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Tag: Sanjay Gupta

  • Hungama Mobile, GSM Association, Roamware unveil a mobile Bollywood film initiative

    Hungama Mobile, GSM Association, Roamware unveil a mobile Bollywood film initiative

    MUMBAI: Bollywood is all set to go mobile! Global roaming solutions provider Roamware, Hungama Mobile and the GSM Association have joined hands to launch a Mobile Bollywood initiative. The aim is tio create short films for the mobile. This is one way in which film lovers from across the world can sample what the Indian film industry has to offer.

    The three parties have partnered with director Sanjay Gupta to premiere Bollywood short films for the mobile. The films titled Dus Kahaniyah will premiere at GSMA’s 3GSM World Congress in Barcelona from 12-15 February 2007. Th event is expected to attract 60,000 executives from the mobile world. This initiative follows an initiative by Roamware in the US where it sponsors the Sundance Film Festival Short film Project. This is a JV between Roamware and the Sundance Institute.

    GSM Association chairman Craig Ehrlich says,”The Sundance and Bollywood communities represent some of the most creative, vibrant and diverse talent in the movie world. In showcasing the films at Barcelona we hope to create a compelling mobile experience for mobile users across the globe. The aim of the GSM Association is to make the mobile experience go beyond text and picture messaging. India is the fourth largest mobile subscriber nase. The GSM Association represents every GSM operator in the world. “

    Hungama Mobile MD and CEO Neeraj roy says, “Hungama mobile has exclusive rights to over 70 per cent of Bollywood content on the mobile and digital platforms and trhis content from India. We believe that Bollywood offers tremendous potential as a content category for carriers in over 125 countries. The revenue sharing arrangement will see around 50 per cent go to the content creator.

    At the first stage we wanted established filmmakers to come on board. Later on when the mobile becomes viral we will look at offering our platform as a springboard for emerging filmmakers. Firstly we want to test the model to see if it works and makes money for everybody in the value chain.”

    Each story in the film runs for 10 minutes and stars established stars like Madhuri Dixit, Jimmy Shergill and Dia Mirza. Mirza notes that this represents a huge opportunity for the Indian film industry to move into the international market. This she notes comes at a time when the international market is becoming more interested in what Bollywood has to offer. Gupta thanked the three parties for providing established filmmakers with the chance to make short films.

    That is something that they do not often get a chance to do. The fact that the short films have known faces will make them reach the masses that much quicker he notes. “It is exciting to be part of a move that has the potential to create a new distribution model for Bollywood. The market for short films has been given an impetus by the fact that the quality of the video experience on the mobile has improved a lot.”

  • Lance Armstrong to feature in CNN special on cancer

    Lance Armstrong to feature in CNN special on cancer

    MUMBAI: CNN will air a special Saving Your Life which will focus on cancer. CNN’s chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta and Tour de France champion and cancer survivor Lance Armstrong join forces to discuss the killer disease that touches everyone in some way.

    Also joining Saving Your Life are cancer experts, Dr. Harold Freeman, associate director of the US National Cancer Institute and medical director of the Ralph Lauren Center for Cancer Care and Prevention, and Dr. Jim Hotz, an expert on rural health care and cancer whose story inspired the movie Doc Hollywood. The panel also features dedicated individuals who devote their time to educate their community in better understanding cancer.

    The special airs on 13 January 2007 at 12:30 pm and 8:30 pm, 14 January at 12:30 pm. It also includes the following segments:

    •A discussion with Armstrong, Freeman and cancer survivor and magazine editor Clifton Leaf in which they conclude that the lives of hundreds of thousands cancer victims could be saved through the application of current knowledge about cancer;

    •A profile of Baker and Terrell Counties in southwest Georgia, which hold some of the highest cancer rates and colon cancer death rates in the nation;

    •A profile of a young African-American woman with breast cancer and of Freeman, who designed a ‘navigator’ system to help Harlem women with breast cancer have a better chance of survival;

    •A profile of a young Colorado boy with a rare bone cancer and a look at the issues of childhood cancers and orphan drugs;

    •A profile of a man who thought he had beaten cancer only to learn months later the cancer had spread. Gupta, Armstrong and Leaf examine the relative lack of funding for metastatic cancer, the most deadly form of the disease;

    •A look at Armstrong’s MRI images revealing the two large tumors that almost killed the man now synonymous with cancer survival.

    Gupta says, “This is an exclusive opportunity to hear from some of the most distinguished members of the medical community about their advice on how to avoid and beat cancer. It is also a testament to those survivors who can offer firsthand advice that can save lives.”

  • Balaji Telefilms takes co-production route for films; plans to enter distribution

    Balaji Telefilms takes co-production route for films; plans to enter distribution

    MUMBAI: Balaji Telefilms Ltd. is venturing into co-production deals as part of a strategy to de-risk its movie business.

    The leading TV content company has tied up with White Feather Films, a company started by Sanjay Dutt and Sanjay Gupta, for producing Shoot Out at Lokhandwala at Rs 120 million which is expected to release by March-end or the first quarter of the next financial year.

    Two other movies are planned which will be co-produced and released only in FY08. Balaji is in talks with several producers including Neeraj Vohra. “By co-producing, we will be limiting our risk. Besides, the partner will bring in its filmmaking expertise,” says a source in the company.

    Balaji is also planning to foray into film distribution. The company may take the territory of Mumbai for distributing Shoot Out at Lokhandwala.

    “The movie with Gupta is estimated to cost Rs 120 million and will have a multi-star cast. We are part-financing this film. We have plans for two other co-produced movies but the budgets are yet to be finalised,” the source says.

    Balaji Telefilms produced two films in the last fiscal and raked in a revenue of Rs 104 million, incurring a minor loss. While Kya Kool Hai Hum was a success, the second film Koi Aap Sa didn’t fare well in the box office.

    The company is adopting a cautious approach and will not be releasing any movie this year. “We expect Shoot Out at Lokhandwala to happen only next year,” says the source.
    Balaji Telefilms saw a robust growth in FY06 with topline increasing 43 per cent to Rs 2.8 billion. Net profit rose 44 per cent to Rs 594 million on the back of a rate revision from Star and an increase in programming hours.