Bollywood's biggest stars ignite the screen! From the dazzling premiere of [mention a recently released film or event] to the brewing controversies surrounding [mention a current entertainment scandal], India's entertainment scene is ablaze. This week saw [mention a significant entertainment event, e.g., a music launch, award ceremony, or box office milestone], further cementing India's position as a global entertainment powerhouse. The battle for box office supremacy heats up as [mention competing films or actors], while the digital realm witnesses the rise of [mention a trending OTT series or online sensation]. Beyond Bollywood, regional cinema continues to flourish, with [mention a noteworthy achievement in regional cinema]. From the vibrant world of music to the captivating realm of television, Abtak.com brings you the pulse of Indian entertainment. Dive in and stay updated on the latest news, reviews, and exclusive interviews—your ultimate destination for all things entertainment. Explore the captivating stories unfolding now!
Indian e-commerce just got more inclusive. Flipkart, India's homegrown marketplace giant, has launched "Advertise Now, Pay Later"... India's entertainment giant is making major moves. Zee Entertainment, reaching 854 million viewers across 208 million households, has launched its groundbreaking 'Z' Whats Next initiative alongside two revolutionary hybrid channels that promise to reshape regional television landscape. The 'Z' Whats Next initiative marks more than just a brand refresh - it's a complete reimagining of how content moves across platforms, devices, and hearts. With its new brand promise "Yours Truly, Z," Zee Entertainment is positioning itself as a content-tech powerhouse that bridges traditional television with digital innovation. This industry-first initiative showcases how Zee is designing change rather than just responding to it, creating content that travels seamlessly from television to OTT to social platforms. In a market where India's TV industry is valued at $12.2 billion and growing at 12.4% CAGR, strategic positioning matters more than ever. Zee Power targets Karnataka's evolving audience preferences with high-energy content that embodies today's Kannadigas' voice. With Karnataka having 99% TV penetration, this launch capitalizes on clear 'white space' for progressive, contemporary narratives. The channel's initial programming includes five fiction shows, daily non-fiction content, and World Television Premieres - positioned as a complement to Zee Kannada's family-focused content strategy. Zee BanglaSonar breaks new ground as India's first hybrid channel specifically designed for Bengali audiences nationwide. With West Bengal representing a burgeoning TV market and Bengal's rich cultural heritage, this channel addresses evolving audience demands through differentiated content offerings. Strategically curated for male audiences alongside traditional family viewing, Zee BanglaSonar promises engaging storytelling rooted in tradition yet relatable across modern demographics. This expansion comes as India's smart TV and OTT market reaches $22.39 billion in 2025, growing at 18.2% CAGR. Zee's hybrid approach recognizes that while audiences are platform-fluid, television remains India's most powerful storyteller. For businesses tracking Indian media industry trends or exploring regional content strategies, Zee's move signals the importance of localized, culturally-rooted programming in today's fragmented attention economy. The initiative also strengthens Zee's digital strategy, complementing ZEE5's position as one of India's leading OTT platforms with over 76 million subscribers across 190 countries. According to industry analysis, ZEE5's success demonstrates how traditional broadcasters can leverage their content libraries and audience insights to compete effectively in the digital entertainment space. As Chief Marketing Officer Kartik Mahadev emphasized, these launches symbolize Zee's conviction in language markets and commitment to future-forward content that reflects changing India's pulse. For companies developing streaming platform strategies or those interested in regional advertising opportunities, Zee's approach demonstrates how traditional broadcasters can evolve while maintaining cultural authenticity. This strategic expansion aligns with broader Indian OTT market trends showing increased demand for regional content across multiple languages and platforms. Bottom Line: Zee's 'Z' Whats Next initiative exemplifies how legacy media companies can successfully navigate digital transformation by leveraging cultural expertise, technological innovation, and deep audience understanding to create differentiated entertainment experiences.
Suja Varunee thanks fans for supporting her husband, Shivakumarr, after his eviction from Bigg Boss Tamil 8. She expresses pride in his journey and confidence in his future success. Suja also shares her belief that Shivakumarr will achieve greater things by 2025, while appreciating the love and recognition he has received.Former Bigg Boss Tamil 8 contestant Suja Varunee, wife of recently evicted wild card entrant Shivakumarr, has penned a heartfelt note of gratitude to fans and supporters following her husband's eviction from the show. Sharing her emotions on social media, Suja expressed her u ...Read More >
New Delhi, Dec 4 (VOICE) Aadit Palicha, Co-founder and CEO of Zepto, on Wednesday said he is not against work-life balance and even recommends it to his competitors. Palicha's statement comes even as a viral post, on the American social media platform Reddit, accused the quick e-commerce platform of toxic work culture. "I have nothing against work-life balance. In fact, I recommend it to all our competitors :)," said the 22-year-old CEO, in a post on social media platform X. The Reddit post, by an anonymous user, alleged that Zepto's working environment was "toxic", with employees working ex ...Read More >
Kareena Kapoor Khan brought a deeply personal and touching element to her meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi by requesting him to write a heartfelt message for her two sons, Taimur Ali Khan and Jeh Ali Khan, who were unable to attend the event. A memorable highlight from the gathering showcased Kareena watching intently, her expression radiating pride and warmth, as the Prime Minister inscribed a note dedicated to her children, affectionately called "Tim and Jeh."Kareena Kapoor Khan added ...Read More >
A temple locked since 1978 communal riots in Sambhal, Uttar Pradesh, has been reopened by authorities during an anti-encroachment drive. The Bhasma Shankar temple, containing idols of Lord Hanuman and a Shivling, was rediscovered during an electricity theft inspection. This follows recent violence and heightened tensions in the area, including a mosque survey dispute and loudspeaker fine.The Sambhal administration here on Saturday uncovered and reopened a temple, which is said to have been closed ...Read More >
Lucknow, Jan 8 (UNI) Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Wednesday said that the belief system of Sanatan Dharma represents the world's oldest culture, standing above comparison with any religion or sect. The CM said, "I inherit a legacy that spans thousands of years, with its cultural and spiritual events equally ancient. The tradition of Sanatan is higher than the sky and beyond comparison." Speaking at the 'Mahakumbh Mahasammelan, he emphasised the profound significance of the Maha Kumbh. He explained that after the Devasura Sangram (the battle between gods and demons), drops of nectar fell ...Read More >
New Delhi [India], January 27 (ANI): Actress Kangana Ranaut has officially announced her return to movie sets for the filming of her new movie, which reunites her with her 'Tanu Weds Manu' co-star R Madhavan. The two actors, who previously delighted audiences with their performances in the successful romantic comedy series, will now collaborate again in a psychological thriller. Also Read | 'Those First Loves Always Stay With You': 'Loveyapa' Pair Junaid Khan and Khushi Kapoor on True Love, Sibling Rivalry and Inspiration From Actor Parents (LatestLY Exclusive). The announcement came shortl ...Read More >
Guwahati, Jun 5 (PTI) The Assam Congress on Thursday demanded a CBI inquiry into alleged illegal stone mining in Karbi Anglong district in violation of a Supreme Court order. Addressing a press conference here, former Rajya Sabha member Ripun Bora also alleged that Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council Chief Executive Member Tuliram Ronghang was allowing illegal activities in the district in nexus with Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma. "Large-scale illegal stone mining is taking place in the hills of Karbi Anglong in violation of the Supreme Court order. The SC had banned mining in and around K ...Read More >
Chennai: Hours before Union home minister Amit Shah was to arrive in Madurai, Thuglak editor and an associate of Shah, S Gurumurthy on Saturday met PMK founder S Ramadoss. The PMK leader, however, ruled out the possibility of meeting Amit Shah during his two-day visit to Tamil Nadu.Gurumurthy met Ramadoss for the second time amid reported tension within PMK regarding alliance strategies and insistence by Anbumani Ramadoss to remain party president. The hour-long meeting took place at the T Nagar residence of A K Vijay Mahesh, son of former Union minister and PMK leader A K Moorthy, sources sai ...Read More >
Bodh Gaya/New Delhi, Dec 17 (UNI) Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake on Tuesday visited the Mahabodhi temple in Bodh Gaya and offered prayers. The MEA spokesperson said in a post on X: "A relationship rooted in civilizational and spiritual ties! President @anuradisanayake of Sri Lanka visited the Mahabodhi temple in Bodh Gaya to seek blessings and offer prayers. "Our shared values and common cultural heritage are the foundation and guiding force of our ever expanding partnership!" The Sri Lankan President in a post said: "This morning (17), I had the privilege of visiting Bodh ...Read More >
NEW DELHI: A group of madrasa students attacked a stall at the Amar Ekushey Book Fair in Dhaka on Monday, protesting the display of books written by exiled Bangladeshi author Taslima Nasreen, according to police and eyewitness accounts. The incident occurred at the stall of Sabyasachi Publication, which publishes Nasreen's books. Eyewitnesses reported that a group of individuals approached the stall, questioning why Nasreen's books were being displayed. "A group of agitators came to Sabyasachi Prakashani and began shouting about the presence of Taslima Nasreen's books in the stall. Later, Pu ...Read More >
Sivakarthikeyan's Amaran has emerged as his biggest box-office success to date, surpassing the Rs 300-crore mark at the worldwide box office collection.Shiv Karthikeyan and Sai Pallavi marked a milestone in film industry through the movie Amaran. The film joins an elite club as the ninth Tamil movie to achieve this milestone, following hits like Rajinikanth's Enthiran, Kabali, 2.0, Jailer, along with Biigilmovie, Varisu, Leo, and The GOAT. Featuring Sivakarthikeyan as Major Mukund Varadarajan, alongside Sai Pallavi, Bhuvan Arora, and Rahul Bose, Amaran draws inspiration from true military st ...Read More >
New Delhi: Lucky Bhaskar, starring Mollywood heartthrob Dulquer Salmaan and Meenakshi Chaudhary in the lead roles, has returned to the spotlight as it is now available for streaming on Netflix. Directed by Venky Atluri, the film has been making waves online, with millions of viewers praising its captivating storytelling, stellar performances, and music. Upon its release on OTT today, netizens took to social media to express their admiration for the film, calling it a "masterpiece." One viewer praised the film's narrative and performances, writing, "Lucky Bhaskar. The best of 2024. A masterpie ...Read More >
Upcoming Romantic OTT Releases In December: The end of 2024 will definitely end on a romantic note as some of the most popular romantic movies and shows are going to be released. These OTT releases are much awaited which is soon going to hit the digital space. From shows like Mismatched Season 3 to Kannada movies such as Murphy, everything to watch this month on Netflix, Prime Video, Disney + Hotstar, Zee5 and other streaming platforms. Bandish Bandit Season 2 (Prime Video) ...Read More >
New Delhi: PwC India's report, titled Global Entertainment and Media Outlook 2024-28: India Perspective, brings promising insights into the country's showbiz industry. The report reveals that Indian entertainment and media industry is projected to surpass the global growth rate of 4.6 per cent by achieving a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 8.3 per cent. It is on its way to reaching a market size of Rs 365,000 crore (USD 44.2 billion) by 2028. So, where does India rank globally? The United States currently leads the market by revenue, followed by China. India, on the other hand, holds th ...Read More >
New Delhi: In a daring move, following the language feud in Bengaluru, a tech founder, Kaushik Mukherjee, posted on X that he has decided to wind up his office in Bangalore and will be moving to Pune soon, with the reason stated as "language nonsense" by the founder. This decision comes amid growing tensions between Kannada speaking and non-Kannada speaking people in the state of Karnataka. Kaushik claims he does not want his non-Kannada speaking staff to be the next 'victim' and the idea, as he stated, was proposed by the staff and that he has decided to accept the idea. His post has garnere ...Read More >
In an exclusive interview with Firstpost, Gurmeet Choudhary, who is the new entrant of season two, spoke about his character, the way he prepped for the role, and the importance of heroism in cinema Yeh Kaali Kaali Ankhein on Netflix is a campy and pulpy ode to the kind of cinema that faded away as we progressed towards what we call as 'realistic' cinema. It's a show that oscillates between restrained and heightened sense of drama and tension. It has a wonderful ensemble where every character has its own motivations and conflicts. You're likely to rekindle that essence of nostalgia as it remi ...Read More >
Kottayam (Kerala), Dec 12 (PTI) The historic struggle for equality that took place in Vaikom a century ago, popularly known as the Vaikom Satyagraha, was not a movement confined to Kerala but marked the starting point for various other struggles for social justice, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin said on Thursday. In his address at Vaikom in this district after inaugurating the renovated Thanthai Periyar Memorial and Periyar Library, Stalin said that while impressive strides have been made in areas of social justice and economy in 100 years, a lot more has to be achieved. Stalin inaugur ...Read More >
The books for class 9-12 will be available from 2026-27. New Delhi: The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) has reduced the prices of books for classes 9 to 12 by 20 per cent. The decision was announced by NCERT Director Dinesh Prasad Saklani during an event held in the national capital on Monday. The reduction in the prices of books will be effective from the upcoming academic year. News agency PTI quoted the minister as saying that while the textbooks for classes 9- ...Read More >
New Delhi: In a major strategic step, the Noel Tata-led Tata CLiQ has decided to rebrand the brand as Tata CLiQ Fashion. The move is seen as the company's idea to align with its "fashion-forward approach." Tata CLiQ is the e-commerce arm of the Tata Group. The rebranding marks the company's shift from being a horizontal marketplace to a specialized vertical platform focusing on fashion and lifestyle. The Tata CLiQ Fashion has unveiled a complete visual redesign, featuring a fresh logo, revamped packaging, and updated user experiences on both its app and website. According to a Hindu Businessl ...Read More >
New Delhi: The University Grants Commission (UGC) on Wednesday announced a significant update in its approach to conducting the Common University Entrance Test (CUET) for both undergraduate (UG) and postgraduate (PG) students for the year 2025. The UGC has invited public feedback on the revised methodology aiming to refine the examination process for a better and more efficient testing environment for candidates. Since its inception in 1956 under the UGC Act, UGC has been pivotal in setting and maintaining the standards for higher education, coordinating with universities, and providing fina ...Read More >
The Andhra Pradesh government inked a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Google. The tech giant will launch its operations from Visakhapatnam in the State. Making the announcement at the district collectors' conference on Wednesday, Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu said HRD Minister Nara Lokesh's efforts have paved the way for this. The MoU was a significant development and would be a game changer. Visakhapatnam is poised for transformative growth, Mr. Naidu said. The chief minister, in ...Read More >
New Delhi, Dec 12 (PTI) Telugu superstar Allu Arjun on Thursday said the humongous success of his latest release "Pushpa 2: The Rule" is a reflection of people's love and he hopes the box office record of the film, which has become the fastest movie to earn Rs 1,000 crore, is broken soon by another movie. A sequel to Arjun's 2021 Telugu blockbuster "Pushpa: The Rise", the film released on December 5 with dubbed versions in Hindi, Tamil, Kannada, Bengali, and Malayalam, and has emerged as one of the biggest hits of 2024. Also Read | RSIFF 2024: Nick Jonas Reveals Being Fascinated by Priyanka ...Read More >
Kolkata: Director Arun Roy, known for five feature films including 'Egaro', 'Hiralal', '8/12 (Binay Badal Dinesh)' and 'Bagha Jatin', died of a severe lung infection on Thursday morning at the RG Kar Medical College after battling cancer. Roy, who had an intense passion for making historical films based on the freedom movement, was 52. The one word that defines Roy as a director is "courage". It was manifested in his conviction of being able to direct period films in Bengal on a meagre budget and the resolution to direct films on freedom fighters while working in thriller-obsessed Tollywood. ...Read More >
Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], February 3 (ANI): Monday kick-started on an exciting note for the fans of actor Prabhas as his first look as 'Rudra' was unveiled in the morning. The poster features him in the guise of a hermit, his matted hair flowing wildly, his forehead smeared with sacred chandan, gripping a crescent moon staff that hints at divine power and celestial energy. Sharing his look from the film, Prabhas on social media wrote, " (Om symbol) The Divine Guardian 'Rudra' (Om symbol) Unveiling my look as 'Rudra'. The embodiment of strength and wisdom as the unwavering protector in #K ...Read More >
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New Delhi: Actor Kamal Haasan has shared his response to the Karnataka Film Chamber of Commerce (KFCC) after the film union body decided to ban the release of his film 'Thug Life' in Karnataka amid the ongoing controversy around his "Kannada is born out of Tamil' remark. In a letter addressed to the President of KFC, Kamal Haasan said that his statement about the Kannada language at his film 'Thug Life' audio launch in Chennai has been "misunderstood" as he claims to have spoken it "out of genuine affection" for legendary Dr Rajkumar's family in Karnataka. "I acknowledge your letter dated 30 ...Read More >
Imphal, June 7 (UNI) Three militants were nabbed in separate incidents during the last 24 hours in Manipur, police said on Saturday. Manipur Police arrested a militant from Moidangpok Awang Leikai from Khumbong Bazar under Imphal West District, they said. Security forces arrested a militant from the Elangkhanpokpi Mayai Leikai area under Kakching district. Security forces apprehended a militant from Wangoo Samushang in Bishnupur district and elected members from Kumbi area. In an operation, one M16 rifle, one bolt-action rifle, three pull-mechanism rifles, three improvised mortars, and fiv ...Read More >
New Delhi: A viral YouTube video recently claimed that Rs 500 currency notes will stop being used from March next year. However, the Central government has dismissed these claims. In a post on X, the Press Information Bureau (PIB) clarified that the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has made no such announcement, and Rs 500 notes will continue to be valid for transactions. A video posted on the YouTube channel 'CAPITAL TV' has created confusion by claiming that Rs 500 notes will be discontinued by March 2026. Clearing the air, the Press Information Bureau (PIB) shared a fact-check post on X, saying ...Read More >
New Delhi [India], June 8 (ANI): BJP MP Gulam Ali Khatana, who was part of the all-party parliamentary delegation to Europe, said that during their recently conclued visit they successfully communicated India's development story and its resolute stand against terrorism, particularly emanating from Pakistan. Highlighting the delegation's key discussions during the tour, Khatana told ANI, 'We discussed how we dismantled the terrorism factory in Pakistan by responding... We also talked about tourism infrastructure, G20 Summit, and projects like the six-lane roads, bridges, solar initiatives, our ...Read More >
Bengaluru, December 11: Flipkart-subsidiary Myntra was recently cheated by fraudsters who allegedly stole over one crores rupees this year during March and June. The scammers attacked the e-commerce company by exploiting some loopholes related to the Myntra policy and looted the money. The firm reported a loss of INR 1.1 crore in Bengaluru and INR 50 crore nationwide as the scammers abused the complaints and refund options. According to the reports, the crooks who ran the Myntra refund scam were traced back to Jaipur, Rajasthan. Most of them ordered expensive products online, such as branded ...Read More >
Bhubaneswar: Chief minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Thursday announced an ambitious plan of planting 7.5 crore saplings across the state within a year. Speaking at the state-level celebration of World Environment Day at the OUAT Agriculture Education Hall in city, the CM emphasised the importance of public awareness and collective responsibility in protecting nature and ending plastic pollution. "A healthy environment is essential for a healthy society," he said.Addressing the rising threat of single-use plastic, the CM urged citizens to support a mass movement to eliminate plastic from daily li ...Read More >