Hindi
I always wanted to do Comedy: Vidya Balan
MUMBAI: Its Vidya all the way! With successive hits and boosting the girl power as the 100th year of the Indian Cinema unfolds, Vidya Balan has come a long way from her
‘Susheel‘ (sophisticated) avatar in Parineeta (2005) to her spell bounding performances in The Dirty Picture, Kahaaniand Ishqiya.
Her latest Ghanchakkar (Crazy) is a suspense comedy that hits the silver screens come 28 June and is much awaited as it‘s the first film post her marriage to the honcho Siddharth Roy Kapur.
Balan stars as the loud-mouthed wife of a bank robber (Emraan Hashmi) who loses his memory after a heist. As per her latest interview with Reuters on Ghanchakkar, Balan speaks about her breaking the stereotypes and gladly accepting her sexuality. On being asked about her role in the movie, Balan affirms her role being a loud middle-class housewife with a stereotype middle-class woman persona.
Commenting about Raj‘s direction, she reveals that, “He (director Raj Kumar Gupta) finds humour in situations that are so mundane and everyday. Thrillers are his genre but I knew he‘d do humour well too. When he came to me with this, I always wanted to do comedy and this was a breath of fresh air.”
The 35-year-old actress has paved her way up through taking on versatile roles over the years. The actress‘ strong presence was appreciated in her bold The Dirty Picture (2011), the thriller flick Kahaani (2012) and also her bad-ass role in Ishqiya (2010), all winning her numerous Best Actress Awards consecutively.
Apart from her movies‘ box office collections soaring high, her leads have been critically acclaimed as well. About her next screen bet Ghanchakkar (Crazy), which is a suspense comedy that opens in cinemas on 28 June.
Spreading her charm beyond the borders, Balan has elevated herself to a spot in an elite nine- member Cannes festival jury headed by filmmaker Steven Spielberg. The charming actress sure knows how to achieve milestones in her career.
Hindi
Edstead unveils ambitious H1 2026 content slate
New originals feature Adarsh Gourav in Northeast docu-series, Aditi Kotak in Next Class, and Adil Hussain in Stories of India.
MUMBAI: Edstead just dropped a content menu so rich it could make even the pickiest viewer say “encore” because when storytelling meets substance, the binge becomes inevitable. The fast-rising Mumbai-based studio, founded by Shekhar Bhattacharjee, today revealed its H1 2026 slate, a bold expansion of premium non-fiction that blends cultural depth, innovation, and legacy into cinematic factual narratives. The lineup cements Edstead’s niche at the crossroads of authenticity and global appeal, delivering research-driven stories that stay rooted in the Indian experience while aiming for wider resonance.
Headlining the fresh originals:
- An untitled docu-series starring Bollywood actor Adarsh Gourav, who journeys through Northeast India to spotlight living cultural traditions, indigenous voices, music, oral histories, and everyday resilience. Presented by Air India Express, with Dentsu Sports and Entertainment as integration partner.
- Next Class, an eight-episode impact series fronted by entrepreneur and former Miss India Aditi Kotak, decoding career pathways, emerging fields, and real-world outcomes through leading institutions and forward-thinking disciplines.
- Stories of India with Adil Hussain, India’s first weekly OTT series dedicated to social impact, profiling organisations driving meaningful change and connecting purpose with tangible results.
- Toast to Tomorrow, exploring how leading alcohol brands craft immersive, culture-led experiences that celebrate regional identities and redefine legacy.
- No Cap Abroad – UAE Edition, following Indian students through their first week at UAE colleges—navigating homesickness, culture shock, and independence in a heartfelt coming-of-age tale.
Edstead is also returning with expanded seasons of breakout hits, The Future School (progressive Indian education), Molecules of Hope (healthcare innovation), and Great Indian Residential Schools.
Edstead founder Shekhar Bhattacharjee said, “At Edstead, we are focused on building narratives that carry depth, context, and long-term relevance. Every project begins with research and a clear purpose… Our ambition is to create globally competitive factual content from India that remains culturally grounded while shaping conversations, inspiring trust, and contributing to the growing culture economy.”
From education and healthcare to enterprise and cultural revival, the slate reflects Edstead’s full-stack approach developing original IPs and guiding them through a robust distribution network spanning digital, OTT, and broadcast. In a content world chasing quick trends, Edstead is quietly betting on stories built to last, ones that don’t just entertain, but linger long after the credits roll.
