Hindi
MPA APSA Academy Film Fund to help aspiring film makers
MUMBAI: The Motion Picture Association (MPA) and the Asia Pacific Screen Awards (APSA) gives an opportunity to aspiring filmmakers with the MPA APSA Academy Film Fund. MPA APSA Academy Film Funds is a unique initiative which has aided aspiring film makers in a lot of development in new film projects. A panel discussion was hosted at the 13th Pune Internation film festival on January 10th, 2014, to create awarness about the Asia Pacific Screen Awards and MPA APSA Academy Film Funds . The panelelist for the discussion comprised of celebrated actor, Atul Kulkarni & Lohita Sujith, Director, Corporate Communications, Motion Picture Dist. Association (India) Pvt. Ltd. Panelists also discussed how upcoming filmmakers/ professionals can benefit from the MPA APSA Academy Film Fund worth USD 100,000.
MPA APSA Academy Film Fund has been a hugely successful initiative taking the number of successful projects funded to a total of twenty feature films over the last six years. The projects now count amongst them winners of an Academy Award®, APSAs and an International Emmy Award. Grants have been awarded to projects from.
India, Bangaldesh, Republic of Korea,People’s Republic of China, Iraq,Kazakhastan, Israel and the Islamic Republic of Iran. In 2014, over 100 submissions were received for the film fund. Four grants were awarded to two documentary film projects from Israel and Denmark and twofilm projects from Bangladesh and the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Speaking on the occasion, Atul Kulkarni, Actor, says “The MPA APSA Academy Film Fund is a great stepping stone for aspiring filmmakers, enabling them to develop their film projects from script to screen. I encourage aspiring filmmakers from Pune and the rest of India to expand their horizons and opportunities by submitting their projects to the film fund this year.
Adding to this, the panelist also discussed how The MPA APSA Academy Film Fund stimulates collaboration between filmmakers across Asia Pacific. The $100,000 development fund which provides four US$25,000 grants each year is wholly supported by the Motion Picture Association (MPA).The Fund supported the development of Iranian writer/director AsgharFarhadi’s film A SeparationI, which went on to win an Academy Award, and an APSA Best Feature Film Award.
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.
