ITV

Category: GECs

  • Clement Schwebig joins Turner International Asia Pacific

    Clement Schwebig joins Turner International Asia Pacific

    MUMBAI: There’s a new member in the Turner International team who will handle its business development in the Asia Pacific region. Clement Schwebig has joined the network as the senior vice president and will look after the network’s growth strategy in the region.

     

    He will assist in the creation of new local and pan regional channels and develop local content as well. Schwebig has an experience of 15 years in TV operations in two continents – Europe and Asia. Recently, he was a part of the Europe’s leading entertainment company RTL group in Mumbai and led the launch of the channel BIG RTL Thrill. This was the first channel from the co-operation of RTL and Reliance Broadcast.

     

    Previously, he was the COO of Alpha Media Group in Greece and CFO of RTL Televizija in Croatia. His expertise includes TV broadcasting and production including strategy, finance and sales.

  • Boogie Woogie is back with a bang

    Boogie Woogie is back with a bang

    MUMBAI: One of the oldest and longest running dance reality shows – Boogie Woogie – is returning to television screens after a hiatus of nearly four years.

    The show promises to be bigger and better in its new avatar – Boogie Woogie Kids Champion – even as it retains popular elements like the judges’ trio of Javed Jaffery, Naved Jaffery and Ravi Behl. Scheduled to premiere on Sony Entertainment Television on 7 December, the show will take the slot vacated by Kaun Banega Crorepati, airing every Saturday and Sunday at 8.30pm.

    Produced by R&N TV Productions owned by Ravi and Naved, the show will see 16 talented kids between 7 and 13 years of age compete for the title of ‘Boogie Woogie Kids Champion’. This time round, nearly double the amount of money has been spent on producing the show; informs Naved. The show travelled to 10 cities and auditioned around 1 lakh children, of which 1000 kids were short-listed in the beginning. “100 were finalised, out of which 16 have been selected for the show,” says Naved.

    A lot has been done in terms of packaging to add freshness and newness to the show. For instance, the show will now have two hosts in actor Sargun Mehta and 12-year-old Rakshit Wahi who will keep the audience entertained. Speaking on the sidelines of the show’s launch on Monday, Sony Entertainment Television (SET) VP & Head – Non-fiction Programming, Aloka Guha, said: “While earlier, we didn’t have hosts, this time, we have got Sargun and Rakshit on board to add more fervour.”

    Since the show is not trying to compete with any other dance reality show on television, the theme is very family-oriented. “We are competing with ourselves. We were ruling for 17 years and have become a culture in a way,” says Naved, adding that the huge leap in technology in the last three to four years is helping them come up with a better product. “However, only technology can’t really help a show; one has to come up with strong engaging content as well,” he points out.

    While earlier, we didn’t have hosts, this time, we have got Sargun and Rakshit on board to add more fervour, says Aloka Guha

     

    The show is a mix of old and new elements and unlike other dance reality shows, the makers haven’t introduced any audience voting system. “We didn’t feel the need for a voting system. We want the audience to watch the show for its content and nothing else,” says Naved.

    Programming-wise, Sony Entertainment Television is working in tandem with R&N TV Productions and Aloka is of the view that since the channel has hosted some of the best reality shows like Indian Idol and Jhalak Dikhla Jaa, it has a team of the top order, which can really help produce an excellent show. Interestingly, SET wanted to start a dance show for quite some time and what better than to revive a brand like Boogie Woogie, which enjoys a long and successful association with the channel.

    About the phantom high-speed camera used for shooting the show, Aloka says: “The camera can record up to 5,000 frames per second and that has given an edge to the show. The show has scaled up in a lot of other ways as well. While we have a very large set-up, we are also following the pyramid shape structure for the first time. Boogie Woogie has never been a reality show where you follow a contestant. It has had special episodes like super moms, weekly etc. However, now, through the 15 weeks, we are going to follow the journey of the contestants and that is a big development.”

     

    The team is trying to get on board the show celebs with a knack for dancing. So, the first episode will have Prabhu Dheva and Shahid Kapoor while latter episodes will see Madhuri Dixit and Arshad Warsi among others.

    Coming to promotions, SET has so far released four videos that are parodies of popular songs including ILU ILU, Lungi Dance, Na Na Na Re and Chaar Baj Gaye.

    16 finalists with the judges

    Aloka says the idea was to make the promotions fun just like the theme of the show. “We were brainstorming for the promotional videos when somebody generally hummed Ye Boogie Woogie kya hai, ye Boogie Woogie..And bang on, we got the idea of what we have to do,” she says.

    Informs SET head of marketing and senior VP Gaurav Seth: “The promotional videos are being promoted on all the Multi Screen Media channels including SAB, SET, PIX, MIX, SIX and MAX.” He hopes the show will help take SET’s ratings up. “Since the weekend slot has worked really well for us, we are hoping for a lot of traction for this as well. Plus, since the concept has worked really well for us in the past, we are planning a lot of on-ground activities to promote the show. We may even come up with a mobile app to reach out to the tech-savvy generation,” he adds.

    Currently, Horlicks has come on board as the ‘powered by’ sponsor whereas other deals are in the process of being finalised. “We would clearly know the final sponsors by the week end,” says Seth.

    SET plans to go in to a digital overdrive as well for the show. However, they want to keep their strategies a ‘secret’ at the moment. “We have to go with the time and we will go all out to make the show a phenomenon. However, we will decide the promotional strategies as we progress,” Javed signs off.

  • Star Utsav gets a new business head in Pratik Seal

    Star Utsav gets a new business head in Pratik Seal

    MUMBAI: There’s some change at the top in the Star group of channels. Star Utsav, a sister channel of Star Plus, has got a new business head. Pratik Seal, who was working as Star Network’s second general entertainment channel (GEC), Life OK’s marketing head, will now take up the role of Star Utsav’s business head.

     

    Seal, who has already started working in the new role since last week, is reporting to Star Plus general manager Gaurav Banerjee. An official announcement about this would be made soon.

     

    Prior to joining Star Network, Seal was heading the marketing functions at Micromax. He has a total experience of 15 years.

     

    Seal, who started his career in 1998, has experience in brand management, strategic planning, advertising and communication, key account management, product development insights, media planning, event management and public relations.

     

    Seal started as an account executive with Basic4 Advertising. After spending two years with the company, he moved to Ties2Family.com as an assistant manager, marketing and then worked as senior account executive with FCB Ulka.

     

    After spending about two years with FCB Ulka, Seal joined Lowe Lintas as a senior brand services manager. Within three years, he was promoted to the position of senior brand services director. He later joined Vodafone as senior manager, marketing in April 2006. In December 2007, he joined as the senior manager – marketing in Samsung and then in Micromax as marketing head in April, 2010.

  • Greenways Foods & Beverages signs Raveena Tandon for Notty

    Greenways Foods & Beverages signs Raveena Tandon for Notty

    MUMBAI: Greenways Foods & Beverages (D) has announced its association with Raveena Tandon as the brand ambassador for Notty.

    Raveena Tandon will partner Chhota Bheem and Big J on all Notty related product and brand communication. “Raveena’s popularity and stardom is unparalleled. We are sure her personality and life which is the right balance of professional and personal success, style, substance and family orientation will take our brand to greater heights”, said Greenways Foods & Beverages MD Dr. Sachin Chopda.

    He added, “We are happy to sign Raveena as brand ambassador and feel that she is the perfect choice for Notty as she herself being a mother will better understand the needs and expectations of kids & their parents. We are sure our target audience will be able to connect with her and Notty.”

    Speaking on the occasion Raveena Tandon said, “With the fast paced lives we live today, it is very important to give the right nutrition to children and hence when I learnt about the ingredients it contains, like vegetarian DHA, Vitamin A, C, E, and the fact that no synthetic ingredients or stimulants are used in its formulation, I thought why not associate with a brand that I would be more than happy to give to my kids.”

    On the product, Greenways Foods & Beverages (D) general manager sales and marketing Vinod Gaikwad said, “Today’s mother is a smart mother. She is independent, educated, aware, computer savvy female who wants to give best to her children. She is concerned about the health needs of her children and acts like a gatekeeper for them. To address her concerns and to meet the taste needs of children we have launched Notty, fruit drink fortified with Vegetarian DHA which helps in brain development & Vitamins A, C & E which helps to increase the immunity of children and keep infections at bay.”

    The creative & advertising agency of Greenways Foods & Beverages (D), Versus Brand Solutions, a Ment Element Group Company, business head Errol Marquis said, “Today’s mothers are finding the perfect balance between being authoritative moms and playful friends. Raveena Tandon has found that balance. Like all mothers, she’s concerned about her children’s health but also enjoys being a child with them. Just like our brand NOTTY, a multi-fruit power drink that combines fun-loving delicious taste with vitamins and health benefits. Raveena’s children aged 6 & 8 are in fact the ideal age profile for the brand which is why she is the ideal representation of today’s mother and will be the voice of this modern mom in all our communication.”

  • 44th IFFI sees foreign films make the mark

    44th IFFI sees foreign films make the mark

    MUMBAI: NEW DELHI: Tiny island nation East Timor’s first ever feature film Beatriz’s War directed by Bety Reis and Luigi Acquisto won the prestigious Golden Peacock Award for the Best Film at the forty fourth International Film Festival of India (IFFI) which concluded in Panaji in Goa over the weekend.

     

    The award for the best film carried a Golden Peacock, a certificate and a cash prize of Rs 40 lakh. In her passionate acceptance speech at the closing ceremony held on the banks of River Mandovi, Reis said, “One of the world’s oldest and biggest film industries has reposed faith in the world’s newest and smallest film industry in East Timor. Since its independence in 1999, we have not just been fighting for the rights of women, the rights of children and the right to rule ourselves, but also our right to tell our stories.”  Beatriz’s War is a passionate story of one woman’s conviction to remain true to the man she loves.

     

    The film’s jury was unanimous in their decision selecting the film from East Timor, which succeeds in intricating intimate relationships between women and men during the hard years of continuous violence against East Timorians.

     

    The best director award was given to Kaushik Ganguly for his film Apur Panchali, his tribute to stalwart master craftsman Satyajit Ray. He received Rs 15 lakh, a certificate and a Silver Peacock.

     

    Thou Guils’t The Even, a Turkish film by Onur Unlu won the special jury award of a cash prize of Rs 15 lakh and silver peacock

     

    The best actor (male) award went to Alon Moni Aboutboul for his performance in the Israeli movie A Place in Heaven where his performance as a cruel and sensitive character was applauded. The best actor (female) award was presented to Boczarska Magdalena for her performance in the Polish film In Hiding. Both these awards carried a Silver Peacock, a certificate and a cash prize of Rs 10 lakh.

     

    The special centenary award of IFFI instituted in the 101st year of Indian cinema was handed to director Kamaleshwar Mukherjee of Bengali film Meghe Dhaka Tara by legendary actress Asha Parekh. The film is a tribute to Bengali off-beat cinema master Ritwik Kumar Ghatak. The centenary award carries a cash prize of Rs 10 lakh and a silver peacock.

     

    The chief guest Michelle Yeoh expressed delight at being part of the ceremony and among incredible moviemakers. “I congratulate you for the movies you’ve made, and the incredible stories you’ve told. It is truly my honour to be in this room”, she said, adding: “The world is a smaller place than ever. A movie made in India reaches London or a film made in Singapore or Goa travels worldwide.”

     

    On the occasion Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Manish Tewari said the 44th IFFI was a celebration of freedom of the human spirit, liberated from the mores of conventionalism. Talking about the initiatives taken over the past one year, he said, the single window mechanism that the Ministry has put in place will help streamline the whole business of producing films in India. He said the same mechanism has been extended to domestic film producers as well. Tewari said the government had also taken the initiative to replace the archaic Cinematograph Act 1952 with a completely new legislation, the draft of which is on the Ministry’s website for public consultation.

     

    Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar said the host state has promised a bigger and better IFFI going forward. “IFFI saw a huge number of delegates this time. We will plan a grander IFFI going forward. IFFI is one of the most celebrated festivals,” Parrikar said at the concluding ceremony.

     

    Speaking on the occasion Ministry Joint Secretary (Films) Raghavendra Singh said, “This time we have had a concentrated dose of Indian and World Films. I hope the hangover of watching great films would last at least for a few days”.

     

    Singh said that media reports about the event had been flattering, which he said must have in turn made the jury’s job of picking a winner tougher.

     

    “This time we witnessed a 30 percent rise in the number of delegates that was 12000,” he said suggesting that the number of auditoriums at the venue had to increase.

     

    “The response from North East cinema was terrific and Japan sent a great contingent,” he said.

     

    Rohit Shetty, who was felicitated at the closing ceremony professed his love for Goa, which, he jokingly said, even rivaled his wife.

     

    “Eighteen or 19 years ago I had told my wife I love you. Now this goes out to Goa.  I love you Goa. When we were shooting for an action sequence for Singham in Goa, a man looked at me and suddenly stopped in the middle of the road and said, ‘where did you disappear for so many days?’ This shows how hospitable and friendly people of Goa are,” a visibly touched Shetty said.

     

    Justin Chadwick’s film Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom was the closing film of the festival. The film chronicles Nelson Mandela’s his life from his childhood in a rural village to his emergence as the first democratically elected President of South Africa.

     

    Earlier, Goa’s noted singer Remo Fernandes enthused the 2,000 strong audience with his performance ranging from his popular Hindi film numbers of Hamma Hamma to a rendition of one of his classical Indian compositions.

     

    With this, the 11-day extravaganza of films, master classes, discussions and press conferences on films came to an end.

     

    A total of 325 films from 76 countries, which included 15 Oscar nominees, were screened during the festival.

  • MTV and Rayban collaborate for upcoming bands

    MTV and Rayban collaborate for upcoming bands

    MUMBAI: Upcoming bands that are looking at getting more audiences hooked to their songs got a boost with MTV India’s partnership with Rayban on a nationwide contest called MTV Rayban Never Hide Sounds. Five best bands across Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru and Kolkata got a chance to get mentorship from renowned musicians like Raghu Dixit, Benny Dayal, UdayBenegal, Harshdeep Kaur and Shilpa Rao.

    Genres such as sufi, rock, folk and pop were included in the contest. The five bands – Parvaaz, Rang, Frisky, Pints, Life and Nasya got a chance to collaborate on their mentors’ best tracks. The end result was a gig in each city of the bands with their mentors on their original tracks as well.

    Shilpa Rao performing live at the gig

    Speaking about the initiative, MTV India EVP and business head Aditya Swamy said, “Every young musician needs a mentor to go to the next level and this initiative does just that. Bringing together talent from two different generations has been an incredible experience and I look forward to this becoming a calendar event on the Indian music scene. It’s been an absolute pleasure working hand in hand with Ray Ban in building new talent and giving them a platform to take their music to the people.”

    Ray-Ban emerging markets business manager Shirley Gong said, “Ray-Ban Never Hide Sounds is an initiative to put forth upcoming talent.  This year we were set out to search the most unique and talented voices across various genres of Music. I am delighted to see that this approach has brought a brand new dimension to the latest edition and we have successfully completed this musical journey.”

    The Mumbai leg of the tour was on 30 November at Hard Rock Café in Andheri.

  • Now a talent show for the differently-abled

    Now a talent show for the differently-abled

    MUMBAI: There are reality shows and then there are reality shows. This one’s about celebrating differently-abled people and showcasing their talents to the rest of the world.

     

    Already on air, Champions will be telecast in all four South Indian languages – Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada on the respective Sun GECs including Sun TV, Gemini TV, Surya TV and Udaya TV.

     

    The one-hour show will have four rounds where differently-abled people will display their talents such as singing, dancing, pantomime, martial arts, stand-up comedy, acrobatics, gymnastics and magic among others. Every second of every round will have a monetary value attached to it so that participants will take home some prize money, no matter which stage of the show they get eliminated at.

     

    Produced in-house, Champions has Aldam Jacob as its creative director along with individual directors for each of the four languages including Jeyakumar (Tamil), Saravanan (Telugu), Naufel (Malayalam) and Bhuvan Shastri (Kannada).

     

    The judges include Pattimandram Raja for Sun TV, Gauthami and Naga Babu for Gemini TV, Laxmi and MG Sreekumar for Surya TV, and Laxmi and Srinath for Udaya TV. While the anchors are: Tejeswani for Sun TV, Shamala and Abhinaya Krishna for Gemini TV, Deepa and Rahul for Surya TV, and Deepa and Anand for Udaya TV.

     

    Sun TV viewers can watch the 13-episode Champions on Sunday from 12:00 to 1:00 pm; Udaya TV viewers on Saturday from 7:30 to 8:30 pm; Surya TV viewers on Friday from 8.00 to 9.00 pm and Gemini TV viewers on Wednesday from 9:00 to 10:00pm.

     

    Exults Jacob: “Champions is the brain child of Sun Network chairman Kalanithi Maran. We want to make a positive impact in the lives of people who are physically challenged and celebrate them.”

     

    With SEC ABCDE 4+ as the TG, V Care and Dabur Vatika are the sponsors of Champions on Sun TV while the remaining three channels have Dabur Vatika as sponsor. Red FM, Suryan FM, Dinakaran and the whole of Sun Network has been roped in to promote the show. “We are also going seamlessly into season two,” Jacob rounds off.

     

    Whatever the audience reaction, Champions gets a loud hoot of approval from indiantelevision.com

  • Writer locks horns with ETV Kannada over Akka

    Writer locks horns with ETV Kannada over Akka

    MUMBAI: We’ve heard of instances where writers have been unable to stand up to errant television channels that have produced shows based on their scripts without informing them, let alone involving them.

    However, having such a writer drag the channel to court and succeed in getting a stay order against the concerned show is a rarity in the television industry.

    One such is Akka, the story of twin sisters, which was to air on ETV Kannada at 8.30pm starting Monday. As soon as Kannada writer-producer Rekha Rani got wind of the show being a replica of the draft copy she had submitted to the channel some months ago, she raised a stink. When ETV Kannada didn’t pay any heed to her allegations, she approached the Bangalore civil court which passed a stay order restraining the channel from airing the show from Monday.

    When contacted, Rekha Rani told  indiantelevision.com: “It is my story and idea that they have copied. The channel also came to me for monetary settlement but that’s not what I’m after. I want my story back.”                                         

    Rekha Rani says she only wants her story back, not money

    “I had given the story to the channel and they seemed interested but I had no idea they had taken it ahead without my involvement.” Rani claims she has audio recordings of programming head of the channel Parameshwar Gundkal, asking her to come to a monetary settlement as well as recordings of the show crew describing the show which she says she has produced in court. When contacted, Guntakal refused to comment on the matter.     

    Promos of Akka are already on air and a larger promotional campaign amounting to Rs 10 lakh is running across the state.

    When contacted, Viacom18 EVP Ravish Kumar who heads ETV Kannada, Oriya and Bangla refused to comment saying the matter is subjudice. Asked about the replacement for Akka, he simply said: “Wait and watch what we do on Monday.”

    “This is totally unethical. How can a writer now approach him? This is a clear signal to channels not to mess around with creative professionals. We need to safeguard the interest of writers,” says a senior executive from a rival channel.

    Meanwhile, ETV Kannada lawyer Shyamsundar has this afternoon submitted a reply to the court to vacate the stay on Akka. Coming to Rekha Rani, it’s now a fight to the finish…

  • Karans back with hot Koffee

    Karans back with hot Koffee

    MUMBAI: Those who missed their weekly fix of caffeine for the past two years, fret not! A certain brand of ‘Koffee’, served hot with dollops of sugar, spice and all things Bollywood, is about to return to a television screen near you.

     

    Starting 1 December, a brand new season of Koffee with Karan will air on Star World India every Sunday at 9.00pm.

     

    Hosted by filmmaker Karan Johar (KJo), the chat show, made popular by a slew of Bollywood celebrities, not to mention all the inside gossip and drama apart from standard KJo-isms, debuted on the channel back in 2004, with the third season ending in 2011.

     

    Season 4 promises to be bigger, better and juicier, what with a tagline that reads: ‘Behind the Scenes, Beneath the Sheets’. While the makers have retained the basic format along with popular elements like ‘Rapid Fire’ and ‘Koffee Hamper’, the guest list includes the likes of Salman ‘Dabangg’ Khan, who will appear in the first episode for the first time ever.

     

    Other invitees include Kareena Kapoor Khan and Ranbir Kapoor, Juhi Chawla and Madhuri Dixit, Deepika Padukone and Priyanka Chopra, the three leads of Student of the Year (Alia Bhatt, Varun Dhawan and Siddharth Malhotra) and Zaheer Khan and Arjun Kapoor.

     

    Johar sums it up when he says: “The new season is going to be the most exciting yet, with a host of new guests, a fantastic set and some great conversations.”

     

    Asked for details, Star India, English Channels, vice president marketing Pallavi Tibrewal simply says: “The basic format of the show is the same, but we are not divulging too much. I urge you guys to come and see the first episode, and I am sure it will leave you breathless. I am confident, with the kind of concept; the show will shape up quite well.”

     

    Exults Star India English Channels general manager Kevin Vaz: “Koffee with Karan is the only show where Bollywood’s biggest celebrities are willing to give viewers an insight into their lives. As he returns with his fourth season to Star World, Karan has taken it up a notch higher and he will be seen talking to several new faces on the show. Karan is an extremely engaging host and his show has proven to be one of the most entertaining ones on television till date.”

     

    But why didn’t the show return earlier? “It went through a lot of consultation with Karan Johar. Plus, Bollywood has also changed so we thought this is the right time to have juicy and full of entertainment content available for the episodes,” says Tibrewal.

     

    About the saucy new tagline she says: “As you know, it’s a Bollywood thing; celebrities will share their own views about what they think about behind the scenes. So that is what it came from and it has always been a nice, chatty and exciting show. Thus, we wanted to keep the tagline also interesting and related to the concept.”
    His show has proven to be one of the most entertaining ones on television till date, says Kevin Vaz

     

    Season 4 will air for nearly four to five months and three to four episodes have already been canned. With Star World India aired on both Standard Definition (SD) and High Definition (HD) mediums, there are separate sponsors on board.

     

    On SD, Idea is the show’s presenting sponsors and it is powered by Sensodyne whereas on SD, Forest Essentials is the presenting sponsor and the show is powered by both Sensodyne and Idea.

     

    Coming to marketing of the show, most of you may already have seen Johar’s moves in the special Broadway-style promo that went on air earlier this month. The promo was made public on YouTube as well and got over 1.9 lakh views in less than a week. It will be telecast on all English channels and the entire Star Network.

     

    Elaborates Tibrewal: “It’s a very exciting promo we shot with Karan. For the first time, he danced and that has got us very good interest levels; it has really built up the show because Karan has never danced like this. It is very true to the kind of promo. And that is what we have really focused on and that has built up the show really very well.”

     

    She goes on to add: “We have quite an exciting marketing plan, but as you know Koffee with Karan does not need much awareness, people already know about it, they are just waiting for the show.”

     

    On the digital front, Star World India is churning out web exclusives, images and lots of innovations on Twitter. While there is no official page for the show, the channel is promoting it on its official page on Facebook. “Our Facebook pages have a lot of koffee information. Koffee with Karan does not need any introduction or building up with the celebrities or anyone. That is the reason we have not launched any official page,” reasons Tibrewal.

     

    Interestingly, on Twitter, hashtags such as #KWKRapidFire and #KWKFirstGuest trended nationally on 24 November; #KWKcrossword trended nationally on 25 November; #KWKUnscramble trended in Mumbai on 26 November; #KWKMovieQuote trended in Mumbai on 27 November and #KWKTranslate trended number two in India on 28 November plus #KWKFirstGuest trended again in Mumbai and other cities.

     

     “It is already an established property. Through promotions, we are just building excitement once again among the people and getting it there. We have exciting things coming up on digital exclusively,” Tibrewal signs off.

  • Heli-cam shoots Zee Rishtey Awards

    Heli-cam shoots Zee Rishtey Awards

    MUMBAI: Those looking forward to watching the Zee Rishtey Awards coming Sunday are in for a visual extravaganza.

     

    For the first time in the history of Indian television, a Heli-cam has been deployed to shoot all the acts live at the venuem that is, at the Andheri Sports Complex.

     

    For the uninitiated, Heli-cams are known for their flexibility and small size, and are used globally to capture aerial photographs and moving images. The technology has been of great use to professionals including astronauts and scientists for procuring panoramic views of the Earth but it is yet to make its debut in the Indian television industry.

     

    Exults director Zee Rishtey Awards Arun Sesh Kumar: “The camera is being used in films too these days, but nobody has used it for TV shows in India till now.” Kumar, who is fascinated by the technology, wanted to bring it in to shoot the Awards that have been planned on a gigantic scale.

     

    Just the platform set up by Umang Kumar for the performances is 1060/80 feet; he informs, pointing out that the Heli-cam has entered the Indian market just a month and a half ago.

     

    “We have spent a bomb to rent the camera that is usually imported from the US. The good part is that it came with an operator who was a pro at handling it and we got enough time to rehearse and get a hang of using it with ease,” says Kumar, adding that the Heli-cam has helped them capture every nook and cranny that was hitherto unreachable. It took almost 48-hours for the team to shoot the entire show.

     

    Kumar says that the camera has been used to capture some of the interesting moments that goes on among the audience. Besides, it has even helped in getting a better view of some of the exciting acts in the show.

     

    And, the camera isn’t the only first at the upcoming awards. The Zee programming team has come up with a few innovations, with Sharmistha Roy Banerjee, creative director of Essel Vision that has produced the show, working for over a month to get everything in place for the big night.

     

    According to Kumar, “This year’s show is much better and bigger than any of the past years,” with artistes from Zee’s many serials roped in for the event.

     

    Another first is that in keeping with Zee’s theme, Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam (the world is my family), the channel is extending a gesture of friendship to other channels. Kumar reveals that Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited MD Puneet Goenka has come up with the idea of felicitating top shows from other channels; marking the opening of a new chapter in Indian television history. “I agree that channels are always at war. But rivalry doesn’t need to be taken to the level of enmity,” says Kumar, who thinks the initiative will work well for the industry.

     

    With so many new beginnings, the awards, to be aired on Zee TV on Sunday, 1 December, have got good sponsors too, reveals a source from the marketing team. Vaseline is the title sponsor and the show is powered by Vatika Enriched Coconut Oil. Lacto Calamine Reneu is the Co Presenting Sponsor and Colgate Active Salt Healthy White, Dabur Chyawanprash, JOY Skin Fruit Face Wash, LIC, Johnson Baby Cream are the associate sponsors.