News Broadcasting
Sahara hunts for actor to play Bose
MUMBAI:The search for the actor to play the lead role in Shyam Benegal’s film titled, Netaji- The Last Hero in Germany, Myanmar, Malaysia, Uzbekistan and India is still on.
The film, a project by Sahara India Pariwar, is being produced by Shyam Benegal’s Sahyadri Films . Pre-production planning of the film is almost complete, says a release.
” We are still looking for the actor to play the lead role of Netaji. Many good actors are being auditioned. Selection of the actor for the lead role might take some time but the decision regarding the final cast of other principal actors will be made shortly”, film director Shyam Benegal is quoted as saying in the release.
The multi-starrer film will have actors both from India and abroad,each fitting in perfectly well in the characters of the film. While Japanese and Uzbek actors are being finalized, German actors have already been selected states the release. Some of the actors selected include Anna Prustel, Barbara Stanek, Christian Oskar I’Spitzl, Florian Panzer, Thomas Hodina, Florian Fitz, Wanja Mues and Rolf Kanies who will play the role of Hitler, the release adds.
The film is scripted by Shama Zaidi and Atul Tiwari, who have also written both the screenplay and dialogues. The music is being done by A. R Rahman and the lyrics are being written by Javed Akhtar. Rajan Kothari will be the cameraman and Ashwyn Balsavar the sound recordist. The art direction and production design will be by Samir Chanda and costumes are being designed by Pia Benegal.
The mega-film is slated to be ready for a theatrical release during 2003. “This will be an authentic historical account of the five years of Netaji’s life from 1940 to 1945 when his contribution to India’s freedom was incalculable,” says Shyam Benegal who has been working on the project for over three years.
News Broadcasting
Network18 Q4 revenue grows 9.7 per cent, EBITDA at Rs 30 crore
PAT improves to Rs 306.6 crore, margins steady amid cost pressures.
MUMBAI: Not all news is breaking, some of it is quietly improving. Network18 Media & Investments Limited appears to be doing just that, tightening losses and stabilising margins even as costs continue to weigh on the business. For FY26, the company reported revenue from operations of Rs 1,955.1 crore, up from Rs 1,896.2 crore in FY25, signalling modest top-line growth in a challenging media environment. Total income stood at Rs 1,978.2 crore, compared to Rs 1,913 crore a year earlier.
Profit after tax came in at Rs 306.6 crore for the year, a sharp turnaround from Rs 3,225.4 crore in FY25, largely reflecting the absence of large exceptional items that had inflated the previous year’s numbers. On a more comparable basis, the company’s operating performance showed signs of gradual stabilisation.
However, the quarterly picture remained under pressure. For the March quarter, Network18 reported a loss of Rs 53.1 crore, narrower than the Rs 98.1 crore loss in the same period last year, but still indicative of ongoing cost challenges.
Expenses continued to track high. Total expenses for FY26 stood at Rs 2,235.7 crore, up from Rs 2,197.8 crore in FY25. Key cost heads included operational expenses of Rs 765.9 crore, employee benefits of Rs 475.9 crore, and marketing, distribution and promotional spends of Rs 427.1 crore, underlining the continued investment required to sustain reach and engagement.
At an operating level, margins remained under strain. Operating margin stood at 2.33 per cent for FY26, marginally higher than 1.77 per cent in FY25, while net profit margin remained negative at -13.02 per cent, though improved from -14.89 per cent.
On the balance sheet, total assets rose to Rs 8,957.6 crore as of 31 March 2026, from Rs 8,317.5 crore a year earlier. Equity strengthened to Rs 4,958.7 crore, while borrowings increased to Rs 3,112.8 crore, reflecting a higher reliance on debt to support operations.
Cash flows told a mixed story. While financing activities generated Rs 83.9 crore, operating cash flow remained negative at Rs -24 crore, highlighting ongoing pressure on core cash generation. Cash and cash equivalents, however, improved to Rs 33.9 crore from Rs 1.8 crore.
The numbers point to a company in transition growing revenues, trimming losses, but still grappling with structural cost pressures. In a sector where scale often comes at a price, Network18 seems to be inching towards balance, one quarter at a time.
