Actor-Producer Esha Bargate Launches Production Company To Challenge How Hollywood See India

Rudie Obias editor If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Variety may receive an affiliate commission. One of the biggest sporting leagues in the world is the Indian Premier League (IPL), which features the best cricket players in the world competing in the most high-profile league across the sport. Millions of people tune in each week to watch the IPL matches, and as a new season kicks off, there are a few ways for you to watch IPL cricket as well.

Naman Ramachandran BBC Studios, the commercial arm of the broadcaster, has acquired Spanish producer Brutal Media. Founded in 2009, Brutal Media’s credits include the recently announced original miniseries for Netflix, “Asalto Al Banco Central,” “The Academy” (Sony Pictures Television), “Vintage” (3cat), film “Killer Book Club” (Netflix), series “Welcome to Eden” (Netflix) and “The Hockey Girls” (Netflix, 3Cat), documentaries “The End of the Storm” (Sky TV, Liverpool FC) and “Murder by the Coast” (Netflix) and romantic comedy “I Love You Stupid” (Netflix).

Naman Ramachandran Top Bollywood star Ajay Devgn‘s Indian visual effects studio NY VFXWaala has set a strategic partnership with Sweden’s Goodbye Kansas Studio. NY VFXWaala has secured a major stake in Goodbye Kansas, through an offshore subsidiary, while simultaneously launching a joint venture studio in India.

is having a moment—and what better poster girl for the viral haircut than Zendaya, the queen of looking excellent in everything she does? The star has been flying the flag for the bouncy, glamorous bob since the end of 2022. While many other celebrities were sporting blunt, short bobs at the time, hers was a breath of polished and old Hollywood-inspired fresh air.Iga Swiatek of Poland meets Zendaya after defeating Maria Sakkari of Greece in the women's singles final of the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells Tennis Garden on March 17, 2024.Fast forward to March 2024 and she’s not said goodbye to the haircut that suits her so well.

Leo Barraclough International Features Editor International sales agency Lightdox has acquired documentary “Marching in the Dark” in advance of its world premiere at CPH:DOX. The feature debut from Kinshuk Surjan focuses on how the growing number of suicides among farmers in India is affecting the agricultural community. The trailer debuts exclusively on Variety below.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor Paramount Global has sold its 13% ownership stake in TV and streaming company Viacom18 to Reliance Industries for $517 million. Reliance was already the majority owner of Viacom18. The pact comes two weeks after Disney and Reliance Industries announced a blockbuster $8.5 billion deal merging their massive Indian TV and streaming businesses.

Paramount Global has sold its 13% equity interest in Viacom18 Media to Indian conglomerate Reliance Industries for the equivalent $517 million.

EXCLUSIVE: PhantomFX, an Indian VFX powerhouse that has worked on everything from The Avengers and The Walking Dead franchise to Outlander, is set to acquire a majority stake in Tippett Studio, the animation and visual effects production company of Oscar-winning filmmaker Phil Tippett.

Naman Ramachandran India’s B62 Studios has an early 2024 hit with February release “Article 370,” and also has an ambitious slate lined up with plans for expanding into eastern Asia. B62 was launched by the brothers Dhar — Lokesh and Aditya — and is named after their address in Delhi’s Lajpat Nagar neighborhood, where they grew up watching the best of Bollywood alongside arthouse cinema. Lokesh Dhar went on to a flourishing career in film marketing, distribution and syndication before turning to producing, while Aditya Dhar directed military action film “Uri: The Surgical Strike,” one of the biggest Indian box office hits of 2019.

Naman Ramachandran India premieres of France’s “The Taste of Things” and Korea’s “Exhuma” will open and close respectively the first edition of India’s Cinevesture International Film Festival. Tran Anh Hung won best director at Cannes 2023 for “The Taste of Things,” which was subsequently submitted as France’s official entry to the Oscars’ international feature category.

After stints heading local-language production at Disney APAC and HBO Asia, Hong Kong-based Jessica Kam-Engle is now heading CreAsia Studio, a new Banijay Asia venture in Southeast Asia, in the role of EVP & Business Head.

J.K. Rowling is back at it again — but this time instead of getting canceled online, her comments got taken straight to the police!

Naman Ramachandran Indian filmmaker and composer Sanjay Leela Bhansali has launched music label Bhansali Music with the soundtrack of Netflix series “Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar.” The first song from the album, traditional composition “Sakal Ban,” with lyrics by Amir Khusro and sung by Raja Hasan, will be released on Saturday. Via the label, the filmmaker will collaborate with musicians and artists to produce compositions for his films and shows and also independent albums.

$10 billion Sony-ZEE merger plans and late February’s confirmation that Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance Industries (which incorporates Viacom18 and streamer JioCinema) is to tie up most of Disney’s streaming and pay-TV businesses in an $8.5 billion deal, Indian media is set to gain a new market leader. For local and international operators in the world’s most populous nation, the consequences of those tectonic shifts extend across streaming, pay-TV, channels, advertising, sports and content.

Naman Ramachandran Bollywood aspirants the world over wanting to feature alongside top Indian stars can now cut out the middleman. Leading Indian studio Yash Raj Films (YRF), the outfit behind Shah Rukh Khan, Deepika Padukone starrer “Pathaan,” and “Tiger 3,” led by Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif, has launched its YRF Casting app. Acting aspirants from across the world can get information about casting calls and submit their auditions via the app.

Rihanna has already been spotted in India, preparing to perform for Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant.Melania and Ivanka Trump’s relationship and the reason behind her ‘I Don’t Care’ jacket: New book claimsNatalie Portman channeled Grace Kelly in head-to-toe Dior during latest outing in ParisIvanka Trump, Bill Gates, Rihanna and more guests at wedding party for son of Asia’s richest man: DetailsAnant is the son of Mukesh Ambani, known as Asia’s richest man. And while having Rihanna at their pre-wedding celebration could be a surprise for many, it might not be the case for the Ambani family, who already hosted Beyoncé in 2018, for the pre-wedding party of Mukesh’s daughter, Isha Ambani.The 3-day party, which starts March 1st, is rumored to have cost around $129 million, and a close source to MailOnline revealed that the catering for the star-studded guests, including Ivanka Trump and Bill Gates, among others, is priced at over $20 million.

Walt Disney Company and billionaire Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance Industries have merged their massive Indian TV and streaming businesses, ending months of speculation. As per the agreement, Reliance’s Viacom18 is merging with Disney’s Star India. The deal is estimated to be worth $8.5 billion on a ‘post-money basis,’ the companies said.

Reliance Industries and Disney India are set to sign a binding agreement to merge their assets, according to local reports.

Christopher Vourlias London-based world sales company Taskovski Films Sales has acquired the sales rights to “Until I Fly,” a coming-of-age story by directors Kanishka Sonthalia and Siddesh Shetty, ahead of its world premiere March 10 at the Thessaloniki Documentary Festival. Produced by Sonthalia at Kopuku Films, in co-production with Christilla Huillard Kann of Elda Productions, the film tells the story of Veeru, a resilient young boy of Indian Nepalese heritage, who has to face the daily challenges of cultural rejection in an Indian Himalayan village, where most of the inhabitants look down on his mixed identity.

Naman Ramachandran Indian media giant Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited (ZEEL) is setting up an advisory committee in the wake of recent allegations about the company’s financial transactions. In 2023, Indian regulator Securities and Exchange Board (SEBI) barred MD-CEO Punit Goenka and ZEEL chair emeritus Subhash Chandra from holding management positions in listed companies while it carried out investigations into allegations of insider trading and fund siphoning. Goenka appealed the order with India’s Securities Appellate Tribunal (SAT) and the ban was lifted.