Hindi
Ormax Media relaunches film campaign tracking and box office forecasting tool Ormax Cinematix
MUMBAI: With the audience slowly returning to movie theatres post the Covid2019 pandemic, media consulting firm Ormax Media has announced the relaunch and expansion of its film campaign tracking and box office forecasting tool Ormax Cinematix (OCX). OCX was launched in 2010 for the Hindi film industry, and expanded to cover the Hollywood sector in India in 2014. In its new avatar, OCX will track theatrical films in nine language, namely Hindi, English, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada, Marathi, Punjabi and Bengali.
OCX uses consumer research across India to measure the performance of upcoming film releases on three parameters: Buzz, Reach & Appeal. A statistical model uses these parameters to estimate the First-Day Box Office (FBO), a forecast of the opening day collections of all the films being tracked by the tool. Over the last few years, FBO has established itself as a highly credible currency in the film industry, with 83% accuracy since 2018.
With the expansion to regional languages, Ormax Media has reiterated its focus on regional content. Earlier this year, the company had extended its television character popularity tracking tool Ormax Characters India Loves to Tamil, Telugu, Marathi and Bengali GEC categories.
Ormax Media founder & CEO Shailesh Kapoor said, “Ormax Cinematix has been an industry benchmark for the Hindi film industry for more than a decade, and is used by studios to take key business decisions related to marketing, distribution and acquisition of films. With an expansion into nine languages, the tool will now be available for producers across India. This expansion reiterates our commitment towards increasing our focus on language markets in India in 2021”.
OCX has been the film industry’s go-to tool for first-day box office forecasts over the last decade. At the time the tool hit the pause button in March 2020 when theatres were closed due to the lockdown, more than 30 studios and producers were subscribers of the tool, including Yash Raj Films, Dharma Productions, Disney, Viacom 18, Sony Pictures, T-Series, Zee Studios, Balaji Telefilms and Excel Entertainment, among others.
Ormax Media partner Gautam Jain added, “Pan-India films, which cut across languages, are an emerging trend. This year itself will see several films that will travel across languages, such as KGF Chapter 2, Radhe Shyam and RRR. Ormax Cinematix needed a multi-language expansion to keep up with this trend. With nine languages being covered now, we are confident that our first-day box office (FBO) forecast numbers will be as looked forwarded to by producers, directors and actors in the regional markets, as they have been by those in Bollywood”.
Hindi
Shekhar Suman opens acting academy in Mumbai
The veteran actor-presenter launches SSFA, promising immersive, mentorship-led training for aspiring actors and storytellers
Mumbai: Forty years in front of the camera, and Shekhar Suman still isn’t done. The actor, host, writer and director, one of Indian entertainment’s most restless polymaths, is now training his sights on the next generation, launching the Shekhar Suman Film Academy (SSFA) in Mumbai on 22nd April 2026. Registrations for the inaugural batch are already open.
SSFA pitches itself squarely against formula-driven acting schools, leading with an intensive three-month programme that Suman says he personally designed and will largely conduct himself. The curriculum blends voice and speech work, emotional access, body awareness and camera technique with the Linklater Voice Method, film language and on-set discipline, and rounds off with a student film, giving trainees their first taste of a real set.
Masterclasses with actors, casting directors and filmmakers sit alongside the core course. The academy is conceived as a platform that will eventually sprawl into screenwriting, direction, cinematography, music production and post-production: a full creative ecosystem rather than a single acting school.
“For me, this academy is not just an institution. It is a very personal way of giving back to the craft that has given me everything,” said Suman. “Over the years, acting has taught me discipline, imagination, resilience, and the importance of truth in performance. Through this academy, I hope to create something that goes beyond training and becomes a true creative journey for every student who walks in.”
Behind the scenes, the academy is backed by GBM Studios. Dharmesh Sangani, founder and visionary, is the driving force, bringing what the academy describes as “a focused approach to creating meaningful opportunities within the industry.” Adhyayan Suman, founder and director and Shekhar’s son, adds a performer’s perspective honed across acting, music and direction. Ekant Babani, partner and chief operating officer, handles strategy and operations.
Entry is deliberately low-barrier. No prior training is needed: applicants sit a basic self-audition test, shifting the focus firmly to potential rather than polish. The academy says it aims to stay accessible while delivering a premium, hands-on experience.
In a country where acting schools multiply almost as fast as OTT platforms, Suman’s personal stamp and his willingness to stand in the room and teach may be the sharpest edge SSFA has. For those ready to test that promise, the curtain is already up. Apply at shekharsumanfilmacademy.com
