company with well-managed financials, acquiring a reputation for public issues, dividends and bonuses.
Studio manager Satish Mahajan revealed that the studio had to close down because of financial mismanagement by Sashadhar Mukherjee after the release of the Ashok Kumar-starrer Mahal in 1949. “Last year, we took a conscious decision to restart the company on the occasion of the centenary celebration of Indian cinema,” he added.
The first film to be launched by the re-emerging studio has been titled Zakhmi that will feature Abhay Kumar, grandson of one of the studio’s original owners Rajnarayan Dube. It will also star Sayali Bhagat along with Mithun Chakraborty.
Though the second film is yet untitled, those being considered for it are Mallika Sherawat, Tusshar Kapoor and Vinay Pathak.
Incidentally, the studio had launched some of the biggest stars of Hindi cinema like Devika Rani, Ashok Kumar, Leela Chitnis, Raj Kapoor, Mehmood, Madhubala and Dilip Kumar.
The newly-opened studio operates from Lokhandwala.
Hindi
Rashmika Mandanna, Shanaya Kapoor and Naila Grrewal climb IMDb’s Indian celebrity rankings
Upcoming films and returning shows are driving fan interest across Bollywood and streaming
MUMBAI: Bollywood’s popularity contest has a new weekly scorecard, and the numbers are telling. IMDb’s Popular Indian Celebrities list for this week places Shanaya Kapoor at number six, buoyed by buzz around her film Tu Yaa Main. Naila Grrewal slots in at seven on the back of the returning comedy series Maamla Legal Hai, while Rashmika Mandanna climbs to eighth, riding mounting anticipation for Cocktail 2.
The list, available exclusively on the IMDb app for Android and iOS, tracks trending Indian entertainers and filmmakers each week, drawing on data from more than 200m monthly visits to the platform worldwide.
Further down the rankings, Raaka is keeping two of its biggest names in the spotlight. Deepika Padukone holds 11th position, with Allu Arjun close behind at 13th, as the film continues to find traction with audiences.
The list offers fans a weekly pulse on who is breaking through, who is holding steady, and who is fading. It is a barometer as unsparing as the box office itself.
