ITV

Category: Factual

  • Discovery Science presents wicked inventions

    Discovery Science presents wicked inventions

    MUMBAI:  What do duct tape and instant coffee has in common? or GPS navigation and Kleenex tissues? Prepare to be surprised. Discovery Science brings a new fascinating pop science series Wicked Inventions that looks at some of the most common everyday items that surround us and explores the wicked ways in which they originated.

    Like it or not, warfare, conflict and the need to explore the unknown is the catalyst for human progress in technology. The fact is that mankind is at its most inventive when it’s being destructive. It’s the same with the field of space exploration. The desire of the superpowers to dominate each other has led them to look to space to gain the upper hand. From that enormous effort and expenditure – all with military and political gain as its primary purpose –came a gamut of inventions we now use in our everyday lives. Premiering tonight Wicked Inventions explores, explains and whole range of surprising gadgets, toys and implements that were originally made for a very different purpose.

    Premiering tonight, Wicked Inventions will air every Monday at 9 pm on Discovery Science.

    Swiss army knife is such an incredible innovation which encompasses a huge number of capabilities; lots of instruments and implements in a very small device. The idea of incorporating several tools in a small portable unit goes back 2,000 years ago when Romans had their very own version of a Swiss army knife, complete with spoon, fork, blade and the obligatory toothpick. Made from solid silver, this luxury item and the idea for a multi tool became the handy tool of choice for the army personnel.

    WICKED INVENTIONS tells the stories of how and why items were invented and how their applications and manufacture have changed, often beyond recognition.

  • Discovery Communications acquires majority share in FoodFood

    Discovery Communications acquires majority share in FoodFood

    MUMBAI: Discovery Communications has announced an agreement to partner with India’s top culinary celebrity Sanjeev Kapoor, by acquiring a majority share in Turmeric Vision Private Limited, which owns and operates pay-TV network, FoodFood and its digital products.

    Discovery’s investment in FoodFood underscores its strategy to deepen and expand its presence in India to grow audience share across all screens, and to complement and strengthen its existing portfolio of female and lifestyle brands including TLC and ID.  Tapping into the growing appetite for food programming amongst women across India, Discovery plans to support FoodFood’s 100% focus on local programming and products, and to drive further value from the ongoing digitalisation of India. Discovery has also agreed to sell FoodFood’s advertising, effective immediately.

    India’s iconic food personality, pioneer of food programming on television, celebrated entrepreneur and author of best-selling cookbooks, Sanjeev Kapoor, will continue to star in and produce programming for FoodFood as its brand ambassador, and will remain a minority shareholder in the business.

    Discovery Networks Asia-Pacific president and MD Arthur Bastings said, “Discovery’s investment in FoodFood further boosts our presence in this important market and broadens our portfolio by adding a category of content that people love. We are excited to partner with the exceptionally talented team, including culinary guru Sanjeev Kapoor, who singlehandedly revolutionised the food television genre in India. Sanjeev’s creative flair and personality combined with Discovery’s content and operational expertise is the perfect recipe for FoodFood’s evolution.”

    “Food is no longer just fuel for the body; it has become a social currency that is appreciated universally.We look forward to deepening FoodFood’s engagement, particularly in digital, and widening its community outside of India,” Bastings added.

    Turmeric Vision Private Limited promoter Sanjeev Kapoor said, “FoodFood is widely admired for its highly relevant, topical, varied, entertaining and delectable programming. I am delighted to become a part of the Discovery family and I am confident that this partnership will strengthen FoodFood’s reach and affinity with consumers, advertisers and distributors.”

    Turmeric Vision Private Limited will be managed as part of Discovery’s Asia-Pacific region led by Bastings. Completion of the transaction is expected to occur in the coming weeks, subject to regulatory approvals.

    Launched in 2011, FoodFood is India’s most recognised cuisine network and is available on leading DTH and cable platforms across India. It has a strategic and growing presence amongst the Indian diaspora across the world which includes UAE, Canada and USA.One of the most engaging brands on digital, the channel’s content is also viewed on its FoodFood App, YouTube Channel and website www.foodfood.com. The brand has a wide following on social platforms including Facebook, Google Plus, Twitter and Instagram.

    FoodFood’s marquee shows span a diverse range from regional Indian food to international cuisines, from health recipes to herb-infused cooking and from kids’ meals to tea time snacks. Sanjeev Kapoor’s Kitchen features his top 100 recipes including his signature dishes. The Fit Foodie presents low-calorie, delicious and contemporary recipes. Style Chef features simple, exotic and unusual recipes using appliances and resources readily available in every Indian kitchen. Hi Tea focuses on effortless, fool-proof recipes guaranteed to enrich family evenings.

    Discovery has been entertaining Indian audiences with its high-quality and differentiated content for the last 20 years. The company currently operates 11 channels in India: Discovery Channel, Animal Planet, TLC, Discovery Kids, ID-Investigation Discovery, Discovery Science, Discovery Turbo, Discovery Tamil, Discovery HD World, TLC HD World and Animal Planet HD World.

  • Discovery Communications acquires majority share in FoodFood

    Discovery Communications acquires majority share in FoodFood

    MUMBAI: Discovery Communications has announced an agreement to partner with India’s top culinary celebrity Sanjeev Kapoor, by acquiring a majority share in Turmeric Vision Private Limited, which owns and operates pay-TV network, FoodFood and its digital products.

    Discovery’s investment in FoodFood underscores its strategy to deepen and expand its presence in India to grow audience share across all screens, and to complement and strengthen its existing portfolio of female and lifestyle brands including TLC and ID.  Tapping into the growing appetite for food programming amongst women across India, Discovery plans to support FoodFood’s 100% focus on local programming and products, and to drive further value from the ongoing digitalisation of India. Discovery has also agreed to sell FoodFood’s advertising, effective immediately.

    India’s iconic food personality, pioneer of food programming on television, celebrated entrepreneur and author of best-selling cookbooks, Sanjeev Kapoor, will continue to star in and produce programming for FoodFood as its brand ambassador, and will remain a minority shareholder in the business.

    Discovery Networks Asia-Pacific president and MD Arthur Bastings said, “Discovery’s investment in FoodFood further boosts our presence in this important market and broadens our portfolio by adding a category of content that people love. We are excited to partner with the exceptionally talented team, including culinary guru Sanjeev Kapoor, who singlehandedly revolutionised the food television genre in India. Sanjeev’s creative flair and personality combined with Discovery’s content and operational expertise is the perfect recipe for FoodFood’s evolution.”

    “Food is no longer just fuel for the body; it has become a social currency that is appreciated universally.We look forward to deepening FoodFood’s engagement, particularly in digital, and widening its community outside of India,” Bastings added.

    Turmeric Vision Private Limited promoter Sanjeev Kapoor said, “FoodFood is widely admired for its highly relevant, topical, varied, entertaining and delectable programming. I am delighted to become a part of the Discovery family and I am confident that this partnership will strengthen FoodFood’s reach and affinity with consumers, advertisers and distributors.”

    Turmeric Vision Private Limited will be managed as part of Discovery’s Asia-Pacific region led by Bastings. Completion of the transaction is expected to occur in the coming weeks, subject to regulatory approvals.

    Launched in 2011, FoodFood is India’s most recognised cuisine network and is available on leading DTH and cable platforms across India. It has a strategic and growing presence amongst the Indian diaspora across the world which includes UAE, Canada and USA.One of the most engaging brands on digital, the channel’s content is also viewed on its FoodFood App, YouTube Channel and website www.foodfood.com. The brand has a wide following on social platforms including Facebook, Google Plus, Twitter and Instagram.

    FoodFood’s marquee shows span a diverse range from regional Indian food to international cuisines, from health recipes to herb-infused cooking and from kids’ meals to tea time snacks. Sanjeev Kapoor’s Kitchen features his top 100 recipes including his signature dishes. The Fit Foodie presents low-calorie, delicious and contemporary recipes. Style Chef features simple, exotic and unusual recipes using appliances and resources readily available in every Indian kitchen. Hi Tea focuses on effortless, fool-proof recipes guaranteed to enrich family evenings.

    Discovery has been entertaining Indian audiences with its high-quality and differentiated content for the last 20 years. The company currently operates 11 channels in India: Discovery Channel, Animal Planet, TLC, Discovery Kids, ID-Investigation Discovery, Discovery Science, Discovery Turbo, Discovery Tamil, Discovery HD World, TLC HD World and Animal Planet HD World.

  • Neeru Khera’s films at Cannes and Nice in 2016

    Neeru Khera’s films at Cannes and Nice in 2016

    MUMBAI: A creative piece of cinema is driven by the content it carries. The soul of a film is the story it narrates. The digital fast era of creativity and awareness has given way to short crisp films. India is entering a phase where every producer and director whose dream was  to see the credits scroll on the big screens of multiplexes with their names, have started rising on YouTube channels, web series and short film releases in esteemed international film festivals.   Who would have thought that a 20 odd minute film on serious social concerns could get recognition in prestigious festivals like Cannes and Nice? 

    Breaking the stereotype, Neeru Khera of the YouTube channel The Creative Gypsy fame, produced two short films on sensitive issues – An Untold Story of Paperboats, on child soldiery, directed by Amit Khanna and another one on secularism and Naxalite terror- Aadha Chand Tum Rakh Lo, directed by Mayank Bokolia. Both have been selected for Cannes and Nice. 

    An ecstatic Khera said that she was extremely excited about the screening of her work during the festivals because people would see and appreciate it.

    “I am extremely excited about my film’s selection for Cannes, and I hope we win there,” said the An Untold Story of Paperboats director Amit Khanna. 

    An Untold Story of Paperboats, with Neeru Khera as producer, is a story of a school boy from West Bengal who falls in the trap of Naxalites. This changes his life and those of people related to him, as many children’s lives in these Naxal camps take a drastic turn at some point, leaving no option but to face the gruesome reality. The film was shot in July 2015 within a span of four days with over 200 village kids in the cast. The location used to shoot the film was Badalpur. 

    Sources revealed that the production cost of An Untold Story of Paperboats was about Rs 22 lakh. Neeru Khera had mentioned that the production of the film was challenging, as they had to create West Bengal in Haryana, and that everything was made like a feature film, but in a miniature form. There was lot of support from the locals to put everything together. The makers claim that their focus was content and not monetary gains. 

    The second success story of Indian short films in Cannes is Khera’s 20 minute entry – Aadha Chand Tum Rakh Lo, directed by Mayank Bokolia. The film portrays secularism as being an area of major concern in our country.  The story is around the friendship of Dalit and Muslim boys. This film has been shot in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh. The narration of the film is through the eyes of painters. About 10 painters were taken to Varanasi to paint the walls. The maker of the film said that it took 20 to 25 days to shoot the entire films as sometimes only one or two sequences could be shot during an entire day due to various situations. Sources reveal that the film cost about Rs 20 lakh to make. There was no compromise in the quality of the film, it was shot on high definition and was a technically sound film, the sources averred.

    Khera said that even though the story pointed at various social issues, the treatment of the film did not lower the image of India. Clarifying, she said that the issues in the film were global and not restricted to any particular nation, adding that the films were educative and entertaining. 

    When asked about how a short film could stand out if it didn’t make it to international festivals, she suggested that the content of the film should be strong and catchy. Variety in treatment would get admiration across borders, and most importantly, the first the five minutes of the film had be able hold the viewers. 

    The makers of the film expressed that it was difficult to have sponsors for such sensitive topics, but Khera said creating awareness about the issues was essential, hence she produced these films. She also expressed the keenness on marketing the films and promoting them on her YouTube channel. Although as of now, no strategy had been laid regarding promotion of the films, Khera believed that her content was suitable for the internet and digital mediums because it had a very strong grasp on such audiences. She revealed that talks with Doordarshan in North East Indian were on. 

    Khera has made films concerning various social issues even in the past. She has produced a revolutionary web series which was directed by Amit Khanna. The series – All About Section 377, addressed the much talked about LGBT community. AAS 377 aimed at changing the perspective of society towards the LGBT community. It is a story of a homophobic man, who ends up staying with his gay cousin and his live-in boyfriend and how his concepts about homosexuality change. 

  • Neeru Khera’s films at Cannes and Nice in 2016

    Neeru Khera’s films at Cannes and Nice in 2016

    MUMBAI: A creative piece of cinema is driven by the content it carries. The soul of a film is the story it narrates. The digital fast era of creativity and awareness has given way to short crisp films. India is entering a phase where every producer and director whose dream was  to see the credits scroll on the big screens of multiplexes with their names, have started rising on YouTube channels, web series and short film releases in esteemed international film festivals.   Who would have thought that a 20 odd minute film on serious social concerns could get recognition in prestigious festivals like Cannes and Nice? 

    Breaking the stereotype, Neeru Khera of the YouTube channel The Creative Gypsy fame, produced two short films on sensitive issues – An Untold Story of Paperboats, on child soldiery, directed by Amit Khanna and another one on secularism and Naxalite terror- Aadha Chand Tum Rakh Lo, directed by Mayank Bokolia. Both have been selected for Cannes and Nice. 

    An ecstatic Khera said that she was extremely excited about the screening of her work during the festivals because people would see and appreciate it.

    “I am extremely excited about my film’s selection for Cannes, and I hope we win there,” said the An Untold Story of Paperboats director Amit Khanna. 

    An Untold Story of Paperboats, with Neeru Khera as producer, is a story of a school boy from West Bengal who falls in the trap of Naxalites. This changes his life and those of people related to him, as many children’s lives in these Naxal camps take a drastic turn at some point, leaving no option but to face the gruesome reality. The film was shot in July 2015 within a span of four days with over 200 village kids in the cast. The location used to shoot the film was Badalpur. 

    Sources revealed that the production cost of An Untold Story of Paperboats was about Rs 22 lakh. Neeru Khera had mentioned that the production of the film was challenging, as they had to create West Bengal in Haryana, and that everything was made like a feature film, but in a miniature form. There was lot of support from the locals to put everything together. The makers claim that their focus was content and not monetary gains. 

    The second success story of Indian short films in Cannes is Khera’s 20 minute entry – Aadha Chand Tum Rakh Lo, directed by Mayank Bokolia. The film portrays secularism as being an area of major concern in our country.  The story is around the friendship of Dalit and Muslim boys. This film has been shot in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh. The narration of the film is through the eyes of painters. About 10 painters were taken to Varanasi to paint the walls. The maker of the film said that it took 20 to 25 days to shoot the entire films as sometimes only one or two sequences could be shot during an entire day due to various situations. Sources reveal that the film cost about Rs 20 lakh to make. There was no compromise in the quality of the film, it was shot on high definition and was a technically sound film, the sources averred.

    Khera said that even though the story pointed at various social issues, the treatment of the film did not lower the image of India. Clarifying, she said that the issues in the film were global and not restricted to any particular nation, adding that the films were educative and entertaining. 

    When asked about how a short film could stand out if it didn’t make it to international festivals, she suggested that the content of the film should be strong and catchy. Variety in treatment would get admiration across borders, and most importantly, the first the five minutes of the film had be able hold the viewers. 

    The makers of the film expressed that it was difficult to have sponsors for such sensitive topics, but Khera said creating awareness about the issues was essential, hence she produced these films. She also expressed the keenness on marketing the films and promoting them on her YouTube channel. Although as of now, no strategy had been laid regarding promotion of the films, Khera believed that her content was suitable for the internet and digital mediums because it had a very strong grasp on such audiences. She revealed that talks with Doordarshan in North East Indian were on. 

    Khera has made films concerning various social issues even in the past. She has produced a revolutionary web series which was directed by Amit Khanna. The series – All About Section 377, addressed the much talked about LGBT community. AAS 377 aimed at changing the perspective of society towards the LGBT community. It is a story of a homophobic man, who ends up staying with his gay cousin and his live-in boyfriend and how his concepts about homosexuality change. 

  • ID launches a new love crime series Forbidden: Dying for Love

    ID launches a new love crime series Forbidden: Dying for Love

    MUMBAI: Investigation Discovery (ID), a part of Discovery network, is launching a new crime series Forbidden: Dying for love.   The show will showcase terrifying stories of forbidden love on weekends at 7 PM and a special premier on May 9.. ID is the network’s channel programming real life crimes and miseries of people.

    Forbidden: Dying for love will feature love stories that are considered taboo in the society — such as  a priest falling in love with a nun. It will show people crossing boundaries. The series will explore criminal facets of love, the real life tales of crimes in love relationships.

    The channel says that each episode will deep dive into the life of these psychic lovers who will be seen challenging all the forces of society and nature to get what they want. It will follow strange and disturbing cases that will leave everyone stunned. Viewers will witness stories where lovers will be seen breaking religious conventions, against all the laws of the society, for the sake of love and how it culminates into crime.

  • ID launches a new love crime series Forbidden: Dying for Love

    ID launches a new love crime series Forbidden: Dying for Love

    MUMBAI: Investigation Discovery (ID), a part of Discovery network, is launching a new crime series Forbidden: Dying for love.   The show will showcase terrifying stories of forbidden love on weekends at 7 PM and a special premier on May 9.. ID is the network’s channel programming real life crimes and miseries of people.

    Forbidden: Dying for love will feature love stories that are considered taboo in the society — such as  a priest falling in love with a nun. It will show people crossing boundaries. The series will explore criminal facets of love, the real life tales of crimes in love relationships.

    The channel says that each episode will deep dive into the life of these psychic lovers who will be seen challenging all the forces of society and nature to get what they want. It will follow strange and disturbing cases that will leave everyone stunned. Viewers will witness stories where lovers will be seen breaking religious conventions, against all the laws of the society, for the sake of love and how it culminates into crime.

  • Animal Planet to air ‘Harnas Wildlife Rescue Camp’on 9 May

    Animal Planet to air ‘Harnas Wildlife Rescue Camp’on 9 May

    MUMBAI: Animals are often housed in cheerless places. But there is another type of animal refuge: a paradise in Namibia, southern Africa, created by the Harnas Wildlife Foundation. Its residents are as varied as the countryside: lions, baboons, wild dogs, cheetahs, mongooses and antelopes.

    Two-dozen wardens and rangers feed, protect and provide veterinary care and young people from all over the world offer to work as volunteers for a matter of weeks or months, while paying for their stay. They feed, monitor and study around 400 types of animals. They get in close contact with wild dogs and other predators; they walk with a gang of young baboons and with Goeters, the world’s oldest cheetah. They clean lion enclosures, try to catch a runaway caracal cat and follow scientists who track newly-released cheetahs in the Life Line, a vast fenced wilderness within the Wildlife Rescue Camp. For the volunteers and staff alike the stars are the infant animals. There is always a young cheetah, leopard, porcupine or wild dog to meet.

    Animal Planet’s new series Harnas Wildlife Rescue Camp follows the young volunteers’ relationship with wild animals; their stories of love, passion and hate; their adventures with creatures as small as a meerkat and as big as a lion. City slickers from London, New York and Frankfurt suddenly become foster parents to baby leopards. They get bitten by baboons and scared by ferocious wild dogs. But they are safe, protected by characters like Frikkie, the hard-boiled Namibian cowboy who gives the kids a hard time; by Hermann, the gentle giant who has spent most of his life in the bush; and by Schalk van der Merwe, former football pro and manager of Harnas who has an almost eerie ability to talk and walk with lions.

    The show will premiere on 9 May 2016 and will air on weekdays at 9 pm.

    During the course of the series, viewers will live through an exciting year in Namibia’s Kalahari in front of an incredibly beautiful natural backdrop, leaving powerful scenic impressions. They will watch kittens becoming fully-grown predators. The series is acertain to overwhelm viewers by giant thunderstorms in the rainy season; will showcaseamazing creatures like giant bull frogs swimming in the flood pools; and will ensure bewildering experienceslike drying out of land and turning into a a desert during the southern winter.
    Young people from all over the world come and go, many start as pale, sceptical and timid characters, but leave happy, tired and tanned with experiences that will last them a lifetime. There are tears when they get attacked and bitten by nasty monkeys and there are tears also when they have to leave the Wildlife Rescue Camp. There is grief when one of the greatest animal characters, a cheetah, dies and there is joy when a cheetah baby is born on the same day.

    The series Harnas Wildlife Rescue Camp tracks the continuous efforts of the Harnas team for better care for our planet.

  • Animal Planet to air ‘Harnas Wildlife Rescue Camp’on 9 May

    Animal Planet to air ‘Harnas Wildlife Rescue Camp’on 9 May

    MUMBAI: Animals are often housed in cheerless places. But there is another type of animal refuge: a paradise in Namibia, southern Africa, created by the Harnas Wildlife Foundation. Its residents are as varied as the countryside: lions, baboons, wild dogs, cheetahs, mongooses and antelopes.

    Two-dozen wardens and rangers feed, protect and provide veterinary care and young people from all over the world offer to work as volunteers for a matter of weeks or months, while paying for their stay. They feed, monitor and study around 400 types of animals. They get in close contact with wild dogs and other predators; they walk with a gang of young baboons and with Goeters, the world’s oldest cheetah. They clean lion enclosures, try to catch a runaway caracal cat and follow scientists who track newly-released cheetahs in the Life Line, a vast fenced wilderness within the Wildlife Rescue Camp. For the volunteers and staff alike the stars are the infant animals. There is always a young cheetah, leopard, porcupine or wild dog to meet.

    Animal Planet’s new series Harnas Wildlife Rescue Camp follows the young volunteers’ relationship with wild animals; their stories of love, passion and hate; their adventures with creatures as small as a meerkat and as big as a lion. City slickers from London, New York and Frankfurt suddenly become foster parents to baby leopards. They get bitten by baboons and scared by ferocious wild dogs. But they are safe, protected by characters like Frikkie, the hard-boiled Namibian cowboy who gives the kids a hard time; by Hermann, the gentle giant who has spent most of his life in the bush; and by Schalk van der Merwe, former football pro and manager of Harnas who has an almost eerie ability to talk and walk with lions.

    The show will premiere on 9 May 2016 and will air on weekdays at 9 pm.

    During the course of the series, viewers will live through an exciting year in Namibia’s Kalahari in front of an incredibly beautiful natural backdrop, leaving powerful scenic impressions. They will watch kittens becoming fully-grown predators. The series is acertain to overwhelm viewers by giant thunderstorms in the rainy season; will showcaseamazing creatures like giant bull frogs swimming in the flood pools; and will ensure bewildering experienceslike drying out of land and turning into a a desert during the southern winter.
    Young people from all over the world come and go, many start as pale, sceptical and timid characters, but leave happy, tired and tanned with experiences that will last them a lifetime. There are tears when they get attacked and bitten by nasty monkeys and there are tears also when they have to leave the Wildlife Rescue Camp. There is grief when one of the greatest animal characters, a cheetah, dies and there is joy when a cheetah baby is born on the same day.

    The series Harnas Wildlife Rescue Camp tracks the continuous efforts of the Harnas team for better care for our planet.

  • TLC to premiere ’50 Ways To Kill Your Mammy’

    TLC to premiere ’50 Ways To Kill Your Mammy’

    MUMBAI: TLC is all geared up this summer with a new show titled 50 Ways to Kill Your Mammy. The show will premiere on 8 May 2016every Sunday at 7 pm.

    In the show, the dare devil presenter, Baz Ashmawy decides to take his mammy on one of his adventurous trips only to test his Mammy’s mettle. The specially designed journey by Baz will take his mammy and viewers across locations in Africa, Asia and the USA. Baz will not leave a single chance to scare his mother.

    The new show is a continent hopping travelogue by BazAshmawy and his 71-year-old mother, Nancy. The show will follow the first time adventurer Nancy, as she finds herself jumping blindly on every thrilling situation. The 71 year old will be seen trying every crazy adventure that her son has on offer. The series reflects mother and son bond in a unique and overwhelming way.

    The show follows the courageous man as he maps out his journey based on his devious plans, across the globe only to gently test Nancy’s limits.