Pickle April 2022 Edition

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INDIA’S ONLY FILM BIZ MAGAZINE FOR THE WORLD

JYOTI DESHPANDE, CEO - VIACOM18 PRESIDENT - JIO STUDIOS CO-CHAIR - FICCI MEDIA & ENTERTAINMENT

THE PATHFINDER READY TO TAKE ON POST-PANDEMIC CHALLENGES, MEDIA VETERAN JYOTI DESHPANDE, SPEAKS HER MIND ON THE ROAD TO RECOVERY AND AND GRAND VISION TO HELP THE INDIAN M&E SECTOR NAVIGATE TOWARDS BECOMING A $100 BILLION INDUSTRY

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MAINSTREAM MOVIES TO WATCH IN 2022

FROM T HE E D ITO R Story is always first, budgets come next. I am a slave to the story.

I dream of a day when we have one big film industry: The Indian Film Industry. That’s what I’m striving for. Tamil, Hindi, Telugu, are all just languages”.

T

he message is very clear. India’s storytelling and a converged market, going forward, is going to make India showbiz stronger than ever before. The insight quoted above from S S Rajamouli, one of the finest directors India has ever produced, is real. His latest film RRR, a fictional story of Telugu freedom fighters Komaram Bheem and Alluri Sitarama Raju’s journey before their struggle for independence starring Ram Charan, NTR Jr is set for release on March 25 in Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam, Kannada and Hindi languages. It braced three Covid phases and is now ready for release in over 6000 screens across the world. The $60 million budgeted RRR will be released in over 1000 theatres in the USA, and 100 IMAX screens all over the world. Post theatrical release, RRR will stream on Netflix in Hindi, English, Korean, Portuguese, Turkish and Spanish versions.

Over the last one week RRR has created a new phenomenon in reaching out to fans. Apart from creating buzz at Dubai Expo 2020, the RRR team has traveled the length and breadth of India -- Hyderabad, Chennai, Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Baroda, Jaipur, Bengaluru, Varanasi, Amritsar, Kerala. Have you ever imagined a film promoted at the Statue of Unity, Gujarat? We wish box office success for RRR. It is much needed to bring cinelovers back to theatres.

RRR Swaying Global fans

not see big releases for almost two years, with many producers bearing huge losses. However, with the pandemic subsiding to a minimal extent, Indian producers are queuing up to release their much-awaited films. This year it is going to be a treat for cinelovers as it is slated to witness some of the biggest and phenomenal releases. We have listed top mainstream 2022 films in this issue.

We have Jyothi Deshpande, CEO - Viacom18, President - Jio Studios and Co-chair - FICCI Media & Entertainment on her insights on where the Indian media and entertainment sector is heading in our cover story. She has explained clearly with confidence and optimism that the Indian media and entertainment sector is coming back to normalcy after two tumultuous years. She already has a sketch in her mind and thought leadership to take Indian M&E sector shift gear and scale new heights.

India has a huge room for growth for domestic media and entertainment companies as well as foreign media and film companies looking to tap the Indian market. Audio visual services is being recognised as a champion sector by the Government of India.

Government policies are geared towards realising the full potential of the M&E sector -- providing an enabling environment lowering market barriers and propel growth.

Feel free to email your thoughts and suggestions.

Over $1.5 billion production worth of Indian films are waiting to hit movie theatres in the coming months.

Covid-19 turned out to be a major blow for the Indian film fraternity that did

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

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Advantage India “The Indian Media and Entertainment industry is one of the fastest growing and the most visible in the world. The Indian M&E industry is valued at US$ 28 billion and is projected to reach US$ 100 billion by 2030 growing at a cumulative growth rate of 12%.

India has talent and creative skill required in the industry”

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Apurva Chandra Secretary Ministry of Information & Broadcasting Government of India Apurva Chandra inaugurated Media and Entertainment Week at the India Pavilion EXPO 2020 Dubai

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india @ dubai

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JYOTI DESHPANDE, CEO - VIACOM18 PRESIDENT - JIO STUDIOS CO-CHAIR - FICCI MEDIA & ENTERTAINMENT

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THE PATH FINDER As a keen observer and enabler of change in the Indian M&E sector for nearly three decades, Media Veteran Jyoti Deshpande, CEO, Viacom18, President - Jio Studios and Co-Chair, FICCI Media & Entertainment has her task cut out for herself in a postpandemic world dominated by new challenges. In a candid interview with Pickle, she underscores her key priorities and grand vision to help the Indian M&E sector navigate towards becoming a $100 billion industry

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JYOTI DESHPANDE Jyoti Deshpande is an industry veteran with over 3 decades of experience in the media and entertainment business. On September 30, 2021, Jyoti was appointed as CEO of Viacom18 to drive its transition into a truly integrated media company across broadcast, OTT and content studio businesses spanning general entertainment, movies, kids and sports across languages. This makes her the first woman leader to be named CEO of a Big 4 media company in India. She also serves on the boards of Network18, Balaji Telefilms and JioSaavn. Jyoti joined Reliance Industries in 2018 as President, Chairman’s Office - Media Platform & Content. Over the last four years, Jyoti established Jio Studios as a key player in the entertainment value chain. In her previous company, Jyoti had successfully built a formidable media & content distribution business and pioneered ErosNow’s early entry into the OTT space. In her new role, Jyoti will grow Viacom18 in the backdrop of digital disruption while bringing synergies across all RIL media investments. An industry captain, Jyoti also serves as the CoChair, Media & Entertainment Committee, FICCI, again the first woman leader to hold this position.

She has featured among Fortune India as well as Business Today’s 50 Most Powerful Women in Business lists, both of which celebrate the journeys and triumphs of women who not only impact their organization but are also thought leaders in their industry. Jyoti believes in the power of positive thinking and practices Vipassana meditation.

She’s an avid movie buff and equally follows cricket and tennis passionately.

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Congratulations on acquiring a new leadership role as the co-chair of FICCI M&E Board. As you have witnessed the rise of M&E at close quarters for three decades, how do you see M&E evolving in postpandemic world? What is your major objective in terms of pushing the growth of the Indian M&E industry in near future?

Thank you. It has been my good fortune to be part of a paradigm shift in the M&E industry for almost three eventful decades— from the analogue to digital era in the nineties, to the proliferation of the mobile internet driven by the Jio revolution, to the subsequent digital/OTT explosion and now looking curiously ahead at a life in the Metaverse.

The pandemic has definitely pushed more households to accelerate digital adoption, be it for education or entertainment.

Multi-device platform agnostic consumption of content (and therefore data) is here to stay. It would be safe to say that the change is permanent. The only constant is that technological advancements continue to increase the relevance, importance and demand for content and story tellers.

JYOTI DESHPANDE, CEO - VIACOM18 PRESIDENT - JIO STUDIOS CO-CHAIR - FICCI M & E

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During pandemic, TV became connected and interactive; films released online; news went hyper-local; 390 million Indians gamed online; and over 150 billon songs were streamed. Besides, subscriptions of OTT scaled to 40 million households, and digital media cemented its position as the second largest segment of Indian M&E. Our M&E sector should reach pre-pandemic levels in 2022 itself.

My major objective would be to work with the government and the Indian M&E industry champions to ensure that the sum of the parts is greater than the whole and we have a sustainable path to becoming a $100 billion industry which is currently less than $28 billion in size. This has been our dream for a while, as we straddle changing dynamics of traditional and new media, in the backdrop of a complex regulatory environment.

Indian media and entertainment sector’s positioning at Dubai Expo later this month is one of the first physical global outings for the M&E sector since the start of the pandemic. What is the message we will be conveying to the world?

India’s message to the world is that the digital era has made it a level playing field and India is no longer playing catch up. We are well on our way to becoming the largest credible marketplace in the world with over 800 million internet users and over 600 million upwardly mobile middle class which is larger than the population of most developed countries. This is a consumer wallet no brand or service can ignore. With consolidation in the Indian M&E sector, our message to global companies in the media value chain is that we are open for business and strategic collaborations to spoil the Indian consumer for choice and tap arguably the most lucrative market in the world.

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Post pandemic, various verticals of the M&E sector (TV, Film, OTT, AVGC, Radio) have strengths, status quo, weaknesses... some have more growth pointers than others... how do you view it?

India is unique in the sense that it feels like several diverse countries lie within this one great nation.

We still have more than 300 million internet dark households who we are targeting to convert through 4G/5G. Only about 66% of households own a television set in India. As the top end of the urban mass and rural rich households pivot to a more digital multidevice multi-platform content consumption pattern, and cord cutting begins, I firmly believe that there is still headroom for new households to come into play in both traditional and new media in what is a rapidly developing nation of young people. Cinema and Print have been hardest hit in the pandemic while digital has been the biggest beneficiary.

As consumption explodes across media, moot question remains on the ability to drive up subscription ARPU and persuade the Indian consumer to part with a share of wallet by building a compelling value proposition. Ad ex has grown by close to 40% in the last year surpassing pre-pandemic levels. Monetization is still largely dependent on measurement metrics which may or may not be updated frequently enough to effectively and/or accurately reflect the rapidly changing consumption patterns. Again, this is an area where industry leaders and government can play a pivotal role. Transparency in monitoring and measurement with common currency within the remit of consumer data privacy can really help attract more dollars to the Indian M&E sector. Tax credits to encourage shooting across various states in India can be another incentive.

The Indian Cinema industry is currently facing its biggest growth challenge. Since you have immersed yourself in this space, especially when it comes to increasing its global 12

footprint, what steps can we take to increase India’s exports in the M&E space?

Even before the pandemic began, the Indian film industry was suffering from under-penetration of cinemas with only six screens available per million people compared to 125 in the US. The situation has turned worse with the shutting down of single screens during the pandemic. Despite highest number of tickets sold as well as the largest number of movies produced across languages (2000+) annually, low ATP or average ticket prices, have historically plagued our market. I do believe that India will now see production of ‘larger than life’ visual spectacles that will first cross over pan nationally before crossing over to the world. The visual medium is largely becoming language agnostic where audiences are willing to consume compelling content in dubbed or subtitled versions. There are more than 75 countries that regularly consume Indian content.

A framework for viable cross collaborations between Indian and international talent, state-of-theart production values where cost is supported by commensurate tax breaks and mainstream distribution and marketing of the same is what is needed to export our stories to the world.

TRANSPARENCY IN MONITORING AND MEASUREMENT WITH COMMON CURRENCY WITHIN THE REMIT OF CONSUMER DATA PRIVACY CAN REALLY HELP ATTRACT MORE DOLLARS TO THE INDIAN M&E SECTOR

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WE ARE WELL ON OUR WAY TO BECOMING THE LARGEST CREDIBLE MARKETPLACE IN THE WORLD WITH OVER 800 MILLION INTERNET USERS AND OVER 600 MILLION UPWARDLY MOBILE MIDDLE CLASS WHICH IS LARGER THAN THE POPULATION OF MOST DEVELOPED COUNTRIES. THIS IS A CONSUMER WALLET NO BRAND OR SERVICE CAN IGNORE

JYOTI DESHPANDE, CEO - VIACOM18 PRESIDENT - JIO STUDIOS CO-CHAIR - FICCI MEDIA & ENTERTAINMENT

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How can we capitalize on our 2,000+ films, 800 TV channels, 50 OTT platforms, 650 million smart phones, and 400 million gamers to grow further? Is it enough to take Indian M&E sector to reach its $100 billion growth target? With $10 trillion Indian economy envisioned in 2030, can audio-visual sector has the potential to achieve 2% share in the economy going forward?

This is indeed a solid foundation to build a path to the $100 billion goal. While consumption grows in geometric progression, we need to work together to weave a framework for monetization that is robust and sustainable, be it directly from consumer wallet or from advertising. Our stories have to be relevant and entertaining to a global audience. Again, the key competitive advantage India will have is that the traditional parts of the media value chain will not decline as fast as it happened in developed countries while the new media will grow just as fast. The US M&E sector is 5-7% of their GDP in any given year so there is no reason why we cannot achieve 2% of the GDP in the next 3-5 years.

India is celebrating 75 years of its Independence in 2022.

What is your vision for the Indian M&E sector in the next 10 years?

Ten years from now, the Indian M&E sector should be at least 5% of our GDP. The Indian M&E market should have driven up ARPU on the back of prolific consumption to be a top three market globally competing with US and China. ‘Make in India and Show the World’ mantra driven

by Indian storytellers and tech companies would unleash the true power of the Indian Mythoverse into the Metaverse. Technologies change, distribution platforms change, devices change, operating systems change – what never changes is the demand for content, the demand for a compelling story and a talented storyteller. The next 10 years will see a large crop of young story-tellers crossing over globally.

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How do we create a startup ecosystem, providing new canvasses – like the Metaverse– bringing stories to life in new forms?

Technological advancements, education, training and development and large-scale production and post-production facilities are the need of the hour.

Many traditional story tellers even today do not understand the power and possibilities of basic VFX, let alone the Metaverse. Creators are only limited by their own imagination. Institutionalization and democratization are required so that India and Indian story telling can play to scale.

A FRAMEWORK FOR VIABLE CROSS COLLABORATIONS BETWEEN INDIAN AND INTERNATIONAL TALENT, STATEOF-THE-ART PRODUCTION VALUES WHERE COST IS SUPPORTED BY COMMENSURATE TAX BREAKS AND MAINSTREAM DISTRIBUTION AND MARKETING OF THE SAME IS WHAT IS NEEDED TO EXPORT OUR STORIES TO THE WORLD

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There is a growing concern for ethics and morality of technologically driven advancements in the digital media space...How do we tackle this?

Ethics is too vast a topic to be straddled in a short answer. It can cover something as basic as parameters for censorship across different platforms like Cinema, TV or OTT, to something as complex as data privacy of a consumer who leaves a digital footprint with every click, to the unexplored use cases in the Metaverse and what it may do to our moral fibre or our mental health, especially of young India.

What should be policed and what shouldn’t? How can governments have a nimble intuitive regulatory framework that is effective for consumer protection as well as not detrimental to business? Another topic worth discussion is the M&E sectors responsibility towards the issue of sustainability. We haven’t even scratched the tip of the iceberg here.

To make ‘Make in India, Show the World’ successful, we need to have a mechanism for our IPs created out of India. What are your thoughts on this issue?

Of course, protection of copyright is a pivotal spoke of the flywheel.

It is estimated that last year India recorded over 6.5 billion visits to piracy websites, third highest in the world after US and Russia. As the various windows of exploitation collapse to offer consumers the ultimate choice to legitimately watch what they JYOTI DESHPANDE, CEO - VIACOM18 PRESIDENT - JIO STUDIOS CO-CHAIR - FICCI M & E

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want when they want it, on the one hand we will need to work with the government to enforce stronger consequences to piracy that are effective deterrents and on the other hand we need to create technological barriers to piracy with further advancements.

Nearly 120 million Indian women—more than double the population of South Korea—do not participate in the workforce despite having secondary level education. Does the media sector provide outlets for them?

Once again this is a vast topic and one that is close to my heart.

As per the Global Gender Gap Report 2021 published by the World Economic Forum, India is ranked at 140 out of 156 countries with a score of 0.625 (out of 1). Why girls in India don’t enter the workforce after being neck and neck with boys in education, why women drop out of the workforce midway through their career? While some of it is voluntary choice made by the women themselves, some of it is circumstantially thrust upon them due to deep-rooted cultural biases that continuously reinforce stereotypes. For this to change, men must equally be included in the conversation about women empowerment, and there needs to be a seismic cultural shift in the attitude towards preconceived notions and role definitions of men and women at home and at work.

I already see this happening due to greater exposure and awareness driven by the social media explosion. Starting with a bank account and financial independence sought by women.

Winds of change have set in motion slowly but surely. The media and entertainment sector has seen a systematic increase in women workforce in the last several years.

There are still only a handful of us at the leadership levels in M&E, but it’s surely growing. Women leaders in this sector (and others) are rigorously mentoring other women on merits and paying it forward to give this movement the momentum it desperately needs, as I am doing in my own organization.

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20 22 Films that you shouldn’t miss this year

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Over $1.5 billion production worth of Indian films are waiting to hit movie theatres in the coming months.

Covid-19 turned out to be a major blow for the Indian film fraternity that did not see big releases for almost two years, with many producers bearing huge losses. However, with the pandemic subsiding to a minimal extent, Indian producers are queuing up to release their much-awaited films. This year it is going to be a treat for cinelovers as it is slated to witness some of the biggest and phenomenal releases. Here’s a look at some mainstream films

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INTO THE

WORLD OF

RRR Guide to S S Rajamouli’s grand film starring NTR Junior, Ram Charan and Alia Bhatt, and Ajay Devgn how it is set to dominate Indian showbiz and storytelling across the world

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TEAM RRR

Producer: DVV Danayya Screenplay & Direction: S.S. Rajamouli Cast: NTR, Ram Charan, Ajay Devgn, Alia Bhatt, Olivia Morris, Samuthirakani, Alison Doody, Ray Stevenson Banner: DVV Entertainment Presented by: D. Parvathi Story: V. Vijayendra Prasad International Distribution: Phars Films

Hindi Dialogues: Riya Mukherjee Tamil Dialogues: Karky Kannada Dialogues: Varadaraju Chikkaballapura Malayalam Dialogues: Gopala Krishnan Re-recording Mixer- Boloy Kumar Doloi, Rahul Karpe

DOP: K.K. Senthil Kumar Production Designer: Sabu Cyril Music Composer: M.M. Kreem VFX Supervision: V Srinivas Mohan Editor: Sreekar Prasad Costume Designer: Rama Rajamouli

North India Distribution: Pen Studios and Dr. Jayantilal Gada (Pen Studios) Tamilnadu Distribution: Lyca Productions Karnataka Distribution: KVN Productions

Line Producer - SS Karthikeya

DI & Sound Mix: Annapurna Studios

Post Production Line Producer - MM Srivalli

Colorist: Shivakumar BVR

Telugu Dialogues: Sai Madhav Burra

Music Label: Lahari Music & Tseries

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a

J

Ra m

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THE NAME IS RAJAMOULI

appeals to the public to go and watch ‘RRR’ on the day of the release.

This film should be watched on big screens, he says.

On making big budget movies, he says, “Since my childhood days, Amar Chitra Katha was my favourite comic book series and everything originated from there. My mother would encourage me to read these comic books. I also drew my inspiration from Telugu classics like Maya Bazaar, Pataal Bhairavi, which dealt with mythological and folklore kind of stories. So, I always wanted to make these large scale war epic films. But what gave me courage to do this film were the larger than life characters that were created for this film that my father (writer Vijayendra Prasad) has written.”

S S Rajamouli has to his credit a string of signature films that artfully blend fantasy, folklore and romance in a way that appeals to all sections of the audience. The maverick director, who has fuelled some of India’s biggest visually stunning epics, is down to earth.

“I am constantly scared … I am scared if I will be able to get what I have in my mind and those pent-up emotions, exactly onto the big screen.

I am constantly wondering if I am getting it right to the fullest extent or if I am giving it my 100 per cent or not. The fear is constantly there,” said Rajamouli in an interview with Gulf News.

On RRR, he says, “it is a team effort.

We have made this film with a lot of passion and conviction. And we hope people will like it.” Rajamouli

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Rajamouli’s other works include Syem Vikramarkudu, Maryada Ramanna, Eega, Vikramarkudu and Chatrapathi.

Rajamouli started directing Telugu soap operas on ETV, under the guidance of K. Raghavendra Rao. Later on, he directed the TV series Santhi Nivasam, produced by K. Raghavendra Rao. His first shot at Telugu films was Student No.1, with Jr. NTR in 2001.

Rajamouli identifies himself as an atheist. He considers Bhakti, in terms of subservience to a higher power, as a strong emotion, and he uses it as a storytelling element in his films.

Rajamouli’s films have themes often related to fantasy and Hindu epics.

He admits that his films are inspired

by Ramayana and Mahabharata.

The idea of reincarnation is first used in Magadheera, following that it was next seen in Eega.

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Fight with pandemic After bracing three Covid phases and challenges, S S Rajamouli’s magnum opus RRR is set to release. The film had to undergo delays due to the pandemic. But the team took it as a challenge and maintained the tempo, setting an example for others.

Marketing Magic The film produced

by DVV Danayya has grabbed a space for itself in the minds of film lovers and this is visible in the way it has scaled marketing in the last one week.

RRR has created a new phenomenon in reaching out to fans. Apart from creating buzz at Dubai Expo 2020, the RRR team has traveled the length and breadth of India -- Hyderabad, Chennai, Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Baroda, Jaipur, B e n g a l u r u , Varanasi, Amritsar, Kerala. Have you ever imagined a film promoted at the Statue of Unity, Gujarat? ________________ Crackling Chemistry One thing that has grabbed the attention of many is the chemistry and camaraderie between NTR Junior and Ram Charan in RRR. Even celebrities like Madhavan are all praise over this. ________________

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What’s it About It is a fictional story about two Indian revolutionaries, Alluri Sitarama Raju (Charan) and Komaram Bheem (Rama Rao), who fought against the British Raj and Nizam of Hyderabad, respectively. ________________ Star Studded Besides Ram Charan and NTR, RRR stars Ajay Devgn, Alia Bhatt and Olivia Morris while Samuthirakani, Alison Doody, Ray Stevenson and Shriya Saran play supporting roles.

The film has musical score by M M Keeravani, a regular in R a j a m o u l i movies. ________________

Who & What S S Rajamouli, creator of Bahubali (1&2), is coming up with RRR. What Baahubali did to India on the global footprint is expected to do much better by RRR. Poised to release on more than 6000 screens worldwide, the film which has NTR Junior and Ram Charan as protagonists also stars Alia Bhatt, Ajay Devgn, Shriya Saran among others. It has been made in five Indian languages -- Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam, Hindi, Kannada; five foreign languages and will stream on Netflix in English, Korean, Portuguese, Turkish and Spanish. ________________________________________________

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Dream Stream RRR has announced several streaming and satellite partners.

Once the film completes its theatrical run, it will stream in Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam and Kannada languages on ZEE5. On Netflix, the film will stream in Hindi, English, Korean, Portuguese, Turkish and Spanish versions.

The producers have also struck satellite carriage deals with ZEE Cinema for Hindi, Star Maa for Telugu, Star Suvarna for Kannada, Star Vijay for Tamil, and Asianet for Malayalam. ________________

Baahubali Blast Rajamouli’s twopart action-fantasy series Baahubali, released between 2015 and 2017, is often credited for bridging the gap between the north and south film industries.

Since then, the word pan-India gained momentum after movies of south stars set new box office records in Hindi regions. ________________ Producer & Passion RRR producer DVV Danayya, who is from West Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh, is known for his passion for cinema. He has been active in the field since 1993 and is known for some big movies like Bharat Ane Nenu, Bruce Lee, Naayak and Dubai Seenu. ________________

Ukraine Input The last schedule of RRR was shot in Ukraine, which is hit by war now. Some important scenes were reportedly shot there. ________________ Secret behind title In the beginning, the team didn’t know what to put the title as, so they thought they should refer to the project as RRR because of Ram Charan, Rama Rao (Jr NTR) and Rajamouli.

They started putting hashtags as RRR and the response of the audience was overwhelming so they kept RRR as the title. ________________

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Visual Delight The film’s VFX has been handled by Srinivasa Mohan who has worked on earlier films with Rajamouli.

Srinivasa Mohan has seen the final output of the film and is super excited.

“The experience will be terrific and it’s a promise,” he said. ________________ Big Budget Andhra Pradesh Minister Perni Nani had said, “We got an application from the makers of RRR. As per that information, the producers have spent Rs 336 crore on

the movie, excluding GST and the salaries of the cast and crew.” This means that the budget of RRR is over Rs 400 crore.

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Multiple formats A lot of money has been spent on the 3D and Imax formats so that the audience gets the ultimate experience.

NTR Happy NTR Jr said it was heartening that the team was at the EXPO2020 Dubai to internationally promote RRR as an Indian film, not a regional film. Citing the example of Marvel Studio’s bigbudget superhero multistarrer ‘ A v e n g e r s : Endgame’, the actor said irrespective of the nationalities audience cried when they saw Iron Man, played

by Robert Downey Jr, die on screen in the 2019 Hollywood film. ________________ About Alia Talking about Alia Bhatt, Rajamouli said, “On the outside, Alia appears fragile and soft, but on the interior she has a very strong character. I wanted someone like her to play the role of Sita as someone who could balance out the fire and water of Charan and Taarak’s characters in the film.” ________________

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Conflict between Protagonists According to Rajamouli, “Let me tell you that here, in RRR, the conflict is between the heroes themselves.

So, the heroes themselves are the heroes and the heroes themselves are the villains.

The conflict is between them, not with the villain.

I always knew that a conflict between two good people is much more stronger and emotional than the conflict between a good guy and a bad guy.” ________________ Foreign Stars On the experience of working with foreign actors in his film, Rajamouli said, “As we showcase the preIndependence era, we had characters playing British people. The three main foreign actors in the film are Alison Doody, Ray Stevenson and Olivia Morris. It took us some time to actually find these actors.” ________________

Global Glitz RRR is now a global craze -- USA, Middle East, Canada, UAE etc.

International acquisition has been done by Ahmad Golchin, the founder and CEO of Phars

Film Group. Raftar Creations have bought the rights to distribute RRR in the US across languages in over 1000 screens. RRR is India’s biggest film, which is bankrolled by DVV Danayya and it has a star cast that pans across languages. For the first time an Indian film will be screened in IMAX across the world in over 100 screens. It will also be screened in 3D. ________________________________________________

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Unfulfilled Wish “While shooting RRR, there were occasions when I wanted to go that side (direction) and Rajamouli garu come this side (acting),” said NTR in a lighter vein during a lengthy chat on RRR with director Anil Ravipudi. ________________ Upping Anticipations Much recently, making the expectations on RRR to soar, the makers had released Ethara Jenda, an enlightening song from the movie.

Featuring Ram Charan, NTR Junior and Alia Bhatt, the song with its rich visuals is a treat to the eyes and ears. To be shown along with the end credits, the song will be one of the highlights of RRR with splendid dance by the three stars, effervescent music and meaningful lines. ________________

Naatu Naatu Song In Ukraine Already a chartbuster, Naatu Naatu song was shot in Ukraine.

NTR is in awe of the Ukraine dancers matching steps for the ‘Naatu Naatu’ song, learning the moves that were new to them: “The unit members were friendly, professional, and Charan and I were impressed by their culture, warmth and food. It is not among the most active film shooting destinations, but they are technically sound and curious to learn.” ________________ War & Peace Ram Charan rates Ukraine among the best countries he has filmed thus far. He contacted his security in charge once the war broke out and learnt that “his 85-yearold father is also holding a gun and is on the streets. The least I could do from here is help monetarily. None of them deserves to go through all this. I hope peace is restored.”

25

Beyond Union Playibcricket has been announced as the official VR gaming partner for RRR. Many such innovative partnerships have been planned. ________________ Multistarrer Mood NTR believes that the film will pave the way for more multi-starrer films. A few years ago, two A-list stars coming together would have meant the director having to balance the screen time of the two actors. “People have moved past such notions and want to see a good film,” he says.

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2022 Must Watch Mainstream Films 26

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D I R E C T E D

BY

NELSON

BEAST 27

B

east, an upcoming Indian Tamillanguage black comedy action-thriller film, has been written and directed by Nelson Dilipkumar. Nelson won the Best Screenplay Award in Norway Tamil Film Festival for his directorial debut Kolamaavu Kokila and was listed among the Promising Directors of 2018 in an article by a leading newspaper. With an official announcement during December 2020, the film was launched during March 2021 and principal photography

began the following month.

Irrespective of shooting being interrupted due to the second wave of COVID-19 and the lockdown in Tamil Nadu, filming resumed during July 2021 and ended that December. Nelson’s rise in Tamil cinema is a meteoric one.

After Kolamaavu Kokila, he made Doctor starring Sivakarthikeyan which is one among the first biggest hits of Kollywood post Covid. After Beast, he will be directed Superstar Rajinikanth for a film till now known as ‘Thalaivar 169’.

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CIRKUS DIRECTED BY

C

irkus: The upcoming comedy film directed by Rohit Shetty features Ranveer Singh playing a double role for the first time in his career, along with Pooja Hegde and Jacqueline Fernandez as female leads. It is the official adaptation of the 1982 movie Angoor which was based on William Shakespeare’s play The Comedy of Errors and is scheduled for theatrically release on 15 July 2022. The highly anticipated film is expected to garner huge box office success, going by Shetty’s previous track record of blockbusters like Chennai Express, Dilwale, Bol Bachchan and of course Singham and Golmal series. The film will see the acrobatics as seen in the

28

ROHIT SHETTY

90s circus. The entire film was shot for 90 days. A major part of the shoot has been given to the circus aspect. A source close to the film said, “This time, the comedy has been kept serious and not loud or buffoonery.

The lives of those working in the circus company have been used as metaphors. He is used as a metaphor throughout the film of how life juggles with gymnasts and acrobats working in a circus company just like a common man also keeps doing feats all his life. Wherever he gets stuck, the comedy continues to happen. Along with the main lead characters in the film, this metaphor is also present throughout the film as a sub-plot.”

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PRASHANTH NEEL

D I R E C T E D

BY

KGF 2 29

K

GF 2: The for thcoming Kannada period action film has been written and directed by Prashanth Neel. It is the sequel to the 2018 film K.G.F: Chapter 1, that turned out to be a worldwide sensation, and stars biggies like Sanjay Dutt, Srinidhi Shetty, Raveena Tandon and Prakash Raj. The story revolves around Rocky who made a vow to his dying mother while he was a kid that he would never

perish in poverty. When the teaser for KGF Chapter 2 was officially uploaded on YouTube, it became the most watched teaser in the world during first 24 hours with 72 million views in the first day, making it the fifth mostwatched clip on the planet.

Prashanth Neel surprised everyone with KGF, a film that made the presence of Kannada cinema felt across India. For obvious reasons, KGF 2 is now hugely anticipated.

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LAAL SINGH CHADDHA DIRECTED BY

L

aal Singh Chaddha: The film is one of the most awaited and big budget films that will hopefully see the light of the day this year.

Directed by Advait Chandan, the film stars Aamir Khan and Kareena Kapoor Khan in lead roles. A remake of the 1994 American blockbuster Forrest Gump, the film underwent a series of changes over a period of two decades, with Atul Kulkarni spending the first ten years adapting the script, and another ten years purchasing the remake rights. The film has been filmed in more than 100 Indian locations including Chandigarh, Himachal Pradesh,

30

ADVAIT CHANDAN

Goa, Kerala, Punjab, Jaisalmer apart from international location including Turkey.

Advait started his career with Reema Kagti’s Honeymoon Travels Pvt. Ltd. as the third assistant director and Taare Zameen Par as the assistant production manager. Advait finally made his directorial debut in 2017 with the film Secret Superstar, that went on to become highest-grossing 2017 Hindi film, and the secondhighest-grossing Hindi film of all time, and the third-highestgrossing Indian film of all time, behind only Dangal and Baahubali 2: The Conclusion.

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SIDDHARTH ANAND

D I R E C T E D

BY

PATHAN 31

P

athan: While SRK fans are waiting this film with a bated breath, film critics and lovers are equally excited for the film that will reveal what Shah Rukh has in store for the audience after being away from films for almost four years. The film will see Deepika Padukone who will be reuniting wth Khan for the fourth time. Directed by WAR filmmaker Siddharth Anand, the film will be high on action sequences and

will also see John Abraham in a pivotal role. Talking about working with Khan yet again, Padukone, in an interview, shared, “To me, it’s like coming home and working with someone I’m extremely comfortable with.

I started my career with him, so obviously there is a sense of trust and comfort.”

On the production front, Pathan is in its last leg. The film may witness a release by end of this year if things go as planned.

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PONNIYIN SELVAN DIRECTED BY

P

onniyin Selvan: I also known as PS-I, is the most-awaited Tamil epic historical fiction film directed and co-produced by Mani Ratnam, who has to his credit six National Film Awards, four Filmfare Awards, six Filmfare Awards South, and numerous awards at various film festivals across the world.

In 2002, the Government of India honoured him with the Padma Shri, acknowledging his contributions to film. Set in 9th century, the film revolves around the early life of Chola Prince Arulmozhi Varman who later was known as the great Chola emperor Raja Raja Chola and was the most

32

MANI RATNAM

powerful King in South at his time chiefly remembered for reinstating the Chola power and ensuring its supremacy in South East Asia and Indian Ocean. Made on a budget of ₹500 crore, Ponniyin Selvan is the second most expensive Indian film, the first being 2.0. PS is based on Ponniyin Selvan, a popular Tamil novel written by legendary writer Kalki. Though many had tried in vain to make the novel as film, Mani Ratnam has succeeded in it. Since this is perhaps the first such film from the filmmaker known for his topical movies, expectations are running high on this mega budget multilingual.

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D I R E C T E D

BY

SUKUMAR

PUSHPA 2 33

P

ushpa 2: One film that stormed the box office and became a rage this year was Pushpa: The Rise – Part 01. The Telugu action-drama emerged as the highest-grossing Indian film in 2021, and ranks among the highest-grossing Telugu films of all time. No wonder, the makers have already announced the second part titled Pushpa 2: The Rule and is scheduled to commence production in April 2022.

Pushpa 1 stars actor Allu Arjun and depicts the rise of a coolie in the smuggling syndicate of red sanders, a rare wood that grows only in the Seshachalam Hills of Andhra Pradesh. The film was directed by Sukumar

who made his directorial debut with Arya in 2004, whose success catapulted him to stardom. Sukumar won the Filmfare Award for Best Director – Telugu and Nandi Award for Best Screenplay Writer for his work in Arya. His other notable films include Jagadam (2007), Arya 2 (2009), 100% Love (2011), 1: Nenokkadine (2014), Nannaku Prematho (2016), Rangasthalam (2018).

Sukumar is known for making emotional movies that strike a chord with all sections of the audience. He had set a new trend with Rangasthalam by making a racy rural movie.

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RAM SETU

DIRECTED BY

R

am Setu: The upcoming Hindi film is being directed by Abhishek Sharma and stars Akshay Kumar, Jacqueline Fernandez and Nushrratt Bharuccha. It is scheduled to hit the theatres this Diwali. The film that sees Akshay playing the role of an archaeologist, marks Telugu

34

superstar

ABHISHEK SHARMA

Satyadev’s

entry

into Bollywood. Talking about the film, co-producer Vikram Malhotra

in

an

interview

shared, “Ram Setu is a story formed on facts, science and historical

heritage

and

is

anchored in the deep belief of Indians since centuries.”

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S. S. RAJAMOULI

D I R E C T E D

BY

RRR 35

R

RR: Directed by S. S. Rajamouli, the upcoming Indian Telugu period film, stars N. T. Rama Rao Jr., Ram Charan, Ajay Devgn and Alia Bhatt. Set in 1920, the plot explores the undocumented period in the lives of Rama Raju and Bheem, when both the revolutionaries choose to go into oblivion before they began the fight for their country. Rajamouli, is best known for his works in high fantasy, and period films such as Magadheera and Baahubali part 1 and 2, which became the highestgrossing Indian film series

of all time, with a gross of approximately ₹2,500 crore.

Rajamouli

has

garnered

various honours including three National Film Awards, four Filmfare Awards South, five state Nandi Awards, and the Padma Shri, India’s fourth

highest

civilian

honor for his contributions towards the field of Art. He has emerged a pan-Indian director post the mammoth success of Baahubali series and his movies are widely expected across languages.

Also, Baahubali is being credited with creating the pan-Indian movies trend.

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VIKRAM VEDHA

DIRECTED BY

V

ikram Vedha: The first look of Vikram Vedha, the upcoming Hindi remake of the Tamil film of the same name, was recently released and made waves as it saw Hrithik Roshan as Vedha, the gangster whose fate is linked with the police officer Vikram, played by Saif Ali Khan. the remake has been helmed by Pushkar-Gayathri, who directed the original film, and marks their debut in the Hindi film industry. The movie is scheduled for a September 22 release. The plot riffs on the Betaalpachisi folk talks,

36

PUSHKAR-GAYATHRI

in which the righteous king Vikramaditya

captures

the

spirit Betaal after much effort.

The stories are inspired the popular Doordarshan television serial Vikram aur Betaal in the 1980s. The film tells the story of a tough police officer who sets out to track down and kill an equally tough gangster. Real life couple Pushkar-Gayathri is

known

for

their

quirky

films like Oram Po and Vaa Quarter Cutting. But it was Vikram Vedha that made them a household name in Tamil cinema.

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