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  • Largest-ever contigent for Rio Olympics, Steel Ministry, Reliance Jio, Tata Salt among sponsors

    Largest-ever contigent for Rio Olympics, Steel Ministry, Reliance Jio, Tata Salt among sponsors

    NEW DELHI: In its highest ever contingent, India is sending a total of 119 sportspersons who have qualified for participation in Rio Olympics 2016 to be held from 5 to 21 August 2016.

    A total of 57 sportspersons qualified for participation in Beijing Olympics 2008 and 81 sportspersons qualified for participation in London Olympics 2012.

    Minister Vijay Goel told Parliament today that the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) has informed that sponsors already committed are Reliance Jio and Edelweiss Financial Services as the Principal Sponsors, Amul, Tata Salt and Herbalife as Associate Sponsor, Li Ning and SBJ as apparel sponsors.

    Preparation for Olympic Games is an ongoing process. Training and competitive exposure to sportspersons preparing for international sports events including Olympic Games are provided under the Scheme of Assistance to National Sports Federations (NSFs) and National Sports Development Fund (NSDF).

    (Two sportspersons – sprinter Dharambir Singh and wrestler Yogeshwar Dutt – are being sponsored for the Rio Olympics by the Steel Authority of India Ltd. Steel Minister Chaudhary Birender Singh conferred the SAIL logo and felicitated the atheletes recently. Minister of State for Steel Vishnu Deo Sai, Secretary Steel Ms. Aruna Sundararajan and SAIL Chairman P K Singh and senior officers of the Ministry were also present on the occasion.)

    The Youth Affairs & Sports Ministry does not maintain data about the sponsorship given by private sector and public sector companies directly to the sportspersons and sports bodies for preparation and training of the sportspersons for their participation in international event including Rio Olympics 2016.

    The Ministry has formulated a programme “Target Olympic Podium Scheme” (TOP Scheme) within the overall ambit of the National Sports Development Fund (NSDF) with the objective of identifying and supporting potential medal prospects for 2016 and 2020 Olympic Games.

    An Elite Athletes Identification Committee has been set up with Ms. Anju Bobby George, renowned athlete as its chairperson, Pullella Gopichand and Ms. M C Mary Kom as members among others to evaluate and select potential medal prospects for 2016 and 2020 Olympic Games for support under the Target Olympic Podium (TOP) Scheme. Identified medal prospects are being provided financial assistance for their customized training at Institutes having world class facilities and other necessary support under Target Olympic Podium (TOP) Scheme.

    Further, in order to enhance the number of participants in the next Tokyo Olympics, the Government has set up a Mission Olympic Cell (MOC) in Sports Authority of India.

  • Priyanka Chopra signs with WME talent agency

    Priyanka Chopra signs with WME talent agency

    NEW DELHI: Actress Priyanka Chopra, who stars as the lead in  ABC’s FBI television drama Quantico, has moved from talent management agency CAA to William Morris Endeavor.

     

    Chopra, who had been with CAA since 2012, was introduced to the agency by her longtime manager Anjula Acharia-Bath.

     

    Acharia-Bath will continue to manage Chopra.

     

    Chopra plays the lead in Quantico, which already has been picked up for a full season. She read 26 scripts under her ABC Studios talent deal before handpicking the role of Alex Parrish, an FBI recruit accused of causing a terrorist attack on Grand Central.

     

    A former Miss World (2000), Chopra has starred in more than 50 Hindi movies and has received critical acclaim for her performances in movies like Fashion, Mary Kom and Barfi! amongst others. Her forthcoming Hindi films include Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s epic drama Baajirao Mastani and Prakash Jha’s Jai Gangajaal.

     

    On Indian television, Chopra also hosted a season of Fear Factor: Khatron Ke Khiladi on Colors in 2010, for which she received the Indian Telly Awards for Most Impactful Debut on Television.

     

    Chopra is also actively pursuing her music career and has recorded albums in English. Her single “In My City” was chosen as the NFL Network’s 2013 Thursday Night Football theme song. Later, she recorded a duet with Pitbull and her cover of Bonnie Raitt’s “I Can’t Make You Love Me” was featured in a nationwide Beats By Dre campaign.

  • Eros Now forges advertising partnership with ‘Quantico’

    Eros Now forges advertising partnership with ‘Quantico’

    MUMBAI: Eros International and International Media Distribution (IMD) have inked an advertising partnership for Priyanka Chopra’s upcoming US television series Quantico. Chopra will make her American television debut as Alex Parrish on the series, which will begin airing in the US on ABC from 27 September.

     

    The OTT platform Eros Now will showcase an entire line-up of Chopra’s films in celebration of Quantico’s premiere. Through a special advertising agreement, ABC will feature Quantico promotional spots before each of Chopra’s films on Eros Now On Demand from 4 September to 29 October to drive tune-in for the new FBI series.  

     

    “We are excited to bring Priyanka Chopra’s collection of Eros films to television viewers around the world in celebration of her historical crossover from Bollywood to Hollywood. We, along with the thousands of proud South Asian families in the US, are anxious to support an Indian actor in a lead role on a television show airing on a mainstream US network. This is truly momentous and we are delighted to curate a collection of Eros titles to honor the occasion,” said Eros International president Ken Naz.

     

    Sneak peeks and behind-the-scenes footage from Quantico will be available to watch in addition to Bollywood films featuring the star. 

     

    The movies starring Chopra that will be showcased on Eros Now On Demand are God Tussi Great Ho, Teri Meri Kahaani, Agneepath, Mary Kom, Shootout at Wadala, Anjaana Anjaani, Krrish, Krrish 3, Salaam-E-Ishq and Ra.One.

     

    All titles on Eros Now On Demand are in Hindi and subtitled in English.

     

    To access the special collection of Priyanka Chopra Bollywood films on Comcast, customers can go to On Demand > Premium Channels > Eros Now > Priyanka Showcase. For other operators, customers can consult the On Demand menu.

  • Focus Television to showcase world’s prolific serial killers in new show

    Focus Television to showcase world’s prolific serial killers in new show

    NEW DELHI: Even as most Hindi news channels and general entertainment channels show crime shows, which are part reality and part fiction, news channel Focus Television is all set to launch a new show that will showcase the world’s most prolific serial killers.

     

    Conceived and directed by Franklin Nigam, the series titled Killer, will be screened from 6 June at 10 pm and will be telecast every Saturday.

     

    In the series, each episode is based on a real case, which is well researched. The series aims to bring out details of crimes that shook the world. The first episode is on an American serial killer Ted Bundy whose charming personality helped him kill more than 100 women.

     

    The show experiments with three anchors coming together in the same frame. Each anchor plays a character on the show, which will highlight the highpoints of those cases and decode the crime for audiences.

     

    The three anchors are: Shishir Sharma, Amit Pachori and Shilpa Gandhi. While Sharma has starred in films like Mary Kom, in Killer he will be seen playing the character of a detective. Pachori, on the other hand, is a seasoned actor and will play an advocate. Gandhi, who is a Marathi film actress, will be playing a psychiatrist in the series.

     

    Nigam, who had earlier worked in Lok Sabha TV, was also a part of the team, which produced the Pradhanmantri series on ABP.

  • Zee Music Company acquires music rights of UTV-Disney & Balaji’s films

    Zee Music Company acquires music rights of UTV-Disney & Balaji’s films

    MUMBAI: Zee Music Company (ZMC), which completes a year of operations, has acquired the music rights of UTV-Disney and Balaji Motion Pictures’ upcoming movies for the year 2015-16.

     

    ZMC will be releasing the music for Disney’s ABCD2, UTV’s Fitoor and Katti Batti and Balaji Motion Pictures’ Flying Jatt and Kya Super Kool Hai Hum 3.

     

    ZMC head Anurag Bedi said, “It has been a phenomenal year for us and we are very happy with our decision to enter the music space. We are elated to be associated with two of the finest studios – UTV Disney and Balaji Motion Pictures – who have consistently delivered successful movies and music over the years. Meanwhile, we continue to work towards a fantastic year ahead with an exciting line-up of movies starting this summer. Among our new titles are Gabbar is Back, Piku, Kuch Kuch Locha hai, Bombay Velvet, Ishqedarriyaan, Singh Is Bling, Tina And Lolo, and Jazbaa. In addition to that, 30 new projects will be announced soon.”

     

    Disney India VP and head, marketing and distribution studios Amrita Pandey opined, “We are happy to associate with Zee Music Company on our movies. Our upcoming slate has highly anticipated movies, like Disney’s ABCD 2 and UTV’s Fitoor and Katti Batti and with these movies we will deliver on our promise of providing audiences with great stories and music.”

     

    Balaji Motion Pictures group CEO Sameer Nair added, “Music is a key driver for audiences across, as a studio we believe this creative synergy will be productive. The aim has always been to entertain, entertain and only entertain. We’re looking forward to this enthralling journey with Zee Music Company.”

     

    Last year, ZMC bagged the rights to films like Holiday, Mary Kom, Humshakals, Bang Bangand Shaukeens amongst others. In all, the company acquired music rights to more than 40 Hindi movies from studios like from Viacom18 Motion Pictures and Fox Star Studios as well as 15 Marathi films in 2014.

  • psLive records 50 per cent growth in clientele from Jan – Mar

    psLive records 50 per cent growth in clientele from Jan – Mar

    MUMBAI: Perception has it that when it comes to India, traditional media platforms still rule the roost. Consequently, be it television or print (the biggest chunk in the traditional media slab), traditional continues to take away the greatest slice from the advertisers’ marketing budget pie.

     

    Now, even as the above theory stands to be true, there is a steady change taking place in the advertiser’s budget room.

     

    psLive, the experiential marketing division from the Dentsu Aegis Network, has bagged as many as 52 clients in the past three months (January-March). These include brands such as Microsoft, Mahindra Insurance Brokers, Reebok, Philips, Nestle, Samsung, Reliance Digital, Brick Eagle – Housing Finance Company, Bausch&Lomb, Nvidia, Ranbaxy, TVS, Pan Parag and Cyberpark.

       

    Interestingly, the wins tend to also suggest a unique swing wherein brands that otherwise would not look at spending on non-traditional media are changing course.

     

    An apt example of this would be Mother Dairy, a traditional media spender, which associated with the Bollywood movie Kick and Mary Kom through in-film integrations that instantly connect it with its target consumers. The integration also gave the brand a bigger shelf life and higher recall value.

     

    For psLive, the new wins have fuelled as much as a 50 per cent growth in the agency’s client kitty when compared to what it had held in the previous three months (October-December). Consequently, with these new additions, psLive now boasts of more than 200 clients.

     

    Some of the new clients that have come on board are Meiji, Century Ply, JSW, SCA, Reliance Digital, Anchor, Mother Dairy, Future Lifestyle Fashion, Reebok, Philips, SC Johnson, Logitech, Bayer Crop Science, Nestle and Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India. The clients primarily sought/seek services in activations, branded entertainment and sports marketing, rural marketing and public relations. Herein, the attempt is to offer clients smart solutions that go beyond the common media usage and stay relevant to the consumers for a longer time period.

     

    psLive vice president Sidharth Ghosh said, “There is an interesting shift happening in the advertiser’s preference when it comes to traditional media (including digital) versus non-traditional media usage. Until five years ago, the non-traditional media platforms that included event, outdoor and activation wasn’t that huge and remarkable. However now, the category has been steadily witnessing substantial growth.”

     

    For the record, an Ernst & Young report published by Event & Entertainment Management Association (EEMA), estimates that the BTL industry is growing at a rate of 25-30 per cent year on year.

     

    “The sector is rapidly attracting more advertisers on board to bring forth exponential growth in the next 10 years. Advertisers are constantly seeking effective ROI. Simultaneously, they are also discovering that their non-traditional media expenditure is helping them reach out to consumers with greater impact at much lesser costs. Now as this discovery continues, the platform’s appeal in the advertiser’s media plan is only expected to further thicken with time,” added Ghosh.

     

    “Experiential marketing is perhaps the fastest growing part of the off-line business of any agency. Activation is growing at twice the rate of traditional (ATL) advertising. psLive has found the right area of operation in activation, branded entertainment/sports and rural marketing to provide our clients with integrated marketing solutions like no one else can,” said Dentsu Aegis Network chairman and CEO, South Asia Ashish Bhasin.

     

  • Kangana Ranaut wins National Award for Best Actress; ‘Queen’ is Best Film

    Kangana Ranaut wins National Award for Best Actress; ‘Queen’ is Best Film

    MUMBAI: Kangana Ranaut, whose performance was applauded by one and all in the film Queen has won the National Film Award for best actress for essaying the role of ‘Rani’ in the movie.

     

    This is Ranaut’s second National Award. In 2008, the actress won the Best Supporting Actress award for her performance in Madhur Bhandarkar’s Fashion.

     

    Additionally, Vikas Bahl-directed Queen has won the Best Film Award.

     

    The National Awards will be handed out by President Pranab Mukherjee on 3 May, 2015 in New Delhi. As was reported earlier by Indiantelevision.com, veteran actor – producer Shashi Kapoor will receive his Dadasaheb Phalke Award at the ceremony.

     

    On the other hand, Kannada actor Vijay bagged Best Actor for the Kannada film Nanu Avanalla Avalu.

     

    The Priyanka Chopra starrer Mary Kom, which is directed by Omung Kumar, has won the Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment. Whereas Haider bagged awards in various categories like Best Choreography (Bismil), Music Direction, Costume Design and Male Playback Singer (Sukhwinder Singh for Bismil).

     

    Director Srijit Mukherji won Best Director for his Bengali film Chotushkone. Killa was named as the Best Marathi Film, Harivu won in the Best Kannada Film category, Nirbashito won Best Bengali Film, whereas Othello won Best Assamese Film.

     

    The Amitabh Bachchan starrer Bhootnath Returns received a special mention at the National Awards. The movie was produced by T-Series and B R Films.

     

    T-Series chairman Bhushan Kumar said, “I am extremely delighted and honoured by this special mention given to Bhoothnath Returns by the National Awards Committee and on behalf of my entire team at T-Series, would like to thank them for this honor. We have always upheld cinematic values and this has further justified our faith in unique and meaningful movies.”

  • Viacom 18 Motion Pictures lines up seven Hindi films for 2015

    Viacom 18 Motion Pictures lines up seven Hindi films for 2015

    MUMBAI: After a successful 2014 with films like Queen and Mary Kom, Viacom18 Motion Pictures (VMP) is all set to release a slew of films this year.

    The studio has lined up as many as seven Hindi movies as well as two big Hollywood franchise films.

    The first movie to release from VMP’s stable is Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s action drama titled Main Gabbar, starring Akshay Kumar. The movie is set to release on 1 May.

    The second film is the Ajay Devgn starrer Drishayam, which is directed by Nishikant Kamath. The movie is the Hindi remake of the highly acclaimed and box office trailblazer wherein the same lead role has been essayed by likes of Mohanlal (Kannada), Venkatesh (Telugu) and Kamal Hassan (Tamil). The film is slated to go on floors in March and will release in September – October this year.

    Additionally, VMP will also release the Kalki Koechlin starrer Margarita with a Straw that has already been creating ripples on the international film circuit with its TIFF and NETPAC Best Asian Film Awards world premiere, BFI London European premiere, BIFF Asian premiere. The movie also won Kalki the Best Actress award at 18th Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival in Estonia.

    Furthermore, building upon the success of OMG – Oh My God, VMP is now producing its sequel titled Dharam IN Sankat, which is a satirical drama. The movie stars Paresh Rawal, Naseeruddin Shah and Anu Kapoor.

    The studio is also readying a sequel to Pyaar Ka Punchnama as the battle of sexes continues in Pyaar Ka Punchnama 2, a film that rocked the youth with its first edition.

    Next in line is the comeback film of veteran director – Ramesh Sippy, who is donning the director’s hat after 15 long years. Catering to the youth as well as the family audiences, the studio’s next offering is Sippy’s Shimla Mirchi. The movie stars Hema Malini along with Rajkumar Rao and Rakul Preet.

    VMP will also be releasing the story of the mountain man – Manjhi starring Nawazuddin Siddique in the lead directed by Ketan Mehta.

    On the Hollywood front, the studio will be hosting two epic franchises – Terminator – Genisys starring Arnold Schwarzenegger and Mission Impossible 5 starring Tom Cruise.

    Viacom18 Motion Pictures COO Ajit Andhare said, “VMP’s choice of films are centered around content that the new India wants to watch. This studio has consistently produced films that are shaping the new age Indian cinema whether it was Kahaani and Gangs of Wasseypur in the past or films like Bhaag Milkha, Madras Café, Queen and Mary Kom recently. These films have found box office success and also emerged as winners in best film category across various awards. As a studio we are constantly looking to define and shape a new mainstream that does not see box office success and acclaim as two different goalposts but one seamless outcome, our films in 2014 demonstrated this and our slate for 2015 further builds on that approach.”

  • ‘PK’ wins big at the Renault Star Guild Awards 2015

    ‘PK’ wins big at the Renault Star Guild Awards 2015

    MUMBAI: Held at Reliance MediaWorks, the Renault Star Guild Awards 2015 announced the winners in film and television for the year 2014. The night was hosted by Kapil Sharma, who entertained the audience with his quick wit and rib-tickling humor.

     

    ‘PK’ won best film along with best director, best dialogue, best sound mixing and a special award for the more than 100 crore film. Shahid Kapoor won for best actor for his performance in ‘Haider’ while Priyanka Chopra walked away with the award for best actress in ‘Mary Kom’.

     

    Superstars like Amitabh Bachchan, Priyanka Chopra, Alia Bhatt, Jacqueline Fernandes and Shahid Kapoor set the stage on fire with their magical performances.

     

    Rakesh Roshan received the lifetime achievement award that was presented to him by Jeetendra and Hrithik Roshan. Deepika Padukone walked away with the entertainer of the year award and Alia Bhatt won the Gionee most stylish youth icon award. The Star Plus shining superstar award went to Shraddha Kapoor.

     

    Renault India country CEO and managing director Sumit Sawhney said, “Renault India is happy to work together with the Guild and we are elated to celebrate the accomplishments of the Indian Cinema & Television industry. At Renault, we understand what it takes to think ahead, to win hearts of the audience and also win accolades from a proficient jury. We have always believed, both the Guild and Renault lay special emphasis on Driving the Change and are therefore a perfect fit with each other.”

    Talking about the awards, Star India COO Sanjay Gupta said, “Television and cinema are the two cornerstones of our entertainment ecosystem. Star Guild Awards are extremely prestigious as they are based on peer recognition by members of the Guild. We are delighted to host them once again and our viewers can look forward to an entertaining night on TV.”

     

    Gionee Smartphones India head Arvind Vohra said, “Cinema is one of the most important parts of our culture. It is one of the Passion Points which we as a brand want to get associated with because our consumers connect with it. SGA is one of the platforms which is created by the Film industry and recognizes the efforts of the industry across categories and functions. We at Gionee are honored to be a part of SGA in recognizing and appreciating the efforts of the film industry for adding entertainment, style and glamour to the consumer’s life.”

     

    Wizcraft International Entertainment director Sabbas Joseph said, “It gives us immense pride to partner with the Guild and celebrate the success of the best contributions to Indian Cinema & television.”

     

    The Renault Star Guild Awards 2015 co- powered by Gionee Smartphones and Ola Cabs will telecast on 18th January on Star Plus at 8pm.

     

    List of Awards & Winners

     

    Special Awards
     

    Lifetimes Achievement Award- Rakesh Roshan

    Films who made more than 100 Crore- Bang Bang, Ek Villian, Happy New Year, Holiday, Jai Ho, Kick, PK, Singham Returns & 2 states

    The Guild Presidents Awards- Highway , Mary Kom

    Gionee Most Stylish Youth Icon- Alia Bhatt

    Bajate Raho Dialogue of the Year by RED FM- Mary Kom

    AK ABAAS award for social consciousness in Cinema- Citylights

    Star Plus Shining Superstar Award- Shraddha Kapoor

    Hindustan Times Celebrity for a cause- Priyanka Chopra

     

    Click here for winners list

  • 2014: Setting trends, changing paradigms

    2014: Setting trends, changing paradigms

    Cinema is at its best when it surprises, changes paradigms, pushes the envelope and sets new trends. The year that was, saw new trends being set, new vistas being explored and the journey of evolving new Bollywood had some interesting new pit-stops. Here are a few of them though our lens at VMP.

    Lady’s Finish First 

    Queen and Mary Kom, two strong scripts, viewed from the eyes of two equally gutsy woman characters, set the Box Office ablaze. Mary Kom packed a punch with its record breaking opening weekend collection, a feat most pundits would shy from predicting for a female centric film. Queen made a silent start and like all long distance runners, gained pace as it refused to budge from the cinema halls week after week – both films eventually crossing the 100 crore gross mark globally with rave reviews that brought in audiences from every part of the world.

    World Tours

    Post a historic Indian leg last year, Bhaag Milkhaa Bhaag continues its run around the world. The film is all set for a theatrical released in Japan in January 2015. Release in Latin America and France are in the works as we also take the remote Wasseypur to the United States of America with theatrical release of Gangs of Wasseypur 1 & 2 lined up in January 2015.

    Reversing the remake traffic

    Traditionally Bollywood has seen remakes of south or Hollywood blockbusters.  We flipped the trend to remake Hindi blockbusters in the south. After its successful run at the box office, Queen and Special 26 will now be seen in Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam avatars. Kahaani will soon speak to audiences in Kerala in Malayalam.

    Beyond the Fan boys

    An iconic Hollywood franchise in India usually rakes in considerable attention from a niche audience. However, the beloved Transformers in its fourth avatar attracted not just ardent fans but also made new friends clocking a 30 crore weekend at Box Office.

    A Contest to Win

    Through Cineshorts, we established a new and unique platform that offers the exclusive opportunity to budding filmmakers. Contestants showcased their talent through a five-minute short film, of which top five are set to be premiered on MTV Indies besides receiving significant cash prizes. The top 50 films were showcased on the studio’s official YouTube Page. A new first step to presenting fresh talent with opportunity.

    The Global 70mm

    Well before its Indian release, ‘Margarita With A Straw’ started making its mark on international film festival circuit. Premiering as opening day film at the 39th Toronto International Film Festival and winning the prestigious NETPAC (Network for the Promotion of Asian Cinema) award for Best Asian Film. The film went on to receiving standing ovations at the 19th Busan International Film Festival (BIFF) and the 58th BFI London Film Festival. This Kalki Koechlin starrer also won her the Best Actress award at 17th Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival in Estonia.

    But mistake us not for elitists! We’re bringing a flurry of entertainment to cinemas in the new year. Slate of releases in 2015 features Gabbar, an action thriller with Akshay Kumar in a new look, while Dharam Sankat Mein with Paresh Rawal in the lead, along with veteran actors Anu Kapoor and Naseeruddin Shah. Sequel of Pyaar Ka Punchnama as the audience must look forward to watching it. Ramesh Sippy’s Shimla Mirchi marks his directorial comeback after a 15-year hiatus and the Hindi remake of Malayalam stunner  Drishyam. Our Hollywood platter includes two of the biggest crowd-puller franchises Terminator Geneysis and Mission Impossible 5.

    (These are purely personal views of Viacom18 Motion Pictures COO Ajit Andhare and indiantelevision.com does not necessarily subscribe to these views.)