ITV

Tag: Amitabh Bachchan

  • KBC 12 and the sponsorship puzzle

    KBC 12 and the sponsorship puzzle

    MUMBAI: Sony TV’s Kaun Banega Crorepati is one show which has stood the test of time. In its twentieth season in India, the game show is still popular and appreciated by people of all ages. KBC has always been synonymous with knowledge; it is a platform where contestants’ brains have got them big winnings year-on-year. And, of course there is the iconic host of the show upon whom India dotes, the thespian Amitabh Bachchan. SET has already released the promo for this year.

    However, this year, KBC is going to be different. To start with, the contestant selection process has gone digital owing to the SARS-CoV-2 outbreak in the country. Interestingly, SET shared the first glimpse of the KBC’s newly constructed set where the shoot starts from today. It has been reported that there will no audiences during the shoot, but only one member with the participant will be allowed to be present in the seating area.

    The broadcaster has already signed two premium co-presenting partners for the game show – Tata Salt and Vedantu. The race for lining up other sponsors is on; however no new names have been released by the broadcasting team, until the filing of this report.

    Media planners and buyers opine that Sony is currently charging Rs four lakh for a 10-second spot, which would be aired on the standard definition and high definition feeds. The industry view – in the best case scenario – is that KBC being a flagship property, will see those rates holding and, in the worst case, getting shaved by five to 10 per cent on the upper side.

    “All big properties have opened at similar to last year’s rates,” says Shripad Kulkarni & Associates principal Shripad Kulkarni. “Nobody is expecting overall ad spends to be more than 80 per cent of the last festive season. Moreover, IPL will suck away a big chunk of the budget, so all the big properties are staring at a 15-20 per cent lower yield. Other television genres would see a bigger hit in net yields,” mentions Kulkarni.

    Media Ant founder Samir Chaudhary also echoes a similar sentiment and suggests that the rate card for KBC is similar to what it was last year. “In the usual scenario the channel would have booked 80 per cent of the inventory in advance and only 10 percent would be left for spot selling. The situation has changed now due to festivities and the IPL. Since all of these are getting bunched up in terms of timing, the spends will get distributed,” he avers.

    Chauudhary adds that the network does not have too much time before the show comes on air, so it might have to do both sponsorship and spot sales simultaneously, unlike prior years when it first got the sponsors in and then sold FCT at a premium.

    KBC has always been a premium property that has attracted brands from across the categories. In 2019, Vivo V11 pro and Mahindra Marazzo were the co-powered sponsors along with additional associate sponsors. The game show has the ability to cut across all ages and the brand equity of the legendary actor Bachchan has helped it make a grand success over the years.

    Havas Media buying national head R. Venkatasubramanian believes that KBC will finally get support from advertisers and sponsors even though that looks like a challenging task currently. Says he: “This is a high investment property and clients will choose a vehicle on which they are getting ROI and KBC does offer that.”

    According to ex- Madison Media chief operating officer Anita Bose, as agencies and clients are not meeting, one can see a big difference between closing a deal face to face versus doing it online. She notes that even if KBC is a successful property with a great track record, clients are not willing to spend that kind of money that’s being asked. It is one of the reasons why KBC got postponed, she shares, adding “starting a reality show will be challenging because of the pandemic, the client portfolio will also be different now. They are being very cautious.”

    The pessimists and naysayers are of the view that due to the fact that cases of Covid2019 are continuing to rise and the IPL is coinciding with the festive season, television is not finding the going easy. Their view is that IPL may end up eating 40 per cent of viewership, which could lead to a drop in GEC viewership, with the movie and news genres continuing to hold strong. Red lights may start blinking for the entire TV sector if the festive season doesn’t live up to its promise and expectation, setting TV channels back for the rest of the year.

    Bose further reveals that due to the economic slowdown, clients are hesitant to spend. As far as discounts or incentive plans are concerned, she thinks there will be no cash price offs from channels. “I think there will be other value offers which will make sense to clients. The channel will not reduce the price, as it is a matter of prestige but what makers can do is to give more value addition on the network and that is how the selling will happen. Also, depending upon the client’s requirement they can tailor it accordingly.”

    She adds that since KBC is a format which follows the original, there are lots of dos and don’ts which advertisers have to adhere to, unlike other shows where the flexibility is more.

    Venkatasubramanian highlights that the show will also get support from mobile, consumer durables, automobiles, and tyre categories that are more than willing to pick up a slot on the 12-strong KBC sponsor rack. He believes that “ecommerce brands will probably go in for spot buy deals with edtuech companies stepping on to the podium.”

    We can only wait and watch and see if his predictions will come true.

  • The Muthoot Group goes bullish on OOH for ‘Gold Loan is Good’ campaign

    The Muthoot Group goes bullish on OOH for ‘Gold Loan is Good’ campaign

    NEW DELHI: The economy has been hit by Covid2019 due to which not only has spending declined but the loan market also took a hit. Banking on this, The Muthoot Group’s recent campaign ‘Gold Loan is Good’, featuring Amitabh Bachchan, looks at chasing away apprehensions associated with gold loans and encouraging more people to make use of the gold stored in their homes. Surprisingly, it is one of the few brands that chose to focus on OOH.

    The Muthoot Group’s general manager- marketing and strategy, Abhinav Iyer says that the primary objective of launching this campaign was to increase the overall gold loan category. “There is over 26,000 tons of gold with Indian households and less than two to three per cent of this is monetised. Hence, there is a huge market opportunity that remains untapped. Secondly, the objective is to dispel the various misplaced apprehensions associated with gold loans that often come to the minds of first-time gold loan takers and finally, but most significantly, to project gold loans as a 'Good Smart Option, as against being the Last Option' for seeking financial credit.” 

    It is live on television, digital, print, OOH, transit media and select forms of BTL promotions. However, Muthoot Finance went big on OOH though people are mostly still indoors.  Executed by Brandscope throughout India, the hoardings are visible across 50 cities on more than 200 sites.

    “If you look at it in silos, outdoor may come across as an outlier. It is important to see our OOH investment in conjunction with our overall media mix. Our OOH investment is part of our larger integrated marketing campaign for Gold Loan is Good. It is one of the five to six mediums handpicked to launch our new advocacy-based communication. In actual terms, the investment is substantial considering current times, but from a percentage share to overall media investment perspective; it is modest. Having said that, our digital investments, too, have grown notably post-Covid2019 to cater to the rising digital media consumption trends,” says Iyer.

    “Besides traditional OOH, we have also included a few DOOH sites and some interesting innovations. Outdoor is a great recall medium and with phased unlocking measures, people have started stepping out and since we received some great deals, we chose to leverage this medium as well, to the maximum possible extent,” he adds.  

    The company has also launched a mega radio campaign called ‘Muthoot Finance Sunheri Soch’ exclusively on Red FM. Sunheri Soch is a series of inspiring, real-life stories of courage, hope and positivity. Narrated by Bachchan, these are stories of common men and women who took a gold loan from Muthoot to achieve their dreams and progressed in life. An especially made Sunheri Soch anthem has also been launched with Bachchan and RedFM’s top RJs saluting the courage of successful people who have achieved their dreams in highly challenging circumstances.

    Iyer claims that since the time of the pandemic a number of financial services players have shifted their focus to gold loans. “Overall, the media landscape is certainly under stress but we have great partners who stitched some good deals thereby helping us get maximum value for our investments,” he shares.

  • ‘Who wants to be a Millionaire’ host Regis Philbin passes on at the age of 88

    ‘Who wants to be a Millionaire’ host Regis Philbin passes on at the age of 88

    MUMBAI: Life is strange and ironical. Even as Amitabh Bachchan, the Indian superstar and host of Kaun Banega Crorepati (the Indian adaptation of Who Wants to be a Millionaire), is fighting the SARS Cov2 virus in a Mumbai hospital, Regis Philbin, the host for many years of the American original, passed away on late Friday night in the US. He was all of 88.

    For those who don’t know, Philbin was associated with television for nearly six decades. His was a struggle to rise to the pinnacles that he finally did. In the beginning, he was a stagehand or spot boy as they are called in India. He then moved on to become a news writer-cum-sportscaster for some years in the sixties, hosted his own show on local television, moved onto acting,  then became part of comic Joey Bishop’s entourage before getting the full limelight later in his life.

    It was in 1988 that he burst out on the national scene on ABC with the talk show Live! With Regis and Kathie Lee that followed The Morning Show which he hosted alone between 19833 and 1988. His partnership with Kathie Lee Gifford ran for 12 years until 2000 when he once again got his own routine Live with Regis between 2000 and 2001. After that followed a decade of a jointly presenting with Kelly Ripa until 2011.

    In 1999, he was called to additionally host Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, which became a major hit in the US, drawing an audience of 30 million – a record for a game show. He hosted it until 2002, when it started seeing a drop in viewership and ratings, coming back for specials later over the next 10 years. Bachchan had met the host of the UK original Chris Tarrant on taking up the assignment and had watched Regis in 2000 when Star India acquired the rights to remake it in India. In fact, Bachchan was also a guest on the Regis Philbin Morning Show when he was on a concert tour in the US.

    In between his television assignments, Philbin acted in more than 25 films.

    Philbin was known to ad-lib, write his own material throughout his career. He had a particular sense of humour which worked well with baby boomers in America.

    Industry showered him with awards galore: he was the recipient of daytime Emmys for Live! With Regis and Who Wants to Be a Millionaire in 2001. A lifetime achievement award followed in 2008 and then he got another Emmy for Live! With Regis and Kelly in 2011. For his contribution to television, he got inducted into the Television Hall of Fame in 2006.

  • Cinemas stare at empty halls, slow recovery post Covid2019

    Cinemas stare at empty halls, slow recovery post Covid2019

    NEW DELHI: The movie industry has found itself cornered for the first time in history. Cinema halls stayed shuttered since March and it might take a while for the footfall to get back to normal. Meanwhile, business revenue has come to a grinding halt and producers are keen on releasing films on OTT platforms.

    Amitabh Bachchan and Ayushmann Khurrana's Gulabo Sitabo, Vidya Balan's Shakuntala Devi are premiering on Amazon Prime Video whereas Anurag Kashyap's movie, Choked: Paisa Bolta Hai has released on Netflix. Even regional players are releasing their content on digital platforms.

    Until now, movies usually arrive on video streaming platforms only after running in cinemas for a few weeks. As per media reports, around 10,000 single-screen and 3000 multiplexes are closed and this shutdown is estimated to cost the Indian film industry Rs 984 crore in box office revenue.

    As multiplex revenues have become null and producers are switching to video streaming platforms as an alternative option, the theatre industry is anxious about how to deal with the dire situation.

    INOX Leisure Ltd CEO Alok Tandon says, “In these times of an unparalleled crisis, we want the entire ecosystem to show solidarity. We have also urged the producers and studios to wait for the theatres to resume operations and follow the globally prevalent cinematic windowing pattern as it has done wonders in terms of revenues for all the stakeholders, and allows the creators an opportunity to extract the best from all available mediums.”

    He also shares, “The theatrical run has its own significance in the cinematic value chain as it remains the phase which generates the maximum revenues for the content creator. Besides fetching huge volumes of audiences, cinemas also contribute massively towards the experience economy."

    However, even if the government eases the restrictions on the opening of theatres, there are lower chances of high footfalls in the coming months, as many people will not take the risk of going to movie theatres.

    Tandon adds, “We are looking at the post-Covid2019 phase as another evolution with new processes and protocols and we are sure that we will take it into our stride. We are looking at the new normal soon going back to the old normal. Keeping in mind the insistence on social distancing, we will promote private screening as a consumer offering. We also look to leverage our massively successful loyalty program to innovate and curate customised offers which will
    help us to bring them back to cinemas.”

    Editor Complete Cinema and film trade analyst Atul Mohan says, “In my opinion, the first threat OTT brings is to GECs than theatres. Nothing can replace the charm of going to cinemas and OTT is dependent on hits at the cinemas. How many can afford to buy subscriptions from different players? We have so many satellite channels available at one subscription."

    Upon asking, how he sees the situation evolving in the long run, he explains, “The situation is such that many can't hold their investments. The OTT players have deep pockets and hence, can afford to acquire some titles at a premium but even they have their limitations and budgets. This is just a matter of time but in the long run, every actor and producer wants their product to be showcased in cinemas.”

    However, in this situation, OTT giants i.e. Netflix and Amazon have geared up to maintain their position and lure consumers through different genres of content. But, till when? Looking at the scenario, there’s a big question of when shooting will resume. 

    UFO Moviez JMD Kapil Agarwal shares, “India releases almost 140-150 movies in 22 languages in a month, a total of 1700 movies per year. Now, barely there are
    100 movies which are ready, perhaps. The industry has only one month worth of content. If it will be released in the starting months, there will be a crunch of content.”

    According to Agarwal, in the short run, it will hurt the exhibition industry but in the long run, there will be no impact, because films are made for big screens. 

    "Producers prefer to release their content on big screens instead of OTT platforms but people who have invested money are also under pressure and then the uncertainty of opening cinemas is also a challenge, so, they will opt for video platforms but that’s very temporary. The occupancy may go down to 30 -35 per cent and once cinemas open, it will take three to four months to get back to position,” he adds.

    Most cinema chains are expecting to recover by the last quarter of the year. Time will tell if they can resume operations by then.

  • Amazon Prime to globally premiere seven Indian movies

    Amazon Prime to globally premiere seven Indian movies

    MUMBAI: Amazon Prime Video today announced that an additional six highly-anticipated Indian films will be premiering directly on the streaming service. This follows the announcement of the upcoming premiere of Shoojit Sircar’s Amitabh Bachchan (Black, Piku) and Ayushmann Khurrana (Shubh Mangal Zyaada Saavdhan, Andhadhun) starrer Gulabo Sitabo.

    Spanning five Indian languages, the Direct-to-Service line-up features additional releases such as Anu Menon’s Shakuntala Devi with Vidya Balan (Dirty Picture, Kahaani) in lead, legal drama Ponmagal Vandhal starring Jyothika (Chandramukhi) in addition to Keerthy Suresh (Mahanathie) starrer Penguin (Tamil and Telugu), Sufiyum Sujatayum (Malayalam), Law (Kannada) and French Biryani (Kannada). The movies will premiere exclusively on Prime Video over the next three months and will be available in 200 countries and territories worldwide.

    “At Prime Video we believe in listening to what our consumers want and working backwards from there. This belief is the genesis of our latest offering,” said Vijay Subramaniam, director and head, content, Amazon Prime Video, India. “Over the last two years, Prime Video has become the destination of choice for our customers to watch new releases, across the languages, within weeks of their theatrical release. Now we’re taking this one step further, with seven of India’s most-anticipated films premiering exclusively on Prime Video, bringing the cinematic experience to their doorstep.”

    “Indian audiences have been eagerly awaiting the release of these seven  highly anticipated films and we are delighted that Amazon Prime Video will now be premiering these movies for our customers – who can enjoy watching these from the safety & comfort of their homes and on a screen of their choice. Prime Video with its deep penetration in India, with viewership across over 4000 towns and cities, and its world-wide reach in more than 200 countries and territories, will give a large global release footprint to these films. We feel truly excited about this initiative and are confident of delighting our Prime Members with this offering” said Gaurav Gandhi, director and country general manager, Amazon Prime Video India.

    Amazon Prime Video’s direct-to-service slate:

    Ponmagal Vandhal (Tamil), from 29 May

    Starring Jyothika, Parthiban, Bhagyaraj, Prathap Pothen and Pandiarajan, Ponmagal Vandhal is a legal drama. The movie is written and directed by J.J. Fredrick and produced by Suriya and Rajsekar Karpoorasundarapandian.

    Gulabo Sitabo (Hindi), from 12 June

    Starring Amitabh Bachchan and Ayushmann Khurrana, Gulabo Sitabo is a quirky family comedy depicting day to day struggles of the common man. The movie is written by Juhi Chaturvedi, directed by Shoojit Sircar and produced by Ronnie Lahiri and Sheel Kumar.

    Penguin (Tamil and Telugu), from 19 June

    Starring Keerthy Suresh, Penguin is written and directed by Eshavar Karthic. The film is produced by Stone Bench Films and Karthik Subbaraj.

    Law (Kannada), from 26 June

    Starring Ragini Chandran, Siri Prahlad and veteran actor Mukhyamantri Chandru, Law is written and directed by Raghu Samarth and produced by Ashwini and Puneeth Rajkumar.

    French Biryani (Kannada), from 24 July

    French Biryani features actors Danish Sait, Sal Yusuf and Pitobash as leads. The movie is written by Avinash Balekkala, directed by Pannaga Bharana and produced by Ashwini and Puneeth Rajkumar and Gurudutt A Talwar.

    Shakuntala Devi (Hindi), release date to be announced

    Featuring Vidya Balan in the lead, Shakuntala Devi is a biographical drama on the extraordinary life of Shakuntala Devi, mathematics genius, writer and astrologer who was popularly known as the human computer. Also featuring Sanya Malhotra and Directed by Anu Menon, the film is produced by Sony Pictures Networks Productions and Vikram Malhotra.

    Sufiyum Sujatayum (Malayalam), release date to be announced

    Starring Aditi Rao Hydari and Jayasuruya, Soofiyum Sujatayum is written and directed by Naranipuzha Shanavas and produced by Vijay Babu’s Friday Film House

    The new releases will join the thousands of TV shows and movies from Hollywood and Bollywood in the Prime Video catalogue. These include Indian-produced Amazon Original series like Four More Shots Please!, The Family Man, Mirzapur, Inside Edge and Made In Heaven, and award-winning and critically acclaimed global Amazon Original series, including Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan, The Boys, Hunters, Fleabag and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, all on Prime Video, which is available at no extra cost for Amazon Prime members. The service includes titles available in Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Punjabi and Bengali.

    Prime members will be able to watch all titles anywhere and anytime on the Prime Video app for smart TVs, mobile devices, Fire TV, Fire TV stick, Fire tablets, Apple TV, etc. In the Prime Video app, Prime members can download episodes on their mobile devices and tablets and watch anywhere offline at no additional cost. Prime Video is available in India at no extra cost with Prime membership for just ₹999 annually or ₹129 monthly, new customers can find out more at www.amazon.in/prime and subscribe to a free 30-day trial.

  • Amazon Prime to premiere Amitabh Bachchan, Ayushmann Khurrana-starrer Gulabo Sitabo

    Amazon Prime to premiere Amitabh Bachchan, Ayushmann Khurrana-starrer Gulabo Sitabo

    MUMBAI: Amazon Prime Video today announced the global premiere of the highly anticipated Hindi film Gulabo Sitabo exclusively on the streaming service. Directed by Shoojit Sircar, the film stars Amitabh Bachchan (Black, Piku) and Ayushmann Khurrana (Shubh Mangal Zyaada Saavdhan, Andhadhun) in the lead. The movie will premiere exclusively on 12 June, 2020 on Amazon Prime Video and will be available in 200 countries and territories worldwide.

    “At Amazon we’re listening to our customers, and working backwards from there.” said Vijay Subramaniam, Director and Head, Content, Amazon Prime Video, India. “Gulabo Sitabo is one of the most anticipated films of the year. We are happy to exclusively premiere Gulabo Sitabo on Prime Video. It is the first step in our endeavour to bring superior cinematic experiences to our customer’s doorstep.”

    “This is the dawn of a new era for Indian entertainment,” said director Shoojit Sircar. “I am happy that a global audience will be able to watch our gritty dramedy, and enjoy what the film has in store for them. Gulabo Sitabo is a quirky, light-hearted movie that the audience can enjoy with their families. It has been a wonderful experience working with Amitabh Bachchan and Ayushmann Khurrana on the film.”

    “Indian audiences have been eagerly awaiting the release of Gulabo Sitabo and we are delighted that Amazon Prime Video will now be premiering the movie for our customers. The global release of Gulabo Sitabo on Prime Video, in over 200 countries and territories, will ensure maximum reach and visibility for the film not just in India but around the world. We are excited about the new offering and are happy to, once again, bring to our customers the best of entertainment through this release,” said Gaurav Gandhi, Director and Country General Manager, Amazon Prime Video India.

    “Gulabo Sitabo is a slice of life, dramedy that is a must watch for families at home,” said actor Amitabh Bachchan, “I was excited about my role since the first time Shoojit showed me the character’s look. It took me almost 3 hours each day to get into character with its different look. I had a wonderful time working with my very talented co-star Ayushmann Khurrana. Even though we are constantly bantering in the film, it has been a pleasure working with him for the first time. This family entertainer has the power to cut across geographic boundaries and we are pleased to bring Gulabo Sitabo to audiences across the globe.”

    Actor Ayushmann Kurrana said, “Gulabo Sitabo is a special film for me. It made me reunite with my mentor Shoojit da after Vicky Donor. Whatever I’m today is because of him and I’m happy that he made me a part of his vision again. Gulabo Sitabo also sees me share the screen space with Mr. Amitabh Bachchan for the first time and it’s a huge moment, it’s a dream come true for me. I have secretly wished to work with him for many, many years and Shoojit da made this happen and I will be indebted to him forever. It has truly been an honour for me to work with a legend and I feel enriched as an actor after the experience. What I love about the film is its sheer simplicity – the fleeting moments of simple humour in the banter between a landlord and tenant makes this film really special. I hope audiences love the film and our chemistry when it premieres.”

    Starring Amitabh Bachchan and Ayushmann Khurrana, Gulabo Sitabo is the quirky tale of two slimy scheming foxes in a game of one upmanship, each one attracting other members to their clan and each one with an agenda of his own. A Rising Sun Films production, Gulabo Sitabo is directed by Shoojit Sircar, written by Juhi Chaturvedi and produced by Ronnie Lahiri and Sheel Kumar.

    Gulabo Sitabo will join the thousands of TV shows and movies from Hollywood and Bollywood in the Prime Video catalogue. These include Indian-produced Amazon Original series like Four More Shots Please!, The Family Man, Mirzapur, Inside Edge and Made In Heaven, and award-winning and critically acclaimed global Amazon Original series, including Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan, The Boys, Hunters, Fleabag and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, all on Prime Video, which is available at no extra cost for Amazon Prime members. The service includes titles available in Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Punjabi and Bengali.

    Prime members will be able to watch Gulabo Sitabo anywhere and anytime on the Prime Video app for smart TVs, mobile devices, Fire TV, Fire TV stick, Fire tablets, Apple TV, etc. In the Prime Video app, Prime members can download episodes on their mobile devices and tablets and watch anywhere offline at no additional cost. Prime Video is available in India at no extra cost with Prime membership for just ₹999 annually or ₹129 monthly, new customers can find out more at www.amazon.in/prime and subscribe to a free 30-day trial.

  • Amitabh Bachchan is back on Zee Cinema

    Amitabh Bachchan is back on Zee Cinema

    MUMBAI: Zee Cinema has a special surprise for every Bollywood movie aficionado. It has brought back the experience of its longest running and most successful franchise in the history of television, ‘Shanivaar Ki Raat Amitabh Ke Saath’ with its daily property ‘Har Subah Amitabh Ke Saath’. It has started showing the iconic movies of the Shahenshah of Bollywood, Amitabh Bachchan, starting 24 April at 9 am.

    ‘Rishtey mein hum tumhare baap lagtey hai…Naam hai Shahenshah’, whenever one comes across this iconic dialogue, the one and only name that comes on their mind is ‘Amitabh Bachchan’. His name that is synonymous to Hindi cinema is an embodiment of an evergreen hero. With his magical aura and baritone voice he could put life into any dialogue and make them memorable. Referred as the greatest actor of the century, he has miraculously reinvented himself according to changing times and kept his scintillating stardom intact. And, till date, Big B never fails to wow us with his performance.

    While your mornings are blocked with blockbuster movies of Amitabh Bachchan, Zee Cinema has also curated a special line-up with the ‘All-Time Hits of Zee Cinema’ over the years.

    Amitabh Bachchan’s contribution to the world of cinema is immense making him one of the most recognised and respected actors across the world. His movies are inspiring and entertaining and there is no doubt his stardom and fame is unparallel in the country. So, block your calendar and sit back with your family in the comforts of your homes and enjoy some of Amitabh Bachchan’s iconic movies.  

  • Sony Pictures Network premieres film promoting positivity amid COVID-19 pandemic

    Sony Pictures Network premieres film promoting positivity amid COVID-19 pandemic

    MUMBAI: 'Stay at home’, ‘stay safe’, ‘wash your hands’, ‘work from home’, ‘maintain social distancing’ are the statements that one hears these days. In these tough circumstances, stalwarts of the Indian film industry have come together with a unique short film, Family, to spread the message that social distancing and staying-at-home can be made more productive.

    The stalwarts who have come together for the short film are: Amitabh Bachchan, Rajnikanth, Ranbir Kapoor, Priyanka Chopra, Alia Bhatt, Chiranjeevi, Mohanlal, Mammootty, Sonali Kulkarni, Shiva Rajkumar, Prosenjit Chatterjee and Diljit Dosanjh

    Conceptualised and directed by Prasoon Pandey in collaboration with Bachchan, the film shows that staying at home, staying safe, maintaining hygiene, working from home and maintaining social distancing can be productive and should be taken in one’s stride.

    The premiere of this film will be simulcast across all channels of Sony Pictures Network on Monday, 6 April. Through this film, Bachchan will also unveil an initiative that supports the sustenance of daily wage workers associated with the entertainment industry.

    While most of us continue to work from home, it’s the daily wage workers who have borne the brunt and are suffering the most. Given the unprecedented nature of the situation, an initiative undertaken by Bachchan, ‘WE ARE ONE’, has been supported by Sony Pictures Networks India and Kalyan Jewellers, through which a monthly ration to 100,000 households across the country will be given.

    Through a commercial tie-up with a leading chain of hypermarkets and grocery stores in India, digitally barcoded coupons have been distributed to a verified list of workers from the All India Film Employees Confederation. Furthermore, monetary help has also been extended to those in need.

  • TRA ranks Amitabh Bachchan as India’s most desired personality 2020

    TRA ranks Amitabh Bachchan as India’s most desired personality 2020

    MUMBAI: TRA’s most desired personalities list has ranked Amitabh Bachchan as India’s most desired personality 2020. Salman Khan is ranked second followed by Akshay Kumar at third position among the top 25 desired personalities listed in the report. Indian National Cricket team captain, Virat Kohli, is ranked fourth in the list to become the most desired cricketer this year.  Aamir Khan is India’s fifth most desired personality in 2020 as per TRA’s report. TRA's most desired personalities 2020 is the sixth in its series, and the list is arrived at through a primary research-based on TRA’s proprietary 36-attribute based desire matrix through face-to-face interviews with 1454 viewer-influencers across 14 Indian cites.

    TRA Research CEO N. Chandramouli observed, “TRA’s Desire Matrix measures 36 attributes of Desire that get deeply embedded into the subconscious of the audiences over time.  It measures the aspirational, emotional, rational and communication aspects of desire that audiences most relate with. In this year’s list of the top 25, nineteen male and six female personalities are the audiences’ choices. Old proves to be gold when it comes to India’s most desired personalities.”

    The CEO of the brand insights and research company further added, “Desire is the most fundamental of human expressions and is generated due to subliminally embedded psycho-socio-cultural inputs that audiences receive overtime. This list of personalities is a precursor to the soon-to-be-released TRA’s most desired brands 2020 which lists India’s 1000 top brands measured on TRA’s proprietary desire matrix”.

    The research company also publishes TRA’s brand trust report currently in its tenth edition.

    South Indian superstars, Rajnikant ranked 15 all-India, Ram Charan ranked 19 all-India and Ravi Teja ranked 22 all-India are also listed among the top 25 Desired Personalities this year.

  • APL Apollo ropes Crayons Advertising to campaign its new product

    APL Apollo ropes Crayons Advertising to campaign its new product

    MUMBAI: Crayons Advertising conceptualizes and produces a television campaign for APL Apollo, India’s largest manufacturers of steel pipes, to launch an innovative product – Apollo Chaukhat. The TV Commercial (TVC) features its Brand Ambassador Amitabh Bachchan in a fun-filled family setting.

    APL Apollo’s chairman Sanjay Gupta, talking about their product, said: “We are looking at creating a new category that is steel door frames which will address environmental concerns as well as the economy.”

    He further said that APL Apollo Chaukhat aims to replace wooden door frames, ensure longer product life at a much lower cost. The campaign has been launched through Television nationally.

    The film packs in the right dose of humour and product information, delivered by Bollywood actor Amitabh Bachchan, said Crayons Advertising. “It conveys the ease and utility of steel door frame in a dramatized and lighter way.”

    The Crayons Network president Ranjan Bargotra said, “This campaign is not just about creating awareness but also about creating a ‘Category’ and that’s why we are very excited about it. It feels great to be part of a Brand being built from scratch.”