ITV

Tag: Shoojit Sircar

  • Agnello Dais and Piyush Pandey get acting bug

    Agnello Dais and Piyush Pandey get acting bug

    MUMBAI: Well, we‘ve all seen Piyush Pandey and Agnello Dias going on stage and being acclaimed as creative geniuses. Now, we will get to see them try their hand at histrionics on the big screen. Courtesy good friend and filmmaker Shoojit Sircar – who made Ayushman Khurana a household name through Vicky Donor.

    His current project Madras Café is slated to feature the Taproot India co-founder & chief creative officer Aggie (as he is called by advertising colleagues) and the south Asia Ogilvy & Mather India executive chairman & creative director Piyush Pandey.

    For Piyush getting on screen is nothing new; having featured in TVCs and in ads. But it is a first for creativity‘s brainchild, Aggie who decided to shy away from a conversation with indiantelevision.com. 

    Says Shoojit Sircar: “We always try to tell different stories and try our hands at different genres. I have previously too tried to get Piyush Pandey as a cast member and this time we were looking for someone who could play the role of a senior bureaucrat. I think the way Piyush has acted in the movie, people might be all the more keen on casting him. As regards Agnello Dais, he too is a good friend. We got stuck while casting when we had to cast a Sri Lankan face to play the role of a minister. I think I found that in him!”

    Piyush Pandey, on the other hand, states that he has no inclination toward acting in movies and that he chose to do so out of goodwill and friendship, “I think Madras Café is a very meaningful and interesting film. For me to act in a movie, I feel Madras Café is a wonderful project to be associated with. Shoojit is a dear friend to me and I acted because he thought that he could get the factor he wanted out of me!” he says.

    The film is rumored to be filmed on the lines of Hollywood films like Argo and the Body of Lies. Sircar claims to have taken the subject from the 90s era in Sri Lanka. The movie is about a RAW agent- John Abraham – who is in a war-like situation and gets into a covert operation to finally save his country.

    To market a movie to attract the attention of cinema going audiences requires the movie to be intriguing, exciting, informative and entertaining. Viacom18 Motion Pictures marketing & operations head Rudrarup Datta, Head says: “The weight of the movie is based not on the journey of Captain Vikram Singh doing intelligence work but on what the world is like while being in situations in an intelligence job. It is not like the normal James Bond movie; it‘s going to be more real. And we are also looking at this film getting acclaim internationally.”

    Meanwhile, the first official trailer (which was released on 12 July) has been making waves on YouTube, having got close to 195,000 views at the time of writing. And the team at Viacom18 put in a lot of promotional effort to get the numbers going. For instance, before its official release, Vaicom 18 drew up a campaign where viewers had to crack a code to watch the 20 second trailer.

  • India’s ad gurus in Shoojit Sircar’s ‘Madras Cafe’

    India’s ad gurus in Shoojit Sircar’s ‘Madras Cafe’

    MUMBAI: Shoojit Sircar‘s Madras Café is a racy political thriller, set against the backdrop of the strife going on between India and neighbouring country, Sri Lanka. India‘s leading ad gurus Piyush Pandey and Agnello Dias will feature in pivotal roles in the movie.

    It‘s about an intelligence officer played by John Abraham who, in a war-like situation, gets into a covert operation and the chaos to finally save his country.

    While Pandey and Dias compete for clients, in the film they will both be making their acting debuts as characters from opposing nations.

    While Pandey plays a cabinet secretary of India, Dias plays a Sri Lankan minister.

  • Second phase of Tupperware’s ‘She Can You Can features’ Hina Shah

    Second phase of Tupperware’s ‘She Can You Can features’ Hina Shah

    NEW DELHI: Tupperware, which had last year launched the ‘She Can You Can‘ initiative last year, has now launched the second phase with another campaign featuring a real life role woman model that women from all walks of life can look to emulate.

    Living up to its philosophy ‘Enlighten, Educate and Empower‘, Tupperware had undertaken this initiative that began with a media campaign in 2012. The campaign was aimed at highlighting women achievers who had the zeal to think out of the box and go the extra mile to realize their dreams.

    The TVC for this has been directed by Shoojit Sircar (acclaimed Ad – filmmaker, Director and winner of the National award for Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment, Vicky Donor). Tupperware, known across the world as the ‘Confidence Company‘, also strives to make women more confident of their ability to start and lead a business. The second edition of the ‘She Can, You Can‘ campaign celebrates this spirit of entrepreneurship and empowerment.

    The face of the campaign for this year is Hina Shah, a well-known social entrepreneur from Ahmedabad who is one of the most fitting examples of what a woman can do for a society. She is the founder and director of ICECD and also a recipient of a presidential award ‘Stree Shakti‘ for her efforts in this field.

    Her story is truly inspirational and Tupperware is certain that it will encourage many women to take the first step towards realizing their own dreams.

    After the launch of the campaign in 2012, Tupperware had invited success stories of women entrepreneurs. This initiative garnered an overwhelming response and that success has laid the foundation of the launch of the 2013 campaign.

    The company believes that this is a long term initiative and the ultimate goal of this initiative is to ensure that women from across India feel Confident enough to start their own entrepreneurial ventures.

    In the words of Tupperware MD (Indian Subcontinent) Asha Gupta, “Our endeavour is to encourage the creation of future opinion leaders and inspire them to fulfill their destinies. After a successful first year, our thrust will be to encourage women more towards action and inspire them to chase their dreams and achieve them. Going further, we would want women achievers from across the country to come out and share their experiences, thus becoming role models for upcoming generations of achievers. Our endeavour is to present inspirational stories of women, who have not only achieved success for themselves but have also helped and inspired other women to achieve their own aspirations.”

    Tupperware India CMO Anshu Bagai says, “The women who are the driving force behind the sales and distribution of the products also deserve equal credit for the brand‘s success. Most of these women started as homemakers. But today their financial success outweighs many men. What‘s more is that they have also successfully changed the lives of many other women. This campaign celebrates their success and more importantly their spirit.

    Tupperware‘s zero investment opportunity gives the Consultants confidence to run their business on their own terms. It allows women to care for a family without having to compromise on their aspirations of having a good professional career. The second edition of the ‘She Can, You Can‘ campaign will celebrate the spirit of entrepreneurship and independence.”

    IBD Brands MD Rahul Gupta says what sets the ‘She Can You Can‘ campaign apart is its sheer simplicity and the fact that it‘s a story told straight from the heart. Tupperware‘s commitment towards ‘empowering women‘ is ingrained in its DNA and that‘s what this campaign celebrates.

    Jai Singh, Executive Creative Director, IBD Brands says, The first big challenge of taking the ‘She Can You Can‘ campaign forward was finding the right protagonist. Secondly, one had to take the story to the next level while remaining within the ambit of the overall ‘she can you can‘ idea. Finding Hina Shah put everything in place. Here was a confident woman who believed; why seek a job, when you can give one? So to start with, not only did she become an entrepreneur but also set up an institute where she mentors many more women to be like her. Quite a role model and a brand fit because Tupperware too creates women entrepreneurs. Shot across different locations, this year‘s campaign will inspire women to believe in themselves a bit more and motivate them to play a larger role in society.

    Sircar said, ‘After the success of the first phase, I was really looking forward to the next spots of Tupperware and I am really happy that it is Hina Shah. She empowered women to become entrepreneurs. This novel act of hers has helped so many women. She is an achiever. I felt humbled in her presence yet very happy for being associated with her. She really is a great inspiration. I appreciate that Tupperware is constantly associating and featuring these women achievers from the society. Hope you all enjoy and get inspired too watching this spot.

    A home maker, a classical dancer, an entrepreneur, a painter, an academician and the founder – director of ICECD, Hina Shah has in a man‘s world created a niche for herself with path breaking innovative ideas. In 1976, when Hina decided to become an entrepreneur, she faced several adversities. It was her determination and grit which helped convert these difficulties into opportunities, and led her in emerging into a successful entrepreneur in the field of plastic packaging.

  • Grey creates new Reliance Communications TVC

    MUMBAI: Reliance Communications has launched a new television commercial titled ‘All Share Postpaid Plan‘.

    The TVC has been conceptualised and created by Grey India.

    This is the first time that the campaign is introducing brand ambassador Anushka Sharma‘s family in the commercial. Earlier the ads focused on Sharma and Ranvijay.

    Grey India NCD Malvika Mehra said, “There is a new energy in this film because for the first time we are introducing Anushka‘s family. The chemistry between all the characters on the set was so natural and effortless, one would think they are actually related. There is also an interesting take on the music. We purposely did a ‘filmi‘ and dramatic track in sync with the ‘joke‘ they all are playing on the poor brother. All in all we think the film showcases the plan in an entertaining manner‘

    “This was a great product and it gave us a chance to portray Anushka in a completely different context. Yet we wanted to keep Anushka in the sane mischievous, slightly wicked zone, so I suppose the brother had to bear the brunt of her prank. And we were also fortunate that we had stalwarts like Kitu Gidwani and Jayanth Kriplani to play her parents. It was great to catch the tremendous energy and chemistry on set. This is the first film in this series and we‘re sure, as the Family set piece develops it will be very popular” Grey ECD Vishnu Srivatsav added.

    Produced by Rising Sun, the film has been directed by Shoojit Sircar.

    According to Reliance Communication Sanjay Behl group head – brand and marketing said, “”All Share Postpaid Plan” is the first of its kind offering in the country to provide compelling new experience to subscribers using multiple smart communication devices with the exclusive facility to share Voice, Data and Text on a single bill giving them affordability along with great convenience. We are confident that our customers will enjoy sharing of Talktime, Data and Text among their members on this plan that will help them save on their bill every month through our innovation of ‘One Bill‘ concept for the entire family or group.”

    In the television commercial, Sharma‘s teenage brother, a vulnerable-looking boy, storms into the room where she is watching TV with the parents (played by Jayant Kriplani and Kitu Gidwani) with a Reliance phone bill in hand, looking a little miffed. He puts the bill down on the table and demands an explanation for why his name does not feature on the bill for a plan that is supposed to be shared by a family. Sharma sees this as an opportunity to play a prank on her unsuspecting brother. She tells him that it‘s because he‘s not a part of the family. She says “tu maa ko mandir ki sidhiyon pe mila tha”. The boy stands there looking devastated. It‘s only when Sharma and parents burst into laughter that the boy knows it was a joke. When the boy begins to leave the room in disgust, Sharma smothers him with sorries and lovingly pulls him on the couch laughing and saying “tujhe bhi adopt kar lenge plan main”. The boy drops his grudge and finally looks happy to know that he‘s in the family and will soon be on a plan that allows sharing of talk, text and data with the family. Which, the commercial reiterates, is simply better.

  • Shoojit Sircar’s next is Jaffna for John Abraham

    Shoojit Sircar’s next is Jaffna for John Abraham

    MUMBAI: Fresh from the success of Vicky Donor, Shoojit Sircar has jumped into his next film Jaffna produced by John Abraham. The two had earlier teamed up for Vicky Donor which has totally collected Rs 412.5 million.

    A dark political thriller, Jaffna is based on the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and the civil war in the Sri Lankan city.

    Elaborating on the film, Sircar explained, “It would not dilute the LTTE issue. There is no point in taking up a theme and not going all the way. It would be as self-defeating as doing my film on sperm donation (Vicky Donor) without any mentions of sperms or sex.”

    Talking about the casting, Sircar averred, “Right now, we have John in the film. The film will be a dark political thriller with Abraham playing an Indian intelligence agent.”

    Shooing away wild guesses that he has signed Prosenjit to play Rajiv Gandhi in his next political thriller director, Shoojit Sircar has scoffed at such reports. “There is no character of Rajiv Gandhi in the film that I am writing. We are still in the scripting stage. It is a piece of fiction,” Sircar observed.

    “I am in talks with Prosenjit and trying to work out on the kind of character he will essay. As of now there are two things in my mind for Prosenjit – either a simple, normal citizen of India or that of a police officer or someone else. But nothing is finalised yet,” he added.

    The director also said that his film would have all the known political personalities from the LTTE episode of Indian history including Prabhakaran, the LTTE’s founder. “We’re casting look-alikes for all the known political personalities including Prabhakaran.”

    Meanwhile, Sircar has finished directing a docu-feature campaign titled She Can, You Can for brand Tupperware as his first campaign.

    Though he had earlier done films and ad films, this campaign was very special to him because it was about ‘Real Heroes’ and this ‘big idea’ about Woman Empowerment and women as a catalyst for change in society and development of nhe Nation.

    Tupperware India’s ‘She Can, You Can’ is a campaign that celebrates role models of real life heroes than can be emulated and be an engine of change in India.

  • Tupperware rolls out ad campaign created by IBD India

    Tupperware rolls out ad campaign created by IBD India

    MUMBAI: Tupperware, offering food storage products, preparation and serving items, has launched its latest ad campaign titled ‘She Can, You Can‘.

    The campaign has been conceptualised and executed by IBD India- A Percept-Hakuhodo Company.

    The campaign highlights the vision of Tupperware to ‘Enlighten, Educate and Empower‘ women across the globe wherein the exposure is sure to make them more confident of themselves. It intends to give a human touch to the brand Tupperware and inspire the modern women to create a path of their own.

    To promote the brand, Tupperware has roped in Chhavi Rajawat (sarpanch at village Soda in Rajasthan) and Saloni
    Malhotra (founder and CEO of first KPO in rural India- Desicrew Solutions), who brought about changes in the lives of the people
    around them.

    The company is taking a 360 degree marketing route. It will use TVCs, print advertisements, social media, BTL activities and on-ground activations like seminars and workshops for enlightening women across the country.

    The ad film has been directed by Shoojit Sircar (director-Vicky Donor). It intends to engage the womenfolk with the ideology and help them take a step towards realising their dreams. It is here that by creating an emotional connect with the ‘success stories’ of Rajawat and Malhotra, the modern woman can relate to them which will act as a source of motivation for them.

    Tupperware India MD Anshu Bagai said, “There are two aspects to brand Tupperware. On one hand, we have innovative kitchen solutions and for that you have seen a lot of creative campaigns from Tupperware over the last couple of years. These have clearly established Tupperware as a leader in this category.

    However, the other part of Tupperware is Women Empowerment which is very deeply ingrained in the DNA of Tupperware. Being a direct selling organisation, we have an all-women sales force where a lot of them come from a very simple background but go on to achieve big things in life. They not only earn money which helps them to support their families, but the exposure they get when they join Tupperware makes them far more confident individuals. It is this that we are celebrating in this campaign.”

    IBD Brands COO Jyotsna Chauhan averred, “For over 16 years Tupperware has been giving women in India a platform to exercise their economic freedom. With ‘She Can, You Can‘, the idea is take this philosophy to the next level by setting up role models who can be emulated and also to highlight how Tupperware has been a catalyst of this change.”

    The idea was based on a simple insight: in the face of a challenge one always responds ‘If you can, why can‘t I?‘.

    “This bravado is deeply ingrained in our psyche. We just had to bring together visual role models and connect them with the audience and let their words of inspiration do the rest. The idea was more of a dream at Tupperware which we let take its own path and chart its own course of action,” Chauhan said.

  • UTV wins case against Percept Pictures

    UTV wins case against Percept Pictures

    MUMBAI: UTV has won a case against Percept Pictures regarding the copyright dispute of its film Shoebite.

    The latter filed a case against Shoojit Sircar, the director of the film, and UTV Motion Pictures asking them to desist from infringing their copyrights in the script and dialogue of their film Johnny Walker.

    On July 16 2008, an order was passed in favour of Percept restraining UTV from proceeding with the shooting of the film. However, even after UTV filing an appeal against the order, the suit was pending for hearing.

    On May 2 last year, the matter finally came up for hearing before the mediator appointed by the Delhi High Court Mediation Cell. Finally in March this year, the Honorable Court dismissed the suit filed by Percept and upheld UTV‘s stand on the issue.

  • John Abraham gets into film production

    John Abraham gets into film production

    MUMBAI: Though he had showed his inclination to get into film production a year ago, John Abraham has now announced the making of his first feature film titled Vicky Donor under his banner J A Entertainment that will be directed by Shoojit Sircar.

    Off late, Abraham has been producing a few commercials and has been contemplating branching out to feature films. Though he loved the subject on sperm donation and ventured to produce the project, he has clarified that he wouldn’t act in the film.

    Besides Vicky Donor, the actor has another project in the pipeline titled I, Me aur Main in which he plays the lead.

    Interestingly, the first time Abraham was inspired to support a project was in 2008 when he co-produced a documentary called Return of the Tigers by wildlife filmmaker and environmentalist Mike Pandey.