Hindi
Five reasons to watch ‘Bastar: The Naxal Story’ this weekend
Mumbai: Bastar: The Naxal Story delves into the real-life incidents of Naxalism in Chhattisgarh, particularly focusing on the Bastar rebellion that erupted in the region. Scheduled to hit the screens on 15 March 2024, at your nearest PVR INOX cinemas, this film is helmed by Sudipto Sen and stars Adah Sharma, best known for performance in The Kerala Story. This marks their second collaboration after the success of their previous project. If you’re pondering whether to watch Bastar: The Naxal Story, here are five compelling reasons why you shouldn’t miss this gripping masterpiece:
Adah Sharma’s outstanding performance
Following her emotionally charged portrayal of Shalini Unnikrishnan in The Kerala Story, Adah Sharma returns as IPS Officer Neerja Madhavan in Bastar: The Naxal Story. With a singular mission to root out threats to India’s sovereignty, Sharma’s performance is nothing short of captivating. Her portrayal will swell your chest with pride and linger in your thoughts long after the credits roll.
Sudipto Sen’s exceptional direction
With only two films to his credit, including The Last Monk and The Kerala Story, Sudipto Sen showcases his directorial prowess once again in Bastar: The Naxal Story. His meticulous direction exposes how internal strife undermines the nation’s peace and harmony. Supported by stellar performances from the entire cast, Sen’s tribute to the armed forces resonates deeply, evoking goosebumps and admiration.
Exploration of relevant themes
Bastar: The Naxal Story sheds light on pertinent issues plaguing our country, particularly the Naxal insurgency, which has claimed thousands of lives and devastated national assets worth trillions over the past five decades. It stands as one of the gravest human tragedies in independent India’s history.
Empowering female representation
Amidst the rise of women-centric films that have found success at the Indian box office, Bastar: The Naxal Story stands out by placing Adah Sharma’s character at the forefront. Portraying a strong advocate for India’s sovereignty, Sharma’s character breaks barriers and challenges traditional norms, embodying power-packed female empowerment.
Visual spectacle
One cannot overlook the breathtaking cinematography in Bastar: The Naxal Story. Cinematographer Ragul Dharuman skillfully captures the film’s action sequences, the picturesque landscapes where it unfolds, and the myriad flashbacks and present-day scenes, creating a visual feast for the audience.
If you’re a fan of films that illuminate societal issues and showcase the valor of our armed forces, don’t miss the premiere of ‘Bastar: The Naxal Story’ this Friday at your nearest PVR INOX cinemas.
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.
