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Tag: Madhuri Dixit

  • Time ranks Devdas 8th among 10 best films of millenium

    Time ranks Devdas 8th among 10 best films of millenium

    MUMBAI: Just as Sanjay Leela Bhansali is celebrating ten years of his 2002 film Devdas, the Time Magazine has ranked the film eighth among the ten greatest films of the millennium.

    With this, the Shah Rukh Khan- Madhuri Dixit-Aishwarya Rai starrer finds place among Hollywood biggies like WALL.E (2008), The Lord of the Rings (2001-03), Avatar( 2009), Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000), The White Ribbon (2009), The Hurt Locker (2009), Synecdoche, New York (2008), Moulin Rouge! (2001) and The Artist (2011).

    The magazine has showered praises on Shah Rukh Khan and Madhuri Dixit describing Khan as an “all-world charismatist” and Dixit, as “a hot number who had danced flamenco on men‘s libidos for a decade or so before appearing in this worldly-wise role” of a prostitute.
     
    “The piece is played with such commitment that the tritest plot twists seem worth believing – and dancing to, in nine nifty production numbers. But the fervid emotion is what makes the thing sing,” the magazine goes on to add.

    “Beyond that, Devdas is a visual ravishment, with sumptuous sets, fabulous frocks and beautiful people to fill them; it has a grandeur the old Hollywood moguls would have loved,” Time observes.

    “The news couldn‘t have come at a better time as Devdas completes 10 momentous years. It is a very proud and happy moment for me,” Bhansali says.

  • Deenanath Mangeshkar award to Madhuri Dixit Nene

    Deenanath Mangeshkar award to Madhuri Dixit Nene

    MUMBAI: This year’s Deenanath Mangeshkar award will be presented to Madhuri Dixit Nene and eminent Kannada novelist S L Bhyrappa among others at a function in Mumbai on 24 April.

    While Dixit Nene will be presented with the Master Deenanath Vishesh award for her contribution to Indian cinema, the Master Deenanath award will be conferred on Kumar Bose for his contribution to music. Bhyrappaa will receive Vagvilasini award for his contribution in the field of literature.

    The Vasantrao Deshpande Pratishthan will get the Mohan Wagh award for contribution to musical plays and Dr Prasad Deodhar will be given the Anandmayee award in the area of social service. Veteran actor Vikram Gokhale will get Master Deenanath Vishesh award for his contribution to Marathi cinema and theatre.

    The awards have been instituted by Mangeshkar family in the memory of singer-actor Deenanath Mangeshkar (Lata Mangeshkar‘s father). Each award consists of a memento and cash of Rs 1,01,001.

  • Madhuri Dixit to star in Dedh Ishqiya

    Madhuri Dixit to star in Dedh Ishqiya

    MUMBAI: The sequel of the 2010 hit Ishqiya is finally coming up. The ball has been put to roll with Madhuri Dixit Nene signing on the dotted line to play the female lead in Vishal Bhardwaj’s Dedh Ishqiya. She has been paired with Naseeruddin Shah.

    This edition will not have Vidya Balan as in the first part. Balan had recently said, “In the first part, the two men (Naseeruddin Shah and Arshad Warsi) come to my village to meet me. In the next part, they will go elsewhere, so obviously they will meet someone new and not me. Anyways, I like Madhuri Dixit and I`m happy that she is in the sequel.”

    Dedh Isqiya is about the adventures of Shah and Arshad Warsi and takes off from where Ishqiya ended. It is said that Dixit Nene will play a grey character of a begum whose style of making love is very royal (nawabi). It’s her habit to spout shayari while wooing her man.

    Abhishek Chaubey had directed the rural drama, which opened to great reviews and box office collections. The film was co-produced by Vishal Bhardwaj and Shemaroo Entertainment.

    The film will start rolling in May.

  • Madhuri Dixit joins Oral B for Smile India Movement II

    Madhuri Dixit joins Oral B for Smile India Movement II

    NEW DELHI: Bollywood actor Madhuri Dixit has joined Oral B Smile India Movement as the chief smile officer to promote a mission to ‘Protect a Billion Indian Smiles, One at a time‘ with the help of 10,000 dentists across the country.

    The mission was launched Tuesday from the Maulana Azad Medical College here, heralding the cause of protecting the Indian smile. The Oral B Smile Survey conducted by independent researcher AC Nielsen amongst 803 consumers and 201 dentists in Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata and Bengaluru states that as many as 89 per cent respondents in Delhi, 65 per cent in Bengaluru, 25 per cent in Kolkata and 19 per cent in Mumbai feel that India as a nation smiles less than other countries. A majority of 76 per cent of dentists notice that patients with poor oral hygiene tend to smile less.

    Dixit said, “I have always believed that we Indians have such warm smiles – something I missed fervently when I was in the US. It was disheartening to learn from the Oral B Smile survey that Indians feel they are smiling less, and the poor state of oral hygiene could be one of the reasons. I decided to join hands with Oral B and 10,000 dentists across the country to protect billion Indian smiles, one at a time. As I pledge my support to the movement, I urge everyone to pledge their support too and take a step towards more healthy, confident smiles.”

    The survey covered people‘s behaviour at the workplace, with their spouses; people have been equally vocal regarding their connotations of smile at their work place and when trying to please their spouses.

    Oral B spokesperson Varun Sharma said, “The survey conducted with AC Nielsen clearly points at the need for better oral hygiene among Indians! Through the Oral B- Smile India Movement this year, we hope to build from Smile India Movement‘s success last year, and help protect a billion Indian smiles, one at a time.”

    “We are encouraged by the support we have received from 10,000 dentists across India and now Chief Smile Officer- Madhuri Dixit who, for most of us, represents the quintessential healthy, confident smile. The aim is to protect Indian smiles by urging people across India to come forward and pledge their support to this movement,” Sharma added.

  • Birju Maharaj to choreograph Kathak sequence for Kamal Hassan

    Birju Maharaj to choreograph Kathak sequence for Kamal Hassan

    MUMBAI: Birju Maharaj is all set to choreograph a Kathak dance sequence for Kamal Haasan in the Hindi-Tamil bi-lingual Viswaroopam that marks his return to Hindi films after nine years.


    Confirming the same, Haasan has reportedly said, “Yes, I am indeed doing a Kathak dance under the supervision of Birju Maharaj for Viswaroopam. It isn‘t going to be part of the film just for the heck of it. The dance is an integral part of the script. I thoroughly enjoy watching and performing the classical dance forms.”


    The last time Maharaj choreographed for a Hindi film was in Sanjay Leela Bhansali‘s Devdas in which Madhuri Dixit‘s dance number “Kahe chede chede mohe…” was supervised by him.

  • Olay ropes in Madhuri Dixit as brand ambassador

    Olay ropes in Madhuri Dixit as brand ambassador

    MUMBAI: The cosmetic brand Olay has roped in Bollywood actress Madhuri Dixit as the brand ambassador for Olay Regenerist, the company‘s premium skin care range in India.

    Dixit unveiled the premium range of anti-ageing skin care range from Olay in Mumbai today.
     
    Dixit said, “Being a doctor‘s wife, I understand the importance of treating skin at the cellular level. This is why I am especially excited about Olay Regenerist finally coming to India. Of course, as a brand, Olay‘s Challenge-What‘s-Possible philosophy resonates with my own beliefs and my approach to life, work and all that surrounds me! I urge women to challenge what‘s possible for their skin and use Olay Regenerist to get dramatic results on their skin without having to go through drastic measures.”

    Commenting on the launch P&G Beauty head Sonali Dhawan said, “P&G is proud to bring its premium anti ageing boutique to India.”

  • ‘Food chnnls have tremendous potential to grow’ : FoodFood COO Karthik Lakshminarayan

    ‘Food chnnls have tremendous potential to grow’ : FoodFood COO Karthik Lakshminarayan

    FoodFood, one of the three recently launched food specialty channels in India, is completing six months on 24 July. With Sanjeev Kapoor and Astro as promoters and Madhuri Dixit as the lifestyle promoter, the channel took up the challenge of growing a new genre in India.

     

    Indiantelevision.com‘s Gaurav Laghate caught up with FoodFood COO Karthik Lakshminarayan to talk about the plans ahead and the journey so far.

     

    Excerpts:

    FoodFood is completing six months of operations. Has it been a bumpy or a smooth ride for a channel that is exploring a new genre in India?
    We are on track as per our business plan. We launched in January and as we are completing our first phase, we are seeing a healthy growth in terms of ratings as well as revenues.

     

    Being a speciality channel in Hindi, our connectivity in the Hindi speaking markets is approximately 60 per cent, which is quite good. Also if you see our reach, we have a 5.7 per cent reach in C&S households, while in the core TG of Female 25+ Sec ABC, our reach is almost 9 per cent.

    Isn‘t the ratings too narrow at this stage?
    Our reach is growing and in the core TG we are in the 8-12 GRPs (gross rating points) band. We are more than double of the competition (Zee Khana Khazana and Food First) in terms of ratings as well as time spent on the channel. Our weekly average time spent is over 30 minutes per user, which is extremely healthy.

     

    So, you see, there is no immediate competition. However, having said that, we do feel there is more potential for the genre to grow. But there is no benchmark as such. If you see the US market, the food channels are doing really well, and we see similar potential here also.

    So are you planning to take the channel overseas?
    There are definitely plans to take the channel to the international markets. We have already signed carriage deals in the Middle East and will launch FoodFood there soon. We are a Hindi food channel and will cater mainly to the Indian diaspora.

    FoodFood seems to be the only channel in this genre that is spending on distribution. How big is your carriage payout?
    I do not call it spend. It is an investment me make for distributing the channel. And as far as our position on the cable platform is concerned, we try to get in the Hyper-band and we are also available on S-band in certain markets.

     

    The industry is very dynamic and one has to always fight for the right band.

     

    Having said that, we are now entering into the second phase of growth. We will step up our investments in distribution, marketing and content.
    ‘We are now entering into the second phase of growth. We will step up our investments in distribution, marketing and content. ‘

    And in content?
    When we launched the channel, the buzz generated by Bollywood actress Madhuri Dixit (lifestyle ambassador of the channel), and Sanjeev Kapoor (promoter, celebrity chef) took us to a certain level. Now with our programming, we are going to cash on it.

     

    Very soon, you will see the launch of our biggest reality show – Maha Challenge which will have both Dixit and Kapoor and their teams of women and men battling it out to answer who is the better cook – men or women. It is a battle of sexes in its true sense. The 13-part series is being produced by Fremantle India. We will launch it in September and you will see Dixit for the first time in this role on television.

     

    We will also launch another reality show Secret Recipes in which people will come with their recipes and will cook with Kapoor.

    How many advertisers do you have on board now?
    We have over a dozen advertisers right now including Amul and Samsung. Most of them are either kitchen appliances or food related clients, who get perfect exposure on FoodFood.

     

    And all these get integrated seamlessly in the shows that we air. We do not want to clutter our shows with advertisements at this time and we have only 4-5 minute ads in the half-hour slots.
  • Madhuri Dixit shares her ‘kahani’ on Radio City

    Madhuri Dixit shares her ‘kahani’ on Radio City

    MUMBAI: For its special episode of ‘Meri Kahani’ Radio City has roped in Madhuri Dixit as a guest on the show. The radio channel reveals that this is the actress’ first ever radio interview.

    Other guests to feature on this show in the past are personalities like Lata Mangeshkar, Subhash Ghai, Jitendra, Shilpa Shetty, Tabu, Khayyam and Anil Kapoor. This special episode will be telecast on 21 January at 1:00 pm.

    The episode will be aired across the cities of Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore, Hyderabad and Lucknow. In this one-hour show, the actress reminisces her soulful moments and milestones of her extraordinary life and career that will strike a chord, leaving a lasting impression in the minds of millions of fans across the country.

    The show format of Meri Kahani gets the stars to talk about their lives, childhood stories, the backgrounds in which they have grown up, the start of their careers, struggling years, turning points and the important people who have been instrumental in shaping up their great lives.

    They also talk about their future plans and views on the Indian film and music industry. The show presents an exhilarating combination of all that listeners always wanted to know about their favourite stars and their lives.

    According to Radio City head programming Vikas Varma ‘At Radio City, it has always been our aim to connect with our listeners and the experts of the entertainment industry in a unique way.

    ‘Meri Kahani’ provides an opportunity to the legends of the industry to take a pause from their hectic lives and trace their journey to success and fame. The unique format of this new show has captured millions of listeners who connect with some unforgettable and unheard aspects in the journey of their favourite stars as they relive their past. Bringing yet another such exciting episode with ‘Madhuri’ on Meri Kahani which will keep our listeners tuned into Radio City thus living to our commitment to provide innovative and exciting programming to our listeners consistently.”

  • Hungama Mobile, GSM Association, Roamware unveil a mobile Bollywood film initiative

    Hungama Mobile, GSM Association, Roamware unveil a mobile Bollywood film initiative

    MUMBAI: Bollywood is all set to go mobile! Global roaming solutions provider Roamware, Hungama Mobile and the GSM Association have joined hands to launch a Mobile Bollywood initiative. The aim is tio create short films for the mobile. This is one way in which film lovers from across the world can sample what the Indian film industry has to offer.

    The three parties have partnered with director Sanjay Gupta to premiere Bollywood short films for the mobile. The films titled Dus Kahaniyah will premiere at GSMA’s 3GSM World Congress in Barcelona from 12-15 February 2007. Th event is expected to attract 60,000 executives from the mobile world. This initiative follows an initiative by Roamware in the US where it sponsors the Sundance Film Festival Short film Project. This is a JV between Roamware and the Sundance Institute.

    GSM Association chairman Craig Ehrlich says,”The Sundance and Bollywood communities represent some of the most creative, vibrant and diverse talent in the movie world. In showcasing the films at Barcelona we hope to create a compelling mobile experience for mobile users across the globe. The aim of the GSM Association is to make the mobile experience go beyond text and picture messaging. India is the fourth largest mobile subscriber nase. The GSM Association represents every GSM operator in the world. “

    Hungama Mobile MD and CEO Neeraj roy says, “Hungama mobile has exclusive rights to over 70 per cent of Bollywood content on the mobile and digital platforms and trhis content from India. We believe that Bollywood offers tremendous potential as a content category for carriers in over 125 countries. The revenue sharing arrangement will see around 50 per cent go to the content creator.

    At the first stage we wanted established filmmakers to come on board. Later on when the mobile becomes viral we will look at offering our platform as a springboard for emerging filmmakers. Firstly we want to test the model to see if it works and makes money for everybody in the value chain.”

    Each story in the film runs for 10 minutes and stars established stars like Madhuri Dixit, Jimmy Shergill and Dia Mirza. Mirza notes that this represents a huge opportunity for the Indian film industry to move into the international market. This she notes comes at a time when the international market is becoming more interested in what Bollywood has to offer. Gupta thanked the three parties for providing established filmmakers with the chance to make short films.

    That is something that they do not often get a chance to do. The fact that the short films have known faces will make them reach the masses that much quicker he notes. “It is exciting to be part of a move that has the potential to create a new distribution model for Bollywood. The market for short films has been given an impetus by the fact that the quality of the video experience on the mobile has improved a lot.”

  • Priyadarshini Academy honours 13 eminent personalities

    Priyadarshini Academy honours 13 eminent personalities

    MUMBAI: Priyadarshini Academy honoured outstanding national as well as international achievers in the 22nd Anniversary Global Awards function held in Mumbai today.

    There were 13 categories for which the awards were given, which included a trophy and a scroll. Each awardee in some way or the other has contributed to society through their respective fields. The awards were given by Union Minister for Commerce and Industry Kamal Nath.

    “These awards are a recognition for those who have given their se rvices to the nation despite being in different profession,” said Nath.

    Former Chairman of Infosys Technologies Ltd, NR Naryan Murthy received the award for his contribution to the IT Sector, former Chairman and MD of ONGC Subir Rana for the oil sector and Cricketor Arjuna Ranatunga for his contribution to Sports.

    The other awardees included Dr HS Dhillon who received the Overseas Indian Award, Olara A Otunnu received the award for Contribution to Human Rights, Yamha Toru Hasegawa for Corporate social Responsibility, Raj Loomba for contibution to Education of Children and Welfare of widows, Dr B K Goyal for his contribution to Medicine, Noel Hon for his contribution to humanitarian services, Jignesh shah was awarded for Innovative Enterepreneurship, Unna Huh, for contribution to It Education and Professor Arindam Chaudhari was awarded for his contribution in the field of management.

    On receiving the award, NarayanMurthy modestly said, “I feel I have received more from the society than I have given them. But this award reinforces my faith in the community and will definately help me to serve them better.”

    Priyadarshini Academy is an NGO engaged in socio-cultural and educational activities and has been holding the biennial award function since its inception in 1984.

    “When Indians were bestowed with International awards, it use to make news. So I thought that why not we create such an award in India which would honour who’s who from across the world. And over the years this award function is considered equivalent to Nobel Prize in the asia Pacific region,” said Chairman of Priyadarshini Academy Nanik Rupani.

    This year, the prestigious Smita Patil Memorial Award award was given to actress Kareena Kapoor, for her contribution to Indian cinema.

    In the past, distinguished celebrities like Yash chopra, Karishma Kapoor, Urmila Matondkar, Aishwarya Rai, Madhuri Dixit have been bestowed with this prestigious award.