Movies

On Wednesday, the social me-dia accounts of JioStar teased the arrival of “a new era”. It turns out JioHotstar, the new OTT platform and one of the products of the months-long merger between Reliance Industry Limited’s Viacom and Disney Star India, is set to go live today. The streamer will house the library of both Reliance’s JioCinema and Disney Star India’s Disney+ Hotstar. Said to be designed with the idea of reaching the last-mile consumer, it will provide all its content free of cost and without subscription, but with ads. Subscription packs that provide ad-free content start at R149. Obviously, the big question is: What happens to users who have active subscriptions with JioCinema or Disney+ Hotstar or both? A source tells us that existing subscribers of either platform will be aut...

Sean “Diddy” Combs is suing NBCUniversal over a documentary that he says falsely accuses him of being a serial murderer who had sex with underage girls as he awaits trial on federal sex trafficking charges. The lawsuit filed Wednesday in New York state court says the documentary, Diddy: Making of a Bad Boy, included statements that NBCUniversal either knew were false or published with reckless disregard for the truth in order to defame the founder of Bad Boy Records.“Indeed, the entire premise of the Documentary assumes that Mr. Combs has committed numerous heinous crimes, including serial murder, rape of minors, and sex trafficking of minors, and attempts to crudely psychologize him,” the complaint reads. “It maliciously and baselessly jumps to the conclusion that Mr. Combs is a ‘monster’...

Urvashi Dholakia will soon be seen in Disney+ Hotstar`s upcoming show, “Power of Paanch”. During an exclusive interaction with IANS, the actress opened up about her character in the drama. She was asked during the interview, "What made you say yes to this unique concept?" To this, she replied, "It is very simple for me. If something interests me within one minute of narration, I will say yes to it. This show is not just about superpowers, there is a lot more. It goes on to showcase a lot of relationships. Plus, this character means a lot to me because this is the first time I am playing such a character. People have never seen me doing such a role. People have a set image of me in their minds and it is going to definitely break with the help of this show. " "Power of Paanch" will share t...

A viral AI-generated video made it appear that Hollywood had turned against Kanye West, showcasing A-list stars banding together to protest the rapper after his recent antisemitic remarks. The video shows AI-generated versions of Jewish celebrities like David Schwimmer, Drake, Steven Spielberg, Adam Sandler, Jerry Seinfeld, Sacha Baron Cohen, Scarlett Johansson, Mark Zuckerberg, Mila Kunis and more wearing anti-Kanye T-shirts featuring a hamsa with a raised middle finger and a Star of David in the middle, with the word “Kanye” written below it.At the end of the video, words appear on the screen, reading, “Enough is Enough. Join the Fight Against Antisemitism.” Story continues below advertisement The AI video comes after West’s Yeezy.com had been removed from S...

Last month, there was chatter in the industry that BBC Studios, the production arm of the British broadcaster, was reviewing its operations in India. Now, mid-day has learnt that the studio has decided to make an exit from the country. This comes despite its strong portfolio that includes Criminal Justice India, The Broken News, and School of Lies (2023).  Insiders suggest that the decision is part of a restructuring strategy by the company’s global leadership, which is reassessing its investments in international markets. Sources say that with rising production costs, competition from local studios, and an evolving OTT market, BBC Studios was finding it tough to maintain a sustainable business model despite its success in adapting international shows and formats for the Indian audience. ...

Kanye West is no longer being represented by talent agency 33&West. Daniel McCartney, who was the rapper’s music agent, announced that West had been removed from the agency’s roster of clients as of Feb. 10.In an Instagram Stories post, McCartney wrote: “Effective immediately, I’m no longer representing YE (F/K/A Kanye West) due to his harmful and hateful remarks that myself nor 33 & West can stand for.”“Peace and love to all,” McCartney added. A screenshot of Daniel McCartney’s Instagram Stories statement. Daniel McCartney/Instagram West was dropped from the agency following his antisemitic rants on X, where he declared himself a “Nazi” and claimed to “love Hitler.” On Sunday night, it appeared that West had...

OTT shows have primarily become about personal viewing experiences. As filmmaker Sooraj Barjatya forays into the OTT world with Bada Naam Karenge, he hopes the nine-episode series will take people back to the culture of family viewing. In conversation with mid-day, the showrunner talks about making content for Gen Z, why his projects always boast of green-flag characters, and how a section of OTT viewers misses family dramas. Edited excerpts from the interview. Where did the story originate from?It was narrated to us by S Manasvi; he came up with the concept in 2013. We were [struggling] with the climax then. In 2020, when we had a meeting with SonyLIV, they wanted a Rajshri show. They wanted to recreate the world of Hum Saath Saath Hain [1999] and Vivah [2006] on OTT. So we met Manasvi,...

Bollywood beauty Saba Azad, who is returning with the second season of the Amazon Mini TV series Who`s Your Gynac, encountered a troll who mocked her desire to work, citing that she doesn’t need to since she’s dating superstar Hrithik Roshan. Instead of letting it go, Saba decided to give this faceless user a piece of her mind.  Saba Azad responds to a troll  An Instagram user wrote under Saba’s post, "I thought season 2 would never come, after all, @sabazad Madam Ji is the official girlfriend of the Greek God. But now I am very excited for the next season.” Saba hit back stating, "Ok sumit ji uncle ji ji!! Maybe in your world when people fall in love they become incapacitated and landlords stop asking for rent and the need to put food on one`s own table magically evaporates!! Wah!!" H...

NOTE: The following article contains disturbing content. Please read at your own discretion. Amanda Palmer, ex-wife of author Neil Gaiman, has denied allegations of rape and human trafficking made by a woman who worked as a nanny for the former couple.Scarlett Pavlovich, the former family babysitter, filed three civil lawsuits — one against Gaiman and his ex-wife, Palmer, and two more against Palmer — in federal court in Wisconsin, Massachusetts and New York on Feb. 3.Pavlovich alleged the former couple violated laws on federal human trafficking, sexual assault and battery while she worked as the family’s nanny. She claims Gaiman assaulted her multiple times and that she told Palmer, who allegedly knew of past incidents of abuse.Palmer took to Instagram to address the allegations in a stat...

If you thought your love for lavish family dramas was a thing of your younger days, Sooraj Barjatya’s latest web offering is set to serve as a revelation. Taking viewers back on a nostalgic ride to the decade when films on familial relationships took centre-stage, the sweet romantic drama, Bada Naam Karenge, is reminiscent of some of the most celebrated Rajshri Productions offerings like Vivah (2006), and Hum Saath Saath Hai (1999).  Serving as the film’s sonic backbone is Anurag Saikia, who has been steadily climbing the rope to professional success with a string of memorable releases. Saikia, who has crafted the music and the score of the nine-part offering, discusses why the makers wanted the Ritik Ghanshani and Ayesha Kaduskar starrer to be a subtle nod to the ’90s. Pics/Instagram E...