From Pushpa 2's success to Dharma-Poonawala deal to demise of Ustad Zakir Hussain, entertainment industry highlights from 2024

The global acclaim for All We Imagine as Light, the box office success of Stree 2 and the year when re-releases gathered momentum, 2024 was a happening year for the entertainment industry

By Samidha Jain Forbes India Staff

Published: Jan 13, 2025 05:09:15 PM IST

Updated: Jan 13, 2025 06:12:24 PM IST

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Pushpa 2 crossed the ₹1,000 crore mark at the worldwide box office in all languages, making it the fastest film ever to achieve this milestone, in December.

The Kiran Rao directorial Laapataa Ladies became India’s official entry in the Best International Feature Film category at the 97th Academy Awards to be held early in 2025. However, the film didn’t make it to the shortlist of 15 chosen films for the category.

A year of biopics: 2024 was a year of many biopics, including Sarfira, Chandu Champion, Srikanth, Amar Singh Chamkila, Maidaan, Main Atal Hoon, Swatantrya Veer Savarkar and more.

Also read: From Payal Kapadia to Vicky Kaushal: 2024-25 Showstoppers, filmmakers and film edition

A year of re-releases: Several movies, which were released in earlier years, were re-released this year, including Tumbbad (2018), Laila Majnu (2018), Rockstar (2011), Veer Zaara (2004), Omkara (2006), Jab We Met (2007), Padosan (1968), prominent Raj Kapoor films like Shree 420 (1955), Mera Naam Joker (1970), among many others.

Filmmaker Payal Kapadia scripted history by becoming the first Indian to be nominated for Best Direction-Motion Picture for her directorial debut All We Imagine as Light at the 82nd Golden Globes. She’s also competing in another category, Best Motion Picture Non-English Language. In May, the movie also became the first Indian title to win the prestigious Grand Prix Award at the Cannes Film Festival.

Stree 2, starring Rajkummar Rao and Shraddha Kapoor, grossed over ₹874.58 crore ($100 million) worldwide, emerging as the highest-grossing Hindi film of 2024.

Preeti Panigrahi, with her debut film Girls Will Be Girls directed by Shuchi Talati, became the first Indian actress to receive the special jury award for acting at Sundance.

Anasuya Sengupta created history by becoming the first Indian actor to win Best Actress at Cannes Film Festival for her film The Shameless.

Also read: From Tabu and Ananya Panday to Imtiaz Ali: Showstoppers 2024-25, OTT edition

Zee-Sony deal falling through: After more than two years of talks, a merger between media and entertainment companies Sony Group Corp and Zee Entertainment fell through in January. The merger would have made the new entity India’s largest company in the sector. Sources believe that the primary point of contention revolved around the leadership of the new entity, with Zee’s CEO Punit Goenka at the centre of the dispute. According to the initial agreement signed in 2021, Goenka was slated to lead the merged entity. However, in 2023, Sebi had issued a ban on Goenka from executive or directorial appointments in listed companies, over accusations of loan recovery falsification and financial misconduct involving Zee’s founder and Goenka’s father Subhash Chandra.

Jio-Disney+Hotstar merger: In February, Reliance Industries Limited (RIL), Viacom18, and The Walt Disney Company announced the merger of Viacom18’s media and JioCinema businesses with Star India. According to the deal, Disney agreed to sell 60 percent of its India business to RIL’s Viacom18 at a valuation of $3.9 billion (₹33,000 crore). The two companies generated a combined revenue of ₹25,000 crore in FY23. Experts feel that, post the merger, the new entity will create India’s largest media empire, with close to a 40 percent market share.

Image: Andrew Chin/ Getty Images

Diljit Dosanjh’s Dil-Luminati Tour became the highest-grossing tour in the country this year. The tour, covering 11 cities, had tickets priced between ₹1,500 (pre-sale) and ₹60,000, and were reportedly sold in black for as much as ₹1 lakh.

Also read: From Diljit Dosanjh to Sunidhi Chauhan: Showstoppers 2024-25, music edition

In November, actor-comedian Vir Das hosted the International Emmy Awards, becoming the first Indian to do so, although it wasn’t Das’s first brush with the Emmys. He was nominated for an Emmy in 2021, for his special Vir Das: For India. However, he came back with a trophy only in 2023, when he won for his Netflix special Landing.

Dharma-Poonawala deal: In October, Serum Institute of India CEO Adar Poonawalla’s Serene Productions picked up a 50 percent stake in Karan Johar’s Dharma Productions for ₹1,000 crore. As per the deal, Johar as the executive chairman will spearhead the company’s creative vision, while Apoorva Mehta, in his role as the CEO, will work with Johar in steering the strategic direction and overseeing the operations of the organisation.

Image: Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times Via Getty Images

Shakti, a fusion music group, won the Best Global Music Album for ‘This Moment’ at the 2024 Grammy Awards. The group included tabla maestro Zakir Hussain, flautist Rakesh Chaurasia, singer Shankar Mahadevan, violinist Ganesh Rajagopalan, and percussionist Selvaganesh Vinayakram. Hussain also received the Grammy Award for Best Global Music Performance for ‘Pashto’ and Best Contemporary Instrumental Album for ‘As We Speak’.

Heeramandi, directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali, with an elaborate cast including Manisha Koirala and Sonakshi Sinha, became one of the most watched non-English series on Netflix. It was made on a budget of more than ₹200 crore, and recorded more than 8.5 million views in 12 days.

Image: Zakir: Aalok Soni/Getty Images; Atul: Prodip Guha/Getty Images; Ameen: Vijayanand Gupta/Hindustan Times Via Getty Images