ITV

Tag: Abu Dhabi

  • IIFA 2016 to be held in Madrid,Spain

    IIFA 2016 to be held in Madrid,Spain

    MUMBAI: With America, Macau, Spain and Abu Dhabi bidding over hosting of the three day extravaganza of Wizcraft International Entertainment’s International Indian Film Award (IIFA), twitterati says that Madrid in Spain has been decided as the final venue. TV18 Broadcast’s Hindi GEC Colors that had clinched the award evening from Star last year, will yet again entertain its viewers by airing IIFA. The awards will be held between 23 and 26 June 2016.

    The International Indian Film Academy Awards (also known as the IIFA Awards) are a set of awards presented annually by the International Indian Film Academy to honour both artistic and technical excellence of professionals in Bollywood, the Hindi language film industry. Instituted in 2000, the ceremony is held in different countries around the world every year with the most recent one being held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

    The IIFA Utsavam is the South Indian segment of the annual IIFA Awards. The awards were introduced for the first time this year in 2016 and were around the films released in 2015. The 1st IIFA Utsavam was held on 24 and 25 January 2016 at the Gachibowli Athletic Stadium, Hyderabad, India

    Renowned actors like Hrithik Roshan, Sonakshi Sinha, Anil Kapoor are already spreading the ‘filmi’ fever in the city.

    Sonakshi Sinha

    Anil Kapoor

    Hrithik Roshan

  • IIFA 2016 to be held in Madrid,Spain

    IIFA 2016 to be held in Madrid,Spain

    MUMBAI: With America, Macau, Spain and Abu Dhabi bidding over hosting of the three day extravaganza of Wizcraft International Entertainment’s International Indian Film Award (IIFA), twitterati says that Madrid in Spain has been decided as the final venue. TV18 Broadcast’s Hindi GEC Colors that had clinched the award evening from Star last year, will yet again entertain its viewers by airing IIFA. The awards will be held between 23 and 26 June 2016.

    The International Indian Film Academy Awards (also known as the IIFA Awards) are a set of awards presented annually by the International Indian Film Academy to honour both artistic and technical excellence of professionals in Bollywood, the Hindi language film industry. Instituted in 2000, the ceremony is held in different countries around the world every year with the most recent one being held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

    The IIFA Utsavam is the South Indian segment of the annual IIFA Awards. The awards were introduced for the first time this year in 2016 and were around the films released in 2015. The 1st IIFA Utsavam was held on 24 and 25 January 2016 at the Gachibowli Athletic Stadium, Hyderabad, India

    Renowned actors like Hrithik Roshan, Sonakshi Sinha, Anil Kapoor are already spreading the ‘filmi’ fever in the city.

    Sonakshi Sinha

    Anil Kapoor

    Hrithik Roshan

  • Sony Six set to enthral audiences with MCL featuring cricketing legends

    Sony Six set to enthral audiences with MCL featuring cricketing legends

    MUMBAI: Come 28 January, 2016 and cricket fans will be in for a treat as they’ll get an opportunity to watch cricketing legends like Sourav Ganguly, Virender Sehwag, Wasim Akram and their ilk padding up to take centre stage once again on lush green fields.

    As the Masters Cricket League (MCL) kicks-off, six franchises namely Libra Legends, Gemini Arabians, Sagittarius Soldiers, Virgo Super Kings, Capricorn Commanders and Leo Lions will tussle it out amongst each other, with the two best teams making it to the grand finale, which will be played on 3 February, 2016.

    And gearing up for the live telecast of the maiden cricketing tourney from Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah is Sony Pictures Networks (SPN) India’s sports channel Sony Six. The first match will be aired live tomorrow at 7.30 pm.

    While SPN India recently inked a JV with sportscaster ESPN and launched two new sports channels, the MCL will be aired on Sony Six and not on the new channels namely Sony ESPN and Sony ESPN HD.

    “From a fan’s perspective, a primary destination for a particular event is both convenient and essential. In this particular case, we decided that it would be Sony Six. We may provide an occasional match on Sony ESPN based on requirements,” SPN sports cluster EVP and business head Prasana Krishnan tells Indiantelevision.com.  

    World record holder Brian Lara, flamboyant opener Virender Sehwag and swinger Wasim Akram have already shared their excitement to be a part of the league. Apart from them, the Ashes-winning England captain Michael Vaughan, popular former South African captain Graeme Smith, former Indian captain Sourav Ganguly, recently retired Sri Lankan duo of Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene, and former Pakistani all-rounder Azhar Mahmood are also amongst those who have signed up for the league. With participation from these names, the excitement around MCL is palpable.

    “The Masters Champions League has an impressive line-up of international cricket legends and all time stars, who have a huge fan following. Fans are really looking forward to the opportunity of watching cricket legends who have retired, extending their careers in the MCL,” adds Krishnan.

    The sportscaster is said to have signed the multi-year deal for close to $20 million. A media expert asserts, “This is a smart acquisition as I think it the MCL will continue to grow bigger with time. The tournament has big names associated with it and the matches will be competitive. If it starts well, cricket fans will be privy to something that they never expected and it has the potential to mark a new beginning.”

    The brand interest so far has been commendable, and there have been a few last minute deals, which Sony Six is juggling with. “Cricket is the most popular sport in India, which is extremely valuable to advertisers. We already have two leading brands on board for the Masters Champions League and are expecting to add a few more through the course of the event,” informs Krishnan without divulging any names.

    A senior sports media planner says, “The ad rates and number of sponsors on the first edition is not something that should be looked at. Any number is a good number; what is important at this stage is the nature of the tournament. Cricket always garners high eyeballs and the players are all brand ambassadors so if it picks up, it will be an exhibition.”

    Throwing light on the reason behind Sony Six going after the MCL, Krishnan says, “With the MCL, our aim is to bring high quality packaged content that will appeal to our audiences in the Indian sub-continent. We are glad to present to our viewers, a chance to connect with their favourite international legends and look forward to some great cricketing action in this exciting T20 tournament.”

    A cricket commentator, on condition of anonymity, adds, “I am excited to see the players I have grown up commentating on. I think the teams are a good mix of newly retired and previously retired players and hence it will be even-stevens. None of them have to prove anything to anyone but… ‘Once a warrior, always a warrior!’ Hence competition is ought to be there. I think it will be an entertaining voyage and if packaged properly, the MCL will be a great watch. I am sure there will be many trending hashtags all over as the tournament starts.”

    Sharing his thoughts on the concept, Krishnan concludes, “The Masters Champions League is presenting retired legends coming together in a first of its kind T20 cricket league. Viewers will get a chance to see their heroes in action once again and relive their finest nostalgic moments on the field.”

  • Sony Six set to enthral audiences with MCL featuring cricketing legends

    Sony Six set to enthral audiences with MCL featuring cricketing legends

    MUMBAI: Come 28 January, 2016 and cricket fans will be in for a treat as they’ll get an opportunity to watch cricketing legends like Sourav Ganguly, Virender Sehwag, Wasim Akram and their ilk padding up to take centre stage once again on lush green fields.

    As the Masters Cricket League (MCL) kicks-off, six franchises namely Libra Legends, Gemini Arabians, Sagittarius Soldiers, Virgo Super Kings, Capricorn Commanders and Leo Lions will tussle it out amongst each other, with the two best teams making it to the grand finale, which will be played on 3 February, 2016.

    And gearing up for the live telecast of the maiden cricketing tourney from Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah is Sony Pictures Networks (SPN) India’s sports channel Sony Six. The first match will be aired live tomorrow at 7.30 pm.

    While SPN India recently inked a JV with sportscaster ESPN and launched two new sports channels, the MCL will be aired on Sony Six and not on the new channels namely Sony ESPN and Sony ESPN HD.

    “From a fan’s perspective, a primary destination for a particular event is both convenient and essential. In this particular case, we decided that it would be Sony Six. We may provide an occasional match on Sony ESPN based on requirements,” SPN sports cluster EVP and business head Prasana Krishnan tells Indiantelevision.com.  

    World record holder Brian Lara, flamboyant opener Virender Sehwag and swinger Wasim Akram have already shared their excitement to be a part of the league. Apart from them, the Ashes-winning England captain Michael Vaughan, popular former South African captain Graeme Smith, former Indian captain Sourav Ganguly, recently retired Sri Lankan duo of Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene, and former Pakistani all-rounder Azhar Mahmood are also amongst those who have signed up for the league. With participation from these names, the excitement around MCL is palpable.

    “The Masters Champions League has an impressive line-up of international cricket legends and all time stars, who have a huge fan following. Fans are really looking forward to the opportunity of watching cricket legends who have retired, extending their careers in the MCL,” adds Krishnan.

    The sportscaster is said to have signed the multi-year deal for close to $20 million. A media expert asserts, “This is a smart acquisition as I think it the MCL will continue to grow bigger with time. The tournament has big names associated with it and the matches will be competitive. If it starts well, cricket fans will be privy to something that they never expected and it has the potential to mark a new beginning.”

    The brand interest so far has been commendable, and there have been a few last minute deals, which Sony Six is juggling with. “Cricket is the most popular sport in India, which is extremely valuable to advertisers. We already have two leading brands on board for the Masters Champions League and are expecting to add a few more through the course of the event,” informs Krishnan without divulging any names.

    A senior sports media planner says, “The ad rates and number of sponsors on the first edition is not something that should be looked at. Any number is a good number; what is important at this stage is the nature of the tournament. Cricket always garners high eyeballs and the players are all brand ambassadors so if it picks up, it will be an exhibition.”

    Throwing light on the reason behind Sony Six going after the MCL, Krishnan says, “With the MCL, our aim is to bring high quality packaged content that will appeal to our audiences in the Indian sub-continent. We are glad to present to our viewers, a chance to connect with their favourite international legends and look forward to some great cricketing action in this exciting T20 tournament.”

    A cricket commentator, on condition of anonymity, adds, “I am excited to see the players I have grown up commentating on. I think the teams are a good mix of newly retired and previously retired players and hence it will be even-stevens. None of them have to prove anything to anyone but… ‘Once a warrior, always a warrior!’ Hence competition is ought to be there. I think it will be an entertaining voyage and if packaged properly, the MCL will be a great watch. I am sure there will be many trending hashtags all over as the tournament starts.”

    Sharing his thoughts on the concept, Krishnan concludes, “The Masters Champions League is presenting retired legends coming together in a first of its kind T20 cricket league. Viewers will get a chance to see their heroes in action once again and relive their finest nostalgic moments on the field.”

  • Kunal Kapoor’s passion for racing takes him to Abu Dhabi

    Kunal Kapoor’s passion for racing takes him to Abu Dhabi

    MUMBAI: Showcasing his love for sports and cars, actor Kunal Kapoor has took on a new adventure. The actor has signed up for Formula 3 training at the Formula 1 racing track in Abu Dhabi.

     

    Ecstatic with the new experience, the actor said, “The experience of Formula 1 racing is exhilarating. I’m going to head there frequently and train whenever I have a week or so off. My plan is to finish the training within the year.”

     

    Fulfilling his ambition and desire for fast cars Kapoor was in Abu Dhabi recently to work with Gianluca de Lorenzi who is popularly known to be Michael Schumacher with an international auto brand, according to the press release.

     

    Speaking about his passion for racing, Kapoor reckoned, “I’ve always been a racing enthusiast. The sport requires a lot of concentration and complete immersion because of the speed at which you are going. Even though you are driving really fast, it becomes meditative because it’s only you and the machine. That’s true for flying as well.”

     

    The actor is known to juggle his three intense sports like skydiving, flying, driving while also enjoying his other hobbies and hopes to continue exploring new avenues even in the future.

  • Etihad Airways and Jet Airways sign sponsorship of Mumbai Indians cricket team

    Etihad Airways and Jet Airways sign sponsorship of Mumbai Indians cricket team

    MUMBAI: Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), continues to strengthen ties with India and equity partner, Jet Airways, following a new sponsorship deal naming both airlines as principal sponsors and official airlines of the celebrated Mumbai Indians cricket team.

     

    This is the Abu Dhabi-based airline’s first high profile sports sponsorship in the region and one that underscores its expanding commitment to the Indian market.

     

    A franchise cricket team of the Indian Premier League (IPL), the Mumbai Indians are thelargest social sports brand in India and are closely followed by millions of fans across the globe. The team is known for its balance of experienced cricketers as well asthe young talented players scouted from India and across the world.

     

    Crowned as champions of the 2013 IPL, the Mumbai Indians will be playing in the Pepsi IPL 2014 Tournament whose first 20 matcheswill behosted in the UAE. Along with the Mumbai Indians, seven teams will showcase their cricketing skills in the UAE leg of the tournament which will take place between 16 and 30 April at three different venues: Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah.

     

    James Hogan, President and Chief Executive Officer of Etihad Airways, said: “As India continues to play an important part in the growth of Etihad Airways, this new sponsorship deal provides an excellent opportunity for us to reinforce our global brand in India, cement our partnership with Jet Airways and forge close and long-lasting relationships withthe Indian travelling public, many of whom we know are huge cricket fans.

     

    “Sport sponsorships form a major part of Etihad’s international marketing strategy.  We are delighted to add the Mumbai Indians, the reigning champions of the Indian Premier League, to our growing portfolio of global sporting associations.”

     

    Etihad Airways sponsorship portfolioincludes,Manchester City Football Club, the Etihad Stadium in Melbourne, Etihad Stadium in Manchester, the Formula 1 Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Harlequins Rugby Club, GAA HurlingAll Irel and Senior Championship, and most recently the Major League Soccer in the US.

     

    Among the highlights of the sponsorship agreement will be the display of extensive Etihad Airways and Jet Airways branding and messaging beamed across LED pitch-side advertising and on giant screens in the stadium. This will occur during the Mumbai Indians home matches including the tournament’s first game which will be played at theZayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi. In addition, the airlines’ logos will be prominently displayed on the teams’ shirts and merchandise.

     

    A comprehensive activation planwith the Mumbai Indians will be heldincluding community programs, competitions and promotions for flights and holidays with the teams’ fans.

     

    NareshGoyal, Chairman of Jet Airways, said: “We are excited to team up with Etihad Airways to sponsor the Mumbai Indians, as they prepare to take part in one of crickets’ most high profile tournaments featuring top cricketers from all over the world.

     

    Cricket is a hugely popular sport around the world and especially in India. Sponsoring an all-star cricket team like the Mumbai Indians will surely provide our airlines with fantastic brand exposure on a global level and offer an impressive platform to connect with our customers while at the same time engaging with the community.”

     

    Etihad Airways currently serves a total of 10 Indian cities which includes Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad, Kochi, Kozhikode, Mumbai, New Delhi, Trivandrum and the recently launched route to Jaipur.

    Etihad Airways and equity partner Jet airways had previously jointly hosted the Manchester City FC football coaching clinics inMumbai and Delhi in December 2013.

     

  • SET launches Pepsi IPL’s ‘Come On, Bulaava Aaya Hai’ campaign

    SET launches Pepsi IPL’s ‘Come On, Bulaava Aaya Hai’ campaign

    MUMBAI: The IPL fever is set to grip the cricketing world once again beginning 16 April 2014 and this time around the first half it is set to kick-off in the UAE.

    The first phase of Indian Premier League (IPL) matches will be played in Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah.

    The official broadcasters of the IPL – Sony Max and Sony Six – have announced their big ticket marketing campaign for the Pepsi IPL 2014 coined ‘Come On, BulaavaAayaHai’.

    The broadcaster claims that the campaign is inspired from the fact that Pepsi IPL is the biggest cricketing extravaganza in the world. The word ‘Bulaava’ connotes the ‘calling’ with the main premise that the year’s most awaited and anticipated cricketing event has finally arrived and there is no way anyone would want to miss it.

    Talking about the upcoming season of the Pepsi IPL 2014, Sony Max EVP and business head Neeraj Vyas said in a statement: “In India, nothing supersedes the passion for cricket and during the IPL, that passion rises to an all-time crescendo. That is where we draw our latest campaign ‘Come On, BulaavaAayaHai’ emphasising that irrespective of anything that takes place in your life, the calling for the IPL will always reign supreme. This enthralling campaign coupled with world class talent on display is sure to entertain our viewers through this edition of IPL.”

    The campaign kicksoff with a series of four films set in diverse situations of different people’s life reaching a crescendo with three surprise films and culminating into a final Bulaava film. Be it a runaway bride drawn to the call of the IPL bugle, a son by the side of his ill mother or a priest struggling to free a woman possessed with a spirit, all films have the essence of the key nuance of IPL ‘Bulaava’, prompting people to literally drop everything to watch Pepsi IPL.

    Speaking about the campaign, Sony Max VP marketing and communications Vaishali Sharma added, “IPL entices people across age groups, gender and languages. This year’s campaign “Come On, BulaavaAayaHai’ is a unique thought that stems from the insight of how the passion of IPL overtakes every aspect of these different people’s lives highlighting their hunger for the tournament and eventually creating a huge national frenzy”.

    The marketing campaign jingle is one of the most awaited elements of this striking tournament. After the splendid response and adulation of last year’s jingle, Max has once again roped in the musical duo Vishal and Shekhar. Basing on the campaign theme, the duo has come up with yet another catchy song. The broadcasters feel the jingle is sure to be a mega hit and will set the nation grooving to the tunes.

    The entire campaign is the brainchild of the creative agency Havas Worldwide and has been directed and filmed by noted ad film director Rajesh Saathi of Keroscene Films.

    On the association with Max on the films Havas Worldwide ECD Vivek Rao stated: “The campaign idea of ‘Come on, BulaavaAayaHai’ is played on a simple truth – no other property provides more action, more entertainment or more opportunity whether you’re a viewer or a player. So no matter what calling you have, it’s the call of the IPL that’s more irresistible. After last year’s campaign, we needed something that would entertain as well as move the IPL brand forward. This seemed instinctively right.”

    Stretching across a four week period till the launch of the tournament, the Pepsi IPL 2014 campaign will have a complete 360 degree rollout across mass media. Starting with the campaign films on television, the communication will be seen by viewers across mediums like television, print, radio, digital, outdoor, onground, mobile, BTL and out of home. The campaign can also be viewed on www.SonyLIV.com, the online home of Sony Entertainment Network.

  • Clocks highest ever booking in last 5 weeks in MEA Announces 6 New Wins and 5 Go-lives

    Clocks highest ever booking in last 5 weeks in MEA Announces 6 New Wins and 5 Go-lives

    MUMBAI: Ramco Systems, an enterprise software product company focused on delivering ERP on Cloud, Tablets and Smart phones today showcased its all new HR & Talent Management solution, Ramco HCM on Cloud (Human Capital Management). Since the global launch of Ramco HCM on Cloud in June this year, Ramco has added some of the largest business conglomerates in the region as its customer. In the last five weeks, Ramco added 6 new customers for its ERP/ HCM on Cloud offering. This includes, Sharaf DG (leading retail chain with 8000+ employees across 13 countries covering UAE, GCC, Middle East & Far East), Engsol (Engineering Solutions company headquartered in Abu Dhabi), DaarYaas Group (retail group with presence spread across UAE, N.Africa and Egypt), Al Shabab Club (leading sports club in UAE), Blue Nile Mashreq Bank (a leading bank in N.Africa) and Nesma (a diversified business conglomerate in Saudi with a portfolio of 40+ companies and 25000+ employees). The six new customers will together add around 30,000+ users for Ramco HCM.

    The company also announced go-live of 5 HCM customers which added 15000+ users in the region on Ramco HCM.

    Ramco set up its operations in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) in 2006. Since the launch of its cloud based solutions in 2011 in the Middle East, the market uptake for Ramco’s offerings (ERP, HCM and Aviation) has been growing significantly resulting in the number of new customers being added, doubling in 2012-13.

    Commenting on Ramco’s cloud offerings, Mr. Sunil Padmanabh, Research Director, Gartner Inc., said, “There is a sizeable market opportunity worldwide for HCM solutions on the Cloud, notably Talent Management. Many large and mid-sized organisations are looking to experiment with cloud and HR applications are emerging as the first choice. Ramco’s cloud solutions can be easily extended on mobile devices and can run In-memory based Payroll and Analytics. Ramco is also well positioned to take on the competition by embedding country specific localization and statutory needs in the base product. Ramco’s HCM solutions have interchangeable cloud and On-Premise deployment modeled. This has created a competitive advantage for Ramco and helped them take on mega vendors in the HCM marketplace.”

    Addressing the media, Mr. P R Venketrama Raja, Vice Chairman and Managing Director, Ramco Systems, said “Our years of investment in developing a platform that is model-based has helped us offer solutions that are multi-tenanted, SOA-compliant and modular in nature. It is this architecture which has allowed us to easily adapt to new technologies and launch features such as Mobility, Social media integration, location-awareness through Google maps and others ahead of others. Our uber-cool user interface with alerts, notifications, portlets on transaction screens, role-specific WorkSpaces, and accessibility on mobile devices have been a great value-add and differentiator for us. We are happy that Ramco today has gained its rightful place in the global cloud market.”

    Mr. Virender Aggarwal, CEO, Ramco Systems, commented, “After launching Ramco HCM on Cloud we have been witnessing good traction globally. Having serviced multiple customers on home ground, we are now aggressively building our network and product features to compete in global markets. The success of the recently launched HCM on Cloud in the Middle East region is a testimony to the fact that the product brings a good mix of global standards with local requirements.”

    Mr. Ernest Hosking, CEO, RedTag, said “We chose Ramco HCM on Cloud as it offered us a suitable Model; a global solution which also addresses the unique statutory needs of the regions we operate in. We expect the scalability of the solution and the flexibility of a cloud model to ensure that our IT investments remain future-relevant. We have gone-live on Ramco HCM for our Retail business with over 5500+ employees across UAE, Oman, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and Saudi Arabia. The initial user feedback has been positive and encouraging.”

    “Automating HCM Processes, generating reports and accessing real time information today is indeed a difficult task in any organization. Ramco’s HCM Solution with multi-country payroll on the Cloud will help us manage our workforce across locations in a streamlined manner”, added, Mr. Chandra Shekhar Jajware, CIO, Khimji Ramdas.

    Ramco HCM on Cloud is a comprehensive solution that covers every aspect of an employee lifecycle: Workforce Management, Recruitment, Talent Management, Employee Development, Workforce Planning and Payroll & Benefits. Ramco has been offering its on-premise HCM software globally, and has customers with employee size of 100,000+. The company also offers an integrated Payroll on Cloud solution for all GCC countries and most of Africa.

  • Tillotama Shome wins best female actor award at Abu Dhabi Filmfest for Quissa

    Tillotama Shome wins best female actor award at Abu Dhabi Filmfest for Quissa

    NEW DELHI: Anup Singh’s Qissa added one more feather in its cap when actor Tillotama Shome won the Best Actress award in the New Horizons competition at the Abu Dhabi Film Festival.

    She shared the award with Julia Wildschutt for her performance in Love Me directed by Hanne Myren (Norway). In Qissa, Shome plays the youngest daughter of Umber Singh (Irrfan Khan) who decides to raise her as a boy.

    Shome made her screen debut with Mira Nair’s Monsoon Wedding in 2001 and went on to play roles in Florian Gallenberger’s Shadows of Time and Dibakar Banerjee’s Shanghai.

    Qissa recently won the Silver Gateway Award in India Gold competition at the 15thMumbai Film Festival and the NETPAC (Network for the Promotion of Asian Cinema) Award for Best Asian Film at the 38th Toronto International Film Festival where it had its premiere.

    Set amidst the ethnic cleansing and general chaos that accompanied India’s partition in 1947, this sweeping drama stars Irrfan Khan as a Sikh attempting to forge a new life for his family while keeping their true identities a secret from their community.

    Beautiful, timeless, and touching the deepest of human impulses, Qissa carries the spirit of a great folk tale. Although it’s set in a particular time and place – the Punjab region that straddles India and Pakistan in the years immediately after partition – it is both deeper and broader than any one moment. As this eerie family drama progresses, it cuts to the heart of eternal desires for honour, empathy, and love.

    One of India’s best actors, Irrfan Khan (Life of Pi, Festival premiere The Lunchbox, and a feature guest in this year’s Mavericks programme) plays Umber Singh, a Sikh uprooted by the religious violence that came with partition in 1947. He and his family move to a safer locale, and it is here that the story takes a remarkable turn. Having already fathered daughters, Singh now wants a son. When his next child is born he celebrates his wish come true, but there is one problem: the baby is in fact a girl.

    Qissa is originally an Arabic word meaning folk tale. Both the word and the idea migrated from the Gulf into the Punjab, still connected by the ancient oral narratives handed down in communal settings. Working within this tradition, director Anup Singh gives his film both the grand themes and elemental emotions of classic storytelling. As Umber’s daughter is raised as a boy, the characters are propelled with greater and greater urgency towards their inevitable fates.

    Part of a new generation of directors with feet firmly planted in India and far beyond, Singh has delivered a film immediately accessible to anyone sensitive to the conflicts that drive classic stories: fear versus hubris, individual need versus social codes. Qissa is a Punjabi story for the whole world. 

  • Qissa wins NETPAC Award at 13th Toronto International Film Festival

    Qissa wins NETPAC Award at 13th Toronto International Film Festival

    NEW DELHI: Qissa by Anup Singh has won the NETPAC Award for World or International Asian Film Premiere at the 13th Toronto International Film Festival.

     

    The award is instituted by the Network for the promotion of Asian Cinema and given at very few festivals.

     

    Jury members include Jay Jeon (Korea), Intishal Al Timimi (Abu Dhabi) and Freddie Wong (Hong Kong).

     

    The jury remarked: “The NETPAC Award for the best Asian film at Festival 2013 goes to Qissa, directed by Anup Singh, for its sensitive portrayal of the issues of identity and displacement that affect people not only in India, but in all parts of the world and for brilliance of cinematic craft and the choice of metaphor that has been employed to tell a moving story that is bound to provoke thoughts, spark debate and give its viewers an intense experience.”

     

    Set amidst the ethnic cleansing and general chaos that accompanied India’s partition in 1947, this sweeping drama stars Irrfan Khan – also appearing at the Festival in The Lunchbox – as a Sikh attempting to forge a new life for his family while keeping their true identities a secret from their community.

     

    Beautiful, timeless, and touching the deepest of human impulses, Qissa carries the spirit of a great folk tale. Although it’s set in a particular time and place – the Punjab region that straddles India and Pakistan in the years immediately after partition – it is both deeper and broader than any one moment. As this eerie family drama progresses, it cuts to the heart of eternal desires for honour, empathy, and love.

     

    One of India’s best actors, Irrfan Khan (Life of Pi, Festival premiere The Lunchbox, and a feature guest in this year’s Mavericks programme) plays Umber Singh, a Sikh uprooted by the religious violence that came with partition in 1947. He and his family move to a safer locale, and it is here that the story takes a remarkable turn. Having already fathered daughters, Singh now wants a son. When his next child is born he celebrates his wish come true, but there is one problem: the baby is in fact a girl.

     

    Qissa is originally an Arabic word meaning folk tale. Both the word and the idea migrated from the Gulf into the Punjab, still connected by the ancient oral narratives handed down in communal settings. Working within this tradition, director Anup Singh gives his film both the grand themes and elemental emotions of classic storytelling. As Umber’s daughter is raised as a boy, the characters are propelled with greater and greater urgency towards their inevitable fates.

     

    Part of a new generation of directors with feet firmly planted in India and far beyond, Singh has delivered a film immediately accessible to anyone sensitive to the conflicts that drive classic stories: fear versus hubris, individual need versus social codes. Qissa is a Punjabi story for the whole world.