Hindi
“I have nothing to lose in Bollywood”: Dhanush
MUMBAI: R. Balki’s upcoming movie, Shamitabh will feature Amitabh Bachchan, Dhanush and Kamal Haasan’s daughter Akshara Haasan in lead roles.
Dhanush, who has always played larger-than-life roles in his south flicks, has picked an unconventional role this time round. He feels motivated to experiment with roles in Bollywood as according to him, he has nothing to lose here.
Last seen in the romantic drama Raanjhanaa opposite Sonam Kapoor, Dhanush said, “I have been trying to mix my characters as much as possible down south. There, one image is stuck, so I am restricted. Here in Bollywood, I have nothing to lose. So, I experiment with my characters. I am thankful to Balki who has given me this film.”
Talking about his experience of working with Amitabh Bachchan, he said, “I don’t know if I have done enough work to deserve to be working with Mr Bachchan. God has blessed me with this film.”
Akshara Haasan, who will be making her Bollywood debut with Shamitabh, added, “I really look up to Amitabh Bachchan and Dhanush but when we got on the sets, they made me feel very comfortable and made things easier for me.”
Shamitabh, which also stars Rekha, is set to release on 6 February 2015.
Hindi
Hansa Entertainment launched to produce across OTT, TV and film
New venture from R K Swamy Hansa Group eyes multi-language stories for digital-first audiences.
MUMBAI: Hansa Entertainment has just stepped into the spotlight because when a legacy media house decides to script its next act, even the credits get excited. Hansa Entertainment Private Limited has been incorporated to develop and produce original programming across digital, television, OTT platforms and theatrical features. The company will create short-running series, long-running series and original films for OTT, alongside standout theatrical ventures. It will also launch a podcast platform called Hansa Spotlight and produce content for the fast-growing vertical drama format. Stories are initially planned in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Bengali and Kannada.
The venture is founded by Sruti Swamy and Siddharth Swamy, drawing on the rich legacy of Hansa Vision and the broader R K Swamy Hansa Group. Sruti brings creative expertise with a master’s in architecture, interiors and design from Milan and a postgraduate degree in business management from the Indian School of Business. Siddharth contributes a data-driven perspective, having studied data science at Imperial College London.
Sujatha Narayanan has been appointed CEO of Hansa Entertainment. With over two decades of experience in creative content curation and production across film and OTT, she is also a well-known film columnist and media entrepreneur.
R K Swamy Hansa Group executive chairman Srinivasan Swamy said, “The launch of Hansa Entertainment marks an exciting new chapter. The new entity is the brainchild of the next generation and will be independently managed by Sruti Swamy, who is the Director and the newly appointed CEO.”
Hansa Entertainment director Sruti Swamy added, “I am very optimistic about the future of Hansa Entertainment, given the content explosion and the opportunities offered by new technologies for production.”
Hansa Entertainment director Siddharth Swamy noted, “The idea is to grow a contemporary production house that creates compelling stories for today’s multi-platform audiences while drawing inspiration from the rich storytelling traditions that audiences have appreciated over the years.”
Hansa Entertainment CEO Sujatha Narayanan said, “Hansa Entertainment will evolve as a story-first, IP-driven entity. We have already put together a smart team of interesting and dynamic creators who will helm our vertical dramas, shows and films.”
In the ever-evolving world of Indian entertainment, where stories now travel faster than the scripts that birth them, Hansa Entertainment is stepping onto the stage with fresh ink and big ambitions proving that even the best legacies know when it’s time for a compelling sequel.
