iWorld
Hunter 2 trailer launch packs a punch
MUMBAI: When Jackie Shroff and Suniel Shetty rip through a life-sized poster to launch a trailer, you know the action’s not just on screen. Amazon MX Player, Amazon’s free video streamer, dropped the high-octane trailer of Hunter Season 2 – Tootega Nahi Todega at a packed Mumbai event and things took a wild turn when Tiger Shroff made a surprise guest entry, sending fan cameras and adrenaline levels soaring.
Tiger’s unannounced arrival was a tribute to the original hunter duo — his show of support drawing whistles and applause as he joined the action icons on stage. The trailer itself teased a gritty new chapter, promising pulse-pounding stunts, emotional stakes, and a heavyweight showdown between The Hunter and the mysterious Salesman.
Also spotted flexing their screen chops at the launch were cast members Anusha Dandekar, Barkha Bisht, Anang Desai, Pramod Pathak, and Mazel Vyas. The series is directed by Prince Dhiman and Alok Batra, and produced by Yoodlee Films, the cinematic wing of Saregama India.
Speaking about the second season of Hunter – Tootega Nahi Todega, Amazon MX Player head of content, Amogh Dusad shared, “With Hunter 2 – Tootega Nahi Todega, we’ve scaled up every aspect of the storytelling. From the emotional depth and character arcs to the intense action and global canvas. Suniel Shetty’s return and Jackie Shroff’s entry take the narrative to a whole new level, creating a compelling face-off that’s both personal and powerful. At Amazon MX Player, our focus remains on delivering stories that resonate emotionally while offering a high-impact viewing experience.”
“The response to Season 1 of Hunter – Tootega Nahi Todega showed us that audiences love edge-of-the-seat action when it’s backed by heart. With Suniel Shetty returning as Vikram and Jackie Shroff stepping in as the enigmatic Salesman, Season 2 brings a powerful new energy to the story. This season dives deeper, hits harder, and delivers the kind of thrill that stays with you. At Saregama and Yoodlee Films, we’re excited to continue building cinematic experiences that resonate with today’s viewers, and our collaboration with Amazon MX Player allows us to reach audiences far and wide,” shared Saregama India executive VP Siddharth Anand Kumar.
Expressing his excitement about the trailer launch and his return to the series, Suniel Shetty highlighted, “Season 2 of Hunter – Tootega Nahi Todega digs deeper into Vikram’s past, his pain, and what drives him. This trailer is just the tip of the iceberg. What I love most is how personal the action feels this time. It’s not just about guns and chases, it’s about what’s at stake emotionally. And that emotional weight made every scene more intense. Launching the trailer in front of fans and the media gave us a real sense of how ready people are for this next chapter.”
Sharing insights about his character and the much-awaited second season, Shroff shared, “Jumping into Hunter 2 – Tootega Nahi Todega was a wild ride. The world had its own vibe, and then this Salesman walks in and turns it all upside down. Playing him was like holding fire in your hands – calm, yet deadly. The trailer’s out, Bhidus! Time to dive in and enjoy the ride!”
Hunter 2 – Tootega Nahi Todega starts streaming for free on Amazon MX Player from July 24. Brace for impact.
iWorld
Meta plans 8,000 layoffs in new AI-led restructuring wave
First phase from May 20 may cut 10 per cent workforce amid AI pivot.
MUMBAI: At Meta, the future may be artificial but the cuts are very real. The social media giant is reportedly preparing a fresh round of layoffs, with an initial wave expected to impact around 8,000 employees as it doubles down on its artificial intelligence ambitions. According to a Reuters report, the first phase of job cuts is slated to begin on May 20, targeting roughly 10 per cent of Meta’s global workforce. With nearly 79,000 employees on its rolls as of December 31, the move marks one of the company’s most significant workforce reductions in recent years.
And this may only be the beginning. Sources indicate that additional layoffs are being planned for the second half of the year, although the scale and timing remain fluid, likely to be shaped by how Meta’s AI capabilities evolve in the coming months. Earlier reports had suggested that total cuts in 2026 could reach 20 per cent or more of its workforce.
The restructuring comes as chief executive Mark Zuckerberg continues to steer the company towards an AI-first operating model, committing hundreds of billions of dollars to the transition. Internally, this shift is already visible: teams within Reality Labs have been reorganised, engineers have been moved into a newly formed Applied AI unit, and a Meta Small Business division has been created to align with broader structural changes.
The trend is hardly isolated. Across the tech sector, companies are trimming headcount while investing aggressively in automation. Amazon, for instance, has reportedly cut around 30,000 corporate roles nearly 10 per cent of its white-collar workforce citing efficiency gains driven by AI. Data from Layoffs.fyi shows over 73,000 tech employees have already lost jobs this year, compared with 153,000 in all of 2024.
For Meta, the move echoes its earlier “year of efficiency” in 2022–23, when about 21,000 roles were eliminated amid slowing growth and market pressures. This time, however, the backdrop is different. The company is financially stronger, generating over $200 billion in revenue and $60 billion in profit last year, with shares up 3.68 per cent year-to-date though still below last summer’s peak.
That contrast underlines the shift underway. These layoffs are less about survival and more about reinvention. As Meta restructures itself around AI from autonomous coding agents to advanced machine learning systems, the question is no longer whether the company will change, but how many roles will be left unchanged when it does.
