Tag: Amitabh Bachchan

Brand Amitabh still going strong for Gujarat Tourism

BENGALURU: Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan has been the brand ambassador for Gujarat Tourism Corporation Limited (Gujarat Tourism) for the past five years and more.

Bachchan, as the face of Gujarat Tourism has been seen in 22 television commercials (TVCs) in Hindi and English, the print and outdoor ads, on the tourism department’s social media page and his rich, deep, baritone is heard on many a radio stations across India exhorting Indians to spend a few days in Gujarat.

That the superstar has been successful in attracting the growing number of tourists is evident by the 2.88 crore tourists that visited in FY-2013-14, or 13.3 per cent more than in FY-2012-13. Gujarat, apart from being home to some of the most sought after tourist destinations, is home to rich and diverse cultural and traditional heritage. The Gujarat growth story has expanded to include tourism- a sector that has immense potential to change the course of employment and economy in the state and the country. The political will and burning desire to develop tourism exists in Gujarat.

Note: 100,00,000 = 100 lakh = 10 million = 1 crore.

Speaking to Indiantelevision.com at a roadshow to promote Gujarat Tourism in Bengaluru, Gujarat Tourism manager – marketing K. Bsiwas said, “Amitabh Bachchan has been the face of Gujarat Tourism for a number of years and we don’t see the necessity for a change. We have no immediate plans for more TVCs in the near future. The 22 TVCs created by O&M that he has shot for us are still very much a part of the campaign, which we run periodically across mediums to attract tourism to the state.

As per company sources, the corporation spends between Rs 10 – 15 crore every year towards ATL and BTL activities. Media buying is done directly.

March 23, 2015
Amitabh Bachchan, Katrina Kaif top list of brand endorsing celebs

NEW DELHI: Despite the number of television commercials in which she is seen, Katrina Kaif continues to be the most powerful actress when it comes to endorsements. According to a recent survey, Kaif is one of the most trusted faces in the advertisement scene.

The Annual Brand Trust Report 2015 ranked Kaif at the very top of the heap where actresses and other female celebrities were concerned. Kaif was ranked first in the Cinema Female category of the annual report. She took the ninth spot in the most trusted personality list.

On the other hand, Amitabh Bachchan, Aamir Khan and Shah Rukh Khan topped the list of most trusted personality list in the Brand Trust Report 2015. They were ranked first, second and third, respectively, in the Cinema Male category too.

Stand-up comedian Kapil Sharma took the fifth spot in the most trusted personality list, while Salman Khan took the eighth place. Salman is ranked fourth in the Cinema Male category.

Priyanka Chopra, Deepika Padukone and Kareena Kapoor were ranked second, third and fourth, respectively, in Cinema Female category, while taking the twelfth, thirteenth and fourteenth place in the all over list.

Sanjay Dutt, Ranbir Kapoor, Ranveer Singh and Ajay Devgn were ranked fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth in the male category but were ranked tenth, eleventh, fifteenth and twenty one, respectively, in the most trusted personality list.

In the female category, the last three positions were taken by Rekha, Vidya Balan and Preity Zinta, who were ranked seventeenth, nineteenth and twentieth, respectively, in the all over list.

March 18, 2015
Amitabh Bachchan unveils Mahatma Gandhi’s statue in London

NEW DELHI: Amitabh Bachchan unveiled a statue of Mahatma Gandhi at Parliament Square in London in the presence of British Prime Minister David Cameron and Finance Minister Arun Jaitley. Bachchan said he was honoured, humbled and felt touched.

Bachchan also read out an excerpt from Gandhi’s The World of Tomorrow on the occasion at the unveiling over the weekend. Gopal Gandhi, grandson of the Mahatma, was also present, apart from Lord Meghnad Desai and his wife.

In a message on Twitter, Bachchan later said the respect and dignity given to him was so humbling. Prior to the unveiling, he described the forthcoming event as ‘nerve trepidation.’

“A historic moment and a historic presence. I am honoured and humbled. I am so touched and honoured to have been given this pride of place at this most prestigious occasion,” Bachchan wrote on his official blog srbachchan.tumblr.com.

The statue is the result of efforts of the Gandhi Statue Memorial Trust (London) and its trustee Lord Meghnad Desai. The large size nine foot bronze statue of Mahatma Gandhi has been made by British sculptor Philip Jackson, who depicted it from Gandhi’s photographs wrapped in a shawl to shield himself from London’s cold during his visit to 10 Downing Street, London, in 1931 as the leader of Indian National Movement.

March 16, 2015
West Bengal government to set up a film archive

KOLKATA: With an aim to set up a film archive in the state, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee met Bollywood actress Jaya Bachchan.

“I had asked Jaya Bachchan to work out a plan for a film archive here with the direct involvement of Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan ji. It will help the industry here,” Banerjee said after her hour-long meeting with Jaya Bachchan at the state Secretariat Nabanna.

Jaya Bachchan, after meeting the chief minister said, “I came here responding to the CM’s call for working out a plan for a film archive. The CM has also sought the involvement of Amitabh Bachchanji. I have submitted a proposal in this regard,” Jaya said.

When experts were contacted they said that the state government plans to safeguard the heritage of cinema for posterity and act as a centre for dissemination of a healthy film culture here. “Familiarizing foreign audiences with Bengali cinema and to make it more visible across the globe is another declared objective of the state government,” an expert added.

Going forward, the state might also look at classifying and documenting data related to film and undertake research on cinema.

Generally books and periodicals covering cinema, festival publications, ancillary material like song booklets, photographs, wall posters, pamphlets, folders, disc records and other memorabilia on cinema are preserved by the research and documentation section.

March 14, 2015
MSM Motion Pictures & Yash Raj Films come together for ‘Piku’

MUMBAI: MSM Motion Pictures has partnered with Yash Raj Films for the worldwide theatrical distribution of their upcoming comedy drama – Piku.

Directed by Shoojit Sircar, the move further strengthens the 20 year association of YRF and MSM. The duo ensures that YRF’s distribution network takes Piku to not just domestic and diaspora audiences but also non-traditional markets globally.

A quirky take on father daughter relationship, the film brings Amitabh Bachchan, Deepika Padukone and Irrfan Khan together for the first time. The film is also Paduokone’s first stand alone title role and has been co-produced by MSM Motion Pictures along with Saraswati Creations and Rising Sun Films.

March 4, 2015
Choreographer Ganesh Acharya to star as main protagonist in ‘Hey Bro’

NEW DELHI: Veteran choreographer Ganesh Acharya, who has also made occasional appearances in films as an actor, is for the first time playing the protagonist of a Hindi action film, Hey Bro, slated for release this week.

Addressing a press meet, Acharya said, “It’s a comedy film and my I am playing the character of Gopi, who just found out who had a twin brother who was a policeman and the story goes on.”

Directed by Ajay Chandok, the film stars Maninder Singh, Nupur Sharma, and Hanif Lal among others and has been produced by Rahul Mittra.

The film is thus a story about twin brothers with a twist. This is the first time that the audience will see Ganesh as a leading actor and not just a choreographer.

The song ‘Birju’ will see special appearance of various popular faces of Bollywood including Amitabh Bachchan, Akshay Kumar, Hrithik Roshan, Ajay Devgn and Ranveer Singh amongst others.

“I am very much happy and excited about this movie. I had an amazing experience working with my co-actors and they are very professional, I must say. Hope the movie does well in the theatre,” said Acharya.

Mittra added, “It has different and fresh star cast that will be seen on the screen for the first time. I hope the audience will like the chemistry and the wonderful tracks the movie has.”

The music of the film has been composed by music directors Nitz n Sony, who have experimented with the sound of their music and have not stuck purely to one music genre.

“This is my debut film and I am doing it with so many great people, it’s truly like a dream come true. I always wanted to do roles with all of them and this movie has an amazing star cast,” said Sharma.

The movie is produced by Ganesh Acharya’s wife Vidhi Acharya and written by M.Salim.

February 25, 2015
‘Roy’ fails to grab eyeballs at the BO

MUMBAI: Roy does not quite go well with the moviegoer; a confusing film moving at snail’s pace with nothing happening through its lengthy trudge, the film had fair collections on the opening day thanks to names of Ranbir Kapoor and Arjun Rampal in the cast.

The film maintained about same figures on Saturday but suffered a huge drop of about 50 per cent on Sunday because of India Pakistan World Cup match. The film managed weekend collections of Rs 24.9 crore.

Controversial film MSG: The Messenger fails at the box office.

R Balki’s experiment of a ventriloquist played by Amitabh Bachchan landing his rich baritone to an aspiring mute actor, Dhanush, fails to catch the audience’s fancy. While Bachchan may still be a media star, casting him in such a film is tricky business, Dhanush has little to charm the Hindi audience. Shamitabh does not add much to its already deficient weekend, ending its first week with a figure of Rs 17.6 crore.

Baby continues to make the most of a run of poor oppositions over last three weeks. The film adds a reasonable Rs 6.5 crore in its third week to take its three week total to Rs 75.3 crore.

Khamoshiyan has collected Rs 75 lakh in its second week to take its two week total to Rs 6.5 crore. Forced horror film sans content don’t work. A disappointing outcome for the investor.

PK has added Rs 20 lakh in its eighth week. The film has put together Rs 329.95 crore in eight weeks.

February 16, 2015
India Vs Pakistan: A match ‘Not to be missed’

MUMBAI: Whether it is Kashmir, Baluchistan, football, hockey or cricket; India vs Pakistan is always big news. This time the battlefield is the Adelaide Oval in Australia and war is ICC Cricket World Cup 2015.

The war of bat and ball, of mental strength and temperament, will start at 9.00 am Indian Standard Time (IST) with the national anthems of the respective countries followed by 100 overs of nail biting cricketing action. It will be pride for some and agony for others, but whatever the result may be, it will end with handshakes and hugs. That’s what makes this battle so exciting and one of the most watched rivalries in sports history.

Commenting on the magnitude of India vs Pakistan match, Colors CEO Raj Nayak said, “It’s indeed a big match and I will obviously cheer for India. But we have to understand the fact that it’s just a match and the team that plays better cricket will win. The timing is very good and hence I will obviously watch the match.”

Multi Screen Media president Rohit Gupta opined, “Though I don’t get to follow the 50 overs format, I will certainly try to watch the India – Pakistan bout. My support is always with India but may the best team win.”

“India vs Pakistan is a big match and it’s great that India is starting their campaign against Pakistan. It will decide the tone of the tournament and build immense interest in the country,” added NDTV executive vice-chairperson K. V. L. Narayan Rao.

Madison Communications COO Kartik Lakshminarayan said, “I am surely going to watch the match and have already made my plans. Around 150 of us will book a place and watch the match live. It is indeed a time to celebrate and obviously India’s victory is what we will be cheering for.”

Maxus managing partner head of the north and east regions, Navin Khemka asserted, “It’s a big day for India, and I would say it’s a super Sunday. The match starts at 9.30 in the morning and it can’t be any better. And as an advertiser I must say this match is very important in context to the tournament. Fans and spectators in India will be looking forward to this match and a good start here can make the tournament a very special one.”

Hats Off Productions founder J D Majhetia said, “India – Pakistan match is a never miss game for me, since the time I started understanding cricket I don’t think I have missed an Indo – Pak match. Last time I flew to Chandigarh with my family when the two teams met in the semifinal of 2011 edition. This time we are planning a mass gathering in one of the studios. I have already announced that there will be no shoots on 15 February because of the match.”

The match is also big in terms of commercial aspect. If sources are to be believed then Star, the official broadcaster of World Cup in India, has hiked its ad rate by around 200 per cent for the India – Pakistan match. However, if an advertiser wants to buy a slot only for this particular match, then the hike is around 350 to 400 per cent. During a normal league match, the ad rate fluctuates between Rs 5 to 10 lakh for a 10 second spot depending on the magnitude of the match. For the India vs Pakistan match, Star is selling a slot for Rs 20 to 25 lakh.

Any cricket lover would not like to miss a single minute of a match of such substance. And this season there are a number of options for a cricket fan to catch the action.

Television: One can sit with a hot cup of tea and breakfast in front of the TV and enjoy every moment of the match. Star has already roped in a number of innovations to make the broadcasting a worthy treat. One can opt for high quality pictures by tuning to HD channels. Amitabh Bachchan will also be there as a commentator to entertain viewers in Hindi. Panel of experts and legends of the game will be in the commentary box to bring detailed analysis of the live action. Additionally, as a never before treat, Star gives viewer choices of opting for regional languages too. But what if one is not subscribed to Star? Not to worry, thank to the Supreme Court of India, DD will telecast the India vs Pakistan match and will be available on cable and DTH platforms.

But what if one has to travel? Will he or she have to miss the match? That brings the digital platforms in the game.

Starsports.com: Gone are the days when television was the only source of audio visual entertainment. One can log in to starsports.com and catch ball by ball action live. Star India’s sports VOD platform will stream all the World Cup matches live and India vs Pakistan is certainly one of them.

But India is a country with a lot of VOD platforms and less bandwidth, 3G is expensive and can take a hefty chunk out of one’s pocket. In case a user does not have access to 3G services to stream the matches live, there are various apps available that can give updates about the match.

Cricbuzz: Times Internet’s sports venture Cricbuzz gives the opportunity to relive the nostalgia. One can opt for audio commentary through that app and it works fine in 2G too. It is quite similar to how radio is, one can plug in earphones and enjoy the audio commentary.

EspnCricinfo: The cricket dedicated app does ball by ball text commentary, updates scores and statistics. The app also enables the opportunity to tune into pre match and post match video analysis.

ICC Cricket World Cup App: The Official ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 app for the first time one can access to live scores, in-match clips, fixtures, exclusive videos, real-time statistical updates and more – all in the palm of their hand.

Besides these apps, one can also log in to any news website to know the score of the match.

This world cup International Cricket Council (ICC) gives fans exclusive opportunity to connect with the marquee tournament. One can easily become a commentator or expert and share their views and opinions in the social media platforms through the following mediums:

Facebook: www.facebook.com/ICC & www.facebook.com/CricketWorldCup

Twitter: www.twitter.com/ICC & www.twitter.com/CricketWorldCup

Instagram: www.instagram.com/ICC & www.instagram.com/CricketWorldCup

Google+: www.google.com/+ICC & www.google.com/+CricketWorldCup

YouTube: www.youtube.com/ICC

February 14, 2015
‘Shamitabh’ delivers weak opening at box office

MUMBAI: Director R Balki does come up with new ideas and his earlier two film, Cheeni Kam and Paa have been appreciated. This time though the idea may be different from the run of the mill but its execution is messed up. The drawbacks lie in right from a long winding script to execution and editing.

Instead of cashing in on the idea, Shamitabh tries to cash in on Amitabh Bachchan’s histrionics and then going overboard with it. There seemed to be no curiosity for the film as the weak opening day audience response and the collections reflected this. The film had a slight improvement on Saturday and was better on Sunday but the slide has begun as the new week started. The film ended its opening weekend with a figure of Rs 12.45 crore, which is not enough to help it recoup its high price.

The other two releases, Jai Jawan Jai Kisaan and Hum Tum Dushman, failed to find enough audience needed for a screening.

Rahashya has managed to collect only about Rs 70 lakh in its first week.

Baby reaped the benefit of poor oppositions and collected a reasonable Rs 16.7 crore in its second week to take its two week tally to Rs 68.8 crore.

Khamoshiyan remains poor as the film adds precious little to its weekend collection of Rs 5.75 crore in the next four days as it ends its first week with figures of Rs 9.15 crore.

Hawaizaada meets with a disastrous fate at the box office. Following its poor opening, it only goes downhill to end its first week with a meager Rs 3.55 crore.

Dolly Ki Doli also gets to survive in its second week thanks to poor oppositions by adding Rs 1.1 crore in its second week to take its two week total to Rs 13 crore.

PK collects approximately Rs 45 lakh in its seventh week for a seven week total of Rs 329.75 crore.

February 9, 2015

‘Shamitabh’….Amitabh unleashed!

MUMBAI: R Balki’s films are described as novel by Shamitabh’s lead actor, Amitabh Bachchan. But the system of a Hindi-speaking person dubbing for South Indian actors or vice versa is age old reality. So is that of one person dubbing for another. There is nothing new in Shamitabh except that here a mute person aspires to be a star and a voice is found for him.

Dhanush is a small time lad from Igatpuri in Maharashtra helping his mother sell batata vada at the local state transport bus stop. Whatever money he gets, he spends on movies. When the cinema hall is brought down he barters with a video library, giving free batata vada and pakoda in exchange for a movie. That is where he also gets introduced to Hollywood movies.

Dhanush is mute but is convinced he is an ace actor and can somehow make it big in the films. He often tries to run away from his village to reach Mumbai but is brought back once by convincing him that he is still too young to become a film star and again when his mother pretends to be sick so that he stays back.

There comes a time when his mother is really ill and passes away. The way is open for Dhanush to go to Mumbai and try his luck. After a couple of failures in entering studios and trying to reach the famous film directors like Raju Hirani, Karan Johar, Rohit Shetty and so on, he finally makes it to a studio where he comes across Akshara Haasan, an assistant director who sympathises with this mute guy from a small town. She asks him to perform a scene and shoots it on her cell phone. Her director boss is duly impressed and decides to give him break. But what to do about his voice?

Producers: Sunil Lulla, Rakesh Jhunjhunwala, RK Damani, Gauri Shinde, Abhishek Bachchan.

Director: R Balki.

Cast: Amitabh Bachchan, Dhanush, Akshara Haasan and cameos by Rekha, Javed Akhtar, Karan Johar, Rohit Shetty etc.

The way out is to find a voice for him who will not dub for him but will playback his dialogue on his behalf. After some voice tests, they suddenly come across Bachchan, a weird character and a drunkard with a Christian cemetery as his abode. Bachchan has no solid back story for turning into what he has. The cemetery keeper charges him rent and also doubles up as his Man Friday. Now everybody knows about Bachchan’s rich voice, which does not quite match Dhanush’s personality. But, in the film’s story, that is what works for Dhanush since the film highlights mainly this aspect leaving aside his famous acting prowess which impressed those concerned.

After some coaxing, Bachchan agrees to be the voice of Dhanush because he can get even with the entertainment industry; he had come to Mumbai forty years back to try his luck first in films and later on radio (the radio rejection happened to him in real life). Both rejected him because the filmmakers found his voice like that of a villain (no idea why he did not get a villain’s role!). He can now make a star out of Dhanush on the strength of his voice.

Dhanush’s debut film makes it to the screen and in the very first weekend, he has become a superstar breaking the collection records of Aamir Khan as well as Salman Khan! He has taken the screen name of Shamitabh, combining his and Bachchan’s name as that makes him complete as an actor. But, no sooner does Dhanush become a star, he gets into an ego struggle with his voice, Bachchan: is he successful because of his acting or is it the rich voice he borrows from Bachchan?

The voice acting conflict is introduced too early and goes on and on, becoming repetitive. If acting is what took Dhanush to the top, it is not emphasised on with most of the time the focus being on Bachchan and his booming voice. Finally comes a time when the ego clash leads to a parting of ways. While Dhanush attempts to prove himself with a film about deaf and mute love story, Bachchan tries to prove his point by lending his voice to another aspiring actor, who stammers and can’t deliver dialogues. Both fail in their respective efforts and realise that they complement each other. Akshara plays the mediator to bring them together.

If Bachchan were to play only Dhanush’s voice, there would not have been much to do for him in the film. So there is extended footage on his lifestyle. Also, what he did very successfully for the first time in Amar Akbar Anthony, the mime in front of a mirror, and later in another film has been overused here. Bachchan is made to give multiple monologues which not only stretch the film but also bring negative returns. Director Balki seems to sell Bachchan more than his idea of a ventriloquist for mute actor.

With a loose script which comes in bits and pieces as it moves from one artiste to another while also trying to build a romance between Dhanush and Akshara (one sided though from Dhanush) it leads to many tedious moments. The director seems to have little control thereafter stretching the film to 153 minutes with a story based on just three artistes. The music by the legendary composer, Illaiyaraaja, is mediocre, best of the lot being two ringtone kind of numbers in Ishq e phillum…. And Piddly si baatein…. Background score is fine. Dialogue, mainly Bachchan’s lines, are good. Editing is slack. Climax is abrupt and poor.

It is an Amitabh show all the way though he is overburdened. Dhanush overacts at times and is just passable. Akshara fails to make a mark, her dressing may be contemporary youth kind but makes her lack femininity.

On the whole, Shamitabh fails to deliver.

February 6, 2015