ITV

Tag: Salman Khan

  • Be a part of the ‘Fugly’ experience

    Be a part of the ‘Fugly’ experience

    MUMBAI: Grazing Goat Pictures, the makers of the upcoming movie ‘Fugly’ are leaving no stone unturned to give their loyal fans a taste of the movie. They are revolutionising the movie scene, a new interactive trailer application that lets the users create their own ‘Fugly’ trailer featuring them and their friends. 

     

    The ‘Fugly’ team has been creating quite a buzz with its trailer and song release. They are now taking a step further by offering a once in a life time opportunity to the audience to be a part of the highly anticipated movie of the year. Fans can now make history by appearing in their own version of the trailer.

     

     The audience can be a part of this creative endeavour through the movie’s official website – http://fuglythefilm.com/. They can log on through their social networking profile account or manually manage their and their friends’ names and images to be included in the trailer. The website team then pulls out these names and images, seamlessly integrating them in the film’s trailer.

     

     This never done before activity shows the brilliance and hard work of the makers to connect with audience on a different level. Fans have willingly accepted the trailer and recently released song videos, the ‘Fugly’ title track featuring superstars Akshay Kumar, Salman Khan and Dhupchik, the party anthem of the season and are now looking forward to catching the movie in theatres soon.

  • This one’s the Gags Gang!

    This one’s the Gags Gang!

    MUMBAI: One – a gritty drama around the coal mafia of Dhanbad has nothing to do with the other – a laughter riot cooked up by television’s funnies.

     

    We’re talking about Zee TV’s first-of-its-kind ‘variety’ comedy show titled Gangs of Hasseypur  which promises to tickle your funny bone and bears no resemblance whatsoever to its cerebral namesake – Anurag Kashyap’s critically acclaimed film, Gangs of Wasseypur.

     

    As reported earlier by indiantelevision.com, Gangs of Hasseypur is slated for an April 26 premiere on Zee TV. So, at 8:00 pm every Saturday and Sunday, viewers will be treated to a mish-mash of hasya kavis making them laugh at everyday issues or stand-up comics unraveling the real faces behind the big names in cinema, sports and politics.

     

    Be it the unending speculation over superstar Salman Khan’s bachelor (should we say virgin) status or something as everyday as rising prices, the show will see comedians like Raju Shrivastav and Suresh Menon leaving the audience in splits with their witty punches and comic timing. Actor-comic Bharti Singh will add her own brand of madness while divas Mandira Bedi and Tanishaa Mukherjee will step in as Hasseypur ki Haseenayein, upping the show’s glam quotient. Gorgeous and witty Ragini Khanna will host the show. Dabur Glucose-D will be the title sponsor.

     

    Pankaj Saraswat of Laughter Challenge fame will helm this laugh-a-thon as creative director. He says that the show was conceptualized in just 15 days. With the shoot having begun not very long ago on April 14, four episodes have been canned already.

     

    Asked if the jokes on issues ranging from inflation to the serial lack of trust in politicians will be taken in the right spirit, Saraswat says: “We are not attacking anyone personally. We are talking about things that are known to everyone. Everybody knows that Narendra Modi’s wife’s issue has come up suddenly. Everybody knows that Aam Aadmi Party chief got slapped. We don’t have any personal agenda and are not politically biased against anyone. It is more socio-political.”

     

    Referring to a joke about “Neil Nitin Mukesh is menghai ke zamane me teen naam leke chal raha hai” in the show, Saraswat explains: “It is comedy; we are not making the show to hurt anyone’s sentiments. It is not below the belt. We have got a lot of different elements in the show. It is not just stand-up comedians coming, throwing jokes and going but it has got more meat to it like interactive sessions, panel discussions and much more.”

     

    What was it like with the production team having been given just 15 days to put the show together? “We brainstormed on the idea internally and I gave Pankaj a call and threw a bomb saying let’s shoot in the next two weeks. He has his pool of comedians, he knows them, and he knows how to utilize their talents in the best way. And he did it and we would like to improve on what we have done and I am sure the audience is going to just love it,” answers Zee TV programming head, Namit Sharma.

     

    Sharma was confident that the concept would be bang on in an election season in a country where there aren’t too many platforms to showcase comic talent. “If you look at the English comedy, they allow young talent to grow. We have not created enough platforms for comic talent to grow. So I am very keen to do that,” he says.

     

    Going by industry sources, the show costs are anywhere between Rs 15 and Rs 20 lakh per episode.

     

    A media expert opined that the channel has also got the slot timing right for this show. “The channel has made a safe move by not airing the show during a latter slot which has some of the best shows like Khatron Ke Khiladi, Mad In India and Comedy Nights with Kapil,” he says. “The show will get a  thumbs up as far as viewership is concerned, because people who are bored of watching daily soaps have an option to switch to Zee for the new content.”

     

    Despite the competition, Sharma believes that good content always work on television. “There are so many daily soaps that work across channels despite competition. On the same slot many shows work sometimes, so why non-fiction should be treated any differently? People like laughing; then why not?” he says. “It is really difficult to shoot such shows and I am nervous as hell about audience reaction. However, we are trying and we hope it works.”

     

  • ISL announces partners in its journey to revolutionise Indian football

    ISL announces partners in its journey to revolutionise Indian football

    MUMBAI: IMG Reliance and Star India promoted Indian Super League (ISL), under the aegis of All India Football Federation, on Sunday, 13 April reached a crucial junction on its path to rediscover Indian football, as it identifies and awards eight ‘League Partners’ across the country ahead of the proposed September-November 2014 inaugural season.

     

    Touted to be an unrivalled footballing tourney, the ISL – that is being planned under the Football Sports Development (FSD) – aims to ignite a revolution in the sport and ultimately enable Indian football to thrive and perform at the highest level on the international stage.

     

    “Today’s announcement is the culmination of several years of hard work and strategic planning,” said IMG chairman & chief executive and IMG Reliance chairman Michael Dolan in a statement. “We are enormously pleased at the level of interest the creation of the Indian Super League has generated. We believe the League signals the beginning of a new era in the development of football in India and, in the future, will be the source of great pride for the people of India.”

     

    ISL’s proposal for ‘League Partners’ received an overwhelming response from the business, sports and Hindi film industry, to own a team from the nine proposed cities in the contention. Four of the final eight cities – Delhi, Kochi, Guwahati and Bengaluru – will find itself in the mainstream football map of the country, which is traditionally being dominated by Kolkata, Goa, Pune and Mumbai, through the high-profile professional tournament.

     

    “Inspiring our nation to excel is a priority and comes naturally to us at Star India. With our expertise in marketing and production of sports content, our task is cut out to etch football in the sports culture of India,” said Star India CEO Uday Shankar. “The nation has been awaiting its second sport for far too long. And we’re delighted to collaborate with esteemed partners in the business and sports world to make that happen!”.

     

    The winning bids, which boast a good mix of corporates and celebrities, include – the Sun Group for Bengaluru; Sameer Manchanda led Den Network for Delhi; Venugopal Dhoot (Videocon), Dattaraj Salgaocar and Shrinivas V. Dempo for Goa; John Abraham & Shillong Lajong for Guwahati; Sachin Tendulkar & PVP Ventures for Kochi; Sourav Ganguly, Harshavardhan Neotia, Atletico Madrid, Sanjeev Goenka, Utsav Parekh for Kolkata, Bollywood’s Ranbir Kapoor and Bimal Parekh for Mumbai and Salman Khan together with Kapil Wadhawan and Dheeraj Wadhawan of the Wadhawan Group for Pune.

     

    “It is with great pride that I welcome the eight League Partners to the Indian Super League. We want to unlock the unbound aspirational energy of our youth through grassroots and community development programs,” said Nita M. Ambani. “Together, we will strive to build a vibrant ecosystem that will provide impetus to football in India. As Mentor of the League, I commit myself to development of football as a major sport for the youth of India.

     

    Ernst & Young, the designated international advisory firm, had the mandate of drawing up and validating the bid process. Each bidder was subject to strict eligibility norms and was required to submit the bids, as prescribed under the ‘Invitation to Bid’ document. Bids were evaluated by the jury panel in the presence of Ernst & Young representatives.

     

    The ISL represents a transformational progress for Indian football, progress that will be good for players, fans and the League Partners. It’s an opportunity to be part of one of the most exciting new properties in football anywhere in the world and Indian Federation, the AIFF has extended all its help for the success of the League.

     

    AIFF president Praful Patel said: “No period in India’s long and proud history in football is more exciting than today. This day will go down in memory as a special day for Indian football as eight high profile celebrities & corporates are being introduced into the sport through Indian Super League. With IMG Reliance & Star providing the perfect foundation, the League has become an unstoppable force which would change Indian football.”

     

    “I hope the grassroots’ obligation of the franchises gives a huge push to the development of the game. Along with the world class infrastructure that is being created for the Under 17 FIFA World Cup, and AIFF’s expression of interest to host 2015 and 2016 FIFA Club World Cup, Indian football is definitely turning a new leaf in its history,” he added.

     

    AIFF general secretary Kushal Das too is a firm believer of the fact that Indian football needs an innovative approach to amass popularity. “I have always believed Indian football needs an innovative and experimental format like Indian Super League to bring the fans back to the stadiums. Today, with the kind of owners and organisers that we have behind Indian Super League, we have the perfect recipe to a successful professional tournament. I wish the Indian Super League all the best.”

     

    Here is a closer look at the winning Bidders/Consortiums:

     

    A new Sun rises in the Garden City

    Bengaluru – Sun Group

     

    Sun Group is an Indian conglomerate, based in Chennai, India. Sun Group’s Sun TV Network is one of the largest media networks in India. It owns over thirty three television channels, 45 FM Radio Stations, Two Daily News Papers and Five Magazines with a reach of more than 95 million households in India. Sun Direct is one of the largest DTH service provider in the country having more than 9 million subscribers. Sun Pictures is the film division of Sun TV Network. The group is also present in the aviation business with SpiceJet and also owns IPL cricket team Sunrisers Hyderabad.

     

    Den to lay football Network in Delhi

    Delhi – Sameer Manchanda of Den Networks

     

    DEN Networks – led by Chairman and Managing Director Sameer Manchanda, is India’s largest cable TV distribution company serving 13 million homes in over 200 cities. Based in Delhi, DEN is a frontrunner of digitisation of Indian cable TV. DEN is also launching India’s fastest high speed broadband service with speeds of 100 Mbps and more. DEN aims to become the default destination for entertainment, information and interactivity for the Indian family.

     

    Goan sport to get Dempo, Salgaocar & Videocon’s push

    Goa – Salgaocar / Dempo / Videocon

     

    Dattaraj Salgaocar: His company has diverse interests in Mining, Hospitality, and Shipping. It exports over 4 million tonnes of Iron Ore every year. The company also runs the Goa Marriott and Hotel La Plaz Gardens in Goa.

     

    Dempo: Dempo Mining Corporation Limited is a prominent mining company from  Goa. Shrinivas V. Dempo is the chairman of Dempo Group. They are also the owners of Dempo Sports Club, popularly known as ‘the whites’ from Goa. The team has been a constant performer in all the national football championship and gained immense popularity in the last four decades of its existence. The team has several accolades and honours in its kitty. They have won the National Football League title in 2004 and 2006 and followed it with two I-League triumphs in 2006–07 and then in 2009–2010.

     

    Videocon: The group is a US $5 billion global conglomerate with a diversified set of products ranging from handsets, D2H, Electronic Appliance etc. The group has 17 manufacturing sites in India and plants in Mainland China, Poland, Italy and Mexico.

     

    John joins Lajong for Guwahati

    Guwahati – John Abraham and Shillong Lajong

     

    John Abraham: John Abraham is an established Bollywood actor, producer and former model. Known for his obsession for football, bikes and fitness, John is an avid follower of football and sports in general. He has bought a stake in Delhi team of Hockey India League.

     

    Shillong Lajong: Shillong Lajong is an I-league team based in Shillong. It was established in the year 1983. It was promoted to the 1st division of the I-League in the 2009-10 season. They have been associated with prominent brands such as Aircel and Adidas. The team plays its home matches in the Nehru Stadium in Shillong.

     

    God of cricket comes to ‘God’s own country’

    Kochi – Prasad V. Potluri of PVP Ventures & Sachin Tendulkar

     

    PVP is one of the largest investors of the country in media and entertainment industry and is listed on the BSE and the NSE. Prasad V Potluri, the known serial entrepreneur in the global outsourcing services space is the Chairman and MD of PVP Ventures. PVP was one of the bidders for Hyderbad team of IPL in 2012.

     

    Sachin Tendulkar: The batting maestro and a world renowned personality, also known as the God amongst his global fan base, will be associated with the team as its brand ambassador.

     

    Kolkata looks forward to Dadagiri in football

    Kolkata – Sourav Ganguly, Harshavardhan Neotia, Atletico Madrid, Sanjiv Goenka, Utsav Parekh

     

    Sourav Ganguly: Affectionately known as ‘Dada’, is a former Indian cricketer and captain of the Indian national team. Currently, a cricket commentator, Ganguly is regarded as one of India’s most successful captains in modern times. He is the 5th highest run scorer in ODIs and was the 3rd person in history to cross the 10,000 run landmark. In 2002, the Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack ranked him the sixth greatest ODI batsman of all time.

     

    Atlético de Madrid: Spanish club based in Madrid that plays in the La Liga and has been the champions on 9 occasions. It is the third most supported club in Spain. They will be moving to a new stadium in the 2015 season which will have a capacity of 70,000 spectators. It is one of the biggest clubs in the world in terms of associates with more than 65,000 season ticket holders.

     

    Harshavardhan Neotia: Harshavardhan Neotia of Ambuja Neotia Group is one of the most prominent and respected businessman in India. The corporate houses headquartered in Kolkata has its forte in real estate and recent forays into hospitality, healthcare and education. The group has championed the cause of woman and child healthcare by setting up Bhagiarthi Neotia Woman & Child Care Centre in Kolkata.

     

    Sanjiv Goenka:  Sanjiv Goenka of RP – Sanjiv Goenka Group from Kolkata is a prominent businessman in India having interest in Power business in the city and national network of modern Retail chains across country.

     

    Utsav Parekh:  Utsav Parekh has been Non-Executive-Non-Independent Chairman at SMIFS Capital Markets Ltd. since April 1, 2009. Mr. Parekh has about 25 years of in-depth experience in merchant banking and financial services.

     

    Mumbai Wakes Up to Sid’s passion

    Mumbai – Ranbir Kapoor & Bimal Parekh

     

    Ranbir Kapoor is one of the leading Indian film actor of the current generation. Through his successful career in Hindi (Bollywood) films, he has become one of the highest-paid actors and one of the most high-profile celebrities in India. He is the recipient of several awards and nominations including five Filmfare Awards. Kapoor is the son of actors Rishi Kapoor and Neetu Singh, and the grandson of actor-director Raj Kapoor. He began his career in Bollywood as an assistant director on Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s 2005 film Black and later turned actor to give many a hit movies year on year. A keen follower of football and an avid fan of FC Barcelona, Ranbir is often seen on the maidans of Mumbai playing football with his co-stars and friends when he is not shooting.

     

    Bimal Parekh: Bimal Parekh is a renowned Chartered Accountant from Mumbai.

     

    Pune will play its football Dabang style

    Pune – Salman Khan, Kapil Wadhawan & Dheeraj Wadhawan

     

    Kapil & Dheeraj Wadhawan: Kapil Wadhawan is the Chairman and Dheeraj Wadhawan is the Vice Chairman of the Rajesh Wadhawan Group, which has diverse business interests including financial services, food retail, hospitality, education and real estate. Sport development has been a major focus area of the Wadhawan family, which believes in taking sport to the grassroots level, thus enabling access for India’s young to good quality sporting activities and infrastructure. Over the years, Wadhawan Group has been associated with sports – especially cricket – either as sponsors or team owners.

     

    Salman Khan: Salman Khan is an Indian actor, producer, television presenter, and philanthropist. Known as the actor with mass appeal, Salman is the promoter of ‘Being Human Foundations’. He has appeared in the highest grossing film nine separate years during his career, a record that remains unbroken. He has starred in more than 80 Hindi films and thus far and has established himself as a leading actor of Hindi cinema.

     

    Leveraging the strengths of all its partners, the Indian Super League envisions creating new football powerhouses in this part of the world, which will rise to global prominence as the country and the sport further develops.

  • When the stars become one of us!

    When the stars become one of us!

    MUMBAI: Much as we love and admire our film and television celebrities, how would we react if we saw them as one amongst us, leading a life as mundane as ours!

     

    Well that’s something viewers may soon find out for coming to drawing rooms in April is a show that brings together celebrities and commoners even as famous people attempt to live the life of an aam aadmi for a day.

     

    Mission Sapne, produced by Sobo Films and slated to premiere on Colors next month, is rooted in the belief that in order to make a difference, one needs to go out there and understand the trials and tribulations of the common man. The proceeds will go towards helping the cause of the less fortunate.

     

    10 names from showbiz will grace the show in avatars quite unlike their usual selves. Karan Johar will turn photographer at the Gateway of India; Salman Khan a barber; Varun Dhawan a coolie; Siddharth Malhotra a vegetable vendor; Ranbir Kapoor a vada-pav seller; Harbhajan Singh a namkeen seller; Mika Singh a chaiwallah; Ram Kapoor a taxi-wallah; Drashti Dhami a nimbu-mirchi vendor; and Ronit Roy a cosmetic seller. Sonali Bendre will play the host.

     

    Says Colors CEO Raj Nayak: “With everything that our audiences have given us in making Colors a household name, Mission Sapne is our endeavour to give back to the society by bringing the life of a common man to the limelight and sharing his/her story for the world to behold. We thank all the celebrities associated with the show for extending their support and helping us lighten the burden of a tough life from some less fortunate shoulders by raising funds for their welfare.”

     

    Each episode will feature a common man and his problems. His favourite actor/actress will step into his shoes for a day and try to solve his difficulties. For instance, Salman will extend support to Qurban Ali, a barber who lost both his legs in an accident. The money earned will be multiplied and donated to someone in need.

     

    Apparently, Sobo Films had created a similar concept in the Marathi language called Bole to Malamaal. Realising its potential, the producers thought of adapting it into mainstream TV. “We had done this in the regional space before and it was a huge success. We thought we could take this to the Hindi GEC space and see how it worked,” says Sobo Films director, Smruti Shinde. “I think, though it hasn’t been aired yet, it has been very well received by all the celebs,” adds Shinde.

     

    Of the 10 episodes, seven have been shot at locations such as the Gateway of India, Seven Bungalows and Crawford Market in Mumbai while the remaining three have been shot at Chandigarh, Lucknow, and Delhi.

     

    Speaking of the actual shoot that was completed within eight days, Shinde says, “We knew what the show was all about so it did not take us much time to get it on the floor. We just had to format it in the Hindi GEC space and slight alterations were made from the Marathi space. In a month’s time, we had finished planning and shooting for the show.”

     

    Did the celebrities take some convincing to come on-board the show? “There was no difficulty in getting the celebs on-board. When we approached them, they loved the concept and were ready to accommodate the dates. Normally, celebs perform in front of the audience, but in this show, they are one amongst the audience. They actually go on-ground and earn money for the common man,” reveals Shinde.

     

    Ask them and media professionals will call it a PR gimmick on the part of Colors. “What will the channel show for that duration? The success of the show completely depends on the treatment. If they can make it entertaining enough, people will watch it. At the end, a viewer wants entertainment and that is what sells. If they are able to find enough entertainment footage, then it can work wonders for the channel,” opines Helios Media managing director Divya Radhakrishnan.

  • Remember your first tweet?

    Remember your first tweet?

    MUMBAI: After tweeting hundreds of time, do you sometimes wonder what your first tweet was? Well, just use the newly launched tool by Twitter as it celebrates its eighth birthday.

     

    Ideas, anecdotes, opinions, experiences and achievements, among other things have been expressed in 140 characters since 2006, the year the now-much talked about social networking site was first introduced.

     

    While in these eight years, many have posted thousands of posts on Twitter to share joy, sadness, crib or even socialise. But there was no way one could find out their first tweet, except for scrolling down the long list to see it.

     

    So, to make life easier, Twitter is now taking people on a nostalgic ride.

     

    And as many people are busy finding out their own first tweets, we bring to you a list of the first tweets by the media biggies.

     

    @rupertmurdoch: Have just. Read The Rational Optimist. Great book.

     

    @ManishTewari Good Morning world on Dec 7 th 2012
     

    @SrBachchan: @juniorbachchan hey baby !! I made it on twitter !!! Yeeaaaaaahhhh !! … sorry..just got carried away ..safe onward flight and love

     

    @sachin_rt: Finally the original SRT is on twitter n the first thing I’d like to do is wish my colleagues the best in the windies,

     

    @iamsrk: hi everyone. being extremely shy i never thought i would be here. but my friend @kjohar25 insisted that i should learn to share my life.

     

    @punit_goenka: #MaryKom is the perfect example of what ZEE has always stood for – empowering people! May she bring home the gold medal!

     

    @cvlsrinivas: ’tis bird has flown..

     

    @haritnagpal: Finally on Twitter too!

     

    @SunilLulla: Hectic Parleying Before The Weekend That My Daughter Moves Cities

     

    @rajcheerfull:  Fireworks must be banned and If it cant be done then it should only be allowed in public places like playgrounds, beach, parks etc.

     

    @jawharsircar: RBI monitoring situation: Subbarao http://bit.ly/KhG0QO

     

    @BeingSalmanKhan: Arbaaz ne kaha ke tweet kar toh banta hai boss

     

    @NSaina: Entering the world of Twitter for the first time! Looking forward to great interactions with Fans!!! So here goes my first tweet! 🙂

     

    @ShereenYT: Young Turks Awarded For Consistent Coverage Of Innovation& Social Entrepreneurship At The unconvention Summit In Chennai

     

    @itsmeanuj: nothing is happening…dont know if i am waiting for something to happen…

     

    @parthodasgupta: off to delhi tom

     

    @Rajesh_sethi Indian Govt’s fiscal deficit may be harder to reign in than popularly envisaged. How will Govt reduce expenditure & still be populist ? #in

     

    @vikramchandra checking mail

     

    @ramankalra1 DND limiting Sabeer Bhatia’s next big idea of free global txtng…#TRAI listening? …#Infocom2011

     

    @AjitkThakur: Back on twitter after months. Under pressure from team to do some Life OK tweets! For now just saying life is OK @LifeOKTV

     

    @LloydMathias: hanging loose

     

    @nairsameer: Japs outsourcing to India…with Japan’s aging populace producing few new engineers, there is a real business opportunity here.

     

    @FRIEDFOODBRAIN:  Spilled ink on my pants. No really, it’s ink. The kind that helps a pen make squiggly lines that the learned called writing. Yup that ink.

     

    @ bhogleharsha: @Nagaraju_Dovari i do too and you do too.and cricketers and authors and singers are no different from you and me

     

    @Lk_Gupta: Ganpati statues on trucks n guys dancg arnd thm wth branches brokn fm trees. Wot?!

     

    @Sanjay_Tripathy: Going to watch the movie ‘Seven Pounds’

     

    @shaileshkapoor: Checking Twitter out!

     

    @kvpops: This is my new account. Henceforth i shall tweet from this id

  • Star Gold’s high profile movie acquisitions for 2014

    Star Gold’s high profile movie acquisitions for 2014

    MUMBAI: The Star network continues on its path to keep pushing the envelope in terms of providing some of the best content to its viewers.

    Star Gold, the Hindi movie channel, is all set with a smashing blockbuster television premieres line-up for 2014. The network has announced its acquisition of a fresh movie library as part of its extensive plans for 2014 in the Hindi movies genre. The new acquisition comprises of 18 highly anticipated Bollywood films of the year including films of leading superstars such as Salman Khan, Ajay Devgn, Ranbir Kapoor and Hrithik Roshan.

    Announcing the network’s movie acquisition plans for the year, Star Gold and Movies OK EVP Hemal Jhaveri said: “We have consistently received a phenomenal response for the big ticket premieres on our network.  Apart from entertaining the audiences, movie premieres also prove to be an extremely successful platform from the advertisers’ standpoint. Hence, it proves to be a win-win situation for all stakeholders. For 2014, we have targeted a diverse content line up acquiring films across different genres. Our strategy has always been to simply offer our viewers’ content they want to watch, rather than what we want them to watch.”

    Touted to be the first hit of 2014, Yaariyan shall kick start the movie premieres for the year across the network. This shall be followed by Salman Khan’s Jai Ho, the first Rs 100 crore grossing film of the year. The other acquired films of 2014 include Gang of Ghosts, Traffic, Sonali Cable, O Teri, Bhaag Johnny and Hawaa Hawaai. The newly acquired movies are bought for a period of 10 years with exclusive telecast rights.

    In early 2013, Star India had signed an exclusive television broadcast rights deal with superstars Salman Khan and Ajay Devgn for their films till 2017. In addition to this, the network has signed a deal for other exciting movies for its 2014 movies line up. Some of the high profile premieres slated for the year include: Jai Ho, Kick, Bombay Velvet, Bang Bang, Roy, Action Jackson, Singham 2, Hamshakals, Bobby Jasoos and Creature.

    In 2012, the network had acquired over 500 films from the Viacom 18 group followed by the deal with superstars Salman Khan and Ajay Devgn in early 2013. Star India has successfully premiered the maximum number of Rs 100 crore Bollywood films, including blockbusters such as Singham, Bodyguard, Ra.One, Housefull 2, Bol Bachchan, Son of Sardaar, Dabangg 2 and Bhaag Milkha Bhaag.

  • Making sense of the loss-making Bigg Boss

    Making sense of the loss-making Bigg Boss

    MUMBAI: Love it or hate it but you just can’t ignore it! Which is what not just viewers but also television channels have been doing ever since Endemol India introduced Bigg Boss.

     

    First presented by Sony Entertainment Channel in 2006 with Arshad Warsi as the host, the ever popular reality show started off with a bang only to end with a whimper when the channel was forced to relinquish the loss-making show.

     

    Though that didn’t stop a five-year-old Colors from taking up where Sony had left, the channel continued to lose a lot of money over Bigg Boss even as the show became more and more popular.

     

    Intrigued by Colors’ determination to hold on to such a loss-making property, indiantelevision.com posed the question to CEO Raj Nayak in an earlier interview, to which he answered: “I do it because it is a cult show. People wait for it. Advertisers want it. If you speak to ‘Streax’, the owner told me two containers were bought in Afghanistan because of Bigg Boss. That is Bigg Boss for you.”

     

    He further said: “We generate PR worth Rs 15-20 crore when Bigg Boss is about to start. That’s the kind of cult image the show has – 100 days of non-stop entertainment during prime time, like an IPL match. We will not stop doing those things as the viewers want it. So, as long as it matches my bottom P&L, I am able to manage it, I am fine.”

     

    Indeed, one of the reasons to continue investing nearly Rs 120 to Rs 130 crore in Bigg Boss is the kind of buzz it generates well ahead of the launch. The contestants, their choice of clothes, their language and mannerisms, the controversies around them – constitutes fodder for endless discussion and hence, nothing to be unhappy about.

     

    Also according to Nayak, Bigg Boss gets the best advertisers by virtue of it getting the best ratings. Fact is while fiction is Colors’ staple food, advertisement rates for non-fiction shows are higher. Then again, walking the tightrope between fiction and non-fiction is of essence.

     

    Yet another reason for continuing with Bigg Boss is the rub-off it has on ‘Brand Colors’. “When you go to a restaurant, there will be many dishes (Chef’s specials) that will be expensive. They don’t make money on that but they keep it because some people keep coming for those dishes. And yet, these people eat other stuff as well,” explained Nayak.

     

    The show was high on viewership throughout the season; however it was its finale episode that added a cherry on the cake. It had all the makings of a ‘masaledaar’ blockbuster including power-packed performances by the contestants and the host Salman Khan himself.

     

    “The season seven has been the most watched, most buzzed and most trended season of all times,” believed Colors’ weekend programming head Manisha Sharma.

     

    Bigg Boss seven debuted with 7,711 TVTs on its opening day and continued to have a successful run for several of weeks.

     

    The spill-over effect of the popularity of Bigg Boss was felt on shows Colors airs before and after Big Boss. For example, in week 44 of TAM TV ratings, viewership of Madhubala rose to 4,441 TVTs from 4,305 TVTs a week earlier and that of Uttaran jumped to 4,299 TVTs from 3,722 TVTs.

     

    For Lodestar UM vice-president Deepak Netram, Bigg Boss is the kind of show which is an investment for the long term for the channel.

     

    A senior media planner said while Colors is seeing a 10 to 15 per cent year-on-year increase in the cost of producing Bigg Boss, the show continues to have a loyal set of viewers and continues to deliver on ratings.

     

    “It’s like you are making a product but not getting the right price for it. But does that mean you will stop making the product? Obviously, you will continue making the product. The problem you have is in terms of sales,” he said.

     

    Yet another planner opined the channel wouldn’t give up on the show. “If the show is making losses, it does not mean it won’t happen. Some other channel will pick it up and make it. So, they will sell it to their competitors. And the show has its audience; they will lose the viewers.

     

    So, to not lose those viewers, Colors will have to make the show. To get the right value, you’ve got to get sales active,” he rounded off.

  • Salman Khan, Akshay Kumar to dance on Honey Singh’s tunes

    Salman Khan, Akshay Kumar to dance on Honey Singh’s tunes

    MUMBAI: They are the two heartthrobs of Bollywood and when they come together they create magic. We are talking about Salman Khan and Akshay Kumar. Since the time they did David Dhawan’s Mujhse Shaadi Karogi together in 2004, the two have made a great jodi on silver screen.

     

    The duo is set to come together for a special item song by Yo Yo Honey Singh in Grazing Goats Pictures’ Fugly.  The actors, as they rekindle their bromance, will be seen flexing their dance moves with four newcomers.

     

    After Mujhse Shaadi Karogi, the duo came together in Shirish Kunder’s Jaan-E-Man in 2006, followed by a track in Tees Maar Khan in 2011.

     

    It is being said that Salman, who is a good friend of Ashvini Yardi, the co-partner in Grazing Goats Pictures, is doing this as a friendly gesture towards the lady.

     

    Fugly is a coming-of-age drama directed by Kabir Sadanand. It is the story of four friends: Dev (Anil Kapoor’s nephew Mohit Marwah), Devi (grandniece of Sayed Jaffery, Kiara Advani), Gaurav (Olympic medalist Boxer Vijender Singh) and Aditya (Slumdog Millionaire actor Arfi Lamba) and how this carefree bunch, at the threshold of their lives, get caught in a ‘Fugly’ incident, which sucks them slowly into the big bad world of corruption, politics and the real society in the capital.

     

    The film is set to release on 16 May 2014.

  • BO: A bad start to 2014

    BO: A bad start to 2014

    MUMBA: It has been a dull scene at the box office windows all over as even the Salman Khan film, Jai Ho, has behaved way below expectations. The single screens were made to pay high MGs (the demand was “More than MGs paid for Dhoom3!). All stand to lose 50 to 60% of the MGs paid. They had a happy ending to year 2013 with Dhoom3 but have had a bad start to 2014. Also, there is no major film in sight in near future to rest their hopes on.

     

    Salman Khan’s sermonising fare, Jai Ho, has not been able to draw crowds from day one. The audience seems to have a strong antenna about their choice and infer a lot from the publicity campaigns of a particular film. The film had a weak Friday and a Saturday which saw a drop instead of a rise in collections. The only saving grace were the Sunday collections which jumped by about 40% over its opening day figures. With an opening weekend of 57.2 crore, the film has not even managed to cross the mandatory 100 crore mark in its first week which is expected of any major star. The film ended its first week with 82.1 crore. It may just about manage to cross the 100 crore mark which still makes it a loser.

     

    The solo release of the week, One By Two is a rank bad film and faced the consequences for being so. Lacking any story worth telling and a coherent script backed by poor handling, it failed to attract even a small fraternity of Abhay Deol fans. At many screens, there was ‘No audience, no show’ status. The film collected 1.4 crore for its first weekend.

     

    Yaariyan, its mediocre content notwithstanding, has made its money. Having collected 32.05 crore in its first two weeks, the film has added another crore to its tally, taking its total to 33.05 crore.

     

    Dedh Ishqiya has run out of steam by its third week. Adding just 80 lakh for its third week, the film’s three week take is 25.4 crore.

  • Salman’s ‘Jai Ho’ gets a lukewarm response at BO

    Salman’s ‘Jai Ho’ gets a lukewarm response at BO

    MUMBAI: Jai Ho, having opened to a weak response, picks up for a day on Sunday to drop again today (Monday). The film’s opening at single screens was average while at multiplexes it was below average and showed improvement on Sunday only to find its level again as the new week began. The film has collected 57.2 crore for its opening weekend.

     

    Karle Pyar Karle has fared badly, barely managing to cross one crore mark in its first week.

     

    The other two releases, Paranthe Wali Gali and Miss Lovely are disastrously poor.

     

    Yaariyan will go down as a mini hit. The film maintained well in its second week with collections of 5.8 crore; the film’s two week total stands at 32.05 crore.

     

    Dedh Ishqiya kept steady pace in its second week with figures of 6.3 crore but not enough to salvage the situation. The film’s two week tally stands at 24.6 crore.

     

    Sholay 3-D has collected one crore in its third week to take its three week total to 11.3 crore.