Hindi
No film sustained after Dangal
The bad run at the box office continues as no film released after Dangal has been able to sustain. The new releases have not been able to hold their own post the opening weekend. After the midweek release of two major films, Kaabil and Raees backfired. The films could not draw enough footfalls after the 26 January national holiday.
On the other hand, the people behind last week’s releases, Raees and Kaabil, have been throwing wild figures in the market through the media. Some gullible media may publish these figures but readers have stopped believing them.
*The trade held its hopes on Jolly LLB 2 since its lead man, Akshay Kumar, has been having a decent run with most of his films lately. The Jolly franchise was also expected to help the earlier one, Jolly LLB, had done well as the box office.
Somehow, the promos of the film did not excite people. Also, there was no music with popular appeal. This showed on the film’s opening, which was below average. However, being the only film gracing the screens during the week, it did pick up some pace on Saturday and excelling on Sunday, giving it a healthy opening weekend of Rs 47.1 crore. However, for the collections to maintain through the week will be a tough call as the film has a limited merit.
*Raees has been doing badly from day one. The only good figures it has to show are on 26 January holiday. Since then, it has been only a downward slide. The film which collected Rs 111.9 crore in its first nine days, has dropped by almost 85% in its second week and collected just Rs 16.4 crore taking its two week total to Rs 128.3 crore.
*Kaabil released simultaneously with Raees. As both the films could not compete at the box office as both lacked appreciation and, hence, patronage, the competition shifted to issuing false figures to the media. Kaabil lagged behind its competition and these wrong figures were not really adding to the tally. The film did catch up with Raees in its second week as it collected a little more but that will be no help in the final tally. The film added Rs 16.85 crore in its second week taking its two week total to Rs 88.45 crore.
*Dangal has braved all new releases and finding the residual or the repeat audience even as it comes to the end of its tremendous run at the box office. The film’s seven week total stands at Rs 387.4 crore.
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.
