Tag: Ashish Patil

Gaana’s Republic Day Campaign Celebrates India’s Diverse Musical Roots

New Delhi: On the occasion of India’s 71st Republic Day, the country’s favorite music streaming app, Gaana offers every Indian the opportunity to rediscover and celebrate his roots with its campaign- ‘Discover India on Gaana’. The app has reimagined the Indian National song ‘Vande Mataram’ and will host curated playlists that commemorate India’s diversity and the vibrant mix of musical ethnicities that the country offers.

The 50+ curated playlists curated by destinations would enable music-lovers to enjoy popular native melodies from a region along with rich media cards featuring trivia about the origin of these tunes, popular genres & artists and much more. That way, users can discover and celebrate the classical essence of India by snacking on its indigenous tunes with a simple tap – exclusively on Gaana.

As a part of the campaign, Gaana also looks to uphold India’s cultural diversity by giving a native earthen twist to the one song that epitomizes India’s true glory- The Indian National Song. Gaana’s original reimagination of the National Song involves nine emerging singers- Amrita Nayak, Diya Ghosh, Subhechha Mohanty, Simran Sehgal, Aswin Ram, Jishan Ali Thobani, Ashish Patil, Sandesh Motwani, Antareep Hazarika and Illiyana Gogoi, who come from the length and breadth of the country to bring the flavor of their own roots into the talismanic song.

Prashan Agarwal, CEO – Gaana said, “In a world more divided than ever, as the largest music app, we felt it is upon us to revive our collective sense of camaraderie. Music is one of the few strains of humanity that has the sublime power to cut across cultures, faiths, and borders to evoke our shared sense of culture, folklore, and music. To that effect, we have curated playlists that bring out the flavor of our music and our people as we tip our hats to one of the greatest songs that celebrates our spirit of unity. This Republic Day, we invite every Indian to discover and celebrate the music of our nation – only on Gaana.”

With the campaign, Gaana plans to celebrate India’s heterogeneity while invoking the sense of fraternity that binds the nation and its different cultures with the same thread.

Experience the diverse aura of India’s music exclusively on Gaana.

January 25, 2020
Brooke Bond’s new campaign features differently abled teens

MUMBAI: The ignorant often refer to people with special needs as ‘paagal’ or ‘mad’. Y-Films, the youth films wing of Yash Raj Films has launched the second single of India’s first ‘Isspeshal Band’, the Brooke Bond Red Label 6-Pack Band 2.0 titled, ‘Dil Toh Paagal Hai’.

The song flips that on its head by telling people that if not discriminating between people or listening to your heart is at times considered crazy, then we all need to celebrate that madness. Because the heart, after all, is crazy. The band is an exciting new music collective of six differently abled teens with special needs but incredible music skills and passion. Conceived and produced by Ashish Patil, the project is curated by Shameer Tandon. The new version is a collaboration with ace singer-composer-song writer-rockstar Vishal Dadlani.

The iconic track from Yash Chopra’s cult classic film featuring Shahrukh Khan, Madhuri Dixit and Akshay Kumar has been recreated by Shameer with additional lyrics by Kumaar. The new music video directed by Adil Shaikh features around 100 students, teachers, counsellors, therapists and staff of The Gateway School of Mumbai, a special needs school celebrating life and accepting each and everyone as they are.

Hindustan Unilever general manager for Brooke Bond Red Label Shiva Krishnamurthy says, “It is wonderful to get Brooke Bond Red Label 6 Pack Band 2.0 into the next gear with an iconic chartbuster song like DTPH. The celebratory spirit of this song resonates with the way Brooke Bond Red Label approaches its purpose of urging people to break barriers, shed their prejudices and make the world a more welcoming place.”

Mindshare India President of client leadership Amin Lakhani adds, “The new song in the journey of 6 Pack is a fabulous take on the iconic Dil Toh Pagal Hai. In its new avatar it delivers a telling story of how society labels people with special needs as abnormal and questions that If living in the moment or living life without inhibitions is Pagalpan then so be it – because that’s the way to live. A brilliant rendition of a song that is a legend, now delivers a call for acceptance and non-judgement and there s no one better than a Vishal Dadlani – an absolute energy powerhouse who could do such an astounding job at this song. I’m sure this song will melt hearts and make people have a relook at their own considerations of special needs people.”

Y-Films head Ashish Patil mentions, “The special needs community has always been all heart. And the heart doesn’t differentiate between caste, colour, gender, ability or disability. That’s one thing we all need to learn to truly make this world a more ‘isspeshal’ place. We are honoured and thrilled beyond bits to present this thumping new version of Yashji’s cult classic to spread this important message.”

According to World Health Organisation’s estimates, 20 per cent of the world requires some form of medical intervention for a mental health issue. But 80 per cent cases go unreported due to the stigma attached. This entire campaign hopes to build greater awareness, understanding and acceptance about mental health and disability and, of course, create some kickass music along the way, that will hopefully drive everyone’s dil paagal!

May 17, 2018
Brooke Bond India’s transgender band sizzles Cannes stage

MUMBAI: After bringing glory to India by winning the Cannes Grand Prix Glass Lion at one of the world’s most prestigious advertising and creativity awards, India’s first transgender band, the Brooke Bond Red Label 6-Pack Band set the stage ablaze, with their live concert at Cannes this evening. Performing for an international audience encompassing some of the biggest names in entertainment, media and advertising in the world, this is the first time the 6-Pack Band has taken their act on the international arena.

After the success of their debut album, and winning the Glass Lion Grand Prix at Cannes last year, the band truly stands for the message of Change. The band was invited to the festival to share their success story and the journey that brought them all fame and glory.
Focusing on the message of inclusivity, the Brooke Bond red Label 6-Pack band has become a household name and a global example of addressing prejudice and bringing in change in society and this initiative through music has helped break these social barriers.

Speaking about the event, Brooke Bond Red Label spokesperson and Hindustan Unilever category head – Tea Shiva Krishnamurthy said, “It is a wonderful feeling to see the Brooke Bond Red Label 6 Pack band getting acknowledgement and accolades at the Oscars of advertising. It feels great to know that through our association with the campaign, we have been able to spread our message of inclusiveness, encourage people to become more accepting, break barriers and bond over a cup of tea.”

The campaign is also a ‘best-in-class’ example of Unilever’s Unstereotype initiative in action. Unstereotype, launched last year at the 2016 Cannes Lion Festival of Creativity, aims to advance advertising away from stereotypical portrayals of gender; delivering fresh campaigns that are more relevant to today’s consumer. The Brooke Bond Real Label 6-pack Band was formed in response to the insight that deep-rooted stereotypes hold us back from forming new relationships.

Hindustan Unilever head media south Asia Gauravjeet Singh said, “We are grateful to the committee at the Festival of Creativity, Cannes to recognize the Brooke Bond Red Label 6-Pack Band. The journey of the band has been challenging as they have fought social barriers throughout their lives without losing hope. The strength of these 6 individuals is truly inspiring and today we see them perform on a global platform.”

Mindshare CEO – south Asia Prasanth Kumar said, “The journey for all involved has been a bold one and it had challenges, excitement and passion. At the centre of this journey has been an incredible team of talented individuals from Unilever, Mindshare and YRF, Music boutique who executed this out-of-the-box idea and added scale to the social message. Watching them perform at the Cannes Glass Lion ceremony was truly delightful, and another milestone in our continuing journey to breaking barriers.”

Expressing his delight, Fulcrum, Mindshare south Asia leader Amin Lakhani said, “It is indeed a proud moment for India as our work is showcased at Cannes – the mecca of creativity. We are grateful to the Festival of Creativity, Cannes and to the Mindshare global leadership to recognize the Brooke Bond Red Label 6 Pack band, and invite them to perform for a global audience. This is a testimony and belief in our work that began almost two years ago at the HUL Content Day in June 2015. The band faced a lot of challenges throughout their journey, which now culminates to the Cannes stage. Their inspiring performance today is symbolic to their determination and ‘make it happen’ spirit. Truly a collaborative effort between Unilever, Mindshare, Yash Raj Films & Music boutique- who have partnered in this magnificent journey.”

Brooke Bond Red Label 6-Pack Band Producer and Head of Y-Films Ashish Patil said, “We have always known that music can change the world because it can change people. We are super thrilled that our little band,India’s 1st Transgender band, the Booke Bond Red Label 6-Pack Band is on such a massive platform at the prestigious Cannes festival. Here’s hoping we can take this important message of love and equality out to as many people in the world as possible. Full power to them!”

The Brooke Bond Red Label 6-Pack Band was an iconic campaign that sang a song of inclusion and acceptance in mainstream media. Using the universal language of music, and engaging the entertainment industry in this endeavor, the campaign took a quantum leap not just transgenders but for anyone who has ever been ostracised.

June 21, 2017
Y-Films’s ‘Sex Chat with Pappu & Papa’ to enlighten young minds

MUMBAI: Why is it so tough to talk about sex in a country which is home of texts and temples such as the Kamasutra and Khajuraho? Children are not imbibed with appropriately curated or delivered sex knowledge in schools. Sex is still a taboo topic in India. Forget that, rather than providing an answer to the ‘curious minds’, most parents clam up when having to talk to kids about the ‘birds & the bees’. The bigger question that arrives here is: Why not satisfy them when in doubt rather than misinforming them or leading them to wrong sources of information.

Yash Raj Films’ youth arm Y-Films is here to deliver information across different themes related to sex / sexuality with its new web-series titled Sex Chat with Pappu & Papa. Divided into 5 parts of less than 10 minutes each, the fictional series will deal with everything from masturbation and periods to condoms, pregnancy and homosexuality. Each episode will deal with a new theme. “These are a few topics which are often kept in a closet and are never really discussed. Curiosities of children in today’s time are answered by Google. Research clearly shows that sex talk with parents is directly and clearly linked to safer sexual behaviour. They have incorrect perceptions about everything related to sex”, says Y-Films head Ashish Patil.

Sex Chat with Pappu & Papa is slated to launch by mid-July and will follow YFilms’s existing format with new episodes every Tuesday.

Patil further adds, “Through this series, we want to converse basic fundamentals of sexuality to everyone but in a clean, honest style with a lot of humour. It is a unique show of its kind in India and probably the world, certainly a show with a lot of heart.”

Targeted at everyone from kids to adults, the series is a story of the Watsa family featuring a curious 7-year-old boy, Punit Watsa (Kabir Sajid) nicknamed Pappu who shoots the most outrageous questions to his Papa, Anand (Anand Tiwari). The father attempts to answer them to the best of his ability initially with a lot of awkwardness and eventually with a lot of fun, simple anecdotes.

All this while his own father – the very traditional, conservative and possibly khadoos Pitaji played by Sachin Pilgaonkar- keeps questioning his actions. While his wife, the much pregnant, Shireen enacted by Sanjeeda Shaikh and mother, Usha Watsa aka Mataji played by Alka Amin get torn between this mad conflict and help Pappu & Papa find peace, balance and, of course, add a lot of their own masti to it.

The series also features Abish Matthew, Ali Fazal, Faisal Khan, Gaurav Pandey, Saba Azad, Sharib Hashmi, Shreya Dhanwanthary, Urvashi Rautela, Dr. Piya Ballani Thakkar, etc., playing different characters.

The show is directed by Ashish Patil while Nikhil Taneja is the associate producer of the series. Written by Devang Kakkad and Gopal Datt, the series has been shot by Adil Afsar, while the catchy music has been given by Superbia.. The promo with its fun element has already garnered 126,357 views within three days of its launch and is created by Taxi Films.

Y-Films has heavily researched and ratified the concept of this series by some of the foremost medical experts, top hormonal, gynaecological doctors of the country.

The series is not targeting any specific category of brands to get on board as sponsors. “I think everyone should invest money in this. We are not focusing only on sex related brands. Anyone from Basmati rice to a car brand can hop on in as sponsors”, voices Patil.

Apart from promoting it on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and its official page, the series is also available to be picked up by schools for free. “I think this show should be aired in all the schools for better understanding. I will give it for free if any school is keen to do so. We hope it creates some genuine social impact, not just locally but globally”, adds Patil.

Cheers to Patil and his team for providing sex education to impressionable minds, something that schools should have actually be doing!

July 4, 2016
Y-Films’s ‘Sex Chat with Pappu & Papa’ to enlighten young minds

MUMBAI: Why is it so tough to talk about sex in a country which is home of texts and temples such as the Kamasutra and Khajuraho? Children are not imbibed with appropriately curated or delivered sex knowledge in schools. Sex is still a taboo topic in India. Forget that, rather than providing an answer to the ‘curious minds’, most parents clam up when having to talk to kids about the ‘birds & the bees’. The bigger question that arrives here is: Why not satisfy them when in doubt rather than misinforming them or leading them to wrong sources of information.

Yash Raj Films’ youth arm Y-Films is here to deliver information across different themes related to sex / sexuality with its new web-series titled Sex Chat with Pappu & Papa. Divided into 5 parts of less than 10 minutes each, the fictional series will deal with everything from masturbation and periods to condoms, pregnancy and homosexuality. Each episode will deal with a new theme. “These are a few topics which are often kept in a closet and are never really discussed. Curiosities of children in today’s time are answered by Google. Research clearly shows that sex talk with parents is directly and clearly linked to safer sexual behaviour. They have incorrect perceptions about everything related to sex”, says Y-Films head Ashish Patil.

Sex Chat with Pappu & Papa is slated to launch by mid-July and will follow YFilms’s existing format with new episodes every Tuesday.

Patil further adds, “Through this series, we want to converse basic fundamentals of sexuality to everyone but in a clean, honest style with a lot of humour. It is a unique show of its kind in India and probably the world, certainly a show with a lot of heart.”

Targeted at everyone from kids to adults, the series is a story of the Watsa family featuring a curious 7-year-old boy, Punit Watsa (Kabir Sajid) nicknamed Pappu who shoots the most outrageous questions to his Papa, Anand (Anand Tiwari). The father attempts to answer them to the best of his ability initially with a lot of awkwardness and eventually with a lot of fun, simple anecdotes.

All this while his own father – the very traditional, conservative and possibly khadoos Pitaji played by Sachin Pilgaonkar- keeps questioning his actions. While his wife, the much pregnant, Shireen enacted by Sanjeeda Shaikh and mother, Usha Watsa aka Mataji played by Alka Amin get torn between this mad conflict and help Pappu & Papa find peace, balance and, of course, add a lot of their own masti to it.

The series also features Abish Matthew, Ali Fazal, Faisal Khan, Gaurav Pandey, Saba Azad, Sharib Hashmi, Shreya Dhanwanthary, Urvashi Rautela, Dr. Piya Ballani Thakkar, etc., playing different characters.

The show is directed by Ashish Patil while Nikhil Taneja is the associate producer of the series. Written by Devang Kakkad and Gopal Datt, the series has been shot by Adil Afsar, while the catchy music has been given by Superbia.. The promo with its fun element has already garnered 126,357 views within three days of its launch and is created by Taxi Films.

Y-Films has heavily researched and ratified the concept of this series by some of the foremost medical experts, top hormonal, gynaecological doctors of the country.

The series is not targeting any specific category of brands to get on board as sponsors. “I think everyone should invest money in this. We are not focusing only on sex related brands. Anyone from Basmati rice to a car brand can hop on in as sponsors”, voices Patil.

Apart from promoting it on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and its official page, the series is also available to be picked up by schools for free. “I think this show should be aired in all the schools for better understanding. I will give it for free if any school is keen to do so. We hope it creates some genuine social impact, not just locally but globally”, adds Patil.

Cheers to Patil and his team for providing sex education to impressionable minds, something that schools should have actually be doing!

July 4, 2016
Yepme partners YRF and Shah Rukh Khan for ‘Fan’

MUMBAI: E-commerce platform Yepme.com has associated itself with Shah Rukh Khan’s upcoming movie Fan. Directed by Maneesh Sharma and produced by Yash Raj Films, the movie is scheduled to release on 15 April, 2016.

The brand is running a full-fledged 360 degree campaign, #iamfan contest, to bombard its association across all platforms including social media. The contest revolves around SRK looking for his 100 biggest fans, who will get to be a part of a unique activity where their profile pictures become a part of the Fan movie logo.

The campaign kick-started with the launch of the TVC that has Khan talking about the #iamfan contest. The TVC captures the mood of SRK’s most popular movies, which along with clippings from the Fan movie teaser, shows lakhs of fans expressing their love for SRK.

The winners will also get a chance to be part of videos and promotions for the movie, while some lucky winners will get the opportunity to meet Khan in person.

Yepme founder and CEO Vivek Gaur said, “Yepme has very actively positioned its Fresh Fashion Model and now our aim is to get closer to our customers and the campaign will help us generate plethora of conversations around it. The #iamfan contest itself is planned to involve our end users into various engagements to build a two-way communication and what better way to initiate that but to make them talk about their love for Shah Rukh Khan. The man unarguably has one of the greatest fan following globally and it’s a huge opportunity for Yepme to strengthen its vision as a global brand. We are defininitely looking at this association as a good platform to gain popularity and recognition.”

YRF’s Youth Films | Brand Partnerships | Talent Management business and creative vice president Ashish Patil added, “Fan is going to be one of the most exciting projects to come out of YRF and among SRK’s most path-breaking performances till date. We have always believed that it’s the fans who make actors, stars and films, super hits. So we are delighted to partner with Yepme.com to present the millions of SRK fans worldwide, never before innovative opportunity to become a part of the core identity of Fan with the #iamfan contest. Keep watching this space for details, the fun has only just begun!”

August 5, 2015
NYIFF announces nominations of 12th edition

MUMBAI: The 12th Annual New York Indian Film Festival (NYIFF) has announced the nominations for various categories of awards. The festival will be held from 23 to 27 May at the Tribeca Cinemas in Lower Manhattan.

The NYIFF will screen more than 50 features, documentaries and short films in a span of five days. Among the nominees of the Best Film are Aadukalam, Chitrangada, Chittagong, Gangs of Wasseypur, Gattu and Shala.

Films vying for the Best Documentary are Big in Bollywood, Inshallah Football, Kumare, Saving Face and Transgenders: Pakistan’s Open Secret.

Those filmmakers who have been nominated for the Best Director award are Sujay Dahake for Shala, Rituparno Ghosh for Chitrangada, Anurag Kashyap for Gangs of Wasseypur, Vetri Maaran for Aadukalam, Prashant Nair for Delhi in a Day and Bedabrata Pain for Chittagong.

The screenwriters nominated for Best Screenplay are Pooja Desai, Anvita Dutt, Rajesh Narasimhan and Ashish Patil (Mujshe Fraaandship Karoge), Avinash Deshpande (Shala), Rituparno Ghosh (Chitrangada), Vetri Maaran (Aadukalam) and Bedabrata Pain and Shonali Bose (Chittagong).

May 22, 2012

‘When you are a market leader, it’s necessary to shake things a little’ : Ashish Patil- MTV India GM and senior VP creative and content

MTV India was primarily known for music, comedy, spoofs and “Fully Faltoo” attitude. The team of Cyrus Oshirdar (creative and content), Cyrus Broucha and Cyrus Sahukar was giving its viewers a “no-tension” dose of comedy and music.

In 2007, Viacom and Network18 got together to create a joint venture. What followed was the redrawing of the roadmap for MTV. The positioning changed and music became shorter in line with its new image of being a youth entertainment channel.

The man in charge of this content revamp was Ashish Patil as he churned out shows that would stand the new look – Its My MTV. From Fully Faltoo to Kick Ass and from Bakra to Splitsvilla, MTV has scored points in segmenting, targeting and positioning for the youth.

The channel has also extended its wings in the US, New Zealand and Australia.

In an interview with Indiantelevision.com’s Gaurav Laghate, MTV India GM and senior VP creative and content Patil says that the game has just started.

Excerpts:

Is the ongoing producer-plex owner’s tussle affecting MTV as there is no new music release to lap up for content?
We have in any case reduced our music content as a strategic move. Moreover, whatever music we play is full length, which comes out after 1-2 months of release. So far we have enough of new music to run on the channel.

Why are you going less on music and more on non-music content?
We have repositioned ourselves as not just a music but a music-plus-masti (fun) channel. It is a youth adda (hangout) channel now. Last year we were playing approximately 70 per cent music content, which we have reduced to 45 per cent at present. By the end of this year, we will be having only 25 per cent of music content.

What was the need for this change in identity?
There was consumer as well as a business need. Research suggested that youth is looking out for much more than just music. Youth has needs ranging from style, fashion, romance, passion, thrill, and much more.

And so far as the business goes, the music pie is limiting. Music as a commodity is playing everywhere; so eyeballs are limiting and revenues have hit a ceiling.

Even the market leader in the music channel genre had to change?
You have to grow the product. And it’s necessary to shake things a little or else the leader will also get stagnant. The world has gone too far and to get our core audience’s eyeballs, we have to lead the other mediums as well. Also a lot of emphasis is on packaging, looks and graphics, apart from content.

So what is the new positioning of MTV?
We have created a new category for ourselves where we are no longer a niche channel. Nor are we a general entertainment channel. We are laser focused on the needs of the youth and have evolved as a mass youth channel. Many players tried to copy us, but failed as it is a very difficult path to tread.

‘Music as a commodity is playing everywhere. So eyeballs are limiting and revenues have hit a ceiling‘

How will you describe your TG?
Our core audience is the 18-21-year-olds. Within that demographic, it is the SEC A in the metros particularly Mumbai and Delhi. Our next target extension is viewers among the age group of 15-24 years, SEC AB 1 lakh towns, in the Hindi speaking markets. Beyond that, we look at the 12-35-year-olds (SEC AB, All India 1 Lac+ towns).

This target audience is very fickle and impatient. If they don’t like something, they have multiple options to switch over to. And anything that catches youth eyeballs is competition for me. Be it malls, gizmos, movies, mobiles, ipods, internet, etc.

So that is why you are making your presence felt on internet and other space?
The intent is to take MTV to every place where the TG is. Be it web, mobile, on-ground, merchandise. It’s a circle of lead, reflect and affect – one leading to the other. I will follow my viewer everywhere. You see the kind of response we have on the Roadies community on Orkut. It has over 300,000 members now. We have tied up with PVR Cinema, Inox, T.G.I.F., cafes etc for our shows. Roadies merchandise is available in more then 20 categories. We are tapping audiences everywhere by reaching out to them.

But don’t you think some of the content is not fit for small towns, or non-metros?
I don’t think that content is not fit for people in the smaller towns. Youth everywhere have same aspirations; the core of youth is the same. So my content is appreciated throughout by my TG – be it metros like Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore or non metros like Gwalior, Indore, Chandigarh etc. Also, some of the content may be more evolved. But in such cases, I do have a simpler version on the same premise for mini metros or small towns. The idea is to have a spectrum of content for different people.

Is your programming strategy confined to unlicensed thrill, living on edge and speed?
Not just that. It is, of course, one part of it. But we have other shows like On The Jobs, which talks about alternative careers; ibibo Superstar (the making of stars); Splitsvilla (intense romance); Roadies (which has a cult following now); and who can forget MTV Bakra (known for its wit). Then we have spoof movies, which are well received.

So my aim is to cater to all the needs of my TG. We are now building on our franchise. Earlier I had only Roadies as a fixed offering on Saturdays at 7 pm. Now I have shifted it to Sundays and got the highest opening for Splitsvilla season 2 on Saturdays.

So you mean you are now getting appointment viewing?
Absolutely. As I said, earlier we used to launch shows on Saturdays at 7 pm band. I had a great following there, courtesy Roadies. It was a gamble when I shifted it to Sundays, but it did well for us. Now I have viewers for Saturday as well as Sunday. Also, in December, I launched Haven @ 7 on weekdays. So I am taking baby steps to get more viewer attention. I am already getting more viewership than many general entertainment channels (GECs).

So what are the plans ahead?
As I said, I am taking baby steps. We have just started. From making just one Roadies two years back, we launched many new shows last year. This year, we will launch even more shows. Recently, with Force India we have launched The Fast and The Gorgeous and are coming up with Pulsar MTV Stunt Mania soon.

How has the JV between Viacom and Network18 helped in MTV’s growth in India?
In many ways. It has been a fabulous ride since the JV has been formed. It is in many ways kind of a vitamin supplement. Earlier, it was MTV and Nick supporting each other and suddenly I have the strength of a full network; it’s much more than just financial support.

Also, both (Viacom and Network18), as players, are front-foot batsmen. It has put our transition in the fourth gear. Our efficiency has increased and so has our brand value, distribution, marketing, headcount and infrastructure.

Have we seen MTV’s revenues grow over the last couple of years?
We have doubled the revenues during this period. We are expecting a 30 per cent growth this year.

Ad sales accounts for 65 per cent of our revenues, of which 5 per cent comes from international clients. Around 15 per cent comes from affiliates, which is also increasing. 15 per cent comes from Viacom Brand Solutions (client lead stuff, events and advertiser funded programming) like The Fast and The Gorgeorus, Stunt Mania etc. The remaining 5 per cent comes from L&M and movie previews (Ghajini).

Also, we are opening up supplementary revenue streams through mobile, web, and even through ticker. Our ticker has a fan community on social networking sites and advertisers want to be there.

May 18, 2009

Cyrus Oshidar quits MTV, Ashish Patil made MTV GM

MUMBAI: MTV Networks’ senior vice president (content and creative) Cyrus Oshidar has put in his papers.

After ten years, Oshidar who formed one of the Old Guard at the iconic music channel brand, is teaming up with 37-year-old Alok Kejriwal, founder of Contest2Win, a site that aggregates contests and trivia for corporations. Kejriwal also owns sites like Media2Win and the just launched Games2Win.

Following Oshidar’s departure, MTV Networks India vice president and GM creative and content Ashish Patil has been elevated and given additional charge as GM and business head of the music channel. Patil was earlier reporting directly in to Oshidar.

Says Oshidar of his decision to move on, “I’ve done the advertising bit and the channel bit. I see the cutting edge challenge now being in the online space. Additionally, me and Alok go back a long way so there is a comfort level there as well.”

Amit Jain, managing director – MTV Networks India, said, “Oshi’s uniquely wired mind has played a significant role in establishing MTV as an ‘unpredictably cool’ brand over the last so many years. It was surely his ingenuity that started the trend of a new genre of creativity – that of ‘not taking oneself seriously’.” Jain added, “Over the years, Oshi has nurtured many creative minds within MTV and we are confident that the legacy he leaves behind will be aptly taken forward by his exceptionally talented team.”

Oshidar further added, All these years, what kept me excited was the fact that MTV is one of the very few brands in the world that give you the freedom to experiment and redefine the creative space – be it the ‘in-your-face’ humor or ‘laughing at oneself’ or ‘silly street lingo’. I’ll surely miss my friends and the sheer madness that MTV office stinks of.”

As regards his new port of call, Oshidar will however, not be working full time at Contest2Win. He will be devoting three days a week there and the remaining two days of the week he hopes to work on a project-to-project basis in the area where he is most comfortable – consumer facing youth community communications.

One of the other factors that prompted Oshidar’s decision to quit might well have been the scythe that went through the MTV Networks Asia Pacific Singapore headquarters in early October, which lead to 84 redundancies and coincided with the departure of MTV Networks Asia Pacific president Nigel Robbins and also saw regional functions and corporate roles decentralized from Singapore.

Oshidar, who had been expecting to move to a bigger role within the MTV Networks system outside India, probably felt that he was stagnating in his current position.

December 13, 2006
MTV unveils Rubber Sing as Aids ambassador

MUMBAI: Fit Me baby One More Time! If You Wanna Rock Please Roll! These are among the words of cheeky and sage advice that music channel MTV’s new Aids ambassador Rubber Sing for its viewers.On the occasion of World Aids Day 1 December 2006 MTV unveiled its plans to create awareness about the menace of Aids. Rubber Sing its ambassador is an animated character in the shape of a condom. By singing, and playing the guitar and offers advice in a way that is entertaining. The ambassador was unveiled by Hollywood actor Rupert Everett ‘My Best Friends Wedding’ who is also the UN ambassador for Aids and by MTV VJ Sophia.

MTV India VP, GM creative and content Ashish Patil says that the campaign is called ‘Listen To Rubber Sing’. Creatives featuring him will air on the channel from 1-7 December 2006. He will also appear in radio spots on Red FM as well as in print. MTV is is also using outdoors in the form of bus backs, hoardings.

Online one has to choose a condom before one can enter the MTV India site. One can also get wallpapers, screensavers and words of advice. On the mobile one can SMS Rubber to 6882 for advice Patil says, “It is important that MTV not only defines a generation but also leads it. One half of MTV’s target groups 15-24 in India are HIV infected. So it is important that we play our part in getting the word out. While MTV is not an expert on Aids we know how to talk to young people. We will also be conducting road shows in terms of our VJs visiting popular youth hangouts. Over the next week we will have special half hour programming from 4:30 – 5pm. On 1 December at 9:30 pm we will be doing a Zindagi Zindabad initiative which basically aired clips from our music summits.

“On air we will be having graphics, lower third innovations and bugs. For instance the channels logo has a ribbon. Our VJs will also mention the problem in shows they host. In an episode of our show Kya Baat Hai we have a sting operation of sorts. This sees an MTV employee pretending to be a client and asking a prostitute for a favour. Our show Super Select will also have messages inserted.”

MTV VJs also appear in spots. One of them sees a VJ addressing the problem of men embarrassed of buying condoms. ‘Do you want to die of embarrassment or do you want to die of Aids?’ is the message. Another message attacks the misconception that Aids only affects homosexuals and prostitutes. Then how do you explain a five year old child dying of the infection? asks the message.

Everett pointed out that the best way to deal with the problem is to talk about it. “We have to fight the problem of Aids together. I know that in India it is considered taboo to talk about sex in some quarters.

This is something you’ll got from the British. Not talking about sex is a British tradition and I am surprised to hear people say that it is an Indian tradition. If you look at India before the British landed here India was more open to dialogue on sex. In that sense as a Briton I feel a little guilty that some of the effects of the British Empire are still being felt. It would help if Bollywood stars got into the act of spreading the message. It would give a face to Aids and help get the message out to some conservatives who try to pretend that the problem does not exist. Having said not talking about Aids is something that America went through in the 1980s.

Throughout the Reagan era you never heard the Aids word. The only public personality who spoke was actress Elizabeth Taylor which is not surprising given that America is conservative.”

When asked by this writer about the role a celebrity plays he pointed out that a celebrity helps get the message out that much faster. Of course having a celebrity makes the media more interested in what is going on. He also rebuffed the notion held be religious clerics that talking about sex is tantamount to propagating it. “Talking about sex helps demystify the subject. What might propagate sex is consumerism.By this I mean parents not having enough time for their kids and so feeling guilty allow them access to things like the internet.

“So you have nude photos appearing on a child’s computer before he/she is mature enough. The problem with any religion is that clerics do not want to confront humanity as it is. They want to look at it as it should be – an idealised state. The other problem in India are your laws which make homosexuality illegal. So many of them have gone underground which it makes it that much more difficult to help them.Also I believe that legislation in India is going to change which will not only make the prostitute a criminal but also the client and the pimp. So that whole profession will go underground. So to reach out to them will that much more difficult.”

In criticism of humanity as a whole he points out that Aids, which is an extraordinary disease, has shown humanity to be bigoted, judgemental and self-loathing.”It is amazing how much we hate each other. Sometimes I feel that we would rather let a person with Aids die rather than approach him and offer help. That being said my aim is to at least prevent the next generation from getting it. We also need to get treatment in the form of drugs to more people. Right now as I understand it only a fraction of Indians infected with HIV are undergoing drug treatment.”

December 2, 2006