Aamir Khan's starry magic, Akshay Kumar's buffoonery and more on OTT this week.
'If nominal growth improves and earnings pick up, Indian stock markets could see a rally next year.'
GST Reform 2.0, which trims tax slabs from four to two, signals a push for demand-led growth, and together with recent income tax cuts, sets the stage for sustained economic growth, experts said. The Goods and Services Tax (GST) Council on September 3 approved an overhaul of the indirect tax regime by taxing essentials at 5 per cent and other goods at 18 per cent. A new 40 per cent tax will be applicable on luxury and sin items.
Festive sales are expected to surge 27 per cent to cross Rs 120,000 crore in 2025, driving Amazon and Flipkart to expand warehousing capacity by millions of cubic feet and extend delivery networks to thousands of new pin codes -- an infrastructure buildout that could reshape India's retail landscape for years.
'Ek baar aap GST dekh lo!' - Prime Minister Narendra Modi's gentle nudge to Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in December last year sparked the beginning of a mammoth exercise to overhaul the tangled goods and services tax regime. And the final outcome is a significantly simplified system with lower tax rates and easier compliance for businesses.
Fahad Faasil and Vadivelu more than deliver the goods, but the film, as a whole, fails to live up to their startling on-screen partnership, observes Arjun Menon.
'I knew nobody would randomly pick me and say you are a hero.'
The jokes don't land. The one-liners fall flat. And worse, nobody from the well-stacked cast looks like they are having fun, observes Mayur Sanap.
The always dependable Pratik Gandhi finds a match in Sunny Hinduja and they are surrounded by a top notch supporting cast, observes Deepa Gahlot.
Action, romance, comedy, drama unlimited on OTT this week, lists Sukanya Verma.
'They were born stars the day they were selected for this film.'
Chhal Kapat is a bland whodunnit, which does not have the necessary skills and smarts to pull it off, notes Mayur Sanap.
Shefali featured in popular Salman Khan-hosted reality show Bigg Boss 13 (2019), alongside winner Sidharth Shukla, who died in 2021.
Virat Kohli lifts IPL title finally -- No. 18 meets destiny on the 18th year
L Eswar Rao said it took him three days to complete the art.
With a better script, Test could have been a compelling relationship drama. Instead, it only tests your patience, complains Mayur Sanap.
Having lost her job as a stage dancer for film award shows in the pandemic, Smita Soni learnt how to make organic bath and body products. Archana Masih/Rediff.com met her as she sold her handmade items from the boot of her car with baby on her hip.
What are you going to watch on OTT this week? Sukanya Verma lists your options.
From using lavender in traditional Dogri embroidery to making essential oils, beauty products and food syrups infused with this flowering plant, Bhaderwah, once known for its maize fields, is embracing lavender to bring about an economic transformation to their small town.
'Very rarely does a film give you the opportunity to do this, I was constantly improvising and adding scenes on the set.'
With Raid 2, where Ajay Devgn reprises his role as an income tax hawk swooping on a defaulter politician, the actor is hoping to make another successful sequel. Here's a look at his series of sequel love.
Doctors has soap opera level of plot developments that veer off to melodrama and struggle to keep you engaged, observes Mayur Sanap.
The bamboo water bottle is priced at Rs 560 and the soap variant of 125 grams costs Rs 125 each.
The similarities between the two movies may be striking but where they differ is in the way each focuses your curiosity, observes Sreehari Nair.
Targeted at the north and east of India apart from the big metros, WCCL aims to position the brand in the premium segment, but at a discounted price than the existing players. The company also expects to corner a 10 per cent market share in the glycerin soap market in the first year.
The unspoken subject of Mithya is violence, and the big zinger here is our recognition that the movie is showing us the makings of a juvenile delinquent -- perhaps the finest since Truffaut unleashed his Antoine Doinel, applauds Sreehari Nair.
Sebamed's campaign for its cleansing bar of the same name, released across print, television, digital and outdoor, has also named Santoor, a popular soap brand from Wipro Consumer Care.
Hit by inflation, higher input costs and pricing measures, fast-moving consumer goods companies are expected to see a contraction in their gross margin and a modest-to-flat operating profit in the October-December quarter. Several FMCG makers are likely to log a low single-digit rise in their revenue, returning to the cycle of value-driven growth.
After shampoos and oral care, fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) companies are betting big on soaps this year.
'Straight from heaven into our hearts. A whole new life, a whole new start.'
'I want to make it on my own. But could you tell me where to start?'
There's not any effort -- not even a smidgen -- to resurrect a superstar on the wane in Sikandar, sighs Sukanya Verma.
Mere Husband Ki Biwi collapses into an unremarkable My Best Friend's Wedding knock-off reducing a woman's worth to a catfight, observes Sukanya Verma.
There is much in Oops! Ab Kya? that continues to linger till the cliff-hanger in the final episode. And yet, there's a great deal about the show that doesn't quite come together, observes Mayur Sanap.
'I didn't like doing jhatak-mataks. I would subconsciously start feeling, 'Oh my God, my makeup man and my driver will be watching this.''
Karnataka Soaps and Detergents will launch a super premium brand in June.
