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Tag: The Rock

  • &flix brings the #FlixFirstScreening of ‘Jumanji: The Next Level’

    &flix brings the #FlixFirstScreening of ‘Jumanji: The Next Level’

    MUMBAI: A terrifying jungle, gigantic beasts and a squad on the run! &flix, the destination for the biggest Hollywood hits, is set to bring the next #FlixFirstScreening – catch the adventure-fantasy hit ‘Jumanji: The Next Level’. A chance to #LeapForth into the world of action, adventure and drama, #FlixFirstScreening offers viewers a special preview of the biggest Hollywood blockbusters and this time it’s surely ‘the next level’ of action and entertainment.

    After successful Flix First Screenings of blockbuster movies like Once Upon A Time In Hollywood, Spider-Man: Homecoming, Men In Black: International, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, Venom and Spider-Man: Far from Home, &flix brings the third installment of the popular Jumanji franchise. The channel is all set to host the premiere across Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore and Chennai. 

    Catering to the enthusiasm and anticipation around the film, &flix has an exciting opportunity in store. The channel has launched a quirky digital engagement across its social media handles to entice fans.

    In Jumanji: The Next Level, the gang is back but the game has changed. As they return to Jumanji to rescue one of their own, they discover that nothing is as they expected. The players will have to brave parts unknown and unexplored, from the arid deserts to the snowy mountains, in order to escape the world’s most dangerous game. Director Jake Kasdan brings together a star-studded ensemble cast comprising Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson, Jack Black, Kevin Hart, Karen Gillan and Nick Jonas among others.Hop on to the adventure ride and run for your life with the #FlixFirstScreening of Jumanji: The Next Level on December 12, 2019, before anyone else

  • The Rock and SpikeTV announce ‘Rock The Troops’

    The Rock and SpikeTV announce ‘Rock The Troops’

    MUMBAI: Seven Bucks Productions has joined forces with Spike TV and Casey Patterson Entertainment to create Rock The Troops, a grand scale music and entertainment event to celebrate and entertain deployed US Troops serving overseas.

     

    The Spike Original Special will be filmed at a Military Base overseas, location to be announced in the coming months. Rock The Troops will bow on Veterans Day 2016. The star-studded event will feature live performances from headliners from the worlds of music, movies, comedy, sports and more.

     

    “Dwayne Johnson has always made supporting the brave men and women serving overseas a priority throughout his career. Our mission is to honor, inspire and entertain in an epic way, as only The Rock can. He’ll bring all the heart, humor and big-bad energy that the world loves him for, to this show. I couldn’t have more dedicated partners than Dwayne, Dany and the Seven Bucks team for this very worthy event,” said executive producer Casey Patterson.

     

    “Supporting troops and veterans is part of Spike’s DNA,” said Spike TV president Kevin Kay.

     

    Spike has actively supported America’s heroes throughout the last decade from helping to build a hospital for troops with brain injuries, to the “Hire A Vet” campaign, to the VOW initiative focusing on veterans’ health and wellness.

     

    “The Seven Bucks team and I are honored to help create this special project that is going to give back to our troops and thank them for all their dedication, bravery and sacrifice,” said Johnson. “We are going to make something truly monumental,” added Seven Bucks Productions co-founder Dany Garcia.

     

    Spike and Seven Bucks Productions announced a development deal at the Spike Upfront presentation to advertisers and press in March. This is the first special event announced as part of the deal.

  • WWE: Ready to wrestle it out

    WWE: Ready to wrestle it out

    MUMBAI:  If you grew up in the 90s then you would clearly remember the greatest moment of WWE’s attitude era. That day, Stone Cold, arguably the most known face of the time, drove a beer truck straight into the arena where wrestler The Rock, WWE (then known as WWF) chairman Vince MacMohan and his son Shane were busy shooting a promo. The tension between Cold and MacMohan was known but what he did that day left fans spellbound. Cold left the three drenched as he sprayed them with tones of beer leaving them as well as audiences stumped.  

    The period also had the likes of The Undertaker, Triple H, Chris Jericho and the New Age Outlaws, who were household names. When not on screens, these names came alive through trading cards that kids, especially teenagers, invested their pocket money in.

    Fans will definitely remember the animosity shared by the Cain and Abel; The Undertaker and his half brother Kane. The matches were not just mere fights, but spectacles of rivalry clubbed with excellent storylines, metallic music entrances, blazing fire and aerial stunts, all for the ultimate Championship belt that signified attitude, glory and honour.

    ‘If you smell what the Rock is cooking’ wasn’t a kitchen related term at all but the most memorable catchphrase of The Rock, which was on everyone’s lips.

    In India however, as other sporting leagues came into being and with GECs serving a variety of shows, it didn’t take much time for the WWE mania to phase out. Over the years, terms like chokeslam, brainbuster, piledriver lost their charm.

    The early 2000s did see little spurts of excitement and mentions when India saw the debut of The Great Khali on WWE television on Smackdown, pitted against the Undertaker in 2006.

    WWE programming is broadcast in more than 150 countries and 35 languages and reaches more than 600 million homes worldwide. In terms of global viewership, India is ranked third after the US and UK reaching 140 million viewers a year.

    The fresh five year deal with the wrestling body to air WWE matches on Ten Sports has been pegged at close to $100 million and will see investments in multiple forms to grow the WWE ecosystem in India.

    While other broadcasters had shown a keen interest in acquiring the property, WWE India general manager Rukn Kizilbash says, “We can’t imagine another partner. There were others who were interested since WWE is a hot property but ultimately the best choice was Ten Sports.”

    He informs that specials like Wrestlemania alone receive 2.5 million viewers per airing.

    Ten Sports CEO Rajesh Sethi proudly says, “Monthly specials including Wrestlemania, SummerSlam, Royal Rumble, Survivor Series have seen its popularity increasing among viewers in India. Specials along with the weekly RAW show will for the first time be carried live in India on the network with the new deal and will also include the popular Main Event.”

    The channel has taken a step forward as it will air content in multiple Indian languages and will also have live events probably like the GrandSlam being held in India.

    As for the WWE licensed products, which are created by more than 130 licensees worldwide and available at major retailers like Kmart, Walmart, GameStop, Tesco, Ackermans etc abroad, in India Kizilbash says licensing is still in a very nascent stage. He informs that their licensing agent in India is Dream Theatre and Pro Line, its apparel partner will be launching its collection next month.

    WWE India also has plans of coming up with stand alone WWE stores in India in a year or two.

    “WWE products are available in product categories for kids and adults but our focus is on kids. These products include lunchboxes, schoolbags, backpacks, playing and trading cards, video games etc. But the toy Mattel figures are our basic staple merchandise” says Kizilbash. Since 2010, global toy company Mattel has been WWE’s master partner in the toy category and for the third consecutive year in 2013 saw WWE ranked as the number two action figure brand in the US (NPD January 2013 – December 2013) says the website of WWE. While counterfeits products are a challenge to WWE, the publicly traded company has a strong legal team, based in the US which looks after the same.

    While games like Super Mario and the joystick enthralled kids of the 1990s, WWE games have entertained kids in India too. Now, it is launching the much awaited video game WWE 2K15 which will be launched worldwide on 31 October 2014. E-commerce platforms like Flipkart and Amazon in India have currently priced it at Rs 2,499.

    To promote the sport in India, WWE recently got superstar and Intercontinental Champion Wade Barrett better known as Bad News Barrett to the country. Ten Sports also organised a special visit of another superstar ‘Big Show’ at New Delhi and Mumbai earlier in the year. These visits are part of the deal between the two partners and will see similar promotional tours.

    Group M ESP national director- entertainment sports and live events Vinit Karnik says it is not difficult to host on ground events in India once the necessary approvals like security and crowd management have been taken care of.

    WWE is set to grow in India due to a growing younger population and an increased spending power of consumers. “WWE as a premium property has a massive fan base in India especially among kids” he adds.

    With a blueprint in front, the sport is all set to make a comeback and thrill the Indian youth, once again.

  • WrestleMania XXX: The Undertaker’s streak ends…

    WrestleMania XXX: The Undertaker’s streak ends…

    MUMBAI: The most anticipated event of World Wrestling Entertainment – WrestleMania – always springs a few surprises and leaves the audience spellbound with the shear grandeur and glitz around the ‘Super Bowl of Wrestling’.   

    But very few would have expected such a shocker, in what could be termed as the end of an era. Seeing The Undertaker actually lose at WrestleMania is going to be a talking point for months, but Bryan’s win begins the “YES’ title reign.

    WrestleMania XXX host Hulk Hogan kicked off the festivities as he transported thousands of fans to their childhood, only to hear The Rattle Snake’s – Stone Cold Steve Austin – theme music play and it sent the fans into a frenzy; he was soon followed by Miami’s own Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson. They blew people’s minds by standing in the same ring together. It was the biggest star of the 1980s with the most popular performers of the 1990s Attitue Era and into the new millennium. The cross-generational moment set the tone for the evening’s proceedings with the coolest beer bash in history.

    The stage was set to witness Daniel Bryan fight for a title opportunity against the King of Kings – Triple H – who appeared in “Game of Thrones” style on a throne. The Game always has some of the most epic entrances at WrestleMania over the years and this year was no different.

    This match could well be termed as the biggest opening match in WrestleMania history. It had to be scheduled to also give either one of the winners get some time to recuperate for the Triple Threat WWE World Heavyweight match. If my memory serves right it was way back in 1994 in WrestleMania X, which saw Owen Hart take on Bret Hart for best opener in the grand event’s storied history.

    Bryan triumphed against all odds and qualified for the main event title match. WWE must be commended for such a great script for the ‘Biggest Underdog Story’. The match had ring psychology, brawling and to add to the mix Stephanie McMahon standing ringside to support her COO husband. Post the defeat the frustrated authorities berated him verbally and physically even as Triple H destroyed Bryan’s already injured arm/shoulder.

    Next-up, The Shield squared-off against Kane and The New Age Outlaws. This match was made for The Shield to settle the score with Kane, who had trouble taming ‘The Hounds of Justice’, and thus used his authoritative powers to punish them. The Shield made easy work of this match as Ambrose and Rollins hit dual suicide dives on The Outaws and then Reigns hits a Spear on Kane and a double Spear on the Outlaws followed by both Outlaws given the Triple Powerbomb at the same time, to win.

    Next on the slate was the inaugural Andre the Giant 30-Man Memorial Battle Royal, which saw Big Show make the first entrance in a one strap singlet as an homage to Andre. Other big men Brodus Clay and Khali were eliminated early on. And Big Show eliminated Mark Henry from the match. After random eliminations every 15-20 seconds to get things down to about half of what we started with. Fandango gets the crowd Fandangoing on the apron until Sheamus hits him with so many shots to the chest that he can just lightly push him off the apron to the floor.

    Carrying on, Cesaro hits Rey with a big uppercut as he is coming back into the ring to eliminate him from the match. Ziggler takes a huge uppercut, followed by Kofi barely saving himself from elimination by keeping his toes on the steps as he lands on the floor. Cesaro then swings Kofi around dozens of times before walking right into a Chokeslam from Big Show. Sheamus eliminates Kofi with a kick and Ziggler gets tossed out by Del Rio.

    The field is down to Cesaro, Del Rio, Sheamus and Big Show. Sheamus and Del Rio eliminate each other to leave it to Cesaro and Show. Cesaro starts nailing uppercuts and clotheslines and even comes off the top rope to only jump into a big slap to the chest. What followed left everyone speechless; Cesaro just picks Big Show up and drops him over the top rope like he it was nothing and is handed the ‘HUGE’ trophy of the inaugural Andre the Giant 30-Man Memorial Battle Royal.

    The festivities took a spooky turn as John Cena readies for his encounter with Bray Wyatt. Not much was expected of this face-off, and Cena picked up the pin fall victory over Wyatt.

    The match to follow was something that every WWE fan eagerly awaits, as for the past 21 years The Undertaker has remained unbeaten at the grandest stage of them all. The Phenom walked into the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana, ready to win again. He was flanked by 21 caskets, all labeled with the names of the fighters he had ‘put to rest’ in the past 21 years of WrestleMania. There was even a 22nd labeled Brock Lesnar – who he was about to fight.

    As the match progressed The Undertaker attempted to slam Brock with a second tombstone (and his throat-slashing gesture), but the beast countered and took The Undertaker up onto his shoulders. The Dead Man then was slammed, flat on his face with a thunderous F-5. Needless to say, in a final 1-2-3 count, the streak was over – and the crowd was shocked. The Superdome went silent in complete disbelief that they had just witnessed the end of an era.

    Introducing a loss that no one saw coming helps keep fans on the edge of their seat and interest high. There is no doubt this match will accomplish those feats. Still, this streak was an event in itself. It generated interest in every WrestleMania, and The Undertaker’s matches have been a perennial highlight. If the WWE was going to take this marketing tool away from itself, it should have done so in a way it could regularly build upon for the next year, and not with a part-timer in Brock Lesnar.

    To cool things down the Divas were called upon for AJ Lee’s title defense match. All 14 women are in the ring at once and it’s once fall to a finish. All the Divas try to pile on AJ and then they break up into separate fights. Several covers happen at once and everyone kicks out at once. Every Diva hits a move on each other one after the other. But AJ ends up retaining the title after making Naomi tap out to the Black Widow.

    Now all that is left is the final match of the night. After having qualified for this match after defeating the ‘King of Kings’, a battered and bruised Daniel Bryan was geared up to take on Batista and the champion Randy Orton in a Triple Threat title match.

    The match shapes up as it was supposed to, with all three fighting it out to come out a winner. In the end stages Bryan hits the running knee to Orton and Batista throws Bryan out of the ring to steal the pin, but Orton kicks out. Then, Batista hits Orton with the Batista bomb only to be hit with the running knee by Bryan. He locks in the Yes Lock and Batista taps.

    The crowd erupts as Bryan’s epic journey to the title finally comes to a close. What a great moment for a truly deserving wrestler.

    He has had one of the most epic journeys in the business. He clawed his way from the bottom through lesser known wrestling outfits and became a fan favourite. His story of becoming the biggest thing in the WWE with his ‘YES’ movement has certainly paid off, with this title win at WrestleMania XXX.

    Confetti rain from the rafters as Bryan celebrates an amazing win. We all knew it was coming, but seeing it come true is something totally different.

    What a night of ups and downs. This Mania will have people talking for a long time.

  • The stage is set for WrestleMania XXX

    The stage is set for WrestleMania XXX

    MUMBAI: The biggest and grandest event from World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) is here with a bang. This time around WrestleMania XXX is taking place at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on Sunday in New Orleans.

     

    Estimates of 70,000 people are expected to attend the main event on Sunday, while 125,000 take in all the events surrounding the wrestling spectacle. The ‘Super Bowl of Wrestling’ will be hosted by the WWE legend Hulk Hogan and there are also rumors doing rounds of Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson and Stone Cold Steve Austin being a part of the mega event.

     

    The Rock appeared at last year’s ‘Mania, being defeated by John Cena in a rematch of the previous year’s show. But Austin has not appeared at the biggest pay-per-view since 2011. And we’re guessing he wouldn’t fly all the way across the country to NOT Stone Cold stun some jabroni… and that’s the bottom line.

     

    And they are not the only big names that could be at this weekend’s big ticket event. There is a high possibility of Ric Flair, Shawn Michaels and Roddy Piper also being involved at some point during the Mania. 

    But before the Sunday action begins, the wrestlers – current and former – will be seen in their best suits and gowns on Saturday night to witness the ‘Hall of Fame’ induction ceremony from the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans. This time around the list of inductees include Mr. T., Jake “The Snake” Roberts, the Ultimate Warrior, Razor Ramon, Lita, Paul Bearer and Carlos Colon.

    Coming to the Mania itself now, the show looks set to focus on nostalgia, with the inaugural Andre the Giant battle royal being held. And of course, The Undertaker is again returning to defend his 21-0 streak, this time against former MMA bruiser and the beast, Brock Lesnar.

    The following matches are scheduled to take place this Sunday at the 30th edition of WrestleMania:-

     

    Undertaker vs Brock Lesnar

     

    This story has changed from week to week but it’s settled on a great angle. Undertaker has struggled more and more to keep the streak alive as the years have gone by, after marathon battles with Shawn Michaels and Triple H. The story is well scripted with Brock ‘the beast’ Lesnar having slaughtered both the wrestlers earlier. Let’s see if the company really wants to end the streak of the phenom this Sunday.

     

    Randy Orton vs Batista vs the winner of the Triple H vs. Daniel Bryan in a Triple Threat for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship

     

    Batista won the Royal Rumble and Orton has been rolling around insecure about his being the face of WWE for long. The thing about this is neither of them is on solid footing right now because the really hot feud is the Bryan vs Triple H match that will culminate at this event earlier in the night. The winner will be inserted into this match and the result will certainly be something interesting.

     

    The 30-Man Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal

     

    This is the inaugural event at WrestleMania and will feature 30 wrestlers in an old fashioned over the top sope battle royal. So far, here’s who has been announced to be a part of this segment: The Miz, Goldust, Cody Rhodes, Heath Slater, Drew McIntyre, Jinder Mahal, Sheamus, Christian, Titus O’Neil, Big Show, Damien Sandow, Big E, Curtis Axel, Fandango, Dolph Ziggler, Alberto Del Rio and Mark Henry.

     

    John Cena vs Bray Wyatt

     

    This match is like those dishes on a menu card which don’t really matter and are never really ordered but just act as fillers. For WWE to really slate such a match for John Cena on the grandest stage of them all is hard to believe.

     

    Other matches include: The Shield vs Kane and New Age Outlaws in a six-man tag; The Uso Brothers vs Ryback and Curtis Axel vs The Real Americans vs Los Matadores in a four-way for the WWE Tag Team Championship and finally, A.J. Lee will defend her WWE Divas Championship in a single-fall match against Naomi, Cameron, Brie Bella, Nikki Bella, Natalya, Eva Marie, Emma, Aksana, Alicia Fox, Summer Rae, Rosa Mendes, Layla and her ‘bodyguard’ Tamina in a single-fall match for the WWE Divas Championship.

     

    Indian fans can catch the action exclusively on Ten Sports on Monday 7 April at 6:00 pm, just a day after WrestleMania XXX takes place live in New Orleans.

  • Dwayne Johnson’s ‘Hercules’ movie trailer released

    Dwayne Johnson’s ‘Hercules’ movie trailer released

    MUMBAI: MGM and Paramount have come together to re-envision the classic Greek tale of the legend of Hercules starring Dwayne Johnson (The Scorpion King, Fast & Furious) as the legendary hero, adapted from Steve Moore’s graphic novel.

    The film boasts a stellar cast that includes Golden Globe Award winner Ian McShane (Deadwood, The Pillars of the Earth), BAFTA Award nominee Rufus Sewell (Eleventh Hour), BAFTA Award winner Joseph Fiennes (American Horror Story: Asylum), Emmy Award nominee Peter Mullan (Top of the Lake) and Golden Globe Award winner John Hurt (Midnight Express) and is directed by Brett Rattner (Rush Hour series).

    Ratner’s film follows the story of the warrior who, in the wake of his legendary twelve labours, becomes a mercenary. When the King of Thrace and his daughter seek him out for help to defeat a tyrannical warlord, his life is tested in a way it never has been before. Based on the graphic novel series Hercules: The Thracian Wars by Steven Moore and Admira Wijaya.

    The Rock took to Instagram to talk about the grueling preparations he undertook to get into the titular role for Hercules, which hits the big screen this summer.

    Click here to watch the trailer

    “I trained and worked harder than ever for eight months for this role. Lived alone and locked myself away (like a moody 260-lb. monk) in Budapest for six months while filming.” He said on his Instagram page, “Goal was to completely transform into this character. Disappear in the role. Press journalist asked me today, with the mental & physical toll the role had on me, would I do it again? Not only would I do it again… I’d do it twice!”

  • Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson hosts his first tv production ‘The Hero’ on AXN

    Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson hosts his first tv production ‘The Hero’ on AXN

    9 ordinary men and women; one extraordinary host and a search for ‘The Hero.’ Testing the physical abilities of the 9 contestants with extraordinaire challenges and testing their moral fiber with desirable temptations. Each week, the contestants will be tested physically, mentally, and morally, as they try to prove that they truly deserve the title of ‘The Hero’ and the life-changing chance of winning up to a million dollars in prize money. ‘The Hero’ will challenge the competitors to prove they’ve got what it takes to be heroes, pushing them to the limits to see what they are willing to overcome, undergo or sacrifice for the sake of their fellow contestants. The contestants include a fitness instructor, a single mother with 5 odd jobs, a construction worker, a trauma surgeon, a professional WWE wrestler and a married police officer.

     

    From the wrestling ring to the Hollywood screens, the legendary Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson now makes his way to your home though television. The World’s most celebrated Wrestler turned Hollywood Actor is taking up another new role of a Host and Executive Producer for ‘The Hero’ that premieres at 10 pm on 18th October exclusively on AXN. Dwayne ‘Rock’ Johnson will serve as The Hero’s mentor and motivator, encouraging the contestants to reach far beyond their personal limits. In the end, one player will rise above the others, overcoming obstacles he/she never thought possible in order to become a true hero.

     

    ‘The Hero will test the emotional, physical and characters of the contestants through the 8 episodes of the series. Catch all the action, suspense and thrill with Dwayne being a Rock stellar mentor with an unwavering moral compass. The Hero premieres on 18th October at 10 pm exclusively on AXN

  • WWE to boost consumer products business in India

    WWE to boost consumer products business in India

    MUMBAI: Sports entertainment company WWE today announced that it will launch a series of new consumer products throughout the country this year to better serve the fan base.

    WWE will roll out a new ‘Back to School‘ franchise beginning this month with licensees ‘My Baby Excel‘, ‘Only Kidz‘ and ‘Simba‘. The product line will feature bags, water bottles, stationery and lunch boxes. In addition, seven home video titles distributed by Excel Productions will hit retail this month featuring WWE Superstars – The Rock, Stone Cold Steve Austin and John Cena.

    These new product offerings add to the existing portfolio that includes WWE Power Slammers, launched with Mattel last month and the Slam Attax series of trading cards brought to market through WWE‘s partnership with Topps.

    WWE senior VP global consumer products Howard Brathwaite said, “WWE has increased our investment in India, adding resources to our consumer products team and strengthening our strategic partnership with local agent, Dream Theatre. We are poised to provide fans in India with an immersive brand experience for many years to come.”

    WWE programming can be seen in the country on Ten Sports. Additionally, the Indian market now represents 10 per cent of total fan ‘likes‘ on the WWE global Facebook page, making it second behind only the US.

  • Disney & Excel Home Videos kick off DVD Film Carnival with ‘Pirates of the Caribbean – 2’

    Disney & Excel Home Videos kick off DVD Film Carnival with ‘Pirates of the Caribbean – 2’

    MUMBAI: Disney and Excel Home Videos kicked off a DVD Film Carnival on 11 December, that will continue through the festive season till 31 December, at select book and DVD stores across the country. The special event opened with the DVD launch of Pirates of the Caribbean – 2.

    M.N Kapasi inaugurates the carnival
    The Pirates of the Caribbean – 2 was released a week earlier in India as opposed to its worldwide DVD debut. Says, Excel Home Videos managing director MN Kapasi, “The incredible success of the movie has prompted us to raise the number of DVDs by 50 per cent as compared to the prequel. The DVD will also be available at a specially discounted price during the launch period. The Disney DVD Carnival, a first of its kind in India, will also feature a host of Hollywood films of various genres.”

    The DVD bonanza, a prelude to the festive season, will also feature over 50 movies from various genres at discounts such as three DVDs at the price of two and will include blockbusters like Air-Force One, Bruce Almighty, Pretty Woman, Cold Mountain, Sea Biscuit, Honey- I Shrunk the Kids, Enemy of the State, Mary Poppins, The Rock, Shall We Dance, The Parent Trap, The Horse Whisperer, The Recruit, Dangerous Minds, Crimson Tide, End Of Days, Dick Tracy, Gone In 60 Seconds, National Treasure, among others.

    The carnival is underway at stores across the country including Planet M, Crossword, Landmark, Rhythm House and Music World among others, informs an official release.

    Events like these showcase the increasing focus of companies on the home entertainment turf in India, which is an evidence of the growing demand and increased hardware penetration in the country. The revenues from home entertainment abroad compete with the theatre earnings there; this scenario may soon be a reality in India, adds the release.