ITV

Tag: Sholay

  • M&M’s make a stylish entry in red and yellow

    MUMBAI: They are fun, they are irresistible and they are now in India!

    This morning, M&M’s® took Maximum City by storm and, oh boy, what a grand filmy entry. Mr. Red and Mr. Yellow scootered down the iconic Gateway of India, in true Bollywood style, channeling their own Sholay moment a la Jai and Veeru, leaving the crowd ecstatic.

    Mars International India, a wholly owned subsidiary of Mars Inc., operates in two categories, a pet care manufacturing and marketing business; and a chocolate importation and marketing operation.

    Globally known for their camaraderie and friendly banter, the Red and Yellow M&M’s® were in Mumbai to share happiness and spread joy in their unique style!

    Mars Chocolate GM – India & Indian sub-continent Andrew Leakey said, “India is a priority market for Mars Incorporated and we are committed to bring our best loved brands to Indian consumers. Our product portfolio in India reflects the same promise while offering our consumers the power to make informed choices. With the launch of M&M’s® in India, our aim is to grow the nascent bite-size category in the market. Across the world, for more than 70 years, M&M’s® have been a favorite brand.”

  • What agencies need to do for their clients

    What agencies need to do for their clients

    GOA: Often clients are in a quandary when it comes to partnering with an agency. A session at Goafest 2016 organized by AAAI and the Advertising Club attempted to shed light on some of the factors that a client needed to look at when it came to a business partnership with an advertising agency. The Industry Conclave presented by Discovery Channel discussed the key elements that needed to be focused on when it came to what clients as well as agencies needed to do.

    The topic of the day was ‘3 things the agency can do better’ with the speakers discussing client agency partnerships while highlighting some of the possible avenues where such partnerships could be strengthened by the agency.

    Setting the tone for the discussion was Mondelez India MD Chandramouli Venkatesan who spoke about what agencies could do to make strong partnerships. Underlining four factors that were important for a better client-agency relationship, Venkatesan said that they included providing complementary strengths in addition to shared purpose and passion, trust and friendship. Inspired by the partnership between the famous duo Jay and Veeru in the Bollywood blockbuster Sholay, Venkatesan said, “It takes effort to create a partnership like Jay and Veeru. A partnership is a two way street. You get back exactly what you put in it”.

    He further discussed the three key things that agencies could do for better partnerships. Outlining the importance of generating trust in this two way process was the main focus point which was the bedrock for honest and open communication.  “Trust enables cutting-edge work. Trust is actually what enables the brave decision making you so often want to make,” he further added.

    Citing examples of the risks that were taken by his company with three of its clients’ ads, namely, Cadbury Gorilla, Bournvita Taiyyari and Cadbury Dairy Milk Silk, Venkatesan said that his company believed that risks could be taken when there was trust in the relationship. The three main aspects required to earn trust were mainly through better decision making while keeping the client interest in mind; by being commercially responsible; and by not compromising on integrity.

    To win the talent battle, agencies had to disrupt their talent model and must attract the best talent. “Ideas are temporary, talent is permanent. Talent gives rise to new ideas. One of the most important things is to build brand stewardship. It’s about quality and longevity of talent”, he said. “Ideas can work great, but not build stewardship.”

    Another important thing that he stressed on was to build strong processes. Preparing for a strategic alignment at multiple levels, building project management capability and a strong team management was what the agencies need to invest in. “Process is a dreaded term in the agency world. Process is an enabler of creativity. Great partnerships always deliver outstanding results” concluded Venkatesan.

    While on the other hand, United Breweries Ltd SVP marketing Samar Singh Sheikhawat pointed out that the agency as well as the client needed to know the business. A major part of understanding the client, according to Sheikhawat, was understanding the consumer. “With multiple realities in India, we ourselves don’t understand the entire world as it changes every now and then. Different countries have different business problems and hence different solutions. We have to know our consumers”, asserted Sheikhawat.

    With the evolving medium of delivering messages, there was an observable explosion of content leading to multiplication of content and hence amplification of platforms to give out multiple content. Citing the example of how Kingfisher Buzz was launched he said, “With 99 per cent of males drinking beer, we noted that we have to also deliver something to the female population. The biggest challenge that we face is that our product does not deliver to a majority of the population”.

    Agreeing with the key points mentioned by Venkatesan, he further added that the agencies need to have creative solutions to the common problems faced by the clients.

    With key notes from FMCG and brewery companies, the next speaker on the row enlightened the audience about what an automobile client looked for in an agency. To maintain the status of the favourite hello and the hardest goodbye between the client and the agency, Volkswagen AG head of connections panning, media and international communications Oliver Maletz summed it up succinctly by saying that the agency should be the one entity that the client calls first and hangs up on last. He said, “Agencies need to focus more on thinking harder before becoming true business partners. They should know our business better than us”.

    With competitive analysis, industry analysis, suability benchmarks and situational assessment, an agency could identify opportunities and reach a successful goal. “There are more opportunities now than what we had in the past. I think the agencies should be open to take risks”, he added.

    He further advised that an agency should not innovate just for the sake of being innovative. It should deliver meaningful value to a meaningful number of people. With agencies approaching clients through a ‘selling’ perspective, Maletz pointed out that the agencies should stop selling their ideas, capabilities, companies, inventories, etc., to the clients. “Start helping us to sell our products and build a better brand. Be our business partner and stop selling yourself”, he added further. He concluded by saying, “Everything will follow with a good business partner”.
    The evening of the Industrial Conclave wrapped up with a short panel discussion where the audience was encouraged to pose their questions to the experts via the Goafest 2016 app which had been specially designed to facilitate the best digital experience for the attendees of the festival.

  • What agencies need to do for their clients

    What agencies need to do for their clients

    GOA: Often clients are in a quandary when it comes to partnering with an agency. A session at Goafest 2016 organized by AAAI and the Advertising Club attempted to shed light on some of the factors that a client needed to look at when it came to a business partnership with an advertising agency. The Industry Conclave presented by Discovery Channel discussed the key elements that needed to be focused on when it came to what clients as well as agencies needed to do.

    The topic of the day was ‘3 things the agency can do better’ with the speakers discussing client agency partnerships while highlighting some of the possible avenues where such partnerships could be strengthened by the agency.

    Setting the tone for the discussion was Mondelez India MD Chandramouli Venkatesan who spoke about what agencies could do to make strong partnerships. Underlining four factors that were important for a better client-agency relationship, Venkatesan said that they included providing complementary strengths in addition to shared purpose and passion, trust and friendship. Inspired by the partnership between the famous duo Jay and Veeru in the Bollywood blockbuster Sholay, Venkatesan said, “It takes effort to create a partnership like Jay and Veeru. A partnership is a two way street. You get back exactly what you put in it”.

    He further discussed the three key things that agencies could do for better partnerships. Outlining the importance of generating trust in this two way process was the main focus point which was the bedrock for honest and open communication.  “Trust enables cutting-edge work. Trust is actually what enables the brave decision making you so often want to make,” he further added.

    Citing examples of the risks that were taken by his company with three of its clients’ ads, namely, Cadbury Gorilla, Bournvita Taiyyari and Cadbury Dairy Milk Silk, Venkatesan said that his company believed that risks could be taken when there was trust in the relationship. The three main aspects required to earn trust were mainly through better decision making while keeping the client interest in mind; by being commercially responsible; and by not compromising on integrity.

    To win the talent battle, agencies had to disrupt their talent model and must attract the best talent. “Ideas are temporary, talent is permanent. Talent gives rise to new ideas. One of the most important things is to build brand stewardship. It’s about quality and longevity of talent”, he said. “Ideas can work great, but not build stewardship.”

    Another important thing that he stressed on was to build strong processes. Preparing for a strategic alignment at multiple levels, building project management capability and a strong team management was what the agencies need to invest in. “Process is a dreaded term in the agency world. Process is an enabler of creativity. Great partnerships always deliver outstanding results” concluded Venkatesan.

    While on the other hand, United Breweries Ltd SVP marketing Samar Singh Sheikhawat pointed out that the agency as well as the client needed to know the business. A major part of understanding the client, according to Sheikhawat, was understanding the consumer. “With multiple realities in India, we ourselves don’t understand the entire world as it changes every now and then. Different countries have different business problems and hence different solutions. We have to know our consumers”, asserted Sheikhawat.

    With the evolving medium of delivering messages, there was an observable explosion of content leading to multiplication of content and hence amplification of platforms to give out multiple content. Citing the example of how Kingfisher Buzz was launched he said, “With 99 per cent of males drinking beer, we noted that we have to also deliver something to the female population. The biggest challenge that we face is that our product does not deliver to a majority of the population”.

    Agreeing with the key points mentioned by Venkatesan, he further added that the agencies need to have creative solutions to the common problems faced by the clients.

    With key notes from FMCG and brewery companies, the next speaker on the row enlightened the audience about what an automobile client looked for in an agency. To maintain the status of the favourite hello and the hardest goodbye between the client and the agency, Volkswagen AG head of connections panning, media and international communications Oliver Maletz summed it up succinctly by saying that the agency should be the one entity that the client calls first and hangs up on last. He said, “Agencies need to focus more on thinking harder before becoming true business partners. They should know our business better than us”.

    With competitive analysis, industry analysis, suability benchmarks and situational assessment, an agency could identify opportunities and reach a successful goal. “There are more opportunities now than what we had in the past. I think the agencies should be open to take risks”, he added.

    He further advised that an agency should not innovate just for the sake of being innovative. It should deliver meaningful value to a meaningful number of people. With agencies approaching clients through a ‘selling’ perspective, Maletz pointed out that the agencies should stop selling their ideas, capabilities, companies, inventories, etc., to the clients. “Start helping us to sell our products and build a better brand. Be our business partner and stop selling yourself”, he added further. He concluded by saying, “Everything will follow with a good business partner”.
    The evening of the Industrial Conclave wrapped up with a short panel discussion where the audience was encouraged to pose their questions to the experts via the Goafest 2016 app which had been specially designed to facilitate the best digital experience for the attendees of the festival.

  • Non-traditional advertisers flock to Turner’s kids channels

    Non-traditional advertisers flock to Turner’s kids channels

    MUMBAI: The year 2015 was an exciting one for kids’ television, what with several new shows being added to popular time bands and channels going the original way for content. From the perspective of advertising expenditure too, 2015 spelled as a fruitful year for the kids category on television as it managed to attract several non-conventional advertisers.

     

    Giving an insight on the facts and figures for the year’s performance in the genre, Turner International India vice president ad sales –  South Asia Juhi Ravindranath says, “The ad spends in 2015 were largely driven by categories like autos and e-commerce, which are not the conventional advertisers in the kids’ genre. FMCGs have performed really well. The overall estimate for TV has grown by over 14 per cent while the kids’ genre has also seen a decent double-digit growth.”

     

    Turner International rode this wave successfully and kept up with the pace of Indian entertainment market as well. “Pogo and Cartoon Network have received newer advertisers and categories coming on board, and their dependence on non-kids advertisers is also growing. Currently, nearly 60 to 65 per cent of the inventory on the kids’ genre is from non-kids’ brands. The channels have advertised with non-conventional advertisers through the conventional vignettes, brand integrations of the content messaging, creating co-branded promos, etc,” Ravindranath informs.

     

    On the brand integration front, channels have offered several new initiatives. “One of the key highlights for the year was the brand integration with Kellogg’s & Chhota Bheem. Another creative brand integration included: Perfetti in the animated movie series Sholay on Pogo. In addition to this, Perfetti Alpenliebe Juzt Jelly will join hands for the upcoming telefilm, Kris Ka Scooba Dooba Ajooba on Cartoon Network,” she says. 

     

    With advertisers from the non-kids category and FMCG brands coming onboard, the network’s content strategy for 2016 is also expected to ramp up.

     

    Turner International, executive director and network head – kids Krishna Desai adds, “Original content is key to us in fulfilling a long term and sustainable content pipe. A very large majority of all the content on CN comprises Cartoon Network Originals. On Pogo, large chunks of our pipe are either co-productions or from our sister company Warner Bros. Making content locally relevant is crucial – be it in the form of dubbing or home grown content.”

     

    With original content being the key focus, the channels will soon work on their line up for the year. “Turner International India will slowly bring in local content on the channel Toonami, along with the super hero shows. The second movie of the series Chakra that was worked along with Stan Lee, will be premiere in a few weeks,” informs Desai.

     

    However he asserts that good stories with universal themes told in a language understood and preferred by the audience, makes the differentiation between local versus international and irrelevant one. “Ben10 on Cartoon Network is as Indian as a Chhota Bheem as they have always seen him talk in Hindi,” he adds.

     

    Years ago Cartoon Network was the sole ruler in the genre. However, things changed as more and more new kids channels made their entry in the country. Although the channel continues to hold its place in the top three positions through the year, it is no longer the most watched channel in the category.

     

    When asked if Turner International India will strive to reclaim its number one spot in the category, Desai says, “The portfolio share makes us the number one kids portfolio in India. Our endeavor is to grow this share and also have leadership in the individual channel ranks. Our strategy is based on putting the consumer at the center of everything that we do.”

     

    With more and more kids content being available digitally, channels must also buckle up to retain their audiences. Desai says that offering app based services and experiences are one way to tap in the changing dynamics in kids content. 

     

    “Our kids brand digital offerings are transitioning towards being more ‘app’ based. The applications CN Watch and Play and CN Anything will be launched soon in India while Pogo channel’s website will shortly migrate on a new and much responsive platform. Kids love playing games than watching videos. CN Watch and Play app lets you do that at the same time,” Desai points out. 

     

    The network is also building shows that have a specific digital strategy, which may mean that they get premiered first on the digital platform.

  • Non-traditional advertisers flock to Turner’s kids channels

    Non-traditional advertisers flock to Turner’s kids channels

    MUMBAI: The year 2015 was an exciting one for kids’ television, what with several new shows being added to popular time bands and channels going the original way for content. From the perspective of advertising expenditure too, 2015 spelled as a fruitful year for the kids category on television as it managed to attract several non-conventional advertisers.

     

    Giving an insight on the facts and figures for the year’s performance in the genre, Turner International India vice president ad sales –  South Asia Juhi Ravindranath says, “The ad spends in 2015 were largely driven by categories like autos and e-commerce, which are not the conventional advertisers in the kids’ genre. FMCGs have performed really well. The overall estimate for TV has grown by over 14 per cent while the kids’ genre has also seen a decent double-digit growth.”

     

    Turner International rode this wave successfully and kept up with the pace of Indian entertainment market as well. “Pogo and Cartoon Network have received newer advertisers and categories coming on board, and their dependence on non-kids advertisers is also growing. Currently, nearly 60 to 65 per cent of the inventory on the kids’ genre is from non-kids’ brands. The channels have advertised with non-conventional advertisers through the conventional vignettes, brand integrations of the content messaging, creating co-branded promos, etc,” Ravindranath informs.

     

    On the brand integration front, channels have offered several new initiatives. “One of the key highlights for the year was the brand integration with Kellogg’s & Chhota Bheem. Another creative brand integration included: Perfetti in the animated movie series Sholay on Pogo. In addition to this, Perfetti Alpenliebe Juzt Jelly will join hands for the upcoming telefilm, Kris Ka Scooba Dooba Ajooba on Cartoon Network,” she says. 

     

    With advertisers from the non-kids category and FMCG brands coming onboard, the network’s content strategy for 2016 is also expected to ramp up.

     

    Turner International, executive director and network head – kids Krishna Desai adds, “Original content is key to us in fulfilling a long term and sustainable content pipe. A very large majority of all the content on CN comprises Cartoon Network Originals. On Pogo, large chunks of our pipe are either co-productions or from our sister company Warner Bros. Making content locally relevant is crucial – be it in the form of dubbing or home grown content.”

     

    With original content being the key focus, the channels will soon work on their line up for the year. “Turner International India will slowly bring in local content on the channel Toonami, along with the super hero shows. The second movie of the series Chakra that was worked along with Stan Lee, will be premiere in a few weeks,” informs Desai.

     

    However he asserts that good stories with universal themes told in a language understood and preferred by the audience, makes the differentiation between local versus international and irrelevant one. “Ben10 on Cartoon Network is as Indian as a Chhota Bheem as they have always seen him talk in Hindi,” he adds.

     

    Years ago Cartoon Network was the sole ruler in the genre. However, things changed as more and more new kids channels made their entry in the country. Although the channel continues to hold its place in the top three positions through the year, it is no longer the most watched channel in the category.

     

    When asked if Turner International India will strive to reclaim its number one spot in the category, Desai says, “The portfolio share makes us the number one kids portfolio in India. Our endeavor is to grow this share and also have leadership in the individual channel ranks. Our strategy is based on putting the consumer at the center of everything that we do.”

     

    With more and more kids content being available digitally, channels must also buckle up to retain their audiences. Desai says that offering app based services and experiences are one way to tap in the changing dynamics in kids content. 

     

    “Our kids brand digital offerings are transitioning towards being more ‘app’ based. The applications CN Watch and Play and CN Anything will be launched soon in India while Pogo channel’s website will shortly migrate on a new and much responsive platform. Kids love playing games than watching videos. CN Watch and Play app lets you do that at the same time,” Desai points out. 

     

    The network is also building shows that have a specific digital strategy, which may mean that they get premiered first on the digital platform.

  • Universal Music releases ‘Sholay’ music to celebrate film’s 40 years

    Universal Music releases ‘Sholay’ music to celebrate film’s 40 years

    MUMBAI: On 14 August, Universal Music India released a special anniversary collection to commemorate the 40th anniversary of Bollywood’s legendary blockbuster – Sholay. One of the most iconic films in the industry, Sholay has been the first Indian film to have a Stereophonic soundtrack and to use the 70 mm Wide Screen format.

     

    Over the years Sholay has become a cult classic and was the first film to enjoy a 25-week run in over 100 cinemas. In 1975, it became the highest grossing Bollywood film that year. Sholay holds a still-standing record of 60 Golden jubilees (running 50 consecutive weeks at 60 theaters) across India, and was the first film in India to celebrate a Silver jubilee (25 weeks) at over 100 theatres.

     

    The multi-million selling soundtrack (music and dialogues) continues to sell across new formats including on line and mobile. The music from the film has captured the hearts of generations. Who can forget the iconic voices of Kishore Kumar, Manna Dey, Lata Mangeshkar and R D Burman crooning to classic tunes like “Mehbooba Mehbooba”, “Yeh Dosti”, “Jab Tak Hai Jaan” and “Koi Haseena” among others. 

     

    ‘Sholay: The 40th Anniversary Collection’ includes over two hours of the dialogues and songs of the iconic film chronologically sequenced to take the listener through a fantastic Sholay experience.

     

    Universal Music Group, South Asia managing director and CEO Devraj Sanyal said, “Sholay is one of the most memorable films of our time… with one of the most endearing soundtracks ever. I don’t think there is any other film in the history of Indian cinema where both the songs and the dialogues have become so iconic! And 40 years later, it gives us immense pleasure to present this Anniversary Collection – an album packed with over two hours of music and dialogues to relive the magic of Sholay. This is indeed a collector’s edition, which every cinema enthusiast out there must possess. And to top it all, the album is now available across all digital formats keeping up with changing consumer preferences.”

     

    Additionally, Universal Music is also rolling out a multi-pronged campaign to celebrate the 40th year of the Soundtrack. DJ Suketu will be creating a five minute mashup that will introduce the music of Sholay to a whole new generation out there. Besides, riding on the film’s popular dialogues and characters, Universal Music has associated with Dubsmash where enthusiasts will have the chance to create their own videos of Gabbar, Jai, Veeru, Jailor and other casts from the film. While Big FM 92.7 – the official radio partner on the album will reach out to the films core audience through its pan-India presence. The station will run innovative campaigns around the film’s characters and it’s music.

     

    The ‘Sholay: 40th Anniversary Collection’ will see a simultaneous worldwide digital download release on 14 August, 2015 exclusively on the iTunes store. The album will also be available across streaming partners as well as on physical formats.

  • Zee Classic to air cult favourite ‘Sholay’ for the first time

    Zee Classic to air cult favourite ‘Sholay’ for the first time

    MUMBAI: Even after 40 years of its release, the characters and dialogues of Ramesh Sippy’s Sholay are etched into our memories. Be it Basanti chatting away nines to the dozen but at the end claiming breathlessly, ‘Kyunke mujhe befuzool baat karne ki aadat to hai nahin’ or Gabbar Singh’s booming voice philosophizing, ‘Jo darr gaya samjho margaya’ or the sound of the swing squeaking after the dacoits have inflicted their reign of terror on the household of Thakur Baldev Singh, the movie continues to be a favourite throughout generations. Bringing alive its core proposition – ‘Woh Zamaana, Kare Deewana’ – Zee Classic brings the greatest epic ever told with the finest starcast ever assembled on Saturday, 20 June at 7:30 pm.

     

    The movie starring Amitabh Bachchan, Dharmendra, Hema Malini and Jaya Bachchan in lead roles holds a first-time record of running successfully for five years at Mumbai’s Minerva theatre. Not many know that initially Dharmendra was keen to play the role of Thakur Baldev Singh, which was immortalised by Sanjeev Kumar. He agreed to play Veeru only when the director told him, if he didn’t do it, Sanjeev Kumar would get the part and Basanti, too. Since Sanjeev Kumar had just proposed marriage to Hema Malini, Dharmendra didn’t want him sharing screen space with her let alone romancing her. And as they say rest is history, he quickly took on Veeru’s role.

     

    During the making of Sholay, four of the leads became romantically involved. While Amitabh Bachchan married Jaya Bhaduri four months before filming started, Dharmendra had begun wooing Hema Malini during their earlier film Seeta Aur Geeta and used the location of Sholay to help further his case. During their romantic scenes, he would pay the light boys to spoil the shot, thereby ensuring retakes.

     

    Exalted more than a religious scriptures for characterisation in Bollywood, Sholay tells a story of Amitabh Bachchan (Jai) and Dharmendra (Veeru) the two outlaws hired by a traumatized police officer (Sanjeev Kumar) to avenge the brutal murder of his family by Gabbar Singh (Amjad Khan), the most feared villain in Hindi film.

     

    Everything about Sholay attained classic status and quickly entered the pop culture mainstream: the music by R.D. Burman, the dialogue by Salim-Javed and the characters, who also include garrulous female horse cart driver Basanti (Hema Malini) and the wistful widow Radha (Jaya Bhaduri). 

  • Shakti Kapoor is in awe of Rajkummar Rao

    Shakti Kapoor is in awe of Rajkummar Rao

    MUMBAI: Actor Shakti Kapoor admires young actor Rajkummar Rao. The National award winner has found a fan in Kapoor. They are working together in upcoming movie ‘Shimla Mirchi’ with popular actress Hema Malini and Sholay director Ramesh Sippy.

     

    According to the sources, Rajkummar Rao, Shakti Kapoor and Ramesh Sippy all gelled well during the shoot. Chatting with each other, Kapoor got to know that Rao has graduated from Film and Television Institute of India, Pune. He was more than happy to know that as he himself has graduated from there and makes him Rao`s senior.

     

    Kapoor says, “We have both graduated from Film Institute of Pune, which makes me his senior. He`s a good human being and an amazing actor.”

     

    Kapoor and Rao both have pivotal roles in ‘Simla Mirchi’ and with Ramesh Sippy as the skipper of the ship, the movie is touted to be next year`s blockbuster.

     

  • Indian filmfest in The Hague to show films from SAARC countries

    Indian filmfest in The Hague to show films from SAARC countries

    NEW DELHI: More than 25 films and documentaries are to be screened during the eight days of the Indian Film Festival at Filmhuis Den Haag and Theater Dakota in the Hague.  
     
    The programme will go beyond the classic Bollywood films, stir debate and present a realistic picture of today’s India in all of its colour and diversity. The festival audience will have a wide choice of contemporary film by a number of independent directors from India and the diaspora.
     
    The Festival being held for the fourth time will take place from 22 to 29 October includes the screening of the 3D version of the classic ‘Sholay’ directed by Ramesh Sippy. The Indian Film Festival The Hague is part of Holland India Festivals The Hague.
     
    Highlights of the festival include the opening film ‘Traces of Sandalwood’ by Maria Ripoll on 22 October. The film set in Mumbai and Barcelona recently won the Audience Award during the Montreal World Film Festival 2014.
     
    Other highlights include the documentary ‘Without Shepherds’ as well as the dramas ‘With You, Without You’ (Oba Nathuwa Oba Ekka) and ‘Vara: A Blessing’, the short animation ‘True Love Story’ and the documentary ‘Tropical Amsterdam’.
     
    The festival will also feature visits by Indian film directors and producers.
     
    The photography exhibition ‘Bhopal: Facing 30’ by Francesca Moore portrays the site of the 1984 Bhopal disaster and those affected 30 years on. The expo can be seen in the Filmhuis.
     
    Other side events include a ‘Cinemas of India’ seminar at Leiden University, a panel discussion on the cinemas of India, a lecture for children on tigers (in Dutch), an India Dance Festival film programme, a cooking class and a yoga workshop. There will be a workshop for children on animation during the Festival.

    These films originate from various regions in India, each with their own language and culture. The Festival this year will also have some films from the neighbouring countries Pakistan and Sri Lanka, as well as films that are set in both India and Europe.

    A number of these films reflect on the lives of women who manage to break through the traditional barriers that restrict them in many ways. Another film shows the brave efforts of the young Dalits – the ‘Untouchables’ – who no longer accept their inferior position in society.

    The festival this year will expand to film theatres in Amstelveen, Eindhoven, Hertogenbosch  and  Utrecht. This makes it possible for more people to marvel at the beauty of Indian cinema. Different kinds of multiple screening passes make it possible for film lovers to enjoy as many films as possible.

     

  • New Year jinx continues at BO with no big show

    New Year jinx continues at BO with no big show

    MUMBAI: The first Friday of a new year jinx continues to haunt as a film released on the first Friday of a year inevitably fails. But, having watched Mr Joe B. Carvalho, one is convinced first Friday or Diwali Friday, the result would have been the same; the film is bad. The film barely manages to cross two crore mark over its first weekend.

     

    The 3-D experiment with Sholay does not click as the film meets with lukewarm response. The curiosity value of this being the legendary film Sholay or the fact that it was converted into 3-D format seemed to be missing. Having collected about 1.3 crore on Friday, the film did not show much improvement as it ended its weekend with 5.2 crore. At this rate, it may prove to be a costly experiment.

     

    Dhoom 3, true to its title, continued breaking records even in its second week at the box office. The film collected 65.24 crore in its second week taking its two week total for Hindi screens to 245.25 crore. The film is steady over its third weekend with figures of 12.49 crore and adding 42 lakh for Tamil and Telugu versions. At the end of 17 days, the film’s total collections stand at 257.73 crore for Hindi and 12.49 from T&T taking its total recovery to 270.22 crore.

     

    Mahabharat (animation) has not been able to cash in on Christmas vacations. The film has managed to collect 1.3 crore in its first week.