ITV

Tag: maiden

  • Sony’s Stringer on maiden India visit as SET turns 10

    MUMBAI: After the Murdochs, Eisners and Igers of the world, it’s now time for Sony Corp’s first non-Japanese chairman and CEO Howard Stringer to come on a visit to India.

    Stringer, who took charge in March this year, will be here on 20 October. One among the other reasons for his visit: to participate in the 10-year celebration party of Sony Entertainment Television (SET) India, which is going to be held in Mumbai on 22 October at the Grand Hyatt Hotel.

    According to information available with Indiantelevision.com, Stringer will first be in Delhi, on 20 October. He is seeking to meet senior government functionaries including prime minister Dr Manmohan Singh and information and broadcasting minister Jaipal Reddy. He is also likely to visit the Taj Mahal in Agra during his hectic stay here.

    Stringer will reach Mumbai on 21 October, it is learnt. Apart from meetings with SET India executives, he will also have interaction with Sony Music and Sony Pictures Releasing of India Ltd (earlier Columbia TriStar Films of India), which is Sony Pictures Entertainment’s film distribution arm. He is also likely to meet executives from Sony Corp’s consumer electronics division.

    Stringer will leave India on 23 October, sources say. He has been quoted in Forbes as saying, “In October, I’ll be on the road for three and a half weeks — in India, in China, twice in Tokyo.”

  • UTV announces maiden production with Sun Network

    MUMBAI: For the first time, UTV Software Communications Ltd. is producing a daily show on Sun Network’s Telugu channel Gemini TV. The show Gee Boomba is an adaptation of UTV’s very successful format show of the same name that first premiered in Tamil and then later on Doordarshan.
     

    Says UTV Software Communications CEO Ronnie Screwvala, “The start of our association with producing content for the Sun Group goes to further strengthening our relationship and the fact that our own team will be marketing the airtime is the kind of synergy on which the UTV integrated media model is built.”

    UTV has had a decade long relationship with Sun TV, being one of the largest airtime sales partners for Sun and its producers in the South. The company had recently acquired rights to market a Tamil sitcom airing on Sun TV.
     
     

    The advertising and sales division markets programs on Sun and Gemini TV, including the Vikatan Televistas produced Kolangal, which has consistently been ranked in the number one slot on Sun TV. UTV has in the past marketed Annamalai, Avargal on Sun TV and Shivaiah and Seethamma Ma Yamma on Gemini, states an official release.

  • Deepak Tijori’s maiden venture ‘Oops!’ set for April release

    Deepak Tijori’s maiden venture ‘Oops!’ set for April release

    MUMBAI: Crossover films seem to be making their mark on the Indian screen as several film makers are exploring new terrain. Actor-producer Deepak Tijori’s directorial debut Oops! made under the banner of Tijori Films is all set to hit the theatres in April 2003.

    The film’s leading starcast comprises newcomers Kiran, Vikas and Adyasha. The film also stars Mink, Mita Vasisht, Amit Thakur and Kiran Kumar.

    The story of Oops! revolves around the lives of two boys who are background film dancers who decide to turn into male strippers to make more money. The movie has cinematography by Thomas A Xavier; music by Ravi Pawar; lyrics by Ajay Jhingran; art direction by Kumar Sagar; dialogue by Brijesh; and is written/directed by Deepak Tijori. The music of the film will be released in March and the music rights have been bought by Crescendo.

    “The film, made with a nominal budget of Rs 25 million, is very city centric and yet emotional. It’s all about valuing relationships in life,” says Tijori. “It’s the presentation and packaging of the movie that is modern in its outlook,” he adds. Tijori has already initiated talks about the territorial and overseas distribution rights and the television rights of the movie but nothing has been finailised till now.

    The film made in two versions; English and ‘Hinglish’; is being sold as a package deal and both versions will be released simultaneously. “So if one buys the ‘Hinglish’ version, he gets the English version free or vice versa,” he informs.

    Oops! has been invited to the American Film Market (AFM) as a part of the Indian delegation where it will be screened in the second week of February.

    Tijori Films had a mixed last year as far as TV programming was concerned. Speaking to Indiantelevision.com, Tijori says that the year 2002 for Tijori Films as an independent production house was “nothing great, but things seem to be looking up in the new year,” he adds. On a positive note, he says “the monopoly of a few production houses seems to be breaking and the channels are realising that it’s not wise to put all their eggs in one basket.”

    Not revealing much about his forthcoming projects, Tijori says that he is working on a couple of projects and that talks are underway with some channels.