ITV

Tag: Sonakshi Sinha

  • Movies: A drab week of creative bankruptcy

    Movies: A drab week of creative bankruptcy

    MUMBAI: *Baar Baar Dekho meets with universally negative response from viewers. A half-baked idea gone totally haywire which makes watching the film tiring. Besides the story, the execution and length, the casting proved to be the last straw. The chemistry between Sidharth Malhotra and Katrina Kaif is non-existent. All that the film earned on the social media was puns galore on its title.

    The film opened with weak collections on Friday grossing just about Rs 6 crore with no significant improvement on Saturday while, on Sunday, the collections dropped, instead, to put together Rs 18.4crore during the opening weekend. The film may face trying times in the day ahead before it completes its first week run.

    *Freaky Ali, a sport-oriented comedy-romance, deals with the sport of golf, a sport alien to layman. The film banking totally on Nawazuddin Siddiqui to play the underdog urchin to excel in an elite sport did not quite manage to draw the crowds, and the sustenance thereafter seemed unlikely.

    The film opened with poor collections as expected and remained that way to end its opening weekend with Rs 6.4 crore. The film may end up with cancelled shows in the days to come for want of footfalls.

    *Akira adds to the list of rejected woman action-‘hero’ films. The protagonist, Sonakshi Sinha, turning to action after a number of romantic roles went against her image. Also, Anurag Kashyap as the main villain was taking the paying public for granted and added to the problems. The film had a below-average opening weekend, and could not add much over the next four days as it concluded its first week with Rs 24.1 crore.

    *Yeh Toh Two Much Ho Gaya, Sunshine Music Tours and Travels and Island City have proved to be disasters.

    *A Flying Jatt has managed to hold on to the second week run though the collections are on a lower side. The film added Rs 1.75 crore in its second week to take its two-week total to Rs 35.5 crore.

    *MohenjoDaro collections have dropped to below Rs 10 lakh in its fourth week making the film one of the biggest disasters in a long time.

    *Rustom collected Rs 2.1 crore in its fourth week to take its four-week total to Rs 123.7 crore.

  • Dud weeks; Rustom brings some solace

    Dud weeks; Rustom brings some solace

    MUMBAI: A one-woman non-army. Akira, a film banking solely on Sonakshi Sinha with action as the main theme, fails on two counts. The film does not even contain as much action as its promos showed. And, Sonakshi does not quite manage to carry the film through.

    The film had no major opposition to contend with but that did not help it get a decent opening. Struggling from day one when the film collected Rs 4.6 crore, barely improving on Saturday while the expected Sunday rise also remained negligible. The film collected Rs 15.7 crore for its opening weekend.

    It film faced a major drop on Monday despite a holiday in some parts of India.

    *Yeh Toh Two Much Ho Gayaa fails badly.

    *Island City goes unnoticed.

    *Sunshine Music Tours and Travels fails to find an audience.

    *A Flying Jatt succumbs to its poor treatment and fails to appeal to its target audience, children. The film had an average opening response. After showing a weak trend during its opening weekend, the film dropped drastically Monday onwards managing just Rs 33.75 crore for its first week.

    *Happy Bhag Jayegi sustains with a decent second week in the absence of competition. The film adds Rs 6.3 crore for its second week taking its two-week total to Rs 23.2 crore.

    *Mohenjo Daro continues its poor run at the box office. The film added just about Rs 50 lakh in its third week to take its three week total to Rs 54.3 crore.

    *Rustom maintains strong collections in its third week being a universally-appealing film to watch. The film collects Rs 6.8 crore in its third week to take its three week tally to Rs 121.6 crore.

  • Dud weeks; Rustom brings some solace

    Dud weeks; Rustom brings some solace

    MUMBAI: A one-woman non-army. Akira, a film banking solely on Sonakshi Sinha with action as the main theme, fails on two counts. The film does not even contain as much action as its promos showed. And, Sonakshi does not quite manage to carry the film through.

    The film had no major opposition to contend with but that did not help it get a decent opening. Struggling from day one when the film collected Rs 4.6 crore, barely improving on Saturday while the expected Sunday rise also remained negligible. The film collected Rs 15.7 crore for its opening weekend.

    It film faced a major drop on Monday despite a holiday in some parts of India.

    *Yeh Toh Two Much Ho Gayaa fails badly.

    *Island City goes unnoticed.

    *Sunshine Music Tours and Travels fails to find an audience.

    *A Flying Jatt succumbs to its poor treatment and fails to appeal to its target audience, children. The film had an average opening response. After showing a weak trend during its opening weekend, the film dropped drastically Monday onwards managing just Rs 33.75 crore for its first week.

    *Happy Bhag Jayegi sustains with a decent second week in the absence of competition. The film adds Rs 6.3 crore for its second week taking its two-week total to Rs 23.2 crore.

    *Mohenjo Daro continues its poor run at the box office. The film added just about Rs 50 lakh in its third week to take its three week total to Rs 54.3 crore.

    *Rustom maintains strong collections in its third week being a universally-appealing film to watch. The film collects Rs 6.8 crore in its third week to take its three week tally to Rs 121.6 crore.

  • Akira promises but fails in execution

    Akira promises but fails in execution

    MUMBAI: Akira ventures into the woman-oriented action genre where few have dared to tread. There have only been a few films where a woman lawperson takes on the underworld, with Dimple Kapadia, Vijayashanti, Rani Mukerjee et al. The trend has been more popular with the southern filmmakers.

    In Akira, the remake of a Tamil film, Mouna Guru, there is a sort of role reversal in that, Sonakshi Sinha, playing the protagonist, Akira, gets into a situation where she is pitted against a bunch of corrupt, unscrupulous policemen led by Anurag Kashyap.

    Kashyap is corrupt to the core and does all the unlawful things he is actually supposed to stop. He drinks while on duty, smokes weed and randomly kills footpath dwellers with his rash driving. He is the typical South brand of evil film baddie. Kashyap is smart enough not to dirty his own hands and makes the three stooges under his command in the force pull the trigger when needed.

    Sonakshi is introduced in the film with the meaning of her name, Akira is derived from Sanskrit and mostly used as a girl’s name in Indian languages. The word denotes Graceful Strength. And, to live up to her given name, she is enrolled into a martial art institution by her deaf and mute schoolteacher father, Atul Kulkarni.

    A mentally tough Sonakshi moves to Mumbai where her brother works. Seeing that her bhabhi is not comfortable with her presence, Akira decides to stay at the school hostel. Here, as happens in all schools in films, she meets with a hostile group which likes to torment and rag freshers. Having had enough of the bunch, Akira takes them on. This part consumes unnecessary footage in the film just to demonstrate Sonakshi’s prowess with martial arts and toughness.. And that she won’t take injustice.

    Kashyap and his cronies come across a big cache of money from the car of an accident victim. Their greed takes over and instead of taking the dazed accident victim to a hospital, Kashyap speeds up his demise by hitting him with a jack. So far so good since Kashyap is adept at wiping his footprints. But, unknown to him, his paramour shoots a video of Kashyap discussing the crime with his stooges.

    The handycam is stolen and finally ends up at the door of the hostel room of Sonakshi. The typical south brand scheming and plotting start from here as Sonakshi goes through all sorts of torture and deterrents to keep her from leaking the content of the video. She is consigned to a mental asylum while her family as well as friends are convinced that she has lost her sanity. So much so that Sonakshi is totally isolated, with just about everybody believing in her traits and ailment.

    As the film deals with all this drama, it loses its main purpose of showing a strong woman protagonist. It borrows heavily from old films when it comes to props and ploys as per the convenience of the next scene. Even her martial arts background becomes secondary and gets very limited exposure in the climax.

    Akira has a grossly depressing story. It is a crime story the likes of which you watch on crime-based TV serials on a regular basis, but stretched beyond comfort with not an iota of relief from the negativity. Direction has an all-South touch and is predictable, the director AR Murugadoss’ record of Hindi hits, Ghajini and Holiday: A Soldier Is Never Off Duty besides over a dozen South films, notwithstanding. Songs have no place in the film and, thankfully, they are avoided. Dialogue is routine. Editing is weak.

    Sonakshi Sinha does better than her previous films; this being an author backed role. Anurag Kashyap does not have to do much to look evil, otherwise, he does okay. Konkona Sen Sharma is good in a small role. Rest just fill the bill.

    Akira has had a poor opening and the word of mouth is not expected to help it pick up either.

    Producer: AR Murugadoss.
    Director: AR Murugadoss.
    Cast: Sonakshi Sinha, Anurag Kashyap, Konkona Sen Sharma, Amit Sadh, Atul Kulkarni.

  • Akira promises but fails in execution

    Akira promises but fails in execution

    MUMBAI: Akira ventures into the woman-oriented action genre where few have dared to tread. There have only been a few films where a woman lawperson takes on the underworld, with Dimple Kapadia, Vijayashanti, Rani Mukerjee et al. The trend has been more popular with the southern filmmakers.

    In Akira, the remake of a Tamil film, Mouna Guru, there is a sort of role reversal in that, Sonakshi Sinha, playing the protagonist, Akira, gets into a situation where she is pitted against a bunch of corrupt, unscrupulous policemen led by Anurag Kashyap.

    Kashyap is corrupt to the core and does all the unlawful things he is actually supposed to stop. He drinks while on duty, smokes weed and randomly kills footpath dwellers with his rash driving. He is the typical South brand of evil film baddie. Kashyap is smart enough not to dirty his own hands and makes the three stooges under his command in the force pull the trigger when needed.

    Sonakshi is introduced in the film with the meaning of her name, Akira is derived from Sanskrit and mostly used as a girl’s name in Indian languages. The word denotes Graceful Strength. And, to live up to her given name, she is enrolled into a martial art institution by her deaf and mute schoolteacher father, Atul Kulkarni.

    A mentally tough Sonakshi moves to Mumbai where her brother works. Seeing that her bhabhi is not comfortable with her presence, Akira decides to stay at the school hostel. Here, as happens in all schools in films, she meets with a hostile group which likes to torment and rag freshers. Having had enough of the bunch, Akira takes them on. This part consumes unnecessary footage in the film just to demonstrate Sonakshi’s prowess with martial arts and toughness.. And that she won’t take injustice.

    Kashyap and his cronies come across a big cache of money from the car of an accident victim. Their greed takes over and instead of taking the dazed accident victim to a hospital, Kashyap speeds up his demise by hitting him with a jack. So far so good since Kashyap is adept at wiping his footprints. But, unknown to him, his paramour shoots a video of Kashyap discussing the crime with his stooges.

    The handycam is stolen and finally ends up at the door of the hostel room of Sonakshi. The typical south brand scheming and plotting start from here as Sonakshi goes through all sorts of torture and deterrents to keep her from leaking the content of the video. She is consigned to a mental asylum while her family as well as friends are convinced that she has lost her sanity. So much so that Sonakshi is totally isolated, with just about everybody believing in her traits and ailment.

    As the film deals with all this drama, it loses its main purpose of showing a strong woman protagonist. It borrows heavily from old films when it comes to props and ploys as per the convenience of the next scene. Even her martial arts background becomes secondary and gets very limited exposure in the climax.

    Akira has a grossly depressing story. It is a crime story the likes of which you watch on crime-based TV serials on a regular basis, but stretched beyond comfort with not an iota of relief from the negativity. Direction has an all-South touch and is predictable, the director AR Murugadoss’ record of Hindi hits, Ghajini and Holiday: A Soldier Is Never Off Duty besides over a dozen South films, notwithstanding. Songs have no place in the film and, thankfully, they are avoided. Dialogue is routine. Editing is weak.

    Sonakshi Sinha does better than her previous films; this being an author backed role. Anurag Kashyap does not have to do much to look evil, otherwise, he does okay. Konkona Sen Sharma is good in a small role. Rest just fill the bill.

    Akira has had a poor opening and the word of mouth is not expected to help it pick up either.

    Producer: AR Murugadoss.
    Director: AR Murugadoss.
    Cast: Sonakshi Sinha, Anurag Kashyap, Konkona Sen Sharma, Amit Sadh, Atul Kulkarni.

  • Colors Infinity’s formula for success

    Colors Infinity’s formula for success

    MUMBAI: There’s infinite merriment at Viacom18 as executives at the network celebrate its English general entertainment channel Colors Infinity’s first birthday. And they have a century of reasons to rejoice: beginning with eight advertisers the channel today boasts 100-plus brands that are using it to connect with consumers through their TVCs. Its ad growth rate has been a scorching 30 per cent, and this has enabled it to improve the effective rate it offers to advertisers.

    Now the channel headed by Ferzad Palia is stepping into its second year with more might behind local productions with a determination to continue the good work and offer advertising partners even more co-branding opportunities.

    “Advertisers have been happy to pay us a premium. They don’t buy us on basis of the ratings but for various other reasons. They have realised it’s not only about viewership but also about the audiences in India. The core audiences’ consuming this do not want people meters in their homes. With 250 million people comfortable with the English language, the measurement remains as a challenge,” says Palia.

    This year, the team plans to increase its focus on local English content as well as bring in newer seasons of the channel’s popular shows. Amongst the properties that are going to continue to get a leg up include: Infinity-On-Demand and instant premieres. “Most people do about four to five instant premieres but we have done upward of 50 premieres,” says Palia.

    He adds: “Local production is our focus going ahead. It is not about number of hours of production. Currently we are cracking various concepts and will develop them well. Our show, The Stage is 25-30 hours of programming but it has a strong recall value. We are focusing not on quantity but quality. We came in quite late in the genre so disruption and differentiated content was the need of the hour. The brands can be integrated and incorporated heavily in local productions.”

    Reaching out to a 200 million audience, the channel has managed to capture 60 per cent viewership from the aspirational, neo-urban consumers in the country. On the whole its English channel cluster (VH1, Comedy Central and Colors Infinity) holds a rather dominating 53 per cent market share of its genre, claims the company. And it has tapped into even smaller towns and markets nationally.

    According to a recent report, Colors Infinity has a major stake in the Chennai region with 51 per cent reach whereas Star World’s figure is at 48 per cent. AXN, Comedy Central, Zee Café, FX have a reach of 36 per cent, 33 per cent, 29 and 19 per cent respectively. It also is in the top five channel list when it comes to metros like Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore, Kolkata and non-metros. Clearly, the channel has been distributed well by its partner Indiacast.

    “We had insights that suggested the consumers wanted to watch content at their comfort level or else they illegally downloaded it. So we further leveraged binge watching on our channel by showcasing 3 back-to-back episodes of globally acclaimed shows such as Arrow, Fargo, The Big C, The Last Ship, Chasing Life,” explains Palia. The channel also initiated live binging of all-new seasons of Mad Dogs and Orange is The New Black, at the same time as its US telecast.

    “It was a victory for us,” he exclaims.

    It plans to further amplify the Colors Infinity’s international offering with launches of new shows such as Nashville, and Law and Order; as well as new seasons and instant premieres of Arrow, Legends of Tomorrow, The Flash, iZombie and Shades of Blue. The viewers’ favorite reality shows: So You Think You Can Dance and My Kitchen Rules are also slated to return with the latest season.

    So, how has the channel benefitted the network? Palia is of the opinion that “Our network has spread out well into the regional space and has expanded well in youth and kids. One of the areas where there was a need gap was the English entertainment space. We have seen tremendous expansion in this genre from the past three to four years. Now, we are in a position to derive 50 per cent share from our English cluster.”

    Palia points out with pride to the fact that in October 2015, the channel, under his leadership pioneered India’s first-ever home-grown English language music TV show – The Stage. Season 2 of The Stage will hit TV screens in September.

    Then it roped in Grey Goose to partner it for the show Born Stylish – a celeb chat show. It showcased Bollywood style icons such as Akshay Kumar, Sonakshi Sinha, and Anil Kapoor, as well as international fashion pioneers like Jean Paul Gaultier, Anna Zegna, Massimiliano Giornetti of Salvatore Ferragamo and many more, who interacted with host Pria Kataria Puri and spilled the beans on the evolution of their style quotient.

    A media planner points out that she would like to see Colors Infinity step up the game and introduce more daring and engaging domestically produced shows – which would appeal to English speaking audiences in the metros and second rung towns.

    “Doing one or two shows and shouting about making them work is laudable and appreciation worthy,” says she. “But Palia and team should realize they are operating in the English language which has myriad opportunities for anyone. Yes viewers are very demanding; they would like the same quality in the domestic series like they see in the international ones. And this is where the opportunities lie; experimentation with domestic scripted and unscripted formats in the English language. I’d like to see more full flowing action from the folks at Colors Infinity rather than these solitary strokes. I’d like the team to believe in the genre it says it leads.”

    Be that as it may, that advice can be kept aside for another day. Right now it’s time to bring out the bubbly for team Colors Infinity.

  • Colors Infinity’s formula for success

    Colors Infinity’s formula for success

    MUMBAI: There’s infinite merriment at Viacom18 as executives at the network celebrate its English general entertainment channel Colors Infinity’s first birthday. And they have a century of reasons to rejoice: beginning with eight advertisers the channel today boasts 100-plus brands that are using it to connect with consumers through their TVCs. Its ad growth rate has been a scorching 30 per cent, and this has enabled it to improve the effective rate it offers to advertisers.

    Now the channel headed by Ferzad Palia is stepping into its second year with more might behind local productions with a determination to continue the good work and offer advertising partners even more co-branding opportunities.

    “Advertisers have been happy to pay us a premium. They don’t buy us on basis of the ratings but for various other reasons. They have realised it’s not only about viewership but also about the audiences in India. The core audiences’ consuming this do not want people meters in their homes. With 250 million people comfortable with the English language, the measurement remains as a challenge,” says Palia.

    This year, the team plans to increase its focus on local English content as well as bring in newer seasons of the channel’s popular shows. Amongst the properties that are going to continue to get a leg up include: Infinity-On-Demand and instant premieres. “Most people do about four to five instant premieres but we have done upward of 50 premieres,” says Palia.

    He adds: “Local production is our focus going ahead. It is not about number of hours of production. Currently we are cracking various concepts and will develop them well. Our show, The Stage is 25-30 hours of programming but it has a strong recall value. We are focusing not on quantity but quality. We came in quite late in the genre so disruption and differentiated content was the need of the hour. The brands can be integrated and incorporated heavily in local productions.”

    Reaching out to a 200 million audience, the channel has managed to capture 60 per cent viewership from the aspirational, neo-urban consumers in the country. On the whole its English channel cluster (VH1, Comedy Central and Colors Infinity) holds a rather dominating 53 per cent market share of its genre, claims the company. And it has tapped into even smaller towns and markets nationally.

    According to a recent report, Colors Infinity has a major stake in the Chennai region with 51 per cent reach whereas Star World’s figure is at 48 per cent. AXN, Comedy Central, Zee Café, FX have a reach of 36 per cent, 33 per cent, 29 and 19 per cent respectively. It also is in the top five channel list when it comes to metros like Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore, Kolkata and non-metros. Clearly, the channel has been distributed well by its partner Indiacast.

    “We had insights that suggested the consumers wanted to watch content at their comfort level or else they illegally downloaded it. So we further leveraged binge watching on our channel by showcasing 3 back-to-back episodes of globally acclaimed shows such as Arrow, Fargo, The Big C, The Last Ship, Chasing Life,” explains Palia. The channel also initiated live binging of all-new seasons of Mad Dogs and Orange is The New Black, at the same time as its US telecast.

    “It was a victory for us,” he exclaims.

    It plans to further amplify the Colors Infinity’s international offering with launches of new shows such as Nashville, and Law and Order; as well as new seasons and instant premieres of Arrow, Legends of Tomorrow, The Flash, iZombie and Shades of Blue. The viewers’ favorite reality shows: So You Think You Can Dance and My Kitchen Rules are also slated to return with the latest season.

    So, how has the channel benefitted the network? Palia is of the opinion that “Our network has spread out well into the regional space and has expanded well in youth and kids. One of the areas where there was a need gap was the English entertainment space. We have seen tremendous expansion in this genre from the past three to four years. Now, we are in a position to derive 50 per cent share from our English cluster.”

    Palia points out with pride to the fact that in October 2015, the channel, under his leadership pioneered India’s first-ever home-grown English language music TV show – The Stage. Season 2 of The Stage will hit TV screens in September.

    Then it roped in Grey Goose to partner it for the show Born Stylish – a celeb chat show. It showcased Bollywood style icons such as Akshay Kumar, Sonakshi Sinha, and Anil Kapoor, as well as international fashion pioneers like Jean Paul Gaultier, Anna Zegna, Massimiliano Giornetti of Salvatore Ferragamo and many more, who interacted with host Pria Kataria Puri and spilled the beans on the evolution of their style quotient.

    A media planner points out that she would like to see Colors Infinity step up the game and introduce more daring and engaging domestically produced shows – which would appeal to English speaking audiences in the metros and second rung towns.

    “Doing one or two shows and shouting about making them work is laudable and appreciation worthy,” says she. “But Palia and team should realize they are operating in the English language which has myriad opportunities for anyone. Yes viewers are very demanding; they would like the same quality in the domestic series like they see in the international ones. And this is where the opportunities lie; experimentation with domestic scripted and unscripted formats in the English language. I’d like to see more full flowing action from the folks at Colors Infinity rather than these solitary strokes. I’d like the team to believe in the genre it says it leads.”

    Be that as it may, that advice can be kept aside for another day. Right now it’s time to bring out the bubbly for team Colors Infinity.

  • Madrid set for a stellar week for the 17th edition of the Videocon D2H IIFA

    Madrid set for a stellar week for the 17th edition of the Videocon D2H IIFA

    MUMBAI: The 17th edition of the Videocon D2H IIFA Weekend and the NEXA IIFA Awards powered by Le Ecobegan the festivities today in Madrid, Spain. One of Europe’s busiest cultural centers and the football capital of the world – Madrid has come to be known as “A City with Music in Its Soul” and a “City That Knows How To Live”. 2016 also marks the important milestone of Celebrating 60 Years of India-Spain Diplomatic Relations

    The IIFA Celebrations for 2016 were officially kicked off with the Opening Press Conference held at Hotel Westin Palace, which was attended by media, dignitaries and friends of IIFA. Eminent Bollywood Stars like Anil Kapoor, Sanjay Dutt, Sridevi, Boney Kapoor, Sanjay Leela Bhansali, Shabana Azmi, Javed Akhtar, Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra, Boman Irani, Kabir Khan, Ranveer Singh, Bipasha Basu, Huma Qureshi, Vivek Oberoi, Dia Mirza, Riteish Deshmukh, Neha Dhupia, Madhavan, Aftab Shivdasani, Sohail Khan, Sajid Nadiadwala, Shriya Saran, Sonu Sood, Jackie Shroff, Richa Chaddha, Frieda Pinto, Lara Dutta and Mahesh Bhupathi are some of the many stars and celebrities participating in the biggest Indian Film Awards show internationally. The press conference was followed by a special teaser screening of the Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra film- Mirziya.

    Fans of Indian Cinema can look forward to a string of star-studded events including the IIFA Rocks – a music mega-event held at IFEMA – Feria de Madrid where some of the best artists in the music industry will perform. The FICCI – IIFA Global Business Forum, being organized in association with Camara Spain, – is a platform for international business and networking where global dignitaries and business leaders discuss and connect to create opportunities for India and Spain.. Madrid will also get to experience IIFA Stomp & Rang Jam- a celebration of one of the biggest and most colorful festivals in India – Holi. IIFA will also be an intrinsic feature of the Mulafest this year, Madrid’s annual culture fest that brings together music, art and food all in one place and hosted at IFEMA – Feria de Madrid.

    The final and most awaited event of the weekend is the NEXA IIFA Awards powered by Le Eco, a spectacular and glamorous night which honors and celebrates excellence and deserving work in Indian cinema will be held at IFEMA – Feria de Madrid.

    Wizcraft Entertainment International director Andre Timmins said, “This is the fourth time that IIFA will travel to Europe and Madrid has proved to be the best destination yet. We have been welcomed with open arms by the city and the very spirit of the city is vibrant and colourful just like the culture in India. This Weekend will see some of the most incredible talent from the Indian Film and music Industry on an international stage and we can whole-heartedly be assured that the 17th edition of the IIFA Celebrations will be as outstanding and remarkable as always.”

    The NEXA IIFA AWARDS powered by Le Eco and the Videocon d2h IIFA ROCKS will be broadcast on India’s leading Hindi entertainment channel, Colors Viacom18. Commenting on Viacom18’s network wide partnership with IIFA 2016, Viacom18 Sudhanshu Vats group CEO, said, “The IIFA Weekend brings together the entire film industry making it one of the most-awaited and most-watched Awards ceremony for audiences across the Indian diaspora spread across almost 100 countries. Indian cinema and our talent have made significant inroads globally and we are delighted to extend the IIFA extravaganza across our network. With Colors being the lead global broadcast partner, this year we embrace the IIFAs across our broadcast channels with Rishtey, Rishtey Cineplex, Colors Infinity and MTV. This year we will also be streaming the IIFAs for our digital audiences on our recently-launched VOD platform, Voot.”

    Speaking of the association, Maruti Suzuki India executive director Marketing & Sales R. S Kalsi said “We are delighted to associate with NEXA IIFA Awards 2016 for the second year, last year we showcased our Premium crossover S-Cross at IIFA. This year we will showcase how NEXA is at the forefront of bringing innovation & delivering outstanding experiences.

    Nexa is not just an automotive brand but also a lifestyle brand. NEXA is all about newer and premium experiences, just like IIFA which builds lifetime experiences and felicitates excellence in Indian cinema at a global stage”

    Videocon d2h executive chairman Saurabh Dhoot said, “IIFA awards over the years have grown tremendously in terms of scale and extravaganza. This year’s Videocon d2h IIFA Weekend promises to be yet another milestone with lots of entertainment, glamour & innovation. Videocon d2h is today the 1st Indian media company to be listed on Nasdaq, USA. IIFA and Videocon d2h are perfect examples of Indian brands making a huge mark globally.”

    Videocon d2h CEO Anil Khera added, “Videocon d2h is proud to continue its association with IIFA for the 8th year in a row. Videocon d2h IIFA Weekend is a spectacular event celebrating talent in the entertainment industry and is a perfect brand fit for us. The IIFA Awards have striven to achieve a perfect balance of public opinion and critical appreciation across the globe. Videocon d2h will continue to support and encourage this endeavour to take Indian Cinema to a global audience.”

    Speaking on the occasion, Le Eco Smart Electronics Devices business COO Atul Jain said “We see a remarkable synergy between LeEco’s proposition of supertainment as core offering and IIFA’s objective of recreating the magic of Indian cinema and showcasing it to global audiences. As a young company, we view this partnership as a smart, strategic initiative that will help us enhance the affinity for brand LeEco with our consumers . We are delighted to associate with IIFA Awards 2016 and showcase how our ecosystem based business model delivers outstanding lifestyle enhancing experiences to users”.

    Pankaj Munjal, Chairman & Managing Director, Hero Cycles Ltd. commented “We are proud to be associated with IIFA as its cause partner. IIFA is undoubtedly one of the best and biggest platforms to reach out to people and encourage them to take up cycling in their lives. Through this association we aim to reach out to millions of fans India and across the world. The event brings together all big Bollywood names under one roof and we want to draw them into this initiative. Through our kiosks at the event, we would invite celebrities to talk about the health and environmental benefits of cycling and encourage their fans and youth to take up the same. These celebrities become perfect ambassador to promote health and fitness among the millions of their fans not just in India but also across the world.”

    According to Luis Cueto, Chairman of the Governing Board of IFEMA, “Holding the IIFA AWARDS will be an important global showcase for IFEMA and for Madrid. Our support for this great event for the Indian film industry and its presence on our premises as its headquarters in Spain, will drive our institution’s mission to stimulate tourism and generate business opportunities. There is no question that this event will serve to raise Madrid’s profile in Asian markets and encourage investment and business agreements, as well as attracting numerous tourists from India”.

    Qatar Airways Senior Vice President Europe, Mr. Jonathan Harding said, “We are delighted to be partnering with IIFA to promote this event around the world, to every destination we serve. This partnership truly reflects our core brand value of Going Places Together.

    The popularity of Indian cinema has grown exponentially over the years, reflected in the scale and extravaganza of the IIFA awards. As one of the fastest growing global airlines, operating two flights a day to Madrid and connecting to more than 150 destinations, Qatar Airways is well-positioned to offer its award-winning services to those attending the IIFA awards this year.”

    “In Mahou we are very committed with Madrid and its neighbourhoods. This is why we support cultural and leisure activities like the Elephant Parade which for one weekend will fill the streets of Madrid with the joy of India” commented Pablo de la Fuente – Consumer Director Mahou Brand

    Iberia is the European and Domestic Airline Partner of IIFA 2016. By logging on to www.iberia.com, travellers can take an advantage of a 10% discount on the fair using the promotional code “IIFA”. This promotional is valid for return flights to Madrid from 18th June to 1st July, 2016 for bookings before June 26, 2016.

    Day 2 of the Videocon d2h IIFA Weekend will feature the FICCI-IIFA Global Business Forum, which will focus on urgent environmental issues that affect the global population. With regard to economic and political relationships, the highlight of this year’s Global Business Forum will be innovation and entrepreneurship that are becoming staple features of an evolving society and bringing out tremendous changes across the world in the way that businesses are forming and altering the face of modern trade and industry and state connectivity.

    The musical spectacle IIFA Rocks will be hosted by none other than heart throb Fawad Khan alongside renowned Director-Producer Karan Johar with guest host Manish Paul! IIFA Rocks has always been a perennial star studded affair with a mix of fashion and music. This year, the IIFA Rocks stage will include noted music director-composer-singer Pritam, the melodious sounds from Kanika Kapoor with Meet Brothers, Benny Dayal and Neeti Mohan among others. National-award winner Monali Thakur with Papon will be serenading the audience and Shilpa Shetty, Ameesha Patel, Mauni Roy, Sooraj Pancholi, Eli Avramand Daisy Shah will be performing as well. Alongside the gamut of musical acts and performances, the distinguished Indian Fashion Designer Vikram Phadnis will be showcasing a breathtaking Fashion Show.

    Additionally, another facet of the IIFA extravaganza which is all set to make its way to Madrid, bringing together the best ofSpanish and Indian culture is the IIFA Stomp in collaboration with MULAFEST Urban Trends Festival, organized by the MULA community and supported by IFEMA with a line-up that underlines its electronic heart, with pioneering artists from the international scene. The second day of the Weekend will feature a celebration by renowned electronic artists and musicians likeRaghu Dixit Project and Midival Punditz featuring Karsh Kale and friends.

    Day 3 opens with a one-in-a-lifetime opportunity as Shilpa Shetty will conduct the IIFA Stomp Yoga Masterclass at IFEMA – Feria de Madrid which will be followed by the highlight of the Weekend Celebrations – the NEXA IIFA Awards powered by Le Eco, hosted by the multitalented Farhan Akhtar and the versatile actor Shahid Kapoor. The awards ceremony in Madrid will witness awe-inspiring performances by Bollywood’s very own crème de la crème Salman Khan, Hrithik Roshan, Deepika Padukone, Priyanka Chopra, Sonakshi Sinha and Tiger Shroff among others. The IIFA Stomp celebrations in collaboration with MULAFEST Urban Trends Festival will continue as electronic artists B.R.E.E.D. and Nucleya take the stage.

    Day 4 will conclude the Weekend extravaganza as the IIFA Stomp celebrations in collaboration with MULAFEST Urban Trends Festival bring the Weekend to a close with the IIFA Stomp and Rang Jam with a theme based of one of India’s most colourful festivals – Holi! The party will feature amazing Bollywood remixes, great visuals, henna artistes, Bollywood dancers on stage, Indian street food and performances by 3 of the most well-known DJ’s of India – DJ Amann, DJ Clement, DJ Sumit Sethi.

    With the City of Madrid playing host to the Videocon d2h IIFA Weekend and NEXA IIFA Awards 2016, The Title Sponsor for the Videocon d2h IIFA Weekend are Videocon D2h, Title Sponsors for the Awards are Maruti Suzuki, the Host Destination Partners in Madrid are the City of Madrid and IFEMA – Feria de Madrid. Le Eco is the Powered by Sponsor and Hero Cycles are the Cause Partners. IIFA Awards celebrations will air exclusively on broadcast partners, Colors TV and Mahou and Movistar+ will be the co-sponsor of IIFA Celebrations. El Corte Ingles are the ‘Official Retail Partners’ and Qatar Airways is the “Official Airline” for the IIFA celebrations, Clear Channel is “OOH Media Partner” for IIFA and Iberia is the European and Domestic Airline Partner.

    IIFA 2016 is also supported by Westin Palace, NH Collection, Carnival Cinemas, Nike, Travel Pack, Coca Cola, Marco Aldany, Algeria and Kiros

  • Madrid set for a stellar week for the 17th edition of the Videocon D2H IIFA

    Madrid set for a stellar week for the 17th edition of the Videocon D2H IIFA

    MUMBAI: The 17th edition of the Videocon D2H IIFA Weekend and the NEXA IIFA Awards powered by Le Ecobegan the festivities today in Madrid, Spain. One of Europe’s busiest cultural centers and the football capital of the world – Madrid has come to be known as “A City with Music in Its Soul” and a “City That Knows How To Live”. 2016 also marks the important milestone of Celebrating 60 Years of India-Spain Diplomatic Relations

    The IIFA Celebrations for 2016 were officially kicked off with the Opening Press Conference held at Hotel Westin Palace, which was attended by media, dignitaries and friends of IIFA. Eminent Bollywood Stars like Anil Kapoor, Sanjay Dutt, Sridevi, Boney Kapoor, Sanjay Leela Bhansali, Shabana Azmi, Javed Akhtar, Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra, Boman Irani, Kabir Khan, Ranveer Singh, Bipasha Basu, Huma Qureshi, Vivek Oberoi, Dia Mirza, Riteish Deshmukh, Neha Dhupia, Madhavan, Aftab Shivdasani, Sohail Khan, Sajid Nadiadwala, Shriya Saran, Sonu Sood, Jackie Shroff, Richa Chaddha, Frieda Pinto, Lara Dutta and Mahesh Bhupathi are some of the many stars and celebrities participating in the biggest Indian Film Awards show internationally. The press conference was followed by a special teaser screening of the Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra film- Mirziya.

    Fans of Indian Cinema can look forward to a string of star-studded events including the IIFA Rocks – a music mega-event held at IFEMA – Feria de Madrid where some of the best artists in the music industry will perform. The FICCI – IIFA Global Business Forum, being organized in association with Camara Spain, – is a platform for international business and networking where global dignitaries and business leaders discuss and connect to create opportunities for India and Spain.. Madrid will also get to experience IIFA Stomp & Rang Jam- a celebration of one of the biggest and most colorful festivals in India – Holi. IIFA will also be an intrinsic feature of the Mulafest this year, Madrid’s annual culture fest that brings together music, art and food all in one place and hosted at IFEMA – Feria de Madrid.

    The final and most awaited event of the weekend is the NEXA IIFA Awards powered by Le Eco, a spectacular and glamorous night which honors and celebrates excellence and deserving work in Indian cinema will be held at IFEMA – Feria de Madrid.

    Wizcraft Entertainment International director Andre Timmins said, “This is the fourth time that IIFA will travel to Europe and Madrid has proved to be the best destination yet. We have been welcomed with open arms by the city and the very spirit of the city is vibrant and colourful just like the culture in India. This Weekend will see some of the most incredible talent from the Indian Film and music Industry on an international stage and we can whole-heartedly be assured that the 17th edition of the IIFA Celebrations will be as outstanding and remarkable as always.”

    The NEXA IIFA AWARDS powered by Le Eco and the Videocon d2h IIFA ROCKS will be broadcast on India’s leading Hindi entertainment channel, Colors Viacom18. Commenting on Viacom18’s network wide partnership with IIFA 2016, Viacom18 Sudhanshu Vats group CEO, said, “The IIFA Weekend brings together the entire film industry making it one of the most-awaited and most-watched Awards ceremony for audiences across the Indian diaspora spread across almost 100 countries. Indian cinema and our talent have made significant inroads globally and we are delighted to extend the IIFA extravaganza across our network. With Colors being the lead global broadcast partner, this year we embrace the IIFAs across our broadcast channels with Rishtey, Rishtey Cineplex, Colors Infinity and MTV. This year we will also be streaming the IIFAs for our digital audiences on our recently-launched VOD platform, Voot.”

    Speaking of the association, Maruti Suzuki India executive director Marketing & Sales R. S Kalsi said “We are delighted to associate with NEXA IIFA Awards 2016 for the second year, last year we showcased our Premium crossover S-Cross at IIFA. This year we will showcase how NEXA is at the forefront of bringing innovation & delivering outstanding experiences.

    Nexa is not just an automotive brand but also a lifestyle brand. NEXA is all about newer and premium experiences, just like IIFA which builds lifetime experiences and felicitates excellence in Indian cinema at a global stage”

    Videocon d2h executive chairman Saurabh Dhoot said, “IIFA awards over the years have grown tremendously in terms of scale and extravaganza. This year’s Videocon d2h IIFA Weekend promises to be yet another milestone with lots of entertainment, glamour & innovation. Videocon d2h is today the 1st Indian media company to be listed on Nasdaq, USA. IIFA and Videocon d2h are perfect examples of Indian brands making a huge mark globally.”

    Videocon d2h CEO Anil Khera added, “Videocon d2h is proud to continue its association with IIFA for the 8th year in a row. Videocon d2h IIFA Weekend is a spectacular event celebrating talent in the entertainment industry and is a perfect brand fit for us. The IIFA Awards have striven to achieve a perfect balance of public opinion and critical appreciation across the globe. Videocon d2h will continue to support and encourage this endeavour to take Indian Cinema to a global audience.”

    Speaking on the occasion, Le Eco Smart Electronics Devices business COO Atul Jain said “We see a remarkable synergy between LeEco’s proposition of supertainment as core offering and IIFA’s objective of recreating the magic of Indian cinema and showcasing it to global audiences. As a young company, we view this partnership as a smart, strategic initiative that will help us enhance the affinity for brand LeEco with our consumers . We are delighted to associate with IIFA Awards 2016 and showcase how our ecosystem based business model delivers outstanding lifestyle enhancing experiences to users”.

    Pankaj Munjal, Chairman & Managing Director, Hero Cycles Ltd. commented “We are proud to be associated with IIFA as its cause partner. IIFA is undoubtedly one of the best and biggest platforms to reach out to people and encourage them to take up cycling in their lives. Through this association we aim to reach out to millions of fans India and across the world. The event brings together all big Bollywood names under one roof and we want to draw them into this initiative. Through our kiosks at the event, we would invite celebrities to talk about the health and environmental benefits of cycling and encourage their fans and youth to take up the same. These celebrities become perfect ambassador to promote health and fitness among the millions of their fans not just in India but also across the world.”

    According to Luis Cueto, Chairman of the Governing Board of IFEMA, “Holding the IIFA AWARDS will be an important global showcase for IFEMA and for Madrid. Our support for this great event for the Indian film industry and its presence on our premises as its headquarters in Spain, will drive our institution’s mission to stimulate tourism and generate business opportunities. There is no question that this event will serve to raise Madrid’s profile in Asian markets and encourage investment and business agreements, as well as attracting numerous tourists from India”.

    Qatar Airways Senior Vice President Europe, Mr. Jonathan Harding said, “We are delighted to be partnering with IIFA to promote this event around the world, to every destination we serve. This partnership truly reflects our core brand value of Going Places Together.

    The popularity of Indian cinema has grown exponentially over the years, reflected in the scale and extravaganza of the IIFA awards. As one of the fastest growing global airlines, operating two flights a day to Madrid and connecting to more than 150 destinations, Qatar Airways is well-positioned to offer its award-winning services to those attending the IIFA awards this year.”

    “In Mahou we are very committed with Madrid and its neighbourhoods. This is why we support cultural and leisure activities like the Elephant Parade which for one weekend will fill the streets of Madrid with the joy of India” commented Pablo de la Fuente – Consumer Director Mahou Brand

    Iberia is the European and Domestic Airline Partner of IIFA 2016. By logging on to www.iberia.com, travellers can take an advantage of a 10% discount on the fair using the promotional code “IIFA”. This promotional is valid for return flights to Madrid from 18th June to 1st July, 2016 for bookings before June 26, 2016.

    Day 2 of the Videocon d2h IIFA Weekend will feature the FICCI-IIFA Global Business Forum, which will focus on urgent environmental issues that affect the global population. With regard to economic and political relationships, the highlight of this year’s Global Business Forum will be innovation and entrepreneurship that are becoming staple features of an evolving society and bringing out tremendous changes across the world in the way that businesses are forming and altering the face of modern trade and industry and state connectivity.

    The musical spectacle IIFA Rocks will be hosted by none other than heart throb Fawad Khan alongside renowned Director-Producer Karan Johar with guest host Manish Paul! IIFA Rocks has always been a perennial star studded affair with a mix of fashion and music. This year, the IIFA Rocks stage will include noted music director-composer-singer Pritam, the melodious sounds from Kanika Kapoor with Meet Brothers, Benny Dayal and Neeti Mohan among others. National-award winner Monali Thakur with Papon will be serenading the audience and Shilpa Shetty, Ameesha Patel, Mauni Roy, Sooraj Pancholi, Eli Avramand Daisy Shah will be performing as well. Alongside the gamut of musical acts and performances, the distinguished Indian Fashion Designer Vikram Phadnis will be showcasing a breathtaking Fashion Show.

    Additionally, another facet of the IIFA extravaganza which is all set to make its way to Madrid, bringing together the best ofSpanish and Indian culture is the IIFA Stomp in collaboration with MULAFEST Urban Trends Festival, organized by the MULA community and supported by IFEMA with a line-up that underlines its electronic heart, with pioneering artists from the international scene. The second day of the Weekend will feature a celebration by renowned electronic artists and musicians likeRaghu Dixit Project and Midival Punditz featuring Karsh Kale and friends.

    Day 3 opens with a one-in-a-lifetime opportunity as Shilpa Shetty will conduct the IIFA Stomp Yoga Masterclass at IFEMA – Feria de Madrid which will be followed by the highlight of the Weekend Celebrations – the NEXA IIFA Awards powered by Le Eco, hosted by the multitalented Farhan Akhtar and the versatile actor Shahid Kapoor. The awards ceremony in Madrid will witness awe-inspiring performances by Bollywood’s very own crème de la crème Salman Khan, Hrithik Roshan, Deepika Padukone, Priyanka Chopra, Sonakshi Sinha and Tiger Shroff among others. The IIFA Stomp celebrations in collaboration with MULAFEST Urban Trends Festival will continue as electronic artists B.R.E.E.D. and Nucleya take the stage.

    Day 4 will conclude the Weekend extravaganza as the IIFA Stomp celebrations in collaboration with MULAFEST Urban Trends Festival bring the Weekend to a close with the IIFA Stomp and Rang Jam with a theme based of one of India’s most colourful festivals – Holi! The party will feature amazing Bollywood remixes, great visuals, henna artistes, Bollywood dancers on stage, Indian street food and performances by 3 of the most well-known DJ’s of India – DJ Amann, DJ Clement, DJ Sumit Sethi.

    With the City of Madrid playing host to the Videocon d2h IIFA Weekend and NEXA IIFA Awards 2016, The Title Sponsor for the Videocon d2h IIFA Weekend are Videocon D2h, Title Sponsors for the Awards are Maruti Suzuki, the Host Destination Partners in Madrid are the City of Madrid and IFEMA – Feria de Madrid. Le Eco is the Powered by Sponsor and Hero Cycles are the Cause Partners. IIFA Awards celebrations will air exclusively on broadcast partners, Colors TV and Mahou and Movistar+ will be the co-sponsor of IIFA Celebrations. El Corte Ingles are the ‘Official Retail Partners’ and Qatar Airways is the “Official Airline” for the IIFA celebrations, Clear Channel is “OOH Media Partner” for IIFA and Iberia is the European and Domestic Airline Partner.

    IIFA 2016 is also supported by Westin Palace, NH Collection, Carnival Cinemas, Nike, Travel Pack, Coca Cola, Marco Aldany, Algeria and Kiros

  • Revel In The Magical Moments With ‘GiMA Rewind’ This Sunday!

    Revel In The Magical Moments With ‘GiMA Rewind’ This Sunday!

    MUMBAI: India’s biggest celebration of music, The Global Indian Music Academy (GiMA) has been an annual celebration of music in India for a number of years. With The 6th Gionee Colors Gima Awards Co Powered By Hungama & Renault to be broadcast on 5th June, the Academy will air a one hour special titled GiMA Rewind that puts together the most dazzling moments from the GiMA Awards from 11 am to 12 noon on Colors this Sunday, 29th May

    Aptly titled ‘GiMA Rewind’, this segment will take you through the most illustrious moments from GiMA, from talented Indian musicians performing on stage to the star-studded acts each year. This 1-hour long episode will feature the King of Playback, Arijit Singh serenading the audience with his soul- stirring performance at GiMA 2015 as well as Ranveer Singh’s rap in GiMA 2014 which he dedicated to the music industry. The Year 2012 saw a number of acts with Bollywood actress Sonakshi Sinha’shigh energy act on her hit songs like ‘Go Go Govinda’, ‘Chinta Ta’ with a surprise guest Mika Singh at the GiMA stage. Adding to the night, her co-star and Bollywood superstar Ajay Devgan also joined her on-stage to groove on the title track of ‘Son of Sardar’. This performance will certainly be remembered and it is no surprise that fans will get to relive the energy once more through GiMA Rewind. The

    GiMA 2012 had hit a crescendo with the heartfelt tribute to living musical maestro AR Rahman for completing 20 years in the industry. Leading musicians Hariharan & Sadhna Sargam, Udit Narayana, Alka Yagnik, Mohit Chouhan and Sonu Nigamjoined together as they presented their renditions of some of his hit songs like ‘Dil Hai Chota Sa’, ‘Chanda Re’, ‘Mitwa’ and ‘Sadda Haq’ to name a few . The musical experience created by renowned Composer Pritam alongside his band at GiMA 2015 can be revived once again with the Rewind special.

    Last year also featured a special act by Sonu Nigam, Suresh Wadkar and Shankar Mahadevan, amongst others to pay a special tribute to Indian composer Anandji Virji Shah who received the Lifetime Achievement Award – Popular. Fans can truly rejoice as all these special moment have been made a part of this epic segment!

    GiMA has given the Indian music industry a platform to celebrate and honor artistic achievement, technical proficiency and overall excellence in Indian music across various genres. So make sure you watch this unique segment presenting the very best of GiMA Rewind on Sunday, 29th May from 11am to 12 noon, only on Colors!