Hindi
‘Ek Villain’, ‘Holiday’ shine at BO
MUMBAI: Ek Villan, a reasonably priced film with a limited face value where Riteish Deshmukh plays a negative role and gets a challenging one at that for the first time in his career, springs the biggest surprise with an outstanding opening weekend befitting a big star cast, big budget film. The film was expected to do well and the exhibitors were looking forward to it after a disappointing week with Humshakals. And, Ek Villain more than lives up to the expectations.
The film was expected to do around a decent Rs 11 plus crore or so on its opening day but exceeded all estimates by going over Rs 16 crore and went on to maintain at the same level. The onset of Ramadan three days from the release also helped the weekend to be strong as the holy fasting month of Ramadan sets in on Monday and films are taboo for those observing it. The film has ended its first weekend with a grand figure of Rs 48.5 crore.
Humshakals is poor, especially so considering its huge price tag. Having managed to collect Rs 51.6 crore for its first week and facing a poor second week, the film will be one of the major losers of the year.
Holiday: A Soldier Is Never Off Duty has maintained wonderfully in its third week, thanks to poor oppositions and also thanks to its merits to a degree. The film has added Rs 10.65 crore in its third week to take its three week tally to Rs 107.7 crore.
Fugly has added Rs 70 lakh to its total in its second week to take its total to Rs 9.95 crore.
Filmistan has collected Rs 50 lakh in its third week to take its three week total to Rs 5.8 crore.
Hindi
Hansa Entertainment launched to produce across OTT, TV and film
New venture from R K Swamy Hansa Group eyes multi-language stories for digital-first audiences.
MUMBAI: Hansa Entertainment has just stepped into the spotlight because when a legacy media house decides to script its next act, even the credits get excited. Hansa Entertainment Private Limited has been incorporated to develop and produce original programming across digital, television, OTT platforms and theatrical features. The company will create short-running series, long-running series and original films for OTT, alongside standout theatrical ventures. It will also launch a podcast platform called Hansa Spotlight and produce content for the fast-growing vertical drama format. Stories are initially planned in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Bengali and Kannada.
The venture is founded by Sruti Swamy and Siddharth Swamy, drawing on the rich legacy of Hansa Vision and the broader R K Swamy Hansa Group. Sruti brings creative expertise with a master’s in architecture, interiors and design from Milan and a postgraduate degree in business management from the Indian School of Business. Siddharth contributes a data-driven perspective, having studied data science at Imperial College London.
Sujatha Narayanan has been appointed CEO of Hansa Entertainment. With over two decades of experience in creative content curation and production across film and OTT, she is also a well-known film columnist and media entrepreneur.
R K Swamy Hansa Group executive chairman Srinivasan Swamy said, “The launch of Hansa Entertainment marks an exciting new chapter. The new entity is the brainchild of the next generation and will be independently managed by Sruti Swamy, who is the Director and the newly appointed CEO.”
Hansa Entertainment director Sruti Swamy added, “I am very optimistic about the future of Hansa Entertainment, given the content explosion and the opportunities offered by new technologies for production.”
Hansa Entertainment director Siddharth Swamy noted, “The idea is to grow a contemporary production house that creates compelling stories for today’s multi-platform audiences while drawing inspiration from the rich storytelling traditions that audiences have appreciated over the years.”
Hansa Entertainment CEO Sujatha Narayanan said, “Hansa Entertainment will evolve as a story-first, IP-driven entity. We have already put together a smart team of interesting and dynamic creators who will helm our vertical dramas, shows and films.”
In the ever-evolving world of Indian entertainment, where stories now travel faster than the scripts that birth them, Hansa Entertainment is stepping onto the stage with fresh ink and big ambitions proving that even the best legacies know when it’s time for a compelling sequel.
