ITV

Tag: Sonakshi Sinha

  • Grey Goose join hands with Colors Infinity and Vh1 to explore celeb style quotient with ‘Born Stylish’

    Grey Goose join hands with Colors Infinity and Vh1 to explore celeb style quotient with ‘Born Stylish’

    MUMBAI: Grey Goose teamed up with entertainment channels, Colors Infinity and Vh1 to add a whole new level of glamour to television screens this November with an interesting new show titled Born Stylish. Born Stylish will be on from 28 November, 2015 at 8.30 pmon Colors Infinity and Vh1 simultaneously.

     

    The show will have Bollywood style icons like Akshay Kumar, Sonakshi Sinha, Anil Kapoor, and others spill the beans about their evolution across the years by experimenting with style and looks. For the first time in India, viewers will get to see International fashion pioneers like Jean Paul Gaultier, Anna Zegna of the Ermenegildo Zegna family, Massimiliano Giornetti of Salvatore Ferragamo and many more, interacting with designer Pria Kataria Puri, who is debuting as a host on television with Born Stylish.

     

     Speaking on the development, Bacardi India & Southeast Asia director marketing Manish Seth said, “Grey Goose, a global luxury icon, has always been at the forefront of fashion & style. In India, we’ve been celebrating style since inception. Taking this legacy forward, we are elated to announce our association with Viacom18 for the launch of Born Stylish, a series which synergizes with the identity of Grey Goose. Grey Goose epitomizes style and this association symbolizes our appreciation for the best in style.”

     

    Commenting on the premiere of Born Stylish, Viacom18, head of English and Youth Entertainment executive vice president Ferzad Palia mentioned, “Keeping in sync with the disruptive programming of Colors Infinity, we are elated to present yet another differentiated show. It’s a perfect fit in the edgy line-up of international shows and awards that air on Vh1 as well. Born Stylish marks another leap forward in English entertainment as our first ever homegrown celebrity talk-show dedicated to fashion and style of international standards.”

     

     Produced by Pramod Films, RA Luxury and Zeus Selling Solutions, Born Stylish will create an interesting platform to showcase what it takes to make a celebrity as stylish as they are, both on and off screen.

     

     On the format of the show,  Pramod Films producer Prateek Chakravorty said, “It has been an exciting journey, from inception to execution, of this avant-garde concept. And now that it is finally ready to hit television screens I am certain it will create a milestone in the genre of chat shows.”

     

    Adding to that, RA Luxury producer Pratik Laxmi asserted, “The concept is entirely novel and no one has attempted to bridge the gap between national and international fashion before. We are sure viewers will gain a unique perspective on style with this show.”

     

     Each episode will have a specific theme suited to the celebrity guest who will be talking about the style quotient and how it has grown, both on and off-screen. In addition, there will be exclusive interviews with global fashion stalwarts, style tips from Pria Kataria Puri and a volley of rapid fire questions. With all of these packed into a half-hour episode, it’s bound to be a dapper Saturday evening for the audience.

  • Superstar Rajinikanth is back on Zee Cinema with super hit ‘Lingaa’

    Superstar Rajinikanth is back on Zee Cinema with super hit ‘Lingaa’

    MUMBAI: It’s going to be  an action packed Sunday as Zee Cinema, the world’s biggest theatre for Hindi movies, brings to its viewers superstar Rajinikanth’s ultimate blockbuster movie ‘Lingaa’ on 30th August, 9 pm.   Lingaa also marks the debut of Sonakshi Sinha in the South and it was Rajinikanth’s first ever birthday release.

     

    The film begins with the murder of a government official inspecting a dam, and then the action cuts to Lingaa (Rajinikanth), a small-time criminal, who is in prison with his cohorts (Santhanam, Karunakaran and co). Lakshmi (Anushka), a TV reporter, helps him to get out on bail to return to his village, Solaiyur and re-open the temple that his grandfather, Raja Lingeswaran (Rajinikanth), had built. At first, Lingaa refuses because he is angry at his ancestor as he left his father to die penniless by donating his wealth to the masses.

     

    However, he ends up going to Solaiyur when he learns of his grandfather’s sacrifice. Lingeswaran had resigned his job as a collector when he realized that the British will not let him build the dam that will benefit the people of Solaiyur. Being an extremely wealthy Maharaja, who has studied civil engineering in Oxford, he used his own money to fund the project and planned the construction himself, rallying the people of the village to his cause. However, an egotistical British collector used every trick in the book — money, caste, and power- to thwart him at every step. Lingeswaran had given his entire wealth to the collector for the sake of completing the dam. Years later, Naga Bhushan (Jagapathi Babu), a corrupt MP is trying to weaken the dam’s structure for a kickback, and Lingaa returns to the village to protect his grandfather’s legacy.

     

    Will Raja Lingeswaran’s descendant Lingaa be able to open the Shiva temple?

     

    Catch superstar Rajinikanth in a double role by tuning into ‘Lingaa’ on Zee Cinema, this Sunday 30th August, at 9 pm.

  • ‘All Is Well’: Not really

    ‘All Is Well’: Not really

    MUMBAI: Some films one just goes to watch without expectations. 

    Same is the case with All Is Well despite being directed by Umesh Shukla, who earlier gave us OMG: Oh My God. This is because, if the script does not add up to much and the credits list actors who are not known to carry a film on their own shoulders, no director can work miracles. 

    The film promises to be at least a visual delight as it takes off in Bangkok but that is just a bait. It soon moves rock stock and barrel into the hinterlands of North India, probably Haryana or is it Punjab? Well, the language and the attires seem to be those of Punjabi / Sikh and so is the ambience. Soon, it stops mattering for, if the makers don’t know, how could we?

    Abhishek Bachchan is a writer and composer of music who has been trying to get a break to cut an album in Bangkok. May be, Bangkok is where new talent in Hindi music are launched!?! Tiku Talsania seems to be the man who holds a monopoly in launching new talent. However, he does not invest; an aspirant has to finance his own album. That is where Abhishek falls short for he has no money. 

    Back home, Abhishek has parents, mother Supriya Pathak and father Rishi Kapoor. This is one messed up family suffering from total lack of communication despite being a family of three. Rishi has inherited a bakery from his father, which has a customer base of around four people. He is badly off, has no ambitions and gives vent to his frustration on his son and wife thus estranging Abhishek, who he asks to leave. Abhishek’s passion is his guitar and his music, which Rishi dislikes. 

    Abhishek has to raise money so that Tiku can launch him and that is when he gets a communication from his father’s lawyer that Abhishek needs to come to India and sign an agreement to sell off the bakery premises since his grandfather left it in the joint name with his father. Abhishek wants nothing of it but his friend convinces him that this probably is the money he was looking for his album. 

    Abhishek also has an admirer in Asin who loves him and wants to marry him. She is in a hurry to convince Abhishek because her father has already found a suitor for her back home. Both are on their way to India and end up taking the same flight. They also end up using the same cab (clichés never went out of fashion). Asin is glued to Abhishek, at times by her own devise, at others, by the writer’s plotting. 

    When Abhishek reaches home, he learns that he has been really fooled into coming by a goon, Mohammed Zeeshan Ayub, to whom Rishi owes a lot of money. The goon wants the bakery premises in lieu of his money. Soon, Abhishek also learns that there is not a single person in his town to whom Rishi does not owe money! The bickering between father and son resumes after a ten year break. Supriya has been conveniently put out of scene consigned as an Alzheimer affected patient, who is left to be a mute spectator to father and son’s verbal duals.

    Here on, the makers seem to decide to take it as it comes with no particular sequence of events as father and son play hide and seek with Mohammed and his bunch of buffoons who pass off as his toughies. In between the mess, they realise that they actually love and care for each other. For whatever corny reason, Rishi had divorced Supriya so Abhishek decides to get them married again. Abhishek has also paid up Mohamed’s dues by selling his songs to another singer against his principles and wishes. 

    That done; it is now Rishi and company’s turn to get Abhishek and Asin together. For convenience sake, Asin’s suitor has decided to marry her cousin. 

    All Is Well is a poorly conceived, half-baked script. Substance is at premium here. The director is totally at sea doing a patch up job giving the film a last century B grade feel and the set designs making it only worse. Even regional films or limited budget small films have more finesse. Editing could have been better. The film has various singers giving voice to Abhishek or his none lip-sync number, which sounds rather odd. The only hummable song is Baaton ko teri…composed by Himmesh Reshamiya (the film has four composers besides having borrowed a number from Anand Milind’s score from Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak).

    Performances are generally bad. Even Rishi does not bother to act. Abhishek and Asin both suffer from poorly etched characters. Supriya manages to look blank forgetting to act; Alzheimer makes a patient forget things, you know. 

    Talking of expectations, All Is Well is a let-down even for one with no expectations.

    Producers: Bhushan Kumar, Kishan Kumar, Shyam Bajaj, Varun Bajaj

    Director: Umesh Shukla

    Cast: Rishi Kapoor, Supriya Pathak,  Abhishek Bachchan, Asin, Mohammed Zeeshan Ayub and Sonakshi Sinha in an item number

  • Sonakshi to play lead in biopic on Dawood Ibrahim’s sister Haseena Parkar

    Sonakshi to play lead in biopic on Dawood Ibrahim’s sister Haseena Parkar

    NEW DELHI: Actress Sonakshi Sinha will soon be seen in her very first biopic, which is based on the controversial story of Haseena Parkar, the late sister of Mumbai underworld don Dawood Ibrahim.

     

    Although Ibrahim has 12 siblings, she was the closest to him but died in 2014 having suffered a heart attack.

     

    Her intriguing story is now being made into a film that is being produced by Mubina Rattonsey and directed by Apoorva Lakhia.

     

    Titled Haseena – The Queen of Mumbai, the film is expected to raise eyebrows.

     

    It will cover 40 years of the emotional saga of Haseena and what it meant to be Dawood Ibrahim’s sister.

     

    Lakhia is known for his love for making biopics on underworld dons. The film will roll out for shooting early next year. 

  • Sonakshi Sinha roped in as brand ambassador of Digisol

    Sonakshi Sinha roped in as brand ambassador of Digisol

    MUMBAI: After doing a wide variety of endorsements, actress Sonakshi Sinha has signed her very first tech brand. Sinha has been roped in as the brand ambassador for Digisol’s wireless and networking products.

     

    Sinha’s appointment comes at a time when Digisol plans to magnify its presence in consumer segment and this association is expected to boost the brand’s visibility in India.

     

    Sinha, who has been one of the most followed celebrities on social media, said, “I am happy to represent a brand like Digisol, which is playing a major role in making Digital India a reality. Now, that I’m associated with Digisol, I look forward to be a part of their initiative.”

  • Sony Liv opens voting phase for ‘Indian Idol Junior 2’

    Sony Liv opens voting phase for ‘Indian Idol Junior 2’

    MUMBAI: Multi Screen Media’s (MSM) digital video entertainment brand Sony Liv is currently hosting the digital telecast of Indian Idol Junior season two (IIJ) which launched on 20 May.

     

    The show features budding singers from around the country competing with each other for the grand title of the next IIJ2.

     

    The voting process, which commences on 4 July will take place exclusively through the digital medium and closes on 5 July at 8 am. Audience need to simply download Sony Liv app from app store and vote for their favourite contestant through the app.

     

    Indian Idol Junior, India’s foremost singing talent show for young singers, was extremely well received by the audience during its first season. With contestants from as far as Dubai participating in the musical extravaganza in its second edition, the show promises to be bigger and more challenging in its return outing.

     

    With a jury comprising Vishal Dadlani, Sonakshi Sinha, Salim Merchant and Shalmali Kholgade, it promises to reprise its knack of scouting for young talent aged five to 15 and offering them a nationwide platform to showcase their vocal skills to become household names.

     

    The 13 contestants entering voting phase are Subhankar sarkar, Ranita Banerjee, Yumna Ajin, Niharika Nath, Ajay Bhirjwasi, Vaishnav Girish, Ananya Sritam Nanda, Nahid Afrin, Vidhi Jaswal, Srilakshmi Belmannu, Moti Khan, Nithyashree Venkataramanan, Surendra Singh Panwar. The show is hosted by hosted by charming Hussain Kuwajerwala and Asha Negi.

     

    SET EVP and digital entertainment head Uday Sodhi said, “Indian Idol Junior was extremely successful in its debut season and showed that music really has no boundaries. With the show set to provide a bigger and grander stage this time, Sony Liv aims to increase the outreach of the programme by providing anytime digital access to its diverse user base. The fact that voting lines are now open exclusively through the app or our online interface proves how the show is increasingly establishing a digital presence for its audience.”

  • Zee Cinema to premiere ‘Lingaa’ and ‘Khoobsurat’

    Zee Cinema to premiere ‘Lingaa’ and ‘Khoobsurat’

    MUMBAI: Zee Cinema is all set to premiere two movies this coming weekend.

     

    On 31 May, Zee Cinema will premiere Rajinikanth’s Lingaa in Hindi at 9 pm, whereas Zee Cinema HD will premiere the Fawad Khan – Sonam Kapoor starrer Khoobsurat at 9 pm.

     

    Zee Hndi Movie Channels deputy business head Ruchir Tiwari said, “With the recent revamp of Zee Cinema, our aim has been to air the fresh and varied movies on our channel. And when we talk about entertainment who better than Superstar Rajinikanth. Lingaa is full of Rajini’s magic and pure treat for his fans. On the other hand, Khoobsurat is a young refreshing romantic story. I am certain that the audiences are going to enjoy watching these movies in the comfort of their homes on a lazy Sunday night.”

     

    Lingaa marks the debut of Sonakshi Sinha in the South and it was also Rajinikanth’s first ever birthday release. The film, which also boasts double role by Rajinikanth, revolves around a small-time thief who reforms after learning about the role his grandfather played in building a village dam that transformed many lives.

     

    On the other hand, Khoobsurat narrates the story of a chirpy and rule breaker physiotherapist Milli (Sonam Kapoor) who falls in love with a Rajput prince Vikram (Fawad Khan).

  • Sony re-jigs weekend programming for ‘Indian Idol Junior’

    Sony re-jigs weekend programming for ‘Indian Idol Junior’

    MUMBAI: While it may not have found favour with audiences on its fiction fare recently, Sony Entertainment Television is all set to enthrall audiences with the second season of its popular singing reality show format – Indian Idol Junior.

    The show, which will launch on 30 May, will be aired at 8.30 pm on weekends. With this, Adaalat, which was aired from 8 – 9 pm on Sony, will now get a new time slot and will be aired from 7.30 – 8.30 pm. Additionally, Bhanwar, which aired at 9 pm will be taken off air. The show’s last episode will be on 24 May.

     

    Indian Idol Junior, this time round, will see the juniors paying a tribute to the maestros of Indian music at the season’s grand launch. With the success of the first season, Sony Entertainment Television is upbeat about giving talented youngsters this platform to exhibit their talent yet again.

     

    What’s more, the talent quotient for this season has gone several notches higher with the inclusion of actor Sonakshi Sinha as one of the judges.

     

    Speaking to Indiantelevision.com at the launch of the show, Sony Entrainment Television senior executive vice president and business head Nachiket Pantvaidya said, “The unique thing about this show is that for the first time ever, we are using a celebrity i.e. Sonakshi Sinha as a representative of the common people. You normally find that the judges are experts in their own fields but with Sonakshi, we want to explore the connect further.”

     

    “With the second edition of Indian Idol Junior, we intend to bring the entire family together and recreate the entertainment quotient of this season substantially while gifting the music industry with some really outstanding talent,” Pantvaidya added.

     

    Sharing insights on her television debut, Sinha said, “Playback singing is unique to Indian cinema. For our films, music is as essential an entity as the story. With every era of movies, there has come a whole generation of musicians who have almost immortalized some movies through the music. I’m really excited and happy to be associated with Indian Idol Junior, a reality show that celebrates music and creates platform for young talent to follow their dreams and reach out to the stars.”

     

    Sony Entertainment Television chief creative officer Ajay Bhalwankar added, “The whole selection process, auditions, theatre took about a year. The gala rounds episodes will go on for fourteen weeks and will have the normal voting system like previous formats.”

     

    Fremantle Media India managing director Anupama Mandloi said, “It’s always been nice to work with this format. We have been doing it for years now and this time it’s special because we found talent across the country – north, south, east and west.  Also in time to come, you will see what surprises this season will bring.”

     

    Sony has brought on board three sponsors for the second season of Indian Idol Junior. While Horlicks is the ‘presenting’ sponsor, Lifebuoy and Aquaguard have associated with the show as ‘co-powered by’ sponsors.

     

    Apart from Sinha, the show will have judges like Vishal Dadlani, Salim Merchant and Shalmali Kholgade. It will be hosted by Hussain Kuwajerwala and Asha Negi.

  • Best Deal TV registers Rs 3 crore in sales in first month

    Best Deal TV registers Rs 3 crore in sales in first month

    MUMBAI: When newbie Best Deal TV launched so late in the day as a home shopping channel, the naysayers emerged saying that CEO and cofounder Raj Kundra (the co-owner of Rajasthan Royals) was throwing good money after bad. The home shopping television market is dominated by south Korean major, which runs Shop CJ (erstwhile Star CJ Alive) and HomeShop18. And with DEN Networks setting up a joint venture to promote DEN SnapDeal TV Shop, the market was clearly looking crowded and competitive. Star India in fact took note of this when it decided to sell out its stake in Star CJ Alive to PE firm Providence Equity.

     

    A month and a half into the business, Best Deal TV co-promoter Raj Kundra (the other partner is Akshay Kumar) says Best Deal TV is doing very well, thank you. He reveals that the newbie has managed to generate Rs 3 crore in sales in the month since its launch.

     

    “We are on target to reach our first year’s gross sales target of Rs 150 crore,” he says. “Our chairperson actually delivered the 10,000th order to one of our customers personally.”

     

    The channel’s USP is that celebrities like Sonakshi Sinha, Malaika Arora Khan, Bipasha Basu and more, will be endorsing their products.

     

     

    Kundra recently roped in well known home-grown kitchen appliances brand Sumeet Appliances to sell its reputed mixer grinder on the channel. The deal is for three years and will be renewed depending on the sales the product chalks up.

     

     He reveals that the idea to join hands with Sumeet came from his personal concerns to address Sumeet’s distribution issues. Having known Sumeet Appliances MD Ajay Mathur for a long time, Kundra was surprised to know that the once leading kitchen mixer-grinder brand was having distribution issues.

     

    “I was appalled to find out that most of the 30,000 to 40,000 Sumeet products, which were being sold in the market were all fakes. Ajay shared how it was next to impossible to lodge litigation at each and every fakes in the market. That’s when I suggested that they re-launch the product with Best Deal TV,” shares Kundra.

     

     When asked if Best Deal TV will have exclusive rights in selling all Sumeet products, Mathur clarifies, “Not for all products, but we are introducing the new and improved Sumeet mixer grinder, the ‘Grinder Man’ through Best Deal TV, which will also have exclusive selling rights for it.”

     

    Best Deal TV will, however, have to go through the grind if it wants to penetrate the Rs 2,200-odd crore Indian home shopping market.

  • Sony to push digital platform Liv for ‘Indian Idol Junior’ auditions

    Sony to push digital platform Liv for ‘Indian Idol Junior’ auditions

    MUMBAI: It’s time for all the little ones to strengthen their vocal cords and showcase their talent as Indian Idol Junior (IIJ) is back with a bang on Sony Entertainment Television. And this time round, Sony is looking at giving its digital platform – Sony Liv a push via the show’s auditions.

     

    For the first time ever, IIJ will give a chance to the audience to be a part of the auditions through a digital process called Digital Ace.

     

    To take part, all kids have to do is upload their best audio or video performances on the Sony Liv website or the Sony Liv app. A digital jury will review all the performances and will select 12 kids who will be called to Mumbai for the Jury Round. Out of the 12 performances, the top four will get an opportunity to perform in front of the show’s judges.

     

    This second edition of IIJ will be judged by Vishal Dadlani, Salim Merchant and Sonakshi Sinha. Singer Shalmali Kholgade will be the special judge for the auditions. 

     

    The first leg of the auditions kickstarted in Kolkata on 4 April and saw outstanding participation from kids. The city also saw the show bring in a new twist to the audition process with the announcement of digital auditions.

     

    SET SVP and marketing head Gaurav Seth said, “After the over-whelming response received last season, we are delighted to announce the commencement of Indian Idol Junior auditions. We would like to urge all the kids to show their singing talent and be a part of the new season. Digital Ace will only help kids to give the long lines a skip and impress the judges through their audios or videos. It’s definitely an endeavor that will help aspirants all over.”

     

     

    Dadlani added, “I am thrilled to be part of Indian Idol Junior once again. Looking at such talented kids is an inspiration in itself. Kolkata has always given us some of our best contestants and this time too we were not disappointed. We are also looking forward to the performances of the winners of the Digital Ace. We are sure this season is going to be an equally exciting one.”

     

    After Kolkata, the audition process will move to Delhi, Chandigarh and Mumbai on 11 April, 18 April and 25 April respectively.