ITV

Category: Press Release

  • NDTV announces Indian of the Year Awards

    NDTV announces Indian of the Year Awards

    MUMBAI: It’s that time of the year again when we salute the ambassadors of brand India. 2013 has been an important year in the history of India. From instances of individual brilliance to examples of nation building, this year has given rise to a set of Indians, who are not afraid to wear their Indian identity on their sleeve. To honour the contribution of these role models, NDTV is back with the seventh edition of the prestigious Indian of the Year award in association with LIC.

     

    One of the biggest and most credible awards in the country, the NDTV Indian of the Year 2013 will recognize the Indians whose contribution to the country have strengthened the foundation of our society and helped build Brand India. These iconic Indians will be honoured at a glittering ceremony in New Delhi on April 29, 2014 at the Taj Palace Hotel. They will be chosen from four categories: Sports, Entertainment, Business and Public Service.

     

    Announcing the 7th edition of the awards, Vikram Chandra, Group CEO, NDTV said, “We take immense pride in presenting the 7th edition of Indian of the Year awards. The awards recognize the contribution of individuals, who through their determination and fortitude continue to take the nation forward. We are privileged to honour this year’s winners with these awards.”

     

    Over the years, the recipients of these prestigious awards have included Ratan Tata, Sonia Gandhi, Justice J.S Verma, Anna Hazare, Late Pandit Ravi Shankar, N Chandrashekaran, Sachin Tendulkar, heroes of the Mumbai terrorist attacks and many more.

  • ‘Duniyadari’ with a new look only on Zee Talkies

    ‘Duniyadari’ with a new look only on Zee Talkies

    MUMBAI: DUNIYADARI, which created history in MARATHI cinema by hitting box office with big bang and celebrating silver jubilee in across Maharashtra, is all set to recreate the same magic on small screen. Now it is all set to release with very innovative idea and fresh version on ZEE TALKIES on Sunday, 27th April, 2014 @12 noon and 7pm.

    After receiving great applause from critics, bagging many awards and creating new records on Box Office, DUNIYADARI is slated to release on ZEE Talkies with altogether new dimension. DUNIYADARI, a youth based love story is very vibrant, colorful and very happening. It is a story with passionate love, exuberant fun, and exciting drama, full of emotions and has also managed to fetch popular as well as critical acclaim. It has good content and performances to boast of and audiences were starving of good entertaining cinema.

    Bavesh Janavlekar, Business Head, Zee Talkies said, “First time ever in the history of Television Industry a film will be presented with totally new sensitivity and shade. Zee Talkies has added a different flavor to ‘Duniyadaari’ with the support of director Sanjay Jadhav and producer Nanubhai Singhani. It is a great honor to present this movie with innovation and gifting a unique experience to our viewers. I take immense pleasure in presenting this blockbuster movie with a new perspective and a fresh new look, maintaining the soul of the movie. The current promos on the channel have received immense response from the viewers. We hope that all of our hard work and efforts are well received by the audience and that all the fans will enjoy this unique experience on Zee Talkies.”

    Talking about the characters, Bavesh Janavlekar said, “Shreyas- Shirin are true lovers and lovable pair for youngsters, Shreyas –Digu, are icons of true friendship and the essence of standing up for one’s rights. People have loved and appreciated DUNIYADARI. Many of them had the chance to watch it again and again on the big screen, but for the first time this New DUNIYADARI will give the audience a chance to witness the true meaning of Duniyadari. We hope that this version of the film gets all the love that the original movie received.”

    DUNIYADARI, produced by Video Palace India and Dreaming Twenty Four Seven and presented by Zee Talkies and Essel Vision Productions. The music of Duniyadari has also set Maharashtra swaying to its tunes. “Zindagi Zindagi…. Doston Ki Duniyadari Mein Haseen Meri Zindagi…” and “TikTik Vajate Dokyat” sung by Sonu Nigam and Sayali Pankaj have captured hearts with their charismatic composition. In this television version people will get to watch new song with special moment.

    The revival of this Blockbuster film has movie-goers across the globe, excitedly looking forward to experiencing the magic of NEW DUNIYADARI on ZEE Talkies on Sunday, 27th April@ 12 noon and 7pm!

  • Wherever they go, Spy cams follow

    Wherever they go, Spy cams follow

    MUMBAI: Taking natural-world filmmaking to an unparalleled scale, Animal Planet’s new series SPY IN THE WILDbrings most engaging and secret stories of some of the most intriguing and charismatic animals present on this Earth. Award winning teams of directors and cameramen employ remote-controlled buggy-cameras, buried periscopes and state-of-the-art technologies to bring forth the lives of world’s famous animals.

    Starting May 1st, every night at 10 pm on Animal Planet, SPY IN THE WILDgives a new perspective on the behaviour, emotions, intelligence and extreme survival tactics used by animals. Specially designed cameras and the latest technology allow the viewers to really get to know the species that include lions, elephants, polar bears, tigers and penguins.  

    For the first time, state of the art ‘SpyCreatures’ infiltrate the dolphins’ underwater world, often interacting and engaging the curiosity of the dolphins themselves, offering a unique glimpse of their intelligence and personalities.   The sensational ‘Bouldercam’ takes viewers to within a whisker of the lion. The programme also introduces ‘Dungcam’ and applies the revolutionary brand of photography to perhaps the most popular of all animals – the African Elephant.  Using the‘Tuskcams’ and ‘Trunkcams’, the crew uses intelligence and sensitivity of elephants and seeks support to carry the cameras on their tusks and trunks to film the tigers wherever they go, even on the move.With bouldercam’s revolutionary sound system, the television vibrates to the purrs, roars, yelps and barks of these highly vocal animals.The team also uses mini-cranes, buried cameras and tracking vehicles to grab the action.

    Production Facts

    1. For the three-part special Penguins – Spy in the Huddle, 1,000 hours of intimate behaviour were recorded – almost nothing that happened on the colony was missed. With emperor penguins, this proved to be the longest continuous shoot of emperors ever made – more than 330 consecutive days. The overwintering crew was totally  isolated for 8 months, with no contact with the outside world beyond a satellite uplink, in temperatures as low as -60?C. There were only 10 days when they didn’t film.

    2. Humboldt penguins are shy birds and have hardly ever been filmed. Spycams played a key role in the 165 days of filming.

    3. For Dolphins – Spy in the Pod, 900 hours of intimate behaviour were recorded over the course of 1 year, in countries as diverse as Mozambique, Canada, Florida, South Carolina, Honduras, Costa Rica, Australia, South Africa and Argentina.

    4. In the course of the filming period, they dived over 1500 times and spent nearly 3000 hours at sea filming with the Spy Creatures and dolphins in all weathers. Over half of the filming took place via free diving (as opposed to using scuba gear), in depths ranging from shallow coral reefs to nearly 70 feet deep!

    Episode Details:

    Tiger – Spy in the Jungle:   The elephant camera crew reveals the incredible story of four cubs growing up in this previously unseen world.  By following the tiger, the camera-carrying elephants uncover a wildlife world every bit as rich as that of Africa, encountering sloth bears – a rarely filmed bear with a unique character, famous for carrying its comical babies on its back – and leopards, the tiger’s major competitor. The episode also brings to light the extraordinary red dogs. These fearsome creatures race through the jungle in huge packs, striking fear into anything in their path.

    Polar Bear – Spy on the Ice: Shot mainly using spy cameras, this episode gets closer than ever before to the world’s greatest land predator.Icebergcam, Blizzardcam and Snowballcam are a new generation of covert devices on a mission to explore the Arctic islands of Svalbard in Norway. Backed up by Snowcam and Driftcam, these state-of-the-art camouflaged cameras reveal the extraordinary curiosity and intelligence of the polar bear.  The cameras also follow the bears as they hunt seals, raid bird colonies, dive for kelp and indulge in entertaining courtship rituals. Icebergcam even discovers their little-known social nature as seven bears share a washed-up whale carcass.

    Elephants – Spy in the Herd: Elephants show many human similarities – life span, social structure, wisdom of age and emotional bonds – which allows this series to connect even more strongly with the audience.  The cameras are disguised as elephant dung.  These come in different versions and use different lenses.  Shots are captured as the cameras are carried by the elephants or even kicked like a football. The intimacy of the ‘dungcams’ images reveal the subtleties of elephant life in a way that has never been seen before.

    Dolphins – Spy in the Pod is a magical underwater adventure. Dolphins are one of the most social and playful animals on the planet. Using the trademark blend of extraordinary imagery,analysis of behaviour and moments of humour, the episode looks at thesecret lives of one of the world’s most popular and charismatic animals.

    Lion – Spy in the Den makes us imagine sitting just a whisker away, watching lion cubs growing up learning to be lions themselves, and getting into all kinds of trouble. Out on the African plains, right under the lion’s nose, ‘bouldercam’ – a state-of-the-art mini camera and buggy with surround sound, all hidden in a ‘boulder’ – trundles along.

    Penguins – Spy in the Huddle: The amazing technical wizardry of the penguincams allows them to blend into these penguin colonies, allowing a closer view of the creatures than ever before as they immerse themselves in the penguin world, both on land and at sea.Penguins – Spy in the Huddle spends nearly a year in their close company, deploying 50 spycams to capture as never before the true character of three very different, yet equally charismatic, birds

  • Romedy NOW announces 4 new series this month

    Romedy NOW announces 4 new series this month

    MUMBAI: Romedy NOW will raise the entertainment quotient starting 25th April, with 4 new series, making it the only English GEC to have the widest range of content. While viewers are relishing the coolest line up of series such as ‘Witches of the East End’, ‘Ally McBeal’, ‘Kitchen Confidential’ and the most recent ‘Friends with Better Lives’, a lot more entertainment is just around the corner to add to their daily dose of Love & Laughter. The exclusive English General Entertainment destination offers an additional line-up of 4 new series – ‘1600 Penn’, ‘Back in the Game’, ‘Better off Ted’ and ‘2 Broke Girls’. The channel takes another gigantic step in reinforcing itself as the top Indian English GEC with these four awesome new series.

    Commenting on the launch of the series, Shantanu Gangane, Times Television Network – English Entertainment Channels, Cluster Head – Marketing, said “Romedy NOW has established its leadership in the English GEC space in less than 6 months. While we are getting positive feedback from our viewers on the series that we have already launched, we are taking a step further to bond with our viewers with 4 new exclusive & refreshing series launches. These 4 new series offer different shades of love & laughter and promise variety and super entertainment throughout the summer season.”

    The Election fever is soaring high. While the candidates are passionately struggling to win, The Most Powerful Man In The US, The President has to contend with battles of his own in ‘1600 Penn’, as his dysfunctional family messes about not just with his image but also the affairs of the state. Catch President Dale Gilchrist (Bill Pullman) and his family living in the White House comprising a trophy wife Emily (Jenna Elfman), a couch potato and goofy for an elder son Skip, an overachieving elder daughter Becca, a genius youngest kid Xander and an eccentric schoolgirl daughter Marigold. Enjoy the antics and exploits from 25th April, Friday, 8 PM.

    A young single mother Terry Gannon (Maggie Lawson) dumps her loser husband and temporarily moves in with her estranged father who is a former baseball player but now just a beer-chugging opinionated couch potato. She has left a world of baseball behind but is drawn into it again as she has to train her son’s underdog little league baseball team. Watch her trials and triumphs in ‘Back in the Game’, Friday, 8:30 PM starting 2nd May.

    ‘Better off Ted’ is a satirical sitcom about an ethical man Ted Crisp (Jay Harrington) working for an unethical science and technology R & D company. Work for this single father and company head involves things such as creating a suicidal turkey, and he loves his job! Follow his hilarious day-to-day situations and eccentricities of the scientific minds as he starts contemplating about the questionable practices of his company. The experiments begin on Saturday, 10th May, 8 PM.

    Finally! Enjoy the wo-mance of two girls in their mid-20s Max Black (Kat Dennings) and Caroline Channing (Beth Behrs) who are as different as chalk and cheese. But they have one thing in common – They are both broke! One of the most popular and hilarious US series and winner of Emmy Awards and People’s Choice Awards, ‘2 Broke Girls’ chronicles the lives of the two penniless girls – Max is an impoverished girl used to the hardships & Caroline the rich brat who goes bust after her scamster father is caught. The joyride starts from Saturday, 10th May, 8:30 PM.

    Every evening is a perk with the 4 new series only on Romedy NOW!

  • Animation movies will bring back your childhood memories this summer!

    Animation movies will bring back your childhood memories this summer!

    MUMBAI: India’s premiere Hollywood destination, Star Movies,  is all set to rule the roost with their Animation Domination block. With the commitment to bring the biggest and best of Hollywood to its viewers, Star Movies presents “ Animation Domination” which will take the 1pm slot every Monday to Friday throughout the month of May. The lineup is set to entertain you with movies like The Adventures of Tintin, Toy Story 3, Ratatouille, Ice age: Continental drift , Wreck-it Ralph, Wall-E, The Smurfs, The Princess and the Frog and UP! These movies are perfect spending time this summer during the holidays and in the midst of cricket season.

     

    The Adventures of Tintin – Starring Jamie Bell as Tintin, the intrepid young reporter whose relentless pursuit of a good story thrusts him into a world of high adventure, and Daniel Craig as the nefarious Red Rackham.

     

    Toy Story 3 – The movie begins with Andy leaving for college and donating his beloved toys – including Woody and Buzz  to a daycare. While the crew meets new friends, including Ken, they soon grow to hate their new surroundings and plan an escape.

     

    Ratatouille- Remy is currently situated in the sewers directly beneath Gusteau’s elegant restaurant. Soon Remy teams up with a young chef with little talent named Linguini. When Remy’s passion for cooking turns the haughty world of French cuisine upside down, the rat who would be king of the kitchen learns important lessons about life, friends, and family while questioning whether he should pursue his culinary calling or simply go back underground and return to his life as a sewer rat.

     

    Ice age: Continental drift – Scrat’s nutty pursuit of the cursed acorn, which he’s been after since the dawn of time, has world-changing consequences – a continental cataclysm that triggers the greatest adventure of all for Manny, Diego and Sid. In the wake of these upheavals, Sid reunites with his cantankerous Granny, and the herd encounters a ragtag menagerie of seafaring pirates determined to stop them from returning home.

     

    Wreck-it Ralph – Ralph is tired of being overshadowed by Fix-It Felix , the “good guy” star of their game who always gets to save the day. But after decades doing the same thing and seeing all the glory go to Felix, Ralph decides he’s tired of playing the role of a bad guy.  He takes matters into his own massive hands and sets off on a game-hopping journey across the arcade through every generation of video games to prove he’s got what it takes to be a hero.

     

    Wall-E – The year is 2700, and planet Earth has long been uninhabitable. For hundreds of years, WALL-E (Waste Allocation Load Lifter Earth-Class) has been taking out the trash, and collecting precious knick-knacks in order to stave off the boredom of his dreary routine. Little does WALL-E realize that he has recently stumbled onto a secret that could save planet Earth, and once again make the ravaged planet safe for all humankind. When highly advanced search robot EVE makes friends with WALL-E and realizes the value of his remarkable discovery, she excitedly races back to let the humans know that there’s hope for their home planet after all.

     

    The Smurfs –  When the evil wizard Gargamel chases the Smurfs out of their village, they’re forced through a portal, out of their world and into ours, landing in the middle of New York’s Central Park. Just three apples high and stuck in the Big Apple, the Smurfs must find a way to get back to their village before Gargamel tracks them down.

     

    The Princess and the Frog – Set in New Orleans at the beginning of the 20th century, The Princess and the Frog concerns a poor African-American girl named Tiana who has a knack for cooking, and dreams of opening her own restaurant. When the friend’s family hosts a party for Prince Naveen of Maldonia, Dr. Facilier, an expert in black magic, turns the visiting royal into a frog. The now amphibious Naveenconvinces Tiana that a kiss will reverse the spell, and if she obliges him he’ll provide the money she needs to open her dream eatery. However, their smooch not only fails to turn him back into a human, but transforms Tiana into a frog as well. The duo then sets out to find a voodoo priestess who can set everything right.

     

    UP – Carl Fredricksen is a 78-year-old balloon salesman. His entire life, Carl has longed to wander the wilds of South America. Then, one day, the irascible senior citizen shocks his neighbors by tying thousands of balloons to his home andfinally taking flight. But Carl isn’t alone on his once-in-a-lifetime journey, because stowed away on his front porch is an excitable eight-year-old wilderness explorer named Russell.

     

    So get ready to celebrate the innocence in you with Animation Domination as Star Movies brings to you the best of Hollywood, right to your television sets in the comfort of your home.

     

    Let the summers pass by watching your favorite movies at home only on Star Movies!! Watch all your favorite Animation movies Monday to Friday @1pm this May.

  • Al Jazeera goes behind the scenes on Narendra Modi’s campaign

    Al Jazeera goes behind the scenes on Narendra Modi’s campaign

    MUMBAI: As part of its election programming, Al Jazeera English takes the viewers on a campaign trail with Gujarat State Chief Minister Narender Modi in his bid to become India’s next prime minister.

     

    A special from 101 East, ‘Modi the Messiah?’ premieres on Friday, April 25 and will examine the anticipation around Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Prime Ministerial candidate Narendra Modi. Reporter Karishma Vyas gathers views from leaders from BJP, political scientist and industrialists in Gujarat where Modi has been in power as the state’s Chief Minister and residents of the state.

     

    Prakash Javadekar, Member of Parliament Rajya Sabha and a leader of Bharatiya Janata Party sharing his views about Modi with Al Jazeera: “This time people are voting for aspiration, for progress. This is a radical change which is happening in the parliament election. This election is all about development, development, development. Inflation, unemployment, stagnation, all has caused great pains for common people and corruption. There is a feeling in the people that they have been looted left, right and center. Modi is the man of integrity, man of honesty, incorruptible record and performance. People want delivery; he is the man of delivery”.

     

    Kalpesh A Patel, Executive Director, Nirma said, “We have already been serving the benefits of Mr. Modi as a head of the state, and I think the entire nation is looking to him to shoulder the responsibility so why only should Gujarat benefit? The entire country should benefit and the entire country should prosper and see the change and the improvement in the process.”

     

    Zoya Hasan, a political scientist and a former member of the National Commission for Minorities says, “This is a highly competitive election as never before. There’s a Hindu undercurrent running through the Modi campaign even though it is not upfront and upfront is talk of development. It’s been a procession of support from the corporate sector because they see Modi as business friendly, as someone who is prepared to do what it takes to promote economic growth unhindered. Modi is an extremely autocratic, authoritarian leader who is being presented in this campaign as the decisive leader that India needs.”

     

    However, a shadow hangs over his candidature, as Chief Minister in Gujarat state the self-proclaimed Hindu nationalist presided over one of the worst massacres of Muslims in the Indian history. In February 2002, four months after Modi became the state’s chief minister – deadly communal clashes engulfed the streets of Gujarat. Though, Modi has denied culpability in these riots, and a Supreme Court ordered investigation has concluded that there isn’t enough evidence to charge him with any crime.

     

    One of the riot victims said, “We lost our family, we lost our neighbours, we lost the people that were in our lives every day. I pray to God for them. I sit here and remember them. It feels like they’re still with me and I’m sitting with them.”

     

    101 East is a weekly television programme, broadcast by Al Jazeera English that focuses on current affairs in Asia and the Pacific.

     

    Tune into Al Jazeera on Dish TV 618 and Tata Sky Channel 518 on April 25 at 1500 IST to catch the premiere of 101 East Modi the Messiah? episode

  • Nat Geo Covershot: Mission North East

    Nat Geo Covershot: Mission North East

    MUMBAI: This season, photography will take a competitive turn as India’s top 10 amateur photographers fight it out for one of the most coveted opportunities for a photographer – to be featured on the cover of National Geographic TravellerIndia magazine! Bringing back its successful mission series, National Geographic Channel is set to challenge young amateur photographers from across the country to embark on a journey of their lifetime on Nat GeoCovershot: Mission North East. Set in the serene North East, the show will bring out the competitive best of these young guns and make them do whatever it takes to click that perfect shot. Bringing together a compelling combination of breathtaking views, survival instincts, edgy photography along with a sharp strategy, the show premiers on April 26th and will air every Saturday at 10 pm on National Geographic Channel.

    Mentoring and judging the second season of Nat Geo Covershot will be two esteemed personalities – award winning photographer Lana Slezic and actor producer Rajiv Lakshman. With expertise in skill and psychology, the two judges will present a series of tasks for the contestants, urging them to bring out their best shot this season.  Hostess Shibani Dandekar will accompany these aspiring photographers in this life changing journey in the magnificent locales of North East India.

    Talking about Nat Geo Covershot: Mission North East, Debarpita Banerjee, Vice President, Marketing and Communication,NGC Networks and FOX International Channels, said, “Whoever thinks of photography as just a passive hobby is in for a great surprise this season. Nat Geo Covershot: Mission North East brings back the grandiose of Nat Geo photography and couples it with passion of these young photographers to create an edgy viewing experience. This season will bring out the competitive spirit that our youth embodyand our expert panel will help them channelize it with a compelling strategy to get that perfect shot.”

    Manas Mohan, Publishing Director, National Geographic magazines in India, shared, “Associating with National Geographic Channel for their Mission Covershot is an extension of our belief of encouraging young talent while capturing the best images highlighting the beauty of India. We are confident that the opportunity of featuring on the NGTI cover will motivate the participants to give their best shot!”

    On being part of the series, actor and producer Rajiv Lakshmansaid, “It’s immensely exciting to be part of the Nat Geo family that boasts of such an aspirational and respectable legacy. For a show like Nat Geo Covershot: Mission North East, which promises to bring the best of the amateur talent we have in photography, no other platform could have been better. My role in the show will beto nurture the creative disposition of the 10 photographers and bring out their competitive best besides adding more personality to their work. I am sure the viewers will have a great ride against the beautiful backdrop of North Eastern India.”

    Get click happy as Nat GeoCovershot: Mission North East premiers on April 26th, every Saturday at 10 pm on National Geographic Channel.

  • Narendra Modi on ABP News’ Ghoshnapatra

    Narendra Modi on ABP News’ Ghoshnapatra

    MUMBAI: ABP News election special- “GHOSHNAPATRA”, brings BJP Prime Minister candidate Narendra Modi interacting with the Editors, ABP News, ABP Majha and ABP Ananda on the array of issues in the run up to the Lok Sabha polls 2014. This interview was recorded on April, 20, 2014, Sunday.

     

    Please find below some of the highlights of the interview.
     

    Please note that the interview was in Hindi and the translation in English is indicative. Kindly refer to the detailed intercepts in Hindi on our website http://abpnews.abplive.in/ and for English at http://www.abplive.in/ at 9pm.
     

     

    Modi on RSS, ‘India First’- “I need to run the government, and the government functions as per the constitution. I believe that there is only one religion for the government- India First. There is only one Holy Book for the government- our Constitution, the government believes in one prayer- “Bharat Bhakti”. There is only one way to governance- “Sabka Sath, Sabka Vikas”.

     

     Modi on ‘Rajdharma’-  “I have taken it (moral responsibility of any person killed in Gujarat) since day one. All my interviews, speeches (in the assembly) are available. I request you to do some research. Everything is available…you will find answers to all your queries (in those speeches and interviews).”

     

    Modi on being grilled for 9 hours in the 2002 riots case: “you can try me as much (on the 2002 riots), but you wont be able to do it. In 2007, when UPA came into power the second time, I was dragged to Supreme Court due to (political) conspiracy..it was then that I decided not to speak since the Supreme Court must not get influenced. Till date, no chief minister in India has been grilled by police for nine hours…this (me) is the chief minister who has been grilled for 9 hours by police officers. Supreme Court has seen the video recording (of the questioning). I have proven myself on these fronts and will continue to do so in future as well. But I refuse to surrender to lies and political conspiracies.”
     

     

    Modi on “Muslims scared of Modi”- “You would have my interview in your library (archives) in 2002 (post-winning the Gujarat polls). After winning the polls in 2002, I went to Maninagar in the evening to thank the voters…I said in my speech that day, that this (Gujarat) government belongs to those who have voted for it, against it and even to those who have not voted. The ‘mantra’ for my government is ‘Abhai (fearless), Abhai, Abhai’…I said it thrice.”
     

     

    Modi On Giriraj- “Nobody can agree with what he (Giriraj) has said”…

     

    Modi on his aggressive personality, issues like Ram Mandir, Uniform Civil Code in the manifesto-  “The country doesn’t work with aggression, the nation works as per the Constitution, country moves forward with constitutional dignity…aggression is meant for polls…not to run the government.”

     

    Modi on- “Acche din aane wale hai”- “Is there an expiry date mentioned everywhere…a (party) manifesto stands for five years, a government is formed for five years…it (government) has to deliver in these five years- some work (projects) is initiated and some work (projects) are meant to be accomplished…It is very clear that a manifesto is not a final declaration of the 21st century (a decade)…it stands for the term of a government.”

     

    Modi on Vadra- “Jeejaji”- “see you will have to acknowledge, how will you acknowledge…if something (Vadra’s alleged growth in real estate) has happened, if there is a connect with the family (The Gandhis), then the connect lies within this word (‘Jijaji’)…I am not aware of any other word (connect), otherwise I would have taken up that…”

     

    Modi on Ambani and Adani: “This is not your question. It is not expected from media to carry forward the agenda taken up by the political opponents. You are expected to talk about how Modi has governed (in Gujarat) for the last 14 years. There was a government where you could find only middlemen (in political corridors)..Modi’s identity is a government where you can not find any middlemen…people of India can proudly say that there is a (state) government which can not be pressurized, which can’t be managed (with money). My 14-year track record speaks for me…at least people like you (media) should should not own such (allegations) things…here I am using the word media.”
     

     

    Modi on “Shehzada”: “This is weird…this word “Shehzada”…we have read about it in history…around four-five years back, Congress had termed Sonia Gandhi as “Rajmata”…and they continued using the word (“Rajmata”) this for a long time…so now should I question Congress for using these princely terms when those times are long over…It’s fine (no big deal) if they have said such a thing.”

     

    Modi on his marital-status row: “I am not surprised at anything, there is nothing to my (personal) life…since there is nothing much for them (to talk about), they keep talking about (such) things…”

     

    Modi on black money: “there is a word about Indian money stashed in banks abroad…by and large there is no dispute in that. The government has the information on that…but we are not in the government, and those in the government are not responding to it. So our stand is, that we will bring the truth out as we form the government. The rounds will stop if there is nothing to it and if it is (money stashed abroad) then we will get it back.”

     

    Modi on political alignment with Lalu and Pawar- “No, no no…there is no such (political alignment with Sharad Pawar) thing. As far as friendship is concerned, you would be surprised to know that I am friends with Laluji…we exist in a social setup, but we need to take individual stands due to our political ideologies. But this is one big family…and there can’t be any enemies here.”

     

    Modi on support from Raj Thackeray: “As far as the results are concerned on May 16, I firmly believe that we will not need any such support to govern the nation. But you need everyone’s support to run the nation. I am of the opinion that in a democracy, to run the nation, we must rise above politics and take support from everyone, (though) we would not need (support) to the run the government, we will get full support from the people. Even if Rahul wins from Amethi, though the chances of that are bleak, and becomes the leader of Opposition…we will take his support too. In my view, you need to take everyone along to run the nation.”

     

    Modi on firm-handedness with Pakistan: “first and the foremost thing is that we should run the country in such a way that nobody should be able to dare look at us. We need to be balanced (look straight into the eyes at the international level) and that should get reciprocated…that is the best way forward.”

     

    Modi on visting US: ”this is a tough question…yes a very tough question…the country has chosen me to work for the nation.”

  • Lowe Lintas and Partners sign on over 100 new businesses in 15 months

    Lowe Lintas and Partners sign on over 100 new businesses in 15 months

    MUMBAI: In a year that was relatively sluggish for the industry, Lowe Lintas and Partners announced today that they registeredover 100 business wins in the past 15 months. These wins have come across its 7 divisions and 9 offices in India.

     

    Joseph George (Joe), Chief Executive Officer – Lowe Lintas and Partners says, “2013was the culmination of an aggressive 3 year New Business plan that was put in place in early 2011; resulting in us, signing up upward of 300 new businesses in this period.Fantastic work leading to in-market success of our existing brandshas played a disproportionate role in helping us earn the confidence of new clients.I have always believed that doing well on Existing business is the best strategyto acquire New business”

     

    Some of the clients acquired in this period include Hero Motocorp, myntra.com, STAR TV, OLX, Heinz, Bharat Matrimony, Onida, Expedia, bookmyshow, Milma, Coir Board, Bharat Benz, Max Bupa, Finolex, Gyproc, Apollo Hospitals, Wockhardt, Bharat Forge, MCX, Heinz, Rajasthan Tourism, Nutricia, Mahanagar Gas, Dr. Reddy’s Labs among many others…

     

    Lowe Lintas and Partners, IPG’s largest operation in India,partnersabout 250 clients. Some of whom, amongst India’s most successful and marketing savvy companies–Aditya Birla Group, Arvind Brands, Axis, Britannia, Croma, Dabur, DLF, Essar, Future Group, Godrej, Havell’s, Hindustan Unilever, ICICI, ITC, Johnson & Johnson, Maruti, Micromax, MRF, Nestle, Croma, Tata Tea, Tanishq, Times Group, Videocon to name a few.

     

    OpineAmer Jaleel and Arun Iyer, National Creative Directors at Lowe Lintas – “The agency has put out the best body of work in the industry; now for 2 years in a row. So while 100 or 300 is a statistic that we are certainly very happy about, what is even more gratifying,is that the infectious energy ofthese wins are spurring on all of us to deliver even better work”

     

    Lowe Lintas and Partnershas traditionally been a strong player in advertising; but in recent times, its divisions outside of advertising have been significant contributors to business growth. A reasonable chunk of the over 100 wins have been accounted for, by LinOpinion-Golin Harris (Public Relations), LinEngage (Activation), dCell ( Design ), LinTeractive-Interactive Avenues and LinHealth-ICC (Healthcare Marketing)

     

    Some of the clients acquired in this period by the “non-advertising” divisions include Shapoorji Group, Brylcreem, Bru Coffee, Haldiram’s, Abbot India, Piramal, Mattel Toys, Tata Asset Management, Supermax, Wadhawa Group, NEC India, Herbalife, INOX, G.M. Pens, VST Industries, Govt of Netherlands, Onida, Sony Max, Bangalore Literature Festival among many others..

     

    Vikas Mehta, Chief Marketing Officer – Lowe Lintas and Partners said, “For the past year or so, we’ve gone about client acquisition as a group in a lot more orchestrated manner. It’s heartening to see our divisions like PR, Activation, Digital and Healthcare firing too.The investments we made through partnerships like Interactive Avenues and Golin Harris have shown results and we would like to make further and faster strides in that direction.”

     

    Joseph George concludes “An often used metric byclients to evaluate apotential agency partner is the consistency with which itkeeps putting out work that impactsbonding, buzz and business results. And most new prospects find us doing rather well on that count…”

  • 9XM’s ‘Cast your Vote & Win’ contest with 2 States

    9XM’s ‘Cast your Vote & Win’ contest with 2 States

    MUMBAI: 9XM, India’s popular Hindi music channel, has associated with Dharma Productions and is enticing the viewers to vote by offering them free tickets to watch the upcoming movie – 2 States.  The initiative is called ‘Cast your Vote & Win contest’ is an extension to 9XM’s on-air election campaign titled Who is the idiot. As part of ‘Cast your Vote & Win contest’ 9XM has organized a  special screening of the latest Bollywood film 2 States on 24th April 2014, exclusively at the IMAX Big Cinemas, Wadala at 6:45pm.

     

    Encouraging the youth to vote and make the change, the Cast your Vote and Win contest provides the viewers and Bollywood movie buffs an opportunity to win free tickets to the latest Bollywood hit. The channel has also partnered with Big Cinema’s to promote this contest across 30 screens in Mumbai.

     

    Speaking of this association Mr. Siddharth Kadam – Marketing Head of Dharma Productions said “We are glad to be associated with 9XM’s election initiative Cast your Vote & Win. This contest on the channel will not only promote the movie 2 States but also motivate the youth to go out and exercise their right to vote. This is a great platform to connect with the youth and motivate them.”

     

    Commenting on this initiative Mr. Kapil Sharma, Vice President, Marketing 9X Media Pvt. Ltd said “The Cast your Vote & Win contest is an extension to our on-air campaign Who is the Idiot. The music video of Who is the Idiot has received a great response from our viewers. Our aim with this initiative is to create awareness among the people about the importance of voting and motivate them to exercise their right to vote. Like all of 9XM’s campaigns, we are engaging with them through music and humour.”

     

    Cast your Vote and Win contest will be promoted through venue and cafeteria branding at the multiplex and through branded slides during the movies. The contest will also be promoted across 9XM and through the digital platforms like Facebook, Twitter (#whoistheidiot) and Youtube.

     

    So ‘Dont be an idiot…Go Vote…Get counted…’