ITV

Tag: Amitabh Bachchan

  • Amitabh Bachchan rings in the first trading day at BSE

    Amitabh Bachchan rings in the first trading day at BSE

    MUMBAI: The megastar of Bollywood, Amitabh Bachchan who plays the role of Yudhisthir Sikarwar in the upcoming finite series Yudh on Sony Entertainment Television, rang the first trading day at the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE). In the series, Sikarwar, the real estate giant has listed his company ‘Shanti Constructions’ on the BSE.

     

    Bachchan lit the welcome lamp along with MSM CEO N.P Singh, BSE MD and CEO Ashish Kumar and BSE Institute chairman Sudhakar Rao. As the countdown to the start of trading began and as soon as the electronic clock struck zero, the legendary actor rang the bell amongst huge cheer.

     

    With this, Bachchan registered his name in the pages of history becoming a part of the few elite people from Bollywood to ring the opening bell at the BSE, an honour customarily reserved for head honcho’s of major conglomerates.

     

    He further revealed the striking poster of Yudh. The series follows Sikarwar (played by Bachchan), a real estate baron, who has been diagnosed with a degenerative neurological disorder. Yudh traces his journey, his struggle with his collapsing health, his battle with business rivals and his complicated family equations.

  • Big B sponsors coaching of women athletes for Commonwealth, World Championship and Asian Games

    Big B sponsors coaching of women athletes for Commonwealth, World Championship and Asian Games

    NEW DELHI: Global cinema icon and champion of various social causes Amitabh Bachchan has decided to sponsor the training and coaching of two female sportspersons for the upcoming Commonwealth, World Championship and Asian Games in 2014.

     

    As UN ambassador of girl child, Bachchan has often taken initiatives towards the betterment of society such Polio Eradication and ridding the country of the malaise of discrimination against women.

     

    The megastar has sponsored women athletes Ayonika Paul and Pooja Ghatkar (both Rifle Shooting) as part of the Medals4India campaign initiated by the NGO Olympic Gold Quest. Olympic Gold Quest is a program of the Foundation of Sports And Games (founded in 2001) started by Indian sporting icons to identify and support Indian athletes with a proven track record and with a potential to win Olympic gold medals. 

     

    These athletes will be participating in the upcoming Commonwealth, World Championship, and Asian Games in 2014, the main goal being to help them win at the 2016 Rio Olympics. The funds will help with their training and equipment in preparation for their respective competitions.

  • Sony bets big with Big B’s ‘Yudh’

    Sony bets big with Big B’s ‘Yudh’

    NEW DELHI: After actor Anil Kapoor hit the small screen with the limited episode series  ‘24’, megastar Amitabh Bachchan is all set to launch himself as an actor on television with the series ‘Yudh’ commencing on Sony Entertainment Television (SET) next month.

     

    While ‘24’ on Colors was confined to just 24 episodes, Bachchan’s series will run for 20 episodes.

     

    Though the telecast schedule is not out yet, the series is expected to be aired at prime time from Monday to Thursday. Bachchan’s ‘Kaun Banega Crorepati’ is also slated to commence around the same time.

     

    ‘Yudh’ also stars senior actress Sarika along with Aahana Kumra, Pavail Gulati, Avinash Tiwari, Nawazuddin Siddique, Kay Kay Menon and Tigmanshu Dhulia among others.

     

    Bachchan revealed that he had approached the channel with the aim of doing a television series, after which he had been put in touch with Endemol. Though he had taken on Anurag Kashyap as the creative director, Shoojit Sircar also joined in as creative director. Bachchan’s Saraswati Creations is also a co-producer of the new show.

     

    The thespian said in reply to a question that the story of any film or TV series is of prime importance, followed by the director who is the captain. The actors were only puppets who followed the directives of the director.

     

    He denied that he was ever satisfied with what he had done or achieved. “Feeling satisfied is like ‘death’ for any creative artiste,” he said, adding it was erroneous to think that a senior actor did not need much preparation. “I take every performance as a new test,” added Bachchan.

     

    “Working on a TV series is a unique experience, compared to the big screen,” Bachchan said, revealing the first poster of the serial.

     

    “I would be prepared to work on television again if I get the right story and a good chance,” he added.

     

    The story revolves around a businessman who suffers from an incurable disease but does not want to reveal it to his family.

     

    Sarika, who has appeared on screen with Bachchan for the fourth time and the second time since her return to Bollywood said, “Working with him was always a novel experience as he helps the other artistes and puts them at ease.”

     

    “The series is different from the work I have done so far on the big screen,” she added.

     

    The series has been made like a movie on the small screen.  “It is like a film shown in episodes,” said Kashyap and Sircar.  “All the stereotypes that TV series have so far been associated with have been avoided,” informed Kashyap.

     

    MSM CEO N P Singh said that the marketing of the series will not be done through the normal route and there would be no hoardings. Apart from the promos on TV and use of social media like Facebook, there would be ground events in various cities where he expected Bachchan and other stars to be present.

     

    Informing about the on-ground activities, Singh said, “The next event is at the Bombay Stock Exchange.” When asked for the reason, he said the series has Bachchan as the head of a construction business empire with around 10,000 employees and “therefore it is appropriate to release the poster at the BSE.”

     

    Not revealing the exact marketing spent, Singh informed that 50 per cent of the total expenses reserved for the series were aimed to be spent after the completion of the entire shooting.

     

    “The expenditure on the series is the highest ever for a fiction show which is close to 200 times more than the normal expenses,” informed Singh.

     

    The series will be aired only after the entire shoot is complete. Singh said that while talks were on with sponsors and advertisers, “Cadbury has a special bond with Bachchan and is on board as title sponsor.” He admitted that the advertising tariff will be somewhat higher than the normal series as it demanded a premium rate as compared to other shows.

     

    MSM senior EVP and business head Nachiket Pantvaidya  informed that the entire shooting had taken five to six weeks during which 20 hours of filming was done.   

     

    He said that the series hoped to break new ground as far as advertisers were concerned as the channel was now being seen in more than 70 countries and could also be accessed on the app that came free.

  • Karan Johar to host; Lata Mangeshkar to sing at Dilip Kumar’s autobiography launch

    Karan Johar to host; Lata Mangeshkar to sing at Dilip Kumar’s autobiography launch

    MUMBAI: Bollywood thespian Dilip Kumar’s autobiography ‘Substance And The Shadow’ launch, which will be held on 9 June in Mumbai, will be a historic moment! What with the who’s who of the film industry coming together and being actively involved into it.

    Filmmaker Karan Johar will be the host of the mega book launch event! Lata Mangeshkar will light the inaugural lamp and begin the event by singing a few lines for Dilip Kumar followed by topnotch actors Amitabh Bachchan and Aamir Khan unveiling the autobiography, documented by Dilip Kumar’s close friend Udaya Tara Nayar (writer/author).

    While Big B will read a verse or a paragraph from the book, Aamir will recite a poem, written by Prasoon Joshi.

    Other close pals and industry veterans like Dharmendra will read a few lines on the thespian; Vyjayanthimala will speak a few words in honour of the legendary actor.

    Interestingly, Javed Ali and Shaan will perform a medley of Dilip Kumar’s evergreen hits, which has been composed by Lalit Pandit.

     

    That apart, an audio visual-3D mapping video on the entire journey of Dilip Kumar will also be played at the event.

    Shahrukh and Salman Khan might attend the launch event! Hema Malini, Madhuri Dixit, Tina and Anil Ambani, Kamal Haasan, Priyanka Chopra, Parineeti Chopra, Vidya Balan are also expected to grace the event!

  • Amitabh Bachchan and Aamir Khan to launch Dilip Kumar’s biography ‘Substance and Shadow’

    Amitabh Bachchan and Aamir Khan to launch Dilip Kumar’s biography ‘Substance and Shadow’

    MUMBAI: Come 9 June and the long wait for the biography of Bollywood thespian Dilip Kumar will be over! The biography ‘Substance and Shadow’, which was earlier scheduled to be released on his 91st birthday, is all set to be revealed now in Mumbai.

     

    The biography is written by author Uday Tara Nayar, who is also a close family friend of the Bollywood thespian.

     

    The book will be launched by Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan and perfectionist Aamir Khan in the presence of Dilip Kumar, Saira Banu Khan, Lata Mangeshkar and Uday Tara Nayar.

     

    The launch event is arranged, managed and executed by Samara Productions, Astrus Talent and Event Management and MOH Entertainment. Glamsham.com is the exclusive digital partner, Oye 104.8 FM is the radio partner while Zoom is the channel partner for red carpet coverage.

  • From reel to real: Actors piggy ride on populist parties

    From reel to real: Actors piggy ride on populist parties

    NEW DELHI: When megastar Amitabh Bachchan decided in the mid-eighties to wash his hands off politics (except on screen), one expected that very few from his fraternity would dare take the plunge.

     

    However, there were a few like Raj Babbar, Shatrughan Sinha and Sunil Dutt who entered politics. Perhaps the only notable entry from the Hindi cinema industry after that was Vinod Khanna, though several south Indian actors either joined the state or centre arena.

     

    The love between the two magnified as many political parties, particularly Bharatiya Janata Party and Trinamool Congress went all out to woo those from the reel world to the real world. Perhaps this exposure to politics and largely the anti-corruption wave that swept the country in the wake of Anna Hazare’s movement resulted in probably the largest number of film personalities entering the fray for the 2014 polls.

    The 16th Lok Sabha elections saw as many as 40 film personalities from different states, representing different parties campaigning, and many of them surprised all by coming out with flying (party) colours.

     

    But for the film industry, the constituencies that were worth watching were the ones where the members of the same fraternity pitted against each other.

     

    Of the most keenly watched battles was of Kirron Kher of the Bharatiya Janata Party and Aam Admi Party’s Gul Panag. Kher was shown black flags when she first went to Chandigarh, unlike Panag and yet, Kher came out with flying colours. She defeated a veteran like Pawan Kumar Bansal of the Congress, though many from her constituency said it was more a victory of the party than of the actor herself.  

     

    Similarly, Mumbai West saw item girl Rakhi Sawant who represented the Rashtriya Aam Party battling it out with Mahesh Manjrekar who represented the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) and ultimately emerged as the winner.

     

    The not-so-‘khamosh’ Shatrughan Sinha once again successfully represented the BJP from Patna Saheb in Bihar where he faced Bhojpuri actor Kunal Singh of the Congress.

    In Birbhum, actor Satabdi Roy of the Trinamool Congress successfully trounced actor Joy Banerjee of the BJP. Similarly, Singer Indranil Sen from TMC expectedly trounced Sidhanth Mahapatra of the Biju Janata Dal from Behrampur.

     

    For the BJP, versatile singer Bablu Supriya from Asansol, senior actor Hema Malini in Mathura despite initial criticism, Hindi and Bhojpuri actor Manoj Tiwari in North East Delhi, versatile actor Paresh Rawal from Ahmedabad East, and veteran Vinod Khanna from Gurdaspur emerged winners.

     

    Television actress Smiriti Irani from the high-profile constituency Amethi lost but with a considerably reduced margin, and others who lost included Nimu Bhowmik in Raiganj, George Baker representing Howrah and music maestro Bappi Lahiri from Serampore.

     

    For the Trinamool Congress, glamorous actor Moon Moon Sen in Bankura, reigning Bengali star Deb (Deepak Adhikari) in Ghatal, Sandhya Sen in Midnapore, actor Arpita Ghosh in Balurghat, and actor Tapas Paul in Krishnagar reached the finishing line ahead of the others, while actor Soumitra Roy from Malda North, and former Bollywood star Biswajit (Chatterjee) from New Delhi had to face defeat.

    The Congress had the largest number of star losers. They included Kannada heroine Ramya in Mandya, the high profile Raj Babbar in Ghaziabad, actor Aparajita Mohanty in Cuttack, veteran Oriya film actor Bijay Mohanty from Bhubaneswar, Hindi and Bhojpuri actor Ravi Kishan from Jaunpur, petite actress Nagma in Meerut, actor Jayasudha in Secunderabad, actor Vijaya Shanthi from Medak, and D Napoleon from Perambalur in Tamil Nadu who was a Minister in the outgoing government.

       
    The AAP faced a similar fate with TV actress Rina Rani who contested from Maharajganj and the actor-dancer Javed Jaffery (son of former comedy actor Jagdeep) from Lucknow being shown the door.

     

    Actor Innocent representing the Communist Party of India (Marxist) from Chalakkudy in Kerala emerged victor, while renowned award-winning director Prakash Jha representing the Janata Dal (United) from West Champaran in Bihar and former actor Jayaprada of Rashtriya Lok Dal from Bijnor had to face defeats.

     

    Actor Murali Mohan won from the Rajahmundry seat for the Telugu Desam Party. 

     
    At present, the Rajya Sabha has Javed Akhtar, Jaya Bachchan, Mithun Chakraborty, K Chiranjeevi, Rekha and producer T Subbarami Reddy as members. Smriti Irani who lost to Rahul Gandhi also continues to be member of the Rajya Sabha.

     

    One cannot ignore the fact that while Bollywood has generally not been very successful in north India, the southern film industry is rich with examples of film-politicians. Some of the popular names are S S Rajendran (SSR), M G Ramachandran, J Jayalalithaa , S Chandrasekar.

     

    It remains to be seen if the film personalities will rise above to serve the people or will add glamour to the lower house of Parliament.

  • ‘KBC 8’ to roll out in August

    ‘KBC 8’ to roll out in August

    MUMBAI: One of Sony Entertainment’s biggest property, knowledge-based show, Kaun Banega Crorepati (KBC) is back and hopefully with a spike in viewership this time! In season eight of the game show, Cadbury continues to be the title sponsor and is powered by Idea.

     

    KBC, the Indian adaptation of the original format, Who Wants To Be A Millionaire, catapulted Star Plus’s popularity and boosted Sony’s viewership once upon a time. In season seven, it completely surprised viewers with a new avatar in terms of format, level of audience engagement, prize money and so on, but did not go well as expected in terms of ratings.

     

    In order to gain more attraction this time, the channel has started to create buzz well in advance. Big Synergy director Anita Kaul Basu revealed that the show will go on-floors in July and on-air sometime in August. She further revealed that there will be a few changes in the format as well but that is all on ideation stage currently. “It is too early to talk on this. We have a lot of ideas as to how to go about it, but we haven’t given a nod to any,” said Basu.

     

    Basu who has given a new dimension to Indian television by producing KBC believes one needs to keep re-inventing to bring in the fresh perspective. Whether it is in terms of format or creative, with every season it has enthralled the audiences with its content.

     

    Hosted by inimitable host, Amitabh Bachchan, this season has kicked off with the line – “Iss manch se koi bhi khali haath nahi jaata”. Registrations for the same have already started from 5 May where questions are asked regularly on Sony at 9pm every night.

     

    Potential participants have to answer these correctly in order to have a chance to be on the hot seat. This season, aspiring contestants have access to two new platforms to reach the hot seat: They can download the KBC official app and register by sharing the correct answer, their age and gender.  Also registration is possible via sending an SMS to 5252525 with the correct answer along with necessary details.

     

     Idea users can register themselves simply by sending an SMS from their Idea mobile. Additionally, viewers can also opt for registration through BSNL landline phones or via Idea IVRS code. Alternatively, viewers can log on to kbcsony.com to register for their shot at the ‘Hot Seat’.

     

    In an earlier interaction, MSM CEO NP Singh had agreed to the fact that KBC needed some innovation with every season. “We have to continue to innovate and so we have brought several innovations in KBC. Though it was well received in the beginning, eventually it settled down at a lower number. But that doesn’t mean there is fatigue with the format of the show. We will do something more when we bring KBC the next time.”

     

    Sony SVP head- marketing Gaurav Seth believes that the show is a reflection of the hopes and aspirations of millions of people who are looking at transforming their lives. He said, “This year we are attempting to bring the show closer to our viewers by engaging various mediums through which they can enhance their chance to be on the much coveted hot seat. We are confident that once the season gets underway, it will strike a deep emotional chord with the entire country, like never before.”

  • Sony LIV gives multiple options to register for ‘Kaun Banega Crorepati’

    Sony LIV gives multiple options to register for ‘Kaun Banega Crorepati’

    MUMBAI: Amitabh Bachchan hosted KaunBanega Crorepati 2014 is back with a bigger and better package on Sony LIV. Multi-Screen Media (MSM)’s premium video-on-demand service, Sony LIV launches an integrated campaign with a focus to create awareness, drive registrations for the show and entice user interactions.

     
    Sony LIV makes the registration process seamlessby incorporating multiple avenues through which one can participate in the show. This season for the first time ever, aspiring contestants can register themselves for the game show via the free to download KBC Official Application or through the www.KBCSony.com website. One can download the KBC Official App and register by sharing the correct answer, their age and gender.
     

    Viewers can also catch up with episodes from earlier seasons of their favourite game show on the www.KBCSony.com website or play the KBC game on the KBC Official App.
     

    Registration is also possible via sending an SMS to 5252525 with the correct answer along with necessary details. Idea users can register themselves simply by sending an SMS from their Idea mobile. Additionally, viewers can also opt for registration through BSNL landline phones or via Idea IVRS code.

     
    Speaking on the campaign, Nitesh Kripalani, Executive Vice-President – New Media, Business Development and Digital/Syndication at Sony Entertainment Network said, “Kaun Banega Crorepati is undoubtedly one of the most loved game show on television today. To make the registration process easier and for reaching out to larger contestants on all digital media, this year we have enabled registration through the KBC Official App and www.KBCSony.com website, along with the regular mobile telephony method.”

     
    The KBC Official App is available in app stores – iTunes, Google Play and Windows.

  • Amitabh Bachchan starrer ‘Bhootnath Returns’ rakes in Rs 18.2 cr at the BO

    Amitabh Bachchan starrer ‘Bhootnath Returns’ rakes in Rs 18.2 cr at the BO

    MUMBAI: Bhootnath Returns, the sequel to the Amitabh Bachchan starrer Bhootnath (2008), opened to a weak response on Friday but consolidated a bit on Saturday and very well on Sunday to collect Rs 18.2 crore for its opening weekend. The film should sustain today as well because of Ambedkar Jayanti holiday and, in parts for Baisakhi as well.

     

    Main Tera Hero starring Varun Dhawan and Ileana D’Cruz is fair in its first week. The film has managed to collect Rs 36.2 crore.

     

    Youngistan has added Rs 72 lakh in its second week to take its two tally to Rs 5.97 crore. The figure just goes onto show that it is a very poor performer.

     

    Jal has collected about Rs50 lakh in its first week.

     

    Ragini MMS2 has added Rs 1.1 crore in its third week taking its three week total to Rs 46.85 crore.

     

    Queen continues its excellent run at the box office. The film has collected Rs 2.35 crore in its fifth week taking its five week total to Rs 56.45 crore.

  • Bhootnath Returns…….Ghost Samaritan

    Bhootnath Returns…….Ghost Samaritan

    MUMBAI: It has become a trend for a film to end with a threat of a sequel. Good or bad or outright disastrous, most films leave open the possibility. That is like hoping to build a high rise on a weak foundation since most of these films promising sequels are flops. In that event, what led to the sequel to Bhootnath which was rejected in cinemas though it did better on TV and DVD circuits? Whatever the inspiration, here goes:

    Bhootnath, Amitabh Bachchan, has been referred back to ghost land like a bounced cheque since he has failed to scare people on his first outing with earthlings. Ghosts laugh at him because of his failure to scare humans. Amitabh has eons before he can return to earth as a human and he feels belittled at this treatment by fellow ghosts. He asks the boss of ghost land to give him one more chance to go back and successfully scare people. After all, scaring living beings is what ghosts are supposed to do!I know as much about ghosts as ghosts know about me but this is what the film professes.

    Back on earth, Amitabh uses his ghostly powers to scare some kids playing cricket in a deserted place. The kids are not the kind to believe in ghosts, let alone be scared of one. He comes across a kid, Parth Bhalerao, who can see him and is not scared of him since he does not believe Amitabh to be a ghost; the kid is street smart.  A street smart kid led to Amitabh’s failure on his last trip on earth but, this time, the kid and the ghost both decide to use each others’ strengths.

    Producers: Bhushan Kumar, Krishan Chopra, Renu Ravi Chopra.

    Direction: Nitesh Tiwari.

    Cast: Amitabh Bachchan, Parth Bhalerao, Boman Irani, Usha Jadhav, Sanjay Mishra, Brijendra Kala, Usha Nadkarni.

    It seems the area where Partho lives, Dharavi, is the most neglected and deprived in Mumbai. Bhootnath decides to make his return to the earth at Dharavi, his bad luck! Soon Parth teaches the ghost the game of using each other. While Parth uses Amitabh to first help scare the convent school gang of cricket players and get into their league, Amitabh, in return, earns secrecy about his being and the fact that he is not all that scary a ghost. With a little help from Parth, Amitabh becomes a good neighbourly ghost helping people get their due justice. It is all fun so far but it is also time to introduce the villain.

    Boman Irani is an ex-local goon turned politician and has been ruling the area assembly seat for the last three terms. His is a reign of terror, corruption and exploitation. His voters abhor him but also vote for him. Nobody would contest an election against him and, finally, it is left to Amitabh to do it. The law is silent on weather a dead man can contest an election and his lawyer, Sanjay Mishra, asserts as such. So, it is an electoral fight between Amitabh and Boman. This is where the film loses its purpose and direction and, mainly, its target audience: the kids it is aimed at.

    The film entertains with its witty one liners delivered by Parth but, once the election issue is introduced, it becomes another film altogether. The light moments vanish and moralising lectures take their place, which is boring. On that count, the script loses its purpose. Direction is fair with quite a few liberties taken. There is no scope for songs except for sermonising kinds. Cinematography is good. Dialogue is well penned. The film has sourced a few of its actors from Marathi films. Parth is impressive. Usha Jadhav as his mother is very good. Amitabh Bachchan is his usual self, one who does not have to act to convey his part. Boman Irani goes a bit overboard at times. Sanjay Mishra and Brijendra Kala are good as always. Shah Rukh Khan and Ranbir Kapoor make brief cameos to no effect.

    On the whole, the problem with Bhootnath Returns is that it turns out to be a children’s film with an adult theme coming as it does in the multiplex era where waiting for a DVD works out more economical than sending kids to cinema halls (as has been proved by the performance of Bhootnath on this count).