South India

OTTs may drive up to 10% growth for South cinema dubbing rights in 2026

Earlier, the dubbed rights of South Indian films were considered 'library fillers' or inexpensive content acquired to keep channels running round the clock

Satya Sai Baba's teachings showing light to lakhs in 140 countries: PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday paid rich tributes to late spiritual guru Sri Satya Sai Baba, saying his teachings and service continue to guide lakhs of followers across the world. In his address at the birth centenary celebrations of Satya Sai Baba, Modi also released a coin and a set of stamps to commemorate the guru. "Sri Satya Sai Baba's centenary celebration is not just a festival, but a divine boon. Though Sai baba is not among us physically, his love and spirit of service are the guiding forces for crores of people," Modi said. He said that in 140 countries, "lakhs of Satya Sai Baba's devotees are getting new light, direction and moving forward." Sri Satya Sai Baba placed service at the heart of human life. The spiritual guru's birth centenary became a festival of universal love, peace and service, Modi added. Modi also said that the central value of Indian civilisation was Seva and Service. "All our diverse spiritual and philosophical traditions ultimately lea

Why the South keeps pulling ahead: Growth, demographics and development

Beyond the increasing complaints about their falling share of central tax revenues, the experience of southern states holds a lesson for the poorer regions wishing to bridge the gap

Lokah Chapter 1: Chandra sets new benchmark for Malayalam film industry

Highest-grossing Malayalam blockbuster earns ₹300 cr in 6 weeks of release

South India accounts for 58% of all-India whiskey sales in FY25: Report

South Indian states dominate the sales of IMFL, accounting for 58 per cent revenue in FY25, with Karnataka retaining the top national slot by contributing 17 per cent of the pan-India volumes in FY25, according to data from industry body CIABC. Five Southern states - Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Telangana, along with Union Territory Puducherry, have retained their dominance in the sales of the Indian-Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL), consuming 23.18 crore cases (jointly contributing 58 per cent sales) for the financial year ended on March 31, 2025. "South's dominance is near-absolute" in IMFL sales in FY25, with "the rest of India shares the remaining 42 per cent", said data sourced from the Confederation of Indian Alcoholic Beverage Companies (CIABC). However, on a pan-India level, sales volume of IMFL Whisky has declined 1.4 per cent year-on-year in FY25 to 40.17 crore cases. When asked, CIABC Director General Anant S Iyer said overall sales have been slow in FY25

Kerala's video KYC marriage registration gains popularity, aiding NRKs

Dr Anish R and Dr Prakruthi K got married in a solemn ceremony in the presence of their dear ones in Kerala's Kochi some time back. Days later, the young doctor couple registered their marriage at a local body in Ernakulam, sitting over 1,200 km away from the home state. They registered their wedding comfortably sitting inside their apartment in Pune in Maharashtra via online. They downloaded the marriage certificate later without any hassle. Unlike in the past, the couple didn't need to be physically present at the corporation office and wait for hours for their turn to get their marriage registered officially and receive the certificate. This has been the new trend of online marriage registrations catching up in Kerala for some time, which enables the couple to register their wedding from anywhere in the world and at any time without being physically present at their local body. A path-breaking initiative by the state Local Self-Government Department, the marriage registration v

Teja Sajja's Mirai storms past ₹100 cr at global box office in just 5 days

Teja Sajja & Manchu Manoj's 'Mirai' collected ₹5.75 cr on its day 5 and brought a total of ₹56.75 cr at Indian box office. The film has crossed ₹100 cr gross worldwide since its release

SC stays proceedings against TN minister in disproportionate assets case

The Supreme Court has stayed the proceedings before a special court against DMK leader and Tamil Nadu Minister I Periyasamy and his family members in a Rs 2.1 crore disproportionate assets case. A bench of Justices Dipankar Datta and A G Masih on August 19 also issued notice in the matter. "There shall be stay of proceedings in..pending before the Chief Judicial Magistrate cum Special Judge for Prevention of Corruption Act Cases, Dindigul," the bench said. The top court passed the order on Periyasamy's appeal challenging the Madras High Court verdict of April, 28, which directed the special court to frame charges against him and his family members. The high court passed the order on pleas filed by Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC), challenging an order discharging Periyasamy and his family members from the case. The high court, however, rejected that order and directed the special court to conduct a day-to-day trial and complete it within six months. Periyasamy

South India pulls clear in online FMCG adoption, says Nielsen report

Nielsen report states southern metros led with an 18.4% share

SC refuses to hear plea challenging gag order in Dharamsthala case

The Supreme Court on Wednesday declined to hear a petition challenging a sweeping gag order that restrained media houses from reporting on matters related to the brother of Dharamadhikari D Veerendra Heggade of Dharamsthala in Karnataka. The gag order pertained to reports on alleged murder of women in Dharmasthala in the state's Dakshina Kannada district. The plea, filed against an ex parte interim order of a local court, questioned the legality of the directive which directed as many as 390 media houses to remove nearly 9,000 links and stories related to the Dharamsthala burial case. A bench comprising Chief Justice B R Gavai and Justices K Vinod Chandran and Joymalya Bagchi asked the petitioner as to why the high court had not been approached. You go the high court first, the CJI said. The gag order was reportedly passed in a defamation suit filed by Harshendra Kumar, Secretary of Sri Manjunathaswamy Temple institutions, who highlighted the spread of allegedly false and defamato

Legendary South Indian actor B Saroja Devi passes away at 87 in Bengaluru

Veteran South Indian Actor B Saroja Devi died here on Monday, film industry sources said. She was 87 years old. She died due to age-related ailments at her residence in Malleswaram, Bengaluru, according to sources. She was fondly called 'Kannadathu Paingili' (Kannada's parrot) in Tamil. The actor, who got her first break when she was 17 years old in Kannada film Mahakavi Kalidasa (1955)', is also known as the first female superstar of Kannada cinema. The actor went on to win a National Award for her performance in her debut film. Her Tamil film with another legendary actor and former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu M G Ramachandran, Nadodi Mannan (1958)' made her one of the top actresses of Tamil cinema. Although she married in 1967, Saroja Devi continued to be in demand, especially in the Tamil film industry. She was also called Abhinaya Saraswathi'.

Matter Motor plans to launch one electric bike annually over next 3 years

Electric motorcycle maker Matter Motor Works plans to launch one new model every year in the next three years as it looks to accelerate volume growth, its Co-founder and Group COO Arun Pratap Singh said on Thursday. The Ahmedabad-based company, which on Thursday launched its geared electric bike AERA in the Delhi market, plans to open up to 60 dealerships across the country this fiscal, with the majority of them in South India, Singh told PTI here. "There are products planned, at least a new launch every year. So that's what we can see for the next three years," he said when asked about the company's product pipeline. He said the company is focusing on electric motorcycles only at present and is not looking at electric scooters "as of now". On the company's first model AERA, he said, "We took almost six years to develop the vehicle. We started deliveries in October last year." The company had confined sales in the Ahmedabad market for the first six months to study consumer feedbac

Datanomics: South fears delimitation punishment for population control

At stake is fears by southern states that they will lose Lok Sabha seats if delimitation is based on the new census

Vijay Devarakonda booked under SC/ST Act for remarks on tribal people

A case was registered against actor Vijay devarakonda under SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, for his alleged remarks about tribal people during a movie pre-release event here, police said on Sunday. According to police, the actor allegedly compared the recent terror attack in Pahalgam to tribal wars from 500 years ago while speaking at the event in April this year. The actor made comments in April. However, based on a complaint a case underSC/ST Act was booked against him on June 17, a police official told PTI. The complaint filed by Nenavath Ashok Kumar Naik Alias Ashok Rathod, State President, Joint Action Committee of Tribal Communities alleged that the movie actor who participated in the pre-release event of the movie titled 'Retro', starring hero Surya, made comments that hurt the sentiments of the tribals and seriously insulted them Rathod alleged that Devarakonda compared tribes with Pakistani terrorists and his comments are perceived as racially offensive. On May 3, t

Akhil Akkineni weds Zainab Ravdjee: Yash, Ram Charan, Mahesh attend bash

Akhil Akkineni, actor and son of Nagarjuna, married Zainab Ravdjee in an intimate ceremony in Hyderabad on Friday. The reception saw a star-studded guest list, including South film industry

G Square Group announces Rs 1,000 crore mega township project in Coimbatore

G Square Group acquired the 714- acre Kovai Hills project from Rakindo

'Census delay no accident, delimitation not a coincidence', says Stalin

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Stalin warned that if delimitation is carried out using the 2027 Census, the democratic influence of southern states would be severely weakened and would unfair to them

5 lush escapes to explore in South India this monsoon and Bakrid weekend

Explore the scenic beauty of Southern India this monsoon, or on the long weekend due to Bakrid 2025, with these magnificent places that offer lush greenery and peace with friends, family or even solo

The magic of South Indian cinema: Movies, masti, and mass appeal

Of the total screens in India (9,927), multiplexes account for only 40 per cent, though their share of collection is higher

Western, southern states dominate in key metrics: Careedge Ratings

States in Western and Southern India "dominate" in the key metrics, an annual survey released by a domestic rating agency said on Tuesday. The agency assessed states on the basis of economic strengths, fiscal situations, financial development, infrastructure, social situations, governance, and environment. "Western and Southern states dominate the top five rankings," Careedge Ratings said. Fiscal, economic and financial development pillars are strong points for Western states, while the Southern states performed well across the economic, financial development, environment, and governance pillars, the study said. Maharashtra has emerged as the best in overall composite rankings, followed by Gujarat and Karnataka in an annual analysis carried out by the rating agency. The state topped in the financial development pillar and performed strongly across the economic, fiscal and social pillars, it added. Gujarat, its neighbour to the north-west, scored on its leading economic rank, ...