The cast of Amazon Prime Video's new Tamil thriller Aishwarya Rajesh, Kathir and Sriya Reddy. Photo: IIFA2022
The cast of Amazon Prime Video's new Tamil thriller Aishwarya Rajesh, Kathir and Sriya Reddy. Photo: IIFA2022
The cast of Amazon Prime Video's new Tamil thriller Aishwarya Rajesh, Kathir and Sriya Reddy. Photo: IIFA2022
The cast of Amazon Prime Video's new Tamil thriller Aishwarya Rajesh, Kathir and Sriya Reddy. Photo: IIFA2022

Tamil thriller 'Suzhal - The Vortex' is made for a global audience, says Amazon


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Amazon Prime Video unveiled its first original series in Tamil called Suzhal - The Vortez at the International Indian Film Academy Awards in Abu Dhabi.

Aparna Purohit, the head of India Originals at Amazon Prime Video, said she was confident the show's language would not hinder its wider appeal.

“We believe that viewers today are willing to explore content beyond geographic and linguistic boundaries. When you have a nuanced, suspenseful thriller with a strong emotional core, imbued with the feverish passion of the creators, you know that you have a winner on hand," she said.

The show's lead cast, including Kathir, Aishwarya Rajesh and Sriya Reddy, attended the event held at the Etihad Arena on Friday.

IIFA Awards 2022 live: Salman Khan joins Bollywood stars for IIFA Rocks in Abu Dhabi

Created by husband and wife directing duo Pushkar and Gayatri, known for their acclaimed 2017 film Vikram Vedha, the show is set in a village in South India, where the once-idyllic life of its residents is torn apart after a girl goes missing.

To boost the show's impact with non-Tamil-speaking audiences, Suzhal - The Vortex will be available in 30 languages, including French, German, Italian, Japanese, Polish and Portuguese, on its release on June 17.

The eight-part thriller is being directed by Bramma and Anucharan M.

"Streaming has opened up many opportunities for homegrown content and there can’t be a better time for Indian shows and films to break international barriers," said creator Gayatri at the event. “With a dark mystery at core, the story will have the viewers at the edge of their seats."

Director Anucharan spoke about the show's potential universal appeal.

"Yes, it's set in a village in South India, but this could be any village anywhere in the world. The emotions and the heart of the story is universal," he said.

Top 11 new Indian shows and movies coming to Amazon Prime Video - in pictures

  • Amazon has announced 41 new titles spanning several genres and Indian languages to be launched over the next two years. Photo: Amazon Prime Video
    Amazon has announced 41 new titles spanning several genres and Indian languages to be launched over the next two years. Photo: Amazon Prime Video
  • The poster for the coming series 'Hush Hush' starring Juhi Chawla, Ayesha Jhulka, Soha Ali Khan, Karishma Tanna and Shahana Goswami in the lead. Photo: Amazon Prime Video
    The poster for the coming series 'Hush Hush' starring Juhi Chawla, Ayesha Jhulka, Soha Ali Khan, Karishma Tanna and Shahana Goswami in the lead. Photo: Amazon Prime Video
  • 'Adhura' is a supernatural horror series starring Rasika Dugal, right. Photo: Amazon Prime Video
    'Adhura' is a supernatural horror series starring Rasika Dugal, right. Photo: Amazon Prime Video
  • Telugu superstar Naga Chaitanya in 'Dhootha'. Photo: Amazon Prime Video
    Telugu superstar Naga Chaitanya in 'Dhootha'. Photo: Amazon Prime Video
  • Set in a small town, 'Dahaad' is an action thriller with Sonakshi Sinha playing a police officer who sets out to hunt down a serial killer. Photo: Amazon Prime Video
    Set in a small town, 'Dahaad' is an action thriller with Sonakshi Sinha playing a police officer who sets out to hunt down a serial killer. Photo: Amazon Prime Video
  • Bollywood star Shahid Kapoor makes his streaming platform debut with 'Farzi'. Photo: Amazon Prime Video
    Bollywood star Shahid Kapoor makes his streaming platform debut with 'Farzi'. Photo: Amazon Prime Video
  • 'The Village' is one of the first Indian series to be based on a graphic novel. Photo: Amazon Prime Video
    'The Village' is one of the first Indian series to be based on a graphic novel. Photo: Amazon Prime Video
  • Madhuri Dixit Nene plays an overbearing mother in the comedy 'Maja Maa'. Photo: Amazon Prime Video
    Madhuri Dixit Nene plays an overbearing mother in the comedy 'Maja Maa'. Photo: Amazon Prime Video
  • 'Jubilee', starring Prosenjit Chatterjee, is set in the 1940s and looks at the birth of Bollywood. Photo: Amazon Prime Video
    'Jubilee', starring Prosenjit Chatterjee, is set in the 1940s and looks at the birth of Bollywood. Photo: Amazon Prime Video
  • Punjabi hip-hop star AP Dhillon will be the focus of the documentary film 'This is AP Dhillon'. Photo: ap.dhillxn / Instagram
    Punjabi hip-hop star AP Dhillon will be the focus of the documentary film 'This is AP Dhillon'. Photo: ap.dhillxn / Instagram
  • Tanya Maniktala in 'PI Meena'. Photo: Amazon Prime Video
    Tanya Maniktala in 'PI Meena'. Photo: Amazon Prime Video
  • The poster for 'Bambai Meri Jaan' starring Kay Kay Menon in the lead. Photo: Amazon Prime Video
    The poster for 'Bambai Meri Jaan' starring Kay Kay Menon in the lead. Photo: Amazon Prime Video
  • Satyadev Kancharana, Akshay Kumar and Jacqueline Fernandez in 'Ram Setu'. Photo: Amazon Prime Video
    Satyadev Kancharana, Akshay Kumar and Jacqueline Fernandez in 'Ram Setu'. Photo: Amazon Prime Video
  • The poster for 'Gulkanda Tales' starring Kunal Khemu. Photo: Amazon Prime Video
    The poster for 'Gulkanda Tales' starring Kunal Khemu. Photo: Amazon Prime Video
  • The poster for 'Jee Karda' starring Tamannaah Bhatia, Suhail Nayyar, Aashim Gulati, Anya Singh, Hussain Dalal, Samvedna Suwalka and Sayan Banerjee. Photo: Amazon Prime Video
    The poster for 'Jee Karda' starring Tamannaah Bhatia, Suhail Nayyar, Aashim Gulati, Anya Singh, Hussain Dalal, Samvedna Suwalka and Sayan Banerjee. Photo: Amazon Prime Video
In numbers

- Number of children under five will fall from 681 million in 2017 to 401m in 2100

- Over-80s will rise from 141m in 2017 to 866m in 2100

- Nigeria will become the world’s second most populous country with 791m by 2100, behind India

- China will fall dramatically from a peak of 2.4 billion in 2024 to 732 million by 2100

- an average of 2.1 children per woman is required to sustain population growth

The Gentlemen

Director: Guy Ritchie

Stars: Colin Farrell, Hugh Grant 

Three out of five stars

The five pillars of Islam

1. Fasting 

2. Prayer 

3. Hajj 

4. Shahada 

5. Zakat 

David Haye record

Total fights: 32
Wins: 28
Wins by KO: 26
Losses: 4

Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.

Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.

Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.

“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.

Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.

From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.

Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.

BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.

Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.

Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.

“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.

“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.

“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”

The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”

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CREW
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The specs

Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo

Power: 268hp at 5,600rpm

Torque: 380Nm at 4,800rpm

Transmission: CVT auto

Fuel consumption: 9.5L/100km

On sale: now

Price: from Dh195,000 

Other workplace saving schemes
  • The UAE government announced a retirement savings plan for private and free zone sector employees in 2023.
  • Dubai’s savings retirement scheme for foreign employees working in the emirate’s government and public sector came into effect in 2022.
  • National Bonds unveiled a Golden Pension Scheme in 2022 to help private-sector foreign employees with their financial planning.
  • In April 2021, Hayah Insurance unveiled a workplace savings plan to help UAE employees save for their retirement.
  • Lunate, an Abu Dhabi-based investment manager, has launched a fund that will allow UAE private companies to offer employees investment returns on end-of-service benefits.
PROFILE

Name: Enhance Fitness 

Year started: 2018 

Based: UAE 

Employees: 200 

Amount raised: $3m 

Investors: Global Ventures and angel investors 

Anna and the Apocalypse

Director: John McPhail

Starring: Ella Hunt, Malcolm Cumming, Mark Benton

Three stars

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How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE

When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.

Gifts exchanged
  • King Charles - replica of President Eisenhower Sword
  • Queen Camilla -  Tiffany & Co vintage 18-carat gold, diamond and ruby flower brooch
  • Donald Trump - hand-bound leather book with Declaration of Independence
  • Melania Trump - personalised Anya Hindmarch handbag
Updated: June 04, 2022, 7:34 AM