Grew up reading SCREEN, now on its cover: Shraddha Kapoor at magazine unveiling

Amitabh Bachchan, who could not be present, sent a virtual message in which he recounted his memories of SCREEN and said how the magazine avoided any kind of sensationalism. “There was no gossip about film stars. There was just information about films and just some very good writing about the film industry,” he said.

It’s a legacy that the magazine aims to continue. SCREEN returns to The Indian Express group after 11 years. Anant Goenka, Executive Director, The Indian Express Group, said the magazine, in its digital avatar, will continue with its “credible journalism” which has been the authentic voice of the industry over the years.

“The Indian Express is known for its credible political journalism and the same ethics continued even with film coverage at SCREEN. The ethos of that will be back with the re-launch,” said Goenka.

Shraddha is the face of the first digital cover of SCREEN, the magazine which has been the leading voice of Indian entertainment since 1951

After the unveiling of the magazine, Shraddha, who just delivered the biggest Hindi blockbuster of all time with the feminist horror comedy Stree 2, sat down for an insightful conversation with Jyoti Sharma Bawa, The Indian Express Entertainment Editor.

During a special segment hosted by Goenka, Shraddha was asked if star salaries have gotten better or worse over the course of her 14-year-long career. “I’m earning more today than what I was 14 years ago. It’s better for me but there’s a pay parity. I feel like it’s changing, actresses are stating what they feel as well. Whatever is positively going to affect the making of a film, those calls producers will have to take. It’s their vision. There are a few who have a long-term vision about the industry,” said Shraddha.

The star-studded event also hosted a panel discussion with filmmaker Rajkumar Hirani and actor Vijay Varma, in conversation with Shubhra Gupta, Film Critic, The Indian Express.

The star-studded event also hosted a panel discussion with filmmaker Rajkumar Hirani and actor Vijay Varma.

Hirani, known for helming some of the biggest blockbusters like 3 Idiots, Munnabhai MBBS and PK, said, “It feels special to be here because SCREEN was the only magazine I was allowed to read because it looked like a newspaper.”

The grand SCREEN launch was held in Mumbai.

Varma, known for his projects like Darlings, IC 814 and Jaane Jaan, recalled watching SCREEN awards, which he said, were “merit-oriented”. He added, “It kind of made it legit that they are giving awards to people who actually deserve it. SCREEN magazine was doing something that was probably ahead of the curve and that’s my memory of it.”

With the launch, The Indian Express’s entertainment section, which consistently attracts nearly 40 million unique users a month on the website, will now be rebranded as SCREEN and will continue to deliver cutting-edge coverage of the Indian film industry.