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Tag: IIFA Awards

  • Swati Sapna elevated as director for unscripted & docs at Netflix India

    Swati Sapna elevated as director for unscripted & docs at Netflix India

    MUMBAI: Swati Sapna, a seasoned content and strategy expert, has been moved upstairs as director for unscripted and documentaries at Neflix India. She will  also continue as commissioning executive  for south original series at the streamer.

     “In this role, I’ll be leading content and strategy for all unscripted and documentaries,” she said.

    Having joined Netflix in 2020, she previously served as manager for unscripted and south originals, contributing to acclaimed projects such as Vir Das: Landing, The Romantics, The Fabulous Lives of Bollywood Wives, and The Hunt for Veerappan. Her work on Vir Das: Landing earned international recognition with an International Emmy nomination.

    Prior to Netflix, Sapna held leadership roles at Viacom18, BBC Studios, and Wizcraft International, contributing to major television properties including Bigg Boss, Filmfare Awards, and IIFA Awards. She has also worked as an assistant director on the National Award-winning Tamil film Pithamagan.

    An alumna of Sophia Polytechnic and Stella Maris College, Sapna has made  Mumbai her  home for over two decades, but she says “the small-town girl in me has kept me rooted with a firm hold on the pulse of audiences. The immense amount of learning, collaboration, faith and support I have experienced from my colleagues and partners in the five  years in Netflix  has been overwhelming! And I hope to achieve new milestones and embark on more exciting journeys together as the dream team 🙂  I believe that effective communication, empathy and empowerment are key pillars to build a successful team.”

  • Colors to air live Saif & Karan-hosted IIFA awards on 16 July

    MUMBAI: As the countdown to the biggest celebration of Indian cinema worldwide draws near, the IIFA management revealed that the charismatic duo — Saif Ali Khan and Karan Johar, would host the upcoming NEXA IIFA Awards powered by Vivo at the iconic MetLife Stadium.

    Bollywood’s youth icon Varun Dhawan is all set to make a debut at IIFA Awards with a stunning performance and will be also be seen co-hosting a segment of the star-studded awards night.

    The 18th Edition of IIFA awards will air exclusively live on Colors from New York at 9am and repeat at 6pm on 16 July 2017, Sunday. IIFA Awards 2017 will witness performances by Bollywood superstars, Salman Khan, Alia Bhatt, Katrina Kaif, Shahid Kapoor, Sushant Singh Rajput and Kriti Sanon, to name a few.

    Johar said, “New York will be spellbound with the magic of IIFA!” Khan added, saying, “This year it’s going to be super fun and glamorous in every way as Karan and I are going to have lots of surprises.” Dhawan shared: “This year is truly going to be a grand celebration and I can’t wait to be there!”

    Wizcraft director Andre Timmins says, “The line-up is being enhanced with more star power with Dhawan making his debut performance on the IIFA stage with a spectacular act and co-hosting for a special segment this year.”

    Viacom18 COO Raj Nayak said, “No longer will the Colors viewers have to wait to satiate their anticipation as this time they will get to see all the action unfold in actual time and in all its splendor across 140 countries. Our aim is to take IIFA to the level of the Oscars and beaming it live is a step towards that direction.”

  • IIFA Awards prepped up for glamorous night; tickets available for IIFA Rocks

    IIFA Awards prepped up for glamorous night; tickets available for IIFA Rocks

    MUMBAI: The most spectacular celebration of Indian Cinema worldwide, the 17 Videocon d2h IIFA Weekend 2016, which is all set to be held in the capital city of Spain- Madrid from 23 to 26 June 2016 has received an unprecedented response from the fans of Bollywood across the globe. As the excitement is growing with each passing day, it is no surprise that the tickets for the NEXA IIFA Awards 2016 are already sold-out in less than 3 weeks!

    If you’ve missed the chance to grab a seat for the grand awards night, you can still book tickets for IIFA ROCKS which is certainly the greatest musical entertainment extravaganza! Hosted by Bollywood’s multitalented personality Karan Johar, along with heart-throbFawad Khan, the IIFA ROCKS stage will include a plethora of musical names such as noted Music Director-Composer-Singer Pritam, Singing duo Meet Brothers featuringKanika Kapoor with Benny Dayal and Neeti Mohan. National-award winner Monali Thakur and Papon too will be performing and Bollywood’s leading lady Parineeti Chopraand actor Sooraj Pancholi will also join the stellar-line up.

    Alongside the gamut of musical acts and dance performances, the distinguished Indian fashion designer Vikram Phadnis will showcase a breathtaking fashion show marking his 25 years in the fashion industry. IIFA Rocks will also be attended and enjoyed by a number of stars, including Salman Khan, Hrithik Roshan, Deepika Padukone, Priyanka Chopra, Bipasha Basu, Anil Kapoor, Sonakshi Sinha, Dia Mirza, Shilpa Shetty and many more.

    Over the years, the highly-anticipated Bollywood extravaganza, IIFA Weekend & Awards, has been known to be a truly engaging experience for all. As this year, the show will be hosted in Madrid for the first time, the event will surely be a unique experience for the city as Bollywood fans will get to see some of their favorite celebrities descend to the city and get a chance to witness a glamorous night to get the chance to experience firsthand the magic of Indian cinema.

    For those who want the ultimate experience to live like a star at the VideonD2h IIFA Weekend, the organizers have also announced special sales of 100 exclusive VIP hospitality packages. For more details on VIP hospitality packages log onto www.iifa.com or email viphospitality@iifa.com.

  • IIFA Awards prepped up for glamorous night; tickets available for IIFA Rocks

    IIFA Awards prepped up for glamorous night; tickets available for IIFA Rocks

    MUMBAI: The most spectacular celebration of Indian Cinema worldwide, the 17 Videocon d2h IIFA Weekend 2016, which is all set to be held in the capital city of Spain- Madrid from 23 to 26 June 2016 has received an unprecedented response from the fans of Bollywood across the globe. As the excitement is growing with each passing day, it is no surprise that the tickets for the NEXA IIFA Awards 2016 are already sold-out in less than 3 weeks!

    If you’ve missed the chance to grab a seat for the grand awards night, you can still book tickets for IIFA ROCKS which is certainly the greatest musical entertainment extravaganza! Hosted by Bollywood’s multitalented personality Karan Johar, along with heart-throbFawad Khan, the IIFA ROCKS stage will include a plethora of musical names such as noted Music Director-Composer-Singer Pritam, Singing duo Meet Brothers featuringKanika Kapoor with Benny Dayal and Neeti Mohan. National-award winner Monali Thakur and Papon too will be performing and Bollywood’s leading lady Parineeti Chopraand actor Sooraj Pancholi will also join the stellar-line up.

    Alongside the gamut of musical acts and dance performances, the distinguished Indian fashion designer Vikram Phadnis will showcase a breathtaking fashion show marking his 25 years in the fashion industry. IIFA Rocks will also be attended and enjoyed by a number of stars, including Salman Khan, Hrithik Roshan, Deepika Padukone, Priyanka Chopra, Bipasha Basu, Anil Kapoor, Sonakshi Sinha, Dia Mirza, Shilpa Shetty and many more.

    Over the years, the highly-anticipated Bollywood extravaganza, IIFA Weekend & Awards, has been known to be a truly engaging experience for all. As this year, the show will be hosted in Madrid for the first time, the event will surely be a unique experience for the city as Bollywood fans will get to see some of their favorite celebrities descend to the city and get a chance to witness a glamorous night to get the chance to experience firsthand the magic of Indian cinema.

    For those who want the ultimate experience to live like a star at the VideonD2h IIFA Weekend, the organizers have also announced special sales of 100 exclusive VIP hospitality packages. For more details on VIP hospitality packages log onto www.iifa.com or email viphospitality@iifa.com.

  • Colors to kick off IIFA festivities from 28 June

    Colors to kick off IIFA festivities from 28 June

    MUMBAI: With various elements including music, fashion and films coming together, Colors is set to bring the celebration of excellence in Indian cinema to television screens.

     

    Celebrating excellence in Indian cinema for the year gone by, Videoncon d2h IIFA is all set to give viewers a visual treat during the week long entertainment bonanza.

     

    Be it IIFA Rocks, IIFA Buzz or the 16th S-Cross IIFA Awards, Colors will present viewers with a unique taste of entertainment which promises to alter the overall television experience.

     

    The frenzy starts on 28 June with IIFA Rocks at 8 pm and continues well into the weekdays with a special segment called IIFA Buzz, at 6 pm from Monday to Saturday, highlighting the experiences of the favourite Bollywood stars while in Kuala Lumpur leading up to the S-Cross IIFA Awards Night on 5 July, 2015.

     

    Colors CEO Raj Nayak said, “The IIFA Weekend witnesses the coming together of the entire film industry creating for a visually magnificent moment for our viewers. Through a combination of visually rich moments at IIFA Rocks, IIFA Buzz, IIFA Awards Green Carpet and main event we are looking forward to showcasing the ultimate entertainment content that has never been seen before. Catering to South Asian audiences across 135 countries will enable us to amplify the overall IIFA experience thereby enhancing viewer engagement.”

     

    Wizcraft Entertainment International director Sabbas Joseph added, “This year’s IIFA Weekend saw Indian cinema in all its splendor, with the creme de la creme of the industry attending and some of the most incredible performances, viewers are in for a night of real cinematic magic. Arjun and Ranveer have surpassed all expectation as hosts and the festivities both on and off-stage brought out the true spirit of IIFA which has always been to celebrate the phenomenon that is Bollywood. 2015 has seen yet another successful IIFA and another year of recognizing and applauding very best of Indian cinema.”

     

    The on-air festivities will kick off with a quick recap of IIFA over the years through IIFA Flashback on 28 June at 5 pm reminding viewers about the best moments that have made IIFA the formidable brand that it has become. Following closely, viewers will also get a quick glimpse of what is in store for them at the #IIFA2015Weekend with IIFA Weekend with the Stars on the same day at 7 pm.

     

    The true celebration of the Videocon d2h IIFA Weekend will commence with IIFA Rocks – a celebration of music and technical excellence to be aired at 8 pm. The evening, hosted by Ayushmann Khurana and Parineeti Chopra, witnessed stellar performances by Sonakshi Sinha – who made her live singing debut, Jacqueline Fernandez, Mika Singh, Nooran Sisters, Javed Ali, Aditi Rao Hydari, Lisa Hayden, Ankit Tiwari and Kanika Kapoor among others.

     

    The revelry will continue well into the week as the channel will air a special entertainment series titled IIFA Buzz, Monday to Saturday at 6 pm starting 29 June. IIFA Buzz will witness some of the biggest faces in Bollywood such as Hrithik Roshan, Lisa Hayden, Parineeti Chopra, Ayushmann Khurana, Shraddha Kapoor, and Neha Dhupia among others live the experiences of Malaysia in the company of Sana Khan, Karan Tacker and Pritam Singh.

     

    The key highlight to behold, though, will be the 16th S-Cross IIFA Awards Green Carpet and Main Awards to be aired on 5 July, where the celebrations will hit a crescendo. The Green Carpet will witness some fun and engaging activities soothing the nervous minds as they head for the awards function.

     

    The main event will witness the presence of the entire film industry as they come together to recognise acting and filmmaking prowess. To be hosted by Arjun Kapoor and Ranveer Singh, the event will feature performances by Hrithik Roshan, Shahid Kapoor, Sonakshi Sinha, Parineeti Chopra, Shraddha Kapoor and Anushka Sharma. The IIFA Fashion Extravaganza, set to be aired on 12 July, will celebrate the latest trends and fashion, and will be hosted by Neha Dhupia and Vivek Oberoi. 

     

    For the record, the Videocon d2h IIFA Weekend was held between 5-7 June, 2015 at Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The Technical Awards presented at IIFA Rocks and the Filmmaking Awards given away at the 16th S-Cross IIFA Awards recognized and acknowledged the astute prowess that has put Indian cinema on the global map.

  • A tale of a storyteller…

    A tale of a storyteller…

    MUMBAI:  At 34, Hetal Adesara has seen it all… Rather, that’s what she would have us believe through her maiden book, ‘Matrimonial Mocktales.’

     

    From a traditional Gujarati family in Jamshdepur, Hetal, left the small town in East India to get away from being hurled into another traditional Gujarati family through the instituition of arranged marriage. She saw many a “suitable boy” and was seen by many of them as and when her parents referred them to her even as she moved to Mumbai. 

     

    ‘Matrimonial Mocktales’ is Hetal’s take on a few of these meetings. She does mention though that the instances are dramatized for a better reading experience.

     

    After escaping from Tatanagar, Hetal cut her teeth in journalism in indiantelevision.com by starting and editing The Team Players section which profiled young executives in advertising, marketing, broadcast. She then moved on to report on  media, marketing and advertising developments.  Her commitment to work and sharp and clear analyses left an impression on whosoever she interviewed or wrote about in the television, advertising and marketing industries between 2003-2005.  

     

    She has explored every opportunity that has come her way over the past decade. Following her stint with indiantelevision.com, she helped co-found businessofcinema.com. From writing about films, she went onto to work as an assistant producer with Vidhu Vinod Chopra on 3 Idiots. She then tried her hand at direction, assisting  director Rohan Sippy on Nautanki Saala apart from working as script supervisor on the same film. More recently, she worked on the IIFA Awards at Tampa Bay as executive producer for television and digital content.

     

    But all along Hetal nursed in her heart a deep desire to pen her own novel. Which this diploma holder in journalism from the Xavier Institute of Communications finally fulfilled last year when she wrote ‘Matrimonial Mocktales’. It took her two years to get the book published. But she finally found a publisher in OM Books International.

     

    ‘Matrimonial Mocktales’ revolves around young Rhea, who always wanted a Mills & Boon romance but in the real world, that is probably too much to ask. She is raised in a conservative Sikh family in Jalandhar where it is unthinkable for a girl to remain unmarried at 25, let alone 33. But there she is, single and independent and STILL in search of her Mr Right. At just 15, her parents get her engaged to a 23-year-old boy but that story does not pan out as per plan. Having entered the arena of love on a wrong footing, it takes the better part of her young life to find the right man before a whole lot of wrong ones come and go, even as she tries to make sense of her chaotic world.

     

    Hetal believes many a young girl who has escaped – or is struggling to escape –  from the clutches of arranged marriage will identify with Rhea the character. “Rhea is educated but because of family pressure she goes through what they ask her to do. It could be any other girl from any other small town who has dreams to achieve and be happy with the man she loves, and not the man that’s chosen for her,” she says. “That should resonnate with today’s women.”

     

    Quite a few eyebrows were raised, even among Hetal’s  friends, at her move to quit working and take time off to write her novel. But, resolute young woman that she is, she did not let any of their reservations hold her back.

     

    “As a kid, I loved scribbling poems and dreamt of becoming a writer. God has been kind to me and I am sure there is a lot more in store for me,” says she.

     

    Indeed, Hetal  is already working on the sequel to ‘Matrimonial Mocktales’. “I want to continue to write stories because I think it is an enriching experience,” she adds.

     

    What would she advise young, budding writers out there? “There is a huge market out there which is unexplored in the publishing industry in India. Get the right inspiration and get to penning it down right,” she says.

     

    We at indiantelevision.com wish our former employee and colleague good luck and recommend readers to and pick up a copy of her book for a good weekend read! It will be money well spent!

  • ZNMD, Rockstar bag 4 IIFA awards each

    ZNMD, Rockstar bag 4 IIFA awards each

    MUMBAI: Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara (ZNMD) and Imtiaz Ali`s Rockstar swept the IIFA Awards held at Singapore, by winning as many as four trophies each.

    While ZNMD won the awards for best film, best story, best actor in supporting role (Farhan Akhtar) and best director (Zoya Akhtar), Rockstar won the best actor (Ranbir Kapoor), best music direction (AR Rahman), best lyrics and best playback singer male (Mohit Chauhan for Nadaan Parindey).

    Vidya Balan, for her bold portrayal of Silk, bagged award for best actress. Parineeti Chopra won two awards; one for best debut female and for best actress in a supporting role (female) for Ladies v/s Ricky Bahl.

    Vidyut Jamwal walked away with an award for best debut male for his performance in Force.

    Prakash Raj won the award for best performance in a negative role for Singham. He edged out actors like Naseeruddin Shah (The Dirty Picture), Irrfan Khan (7 Khoon Maaf), Boman Irani (Don 2) and Vidyut Jamwal (Force).

    The award for best performance in a comic role went to Riteish Deshmukh for Double Dhamaal.

  • IIFA awards at Singapore from 7 to 9 June

    IIFA awards at Singapore from 7 to 9 June

    MUMBAI: The 13th IIFA Weekend and Awards will be held in Singapore from 7 to 9 June. Having left an indelible footprint in China, Europe, the Middle East, Thailand, Sri Lanka and Canada over the last 12 years, the Videocon IIFA Weekend 2012 is gearing up for three days of action-packed celebrations in the Lion City.

    Presented by Videocon Industries and Wizcraft International Entertainment, the event is supported by the Singapore Tourism Board.

    The programme has been charted as under: June 7 – IIFA World Premiere: Lido Cinemas, Shaw Theatre; June 8 – IIFA Rocks; and June 9 – IIFA Awards, Singapore Indoor Stadium.

    Over the years, IIFA has emerged as the most prestigious platform recognising excellence in the Indian film industry. Year on year, the biggest names of Indian cinema congregate at the IIFA Weekend and Awards to celebrate the best contribution made to the world of films in the previous year. IIFA is a global platform that gives the Indian film fraternity an opportunity to reach audiences in international territories. It also establishes a symbiotic relationship between India and the host country in areas such as tourism, culture and trade.

    Observed Anil Kapoor, “With the promise of bringing the best and the biggest of events to its viewers in a manner that‘s unique and entertaining, the IIFA Weekend and Awards have today become an iconic platform that the world respects. It has been my pleasure to be associated with IIFA for over a decade and once again, on behalf of IIFA and the Indian film industry, we commit to give our audience in Singapore the opportunity to witness one of the finest celebrations of culture and cinema ever held.”

    After its successful staging in 2004, IIFA is to return for the second time to the island nation making it only the third nation to host the IIFA celebrations twice. IIFA 2004 witnessed a contingent of over 450 stars, celebrities, cricketers, industrialists and government leaders over the festive weekend.

    Said Wizcraft International Entertainment Director Wiz Sabbas Joseph, “Our focus is to showcase the best of Indian cinema to the world. With the unparalleled success of IIFA Singapore in 2004 we are back here to relive the magic. We have only just opened the Wizcraft Event Management operations in Singapore and are delighted to showcase our most prestigious creation, IIFA once again in Singapore. We hope that the IIFAs help bring India and Singapore closer together.”

    Singapore has been a popular location for filming and the screening of Indian films.

  • Dipankar Chakraborty is Kettle Communications COO

    NEW DELHI: Kettle Communications, the integrated communication consultancy firm, has appointed Dipankar Chakraborty as it COO.

    In his new role, Chakraborty will be responsible for aligning and strengthening the firms operations. His mandate with Kettle Communications includes strategy development, new business initiatives, team development and management pan India, for all verticals : Main Line Advertising, Below the Line campaigns (Events & Activations), Retail Management, Exposition Management, Digital and MICE.

    As a business lead, he will be responsible for the formation of full service teams in all metros of India (Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad and Kolkata).

    Chakraborty comes with over 14 years of experience, which includes leading several corporate and brand reputation programs.

    “We are delighted that Dipankar has joined our new team as we plan to touch new horizons and increase and establish our foothold in the industry,” said Kettle Communications MD and CEO Aatanu Chakraborty.

    Prior to joining Kettle Communications, he was with HansaVision, (A part of RK SWAMY BBDO group) as national head – Events, and was instrumental in leading campaigns for Samsung, Yahoo, Nestle, LG and Micromax.

    He, in the past; has been associated with national and international events like IIFA Awards, London School of Economics Asia Forum, World Mobile Congress Barcelona, AfricaCom South Africa, World Telco Summit UAE, GSM Middle East, Communique Asia, Yahoo BIC Awards, NDTV Business Leadership Awards, Porsche Launch in India, Audi Launch in India, Bill Clinton, Bill Gates, Pierce Brosnan, Carl Lewis‘ Visits to India. The bouquet of clients Dipankar has serviced during his tenure include, FICCI, CII, Yahoo, Airtel, Nestle, Adventz, ACME, Microsoft, Teacher‘s, Nasscom, Nike, Porsche, Audi, Samsung, LG, Micromax, Comviva, Ananda Bazaar Patrika, The Times of India, Hindustan Times, Cairn India, ONGC, SAIL, NTPC, Indigo Music, India Today Group.

    Prior to the move, Chakraborty has worked with Wizcraft for more than 6 years followed by Ogilvy where he spent considerable time strengthening the Below the Line arm called Ogilvy Live.