ITV

Tag: Madhur Jaffrey

  • MOMI honours Om Puri

    MOMI honours Om Puri

    NEW DELHI: Veteran actor Om Puri, has been feted by Museum of the Moving Image (MOMI) in the US for his contribution to the Indian cinema. The honour was given to the 63-year old actor on the eve of release of his next international release, The Hundred Foot Journey co-starring Helen Mirren, which is opening on 8 August.

     

    The actor, who has made a name for himself in Indian and international cinema, discussed his long journey to stardom at a conversation moderated by actress Madhur Jaffrey. This was followed by a screening of his latest film.

     

    Based on the book by Richard C Morais and directed by Lasse Hallström, The Hundred-Foot Journey is about the cultural war that ensues the opening of an Indian restaurant in the south of France next to a famous Michelin-starred eatery. Puri plays the role of a patriarch of a family displaced from their native India. The movie also stars Manish Dayal, Charlotte Le Bon and Bollywood actress Juhi Chawla. It is produced by Steven Spielberg, Oprah Winfrey, and Juliet Blake.

     

    During the conversation with Jaffrey, Puri revealed that when he first came to Delhi nearly four decades ago with only Rs 120 in his pockets to try his luck in theatre, he could not anticipate the success that lay ahead of him. A versatile theater and film actor, Puri, has made a name for himself in Hollywood as well. The actor also added that he and Naseeruddin Shah were the ‘two idiots’ who joined the Film and Television Institute of India in Pune.

     

    Puri made his debut with the Marathi film Ghasiram Kotwal based on a Marathi play of the same name by Vijay Tendulkar. The film was directed by K Hariharan and Mani Kaul in cooperation with 16 graduates of the FTII.

     

    Jaffrey also discussed Puri’s big break in Bollywood – Ardh Satya portraying Puri as a policeman struggling to deal with the evils around and inside him. “This was my lottery in the Hindi film industry. Everybody sort of sat back and noticed me,” Puri said. He also received the National Film Award for Best Actor for the film.

     

    Puri considers himself to be introverted, but he believes acting gave him a voice to convey his emotions. “I had a lot feelings looking at the world around me, particularly, the disparities in society used to disturb me,” he said.

  • ‘Goynar Baksho’ gets nominated in New York Indian Film Festival

    ‘Goynar Baksho’ gets nominated in New York Indian Film Festival

    KOLKATA: Bengali film ‘Goynar Baksho’ by acclaimed filmmaker Aparna Sen has made it to the prestigious New York Indian Film Festival (NYIFF), vying for honours in three main categories.

     

    The movie focuses on oppression of widows and women emancipation and has been nominated in the Best Film, Best Director and Best Actress categories.

     

    NYIFF is the oldest and most prestigious film festival screening premieres of feature, documentary and short films made from, of and about Indian subcontinent in the independent, art-house, alternate and diaspora genres.

     

    Apart from Aparna, Anurag Kashyap, Rahul Bhatt, Mohan Agashe, Gurinder Chadha, Shahana Goswami, Madhur Jaffrey, Sakina Jaffrey are also slated to attend the festival this year.

     

    The six-day festival which started on 5 May, will showcase a total of 34 films.

  • TLC strengthens content library with the launch of fresh series this quarter

    TLC strengthens content library with the launch of fresh series this quarter

    MUMBAI: The Discovery Communications owned television network, TLC, is gearing up to amplify the entertainment experience of its viewers with a fascinating line-up of 18 new series this quarter.

     

    Cuisine, high-life and fashion, are some of the lifestyle themes that will be presented in TLC’s distinct and inimitable style to its viewers. Some of the new series that will be launched this quarter include Cake Boss, Celebrity Style Story, Epic, Heston’s Fantastical Food, Madhur Jaffrey’s Curry Nation, and Jamie & Jimmy’s Food Fight Club amongst many others.

     

    The thing to look out for in each of these new series will be the fact that it will be presented by world-renowned hosts such as accomplished fourth generation baker buddy Valastro (Cake Boss), passionate cook and author Lorraine Pascal (Lorraine’s Fast, Fresh and Easy Food), culinary wizard Heston (Heston’s Fantastical Food) and one of the world’s most loved television personalities Jamie Oliver (Jamie & Jimmy’s Food Fight Club).

     

    Discovery Networks Asia-Pacific senior VP & GM – South Asia and head of revenue, pan-regional ad sales and Southeast Asia Rahul Johri said in a release, “TLC has been the pioneer in presenting differentiated and aspirational lifestyle content in the country. We will continue to invest and bring in the finest quality programs from across the globe. Spread across a variety of themes and hosted by celebrated chefs, the new programming line-up will make for a splendid viewing experience.”

     

    Taking a closer look at the series, Cake Boss will take the viewers behind-the-scenes to witness the process of creating edible art out of flour and sugar in the form of remarkably modern cakes. Celebrity Style Story delves into the world of fashion uncovering the style secrets of celebrities like Jennifer Lopez, Sarah Jessica Parker, Angelina Jolie, the Oslen twins, Cameron Diaz, Halle Berry, Hudson, Nicole Kidman and Lindsay Lohan among others.

     

    In the show, Heston’s Fantastical Food, he will bring back the wonder and excitement of childhood days by creating supersized versions of meals and treats. Madhur Jaffrey will explore the curry nation of Britain in Madhur Jaffrey’s Curry Nation to uncover how Indian food has been transformed and embraced in the UK from restaurants to places of worship to homes of British South Asians.

  • ‘Get a life’ with Discovery Travel and Living

    ‘Get a life’ with Discovery Travel and Living

    MUMBAI: Lifestyle is no longer the uncharted frontier on television. Discovery Travel and Living launched in October 2004, amidst speculation that a 24 hour lifestyle channel will never take off with Indian audiences, the ratings have consistently proved otherwise. The competition may gripe all they want, but the channel shows no signs of faltering.

    Today, with innumerable choices of lifestyle destinations, brands, gadgets, speciality cuisine restaurants available on television at a click of the remote, the viewer’s profile has changed to being upwardly mobile. These changes have resulted in increasing the viewer’s desire for international lifestyle content. And, it is here that Discovery Travel and Living has scored.
    Discovery Travel and Living has managed to keep ahead of its competition with its wide array of shows. It has managed to gain traction with audiences in all age groups. This season’s Theme Week series on primetime has only added to the growing popularity of the channel.

    When a television channel puts a home-decorating show in prime time, it’s clear that lifestyle programming has earned a seat at the table. The channel’s programming has given viewers an alternative to soaps and movies. The fact that lifestyle-oriented programmes on travel, food, makeovers and fashion has gained viewership is visible with news channels and regional language channels airing lifestyle oriented blocks.

    With a view to showcase a variety of shows on various cultures, traditions, cuisines, people and personas, nature, fun and frolic, Discovery Travel and Living have come up with a mix of shows with good content.

    Globe Trekker host Justine Shapiro during Trinidad’s annual Carnival on the show’s Great Festivals episode

    The hit TV documentary series American Chopper has fans asking for more. All about the goings-on behind the scenes at Orange County Choppers, a custom motorcycle fabrication company located in Rock Tavern, New York, American Chopper also shows the interplay between the Teutels, Paul Sr. and Jr., as they create motorcycles as works of art. So also, shows featuring international celebrity chefs like Keith Floyd, Kylie Kwong and Madhur Jaffrey have done well season after season.

    Another show that appeals to all age groups is Biker Build off, where two builders are competing. They are given a set time to come up with a brand new design for a chopper, build it and ride it to the contest destination, which is normally a motor show. The people present at the motor show judge the winning bike. There are a couple of India-centric shows also, like Floyds India, Cooking with Madhur Jaffery and the recently aired Incredible India series.

    An aggressive rollout of the channel is an important element of this year’s strategy to lure more viewers. The channel started this year with a focus of promoting appointment viewing in the prime time band. It has also commissioned two series of Indian programming. As reported earlier in Indiantelevision.com, Discovery Networks India vice president- Lifestyle Networks Aditya Tripathi said, “We hope to air our first commission in the second or third quarter of 2006.”

    “We have signed advertisers such as L’Oreal, Motorola, Diet Pepsi, Nokia, Nestle Kit Kat and Wrigley’s for various theme weeks. More deals are being negotiated. New initiatives are being promoted through print advertising and on-air promotions,” said Tripathi.

    Beach Week host Samantha Brown

    The lifestyle-centric channel is not planning to sit back on its performance. Discovery Travel and Living’s programming mix of original shows and series, off-network acquisitions and library exploitation continues to pay royal dividends to parent company Discovery. Looking ahead, the channel will air recently acquired BBC’s lifestyle titles like Friends for Dinner and Jeremy Clarkson Meets The Neighbours.

    It is tougher to get recognized on general entertainment channels, but viewers find premium programming wherever it is. It is celebratory time at Discovery Travel and Living, with the channel hosting a special party today (17 March) at the Park Hyatt at Goa. Tagged ‘ Get a Life’, it offers an exclusive experience for everyone who matter in the television industry, media, marketing, distribution and the team of employees who work with the channel. Promising to be an event that would be talked of in the days to come, it has been planned keeping the overall theme of the brand. And why not, lifestyle is only getting bigger on television.