Bhumi Pednekar at UN General Assembly: Climate Crisis Needs Action Now

Actor and UNDP India National Advocate for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Bhumi Pednekar, has brought the urgency of climate action to the United Nations General Assembly in New York, delivering a message centred on the human impact of the climate crisis.

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Image credit: Bhumi Pednekar at the United Nations General Assembly

On the global stage, Pednekar stressed that climate change should not be perceived as a distant issue for future generations. "I am at the United Nations General Assembly with just one message: The climate crisis is not a future problem. It is happening to real people in real places and we need climate action now,” she stated. Her message coincides with climate change being a major focus of the 81st session of the UN General Assembly. This year's high-level week at the UN includes discussions on climate action, a just transition, and the increasing threats posed by rising sea levels, which the UN describes as an escalating threat already impacting communities, livelihoods, and economies.

Bhumi Satish Pednekar's involvement with UNDP India goes beyond a single appearance. In March 2023, UNDP India appointed her as its first National Advocate for the SDGs. In this role, she has worked to raise awareness about sustainable development, gender equality, and climate action. She previously joined UNDP India as a Women@Work Champion in 2022. The actor has increasingly utilized her public platform to address issues beyond cinema, such as women's rights, gender-based violence, and environmental concerns. Her association with UNDP has also enabled her to amplify campaigns focused on sustainable choices and climate awareness.

UNDP India has recognized Pednekar as one of the voices helping to boost its climate-action efforts, including the #ClimateCounts campaign, which aims to combat climate misinformation and promote informed collective action.

Her presence at the UN General Assembly adds another layer to her public advocacy: linking global discussions on sustainability with the everyday realities of communities affected by climate-related challenges.

For Bhumi Pednekar, the central message remains clear: climate change is already impacting lives, livelihoods, and communities. The pressing question is how quickly awareness can be transformed into meaningful action.

#BhumiPednekar #lifestyle #environment #awareness #UNDP

Ramayana Part 1 3D Trailer Launch: Ranbir Kapoor, Sai Pallavi and MrBeast Attended the Event in Mumbai

Some film events are designed to announce a movie. Others are designed to make you understand the scale of the world that movie is trying to create. The special Ramayana: Part 1 3D showcase in Mumbai belonged firmly to the second category.

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Held on September 26 at DNEG Prime One Studios in Film City, Mumbai, the event brought together director Nitesh Tiwari, producer Namit Malhotra, Ranbir Kapoor, Sai Pallavi, Ravie Dubey and global digital creator MrBeast for a special showcase around one of the most closely watched Indian films of 2026. What made the evening particularly intriguing was the combination of two worlds that rarely share the same frame:The timeless cultural universe of the Ramayana and the contemporary global language of digital entertainment.

A Showcase Reflecting the Scale of Ramayana: Part 1

The choice of DNEG Prime One Studios was fitting. Ramayana: Part 1 is not being mounted as a conventional mythological film. The project is being built around large-scale filmmaking and visual effects, with Prime Focus Studios, DNEG and Monster Mind Creations behind the production. The official studio material describes the film as a two-part cinematic franchise directed by Nitesh Tiwari and produced by Namit Malhotra.

That context was impossible to ignore at the Mumbai showcase.

The 3D presentation shifted attention from simply asking what the actors looked like in costume to a larger question: how does one translate an epic that has lived in India's collective imagination for centuries into a contemporary cinematic experience?

That is where the event found its strongest identity.

Rather than treating spectacle as the only attraction, the presentation placed technology, scale and storytelling at the centre. The film's visual effects are being handled by DNEG, while the music combines the creative worlds of A.R. Rahman and Hans Zimmer.

Ranbir Kapoor and Sai Pallavi remain the emotional centre

At the heart of the evening were Ranbir Kapoor and Sai Pallavi, playing Rama and Sita. Ranbir Kapoor's casting as Rama has been one of the defining talking points around the film since the first look was unveiled. In the official introduction to the character, Kapoor said he did not see himself as representing Rama, but rather as trying to learn from him an approach that gives some indication of how the makers have chosen to position the character.

Sai Pallavi's Sita, meanwhile, represents the other half of the film's emotional foundation.

The recent motion poster released by the makers deliberately moved away from battle imagery and visual grandeur to present a quieter moment between Ram and Siya. That choice suggested that the film's visual ambition is not intended to replace its emotional core.

And that balance matters.

A story as familiar as the Ramayana does not need its audience to discover the plot. It needs the cinematic treatment to make the journey feel immediate again.

Ravie Dubey adds another important presence

Ravie Dubey, who plays Lakshman, was also part of the Mumbai gathering.

His presence alongside Kapoor and Pallavi completed the central familial dynamic that sits at the beginning of Ram's journey. The casting places Dubey in one of the epic's most emotionally significant relationships that of Lakshman, whose loyalty and presence remain integral to the narrative.

The larger ensemble includes Yash as Ravana and Sunny Deol as Hanuman, with other prominent actors attached to the project.

Then came MrBeast and the room changed

If the 3D showcase established the film's cinematic scale, MrBeast's appearance gave the event an entirely different dimension.

The American creator, whose real name is Jimmy Donaldson, joined Ranbir Kapoor, Sai Pallavi, Nitesh Tiwari, Namit Malhotra and Ravie Dubey at the Mumbai event.

MrBeast's participation was not merely a celebrity cameo for the cameras. His presence connected Ramayana with the world's enormous creator economy — an audience ecosystem very different from conventional film publicity.

One of the most talked-about moments from the event came when Ranbir Kapoor helped MrBeast say “Jai Shri Ram”. MrBeast also interacted with the team and spoke about the film during the showcase. There was something inherently contemporary about the moment: a story that has travelled across generations through scriptures, oral traditions, theatre, television and cinema was now meeting an audience shaped by YouTube, short-form video and global creator culture. That juxtaposition may ultimately be one of the most interesting aspects of the Ramayana campaign.

Nitesh Tiwari's challenge is not simply scale

For director Nitesh Tiwari, the biggest challenge is unlikely to be convincing audiences that Ramayana is visually large. The trailers and promotional material have already made that ambition clear.

The more difficult task is making that scale serve the story.

Tiwari has previously described his approach as being rooted in the emotional richness of the epic, saying that the story is not simply about good versus evil but about choices, consequences and the weight of doing what is right.

That distinction is important because spectacular imagery can create an impression, but it cannot carry an epic by itself. The strongest material associated with Ramayana so far has therefore been the material that places the characters inside the spectacle Ranbir's Rama, Sai Pallavi's Sita, Ravie Dubey's Lakshman and the looming presence of Yash's Ravana.

Namit Malhotra's global ambition is visible

Producer Namit Malhotra has positioned Ramayana as a project designed to travel beyond the traditional boundaries of Indian cinema. The film's production architecture itself reflects that intention. Prime Focus Studios is producing the project in association with Double NEGative aka DNEG and Monster Mind Creations, while Sony Pictures is handling international markets and Dharma Productions is distributing across North India's Hindi-speaking markets, according to Prime Focus Studios. The film's trailer was released globally in five Indian languages in July, another indication of the scale of its intended audience.

Against that backdrop, having MrBeast at a Mumbai showcase suddenly makes sense as part of a broader promotional language, one that does not stop at traditional Bollywood publicity.

The real spectacle may be the collision of old and new

And this is where the Mumbai event becomes more interesting than a standard trailer launch. Ramayana is built around one of the oldest and most enduring narratives associated with Indian culture. Yet its presentation is increasingly speaking the language of modern global entertainment, large-format filmmaking, advanced VFX, international creative talent, global distribution and creator-led promotion. The event brought all of those elements into one room.

Nitesh Tiwari represents the filmmaking vision. Namit Malhotra represents the production and technology ecosystem behind it. Ranbir Kapoor and Sai Pallavi carry the central characters. Ravie Dubey represents one of the epic's most important relationships. And MrBeast brings a digital audience that exists largely outside the conventional film publicity machinery. That combination made the event feel less like another promotional stop and more like a statement about how Indian stories can be packaged for a global cinematic and digital audience.

Whether the final film successfully balances devotion, character, spectacle and technology will ultimately be decided when audiences see the complete picture.

For now, the Mumbai 3D showcase made one thing clear: Ramayana: Part 1 is being presented not merely as another mythological film, but as a large-scale cinematic interpretation of a story that already belongs to millions of people.

The film is scheduled for worldwide theatrical release on November 6, 2026, with the second part planned for 2027. And perhaps that is the most fascinating challenge ahead not making the Ramayana feel bigger, but making something this familiar feel new without losing what made it endure in the first place.

The ambition, however, appears to extend well beyond the first chapter. According to DNEG Insider, preliminary work on Ramayana: Part 2 has already begun, indicating that the visual-effects and production machinery for the next instalment is already moving behind the scenes. While the makers have yet to publicly detail the extent of this work, the development adds another layer to a project being conceived on an unusually large scale.

#entertainment #bollywood #ramayanapart1 #ranbirkapoor #mrbeast #event #saipallavi #DNEG #NamitMalhotra #NiteshTiwari

Rohit Gupta: Building the Next Generation of Mobile-First Entertainment

As audiences increasingly consume entertainment on smartphones, the traditional boundaries of storytelling, screen formats and content distribution are changing rapidly. From short-form videos to vertical narratives, mobile-first entertainment is creating new opportunities for creators and platforms to rethink how stories are developed and consumed.

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At the centre of this emerging space is Rohit Gupta, the Founder of Reeloid, a platform focused on vertical, mobile-first storytelling. With a background in chemical engineering, filmmaking and technology, Gupta’s journey reflects the convergence of creativity and digital innovation that is reshaping the entertainment industry.

Gupta began his professional career with an IT startup working on assessment and examination systems. His interests, however, remained closely connected to storytelling, design and the arts. He eventually began creating documentaries and short films, with his first documentary winning the Best Documentary Award at the Rajasthan International Film Festival. One of his short films was subsequently selected for the short film section at the Cannes International Film Festival.

His filmmaking journey has continued alongside his entrepreneurial work. Gupta is currently involved in a documentary project with the Indian Navy documenting the recreation of a fifth-century ship. The project has been in production for more than two years and has also received public acknowledgment from the Prime Minister through a social media post.

It was his early experiments with vertical storytelling that eventually led to Reeloid.

From Vertical Experiment to Reeloid

Gupta says the idea for Reeloid took shape in 2021, when he was experimenting with vertical video content. Along with his team, he developed a 12-minute vertical drama divided into one-minute episodes.

At a time when the format was still relatively unfamiliar to mainstream OTT platforms, the team eventually released the project independently. The response encouraged Gupta to explore the format further. “The idea for Reeloid emerged in 2021 when I was working on vertical video content and realized that storytelling itself could be adapted to a vertical, mobile-first format,” Mr.Gupta explains. For him, the evolution of storytelling is closely connected to changing audience behaviour. Reeloid takes its name from the combination of the cinematic idea of celluloid and the accessibility of mobile-first entertainment, reflecting the platform’s larger ambition.

Keeping Storytelling Human in an AI-Driven Industry

While artificial intelligence is increasingly becoming part of entertainment production, Gupta believes technology should support storytelling rather than replace the creative process. Reeloid works with writers and creators to develop character-driven narratives across genres including romance, drama, horror and slice-of-life stories. The emphasis, according to Mr.Gupta, is on relatable characters and authentic emotional experiences rather than simply reproducing formats that have performed well elsewhere. “Storytelling remains a deeply human craft,” he says, while acknowledging that AI can play a role in production planning, content analysis and optimisation. This philosophy also informs Reeloid’s approach to audience engagement. Mr.Gupta believes strong hooks can attract viewers, but relatability is what ultimately sustains their interest.

One example he cites is an early story centred on a woman entrepreneur starting a cloud kitchen, which connected strongly with viewers. Rather than attempting to create content for every demographic, Reeloid focuses on specific audience segments and stories designed around their experiences and aspirations.

Technology as an Enabler

For a mobile-first entertainment platform, technology is not simply a distribution mechanism. It also shapes how content can be produced, adapted and monetised.

Gupta says Reeloid has developed its own technology platform, giving the company greater flexibility to experiment with different business models beyond conventional subscription and advertising-led approaches. The platform also uses AI at different stages of the production process, including planning, post-production and content optimisation. Mr.Gupta, however, maintains that technological advancement has to remain secondary to the creative purpose of a story. “Our goal is to leverage advanced tools to improve efficiency and audience experience while preserving the creative integrity and emotional depth of storytelling,” he says. The approach also opens possibilities around adapting existing content for vertical consumption and exploring new forms of mobile storytelling.

Taking Indian Stories to a Global Audience

Rohit Gupta’s long-term ambition extends beyond creating another short-form content platform. He wants Reeloid to become a destination for vertical storytelling while taking Indian narratives to audiences outside India. The strategy involves experimenting with genres and formats while using audience insights and performance data to understand which concepts have the potential to develop further. That could eventually allow stories that begin as mobile-first vertical content to expand into larger entertainment properties, including feature films and long-format productions. For Rohit Gupta, the opportunity lies in connecting technology, audience behaviour and traditional storytelling craft. “My vision for Reeloid is to become a global destination for vertical storytelling while showcasing authentic Indian narratives to international audiences,” he says.

From engineering to filmmaking and now mobile-first entertainment, Mr.Rohit’s journey reflects an industry where creative instincts and technological capabilities are increasingly intertwined. Reeloid represents his attempt to build within that intersection creating a platform where stories are designed not only for a new generation of screens, but also for the changing ways audiences discover, experience and connect with entertainment.

About Rohit Gupta

Rohit Gupta is a filmmaker, storyteller and entrepreneur and the Founder of Reeloid. A chemical engineer by education, he transitioned into filmmaking and digital entertainment, with recognition for his work at the Rajasthan International Film Festival and Cannes. He continues to work across documentaries, films and emerging digital entertainment formats.

Website: reeloid.app