Showing posts with label Jabalpur. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Jabalpur. Show all posts
PVR INOX bets on smaller multiplexes as single-screens decline
11:02 PM
Co targets 1,000 new screens in 5 years, identities 300 smaller cities to step up play
Javed Farooqui (THE ECONOMIC TIMES; August 8, 2026)
The structural decline of India's single-screen cinemas is creating a fresh growth opportunity for multiplex operators, with PVR INOX betting on smaller, affordable multiplexes to expand into underserved markets, Managing Director Ajay Bijli said.
The country's largest multiplex operator plans to add at least 1,000 screens over the next five years, focusing on franchise-owned, company-operated (FOCO) and other asset-light models, with developers funding a significant share of project costs.
The opportunity is significant. About 16,350 of India's 19,000 pin codes still have no cinema screens, leaving vast parts of the country underserved despite rising consumption, according to EY's The Story of Film Exhibition in India.
India had 10,033 cinema screens at the end of 2025, only marginally more than six years earlier. Meanwhile, screen density declined from 7.6 screens per million people in 2018 to 6.8 in 2024, while nearly 1,000 single-screen theatres shut during the period, underscoring the structural challenges facing the traditional exhibition model.
"I started with a single screen myself, and the reason I moved into multiplexes was because it became very difficult to fill a 1,093-seat cinema throughout the year. I used to struggle to achieve optimum occupancy across all 52 weeks because you don't get 52 films that can fill the cinema to the threshold where you make money," Bijli told ET.
Unlike a traditional single-screen theatre that depends on a single film to drive admissions, a three- or four-screen multiplex can programme multiple films simultaneously, improving utilization while giving audiences greater choice, he said.
The economics are increasingly prompting single-screen owners to convert their properties into multiplexes. PVR INOX is itself converting Mymoon, a prominent single-screen cinema in Kochi, into a five-screen multiplex in partnership with Lulu Group.
"One compelling reason many single-screen theatres are converting into multiplexes is that the business becomes much more viable with four or five screens. Instead of showing just one film, we can screen five, six, seven or even 10 movies a day. Consumers benefit because they get a wider choice under one roof, while producers benefit as more films can be showcased simultaneously," he said.
The company has identified around 300 smaller cities, including Jabalpur, Muzaffarpur, Barrackpore and Rampur, for its affordable multiplex format. Ticket prices will be comparable to, or only marginally higher than, balcony tickets at single-screen theatres.
"Ticket pricing will be designed keeping in mind the paying capacity of the local catchment. For comparable formats and locations, ticket prices will generally be 30-35% lower than similar PVR INOX cinemas operating today," Bijli said. PVR INOX's average ticket price stood at Rs 273 in the June quarter.
The expansion marks the next phase of PVR INOX's growth strategy as it looks beyond major urban markets.
Under the franchise-owned, company-operated (FOCO) model, partners invest in developing the cinema while PVR INOX manages operations. In its asset-light model, developers or landlords contribute between 30% and 80% of project costs, allowing the company to accelerate expansion while conserving capital.
PVR INOX currently operates 1,779 screens and expects to spend Rs 300-350 crore this financial year on around 100 new screens, as well as renovating and preimmunizing its existing circuit. Around 60-70% of the new additions will come under the asset-light model. As the share of such projects rises, the company expects the same level of capital expenditure to support a larger number of screen additions.
Bijli believes India has the potential to support around 25,000 cinema screens over time but said achieving that would require greater policy support, including rationalizing GST on cinema tickets, lowering local entertainment levies where applicable, and reducing electricity and property taxes.
Alongside expanding its footprint, PVR INOX will continue investing in premium formats such as IMAX, PXL, 4DX, ICE, ScreenX, Director's Cut, INSIGNIA and LUXE, while expanding alternative content, including live sports screenings and concerts.
Chitrangda Singh resumes work on Indo-Italian film, directed by by Goutam Ghose
8:25 AM
Chitrangda resumes work on Indo-Italian film, which was halted due to the pandemic; drama to be shot in Mumbai and Jabalpur
Priyanka Sharma (MID-DAY; December 17, 2022)
Chitrangda Singh, who featured in a segment of Modern Love Mumbai earlier this year, finds herself at the centre of another contemporary relationship drama. The actor has resumed the shoot of a yet-untitled Indo-Italian project, helmed by Goutam Ghose.
While the film originally went on floors in 2019, the filmmaker soon had to hit the brakes on the shooting due to the Coronavirus pandemic. Almost three years on, Singh and Italian actor Marco Leonardi have reprised their roles as the director conducts a schedule in Mumbai.
mid-day laid its hands on pictures from the set as the leading lady shot for key scenes. Singh can be seen in a saree and sporting minimal make-up. A source says, “The character required her to go de-glam.”
The film looks at the issues surrounding human displacement, through the story of a couple and their child. The insider adds, “The unit will soon head to Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh for a short stint, post which it will be a wrap on the film. It is being shot in Hindi and English, and will be later dubbed in Italian.”
The story has been penned by Ghose and Jagannath Guha, along with Italian scriptwriters Amedeo Paganini and Sergio Scapagnini.
We have always wanted a daughter, and Tara is a fulfilment of that dream-Mandira Bedi
8:26 AM
The actress introduces her four-and-a-half-year-old adopted daughter, who she welcomed home in July
Neha Maheshwri (BOMBAY TIMES; October 27, 2020)
On the occasion of Dussehra on Sunday, Mandira Bedi introduced the newest member of her family to the world, daughter Tara Bedi Kaushal. The actress and her filmmaker husband, Rraj Kaushal, who have been trying to adopt a girl for the past three years, finally fulfilled their dream when the four-anda-half-year-old entered their lives in July this year.
Ask Mandira why she was tightlipped about it for almost three months, and she replies, “Until the legal formalities are completed, one is not supposed to make it public. When a child comes home, he/she is considered to be in foster care for the first month; the legal procedures begin after that. However, since the courts were shut, we had to wait.”
Talking about how Tara — a name she and Rraj had finalised years ago — became a part of their family, she shares, “We had applied for adoption three years ago, but it was during the lockdown that I felt the void even more. So, I revisited my adoption application (filed before the Central Adoption Resource Authority). We realised that our wait has been long as we had mentioned a preference for three states from where we would have liked to adopt. We were looking for an older child, since we didn’t want too much of an age gap between her and Vir (the couple’s nine-year-old son). However, nobody matched the criteria. So, we were advised to extend our search across India. Within a week, we found Tara in a place near Jabalpur.” Mandira adds, “Rraj went to Jabalpur first, while Vir and I took a private jet the next day. By the time we reached, he had completed all the legal formalities. We fetched them at the airport and flew back.”
The actress says that Tara hit it off with them from the word go. “We did a few video calls before meeting her, and she kept asking us, ‘When are you coming?’ Today, Tara is very happy and has settled in. She is naughty, fun and absolutely comfortable,” she shares, adding that Vir, too, is revelling in his role as the big brother. “Tara dotes on him and keeps calls him Viru bhaiyya, while he treats her like his pesky little sister. The other day, during one of his online classes, he asked his teacher if he could introduce his sister to the class. All of them got excited and kept asking her questions. We then told them that she can’t speak English and knows only Jabalpuri,” she says.
These days, Mandira is busy tutoring her daughter. “When she came to us, she didn’t know the concept of colours. Now, she knows colours and English alphabets, can count up to 50 and write from 1 to 20. I don’t think it makes sense to enrol her in a school now, as the classes are online. We are teaching her the basics at home, and she will start going to school whenever it reopens,” she says.
The actress mentions that she and Rraj had first dreamt of Tara years ago. “Many years back, we had decided that we would have one biological child and adopt the other. We have always wanted to bring a daughter into our lives, and Tara is a fulfillment of that dream,” she signs off.
Meet Tushar Joshi, singing voice of Ranbir Kapoor in Jagga Jasoos
7:46 AM
Aastha Atray Banan (MID-DAY; July 23, 2017)
Singer and musician Tushar Joshi has watched Jagga Jasoos 50 times. And no, he isn’t a Ranbir Kapoor fan. He is his voice in the film. If you have seen the movie, you know that Jagga, the character Kapoor plays, stutters. To avoid this stutter, he resorts to singing in order to communicate. Joshi’s repeated watching of the movie was, hence, to get into the character and get modalities of tone and emotions right.
Joshi came to Mumbai in 2009 from Jabalpur. He had studied classical music, and the son of a schoolteacher and bank official, had always had the filmy keeda. “My upbringing was strict and movies weren’t really a part of my childhood. But thanks to my friends, I got interested,” says the 30-year-old.
In retrospect, he remembers having a penchant for singing in different voices and trying out songs that portrayed a myriad emotions. After pursuing a sound engineering degree at the School of Audio Engineering, he took up freelance projects and eventually found himself at Pritam’s studio, as his creative assistant. “His sound design assistant referred me, and there I was. The work on Jagga had already started, and the first six months I did nothing but observe.”
Anurag Basu heard a chance recording that has Joshi singing a dialogue. “In the beginning, every time Anurag Sir came in, it was just not clicking. The voice either had too much singing or too much drama,” he says. Joshi then started paying attention to the direction Basu was giving. “He told us don’t take this seriously, and not to sing 100 per cent. This is the voice of a normal guy. We needed to focus on getting the expression right.”
When Joshi’s voice was finally finally selected, there was barely a month left for the film’s release. The whole movie had been filmed using reference tracks, and now the voice needed to be filled in. Sleepless nights and exacting prep went into getting it right, even though Joshi still can’t believe he has managed to pull it off. “I paid attention to how Ranbir talks. Our frequencies match. He speaks softly, and then usually at a lower tone. I would stand near the mic and speak at my lowest. I just made sure I got the emotion right.”
Along with giving the voice, Joshi has also sung two full-length songs in the movie — Musafir and Khaana Khaake. “I learnt that if you channel your emotions and be yourself, that translates on the mic.”
Despite this sudden success, he is content working as Pritam’s creative assistant. “Pritam Da is passionate, and I learn something new every day. So, for now, that is enough.”
Nawazuddin Siddiqui becomes father again, on his birthday
7:55 AM
Renuka Vyavahare (BOMBAY TIMES; May 20, 2015)
Nawazuddin Siddiqui
celebrated his birthday yesterday in Kashmir on the set of
Bajrangi Bhaijaan with Salman Khan and team. What doubled the
celebration was the birth of his second child - a son, coinciding with
his birthday.
Nawaz's wife Aaliya delivered the baby boy in Jabalpur, where her parents reside. An ecstatic Nawaz said, “I got to know about my baby on Tuesday morning, soon after he was born at 10 am. I wish I could be with my wife but I'm hoping to reach Mumbai soon and head to Jabalpur to be with her.“
The mother had a normal delivery and both she and the child are healthy said the actor. The couple hasn't decided upon the name for their son as yet. The proud father of two, said, “My daughter, who is five-years-old now, is called Shora - Urdu name describing intellectuals involved in translations of religious books. So I guess even my son will mostly have an Urdu name.“
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Roshmila Bhattacharya (MUMBAI MIRROR; May 20, 2015)
Nawazuddin Siddiqui's wife Anjali ensured that the actor's 41st birthday will be unforgettable. She delivered a baby boy early on May 19 to make it a double celebration. The couple already are the proud parents of a six-year-old daughter Shora.
Mirror connected with the actor at Srinagar airport, minutes before he was to board a flight to Mumbai from where he would proceed to his wife's home in Jabalpur to be with his family. Nawaz has been filming Kabir Khan's Bajrangi Bhaijaan in the Valley and fortunately for him the shoot wrapped up on Monday.
"Late at night we had a party to bring in my birthday. My son hadn't entered the world then but Salman who loves children and is like an elder brother to me, gave me his blessings and told me to convey his regards to my wife. I have yet to tell Kabir, Kareena and him the good news," said an elated Nawaz who when quizzed on the baby's name admitted he's still trying to figure out something nice. "My wife and I will think of one together. I couldn't have asked for a better birthday gift. From now on there will be double celebrations in the family on this day."
Meanwhile, the good times continue for Nawaz and his family. A 17-minute short, Miyan Kal Aana, which he has produced and his brother, Shamas Nawab Siddiqui, has directed, will be screened at the Cannes Film Festival in the Short Film Corner category on May 23. As Mirror (April 15) had earlier reported, the film looks at the controversial Halala law in Islam and questions its treatment of women.
According to thelaw, if a Muslim man wants to remarry his divorced wife, he has to get her married to another man who will then have to divorce her, before theycan be reunited.
Nawaz's wife Aaliya delivered the baby boy in Jabalpur, where her parents reside. An ecstatic Nawaz said, “I got to know about my baby on Tuesday morning, soon after he was born at 10 am. I wish I could be with my wife but I'm hoping to reach Mumbai soon and head to Jabalpur to be with her.“
The mother had a normal delivery and both she and the child are healthy said the actor. The couple hasn't decided upon the name for their son as yet. The proud father of two, said, “My daughter, who is five-years-old now, is called Shora - Urdu name describing intellectuals involved in translations of religious books. So I guess even my son will mostly have an Urdu name.“
----------------------
Roshmila Bhattacharya (MUMBAI MIRROR; May 20, 2015)
Nawazuddin Siddiqui's wife Anjali ensured that the actor's 41st birthday will be unforgettable. She delivered a baby boy early on May 19 to make it a double celebration. The couple already are the proud parents of a six-year-old daughter Shora.
Mirror connected with the actor at Srinagar airport, minutes before he was to board a flight to Mumbai from where he would proceed to his wife's home in Jabalpur to be with his family. Nawaz has been filming Kabir Khan's Bajrangi Bhaijaan in the Valley and fortunately for him the shoot wrapped up on Monday.
"Late at night we had a party to bring in my birthday. My son hadn't entered the world then but Salman who loves children and is like an elder brother to me, gave me his blessings and told me to convey his regards to my wife. I have yet to tell Kabir, Kareena and him the good news," said an elated Nawaz who when quizzed on the baby's name admitted he's still trying to figure out something nice. "My wife and I will think of one together. I couldn't have asked for a better birthday gift. From now on there will be double celebrations in the family on this day."
Meanwhile, the good times continue for Nawaz and his family. A 17-minute short, Miyan Kal Aana, which he has produced and his brother, Shamas Nawab Siddiqui, has directed, will be screened at the Cannes Film Festival in the Short Film Corner category on May 23. As Mirror (April 15) had earlier reported, the film looks at the controversial Halala law in Islam and questions its treatment of women.
According to thelaw, if a Muslim man wants to remarry his divorced wife, he has to get her married to another man who will then have to divorce her, before theycan be reunited.
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