Hollywood
Nitu Chandra Srivastava leads female cast in ‘Never Back Down: Revolt’
Los Angeles: Sony Studios rolled out the red carpet as Nitu Chandra Srivastava made her Hollywood debut in the martial arts thriller “Never Back Down: Revolt.” Chandra Srivastava alongside actress Olivia Popica lead an ensemble cast highlighting the growing emergence of diverse and across-the-board female talent in Hollywood including the film’s director Kellie Madison and writer Audrey Arkins.
The project features Chandra Srivastava as ‘Jaya,’ a fighter who is kidnapped and forced to battle in cut-throat underground fights in order to win her freedom from a subversive gang that runs a fight trafficking ring. The film is the fourth installment in the successful, multi-starrer “Never Back Down” franchise.
Chandra Srivastava, who is a Blackbelt forth Dan in Taekwondo and has represented India in three championships said, “Since my childhood, I’ve been a martial artist and it’s been my dream to do a hardcore action film like this. I could not have asked for a better launch in Hollywood.”
The actress is known for her performance in films like “Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye!,” “13B,” “Traffic Signal,” and for producing the National Award-winning “Mithila Makhaan” (Maithili language film).
In more than one way, Chandra Srivastava credits her martial arts training in her ultimate success in bagging the role of Jaya, “These skills have made me mentally and physically strong which, in the end, helped me land this role.”
Of her female cast members, the actress stated, “There are so many fantastic and diverse female actors, I loved working with each one of them and I found sisters in all of them.”
Director Kellie Madison said, “Nitu is filled with light and love and I’m so proud of each one of these women, who I hand-picked and came from every corner of the planet… Columbia, India, Canada, Romania and Indonesia. I’m grateful that the consciousness is changing and evolving for women in Hollywood. In the end, men and women just need to support one another. I’m a storyteller and I just want to be able to tell my stories.”
“This is a movie where women unite to fight against the odds,” Chandra Srivastava said, “Kellie was so wonderful to work with because being a female, she understands the heart of another. I’m also grateful to producer David Zelon, who supported and trusted me with this role. We worked as a team.”
“Never Back Down: Revolt” is being released against the backdrop of reports that women are making slow but steady progress towards equality in Hollywood. Female protagonists in movies are at an all-time high, however, more progress is needed, especially behind the camera, in production roles and executive positions.
The film is produced by Sony Motion Pictures Worldwide and Mandalay Pictures and also features James Faulkner, Brooke Johnston and Michael Bisping. It was released in the US on 16 November on Blu-ray, DVD and streaming platforms and is scheduled to be released in India on 28 January 2022.
Hollywood
US theatre group opposes Paramount, Warner Bros. merger, calls it ‘harmful’
Exhibitors warn mega deal could shrink film output and weaken cinema ecosystem
LAS VEGAS: Cinema United has come out strongly against the proposed merger between Paramount Skydance and Warner Bros. Discovery, warning it could concentrate too much power in the hands of a single player and disrupt the global film ecosystem.
Speaking at CinemaCon in Las Vegas, the group’s chief executive Michael O’Leary did not mince words as he addressed thousands of theatre owners. The deal, reportedly valued at $110 billion, was agreed in March after Netflix exited the bidding process.
“We believe this transaction will be harmful to exhibition, consumers and the entire entertainment ecosystem,” O’Leary said, cautioning that greater consolidation would allow fewer distributors to dictate terms around release windows, scheduling and access to film libraries. Theatre owners argue that such scale could reduce competition and ultimately mean fewer films making it to cinemas.
Pushing back, a spokesperson for Paramount Skydance said the merged entity plans to release 30 films annually in theatres, while continuing to operate both studios separately. The company added that the deal would expand opportunities for creators and strengthen competition by backing more projects globally.
However, exhibitors remain unconvinced. Drawing parallels with The Walt Disney Company’s 2019 acquisition of Fox, O’Leary noted a drop in wide theatrical releases post-merger, reinforcing concerns that consolidation often leads to fewer films.
“Unfortunately, history shows us that consolidation results in fewer films being produced for movie theaters,” O’Leary said.
Beyond output, Cinema United also flagged concerns around theatrical windows, warning that a combined Paramount-Warner entity could exert greater control over how long films remain exclusively in cinemas before shifting to other platforms.
With the debate set to intensify, the clash highlights a familiar tension in Hollywood: scale versus diversity. For theatre owners, the stakes are clear, as they push to ensure that bigger does not mean fewer stories on the big screen.
