Mumbai : In catastrophic times such as the one our world is going through currently, everyone from the Pope to the common man is in need of a prayer. Little wonder then that a universal prayer initiative by Cycle Pure Agarbathi to #PrayForEveryone, has gone viral on social media platforms.
With this short video, the brand is urging people to join hands together in this global pandemic and pray for the wellbeing of all beings. Amitabh Bachchan, Saurav Ganguly, Ramesh Aravind along with various other notable celebrities from cinema and sports have come forward and extended their support to Cycle’s this initiative.
While Covid-19 has created havoc around the world and panic is the prevailing sentiment, people are seeking solace and hope in prayers. This short film is doing rounds for its #PrayForEveryone appeal.
The video has received over seven million views on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube collectively in a week’s time. The video has also been shared by over xx people on various social media platforms including WhatsApp.
“Our intention was to spread hope and positivity, with a simple, universal prayer. At Cycle, we believe in the healing power of collective prayer and its ability to provide well-being. For this, we chose the timeless prayer ‘Sarve Bhavantu Sukinah’ meaning, ‘May all beings be happy’. The fact that the film has gone viral is proof that today everyone is praying for everyone. Everyone has a reason to pray. We pray this pandemic passes soon,” said Cycle Pure Agarbatti MD Arjun Ranga.
A sure indicator of the universal appeal of the video is that many people from different walks of life have come together and extended their support to the video by sharing it rapidly. While Cycle Pure Agarbathi has been actively working at the on-ground level to help Covid patients and aid the medical requirements, the video is to reinstate the hope and spread positivity among the people of India during these difficult times.
NEW DELHI: At a time when the nation is reeling under the pall of the Covid2019 pandemic, TV audiences have been offered a ray of hope with the announcement of a new season of Kaun Banega Crorepati. The game show is one of the most popular programmes ever broadcasted on Indian television. One reason for the show’s enduring appeal is superstar Amitabh Bachchan’s warm and engaging anchorship. Now, Big B is all set to return as host of 13th season of KBC.
The makers of the show, Sony TV Entertainment broke the news by posting a teaser on their Instagram page. In the video, Amitabh Bachchan can be seen in his full swag, as he informs us that registrations for KBC will begin on 10 May. He also shares that he and the hot seat are waiting for people, and that they too should gear up for the show now.
It was in 2000 that Kaun Banega Crorepati had its pilot season with Amitabh Bachchan in the role of the host. The third season of the show was presented by Shah Rukh Khan, while the remaining 11 seasons were hosted by Bachchan.
During the filming of the 12th season of KBC, Amitabh Bachchan was diagnosed with Covid. After recovering, Bachchan completed the shoot while adhering to all safety protocols.
MUMBAI: Dr. Fixit has launched a new TVC featuring actor Amitabh Bachchan, which aims at educating consumers about the importance of complete waterproofing in the construction of a new house.
With the launch of this new ad, Bachchan carries on in the humorous yet witty vein that have made Dr. Fixit campaigns so popular with the public.
The latest Dr. Fixit campaign addresses the misunderstood belief that often makes people use only Dr. Fixit LW+ leading to incomplete water-proofing of their new homes. It underlines the importance of using LW+ along with Dr. Fixit URP for the most effective and complete waterproofing solution. The TVC underscores this point when Bachchan uses cricket analogy to say, “Like you cannot play cricket without the jodi of bat and ball, similarly you cannot do complete water-proofing without the jodi of Dr. Fixit LW+ and URP.” He further urges consumers to mix Dr. Fixit LW+ with cement and put a Dr.Fixit URP coating on the roof for a lasting and immaculate waterproofing.
Since consumers tend to reach out to dealers and contractors for their waterproofing proofing problems, thus, along with the TVC, Dr.Fixit is undertaking two big initiatives such as the Dukandaar se Salaahkar initiative for dealers, wherein dealers become waterproofing consultants for consumers; a unique QR code for each dealer will guide consumer to easy to understand water-proofing information delivered via Whatsapp in 11 Indian languages.
Atmanirbhar Contractor provides technical product information, application videos etc via a WhatsApp chatbot to contractors for various water-proofing situations on sites.
Vivek Sharma, chief marketing officer, Pidilite Industries said, “Proper and complete water-proofing remains a vexing issue in Indian homes. Through this campaign, Dr. Fixit continues to educate consumers about the need to do complete waterproofing and makes it more accessible to consumers, contractors and dealers alike in easy ways across all touch-points.”
MUMBAI: The upcoming week on Kaun Banega Crorepati (KBC) will welcome some of the brightest young minds from across the country, as they channelize their power of knowledge on the hot seat. It comes at a time when live online learning emerged as a key leveler of knowledge in these unprecedented times and helped kids continue learning engagingly. This students special week on KBC will see kids between the age group of 10-16 years take the hot seat by a storm! Will the audience get to witness a young crorepati?
Facilitating this students special week, Vedantu, a popular Live online learning platform, conducted V Quiz- a live host quiz on its platform. Students who participated in this quiz, played consistently and maintained top scores, qualified to be featured on KBC. With a high level of participation and engagement, Vedantu witnessed a twofold increase in its daily active users and nearly five times increase in daily V quiz attendees. From amongst the ones who qualified, 8 students will be seen contesting for the hot seat and playing Kaun Banega Crorepati with Amitabh Bachchan!
As a platform, KBC has gone beyond its capacity as a show year after year, putting the common man at the forefront and celebrating human virtues of self-belief, patience, perseverance, courage, confidence, optimism and intelligence. This season has been no different with people from various walks of life who considered setbacks as a stepping stone for a greater comeback and won Big! In this season, KBC has witnessed three crorepatis already.
Tune in to watch the students special week on Kaun Banega Crorepati from 14 to 17 December at 9:00pm only on Sony Entertainment Television
National, 09 December, 2020: With a mission to raise awareness surrounding mental wellness in the country, Mpower’s #SunoDekhoKaho campaign has successfully garnered over 31.3 Mn impressions across all digital media platforms, since its launch earlier last month. As a part of the campaign, a conversational video between Mrs. Neerja Birla, Founder and Chairperson, Mpower, and Bollywood Icon Shri Amitabh Bachchan, was released on Mpower’s YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram pages on 5th November. Since then, the campaign has seen Indians across the spectrum speak up about mental health and lend their support to this movement.
Further adding to its impact, the #SunoDekhoKaho campaign was endorsed by top celebrities like Hrithik Roshan, Farhan Akhtar, Swara Bhaskar, Kubbra Sait, Tisca Chopra and Malini Agarwal who spoke about paying attention to, and noticing behavioral changes among our loved ones. These well-known Bollywood faces voiced their opinions and amplified the campaign’s reach and termed the conversation as crucial and insightful.
In the freewheeling conversational video, the two leaders Mrs. Birla and Mr. Bachchan touched upon the harsh realities of mental health, the challenges people face because of it, and steps society can take to handle the situation with compassion. Over the course of the conversation, the two also delved into the meaning behind #SunoDekhoKaho – ‘Suno’- someone who can lend an ear to someone who needs it, ‘Dekho’ – lookout for symptoms of illness and suffering individuals and ‘Kaho’ – help somebody, and spread the word and build awareness about mental health.
Speaking about the success of the campaign, Mrs. Neerja Birla, Founder & Chairperson, Mpower, said, “When we conceptualised the campaign, our endeavour was to destigmatise mental illness, and encourage people to open about their problems. Having a stalwart such as Mr. Bachchan join hands in our mission lent a powerful voice to the campaign, and enabled us to create a massive impact. I would like to thank all the media outlets who have sensitized the citizens about the campaign and each individual who has helped spread the word in his/her network. In just under a month, we have been able to cross 31.3 million impressions across Digital media, and I’m sure as we continue to create awareness about mental wellness, we will be able to reach a wider population in the country.”
The #SunoDekhoKaho campaign is aimed at encouraging people to listen, be watchful, and speak up to seek help. Mpower will provide support for all those in need and help them tackle mental health concerns.
NEW DELHI: Home essentials manufacturer Cello Group has roped in legendary actor Amitabh Bachchan as its brand ambassador. The brand’s objective with the partnership is to enhance and build consumer connect across different markets, and to strengthen its market presence.
The actor will be seen endorsing the brand's extensive catalogue of products across social media platforms. Big B will be part of different digital campaigns to showcase Cello’s commitment to improving people’s lives through the best affordable goods in various categories.
The association with Bachchan, a popular icon of the Indian film industry, and Cello’s concerted digital media strategy is aimed at gaining traction with young millennials while also staying true to its existing customer base.
Cello Group director Gaurav Rathod described the new partnership a “winning combination” that will help the brand connect better with consumers cutting across demographics. “There is no other brand ambassador who has appeal across different age groups, everybody can relate to the persona of Amitabh Bachchan. The central idea is to highlight the importance of using credible, reliable, and durable products,” he added.
Cello, a common name in Indian households, is one of the leading processors of household consumer goods and supplies its wide range of products to retail stores across the country. It manufactures home appliances, glassware, plastic and steel houseware, air coolers, cleaning products and furniture. The company recently re-entered the stationery segment, five years after it sold its Cello Pens business to France’s BIC group.
MUMBAI: The Covid2019 pandemic has disrupted projects and thrown well-crafted schedules out the window. But the team of Kaun Banega Crorepati (KBC) is ready to bounce back with the same enthusiasm and with double the precautions in place.
In adherence to strict social distancing norms, its sets have undergone a complete overhaul. While the core of the programme remains the same, the latest edition comes with a few modificationsin keeping with the times.
One such change is that for the first time in 20 years, KBC will not host in-studio audiences as per government-mandated safety guidelines and protocols in response to Covid2019. The in-studio audience played a huge role as a lifeline – the audience poll helped contestants on the hotseat advance in the game. To replace this lifeline, video-a-friend has been introduced.
KBC showrunner and creative producer Sujata Sanghamitra said: “The country is looking at each other through screens now; hence this new lifeline. The other three lifelines– 50:50, ask the expert and flip the question – will remain.”
According to Sanghmitra, the makers had to rework several rules and figure out logistics to ensure that social distancing is maintained.
“The number of fastest finger first contestants competing for the hot seat has been reduced from the usual ten to eight. The designs of the hot seat and the contestants’ chair have also changed, there's more of a gap now,” she elaborated.
Soon after recovering from Covid2019 and the mandatory rest period thereafter, actor and host Amitabh Bachchan made himself available for shoots in August. One of the main highlights of KBC has been the camaraderie between Bachchan and the participants. They normally engage in banter, and sometimes contestants ask the legendary actor for a hug or an autograph. Instead of his signature warm handshake to welcome contenders, Bachchan will this year greet them with an ‘elbow bump’.
Going digital
One of the first steps towards putting the show on the floors was to make its selection process completely digital. Everything from registration, examination to the final interview and general knowledge test was done online.
Honoured to be a part of this amazing show KBC.. for the past 20 years .. https://t.co/IPgLZAPUew
As for the video clips giving an insight into the lives of the participants, they were shot by the participants themselves, with help from KBC’s reality team. The team remotely coordinated with the contestants to shoot the back stories.
Social distancing on the set
In a video, Sony Pictures Networks India (SPN) KBC’s technical director Arun Sheshkumar said that in order to meet social distancing norms, the show has cut down its key crew of 300 to 175.
“Since the audience is not part of the process, the entire backend team, which is there for the audience, has been put on stand-by,” Sheskumar explained. With the crew members’ health and safety in mind, glass partitions have been set up to separate them, he added.
Now, the KBC set in Film City also has a bigger control room with a glass wall in between. Usually chaotic and packed with crew moving in and out, it will now have strict restrictions. The cafeteria too has a glass partition on every table and the team makes sure not to crowd any place at any given time.
Prior to the pandemic, the set usually had two entry-exit points. These have now been increased to multiple entrances and exits.
KBC is one marquee show for Sony, audiences, and the industry which everyone looks forward to each year. The entire unit hopes it will be an exemplary one and will set the standard for how productions can be successfully and safely done.
(KBC12 started airing from 28 September. It is one of the first reality shows to return to the small screen amidst Covid2019.)
Excerpt: The only big banner Marathi film to go on floors after the pandemic is Akshay Bardapurkar and Piiyush Singh’s Chandramukhi.
After massive success on OTT of Amitabh Bachchan starrer AB Aani CD; filmmaker Akshay Bardapurkar teams up with Piiyush Singh for the third time in a row. Writer Vishwas Patil's novel Chandramukhi is being adapted for the silver screen and this mammoth of a film project will go on the floors in November 2020. This will be one of the first big banner Marathi films to go on floors since the pandemic. The bestseller novel Chandramukhi by Vishwas Patil unravels the story of a beautiful Lavani dancer who is set out on an unconventional journey. The worlds of Tamasha and Politics unite with Chandramukhi.
Prasad Oak, the director of the National Award-winning film Kaccha Limbu will be directing this film. Perfectionist screenplay writer Chinmay Mandlekar and cinematographer Sanjay Memane will join Prasad once again after the massive success of Hirkani. While we are sure that the audience is in for a treat to the eyes, the film also promises to be a musical treat. The talented singers of the Marathi industry who have given their legendary voice and music to the best of Marathi and Hindi films, prodigy singer duo Ajay- Atul, have composed a promising blend of hard-hitting music with lively lavani scores. This film has been produced under the banner of Planet Marathi and Golden Ratio Films by Akshay Bardapurkar and Piiyush Singh.
After making its mark in several Hindi, Tamil, and International film projects, Golden Ratio Films stepped foot in the Marathi film industry with a great hit like the Amitabh Bachchan starrer AB Aani CD. Now, after producing Goshta Eka Paithanichi, the COO of Golden Ratio films, Piiyush Singh is drawn towards creating more Marathi films. He recognizes the immense potential the regional filmmakers have demonstrated. Chandramukhi is one of his passion projects. While talking about the film, Piiyush says, “The audience is sensitive, now more than ever, to meaningful content. We have all hands on deck and a great team on board to take this film to greater heights. We thrive to entertain our audience with content that brings meaning along with entertainment. Although we cannot talk much about the cast and the storyline at this point, we are certain that the audience will love this film.”
Talking about this larger than life project, ecstatic Akshay commented, “Chandramukhi is a perfect example of a content-driven piece that will move the audience. The film explores the realities of a spellbinding woman who finds herself on an unconventional path. We are excited to tell this story, at the same time, this is a huge responsibility to retain the authenticity of the bestseller by Vishwas Patil. We have a blend of talented filmmakers, musicians, and artists who are known for their craft. This film has a promise to take Marathi cinema to newer heights. Being the only big banner Marathi film to go on floors after the pandemic started, Chandramukhi has stirred a lot of excitement in the Marathi movie fans. The shoot begins in November 2020."
Right before the start of the unfortunate pandemic, in January 2020, the makers released the official poster of the film. The face of the lead protagonist is not yet unveiled. Even the filmmakers are tight-lipped about their cast. This nerve-racking excitement, to know who will be the face of Chandramukhi, has pushed the audience on the edge of their seat. The film certainly promises drama, politics, beauty, music, and dance with all the right blockbuster elements. Planet Marathi and Golden Ratio Films have also roped in the big guns of talent on board. What more does a film need to hook their fans with the excitement of the release?
MUMBAI: Celebrating two decades of unparalleled success and popularity, Kaun Banega Crorepati not only emerged as a game-changer for the Indian television industry but also instilled a larger focus on the power of knowledge being a great leveler. In its twelfth season, the show makes a comeback with a two-fold messaging which conveys not just the bigger and better return of the show amidst a pandemic, but also a motivational nudge for participants and viewers to consider setbacks as a stepping stone for a greater comeback. Produced by StudioNEXT, and hosted by the superstar, Amitabh Bachchan, the game show will premiere on 28 September and will air every Monday to Friday at 9:00 pm only on Sony Entertainment Television.
A thunderous response during the first-ever digital audition for KBC season 12, underlined the raging fire of hope, dreams and aspirations within people from all nooks and corners of the country. As a platform, KBC has gone beyond its capacity as a show year after year, putting the common man at the forefront and celebrating human virtues of self-belief, patience, perseverance, courage, confidence, optimism and intelligence.
The season 12 of KBC is co-powered by Vedantu and Tata Salt. The associate sponsors are IDFC FIRST Bank, LIC, Asian Paints, Ultratech Cement, QuickHeal, Sensodyne and Nissan. Reserve Bank Of India is the special partner on the show.
While the core of the show remains the same, KBC season 12 comes with a few changes relevant to the current times. For starters, for the very first time in 20 years, KBC will not host in-studio audience keeping in line with the government-mandated safety guidelines and protocols in response to Covid2019. The in-studio audience played a huge role as a lifeline – audience poll in helping the contestants on the hotseat move ahead in the game. This year, the audience poll will be replaced by the lifeline video-a-Friend. The other three lifelines remain the same – 50:50, ask the expert, and flip the question. The number of fastest finger first contestants who will compete to be on the hot seat per week has been reduced from the usual ten to eight.
With KBC Play Along on Sony LIV, viewers can enjoy the thrill of the gameshow by participating and matching their power of knowledge with the contestants on the hot seat simultaneously, starting 28 September.
Sony Entertainment Television and digital business content head Ashish Golwalkar said, "Reinvention, they say, is the key to success. And thus, we began the preparation of the season 12 of Kaun Banega Crorepati, a show that has been nurtured as a brand over its 20-year history in India. Considering the current times, the interest in participation through digital registrations has been very encouraging this year. And the numbers showcase that people are readily embracing the 'new normal' brought on by the pandemic. This year's theme, 'Jo Bhi Ho Setback Ka Jawab Comeback Se Do', reflects in the real-life stories and experiences that contestants will be seen sharing on the show, thereby serving as inspiring examples for the millions of viewers."
StudioNEXT head Indranil Chakraborty said, "For season 12 of KBC we have consciously looked at re-engineering the set so that the distancing norms are met while the impact of this property is retained. Due to no studio audience, we have changed the lifeline audience poll to a video-a-friend. Having said that, we are certain that Amitabh Bachchan's charisma and the interesting on-screen and off-screen journeys of contestants, will keep the audiences engrossed. The show continues to be iconic in many ways and is sure to raise the bar this season as well."
KBC – season 12 consultant Siddhartha Basu said, "KBC turns 20 in 2020, and with all the challenges of this tough year, looks to come back as strong as ever, reviving the much-loved magic of the khaas khel with the aam aadmi and the adwitiya host. While adapting to the realities of today, the show still packs a punch, reaching out to both the mind and the heart, touching lives in a very real way. Viewers can also look forward to playing along with the contestants, as they watch, with richer pickings than ever before."
MUMBAI: It was in 1999 when Zee TV and Sony TV led the charts with shows like Amanat, Hasratein and Ek Mahal Ho Sapno Ka, while Star India was struggling to keep up with its counterparts, especially in the prime time slot of 9 pm to 10 pm. Star India had highly appreciated shows but it didn’t get them the expected ratings.
With a sheer hope to turn around Star TV’s brand image and positioning, the then Star India CEO Peter Mukherjea and programming head Sameer Nair. Steve Askew and Nair’s boss in Hong Kong, came across a popular show Who Wants to Be a Millionaire in UK and Australia. Nair is currently the CEO of Applause Entertainment.
Later, in July 1999 Askew showed a snippet of the show to Nair. Initially, Nair was hesitant about the format of the show, he asked Askew to buy the rights for Who Wants to Be A Millionaire from ECM. He started looking for someone to create a similar show in India.
Nair zeroed in on Siddhartha Basu, a quiz master, who had earlier worked with Star Plus for current affairs show with journalist Vir Sanghvi called A Question of Answers.
Under Nair’s guidance, the channel brought, Kaun Banega Crorepati a reality show that has changed the destiny of three brands – Star TV, Amitabh Bachchan, and Samir Nair. On 3 July 2000 KBC went on air it was also the year Indian television changed.
Today, the shooting for the twelfth season of quiz show Kaun Banega Crorepati is in process. Host Amitabh Bachchan, who has been a part of the quiz show since 2000, shared glimpses of the first day of the shoot on social media and also celebrated 20 years of Kaun Banega Crorepati in his own style. "20 saal, 12 parv, KBC: Kaun Banega Crorepati, arambh! (20 years, 12 festival, KBC: Kaun Banega Crorepati, begin!)"he tweeted.
Let us have a look at the KBC campaigns over the last 20 years.
Nau Baj Gaye Kya?
In 2000, Star Plus launched KBC with its campaign ‘Nau Baj Gaye Kya?’ It was also the first time when megastar Bachchan appeared on a small screen. The campaign spoke about giving chance to viewers to win the prize money, worth Rs 1 crore. KBC not only changed the destiny of the reality shows on television, but also helped Bachchan and Star Plus regain their lost glory.
Umeed Se Dugna
After a hiatus of 5 years, KBC was launched in 2005 and this time the prize money was doubled to Rs 2 crore. To promote the new season and create a buzz in the market Star Plus came up with a rap campaign named Umeed Se Dugna. The season, however, ended abruptly with Bachchan falling ill.
Kuch Sawaal Zindagi Badal Sakte Hain
In 2006, when Bachchan fell ill, the channel had roped in Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan to host season 3 of KBC. The campaign highlighted that some questions can change the life. However, the change of host didn’t go well with the audiences and ratings started to go down. This time KBC decided to take three years gap.
Koi Bhi Sawaal Chota Nahi Hota
With the new season falling flat, and the show witnessed considerable dip in ratings. Star Network denied reviewing the rights. It was around this time, that KBC moved to Sony Entertainment.
The’ campaign titled ‘Koi Bhi Sawaal Chota Nahi Hota’ was directed and produced by Chrome Pictures. This was also the season where a whopping prize money of Rs 5 crore was introduced. This year was crucial for Sony Network as the rival network Viacom18’s Hindi General Entertainment Channel (GEC) Colors has acquired the rights to Bigg Boss which was earlier aired on Sony TV with Arshad Warsi as a host.
Koi Bhi Insaan Chota Nahi Hota
In 2011, KBC launched their brand new campaign ‘Koi Bhi Insaan Chota Nahi Hota’ which highlighted the importance of never underestimating anyone and their talent.
Dusra Mauka
In the sixth season KBC incorporated cause-advertising in its promotion. It focused on deep-rooted issues like girl child, dalits and more. The campaign was conceptualised by Leo Burnett. Amitabh Bachchan explained the power of knowledge, by reciting a verse ‘Gyaan Hi Aapko aapka Haq Dilate hain’.
Seekhna Bandh to Jeetna Bandh
In 2013, KBC with its campaign titled ‘Seekhna Bandh to Jeetna Bandh’ pointing out the importance of learning, because the moment you stop learning, your progress comes to a grinding halt. This year the price money was hiked up to Rs 7 crore.
Yahan Sirf Paise Nahi Dil Bhi Jeete Jaate
In 2014 KBC released a campaign titled ‘Yahan Sirf Paise Nahi Dil Bhi Jeete Jaate’, it became an instant hit among the audiences. It showcased the sensitive issues like Hindu-Muslim animosity and discrimination of north East people in India.
Jawaab Dene ka Waqt aa Gaya Hai
In its ninth season, Sony Network had discontinued its long-standing association with Leo Burnett. This time the campaign was conceptualised, directed, and written by Dangal movie director Nitesh Tiwari, Nikhil Mehrotra. The campaign dealt with a slice of life situations.
Kab Tak Rokoge
Continuing with their partnership with Nitesh Tiwari and Nikhil Mehrotra ahead, the campaign titled ‘Kab Tak Rokoge’ focused on the spirit of resilience.
Vishwaas Hai toh Khade Raho…Adey Raho
Released in 2019, the campaign Vishwaas Hai toh Khade Raho…Adey Raho again conceptualised by Nitesh Tiwari, had humour in it. It narrated the story of a youth who breaks the shackles of societal norms and succeeds in life.
Jo Bhi Ho, Setback Ka Jawaab Comeback Se Do.
The twelfth season of Kaun Banega Crorepati (KBC) gears up for the most celebrated comeback with the thought – Jo Bhi Ho, Setback Ka Jawaab Comeback Se Do.
