Category: Movie Channels

  • Max to telecast film dedicated to R D Burman on his 75th birth anniversary

    Max to telecast film dedicated to R D Burman on his 75th birth anniversary

    NEW DELHI: The genius maestro and singer Rahul Dev Burman aka Pancham Da, son of the veteran maestro Sachin Dev Burman, is being remembered by most radio and television channels this week to mark his 75th birth anniversary.

     

    While Big FM has already announced a concert, ‘Yaadon mein Pancham’ and is devoting some time to his films, other channels have planned similar programmes.

     

    One of the most creative music directors of Bollywood, ‘Pancham Da is being featured on special programmes on Sony Max on 27 June at 9.00 pm, Sony Mix on 28 June at 9.00 pm and Max 2 on 29 June at 7.00 pm.

     

    The programme ‘Pancham – Mujhey Chaltey Jaana Hai’ attempts to bring out hitherto never seen before nuggets.

     

    R D Burman, probably the only composer who could play all the musical instruments available during that time; brought with him the colour of modern sound unlocking a path to new and original sounds which created history in Bollywood, despite the fact that his father Sachin Dev was steeped in folk music. 

     

    The film will feature celebrities from the Bollywood industry who were an intrinsic part and had the opportunity to be up close and personal with the enigmatic Pancham Da. Stalwarts sharing the intricacies of what went into making a genius called RD Burman and will feature in the film are Gulzar, Javed Akhtar, Pyarelal, Asha Bhosle, Shantanu Moitra, Vishal Bharadwaj, Vidhu Vinod Chopra, Randhir Kapoor, Rishi Kapoor, Shammi Kapoor and Manna Dey. 

     

    The film will give viewers an insight into Pancham Da’s inner being through an incisive look into his genius artistry.

     

    “R.D Burman was a legend who still rules the hearts of millions all across the globe. It is our honour to salute a man of such stature by showcasing his classic work and his journey to become an idol through the distinctive film ‘Puncham – Mujhey Chaltey Jaana Hai. I am certain that the visuals and anecdotes of the mega star will inspire audiences of all age groups,” said Sony Max senior EVP and business head Neeraj Vyas.

     

    Rahul Dev Burman (27 June 1939 – 4 January 1994) composed musical scores for 331 films between the 1960s and the 1990s. The best songs of Kishore Kumar and Asha Bhosle, were composed by Pancham Da.

     

    Perhaps Pancham Da is the only music director whose songs and music inspired the making two Hindi feature films, both following in quick succession. 

     

    While Dil Vil Pyar Vyar directed by actor-filmmaker Anant Mahadevan came in 2002, Jhankaar Beats directed by Sujoy Ghosh came a year later. Both films are about aspiring musicians who owe their inspiration to Pancham Da and even gain fame singing his songs.  

  • MOVIES NOW pays a tribute to the King of POP with This Is It!

    MOVIES NOW pays a tribute to the King of POP with This Is It!

    MUMBAI: A wise man once said, “People dance because dance can change things. One move, can bring people together. One move, can make you believe like there’s something more. One move, can set a whole generation free.” And this statement defines the legacy of iconic King of Pop Michael Jackson. As a tribute to MJ’s fifth death anniversary, MOVIES NOW presents ‘This is It’ which will re-kindle memories of Jackson’s signature moonwalk, his warm persona, his unique style statement and the dance moves that defined a generation. Watch ‘This Is It’ on 25th June, Wednesday at 5 PM as MJ prepares for his concert, before his untimely death.  

    This Is It captures the vocalist, dancer, filmmaker, creative genius, and great artist’s effort and turmoil as he worked to create and perfect his grand finale! The most anticipated tour of 2009 – Michael Jackson’s This Is It was cancelled due to the sad demise of the icon. Post his death, the recorded concert preparations for this tour were used to create a legendary tribute that went on to capture the hearts of millions of loyal fans across the world, making this documentary the most anticipated film of the year. Providing closure to billions, the film displayed the determination, hard work, precision and absolute love for the stage, as the perfectionist prepped for his final live performance!

    Don’t miss this extraordinary film that grossed over $261 million worldwide and became one of the highest grossing concert films of all time! Revel in the mastery of Michael Jackson as this visionary pictured, developed, created and rehearsed for the biggest sold-out concerts of his ‘This Is It’ summer tour scheduled to play at London’s O2 Arena.

    Relive the magic of Michael Jackson’s last tour ‘This Is It’ only on MOVIES NOW on 25th June, Wednesday at 5 PM.

  • Zee Cinema clean sweeps at the Global PromaxBDA Awards

    Zee Cinema clean sweeps at the Global PromaxBDA Awards

    MUMBAI: Zee Cinema, the ultimate entertainment destination for movie enthusiasts has once again surpassed all expectations and shines high at the Global PromaxBDA Awards. The channel that is known for promoting its campaign in innovative and engaging ways has won agold, silver and a bronze for their campaign – South Ka Super Punch. Zee Cinema also won a bronze award for its campaign -Dopahar Zee Cinema at the Global PromaxBDA Awards.With this addition Zee Cinema has now bagged11 Promax awards this year – 3 at PromaxBDA Asia, 4 at PromaxBDAIndia and now 4 at the Global PromaxBDA!!!

    The Global PromaxBDA Awards recognizes excellence in on-air promotion, branding as well as advertising in the field of media across the globe. Zee Cinema, the channel that has won the hearts of millions of Indian viewers has also won the hearts of many across the globe. The awards function saw the participation and presence of some prominent personalities from the media industry across the globe. While it was a tough call, Zee Cinema’s vigor and pioneering campaigns scooped up 4 awards, 3 out of which were for the South Ka Super Punch campaign!

    Commenting on the glorious win, Mr. Ruchir Tiwari,Vice President – Head of Programming, ZEEL – Hindi Movie Channels stated, “After clean sweeping Promax awards at the India and Asia level, it’s a moment of immense pride for us for having bagged 4 honourable awards on a global platform. It is clearly an indication that we are on the right path, creating and working on some path-breaking campaigns.Our promos team is one of the best in the industry, always striving for excellence and this excellence is manifested through all the awards that we have won!”

    Zee Cinema, the channel that is a part of the Hindi movie channel cluster of ZEEL (Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd.) stood out with magnificent wins at the Global PromaxBDA Awards.

    Standing true to its promise Zee Cinema delivers the best of ‘Movies.Masti.Magic’ across the world

  • &pictures takes interactivity a notch higher!

    &pictures takes interactivity a notch higher!

    MUMBAI: &pictures, the channel known for providing ground-breaking interactive content to its viewers since its launch, created a first time record of a LIVE interactive initiative with Bollywood’s superstar, Aamir Khan. Taking interactivity to the next level, &pictures hosted Aamir Khan in a LIVE event where he interacted with his fans through calls, tweets and sms. Separately, the channel also gave an opportunity to select lucky winners across India to watch the film with Mr. Perfectionist himself in Mumbai.

     

    During the interactions, Aamir disclosed that ‘Chale Chalo’ – the making of ‘Lagaan’ is very close to his heart. It was not only the story and script that appealed to him but also the on-set experiences that made this film special for him. Interestingly, while Lagaan was directed by Ashutosh Gowariker who is known for his remarkable cinematic style, ‘Chale Chalo’ was shot by an amateur cinematographer. Supremely talented director-producer and TV chat show host, Karan Johar added to the excitement as he came with Aamir to curate the event and the screening of the movie. Karan Johar who once said that ‘Aamir Khan is Indian Cinema’s game-changer’ was truly excited himself as he found the real life drama and content of Chale Chalo really intriguing.

     

    Mr. Akash Chawla, ZEEL Marketing Head, National Channels, said, “&pictures being a true reflection of the subtle evolution of movies and movie viewing experience, has its positioning revolving around two keywords- interactivity and engagement. For this movie, we built up an extensive curiosity campaign to intrigue our audiences and we are very excited with the response we have received. It has been a pleasure to work with Mr. Aamir Khan and we look forward to creating any more such interactive experiences for our viewers in the future on &pictures”.

     

    Mr. Ruchir Tiwari, Vice President -Head of Programming, ZEEL – Hindi Movie Channels, said, “At &pictures we always aim at providing interactive content and Chale Chalo is the proof of the pudding. While the movie was an enthralling experience in itself, the live segments, tweets and sms’ by Aamir himself took created very exciting break content.”

     

    A very excited Aamir Khan said “This movie is closest to my heart. When we were making the film, we were not thinking of releasing it at all… we just made it out of passion. I am really excited that I have got this opportunity with &pictures to showcase my film to the television audiences.”

     

    Hurdles, obstacles, tears of joy, real emotions and feelings – ‘Chale Chalo’ had it all; and so did Aamir. &pictures gave its audiences a one of its kind opportunity to watch the film and have a t?te-e-t?te with their favourite star, the one and only, Aamir Khan!

  • World Cup fever kicks off with MOVIES NOW

    World Cup fever kicks off with MOVIES NOW

    MUMBAI: As the kick-off to the greatest sporting event of the year FIFA World Cup 2014 is around the corner, it’s time to relive the glorious moments of one of the most iconic matches ever – FIFA WORLD CUP 2006 Finale Film. Get ready to be spellbound all over again as the two super teams Italy and France fight for the cup, on the World Cup special on MOVIES NOW.

     

    To warm you up for the FIFA World Cup this year, MOVIES NOW airs the most thrilling and the best football finale of World Cup match of the decade on Thursday, 12th June and a repeat telecast on Sunday, 13th July at 9 PM. The adrenaline rush was palpable throughout the 90 odd minutes with both the giants scoring a goal each within the first 20 minutes turning the Olympiastadion in Berlin into a fireball ready to explode with excitement.

     

    Other than the two nations fighting mighty hard, fans remember the finale as the send-off match of French wonder player Zinadine Zidane. His infamous head-butt, post a verbal duel with Italian scorer Marco Materazzi went down in the archives of football history. But the controversial exchange could not take away from the excitement as the match came to a simmering end with Italy scoring over their nemesis in a down-to-the-wire penalty shootout to sweep the championship cup away.

     

    Catch all the exhilaration of the two strong teams take each other heads on, this 12th June and 13th July, 9 PM only on MOVIES NOW!

  • &pictures calls the Twitterati

    &pictures calls the Twitterati

    MUMBAI: This June, &pictures, India’s first interactive television movie channel, known to air path-breaking content and bringing viewers closer to their favourite stars, is taking a step further by releasing Aamir Khan’s first unreleased movie on television. The actor known to be a perfectionist in every aspect is all set to showcase his only unreleased film on Sunday, June 8, 2014 at 8:00pm.

    &pictures is a reflection of the subtle evolution of movies and movie viewing experience in India, and its positioning revolves around two keywords- interactivity and engagement. Staying true to its positioning, the channel is engaging with its audiences through Twitter. Fans will get a chance to post tweets using specially created hashtags for the day and interact with Aamir Khan and Karan Johar. &pictures along with Twitter will also set up a ‘Vine Mirror’. The ‘Vine Mirror’ will help take a video with the help of just one push button which will then be uploaded on Vine from time to time while at the studio

    On this occasion Mr. Akash Chawla, ZEEL Marketing Head, National Channels, said, “We at &pictures always look for interesting innovations and integrations in making sure that we fulfil our promise of bringing our viewers closer to their favourite stars. We have invited fans to ask questions via #AAMIRANDYOU which will allow fans to come up close and interact with Aamir Khan and Karan Johar while watching his unreleased film this Sunday. We are extremely excited and look forward to creating a trend with such campaigns like no one else.”

    Collaborating with &pictures, Rishi Jaitly, India Market Director, Twitter said, “Twitter is the second screen of choice for viewers globally as they can interact with their favourite stars in real time and participate in live and public conversation about their favourite TV shows. During this particular broadcast, movie fans can watch with Aamir Khan and Karan Johar by engaging with them in real-time conversation on Twitter and catch a glimpse of behind the scenes on the sets of &pictures through six second Vine videos shared on Twitter and Vine. We are extremely happy to support &pictures in their initiative to get closer to their audience by delighting them with #OnlyOnTwitter moments .”

     

  • Movies Now features back to back trilogies of Hollywood’s biggest blockbuster franchises

    Movies Now features back to back trilogies of Hollywood’s biggest blockbuster franchises

    MUMBAI: India’s first high definition channel, MOVIES NOW, will offer an exciting line-up of the best Hollywood blockbusters this June. Staring 2nd June 2014, MOVIES NOW will air iconic blockbusters and their sequels, giving you an opportunity to catch all your favorite franchises at-a-go!  So, get ready for a mega-showdown with all of your favorite Hollywood blockbusters this month!

     
    The greatest stories need more than just one movie to generate curiosity, captivate attention and create excitement amongst viewers. Get ready for an incomparable adrenaline pumping experience as MOVIES NOW brings some of Hollywood’s biggest films and their sequels on Triple Play.

     

    Starting 2nd June, every Monday to Wednesday at 9 PM, MOVIES NOW airs Alien, Aliens and Alien 3, Final Destination 1, 3 & 5, Blade, Blade II and Blade Trinity, Lethal Weapon 1, 2 and 3, Harry Potter part 1, 2 and 3 and Ocean’s 11-12-13 in Triple Play.

     
    Experience the heart-pounding thrill of the unknown as a US spaceship crew is stalked onboard their ship by an unidentified extraterrestrial in Ridley Scott’s suspenseful sci-fi trilogy Alien, Aliens and Alien 3. With masterful editing and a superior performance by Sigourney Weaver, this spine-chilling battle between aliens and humans is a must watch.

     

    What if you cheated Death and then it came for you? How would you fight it? Learn from ordinary high-school kids as they pull out all the stops to cheat Death in The Final Destination 1, 3 & 5.

     

    Witness the birth of the original Blade Runner as Wesley Snipes takes on a city of power-hungry vampires in Blade, Blade II and Blade Trinity. The original superhero blockbuster is a must-watch for all comic book fans.

     

    Don’t miss the action as a bullheaded homicide detective teams up with a play-by-the-book cop in Lethal Weapon, Lethal Weapon-2 and Lethal Weapon-3. With explosive action scenes and hilarious squabbles between the detectives, this American cop action drama will keep you entertained.

     

    You’ve cheered the Boy Who Lived and you’ve witnessed his triumph over Lord Voldemort. Now, MOVIES NOW invites you to go back to the beginning as Harry finds The Philosopher’s Stone, enters The Chamber of Secrets and saves The Prisoner of Azkaban. Experience the magical world of Hogwarts only on MOVIES NOW.

    Here’s presenting the classiest and smoothest bad boys of all time! Catch Danny Ocean’s legendary team in action as they stage the world’s biggest casino heists in Oceans 11, Oceans 12 and Oceans 13. Watch George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Julia Roberts and Catherine Zeta Jones walk away with million-dollar prizes on MOVIES NOW.
     

    Watch all the action, adventure and drama unfold in Triple Play on MOVIES NOW, starting 2nd June, every Monday to Wednesday @ 9 PM.
     

    And that’s not all! Gear up for the biggest fantasy adventure series of all time – The Lord of the Rings. Watch ordinary Frodo Baggins as he begins his extraordinary journey to Mount Doom in The Fellowship of the Ring and continues on his path to defeat the mighty Sauron and his allies in The Two Towers. Witness the final battle for Middle Earth in The Return of the King. Travel to Tolkien’s magical world, brought to life by the visionary Peter Jackson, in the The Lord of the Rings Trilogy every Friday at 6 PM starting 6th June 2014, only on MOVIES NOW.

     
    Catch back-to-back action blockbusters on MOVIES NOW as it unfolds action, suspense and adventure starting June 2nd, 2014

  • Sony MAX set to fly high with the MAX Television premier of super hero: Krrish 3

    Sony MAX set to fly high with the MAX Television premier of super hero: Krrish 3

    MUMBAI:It’s that time of the year when Sony MAX, the premium Hindi movies channel, brings to you the best of Bollywood flicks right in the comfort of your home. The Indian super hero with a cape, sporting a mask, muscles of steel and a heart of gold-Krrish 3 to premier on MAX on Sunday,8th June 2014 at 1pm and Saturday,14th June 2014 at 8pm.  

     

    Sony MAX will be back to showcasing a line-up of engaging movies which would keep the audience entertained. Krrish 3 the blockbuster grossing over 100 crore is about Krishna aka Krrish (Hrithik Roshan) living a happy married life in India with his wife Priya (Priyanka Chopra) and scientist dad Rohit (Hrithik in dual role), while helping the masses with his superpowers and struggling to keep a steady job. In another part of the world, an evil handicapped man named Kaal (Vivek Oberoi) has used his DNA to generate a team of human-animal mutants.  Kaya(Kangana Ranuat)  and other mutants create havoc among the masses of India but are counter-acted by Rohit’s scientific genius.

     

    When asked about the Krrish 3, Hritik Roshan said “A film this size and this magnitude has not been attempted. One of the qualities of Krrish is that we really don’t know the extent of his powers.” Speaking on the magnificent sets created for Krrish 3, he added “Special effects play a very important part in a movie like this, but they can help enhance the movie only to a certain extent, you have to build real sets also for the look and feel. We built one such set in Hyderabad. It was a huge set which ran for almost a mile. We shot quite a lot on this set and I thought it was really an amazing set to shoot at.”

     

    Rakesh Roshan commented about how he conceived the idea of making Krrish 3- “Whenever I make films, I always tend to venture into new subjects, which are difficult and give me sleepless nights. I take these subjects and then I visualize the screenplay which will be appreciated and understood in small towns and also for those who stay in Manhattan or in countries other than India. I make the movies keeping in mind the audiences of the world, and for a movie like Krrish 3 the strongest element is the story and the content. We worked for year on the story, I got the idea of a super villain who has a lot of powers in him, a lot more powers than what Krrish has. We have done a fabulous job and I am very proud that we have done all the VFX work in India.  ”

     

    How will Krrish find Kaal and what will their final face-off entail, find out more in the MAX Television premier of ‘Krrish 3’ on Sunday,8th June, 1PM and Saturday,14th June, 8PM, Only on MAX

  • Indian regional cinema finds home in Max 2

    Indian regional cinema finds home in Max 2

    MUMBAI: It was in April that indiantelevision.com broke the news of Multi Screen Media (MSM) planning to launch a second movie genre channel, christened Max 2. The channel which is already on air currently runs movies from the MSM library. But plans are much bigger.

     

    The tagline for the newly launched channel is ‘Jab Dekho Tab Naya’. “The channel currently airs movies which our viewers have grown up watching. From the older movies to the most recent ones. But this is not all,” informs MSM India CEO NP Singh.

     

    Max 2 will be a clear differentiator from its competition. Says Singh, “The objective of the movie channel is to get good cinema made in India to our viewers.”

     

    He elaborates, “While a lot of the movie genre channels air Hindi dubbed Telugu action movies, other regional language movies like, Marathi, Gujarati among others, do not reach mainstream media. And they are beautiful movies. Our aim is to bring those to Max 2.”

     

    The network is surely going an extra mile to differentiate its new movie channel from the rest.

  • Movies Now gears for an action extravaganza with the biggest Hollywood blockbusters

    Movies Now gears for an action extravaganza with the biggest Hollywood blockbusters

    MUMBAI: India’s first high definition channel, MOVIES NOW, is all set to spice up the entertainment quotient with the biggest and the best of Hollywood blockbusters this June. From Indian television premieres to power packed action performances, watch it all only on MOVIES NOW.

    In a war between kings, even a pawn can change the game. Watch Paranoia, a heart pumping thriller set in the executive suites of the tech industry wherein Adam Cassidy (Liam Hemsworth), an ambitious techie, finds himself caught in the middle of a lifelong dispute between the two tycoons Nic Wyatt (Gary Oldman) and Jock Goddard (Harrison Ford). Watch this young techie struggle to escape this ugly battle between two head honchos shady business practices. This American blockbuster, Paranoia will be aired for the first time on Indian Television on 21st June, Saturday @ 9 PM, only on MOVIES NOW.

    Mixed Martial Arts blockbuster Fists of Legend comes straight to Indian Television, exclusively on MOVIES NOW. The epic movie airs on MOVIES NOW on 14th June, Saturday @ 9 PM. Three old friends from high school reunite for the chance to win $200,000, competing in a reality show, called ‘the greatest fight show on earth’. Catch the action unfold as the eager amateurs step into the ring to claim their glory.

    “You either die a hero or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain”. The battle for Gotham intensifies as Batman takes on his arch rival The Joker in MOVIES NOW’s Super Movie – The Dark Night on 28th June, Saturday @ 9 PM. The movie features the Oscar-winning performance of Heath Ledger as the Joker as well as fan favorite characters Batman (Christian Bale), Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart), Jim Gordan (Gary Oldman), Alfred (Michael Caine) and Lucius Fox (Morgan Freeman). Christopher Nolan’s take on the iconic superhero franchise comes to life in stunning pictures in 1080i and awesome 5.1 digital surround sound exclusively on MOVIES NOW.

    That’s not all! MOVIES NOW pays tribute to King of Pop this June! Michael Jackson’s This Is It documents the legend’s rehearsals and preparation for the concert series of the same name that was canceled due to his tragic death eighteen days prior. MOVIES NOW pays tribute to the legendary, Michael Jackson on his 5th death anniversary – 25th June 2014 at 11 PM with ‘This Is it’.   

    As we gear up for FIFA World Cup 2014 this June, it’s time to reminiscence the spectacular action that took place during the 2006 FIFA World Cup – the greatest World Cup of last decade. The Pierce Brosnan-narrated special features the best highlights from the tournament, with a strong focus on the nail-biting final between Italy and France. Don’t miss FIFA Special – 2006 World Cup Finale Film on 12th June 2014 at 9 PM, before the kickoff of the 2014 World Cup.

    The greatest stories need more than just one movie. Watch some of Hollywood’s biggest franchises and their sequels back-to-back on Triple Play this June on MOVIES NOW.  Staring 2nd June, Monday to Wednesday at 9 PM, MOVIES NOW airs Alien, Aliens and Alien 3, Final Destination 1,3 & 5, Blade, Blade II and Blade Trinity, Lethal Weapon 1, 2 and 3, Harry Potter part 1, 2 and 3, – Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets and Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Oceans Eleven, Oceans Twelve and Oceans Thirteen.

    Rounding out the action is the biggest fantasy series of all time – The Lord of the Rings. Catch the complete adventure of the ordinary Frodo Baggins going up against the mighty Sauron in the battle for Middle Earth. Travel to Tolkien’s magical world, brought to life by the visionary Peter Jackson, in The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, starting 6th June, Fridays at 6 PM only on MOVIES NOW.

    Get glued to MOVIES NOW this June as it brings you best of thrill, action and drama in Hollywood’s biggest blockbusters!