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Tag: Aamir Khan

  • Zee Studios International’s Secret Superstar hits it big in Taiwan

    Zee Studios International’s Secret Superstar hits it big in Taiwan

    Zee Studios International has collected $700,681 from its release of Aamir Khan-starrer Secret Superstar in Taiwan, making the movie the widest Bollywood film in the country. The film, which also features Zaira Wasim, lit up the box office in India.

    The distribution company began the next phase of the international release for the film by opening in a key territory, Taiwan, on 24 November 2017 across 73 screens, a record for an Indian film in the Chinese-speaking territory.

    Vibha Chopra, head – Zee Studios International (film marketing, distribution and acquisition), said, “Content is what wins hearts worldwide and Secret Superstar, which is heavy on content, is proof of that. So much so that it is the widest Bollywood film release in Taiwan. We are happy to see how positively international markets are reacting to the film.”

    After releasing across markets such as the UK, USA, Canada, Australia, Singapore, UAE, Pakistan, Turkey, Malta, Hungary, and the rest of the world, Secret Superstar is serving as a bellwether for Zee Studios International and Aamir Khan Productions.

    “Given that Secret Superstar has connected with various audiences across the globe, we are excited to see how well the film does in the coming months in other territories as well,” she added.

    In the movie, Wasim plays a teenage girl named Insia who dreams of becoming a singer. The film is about how she fulfils her dreams by keeping her identity hidden.

  • PVR sub-brand in tier-III towns on anvil, engages fans with interactive card

    PVR sub-brand in tier-III towns on anvil, engages fans with interactive card

    NEW DELHI: Rs 21.8-billion multiplex chain PVR, which is aiming to touch 1000 screens by 2020 having crossed 600 recently, is likely to form another brand to tap tier-III towns.

    PVR sources confirmed to indiantelevision.com that the aim was to cater to every price category, and extend its reach to the entire country.

    However, PVR chairman and managing director Ajay Bijli said the plan was still in early stages and, it may take some time to work out the right model.

    Meanwhile PVR, which has completed 20 years of its existence, has launched a scheme to attract regular cinegoers by launching a PVR Privilege loyalty programme which will offer its estimated 75 million loyal visitors an enriched array of first-class redemption opportunities and enhanced benefits.

    To support the launch, PVR is offering food and beverage vouchers of the same value as the activation fee, so that the membership is at zero cost to new members at its 131 properties nationwide comprising 600 screens.

    The new loyalty programme was launched at an event in Delhi where the versatile actor Aamir Khan – whose latest film ‘Secret Superstar’ directed by Advait Chandan is being released next week — became the first member of this programme.

    Actress Zaira Wasim was also present at the event. ‘Secret Superstar’ has a unique storyline revolving around Insu (Zaira), a young Muslim girl, who aspires to become a singer but faces restrictions from her conservative father. She happens to cross paths with a musician, which unfolds into an exciting journey.

    About the film, Khan said he took up a subject that excited him and not by the trends prevalent at that time.

    Bijli said: “Watching movies becomes a one-sided affair. The aim of the loyalty programme is to involve every cinegoer who will send in his views about the film, and about the facilities in the theatre premises. This will make it more engaging for the cinegoer.”

    Joint MD Sanjeev Kumar Bijli said: “This is designed to be one of the most rewarding programme in cinemas. It will enable members to enjoy a remarkably simple and a fast way to free tickets or F&B offerings. He told indiantelevision.com that it could also customise diets for viewers who may have diabetes or are glutton-allergic.

    PVR chief of strategy Kamal Gianchandani, who designed the loyalty programme, said the phone number of a viewer becomes his entry into the programme. He said the +1 Approach is to increase visitation as well as make the theatre relevant to advertisers. Every point earned by a member is equivalent to Rs 50. There is no entry fee by a five per cent benefit on becoming a member. He added that PVR releases around 900 films a year, and will attempt to ensure that it is able to cater to each member individually to inform him or her in advance about the kind of films being released. The programme works best on a smartphone but can also be used on a feature phone, he added.

    Guests can inquire at their local PVR cinema, at pvrcinemas.com or can download the PVR mobile app.

    The Privilege programme is India’s first fully digital cinema loyalty programme and offers the following consumer benefits:

    · Reward points on each purchase of tickets or food and beverages

    · Automated conversion of Reward points into vouchers that can be used to pay for tickets and F&B

    · Personalised offers, and services at cinemas

    · Bonus points during special occasions

    · Easy to use, with a QR-code based virtual card in App, Website and at Cinemas

  • Indian content at Netflix to be creatively lead by Disney’s Simran Sethi

    Indian content at Netflix to be creatively lead by Disney’s Simran Sethi

    MUMBAI: Netflix is plumping up on executives of Indian origin as it continues to build its content catalogue targeted at the 1.3 billion strong population nation. Amongst the first to be hired for India was former Star TV-exec-turned-independent film producer,  Swati Shetty, who has been shuttling between Los Angeles and India. The latest to be recruited is experienced programming executive from traditional media, Freeform’s SVP – scripted development Simran Sethi. Sethi has left the Disney-owned network Freeform (earlier ABC Family)  to join Netflix International Originals Production Group in its in the Los Angeles office as the creative executive for India. Her immediate reporting superior is executive Erika North.

    Netflix, in the past couple of years, has been employing executives from traditional TV networks and studios.

    It, along with Amazon Prime Video, sees India’s 300 million smartphone users  as the great hope for global expansion.

    Netflix, which rated India’s Spectranet speed in July as climbing up to 3.19 Mbps, recently unveiled the Gateway Shows that lead to a heroic binge as it seems to know what viewers watch. Viewers are finding their way to the adventures of Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage and Iron Fist through shows as diverse as the Defenders crew. And, it’s by design – more than 80 per cent of the shows are discovered through Netflix recommendations.

    “At Netflix, we know genres are just wrappers, which is why we work hard to create algorithms that help members break these pre-conceived notions and make it easier for them to find stories they’ll love, even in seemingly unlikely places,” said Netflix VP of product Todd Yellin.

    A couple of months ago, Netflix head honchos Ted Sarandos and Reed Hastings met with Indian filmstars Aamir Khan and Shah Rukh Khan as a part of its effort to break through in the subcontinent before competition does. Now, Netflix is bringing in experts such as Sethi to head India content.

    Sethi had joined Freeform in August 2015 where she helped lead the programming rebrand of ABC Family to Freeform, including developing the new series Famous in Love, The Bold Type, late-night show Truth & Iliza,  the upcoming Marvel series Cloak and Dagger,  the mermaid thriller Siren, and the Black-ish  spin-off, among others. Before joining Freeform, Sethi worked at NBC, Sony Pictures Television and Adam Sandler’s Happy Madison after receiving her MBA from Stanford Business School.

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  • Innovative I-Day ‘Dangal’ on Zee with audio description & subtitles

    MUMBAI: Innovation in presentation and telecast seems to be continuing phenomenon. Versatile actor Aamir Khan’s ‘Dangal’, which is having its television premiere on Zee Cinema on 15 August, will be a special Independence Day treat for the visually impaired and hearing viewers: it will have subtitles for those who cannot hear and audio description for those who cannot see.

    Marking its silver jubilee this year, Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd is launching a “Zee For All” initiative with strong content and technology support. ZEE covers 172 countries and it has reached over one billion viewers, driven by its philosophy of “Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam” – The world is one family. The film is being telecast on 15 August at 12 Noon.

    The telecast of ‘Dangal’ was long awaited for its emotional resonance, technical artistry and compelling performances. Director Nitesh Tiwari’s sports biographical drama features Aamir Khan, Sakshi Tanwar, Fatima Sana Shaikh, Sanya Malhotra, Suhani Bhatnagar, ZairaWasim, Aparshakti Khurrana, Ritvik Sahore and Girish Kulkarni. It is based on the true story of a former Indian national wrestling champ who battles the existing social order to train his two young daughters to be world-class contenders in the otherwise male dominated sport of wrestling.

    According to World Health Organisation 2010 Report, India accounts for eight million blind, 54.5 million people with low vision and 62.6 million people with visual impairment – which makes India home to the second largest visually challenged population globally.

    The objective of ‘ZEE For All’ is to ensure that the large population of the Visually and Hearing Impaired receives access to what is truly world class, inspiring entertainment. Zee Cinema has also associated with the National Association For The Blind (Mumbai, Indore, Chandigarh and Lucknow), National Association For The Blind – The Workshop for the Blind in Mumbai, Institution For The Blind in Delhi and Patiala School of Blind & Deaf in Punjab. Zee Cinema will host preview screenings with audio Description and subtitles to sensitize the visually Impaired with the technology of audio description to bring entertainment within their reach,

    The audio description feed will be available on Dish TV, Videocon, Tata Sky and Airtel. The subtitles will be in English on HD and in Hindi on SD.

    Zee Entertainment (ZEEL) CEO – domestic broadcast business Punit Misra said, “On India’s 70th Independence Day, ZEE redefines the ‘freedom to see’ and offers all our audiences a superlative movie watching experience in the comfort of their homes. We hope that the premiere of Dangal reaches out to the maximum number of visually and hearing Impaired audiences in India. We are also exploring adding audio description in other Indian regional languages in the future. Just like Aamir gave us the audio description assets for Dangal, we will reach out to all our content partners requesting for the same as we expand the initiative. ‘ZEEForAll’ will surely be a milestone in the history of TV broadcasting in India.”

    Zee Hindi Movie Cluster Business Head Ruchir Tiwari said, “It is wonderful to associate with Aamir Khan on this pioneering initiative with Dangal – a film that is inspiring, emotional and entertaining. I am personally very happy that Dangal has inspired our team to do what is needed to make the movie accessible to all our viewers.”

    Aamir Khan said, “It is with great anticipation that I look forward to the television premiere of Dangal on 15th August on Zee Cinema SD. I instantly agreed to the idea of premiering Dangal with audio description for the visually impaired and it is a matter of absolute pride to associate with ZEE on this Independence Day premiere of my film.”

    Essentially, audio description conveys the most important visual aspects of the story by providing commentary during natural pauses and moments of quiet. It is a voice-over narration that explains what is happening on the screen, including physical actions made by various characters and other important visual elements. The narration is inserted between lines of dialogue. This audio description is recorded and made available as a separate audio track that can be selected by the audience on their remote.

  • Gutenberg appoints Christina Daniels as director of content for India

    MUMBAI: Renowned content writer and author Christina Daniels has joined Gutenberg as director of content for India.

    Gutenberg founder and CEO Harjiv Singh said, “We have taken our time to find the right content leader, whose understanding of the communication business is phenomenal. Christina will be responsible for conceptualising and executing cutting-edge content that speaks to a global audience. The diversity of her experience and the depth of her talent will be key in driving the creative transformation at Gutenberg.”

    Daniels has experience of 15 years in the field of corporate story telling. In the past, she has been associated with several leading technology, retail and media brands – creating compelling sories that help them communicate powerfully.

    Christina is also the author of the bestseller “I’ll Do It My Way: The Incredible Journey of Aamir Khan”, a filmography that studies the work of the actor Aamir Khan, which was long listed for the Crossword Book Award, and now has a Turkish edition.

    Prior to joining Gutenberg, Daniels held the position of Marcom Manager at CGI. She led Marcom content development at the Global Communications Centre in India. Before this she was also associated with organizations such as Microsoft, Metro Cash & Carry, Dell Services, Wipro Technologies, IBM and STAR among others.

    “Story telling is at the core of Gutenberg’s approach. By working on content strategy and building out capabilities across the country, we will be able to provide brands with other engaging ways to connect with consumers. Working with the talent at Gutenberg, I believe sky is the limit”, said Daniels.

  • Oscars vote: 20 Indians & NRIs including Big B invited

    Oscars vote: 20 Indians & NRIs including Big B invited

    NEW DELHI: Actor-producer Aamir Khan is the only producer of an Oscar nominee among around 20 Indians or people of Indian origin including megastar Amitabh Bachchan and Priyanka Chopra who have been invited to join the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) to vote for the Oscars.

    Interestingly, Amitabh Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan are the only father and daughter-in-law in the list of 774 persons invited from 57 countries.

    The total includes some persons – like eminent directors Mrinal Sen and Goutam Ghose – who have figured in more than one category in the total, as director and writer. Priyanka Chopra, Irfan Khan and Deepika Padukone who have also featured in international cinema are also in the list, which includes actor Salman Khan.

    Designers include Arjun Bhasin who designed the costumes of  “Monsoon Wedding” (which was also nominated); the renowned Mrinal Sen; Indian origin designer Geeta Gandbhir whose films include “The Life and Time of Tim Hetherington” and “Music by Prudence”, and award-winning director Anand Patwardhan.

    The list includes visual effects and animation filmmaker Mohit Kallianpur –“Frozen,” “Tangled” and Indian origin filmmaker Mahesh Ramasubramanian – “Home,” “Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted” in the short feature category.

    The award-winning directors Buddhadeb Das Gupta and Sooni Taraporevala figure in the list of writers of films they directed.

    Others include executive Abhijay Prakash and film curator Rajendra Roy apart from Ujwal Narayan Nirgudkar.

    “We’re proud to invite our newest class to the Academy. The entire motion picture community is what we make of it,” Cheryl Boone Isaacs, Academy President, said in a statement.

    Some eminent international personalities include Fatih Akin, Kim-ki-Duk, Garth Davis, Lav Diaz, Tom Ford, Anna Hui, Takashi Miike, and Guy Ritchie among others.

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  • Dangal & programmes catapult Zee TV’s week 21 ratings

    BENGALURU: Zee TV, the flagship Hindi GEC channel of Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited (Zeel) topped the HSM (U+R) : NCCS All : 2+ Individuals market ratings for the first time in in 2017 in week 21 – Saturday, 20 May 2017 to Friday, 26 May 2017. The channel garnered 679.456 million weekly impressions according to Broadcast Audience Research Council of India (BARC) data, the ninth highest ratings by a channel in 2017 until week 21 for the HSM (U+R) market.

    Zee TV was placed second in BARC’s weekly list of top 10 channels across genre – NCCS All India (U+R) : 2+ Individuals with 735.093 million weekly impressions. This was the eight highest ratings by any Hindi GEC channel in the across genre ratings. It may be noted that no Hindi GEC channels has ever topped the viewership across genre – that is a place that Sun TV reserved for itself (except during 5 of the 8 weeks during IPL 10). Hindi GEC’s have been ranked second for only14 of the first 21 weeks of 2017 in BARC’s lists for the most watched channels across genre.

    So what catapulted Zee TV to the top of the ratings chart among its peers in the HSM (U+R) and the across genre All India (U+R) charts?

    Zee TV’s success in week 21 can be attributed in part to the viewership of the world television premiere of Dangal; the viewership of its programme – Kumkum Bhagya and the viewership of the launch episode of a new soap opera – Aisi Deewangi Dekhi Nahi Kahi.

    The Aamir Khan starrer Dangal had an average viewership of 16.254 million on the day it was aired. Please refer to the chart below for the ratings garnered by the world television premiere of Dangal:

    Pragya and Abhi’s story – Kumkum Bhagya has taken the fancy of primetime viewers. It has been among BARC’s weekly top five most watched programmes list in the HSM (U+R), sometimes behind the Balaji Telefilms production – Naagin 2, for most of the first 21 weeks of 2017. However, Kumkum Bhagya has topping BARC’s weekly list of top five programmes (HSM (U+R) : NCCS All : Prime Time (1800 – 2330 hrs) : 2+ Individuals) for the past few weeks. In week 21, the programme had raked in 11.905 million weekly impressions, far ahead of Naagin 2’s 9.459 million impressions in the HSM (U+R) market.

    The launch episode of a new Indian Hindi soap opera on Zee TV – Aisi Deewangi Dekhi Nahi Kahi, improved the channels viewership in week 21 on launch day (Monday, 23 May 2017) 19:30 to 19:59 primetime slot by 72 percent as compared to the previous week. Please refer to chart below.

    The Eseel group television broadcast companies had a few more reasons to cheer in week 21 of 2017.

    The Zee News: Interview With UP CM “Yogi on Zee” improved viewership by 63 percent during the Wednesday – 19:55 – 20:48 slot as compared to the previous four weeks average. Please refer to the chart below:

    The Essel group celebrated its Ninetieth anniversary recently. The event was aired on 47 of the group’s television channels – it reached 75.96 million and attracted 27.65 gross impressions.

  • Bahubali continues to rule the box office as it pushes aside others in third week

    The fact that films and cricket remain its dominant entertainers on television was evident when the Zee TV premiere of Dangal on 21 May and the final of the IPL T20 on Sony Max took the toll at the box office.

    Last Friday saw the release of two totally different genre films – Hindi Medium and Half Girlfriend.

    Hindi Medium is an entertaining family fare that also tackles a social issue relating to the education system in India; showing how every educational institution brands itself as ‘international’ and,while even the poor want their children to get English education, it is gradually going out of their reach. This is a small budget film with not much wasted on artistes while the limited locations help curtail the budget.

    Half Girlfriend, on the other hand, is youth oriented romance. It used all the traditional stuff that a love story has been using through the history of storytelling: taming of the shrew, rich vs poor, chamcha friends around and, as a side attraction, it also touches on the Swachh Bharat issue stressing on the need for toilets in mofussil area schools so girl students do not shy away from enrol!ing. Sadly, all these elements were badly and predictably strewn together handled with inept direction.

    Of the films released last week, Ram Gopal Varma’s idea of The Godfather, Sarkar 3, backfired yet again. Why is RPG trying to sell the same idea again if it was not accepted the first time? In filmmaking, you can’t be third time lucky with the same stuff!

    Of the already running films, only Bahubali (Dubbed-Hindi) is sustaining. It is no secret that no dubbed film has ever done this kind of business while, it is also no secret that no Hindi films has reached such box office height either, be is a Salman Khan or an Aamir Khan starrer despite their being known to break barriers.

    Box Office status wise:

    *Half Girlfriend opened reasonably well but the word of mouth was mostly against its content. The film collected 29.1 crore over the weekend and may fall short of its target. The price at which its Indian theatrical rights have been sold, the film will need to reach a target of little short of 100 crore.

    *Hindi Medium opened to an indifferent response on Friday, a good word of mouth helped the film as it gained on Saturday and Sunday to end its opening weekend with Rs 109 million. It should sail safe.

    *Sarkar 3 has been very poor managing to collect barely Rs 82 million in its first week and is a loser.

    *Meri Pyaari Bindu, with lesser number of screens compared to Sarkar 3, has been a slow starter but, being a mini budget enterprise, should not offset the producers’ balance sheet. The film collected Rs 86 million.

    *Bahubali 2: The Conclusion (Hindi-Dubbed) maintains strong trends as the film collects a whopping Rs 676 million in its third week taking its three week total to Rs 4.495 billion – the highest box office collections ever for a film in the Hindi belt.

  • Non-Khan Bahubali2 shows the power of three — Rs 300 cr

    It is happy hours for the exhibitors, especially the multiplex properties. After starving for footfalls, Bahubali 2: The Conclusion has come as a saviour. Never look a gift horse in the mouth so no matter it is not a Hindi super star film, just a dubbed film from South. The film carried a solid brand equity created by its predecessor, Bahubali: The Beginning.

    The multiplexes tried all possible avenues to feed their auditoriums in absence of films. Earlier, they tried to programme IPL matches and other such events to no avail. Who would want to watch an exciting match of cricket in a dark hall under a disciplined guidelines when you can watch it at home or a restaurant or a club with drinks and full control over the proceedings with a remote in your hand?

    So, building multi-screen halls was not a wise decision which proves a liability when you don’t have a Salman Khan or Aamir Khan film. They give you a fortnight audience while others manage a weekend’s feed.

    Saying, ‘where the next meal is is coming from’ won’t be an exaggeration in case of these multiplexes.

    Bahubali: The Beginning came out of the blue and left promising a lot. Hence, Bahubali 2: The Conclusion, became the most awaited film by both, the audience as well as the exhibition trade. To every stakeholder’s relief, the film has more than lived up to all the expectations the earlier film promised.

    Because, except Bahubali 2 there is nothing the multiplexes as well as the single screens have to screen. They have been facing the ‘No audience, No show’ routine for a long time.

    *Bahubali 2: The Conclusion (Dubbed from Telugu) has been collecting figures all through its first week which most Hindi superstar films do on their day one or two if they manage to find a holiday release. In fact, the film has exceeded best Hindi film collections by miles.

    *Since the entire exhibition trade is surviving on just one film for the last few days, here is how and why: The film has continued to maintain collections in high crore range all through its first weekend by collecting Rs 40 crore on Friday and Saturday and peaking at Rs 46 crore on Sunday to end its opening weekend with over Rs 146 crore.

    The victorious run continued as the film kept on the same scale on Monday with part of India having a holiday. The collections dropped by 25% on Tuesday but that was not alarming since the film picked up again. Finally, the film ended its first week sweep of the box office with a total take of Rs 245.6 crore.

    The film has been enjoyed a fitting second weekend which is reported to have added another Rs 80.2 crore for its second weekend thus taking its 10 day total to Rs 325.8 crore.

    The other films released in recent weeks, Noor, Maatr, Begum Jaan, Naam Shabana, Phillauri have all ended with disastrous outcome.

    *Last week’s release, Mantostaan, despite a very limited release, has failed to draw the audience.

  • Big stars unaffordable for independent producers

    MUMBAI: Big films are getting scarce with some major studios pulling out from backing productions. Thanks to the corporate houses bankrolling films, the costs have escalated and the stars have become unaffordable for independent producers.

    Besides these factors, a majority of big stars such as Aamir Khan, Salman Khan, Akshay Kumar, Shah Rukh Khan and Ajay Devgn, etc. now prefer to work mainly for their home productions or in joint ventures with directors who have successful track record.

    In the circumstances, some independent producers are making a comeback, albeit, with films featuring lesser stars and relying more on different content, a story without props like action and special effects and such.

    Some such films do turn out to be good, win appreciation as well, the two recent examples being Mukti Bhawan and Anaarakli Of Aarah. However, the moviegoer does not find such films viable at the admission high rates that multiplexes charge which are same as big star films.

    *Begum Jaan, the new release of the week, is one such film that tries to tread a different trend, away from what its producers, the Bhatt Brothers, were known to make so far: mostly thrillers, romance laced with titillation backed by strong musical scores.

    Remade in Hindi from the Bengali film Rajkahini (2015), the film lacked purpose. There were major issues, massacres and millions were uprooted from their homes and became refuges during the partition. And as the film’s story goes, here is this woman brothel owner who wants to save her brothel from being dismantled in the cause of creating a border wedge! And, the film also shows some flashbacks of the violence of that happened during the partition!

    Begum Jaan opened to weak response, failed to find appreciation and, yet, thanks to some good promotion and expecting Vidya Balan to come up with another striking performance, it managed to rake in Rs 3.4 crore on the opening day. On Saturday and Sunday, the collections remained almost stagnant as the film collected Rs 10.6 crore for its opening weekend.

    *Laali Ki Shaadi Mein Laaddoo Deewana has a disastrous opening week as the film manages to put together a meagre Rs 80 lakh.

    *Mirza Juuliet, an intercommunity romance with politics and violence as the background in UP, fails badly. The film collects about Rs 55 lakh for its first week.

    *Mukti Bhawan enjoys good word but not the moolah and collects just about Rs 50 lakh.

    *Blue Mountain remained very low at about Rs 10 lakh in its first week.

    *Bahubali: The Beginning (Re-run) collected Rs 3.1 crore in one week despite an extensive release.

    *Naam Shabana sustained well in its second week to add approx. Rs 5.6 crore to its first week collections taking its two week tally to Rs 28.1 crore.

    *Phillauri added Rs 40 lakh in its third week to take its three week total to Rs 24.6 crore.

    *Badrinath Ki Dulhania collected Rs 1.1 crore in its fifth week to take its five week total to Rs 114.2 crore.