Hindi
Indian film industry to blackout on 23 February
MUMBAI: The Film Federation of India, the apex body of film industry in the country, has called for a strike on 23 February to protest against the government’s proposal to keep the industry under service tax purview.
According to FFI president Vinod Lamba, the strike will help in conveying the plight of the film industry, which is already reeling under multiple tax regime.
“There is no denying that the entire Indian film industry is in deep trouble because of various taxes it is subjected to, and the imposition of service tax will further increase its burden. This blackout aims to show the government how much producers are suffering,” FFI president Vinod Lamba has been quoted as saying.
Prominent film personalities like Madhur Bhandarkar, Pritish Nandy, and Mahesh Bhatt among others have supported the blackout while sharing Lamba‘s sentiments.
The FFI through its representatives and certain member of parliament‘s had already lodged a strong complaint with the finance minister last month.
The federation had contended that the levy of service tax will sound the death knell for the Indian film industry. “We will be forced to shut down the entire Indian film industry,” the FFI had reportedly told the Finance Minister during the course of a presentation.
Statistics have proved that only 7-8 per cent of all the Indian films are commercially successful, while the rest are barely able to recover their cost or at best make meagre profits.
Hindi
Rashmika Mandanna, Shanaya Kapoor and Naila Grrewal climb IMDb’s Indian celebrity rankings
Upcoming films and returning shows are driving fan interest across Bollywood and streaming
MUMBAI: Bollywood’s popularity contest has a new weekly scorecard, and the numbers are telling. IMDb’s Popular Indian Celebrities list for this week places Shanaya Kapoor at number six, buoyed by buzz around her film Tu Yaa Main. Naila Grrewal slots in at seven on the back of the returning comedy series Maamla Legal Hai, while Rashmika Mandanna climbs to eighth, riding mounting anticipation for Cocktail 2.
The list, available exclusively on the IMDb app for Android and iOS, tracks trending Indian entertainers and filmmakers each week, drawing on data from more than 200m monthly visits to the platform worldwide.
Further down the rankings, Raaka is keeping two of its biggest names in the spotlight. Deepika Padukone holds 11th position, with Allu Arjun close behind at 13th, as the film continues to find traction with audiences.
The list offers fans a weekly pulse on who is breaking through, who is holding steady, and who is fading. It is a barometer as unsparing as the box office itself.
