All stories by Vanita Kohli Khandekar
Will Disney Exit India?
Rediff.com5 Aug 2023Disney Star India, bought at a valuation of $15 billion, could be on the block for roughly one-third that amount.
'Movie budgets are being cut by 20-25%'
Rediff.com21 Jun 2023'The formula now is even if there is no profit there should be break-even.' 'We green-light a film only if we can see break-even in it.'
Things Are Looking Up At Box Office, But...
Rediff.com19 Jun 2023'In terms of ticket sales, Hindi is at 50-60 per cent while the South markets are at 80-90 per cent of pre-pandemic levels.' The patchy performance of Hindi, the largest segment of the business is the nub of what is bothering Indian cinema.
Did IPL 2023 Make Money For Jio/Disney?
Rediff.com8 Jun 2023'Advertising this season will help IPL surpass $550 million in ad revenues, across digital and pay TV.' 'It should still represent a steep loss against annualised 2023-2027 IPL rights fees of $1.2 billion.'
Which Is India's Largest TV Channel?
Rediff.com3 May 2023DD Freedish is the 'largest TV platform in India', going to 58 million homes, featuring 70-odd private channels. DD Freedish reaches about 278 million people, and is easily among the top five TV platforms in the world.
'I want to tell more and more stories on Indian cinema'
Rediff.com14 Apr 2023'I didn't want to do a highlight reel with greatest hits of Yash Raj Films.' 'I wanted to do an actual story.'
'Pathaan Has Brought Our Zest Back'
Rediff.com10 Apr 2023'Today, the risks have risen.' 'So stars need good content and good content needs stars.' 'It is now X+Y (star + content) not that X is greater than Y or Y is greater than X.'
Can Disney+Hotstar Survive Without F1, IPL, HBO?
Rediff.com21 Mar 2023With three key subscription drivers -- F1, IPL and HBO -- gone, can Disney+Hotstar depend only on its chart-topping originals like Criminal Justice and Rudra: Edge of Darkness to hit both scale and profitability?
What Makes Amitabh Bachchan The Forever Star
Rediff.com22 Feb 2023In spite of its flaws, I enjoyed reading the book, says Vanita Kohli-Khandekar. Simply for the joy of digging into the life, in pictures and words, of one of the most enduring stars of Indian cinema.
Why Shah Rukh Needed Action To Revive His Career
Rediff.com20 Feb 2023Shah Rukh had outgrown the roles that made him a star -- the menacing, obsessive lover in Darr, the regular guy in Kabhi Haan Kabhi Na or the new age boyfriend in Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge. By the time he entered his 50s, he was struggling to find his feet, explains Vanita Kohli-Khandekar.
The Secret Ingredient Of Pathaan's Success
Rediff.com30 Jan 2023There are hundreds of fan clubs -- in Jalgaon, Beed, Chennai, Kolkata, Akola, Yavatmal, Bengaluru, Sitamarhi, New York, Canada, Nigeria etc. Every Indian city/town or a major country has a fan club for the man whose fan base has been estimated at 3.5 billion by Time Magazine.
'When you bring Oscar to India, please let me touch it'
Rediff.com20 Jan 2023On January 24, when the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announces the Oscar nominees for 2023, it would be a surprise if RRR doesn't make the cut, declares Vanita Kohli-Khandekar.
Why India's Internet Growth Has Stalled
Rediff.com11 Jan 2023In the quarter ending June 2022, the growth of Internet subscribers was less than one per cent of all of 2021.
What Does Adani's NDTV Takeover Mean?
Rediff.com15 Dec 2022News, as a business, faces its biggest crisis ever, globally. To fight it needs investment in feet-on-the-ground journalism, tech tools like artificial intelligence among other things.
Sports, New OTT Game In Town
Rediff.com28 Oct 2022Why will JioCinema live-stream the FIFA World Cup 2022 games for free?
'Streaming has to be disciplined'
Rediff.com27 Aug 2022'Streaming will get to 100-200 million subscribers, but the journey is not as rose-tinted.'
How SonyLIV BEAT Netflix and Amazon
Rediff.com7 Jul 2022'There is so much talk about Netflix and what they should be doing.' 'In two years, SonyLIV has done what Netflix should be doing.'
Rise Of Pan-Indian Films Is A Good Omen
Rediff.com26 Apr 2022It means more tickets sold and therefore more revenues and hastens the recovery of the devastated-by-the-pandemic film business.
The Meteoric Rise Of Pan-Indian Films
Rediff.com6 Mar 2022'This is the best time to do a pan-Indian film.'
Telugu Cinema Sets Box Office On Fire
Rediff.com12 Feb 2022'Just the fact that the biggest language at the box office was Telugu and not Hindi is startling.'