Tag: Piku

Sony Pictures Networks India to foray into TV production

MUMBAI: Last month, in an interview to deadline.com, Sony Pictures Television (SPT) presidents of programming and production Zack Van Amburg and Jamie Erlicht had stated that India could be the top notch production studio’s destination following the success it had achieved in China producing television.

Speaking to the website about growth for SPT, Amburg had said: “…Where does growth come from and where does profitability come from? I think it comes from being a smart, thoughtful, global company. And more importantly, are there still growth markets internationally? I would say a hundred percent yes. China is a very interesting market, I think a lot of people have been examining that. We’re already producing a hit series there, Mad About You, we have two or three other projects that are in the mix right now. We had a dynamic conversation today about India. We have a huge networks footprint there.”

The network he was referring to is of course Sony Picture Networks (SPN) India, which is headed by CEO NP Singh. SPN India, has a motion picture division in India which is headed by Sneha Rajani, and which produced the successful Amitabh Bacchan-starrer Piku last year. This apart, Sony Pictures Entertainment Films has been releasing international films from its parent stable in the country.

And today confirmation came in from SPN India that it was indeed foraying into TV production. “SPN has decided to produce fiction shows in-house for our network. While we are starting with one show, we will scale up as we go forward,” said a company spokesperson in an email response to a query from Indiantelevision.com.

No further details were forthcoming on who would be heading the production initiative, at the time of writing.

SPT in has an envious slate of shows to its credit: The BlackList, Jeopardy, Wheel of Fortune, Night Shift, Days of our Lives, The NightShift, BloodLine, Drop Dead Diva, The Art of More, Rules of Engagement, Dr Ken, Preacher…

This is not the first instance that a broadcast network is getting into TV production. The Zee Network has its Essel Vision, which has been involved in many of its marquee properties. Then Star India had taken a 25.99 per cent stake in Balaji Telefilms April 2004, only to exit it on 5 August 2015 at a price of Rs 108 crore.

August 10, 2016
Sony Pictures Networks India to foray into TV production

MUMBAI: Last month, in an interview to deadline.com, Sony Pictures Television (SPT) presidents of programming and production Zack Van Amburg and Jamie Erlicht had stated that India could be the top notch production studio’s destination following the success it had achieved in China producing television.

Speaking to the website about growth for SPT, Amburg had said: “…Where does growth come from and where does profitability come from? I think it comes from being a smart, thoughtful, global company. And more importantly, are there still growth markets internationally? I would say a hundred percent yes. China is a very interesting market, I think a lot of people have been examining that. We’re already producing a hit series there, Mad About You, we have two or three other projects that are in the mix right now. We had a dynamic conversation today about India. We have a huge networks footprint there.”

The network he was referring to is of course Sony Picture Networks (SPN) India, which is headed by CEO NP Singh. SPN India, has a motion picture division in India which is headed by Sneha Rajani, and which produced the successful Amitabh Bacchan-starrer Piku last year. This apart, Sony Pictures Entertainment Films has been releasing international films from its parent stable in the country.

And today confirmation came in from SPN India that it was indeed foraying into TV production. “SPN has decided to produce fiction shows in-house for our network. While we are starting with one show, we will scale up as we go forward,” said a company spokesperson in an email response to a query from Indiantelevision.com.

No further details were forthcoming on who would be heading the production initiative, at the time of writing.

SPT in has an envious slate of shows to its credit: The BlackList, Jeopardy, Wheel of Fortune, Night Shift, Days of our Lives, The NightShift, BloodLine, Drop Dead Diva, The Art of More, Rules of Engagement, Dr Ken, Preacher…

This is not the first instance that a broadcast network is getting into TV production. The Zee Network has its Essel Vision, which has been involved in many of its marquee properties. Then Star India had taken a 25.99 per cent stake in Balaji Telefilms April 2004, only to exit it on 5 August 2015 at a price of Rs 108 crore.

August 10, 2016
What to Stream with Dad this Father’s Day

MUMBAI: Whether your dad is the strong silent type, or just won’t stop questioning you about what you’re doing with life – there’s a better way to spend quality time with him this Father’s Day.

Enjoy each other’s company and check out these shows/movies on Netflix – there’s something for every type of dad out there.

Master Chef Dad – Chef’s Table

For the dad that loves whipping up a meal for the family – get inspired by the talented chefs from around the world by watching their personal journeys.

Super Dad – Marvel’s Daredevil

For the dad who does it all – kick-back and relax by watching one of Marvel’s superhero series.

Authoritative Dad – The Dictator

For the dad that is a little strict but has his heart in the right place – get some laughs out of him by watching this hilarious comedy poking fun at a dictator.

Joker Dad – Master of None

For the dad who gets his kicks making others laugh – get a break from his jokes by watching Aziz Ansari navigate life and all its curve balls thrown his way.

Political Dad –House of Cards

For the dad who is obsessed with country politics- get him to binge on the engrossing political drama series that revolves around the journey of a ruthless politician who will stop at nothing to conquer Washington, D.C

Protective Dad- Piku

For the dad who is overly shielding, give him a dose of his own self with the emotional tale of an ageing but nagging father Bhaskor Banerjee and his loving daughter, Piku.

June 17, 2016
What to Stream with Dad this Father’s Day

MUMBAI: Whether your dad is the strong silent type, or just won’t stop questioning you about what you’re doing with life – there’s a better way to spend quality time with him this Father’s Day.

Enjoy each other’s company and check out these shows/movies on Netflix – there’s something for every type of dad out there.

Master Chef Dad – Chef’s Table

For the dad that loves whipping up a meal for the family – get inspired by the talented chefs from around the world by watching their personal journeys.

Super Dad – Marvel’s Daredevil

For the dad who does it all – kick-back and relax by watching one of Marvel’s superhero series.

Authoritative Dad – The Dictator

For the dad that is a little strict but has his heart in the right place – get some laughs out of him by watching this hilarious comedy poking fun at a dictator.

Joker Dad – Master of None

For the dad who gets his kicks making others laugh – get a break from his jokes by watching Aziz Ansari navigate life and all its curve balls thrown his way.

Political Dad –House of Cards

For the dad who is obsessed with country politics- get him to binge on the engrossing political drama series that revolves around the journey of a ruthless politician who will stop at nothing to conquer Washington, D.C

Protective Dad- Piku

For the dad who is overly shielding, give him a dose of his own self with the emotional tale of an ageing but nagging father Bhaskor Banerjee and his loving daughter, Piku.

June 17, 2016
63rd National Film Awards: ‘Baahubali’ is best film;’Bajirao Mastani’ bags largest number of awards for 2015

New Delhi, 28 March: ‘Baahubali – The Beginning’ by S S Rajamouli, arguably the most expensive film ever made in India, today bagged the Best Film award for 2015, while megastar Amitabh Bachchan and Kangana Ranaut won awards for best artistes for ‘Piku’ and ‘Tanu weds Manu Returns’.‘Bajirao Mastani; bagged the largest number of awards with Sanjay Leela Bhansali getting the best director for the film at the 63rd National Film Awards for 2015, which will be presented on 3 May. ‘Baahubali – The Beginning’ also got the special effects award for V Srinivas Mohan.

The Feature Film Central panel was headed by Ramesh Sippy, and comprised of 11 members including the chairman. The-Non Feature jury was headed by Vinod Ganatra and comprised seven members including the chairman. The jury on Best Writing on Cinema was headed by Advaita Kala and comprised three members including the chairperson.
Prior to the announcement of the awards, the chairpersons of the three juries and members of the jury presented their reports to Information and Broadcasting Minister Arun Jaitley. MoS Rajyavardhan Rathore and secretary Sunil Arora were also present. Jaitley appreciated the efforts put in by the jury members in deciding the awards in various categories which reflected the diversity of India’s cinematic brilliance and diversity.

Awards list in brief

Interestingly, the highly acclaimed and internationally applauded film ‘Masaan’ only received theIndira Gandhi Award for Best Debut Film of a Director for Neeraj Ghaywan.

Contrary to expectations, Tanvi Azmi bagged the supporting actress award for ‘Bajirao Mastani’ (as the names Deepika Padukone and Priyanka Chopra were also doing the rounds), while Samuthirakani got this award for the film ‘Visaaranai’, which also received the best Tamil Film and Best Editing awards (late Kishore T.E). Gaurav Menon was named best child artiste for ‘Ben’. Kalki Koelchin got a Special Jury Award for ‘Margarita with a straw’.

‘Bajirao Rao Mastani’ also won awards for Best choreography by Remo D’Souza for the song ‘Deewani Mastani’, Best Cinematography Sudeep Chaterjee, best sound design by Biswajit Chatterjee, re-recording of final mixed track by Justin Ghose, and best production design by Shriram Iyengar, Saloni Dhatrak and Sujeet Sawant.

The Salman Khan-starrer ‘Bajrangi Bhaijaan’ by Kabir Khan was named for Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment, while the best Hindi Film award was given to ‘Dum Laga Ke Haisha.’

Also interestingly, apart from the top actor awards, ‘Piku’ and ‘Tanu Weds Manu Returns’ also bagged awards for both original screenplay and dialogues for Juhi Chaturvedi (Piku) and Himanshu Sharma (Tanu Weds Manu Returns) respectively. The renowned director Vishal Bhardwaj received the best adapted screenplay accolades for the crime drama ‘Talvar’ inspired by a real-life case.

This is the fourth time that Bachchan, who entered the film industry in the late sixties, has won a national award. He had earlier bagged the award for ‘Agneepath’ in 1990, ‘Black’ in 2005 and ‘Paa’ in 2009.

Ranaut earlier won the best actress award for ‘Queen’ and a supporting actor award for ‘Fashion’.

The Nargis Dutt Award for Best Feature Film on National Integration went to ‘Nanak Shah Fakir’ which also bagged the awards for Best Costume Designer for Payal Sajula and Best Make-up Artist to Preetisheel G Singh and Clover Wootton for film ‘Nanak Shah Fakir’ by Gurbani Media Pvt. Ltd.

The award for best film on Social Issues went to ‘Niranayakam’ by V K Prakash, the Environment Conservation/Preservation award went to ‘Valiya Chirakulla Pakshikal’ by Dr Biju, and ‘Duronto’ Soumendra Padhi got the best Children’s Film. There was a special mention for Ritika Singh for the film ‘Irudhi Suttru’.

The award for best female playback went to Monali Thakur for the song ‘Moh Moh Ke Dhaage’ in ‘Dum Lagaa ke Haisha’ and Mahesh Kale won the male playback for ‘Katyar Kalijat Ghusli’.

The veteran Ilaiyaraaja got the Direction – Background Score award for ‘Thaarai Thappattai’ while M Jayachandran won the best Music Direction award for the song ‘Kaathirunnu Kaathirunnu’ in the film ‘Ennu Ninte Moideen’.

The best non-feature award went to Amdavad Ma Famous by Hardik Mehta. The best book on cinema book award went to Dr. Rajakumar Samagra Charithre by Doddahulluru Rukkoji and the best film critic award to Meghachandra Kongbam of Manipur.

Click here: for full list of awards

March 28, 2016
63rd National Film Awards: ‘Baahubali’ is best film;’Bajirao Mastani’ bags largest number of awards for 2015

New Delhi, 28 March: ‘Baahubali – The Beginning’ by S S Rajamouli, arguably the most expensive film ever made in India, today bagged the Best Film award for 2015, while megastar Amitabh Bachchan and Kangana Ranaut won awards for best artistes for ‘Piku’ and ‘Tanu weds Manu Returns’.‘Bajirao Mastani; bagged the largest number of awards with Sanjay Leela Bhansali getting the best director for the film at the 63rd National Film Awards for 2015, which will be presented on 3 May. ‘Baahubali – The Beginning’ also got the special effects award for V Srinivas Mohan.

The Feature Film Central panel was headed by Ramesh Sippy, and comprised of 11 members including the chairman. The-Non Feature jury was headed by Vinod Ganatra and comprised seven members including the chairman. The jury on Best Writing on Cinema was headed by Advaita Kala and comprised three members including the chairperson.
Prior to the announcement of the awards, the chairpersons of the three juries and members of the jury presented their reports to Information and Broadcasting Minister Arun Jaitley. MoS Rajyavardhan Rathore and secretary Sunil Arora were also present. Jaitley appreciated the efforts put in by the jury members in deciding the awards in various categories which reflected the diversity of India’s cinematic brilliance and diversity.

Awards list in brief

Interestingly, the highly acclaimed and internationally applauded film ‘Masaan’ only received theIndira Gandhi Award for Best Debut Film of a Director for Neeraj Ghaywan.

Contrary to expectations, Tanvi Azmi bagged the supporting actress award for ‘Bajirao Mastani’ (as the names Deepika Padukone and Priyanka Chopra were also doing the rounds), while Samuthirakani got this award for the film ‘Visaaranai’, which also received the best Tamil Film and Best Editing awards (late Kishore T.E). Gaurav Menon was named best child artiste for ‘Ben’. Kalki Koelchin got a Special Jury Award for ‘Margarita with a straw’.

‘Bajirao Rao Mastani’ also won awards for Best choreography by Remo D’Souza for the song ‘Deewani Mastani’, Best Cinematography Sudeep Chaterjee, best sound design by Biswajit Chatterjee, re-recording of final mixed track by Justin Ghose, and best production design by Shriram Iyengar, Saloni Dhatrak and Sujeet Sawant.

The Salman Khan-starrer ‘Bajrangi Bhaijaan’ by Kabir Khan was named for Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment, while the best Hindi Film award was given to ‘Dum Laga Ke Haisha.’

Also interestingly, apart from the top actor awards, ‘Piku’ and ‘Tanu Weds Manu Returns’ also bagged awards for both original screenplay and dialogues for Juhi Chaturvedi (Piku) and Himanshu Sharma (Tanu Weds Manu Returns) respectively. The renowned director Vishal Bhardwaj received the best adapted screenplay accolades for the crime drama ‘Talvar’ inspired by a real-life case.

This is the fourth time that Bachchan, who entered the film industry in the late sixties, has won a national award. He had earlier bagged the award for ‘Agneepath’ in 1990, ‘Black’ in 2005 and ‘Paa’ in 2009.

Ranaut earlier won the best actress award for ‘Queen’ and a supporting actor award for ‘Fashion’.

The Nargis Dutt Award for Best Feature Film on National Integration went to ‘Nanak Shah Fakir’ which also bagged the awards for Best Costume Designer for Payal Sajula and Best Make-up Artist to Preetisheel G Singh and Clover Wootton for film ‘Nanak Shah Fakir’ by Gurbani Media Pvt. Ltd.

The award for best film on Social Issues went to ‘Niranayakam’ by V K Prakash, the Environment Conservation/Preservation award went to ‘Valiya Chirakulla Pakshikal’ by Dr Biju, and ‘Duronto’ Soumendra Padhi got the best Children’s Film. There was a special mention for Ritika Singh for the film ‘Irudhi Suttru’.

The award for best female playback went to Monali Thakur for the song ‘Moh Moh Ke Dhaage’ in ‘Dum Lagaa ke Haisha’ and Mahesh Kale won the male playback for ‘Katyar Kalijat Ghusli’.

The veteran Ilaiyaraaja got the Direction – Background Score award for ‘Thaarai Thappattai’ while M Jayachandran won the best Music Direction award for the song ‘Kaathirunnu Kaathirunnu’ in the film ‘Ennu Ninte Moideen’.

The best non-feature award went to Amdavad Ma Famous by Hardik Mehta. The best book on cinema book award went to Dr. Rajakumar Samagra Charithre by Doddahulluru Rukkoji and the best film critic award to Meghachandra Kongbam of Manipur.

Click here: for full list of awards

March 28, 2016
‘Piku,’ ‘Dum Laga Ke Haisha,’ ‘Mardaani’ screened at Indian Film Festival Japan

MUMBAI: Yash Raj Films’ productions Mardaani and Dum Laga Ke Haisha along with MSM Motion Pictures’ Piku, which is co-produced by Saraswati Entertainment and Rising Sun Films and distributed by YRF are being showcased at the Indian Film Festival Japan.

The festival is being held from 9 – 23 October, 2015.

This year, the Indian Film Festival Japan festival opened with a screening of Piku on 9 October. The film starring Amitabh Bachchan, Irrfan Khan and Deepika Padukone, has already been screened at Indian Film Festivals in Russia and Australia.

Dum Laga Ke Haisha director Sharat Katariya attended the screening of his film at the festival in Japan on 10 October.

YRF’s Mardaani starring Rani Mukerji will be screened later this week.

YRF vice president of international operations Avtar Panesar said, “It has always been our endeavour at YRF to take Indian cinema to the widest possible audience. It’s heart-warming to see native audiences connect with our films through festivals, which eventually lead to commercial releases. Japan is a very vibrant market and we hope to build on the earlier successes we have had with Jab Tak Hai Jaan andEk Tha Tiger.”

October 15, 2015
‘Piku’ & ‘Dum Laga Ke Haisha’ win at Indian Film Fest in Russia

MUMBAI: Yash Raj Films’ production Dum Laga Ke Haisha as well the Amitabh Bachchan and Deepika Padukone starrerPiku, which was distributed by YRF, won accolades at the recently concluded Indian Film Festival in Russia (IFFR).

The festival saw Dum Laga Ke Haisha’s lead actor Ayushmann Khurrana, with industry personalities Ronnie Lahiri and Sheel Kumar in attendance along with IFFR president and festival director Sarfaraz Alam and Indian Council For Cultural Relations director, Indian Embassy Ashish Sharma.

Khurrana won the best actor award for Dum Laga Ke Haisha, whereas Piku was awarded the best film (Ronnie Lahiri) and best director (Shoojit Sircar) at the festival, which took place at Formula Kino Horizont.

September 18, 2015
Shoojit Sircar’s 3 movies to be screened at Indian Film Festival in Russia

MUMBAI: The Indian Film Festival in Russia (IFFR) will screen three of director Shoojit Sircar’s movies namely Vicky Donor, Piku, and Madras Café. The film festival of Indian Films in Moscow will be held from 3-6 September, 2015.

Actor and singer Ayushmann Khurrana will be accompanying Sircar for the screening of their much appreciated movie Vicky Donor on the second day of the festival.

IFFR is aimed at bridging the gap between the two entertainment industries in the world – Russia and India. The festival will include top Bollywood blockbusters and celebrities from the Indian film fraternity. The choice of movies is intended to showcase the very wide range of cinema that emerges from Mumbai, the heart of the Indian film industry.

The IFFR aims to develop a deeper understanding and appreciation of Indian cinema and culture in the 21st century. The new generation of Indian producers and directors is now seeking to re-launch Indian cinema on Russia’s big screen.

The four-day festival will not only showcase a select number of recently released popular Hindi movies, but will also feature live classical music and dance performances by Russian artistes and Indian Kathak and Bharatanatyam dance groups.

September 2, 2015
Essel to back Jazbaa’s robust release with aggressive promotions

MUMBAI: Gone are the days when an all India release of a movie used to make headlines for robust distribution. Gradually Bollywood has emerged as a global affair not only for the Indian diaspora but also for the vernacular audience.

Essel Vision is leaving no stone unturned to ensure an enhanced reach for its upcoming Hindi movie Jazbaa. With multilingual audio and simulcast release across the globe, Essel has plans of garnishing the movie in an exquisite manner.

Speaking to Indiantelevision.com, Essel Vision Productions business head Akash Chawla says, “This is the first time an Indian movie will have a simulcast release in the Middle East with an Arabic dub. We are also looking to have a dubbed release for Spanish and English market alongside Hindi release for the Indian diaspora.”

Digital will spearhead the promotional and marketing strategy for the movie. “The promotional strategies will be backed by Zee all through. Zee has a huge bouquet of channels and we will be promoting the movie across all of them in both international and Indian markets,” he adds.

There will be a mega trailer launch on the sets of Dance India Dance, which will reach out to mass. In the US, the producers plan to launch a promotional tour on 17 September, 2015. A series of activities are also on the cards for the premiere of the movie, which is scheduled on 9 October, 2015.

MSM Motion Pictures’ recently produced Piku showed how brand integration can be a substantial source of revenue for producers. When queried if Jazbaa will also have brands integrated in the movie, Chawla says, “There are a few brands that are subtly placed in the movie but we kept the number as low as possible because we did not want interrupt viewers. I don’t think brand integration is yet a substantial source of revenue when it comes to movies.”

Essel Group took the decision of fully entering into film production with Jazbaa after tasting success with Lunchbox and D-Day as co-producers. The movie, which stars Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Irrfan Khan, is directed by Sanjay Gupta. The movie tells the story of an advocate who is stuck between professional life and motherhood.

Chawla is optimistic about the movie’s success globally. “We will have as robust release as possible and rest will depend on audience,” he says.

August 25, 2015