In plain language: Few small players shaping streaming biz beyond Hindi

The hope is to expand it to 18 languages or dialects, including Maithili, Bundeli, Awadhi and Marathi, over the next five years
Vanita Kohli Khandekar Pune
Listen to This Article
Kaand 2010 is based on the caste violence that rocked Mirchpur, Haryana, that year. To watch this Haryanvi series, streaming on Stage, you have to first pay ₹399 for a three-month subscription, and answer this multiple choice question: 'What is your culture?' The options are Haryanvi, Bhojpuri, and Rajasthani – the three languages in which Stage claims to offer about 600 hours of programming currently.
The hope is to expand it to 18 languages or dialects, including Maithili, Bundeli, Awadhi and Marathi, over the next five years, says the OTT platform's cofounder and Chief Executive Officer Vinay Singhal.

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Hindustan Times

an hour ago

• Hindustan Times

Dil. Dard. Dishoom! How Bollywood titles are changing with the times

Pore over a list of Bollywood releases long enough, and déjà vu will hit. Two films titled Kesari came out this year. One, subtitled Chapter 2: The Untold Story of Jallianwala Bagh, is a follow-up to the 2019 Akshay Kumar hit of the same name. The other, with Suniel Shetty, Vivek Oberoi, and a suffix: Veer. Even when some titles seem new, old connections emerge. Chhaava, one of the year's hits, means lion cub in Marathi. That's close to the 2024 Singham Again (Singham is lion in Tamil), and Tiger 3. All three titles indicate stories of a hypermasculine hero – an idea that also echoes in this year's Deva (starring Shahid Kapoor) and Sikandar (starring Salman Khan), and Pathaan, Jawan, and Animal (2023). Jump genres, and the titles still seem like they all emerged from the same cocoon. The love stories of our time are a mouthful: Sonu Ke Titu Ki Sweety (2018), Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani (2023) the upcoming Tu Meri Main Tera Main Tera Tu Meri. Horror is all one-word explosions: Stree (2018), Bhediya (2022), Munjya (2024) and, absurdly, Naagzilla (out in 2026). Turns out, movie-naming is just like baby-naming. There are trends, stand-out surprises, arguments, and always someone else who had the same idea as you. Grab some popcorn, the titles are talking. Winning words Kesari has been showing up in film titles as early as 1935, in the stunt film Hind Kesari. It's appeared across languages – there's a Punjab Kesari (1938, Tamil) and an Andhra Kesari (1983, Telugu). And given that a big chunk of 2025 releases are sequels, expect winning words and phrases to recur in the movie names. 'The film industry is highly speculative,' says trade analyst Komal Nahta. 'When something works, everyone tries to follow the same model.' Producer Himanshu Mehra views it as a 'smart and intentional move'. Movies deliberately use familiar terms and colloquial phrases because that 'travels better across states and audiences'. It's an old trick. Even in the '50s and '60s, it was important that film titles be simple, yet evocative. After all, audiences would watch them over and over, often years after they were released. Hence, Awaara (1951) and Barsaat (1949). If the title was related to a song, there was a strong chance that it was a romance. 'Whether it's Dil Deke Dekho (1959) or Tumsa Nahin Dekha (1957), filmmakers would pick a line that was particularly hummable or powerful,' says Shivendra Singh Dungarpur, founder-director of the film-restoration initiative Film Heritage Foundation. So when Aditya Chopra capitalised on it in the '90s, with Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (1995), it was a calculated risk. Spread the word Apart from romcoms, titles today are shorter, snappier. We've moved from awkward post-liberalisation Hinglish (Jab We Met, 2007; Singh is Kinng, 2008) to being comfortable with English-only titles for masala movies (All the Best: Fun Begins, 2009; No Problem, 2010). Today's titles need to be click-worthy on streaming platforms too. It's probably why the 2022 Telugu film went simply with RRR. It's punchy and pronounceable for a pan-India and foreign audience, as well as for an Oscar jury. But there's room for creativity. We did have a romcom last year called Satyaprem Ki Katha. Filmmakers have learnt franchise-o-nomics from Hollywood, and the titles reflect it too. We have Marvel-style cinematic universes. YRF's spy-movie series bears fiery titles such as Salman Khan's Ek Tha Tiger, Hrithik Roshan's War and SRK's Pathaan. Rohit Shetty's cop-verse is connected by Ranveer Singh's Simmba and Ajay Devgn's Singham. Maddock Films' Horror Comedy Universe includes Stree and Bhediya and an upcoming vampire flick that may likely have a one-word title too. Mehra says he planned his latest movie Detective Sherdil, starring Diljit Dosanjh, 'to build a franchise around a titular character. Someone who can be can be in London, Austria, Punjab… anywhere'. The title of his 2023 film, Bloody Daddy, was chosen by director Ali Abbas Zafar with care too. 'When you hear the name, you immediately get that he's a father stuck in some crazy situation. And he will do anything to save his family.' Bloody Daddy wouldn't stand a chance in the '70s, when our films were about the common man's anger and disillusionment with the system. The titles of the time were 'potent, emotional and subject-driven,' says Dungarpur. Consider Bachchan's Angry Young Man phase: Deewar, Zanjeer (1973), Sholay (1975), Muqaddar Ka Sikandar (1978). 'Even Amar Akbar Anthony is a great example of a title perfectly capturing the essence of the film.' Our serious films today have more calling cards: Uri: The Surgical Strike (2019), Sam Bahadur (2023). 'It reflects the age we live in, where people are glued to their phones, where reality shows dominate. We're in an era of 'reality titles', so to speak,' says Dungarpur. Title case Stree was originally called O Stree, Kal Aana. Actor Rajkummar Rao suggested shortening it to sound less like the genre staples that rely on terms such as bhoot and darr. Simpler movie names are undoubtedly more evocative and powerful. But, like a good Insta handle or Tinder after 11pm, all the good ones are taken. Registering a title with the Indian Motion Picture Producers' Association (IMPPA), one of the handful of committees that allow for it in India, costs as little as ₹350, plus GST. So, producers tend to stockpile potential terms for future use. Titles that include 'Section' or 'Article' (referring to parts of the Constitution) are booked up, as are newsy keywords such as Surgical Strike. When Operation Sindoor made the headlines, industry bodies got 30 title applications in two days. 'It's a hustle,' says Nahta. 'Ninety-five percent of the producers won't even make the film. They're just hoping to resell it to a big-banner studio.' There are bound to be scalpers– it's all about the money. 'Some people demand ₹15 to ₹30 lakhs, even ₹1 crore, just for a title,' says one producer who did not wish to be named. The phrase Tujhe Dekha Toh Ye Jana Sanam is booked, as are common one-word masculine terms, and after the success of Stree, most popular terms related to female empowerment. This is an unfair business practice. 'You have to surrender a title if you're not using it,' says Anil Nagrath, secretary of the IMPPA. 'We allow a three-year hold, but you need to show production progress. If not, it's reassigned.' Trying to slip past with a spelling tweak or adding a number? The committee now checks everything: Spelling, font size, visual layout. 'You can't just shrink part of the name and sneak it through.' Understandably, there's quite a bit of infighting over this. In 2020, filmmaker Madhur Bhandarkar called out Karan Johar for taking Bhandarkar's already-booked title, Bollywood Wives, for the reality show The Fabulous Lives of Bollywood Wives. In other cases, there's no choice but to move on. Mehra's film Khaali Peeli (2020) was originally titled Kali Peeli, a nod to Mumbai's black-and-yellow taxis. But that title was taken too. 'So, we just twisted it into Khaali Peeli, a Bambaiya slang term that means 'just like that',' says the producer. 'It's still true to the story, and added that local flavour.' Closing credits So, is there such a thing as an ideal title? Filmmakers agree that there is. For Mehra, it's a name that strikes an emotional chord, the way Bajrangi Bhaijaan did. 'It's powerful. You have an Indian superstar, known as 'Bhaijaan', playing someone who is rooted in Hindu beliefs. It wasn't a gimmick. It felt honest.' Nahta looks for three important ingredients: 'It should be easy on the tongue. It should appeal to your senses, intellectually and emotionally. And ideally, it should convey what the film is about.' That said, a bad title can deliver an unexpected hit too. 'Consider Pratighaat (1987, a story of a woman taking on criminals and corruption). It wasn't a commonly used term for revenge, but Sujata Mehta's film was a hit.' Lost in translation Bajrangi Bhaijaan: Little Lolita's Monkey God Uncle (China) Dangal: Let's Wrestle, Dad (China) Deewaar: I'll Die For Mama! (US) Toilet: Ek Prem Katha: Toilet Hero (China), No Toilet No Bride (Germany) Seeta Aur Geeta: Seeta and Geeta: The Earthquake Sisters (Peru) The outlier Spell bound Sometimes, naming a film is less art, more astrology. In 2000, the late numerologist Bansilal M Jumaani added two extra As to Kaho Naa… Pyaar Hai. The movie became a massive hit, made Hrithik Roshan a superstar, and boosted tourism in New Zealand. Filmmakers believed Jumaani and his son Sanjay and daughter Swetta were on to something. Over the years they've tweaked the titles of Simmba and Singh Is Bliing, and added the Hindi tagline to Toilet: Ek Prem Katha. 'Every letter has a different vibration, and its own number,' claims Swetta Jumaani. 'Based on what number the name adds up to, we ask the filmmakers to add or delete some letters, and what colour combinations to use. Even how to orient the title, as with Chennai Express, which is tilted upwards. Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge is number 6, which is a good number for romance; 9 is great for action, like in Tanhaji.' They've got it wrong plenty of times too. From HT Brunch, June 21, 2025 Follow us on

Business Standard

6 hours ago

• Business Standard

In plain language: Few small players shaping streaming biz beyond Hindi

The hope is to expand it to 18 languages or dialects, including Maithili, Bundeli, Awadhi and Marathi, over the next five years Vanita Kohli Khandekar Pune Listen to This Article Kaand 2010 is based on the caste violence that rocked Mirchpur, Haryana, that year. To watch this Haryanvi series, streaming on Stage, you have to first pay ₹399 for a three-month subscription, and answer this multiple choice question: 'What is your culture?' The options are Haryanvi, Bhojpuri, and Rajasthani – the three languages in which Stage claims to offer about 600 hours of programming currently. The hope is to expand it to 18 languages or dialects, including Maithili, Bundeli, Awadhi and Marathi, over the next five years, says the OTT platform's cofounder and Chief Executive Officer Vinay Singhal.

News18

7 hours ago

• News18

Vivek Lagoo, Ex-Husband Of Late Actress Reema Lagoo, Passes Away At 74

Last Updated: Veteran actor Vivek Lagoo, ex-husband of Reema Lagoo, passed away at 74. His last rites will be held at Oshiwara crematorium on June 20. Veteran theatre actor Vivek Lagoo, best known as the ex-husband of late Bollywood actress Reema Lagoo, has passed away at the age of 74. According to reports, Vivek breathed his last on June 19. His funeral is scheduled to take place on June 20 at the Oshiwara crematorium in Mumbai. Vivek Lagoo was a respected figure in the Marathi theatre scene and had also made notable contributions to television and cinema. He shared a deep-rooted passion for acting with his former wife, Reema Lagoo, who earned national fame for her iconic motherly roles in films like Hum Aapke Hain Koun..! and Vaastav, as well as TV serials such as Shriman Shrimati and Naamkarann. The couple first met in 1976 during their time working at a bank and bonded over their love for theatre. They tied the knot in 1978. Despite eventually parting ways, Vivek had once described their separation as 'an understanding to restructure our lives," highlighting the mutual respect they maintained for each other even after their split. Vivek and Reema's daughter, Mrunmayee Lagoo Waikul, is their only child and the sole surviving member of the family. Mrunmayee has carried forward the family's artistic legacy with distinction. A writer and director, she has worked on critically acclaimed projects such as Thappad and Scoop, establishing herself as a powerful voice in contemporary Indian storytelling. The death of Vivek Lagoo comes seven years after Reema Lagoo's sudden demise in 2017. The veteran actress passed away after complaining of chest pain shortly after wrapping up a shoot for the TV show Naamkarann. She was rushed to the hospital by Mrunmayee and her husband but succumbed to a heart attack that night. Her last rites were also held at the Oshiwara crematorium. The Lagoo family holds a special place in Indian cinema and theatre, with both Vivek and Reema being beloved figures in the performing arts community. First Published: June 20, 2025, 01:00 IST