ITV

Tag: Ranbir Kapoor

  • Ad men endorse Crash the IPL, but say agencies need not worry

    Ad men endorse Crash the IPL, but say agencies need not worry

    MUMBAI: PepsiCo is known for its innovations when it comes to television commercials, from Yeh Hai Youngistan Meri Jaan to the Cricket VS Football ad, featuring football legends like Frank Lampard, Fernendo Torres, Didier Drogba and Indian youngsters Suresh Raina, MS Dhoni, Virat Kohli and Harbhajan Singh. Be it cricket or football world cup or Indian Premier League (IPL), Pepsi has always maintained its elegance while promoting them by hiring a top class creative agency, roping in big names as brand ambassadors and spending bagfuls of money. However, the 2015 IPL saw an absolute new initiative from the cola giant, where it handed the creative reigns of its ads to the consumer.

    Pepsi launched an ad film competition where consumers were asked to submit a 30 second ad film. The best of the lot would be showcased as a TVC (television commercial), besides that the winner of a phase would get a cash prize of Rs 1,00,000. Five such winners would be judged by a panel which comprises Bollywood actor Ranbir Kapoor, music director Pritam Chakraborty, film producer and director Gautham Menon, Pepsico India senior director marketing Ruchira Jaitly and advertising veteran-turned author Anuja Chauhan. Besides, the cash prize winner also gets the opportunity to enjoy the match from the Pepsi VIP box.

    Not many knew about Nikita Deshpande before the ad she made got recognition and was telecast on television. Deshpande is an aspiring filmmaker and has been working in the film industry. With the help of her friends, she ensured that they don’t leave any stone unturned. From VFX to colour correction, from set designing to voice modulation, from creativity to technicality, the ad ticked all the check boxes. Practically by paying just Rs 1,00,000, Pepsi got a quality ad without holding numerous meetings with creative agencies.

    PepsiCo India Holdings chairman and CEO D Shivakumar was asked during Goafest if consumers started making ads, what will agencies do? He replied, “The agency is very much involved in the campaign as a jury member and they will ensure that the content that’s showcased isn’t derogatory or controversial.”

    Ad filmmakers are the best story tellers and have the capacity to change the fate of brand with just one ad. However, here instead of making TVCs, they are judging them. This opens the door for many other companies too. If they aren’t satisfied with the creative agency or vice versa and they have a good consumer connection, they may ask consumers to make ads instead of agencies. However this has the possibility to irk the advertising fraternity.

    Ogilvy and Mather national creative director Rajiv Rao believes that Pepsi’s campaign is an amazing example of crowd sourcing. He says, “I don’t think advertising has to worry about anything. Crash the Pepsi IPL is also a creative idea. It is an amazing concept to engage consumers and if you have a platform like IPL and a product like Pepsi, you can experiment and implement such ideas. All the ads that have been aired would have been rejected if an agency would have approached with it. The concept behind crash the Pepsi IPL is not the video but the engagement and this is not something new. Twenty years back also agencies interacted with consumers for taglines and slogans. This is a one of a kind campaign where the motto was to make the country a part of it. At the end of the day, people want to see quality ads executed exclusively, which only the ad agencies or evolved ad film makers can produce. Whenever an ad agency make an ad its tested, well researched and then executed and hence in my opinion Crash the IPL is a great concept but advertising agencies have nothing to worry about. The bottom line is – Not everyone can make an ad.”

    On the possibilities of the advertising fraternity getting impacted by Crash The IPL campaign, Lowe Lintas + partners national creative director Arun Iyer says, “I think it is an interesting and creative idea when it comes to engagement. People will submit good videos and some would be silly too. I don’t see any possibility of the advertising fraternity facing a blow of any sorts. The agency will stay relevant the way they are and we will keep making ads for various clients.”

    A source from the advertising fraternity asserts, “There will be few more attempts by different brands and not all will succeed. Pepsi’s campaign has given an option to brands not satisfied with the agencies to try something different and this thought will stay in the mind of the agencies when they go for a client meeting. Overall, if we keep doing quality work, no one will be able to take our place. Yes, while consumers are making the ad, the brand is also surrounded by popular figures like Virat Kohli and Ranbir Kapoor. We have to keep that in mind too.”

    Maxus managing partner South India & South Asia Sanchayeeta Verma opines, “Our world has changed. Both professional broadcast content and amateur but exceptional user-generated content co-exist today and there is a place and need for both. This is a brave move by Pepsi, acknowledging what is happening in the real world and acting on it. The communication solutions that agencies provide don’t exist outside the real world and they should embrace this trend, rather than worry about it. Our content teams at Maxus have spotted this trend in the past and done some very compelling work for our brands, using this trend.”

    Stalwarts like Satyajit Ray and Christopher Nolan started their career making ad for different brands, and the breed keeps multiplying with time. Ad filmmakers are always tagged as the best story tellers but sometime the standards does tend to dip. Crash the IPL campaign is a wakeup call for agencies… till they manage to stay unique, creative and allusive, no one can take their place, but if they ever become lackadaisical, there are other options too.

  • “It was friends & food that made Crash the IPL possible”: Nikita Deshpande

    “It was friends & food that made Crash the IPL possible”: Nikita Deshpande

    MUMBAI: The challenge was to seize the opportunity and uncork the creative genius in you. Nikita Deshpande, a budding film-maker from Mumbai, has done just that and has emerged as the first winner of Crash the Pepsi IPL campaign.

     

    Her film titled ‘Served’ beat over 400 films that were submitted by consumers from all over the country to become the first winner in the campaign. Deshpande’s film went on air on 12 April, 2015 as the official Pepsi television commercial during the match between Chennai Super Kings and Sunrisers Hyderabad. Deshpande was awarded a cash prize of Rs 100,000 and has won seats for herself and her friends in the esteemed Pepsi VIP box for the match in Chennai.

     

    Speaking to Indiantelevision.com Deshpande says, “It was in March when we sat and decided: let’s go for it. We had a nice and long brainstorming session amongst 12 of us and we came with the idea. The video was shot with Canon 5d Mark II and was edited by Prashant Ramachadran, who was also associated with Badlapur. The entire group was from the film fraternity and that helped a smooth execution. Quality VFX and sound engineering was also exhibited, which made the production quality allusive. The total expenditure of the film was close to Rs 3500 only. We may make a few more ads for the same campaign and in future also I aspire to make more ad films for different brands. I also have dreams of making a feature film… it’s always Dil Mange More.”

     

     

    Ranbir Kapoor had earlier said, “Crash the Pepsi IPL is a first-of-its-kind campaign in India, and I am excited to team up with Pepsi in judging the entries for this creative challenge! Crash the Pepsi IPL will give people a chance to really uncork their creativity and leave a mark. It’s awesome that Pepsi has put consumers at the forefront of something as big as the Pepsi IPL – it’s a really bold move and I would expect nothing less from Pepsi!”

     

    Congratulating the winner, PepsiCo India senior director marketing – social beverages Ruchira Jaitly said, “The ad film by Nikita Deshpande has hit the bull’s eye with the messaging. The film brilliantly portrays Pepsi as the perfect food accompaniment by weaving in a delectable trail of signature cuisines from the host cities of Pepsi IPL. The connection between cricket, food and fun-times with friends and Pepsi can’t be missed in the ad. We congratulate Nikita on being the first consumer to crash the Pepsi IPL. We look forward to many more such films over the next few weeks. Nikita is exactly the kind of talent we were looking for, as she displays a true reflection of Pepsi’s philosophy of seizing the moment now.”

  • 5 Bollywood co-stars that get along like a house on fire

    5 Bollywood co-stars that get along like a house on fire

    MUMBAI: Bollywood has seen many long lasting friendships, many of which started out on sets of various films. And when co-stars turn friends, the audience can literally see their magic translate on the silver screen, and their movies have that extra magic that no one can quite define.

     

    Here are five examples of on and off screen friendships that set the screens on fire:

     

    Ranveer Singh-Arjun Kapoor: Both Singh and Kapoor knew each other very well even before they became a part of the film industry. So when they were offered Gunday, their chemistry was evident onscreen for everyone to see. The two young and energetic actors were indeed a treat for the movie-goers.

     

    Katrina Kaif-Ranbir Kapoor: This cosmic duo has been great friends since they first met on the sets of Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahaani. Ranbir and Kaif reportedly got along immediately during their first shoot schedule and share a very strong rapport since then. Their onscreen performances rightly reflect the bond and comfort they share. This peerless couple will soon be seen in their next film – Jagga Jasoos.

     

    Kunal Kohli-Jennifer Winget: This combination is never-seen-before. However, this pairing seems full of promise. Kohli and Winget who will be seen in their new movie Phir Se apparently hit it off instantly on the sets of the movie. Pictures from the sets of the movie show the two enjoying a day of ice-skating amidst their busy schedule, which talks volumes about the comfort level they share. Director Kohli’s first acting stint with TV starlet Winget is surely something to look out for.

     

    Amitabh Bachchan-Deepika Padukone: When two stalwarts come to work on a fun quirky movie, sharing a strong, comfortable chemistry is inevitable. So much so that Padukone has started calling Big B baba, which means father – as the senior actor is seen playing her father in their upcoming movie Piku. This unusual pairing has certainly set high expectations because of the sheer amount of talent they bring together on the silver screen.

     

    Akshay Kumar-Jacqueline Fernandez: Though they are working with each other for the first time, both Kumar and Fernandez have been seen having a good time. She recently put up a quirky video true to her style, where he is congratulating her on reaching one million fans on Instagram. The two actors have been working on their film Brothers.

  • Ranbir Kapoor unveils first look of Ronnie Screwvala’s book

    Ranbir Kapoor unveils first look of Ronnie Screwvala’s book

    MUMBAI: Ronnie Screwvala’s entrepreneurial journey is an inspiration, to say the least. Founder of one of India’s largest media & entertainment conglomerates UTV, Screwvala has now penned a book on his journey called Dream with your Eyes Open. 

     

    Published by Rupa, Ranbir Kapoor unveiled the cover of the book, which will be on stands from 2 April, 2015. In the meanwhile, online bookings have commenced for for Dream With Your Eyes Open.

     

    Encompassing Screwvala’s journey from cable TV to toothbrushes manufacturing, from theatre to media and entertainment, Dream with your Eyes Open, aims to champion entrepreneurship in the country.

     

    “Ronnie is an inspiration for everyone who dares to make their dreams come true. His conviction in an out-of-the-box film like Barfi made me realize that when belief meets innovation, it creates magic! I am delighted to launch the cover of his book and look forward to its release. I will definitely be buying the first day, first copy,” said Kapoor.

     

    Screwvala added, “Dream With Your Eyes Open shares failures and triumphs, thoughts and anecdotes of my journey. It details out my vast experiences and myriad lessons learned from more than two decades of building some successful (and some not-so-successful) businesses. This book is about ‘it can be done’, not ‘I did it’. It’s all possible. Just dream your own dream—and when you do, dream with your eyes open.”

     

    Demonstrating an innate ability to merge creativity with commerce, Screwvala is credited with pioneering Cable TV in India, building one of the largest toothbrush manufacturing operations – before founding UTV, which he later divested to The Walt Disney Company.

     

    Onto his second innings, Screwvala is driven by his interest in championing entrepreneurship in India, and is focused on building his next set of ground up businesses in high growth and impact sectors. His more recent commitment to being a first mover in sports has made him lend his support to Kabaddi and football.

  • ‘Roy’ fails to grab eyeballs at the BO

    ‘Roy’ fails to grab eyeballs at the BO

    MUMBAI: Roy does not quite go well with the moviegoer; a confusing film moving at snail’s pace with nothing happening through its lengthy trudge, the film had fair collections on the opening day thanks to names of Ranbir Kapoor and Arjun Rampal in the cast.

     

    The film maintained about same figures on Saturday but suffered a huge drop of about 50 per cent on Sunday because of India Pakistan World Cup match. The film managed weekend collections of Rs 24.9 crore.

     

    Controversial film MSG: The Messenger fails at the box office.

     

    R Balki’s experiment of a ventriloquist played by Amitabh Bachchan landing his rich baritone to an aspiring mute actor, Dhanush, fails to catch the audience’s fancy. While Bachchan may still be a media star, casting him in such a film is tricky business, Dhanush has little to charm the Hindi audience. Shamitabh does not add much to its already deficient weekend, ending its first week with a figure of Rs 17.6 crore.

     

    Baby continues to make the most of a run of poor oppositions over last three weeks. The film adds a reasonable Rs 6.5 crore in its third week to take its three week total to Rs 75.3 crore.

     

    Khamoshiyan has collected Rs 75 lakh in its second week to take its two week total to Rs 6.5 crore. Forced horror film sans content don’t work. A disappointing outcome for the investor.

     

    PK has added Rs 20 lakh in its eighth week. The film has put together Rs 329.95 crore in eight weeks.

  • ‘Roy’: Shot in the dark

    ‘Roy’: Shot in the dark

    MUMBAI: The title often shows a lack of imagination and is an indication of what is to follow. Roy, as it turns out after eons through the film, is the name Ranbir Kapoor goes by. Roy looks like a film inspired by watching a lot of the last century’s Hollywood and European films.

    Arjun Rampal is a film maker, who is on his third version of a series, Guns III, having earlier made two very successful versions. His inspiration comes from a suave robber, Ranbir Kapoor, who steals antiques and paintings. Having bumped into Ranbir once, he puts Ranbir’s exploits on screen.

    This once, Rampal is stuck for ideas and keeps working on his antique typewriter but nothing comes across on paper that he can go with. He realizes he needs inspiration. He proceeds to Malaysia without a script and starts shooting the film at random. No wonder then that what he comes up with through the Roy’s first part looks like a film to promote Malaysian tourism.

    Soon, Rampal finds his inspiration in Jacqueline Fernandez. She is in Malaysia to shoot a short film. Rampal makes her a part of his story. Roy is out to steal a part of a portrait of which the other part is with his handler. There is a huge offer if both the parts are available together to complete the portrait. Rampal manipulates his story idea where now the part of the portrait is in Jacqueline’s possession from where Ranbir will steal it. For this purpose, he also finds an actress who is Jacqueline’s lookalike.

    Producers: Divya Khosla Kumar, Bhushan Kumar, Krishan Kumar
    Director: Vikramjit Singh
    Cast: Arjun Rampal, Jacqueline Frenandez, Ranbir Kapoor, Anupam Kher (guest role), Shibani Dandekar

    As in most of the film, what happens thereafter is beyond understanding. The job is made easy for Ranbir as the actress has lured Ranbir to her bed and he just has to pick up the portrait hanging on the wall and make an early departure. Actually, it is all quite confusing.

    This is a film of whims and fancy. There is no script and a thin line about a thief inspiring film stories, which qualifies as cock and bull stuff. The director has no clue what he wants to make and seems to think that shooting low light dark scenes makes one a genius. The film, however, has excellent visual value backed by a good background score. Mumbling passes as dialogue and is not easy to catch. Songs are good but orchestra overpowers the lyrics.

    There is little in this film for actors: Rampal is lovelorn but hardly looks it. Ranbir Kapoor sleepwalks through his brief role. Jacqueline emerges the most sincere of the lot. Anupam Kher has a brief role, which is irrelevant.

    Roy is a waste of lot of resources with no hope of returns.

     

     

     

    ‘MSG: The Messenger’: Of self-gratification

    Having gained some recognition through media because of his numerous controversies, Sant Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh Ji Insan, as he calls himself, decides to use his film watching hobby to help promote him and his cult, Dera Sacha Sauda, on a national level. The result is MSG: The Messenger, a film for the janata.

    Producer: Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh Ji Insan

    Director: Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh Ji Insan

    Cast: Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh Ji Insan

    And, no he does need stars to project him on screen; he can do it himself. So the Insan plays himself as a pure hearted person who is clean of thoughts and deeds, full of energy and preaches others to be like himself.

    Insan does all the things NGOs around the world do: organises de-addiction programmes, blood donation camps, cleans streets, plants trees, rescues women from prostitution and also resettles eunuchs.

    Insan also has a cure for his followers’ ailments through his ‘Ruhaani jaam,’ which is his own concoction. Insan also fights the evils of the world as he can fly, throw a mean punch and do all the stunts seen in Hollywood and Indian films.

    The film, all of its 190+ minutes has Insan, each and every frame of it. What else would you expect? His costumes are garish and loud but that he has been seen to wear even in his real life.

    Insan has done everything in this film from producing, directing, scripting, cinematography et al.

    To make further sure his ‘hard work’ pays, Insan has also bought out tickets worth crores to make sure his followers don’t miss it!

  • PepsiCo spins the chip this Cricket World Cup 2015

    PepsiCo spins the chip this Cricket World Cup 2015

    MUMBAI: In a country where cricket is a religion, the upcoming ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 is the most awaited event. However, the timings are likely to play spoilsport.

    With the tournament taking place in Australia and New Zealand, the matches will be aired anywhere between 3:30 am and 12 noon, IST. This means that most fans will be stuck at offices, day jobs and their daily schedules during match time.

    To keep the excitement level high and to entice, enthrall and entertain all of India, Lay’s has introduced its new campaign ‘Yeh Game Hi Hai…Taste Ka.’ The campaign captures the frenzy, which grips India when the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 is on and how mismatched timings of the matches this year will create a dilemma for viewers.

    PepsiCo India marketing VP Vipul Prakash said, “Cricket has been a great unifying factor and the fever that grips India is unmatched. As the official snack partner of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015, Lay’s gets the perfect opportunity to start the year through a scale marketing campaign, ‘Yeh Game Hi Hai…Taste Ka’. This campaign offers a Lay’s spin on the powerful insight of mismatched timings to appeal to consumers. We are enabling consumers to enjoy the game of cricket using the great taste of Lay’s.”

    As the official snack of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015, the brand is coming to the rescue of bewildered cricket fans across the country.

    Conceptualised by JWT and directed by Ravi Udyawar from RU Films, the new ad features Ranbir Kapoor, Pankaj Kapur and Lisa Hayden. The ad is a light hearted and fun take on the distance a cricket fan is willing to go to catch every World Cup match, inspite of the hurdles, the timings, or any difficulties. The track is penned by Amitabh Bhattacharya and composed by Dhruv Ghanekar of Wah Wah Music.

    JWT Delhi VP and SCD Sumati Singh said, “The morning telecast timings for the ICC Cricket World Cup this year led us to the idea behind the Lay’s campaign. When a cricket loving nation looks for ways to catch the matches on television, Lay’s, with its irresistible taste, is the answer.”

    The campaign will unfold with a 360-degree outreach and engagement plan. In the last few years, consumption of media has changed and on the go viewership has gone up. Hence, the campaign will cut across multiple media vehicles. Taking the insight of mismatched timings Lay’s will have significant presence across digital, retail, radio, print and TV. Innovative consumer activations and engagement activities will enable consumers to win tickets to matches in Australia and LED TVs.

    Speaking about the campaign, PepsiCo India snacks category marketing head and director Rajiv Mathrani said, “The campaign will engage consumers across multiple touch points bringing the match closer to consumers.”

    Mindshare principal partner Ruchi Mathur added, “As the media consumption is increasingly fragmenting, this campaign will reach consumers across multiple touch points. With seamless integrations and activations across traditional and emerging media, Lay’s will create multiple viewing opportunities and bring the World Cup closer to its consumers.”

     

  • Ranbir Kapoor’s ‘Roy’ music exclusively on Hungama.com

    Ranbir Kapoor’s ‘Roy’ music exclusively on Hungama.com

    MUMBAI: Hungama.com will be launching the music and videos of Ranbir Kapoor’s upcoming movie Roy, exclusively for all its users in India and abroad, who will then be able to access the music through Hungama’s web, WAP or mobile applications.

    Roy’s music and videos will be available on Hungama’s platforms across devices. On the Hungama mobile applications, users will see a splash screen on the launch of the album and receive push notifications. On Hungama’s WAP platform, users will be given options to download individual singles from the movie along with an exclusive showreel of videos from Roy.

     

    Produced by T-Series, the music of the movie has been given by Pritam and Ankit Tiwari.

     

    Commenting on the release, Hungama.com CEO Siddhartha Roy said, “Roy is one of the most anticipated movies of 2015, and it gives us great pleasure to be the first to bring their music to our consumers. With our long-standing partnership with T-Series, we will continue to introduce several such launches in 2015 for our users.”

     

    In order to make it simpler and easier for users to find songs from the upcoming movie, Hungama has categorised the film’s music under various sections including Editor Pick’s, New Releases, etc. The music will also be added to the playlists for the stars like Ranbir Kapoor, Jacqueline Fernandez and Arijit Singh. The music from Roy will also feature in artist radio sections across Hungama’s platforms. 

     

    Given the initial buzz around the song ‘Sooraj Dooba Hain Yaaron’ sung by Arijit Singh, Hungama will also be adding to song to the categories – ‘Top Song’ and ‘Bollywood Top 40’ playlists. 

     

    As a part of the promotions of Roy’s music in the digital space, Hungama will be communicating to its users with email campaigns as well as connecting with its highly engaged social media community of fans such as on Facebook and Twitter.

     

  • Karan Johar to direct Aishwarya Rai Bachchan

    Karan Johar to direct Aishwarya Rai Bachchan

    MUMBAI: Karan Johar is all set to begin his next directorial venture, Ae Dil Hai Mushkil that will star Ranbir Kapoor, Anushka Sharma and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan in lead roles.

     

    He confirms that love and conflict are the primary themes of his upcoming film. While he thinks that it is too soon to talk about the project, he confirms that this will not be just another conventional love story. Talking about his team on board, Karan Johar says that Ranbir and Anushka’s undeniable chemistry in upcoming Bombay Velvet warranted another film and once he finalized the story, they were the first people he thought of for the lead roles.

     

    Speaking about Aishwarya’s role Karan commented, “It is possibly Aishwarya’s most unusual and contemporary character”. The music for this film will be given by Pritam.

     

    The movie will be shot in New York, London, Paris and parts of Delhi.

     

     “Everyone I know has been through intense love and heartbreak and ADHM is a film that deeply resonates those emotions”, says Karan.

     

    Dharma Productions’ Ae Dil Hai Mushkil is slated to release on 3 June 2016.

  • Music adds stronger recall value to films says Imtiaz Ali

    Music adds stronger recall value to films says Imtiaz Ali

    MUMBAI:  “Music can make or break a movie,” said Jab We Met director Imtiaz Ali as he spoke about his love and passion for music at the MixRadio Music Connects (MRMC) today. He went on to disclose that the most fun part for him while directing a movie was when he was involved in making the music.

     

    Speaking specifically about his love for Bollywood music and songs, Ali reckons that in an Indian movie movies were incomplete without music as was energy here. “In Highway, I started with one song in mind and ended up having nine songs in the movie.” He revealed. His latest flick Tamasha also has eight songs tracks in the movie.

     

    He informed that in India, music recording started in 1902 and the music library today consists of around 1.2 million songs, which is more than in several countries of the world.

     

    According to Ali, the shelf life of music is more than that of movies. Providing an example, he said “Even today we listen to songs from the 1950s and 1960s, playing on radio at times, we may not remember the movie or the actors, directors, but we always remember songs.”

     

    He went on to speak about the phenomenon of movie directors and producers launching music titles before a movie. He felt that if the music was well received, half the battle was won as movies are remembered through their songs.

     

    Ali, known for his special connect with young audiences, said that the connect comes when the content flows from the heart. “Anything pure and true has more chances of success and therefore Rockstar connected with the youth. They youth doesn’t want to be spoon fed or told what to do and therefore, Sadda Haq, which was a tough song  to understand lyrically, but with a strong message stood out and was  the most popular songs in the movie.”

     

    Before joining movies Ali worked for two TV shows and worked on their respective music with Pritam and then ventured into producing films. His mantra for making movies was “Imagination going beyond the real vision” he said.

     

    Starting with Socha Naa Tha, the director rose to fame with Jab We Met. His movies Love Aaj Kal and Rockstar were both critically acclaimed as well as commercial hits at the box office. He is currently working on his latest project Tamasha starring Bollywood stars Deepika  Padukone and Ranbir Kapoor.