GECs
Gul Panag opens Bollywood innings with ‘Dhoop’
MUMBAI: Gul Panag, the former Femina Miss India Universe recently seen in Star Plus’ Kashmeer, has commenced her Bollywood innings with an Om Puri starrer called Dhoop. Dhoop is supposed to be a post-Kargil drama – the true-life story of the parents of a young captain who lays down his life for his country.
Panag’s co-stars include bigwigs Om Puri, south-based star Revathy and the handsome Sanjay Suri of Filhaal fame. To be released in July 2003,Dhoop is being directed by Ashwini Chaudhary who has worked with Prakash Jha.
When queried about her TV stint, Panag informs indiantelevision.com: “Kashmeer cannot be branded as a TV serial. It is a 26-episode series with the look and scale of a feature film. The overall treatment and impact is unlike anything else seen on TV. However, I must say that the phenomenal response which I got from acting in Kashmeer must be four times that of what I got after bagging the Femina title.”
Panag bagged the film Dhoop when art director Chokas Bharadwaj (who is also doing Kashmeer) and producer Saket Bahal referred her name to director Chaudhary.
It is suprising to note that Panag is not making her debut in an out-and-out commercial film with lots of romance. ‘Well, I have had my share of glamour due to the Femina title and my modelling stint. I wish to concentrate on quality performances. Working with seasoned actors such as Farooque Shaikh and Suresh Oberoi in Kashmeer has given me a different perspective. There is always this urge to try one’s best in their presence,” says Panag.
The shooting for Dhoop commences on 19 February 2003. Well, Panag had better remember the above-mentioned words as she will be rubbing shoulders with two accomplished players – Om Puri and Revathy – who have won National awards.
Dhoop is inspired by a real life story of professor of Economics from Delhi University. It is not a typical war-film but narrates the story of the trials of a martyr’s father who fights the system. Along with his grieving wife, the main protagonist wages a battle against callous bureaucrats and government officials. Om Puri, Revathy play the main characters with Panag and Suri as the young couple.
Revathy, the south Indian star, has chosen a Hindi film after a long time. Currently, she has another Tamil film on the floors and is pretty selective about scripts.
The name of the film, Dhoop, signifies the aftermath of war once the guns have been silenced. It studies the impact of war on human beings who live and constantly struggle against the inflexible system.
GECs
EPIC Company unifies all brands under single EPIC identity
IN10 Media rebrand aligns TV, digital and films into one ecosystem
MUMBAI: The EPIC Company, formerly known as IN10 Media Network, has announced a sweeping brand consolidation, bringing its television channels, digital platforms and content IPs under a single identity, EPIC.
The move is aimed at simplifying the company’s structure while creating a more connected content ecosystem spanning television, digital and films. By aligning multiple verticals under one umbrella, the company is looking to present a sharper, more cohesive face to both audiences and partners.
As part of the transition, several channels have been rebranded to align with the EPIC identity. EPIC will now operate as EPIC TV, while Nazara becomes EPIC Bharat, Filamchi is now EPIC Bhojpuri, Gubbare transitions to EPIC Kids, and ShowBox is reintroduced as EPIC Music. Ishara will continue under the identity EPIC Parivaar, maintaining its core positioning.
The company has also refreshed EPICON, its streaming platform, to reflect a more unified and modern brand experience. The overhaul is designed to improve content discovery and create a seamless experience across platforms.
This consolidation follows the recent launch of EPIC Studio, a unified production arm that brings together Juggernaut Productions and MovieVerse Studio, as the company expands its footprint across films, OTT and television.
The EPIC Company managing director Aditya Pittie said, “As our scale has grown, it has become important to simplify how we operate and how we present ourselves to the ecosystem. This consolidation gives us a clearer, more future-ready structure to partner, invest, and build at scale, while ensuring that for viewers, the experience is more seamless and intuitive.”
With the rebrand, The EPIC Company is positioning itself as a platform-agnostic content network, focused on scale, simplicity and integrated storytelling. By bringing everything under one banner, it is aiming to make its content universe easier to navigate and harder to ignore.
