How Well Do We Know The Marathi Audience?

As Indians, we love our culture, take pride in our mother tongue and worship cinema no matter which part of the country we belong to. The government of various states launch programs to promote their regional cinema and the young directors are constantly hunting for unconventional bold content.
So, what is it that stops regional cinema from booming? In this case, specifically Marathi cinema. We have been making Marathi cinema for years now and every time there is a hit, we are convinced that we’ve cracked our audience but have we really done it?

We are not denying the fact that there haven’t been hits in the industry. Some of the movies have done wonders at the box office and received equal critical acclamation.
For long, the works of young Marathi filmmakers have been celebrated for being rich in content, technically sound and headlined by some of the finest acting talents in the country. But most of them struggle to make it to the finishing line.

Bollywood is a blessing for the audience but it is no less than a curse for budding regional movies. It continues to cast its long shadow over Marathi cinema and as a result, the Marathi regional industry can’t help but get “overly influenced” by Bollywood which results in losing originality. As a result, Marathi films are slowly being forced to match up to their Hindi competitors in terms of genres and style — leading to a lot of them looking and feeling like Bollywood films. This trend is worrisome and marks a dark time for Marathi filmmaking.

It’s about time we understand what our audience wants is not a copy of ‘Bollywood’. It wants to experience its roots and explore its regional diversity. It wants to relate to the content and feel the nostalgia, infused within the culture.

What do you think about the current regional cinema trends? Tell us your opinion regarding the same in the comment section below.

Cherishing Love With Shah Rukh’s Iconic Romantic Dialogues

Each day in life should be about ‘love’ but we have managed to find exclusive days where we openly cherish this emotion and bring the week to an end with ‘Valentine’s Day’.

It’s the same time of the year and what could be better than cherishing this week with SHAH RUKH’S style of romance?

The Badshah of Bollywood is known for this charming looks and his personality and who else does romance better than him? Here are 10 most romantic dialogues by Shah Rukh Khan that’ll remind you of the wonderful feeling that love is!!

Teri aankhon ki namkeen mastiyaan, Teri hansi ki beparwah gustaakhiyaan, Teri zulfon ki lehraati angdaaiyaan, Nahin bhoolunga main, Jab tak hai jaan, Jab tak hai jaan…

Pyaar dosti hai. Agar woh meri sabse achi dost nahi ban sakti toh main usse kabhi pyaar kar hi nahi sakta. Kyunki dosti bina toh pyaar hota hi nahi.

Agar kahi kabhi bhi koi dost ki zarrorat pade toh bas itna yaad rakhna ki sarhad paar ek aisa shaks hai jo aap ke liye apni jaan bhi de dega.

Yaad rakhna ki duniya ke kisi kone mein koi khush hai, kyun ki tum khush ho.

Itni shiddat se maine tumhe paane ki koshish ki hai, ki har zarre ne mujhe tumse milane ki koshish ki hai. Kehte hain agar kisi cheez ko dil se chaaho, toh poori kaynath tumhein usse milane ki koshish mein lag jaati hai…

Mujhe chahiye ek aisi ladki, jise dekhte hi dil ki har aarzoo, saare khwaab, saare rang zinda ho jaaye. Abhi aisa hua nahin hai, lekin ab aisa lagta hai jaise koi andekha anjaana chehera, baadalon mein se pukaar raha hai. Pata nahin yeh baadal kab hatenge, aur kab woh pukaarne waali saamne aayegi…

Main jab bhi aap ko dekhta hoon mujhe Rab dikhta hai. Rab ke samne matha tekta hoon toh dil ko sukoon milta hai. Aap ko hanste hue dekhta hoon toh dil ko aur bhi sukoon milta hai. Toh main toh aapko Rab se bhi zyada pyar karta hoon.

Dosti keh alaava bhi kuch rishte hote hain. Kuch rishte joh hum samajhte nahin, kuch rishte jo hum samajhna nahin chahte. Kuch rishte jinka koi naam nahin hota, sirf ehsaas hota hai. Kuch rishte jinki koi deewar nahin hoti, sarhad nahin hoti. Aise rishte jo dil ke rishte hote hain, pyar ke rishte hote hain, mohabbat ke rishte hote hain…

Mohabbat bhi zindagi ki tarah hoti hai, har mod aasan nahi hota, har mod par khushi nahi milti…. Par jab hum zindagi ka saath nahi chodte to hum mohabbat ka saath kyon chhode.

Kabhi kabhi jeetne ke liye kuch haarna bhi padta hai … aur haar kar jeetne waale ko baazigar kehte hai

As a true Shah Rukh fan you ought to know what movies are these from? Let us know your answers in the comment section below!!
Come, celebrate love with Bollywood ❤

The Growing Trend Of Regional Content On OTT Platforms

The new era of content is here and it is here to stay!! The shift to digital content is not an alien concept but what is fascinating is the changing trend within the digital content on Indian OTT platforms.

Gone are the days when people watched content on television along with a varied audience of different age groups sitting together. The urban families have access to their own devices now where they watch content based on what they prefer.

This shift to individual viewing is what led to the advent of the regional content boom in digital and it didn’t take long for OTT platforms to start working towards this growing change.

New strategies by Netflix and Amazon Prime video include generating local and regional content for Indian audiences and well, they are not the only ones doing this.

Amazon committed on investing $300 million for creating original content in Hindi and other regional languages.
Apart from Amazon, video streaming service Viu has started offering service in Telugu after Hindi and Tamil

Experts say that the streaming platforms have realized the potential of regional languages whose speakers are spread across the world. For instance, ALTBalaji’s Tamil show Maya Thirrai witnessed viewership across the Middle East, US, and UK which house huge sections of Tamil population.

“Regional content definitely gives better uptake in terms of engagement, people usually take half the time to lap up regional content (as compared to Hindi or English).”

As per estimates, the OTT market is currently valued at $280 million with nearly 100 million subscribers, and it is poised to grow at 35 per cent year-on-year.

Hotstar, Voot, Amazon Prime Video, Sony Liv, and Netflix are the top OTT platforms in India.

With trends changing at such speed, it is extremely difficult to predict the trends that take place in the digital content but one thing for sure and that is, the audience now knows what they want and the platform that delivers the most shall stay in the long run.

What do you have to say about this? Do you think this growing trend of regional content will sustain the wrath of this industry? Share your views with us in the comment section!!

Indian OTT Platforms Taking Over Our Love For Cinema?

Weekend plans are now switching from ‘Let’s go for a movie’ to ‘what are we binge watching?’
Dates are now changing from ‘Movie at 8:00pm’? to ‘Netflix and chill?’.
Are Indian OTT Platforms taking over our love for cinema? Is the convenience of having access to media taking the old school charm of theatres away?

About 77 percent consume media on mobile devices, as a price war triggered by billionaire Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance Jio Infocomm Ltd. made data cheaper and faster. Average monthly data consumed by a user nearly tripled to 3.9 GB in 2017, and EY expects it to more than quadruple to 18 GB in five years.

Bollywood and the regional movie industry is now trying to fend off the digital challenge by seeking an eight-week exclusivity for theaters before movies are available on streaming platforms and television

Videos account for more than half of India’s internet traffic and that’s “just going to explode”, Archana Anand executive vice president & head of digital at ZEE5 India, said in the report. “We’ve only seen the tip of the iceberg.”

What is it about OTT platforms that is gradually taking away India’s love for its beloved film industry? These platforms have not only made media more convenient but have also encouraged regional content which the audience finds more relatable now.

From brilliant star cast to more sensible content without the interference from censorship, there is nothing that the OTT platforms does not have to win over the cinema industry.

The question is, will the OTT magic stay in the long run as well? Or will we get back to worshiping Bollywood like we always did?
Are the OTT platforms here to stay for good? Are they the future of Indian media? The fact that there is no censorship could either be a blessing or a curse. Now, we need to wait and watch how well the OTT platform deals with the freedom that digital media brings with itself.

Let us know how you feel about this in the comment section below.

8 Indian Army Officers Who Prove That There’s Nothing Women Can’t Do

Being a part of The Armed forces is not everyone’s cup of tea. It requires a different kind of commitment, hard work and determination. The training is extremely physically and emotionally exhausting that results to creating individuals who shall die for the country.

The brave heroes we have are not defined by gender but in a society where patriarchy has been dominant for years, it is important that we speak about these brave and courageous women who broke the stereotypes and absolutely nailed #TheArmyLife.

Punita Arora- The first Indian woman to hold the rank of Lieutenant General in the India Armed Forces and first female Vice Admiral in the Indian Navy.

Harita Kaur Deol- At just the young age of 22 , first woman in the Indian Air Force to fly without a co-pilot. She soared at a height of 10,000 ft and created history for years to come.

Priya Jhingan- Priya was the first cadet to join the Indian Army in 1992. The Indian army opened admission to women much later than the Indian Navy and the Indian Air Force.

Sofia Qureshi- She was the only woman commander across all participating countries in the international military exercise which included USA, Japan, South Korea, Russia and China.

Deepika Misra- She became the first IAF woman pilot to train for the helicopter aerobatic team, Sarang–one of the only four helicopter military display team in the world.

Nivedita Choudhary- She became the first woman officer in the Indian Air Force to summit Mt. Everest.

Avani Chaturvedi- This young officer proved to the world that there is nothing called as a man’s job by becoming the first Indian woman officer to fly a supersonic jet fighter all alone.

Padmavathy Bandhopadhyay – She is the first woman Air Marshal of the Indian Air Force. She is the first woman to become a Fellow of the Aerospace Medical Society. She is the first Indian woman to conduct an experiment on extreme cold acclimatization in the North Pole.

These are not just ordinary women, these are inspirations in human form. These are women who #DareToDream. If their stories leave you motivated and inspired, you must check out #Ahilyathefilm. The story of a young brave girl who dared to dream and rose from a constable to an IPS officer!!

Here’s A List Of The 7 Most Iconic Super Cops Of Bollywood

Bollywood is obsessed with ‘Super cops’ and ‘justice’ and we have had the same theme being followed for the longest time that we can remember.

Playing a cop on screen isn’t an easy job and the actor needs to make sure that there is continuity and rationality in his character. It is very important to make the character and the scene look realistic, making the whole act worth remembering.

Bollywood has given us some real badass cops and we bring to you a list of our favorite 7 super cops while we look forward to more in the coming year.

Ajay Devgn – Bajirao Singham, the no nonsense, honest cop has won hearts across the globe with his charismatic performance and nail bitting action sequences. Rohit Shetty and Ajay Devgn are one of those combinations that can never go wrong and time and they have proved this time and again. The fierce cop attitude was acclaimed commercially and critically making Singham be at the top of our list.

Aamir Khan- Inspector Shekhawat in Talaash was certainly one of the finest cops Bollywood gave us. Mr. Perfectionist wanted to make sure that he carries the essence of a ‘Mumbai Cop’ in his character and hence spent a lot of time on set speaking to officers of Mumbai Police on duty to understand their way to thinking and lifestyle.

Salman Khan- Salman as ‘Chulbul Pandey redefined the cops status in Bollywood. ‘Chulbul’ managed to garner a major fan following and went on to become one of Salman’s identity that is relevant even today. Directed by Abhinav Kashyap, the movie was eventually made into a franchise by producer Arbaaz Khan and we honestly can’t wait for the third part to hit the theatres.

Amitabh Bachchan- We’ve seen Amitabh as a cop several times and he does know how to carry the uniform. The last we saw him as a cop was in Khakee by Rajkumar Santoshi and we were more than just convinced by this acting. He played the role of an older cop who had to carry out a mission along with Akshay Kumar and Tushaar Kapoor and he left us hooked to the screen till the very end.

Kay Kay Menon- What happens when such fine cast gets directed by one of the finest directors of this generation? Black Friday happened when Anurag Kashyap assembled this epic cast and documented the 1993 serial bomb blasts in Mumbai. Menon’s character was inspired by Rakesh Maria, the cop who cracked this case in real life and we haven’t witnessed a cop more authentic in a very long time.

Akshay Kumar- Akshay Kumar as Inspector Vikram Rathore in ‘Rowdy Rathore’ attracted a large number of audience to the theatre and the film was definitely an all-rounder entertaining masala flick. Akshay is seen playing a double role in the movie where he plays a small time con and a super cop. When the cop dies, con man Akshay steps in his shoes and steals the show like the khiladi that he is!!

Ranveer Singh- The latest addition to this list is Ranveer Singh who left the audience hooting and whistling with his powerful performance in ‘Simmba’. Inspector Sangram Bhalerao took the nation by storm and proved that there is nothing that he can’t do. The badass cop won every one’s heart with his character transformation from a corrupt cop to a supercop.

Who is your favorite super cop in Bollywood? Let us know your opinions in the comment section below.

5 Indian Women Who Prove That Profession And Passion Are Not Gender Bias

As children, we often hear ‘this isn’t a man’s job’, ‘this isn’t a woman’s job’ and hence we grow up in a traditional stereotypical environment where gender picks our passion and profession.
Women usually grow up with more restrictions eventually leading to a limited option of careers for their future.

The Indian culture has always been more biased towards men and most of the career options follow the same practice where women are not only denied jobs but also are paid lower wages than men.

However, times are changing now and women are out there stepping up, gearing pace and picking jobs that they like and not because they are compelled to.

Here are 5 Indian women who picked the most unconventional jobs and nailed them #likeabossShravani Pawar (Security Agency)

Chhaya Sharma (DCP, Delhi Police)

When was the last time a Bollywood showed a lady cop save the day? Well, it might not be happening in movies but we are glad that it happens in real life. Chhaya Sharma, DCP of Delhi is an inspiration to many young women out there who dare to dream and struggle to make them come true. Chhaya Sharma has solved many renowned cases in this male dominated career and continues to do her thing with courage and passion!!

Rajni Pandit (Private Detective)

Majority of the Indian parents don’t let their daughters venture out late night but what of your job is something that begins after sunset and makes you stay out in the dark all night? We’re talking about the first private female detective of India, Rajni Pandit. She started her career back when she was in college and has been a part of the detective services since 1991. She has worked with over 30 detectives and solves around 20 cases on a daily basis.
You go ma’am!

Prema Ramappa Nadapatti

How often do we hear stereotypical statements about women being bad drivers? For all the people who think that women can not drive, Prema is here to prove you all wrong! She is not just an excellent driver but a spectacular ‘Bus’ driver. Yes, you heard that right! When Prema lost her husband she had no option but to support her family and as someone who always wanted to do something different, she decided to become a bus driver with BMTC, Banglore. She is one daredevil and will run you over if you mess with her!!

Shatbhi Basu (Bartender)

If you think women belong in the kitchen and men belong in the bar then Shatbhi Basu is here to change your opinion. She knows the art of juggling bottles and making you just the right drink that could help you clear your mind about profession and gender roles. Bartending as a career is something equally unusual for men but Shatbhi knows how to do her job and be the best at it. She also heads STIR which is a professional bartending institute.
We should raise our glasses to this, shouldn’t we?

Shravani Pawar (Security services)

Keeping people safe has always been looked upon as a man’s duty and it is strange for the Indian culture to accept the fact that there are women out there who are ensuring the same. ‘Safe Hands’ is an organization run by Shravani Pawar that trains rural women to get employment as security guards. Her organization has successfully trained over 400 rural women of Indian and she ain’t stopping anytime soon!!
More power to you Sharvani!

If these stories left you inspired and longing for more, Red Bulb Studios proudly presents to you the extra ordinary story of an ordinary girl, ‘Ahilya’.

Watch this story of struggle from a lady constable to an IPS officer unfold at the big screens near you in March 2019!

5 On-Screen Bollywood Pairs That We Can’t Wait To See In 2019

Bollywood jodis have always had a special place in our hearts and often leave us with #CoupleGoals that mostly turn out to be potential heartbreaks but nevertheless our love for them does not seem to end and every year, we brace ourselves for more unrealistic love expectations.

2019 is going to be no different as it brings to us some of the most epic on-screen pairings with fresh scripts and exciting content.

Ranveer Singh and Alia Bhatt – There is something about Alia that makes her capable to create magic on-screen with almost all of her co-stars but ‘Gully Boy’ takes this chemistry to a whole new level. We’ve seen the trailer and we find it spectacular already, if you haven’t seen it, you need to leave everything that you’re doing and watch it HERE.

Akshay Kumar and Parineeti Chopra – Akshay has been pretty consistent with his performance on the big screen while Pari turned out to be a bit of a disappointment in ‘Namaste England’ along with her co-star ‘Arjun Kapoor’. However, ‘Kesari’ could be the what she exactly needs to level up in Bollywood. As per the posters, the movie suggests to be a period drama with Akshay essaying a Sardar while Pari is seen dressed in a traditional Punjabi attire. The poster and the theme looks promising and we’re really hoping for a comeback for Parineeti with this one.

Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt- Now, this is one couple that we love on-screen because we absolutely adore them off-screen. Tinsel town’s most adorable couple will be on the big screen together in Ayan Mukerji’s ‘ ‘Brahmastra’ that is produced bt Kjo. This is one movie that is definitely worth the wait and we look forward to seeing this couple’s sizzling chemistry on the big screen.

Dulquer Salmaan and Sonam Kapoor- The sweetheart of south india is back and this time with none other than Sonam Kapoor. The dynamic duo will be paired together in ‘Zoya Factor’ that is an adaptation of the novel with the same name by Anuja Chauhan. We hope that Sonam creates the same magic on screen that she did with our Pakistani heart throb Fawad Khan in ‘Khoobsurat’.

Rajkumar Rao and Mouni Roy- Surprised much? So are we. This is definitely one of the most unconventional couples that we might witness in 2019. The duo is all set to leave us amazed in their upcoming movie ‘Made in China’ which is slated to release this independence day. The two will be seen playing a regular husband wife couple named ‘Raghu and Rukmani’.

We are certainly looking forward to witness these new on screen pairing of Bollywood and well, get our hopes high again.
Let us know your favorite ‘jodi’ from these top five in the comment section below!!

Just 10 Moments Where We Were Grateful To God For Siddharth Malhotra’s Existence

The charmer with the ‘boy-next-door-‘ looks made a special place in our hearts with Karan Johar’s ‘Student Of the Year’ and we knew we was going to make it big.

Well, he isn’t the new kid on the block anymore and he has proved that time and again with his versatility. From being the young boy in ‘SOTY’ to the fine man in ‘Aiyaary’, there is nothing that Sid can’t do.

There couldn’t be a better way to celebrate this birthday than appreciating this existence with these super awesome gifs that shall leave you swooning over him.

1)Ya’ll feel the temperature rising?

2) Find someone who looks at you like that!!

3) When you find a meme relatable AF

4) Arrest us, officer!!

5) We feel the heat too! Don’t we?

6) When bae hangs up without saying ‘I love you’

7) Haters say whaaat?!?!

8) When you realize you’re next in the ‘wedding line’.

9) Looking like a fine snack while making a point

10) Find a man who looks this good and does dishes!

Sid, you be the awesome man that you are and keep doing your thing!!
If you’re a Siddharth Malhotra fan too, shower your love for him in the comment section!!

The Current Movie Buffs And Their Obsession With Hollywood

Why is the current generation so obsessed with Hollywood?

“Bollywood is the same old crap yaar, why can’t we make more movies like Hollywood”.
How often do we hear this when we sit and discuss movies with our peers? Well, if you don’t then you’re probably chilling with the right kind of movie lovers. Bollywood lovers, to be precise.

What is it with the current generation and their obsession with Hollywood movies? Why do we fail to realize that is art form is a representative of one’s cultural and social environment?

The concept of cinema was evolved over time and the initial purpose was never to entertain people but to spread a cultural revolution through art. The initial movies depicted our socioeconomic conditions and revolved around themes that were more human centric.

Even today, the basic concept remains the same but as the resources grew, our exposure towards the west increased, we ended up creating a fusion. A fusion that isn’t Bollywood and neither is well adapted to be like Hollywood. But again, why should it be? As a culturally rich country, I don’t see the need to get influenced from other cultures to create cinema for our people.

I agree how directors went overboard with the ‘cultural representation’ and ended up creating content that encouraged ‘sexist behaviour’, ‘eve teasing’, ‘patriarchy’ and there is honestly no way how this can be justified!! But, if you think about it, the content was selling because people were buying it!!

The Indian audience can act like a bunch of phony people sometimes. They don’t stop talking about Hollywood themes and every time Bollywood tries to do something of the same sort, it gets ditched for not being good enough. A classic example of this is Shah Rukh Khan’s ‘Ra.One’ which was a well invested superhero movie, starring the finest of Bollywood but look what we did to it? We refused to embrace it because it had Shah Rukh Khan or the fact that it had Kareena dance to ‘Chammak Challo’ in it? Mind you, these are the same people who groove to this very song when they go clubbing in their swanky cars and talk about ‘avengers’ with their friends.

Art has no ‘fixed standards’ and is the only thing that is beyond comparison. There is beauty and effort in every piece of art that is created (okay, we could let go of a couple of movies here) and as audiences, the least we can do is appreciate it.

The fact that Hollywood follows a certain pattern in their movies is because it obviously represents their culture and I am not saying it’s wrong to appreciate and explore other cultures, but it is certainly wrong to compare it with our own.

Hey, all I have to say is, enough with the cribbing!! Enough with “Bollywood is never going to be as good as Hollywood” because we’re becoming better with each passing year. We’re learning and realizing that ‘content is king’ now and we’ll get there very soon but a change isn’t possible without positive reinforcement, you know?

This is our cinema that caters to a wide range of people who belong to drastically different socio-economic standards and it’s about time we understand the ideology of our filmmakers before we put our phony hats on start running the judging marathon.

If you love Bollywood as much as we do and have a message for our pseudo movie buffs who wouldn’t get over the ‘Marvels’ and ‘The Avengers’, leave it in the comment section!!

Disclaimer: The views in this article belong solely to the author and not the organisation. Opinions and criticism are most welcome.