Tag: Rana Daggubati

Sony Sports showcases untold stories of WWE superstars in new campaign

Mumbai: Sony Sports Networks has launched a new campaign called ‘WWE Superstars with Rana Daggubati’ that showcases the untold stories and heroics of WWE superstars.

Produced and conceptualised by Sony Sports Networks, the campaign will feature stories of ten WWE superstars narrated by South actor Rana Daggubati in English, Tamil and Telugu. These include Undertaker, John Cena, Drew McIntyre, Roman Reigns, Randy Orton, Bianca Belair, Seth Rollins, Charlotte Flair, Big E, and Becky Lynch.

The campaign is centered on the insight that there is a ‘Hero in all of us.’ While fans in India have always appreciated the WWE heroes, their lesser-known side depicted in the ten short films will further inspire the viewers.

“The epic journeys of these WWE Superstars in the ring and beyond are too big not to be shared with our viewers,” said Sony Pictures Networks India SVP & head of marketing & on-air promotions, sports channels, Neville Bastawalla. “We embarked on a mission to bring alive inspiring stories of 10 WWE Superstars. And who best to narrate them, than our very own Mahabali, Rana Daggubati, who happens to be a big WWE fan. I am sure that viewers will get an inside look into their perseverance that will inspire them to bring out the hero in them.”

“I have been following WWE since childhood and I am a big fan. We only see the success of our favourite superstars but rarely know the struggles and hurdles they have overcome to be where they are today. I hope these films show our viewers another side of these WWE Superstars and inspire them to never give up in the face of adversity,” added the South superstar and face of the campaign Rana Daggubati.

January 21, 2022
Zee Cinema to premiere ‘Haathi Mere Saathi’ on 18 Sept

Mumbai: Zee Cinema will telecast the direct-to-TV release of the film “Haathi Mere Saathi” followed by a streaming release on OTT platform Eros Now. The film will air on 18 September.

Written and directed by Prabu Solomon, the film stars Rana Daggubati, Pulkit Samrat, Shriya Pilgaonkar, Zoya Hussain, and Anant Mahadevan.

Adapted from a 1971 classic starring Rajesh Khanna, “Haathi Mere Saathi” explores the bonds between humans and animals. The film traces the narrative of a man fighting for the rights of elephants and the ecosystem.

“The pandemic disrupted the usual ways of presenting any work of art and led us to scout for ways to manoeuvre through the new normal. Unique initiatives like Direct-to-TV releases of films is our way of setting up a new path,” said Zee Hindi movies cluster, business head, Ruchir Tiwari. “Television is a medium of entertainment that is accessible by a majority of the people. And we always attempt to bring the latest and blockbuster films for our audiences.”

“Haathi Mere Saathi is amongst those rare projects that can educate, entertain, and inspire the viewers simultaneously. We are delighted to partner with Zee Cinema for a Direct-to-TV release. Its popularity across a diversified audience base spanning various age groups and countries will give the film the required reach,” said Eros International Media, chief operating officer, Kumar Ahuja.

“The film draws light on some serious issues faced by these communities and the thorough dedication to the cause. I feel privileged to be a part of a project like this,” said Rana Daggubati. “It is an important film and story that needs to be told and it’s great that through its Direct-to-TV release on Zee Cinema and post-release streaming on Eros Now, it will reach audiences across the nation.”

“When I first thought of this story, I had a clear vision of what I wanted to convey. I wanted to put across a germ of thought with a potential to ignite progressive conversations around the cause of protecting elephants and nature,” said Prabhu Solomon. “The film directly releasing on Zee Cinema followed by online streaming on Eros Now will help the film penetrate across different parts of the country.”

September 3, 2021
Zee Telugu Sa Re Ga Ma Pa – Who will be The Next Singing ICON?

MUMBAI: It’s been 29 weeks for the young participants of the SRGMP – The Next Singing Icon, to reach to finale phase. Media outlets from the Telugu states are throwing around words like ‘soaring’ and ‘Rising superstars’, and all of it feels surreal. After all, the show which started with 19 contestants out of which five youngsters, exceptionally talented are all set to entertain the audience LIVE this Sunday i.e., on 21 March at 6 PM only on Zee Telugu and Zee Telugu HD.

The prestigious musical grand finale will have the who’s who of the Tollywood fraternity come together and cheer up with finalists and honor the most deserving. The sensational LIVE finale will witness the presence of remarkable film and music personalities Sid Sriram, Rana Daggubati, Zoya Hussain, Baba Sehgal, Singer Kalpana, Singer Sunitha among others.

The fans are excited to know who will lift the trophy and take the prize money home from the top finalists of the season i.e., Bharath Raj, Pragna Nayini, Pavan Kalyan, Venkata Chaitanya and Yasaswi Kondepudi. As the contestants are gearing up for the finals and put their best foot forward to give the best performance, the current music sensation Sid Sriram is going to perform LIVE to enthrall the viewers. Singer Sunitha along with Kalpana and Baba Sehgal is going to capture the hearts of the audience with top-notch songs while the singers such as Geetha Madhuri, Ramya Behra, Krishna Chaitanya along with the stellar mentors among are going to be adding glory to the finale feast.

Sa Re Ga Ma Pa – The Next Singing Icon proved to be a great platform to unleash the musical talent of the Telugu states. Such an exceptional finale will be judged by Koti, S.P. Shailaja and Chandra Bose while Pradeep Machiraju hosts the jamboree.

Tune into culmination of the musical journey LIVE on March 21 at 6 PM only on Zee Telugu and Zee Telugu HD.

March 18, 2021
Akshay Kumar & Rana Daggubati’s Socialswag to launch in February 2021

NEW DELHI: Actors Akshay Kumar and Rana Daggubati are coming together to create India’s first influencer-led online marketplace – Socialswag. The app is set to be launched nationwide in February 2021.

Socialswag is a new age platform that will enable consumers to connect with celebrities, influencers, bloggers, and other inspirational individuals through personal interactions and learning forums. By combining entertainment and learning, the app will enable interactions in multiple ways – masterclasses, live-chats, shout-outs, virtual selfies to name a few.

Akshay Kumar commented, “I have seen so many opportunities in the digital domain this year and I believe this platform, with some of our products like my masterclass or a virtual selfie, will give not only me but all my peers an additional opportunity to closely connect with fans in these changing times.”

Rana Daggubati added, “This is a very fast-growing space and I’m super excited to be partnering with Akshay sir. We will bring the best of sport, entertainment and vocational opportunities to this platform and look to make it best in class. Our launch with our first few products will be in the first quarter of next year and the team is working towards making the fan experience a unique one for the global Indian audience.”

Socialswag is designed to focus on two aspects – education and entertainment. While there have been many fan engagement apps that have entered the market over the last few months, the coming together of these two superstars promises to deliver a unique experience to the consumer.

December 9, 2020
Why Rana Daggubati’s South Bay is a content platform with a difference

MUMBAI: People tend to have a fixed perception when it comes to actor Rana Daggubati – that of a consummate action hero. What they don’t know is that the Baahubali star is a man who dons many hats – producer, VFX supervisor, master of the gab, entrepreneur. Recently, Daggubati launched his very own YouTube channel South Bay, marking his entry into the world of content creation.

Rana’s South Bay will offer content from varied languages with duration ranging from ten seconds to ten hours. The actor’s intent behind this YouTube channel is to provide a platform where not only mainstream talent will be able to create cultural content but also to shine the spotlight on upcoming independent creators.

South Bay will host programs cutting across genres and formats: from live chats, snackable short forms, news, music, animation, to fiction & non-fiction – there is enough and more for everyone. Daggubati described it as a launchpad for filmmakers who wish to go on major OTT’s.

The driving force behind South Bay is to make it possible for those in the alternative sub-culture space to come into the mainstream, highlighted Daggubati. The idea is to start off with the YouTube channel and then take on Instagram’s IGTV. Their long-term plans involve hosting all content on their own platform – Southbay.live. On festival days, there will be two-hour-long live streaming sessions. He’s excited about his show Why Are You, which will feature Bhuvan Bam, Taapsee Pannu, Karan Johar, Ram Gopal Verma, Kangana Ranaut, Nargis Fakhri and many others. As the show progresses Daggubati wants to rope in politicians for the commentary piece.

“We wanted to bring a system of fair play where the large part of user base is scrolling and watching OTT content where there is so much to watch. But the idea hear is to start curating that content and then go back live system. First source of monetization is going to be through advertising and secondly through YouTube and Instagram monetization,” he said.

For Daggubati, cultured content has always been on the cards but there was a dearth of platforms that were picking up content based out of India. Hence, he decided to launch a channel that focuses on India’s pop culture and something that address the newer generation. He added, “I have observed that in India everything is growing except cultural content. If something is sub-cultured ten years ago, it still continues to be sub-cultured and it never takes mainstream stage. We wanted to go digital because that is where the audience is. Another important aspect is the creator owns the IP as long as he lives. The problem with most content that is built, is the creator loses the value or the IP very quickly but here we are making sure we have enough creators who will stay with us for a longer period of time. We will help them with the monetization and grow further.”

With its millennial news segment, South Bay will tap into the rising trend among young internet users to consume news on social media. For the uninitiated, 15 years ago Daggubati owned an animation company, but nothing worked out. Now, through his YouTube channel he wants to chase his passion with shows like Irreverent, promises to be a gamechanger in the Indian animation ecosystem. Unscripted content is also in the pipeline, with two shows featuring bonafide South superstars – Coming Back to Life with Lakshmi Manchu and Secret Box with Shruti Haasan – which will bring together personalities from across the globe for a conversation on life post the pandemic. For music enthusiasts, Sublime Collective will serve as a six-month-long campaign to promote handpicked independent artist across the country. Clearly, the programming line-up is packed with edgy, engaging and entertaining offerings.

Viewers belonging to the age group of 16-45 years are South Bay’s primary target audience. For now, most shows will be in South Indian languages, while a few are going to be in Hindi. Post the first live show, Daggubati will start dropping content in independent languages. He has set his sights on bringing premium curated content in a free-play system. By generating a global awareness for Indian content, he wants to connect creators the world. Being present on the digital platform will provide them a chance to come together and build an overall ecosystem.

South Bay has also collaborated with Triller as their exclusive and official short form video content partner. Through cross promotions South Bay and Triller will promote the respective content, programming of every single show will be packaged and uploaded specifically for the Triller format.

Much like the characters he plays on-screen, Daggubati has undertaken a daunting endeavour in building a multi-cultural content platform that gives independent creators the chance to showcase their talent. But he’s confident and has developed a taste for success – be it on the big screen or small – and he’ll draw on his well-spring of diverse know-how and flexibility to ensure that his latest experiment pays off in a big way.

November 11, 2020
UBON ropes in Rana Daggubati as the new brand ambassador, target expansion into Southern Market

UBON, India’s leading Gadget Accessory & Consumer Electronics brand has roped in superstar Rana Daggubati as its brand ambassador to tap the Southern market. What makes Rana the best choice for this position is that he enjoys a massive appeal across the southern part of the Country. That brings immense value to us as one of the unique selling propositions of our brand lies in making cutting edge technology, fun, stylish, quality-driven products within everyone's reach and across all price segments.

Keeping up with the Ubon's tagline ‘born to be free,’ Rana was a unanimous choice for brand ambassador. No-one can represent the true spirit and energy of UBON better than Rana in the South-Indian part of the country. Apart from being a powerhouse of acting, Rana is big-time tech-savvy and his philosophy inclines very well with the UBON‘s vision.

Commenting on the occasion, UBON’s Managing Director Mandeep Arora said, “Having Rana Daggubati on board with a mammoth fan following will help us reach and tap into that target audience of ours. He is young, dynamic and a very popular face in every household of South India. With our aim to tap the southern market none better than the versatile Rana Daggubati to stand for this thought.

Elated Brand Ambassador Rana Daggubati said, “Tech and Trend go hand-in-hand when it comes to buying stylish consumer electronics and gadgets accessories jam-packed with modern technology, UBON is the first brand which strikes our mind. Being a tech-savvy myself, I am delighted with this new association. UBON is a brand that provides great audio quality in conjunction with trendy designs, also resonating with my personality,” he further added.

October 7, 2020
Sony MAX to celebrate 5 years of S.S. Rajamouli’s Bahubali: The Beginning

Mumbai: Sony MAX will celebrate 5 years of Bahubali: The Beginning through a special telecast of the Prabhas and Rana Daggubati starrer on July 11 at 8PM. Five years since its release, Bahubali: The Beginning, has continued to maintain a special place in every Bollywood fan’s heart with its high-octane stunts, gripping storyline and a stellar cast.

The movie that first hit the screens on July 10, 2015, features superstar Prabhas, Rana Duggubati and Tamanna Bhatia in the lead roles who were supported by Ramya Krishnan, Sathyaraj, Anushka Shetty, and Nassar. The first of two cinematic parts, the film follows Shiva, an adventurous young man who helps his love Avanthika rescue Devasena, the former queen of Mahishmati who is now a prisoner under the tyrannical rule of king Bhallaladeva. The movie concludes with probably one of the most intriguing suspense scenes of all time, leaving fans with the question, "Katappa Ne Bahubali ko Kyun Maara?"

The movie is also fondly remembered for its pioneering VFX, production design and cinematography by V. Srinivas Mohan, Sabu Cyril and K. K. Senthil Kumar respectively. The film's brilliant soundtracks and background score were composed by M. M. Keeravani (M.M. Kreem).

Comments:

Samay Thakkar, Hindi voice-over-artist for Katappa’s character

Even after the 5 years of the film’s launch, I think the one thing that stood out is the passion and brilliant performances by all the lead actors and supporting cast. Rajamouli sir's direction has been remarkable too. The creative storytelling with the on-point humour element by Katappa’s character makes the film a full-time entertainer. I can never get bored of watching the film on Sony MAX whenever it airs. The movie even 5 years after the release still feels fresh.

Stay Tuned to witness a nostalgia ride with Bahubali and Katappa in

Bahubali: The Beginning on Sony MAX at 8 PM on July 11th.

July 8, 2020
smartwater and Taproot Dentsu unveil new films featuring Rana Daggubati and Radhika Apte

MUMBAI: smartwater®, a premium water brand by Coca-Cola has, unveiled two new films for its ‘Made Differently’ campaign, featuring celebrity brand ambassadors Rana Daggubati and Radhika Apte.

The theme of the campaign ‘Made Differently’ depicts smart thinkers who break through the conventions with simplicity and style, like smartwater. The campaign features brand ambassadors Rana Dagubbatti and Radhika Apte, who are distinct characters and trendsetters in their field of work. Their offbeat choices of roles, multi-talent, the eschewing of the usual and innovation at its best embody smartwater’s attributes of innovation and forward thinking. The campaign is conceptualized by Taproot Dentsu.

Speaking about the campaign, Anoop Manohar, Director – Emerging Categories, Coca-Cola India said, “The brief given to the agency was to showcase the unique process story of smartwater. Our aim with this campaign is to help consumers relate to the bright idea that smartwater is. As a premium water brand, smartwater is more than just a product, it is a lifestyle choice , a frame of mind and an attitude of seeking the best; all rolled into one.”

Titus Upputuru, Creative Head, Taproot Dentsu said, “Typically, brand campaigns are about what brands do for consumers. This brief was challenging. We were asked to talk about the manufacturing process. Now that could have gotten really boring. But we saw a parallel between the actors Rana Daggubatti, Radhika Apte and the product smartwater. We found that they were all made differently. The choices that these actors have made in terms of the films and the characters is a testimony to this. The way smartwater is made is inspired from the clouds. We found this very fascinating. So, we didn’t want to just relegate it to the product window. We wanted to romance it. The installation execution seemed appropriate for a premium brand like smartwater. It was great to work with Rana Daggubatti and Radhika Apte.”

The films show an infinitely vast space within which the celebs encounter beautiful and artistic installations that reflect unique aspects of their personalities. As they proceed through this wonderland, they reveal how smartwater resonates with their unique choices and characters. smartwater is made differently through the process of vapour distillation and remineralization with electrolytes, which sets it apart.

July 1, 2019
Eros International profit margins up in FY 2018

BENGALURU: The Sunil Lulla-led Indian film and media company Eros International Media Ltd (Eros) saw EBITDA for the quarter ended 31 March 2018 (FY 2018, year, fiscal under review) of Rs 328.21 crore and a margin of 34.2 per cent of operating revenue, about 985 basis points more than the margin of 24.3 per cent for the previous year. PAT margin in FY 2018 also increased 606 basis points to 22.89 per cent of total revenue from 16.83 per cent in the previous fiscal. EBIT margin was 36.42 per cent of total income in FY 2018 as compared to 26.07 per cent of total income in the previous fiscal.

Eros says that in FY 2018 it redefined its portfolio mix – margin expansion by investing in content driven films with high ROI potential and where the content risk was largely covered, in turn making Eros lesser dependent on box office numbers. The company’s revenues declined sharply in the year under review as compared to the previous year. Eros net sales/income from operations declined 31.4 per cent to Rs 960.16 crore in fiscal 2018 from Rs 1,399.70 crore in the previous year. Total income reduced 30.1 per cent in FY 2018 to Rs 1,010.01 crore from Rs 1,445.28 crore in FY 2017.

Though EBITDA and EBIT margins were higher, overall, both these profit matrices declined in terms of rupees. EBITDA in FY 2018 at Rs 328.31 crore was 3.7 per cent lower than Rs 340.75 crore in FY 2017. EBIT in FY 2018 at Rs 367.88 crore was 2.4 per cent lower than the Rs 376.75 crore in the previous fiscal. PAT in the year under review at Rs 231.22 crore was five per cent lower than Rs 243.29 crore in FY 2017.

Eros reported 35.7 per cent decline in total expenditure in FY 2018 at Rs 722.66 crore from Rs 1,123.05 crore in FY 2017. Films rights costs including amortisation costs declined to almost half (down 49.1 per cent) in FY 2018 at Rs 399.27 crore from Rs 784.84 crore in the previous fiscal. Employee benefits expense in FY 2018 declined 16.4 per cent to Rs 58.94 crore from Rs 70.53 crore in FY 2017.

Finance costs increased 47.7 per cent in FY 2018 to Rs 80.53 crore from Rs 54.22 crore in the previous year. Other expenses reduced 12.8 per cent in FY 2018 to Rs 175.05 crore from Rs 200.64 crore in FY 2017.

In its investor presentation, Eros says that revenue breakup as percentage of revenue from operations for FY 2018 was theatrical revenue 42.8 per cent; television and others 46.3 per cent; and overseas 10.9 percent. For FY 2017, the company had indicated break up as theatrical 42.5 per cent; television and others 31.1 per cent; overseas 26.4 per cent. Hence, contribution of revenue from television and others in FY 2018 was much higher than in the previous year. Theatrical revenue was about the same in both the years, and revenue from overseas declined sharply in FY 2018 as compared to FY 2017.

The company released 25 films – one high budget, four medium budget and 19 low budget films in FY 2018. Of these films, 14 were Hindi, one was Tamil/Telugu and nine were in regional language films.

In FY 2017, Eros had released 44 films – five high budget films, 10 medium budget films and 29 low budget films. 11 films were Hindi, 18 in Tamil/Telugu and 15 were regional films.

Eros says that it remains focused on its film pipeline, with 40 to 50 films across languages slated to release during financial year 2019.

Eros Now

The company says that its subscriber base for its OTT platform Eros Now has grown to 100 million (10 crore, 1,000 lakh) in FY 2018 from 60 million (6 crore, 600 lakh) at the end of the previous year. Paying subscriber base for the platform has grown to 7.1 million (0.71 crore, 71 lakh) in FY 2018 from 2.1 millon (0.21 crore, 21 lakh) at the end of the previous year.

Company speak

Eros executive chairman and managing director Lulla said, “This year has been an inflection point for Eros where we have truly turned the corner and grown in to India’s first fully vertically integrated independent studio. The pioneering spirit is prevalent in our leadership DNA as we further consolidate a fragmented market place as well as making Indian filmed entertainment truly global. As the dynamics of the country change with connectivity at the core of distribution we are uniquely positioned to leverage these trends with content being the key driving force. Our strategy of a content driven approach reflected in a robust green lighting process enables us to de-risk our model with an increasingly successful slate, with Newton India’s entry to the Oscars, hit comedy Shubh Mangal Savdhan and sports based drama Mukkabaaz.

“Additionally the democratisation of theatrical consumption of content has skewed our strategy to be increasingly focused on catering to the regional demographic which is reflected in our slate mix Aamhi Doghi (Marathi), Rong Beronger Kori (Bengali), Oru Kidayin Karunai Manu (Tamil), Aake (Kannada), Viswa Vikhyatharaya Payyanmar (Malayalam) amongst others.

“Looking ahead to this coming year we are excited about our future slate with a trilingual remake of our classic library film Haathi Mere Saathi directed by Prabhu Salomon, starring Rana Daggubati as well as Bhavesh Joshi. Leveraging our group’s strong talent relationships built over the past 40 years is also key to our growth trajectory. The relationship we share with Colour Yellow Productions and Anand L Rai has enabled us not to only to have a strong theatrical release pipeline with Manmarziyan and sequel to blockbuster film Happy Bhag Jayegi, Happy Phir Bhag Jayegi starring Sonakshi Sinha, but also to break the norms across the entertainment ecosystem. We successfully premiered India’s first straight to digital film, Eros Now original, Meri Nimmo on our platform. As we make strides foraying into original content, we are confident our film and originals slate will contribute further to accelerating Eros Now’s paying subs growth which this year itself is over 270 per cent.

“With content slate and scale being a key driver, we have also entered into the strategic content partnership with Reliance Industries to jointly produce and consolidate content across India. The $150 million joint venture adds significant scale to Eros’ pre existing slate while mitigating investment risks as we benefit by leveraging our robust distribution network. We look forward to collaboratively growing this joint venture and further strengthening our fundamentals; content creation, distribution and a robust balance sheet allowing us to experience momentous improvements in our margins.

“We have ended the fiscal with a very strong quarter with an EBIT growth of 61.5 percent and a PAT growth of 80.4 per cent. For the full year FY2018, the company has witnessed the EBIT margin increase at 10.3 per cent and an increase of 4.9 per cent PAT margin. We look forward to fiscal 2019 by further proving our strategies and paving the road ahead for a truly global Indian entertainment experience.”

May 24, 2018
Baahubali 2 to premiere on Sony Max on 8 Oct

MUMBAI: Sony MAX, a Hindi movies channel from Sony Pictures Networks, is bringing the epic saga from the Kingdom of Mahishmati, Baahubali 2: The conclusion. Directed by the showman of southern India movies, S.S. Rajamouli, this extravagant heroic tale of Baahubali will be premiering on Sony MAX on 8 October at 1pm.

Boasting of awe-inspiring finesse, this larger than life story of Baahubali’s unfinished tale will reveal the biggest question of why Kattappa killed Baahubali. Creating a new landmark for Indian cinema, this magnum opus gives viewers a glimpse into the fairytale world while Kattappa narrates the story of Mahishmati.

Starring Prabhas, Rana Daggubati and Anushka Shetty in pivotal roles, this revenge drama is a visual treat for viewers while it takes them through a flashback into life of Baahubali.

S.S. Rajamouli says: “Sony MAX had done a brilliant job in the way they promoted & marketed Baahubali in 2015 and we were hoping that they get the telecast rights this time too. We are more than delighted to know that India’s No.1 Hindi movie channel is going to be our television partners once again. They treated our film like their own baby and we couldn’t have asked for a better partner to showcase our movie across millions of households.”

Actor Prabhas says: “TV has a greater connect with the masses and I really feel that the impact of a film gets extremely enhanced as it reaches out to millions through television. It definitely guarantees a better reach and a lot of people out there tune in to Sony MAX to watch movies. I’m extremely happy about the world television premiere of ‘Baahubali 2’ on Sony MAX and I am excited that more people will get to watch the movie.”

Actor Rana Daggubati says: “It takes a lot to do a film like Baahubali. A large part of this is actually allocated to the camaraderie that the entire team shared. All of us stuck to a vision Rajamouli had given us. We really belonged to a world, we just believed in Rajamouli’s vision. We knew this was the biggest visual spectacle coming out.”

October 6, 2017