Category: Press Release

“Mumbai Police really rock,” says Rani Mukherjee who plays a cop in Mardaani

MUMBAI: MAX, the premium Hindi movies and special events channel brings you the Bollywood crime thriller film, ‘Mardaani’ at 8 pm on Saturday, 20^th December.

Directed by Pradeep Sarkar and produced by Aditya Chopra, Mardaani sees Rani Mukherjee in a violent avatar. This film is about a tough female cop Shivani Shivaji Roy who uncovers the depraved world of human trafficking. This leads to a cat-and-mouse game between the cop and the ruthless mafia.

Commenting on many movies being based on the police force, Rani Mukherjee said, “By and large we need to see the positive side and there are a lot of cops who do a lot for us. I am very proud of the way the Mumbai Police functions. There could be problems in different states in India but I think Mumbai Police really rock. They have probably always got things and the law and order situation (under control) very, very quickly.”

Catch the hard hitting crime thriller ‘Mardaani’ premiering at 8 pm on Saturday

20th December, with a repeat telecast on Sunday, 21st December at 1 pm

December 17, 2014
India News’ ‘Ardh Satya’ wins

New Delhi: ‘Ardh Satya’, the flagship weekly show on India News bags the category “Best News Program” at the prestigious NAI Achiever Awards 2014 (Newspapers Association of India), followed by “4th Bhartiya Manav Adhikar Samman – 2014” organized by “National Council of News and Broadcasting” and “Asian Human Rights Council” for the special episode featuring Aamir Khan’s ancestral village, in Hardoi, UP.

Anchored by Managing Editor, Rana Yashwant, the award winning episode highlighted the devastating scenes of Aamir Khan’s village, where half of the families are below the poverty line.

Commenting on this achievement, Rana Yashwant, Managing Editor, India News, said, “It is a well-deserved victory for us. ’Ardh Satya’ is a unique show that goes direct to the conflict zone and brings out the in-depth reports from ground zero to reveal unknown facts and inside stories. These awards are an inspiration and stand for our spirit and never ending dedication towards excellence.”

Watch ‘Ardh Satya’, every Saturday @ 9.30pm, repeat Sunday @ 9.30am, only on India News.

December 17, 2014
Discovery Kids to air Wild Wisdom Quiz 2014 on 20 December at 11 am

New Delhi: Discovery Kids, in partnership with WWF-India, presents WILD WISDOM QUIZ 2014 – India’s largest wildlife quiz for children. The quiz show will air on Discovery Kids on Saturday, December 20 at 11 AM, with a repeat on Sunday, December 21 at 8 PM.

Held in 30 cities across India, Discovery Kids and WWF-India’s Wild Wisdom Quiz 2014 is aimed at increasing environmental awareness amongst students in India through various themes associated with conservation.

This year, the quiz focused on ‘Forest Biodiversity’ to spread awareness of the increasing importance of conserving our forests amongst school children. The quiz saw participation from over 15,000 schools across the country. In addition to the Middle School quiz, there was a quiz for Junior School (Classes 3-5) and an online quiz for High School (Classes 9-12) children.

Rahul Johri, Executive Vice President and General Manager – South Asia & Southeast Asia, Discovery Networks Asia-Pacific said, “Wild Wisdom Quiz 2014 received an encouraging response from schools across the country. In keeping with the brand promise, Discovery Kids, through this quiz, will stimulate young minds and provide wholesome entertainment.”

The quiz was conducted for the Middle School level on October 1, 2014 at the WWF-India auditorium in New Delhi. The champions for this year’s Wild Wisdom Quiz are Aaron Dev Jose and Pooja Bijoy of L’ecole Chemnaka School, Trivandrum, with Jeevesh C. and Vignesh SK of Vidya Niketan School, Chennai, and Arnav Gupta and Aniket Mishra of Arwachin International School, Delhi, in second and third place respectively. The winners have won a trip to a Nature Camp in Rishikesh, where they can partake in a host of adventure sports and nature-related activities. Supported by Adventure Nation, the camp enables students to experience nature in all its wonder.

December 17, 2014
Aamir Khan all praise for Star India CEO Uday Shankar

MUMBAI: Film star Aamir Khan has been passionate about Satyamev Jayate, and it was thanks to his passion and the great platform and tremendous support he received from Star India, that today, his show has turned out to be India’s most meaningful and impactful TV show for positive social change.

So it was understandable that Aamir Khan was delighted when Star India CEO Uday Shankar was named the Impact Person of The Decade – an award he received from the Governor of Maharashtra, C V Rao, in Mumbai.

The prestigious award recognizes the one individual who has made maximum and far-reaching impact on and influenced and helped shape the media, marketing and advertising industry tremendously over the last 10 years. And obviously, amongst the many initiatives that Star India leader Uday Shankar has rolled out over the past decade, one of the most significant, with tremendous positive social impact, has been Satyamev Jayate with Aamir Khan.

“I’ve known Uday for about five years now — his razor-sharp mind, his intelligence, his courage, his boldness to take difficult decisions…” Aamir Khan told a galaxy of top professionals through a recorded message at the award ceremony, adding, “Uday believes in the impossible! That is why he achieves the impossible!”

An initiative of the scale of Satyamev Jayate could never have been executed to perfection unless both leaders of the show – Aamir Khan and Uday Shankar – did not have the same kind of passionate belief in and commitment to working for social good through the show.

This shared passion and commitment was obvious when Uday Shankar, who believes strongly in collaboration, told the audience in his acceptance speech, that “The willingness to collaborate has been built on solid conviction to do the right thing – not just for Star but for the entire industry and society. The conviction to not do regressive content, the conviction to not compromise the larger interest of community and the conviction to be not bogged down by fear of failure.”

Referring to three other top, acclaimed Bollywood film directors whom Star India brought to television, Uday Shankar said, “If at Star we have been able to change the content landscape, that’s happened largely because Star has shown a better ability to attract and work with an eclectic spectrum of talent – be it the likes of Aamir Khan or Karan Johar or Ashutosh Gowarikar or Sanjay Leela Bhansali. Together we have all raised the bar for content at Star.”

December 16, 2014
Newsx Presents ‘No Country For Women’

MUMBAI:Two years after the horrific Nirbhaya gang-rape case, the recent rape case by Uber driver reignites the big question ‘How safe are women in India?’ NewsX, the channel of choice dedicates a special half hour show on how despite of newly amended tougher laws, India is still a ‘No Country for Women’?

Anchor Athar Khan visits a college campus and asks the students about their views on the key issues of women safety. On the show, the young women share their experiences and talk about the changing mindsets, while the young men talk about their role in bringing about change in the society and how to stop these crimes.

December 16, 2014
Cuddle up with Romedy Now this December

MUMBAI: This Christmas season, Romedy Now brings viewers stockings full of surprises with the adorable Love Santa, who as temperatures drop across the country, invites people to cuddle up with Romedy Now – the exclusive Indian destination for Love and Laughter on television.

Through various promotions across on air and digital, Love Santa will be seen inviting viewers to stay warm and toasty this winter with their favorite destination for Love and Laugher in India. The campaign includes on air promos, graphics and activities on social media where viewers will be invited to share the best way to feel warmth this winter by using the hashtag #LoveSantaSays. In addition, as a special winter treat, Love Santa will also be sharing tips on the channel’s social media pages on how to stay cozy this season and spread the love through Love Santa Photobombs and adorable quotes.

Speaking on the December activities, Anup Vishwanathan, Head Marketing – English Entertainment Cluster, TTN said “Winter is the season of huddle and cuddle and Romedy NOW with its fine choice of movies is a great destination for viewers to cuddle up this December.”

Gather your loved ones close this season and enjoy incredible must-watch movies like Mamma Mia, My Big Fat Greek Wedding, Garfield, Rumor Has It, All About Steve, The Lake House and The Holiday premiering for the first time on the channel in Romedy at First Sight. Catch the sweetest family movies every weeknight at 9pm with Romedy at 9.

And the Christmas cheer doesn’t end there. Start the holidays on a high note and cuddle up with Romedy NOW as they showcase two heart-warming loves stories in the Romedy of the Month – The Holiday. Catch Kate Winslet, Jack Black, Cameron Diaz and Jude Law in an endearing Christmas movie about finding oneself when you move away on Saturday 27th December at 9pm.

There’s no better way to celebrate this festive season than at home with your loved ones. Celebrate the most wonderful time of the year with Romedy Bells – a splendid Christmas Day line-up featuring some of the best family movies like The Family Stone, A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas, What Happens in Vegas, My Big Fat Greek Wedding and many more.

Make merry with the best of the old and welcoming the new with characteristic movies like New Year’s Eve, Mamma Mia!, Before Sunrise, Nights In Rodanthe, The Romantics and much more in a special New Year’s marathon – Joysome New Year – from 31 December 2014 at 9PM until 9PM on 1 January 2015.

Don’t miss the shimmering Christmas celebrations, a sparkling New Year and a whole lot more only on Romedy NOW. From a heartwarming Christmas special to wonderful must-watch premieres, Romedy fans have every reason to smile this December.

Let Love Santa set the mood for romance all through December with the happiest series & movies

December 15, 2014
Pogo puts a fun twist on science for Mumbai kids

MUMBAI: With Science being a prerequisite subject for most kids, albeit sometimes difficult to grasp, kids’ channel POGO devised a way to truly make Science FUN-tastic for children. The two day event called POGO Bheem aur Mighty Raju ka Fun-tastic Lab engaged and entertained Mumbai kids with multiple scientific experiments, workshops and games that simplified interesting theories of science for the children.

Held at Inorbit Mall, Malad on 13 & 14 December, Bheem aur Mighty Raju ka Fun-tastic Lab witnessed 8000 children and parents participate in workshops that made learning about optical illusions, dry ice, catalysts, and many more fun. To cap it off, Chhota Bheem, Chutki and Kalia pulled off spectacular performances that not only had kids but also parents dancing to their tunes. Pogo had conducted a similar event for Delhi kids earlier this month.

December 15, 2014
Indian Marketing Awards 2014 Winners Announced

MUMBAI: Indian Marketing Awards 2014 (IMA), India’s first overall marketing awards were announced at a gala evening celebrating the finest and trend-setting work in the marketing arena.

The awards spanned 10 categories (Brand Activation; Brand Revitalisation; Business-to-Business Marketing; Cause Related Marketing; Consumer Insight; Digital Marketing, Social Media, Mobile Marketing; E-Commerce; Marketing Communication; Marketing on a Small Budget and New Brand, Product or Service Launch) and were decided by an eminent jury of 12 industry specialists.

The IMA jury was headed by Vinita Bali, former Managing Director, Britannia and the jury members include Ranjan Kapur, Country Manager – India at WPP; Prema Sagar, Principal & Founder at Genesis Burson-Marsteller; Thomas Puliyel, President at IMRB International, Mumbai; Vijay Subramaniam, Managing Director – India & South East Asia, Bacardi India; Kamal Bali, Managing Director, Volvo India; Dr. Amarnath Ananthanarayanan, Managing Director & CEO, Bharti AXA General Insurance; Amit Burman, Vice Chairman, Dabur; Geetu Verma, Executive Director – Foods & Refreshments, HUL; Harit Nagpal, CEO, Tatasky; Sangeeta Pendurkar, Managing Director, Kellogg and Saugata Gupta, Managing Director & CEO, Marico.

IMA 2014 also honoured R C Bhargava, Chairman, Maruti Suzuki India Limited with Lifetime Achievement Award and Mr. Sashi Shankar, Chief Marketing Officer, Idea Cellular Ltd with Marketer of The Year Award. The event also witnessed the announcement of India’s Top 10 CMOs 2014. E4M looked only at consumer brands for the purpose of this research and the eligibility criteria were that the CMO had been with the company in the CMO position for more than a year.

Announcing the winning campaigns, Annurag Batra, Chairman & Editor-in-Chief, exchange4media Group, said, “Indian Marketing Awards is our biggest and most prestigious competition, aimed at advancing the marketing profession and identifying the emerging trends in marketing. The awards have been presented to organizations, individuals and teams who have achieved extraordinary success from innovative and effective marketing practices, having regard to the particular circumstances of different industries and diversity of marketing programs”.

“The lines between advertising, native advertising, digital marketing, public relations, are blurring. For companies, it’s about making sure that the messaging is communicated rightly, no matter who does it. Agencies across the communication spectrum have to remain agile and focused on client solutions,” says Prema Sagar, Principal & Founder, Genesis Burson-Marsteller.

“I would like to thank the jury for giving me this award and I accept this award on behalf of all who are behind the success of Maruti. Success to an individual which really matters when the success is related to the growth of the organization. The better way of doing things is to work for the growth of the institution or organization without worrying about yourself and if you do that the organization grows,” said R C Bhargava, Chairman, Maruti Suzuki India Limited.

December 15, 2014
India Games, Aamir Khan launch official mobile game: PK

MUMBAI: Indiagames, a part of Disney India’s Interactive business, today announced the launch of the official mobile game ‘PK’ based on the most awaited movie of the year. PK, produced by Vinod Chopra Films and Rajkumar Hirani Films in association with UTV Motion Pictures is slated for a worldwide release on Dec 19th, 2014. This mobile game brings alive the world of ‘PK’ in an adventurous form allowing you to play as the several avatars of Aamir Khan showcased in the movie. Aamir Khan, Anushka Sharma, Raj Kumar Hirani, Vidhu Vinod Chopra, Siddharth Roy Kapur, Managing Director, Disney India and Sameer Ganapathy, VP and Head, Interactive, Disney India launched the game today at the Reliance Digital Store in Juhu amidst much fanfare. Aamir and Anushka showcased their gaming skills by competing with each other.

Developed for both feature phones and smartphones, the game was launched today on Google Play, iOS App store and Windows platform. In the game, the player gets to don many avatars of Aamir Khan as seen in the movie along with a special avatar of Anushka Sharma as he embarks upon an exciting endless running adventure. Set against an Indian background, the gamer will run amidst the by-lanes of Delhi, railway tracks in a desert as seen in the movie and collect maximum number of paans, as PK is seen enjoying eating paan in the movie. The gamer has to avoid a number of obstacles on the way, which includes cows, buses, Delhi trains, rickshaws, traffic jams and more. The various backdrops used in the game will give the player the feel of the actual movie.

“I am thrilled with the way this game has shaped-up. The game is engaging and has integrated the movie elements, such as my avatars, the transistor, trumpet and lots more, really well. I am hopeful that my fans will love and enjoy the game and become a part of this exciting, endless journey of ‘PK’, said, actor Aamir Khan, at the launch event of PK mobile game.

“I have never had a game avatar made for any of my film characters before, so this is really exciting for me. I love playing games in the middle of my shots and while travelling. Now with the launch of this game, I am sure I’ll be spending a lot of time on playing with my avatar,” said Anushka Sharma

Director Rajkumar Hirani said, “Gaming is a great way to engage with your audience today and it is very exciting to see the movie PK being construed in a game. There are a lot of similarities in the process of film making and game development like putting together the plot, the characters, the backdrop, the entertainment etc. I have thoroughly enjoyed myself in this process with the Disney India team.”

Producer Vidhu Vinod Chopra said, “It’s amazing how movies are now being extended on multiple platforms to increase engagement with the audiences. With the PK game now launched, all the pieces around the movie are coming together really well and we are really excited for the movie release.”

“Gaming is a great extension to a movie, it engages the audience with the characters, some key elements of the movie and also adds immense buzz around the movie. The PK game is a good example of how a movie can be made into a fun game with an immersive gameplay. Aamir and Raju Hirani have worked closely with our team to bring out a fantastic game that their fans will be happy playing for sure. Hope everyone enjoys playing it as much as we enjoyed making it.” said Siddharth Roy Kapur, Managing Director, Disney India.

“With the PK game, our endeavor has been to capture the essence of the movie and thereby enhance the interactivity for the consumers with the lead pair, giving them the opportunity to play as both – Aamir Khan and Anushka Sharma’s characters.” said Sameer Ganapathy, Vice President and Head, Interactive – Disney India.

December 13, 2014
92.7 Big FM, Virender Sehwag join hands with Goonj for 4th edition of Daryadili

MUMBAI: 92.7 Big FM has always been at the forefront to contribute to the welfare of the nation. The largest FM conglomerate is all set to announce the 4th successful year of its heart-warming initiative – Daryadili. In an endeavor to support people battling against the bitter cold each year, 92.7 BIG FM has been bracing its 3 year old campaign by bringing together people from different strata of society to provide warm winter clothes and other essentials to those in need. A marquee initiative, Darya Dili 2014 will see the coming together of Radio Industry’s No. 1 Network – 92.7 BIG FM with Ace Cricketer Virender Sehwag and renowned NGO Goonj to support and uplift the marginalized. Over the last three successful years of the campaign, 92.7 BIG FM has been scaling up its social campaign to go pan India across its 45 station network dramatically increasing the reach to 4.3 Cr. To help accomplish the bold mission this year, the face of Darya Dilli, Virender Sehwag will come on the breakfast show every morning and promote auctions with a message.

Eminent celebrities such as Sunidhi Chauhan, Farah Khan, Smriti Irani, Bappi Lahiri, Chetan Bhagat and Shaan have whole heartedly come forward to support the campaign. Renowned BIG FM RJs- RJ Siddharth, Yaadon Ka Idiot Box fame Neelesh Misra, Celeb RJ Richa will contribute to the cause. In Hyderabad, BIG FM RJs along with NGO will appeal listeners to educate kids from the street. In Bangalore and Chennai 92.7 BIG FM will support the under-privileged to hone their hidden talents and skills along with NGO Bhumi. In Chennai, RJs will appeal listeners to provide lesser privileged kids with stationary, toys and books. 92.7 BIG FM RJs across the country will touch the philanthropic side of listeners to make a positive impact on society.

Speaking on the occasion, National Business Head, 92.7 BIG FM, Mr. Ashwin Padmanabhan stated, “92.7 BIG FM has always pioneered initiatives that contribute to the welfare and well-being of the society. It wasn’t long ago when we launched Darya Dilli with the aim of bringing people together to assist and aid those in need and it gives me great pleasure to announce that we have made good progress in a short span of just 3 years. We are also delighted to announce the expansion of our campaign down south and Maharashtra that increases the reach to more than 4.3 crore across the nation. It is humbling to see how an idea that we thought of three years ago, has grown from strength and strength and today we have here with us a cricketing icon, Mr. Virender Sehwag, who has chosen to come forward and associate with us for this noble cause.”

Speaking of his association with 92.7 BIG FM and Darya Dilli, Virender Sehwag stated, “It is with a deep sense of humility that I have associated with Daryadili. Making an effort to give warm blankets in the sheer cold of the north is a cause I’m personally and emotionally involved with. These initiatives bring people together to realize, understand and contribute to building a more caring and compassionate society. I am extremely proud to be associated with 92.7 BIG FM, a brand that has been at the forefront of the helm in their endeavor to sensitize everyone towards issues that plague people every year and the steps one can really take to help one another.”

December 13, 2014