CHENNAI: As theatres continue to remain shut people have resorted to online mode of entertainment and various OTT platforms for recreation. Many production houses have come up with their creative digital content to keep viewers engaged.
ShemarooMe, the over-the-top video streaming app of Shemaroo Entertainment, has announced its expansion in the Gujarat Market, becomes the first OTT player in India to offer a promise of new content every week. They have recently released Swagatam which has a digital first release on Shemaroo Gujarati starring Malhar Thakkar and Katha Patel.
In a candid conversation, Hiren Gada, CEO, Shemaroo Entertainment, says, “With the number of digital video consumption now growing at a rapid pace, the consumption focus is now expanding into a lot of regional language consumption. We launched ShemarooMe as an OTT app two years ago, but now we are aggressively trying to work towards consumer connect. Now we are expanding ShemarooMe Gujarati within ShemarooMe OTT app. Earlier, we had partnered with several telecom operators within the ecosystem. We have existing library offering, and now we have strong consumer offering.”
He further added, “The new regional OTT channel would have three parts movies, web series and theatre and one new content every week. We are reaching out directly to the consumers through direct subscription. The channel has also launched a web series Vaat Vaat Ma and soon they are coming up with another web series called Kshadyantra.
ask for his extension, so, considering his vast experience in bureaucracy, we have asked for his service to help the government in handling the Covid-19 pandemic and post Cyclone Yaas relief operations.”
But in the morning, the Chief Minister wrote a letter to the Prime Minister making it clear that she won’t release Alapan Bandyopadhyay, and blamed the Modi government on various grounds. After that, another Minister Chandrima Bhattachariya held a press conference, and attacked the Centre.
Around 5 pm, a fresh letter was issued. This time, the Centre sent a show-cause to Alapan Bandyopadhyay for not joining duty at the scheduled time at the North Block in Delhi on Monday. Bandyopadhyay was given the letter by the Centre’s staff office. Once the show-cause is answered, the next step may be taken.
After this letter from the Centre, CM Banerjee, visibly angry, once again sat in a press conference and said: “No such incident has taken place in India in the last 64 years.” She also said that the Centre’s show-cause notice was like sprinkling salt on the wounds of Covid and cyclone victims in Bengal. The Chief Minister angrily questioned whether the Centre was taking such steps only to oppose Banerjee and to avenge the BJP’s loss in the Bengal elections. “It is a very shameful incident. The letter did not mention why the Chief Secretary was being asked to join duty in Delhi. This is retaliatory behaviour. I have never seen such a ruthless Prime Minister.”
However, Mamata Banerjee said that Alapan Bandyopadhyay himself had expressed his desire to retire. The Chief Minister further said, “I thank my former Chief Secretary Alapan Banerjee for the great work he has done in his career. We need Alpan very badly. He has retired, but I am not going to let him go to the secretariat.”
An IAS officer of the 1987 batch, Alapan Bandyopadhyay was the additional chief secretary of micro, small and medium enterprises and textiles department before he was appointed in the home and information department in 2019.
Following the state’s direct confrontation with the Centre over Alapan Bandyopadhyay, questions are being raised about the future of three IPS officers Bholanath Pandey, Praveen Tripathi and Rajiv Mishra. The three were summoned by the Central government after the attack on the convoy of BJP president J.P. Nadda. Even then, Nabanna did not agree to leave them. They are still in the state.
Incidentally, the Centre had transferred the three IPS officers to various posts in the Central government after the attack on the Nadda convoy at Diamond Harbor on December 10. Soon after the incident, Diamond Harbor Superintendent of Police Bholanath Pandey, DIG Presidency Range Praveen Tripathi and IG South Bengal Rajiv Mishra were transferred on Central deputation.