ITV

Tag: Tara

  • Bodhitree Multimedia’s Gunaah season 2 to premier on Disney+Hotsstar on 3 Jan

    Bodhitree Multimedia’s Gunaah season 2 to premier on Disney+Hotsstar on 3 Jan

    MUMBAI: Come 3 January and Bodhitree Multimedia’s second season of drama Gunaah is going to premier  on Disney+Hotstar.  This new season takes the intensity up a notch, delving deeper into a gripping tale of revenge, betrayal, and love. With more twists, emotional drama, and shocking revelations, it promises to keep viewers on the edge of their seats. It  stars  Abhimanyu (Gashmeer Mahajani), Tara (Surbhi Jyoti), Shiva (Zayn Iqbal Khan), JK (Darshan Pandya) and Michael (Shashank Ketkar) amongst others, 

    Director Anil Senior said, “I’m beyond excited to bring Gunaah Season 2 to our audience. After the overwhelming success of Season 1 on Disney+ Hotstar, we knew we had to raise the stakes even higher. This season isn’t just about revenge and betrayal; it’s about exploring the raw, unfiltered emotions of each character. Their journeys are more complex, and I believe viewers will truly connect with the depth of their struggles. It’s been a thrilling challenge to push the boundaries of storytelling and create an even more intense and immersive experience. I can’t wait for everyone to see what we’ve put together.” 

    Bodhitree Multimedia producer & managing drector Mautik Tolia added, “The return of Gunaah with its second season is a reflection of the incredible response and love the audience has given to this series. At Bodhitree Multimedia, we strive to create stories that resonate deeply and Gunaah is no exception. This season delves into the complexities of human relationships, blending intense drama with emotions that are both raw and real. It has been an awarding journey bringing this story to life and we are thrilled to take audiences on another unforgettable ride.” 

    Surbhi Jyoti, who plays Tara, expressed, “Season 1 introduced everyone to Tara’s world—her struggles, her relationships, and the weight of her choices. But Season 2 is on a whole new level. Tara is thrown into situations that challenge everything she stands for, pushing her strength and emotions to their very limits. The twists in her relationship with Abhimanyu are heart-wrenching and raw, and I think anyone who has ever wrestled with love, guilt, or redemption will deeply connect with her story. I’m so excited for audiences to see this side of her—it’s emotional, intense, and full of surprises!”   

     Gashmeer Mahajani, who plays Abhimanyu, shared, “Abhimanyu’s journey in Gunaah Season 2 is nothing short of extraordinary. This time, his choices are more difficult, his struggles are more profound, and his vulnerabilities are laid bare. It was both challenging and rewarding to portray his evolution, especially as he navigates the tumultuous relationships and high-stakes decisions that define this season. I’m confident that viewers will resonate with the complexities of his character and the emotional depth of his story.” 

  • Jio Studios announces Kannada debut with Kotee

    Jio Studios announces Kannada debut with Kotee

    Mumbai: Leading content studio Jio Studios announced its debut in Kannada cinema with the exciting announcement of drama thriller Kotee, featuring the talented Dhananjay and helmed by director Param. The occasion was marked with the launch of the film’s teaser at an event in Bangalore.

    One of the foremost content creators in the country, following a string of recent blockbusters including Baipan Bhari Deva (Marathi), Article 370, Teri Baaton Mein Aisa Uljha Jiya, Shaitaan, and Laapataa Ladies, Jio Studios is set to further solidify its position as a leading creative force with its foray into Kannada.

    In the upcoming Kotee, Dhananjay plays the character of a young man named ‘Kotee’, which translates to a crore in Kannada. A writer transforms his experiences into a story. An actor translates the story on to the cine screen. Dhananjay is one of those sensitive actors who lives the role, rather than enact it.

    Excited about his role and elaborating the myriad hues of Kotee’s world, Nata Rakshasa Dhananjay said, “People think if they can get a crore rupees, or are able to earn so much, they can feel settled in life. Our man Kotee thinks so too. You can find a Kotee in every home, every family, and it could be a brother or son. Such people think that by earning so much, they can solve their problems, and live happily ever after.”

    He further added, “The fun part of life is that there is a Kotee in each one of us. Playing the role allowed me to explore the layers of ‘Kotee’ hidden deep inside me. Watch the movie to discover the ‘Kotee’ in you”.

    Param, making his directorial debut with Kotee, brings a wealth of expertise in storytelling with his successful stints with TV serials and reality shows for Colors Kannada and has taken up the challenge of adapting his talent to the larger canvas.

    Commenting on his debut as a film maker, Param said, “It’s an indescribable feeling to see my vision come to life on the silver screen with ‘Kotee’. I extend my heartfelt thanks to Jio Studios and Jyoti Deshpande for believing in my story and giving me the wings to soar. Their unwavering commitment towards nurturing storytellers is not just about making films, it is about growing content, amplifying diverse voices, and shaping narratives. As Jio Studios continues to expand its footprints, we hope to recreate a similar success story in Kannada cinema as well”.

    Among the star cast, model Moksha Kushal hailing from Coorg makes her debut as leading lady opposite Dhananjay, marking a vital break for her. Ramesh Indira, who won popular acclaim as the negative character in ‘Sapta Saagaradache Ello’ plays a prominent role in the movie. Rangayana Raghu, Tara, Prithvi Shamanuru, Sardar Satya and Tanuja Venkatesh are seen in other prominent roles.

    Kotee boasts of a solid team with Vasuki Vaibhav composing music for the five songs in ‘Kotee’, three of which have been written by Yogaraj Bhat and one by Vasuki himself. The background score, set by Nobin Paul of ‘777 Charlie’ and Malayalam super hit ‘2018’ fame, which is edited by Prateek Shetty of ‘Kantara’ fame. Camera work is by Arun Brahman, who partnered Param in his small screen journey as cinematographer.

    The release of the film’s teaser has sparked widespread excitement about Dhananjay living the title role through his natural acting, and Ramesh Indira emerging as a major ‘villain’. Kotee is set to release on 14 June 2024.

  • Complaints against ads up 14% in half year period in FY23: ASCI report

    Complaints against ads up 14% in half year period in FY23: ASCI report

    Mumbai: The Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) released its half-yearly complaints report, which consists of data from April to September 2022.

    During the period, it processed 3,340 complaints against 2,764 advertisements that were in potential violation of the ASCI code. About 55 per cent of these ads were spotted across the digital domain, followed by 39 per cent in print and five per cent on television.

    As compared to 2021-22, ASCI saw a 14 per cent rise in the number of complaints while witnessing a 35 per cent increase in the number of ads processed. Education remained the most violative sector, with 27 per cent of the complaints related to it; 22 per cent belonged to the classical education category, while five per cent were from the ed tech sector.

    These were followed by personal care (14 per cent), food & beverages (13 per cent), healthcare (13 per cent) and gaming (4 per cent). ASCI’s surveillance remains strong, picking up 65 per cent of the ads processed suo motu.

    98 per cent of consumers’ complaints were received by the artificial-intelligence-based complaints management system TARA. The introduction of TARA has given consumers a comprehensive, hassle-free redressal process. About 16 per cent of the total complaints recorded were from consumers, followed by 15 per cent from the government, while intra-industry complaints comprised three per cent. Of the 2,764 potentially objectionable ads processed, 32 per cent were not contested by the advertisers, 59 per cent were found to be in violation of the ASCI code, and eight per cent were found not to be violating the code.

    Speaking about the survey, ASCI CEO and secretary general Manisha Kapoor said: “Looking at the rapid growth of digital advertising, we have invested heavily in ad-surveillance technology. We will continue to upgrade and streamline our processes to provide a more responsive platform to all stakeholders, including consumers, brands, and government bodies. In our constant pursuit of transparency, we have released a comprehensive report about the kinds of complaints and outcomes that ASCI has looked into during the first six months of the financial year.”

    Of the total complaints received by ASCI, 28 per cent of the violations were by influencers. Of the 781 complaints processed against influencers, 34 per cent were from the personal care category, followed by food and beverage at 17 per cent, and virtual digital assets at 10 per cent.

    As part of the report, ASCI also published a list of cases handled as well as non-compliant influencers and brands.

    Check the full report here:

     

  • Bindass to roll out two youth centric shows in November

    Bindass to roll out two youth centric shows in November

    MUMBAI: Bindass, the Hindi entertainment channel targeted at the Indian youth owned by Disney India has always connected to the youth by providing content and a free spirited zesty time. 

     

    The channel will be adding two new shows targeted at the youth this November.

     

    The first show titled Tu Con Main Con will be launched on 7 November. The promo of the show is smart, zesty, and sleek and also includes a lot of gizmo and gadgets. Tara and Dhruv are roped as the leads for the show. The plot talks about two con artists who with their charming personalities and smart actions, spindle the fraudsters in the society. The program is produced by SunShine and will run every Saturday at 7 pm.

     

    Next in line is a classic sitcom, a laughathon titled Kota Toppers produced by BodhiTree. Slated to go on air on 20 November, this show be aired every Friday at 7 pm. Kota Toppers sheds light on the lives of six characters from Vardhan Coaching Classes namely Abhay, Naici, Raghav, Saina, Piyush, Siddharth and Riya, trying their luck to clear the IIT exam. The storyline talks about the logic and reason of the group behind preparing for the exams, Vardhan’s quirky and different style of teaching, the group ganging up against an external factor, their conflicts and interpersonal dynamics.

     

    Talking about the two new shows, Disney India – Media Networks VP and head – content and communication Vijay Subramaniam said, “We have constantly evolved when it comes to the content broadcasted on Bindass. I strongly believe that youth power is gender neutral. We have all passed through the ‘over-enthusiastic’ phase in our lives. So I think it is very important for us to connect to the youth with our shows. The youth will share a bond, a connection with these two new shows on board. Tu Con Mein Con will emotionally connect with the youth raising many questions about the characters, whereas Kota Toppers will help the students shed off all their stress by simply laughing it out.”

     

    Currently the channel airs youth centric shows like Yeh Hai Aashiqui, Halla Bol and Love by Chance amongst others with a wide catalogue of Bollywood music from morning to noon.

    Bindass launched the third season of the show Yeh Hai Aashiqui – Sun Yaar Try Maar on 25 October, which is produced by Lotus Talkies and airs every Sunday at 7 pm. Maintaining the element of love to its core, the third season will feature a collection of one-sided love stories experienced by people and traces how they expressed their feelings to their loved ones. The show has brands like L’oreal and Glam-Up on board.

     

    Speaking on the same, Subramaniam said, “This show highlights the lives of people who love someone but don’t have courage to convey it. The story talks about the journey of such lovebirds who muster courage to go and admit it. After the success of Yeh hai Aashiqui, we are really looking forward to this new season.”

     

    With BARC releasing its all India data including rural areas, Subramaniam believes that this new data will definitely help the channel grow and will equally be effective as the channel grows in the rural areas too. The channel is working with reference to the youth dynamics from the consumers and the broadcast will continue to provide services regardless of territory.

     

    “With increased digitisation, the aspirations are constant. Young people are young people and their hopes, dreams, wishes, everything is similar. It does not matter where they come from,” added Subramaniam.

  • Film inspired by gang rape victim case in Delhi set for release next month

    Film inspired by gang rape victim case in Delhi set for release next month

    NEW DELHI: “Tara – The Journey of Love & Passion”, a film inspired by the case of the gang rape victim in Delhi last December, is being released on 12 July after having acclaim at several festivals overseas.

    Awnindra Pratap Pandey (Boyfriend of the gang rape victim generally referred to as Nirbhaya) said: “I totally feel for the cause on which this film is based and I am happy that someone has taken the step towards empowerment of Women. I hope this small step would lead to the betterment of the society and provides a message to everyone.”

    Speaking a press meet in Delhi, lead actress Rekha Rana said, “I am from Delhi and I was very upset with the Nirbhaya incident. I feel lucky that this film came to me. This is the kind of role I have been looking forward to.”

    Producer and Director Kumar Raj said, "I happened to attend one of her (Rekha’s) plays, I had already auditioned more than 300 girls and was in search for leading lady for a very long time.” Impressed with her stage presence, Rekha was called by Kumar for an audition in front of ten people including the writer, out of which nine people voted for her."

    This powerful story of self-discovery transcends the original theme of tribal strife to raise a universal question: Can you always choose freedom and self-respect over social acceptance? The journey of the ordinary woman Tara in extraordinary situations reveals the story of love and passion and how she deals with this dilemma.

  • Mamata Banerjee plans to start state-run channel

    Mamata Banerjee plans to start state-run channel

    MUMBAI: West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee loves to be in news, for whatever reasons. After gaining intense criticism and negative publicity over several recent decisions, she is now planning to launch her own television channel and a newspaper.

    Banerjee said today that she would start a television channel and a newspaper to disseminate correct information and publicise the activities and achievements of the government.

    She said, “I have already told my ministers that I want to start a channel and a newspaper for the West Bengal government.”

    “No matter how many good deeds we do, they are not broadcast in the right way, instead are broadcast negatively… That is why I think we have to do something good ourselves and that is why we have taken the decision to show the work done in West Bengal…We need our own news channel and paper to inform the people,” Banerjee said at a convention in Kolkata.

    Last month, Banerjee had drawn criticism after her government came out with a list of newspapers to be kept at the state-run libraries, keeping out some prominent English dailies out of the list.

    Last Thursday, she advised people in her state not to watch “some news channels”; they should instead watch entertainment channels. “Do not watch the two television channels that are spreading falsehood against us, watch Star Jalsa, Tara and Channel 10,” she had said while addressing a government programme in North 24 Parganas.

  • AXN celebrates the lunar new year with abundant ratings

    MUMBAI: Chinese New Year celebrations started early for AXN! Kicking off an auspicious start to the Year of the Pig, February proved to be a month of great results for AXN in both Singapore and Malaysia. Starting with a big bang, 1 February 2007 saw the finale of the very first The Amazing Race Asia hitting record ratings in Malaysia. Celebrations continued with the special programming stunt during Chinese New Year and with the premiere of the highly-anticipated brand new season of number one crime series, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation.

    Original Production a B!G Hit – AXN was No. 1 Every Week!
    Certainly living up to its claim of being “made in Asia for Asians”, The Amazing Race Asia (TARA), a massive production undertaken by AXN to give Asians the rare opportunity of participating in the Asian version of this four-time Emmy Award-winning reality series, proved to be a huge hit with viewers.

    National pride spurred record ratings for the finale, as countrymen rallied behind their daughters and son as two out of the final three teams were represented by Malaysia. Not to be underestimated, The Amazing Race Asia claimed the title for the most-watched series beating all past 10 seasons of the US version!

    The entire season of TARA attracted a total of 15 million viewers across Asia, and consistently ranked top in its timeslot amongst international cable channels in Singapore and Malaysia throughout the season.

    February B!G Month – AXN Remains Top English Entertainment Channel A line-up of compelling programmes made AXN the leading choice channel during the festive period of Chinese New Year.

    Average ratings for the four days, including the busy night of reunion dinners on New Year’s Eve, put AXN as the number one English entertainment channel amongst all cable viewers and cable PMEB viewers for both prime time and full day.

    Blockbuster action movies, including Black Hawk Down and Terminator 3, and the highly anticipated “live” telecast of The Amazing Race: All Stars premiere on the morning of 19 February, the second day of Chinese New Year, glued viewers to their seats. A special two-hour premiere of the latest season of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation on 21 February rounded off the celebrations when it garnered about 22% share of all cable viewers, making AXN the leading international cable channel during its timeslot.

    Mr. Ricky Ow, General Manager of SPE Networks – Asia, is delighted with AXN’s pole position, “The fantastic ratings results we achieved in Singapore and Malaysia show that our efforts to connect with the viewers on-air, off-air, online and on-ground have paid off handsomely.

    “AXN is the distinct leader in the English entertainment category amongst international cable channels, where we enjoy a huge margin in terms of both Prime Time and Full Day average ratings. As fans of AXN will know, they can expect more exciting programme line-up and surprises from us this year… just keep watching this space!”

  • Worldspace launched a series on ‘Soundtracks of your life’

    Worldspace launched a series on ‘Soundtracks of your life’

    MUMBAI: Worldspace Satellite Radio has launched a new series Soundtrack of Your Life, which will broadcast across multiple channels on the Worldspace Satellite Radio network.

    The series will bring in music from the movies of various genres and languages ranging from Hollywood soundtracks to Bollywood’s all time background scores as well as regional film hits in Kannada, Telugu and Bengali. 
    This new program kicked off on 23 October and will air till 31 December on a host of channels on Worldspace satellite radio network. 

    Jhankaar, Farishta, Shruti, Gandharv, Spin, Spandana, Sparsha, Tara and Falak Soundtrack of your life will go beyond just music to present a host of interviews with composers, actors and directors as well as on-air features and performances and much more, creating a compelling radio magazine on the impact of music on the movies.

    “At Worldspace, we are committed to presenting to our subscribers with innovative new content unavailable anywhere else on radio,” said Worldspace India chief marketing officer Harshad Jain. “We are confident that our first-of-their-kind initiatives will further establish our brand as the best source for exclusive program listening in our markets.”

    Program Highlights
    Jhankaar – 23 October to 29 October
    A week long series of exclusive interviews with award winning music directors like Salim-Suleiman, Sandeep Chowta, Raju Singh, Vishal Shekar and Ranjit Barot, who share their perspectives on trends in the Hindi film music scene today.

    Spin – 30 October to 5 November 
    Spin plays songs of well-know composers like Michael Kamen, Danny Elfman, Hans Zimmer, Randy Newman and John Williams – all renowned for some stellar background scores for movies on 4 November, 11 am to 12 PM – Radio Talkies’ OST, ties up with Soundtrack of Your Life with Radio Talkies, which is a weekly film special on the Big Bang (our breakfast show).

    Gandharv – 13 November to 19 November 
    Gandharv traces the trajectory of folk music and the inspiration that Hindi movies have drawn from Hindustani Classical Music. The series features songs of popular Bollywood music directors like Pahadi & Mand and songs from legendary films like Teesri Kasam, Ganga Jumna, Lekin to the present day hits like Omkara.

    Farishta – 27 November – 3 December 
    Farishta will trace the career of Husnlal Bhagatram – Hindi cinema’s first ever composer duo who started their career in the 40s. Radio Farishta will play 150 fresh songs composed by this duo, procured from a private collector exclusively for the series – these songs are not available elsewhere. Additionally, Radio Farishta will interview people who’ve worked with the duo and surviving family members.

    Falak – 25 December – 31 December 
    Falak will present special programs for seven days presenting different aspects and influence of Urdu ghazals and lyrics in Indian cinema. The programmes will include a detailed description by prominent scholars on Parsi theatre and theatre songs in Hindi cinema, melodious and memorable Urdu songs of Hindi cinema, classical ghazals of legendry poets sang by prominent singers in Hindi cinema.