ENTERTAINMENT

Over-the-top (OTT) platforms like Netflix, Hotstar and Amazon Prime Video have come out on top during the coronavirus pandemic. And their dominance is only set to grow further.

The pandemic may have been the trigger, but sustainability is coming from other factors — with telecom bundling at the fore, users opting for annual subscriptions, and more people choosing to watch movies online rather than in theatres — according to a report by consulting firm RedSeer.

It highlights that the number of unique paid users grew by more than 35% in February 2021 as compared to April 2020. The overall number of paid users now stands at a whopping 31 million.

Subscriptions increased by 8% during the same period and each user is estimated to have 1.4 subscriptions to their name. Meanwhile, revenue from subscriptions jumped by a whopping 42% from $49 million to $68 million.

The most anticipated trailer of Vakeel Saab, the film that marks the comeback of Power Star Pawan Kalyan. The trailer begins with trial lawyer questioning Pallavi (Nivetha Thomas), “Ms Pallavi, Are You A Virgin?” The trailer showcases three happy-go-lucky girls – Anjali, Nivetha and Ananya involved in an unexpected party brawl. This puts them into trouble and leads to the court.

Remember Badri face-off between Badri (Pawan Kalyan) and Nanda (Prakash Raj)? The court-room drama in Vakeel Saab is played between advocate Satyadev (Pawan) and Nanda (Prakash Raj).

Pawan did pull off the role with ease. Yet again, Prakash Raj is flawless. The duo’s face-off is interesting to watch out for. Thaman’s background score is impressive. Director Venu Sriram seems to have stick to the original Pink without much deviations. On the whole, Vakeel Saab is a court-room drama and it needs to be seen whether it is made a gripping one or not. April 9th will answer all doubts.

Actress Sara Ali Khan on Saturday revealed that she used to stalk superstar Akshay Kumar while shooting their upcoming film Atrangi Re!

Sara took to Instagram to talk about the Aanand L Rai directorial that has just concluded shooting. She shared stills from the set on Instagram along with her post, too.

“That’s a film wrap. Ek saal baad. Thank you so much @aanandlrai sir for giving me this role, this film and this opportunity. But more than that thank you for your unconditional love, unwavering support, the best India darshan, delicious khana, early morning sunrise drives to location, sufi ginger water evenings, and the most memorable year with the best team,” she wrote.

Noted film and theatre actor PC Soman died here early on Friday following age-related ailments, family sources said. He was 81.

Soman, who entered into the film world through amateur theatre, is known for his roles in critically-acclaimed movies, especially those helmed by legendary filmmaker Adoor Gopalakrishnan.

His roles in movies directed by Adoor Gopalakrishnan like 'Swayamvaram', 'Vidheyan' and 'Mathilukal' were widely appreciated.

Besides being part of several popular movies including 'Kauravar', 'Dhruvam' and 'Fireman', he also acted in over 300 plays including amateur dramas. Soman also acted in a handful of television soaps during his decades-long career.

Actor Shah Rukh Khan is making a comeback on the silver screen after a sabbatical of three years with Yash Raj Films’ Pathan. As per the tweet by Umair Sandhu, Film Critic, SRK has become the highest-paid actor in India and a hike in his remuneration fee. As per the tweet, the Badshah of Bollywood is charging a whopping Rs 100 crore for the film that also stars John Abraham and Deepika Padukone. With this, he has left behind Bollywood stars such as Akshay Kumar and  Salman Khan. 

The tweet reads, “Officially King Khan #ShahRukhKhan is the “Highest Paid Actor ” in India now. He charged whopping ” 100 cr ” for #Pathan.” 

The film is directed by Siddharth Anand and went on the floors in November last year in Mumbai. The film is backed by Yash Raj Films and will also feature Salman Khan in a cameo role. A source close to the development told ETimes that Shah Rukh Khan was impressed with Siddharth Anand’s narration and that is why he decided to go with Pathan first. Deepika Padukone and John Abraham, who are also a part of the film, are expected to join the shoot at a later date. The film’s music is being composed by Vishal Dadlani and he just confirmed the film.