'Nobody likes preachy stories. When you lace it with humour, it works.'
From dubbing voices to putting faces with the help of AI, political campaigns are undergoing a Bollywood makeover. Among the favourites is a scene from the Anil Kapoor-starrer Nayak, posted by the BJP, where Kapoor asks about the Chunaavi Vaade (poll promise), with Arvind Kejriwal at the receiving end instead of Amrish Puri.
'By his words, actions, and body language during their joint press appearance wanted to convey his personal respect and, more broadly, his desire to work closely with India.'
News broadcaster NDTV Ltd on Friday reported a 59 per cent jump in March quarter revenue as it expanded digital footprint, gaining a 39 per cent rise in traffic. Consolidated net loss of Rs 8.74 crore in January-March compared with loss of Rs 1.35 crore profit in the same period a year back, according to a stock exchange filing by the company. Loss, however, narrowed from Rs 10.13 crore in the December quarter as its digital footprint expanded and gained traction.
'I would have become a big star 11 years ago if things had worked as per my plans.'
'Modi's speech was like one of our sour food preparations; Rahul's was sweet.'
'People think that because there are so many OTT platforms, roles should just fall into your lap. That's not true at all.'
'When there was a match, he would be up all night watching it on his laptop with Kishori Amonkarji singing on the side.'
It is 'when someone uses their emotional problems to hook an audience on the Internet.'
It essentially amounts to 'performing sadness online for sympathy and/or attention,' explains Sandeep Goyal.
Employers seek individuals who can prioritise tasks, solve problems, and work within deadlines, notes Ankit Aggarwal, founder and CEO, Unstop.
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Close to 25 per cent of smartphone-users in country prefer to shop online than use shopping apps, a study by research firm Nielsen said.
'Success is in the hands of the audience. I learn from what they like or dislike, and take the next step further.'
'I don't think I ever lost the confidence as an actor.'
'I can't wait to see Farhan direct again. We are a collaborating on a project. Hopefully, it would live up to the audiences' and my expectations of Farhan.'
While the country is gripped by Ram Mandir frenzy, Danish Husain -- without shouting from the rooftops -- silently staged his opinion with this play on one of India's best-known poets, observes Neeta Kolhatkar.
The way video is being watched and monetised is changing. This is the first thing that stands out as the penetration of smart TVs continues to rise.
In the run-up to the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, political parties are extensively using social media to propagate their achievements and seek support from voters.
I liked how the film finds excitement in Mahendra and Mahima's dull lives and transforms their humdrum existence into an ode to second chances, notes Sukanya Verma.
Dr Samir Shah, who was honoured with a CBE by Queen Elizabeth II in 2019 for services to television and heritage, will replace Richard Sharp, who had been forced to resign after his communication with former prime minister Boris Johnson came under scrutiny.
At the end of eight episodes, the climax is bound to leave you with questions but it would be fair to say that the two-episode backstory and the characters seemed far more interesting than the six-episode drama and tension that led to it, observes Divya Nair.
Subhash K Jha celebrates the Ram Mandir pran pratishtha ceremony by picking some memorable Ram bhajans from movies you may not have heard of.
Modi believes that in the spirit of 'cooperative federalism' the venue for such meetings between him and the chief ministers should take place around the proverbial 'round table'.
'I'd rather do a great role in any language than do mediocre stuff in Hindi.'
'Besides Ayodhya, the BJP lost in nine other constituencies with a Ramayana imprint; it tasted success only in Thrissur.' 'In Rameswaram, K Navaskani of the Indian Union Muslim League won with a 44% voteshare in a 84% Hindu constituency.' 'In the 21 seats in the Ayodhya and Varanasi regions, both crucial to the Hindutva project, the BJP won just 7.' 'It won just 3 out of 12 seats around Modi's constituency,' points out Krishna Prasad.
Hero MotoCorp, India's largest two-wheeler maker, has seen a decline in its market share in rural areas since 2018, losing ground to major competitors such as TVS Motor Company, Bajaj Auto, and Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India (HMSI), according to data from JATO Dynamics reviewed by Business Standard. Hero's share of rural two-wheeler sales in India has dropped from 40.4 per cent in 2018 to 33.3 per cent in 2023. In contrast, Bajaj's share increased from 12.7 per cent in 2018 to 13.9 per cent, HMSI's from 21.8 per cent to 22.2 per cent, and TVS' from 15.5 per cent to 17.8 per cent. Suzuki Motorcycle India has also seen its share rise from 1.7 per cent to 2.5 per cent.
Seven of Bollywood's big stars (Akshay Kumar, Ranveer Singh, Ajay Devgn, Varun Dhawan, Saif Ali Khan, John Abraham and Shahid Kapoor), who had 10 movies released with a collective budget of Rs 1,100 crore since December, could rustle up only around a third of that money at the box office.
If Tamil Nadu voters preferred the DMK combine, it owed to the Modi-Annamalai combo's ideological battle which often crossed the line of political decency and also challenged 'Tamil pride', argues N Sathiya Moorthy.
Watching Aavesham is like sprinting through the whole history of our mass-masala movies and seeing it in a new light, notes Sreehari Nair. And this, incidentally, is the story of Fahadh Faasil's career too.
Indian-American Republican presidential aspirant Vivek Ramaswamy has said that his Hindu faith gives him freedom and has inspired him to launch his bid for the White House.
Why you should always choose floral dresses.
They all seem to forget that the Music Academy is as much an independent institution as T M Krishna is an individual musician. In drawing those red lines for the Academy management, they do not even seem to recognise that they too have crossed a red line themselves, points out N Sathiya Moorthy.
'As in all our previous cases of suspected panel homes intrusions, BARC India continues to follow its established vigilance and disciplinary guidelines... BARC India appreciates the efforts of the Mumbai Police and will provide the support asked of it,' a BARC India spokesperson said.
What is driving the digital-first approach of traditional, legacy brands? Apart from the growing adoption of the internet in the country, brands are drawn to the agility of the medium.
This time Modi has no emotive message to take to the stump. Muscular nationalism doesn't work against the backdrop of China's successive inroads into Indian territory. Rising prices is a sore point that cuts across class and caste barriers; unprecedented levels of unemployment has the youth in a ferment. This has reduced the BJP campaign to a laundry list of recycled grievances and thinly veiled communal appeals, neither of which are working as well as they have in the past, argues Prem Panicker.
Leo is a good entertainer with interesting twists you wouldn't guess, applauds Divya Nair.
'There can be no bigger compliment than people walking away, carrying the film in their hearts, and thanking you for it.'
With an endless number of star kid debuts in the offing, we thought of looking at how this decade's brigade compares to their mums, dads, uncles or siblings.
Zudio was the standout performer as it tapped into the pentup demand in small-town India, at a pace never seen before, notes Indrajit Gupta, co-founder and director, Founding Fuel.
