ITV

Category: Hindi

  • Adlabs Cinemas launches Easy Ticket

    MUMBAI: Easy Ticket, a new venture by the Adlabs Cinemas, was launched across all the Adlabs Cinemas in the country.

    Easy Ticket is a technology led application that allows a cashless experience to the customers across all the Adlabs chain of multiplexes.


    Easy Ticket customers can use it to purchase tickets, foods and beverages.


    “The idea was to provide convenience along with a luxurious experience to the customers. Films have a universal appeal in India and with help of Easy Ticket customers can have a far better experience at Adlabs Cinemas,” said Adlabs Cinemas COO Tushar Dhingra.


    Customers can buy an Adlabs Easy Ticket scratch card for the denomination of their choice and get the seven digit code activated by sending SMS to 53030. The activation SMS received after that can be utilized at any of the adlabs cinemas.


    Additionally the Easy Ticket can also be received via IVR by dialing std code + 39894040 from the mobile phone. This facility is unavailable on landline numbers.


    “Mobile has a huge reach in India and considering its handy nature it is the most convenient way to promote Easy Ticket,” added Dhingra.


    Easy Ticket can also be bought via internet by registering online on adlabscinema.com and making payments through credit card.


    Adlabs Easy Ticket available in denominations of Rs 200, Rs 500 and Rs 1000 can be used at all Adlabs cinemas (except Fame Adlabs).


    A customized service can also be availed for the bulk buy in which the buyer can get to know about how, when and where the ticket was spent. This kind of a service feasible for corporates has already received a good responce.


    “We had lakhs of Easy Tickets bought out by big corporate houses on the day of launch itself,”said Dhingra.


    Adlabs Easy Ticket also has the option of being gifted to others in a secure manner and has a security system which prevents Easy Ticket from being misused.

  • And the trend reverses

    MUMBAI: When Priyanka Chopra chose to romance the superhero in Krrish (India‘s answer to Superman and Batman) it was a risk well-taken. Now she has gone a step further by agreeing to play the superheroine in the animated version of Virgin comics.





    A relatively new entrant in the business of publishing, Virgin Comics is redefining comics and animation using India-themed content. Based in Bangalore, it is a creative collaboration of writer Deepak Chopra, Filmmaker Shekhar Kapur and Richard Branson. Aimed at creating a new wave of global comic entertainment, Virgin has titles like Ramayan 3392 AD, Devi, The Sadhu and now Priyanka‘s untitled version.






    Priyanka‘s story will launch as a comic book first and then in animation and games. What is interesting is the trend reversal. Earlier comic books turned into movies (Superman, Batman, Robin) whereas now celluloid actors become comic book heroes. Incidentally, Hollywood folklore has it that screen appearances of Superman jinxes the actors associated with it. Christopher Lee was paralyzed, George Reeves shot himself.


    It was way back in the eighties when many comic books took inspiration from the then reigning superhero Amitabh Bachchan. He was the first pink-clad Supremo in Indrajaal comics. This was then more driven by reader needs than by content. The series flopped though it had writer Gulzar as content consultant.







    On television there was Shaktiman played by Mukesh Khanna. The TV serial CID‘s timeless characters had also come alive on the comic books as well. But the superhero who hit big time was Hrithik in Krrish, our homegrown superhero.


     






    Back home, post Hum Tum, which had comic characters in their own animated sequences in the film, the comic book hero is making his presence felt. With Roadside Romeo, the forthcoming animated film where Saif and Kareena have lent their voices to dogs for the first time, the trend continues.


    Written and directed by Jugal Hansraj, who is an actor himself, the film is co-produced by Yash Raj films and Walt Disney Studios. The Indian comic book industry is poised for a transformation and as it goes in for a global outlook it bids adieu to the traditional comic book heroes. The smarter, yuppier avatar of the new-age comic book superhero is hip and more reader-friendly. Geared at attracting the right target audience, the new superheroes may soon garner a strong fan base. And as Bollywood actors are moving in for the kill, the market will soon be flooded with more.


    Move over Catwoman, Supergirl as our desi wonder woman makes her entry. And she may do much better than her Hollywood counterpart – because she can also sing and dance.

  • Internet Premiere of Heyy Babyy

    MUMBAI: The recent blockbuster from Eros International, Heyy Babyy, can now be downloaded on your PC for $ 9.99 (to own) and $ 2.99 for a 48-hour rental.


    Having done very good business, the film had a theatrical release in August 2007.


    The Sajid Khan directed comedy had Akshay Kumar, Fardeen Khan, Riteish Deshmukh, Vidya Balan, Boman Irani in lead roles. Available on the DVD store of Eros International, the film has premiered on the Internet to attract the festive audience.

  • Percept to produce live action animation film ‘Jumbo’

    MUMBAI: Percept Picture Company (PPC), producer of the successful animation film Hanuman, is making a new live-action cum animation feature film Jumbo.

    The concept is developed by Walt Disney and Percept has acquired its exploitative rights, says PPC CEO Preet Bedi.


    The project will involve live action cum animation and is slated to go on floors in March 2008. “Jumbo is a story about a baby elephant. Disney has taken the concept to various countries and we have acquired its exploitative rights. We are looking to release it sometime in 2010,” Bedi said.


    PPC, meanwhile, has finalised a release date for Hanuman Returns, the sequel to Hanuman. “We are releasing it on 27 December. The film is ready and we are currently putting into place the marketing activity for the same,” said Bedi, while showcasing a preview of the film at Nasscom Animation and Gaming 2007.


    “The budget of the sequel is about Rs 220-230 million and the marketing spends are about 15-20 times of what we spent on the original. Hanuman has become a brand and we are leveraging its popularity on multiple platforms of which merchandising forms a significant proportion,” he said.


    For Hanuman Returns, Percept Picture Company has tied up with Pantaloons for branded apparel and stationery, Jump Games for mobile and Microsoft XBox 360 for console gaming.

  • Adlabs to pump in Rs 3.7 billion for screen, studio expansion

    MUMBAI: Anil Ambani-controlled Adlabs Films Ltd. is planning to pump in Rs 3.7 billion to expand its theatre chain, studio and digital post production businesses.


    While Rs 1.5 billion will be towards developing cinema theatres, Rs 1.2 billion will be for setting up four studios inside the Film City in Mumbai. The company will further invest Rs 1 billion for digital post production studios.


    “We will be investing around Rs 3.7 billion in these three areas. We plan to have 200 screens in 76 properties and are also going to expand on the studio front. We should have the four studios by FY‘09,” Adlabs Films chairman and managing director Manmohan Shetty tells Indiantelevision.com. Adlabs currently has 107 screens and claims to have the largest cinemas chain in India.


    Adlabs has been awarded a letter of intent from the state government of Maharashtra for setting up the studios in Film City, Shetty says. The capex requirement for this project is Rs 1.2 billion, he adds. Incidentally, Shetty has resigned from Adlabs and this will come into effect from 30 November.


    The setting up of digital lab will help Adlabs expand into special effects, further integrating the company‘s activities encompassing film exhibition, production, distribution and processing and allied services.


    Adlabs will also foray into Telugu and Tamil feature film production, Shetty says.

  • The 6th Asian Film Festival will be held in Mumbai from 2 Nov – 8 Nov

    MUMBAI: The film sections at the festival include Spectrum Asia (Contemporary Asian films), First/ Second Film Competition (for Asian directors), Best Short film festival (for new talent), The Award Winners (award-winning Asian films that bagged the top honours at Global film festivals), Focus on One Asian Country, Retro (Retrospectives of Indian and Asian directors).


    The festival will be hosted at the Plaza Theatre, Fame Nakshatra, Dadar and Y.B.Chavan Centre, Nariman Point.


    Some of the films scheduled are Bitter Dream (Iran), Farewell to death (China), Gimme Kudos (China), Notebook (Japan), Vanaja (Ind-USA), Kabuliwala (India-retro), Kurosawa‘s Seven Samurai, Tagore straight from the heart (India) and Bheja Fry (India), Valley of Flowers (Ind-France-Germany).

  • DQ Entertainment to foray into Bollywood feature film, animated TV series

    MUMBAI: Animation and Gaming major DQ Entertainment plans to foray into Bollywood Live Action feature film and animated TV series production in the country and abroad.

    DQ Entertainment‘s feature film production will be based on cricket with international and Indian actors playing the lead roles, a company release states.


    The animated TV series will be exclusively for the Indian TV industry, targeting children and teens. The company plans to produce a live action feature film every year, starting from 2008 along with an animated TV series every 18 months.


    While DQ has two concepts for a full length feature film and animation on Indian content under development, it is also looking to work on a live action TV series for the UK market.


    DQ Entertainment is also planning to consolidate its position in the gaming segment, covering the gamut of 3-dimension console games, mobile games and online, web-based interactive games.

  • Raj Kundra turns Hindi film producer

    MUMBAI: NRI businessman Raj Kundra, who had launched S2 perfume in London, has launched himself as a producer in Bollywood with his film ‘Strangers‘.

    Kundra is more remembered for his alleged affair with Shilpa Shetty, who hit international headlines after she won UK’s Celebrity Big Brother. The actress had even threatened to take legal action against Kundra’s wife for tarnishing her image.


    The Rs 20 million budget ‘Strangers’ is directed by Aanand L.Raj and stars Jimmy Shergil, Kay Kay Menon, Nandana Sen and Sonali Kulkarni . The film is presented by Sahara One Motion Pictures.


    ‘Strangers’ is scheduled for an end of November release.


    Kundra’s first real involvement with Bollywood started way back in 2004 with Karisma Kapoor’s last film Mere Jeevan Saathi, which he financed. His (now-estranged) wife Kavita was the producer of the Naseerudin- Kirron Kher starrer, It could be you.


  • Mahindra partners with Indo-American Arts Council for film festival

    MUMBAI: Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd. has extended its patronage to the Indo-American Arts Council (IAAC) Film Festival 2007.


    The Mahindra Indo-American Arts Council festival, which will be held from November 7-11 at venues across Manhattan in the US, will showcase South Asian features, documentaries and shorts.


    Mahindra Group vice chairman & MD Anand Mahindra says, “The Mahindra Indo-American Arts Council Film Festival is yet another way of strengthening our commitment to nurture the arts. With emphasis on cinema of and by the South Asian Diaspora, this festival has carved out a unique niche for itself and we are proud to be at the forefront of this international initiative.”


    Adds noted filmmaker and member of IAAC’s advisory board Mira Nair, “The Indo-American Arts Council has given us a home for our work, our stories and our voices. It is a place for us to fly into the world. And like I always believe, if we don‘t tell our own stories, no one else will.”


    The 50 films selected this year include stories that range from social issues to gritty suspense dramas. The festival kicks off with the screening of Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s ‘Saawariya’, the first Indian co-production by Sony Pictures. Others in the list include: Gandhi, My Father (directed by Feroze Abbas Khan), Rituparno Ghosh’s The Last Lear and Dosar, and Pan Nalin’s Valley of Flowers.


    For the 2007 MIAAC Film Festival, 50 films were selected including 12 world premieres, 11 US premieres and 15 New York premieres. The Festival includes films from several countries including India, Kuwait, France, United Kingdom, USA and Canada.


    “We are struck by the sheer diversity of independent film in this year’s festival. The range of artistic expression this year – both directorial and in performances – gives a special quality to the films presented. The films truly uncover the aesthetic experimentation and complex storytelling that is at the heart of emerging independent filmmaking at the moment,” says festival director Pooja Kohli Taneja.


    Other highlights include: the ‘AIDS JaaGo Project’ that presents four short dramatic films by cutting-edge Indian directors Mira Nair, Vishal Bhardwaj, Santosh Sivan and Farhan Akhtar that aim to dismantle myths and misconceptions about HIV/AIDS.

  • Ravi Rai’s ‘Tingya’ to be screened at Asian Film Festival

    MUMBAI: Marathi film Tingya, produced by Ravi Rai‘s Small Town Boy Productions and directed by Mangesh Hadawale, has been selected for screening in the category for Director‘s First/Second for the Asian Film Festival.

    The film will be screened as part of the festival which commences from 1 November at Mumbai and Pune. At Mumbai, screening locations include Plaza and YB Chavan Auditorium Churchgate.


    The jury members from India included filmmaker Amol Palekar along with three other judges from abroad, who will choose the winner out of 14 films for this category.


    Tingya is an emotional story about a small boy and his bull. The star cast includes Sharad Goekar as Tingya, Tarnnum Pathan, Ajit Gwande, Inesh chauhan, Sunil Deo, Madhavi Juvekar, Chitra Nawathe and Vitthal Umap.