ITV

Tag: &Pictures

  • &Pictures to air ‘Anacondas-The Hunt for the Blood Orchid’

    &Pictures to air ‘Anacondas-The Hunt for the Blood Orchid’

    MUMBAI: &pictures, will air Hollywood flick ‘Anacondas – The Hunt for the Blood Orchid’ on Sunday, 28 June at 12 noon. The second installment of the adventure thriller series – Anacondas – starring Johnny Messner, KaDee Strickland, Matthew Marsden, Eugene Byrd and Salli Richardson follows a team of researchers set for an expedition into the island of Borneo to search for a sacred flower, which they believe will bring humans a longer and healthier life.

     

    The story follows Bill Johnson (Johnny Messner) leading a group of scientists (KaDee Strickland, Matthew Marsden, Nicholas Gonzalez, Eugene Byrd, Salli Richardson-Whitfield) into the jungles of Borneo. They are searching for the mythical blood orchid, which can supposedly grant eternal life. Unfortunately, massive anacondas have been feeding on the orchids for years. When their boat goes over a waterfall, the scientists land right in the middle of the snakes’ deadly pit.

     

    Will Johnson be able to lead the team to safety or will they fall prey to the anacondas?

  • &pictures presents action packed Fridays with back to back ‘Bond Nights’!

    &pictures presents action packed Fridays with back to back ‘Bond Nights’!

    MUMBAI: The dashing Pierce Brosnan and the equally cosmopolite Roger Moore are set to grace the Indian television screens with their films, The World is Not Enough and The Spy Who Loved Me back to back on Friday, 5th June, 8 PM onwards. &pictures – India’s premium mass Hindi Movie channel that prides itself in bringing world class movie-viewing experience to the audiences, has handpicked the best amalgamation of recent and classic James Bond series. Taking action to a higher level, ‘Bond Nights’ will feature British secret service’s rouge assassin James Bond fighting the nuclear meltdown in The World is Not Enough followed by The Spy Who Loved Me where Bond saves the world from a reclusive megalomaniac who wants to create a new civilisation under the sea.

     

    In The World is Not Enough, oil tycoon Sir Robert King and Bond’s friend (David Calder) is assassinated after recovering $3 million British pounds from a Swiss Bank in Spain. James Bond (Pierce Brosnan) feels responsible for his death and takes the position as bodyguard to his daughter (Sophie Marceau) while trying to catch his killer. Soon, Bond learns that an evil terrorist known as Renard was responsible for the assassination of Sir Robert and with the help of nuclear scientist Dr. Christmas Jones (Denise Richards) and former enemy, Ex KGB agent Valentin Zukovsky (Robbie Coltrane), Bond sets out to foil Renard’s plan to wipe out Europe with a nuclear bomb. As Agent 007 tries to protect Elektra while trying to save an entire continent, he is challenged with the worst obstacle of it all – defeating a villain who can feel no pain at all. What will James do to protect the lives of millions of people while he has only just begun to question Elektra’s motives?

     

    In The Spy Who Loved me, a globe-trotting assignment sees Bond skiing off the edges of cliffs and driving a car deep underwater. The British super-spy James Bond (Roger Moore) unites with sexy Russian agent Anya Amasova (Barbara Bach) to defeat megalomaniac shipping magnate Karl Stromberg (Curt Jurgens), who is threatening to destroy New York City with nuclear weapons. Bond’s most deadly adversary on the case is Stromberg’s henchman, Jaws (Richard Kiel), a seven-foot giant with terrifying steel teeth. Will Bond be able to defeat Karl Stromberg? Will Karl Stromberg destroy New York City?

     

    Tune- in to Pierce Brosnan`s -The World is not enough and Roger Moore’s ‘The Spy Who loved me’ on &pictures this Friday, 5th June 2015 from 8 PM onwards!

  • &Pictures partners ‘Dil Dhadakne Do;’ acquires Excel movies’ telecast rights

    &Pictures partners ‘Dil Dhadakne Do;’ acquires Excel movies’ telecast rights

    MUMBAI: Hindi movie channel &Pictures from the Zee stable, has partnered with Excel Entertainment for the promotion of its upcoming movie – Dil Dhadakne Do, which is slated to release on 5 June.

     

    Additionally, &Pictures has also exclusively acquired the telecast rights of Excel Entertainment’s previously released films namely Dil Chahta Hai, Lakshya, Don and Don 2.

     

    Adding an innovative take on their partnership for Dil Dhadakne Do, &Pictures has created a platform for audiences to meet the movie’s stars namely Anil Kapoor, Shefali Shah, Priyanka Chopra, Ranveer Singh, Anushka Sharma, and Farhan Akhtar.

     

    As part of the promotions, &Pictures will invite viewers to share the fun side of their families via the ‘Crazy Family Contest.’ Viewers have to take crazy and funny family pictures and Whatsapp it to the &Pictures number (08879763807) along with their name and the city they hail from. Shortlisted winners will get a chance to hang out with the Dil Dhadakne Do star cast as they tour Indian cities for the promotion of the film.

     

    Chopra said, “We are coming to your city to meet your family.”

     

    Excel Entertainment’s Ritesh Sidhwani added, “The contest is an interesting integration aimed towards finding families who are as much fun as our Mehra family. Also, this will be our first association with & Pictures and we look forward for many more in the future.”

     

    Directed by Zoya Akhtar, Dil Dhadakne Do is produced by Sidhwani and Farhan Akhtar and is a comedy-drama set on a cruise ship.

  • &pictures to premiere ‘Haider’

    &pictures to premiere ‘Haider’

    MUMBAI: &pictures, India’s premium mass Hindi movie channel, with an aim to engage and entertain the audiences will premiere the five National Awards winning superhit drama Haider on &pictures, this Saturday, 30 May at 8 pm.  The film that garnered a high degree of national and international acclaim features some of the most versatile actors including Shahid Kapoor, Tabu, Irrfan Khan and Kay Kay Menon.

     

    Haider an inspirational work from one of the most prolific directors of our times, Vishal Bharadwaj,  is widely celebrated for its performances, music, screenplay and dialogues. The film which is a league apart from other films made on Kashmir, narrates a trying tale of a boy in search of his missing father interwoven with the miseries and atrocities of the residents of the region. Highlighting these aspect the channel has taken the creative route to promote the film with #HaiderAlagHai.

     

    ZEEL Deputy Business Head, Hindi Movie Channels Ruchir Tiwari stated, “A story of obsessive intertwined relationships, Haider is different in many ways. There might have been many films that captures the hearts of critics and masses alike but Haider is definitely one of the best stories you’ll ever watch on screen. Touted as a contemporary classic, brave and edgy the film deserved to be pegged with avant-garde pitch and #HaiderAlagHai surely brings out those prominent aspects of the film.  At &pictures, it is our constant endeavor is to engage our audiences through distinctive campaigns and initiatives and with the premiere of Haider the viewers are surely in a rare treat.”

     

    Speaking on the television premiere of Haider on &pictures, the spectacular Shahid Kapoor said, “Haider is the defining moment of my career. The movie is a wonderful amalgamation of emotions right from anger to love, friendship, betrayal and beautifully scripted by Vishal Bhardwaj. I’m extremely delighted that the movie is premiering on &pictures for people to watch it in the comfort of their homes.”

     

    Shradha Kapoor also spoke about her movie reaching out to the masses and said, “Haider is one of the finest films of Bollywood and a milestone in my career. The depiction of the state and people of Kashmir is by far the most beautiful I’ve ever seen in any movie and I’m fortunate to have been a part of this film. I’m glad that the movie will now reach out to a large number of Indian households for people to sit together and watch on &pictures. I’m certain that the viewers will love the movie kyunki picturein toh bohot banti hain lekin Haider alag hain.”

     

    Shot in the picturesque valleys of Kashmir, Haider scores a poignant and unconventional music by Vishal Bhardwaj himself.  Graced with Kashmiri folk instruments the melodies add an exquisite operatic quality to the movie.

  • &pictures rope in younger viewers with Toon-O-Mania!

    &pictures rope in younger viewers with Toon-O-Mania!

    Mumbai: & Tv brings good news for all the parents who are having hard time keeping their kids from playing outside under the scorching summer sun. What can be a better incentive to stay at home than getting to meet their toon idols?

     

    Understanding this, &pictures has crafted its programming keeping in mind their young viewers. Starting this Monday 18 May to 29 May, the channel brings Toon-O-Mania – a Hollywood animated movie festival which will air from Monday to Friday at 12 Noon.

     

    Animated movies can help develop children’s interest in learning different cultures, languages; enhance their social and physical skills. Moreover, an added advantage of family time spent together while watching a film gives a rise to family bonding as well. Understanding this, Toon-O-Mania offers, ten of the best animated flicks, beginning with Madagascar on 18 May. The film narrates an adventure of four animals from New York Central Zoo that wind up in the wilds.

     

    Next in the line on 19 May is the second movie in the series Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted. The Desperado stars Antonio Banderas and Salma Hayek come together, this time to entertain the kids in Puss in The Boots slated to air on 20 May. The viewers are in for a joyride with The Adventures of Tintin on 21 May  and the battle of loveable the ‘Dragon Warrior’ Po and Lord Shen in Kung Fu Panda 2 on 22 May.

     

    The following week’s lineup `starting from 25th May includes, Shrek, Shrek Forever After, How to train your dragon, MONSTERS V/S ALIENS and Megamind.

  • & Pictures to premiere documentary on cricket ‘Beyond All Boundaries’

    & Pictures to premiere documentary on cricket ‘Beyond All Boundaries’

    MUMBAI: Cricket is nothing less than a religion in India and to build on the recent Cricket World Cup phenomenon, &pictures, India’s premium Hindi movie channel, post the successful presentation of Amir Khan’s unreleased film ‘Chale Chalo’ has set itself apart by airing the glorious documentary – Beyond All Boundaries directed by Sushrut Jain. The channel, known to raise the bar with its differentiated offering each time has scheduled this gripping tale of three ordinary Indians and their love for an extraordinary sport. The film touching the life of three ardent cricket fans Sudhir Kumar Chaudhury –the biggest Sachin Tendulkar fan, Prithvi Shaw – the young prodigy in Indian cricket, and Akshaya Surve – a talented young female cricketer who dreams of making it to the Indian women’s team will premiere on Saturday, 14 March at 2:20 pm.

     

    Speaking of the World Television premiere of Beyond All Boundaries, Zee Hindi Movie Channels deputy business head Ruchir Tiwari stated, “At &pictures, we are constantly innovating the content we provide to our audience and with Beyond All Boundaries we had an opportunity to showcase something unusual and inspiring. India being a cricket-loving country, this documentary is a tribute to them and give viewers a glimpse into the sport. We plan to bring more such unique films that are entertaining, distinctive and engaging.”

     

    Beyond All Boundaries featuring prominent cricket players such as Saurav Ganguly along with Yuvraj singh is co-produced and skillfully narrated by Kunal Nayyar famous for his nerdy astrophysicist character ‘Raj Koothrappali’ from the successful American sitcom The Big Bang Theory. The film describes cricket as a metaphor for life in India encapsulating the emotions of cricket fans during 2011 World Cup. The film effectively depicts an ordinary fan’s addiction to the game, the desperation for winning a World Cup after 28 long years and the breathless excitement during the last overs of a match. The film also beautifully captures the purest form of devotion from the three lead protagonists to their beloved game.

  • Zee Action to go full-throttle in two months’ time

    Zee Action to go full-throttle in two months’ time

    MUMBAI: With the numerous award shows being held across the world, one thing is clear – everyone loves movies.

     

    And with the number of movie channels increasing in the country, the competition is only growing multifold. Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited (Zeel), which boasts of six movie channels – Zee Cinema, Zee Classic, Zee Action, &Pictures, &Pictures HD and Zee Cinema HD – under its banner, plans to revamp its 24/7 action movie channel.

     

    Speaking to Indiantelevision.com, Zeel Hindi movie channel business head Ruchir Tiwari said, “In terms of content, action movies are the most preferred choice for the audiences. This makes us feel very confident of the potential for a focused 24/7 action movie channel and the year 2015, will see a revamped Zee Action in full gear.”

     

    “The channel will explore its maximum potential with an aggressive line-up. We would be experimenting a lot with Bollywood, Hollywood and southern content catering to the needs of voracious action movie lovers,” Tiwari further added.

     

    Come March, and the channel will get into full action with an aggressive marketing plan in its core markets. Been worked upon for the last one year, the channel can now boast of a sizable and fresh library.

     

    “We will launch with a primetime property,” highlighted Tiwari without revealing much. However, he did add that with the content revamp underway, the packaging will too undergo a change to keep up with the new strategy.

     

    Currently, the channel is focusing on a 360 degree robust marketing plan, which will highlight Zee Action as the best in its genre like the network’s other movie channels.

     

  • 2014: The year of fatigue for Hindi movie channels

    2014: The year of fatigue for Hindi movie channels

    2014 has been an interesting year for the Hindi movie genre.

     

    The Hindi movie genre holds about 17 per cent of the total TV viewing pie which has been flat compared to 2013 and on an average per week, it clocked 1,187 GVM (Gross Viewership in Millions) in the year. One of the most positive trends observed in the category is the rise of new and smaller channels finding their share of voice in a cluttered environment. Digitisation has given the consumers today many options to tune in to varied content. Riding on this phenomenon, the Hindi movie genre has finally started to carve out more differentiated offerings and the viewership trends on these channels have been extremely positive.

     

    Let me first share our experiences on Zee’s Hindi movie cluster.  Zee Cinema, the premier leading movie channel launched in India, also enhanced its movie library by premiering recent releases like ‘Entertainment’ and ‘Holiday’. In fact, ‘Entertainment’ was the highest rated premiere of this year. The Independence Day premiere of ‘Holiday’ also raked in good ratings for the channel.  In a unique offering, the channel also premiered Prakash Jha’s ‘Satyagraha’. The film was extensively promoted by the film’s lead talent Amrita Rao and director, Prakash Jha in key HSM regions.

     

    &pictures was launched as India’s first interactive and premium Hindi movie channel in August 2013 and it continues to deliver on its brand promise. The channel that has grown from strength to strength in a very short span of time has pioneered trends in the movie channel industry. For instance, &pictures launched a documentary movie ‘Chale Chalo’ endorsed by Aamir Khan receiving thunderous response for this one-of-a-kind initiative from the industry and consumers alike. It also opened avenues for interactivity by introducing live call-ins for viewers with Aamir Khan for the first time in India. In fact, this concept of engaging with the viewers was again replicated by Aamir in promoting ‘Dhoom3’ television premiere and ‘Satyamev Jayate’. Helming the social cause, &pictures also premiered ‘Manjunath’ a true story of a whistleblower murdered for exposing the petrol adulteration scam in UP.

     

    Zee Classic, on the other hand, has progressed tremendously this year. This re-instates our faith in good quality timeless cinema. The season 3 of ‘Classic Legends’ hosted by Javed Akhtar is the most viewed film based show on television. Zee’s Hindi movie cluster has gained its dedicated viewer base. The entry of Sony Max 2 in the same content space as Zee Classic has created exciting competition and it will only help us nurture the category and carve a niche in this segment.

     

    2014 has also seen bigger channels undergoing a slight decline in viewership. One of the key reasons for this can largely be attributed to their dependence on premiering the latest blockbuster commercial films which add immense excitement to the content mix for all the channels. The comeback of commercial potboilers such as ‘Wanted’ and ‘Dabangg’ in 2009-10 made way for a series of such content being dished out from Bollywood.

     

    However, 2014 shall be remembered as ‘the year of fatigue’ for such films.  For instance, the TV premiere ratings of films like ‘Kick’, ‘Singham Returns’ and ‘Dhoom 3’ almost shrunk by 50 per cent as compared to the record breaking ratings achieved by movies like ‘Singham’, ‘Dabangg’ and ‘3 Idiots’ between 2010-2012. 

     

    This fatigue was even more startling at the box office with releases like ‘Humshakals’ and ‘Action Jackson’ that were expected to do well in theatres failed miserably. This occurrence also indicates that there is no fixed formula for success. Bidding for any film after a certain price is definitely not a commercially viable option and even exclusive star led deals struck with A-list actors such as Salman Khan and Ajay Devgn cannot guarantee definite success. Interestingly, these trends in overall viewership and revenues have finally led to the long overdue correction of overpriced satellite rights of most Hindi Movies in 2014. 

     

    2014 has been a great year for Indian cinema as the so-called small films not only increased in numbers but also emerged into huge commercial blockbusters and with them, we also witnessed the younger actors achieve huge successes at the Box office.  Cinema like ‘Queen’, ‘2 States’, ‘Main Tera Hero’, ‘Heropanti’, ‘Highway’ and ‘Mardaani’ are clearly indicating  the mood of the cinegoers and the need of fresh and new ideas right now is more than ever before.  It’s only a matter of time such movies that get maximum footfalls in a multiplex will also find its space on television. The acceptance of such films will help us garner more eyeballs and I see a wonderful fit for such movies with the High Definition (HD) movie channels.  Zee Cinema HD and &pictures HD have already pioneered its presence in this space.   

                                                                                                  

    With the unremitting motto to engage, innovate and entertain, we are excited and geared up with all our six movie channels. Zee’s Hindi movie cluster offers a very distinct and differentiated content mix and has a lot to look forward in the year 2015.

     

     (These are purely personal views of Zee’s Hindi movie cluster business head Ruchir Tiwari and indiantelevision.com does not necessarily subscribe to these views.)

  • &pictures to air the latest Bond flicks in Hindi with ‘Bond Nights’!

    &pictures to air the latest Bond flicks in Hindi with ‘Bond Nights’!

    MUMBAI: In keeping with its endeavour of providing its viewers with fresh and clutter-breaking content, &pictures, India’s premium Hindi movie channel extends its festive offering with the premiere of the best of Bond movies all of January and February, 2015. With a festival as massive as Agent 007 himself, &pictures gives its viewers the opportunity to experience a supreme action-packed experience.

    Kick-starting Bond Nights with the premiere of the latest Bond film – Skyfall on 2 January 2015, the channel has gone all out to initiate innovative marketing initiatives and create a colossal brand recall. In a bid to grab maximum eyeballs, &pictures has a populated special billboard branding across Ahmedabad, Surat, Baroda, Rajkot, Mumbai and Delhi with the enormous cut-outs of the blue-eyed Bond – Daniel Craig. To reach out to the movie enthusiasts, &pictures has also devised a strategy to run promos of Skyfall in about 500-600 UFO digital screens during and before the interval of the newly released movie PK in the run – up to ‘Bond Nights’!

    Moreover, social media platforms will be on fire with some surprising contests for viewers that will surround each Bond movie that is to premiere on &pictures. Apart from the fact that audiences will now be able to see their favourite rouge assassin for the first time in Hindi, audiences will also be able to watch them in complete action. A unique line of promos encompassing each Bond movie will also include some tongue in cheek humour.

    Speaking of the action filled line up, Ruchir Tiwari, Deputy Business Head, Hindi Movie Channels, ZEEL, stated, “&pictures has always stood for providing premium entertaining content to our audiences. With Bond Nights, we are exhibiting one of the most exclusive and anticipated film franchises across the globe. We are ringing the New Year with super sleek Bond series, with most of the films from the line-up premiering for the first time on Hindi television. Adhering to the nature of Bond films our marketing campaign includes eclectic mix of traditional and innovative strategies specifically targeted consumer as well as trade audiences.”

    In addition, to reach out to the trade agency community &pictures had organized an inventive activity ‘Bond of the agency’ across Mumbai and Delhi. A race car (synonym with Bond) gaming set up was located in the respective agency cafeterias. This exciting gaming console provided a distinctive opportunity to all the employees to partake and win original Bond merchandising. The winner with best score was also granted ‘Bond of the agency’ title.

    The mega movie series of the latest Bond flicks will make its way on television screens for the first time in Hindi on &pictures every Friday at 8:00 PM from 2 January to 13 February!

  • It’s a first! Watch 4 Hollywood premieres on &pictures

    It’s a first! Watch 4 Hollywood premieres on &pictures

    MUMBAI: As the month of December approaches, the air is filled with hearty celebrations and entertainment galore. In keeping with the festive spirit and continuing to provide its audiences with fresh and clutter-breaking content, &pictures, India’s premium Hindi movie channel will soon premiere an amalgamation of four blockbuster action-packed Hollywood movies for the first time ever on Hindi television! Airing under its popular band ‘Hollywood Sundays’, the channel will also offer its viewers an exciting movie experience as the mega-hit movies premieres will be simulcast on &pictures as well as &pictures HD every Sunday at 12 noon from 7 December.

     

    &pictures will showcase an exciting line-up of superhit Hollywood blockbusters, starting with Charlie’s Angels- Full Throttle, starring Drew Barrymore, Lucy Liu and Cameron Diaz in the lead. The story revolves around the action packed life of three angels who investigate a series of murders which occur after the theft of a witness protection profile database. Next in the line-up on December 14th is Transformers starring Shia Labeouf, Megan Fox and Josh Duhamel, a science fiction action film based on the Transformers toy line. The film combines computer animation with live-action. The next movie on 21st December is Mission Impossible 3 starring Tom Cruise, Michelle Monaghan and Ving Rhames. The story follows the action-packed mission of Ethan Hunt who comes face to face with a dangerous and sadistic arms dealer while trying to keep his identity secret in order to protect his girlfriend. Culminating the festive programming is the light hearted, fast-moving animation film Kung Fu Panda on 28th December, a movie that fits every age group and has been exceedingly loved and adored by all.

     

    Speaking of the festive line-up, Ruchir Tiwari, Deputy Business Head, Hindi Movie Channels, ZEEL, stated, “This festive season, we want to give our viewers a complete family entertainment with a mix of action, comedy and animated movies on Hollywood Sundays. We have hand-picked the best of Hollywood titles and are certain that our audiences will enjoy watching them.”