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Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. As YouTube increasingly pushes long-form, creator-led content and Shorts amid the growing penetration of connected television sets, Indian music labels—long reliant on the platform as a core digital revenue engine—are seeing advertising income come under pressure. YouTube income for labels based on advertising has dropped by 20–30%, particularly when film soundtracks fail to break out or movies do not garner organic traction, industry executives said.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. A rare intellectual property dispute involving a short-form content creator and a Hindi film has surfaced, signalling a potential new flashpoint for India’s entertainment industry as competition for viewer attention intensifies.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. One way or another, the central message of all annoying people is ‘why can’t you be like me?’ I cannot think of a more foolish use of human speech. Often this message is conveyed as an insult to those who do not perform some sacred thing that is dear to the pontificator.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. A man on the run in a society turned upside down: that is the image of the world projected in this year’s Oscar nominees. Their heroes dodge injustice and prejudice, flights from danger and towards salvation that are frenzied and exhausting (even for audiences).

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. With the action blockbuster Dhurandhar officially crossing the ₹870 crore mark, it has cemented its place in history as the first original Hindi language film to breach the ₹800 crore threshold. This milestone confirms a seismic shift in the industry: Bollywood hits are generating significantly higher revenues today than in the pre-pandemic era.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. NEW DELHI : The censorship trials of Tamil films Jana Nayagan and Parasakthi show that not only is the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) understaffed, but the revising committee, tasked with addressing filmmakers’ grievances, is also often unreliable.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. NEW DELHI : Films from the 1970s, ’80s and ’90s are finding a cultural afterlife among younger millennials and zillennials, who are rediscovering yesteryear blockbusters—particularly for their simple themes and timeless music—through fan edits, reels, and online film-appreciation threads. Classics such as Pyaasa (1957), Half Ticket (1962), Rangeela (1995), Pardes (1997), and Sarfarosh (1999) have seen renewed traction among younger audiences, driven by improved restoration quality, wider accessibility, and curated discovery on streaming platforms, according to the Ultra Media OTT Insights Report 2025 published by film company Ultra Media & Entertainment Group.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. Weak streaming monetization is pushing music labels closer to the source of value—film and series creation.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. Bollywood stars of the 1990s may no longer be playing the hero, but they are still stealing the spotlight. The return of actors such as Akshaye Khanna and Bobby Deol, now cast as main antagonists in recent blockbusters, signals a shift in audience tastes and opens up space for older actors in pivotal, if no longer leading, roles.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. New Delhi: For as long as movie buffs can remember, Salman Khan has been the undisputed king of the Eid box office. In 2015, however, a week before the release of his cross-border emotional drama Bajrangi Bhaijaan for the festive weekend, the unthinkable happened.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. The surge in regional-language content on streaming platforms hasn’t really benefited small-budget films in languages other than Hindi, such as Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Punjabi and others.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. Quick, tell me which gender has more natural affinity and skill in the following fields? Make-up. Sewing.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. Canadian-American entertainment company Starz Entertainment Corp., formerly Lions Gate Entertainment Corporation, has sold Lionsgate Play—its streaming platform in South Asia and Southeast Asia—to Rohit Jain, president of Lionsgate Play Asia.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. NEW DELHI : Audiences are lapping up weekly ticket offers priced as low as ₹99, at least for films with strong word-of-mouth, providing a stamp of approval for the idea that reasonable pricing can lure large segments back to cinemas. Multiplex chains and independent theatres that introduced weekly offers such as “Blockbuster Tuesdays" in 2025 recorded higher-than-usual footfalls, especially for mid-budget, non-star titles.

: As tax hikes in major states and last year’s slowdown in middle-class consumption hurt mass alcohol brands that were the strength of the industry, Allied Blenders and Distilleries Ltd is homing in on premium customers.In March, the Mumbai-based distiller launched a premium and luxury spirits subsidiary, ABD Maestro, in partnership with Hindi film actor Ranveer Singh. The company is expecting to close FY26 with a revenue of ₹100 crore annualized run rate (ARR) and aims to double that in the next financial year, Alok Gupta, Allied Blenders’ managing director, told Mint in an interview.ABD Maestro is home to Allied Blenders’ premium brands, including small batch gin brands Zoya and Pumori, vodka brand Rangeela, and Yello, a whiskey the company launched just last month.“What we have been working on is to figure out what the forward consumption is, where the consumer is likely to go in the sipping and cocktails terrain,” Gupta said.

entry into politics was not anticipated by the Dravidian establishment or the local media, but neither was it a big surprise. Not just actors, some of the state’s tallest leaders, such as C.N. Annadurai, founder of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), and his successor, M.

Homebound, while Michael Bay is set to collaborate with Vinod Bhanushali’s Bhanushali Studios. Industry experts say these tie-ups are designed to expand the global reach of Indian films, especially those with potential on the festival and awards circuit.

I’m a OCI cardholder and graphic designer by occupation. I came to India in July 2025 for taking up several regional film projects as a consultant and I plan to stay through the financial year. I’m continuing to do consulting work right now even for outside India clients. Whatever fees that I earn from those clients, I take it in my foreign bank account. Would those fees become taxable in India even if I don’t remit them to my Indian bank account?- Name withheld on requestAt the outset, it is necessary to determine your residential status in India for the financial year 2025–26 under the provisions of the Income-tax Act, 1961 (ITA).If your stay in India during the relevant financial year aggregates to 182 days or more, you would be regarded as a resident in India for tax purposes.

Dear reader, as 2025, a year of global tumult and volatility, rolls by, Mint's reporters and columnists look around the corner on what is coming in 2026—to help you know what to expect and prepare for it. Tell us what you think at [email protected] rise of the micro-drama is the definitive trend for India’s streaming industry in 2025, as tight budgets and slowing subscription growth mean over-the-top (OTT) players remain selective about content and still rely on big-budget films.

Veteran filmmakers who had been missing from active moviemaking will attempt a comeback this year to meet the need for commercial, mass-market storytelling in the smaller towns and markets. Priyadarshan, Rajkumar Santoshi and David Dhawan, primarily known for hits in the 1990s and early 2000s, are among those with new films slated for release in 2026.The urban market has reached saturation point as viewers in the metros have entertainment options including OTT and multiplexes.

₹325 crore, allows Bhansali Productions Pvt. Ltd to retain full intellectual property rights over its films while giving Saregama exclusive music rights to all its future films.Experts see this development paving the way for more institutional funding in Indian cinema at a time when OTT platforms are tightening content spends and global capital is looking for disciplined exposure to Indian storytelling.This model also aligns India closer to global studio-platform economics—separating high-margin IP ownership from high-risk production, and accelerating the sector’s institutional maturity.“For Saregama, the transaction is fundamentally a music play rather than a film bet.