ITV

Tag: Karan Johar

  • Season 7 promises ‘jhalak’ of unheard dance forms

    Season 7 promises ‘jhalak’ of unheard dance forms

    MUMBAI: Bollywood, jazz, hip-hop, salsa, waltz… if you think you’ve seen it all, the upcoming season seven of Jhalak Dikhla Ja seven, Colors’ popular dance reality show, promises many more dance forms from around the world that you’ve never heard of, let alone seen.

    7 June onward, audiences will be treated to a bigger, better, bolder edition of JDJ every Saturday and Sunday night on Colors at 9pm.

    A premium television property modeled on the international show Dancing with the Stars, JDJ will see 13 celebrity contestants battling it out for the best dancer title. Dancing diva Madhuri Dixit will be back as the judge and will be seen performing some of the new dance forms.

    This season, Karan Johar, who seemed to be the easiest to please judge until now, will take on a no-nonsense avatar focusing purely on performance. Remo will sport a grunge look to go with his surly demeanor and promises to be a hard taskmaster where contestants are concerned.

    Joining the jury will be Ukranian dance expert and winner of Dancing with the Stars Maksim Chmerkovskiy, taking the competition to a global level.

    This season, viewers will see new hosts in Ranvir Shorey and last season’s winner Drashti Dhami. Performances will no longer be confined to the stage but will venture outdoors as well. Upping the ante, Salman Yusuff Khan and Lauren Gotteib will take on the role of adversaries and challenge contestants in an exciting dance combat.

    Popular comic Sudesh Lehri will provide comic relief in the all dance routine.

    About the new season, Colors CEO Raj Nayak says, “We are very excited because this time, we are trying a lot of new things. We have lots of new elements, lots of tadka, and you will see this season leaping to another level.”

    Laughs Dixit, “Contestants have to learn to earn it, and the new anchors will too have to earn it.”

    Says Nayak, “It’s always been tough. But this time, we are going to make it that much tougher. We are going to take contestants out of their comfort zones and India will get to see forms of dancing they have never seen on any other dance show ever.”

    BBC Worldwide India SVP and GM and content head, Asia, Myleeta Aga, who makes it a point to start penning down ideas for the next season as soon as one season starts, “Colors is an amazing broadcaster to work with. They are real supporters of content and they understand the importance of making a production work about scale, think of innovation. It is a great partnership.”

    Nayak says of all the elements, casting is most difficult. “It is the most difficult thing, because people who want to come on the show are the people we don’t want, and people who we want on the show don’t want to come on the show and it takes a lot of convincing,” he laughs.

    This season, the celebrities demonstrating their dancing chops include Kritika Kamra, Mouni Roy, Purab Kohli, Karan Tacker, Sophie Choudry, Pooja Banerjee, Ashish Sharma, VJ Andy, Shakti Mohan, Akshat Singh, Sukhwinder Singh and Kiku Sharda in his avatar as Palak (of Comedy Nights with Kapil) and S Sreesanth.

    Explaining the selection process, Colors digital head Vivek Srivastava says, “Dancing ability is the number one criteria while selecting any celebrity. The other aspects of the casting have to be differentiated. You have to have the best mix people and that is what we have achieved this time.”

    Adds Nayak, “They are coming and becoming vulnerable in the public eye especially when they are all celebrities. For them to come and participate needs a lot of courage and conviction. People who come on the show come to win and that is why you see a lot of hard work going into the show.”

    For Aga, maintaining the standard has been most challenging. “People have an expectation on Jhalak and we can’t afford to lose that. Every season is about re-inventing, adding new elements and yet sticking to the things that work well,” she says.

    As for sponsors, Cadbury Bournvita has come on board as the presenting sponsor of the show for the third time in a row. Besides, Colors has roped in Gionee Smartphones as the powered by sponsor. The latter was also one of the sponsors of Colors’ Khatron Ke Khiladi. The associate sponsors are Ultratech Cement, Liberty Shoes, Ruchi Soya, Johnson & Johnson’s Clear & Clear and Luminous Water Purifier.

    Interestingly, according to sources, the channel has increased its ad rates by 15-18 per cent over the last year. Cadbury is said to have shelled out around Rs 12-16 crore and Gionee a little less than that. The associate sponsors have been charged around Rs 5 crore and the channel is asking for Rs 3- 3.5 lakh per 10-second ad spot.

    Sources from the channel indicate that the show breaks even every season and makes profit. This season, it is looking at 20-30 per cent growth in ad revenue as compared to last year. Industry experts believe that Colors could rake in Rs 70-75 crore ad revenue this season.

    Talking about advertisers’ response, Srivastava says, “The channel like always has got fabulous response from the advertisers. Jhalak never had problems with sponsorships; in fact we had the problem of plenty.”

    Marketing and promotion

    Colors is all set to promote its marquee property in a big way. While the promos are already on-air, the show will also be marketed through other mediums like radio, cinema, digital and ground activations.

    As part of ground activations, the channel is going all out in smaller markets, including LC1 markets. Branded autos with speakers will play the signature tune of the show. The 15-day activity will speak of how the show is different this time.

    “The challenge is to make the new season as entertaining and as challenging as the last one,” says Srivastava.

    Digitally speaking, contests have been designed on a huge scale where viewers will post their take on the show’s best moments. Those who post the best comments will be given an opportunity to meet their favorite celebs and also perform with them. It will be the ‘Do Your Jhalak moment’.

    Says Nayak, “The idea this time is purely about connecting with their favorite contestants and stars. So, it is all about background stories, what is happening in your lives, it is not just about what is happening on Saturdays and Sundays when the show goes on-air, but it is about what happens seven days a week.” Nayak believes that the channel has a great marketing team who is good in spending and getting good hit for the buck.

    There is a website http://colors.in.com/in/jhalak-dikhhla-jaa, where there are various sections where one can come to know about behind the scenes, promo videos, pictures and profiles of the contestants.

    While industry experts reveal that the marketing spend would be around Rs 6-8 crore, Srivastava simply says, “Jhalak is a big non-fiction property for Colors, and year-on-year we spend as much as we think it deserves and Jhalak is our marquee property. We would do justice to our property.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

     

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

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

  • Reliance MediaWorks partners with ‘2 States’

    Reliance MediaWorks partners with ‘2 States’

    MUMBAI: Reliance MediaWorks, the media and techno-creative solutions provider and a part of the Reliance Group has announced its association with the recently released 2 States.

     

     Produced by Sajid Nadiadwala and Karan Johar the film has been directed by Abhishek Varman and stars Arjun Kapoor and Alia Bhatt in lead roles. A film that depicts the diversity in the cultural fabric of India, 2 States is set in several parts of the country including Chennai, Delhi, Mumbai and Ahmedabad.  Thus VFX played an important role in easing the logistics and depicting different cities while still being shot at a studio.

     

     Reliance MediaWorks has been offering end-to-end visual postproduction services for films including VFX, DI and Digital Mastering, and 2 States is the latest marquee film that it has worked on. With 250 odd VFX shots, largely for chroma compositing and set extensions, the project entailed around 30-35 minutes of VFX work for the film.

     

    Dharma Productions chief executive officer Apoorva Mehta said, “The team at Reliance MediaWorks has always delivered high quality work at prompt timelines, helping us successfully complete the film and provide a visual delight to the audience.”

     

     Added Varman, “2 States is a very special film for me and in order to deliver my best I wanted to partner with the best creative partners. I’m very happy working along with the team at Reliance MediaWorks on this film.”

     

    To create the visual allure of different cities while maintaining the overall look of the film, the RMW team worked closely with legendary cinematographer Binod Pradhan, thus with his expertise, tactfully bringing together the vibrancy of Punjabi Delhi, the serenity of Chennai and the cultural vivacity of Ahmedabad.

     

     Pradhan said, “2 States is a movie rich in culture, colours and energy. To get a consistent look while maintaining the authenticity of each Indian province was the key focus. Reliance MediaWorks was an important partner in accomplishing this task.”

     

    Reliance MediaWorks senior colorist Ken Metzker said, “Working with an industry stalwart such as Binod Pradhan is always a great experience in itself. 2 States had the perfect balance of vibrancy and subtlety in its look, which allowed us to make the characters tell their story while looking good and not having the images overtake the storytelling. Looking forward to newcomer director Abhishek Varman’s next film.”

     

    Blending the VFX shots with the film seamlessly was an important task. 2 States is a romantic comedy and most of the VFX work involved was on account of logistical convenience for the shoot. So it had to be subtle and immersive.

     

     Reliance MediaWorks VFX head Prasad Sutar, who also headed the project said, “VFX technology today is no longer limited to action flicks and sci-fi movies. Directors today are wisely using it to ease the logistics and facilitate the shooting process, and with 2 States we have achieved that quite successfully.”

     

     Reliance MediaWorks CEO Venkatesh Roddam added, “It is always a pleasure to work with Dharma Productions. The team has worked dedicatedly to achieve the envisioned outcome. We are sure our work would be appreciated by viewers across the country.”

  • Two States, Three Stages

    Two States, Three Stages

    MUMBAI: Romance is between two individuals but marriage is between two families. For many, this is the moment of realisation and the word ‘adjustment’ replaces ‘romance’. This is true even when just about everything matches in the form of caste, community and status but harder when these matters differ and hardest when a romance is between North and South for that chasm is too deep rooted going back to the Aryan-Dravidian era.

    In able hands, Chetan Bhagat stories provide good themes to work on to develop into a film script.  And Two States, based on Bhagat’s novel, Two States: The Story Of My Marriage, aspires to the same feat earlier achieved by the 3 Idiots team. To some degree, it succeeds.

    Arjun Kapoor is Krish Malhotra, a typical Punjabi young man from Delhi pursuing his management programme at IIM Ahmedabad where Alia Bhatt, playing one Ananya  Swaminathan, a fellow student, seeks his help with her studies. Romance is inevitable, and it gets more intense by the day. Arjun dreads the day Alia will call hers a sisterly love and offer to tie a rakhi, which is quite a norm in schools and colleges. He wastes no time in confessing his love for her.

    Arjun has a reason for his deep love; there is no love at home. The atmosphere there is negative with his father, Ronit Roy, being drunk and violent and easily raising his hand on his mother, Amrita Singh. Arjun avoids interacting with his father and makes sure he gives all his attention to Amrita which she does not get from Ronit. The romance of Arjun and Alia has survived the two years of IIM and grown only stronger but it is time to part as the course is over and they must find jobs. Alia finds one in her hometown, Chennai. Arjun too finds a Chennai posting but Amrita, his mother, wants him to be in Delhi with her. Her plans are to flaunt her IIM graduate son to the parents of all the suitable girls. She dreams of dowries better than all others. But, eventually she relents.

    Producers: Sajid Nadiadwala, Karan Johar.

    Director: Abhishek Varman.

    Cast: Arjun Kapoor, Alia Bhatt, Amrita Singh, Ronit Roy, Revathi, Shiv Subramaniam.

    Amrita and Alia’s parents, father Shiv Subramaniam and mother Revathi, are introduced at the convocation function and the chance was not worth taking looking at the outcome of that meeting. Now Two States has to go through three stages: Arjun has to win over Alia’s traditional Tamil Brahmin parents. Next, Alia has to come to Delhi and conquer the hearts of Arjun’s family. And, lastly, since marriages are between families, to work on bringing both the families together with positive vibes. Though Ronit is not a party to the events, the third stage, bringing Amrita to like Alia’s parents is the mission impossible because for Amrita there is no girl worthy of her son, least of all a ‘Madrasi’ girl.

    The film breezes through while Arjun and Alia romance stage. It is all light moments and humour. Winning over of respective families is fun as both treat it as their respective challenges. The last part has an element of surprise and rounds up the film aptly. While the aversion of North and South parents for each other is amplified and nearly comes to insulting communities, it is justified in the script as both live in their own small worlds. The script provides a sense of feel-good, music is in measured levels, emotions without melodrama, and intense romance that makes other aspects acceptable.

    The credit goes to director Abhishek  Varman, who has also worked on adapting the Bhagat novel. Varman has done a marvellous job. Music is in keeping with the mood of situations as well as the film’s youth appeal with lyrics contributing in equal measure. Cinematography is pleasing. However, what makes Two States an endearing watch is the chemistry between Arjun and Alia who come up with amazing performances. Alia is suitably apt in all the shades of her character. Arjun gets his first chance to perform in a solo, more serious role and he does full justice. He has finally arrived. While the credit goes for perfect casting, the artistes, Amrita, Ronit, Revathi and Shiv (he should be seen on screen more often) live up to expectations.

    Two States is a youth-oriented entertainer with all the necessary ingredients perfectly balanced to make it a success.

  • SMJ season two evokes mixed reactions

    SMJ season two evokes mixed reactions

    MUMBAI: All eyes were peeled on the first episode of season two of Aamir Khan-hosted talk show Satyamev Jayate (SMJ) when it finally aired on March 2 at 11am, putting an end to all the excitement of the past few months.

    The two-hour-long episode titled ‘Fighting Rape’ put the spotlight on an extremely pertinent social issue while discussing some really hard-hitting cases. It began with a narration of the gruesome gang rape of a 23-year-old physiotherapy intern in the national capital on 16 December, 2012, going on to give shocking statistics of rape cases in the country.

    Khan revealed that according to the NCRB, there are nearly 101,041 rape cases pending trial, of which 3,563 cases have been acquitted or withdrawn and 86,032 are still pending. He spoke of the kind of medical and legal apathy that rape victims and their families usually face. Doctors tend to back off when such cases are reported, medical examinations are not conducted immediately and misleading information results in the victim being questioned more than the accused. However, he pointed out that changes have been made to the law, especially after the Nirbhaya gang rape case, and proceeded to elaborate upon the same.

    While urging viewers to change their perception toward rape victims who are otherwise looked down upon by society, Khan, in association with the Aakash Institute, encouraged the audience to ‘Vote for Change’ by giving a missed call on 1800-103-2301 and pledging support for a standard protocol for medical examination of rape survivors. Surprisingly, 12 lakh missed calls was generated in two hours.

    Indeed, the opening episode of season two of SMJ sent social media into overdrive with likes and tweets doing the rounds of the Internet, even as SMJ took fourth place on twitter.com on the day of its launch.

    And yet, both viewer and industry response was a bit of a mixed bag with some saying season two might be better while others finding it very similar to the previous outing. We spoke to some people about the episode and here’s what they said.

    A majority of media professionals thought episode 1 of season 2 did well in terms of research and so did media veteran and founder at Social Access Communications, Lynn de Souza. “The first episode was good. Bringing out all the issues pertaining to rape and how the victims are treated in court was rather touching. It brought about a lot of awareness. The show taught me a lot of things which I did not know. It is worth watching and a great learning,” she said.

    In contrast, a producer who did not wish to be named said the show was way too long. “Mixed reactions,” he said. “It was far too long. Two hours is a long time. People won’t stick to it after some point of time. However, thumbs up to Aamir and his research team for the heavy amount of research work.”

    Another media planner said there was nothing different from the earlier season. “The first episode was very similar – nothing new and dramatic. Plus time, it was almost like a feature film. Unless there is some hook, people will lose interest. It’s a very documentary style of saying things and with viewers here, they don’t stick with documentaries. But kudos to their research work. Well done, detailed in-depth analysis, surely took the crown,” he said on condition of anonymity.

    While Population First (Laadli) programme director Dr AL Sharada said, “In terms of format, I did not find anything different, it remained the same. In terms of research, it covered all aspects of judiciary reports and what common people face. I felt that Aamir should continue the same topic over a period of time.  Supposedly, he starts with gender violence and next week, he goes on to something else. The impact of whatever discussions are happening today will be completely forgotten next week when he takes up another issue.”

    She felt the show should be restricted to one hour instead of the current two hours. “It requires a little more depth, in terms of the issues being raised. For instance, in season one, in the doctors’ episode, only activists’ perspectives were taken into consideration but the ground realities of a hospital i.e. how it functions, what are the facilities available wasn’t considered. We should not just say they are not doing, we should also understand why they are not doing,” said Sharada.

    This is what celebrities tweeted on Satyamev Jayate:

    Karan Johar – #SatyamevJayate broke my heart…made me feel helpless yet inspired me to make a change..truly moving, heartfelt and rightfully arousing!

    Sunil Grover – Whn v all only spk abt a change here’s a shw vich is actually brining abt 1!Congrats @aamir_khan @StarPlus on anthr brilliant season of SMJ!

    Sanjeev Kapoor – What @aamir_khan is doing via @satyamevjayate is nothing less than a social revolution. Hats off to him!

  • This Koffee will be served at 11 pm

    This Koffee will be served at 11 pm

    MUMBAI: If you thought Salman Khan’s confession about being a virgin on Koffee with Karan was a bit much, wait till you see this one…

     

    Buzz is: an upcoming episode of the celebrity chat show featuring Freida Pinto and Nargis Fakhri has turned out so steamy that the channel has decided to serve the ‘adults only’ brew at 11 pm instead of the usual 9 pm slot.

     

    While viewers wait for the drama to unfold on 2 March at 11pm, indiantelevision.com did some finding to know the motive behind the move.

     

    Revealed Star India head of content – English GECs Rasika Tyagi: “The girls have been very naughty! Staying within the IBF guidelines, we didn’t want to air the episode before 11 pm. The alternative would have been to edit out a lot of the conversation, which we chose not to do. The episode is worth staying up late for.”

     

    Apparently, both actresses were very forthcoming in their answers to Karan’s queries about love and sex. With Indian Broadcasting Foundation (IBF) guidelines clearly stating that any person or group of persons can file a complaint against any programme broadcast on any TV channel if it violates social mores pertaining to sex and nudity, violence and crime, and gambling among others, channel heads were not comfortable airing the episode at the regular time. Also, Karan’s tweeting a picture of the duo saying: “Just shot the most hysterical Koffee episode with 2 very naughty girls…Freida Pinto and Nargis Fakhri!!!” didn’t help the situation.

     

    It was a tough call but the channel decided to play by the book. Tyagi explained: “My point of view is that it will be counteractive to viewership to push the original slot from 9 to 11 pm and it may also have a viral impact for the following weeks. But we play by the rules.”

     

    Star India general manager – English Channels Kevin Vaz echoed similar sentiments. “At the end of the day, we play by the law of the land. There is no two ways of us pushing the envelope or doing something which is not acceptable by the people. We follow very strict SMP guidelines. After the finish of the shoot of the episode, looking at some of the words and language that were used, we thought this should be telecast at late prime-time,” he said.

     

    So have the viewers been informed? Post the episode this Sunday with Madhuri Dixit and Juhi Chawla as guests, there will be on-air promos and in-show integrations communicating the change in timing. “We will have a ticker running to support the announcement and we will also be pushing this further through our digital and PR efforts,” informed Tyagi.

     

    The vacant 9 pm slot will see a repeat of the episode featuring Ranveer Singh and Arjun Kapoor. “This was the funniest and yet, the most hard-hitting episode we’ve had on Koffee with Karan this year. On one side, we had crazy funny antics from Ranveer and on the other, we had a heart-wrenching story from Arjun. It’s a great story to re-live and that’s the one we will air on 2 March before we air the fresh episode of Nargis and Freida,” said Tyagi.  

    As for the Freida and Nargis episode, the uncensored edition will be telecast at 11 pm on 2 March while an edited version will be aired the following Sunday at 7 pm.

  • Colors bets bigger with India’s Got Talent 5

    Colors bets bigger with India’s Got Talent 5

    MUMBAI: It is said that emotions sell. It seems so right in the case of Viacom18 Hindi GEC Colors’ talent show India’s Got Talent (IGT) where the emotional stories clubbed with exceptional talent led it to win the Best Entertainment Programme at the Asian TV Awards 2013. 

     

    But while its fourth edition was high on pullling viewers’ heart strings, the fifth edition that begins on 11 January at 9:00 pm every Saturday and Sunday, promises to bring out not just the contestants’ emotional journeys but also oodles of undiscovered talent from the different corners of India.

     

    Based on the international format, Britian’s Got Talent owned by FremantleMedia, the channel says that the endeavour this year has been to find talent that would defy the dimensions of a stage through acrobatic, aquatic and circus acts besides many other scintillating performances.

     

    IGT’s auditions began much earlier in June and the number of cities and towns where the team scouted for new skilled contestants ballooned to 45, with their number of auditions also rising 45 per cent. Viewers will get to see familiar faces as judges: old-timer Kirron Kher is very much there for her fifth season; Karan Johar (in his second season) and and Malaika Arora Khan, who, in the last edition, had to leave midway to make way for Farah Khan (however, this time she assures she will definitely continue till the finale). 

     

    Also, there are two new hosts – stand-up comics and artiste Bharti Kher and Mantra who with different avatars every week will add a tinge of humour to the proceedings. What’s new this year is also the Golden Buzzer – which the judges can press to give a participant a direct route to the semi-finals. And since there’s a lot more being packed in this edition, it is no surprise that production budget has escalated. FremantleMedia India head of commercial & and operations Vidyuth Bhandary says it is up more than 25 per cent. 

     

    “Since we are exploring uncharted talent, the investment in everything has scaled up. The dimension of the show has changed with the inclusion of performances on water and circus besides other platforms. It required us to leave the studio and build separate sets so that the contestants could show their talent,” says Bhandary.

     

    A source from the industry informs that the last edition of the show was produced in a budget of around Rs 23-24 crore and thus an estimated Rs 30-32 crore is being sunk in this time around.

     

    “India’s Got Talent is our flagship property which has grown exponentially season-after-season thereby attracting larger participation individuals across the country” says  FremantleMedia India managing director Anupama Mandloi. “Our team has worked together endlessly in an endeavor to showcase the creativity and enthusiasm which further adds to the scale and grandeur of the show.” 

     

    On view will be perfromers from 3 to 80 years with stunts that include pole dancing, basketball, para-gliders, synchronised swimming, fire jumping and diffusive neon painting.

     

    According to Bhandary, it is one of the most difficult shows from the production point of view. “It is not controlled like other reality shows. The size of a talent group varies from two to more than hundred people and managing the logistics gets really difficult at times,” he says, also adding that the production team includes a specialised crew that can handle any critical situation should it arise. 

     

    “Since we have increased the variety of talent on the show, we have also scaled up the safety measures. Like during the water act, we had four divers ready to help in case of an emergency. There’s a fire marshal, ambulance, stunt team always in place. We make sure that the precautionary measures are always in place,” he adds.

     

    Promotional budgets too have been hiked.  So if the channel’s marketing team has drawn up a well-thought  digital campaign, the on-ground activities and campaigns on other mediums are no less.

     

    Colors digital head Vivek Srivastava says that the digital campaign is divided in two parts, the first starts with a unique Twitter Concert before the show’s launch. 

     

    “Starting tomorrow, we start our two-day crowdsourcing activity for which we are inviting our Twitter followers to compose lines around the show using the hashtag #IGTTwitterConcert. The final composition would then be taken forward and sung as a song by a band. The final song will be launched with the show on 11 January,” he says, adding that the idea is to engage the audience completely.

     

    The second phase begins after the show goes on air. “In that, through different mediums, we would promote the talent on the show with their stories,” says Vivek.

     

    Even on radio, two innovative campaigns have been designed. While an Acapella act will be presented by this season’s participant, Ki Umjer that will be aired across radio stations and cities to showcase the international caliber of talent that will feature on the show, another one in association with Red FM will bring together 30 RJs from across the country in Mumbai. 

     

    “The RJs will tell the stories of the talented individuals who reside in their cities,” says Colors marketing head Rajesh Iyer.

     

    Another on-ground activity is planned at Mumbai’s famed Churchgate station that will take place just before the on-air launch. 

     

    “It will  give the common public a chance to show the talent in them,” says Iyer, adding that the overall outreach programme involves 3500+ spots on television, ads in 50 plus edition of key print publications, over 8,000 radio spots, OOH covering 100 towns and DTH imprints. 

     

    “Since our target audience includes everyone from young to old, we have planned these extensive campaigns to pull in maximum number of viewers,” he says. IGT’s concept is very different from any other show currently on air on any other channel. Unlike other reality shows that focus on one particular talent like singing or dancing, this one gives a viewer a varied variety. But still competition is competition. And that seemed to have touched one of the judges Karan Johar too. Karan whose celebrity chat show, Koffee With Karan airs on Sunday at the same time slot on Star World. He jokingly asked the media during the press conference which show would they prefer to watch him on – IGT or KWK? Karan didn’t get a straight answer but Iyer on a lighter note quipped, “We don’t compete with Koffee With Karan.”

     

    However, he doesn’t dismiss competition with other GECs when they all are running reality shows at the same time slot – Zee TV has its most popular property – Dance India Dance 4, Star Plus has Nach Baliye 6 and Sony has Boogie Woogie. “But we can’t be threatened by that. What we have got to do, we have got to do,” he says.

     

    Colors’ weekend programming head Manisha Sharma seconds and adds, “Every show says that they are different. But we have done well and have grown year after year because of our differentiated content. It’s the diverse talent that we bring on our show that works.”

     

    IGT kick-starts its first episode with Bollywood’s favourite leading lady Madhuri Dixit-Nene who will join the judging panel while sharing inspirational stories and anecdotes with the participants. Subsequent episodes will also feature special guests including Remo D’souza, Manish Paul amongst many others.

     

    IGT’s advertisers include Maruti Suzuki for the presented by tag, it is powered by L’Oreal Paris Total Repair 5 and associate sponsors include Tata Ace and Amul Macho.

     

    And it isn’t just that the Colors and Fremantle team that’s oozing with confidence this season, even industry experts have given IGT the thumbs up.  Lodestar UM’s vice president Deepak Netram says it  has a huge appeal because of the kind of talent it brings. “The promo of a girl with an amputated leg has already sent shockwaves. It has raised the expectations and the curiosity both. The promos have build up the excitement around the show. There’s shock value along with emotional backing and it’s something really to look forward to,” he remarks. 

     

    Weekends for Colors’ fans obviously aren’t going to be the same.

  • Karan Johar loves the energy in ‘Queen’s first song ‘London Thumakda’

    Karan Johar loves the energy in ‘Queen’s first song ‘London Thumakda’

    MUMBAI: Kangana Ranaut starrer Queen seems to be making the right buzz all across. The first song of the film ‘London Thumakda’ that released recently has caught the fancy of director-producer Karan Johar.

     

    The filmmaker took to Twitter to express his views about the song.  He wrote: “Hey Guys Absolutely Love The Energy of This Song http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yb4oCde7Zqs … #Queen Go make it your Dance Song of this Season!”

     

    The song has been composed by Amit Trivedi who in the last few years has stolen the limelight from many other composers of the industry with different compositions. This particular song with its frivolous Punjabi beats of dhol is bound to be ultimate song for this wedding season.

     

    Presented by Viacom 18 Motion Pictures, Queen is a Phantom Production. The Kangana Ranaut starrer is directed by Vikas Bahl, and produced by Viacom18 Motion Pictures, Vikramaditya Motwane and Anurag Kashyap. Queen is scheduled for release on 28 February, 2014.

  • Deepika hasn’t replaced Kareena in Shuddhi: Karan Johar

    Deepika hasn’t replaced Kareena in Shuddhi: Karan Johar

    NEW DELHI: Rumour mills have it that Deepika Padukone has replaced Kareena Kapoor in Karan Johar’s Shuddhi that is being directed by Karan Malhotra. However, these reports have amused Kareena and everyone else associated with the film as there is no truth to this.

     

    The filmmaker from Dharma Production clarifying the same said in a release: “Kareena Kapoor is very much a part of Shuddhi that stars Hrithik Roshan, directed by Karan Malhotra. The film will commence next year..” 

    On his part, Karan Malhotra (of Agneepath fame), who is helming the project, also rubbished the rumours and said: “Kareena is very much part of the film. It (rumours of Deepika Padukone doing the film) is not true. We have not approached anyone. It is one hero-heroine project… So it’s only Kareena in the film.”

     

    If sources are to be believed, Kareena is confirmedly a part of the film and has already allotted bulk dates for the same .She is very excited to be reuniting onscreen with Hrithik Roshan since their chemistry has always spelled magic at the box office.

  • Bollywood comes out in support of the LGBT community

    Bollywood comes out in support of the LGBT community

    MUMBAI: Everyone was in for a shock yesterday when the Supreme Court ruled that there was no constitutional room for change in Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code that holds same gender sexual relationship an offence. The Bollywood fraternity, which in the age of social media has become really vocal, especially when it comes to supporting the social causes, even this time came out to criticise the SC’s ruling. Many people from the industry started tweeting as soon as the news broke.

     

    Section 377 of IPC makes gay sex an offence punishable with up to life imprisonment, said a bench of justices GS Singhvi and SJ Mukhopadhaya while overruling an earlier verdict by the High Court that had decriminalised same sex relationship.

     

    Filmmaker Karan Johar tweeted: “#Sec377 is not just a violation of human rights but also makes democracy seem like a mirage in our country….”. This was even retweeted by fashion designer Manish Malhotra.

     

    Actor Adil Hussain wrote: “Ramdev and Judiciary have forgotten the Role of Shikhandi and Brihannala in Mahabharata.Wonder what Values they are talking about!! #Sec377.”

     

    Filmmaker Farhan Akhtar, who has been initiating many movements of late online, was upset with the ruling as well, but expressed himself in just one-liner, “The Supreme Court got it wrong today.”

     

    Actor Richa Chadda, who has been known for her fiery and strong characters, tweeted, “The Supreme Court criminalises love, again. Sad day.”

     

    Kabir Bedi wrote: “It’s a sad day when the Supreme Court of India does not uphold the democratic rights of sexual minorities. #Sec377 #LGBT”. He continued, “The State should stay out of the bedrooms of consenting adults. SC upholding regressive law seems bigoted. #Sec377 #LGBT.”

     

    Even actor Anushka Sharma, didn’t hesitate to present her disappointment. She tweeted, “So disappointed with the SC (supreme court) verdict. Freedom is such a deceptive term. Rights are an ambiguous mystery.”

     

    Singer-actor Shruti Haasan wrote, “11.12.13 a day that reminds us how blatant regressing and oppressing someone has become – plan b move bedroom to another planet and time… (It is) frightening how someone else decides how when and who you should love – basically freedom of choice isn’t legal anymore.”