ITV

Tag: Ruchir Tiwari

  • Zee Cinema to premiere ‘Super Nani’ on 11 April

    Zee Cinema to premiere ‘Super Nani’ on 11 April

    MUMBAI: Hindi movie channel Zee Cinema, will premiere Indra Kumar’s family entertainer Super Nani. The social satire follows the life of a lovely grandmother transforming herself to gain the lost respect from her own family.

     

    The film stars Randhir Kapoor, Rekha, Sharman Joshi and Anupam Kher. Zee Cinema will premiere the movie on 11 April at 9 pm.

     

    Based on a Gujarati play Baa Ae Maari Boundary, the movie is centered on a doting, committed housewife Bharti (Rekha) whose selfish husband (Randhir Kapoor) and grown-up children have little patience around her. Treated only as a doormat, her life alters when her New York raised grandson Mann (Sharman Joshi) urges her to reinvent herself to regain her confidence and self-esteem. With this newfound support, Bharti channels her inner fashion-model and gets everyone at home all hot under the collar. High on comic quotient, Super Nani is a wonderful story that not only entertains but also helps you realize the importance of women in our lives.

     

    Zeel deputy business head – Hindi movie channels Ruchir Tiwari said, “Super Naniis a universal story about celebrating womanhood. Being a homemaker is challenging for any woman yet she is the most unappreciated by her family. The film highlights that women are our backbone and that they need to be valued and loved. Rekhaji is an epitome of strength and beauty combined. She has been a source of inspiration for the women across all ages and watching her perform such empowering character is definitely a treat to the audiences.”

     

    The channel will air a repeat of the movie on 12 April at 12 noon.

     

  • & 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 launches Fight Ki Night contest

    Zee Action launches Fight Ki Night contest

    MUMBAI: Zee Entertainment Enterprise Limited’s (Zeel) Hindi action movie channel Zee Action has launched a new contest called ‘Fight Ki Night,’ which will start from 21 February and continue till 15 March, 2015.

     

    The channel launched the contest with a mission to engage and entertain its viewers. The channel also announced a grand prize of Rs 1 lakh for the winners. Adding to the series of action flicks under the same name, this contest will be based on the action films showcased every night at 9 pm.

     

    With Bollywood, Hollywood and South Indian movies to offer, ‘Fight Ki Night’ contest will provide viewers a chance to win prizes every day.  Viewers have to answer two questions correctly during the telecast of the films to grab rewards ranging from latest mobile phones to trendy digital cameras. One lucky winner participating with the most correct answers throughout the week will get an opportunity to win the grand prize of Rs 1 lakh.

     

    Explaining the nature of the contest, Zeel deputy business head – Hindi movie channels – Ruchir Tiwari said, “Catering to the needs of the avid action movie audiences, Zee action offers the best of action films experience. It has gradually yet firmly entrenched itself as the ultimate action movie destination in the minds of our viewers. With this engaging contest, we aim to reward our existing and potential audience base across India.”

  • 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.)

  • This Children’s Day, Zee Cinema gives kids the Movies.Masti.Magic experience!

    This Children’s Day, Zee Cinema gives kids the Movies.Masti.Magic experience!

    MUMBAI: Children’s Day is a day dedicated to kids across the world and Zee Cinema, India’s ultimate Hindi movie destination, has initiated a distinct on-ground initiative ‘Masti Ki Pathshaala’ to celebrate it. Bringing alive the channel’s proposition – ‘Movies. Masti.Magic.’ – in a first ever initiative amongst Hindi movie channels in India, Zee Cinema gave underprivileged kids an unforgettable experience with a variety of fun-filled activities through the day.

    Kick-started in Mumbai, this initiative delighted kids in Delhi and Ahmedabad too as we lead up to Children’s Day. Starting with giving them  the ‘Movies’ experience, Zee Cinema took the kids from various orphanages for a special screening of the blockbuster movie ‘Happy New Year’. Extending its ‘Masti’ promise, Zee Cinema also booked an entire arena with a sumptuous lunch and plenty of indoor games and activities for the kids to rejoice all through the afternoon. An entertaining magic show highlighted the ‘Magic’ component and provided kids with a memorableZee Cinema experience.

    That’s not all….to take the Children’s Day celebrations a notch higher, Zee Cinema ensured that kids had a truly memorable experience by ending the day with a surprise. When the kids returned to the orphanage, Zee Cinema showered on them some exciting and cool goodies and to make their day even more special.

    Speaking of the occasion, Ruchir Tiwari, Deputy Business Head, Hindi Movie Channels, ZEEL stated, “Children’s Day is celebrated for kids to rejoice their childhood and create memories that will last them a lifetime. And what better than to bring alive the Zee Cinema’s  proposition- Movies. Masti.Magic – into the lives of children who don’t get an opportunity to celebrate it.  We hope to create some everlasting moments for them!”

    To make the celebrations even more special, Zee Cinema will also be leveraging ‘Masti Ki Pathshaala’ on their digital platforms. Videos will be shared online of the kids indulging in a range of fun-filled activities through the day.

     

  • This Diwali, Zee Cinema gives you a chance to become a lakhpati!

    This Diwali, Zee Cinema gives you a chance to become a lakhpati!

    MUMBAI: Diwali is right around the corner and as families get together to celebrate the festival, Zee Cinema, the Hindi movie channel by ZEEL will thoroughly entertain its audiences with an exciting line-up of movies all season through the Har Din Diwali film festival. Commencing on 13 October, mega-hit movies will be aired every day at 8 PM on the channel to keep the festive spirits high right till 25 October.

     Diwali is nothing without a bonanza offer and that’s exactly what Zee Cinema has in its kitty for its viewers! And, in a bid to engage with its viewers, Zee Cinema will also be hosting an exciting contest this Diwali.  From 13 to 25 October, viewers who tune in to the channel during the ‘Har Din Diwali’ film festival can win the chance to enter the lucky draw for a cash prize of 1 lakh every day by answering two questions correctly!

    Speaking of the film festival, Ruchir Tiwari, Deputy Business Head, Hindi Movie Channels, ZEEL said, “With the Har Din Diwali Film Festival, we aim to provide our audiences with an entertaining line- up of movies throughout the week till Diwali.  In this season of festivity, what better way to engage our audience than with entertainment that packs a punch – be it through our film festivals, contests or movie premieres, Zee Cinema is celebrating Diwali with our most favourite guests – our viewers.”

    Kick-starting the Har Din Diwali Film festival is the recently released and one of the most popular Bollywood movies this year, ‘Main Tera Hero’ starring Varun Dhawan along with two gorgeous leading ladies – Ileana D’Cruz and Nargis Fakhri. Besharam starring the hot and kickin’ Ranbir Kapoor and the girl-next-door Pallavi Sharda is next on the list to regale viewers this Diwali. With more such fun and lighthearted comedies blended with a twist of drama, romance and action, Zee Cinema is all set to spread the festive cheer and help cough up some laughs across families. The festival will also showcase movies like Ramaiya Vastaviya, Himmatvala, Phata Poster Nikla Hero, Dhamaal, Holiday, Phir Hera Pheri, Race 2, Chennai Express and Enemmy.

    With so much buzz and excitement, Zee Cinema is indeed giving its viewers and fans an opportunity to celebrate Diwali like Har Din is Diwali!

    Tune-in to Har Din Diwali Film Festival to catch the festive fever from October 13th – 25th every day at 8pm only on Zee Cinema!

     

  • Johnny Lever to make his debut on Twitter

    Johnny Lever to make his debut on Twitter

    MUMBAI: There are all kinds of genres in cinema like thrillers, action, romance, horror and more but the one that never goes out of fashion is comedy and the name that is synonymous with this genre is Johnny Lever. With the premiere of the super-hit comedy movie – Entertainment starring Akshay Kumar, Tamannah Bhatia, Johnny Lever and Krushna Abhishek airing on Zee Cinema on Sunday, 12 October at 8:00 PM, the channel gives an opportunity to all Johnny Lever fans on Twitter to interact with the evergreen comic icon of Bollywood as he engages with them on the Twitter handle of Zee Cinema on 10 October between 11 30 AM and 1 PM.

     

    Johnny Lever is one of the most cherished comedians of Indian Cinema and while many look up to him for his famous comic timing, many others just love him for his heart-warming screen presence. The King of Comedy who has tickled the funny bone of every Indian household will now be gauging the antics of his ardent fans as they put their ‘comic’ foot forward to impress the man himself on Twitter. Zee Cinema has challenged ace entertainer Johnny Lever’s fans to make him laugh with their tweets using the handle #MakeJohnnyLaugh. All Johnny Lever fans can also tune-in to interact with Johnny Lever on Twitter and showcase their comic talent to him LIVE on Twitter! All those who manage to make him laugh will receive a retweet and a favourite from the actor himself as a token of appreciation.

     

    Ruchir Tiwari, Deputy Business Head, Hindi Movie Channels, ZEEL said, “We wanted to create a unique experience for our followers on social media and what better than getting one of the most admired comic icons of India, Johnny Lever, to engage with them on Twitter. Since Johnny has no official Twitter account, this will be a great opportunity for his fans to interact with him and in a role-reversal, they will have to entertain him this time! ”

     

    Catch the super-hit comedy movie – Entertainment starring Akshay Kumar, Tamannah Bhatia, Johnny Lever and Krushna Abhishek on Sunday, October 12th as the 8:00 PM, only on Zee Cinema.

     

  • &pictures airs ‘Fusion Flicks’ all week!

    &pictures airs ‘Fusion Flicks’ all week!

    MUMBAI: &pictures, India’s premium Hindi movie channel is all set to make this week enjoyable and entertaining for its patrons with ‘Fusion Flicks – The Best of Bollywood & Hollywood Film Festival’ airing on &pictures from 22 to 26 September. The Fusion Flicks film festival will give audiences the greatest movie viewing experience with the best of Desi & Videshi films!

     

    While most Bollywood movies are huge stress busters with an adequate mix of comedy and drama, Hollywood movies are more intense and thematic thus drawing audiences into a particular concept. From the time they switch on the television, Fusion Flicks will go on throughout the week of 22 to 26 September daily from 8:30 pm onwards with two absolutely gripping movie flicks aired back to back on &pictures.

     

    Speaking on the occasion, ZEEL deputy national business head, Hindi movie channels Ruchir Tiwari stated, “At &pictures, it has been our constant endeavour to bring the best of movies for our viewers. Fusion Flicks is a combination of some of the best Bollywood and Hollywood movies on prime-time slot. We are hopeful that our audiences will enjoy this experience.”

     

    From movies like ABCD – Any Body Can Dance, Ramaiya Vastvaiya, Commando to Main Tera Hero, &pictures will air some popular Bollywood movies ranging from edge-of-the-seat drama to comedy beyond compare. This paired with some of the most popular and intense Hollywood movies of like XXX, Men in Black 2, Terminator 3, Resident Evil and Spiderman, ‘Fusion Flicks’ brings to its audiences the best of both worlds. What’s more, you ask? The ‘Fusion Flicks’ festival also features the World Television Premiere of the most recent hit movie Total Siyappa on the last day of the week to end the filmi journey with a bang!

     

    So, when you step into your home after a long day at work… drama, romance, thrill and comedy will take over your lives to reward you with the best movie viewing experience ever with Fusion Flicks – the Best of Bollywood & Hollywood Film Festival all of this week only on &pictures!

     

    So tune-in to experience the best of both worlds – Hollywood & Bollywood from 22-26 September,  8pm onwards only on &pictures!

     

  • The Small Big Idea turns live tweets into online videos for &Pictures

    The Small Big Idea turns live tweets into online videos for &Pictures

    MUMBAI: With digital leading the way forward, &Pictures, an interactive movie channel from Zee Entertainment Enterprises (Zeel) stable is leaving no stone unturned to increase its engagement level with the digital audiences.

     

    It had recently launched an interactive application called Dil Se, which allows people to record and upload messages for their favourite celebrity. The recorded messages are then sent to celebs for them to reply with personalized messages for their fans.

     

    Now, the channel’s digital agency The Small Big Idea has roped in stand up comedians Ashwin Mushran and Amogh Ranadive to promote the interactive application Dil Se. In a one of a kind interactive campaign, the audience’s tweets were converted into videos within minutes of them being posted.

     

    The audience had to tweet to the channel, the extent to which they would go to catch the attention of their favourite star. The gags told the audience how their ideas of impressing their stars might not to be the best, by mocking the idea itself. The videos were hilarious and that attracted more than 6 lakh impressions on twitter alone.

     

    The Small Big Idea founder-director Harikrishnan Pillai said, “Our route was twisted and twisted works. People didn’t expect their version of celeb-love to come out in such funny manner, and that too within minutes of them tweeting. Good part is that people were OK to laugh at themselves. The giggles ended at 6 lakh impressions, validating the efficacy of the idea too.”

     

    Zeel Hindi movie channels deputy business head Ruchir Tiwari added, “The end objective was to make people aware of this application. The core message was beautifully weaved around the social activity, giving us dual advantage of creating great online content and marketing the digital property.”