ITV

Tag: Shemaroo

  • Shemaroo in marketing drive for the launch of BookBox

    Shemaroo in marketing drive for the launch of BookBox

    MUMBAI: ‘Edutainment’ is the buzz word for kids all over the world today. With the boom in DVD technology, children cannot be left behind and need much more than just entertainment.

    To capitalise on this home video major Shemaroo has tied up with Crossword Book Store to screen Children’s Film Shows at various Crossword Book Stores across India

    The show runs for half an hour and the stories screened are taken from their exclusive kids product BookBox which is Internationally Acclaimed and which has Won Awards from World Bank’s Global Innovation, Stanford University, Tech Museum of Innovations, The Institute for Social Inventions, London (U.K.) and The Manthan AIF Award. BookBox is available on stands for Rs. 99. In Mumbai the screening takes place on Sunday 25 February 2007.

    The Film Show will be followed with a Claymation or Colouring Contest. This event has been conducted at the Juhu and Mulund Crossword Book Store where the response was encouraging the firms says.

    Shemaroo Entertainment VP Hiren Gada says, “This edutaining film screening will definitely help in reaching out to parents across India. BookBox being a breakthrough kids product needs to catch the attention of parents all over. And this National Campaign will ensure awareness among parents, schools and teachers about this award winning, internationally acclaimed kids product.”

     

  • Shemaroo releases ‘Anwar’ on DVD, VCD

    Shemaroo releases ‘Anwar’ on DVD, VCD

    MUMBAI: Home video major Shemaroo has released the film Anwar on DVD and VCD.

    This film, introduced Siddharth Koirala who is actress Manisha Koirala’s brother. It was made by director Manish Jha.

    Shemaroo says that while the theatrical release has not made waves, its home video release has tremendous potential. The hope is that it will be popular among offbeat movie fans.

    Anwar is a sensitive Muslim youth in his early twenties who inevitably faces a harsh reality, which stirs a conflict within him. It is this journey which the film takes you through. Nauheed Cyrusi is the love of Anwars life and through the film her constant effort is to battle the status quo placed upon Muslim women.

    Manisha Koirala’s role forms the basis for large parts of the films narrative since she plays a principled journalist for a leading television channel, where she reports on the controversial situation.

  • Shemaroo releases comedian Jaswinder Bhalla on VCD, DVDs

    Shemaroo releases comedian Jaswinder Bhalla on VCD, DVDs

    MUMBAI: Shemaroo Video has released comedian Jaswinder Bhalla’s Chhankata 2006 -Kadh’ Tiyan Kasraan on VCDs and DVDs.

    The Chhankata series stars the trio of Jaswinder Bhalla, Bal Mukand Sharma and Ms. Neelu, and is popular for its comedy on politics, social problems, corruption etc.

    Shemaroo says that the audio of Chhankata 2006, also released by Shemaroo has received a good response. Besides the regular thrill-full and meaningful comedy, non-stop satires, jokes and wits; the Silver Jubilee Edition has guest performances from Punjabi Singers like Sardool Sikander, Surinder Chinda,Balkar Sidhu, Sukhwinder Sukhi and Hardev Mahi Nangal who have sung to add special flavour to the album. Also issues like Rakhi Sawant – Mika controversy and molestation of girl students by Punjab Police are among the current topics covered in this comedy show.

    Shemaroo VP Hiren Gada said “Chhankata has become the common man’s entertainment source over the last so many years. We are extremely proud to release the Silver Jubilee edition of the Chhankata series which has entertained the audiences for two decades. We are sure that the edition will be a hit among Chhankata fans and emerge as the best in the series so far.”

    Bhalla says, “With the love and good wishes of my several fans I have been encouraged to provide them with wholesome entertainment year after year. This being the silver jubilee edition I am more than happy to be associated with a company like Shemaroo which has a national presence and is looking keenly to promote local artists and talent in the appropriate manner”.

    Shemaroo has also tied up with telecom operators for providing mobile downloads of the title.

  • Shemaroo releases home video of animated film-‘The Legend of Buddha’

    Shemaroo releases home video of animated film-‘The Legend of Buddha’

    MUMBAI: In line with its plans to ramp up the programming Nick has launched two shows – Go Diego, Go! and Perman in India. While Go, Diego, Go! is an international show from the Nickelodeon library, Perman is a Japanese acquisition.

    Continuing its onslaught, the channel has introduced a spate of 13 new shows since the beginning of this year. Go, Diego, Go!, is a half-an-hour animated show for young kids, that will air at 10 am every Sunday while Perman, is aimed at the 4-14 year age-group and will air at 7 pm from Monday to Friday.

    Talking about the shows Nick vice president and general manager Nina Jaipuria said, “The launch of these new shows in line with our programming strategy of not only bringing the shows that are ‘entertaining’ but also ‘safe-for-kids-viewing’. Over the last 1 year, Nick has become the preferred destination for kids looking for ‘masti’ and ‘comedy’ and I am sure that both Perman as well as Go, Diego, Go! will further strengthen this association.”

    Go, Diego, Go! is a half-hour animated show, starring Diego Marquez, Dora the Explorer’s cousin. Diego is an 8-year-old animal rescuer who loves nature and has the ability to talk to animals. An entertaining play-n-learn show, Go, Diego, Go helps kids understand and appreciate animal life in habitats other than their own. So, as Diego goes about locating and rescuing animals, he keeps talking about them – their names, physical attributes as well as their habitats, thus informing kids about animals and their unique life in a manner that makes this an exciting learning experience. Every animal on ‘Go, Diego, Go!’ is researched and its traits authenticated by a renowned science education consultant.

    Perman, a classic animation series, is also a half-hour show created by the Japanese duo Fujiko Fujio (also responsible for Nick’s programme Ninja Hattori). It tells the story of a gang of kids – two boys, a girl and monkey who are elected by a mysterious masked man (named Super Perman) to be the protectors of their city. The main protagonist is Mitsuo who is the leader of this gang. All the members of the group own a special ‘Perman Kit’ comprising a helmet with ear-caps giving them super strength, a magical cape that allows them to fly, an emblem button with a ‘P’ that they use as a communicator and their own robots that have the special ability to transform themselves into exact replicas of the kids at the press of a button. This classic animation show, a super hit in Japan, promises loads of masti and fun.

  • Shemaroo releases VCDs of Nagarjuna – Sonu Sood starrer ‘Robbery’

    Shemaroo releases VCDs of Nagarjuna – Sonu Sood starrer ‘Robbery’

    MUMBAI: Shemaroo Video has released DVDs and VCDs of Robbery. The film stars Nagarjuna and Sonu Sood. Unemployed graduates Akhil (Nagarjuna), Sonu (Sonu Sood) and Sasha (Anushka) meet in Mumbai. They are forced to become thieves for survival before they make it their profession.

    They pull off some breathtaking robberies.Sasha is the sister of Sonu. She loves Akhil. But Akhil does not have the same feelings for her. He treats her just like a good friend. Sasha dies in an unfortunate incident and Sonu holds Akhil responsible for her death. They become enemies.

    Akhil starts a cab service. He falls in love with a doctor called Siri Valli (Ayesha Takia), who is the foster sister of Sonu Sood. When Sonu realizes that Siri Valli is in love with his arch rival Akhil, he asks her to put an end to the relationship. Before long they unravel the truth and all is well.

  • Overseas markets fuel growth for Shemaroo

    Overseas markets fuel growth for Shemaroo

    MUMBAI: Home video major Shemaroo is reasonably optimistic about the future. There are two main reasons for this. Firstly is the fact that they have been able to penetrate overseas markets. The second is the emergence of new media platforms.

    Speaking to Indiantelevision.com Shemaroo VP Hiren Gada says that 2006 has been a year of consolidation in existing businesses and expansion into the overseas territory and film production. “We expect revenue growth of 25-30 per cent. A key reason for this is that the overseas market has grown. The US, UK and the Gulf region are our top three markets. Mostly the Hindi blockbusters fare well there. In some territories we distribute films ourselves using our network. For others we have deals with local firms.”

    Talking about the titles that have fared well he mentions Phir Hera Pheri, Omkara, Sardar, 15 Park Avenue in the Hindi genre. Among regional titles those that did well included the Gujarati titles Kanti Tofane Chadyo, Bas Kar Bakula as well as the Punjabi title Jijaji. Gada adds that song compilations are also important in terms of adding variety to Shemaroos offerings.

    Shemaroo about a year and a half back got into the business of distributing English films. The titles Gada says are from independent firms like Pathe, Lakeshore Entertainment and Imageworks Entertainment. That is a business where he sees some potential for growth. In total each month the company releases 15-20 titles which include 10-12 Hindi titles (including New Releases, catalogue and song compilations), 4-5 regional titles (Gujarati/Marathi) and 2-4 English titles.

    Venturing into Television: Shemaroo Gada says us looking at the television arena. “We are soon releasing the most popular comedy serial to ever run on Indian Television Yeh Jo Hai Zindagi next year. We are also looking at releasing other similar products in this genre.”

    Shemaroo he adds has in the past ventured into sports genre with the release of India-Pak Samsung Cup 2004 Series, Really Bend It Like Beckham (Soccer coaching) and Brian Lara 400 Not Out.

    Battling Piracy: One bugbear not just for Shemaroo but for the Indian film industry is piracy. Shemaroo has brough down the gap betwen theatrical release of films and their home video release. ” We release Super Hit Films after 8-10 weeks of them being in cinema halls. Hits are reelased after six weeks, semi hits after four weeks and for filsm that perform averagelly at the box office there is a two week gao.

    ” The shorter release window has helped to fight piracy only marginally as early availability of pirated copies before the original home video release has not stopped. Indian consumers still prefer to watch the film on pirated copy as soon as it is available. Stronger cooperation from the government and the police force will help. There is only so much that we as a company can do to fight the menace.”

    To fight piracy Shemaroo has taken the following measures:

    1) It has formed an in house Vigilance Team which conducts raids across India to seize pirated copies and liaisons with Police and other Government bodies to punish the pirates.

    2) It also looks to offer the consumers more value for their money in terms of superior packaging, additional features in DVD, giving free merchandise like T-shirts and watches, making Value For Money combo packs.
    3) It offers special discounts during festive seasons and special promotional offers.

    4) It has also reduced the prices of select VCD titles from its catalogue and deep catalogue to Rs 66/ 88/99 MRP levels to make home videos affordable for the masses.

    The New Media Opportunity: Gada is well aware of the fact that new platforms like DTH, IPTV offer an opportunity for the firm. He says that Shemaroo is already talking to some players in the market to offer titles. He notes that in a couple of years time these new platforms will be an important revenue source.

    As he points out, “We recognise that new platforms and media are opening up new ways of reaching the consumer. We are one of the largest bollywood content houses and we provide a ready pool of content available for various new and emerging media platforms. We are in talks with all the major players entering this field and should be signing up with a few in due course.”

    At a time when competition for the film viewers attention is growing innovative marketing is key. Gada points to several innovations done in the past. “For Phir Hera Pheri we created a special trade box containing 25 VCDs which also had a free T- Shirt plus Free Gift plus lucky surprise gift. For the home video release of Sardar we organised a launch function in Delhi where Honorable Civil Aviation Minister Mr. Praful Patel launched the film on VCD and DVD. For Omkara we made special standees, counter tops and bookmarks as the film was based on William Shakespeare’s play Othello.”

    Shemaroo has also tried to be innovative in terms of how it packages its products. “Shemaroo has always been the first mover in terms of innovative packaging and special features. Shemaroo has released many titles which are Collector’ Editions with innovative packaging based on the theme of the title with UV, embossing, special booklet on trivia related to the title, etc.

    “Also most of the Shemaroo new release DVDs have special features/bonus DVDs containing have making of the film, interviews with cast and crew, theatrical and TV trailers, etc. For example the Sardar DVD had original speeches of Sardar Patel, footage of Sardar Patel Memorial, interviews of key people involved in the making of the film, a booklet containing Sardar’s Chronology, exclusive photo gallery with Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru, etc. The Omkara DVD had a 10 page booklet containing trivia and other facts related to the film.”

    As far as producing films for theatrical release is concerned Gada says that the next film tentatively titled Manorama will be out next Summer. Each year it is looking at releasing two to three films. Omkara had been reelased under the Shemaroo banner this year. Gada says that the films will be a mix small, medium and large budget films. The idea is to appeal to different audience segments.

  • Shemaroo releases a compilation of kids film songs

    Shemaroo releases a compilation of kids film songs

    MUMBAI: In this age, when the kids market is flooded with video games, rhymes and bed-time stories, animation films and educational CD-ROMs, home video major Shemaroo has come out with a VCD of children’s film songs titled Chupa Chupi Khelen Aao.

    This is a collection of popular children’s songs down the years. The songs look to capture the innocence and impishness associated with children brought up on Indian values.

    The compilation begins with India’s answer to The Sound of Music and Do Re Me with Sa Re Ke Sa Re from Parichay. It then moves on to a song from Mr. India with the philosophical Zindagi Ki Yehi Reet Hai. The theme song Chhupa Chupi Khelen Aao follows with a host of children teaming up with Dream Girl Hema Malini. Padmini Kolhapure, Khushboo & Madhoo sang as kids and they later went on to become stars in their own right.

    The compilation then takes a nostalgic turn, taking today’s kids through a ride of all-time children’s songs like Ichak Daana Bichak Daana (Shree 420), Nanhe Munne Bachche Teri Mutthi Mein Kya Hai (Bootpolish), Chun Chun Karti Aayee Chidiya ( Ab Dilli Door Nahin) etc.

    This gives kids a peek into the songs their parents and elders enjoyed as children. The new millennium is represented by Give me a bell to ring from the film Rahul.

  • Addressable platforms offer huge revenue upscale for filmmakers

    Addressable platforms offer huge revenue upscale for filmmakers

    MUMBAI: The Bollywood industry has something to look forward to from emerging addressable platforms like Direct-to-home (DTH) and IPTV.

    Tata Sky will offer several dedicated movie and audio channels as part of its product package to lure subscribers away from the cable networks. “Movie-on-demand will allow consumers to view the latest films without ad clutters. They also can do away with pirated VCDs where quality is poor. We are showing a movie on multiple timings and this is quite popular with our subscribers,” said Tata Sky head consumer marketing Vikram Mehra. He was speaking at a session on the home entertainment segment.

    Tata Sky has already touched a subscriber base of 250,000 and is on target to achieve one million within a year of operations, Mehra added.

    Film producers and broadcasters suffered from a loss of revenues due to piracy and under-reporting of subscribers by cable operators. Having had to suffer from bad video quality, film producers can now tap an additional revenue stream with its addressable system of reporting subscriber figures, said Mehra. “Digital addressable system will keep all the stakeholders happy. The ground is ready for DTH to take off,” he added.

    Home entertainment in India offers only 7-8 per cent of total revenue collections for a film, while in the US it was as high as 65 per cent, said Silicon Image president and CEO Steve Tirado, while speaking at the same session.

    As digital content travels across devices, home would form an important part of the media distribution strategy. The challenge was to work out a digital interface across various devices.

    About 73 per cent of American households would rather watch movies at home as 80 per cent of them own DVD players. “Content will roam among devices. Storage will also form a critical part of home entertainment. Scheduled viewing is in permanent decline except for spectacles and live sports,” Tirado said.

    Fighting piracy was what all the speakers agreed would be at the core of generating more revenues. “We have to evolve a strong distribution network to combat this. Besides, penetration shouldn’t be the only focus and companies have to come out with strategies to get prices up,” said Saregama India MD Subroto Chattopadhyay.

    Speaking on the international business of home entertainment, Shemaroo CEO Hiren Gada said theatrical collections accounted for 60 per cent of overseas earnings. There was potential to rake in more money from territories outside the US (which contributed 30 per cent), UK (28 per cent) and UAE (20 per cent). Piracy and high acquisition prices were among the red flags that threatened the sector, he added.

  • Shemaroo releases home video of Salmaan Khan film ‘Shaadi Karke Phas Gaya Yaar’

    Shemaroo releases home video of Salmaan Khan film ‘Shaadi Karke Phas Gaya Yaar’

    MUMBAI: Shemaroo Video has released VCDs and DVDs of the Salmaan Khan-Shilpa Shetty starrer Shaadi Karke Phas Gaya Yaar.
    The film, directed by K.S Adhiyaman and produced by Bubby Kent, has a social theme interspersed with humour and romance.

    The firm has also released comedian Jaswinder Bhalla’s album Chhankata 2006-Kadh’Tiyan Kasraan on audio cassettes and CDs. The album starring trio of Jaswinder Bhalla, Mr.Bal Mukand Sharma and Ms Neelu, is the Silver Jubilee edition of the Chhankata Series which is popular for its hilarious comedy on politics, social problems, corruption, etc.

    Besides the comedy, non-stop satires, jokes and wits; the Silver Jubilee Edition has guest performances from Punjabi Singers like Sardool Sikander, Surinder Chinda,Balkar Sidhu, Sukhwinder Sukhi and Hardev Mahi Nangal who have sung to add special flavour to the album. Also issues like Rakhi Sawant- Mika controversy and molestation of girl students by Punjab Police are among the current topics covered in the comedy show album.

    Bhalla says, “With the love and good wishes of my several fans I have been encouraged to provide them with wholesome entertainment year after year. This being the silver jubilee edition I am more than happy to be associated with a company like Shemaroo which has a national presence and is looking keenly to promote local artists and talent in the appropriate manner”.

    Shemaroo VP Hiren Gada said, “Chhankata has become the common man’s entertainment source over the last so many years. We are extremely proud to release the Silver Jubilee Album of the Chhankata series which has entertained the audiences for two decades. We are sure that the album will be a hit among Chhankata fans and emerge as the best in the series so far.”

    Chhankata 2006 comes on the back of the success of Jijaji for Bhalla in which his role was widely acclaimed.

  • Shemaroo in partnership with Croma

    Shemaroo in partnership with Croma

    MUMBAI: Home video major Shemaroo has tied up with Infiniti Retail which is a subsidiary of Tata Sons to retail DVDs and VCDs at Croma. This is Infinity’s electronics mega-store in the Mumbai suburb of Juhu.

    Croma says that it is the country’s first national, large-format, specialist retail chain for consumer electronics and durables. The first Croma mega store was recently launched in Juhu, Mumbai.

    It is spread over 20,000 sq. ft. of space has on display more than 6000 products across eight categories – Home entertainment, Small appliances, white goods, computers and peripherals, communication, music, imaging and gaming software. The store currently offers more than 180 national and international brands.

    In the first 18 months, Infiniti Retail plans to launch 30 such large-format stores across the country.

    Shemaroo VP Hiren Gada said, “It gives us great pleasure to be associated with Infiniti Retail. We firmly believe that organised retail stores like Croma will help grow the legitimate home video market in India.”

    Infiniti Retail CEO Ajit Joshi says, “We are very pleased to partner with Shemaroo Video Pvt. Ltd. for this initiative. It is our endeavor to provide customers with an excellent range of quality products and world-class service. Our association with Shemaroo, a pioneer in the business of home entertainment in India, will enable us to offer our customers with a wide variety of movie titles ranging from the classics to the latest blockbusters.”