ITV

Tag: Malayalam

  • Sun TV Network app now on Nokia Asha touch and Windows phones

    Sun TV Network app now on Nokia Asha touch and Windows phones

    CHENNAI: Nokia has partnered with Sun Group recently on the availability of Sun TV Network app on its Nokia Asha touch and Nokia Windows Phonesrange. The app provides schedule of the programs for various TV channels and Video of the TV serials available in these channels. Additionally, the app caters to all the four south Indian languages including Tamil, Kannada, Telugu and Malayalam.

    The Sun TV app can be accessed by Nokia’s Windows Phone users as well as Nokia’s Asha range users and the videos can be accessed from the devices using 3G or WiFi connections.The application will continue to have newer features including live TV as and when the service is made available by Sun TV.

    Commenting on the launch of Sun TV network app on Nokia Asha and Windows phones rangeMr. Viral Oza – Marketing Director, Nokia India said “Today mobile devices are beyond voice for consumers as they are increasingly using their handset as an entertainment hub. We are very excited to partner with Sun TV Network that is India’s largest media conglomerate and we look forward to provide improved user experience to our consumers with the availability of this app”

    From Windows 8 phones perspective, Sun TV app can be accessed by Nokia Lumia 520, Nokia Lumia 620, Nokia Lumia 720, Nokia Lumia 820, Nokia Lumia 920, Nokia Lumia 925, Lumia 625and the more recently launched Lumia 1020. Even consumers using Windows 7.5 phones such as Nokia Lumia 800, Nokia 710, Nokia 610, Nokia Lumia510 and Nokia Lumia 900 can access the app. The Sun TV apps also supports all Asha full touch devices including, Nokia Asha 305, Nokia Asha 306, Nokia Asha 308, Nokia Asha 309, Nokia Asha 311.

    Reiterating the new offering, Mr. Kannan, Chief Technology Officer, Sun TV said “The Sun TV Network app is an important milestone for the company. With more and more consumers looking at their mobile devices for entertainment, we are happy to offer services that will help them stay connected to their favourite show on their favourite channel on-the-go. We are confident that through our partnership with Nokia, we will also be able to strengthen our bond with their large consumer-base.”

  • Samsung moves into 9 Indian languages for its Smartphone and tablets

    Samsung moves into 9 Indian languages for its Smartphone and tablets

    MUMBAI: Smartphone and tablet manufacturing giant Samsung has decided to offer user interface and access to content for its users in nine Indian languages. These will be supported on Galaxy Grand, Galaxy S4 and Tab 3. These nine languages will be Hindi, Punjabi, Bengali, Tamil, Telegu, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi and Gujarati.

    The languages will be available on more affordable phones within this month itself. This initiative has been created especially for the Indian market. Applications from the Samsung store such as Bharat Matrimony, India Property, Times of India will be available in the vernacular languages. Select phones will also have Facebook, Gmail and the likes in the nine languages.

    Samsung Mobile and IT, India Head, Vineet Taneja said “We clearly sense a need and a demand amongst users to communicate in local languages using their mobile devices. That is the reason, as an industry leader, we are taking the lead by offering users the ease of accessing regional language content in their preferred language.”

    More devices will be added as well as more languages.

  • UAE to play host to second edition of SIIM Awards

    UAE to play host to second edition of SIIM Awards

    NEW DELHI: The second South Indian International Movie Awards (SIIMA) is to be held at the Sharjah Expo Centre on 12 and 13 September this year.

    Actress Shriya Saran, along with Rana Daggubati and Arya, announced at a press meet in Dubai that shortlisting of the best films of all South Indian languages – Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu and Kannada – was in progress.

    SIIMA has been instituted with the aim of creating a global platform for the South Indian film industry which releases over 500 films in a year and is one of the largest in the world.

    SIIMA founder and MD Vishnuvardhan Induri said: “SIIMA is a platform for South Indian Film industries to showcase their cinema to the world, SIIMA will travel to a different country every year and it will be a great platform for south Indian films to market and publicise their movies.”

    Arya, Indian Tamil actor and co-host at SIIMA, said: “I am very excited to be a part of a function where South Indian cinema is presented on a global platform.”

    The awards ceremony will be spread over two days. Day one will comprise the ‘Generation Next Awards Night’, and will be hosted by former Miss India World and actress Parvathy Omanakuttan, and co-hosted by stand-up comedian Ash Chandler. The ‘Popular Awards’ will be held on day two, and will be co-hosted by Arya, Shriya Saran, Rana Daggubati and Sonu Sood.

    Shriya Saran, co-host at SIIMA said, “I am very excited to be a part of SIIMA. I had started my career with South Indian films so this industry is very close to my heart. I am really thrilled that I am co-hosting this prestigious award function and will be sharing the platform with three handsome co-anchors.”

    The prestigious panel of experts at SIIMA have chosen the nominees of the awards, and the winners will be chosen by an online voting system.

    Rana Daggubati, Indian actor and co-host at SIIMA said: “I am really looking forward to being with a room full of attractive, admired and extremely successful people from the South Indian film industry that are being honored for their artistic contribution. As the host, it will be a pleasure to ensure that amongst all the cheer, the stars have a good time, are thoroughly entertained, and cherish their moment of praise.”

    The awards night will be packed with breath-taking acts and performances by some of the biggest stars in South Indian cinema.

  • Mathrubhumi’s Kappa TV perks up Malayalam youth TV market

    Mathrubhumi’s Kappa TV perks up Malayalam youth TV market

    It‘s more than a cuppa coffee that most youth hold in their hands while they lounge about in Café Coffee Days or BruCafes. Kappa TV – the youth focused music channel promoted by the Kozhikode-based Mathrubhumi media group – has chosen to be different from others of its ilk – it has a programming mix in English, Hindi, Malayalam and Tamil. And this, from a group which has its origins in Kerala where Malayalam and English are the main spoken languages. As compared to this, mainline youth channels MTV, UTV Bindass, Channel V, 9XM have been sticking to one lingo – Hinglish.

    Mathrubhumi media group‘s Kappa TV adds some zing to its content with a host of English, Hindi, Malayalam and Tamil programming

    Mathrubhumi TV CEO Mohan Nair says this is but natural and expected from south India‘s first youth centric channel. He explains: “In south India, young viewers are very much into popular cultures which are represented by Hollywood, Bollywood, Mollywood, and Kollywood. Tamil and Malayali youth also tune into English and Hindi songs from Sony Mix, MTV, UTV Bindaas and 9XM. Hence, we decided to have an amalgam of these languages along with Malayalam and Tamil in our programming mix whether it is in the form of music videos we play or the language that is spoken.”

    Estimates are that the Malayalam TV ad market is around Rs 675 crore; while the reach of all Malayalam channels put together is 8.1 million households.

    Music Mojo on Kappa TV is a Malayalam me-too of MTV Unplugged and Coke Studio

    As for the ad rates for Kappa TV, sources say, they hover around Rs 850-Rs 1000 per 10-second spot.

    On the content front, Nair reveals that the channel has six to seven hours of original non-fiction content in Malayalam and English on air daily, with shows being repeated twice. Kappa TV is primarily programmed in Malayalam with 60 per cent being back-to-back music videos rolling out in Hindi, Tamil, Malayalam and English, and 40 per cent being non-fiction shows.

    Among the music-based shows, the channel airs Music Mojo, a Malayalam me-too of MTV Unplugged and Coke Studio; Awesome Covers, a remix of songs of different languages; Mood Tapes, a show which captures the mood of the day and invites people across neighbourhoods to sing and compose songs; Bindaas Bollywood, which showcases Bollywood‘s best; and International Chart Busters.

    I Personally, which focuses on celebrity interviews is past of the channel‘s non-fiction portfolio

    Kappa TV‘s non-fiction portfolio includes: I Personally, which focuses on celebrity interviews; Film Lounge, a film review and recommendation show;Creative Chef and Simply Naadan – cookery shows, Street Magic, a magic show and Candid Camera which features celeb photo shoots and style tips from fashion experts. “We have chefs from hotel chain giants like Vivanta by Taj , Crowne Plaza,Holiday Innu and Le Meridien for our show Creative Chef,” informs Nair.

    A large number of celebrities from the south have already featured on I Personally. These include, Kavya Madhavan, Padmapriya, Rima Kallingal, Swathy Reddy, Mahesh Narayanan, Krish, Haricharan, Rashid Ali, Vijay Yesudas, Shyamaprasad, Kamal, Prathap Pothen , Sibi Malayil and also popular directors like Siddhique Prashant Pillai, Mohanlal and Mammootty.

    Creative Chef features some of the chefs from hotel chain giants like Vivanta by Taj, Crowne Plaza, Holiday Innu and Le Meridien

    The channel has also roped in celebrities to host its shows. The show Simply Naadan is hosted by Vishnu; Meghna Nair hosts Tales and Tunes and Sanjeev Nair anchors the show Filmography.

    Despite an array of shows in the kitty, Nair is quick to acknowledge that he needs more to push the bar as far as content is concerned. “We are mulling over experimenting with standup comedy shows, music video festivals, reality shows, short films and a series which would track the career of the top artistes or film personalities,” he notes.

    With a moving target such as the fickle youth whose attention span is hard to retain, Kappa TV has had to go the whole hog: continuous promotion, whether it is print or TV, or the outdoors or direct consumer engagement – both offline and online. It helps that it has very successful publications in-house for print communications and advertising in the shape of the Mathrubhumi newspaper – both in English and Malayalam.

    “We have allocated around 25-30 per cent of our budget each for print and television, 30 per cent for OOH mediums and the rest for digital,” says Nair.

    The channel‘s ad agency Maitri also helps out with its promotional activities and brand integrations. Promos and standups, posters and tent cards for shows likeMusic Mojo, Film Lounge and Ragaramiyer can be regularly spotted in railway stations, cinema halls, coffee shops, ice-cream parlours like Baskin Robbins. “We have also tied up with certain Kerala online portals like Metro Matinee for advertising about our channel,” informs Nair. And he also narrates with pride how Music Mojo‘s popularity has seen a spinoff being played out on Club FM – an in-house radio station.

    Mathrubhumi director – marketing & electronic media Shreyams Kumar says the
    channel has ignited the imagination 
    of the young crowd, within months
    of its launch

    “International brands like Lulu, Perfetti, Baskin Robbins and national brands like ITC and Kalyan Jewellers are our current advertisers,” says Nair. “We also have a host of local advertisers like Kalyan Silks,Bhima Jewellers and Pothys Silks under our roof. We are in final negotiation with a whole host of brands including Idea Cellular and Nestle for brand tieups,” affirms Nair.

    The channel is available in almost four million cable & satellite TV homes in Kerala, on DEN, Asianet, Siticable and on select cable TV networks in Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, and Maharashtra. This apart, it is in the process of signing up with almost all the DTH providers nationally, which Nair expects will be done before Onam. It is also available internationally in north America and Europe on IPTV platforms, while it can be seen in the Gulf courtesy E-Vision.

    Kappa TV has also started pushing its content out digitally on YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest. Video views on YouTube tot up to about 1.5 million, with some 9,550 odd Twitter followers. Facebook likes add up to some 15,000 plus.

    Definitely not something to crow about, but Nair says the digital push has been on for only four months and is helping build offline traction. “Viewers from India, United Arab Emirates, US, Saudi Arabia, UK, Qatar, Australia, Canada, Kuwait, Singapore, Oman, Bahrain, New Zealand, Germany, Malaysia and Ireland have been watching online versions of our music shows on YouTube. Videos of all our popular shows are updated daily on our YouTube channel”, he reveals.

    The digital initiative is handled by a four member team headed by Kappa TV director marketing and electronic media Shreyams Kumar.

    “Keralites and the wider Malayalee diaspora exposed to best in international entertainment was thirsting for an ethnic mélange. We at the Mathrubhumi sensed this opportunity, and this gave birth to Kappa, our specialty channel. With pulsating music, riotous humour, film review and intimate interviews, all tightly-edited, it has ignited the imagination of the young crowd, within months of launch”, says director – marketing & electronic media Shreyams Kumar.

    “This channel is a landmark achievement, since we have realised our long cherished goal of cross-media synergy. That this has occurred in our 90th anniversary year makes for reloaded pleasure.”

    The group already owns a news channel and a youth channel (both of which was launched in early 2013) under its umbrella. And it has two more licences approved by the ministry of information and broadcasting. One of these is for a general entertainment channel, which it has been planning to launch but has held back on it because of budgetary constraints. “But the desire to have at least one GEC is very much same like any other group,” discloses Nair.
    Mathrubhumi TV CEO Mohan Nair‘s Kappa TV is
    certainly serving some hot ‘cuppa‘ and has left the
    youth wanting for more

    To keep costs low, the group is using the same news channel infrastructure to roll out Kappa TV daily.

    Nair has the right pedigree to successfully steer the Mathrubhumi group‘s TV ambitions. For one, he has print media experience as bureau chief and senior editor of The Economic Times from 1988 to 1999. Then he has the requisite domestic and international TV experience, having worked for six years with Asianet Communications and with Maharaja TV in Sri Lanka before moving to Asianet Communications as COO for six years. He took up the challenge of steering a primarily print group into TV in 2010 and first off the blocks was the Mathrubhumi news channel, followed by Kappa TV.

    And his efforts have won some praise and even the attention of rivals.

    Leading Malayalam network Asianet has taken note of the success that Kappa TV has achieved. Plans are afoot to revamp one of its channels, Asianet Plus. “We are aware of the importance that a youth channel holds and that is why we are revamping Asianet plus for young viewers in the coming two months ,” affirms Asianet, business head, Anup Chandra Shekharan. Sources reveal that this revamp is going to see it emerge as an amalgam of Channel V and Life Ok

    The Sun TV group too has awakened to the potential. Music and movies channel Kiran TV has been converted into a movie channel called Kiran Movies. On the anvil, sources say, is another music channel which is quite likely to be under the Surya brand.

    Now what more could you ask for?

  • 60th Idea Filmfare Awards 2012 (South)

    60th Idea Filmfare Awards 2012 (South)

    Chennai: As Indian cinema turns a 100, Filmfare, which has chronicled that journey for the past 60 years, is proud of its long association with the South Indian film industry that continues to raise the bar with its creative, thrilling and exhilarating productions.

     

    Once again, Filmfare is set to celebrate the Black Lady’s date with the South Indian film industry at the 60th Idea Filmfare Awards 2012 (South) to be held at the Hyderabad International Convention Centre on July 20, 2013.

     

    Over the years, the award ceremony has grown into a star-studded extravaganza that generates some of the highest TRPs. The gorgeous stars on the red carpet, the scintillating performances and the suspense surrounding the potential winners make this an evening to watch out for.

     

    Filmfare has always respected public opinion and this year too, readers and movie buffs nationwide have voted for their favourites across 10 categories each, in Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam films. As the vote count continues, the nominees for the year will soon be chosen. A specially-appointed jury will pick the final winners from among nominees drawn from these responses.

     

    The sensational Tamanna Bhatia, along with Mr. Tarun Rai, Chief Executive Officer, Worldwide Media and Mr. Rajat Mukarji, Chief Corporate Affairs Officer, Idea Cellular lit the lamp at a press conference to announce the date and venue of the 60th Idea Filmfare Awards 2012 (South).

     

    Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Tarun Rai said, “This is a very special year for Filmfare as we are celebrating the 60th year of the Filmfare Awards. From just two awards in 1953 to the fifty one Black Ladies that we would be giving out this year, it has been a long journey. And to be able to have the awards every year for 60 years is a huge achievement. We respect the immense talent of South Indian cinema and I know that the industry here has huge respect for the Black Lady.”

     

    Extending their association with the popular Filmfare Awards for another glorious year, Mr. Rajat Mukarji said, “South Indian Cinema has played an integral role in shaping the success of 100 years of Indian Cinema. In the 5th year of our association with Filmfare, we endeavour to reach out to a large number of subscribers and deliver rich content through mobile telephony in the region. At the forefront of communication, innovation and entertainment, the Idea Filmfare Awards is an endeavour to honour talent, innovation and excellence in cinema by the stalwarts of the industry.”

     

    The Filmfare Awards (South) were first held at the prestigious Kalaivanar Arangam in Chennai, shifting later to the distinctive Music Academy. Initially, only Tamil and Telugu films were considered for the awards, but Malayalam and Kannada films became part of the event in 1966 and 1969 respectively. The spirit of the awards lies in their popularity not just among the masses, but also with the film fraternity.

     

    The Black Lady is the ultimate recognition of talent.

  • Sequel of ABCD being worked on; remake of Special 26 on cards

    Sequel of ABCD being worked on; remake of Special 26 on cards

    MUMBAI: There‘s something more about the releases of last week viz ABCD – Any Body Can Dance and Special26 — one film is going to have a sequel and the other could be remade in several languages.

    First let‘s talk of the sequel.

    Buoyed by the positive response that ABCD – Any Body Can Dance has been receiving, producers UTV has roped in Remo D‘Souza once again to work on the sequel of the film.

    Confirming the same, Remo said, “Though talks of the sequel were being heard in the corridors of filmdom for quite some time, it is now that UTV has whole-heartedly backed my vision. I‘m very much excited to have been offered two more films under the banner. One of them is the sequel of ABCD on which I‘m working on right now.”

    The film will retain the cast of ABCD with a few fresh additions.

    Commented Disney UTV Studios managing director Siddharth Roy Kapur, “ABCD showcases Remo‘s ability to thrill and entertain his audience while at the same time he has sensitively handled emotion and drama. Having worked with a team of superb dancers, he has brought out the actor in each one of them. We‘re thrilled to be continuing our association with him.”

    For Special 26, filmmakers down south and the east have approached the makers of the film for the remaking rights in Tamil, Malayalam, Telugu and Bengali.

  • Malayalam film Arabana to feature woes of expatriates in Middle East

    Malayalam film Arabana to feature woes of expatriates in Middle East

    MUMBAI: Ajith Nair‘s upcoming Malayalam film Arabana (Wheelbarrow) will feature the emotional struggles faced by expatriate workers in the Middle East. It will be shot entirely in the Gulf nation of Bahrain.

    The film‘s main plot revolves around a famous playwright who is invited to stage his award-winning drama in Bahrain. “The whole drama changes after an accident that involves one of the cast. The film portrays some of vital issues of social relevance and concerns of fellow countrymen in this part of the world,” the director added.

    According to him, the film also focuses on the lives of expat workers in Bahrain, often exploited by those with vested interests.The film also touches upon the daily plight of common people, their dreams and relationships with their families as they toil in faraway land.

    Produced by Pooyath Sethumadhavan, the film is expected to feature artistes from the mainstream Malayalam film industry. It is expected to release next year.

  • Jism 2 available on BIGFLIX.com from 16 August

    Jism 2 available on BIGFLIX.com from 16 August

    MUMBAI: BIGFLIX.com has announced that its latest offering Jism 2, will be available to viewers from 16 August.

    Jism 2, the film which hit theatres in India on 3 August, is positioned as the film to have boldly broken through India‘s stodgy old Victorian morals. Directed by Pooja Bhatt, the espionage thriller involves assassination, sex, intrigue and the surprise element of double jeopardy. The film, that stars Randeep Hooda, Arunoday Singh, marks the debut of Sunny Leone in Bollywood.

    Said Reliance Entertainment Digital CEO Manish Agarwal, “At BIGFLIX, we are always working towards getting the audience exclusive content right from latest releases to timeless classics across different Indian languages. Through our tie up with Vishesh Films, we are happy to take Jism2 globally and will continue to offer world-class movie watching experience digitally on BIGFLIX.”

    In fact, Mahesh Bhatt compared his film to Italian romance drama Last Tango in Paris. Averred Bhatt, “The film has done well and it is our endeavor to reach the film to a larger populace. Platforms like BIGFLIX are ideal today to reach the young, net savvy generation across the globe. BIGFLIX as a service offers several comforts which makes movie viewing a theatre like experience. We are glad to be associated with BIGFLIX via Jism 2.”

    BIGFLIX will offer Jism 2 across tablets and smartphones.

    Besides convenience, latest releases like Jism 2 with a nominal subscription fee of $4.99 per month, BIGFLIX offers an exhaustive library of more than 1000 films spanning across all Indian languages (Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, etc) and genres.

  • South Indian movies to follow IIFA, host awards abroad

    South Indian movies to follow IIFA, host awards abroad

    MUMBAI: Dubai will play host to the first-ever South Indian International Movie Award (SIIMA) on 21 and 22 June. The award function will reward the best works in Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam and Kannada cinema.

    SIIMA will be an annual affair and will take South Indian movies to new territories on the lines of the IIFA.

    SIIMA will reward greatest achievements in cinema during the year 2011 which will be nominated by a jury of artists and professionals from all the four industries.

    Vishnuvardhan Induri, the man behind the successful Celebrity Cricket League, has conceptualised the awards function. According to a statement by the organisers, this will be the first time that the South Indian film industry will have its awards abroad. With the function, the organisers will promote South Indian cinema on a global platform that would increase overseas revenues.

    Though the industry down south constitutes the largest number of films released in India and the Indian box office collections of a hit South Indian movie is at par with any hit Bollywood film, the overseas revenue of a South Indian movie is 10 per cent of a Bollywood movie, the statement observed.

    The organisers have sent out invitations to all the big stars across India with a hope to get participation not just from those who have been nominated and those who are performing but from the film fraternity at large.

  • Dhanush’s ‘3’ to release on 30 March

    Dhanush’s ‘3’ to release on 30 March

    MUMBAI: Kastoori Raja‘s forthcoming film 3, which came on to the international scene when its song Kolaveri Di created a milestone when it was put up on YouTube, is being readied for a nationwide release on 30 March.

    The film, jointly produced by Raja‘s RK Productions and Dhanush‘s Wunderbar Films, has been directed by Rajnikant‘s daughter Aishwarya R Dhanush.

    Being Dhanush‘s directorial debut, the father-in-law did have his doubts about her filmmaking ability. “But I couldn‘t say ‘No‘ after Dhanush showed me the script because it was very good. Aishwarya took only 50 days to complete the film,” she said.

    Raja, who is known for his scripts in films like En Rasavin Manasilay and Naatuppura Paatu, is expected to direct a film in Malayalam that could be a remake of one of his earlier Tamil films.

    The film will release with 400 prints in Tamil and 600 prints for the Hindi version.