Pickle July 6-12, 2020 Curtain Raiser FICCI FRAMES Edition

www.pickle.co.in JuLY 6-12 | 2020

Regina Cassandra Fierce.

Realist.

Damn Smart.

A psychology graduate, over a decade as an actor in 35 films, Chennai-born Regina (soon in a major role in an OTT platform) shares her journey as a normal person in a showbiz world.

“COVID has made me prioritize the right things in life”.

Thought Leaders at eFICCIFRAMES

Top influential speakers you shouldn’t miss

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ITALY CALLING Italy rolls out Red Carpet to Indian filmmakers

INSIDE

STORIES

Roberto Stabile Head of International Department of ANICA (Italian Film Audiovisual Multimedia Industries Association) & ITA (Italian Trade Agency) Audiovisual Desks Coordinator

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20 Italy Rolls out Red Carpet to Indian Filmmakers

Oscar invites QUBE’s Senthil Kumar to be its Member at Large

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Taapsee’s takes on OTT, Nepotism & Covid

40 Gaming industry braves Covid 38

Disney+Hotstar Leads the Disruption

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Most Awaited Films of India

fro m t he editor

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hen we decided to do a cover on the new voice of Indian film industry from the talent side, we spot on discovered Reginna Cassindra. A down to earth person in a showbiz world, you could easily pass her on a mall without an aura of guards who usually storm on our starred celebrities.

For all the ten plus years, Regina worked to make herself strong and fiercer after every setback. Now, she has got film projects designed to satisfy her creative energy.

We thank her for the time devoted for the interview. We clearly foresee an artiste shining beyond our boundaries. We will continue to come out with new voices that are currently changing the face of Indian media and entertainment industry.

This issue is to present a curtain raiser of what to expect from the virtual edition of FICCI FRAMES 2020. We will come out with a special takeaways edition from the five-day conference which explore creative economy and way forward in the aftermath of Covid pandemic.

Italy is the partner country at FICCI FRAMES and they are all out to woo Indian filmmakers and give life to the India-Italy Audiovisual Coproduction Treaty. Write to us if you have a project to work with Italian producers and we will connect with you to Italian institutions handholding Co-Production projects We have also presented a glimpse of trends shaping the OTT versus Cinemas in Big Screens.

There are no clear answers but Disney + Hotstar have announced the biggest disruption amidst chaotic times. Seven new films will be released direct to Disney + Hotstar Multiplex. Only time will tell whether this is a short term phenomena or a game changer.

But whoever we have spoken to said that they would want to watch Christopher Nolan’s Tenet in a big screen.

Also, the one industry in the media and entertainment vertical that has not been impacted much is the mobile and video gaming. We have captured the emerging trends in the massive growth opportunities in video gaming segment. We will continue to present insights and how many Indian media and entertainment companies are increasing embracing the gaming space.

We are also trying to create an interface (weekly newsletters and buyers guide) for content buys from India to buyers and distributors in the international markets. We are working on catalogues for completed film and animation content for wide reach in the global markets. We will keep you informed.

Feel free to email your thoughts and suggestions.

n vidyasagar pickle media nat@pickle.co.in, www.pickle.co.in

Pickle Volume XIV 1st Edition Published by Pickle Media Private Limited Email: natvid@gmail.com l Mumbai l Chennai No.2, Habib Complex Dr Durgabhai Deshmukh Road RA Puram CHENNAI 600 028

Editorial Coordinators : M Sai Design: Sunil, Kitcha, Jose, Julie Photo Editor : K K Laskar Email: natvid@gmail.com

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Pickle is an ad supported business guide tracking the filmed entertainment business in India.

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Senthil Kumar Co-founder Qube Cinema

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THE QUBE MAN

Oscar invites

QUBE’s Senthil Kumar to be its Member at Large V Senthil Kumar, co-founder of Chennai-based QUBE Cinema, was recently invited by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which confers the Oscars, to be one of its Members-at-Large. He is apparently the first person from the technology and business side of the Indian film industry to be invited. In an interview with Pickle, he talks about the recognition, his passion for cinema and plans for the future Congrats! It’s fantastic that a person of your stature has been picked to be a Member at Large for the Oscar Committee.

Thank you. It’s a huge recognition to QUBE Cinema. In addition to our technical strengths in the film space, I will definitely try and contribute in making everybody aware of the diversity of Indian movies, not just Bollywood. I am not just in technology, I am very aware. And I have worked in the creative side of movies and television earlier before I became much more tech friendly.

I have edited movies, television programs, I have done the sound for a lot of movies. I have been among the first in India to ever mix surround sound and songs along with some of my colleagues. Especially, Sridhar, who’s unfortunately no more. So I have a lot of experience in all of these areas. And I’ve been on the production side and lost money and made money and all of that...

So, big cinemas or streaming service, what goes into your mind now?

No, I don’t have to worry about or I think it has a definite place. I enjoy

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the ability to watch everything on demand. But I also know that it’s very difficult to really enjoy something, unless you close yourself off from distractions and watch it single mindedly. You shouldn’t have the ability to pause. Because the moment that you have that ability, you will use it and therefore you will be distracted. And it’s not the same thing watching something the way that the director intended. And then it shouldn’t be the way that we pause and walk away and somebody calls you and then you take that call and your wife or your mother or your father, or a pizza man come in between. We should not have that kind of distractions when watching a movie. And, on the business side, how on earth can we earn the same amount of money from OTT? It’s not going to happen even if more people watch it. I am waiting to watch Christopher Nolan’s Tenet because I can’t think of any other film that will be more my kind of movie. And I will go to the theater and watch it.

Aren’t we pushing too much?

Shouldn’t we wait for things to get normal? We cannot get into a scenario like walking into a theatre with masks, face

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shields... even if we are sitting in dark... unimagenable to watch a movie wearing mask.

For example in China, there are 70,000 screens. Many are writing about it...

Yeah, that’s not practical at all. The understanding seems to have been now that with masks and social distancing, the spread is so low, that it’s fine. And there hasn’t even been an explosion of cases after the protests in the US. The Black Lives Matter protests did not see a huge explosion of cases. So obviously, it’s okay if you follow the measures quickly.

From my discussions with some of the key people in the industry there, they still felt that they had room for a lot more growth in some of the rural areas, not in the urban parts of China, which are kind of overplayed. I think India also has the same problem. I certainly don’t think that there’s room for more cinemas in Delhi, Mumbai or Bengaluru, but there’s certainly space for more cinemas in UP, Bihar, and even in Chennai. Definitely India needs at least 25,000 screens from the current 9,000.

Post October, our theater people have announced that films will get released - Sooryavanshi and 83. Do you see reality in it?

I’m not sure when Covid cases will come down. Some people say it’s going to be September, some say it’s going to be a little earlier. We should be okay for Sooryavanshi when it releases during Diwali.

You have recently talked about removing projectors and installing LED screens...

Digital movie projectors were launched around 1999. They have really served a great purpose and will continue to do so for many, many years to come. I don’t deny that at all. But for the premium experience, it’s definitely going to be LED screens that slowly and surely replace projectors for two reasons. One is the picture quality in terms of brightness and contrast.

It can be about 10 times brighter than what you can see. So the picture quality can be unbelievably indistinguishable from reality or as good as you can want. And then there is wider colors, all of that.

Plus there’s no operating cost once you install it. It’s just going to keep working without any wear and tear on solid state. So I think the premium screens will go for that first and it will take 15-20 years before it becomes a bit more mainstream. But it will always coexist with projectors for the foreseeable future.

In a blessing in disguise, we don’t have too many theaters.

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Why do you think India needs more screens?

India has a difficult problem of too few screens. So these screens are always busy with the bigger films.

Somehow we need to free this up so that it’s easier for people to break up the big screens into smaller screens, and make that kind of a change very quickly and easily. It is actually surprising that nobody has done this business model and rolled out hundreds and hundreds of smaller theatres everywhere. Of course, in the cities, it’s not going to be viable because of the real estate prices. But I’m talking about just in semi urban and rural areas.

Do you feel cinema is overregulated?

Yeah. Cinema has been over regulated because unfortunately it was the only thing in those days and it was regulated heavily because we were in the license permit tracks. But cinema alone has not been completely freed up. Why should you have pricing controls?

Why should you have all of these separate permissions, including police permissions for cinemas? It needs to be a single window thing in every single State.

My pet peeve is about the lack of parity between the OTT and cinema in terms of certification.

If OTT doesn’t need certification, we should not have certification

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I am waiting to watch Christopher Nolan’s Tenet because I can’t think of any other film that will be more my kind of movie. And I will go to the theater and watch it

for cinema. And it doesn’t mean that we should do the opposite and bring certification for OTT, because YouTube will always be a user generated content, which we simply cannot certify. So it’s only right to just free up everything and let the market decide.

What’s the action in QUBE? We have the advantage of being one of the five DCI compliant equipment, server manufacturers.

And that’s an advantage because it gives us a deep understanding of the security of DCI and the mastering process in DCI because we again make the software for mastering for digital cinema. So that expertise of security and quality is getting on to some of the other products, so we built an amazing product called QUBE Wire which delivers the content around the world to theatres as well as manages the rights of the content. With territorial rights management and data control, all in the rights management system very similar to the DCI structure, it’s a patented technology across many countries in the world. So this

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allows the movies to sub-assign the movie and the rights for different territories. This also allows the business to grow because sometimes I might finish a movie on Monday or Tuesday, but I still needed to release in 60 to 70 countries on Friday.

QUBE Wire can make that happen.

And we can expand the number of countries. The QUBE Wire system is installed in all of the major chains In the Middle East, it’s installed in a couple of the major chains in Australia as well.

Finally, how have you been spending time in Covid period?

There’s been a lot of work on managing situations as it arises.

We are also working on our existing products that are in the pipeline.

But, being little freer and not having much other stuff to do gives you new ideas. And we are working on a few things. We have lived through good and bad times in the company, including now the worst possible time. Three months of zero business is something that nobody ever thought of.

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Thought Leaders at eFICCIFRAMES 10

Uday Shankar

Senior Vice President - FICCI and President - The Walt Disney Company Asia Pacific and Chairman – Star & Disney

Mark Read

Chief Executive Officer - WPP

Ravindra Velhal

Global Content Strategist Intel Corporation

Alok Tandon

Chief Executive Officer Inox Leisure Ltd

Sanjay Gupta

Siddharth Roy Kapur

Country Manager and Vice President – Google India and Chairman – FICCI Media and Entertainment Committee

Founder and MD - Roy Kapur Films and President - Producers Guild of India

Ajit Mohan

Ted Schilowitz

Vice President and Managing Director - Facebook India

Tarun Katial

Chief Executive Officer ZEE5 India

Kamal Gianchandani

Chief Executive Officer - PVR Pictures Limited & Chief Business Planning and Strategy PVR Limited

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CTO and Futurist Paramount Pictures

Karan Bedi

Chief Executive Officer MX Player

Gaurav Gandhi

Director & Country General Manager - Amazon Prime Video

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Amit Khare

Secretary Ministry of Information & Broadcasting

R S Sharma

Chairman - Telecom Regulatory Authority of India

Monika Shergill

Vice President -Content – Netflix

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Piyush Goyal

Hon’ble Minister, Ministry of Railways and Ministry of Commerce

Vincenzo De Luca

Ambassador of Italy to India

Amitabh Kant

Chief Executive Officer – NITI Aayog

Jyoti Jindgar

Secretary I/C– Competition Commission of India (CCI)

Anurag Thakur

Hon’bleMinister of State Ministry of Finance

Ajit Pai

Chairman Federal Communications Commission

TCA Kalyani

Joint Secretary (Films) - Ministry of Information & Broadcasting and MD, NFDC

Ashish Kulkarni

Founder & Chief Executive Officer Screenyug Creations Pvt Ltd

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Thought Leaders at eFICCIFRAMES

Prakash Javadekar

Hon’ble Minister - Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change and Ministry of Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises

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EFICCI Frames 2020 Programme 7th – 11th July 2020

Day 1 (7th July 2020) 1100 – 1130 hrs

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Inaugural: Role of the Creative Economy to Revitalize Economic Growth Welcome Address: Mr. Uday Shankar, Senior Vice President - FICCI and President - The Walt Disney Company Asia Pacific and Chairman – Star & Disney Industry Address: Mr. Sanjay Gupta, Country Manager and Vice President – Google India and Chairman – FICCI Media and Entertainment Committee Special Address: H.E. Mr. Vincenzo De Luca - Ambassador of Italy to India Keynote Address by Shri Anurag Thakur, Hon’ble Minister of State - Ministry of Finance Inaugural Address by Shri Prakash Javadekar, Hon’ble Minister - Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change and Ministry of Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises Vote of Thanks: Mr. Dilip Chenoy, Secretary General – FICCI

1130 – 1200 hrs

Role of the Creative Economy in Nation Building Mr. Amitabh Kant, Chief Executive Officer – NITI Aayog In Conversation with Mr. Ajit Mohan, Vice President and Managing Director - Facebook India

1200 – 1300 hrs

Shaping the Future of M&E in Today’s Digitalised and Information Driven Economy The M&E sector has been radically disrupted over the last decade by the internet and digital media platforms. Consequently, business models have been upended and the entire M&E ecosystem has transformed with the introduction of new business models for content and distribution. It has also empowered consumers with freedom and choice. This presents both challenges and opportunities for the new digitalised and information driven economy.

Keynote Address: Shri Amit Khare, Secretary - Ministry of Information & Broadcasting Moderator: Mr. Pranjal Sharma, Economic Analyst & Author - India Automated Panellists: Mr. Ajit Mohan, Vice President and Managing Director - Facebook India Mr. Karan Bedi, Chief Executive Officer - MX Player Mr. Punit Misra, Chief Executive Officer, Domestic Broadcasting - Zee Entertainment Mr. Girish Agarwal, Promoter Director - Dainik Bhaskar Group Mr. Shekhar Kapur, Film Director, Actor and Producer

1500 – 1600 hrs

Mr. Mark Read, Chief Executive Officer - WPP In conversation with Mr. Sudhanshu Vats, Managing Director & Chief Executive Officer - Essel Propack Limited

1600 -1800 hrs

Working with Italy: Tax Incentives, Regional Funds and Co-Production Opportunities A world-renowned destination for financing, producing and filming international high-profile screen projects, the Italian film industry has a strong track record in attracting inward investment. This session aims to offer an occasion to navigate the Italian film financing landscape and to discover locations and regional incentives. In addition, it will provide information on the opportunities of co-producing with Italy and shooting in Italy’s most iconic studios - Cinecittà Studios.

Moderator: Mr. Fabrizio Giustarini, Trade Commissioner - Italian Trade Agency – Mumbai Panellists: H.E. Mr. Vincenzo De Luca, Ambassador of Italy to India Mr. Francesco Rutelli, President - ANICA (Italian Film Audiovisual Multimedia Industries Association) Mr. Roberto Stabile, Head International Department - ANICA (Italian Film Audiovisual Multimedia Industries Association) & ITA (Italian Trade Agency) Audiovisual Desks CoordinatorPresentation of Italian Film Commissions Representatives Introduced by Ms. Cristina Priarone, President - Italian Film Commissions Introducing Cinecittà Studios Presented by Mr. Andrea Spagna, Marketing, Brand and Business Development Advisor - Istituto Luce Cinecittà

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Day – 2 (8th July 2020) 1200 – 1300 hrs

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The Era of Smart TVs and Interconnected Home Devices Needs Smart Regulations India’s broadcast sector, one of the largest in the world, now braces for an era of content led by digital and immersive technology platforms for consumer engagement through multiple screens. The lockdown has resulted in a significant decline in subscription and advertising revenues and the adoption of video on demand services has seen a perceptible increase. In this context, regulations and compliances in the linear broadcasting sector must level down to ensure quality content offerings and audience retention to enable the sector to effectively compete and innovate in today’s dynamic and complex marketplace.

Moderator: Ms. Vanita Kohli Khandekar, Contributing Editor - Business Standard Panellists: Ms. Megha Tata, Managing Director – South Asia, Discovery Asia Pacific Mr. Vynsley Fernandes, Chief Executive Officer - IndusInd Media & Communications Ltd. Mr. Adam Rumanek, Media Entrepreneur, Chief Growth Officer, Founder & Chief Executive Officer - Aux Mode

1500 – 1600 hrs

Video Games– The Road Beyond the Lockdown Video games saw a huge growth in popularity during the lockdown. Faced with limited options for entertainment during the lock-down, Indians took to video games in a big way. Is video game’s newfound popularity in India a temporary aberration or the new reality?

What are the trends in video games consumption during the lock-down and were they different from the earlier normal? As the rules of lock-down ease and other options of entertainment become available, will gaming manage to hold on to its fan (player) base? What can game developers and publishers do to capitalize on the gains made during the lock-down? What will be the new normal in how we make and consume games?

Moderator: Mr. Manish Agarwal, Chief Executive Officer, Nazara Technologies Panellists: Mr. Vikash Jaiswal, Founder & Chief Executive Officer - Gametion Technologies Mr. Sharan Tulsiani, Business Development Manager - Google Play Mr. Dave Sanderson, External Development Manager - Phoenix Labs, Canada Mr. Sam Carlisle, Senior Director - External Partner Relations - Microsoft UK

1600 – 1700 hrs

Attribution at the Forefront of Conversation Measuring the efficacy of advertising spend will become even more critical for companies as they navigate their recovery given that there will be significant pressure of their cash flows and liquidity positions. How can the various M&E segments respond to these enhanced requirements on attribution? How can measurement become timelier and more precise for brands?

Moderator: Mr. Devendra Chawla, Managing Director & Chief Executive Officer Spencer’s Retail Limited & Nature’s Basket Panellists: Mr. CVL Srinivas, Country Manager - WPP India Mr. Sunil Lulla, Chief Executive Officer - Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) Mr. Soum Paul, Founder & Chief Executive Officer - Home Screen Network

1700 – 1800 hrs

Case Study on Fauda with Makers & Cast Panellists: Ms. Danna Stern, Managing Director – Yes Studios, Makers of Fauda Mr. Lior Raz (Doron Kavillio) Ms. Laetitia Eido (Dr. Shirin Al Abed)

1800 – 1900 hrs

Animation Co-production - A Stronger Reality Post Covid The animation productions are coming under budget pressures because of the Covid situation. The new animation shows are getting green lighted with reduced budgets. Hence the co-productions and sharing of costs, resources & territories for distribution is even more evident now. The animation co-productions will be a stronger reality and a win - win proposition for countries with co-production treaties in place.

Moderator: Dr. Ashish Kulkarni, Founder & Chief Executive Officer - Screenyug Creations Pvt Ltd Panellists: Ms. Jennifer McCann, Executive Producer, Kids and Family - Shaftesbury, Canada* Mr. Cristian Jezdic, Vice President - Cartoon Italia, Italy* Mr. Rajiv Chilaka, Founder & Chief Executive Officer - Green Gold Animation, India

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Day – 3 (9th July 2020) 1100 – 1200 hrs

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Re-Setting the Sports Ecosystem: Opportunities in “The New Normal World” The sports ecosystem has been ravaged by the impact of the pandemic and its resulting lockdown. Sporting activities have come to a complete halt, significantly impacting all stakeholders, from athletes to recreational participants, equipment makers, team owners, leagues, and federations. As businesses plan to reset and adapt to the new normal, the sporting economy also has the opportunity to restructure and re-build a more sustainable ecosystem, poised for growth. The objective of the session is to discuss government and private participation, sustainable business models and ideas for future growth.

Keynote Speaker: Shri Sandip Pradhan, Director General -Sports Authority of India Moderator: Mr. Jatin Sapru, Journalist Panellists: Dr. Narinder Dhruv Batra, President - Indian Olympic Association Mr Sunil Chhetri, Indian Footballer Mr. Sanjog Gupta, Chair - FICCI Sports Committee and Sports Product Head Star India

1200 - 1300 hrs

Changing Theatrical Windows – Direct to OTT GulaboSitabo was the first Hindi movie to bypass a theatrical release and premiere directly on OTT, much to the consternation of exhibitors who have threatened retaliatory action. While this happened under unforeseen Covid situation all over the world, the pundits have argued that OTT & theatre shall co-exist without OTT being a long term threat to Theatres. How OTT & theatres can grow together in post Covid world?

Moderator: Mr. Taran Adarsh, Journalist & Film Trade Analyst Panellists: Mr. Vikram Malhotra, Founder - Abundantia Entertainment Pvt Ltd Mr. Saugata Mukherjee, Head of Original Content – SonyLIV Mr. Shoojit Sircar, Film Director and Producer

Mr. Madhur Bhandarkar, Film Director, Script writer, and Producer Mr. Carter Pilcher, Chief Executive Officer - Shorts TV, UK Mr. Ram Madhvani, Film Director and Producer

1500 – 1530 hrs

In Conversation

1530 – 1600 hrs

Ms. Anurradha Prasad, Chairperson and Managing Director - BAG Films & Media Ltd In Conversation with Shri Prahlad Singh Patel, Hon’ble Minister of State (Independent Charge), Ministry of Tourism

1600 – 1700 hrs

Virtually Live: Can Live Events Survive in a Pandemic World If people are expected to stay away from outdoor events – concerts, plays etc. – how can the content be brought home? What is the impact on the target audience as events move online? How will this affect content production formats and pricing?

Moderator: Mr. Roshan Abbas, Managing Director - Geometry Encompass Panellists: Mr. Albert Almeida, Chief Operative Officer - Live Entertainment, Book My Show Mr. Brian Tellis, Co-Founder & Group Chief Executive Officer – Fountain Head Mr. Alex Fane, MD - Fane Productions Mr. Vivek Singh, MD - Procam International Mr. Deepak Choudhary, Founder and Director - Event Capital

1700 – 1800 hrs

Accelerated Transformation: Opportunities and Challenges for OTTs in the Crisis Economy The OTT platforms are taking outlier themes to create not only bold stories and bind India and the world together but their subscriber bases also witnessed a huge surge up to 80% amid coronavirus lockdown. However, in the mid-term and long-term period they face multiple challenges to sustain this growth trajectory from sustaining new content creation, building talent pool, monetization and, above all, from engaging policy makers in imposing legacy regulations before it realizes its full potential.

Keynote: Shri Vikram Sahay, Joint Secretary (P&A) and CVO – Ministry of Information & Broadcasting* Moderator: Mr. Vikram Chandra, Founder – Editorji Technologies Panellists: Mr. Gaurav Banerjee, President, Hindi & English Entertainment - Star India Ms. Gowree Gokhale - Partner - Nishith Desai Associates Mr. Satya Raghavan, Director, YouTube Content Partnerships, India Mr. Tarun Katial, Chief Executive Officer - ZEE5 India Mr. Gourav Rakshit, Chief Operating Officer – Viacom18 Mr. Gaurav Gandhi, Director & Country General Manager - Amazon Prime Video Ms. Monika Shergill, Vice President - Content – Netflix

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12 - 15 October 2020 Cannes, France

The World’s Entertainment Content Market

For the love of television

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1800 – 1900 hrs

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Regulating Creativity: Overcoming Legacy Challenges to Shape the Future of M&E The audio-visual sector in India is one of the 12 Champion Sectors identified by the Government of India because of its employment and growth potential. However, the sector is subjected to multiple onerous regulations and FDI restrictions. As the sector transitions into a “new normal,” are there lessons for Indian policy makers from global best practices that allow free market principles to unlock investments, innovation, employment opportunities and value creation in the sector to make India, the creative hub of the world.

Industry Address: Ms. Jyoti Jindgar, Secretary I/C– Competition Commission of India (CCI) Special Address: Mr. Ajit Pai, Chairman - Federal Communications Commission Keynote Address: Dr. R S Sharma, Chairman - Telecom Regulatory Authority of India Special Address: Mr. Atul Kumar Tiwari, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Information & Broadcasting Followed by discussion Moderated by: Mr. Vivek Couto, Executive Director & Co-Founder - Media Partners Asia (MPA)

1900 -2000 hrs

Future of Immersive Cinema: Technology Meets Storytelling for The Hollywood Futuristic Production In the era of next-generation immersive cinema, storytelling and technology combine in a data-powered entertainment landscape. A key milestone in the transformation of Hollywood from “pixel to volumetric voxel” was Intel-Paramount Pictures coproduction of Grease, Volumetric song Cinema Experience with more than 5 Trillion pixels captured and processed in 3 minutes to capture everything that light has seen.

This masterclass session highlights pioneering transformation, best practices to drive entertainment industry to the next frontier of future of immersive cinema, beyond AR/ VR/XR. Panellists Mr. Ted Schilowitz , CTO and Futurist - Paramount Pictures Mr. Ravindra Velhal, Global Content Strategist - Intel Corporation

Day 4 (10th July, 2020) 1100 – 1200 hrs

Ensuring a Fair Marketplace for the Creative Economy in a Digital First Marketplace A nation’s economic and competitive strength lies in its ability to harness growth through creative businesses and IP-intensive industries. India’s rank on the Global IP Index may have improved over the years, however implementation of IPR polices, legislative and enforcement frameworks leaves a lot to be desired. How can the country unlock the true value of its M&E Champion Services sector and evolve a modern IPR framework where creative industries can compete in a Digital First marketplace?

Keynote Address: Shri Darpan Jain, Joint Secretary -Ministry of Commerce & Industry *

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Launch: Economic Impact of the Film, Television and Video OTT Industry in India, 2019 report by Mr. Jehil Thakkar, Head – Media & Entertainment - Deloitte Moderator: Mr. Vivan Sharan, Partner - Koan Advisory Group Panellists: Mr. Taejin Lee, Regional Director - Manila Copyright Center, KCOPA Mr. Ameet Datta, Partner - Sai Krishna Associates Ms. Dipti Kotak, Chief Legal Officer, Media & Entertainment, Reliance Industries Limited / Jio Studios.

Mr. Trevor Fernandes, Vice President, Govt. Affairs – APAC - Motion Picture Association (MPA) Mr. Anil Lale, General Counsel - Viacom18 Ms. Priyanka Joshi, General Secretary - The Indian Music Industry

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1200 – 1300 hrs

The Business of Music in an Artist First Economy Music industry has shown consistent growth over the last 3 years and has embraced the digital era. More importantly, the industry is finally out of the shadows of Bollywood/Film music. The non-film / regional music sector has created a pop music industry that reflects the real India. Artists are being discovered from the remotest corners of India and their music is being consumed through multiple touch points.

The business is set to skyrocket with the growth and proliferation of digital streaming services, devices, and internet mobile platforms. How can the business of music transcend to the next level to keep up with a constantly changing ecosystem?

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Moderator: Mr. Sanjay Tandon, Chief Executive Officer - Indian Singers Rights Association (ISRA) Panellists: Mr Sonu Nigam, Singer Mr. Shankar Mahadevan, Singer

1500 – 1600 hrs

The Economic Impact of the Media & Entertainment Sector: A post-COVID-19 Lens & The Way Forward Moderator: Mr. Uday Singh, Managing Director - Singular pictures Keynote Addresses: Mr. Jonathan Olsberg, Chairman - Olsberg – SPI Ms. TCA Kalyani, Joint Secretary (Films) - Ministry of Information & Broadcasting Followed by discussed: Mr. Uday Singh, Managing Director - Singular Pictures In conversation with Mr. Jonathan Olsberg, Chairman - Olsberg – SPI and Ms. TCA Kalyani, Joint Secretary (Films) - Ministry of Information & Broadcasting

1600 – 1700 hrs

Taking Indian Content to Global Markets Digitalization has been a game changer. It brought day to day distribution of Indian Films to the cinemas in every corner of the world – same along OTT platforms. But most of the Indian Content is reaching the Indian Diaspora only.

What could be the Game Changer for Indian Content since the technology is there and distribution is not a hurdle any longer? What are the strategies to create and distribute content to go global. What are World Sales Agents, TV-Stations and platforms abroad looking for? And what are the right “Ingredients” for universal stories from India, which make Indian Content travel around the world?

Moderator: Mr. Stephan Ottenbruch, Festival Director - Indo German Film Festival Panellists:

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Mr. Ritesh Batra, Film Maker Mr. Ganesh Rajaram - EVP Sales Asia, Singapore, Fremantle International Mr. Guneet Monga, Chief Executive Officer - Sikhya Entertainment Mr. Alan R. Milligan, Chief Executive Officer - White Rabbit Mr. Colin Burrows, Chief Executive Officer - Special Treats Productions Mr. Francesca Manno, Chief Executive Officer - Summerside International Ms. Anna Katchko, Founder & Chief Executive Officer - Tandem Production

2030 -2130 hrs

The New Paradigm of Producing Animation How deals are structured with the phenomenal rise of OTT platforms. How does one pitch, produce and monetise shows?

Moderator: Mr Munjal Shroff, Director & Chief Operating Officer - Graphiti Studio Panellists: Mr. Christopher Keenan, Senior Vice President Productions - Mattel Mr. Aram Yacobian, Director, Original Content - Netflix Mr. Heather Kenyon, Ex. Vice President - Original Productions Cartoon Network, USA Mr. Finn Arnesen, Ex. Senior Vice President - Original Productions, Hasbro

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Day 5 (11thJuly, 2020) 1100 – 1200 hrs

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Living with Covid – 19: The Challenges Facing the Cinema Industry Social distancing might continue to be the norm even when lockdowns are lifted completely. How are exhibitors preparing for the new viewing experience? What are the changes and impact to distribution economics by virtue of an anticipated lower occupancy across halls, lack of content and challenges from OTT? Keynote Speaker and Moderator: Mr. Kapil Agarwal, Joint Managing Director UFO Moviez Panellists: Mr. Sureshbabu Daggubati, Leading Telugu Film Producer, Distributor, Exhibitor and Studio Owner Mr. Kamal Gianchandani, Chief Executive Officer - PVR Pictures Limited & Chief Business Planning and Strategy - PVR Limited Mr. Alok Tandon, Chief Executive Officer - Inox Leisure Ltd Mr. Devang Sampat, Chief Executive Officer - Cinépolis India Mr. Shibasish Sarkar, Chief Executive Officer - Group Chief Executive Officer – Content, Digital & Gaming at Reliance Entertainment Mr. Akshaye Rathi, Film Exhibitor & Distributor - Rathi Cinemas

1200 – 1300 hrs

Gaming – A Cog in The Digital Ecosystem Wheel, Or A Whole Wheel in Itself?

Gaming is fast emerging as an important aspect of ecosystem offerings by major players. Potentially, it can help in customer acquisition and retention by providing users with a sticky use case. How are digital ecosystem players in India, and global players interested in India, looking at gaming though? Just as another temporary possibility or as a standalone business which can, by itself, generate tremendous traction and possibly, profitability in the future? What is the future of gaming as an offering in India, given the new lessons in the post-COVID era?

Moderator: Mr. Girish Menon, Partner and Head, Media and Entertainment KPMG India Panellists: Mr. Adarsh Nair, Chief Product and Experience Officer -Airtel, Chief Executive Officer - Wynk Ltd Mr. Harsh Jain, Chief Executive Officer & Co-Founder - Dream Sports (Dream11) Mr. Akshat Rathee, Co-Founder and Managing Director - Nodwin Gaming Mr. Manish Agarwal, Chief Executive Officer - Nazara Technologies Ltd Mr. Carl Schmidt, Senior Director of External Development – Zynga

1500 – 1600 hrs

The Digital Newspaper is Here to Stay During the lockdown, many households across India stopped delivery of newspapers for fear of virus transmission through these surfaces and turned to digital editions for their daily updates. While these editions started off free, they soon went behind a pay wall. Can this be sustained? What are the innovations around digital models for print that can help with monetisation? Are some genres – magazines and editorially reputed news – seeing better traction with subscriptions?

Moderator: Ms. Anuradha Sengupta, Consulting Editor, CNBC-TV18 Panellists: Ms. Denise Parkinson, Head - Entertainment Category Specialist - TI Media, UK Ms. Ritu Kapur, Co-Founder & Chief Executive Officer - The Quint Ms. Fatima Salman, Assistant Director, South Asia Center - Atlantic Council Mr. Yasir Khan, Editor-in-Chief - Digital - Euro News Mr. Juan Carlos Van Meek, Director – Digital Innovations & Programme - Al Jazeera Media Network, Qatar Mr. M K Venu, Founding Editor - The Wire

1600 – 1700 hrs

Valedictory Session: Putting Covid Behind Us: The Way Forward Welcome Address: Mr. Uday Shankar, Senior Vice President - FICCI and President - The Walt Disney Company Asia Pacific and Chairman – Star & Disney Special Address: Mr Kabir Khan, Film Director and Chair – Film Committee Special Address: Mr. Sanjay Gupta, Country Manager and Vice President – Google India and Chairman – FICCI Media and Entertainment Committee Industry Keynote Address: Mr. Siddharth Roy Kapur, Founder and MD - Roy Kapur Films and President - Producers Guild of India Valedictory Address: Shri Piyush Goyal, Hon’ble Minister, Ministry of Railways and Ministry of Commerce Vote of Thanks: Mr. Dilip Chenoy, Secretary General – FICCI

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1700 – 1800

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BAF Awards

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Roberto Stabile

Head of International Department of ANICA (Italian Film Audiovisual Multimedia Industries Association) & ITA (Italian Trade Agency) Audiovisual Desks Coordinator 20

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Italy@FICCI FRAMES

Italy Rolls out Red Carpet to Indian filmmakers

Italy is the partner country in the five-day eFICCI FRAMES beginning July 7. Because of the Covid pandemic Italian institutions and producers will participate virtually with Indian M&E industry professionals. Pickle chats with Roberto Stabile, Head of International Department of ANICA (Italian Film Audiovisual Multimedia Industries Association) & ITA (Italian Trade Agency) Audiovisual Desks Coordinator who has been instrumental forging new partnership between India and Italy in the audiovisual space It is great that business is coming back and Italy is the partner country with FICCI FRAMES? What is your immediate objective?

Our objective is to get to know each other better, so that we can develop future collaborations in the audiovisual sector: we would like to set up coproductions, sell films and TV series to Indian distributors and television and bring Indian productions to Italy to highlight our beautiful territory by helping them take advantage of our fiscal incentives. Only by meeting and discussing issues as we do on occasions such as FICCI can we understand how we can collaborate to our reciprocal satisfaction.

How did you decide to become partner country for FICCI FRAMES? It is very important for our international relationship with

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India. FICCI FRAMES is the best place to start our collaboration with India and bring producers of two countries together.

What’s the current COVID scenario in Italy? We read that things are getting normal, shootings have begun and theatres opened?

We have finally started production again, but we have to respect extremely complicated and rigid protocols, it will take some time to bring us back up to speed. Many cinemas are still closed although they have been authorised to open again. The cost of opening the cinemas half empty to allow distancing imposed by the security measures means that they are not economically viable. People are also still very careful and don’t like the idea of sitting in closed spaces next to strangers. It is also true that after months of lockdown they want to go out, walk, meet friends more than

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Italy@FICCI FRAMES Here is a quick view of sessions planned on 7 and 8 July that would offer a detailed perspective on what Italy has to offer to Indian filmmakers.

July 7 16:00-18:00 (ITALY 12:30-14:30)

SESSIONS WITH PARTNER COUNTRY ITALY Working with Italy: Tax Incentives, Regional Funds and Co-Production Opportunities A world-renowned destination for financing, producing and filming international high-profile screen projects, the Italian film industry has a strong track record in attracting inward investment. This session aims to offer an occasion to navigate the Italian film financing landscape and to discover locations and regional incentives. In addition, it will provide information on the opportunities of co-producing with Italy and shooting in Italy’s most iconic studios - Cinecittà Studios.

Moderated by: Mr. Fabrizio Giustarini, Trade Commissioner - Italian Trade Agency – Mumbai Panelists: H.E. Mr. Vincenzo De Luca, Ambassador of Italy to India Mr. Francesco Rutelli, President - ANICA (Italian Film Audiovisual Multimedia Industries Association) Mr. Roberto Stabile, Head International Department - ANICA (Italian Film Audiovisual Multimedia Industries Association) & ITA (Italian Trade Agency) Audiovisual Desks Coordinator Presentation of Italian Film Commissions Representatives Introduced by Ms. Cristina Priarone, President - Italian Film Commissions Introducing Cinecittà Studios Presented by Mr. Andrea Spagna, Marketing, Brand and Business Development Advisor Istituto Luce Cinecittà

July 8

6 P.M. IST/ 2:30 P.M. Italy time “Animation Co-production - A stronger reality post Covid” The animation productions are coming under budget pressures because of the Covid situation. The new animation shows are getting green lighted with reduced budgets. Hence the co-productions and sharing of costs, resources & territories for distribution are even more evident now. The animation co-productions will be a stronger reality and a win-win proposition for countries with co-production treaties in place.

Moderator : Ashish S K, Founder & CEO, Screenyug Creations Pvt Ltd Panelists: Jennifer McCann, Executive Producer, Kids and Family, Shaftesbury, Canada Cristian Jezdic, VP, Cartoon Italia, Italy Rajiv Chilaka, Founder & CEO, Green Gold Animation, India

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I am ready to increase our collaboration with all the most important cinema events in India starting IFFI and Film Bazaar. I would be honoured to organise a Focus dedicated to India during the next Venice Production Bridge at the Venice International Film Festival

shut themselves up to watch a film.

Traditionally cinemas in Italy are empty during summer so to see the cinemas open again will have to wait for autumn.

How would you like to give shape to the India-taly collaboration in the filmed entertainment space?

We have to make sure that our producers and authors meet and discuss ideas and allow that through this process projects are developed together so that new business will grow. It is a long but natural process which can’t be forced but helped and nurtured, with time we will have some interesting results.

Where is the India-Italy relationship at this point of time?

Politically, we have very good relationship with India.

Unfortunately, we have few collaborations in the audiovisual space. So we will start from FICCI FRAMES to push our producers to know exactly what they can do with Indian producers. And also to explain, what Italy offers in terms of ideas, projects and funds for collaboration. The best way is to connect Indian and Italian producers. We must dream together, tweet together, discuss projects and ideas (virtually for the time being) and we will get results. Also, we want to push people doing something because we truly believe that we can make great projects working together in the film industry.

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What is it that Italy offers to Indian co-producers?

In our new law we have incentives and funding for collaboration.

We offer huge support for people coming to shoot movies from India.

They can come and shoot without any kind of co-production. We have opened Italian doors to Indian filmmakers.

India has signed Co-production Treaty with Italy over a decade back. Why it has not taken off ?

This is the problem of political bureaucracy in India and alo in Italy. We need to work more closer than ever before. We need to add streaming and animation in the coproduction treaty. We will have a deliberation on animation. In fact, we can begin our new collaboration with animation.

How do you like to see collaboration going forward and do you see more collboarion during IFFI and Film Bazaar 2020?

I am sure that all this could start by bringing some important Indian productions to Italy, I think this is the first important step to take and also the easiest. I am ready to increase our collaboration with all the most important cinema events in India starting with those mentioned and I would be honoured to organise a Focus dedicated to India during the next Venice Production Bridge at the Venice International Film Festival.

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THE

FIRE INSIDE

REGINA Hailing from a psychology background, Regina Cassandra dedicated to try hands at acting at the mere age of 16. Today, at the age of 29, the actress is still going good, with a number of Tamil, Telugu and Hindi films to her credit and promising big budget projects in the future.

The actress, who is gearing up to play Soorpanagai in one of her upcoming projects, is pretty optimistic during Covid times as well. In a candid conversation, she shares how the pandemic is going to affect the showbiz industry, her life changing experiences in the career spanning for over 10 years and how she is off-camera. Regina Cassandra, for whom 2020 would have been a game changer, shares her survival story 24

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in Soorpanagai www.pickle.co.in India’s Only Film BIZ magazine for theRegina world Cassandra

Regina: Rules & Roles

A

mong all the sectors, the entertainment industry has had its share of loses owing to the pandemic coronavirus that the entire world is grappling with currently. While the big production houses have faced a hit since the work on movies has been delayed, at individual levels too, the actors are bearing the brunt. One such actor, for whom 2020 could have been a game changer, is Regena Cassandra, who started working in films when she was 16, and has been in the showbiz for over a decade now. The lady had some big projects lined up for this year. However, the COVID spread took a toll, with the actress now being optimistic that the coming times will be better and the pandemic will teach the industry to work in a better way.

“It is going to be different, but it's going to be nice. May be the budgets of films will change now, may be the outlook of actors now, but, I think it's actually going to be really good for the entertainment industry in a way.”

Regina adds, “If you're going to be in sanitized locations, you know what this is going to make production houses or even the production managers stay on their toes. Because, sometimes shoot dates get extended or something happens, but we don't think that is going to be any more levy for people to say, oh, we'll take two days before just for this testing, we're going to have to make sure what we're shooting that day.”

The Initial Days

Regina is a known name in the Tamil and Telugu cinema and is soon to make a mark on a National OTT platform as well.

Regina’s long journey has been full of ups and downs, challenges, good and bad experiences and lots of memories.

The actress shares how her initial days were, when she was completely unaware and naïve, when she entered the industry. A psychology student, Regina shares that initially she was elated with the fact that she was

Regina Cassandra in Nenjam Marappathillai

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getting work. She shares how she got film offers without struggling much.

Later, she recalls, that things changed when people started questioning why she was not doing films with bigger stars. “A lot of people would tell me oh my God, you are going to do so well or you have everything, you look good, you dance well, you act well, this and that. I was like oh wow. And the movies kept coming in and then you know like my manager came in, I didn't have to go search for anyone or anything. Okay, and then and then slowly things start changing. From there it went to, why aren't you doing movies with the bigger stars like that,” she shares.

The fight with depression

As people started infiltrating Regina’s mind and conquered her peace, constantly questioning about the kind of work she was doing, the actress slipped into depressing times and faced anxiety issues.

“I started questioning myself. All this while I knew what I was doing. I was thinking I knew about consequences, but when it hit me, I really didn't expect. So it came in at a time and I thought I was okay. But it really wasn't. So it started getting to me.

And I think there was a time in 2015 and I thought I thought I thought, I don't even know today. And because I studied psychology, I could see symptoms of depression. I could see it floating around. And finally, it didn't worry me. I wasn't scared of the fact that I probably was slipping into a spiral.”

She adds, “people started asking me why. And that was what was troubling, because I never had an

I have to make sure everything around me sanitized, everything was working fine. It’s going to be a task and I don’t think all of us are ready for it yet. It’s going to be trial and error method, unfortunately, and the error is literally someone’s life that we’re talking about. So we need to be even more careful, but it’s going to be hard, really hard.

I just hope we’re all equipped enough to handle

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answer to it. And even if it came out of concern, I didn't know how to answer it. Because that's literally a rhetorical question to me. Like, there's no answer that I could give you that you can't think of. Already.

There's no answer that you haven't thought of that I can come and either say That's right, or this is wrong.

I'm literally in the same position as everyone else. And who needs to be asked the questions will never be asked. So never bothered me. It still doesn't bother me about the size of the film, for me, whatever the film is, whether it did well or didn't do well, people still come to me and tell me that I did a great job, that's something for me to take home.”

She credits her friends and her strong mind for overcoming the difficult and depressing times. “I was lucky enough to have a few friends around me. And I'm not the kind of person who ever talks about many issues when I'm going through it. I like to go through it, get out of it and then have a conversation about it because I always felt like I could do it myself.

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And if I had other people's thoughts infiltrate, then what I'm thinking would probably not you know, not like I always thought What am I thought to be like this because I knew that I would probably do the right thing like I will always do the right thing by myself. I think you need to love yourself enough to know that you will get yourself out of something, you know. It lasted for a few months, and then it just, it just disappeared,” Regina recalls.

The film that changed her personally!

Regina shares that her project with filmmaker Selvaraghavan, Nenjam Marapathillai in 2016, turned out to be really helpful to her to come out of depression and make her a happier person. “I became better. In 2016, I was shooting for Nenjam Marapathillai.

It was a dark film. Okay, but it was a blessing in disguise for me. I was staying near the location... near the beach...I would go in the mornings, go kayaking, so I would go paddling with the surfer boys, I would go fishing.

That was the best thing that could have happened,” the actress recalls.

She further shares how the film also changed the way she thought.

Regina Cassandra in Evaru

Regina says, “So when I was doing this film, I came to the conclusion that I'm not going to work anymore.

I'm not going to be an actor per se.

But, again, like you know, it was like a blessing in disguise. There was a Telugu film they wanted me so badly that they came all the way from Hyderabad and narrated the story.

And the director only wanted me.”

“I really liked his work. I think he's very sensible director and he writes really well and all that and it did seem like it was a very interesting one that I thought I should do. And then again, that thought happened and I was like, What made sense?

Not really serious about not wanting to work anymore. It's an indicator to myself. No, it wasn't like, Oh my god, I'm confused. I don't know what to do anymore, but it was more like, okay, like if you didn't want to work because of the way we're feeling. And I want this even if opportunity comes my way, then you know, they take it, but don't leave it at nothing.”

The survival secret

Considering that Regina had no ‘Bollywood connections’, no big budget release or no ‘camps’, yet the actress has been in the business for over 10 years. She has made her own mark, been a content and a happy person, and is now geared up for some exciting future projects.

So when asked about her secret of survival in this industry with cutthroat competition and pressure, Regina shares, “It is because of people around me and my friends who worked with me.”

It is in the genes!

Regina hails from a strong-headed family, where her single mother raised her with full compassion and care. No wonder then, the actress is pretty strong mentally and copes with circumstances with ease.

She says, “It starts with an upbringing. My mother's a very strong woman. She knew what she was doing and she always wants to do right by me. I was brought up by a single mother and she made sure she gave me the best education. She put me in one of the best schools back then (Lady Andal School) and later WCC (Women's Christian College).

She made sure I got what I deserved.

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And I think, it starts with that.”

“I think at a very young age, I was exposed to a lot of things. Since I was brought up by a single mother she would actually be around when you know the adults were there. From a very young age as something as small as three, four years old, five years old, she very clearly told me that if any man touches you in the wrong way, you know, she explained these things,” Regina further shares.

“I was a very, very, very, very rebellious kid. I was a task for my mom to handle. I was a like a proper tomboy. She set my foundation. I understood what it is to be a girl itself at a very young age, understood what it's like to handle people around me, my surroundings, you know really well,” she adds.

The grey shades

As stated earlier, 2020 had some of the big movies for Regina, on the block. She will soon be seen playing a villain in M S Anandan's film Chakra (Vishal Film Factory). “Ever since I started acting and everyone asked me what kind of roles you want you to do. I always said I want to be a versatile actor. Whether it's playing a heroine, mentally challenged person in a non commercial firm, or whether it's playing a villain or whether it's anything I want to do, I want to be able to look apart. In fact in the Telugu film Awe, I shaved off my side part of head. That's the kind of the role I want to do. So when it comes to being a villain in this film in Vishal's film Chakra, I'm really grateful. I'm getting to see what I had envisioned to do years ago. It's finally taking shape,” she shares.

Regina adds, “So I'm sure once it comes out, I'm going to get tonnes of films. Do I want to do it? I'll do it only if I really, really like. It's about how prominent my character is. It's about if I can do justice to the role.”

I think at a very young age, I was exposed to a lot of things. Since I was brought up by a single mother she would actually be around when you know the adults were there.

From a very young age, she very clearly told me that if any man touches you in the wrong way, you know, she explained these things 29

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They are just a click away on OTT

rEGINA ARCHIVES 30

Chakra

2020

By Anandan .M.S.

Kallapart 2020

By Rajapandi

Kasada Thapara

2020

By Chimbu Deven

Soorpanagai 2020

By Caarthick Raju

Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga 2019

By Shelly Chopra Dhar

Soon in Theatres

Soon in Theatres

Soon in Theatres

Soon in Theatres

Netflix

Silukkuvarupatti Singam 2018

By Chella Ayyavu

Disney + hotstar

Maanagaram

Amazon 2017 Prime

By Lokesh Kanagaraj

Saravanan Irukka Bayamaen

Disney + 2017 hotstar

By Ezhil

Gemini Ganeshanum Suruli Raajanum

Amazon Prime

2017

By Odam Ilavarasu

Nakshatram

2017

By Krishna Vamsi

Mx player

7

Balakrishnudu

Evaru

Amazon 2019 Prime

By Venkat Ramji

Shourya

Awe

Jyo Achyutananda 2016

By Srinivas Avasarala

SUN NXT

Mr. Chandramouli

Shankara

Disney+ hotstar, Mx player

2019 Netflix

By Nizar Shafi

2018 Netflix

By Prasanth Varma

2018 Netflix

By Thiru

Amazon 2017 Prime

By Pavan Mallela

Amazon 2016 Prime

By K. Dasaradh

2016

By Tatineni Satya

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Disney + 2015 hotstar

By AG Amid

Subramanyam for Sale

Disney + 2015 hotstar

By Harish Shankar

Shiva Manasulo Shruti 2012

By Tatineni Satya

Routine Love Story 2012

By Praveen Sattaru

Mx player

Mx player

Suryakaanti

2015

By A.S.Ravikumar Chowdary

Zee5

Kotha Janta 2014

By Maruthi Dasari

Zee5

Ra Ra...

Krishnayya

Voot

2014

By Mahesh P

Power

2014

By K. S. Ravindra

Mx player

2010

By K.M. Chaitanya

SUN NXT

Panchamirtham

Youtube 2008 Movies

By Raju Eswaran (Unauthorised)

Azhagiya Asura 2006

By Nagu

Kanda Naal Mudhal

SUN NXT

Youtube Movies

2005 (Unauthorised)

By V. Priya

Pilla Nuvvu Leni Jeevitham

2014 aha

By A.S.Ravi Kumar Chowdary

2013

By Pandiraj

Mx player

Nenjam Marappathillai

Not yet 2020 Released

By Selvaraghavan

Party

Not yet 2020 Released

By Venkat Prabhu

Nirnayam

Youtube 2013 Movies

By S. S. Srisaravanan

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Soukhyam

Kedi Billa Killadi Ranga

They are just a click away on OTT

Rajathandhiram

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Regina Cassandra in Awe

The current times

Since Covid, all big budget movies have changed their path and are now getting released on the OTT platform.

Regina too will soon be seen in a bug budget web series, about which she is really excited.

So when quipped, if she preferred the OTT platform or the big screen, she says, “Honestly, as long as my work is seen by more number of people, I think it's better for an actor at the end of the day, right? I don't know if it's, if it's right for me to say it, but I think OTT will definitely be the answer to piracy. I think, a lot less would be pirated anymore. I feel like it would make a change once left to be seen. I don't know yet. It’s just my thought.

And if that's going to happen then Hurrah for the industry, right? Not just as an actor, that it's not about preference at the end of the day for me, because when also there are actors who do also this whole box-

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office thing is this has been a part of our industry since the inception of films itself, right?”

She adds, “Both mediums are interesting, like, things that you'd want to see, like you'd want to see like work a box-office hit, you want to see the numbers, you know, and you also want to see that this has reached a wider audience and that only an OTT can do.”

Taker of thrillers!

Being a psychology student, Regina is sucker of thrillers. She shares, “I love watching thrillers. I love the human mind. I still have my best friends of my life from college. The gang of like 12 of us and there are two psychologists like one is a clinical psychologist, she works with schizophrenia patients.

You know what it is so many of them are so diverse that the conversations we had, I think they're way smarter than me.”

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THE NOT SO LATE SHOW WITH RC

Regina is one of the celebs who has been putting the lockdown period to good use. The actress has been making her presence felt constantly with ‘The not so late show with RC’ on Instagram. Talking about it, she shares, “I was thinking what to do, and I have a lot of talents. And not everyone has seen this talent that they have. We've musicians, stand up comedians, or actors or artists or whatever they are. If they really do a good job, and I thought maybe I could do something with my friends itself and showcase it to the world because I think we're a great band.

And I did not want to do it normal.

My Instagram is buzzing with lives. I did not want to do it at between five and eight. So why not do something at 12 in the night, I don't want to do it for everyone. I'm only doing it for the people who can't sleep and have nothing better to do as well. And, and that's how it started.”

The typical Chennai girl!

For Regina, Chennai has her heart.

Being born and brought up in the city, Regina feels she will always be a Chennai girl as she totally in love with the city’s vibe. “I love Chennai. I was born and brought up in Chennai.

It's very relaxing here. You know, like it's quiet at the same time. Yet there are still things going on. And Chennai is one of those cities that has not lost its old charm,” she says.

Regina further says,” For example, every time I tell about Hyderabad about five years ago, it was so different. But in Chennai it is same thing. Now if that's a good thing or a bad thing, I don't know. But for me, I think it's a great thing because I love seeing this old world charm. Chennai is progressing but may be not too fast and that's okay. And that's how all Chennai people will progress at our own pace.”

Regina Cassandra in Seven

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rapid fire WITH REGINA

STRAIGHT ANSWERS FROM Regina Cassandra

What’s your idea of perfect happiness?

When you know that you’re going through lows and that you’re going to get out of it. You are on your way to perfect happiness. But there’s no such thing as it’s not. There’s nothing as perfect happiness. When you’re happy, you’re happy. You’re sad, you’re sad.

What is your motto in life I would say to live and let live, but that would be so cliched. But it revolves around that. I’m gonna live and do the right thing.

What’s your biggest fear in life?

Anxiety What’s the character that you hate in yourself ?

I’m just thinking.

What’s the trait you don’t like in others?

I think great pride in a lot of things that I’ve done. So when people have this misconception that I’m actually being stupid, or that that I don’t think I can make the right decisions for myself. Giving them one slap really annoys. I’m 29, I live by myself. Even if something is wrong, I feel like it’s my destiny to go through that. So you

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don’t know what I’ve gone through, don’t look at it from the outside perspective.

When did you slap the last?

I don’t remember.

Which living person do you admire the most?

Actually there are a lot of people.

That’s not giving you diplomatic answer. I’ll explain. There are certain traits that I look at and I wonder how they have it. So it’s a lot of people.

What is your greatest extravaganza?

I’m not an extravagant person, but I should tell you that it would probably be at music festivals. I go all out.

What is the current state of my mind?

Bliss On what occasions do you lie?

I lie about my time, especially in college.

What do you most like in your appearance?

Nothing.

What is the quality you like in a man?

Compassion. It is very important.

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What’s the quality you like in a woman?

Alpha Which living person you hate the most?

Aye.. You don’t want me to live. I mean that there are a lot of people who’ve done bad things, but do I hate them?

Not really, I don’t know. Even though someone has done something bad thing, I don’t think it’s going affect me anymore. So not really anybody.

What’s the word or phrase you use the most?

I’ll slap you... but (I) don’t use it much now... I do use the F* word...My mother used to complain Who is the greatest love of your life?

Four years ago... I had rescued a kitten and she had herpes virus.

It affects their eyes and her entire eyeball was out of her socket and she was also only one week old. Her eyes hadn’t opened yet. Okay and I had gone there running across the city, from Kilpauk to Anna Nagar to Thiruvanmiyur to Vepery to the hospital to fix it to understand what I could do to save her. But other than surgery, there was nothing else she was going, she would die in surgery as well because of the anesthesiology on only a week old. But we saved her beautifully and she’s been living for four years. She is blind, And she is someone who taught me to fight.

You know, very simple like this little kitten. She’s someone I really really love.

When were you the happiest?

On Instagram Which talent you would like to have the most which you did not have Singing If you could change one thing in your in yourself what would that be?

I wish I got rid of this anxiety a little and I’m working towards it. So that’s probably something I want to get rid of.

What do you consider as your greatest achievement as of now.

I know I never felt the sense of achievement. If a movie did well, I’d be like, okay, great, let’s move on. But

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after being at home all these months, I am happy with even the smallest thing. And everything seems like an achievement.

What is the most treasured possession?

People around me, always.

What’s your favourite occupation?

I always want to be so associated people, help people and all of that.

I was thinking when I go abroad, I want to go and work as a waitress in some restaurant, I want to actually be able to physically serve people so much. So when I went to Isha yoga, I fulfilled it. I stayed for about a week.

And you can volunteer over there to do things.So you can volunteer to be in the temple, you can volunteer to be in the food dining area, volunteer to be in the dining area and actually got to serve people dinner and lunch.

Who are your favourite writers?

I grew up reading Paulo Coelho, and Dr. Bryan.

Who is the your best hero?

Gerald Butler, Junior NTR. Which historical figure do you identify with most?

I always feel like I every time I read something with a mogul it I always feel very connected.

What films you love the most?

Psychological thrillers What do you hate the most?

Some lieing on the face, like when it’s blatant harmful lies.

What’s the greatest regret in life?

I’m so happy for all the mistakes I’ve made, and all the things that I have done that have brought me to this person I am today. Because I feel like I understand the world to be a better place. I understand so many things mainly from these lot of things that have happened. And, and this is my journey and we are good, bad, ugly.

It is going to be my job. And I think of life as an experience. Everything is an experience.

If you die and come back as a person what would you like to come back as?

I like to be a singer. I like to be a dancer. I like to be a comedian. I’d like to be you know, the smart one and the funny.

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Taapsee

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TAAPSEE TALK

Taapsee’s takes on OTT, nepotism & Covid

I welcome changes. But I am a very old school person where I enjoy watching films in theater with the community, says actress Taapsee Pannu, while talking about OTT and cinema halls at CII Delhi eConclave ‘Building Delhi for a New World’

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he film fraternity is together in this (Covid-19) crisis.

There are a lot of workers who depend on weekly wages and all of us have decided to take care of them till the time the economy gets back to normal. I believe that when things return to normal, people will flock the theatres again. You can’t replicate the theatre experience with streaming websites, says Taapsee Pannu.

While speaking on nepotism in the film industry, the actress, who is popular pan-India thanks to movies in Hindi, Tamil and Telugu, mentions that favouritism, being integral to human nature, will not go out of the industry and we cannot totally get rid of it.

“I also have that urge of going back to work because I’ve never had Monday blues. We don’t have weekend or weekday in our profession. I am finally looking to going to work knowing probably that I will be the last one going to work,” she says, at CII Delhi eConclave ‘Building Delhi for a New World’.

On Covid, the actress says, “We never believed that such a crisis will happen. I guess none of us have

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prepared for it. We are lucky enough that many of us still survive. But there are so many who have literally hand to mouth existence in terms of not just the labour workers, but people who earn per shoot or per day basis and, and those people I don’t think can survive beyond a few weeks. The industry did come together to raise funds and then help these people out in a lot of ways. Also migrant workers walking back home are painful insights of Covid.”

Talking about OTT and big cinema, Taapse says, “I welcome changes. But I am a very old school person where I enjoy watching films in theater with the community. Rarely do we see people just going alone to watch a film. The experience of going in a big dark hall and focusing all your energy on a huge screen can’t be replicated anywhere else. II was not an ardent OTT viewer before lockdown happened because an average film also will look good to me in a theatre.

I enjoy watching films in theatre and really miss that. I have a firm belief that when things get back to the old normal, not the new normal, I think everybody is going to rush to theater to have that experience with all safety norms. OTT platform is good as a temporary fix.”

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Hot and Happening

Disney+Hotstar Leads the disruption Though there is no doubt theatres will be winners as nothing in the world gives the joy of watching a movie on big screen, OTT has now become a new revenue making avenue for the film industry

Sushant’s Last Film Dil Bechara

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ovid-19 has created a market which many OTT players were expecting only in 2023-24.

In other words, the disruption has already begun in the Indian premium OTT space with Disney+ Hotstar announcing seven films to release on its platform.

Though there is no doubt theatres will be winners as nothing in the world gives the joy of watching a movie on big screen, OTT has now become a new revenue making avenue for the film industry.

“Producers who have already invested heavily in their films with theatrical revenue assumptions that are no longer feasible, will seek out all avenues available to recover their

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investment and to stay in business,” the Producers Guild of India had said in a statement last month.

Disney+ Hotstar is set to premiere seven Bollywood movies — which were originally slated for theatrical releases — from July 24 onwards, in a move that could intensify the battle between theatre owners and video streaming applications over movie releases.

These movies will be streamed between July and October this year, starting with late Sushant Singh Rajput-starrer ‘Dil Bechara’ on July 24. Other movies include Akshay Kumar-Kiara Advani’s ‘Laxmmi Bomb’, Alia Bhatt-Aditya Roy Kapur-starrer ‘Sadak 2’, Abhishek

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Ajay Devgn in Bhuj: The Pride of India momentum for more and different Bachchan’s ‘The Big Bull’, Vidyut kinds of films to be made in India.

Jammwal’s ‘Khuda Haafiz’, Ajay It’s a win-win for all,” said Uday Devgn-Sanjay Dutt’s ‘Bhuj’ and Shankar, President, The Walt Disney Kunal Khemu’s ‘Lootcase’.

Company APAC, and Chairman, Star This comes after similar deals by & Disney India. rivals Amazon Prime Video that “In the future, theatres and OTT picked up seven Bollywood and will move in parallel. Both options regional films including Amitabh offer their own strengths,” said Ajay Bachchan-Ayushmann Khurrana’s Devgn, who will be seen in Bhuj: The ‘Gulabo Sitabo’ and Vidya BalanPride of India. starrer ‘Shakuntala Devi’ for a direct-to-digital Hotstar, the largest OTT premiere and Netflix that player in the country Hotstar, the largest picked up Janhvi Kapoorafter Jio (35.5 per cent OTT player in the starrer ‘Gunjan Saxena: market share) with over country after Jio The Kargil Girl’.

30 per cent share of (35.5 per cent market ‘Dil Bechara’ will be the the market, continues to share) with over 30 first movie to premiere on attract more audiences, Disney+ Hotstar, and in a compared to global per cent share of bid to “commemorate late leaders like Netflix (9.2 the market, continues Sushant Singh Rajput’s per cent) and Amazon to attract more invaluable contribution Prime (14.8 per cent) in audiences, compared to Hindi cinema,” this India. to global leaders like This move comes at a movie will be available to non-subscribers of time when the ~20,000Netflix (9.2 per cent) Disney+ Hotstar as crore-a-year Indian film and Amazon Prime (14.8 well, the company said. industry is badly hit by per cent) in India The movie also features lockdown of multiplexes Sanjana Sanghi and Saif and single-screen Ali Khan. theatres —leaving it with no other “Today as we launch Disney+ avenue but to try and monetise the Hotstar Multiplex, we find ourselves OTT platform. yet again at the cusp of making a There is still uncertainty over when revolutionary change by bringing the movie theatres will be allowed to rebiggest Bollywood movies directly open across the country, after they to millions across the country... were forced to shutdown in March Theatres are a special experience. So, this year, due to the Covid-19-induced they will always exist and thrive. But lockdown. While the government the potential of the industry can’t has eased restrictions for businesses be capped by the number of release across various sectors, it is yet to windows and theatres available. Our provide a specific date for reopening initiative will dramatically increase of cinema halls. the number of films that can be According to estimates, there are made, giving film-lovers more films over 250-million OTT users in India. to enjoy and the creative community This number is expected to surpass more films to make. We firmly believe 450 million by 2022. that this will generate a massive

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The game is on

Gaming industry braves Covid Though all industries faced a major hit due to the Covid-19 pandemic, mobile game advertising revenue jumped by as much as 59% in April 2020 compared to April 2019 as the Covid-19 pandemic led millions of people to spend more time playing video games on their smartphones

By Dinesh Gupta

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he Covid-19 pandemic has dominated 2020 like nothing else ever before. It took weeks to spread across the world, with global infections exceeding 11 million and deaths well beyond half a million mark so far. Worldwide lockdowns to contain the pandemic spread and fatalities have severely affected daily lives of consumers with majority of businesses impacted severely. IMF’s World Economic Update predicts

the world economy to contract by close to 1.9%, with 2021 world GDP projected to be about 6.5% below the pre-Covid-19 projections. Compare this to the Great Recession of 20082009 where the world GDP fell by less than 1%, making the 2020 Covid-19 pandemic a crisis like no other with a very uncertain recovery.

Source: IMF World Economic Outlook Update, June 2020 EY Report on the Impact of Covid-19 on the M&E Sector in India Unity Technologies Covid-19 Consumer Gaming Report Statista Digital Media Outlook, June 2020

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The Media & Entertainment industry, like any other industry, is facing unprecedented impact from the spread of pandemic like all other businesses. Ernst & Young’s latest report looks at the impact of Covid-19 on the media and entertainment industry in India where it evaluates the current patterns and compares the pre-Covid-19 consumption patterns with how it can revive based on its strengths. The report studies the meteoric changes in consumer behavior and consumption, stoppages in content production, cancellation of live sports and events and cuts in advertising spends that are impacting companies across the Media & Entertainment ecosystem.

Brands, Media platforms and Media agencies which are struggling to maintain media spends due to operational volatility face severe loss of advertising revenues. Films and Television producers are ailing due to the stoppage of all productions and closure of theatres until further notice. These are truly unprecedented

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times, or times that no industry could have been prepared to handle. The same report also mentions massive growth opportunities in video gaming, online education, shopping and banking platforms.

Unity Technologies, a DanishAmerican video game software development company based in San Francisco, released a study that clearly establishes Gaming as one of the very few industries to have witnessed positive and astronomical growth in this pandemic. The study is based on mobile games that use Unity’s monetisation platform that helps over 60,000 game developers make money from over 300,000 game titles.

•

During the early days of the pandemic, the mobile gaming activity rose 17% in the US alone. Amongst the mobile gamers that watch ads, the average number of ads viewed rose 14% to 3.8 per day

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•

Mobile game advertising revenue jumped by as much as 59% in April 2020 compared to April 2019 as the Covid-19 pandemic led millions of people to spend more time playing video games on their smartphones. This made the ad impressions surge over 57% during the pandemic • In-app purchase revenue growth for mobile games jumped 24% to record highs in March-April 2020 far exceeding numbers typically seen during the holiday period • eCPM (effective cost per mille) for the average ad in a mobile game fell almost 20% in late March 2020 compared to January amid a dip in brand and non-gaming marketing campaigns. As per study, the eCPMs typically decline in the post-holiday period before leveling off in March • The volume of ads and conversion rates increased.

The pandemic led to spike in ad revenues and impressions on mobile devices for the gaming category. The jump in ad revenue more than made up for the decline in eCPMs as many marketers suspended or delayed ad campaigns during the pandemic led lockdowns While the data from Unity Technologies study largely indicates

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that mobile gaming ad revenue peaked in mid-April before drifting downwards, it may be too early to depict or project actual numbers in May, June & July 2020. There is a high likelihood that the lockdown period will remain encouraging for the gaming industry. As the spread of pandemic is increasingly contained and recoveries dominate, with people leaving their homes, we will witness the numbers falling back to historical pattern that is more regular.

Statista’s Global Digital Market Outlook pegs the digital media market at US$ 172,502mn in 2020 with a 9.8% year-on-year growth projection. This forecast was adjusted for expected global impact of Covid-19 pandemic.

Video Games share with a projected market volume of US$ 92,633 mn and 11.41% growth over previous year dominates the digital media market with a close to 54% worldwide share.

This makes the Video Games industry much bigger than Video-on-Demand, ePublishing and Digital Music put together. Majority of the revenues for video gaming are contributed by mobile gaming which is likely to contribute as much as 60% in 2020.

Dinesh is a Director & Co-Founder at Sacom, a tech-based content distribution company that does content licensing, runs content platforms and enables monetisation for some of the top gaming publishers &SVoD apps through digital subscription products in Asia. He can be reached at dinesh.gupta@sacom.in

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Toronto International Film Festival

Reimagined TIFF With Social Distanced Screenings

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he 45th edition of the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) will take place September 10–19 with socially distanced screenings (in physical and drive-ins), digital screenings, virtual red carpets, press conferences and industry talks.

TIFF, which usually discovers and shows the path to the best of award seasons including Oscars will have a lineup of 50 new feature films, five programmes of short films, as well as interactive talks, film cast reunions, and Q&As with cast and filmmakers.

The 45-year-old event is one of the largest publicly attended film festivals in the world and attracts

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more than 480,000 people every year.

Over the first five days, TIFF’s full slate of films will premiere as physical, socially distanced screenings.

Festival-goers can also enjoy drive-ins and outdoor experiences that take them beyond the movie theatre. TIFF is working closely with the Province of Ontario, the City of Toronto, and public health officials on the safe execution of the Festival, with its number-one priority being the health and well-being of both Festival filmgoers and the residents of the entire community.

TIFF has unveiled the lineup of first eight films earlier this week to be screened at the festival.

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Ammonite, directed by Francis Lee (United Kingdom); Another Round, from director Thomas Vinterberg (Denmark); Bruised, the debut film from director Halle Berry (USA); Concrete Cowboys by filmmaker Ricky Staub (USA); Fauna, from director Nicolás Pereda (Mexico/ Canada); Good Joe Bell by director Reinaldo Marcus Green (USA); Spring Blossom, the debut film by director Suzanne Lindon (France); and True Mothers by director Naomi Kawase (Japan) will all screen at this year’s Festival.

“The pandemic has hit TIFF hard, but we’ve responded by going back to our original inspiration — to bring the very best in film to the broadest possible audience,” said Cameron Bailey, Artistic Director and Co-Head, TIFF. “Our teams have had to rethink everything, and open our minds to new ideas. In countless video calls over the past three months we have rebuilt our Festival for 2020 drawing on our five decades of commitment to strong curation, support for filmmakers, and engagement with audiences. We have listened to this year’s urgent calls for greater representation of under-represented voices. You’ll see that this year at the Festival.

And we have watched as audiences have embraced cinema’s ability to transport them through screens of all sizes. You’ll see that too. We’re excited to present thoughtful, highimpact programming this September that reflects our belief that there’s no stopping great storytelling.”

“TIFF has a proud history of programming award-winning films, expanding the conversation to include a multitude of voices, and in creating boundary-pushing initiatives for the industry,” said Joana Vicente, Executive Director and Co-Head,

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TIFF. “And this year we’ve added new innovations and ways to give back to the community. In doing so, we’re aiming to advance what a film festival is capable of delivering — for audiences and the film industry.

We could never have anticipated the global seismic changes we would be facing in 2020. We tapped into the original spirit of the Festival from when it began in 1976 as our guiding light. The distilled edition of TIFF 2020 reflects a deep love of film, passion for our loyal audiences, commitment to the industry, and a whole lot of heart.”

For the first time in its history, TIFF will launch a digital platform for the Festival, affording new opportunities to connect with audiences beyond Toronto. TIFF has partnered with Shift72 to develop this industryleading online platform. Over the 10 days, the platform will host digital screenings, as well as numerous talks and special events.

For 2020, TIFF will be welcoming TIFF Ambassadors, 50 celebrated filmmakers and actors invited to help TIFF deliver a strong Festival this year for the film industry.

They will include Ava DuVernay, Darren Aronofsky, Taika Waititi, Anurag Kashyap, Nicole Kidman, Martin Scorsese, Nadine Labaki, Alfonso Cuarón, Tantoo Cardinal, Riz Ahmed, Rian Johnson, Jason Reitman, Isabelle Huppert, Claire Denis, Atom Egoyan, Priyanka Chopra, Viggo Mortensen, Zhang Ziyi, David Oyelowo, Lulu Wang, Rosamund Pike, Sarah Gadon, and Denis Villeneuve, to name a few.

Information regarding film selection, screening venues, ticket sales for both Members and the public, accreditation, and TIFF’s Industry Conference will be available in the coming weeks.

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collaPseD by coviD 47 66

MOst aWaited FilMs OF india Some are ready to hit the big screens.

A few of them need shooting days, while some other flicks are in postproduction stage. Here are top 2020 Indian movies delayed and waiting with optimism to release in a theatre near you. A quick look at the most awaited films from India HINDI

’83

: Not just Bollywood fans but cricket freaks too were eagerly waiting for this movie that is based on the life of veteran cricketing star Kapil Dev, who led the Indian team during their World Cup win in 1983. The Kabir Khan directorial venture stars Ranveer Singh and Deepika Padukone, and was scheduled to be released in April 2020. The makers have claimed that there is no hurry and the movie will not be released on any OTT platform.

lal singh chaddha:

The fact that it is an Aamir Khan movie, makes it a highly anticipated movie of 2020 that was set to hit the screens during Christmas. The film is a remake of 1994 American blockbuster Forest Gump and is co-produced by Aamir Khan Productions and Viacom 18 Motion Pictures. Also starring Kareena Kapoor Khan, the film will see Aamir in a role of a surd (sardar). will now be released next year and will incorporate facets of the COVID-19 pandemic.

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takht: This is yet another big budget multi-starrer

that people are looking forward to. The Karan Johar magnum opus is a historical drama and features a galaxy of stars like Ranveer Singh, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Alia Bhatt, Bhumi Pednekar, Vicky Kaushal, Jhanvi Kapoor and Anil Kapoor. The film which was set to release in 2020 will now hit the screens during Christmas 2021.

sadak 2: The sequel to the blockbuster 90s movie

Sadak, being produced by Vishesh Films Fox Star Studios, was set to hit the screens in July this year. However, according to reports, the makers are contemplating skipping the theatrical route and premiering the film on Disney+ Hotstar.

The film will see Mahesh Bhatt returning to direction after 21 years. Besides Alia Bhatt, the movie will also see Pooja Bhatt and Sanjay Dutt setting the screen on fire again.

sardar udham singh

: Vicky Kaushal is prepping up to impress yet again with this film, based on the life of revolutionary freedom fighter with the same name.

Directed by Shoojit Sircar and produced by Ronnie Lahiri and Sheel Kumar, the film revolves around Singh, who fought for his country, against the British. The movie will show him take revenge for the Jallianwala Bagh massacre.

Vicky’s first look from the film has already left his fans asking for more. The film is expected to hit the screens in January 2021.

laxmmi bomb

: Akshay Kumar’s much touted film, Laxmmi Bomb, may be another one to join the league of movies opting for OTT platforms. The film was set to clash with Salman Khan’s Eid release at the box office this year. Directed by Raghava Lawrence, and produced by Akshay Kumar, Bad-X and Tusshar Kapoor; the film is the remake of the Tamil movie Muni 2: Kanchana. The comedy horror film, deals with a ghost seeking vengeance for being wronged and haunts everyone who is staying in the house.

Gangu bai

: The film, directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali, and produced by Bhansali and Jayantilal Gada; stars Alia Bhatt in a key role. The film is based on a chapter of Hussain Zaidi’s book Mafia Queens of Mumbai about Gangubai Kothewali, the madam of a brothel in Kamathipura. Gangubai was pushed into prostitution at a very young age. she did a lot of work for sex-works and for the well-being for orphans. The film was slated to release in September this year. However, the release date now is not known.

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brahmastra: The much awaited film, starring

Ranbir Kaporr and Alia Bhatt, is directed by Ayan Mukerji and produced by Karan Johar. The action fantasy film was slated to release in December this year. Th update on the film’s release after COVID-19 is still to be heard.

Radhe: your Most wanted bhai: The remake of South Korean film Veteran, was set to hit the screens in May 2020. However, it is now speculated that the film will go for either Diwali, Christmas or New Year, depending upon the situation. Starring Salman Khan and Disha Patani, Jackie Shroff and Randeep Hooda, the directed by Prabhu Deva and produced by Salman Khan, Sohail Khan and Atul Agnihotri.

sooryavanshi

: Directed by Rohit Shetty and coproduced by Rohit Shetty, Karan Johar, Aruna Bhatia, Hiroo Johar and Apoorva Mehta; the film stars Akshay Kumar and Katrina Kaif. The film had a earlier release in March 2020, however, the film has been indefinitely postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The film is about a DCP who is the chief of the Mumbai Anti-Terrorism Squad and stops a terrorist batch planning to attack Mumbai.

shakuntla Devi

: Starring Vidya Balan, Sanya Malhotra, Amit Sadh and Jisshu Sengupta, Bollywood movie Shakuntala Devi will release on Amazon Prime Video.The film is based on the life of famous mathematician Shakuntala Devi, who was nicknamed the “human computer”. The film is directed and written by Anu Menon and produced by Sony Pictures Networks India and Vikram Malhotra under his banner Abundantia Entertainment.

Gunjan saxena: After Dhadak, Jhanvi Kapoor will be seen next in Gunjan Saxena that tells the brave story of a flying officer, of the same name, who made history during the Kargil war and became one of the first women in combat. She flew a Cheetah aircraft into the combat zone and rescued several soldiers. Directed by newbie Sharan Sharma, the film is being produced by Karan Johar’s Dharma Productions. The filmwill be released exclusively as a Netflix Film in 190 countries. The date of release is awaited.

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TAMIL

annaatthe

: Annaatthe, tipped to be an action drama film, is written and directed by Siva. produced

by Kalanithi Maran under the banner Sun Pictures.

The film has an ensemble cast comprising Rajinikanth, Meena, Khushbu Sundar, Nayanthara, Keerthy Suresh, Prakash Raj, Soori, Sathish and Vela Ramamoorthy. The music for the film will be composed by D Imman while cinematography and editing are performed by Vetri and Ruben, respectively. Production of the film began with the working title ‘Thalaivar 168’.

Master

: ‘Master’, said to be an action-thriller, is written and directed by Lokesh Kanagaraj, and produced

by Xavier Britto, under the banner XB Film Creators. The film stars actor Vijay and Vijay Sethupathi in lead role with an ensemble cast, featuring Malavika Mohanan, Arjun Das, Andrea Jeremiah, Shanthanu Bhagyaraj, and Ramya Subramanian amongst others, play supporting roles. The music for the film is composed by Anirudh Ravichander, whilst cinematography and editing are handled by Sathyan Sooryan and Philomin Raj, respectively.

soorarai Pottru

: Soorarai Pottru is a drama film directed by Sudha Kongara and produced by Suriya and Guneet Monga, under their respective banners 2D Entertainment and Sikhya Entertainment. The film, it is said, is based on events during the life of Air Deccan founder G R Gopinath. In 2018, Sudha Kongara stated that she will be collaborating with Suriya for her next film. G V Prakash Kumar was selected to work on the film’s music, collaborating with director Sudha and actor Suriya for the first time.

ayalaan

: Ayalaan is a science fiction fantasy film, directed by R Ravikumar of Indru Netru Naalai fame and produced by R D Raja and Kotapadi J Rajesh under their production banners 24AM Studios and KJR Studios. It stars Sivakarthikeyan, Rakul Preet Singh, Sharad Kelkar and Isha Koppikar in the lead roles. The music composed by Oscar-Grammy winner A R Rahman, and cinematography handled by Nirav Shah, and editing by Ruben. The movie is tipped to be a fun filled adventure of an alien and a man.

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TELuGu

collaPseD by coviD

MOst aWaited FilMs OF india

RRR

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: RRR is a period action film written and directed by S S Rajamouli.

It stars N T Rama Rao Jr., Ram Charan, Alia Bhatt and Ajay Devgn. It is a fictional story revolving around India’s freedom fighters, Alluri Sitarama Raju and Komaram Bheem who fought against the British Raj and Nizam of Hyderabad respectively. in October 2017, Rajamouli announced that his next film after Baahubali 2: The Conclusion, would be produced by DVV Danayya under DVV Entertainments banner.

krack

: Krack is a police story written and directed by Gopichand Malineni. It stars Ravi Teja, Shruti Haasan, Varalaxmi Sarathkumar and Samuthirakani. The film has been produced by B Madhu under Saraswathi Films Division banner. G K Vishnu handled the cinematography, while S Thaman composed the music and Ram-Lakshman choreographed the action sequences. Shruti Haasan, whose last appearance in a Telugu-language film was in 2017 with Katamarayudu, makes her comeback in the Telugu film industry with this film.

Monarch

: Nandamuri Balakrishna’s 106th film has been reportedly titled Monarch. The action entertainer, which is being directed

by Boyapati Srinu, is expected to have Balakrishna in a dual role. The film features Shriya Saran and Anjali as the female leads. Produced by Miryala Ravinder Reddy, the film marks Balakrishna’s third collaboration with Boyapati after Simha and Legend.

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MALAYALAM Marakkar: Arabikadalinte Simham: Marakkar:

Arabikadalinte Simham is a historical epic war film co-written and directed by Priyadarshan. Set in the 16th century, the film is based on the battle exploits of Mohammed Ali, Kunjali Marakkar IV (Mohanlal)—the naval chieftain of the Samoothiri. Kunjali Marakkars organised the first ever naval defense of the Indian coast by defending Portuguese invasion at the Malabar Coast for almost a century. The screenplay was co-written by Ani Sasi. The film was produced by Aashirvad Cinemas with Moonshot Entertainments and Confident Group as coproducers.

oNe

: One is a political thriller film directed by Santhosh Vishwanath and written by Bobby & Sanjay. The film stars Mammootty, Murali Gopy, Joju George, Nimisha sajayan and Shanker Ramakrishnan. The film was originally scheduled to release on 22 May 2020, but was postponed due to the coronavirus induced lockdown. The film features Mammootty as Kadakkal Chandran, Chief Minister of Kerala. Shooting began in October 2019. The first look poster of the movie was unveiled on 10 November 2019.

KANNADA kGf: chapter 2: KGF: Chapter 2 is a period

action film directed by Prashanth Neel. A sequel to the 2018 film KGF: Chapter 1, the film stars Yash in the lead reprising his role from the first film and Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt as the antagonist. Principal photography began in March 2019. The film will be dubbed in Hindi, Malayalam, Tamil and Telugu languages. Filming for KGF: Chapter 2 started in March 2019, with a small part of the film having already been shot during KGF: Chapter 1.

yuvaRathNaa

: Yuvarathnaa is an action film written and directed by Santhosh Ananddram, produced by Vijay Kiragandur, and starring Puneeth Rajkumar, Sayyeshaa, Sonu Gowda, Dhananjay and Prakash Raj. The film is being produced by Vijay Kiragandur. This is the third collaboration with Puneeth Rajkumar after Ninnindale and Raajakumara. The principal photography began on 14 February 2019. Bodybuilder Mamatha Sanathkumar will debuting through this film.

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