Hindi
YRF uses Howrah Bridge for ‘Detective Byomkesh Bakshi’ publicity
KOLKATA: A group of 50 dancers brought out a flash mob on the iconic Howrah Bridge in Kolkata to mark its 72nd birthday today. Wearing the typical Bengali white dhoti, the group of dancers started dancing on the bridge early in the morning against the sound track ‘Calcutta Kiss’ from Dibakar Banerjee’s upcoming Hindi movie Detective Byomkesh Bakshi, which has been produced by Yash Raj Films.
Flash mobs are a common film promotional strategy in Bollywood or even Hollywood. This innovative campaign was praised by the city people and brand experts feel that YRF is leaving no stone unturned to publicize Detective Byomkesh Bakshi, which stars Sushant Singh Rajput in the lead role.
Carrying posters, which read ‘Happy Birthday Howrah Bridge’, the flash mob cheered for the iconic structure used by more than 1,20,000 vehicles and around 5,00,000 pedestrians to cross the Hooghly river flowing between the twin cities of Howrah and Kolkata. Howrah Bridge is a cantilever bridge with a suspended span over the Hooghly River in West Bengal.
The bridge is one of two on the Hooghly River and is a famous symbol of Kolkata. The third-longest cantilever bridge at the time of its construction, the Howrah Bridge is the sixth-longest bridge of its type in the world.
The flash mob was a promotional activity for the film, which is scheduled to be released on 3 April. Howrah Bridge, a British engineering marvel, was thrown open to commuters on 3 February, 1943 but never had a formal inauguration due to security issues during World War II.
“Detective Byomkesh Bakshi is set in the same time zone as the birth of Howrah Bridge and the team was keen to honour the bridge in their way. The bridge is a very important element in the film which was also seen in the poster image,” said a statement from YRF.
Renamed as Rabindra Setu, the 705-metre-long cantilever bridge is among the busiest in the world.
Hindi
Dhurandhar 2 hit by YouTube leak amid record box office run
Cam-rip surfaces online but blockbuster streak continues at record pace
MUMBAI: It has been a dramatic week for Dhurandhar: The Revenge. Even as the espionage thriller smashes box office records, a piracy scare briefly threatened to steal its thunder after a full-length version surfaced on YouTube.
The leak emerged on March 30 via a channel titled “A2z movie”, which uploaded what appeared to be a cam-recorded print of the film. Clocking in at nearly three hours and 49 minutes, the footage was reportedly blurry but complete enough to spark spoilers and fan outrage online.
Soon after, users on X began flagging the issue, explicitly naming the “A2z movie” channel in their posts while tagging the film’s makers and urging swift legal action. Fans of director Aditya Dhar and lead star Ranveer Singh were particularly vocal, helping the issue gain rapid traction.
Within hours, the video was taken down, likely through a mix of platform detection systems and intervention by producers Jio Studios and B62 Studios.
Despite the leak, the film’s theatrical run remains virtually unshaken. As of March 31, the sequel has raked in an estimated Rs 872.17 crore net in India, with worldwide collections soaring to Rs 1,392.23 crore. Its Hindi opening day alone brought in Rs 102.55 crore, setting a new benchmark.
In a notable milestone, the film has matched Pushpa 2 as the fastest Indian release to cross the Rs 1,000 crore mark globally, achieving the feat in just seven days.
Interestingly, the version leaked online is believed to be an earlier cut. Midway through its theatrical run, the makers issued revised prints after eagle-eyed viewers spotted a fleeting editing error involving a cameraman’s reflection. The corrected version now plays across cinemas, adding an unusual twist to the film’s release journey.
Directed by Aditya Dhar, the high-stakes sequel stars Ranveer Singh alongside Sanjay Dutt, R. Madhavan, Arjun Rampal and Sara Arjun. The film has drawn praise for its scale and action sequences, though some critics have pointed to its intense violence and layered political themes.
For now, piracy may have made noise, but it has not slowed the juggernaut. If anything, the episode underlines the film’s cultural grip, proving that even a leak cannot derail a box office storm already in full force.
