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Tag: Mohanlal

  • Sony Pictures Network premieres film promoting positivity amid COVID-19 pandemic

    Sony Pictures Network premieres film promoting positivity amid COVID-19 pandemic

    MUMBAI: 'Stay at home’, ‘stay safe’, ‘wash your hands’, ‘work from home’, ‘maintain social distancing’ are the statements that one hears these days. In these tough circumstances, stalwarts of the Indian film industry have come together with a unique short film, Family, to spread the message that social distancing and staying-at-home can be made more productive.

    The stalwarts who have come together for the short film are: Amitabh Bachchan, Rajnikanth, Ranbir Kapoor, Priyanka Chopra, Alia Bhatt, Chiranjeevi, Mohanlal, Mammootty, Sonali Kulkarni, Shiva Rajkumar, Prosenjit Chatterjee and Diljit Dosanjh

    Conceptualised and directed by Prasoon Pandey in collaboration with Bachchan, the film shows that staying at home, staying safe, maintaining hygiene, working from home and maintaining social distancing can be productive and should be taken in one’s stride.

    The premiere of this film will be simulcast across all channels of Sony Pictures Network on Monday, 6 April. Through this film, Bachchan will also unveil an initiative that supports the sustenance of daily wage workers associated with the entertainment industry.

    While most of us continue to work from home, it’s the daily wage workers who have borne the brunt and are suffering the most. Given the unprecedented nature of the situation, an initiative undertaken by Bachchan, ‘WE ARE ONE’, has been supported by Sony Pictures Networks India and Kalyan Jewellers, through which a monthly ration to 100,000 households across the country will be given.

    Through a commercial tie-up with a leading chain of hypermarkets and grocery stores in India, digitally barcoded coupons have been distributed to a verified list of workers from the All India Film Employees Confederation. Furthermore, monetary help has also been extended to those in need.

  • The Format that changed TV forever In India and across The Globe Turns 20!

    The Format that changed TV forever In India and across The Globe Turns 20!

    MUMBAI: Big Brother, (aka Bigg Boss in India) – the original reality format – celebrates its landmark 20th birthday today.  On the 16th September 1999, nine Housemates moved in a purpose-built house in the Netherlands, equipped with 24 cameras and no contact with the outside world to be watched 24/ 7 by Big Brother. A cultural phenomenon was born, and the TV revolution aired its first ever episode that night on Dutch Broadcaster Veronica, part of RTL.

    Since its launch, Big Brother has taken the world by storm, with 471 series of 28,391 episodes commissioned in 60 markets and airing pan regionally in 80 since its launch. 7,153 housemates from around the globe have spent 35, 143 days in the house and there have been 5, 035 evictions.

    Twenty years since its worldwide debut, Big Brother is enjoying one of its best years yet and is constantly being renewed internationally with 22 productions in 18 markets confirmed to air in 2019.

    In India Bigg Boss has conquered audiences, in Hindi, Kannada, Bangla, Telugu, Marathi, Tamil and Malayalam. With 30 seasons under its belt Globally Endemol Shine India is the only one in history of the franchise who has produced the Big Brother format (Bigg Boss) in multiple languages for different broadcasters. Bigg Boss has now been produced in India in 7 languages and today produces more than 600 episodes in a 365-day calendar year.

    With huge stars such as Salman Khan, Kamala Hassan, Nagarjuna, Mohanlal, Mahesh Manjrekar and Sudeep as hosts, an interesting mix of contestants and an amazing creative and production team, the show continues to garner huge TRPs and driving in viewers every season.

    Talking about the completion of 20 years of Big Brother globally, Abhishek Rege, CEO, Endemol Shine India said, “Big Brother is undoubtedly the most popular non-scripted show across the globe entertaining viewers from all strata of society. In India too, the show has been well received and has garnered a huge fan following.  The ongoing appreciation for the franchise across the globe and in India, no matter the language, is testament to the effort of the creative and production teams at Endemol Shine globally and our understanding of geographies and of local audiences.”

    Engaging audiences with interactivity
    Big Brother is more interactive and immersive than ever, whether it be viewer polls, making decisions for tasks or else the weekly evictions which are the bedrock of many global schedules. Big Brother stands out in the way it engages the audience to be part of the show, and earlier this year saw 202 million votes cast in Brazil in a single eviction.

    Innovating with technology
    Big Brother has always thrived on changes in the tech and TV landscape and fans have more access to the show’s content than ever before, whether it be watching episodes on YouTube in Spain where the series had a dual strategy to produce the programme for linear and online or streaming on a broadcaster’s SVOD or AVOD platform in markets like the US, Canada and Finland.

    The show is innovating with tech within productions too. Big Brother Poland was the first version of the reality hit to be filmed in a real-life existing house. This has been followed by the recent relaunch in Finland, where the house was located in the heart of Helsinki in REDI shopping mall.  These new types of productions are only possible because of advanced technology and state of the art cameras which allow the show to be produced in innovative ways. It also furthers the creative freedom for the producers with fully connected houses enabling access to rooms to be limited or to give housemates certain privileges such as access to the fridge or even the coffee machine. Existing locations also have created a truly authentic environment for relationships to develop.

    Sustainability
    And the format is rolling our green initiatives too, in Germany the production team of VIP series saved an estimated 12,000 coffee cups after switching to reusable bamboo cups and all groceries for the House were sourced locally.

    In Finland, the new house will be made with recycled materials and with water scarcity a significant issue in India, the production has installed waste water recycling, as well as placing water restrictions for housemates and one of the regional versions even features an empty swimming pool to make a point about the limits.

    None of us know what the next twenty years will bring, but one thing for sure, the world is watching.

    Big Brother in numbers
     
    1. 7,153 people have entered the Big Brother house of which 517 were from Bigg Boss India so far)
    2. There have been 5,035 evictions of which 372 were in Bigg Boss India so far
    3. 28,391 episodes of Big Brother have aired globally of which 2942 were in Bigg Boss India
    4. Over 35,143 days have been spent in the house of which 2908 were in Bigg Boss India
    5. There have been 471 series to date, making 471 Big Brother winners 30 of which were in India  
    6. 3,000 people applied via telephone for the first ever series in the Netherlands
    7. There were 24 cameras in the original Big Brother house in the Netherlands. The most recent version in Finland has 51, whereas in Italy they shoot with an astounding 100+ cameras. India used 89 cameras in the BB Hindi S12
    8. The oldest housemate to enter the Big Brother house is Lionel Blair who at 85 joined Celebrity Big Brother in the UK. 75-year-old Jerry MacDonald who came third in the US series 10 in 2008
    9. Julie Chen Moonves is the longest serving Big Brother host, having presided over the US show for 19 years since its launch in 2000
    10. 1 baby has been born in the Big Brother house; this took place in the Netherlands in 2005
    11. The longest uninterrupted television broadcast of Big Brother lasted 8, 763 hours from 2nd March 2004- 1st March 2005 in Germany
    12. A record 202 million votes were cast in one eviction in Brazil in March this year.  These second highest being Bigg Boss Tamil with 19, 59, 37, 000 votes
    13. 7 versions of Big Boss in 7 different regional languages (Marathi, Tamil, Bengali Telugu, Hindi, Kannada, Malayalam) have aired in India.
    14. Big Brother has 62.5 million digital followers.
    15. There have been 7.3 billion lifetime video views
    16. 59 couples met in the House.
    17. 5 marriages have taken place within the House of which 2 were from Bigg Boss India
    18. 12 children have been born from Big Brother romances.
    19. Since launch Big Brother has been commissioned in 60 countries, some of which aired pan-regionally taking the show to 80 countries.
    20. An estimated 12,000 single use coffee cups were saved when the production of Big Brother VIP in Germany switched to reusable bamboo cups.

  • Malayalam market to get more diverse with launch of a news channel, Bigg Boss

    Malayalam market to get more diverse with launch of a news channel, Bigg Boss

    MUMBAI: Insight Media City, the owner of Malayalam general entertainment channel- Flowers TV, will launch a Malayalam news channel named Twenty Four on August 4.
    Insight Media City India was founded by a group of investors during March 2013 with the aim of putting up a media city in Kochi. Inside Media City Managing Director R Sreekandan Nair has over three years of experience in this space. The senior management consists of people with plenty of experience in the industry, having worked with various other TV broadcasting companies.

    Launched on 12 April 2015, Flowers TV, within a span of three years, has gained immense popularity among the Malayalam audience with programs like family comedy drama Uppum Mulakum, comedy reality show Comedy Uthsavam.

    Star India’s Malayalam GEC Asianet is set to launch the first season of Bigg Boss, which will go on air from June 24. The show will be hosted by Malayalam actor Mohanlal.

    Bigg Boss is already doing well in the regional languages- Tamil, Kannada, Bengali and Marathi. So the makers of the show, Endemol Shine, wanted to explore another big market- Malayalam. The show will have 15 celebrities who will be locked inside the house for 100 days.

    Some of the participants who are been expected to join the Bigg Boss house are S Sreenath, Ramesh Pisharody, Archana Suseelan, The Enga Veetu Mapilai girls, Govind Padmasoorya, Ranjini Haridas and Priya Varrier, whose winking scene in Oru Adaar Love movie has gone viral and she became a sensation overnight.

    Also Read:

    Bigg Boss Kannada is a success story

    Bigg Boss set to enter Marathi homes

    Star Maa gears up for second season of bigg boss telugu

  • 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.”

  • Tata Sky targets south India during festive season

    Tata Sky targets south India during festive season

    MUMBAI: Last year, DTH operator Tata Sky ventured into the Malayalam market by getting Mohanlal on board as its brand ambassador. Now, it has targeted all the remaining three states in one go in its bid to expand in the south of India.

     

    The DTH operator has signed on Tollywood star Mahesh Babu to represent the brand in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana and Sudeep for Karnataka. It has refrained from signing one for Tamil Nadu but has refreshed its push with a new TVC campaign.

     

    ‘Better kante best’ is the tagline being used in Telugu to proclaim its 23 Telugu channels along with knowledge, English and Hindi news channels in the base pack. Babu will propagate this tag line through his TVCs.

     

    The ad campaign featuring Sudeep is built on the premise that people have gotten used to adjusting to things in life but with Tata Sky’s offerings, there is no need to compromise while choosing its STB. Sudeep will enhance this ‘no compromise’ theme in his TVCs.

     

    Kannada viewers will have 14 local channels along with knowledge and English news channels in the base pack.

     

    For Tamil Nadu customers, an advertising campaign will be activated across TV, print, outdoor and online media by conveying the message to Tamil customers who make purchases after careful evaluation that Tata Sky will be their preferred choice due to its quality. With packs starting at Rs 180, new connections will get the Tamil language pack free along with the base pack.

     

    The TVC campaign states ‘Ovvoru vishaiyathaiyum alasi aranju mudivu panravunga, set top box-inu varumbodhu kandippa Tata Sky-dhan choose pannuvanga!” (Those who decide everything after careful evaluation, choose a Tata Sky set top box).

     

    Customers of the southern states can avail an offer of an additional regional pack free for one whole year.

     

    The customer case service has been strengthened with additional call centre support, on-ground manpower and trained personnel to deal with increasing enquiries during the upcoming festive season.

     

  • Tata Sky’s celebrity association: Key to increasing sales

    Tata Sky’s celebrity association: Key to increasing sales

    MUMBAI: ‘Isko laga dala toh life jingalala’ was one line that caught the attention of the entire country. To add to it, DTH operator Tata Sky got on board Bollywood celebrity Aamir Khan to endorse the product in his inimitable style. Last year, it took a u-turn to the south and roped in Kerala film star Mohanlal to do the trick in the Malayalam market and recently it tapped into the north east section of the country with popular singer Papon.

    While Khan endorsed the product years ago, Mohanlal was taken up only last year and Papon was roped in during the 2014 FIFA World Cup to send the message of Tata Sky into areas where it hasn’t gained traction. Mohanlal was used extensively across the state through TVCs, van activations and outdoor hoardings. “We wanted to tell that Tata Sky is as much a Malayalam brand as it is in other parts of the country. So we wanted a name that would connect not just with the audience but with the brand offering as well.  We had Mohanlal speak to the family audience after he tested our product and approved its quality,” says Tata Sky CCO Vikram Mehra.

    Simultaneously it launched 19 Malayalam channels and set up sales and services structure in the state including 3000 dealers across 10 districts along with service partners and call centre executives trained in the local language. The perception of the brand was that it had less Malayalam channels and poor infrastructure. The TVC with Mohanlal sought to communicate a new message- ‘there can be arguments on many things but no arguments on our set top boxes’. A year on, Mehra says that its sales in the area have multiplied by 800 per cent.

    Taking advantage of the FIFA fever in June 2014, Tata Sky went ahead and introduced HD and personal video recorder (PVR) along with its latest innovation of streaming Tata Sky channels on the laptop. “With these products, we wanted to associate with someone who could talk to the youth segment,” says Mehra. Hence, popular singer Papon’s photo was spread across print, outdoor and digital with a lot of stress on the former.

    The result was a 110 per cent increase in sales in the seven sister states with a lot of it coming from its laptop viewing service. Phone and iPad service did not pick up well.

    Soon, the operator is looking to unite itself with two more personalities. “We will be making an announcement soon regarding two other south Indian markets,” says Mehra.

    This apart, Tata Sky also undertakes several associations for its ‘home’ channel, targeting markets at a time. The personalities roped in for promotion of the home channel include former cricketer Navjot Singh Siddhu and actors Nina Gupta and Richa Chadda. According to Mehra, personalities are used depending on the market, the product and whether there is a need for a famous face to be associated with the product.

    Several researches are conducted for particular markets as well as on a regular basis. Regular research is done with GFK Mode and Nielsen as and when required. “I personally visit 300 customer homes every year for feedback,” says Mehra. The core team of 14 people ensures that every month 3 million Tata Sky homes are reached out to, to know their feedback on its services.

    Surveys are conducted for all states individually every month and the market is analysed over two or three years. Simultaneously its product offerings are also studied in terms of consumer reception.

    This involves third party agencies reaching out to random sample size of people who are ready to buy a DTH set top box and ask them which brand will they buy and why? This is termed as ‘intention to buy score’. The measurement is done comparing ‘intention to buy score’ to the actual sale in that area.

    Similarly, Tata Sky also introduced six new Odiya channels to promote that it is not only great in customer service but also its channel offerings.

    A few years ago, this wouldn’t have been so easy, since it hadn’t been getting the additional transponder space from the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). But now that has been overcome by using MPEG-4 technology compression.

  • Hindi version of Pranayam in offing

    Hindi version of Pranayam in offing

    MUMBAI: Director Blessy is mulling with the idea of casting Amitabh Bachchan in the Hindi remake of his Mohanlal-starrer Pranayam.

    “The final discussions are going on and we are looking for Amitabh Bachchan for the movie,” the director said.

    The film had Mohanlal, Anupam Kher and Jayaprada sharing screen space. Bachchan is being tipped to play the role that Mohanlal essayed in the Malayalam original.

    Pranayam is a love story involving a beautiful woman and two men. “They had to convey some strong emotions in a subtle way and I had to maintain a certain balance. This prompted me to think about these superb actors who have been stunning us with their performances over the years,” he added.

    The director is awaiting to talk to both Kher and Jayapradha to discuss other casting possibilities in the remake.

  • Yantra Media, Asianet programming initiative takes on movie piracy

    Yantra Media, Asianet programming initiative takes on movie piracy

    MUMBAI: After unleashing its fight against movie piracy with the launch of a full-fledged digital movie project last month, the Kerala entertainment space is now all set to deliver a second punch on the industry evil, this time through a TV show venture.

    In an innovative programming initiative, the Chennai-based production house Yantra Media and the Malayalam entertainment channel Asianet have come together to launch a movie-based game show Super Hit Challenge, which promises to nurture Malayalee’s theatre-viewing habit.

    Aspiring contestants will be asked to answer certain questions based on the movie they have recently watched in a theatre, through an Interactive Voice Response Systems (IVRS) system. The binding clause of the ‘rules’ is that, the contestant should submit the movie ticket he had purchased in the theatre to ensure his entry into the contest.

    The game show promises bumper prize to the winner of each episode. The ‘challenge factor’ comes in, when the ousted contestants decide to ‘challenge’ the leading scorer, when he prepares to face the bumper prize questions, and the amount both the parties have already won is at stake.

    Speaking to indiantelevision.com, Yantra Media head Shyamsundar said, the show would unfold a unique synergy between the television and movie industries. “Today, in television, we get to see a lot of film-based programmes, which are meant to boost the box office fortunes of those films covered. But, none of them really make an attempt to fight the more serious issue of movie piracy, which is actually killing the industry. In this context, Yantra Media, supported by Asianet, has conceptualised this innovative format. This format urges and inspires consumers to watch movies in theatres only”, says Shyamsundar.

    Yantra Media has made an initial investment of Rs 4.5 million on the project. “Since we will be spending a lot on the prizes, the actual investment would peak in the long run. We are in the process of signing up leading brands for the prizes,” says Shyamsundar.

    Asianet is expected to launch Super Hit Challenge in August and each episode will have a half hour run. The channel is presently working out a slot for the game show.

    Anchored by popular Malayalam film actor Mukesh, Super Hit Challenge promises participation from the cream of the film industry. “The whole industry is backing us. Superstars like Mammootty and Mohanlal have already assured us their participation in the show,” says Shyamsundar.