Hindi
Drishyam Films presents an unconventional psychological thriller Tamso
Mumbai: The spotlight is set to shine on the captivating world of horror as Drishyam Film’s Tamso also called Suburban Tales, makes its highly anticipated debut at the prestigious Fantastic Fest in USA. Directed by Stephen Alexander, the film is produced by Rashmi Somvanshi (July Motion Pictures Pvt. Ltd.) and presented by Drishyam Films, which has earlier given us masterpieces like Aankho Dekhi, Masaan, Dhanak, Newton that have been internationally recognised at renowned film festivals like Cannes and Berlin.
It is a proud moment for the cast and crew of Tamso as Austin King, features programmer and head of Submissions at the Fantastic Fest, rightly compares the film’s compelling cinematic endeavour with Kafka’s, The Metamorphosis. “What if Kafka’s The Metamorphosis was an Indian werewolf movie?”, says King as he reviews the plot that promises to redefine the genre by blending spine-chilling elements with a deeply personal narrative.
Tamso, meaning ‘from darkness’, derived from Sanskrit, delves into the depths of the human psyche within the backdrop of a family wedding. The estranged daughter, Radhika, portrayed by Rashmi Somvanshi, is compelled to return home, only to be confronted with an unforeseen twist. The youngest family member, Deepu, is taken over by an enigmatic entity during the wedding preparations. As the family grapples with the inexplicable possession, secrets buried within the family’s history resurface, causing an unsettling cascade of events. As reality merges with fantasy, Radhika embarks on a journey to confront her past and unearth the darkness that has long haunted her family.
Actor and producer of the film Rashmi Somvanshi says: “With its compelling narrative, impeccable direction, and thought-provoking theme, Tamso stands poised to redefine the horror genre, offering audiences a glimpse into the unexplored realms of fear and human psychology. We’re honoured to get the film premiered at the prestigious Fantastic Fest. We do hope it is liked by all. For those interested in out of the box content, this is a must watch. This movie has carefully woven a narrative that challenges traditional horror norms, offering a fresh perspective on the genre. I’m sure the audience will like it and I can’t wait to get their views.”
The movie has an ensemble cast featuring Rashmi Somvanshi, Ritika Gupta, Vaishnavi Singh, Ansh Pandey, Dev Chauhan, Sunita Hooda, and Kaushlendra. The screenplay, dialogues, and story have been meticulously crafted by Stephen Alexander and Rashmi Somvanshi.
Director Stephen Alexander, a debutant director in the realm of filmmaking, explores the blurred boundaries between the supernatural and human psychology in this psychological thriller.
As Tamso makes its world premiere at Fantastic Fest, it finds itself in the heart of the largest genre film festival in the USA. Celebrating cinematic excellence that pushes boundaries, Fantastic Fest provides the perfect platform for this unconventional horror experience. It is a paramount event in the cinematic world, renowned for its significant impact on the movie industry. With a resolute focus on groundbreaking genre films encompassing horror, science fiction, fantasy, and more, the festival stands as a pivotal platform that celebrates audacious storytelling and fosters a dynamic community of filmmakers, enthusiasts, and industry professionals. Smile, Blood Relative, The Menu, Living With Chucky are some of the prominent movies which have been screened at the Fantastic Fest.
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.
