Hindi
Govt to convene meeting in Feb to study problems of indie filmmakers
NEW DELHI: Information and Broadcasting Minister Manish Tewari has decided to call a meeting of independent filmmakers in February to discuss various issues being faced by them including lack of finance and high ticket prices.
Tewari gave this assurance to a delegation of independent filmmakers which met him late last week. He asked the filmmakers to list out their grievances in detail.
The delegation was represented by Onir, Anusha Rizvi and Shonali Bose who met him with a “Save Indie Cinema” petition jointly filled by 45 award winning film makers and signed by close to 18,000 people.
The petition speaks about the threats that New Wave independent filmmakers in the country face. One of the concerns is non availability of resources to exhibit their films. “High ticket pricing that is inappropriate for small budget films, inadequate number of shows and odd show timings further destroy the possibility of regional and Hindi cinema to have any proper chance at being viewed. It defies logic that a Rs 1.5 billion film and a Rs 150 million film are priced by the multiplexes in the same manner,” the petition says.
“We the petitioners hope that the Information and Broadcasting Ministry will take due notice of our petition and help independent film professionals and independent cinema to tell stories that would otherwise be neglected and would make us a poorer society for that,” said Anush Rizvi.
Oscar Award and National Award winning Sound Engineer Resul Pookutty; National Award winning film makers Anant Mahadevan, Aparna Sen, Ashim Ahluwalia, Buddhadev Das Gupta, Girish Kasaravalli, Rituparno Ghosh, actor and producer Nandita Das, Juhi Chawla and Sanjay Suri are some of the petitioners.
Ashim Ahluwalia asserts that the biggest struggle for Indian independent film makers is in India itself. “It’s not the audience that prevents films from being seen but distributors, theater owners and TV channels, that only operate from the most simplistic belief: that cinema is a product and can be nothing else,” he says.
Hindi
Dhurandhar returns to theatres worldwide on March 13 ahead of Dhurandhar The Revenge release
Jio Studios re-releases blockbuster across 500 screens globally before sequel
MUMBAI: The spy saga of Dhurandhar is gearing up for a big-screen encore before its next chapter arrives.
Ahead of the release of Dhurandhar The Revenge on March 19, Jio Studios and B62 Studios are bringing the original Dhurandhar back to cinemas worldwide in a rare international theatrical re-release.
The global blockbuster is returning across nearly 500 screens, including around 250 in India from March 12 and another 250 overseas beginning March 13.
For fans of the franchise, the move offers a chance to revisit the film that ignited the high-octane spy-action universe just days before the sequel lands in theatres. It also sets up a rare back-to-back big-screen experience, allowing audiences to relive the original before diving straight into the next chapter.
While re-releases of popular films are occasionally seen in India, international re-runs of Hindi films remain uncommon. The scale of the rollout reflects the growing global appetite for the franchise.
In North America alone, Dhurandhar will return to theatres across nearly 185 screens, highlighting the strong anticipation surrounding the upcoming sequel.
The excitement is set to build further with special Wednesday premiere shows of Dhurandhar The Revenge scheduled across the US and Canada on March 18, a day ahead of its global release. Many of these premieres will be hosted on premium large format screens, featuring wall-to-wall displays, immersive sound systems such as Dolby Atmos, enhanced projection and luxury seating.
These formats are typically reserved for major Hollywood event films, and early bookings suggest strong demand with several shows already sold out.
The recently released trailer of Dhurandhar The Revenge has also sparked buzz among exhibitors and trade circles, with expectations running high for the film’s international performance.
Dhurandhar The Revenge is written, directed and produced by Aditya Dhar. The film is produced by Jyoti Deshpande and Lokesh Dhar.
Jio Studios presents a B62 Studios production, an Aditya Dhar film.
The spy-action thriller will release worldwide on March 19, 2026, in five languages including Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada.
The film arrives in theatres globally on the occasion of Gudi Padwa and Ugadi, just ahead of Eid, setting the stage for a festive box office run.
