Latest news with #AnandGandhi
Indian Express
22-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Indian Express
Ship of Theseus director Anand Gandhi reveals he directed Tumbbad, not Rahi Anil Barve: ‘I scrapped what had been shot, reshot it'
As Ship of Theseus clocks 12 years, director Anand Gandhi talks about the film, how difficult it was to release the film and how he was the one who actually directed Tumbbad. Your Ship Of Theseus clocks 12 years. How do you explain its enduring resonance? I believe Ship of Theseus endures because the fundamental human questions it explores have remained unchanged for millennia and will likely persist for millennia more: Who am I? Where do I come from? Where am I headed? What remains of me after death? How do I find or create meaning? These are questions we ask instinctively as children, yet spend lifetimes as philosophers, scientists, and scholars attempting to answer, often without definitive success. With Ship of Theseus, I aimed to engage rigorously with these timeless questions, drawing from the latest insights in cognitive neurobiology, evolutionary biology, ethology, ontology, and epistemology, while synthesizing these disciplines through my own lived experiences. This combination of disciplined inquiry and personal reflection perhaps explains why the film continues to resonate deeply. Was it very difficult releasing a film so complex and non-massy? Initially, releasing the film was challenging. Convincing distributors proved difficult until Kiran Rao came on board, subsequently bringing Disney on board. Aamir Khan also lent his support to the film. Disney needed reassurance that India was ready—not merely for an international arthouse film, but specifically for a film rooted in philosophical and scientific exploration. I was convinced that Indian audiences, historically steeped in metaphysics, rational inquiry, and philosophical traditions, were more than ready. Their maturity surpassed distributor expectations. A community-driven social media campaign demonstrated this readiness, with audiences actively demanding the film's release in their cities. This resulted in screenings across 89 cities and towns throughout India, a truly grassroots triumph. What was the impetus behind this allegory on life, death, and everything in between? It emerged from a confluence of my personal philosophical journey and pivotal life experiences. Profoundly influenced by my mentor Abhay Mehta and all those who had sought before me, my inquiries became urgently real during my twenties while nursing my grandparents in the hospital. I felt like the philosopher in that old parable: one who spends the boat ride questioning the boatman about literature and scriptures, only to discover he cannot swim when the boat springs a leak. My philosophical knowledge had not equipped me for life's immediate demands. This realization compelled me to test whether profound questions could yield not just meaningful answers, but purposeful, utilitarian ones that serve people in their actual lives. Do you think Ship Of Theseus would have done better if released now with so many democratic outlets? I'm not convinced the film would necessarily perform better or worse now. Ship of Theseus was among the first Indian films Netflix acquired, so we didn't miss that digital wave, we rode its crest. We later converted significant portions of the film's rights to copyleft licensing, enabling community sharing with proper real issue isn't the number of platforms available, but their understanding of Indian audiences. A post shared by Anand Gandhi (@memewala) Please explain? Many contemporary outlets systematically underestimate viewers here, defaulting to western remakes or simplified narratives reverse-engineered from old television ratings. This represents a profound misreading of what Indian audiences actually want and deserve. Indians have centuries-deep traditions of philosophical inquiry, metaphysical exploration, and narrative sophistication. Yet these platforms often treat them as if they're incapable of engaging with complex ideas. The result is a self-fulfilling prophecy where diminished expectation leads to diminished commercial returns. These outlets aren't producing a hundredth of the variety their global counterparts do, precisely because they've underestimated the market's actual appetite for substantive cinema and shows. Why have you not to directed any feature film after Ship Of Theseus, we did see you name as 'Creative Director in Tumbbad? The big thing I want to clarify about Tumbbad is that I directed the film and this is something that's well known within the industry. My credit on the film says creative director and that's just basically a way to respect the fact that Rahi Anil Barve had started working on the film as a director first before I had to take over as a director. Are you saying you have ghost-directed the entire Tumbbad? Yes, I had to scrap the work that had been done and I had to reshoot the film from the beginning and hence I took a 'creative director credit' which is, as you know in films, a credit that does not pre-exist, it does not exist before or after Tumbbad. So in the case of Tumbbad, I said that we'll make up a credit called creative director, a director's job is all obviously the same as that of a creative director but because in this case we had to make a distinction between the role that was committed to Rahi, I took on the title of a creative director which was legally supposed to always come along with Rahi as per the contracts. But that didn't happen? But that contract was not honoured on several occasions in the press and in other places by Tumbbad producer Soham Shah. So far I tried to not make that the main key point about the conversation because I try not to get into too much of press about the negative experiences of making a film. I always try to stick to talking about how I made the film, what I was thinking, what my intentions are and that's the kind of thing that always excites me but since you pointedly asked, this needed clarification so I'm clarifying it. When I started the film, when I started Tumbbad, I started as a writer and producer with Rahi supposed to direct it but eventually I directed the film. I had to make the whole film.
National Post
04-06-2025
- General
- National Post
Jamie Sarkonak: Judge accuses officer of 'unconscious' anti-Black racism without direct evidence
Justice Renu Mandhane is one of Ontario's foremost judicial activists, so it should surprise no one that she'll stoop to using racism as a basis to let Black men off the hook for possessing illegal guns. Article content That's what happened at the end of March in the case of Robert Cameron, who had been pulled over and detained for having outstanding drug charges and a suspended license, and whose car, in the process, was discovered to be illegally housing an unlicensed firearm. Article content Article content The episode began when a Brampton police officer, Anand Gandhi, was notified by his cruiser's licence plate scanner flagged a nearby Jeep for a week-long impound due to the owner's active infractions. Given the pending charges, the officer called for backup just in case. He then approached Cameron's Jeep, identified him, handcuffed him, patted him down, and sat him in the back of the police car. Article content Article content 'Officer Gandhi specifically denied treating the accused differently or handcuffing him behind his back because of the way he looked, i.e. because he was a Black man,' wrote the judge. 'The officer maintained that it was his 'common practice' to handcuff and place suspended drivers in the back of his cruiser because it was a 'safe place' to speak with them.' Article content The judge noted that the officer had pulled over a woman earlier that day for driving on a medical suspension, but didn't cuff her or keep her in the police car. Her car, however, was not being impounded, and she wasn't said to have outstanding criminal charges. Article content After other officers arrived, the Jeep was searched for the alleged purpose of taking a pre-tow inventory. Some licence plates were found, which Cameron attributed to his girlfriend, as well as a gun, which was under a cargo mat covered by construction materials. Article content Mandhane didn't outright state that the gun was loaded, but she did note that ammunition was photographed by an officer after the weapon was made 'safe of any ammunition.' Article content The officer then placed Cameron under arrest for gun charges and attempted to help him reach his lawyer, who didn't pick up; 15 or so minutes later, he asked Cameron if 'everything in the vehicle' was his. (This, the Crown admitted, was an infringement of Cameron's Charter right to speak to counsel.) Article content The other alleged rights infringements were less clear-cut. Cameron's lawyer argued that he was unlawfully detained from the outset and that his car was subject to an unreasonable warrantless search, violating his respective Section 9 and 8 Charter rights. There is indeed precedent from the Supreme Court of Canada stating that it's wrong to detain a motorist in a police car without necessity (in that case, the driver didn't have outstanding drug charges) — but it's not enough to get evidence tossed if the officer operates in good faith. The Supreme Court of Canada and the Ontario Court of Appeal have also permitted warrantless inventory searches of cars in the past, but those precedents were not applied here.
Yahoo
06-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Eventbrite Inc (EB) Q4 2024 Earnings Call Highlights: Navigating Revenue Declines with ...
Revenue: $76.5 million in Q4, down 13% year-over-year. Ticketing Revenue: $70.4 million, declined 10% year-over-year. Marketplace Revenue: $6 million, declined 35% year-over-year. Eventbrite Ads Revenue: Increased 35% in Q4 and 83% for the full year. Total Ticketing Volume: $72 million in Q4, up 2% year-over-year. Free Ticket Volume: $50 million, up 8% year-over-year. Paid Ticket Volume: $21.6 million, declined 10% year-over-year. Gross Profit: $52 million in Q4, down 15% year-over-year. Gross Margin: 68.2% in Q4, down from 70.1% a year ago. Operating Expenses: $60 million in Q4, down from $71 million a year ago. Net Loss: $8.4 million in Q4, compared to a net loss of $900,000 a year ago. Adjusted EBITDA: $6.5 million in Q4, compared to $8.8 million a year ago. Cash and Cash Equivalents: $465 million at the end of Q4. Total Debt: $241 million at the end of Q4. Q1 2025 Revenue Outlook: $71 million to $74 million. Full Year 2025 Revenue Outlook: $295 million to $310 million. Warning! GuruFocus has detected 2 Warning Sign with EB. Release Date: February 27, 2025 For the complete transcript of the earnings call, please refer to the full earnings call transcript. Eventbrite Inc (NYSE:EB) reported Q4 2024 revenue of $76.5 million, reaching the upper end of their outlook range. The company exceeded its 10% adjusted EBITDA margin target for the fiscal year. Eventbrite Ads revenue grew 35% in Q4 and 83% for the full year, indicating strong adoption by creators. The elimination of organizer side listing fees led to improvements in creator acquisition, event volume, and ticket transactions. Eventbrite is launching a redesigned app and new features like It-Lists to enhance consumer engagement and event discovery. Q4 2024 revenue was down 13% year-over-year, primarily due to the decline in ticketing revenue. Marketplace revenue declined 35% due to the loss of organizer fees. Paid ticket volume in Q4 declined by 10%, although it showed improvement from the previous quarter. The company is guiding to a lower revenue range for 2025 due to structural revenue mix changes. Eventbrite's net loss in Q4 was $8.4 million, compared to a net loss of $900,000 in the same period a year ago. Q: Can you provide an update on the TikTok partnership and its impact on conversion rates? A: Julia Hartz, CEO, explained that the TikTok partnership remains a vital channel for event discovery, particularly among younger audiences. While the native integration helps reach new audiences, there is still work to be done on improving conversion rates. Eventbrite is collaborating with TikTok to streamline the ticket purchasing process and enhance discovery through search integration. Q: Why is the EBITDA margin guidance for 2025 in the mid-single digits, given the revenue outlook? A: Anand Gandhi, CFO, noted that the margin compression is primarily due to the $20 million reduction in high-margin organizer fees and the inclusion of incentive bonus compensation in 2025. Despite these pressures, Eventbrite is maintaining financial discipline and expects to achieve mid-single-digit EBITDA margins through cost control and efficient resource allocation. Q: How does free ticket activity translate into revenue growth, and what is the strategy for winning back creators? A: Julia Hartz highlighted that free ticket growth is a leading indicator for paid ticket volume, as it increases event supply and consumer engagement. Eventbrite is focused on improving event discovery and demand generation, which is expected to drive paid ticket volume recovery. The company is also actively re-engaging creators with enhanced marketing tools and a focus on high-value customers. Q: What are the plans for capital allocation, particularly regarding share repurchases and debt maturities? A: Anand Gandhi stated that Eventbrite will take a balanced approach, focusing on managing debt maturities and executing the share buyback program. The company has repurchased $50 million in shares and plans to complete the remaining $50 million authorization, while also addressing upcoming debt maturities with a strong cash position. Q: How is Eventbrite building consumer loyalty, and what opportunities exist for marketplace transformation? A: Julia Hartz emphasized the importance of app users in driving consumer loyalty, as they engage more frequently than web users. Eventbrite is enhancing the app experience with personalized recommendations and curated content to increase engagement. Anand Gandhi added that Eventbrite's strong brand and market leadership position provide a solid foundation for transforming into a vibrant two-sided marketplace. For the complete transcript of the earnings call, please refer to the full earnings call transcript. This article first appeared on GuruFocus.
