Tamanna & Mr. Tarun Rai at the "60th !dea Filmfare Awards 2012" (SOUTH)

Tamanna & Mr. Tarun Rai at the

 "60th !dea Filmfare Awards 2012" (SOUTH)

60^th Idea Filmfare Awards 2012 (South)

Announcing the most dominant and prestigious awards ceremony of the year

MEDIA RELEASE JUNE 18, 2013 – The Leela Palace, Chennai:

As Indian cinema turns a 100, Filmfare, which has chronicled that journey for the past 60 years, is proud of its long association with the South Indian film industry that continues to raise the bar with its creative, thrilling and exhilarating productions.

Once again, Filmfare is set to celebrate the Black Lady’s date with the South Indian film industry at the 60^th Idea Filmfare Awards 2012 (South) to be held at the Hyderabad International Convention Centre on July 20, 2013.

Over the years, the award ceremony has grown into a star-studded extravaganza that generates some of the highest TRPs. The gorgeous stars on the red carpet, the scintillating performances and the suspense surrounding the potential winners make this an evening to watch out for.

Filmfare has always respected public opinion and this year too, readers and movie buffs nationwide have voted for their favourites across 10 categories each, in Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam films. As the vote count continues, the nominees for the year will soon be chosen. A specially-appointed jury will pick the final winners from among nominees drawn from these responses.

The sensational Tamanna Bhatia, along with Mr. Tarun Rai, Chief Executive Officer, Worldwide Media and Mr. Rajat Mukarji, Chief Corporate Affairs Officer, Idea Cellular lit the lamp at a press conference to announce the date and venue of the 60^th Idea Filmfare Awards 2012 (South). 

Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Tarun Rai said, “This is a very special year for Filmfare as we are celebrating the 60^th year of the Filmfare Awards. From just two awards in 1953 to the fifty one Black Ladies that we would be giving out this year, it has been a long journey. And to be able to have the awards every year for 60 years is a huge achievement. We respect the immense talent of South Indian cinema and I know that the industry here has huge respect for the Black Lady.”

Extending their association with the popular Filmfare Awards for another glorious year, Mr. Rajat Mukarji said, “South Indian Cinema has played an integral role in shaping the success of 100 years of Indian Cinema. In the 5^th year of our association with Filmfare, we endeavour to reach out to a large number of subscribers and deliver rich content through mobile telephony in the region. At the forefront of communication, innovation and entertainment, the Idea Filmfare Awards is an endeavour to honour talent, innovation and excellence in cinema by the stalwarts of the industry.”

The Filmfare Awards (South) were first held at the prestigious Kalaivanar Arangam in Chennai, shifting later to the distinctive Music Academy. Initially, only Tamil and Telugu films were considered for the awards, but Malayalam and Kannada films became part of the event in 1966 and 1969 respectively.  The spirit of the awards lies in their popularity not just among the masses, but also with the film fraternity.
The Black Lady is the ultimate recognition of talent.

About Worldwide Media:

Worldwide Media is a part of the Times Group, one of India’s largest media and entertainment conglomerates, and publishes Filmfare ­– India’s No 1 entertainment magazine. Femina – India’s largest women’s magazine, BBC TopGear, HELLO!, BBC GoodHomes, GRAZIA, Lonely Planet Magazine India, Home Trends, BBC Knowledge and BBC GoodFood are other exciting titles from Worldwide Media.

About Idea Cellular:

IDEA Cellular is India’s 3rd largest national mobile operator, with over 123 million subscribers. With traffic in excess of 1.5 billion minutes a day, Idea ranks among the Top 10 country operators in the world. Using the latest in technology, Idea provides world-class service delivery through the most extensive network of customer touch points. Idea is listed on the National Stock Exchange (NSE) and the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) in India. IDEA Cellular is an Aditya Birla Group Company, India's first truly multinational corporation. The group operates in 36 countries, and is anchored by more than 136,000 employees belonging to 42 nationalities. More information on the company is available at www.ideacellular.com, and on the group at: www.adityabirla.com.

Tuesday night saw a suburban hotel turned into a magnum opus theatre for the unveiling of the first song ‘Issaq Tera’ and a new poster of Manish Tiwary’s Issaq.

 Manish Tiwary’s 

Issaq. 

Tuesday night saw a suburban hotel turned into a magnum opus theatre for the unveiling of the first song ‘Issaq Tera’ and a new poster of Manish Tiwary’s Issaq. 


The moment you stepped in, it looked as if you have come to the whole new world of Issaq with the flavor of Benaras being visible on stage. 

Television actor Ravi Dubey hosted the event. Prateik and Amyra Dastur, the Reel life Romeo and Juliet were transformed into real Romeo Juliet to perform a play to give the gist of the film. 

Mohit Chauhan sang Issaq tera and mesmerized everyone in the audience. 

Also, present were music directors Sachin-Jigar, Ravi Kissen, Vineet Singh, Amit Sial, Makarand Deshpande, Varun Badola with wife Rajeshwari Badola, Prashant Narayanan, Nagesh Kukunoor, Satish Kaushik, Prashant Kumar,  Sargun, Subhash Kapoor, Ramesh Taurani, Kumar Taurani and Ratan Jain.

Issaq, presented by Jayantilal Gada’s Pen India Pvt Ltd., produced by Shailesh R Singh and Dhaval Gada is slated to release on 26 July.

The music of the film is digitally released by Saregama.

‘The Lego Movie’ TRAILER

 ‘The Lego Movie’   TRAILER

‘The Lego Movie’

 ‘The Lego Movie’ 

 ‘The Lego Movie’ and attached herewith is the first teaser poster of the film. The film has voiceovers of Morgan Freeman, Will Ferrell, Elizabeth Banks, Liam Nelson, Chris Pratt, Will Arnett and Alison Brie. 

The movie releases on 7^th Feb 2014 worldwide.

World War Z releasing on 21 june

World War Z  

releasing on 21 june

On an ordinary day, Gerry Lane and his family find their quiet drive interrupted by urban gridlock.  An ex-United Nations investigator, Lane senses that this is no ordinary traffic jam.  As police helicopters buzz the sky and motorcycle cops careen wildly below, the city erupts into chaos. 

Something is causing hordes of people to viciously attack each other - a lethal virus that is spread through a single bite, turning healthy humans into something unrecognizable, unthinking and feral.  Neighbor turns on neighbor; a helpful stranger suddenly becomes a dangerous enemy. The origins of the virus are unknown, and the number of infected grows exponentially larger each day, quickly becoming a global pandemic.  As the infected overwhelm the world’s armies and rapidly topple its governments, Lane is forced to return to his dangerous former life to insure the safety of his family, leading a desperate worldwide search for the source of the epidemic and a means to stop its relentless spread.

            

Paramount Pictures and Skydance Production present, in association with Hemisphere Media Capital and GK Films, a Plan B Entertainment/2DUX² Production, a Marc Forster film, “World War Z.” The film is being distributed worldwide by Paramount Pictures Corporation, a Viacom, Inc. company.

Welcome to the wonderful world of Disney in India.

Welcome to the wonderful world of Disney in India.

For over 85 years, The Walt Disney Company has been the preeminent name in the field of family entertainment; the Disney name has symbolized creativity, innovation, trust, decency, optimism and quality. 

Disney, together with its subsidiaries and affiliates, is a leading diversified international family entertainment and media enterprise with five business segments:

·         Media Networks – Walt Disney Television International, Disney Media Distribution, ESPN

·         Disney Interactive Media Group-Disney Interactive Studios; Disney Online; Disney Online Studios; Disney Mobile; Playdom;

·         Studio Entertainment– Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures International, Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment, Disney Music Group, Disney Theatrical Group

·         Disney Consumer Products – Consumer Products, Publishing

·         Parks and Resorts –DisneyDestinations International

Disney is a Dow 30 Company, had annual revenues of over US$40.9billion in its most recent fiscal year. Worldwide, The Walt Disney Company has approximately 156,000 employees.

In 2011, Disney was named #1 in Entertainment on World's Most Admired Companies by Fortune for the second year in a row[1], #9 in Interbrand Best Global Brands study[2], and #1 in the media entertainment category. The Landor Company’s 2010 Breakaway Brands survey ranks Disney as the 10^th fastest brand value growth company from 2006 to 2009 [3]and in July 2010, Forbes named Disney at #20 in The World's Most Valuable Brands survey, the only entertainment company to appear in the top 50 list[4].

Disney’s Strategic Priorities

Since its founding in 1923, Disney has remained faithful to its commitment to produce unparalleled entertainment experiences based on the rich legacy of quality creative content and exceptional storytelling. The Disney brand name resonates with families around the world through universal family values that are at the heart of all Disney content: Quality, Storytelling, Innovation, Decency, Community, and Optimism.Across all of our businesses, Disney is focused on three strategic priorities:

·         Creating quality and innovative content that continues to differentiate Disney as best-in-class;

·         Deploying cutting edge technologies to showcase our content for early competitive advantage while enhancing the customer experience; and

·         Expanding and adding depth to our global presence, particularly in emerging markets

Disney’s International Focus

The Walt Disney Company in India opened in July 2004 with its head office located in Mumbai and significantly expanded its footprint in India in January 2012after acquiring,through a subsidiary, a controlling interest in UTV, one of India’s premier media and entertainment companies.With Disney and UTV assets combined, Disney is one of the leading film studios and film distributors in India, one of the largest TV networks with nine popular channels and full local production capabilities, and a strong player in the area of digital media and mobile and social games. Building around five core brands – Disney, Marvel, UTV, Bindass and Hungama – the new organization is dedicated to developing and distributing the best entertainment for Indian consumers of all ages.The expanded portfolio of brands and franchises presents a broad range of opportunities in a number of established businesses including consumer products, publishing, live and home entertainment.

MEDIA NETWORKS

The combined network of nine Disney and UTV channels is one of the leading entertainment destinations for kids, youth and families, with more than 100 million viewers each week[5]. The Disney network, consisting of Disney Channel, Disney XD and Hungama is India’s #1 kids network. The network reached over 161 million viewers across age groups in India in 2011, including over 41 million kids age 4-14 and 17 million mums age 25-44. UTV, with 20+ years of legacy in the TV business, presents a compelling mix of local content andglobally acclaimed shows and movies in multiple Indian languages across its six acclaimed channels.

·         Disney Channel India offers aengaging blend of quality Disney entertainment and distinctive, original programs that kids love and families trust and enjoy. Featuring popular animated series such as Phineas &Ferb, Best of Luck Nikki, Art Attack, as well as Disney movies. The channel’s multi-genre programming is available in Hindi, English, Tamil and Telugu, targeting kids age 4 to 14 and their families.

·         Disney XD showcases live-action and animated programming for kids age 6-14, targeting boys and their quest for discovery, accomplishment, sports, adventure and humor. Spanning TV and online platforms, Disney XD branded content includes series, movies, short-form, as well as sports-themed programming, and was the first kid’s channel available in 6 language feeds: Hindi, English, Tamil, Telugu, Bengali and Marathi. It is also the only kids channel to be associated with cricket, with hugely successful partnerships with the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 and the Champions League T20.

·         Hungama TV is India’s first 24-hour kids channel (age 4-14) that offers multi-genre, localized and acquired programming in Hindi, Tamil and Telugu. Developed for kids and also featuring kids, the channel’s broad range of shows include drama, action, game shows and animation that appeal to all sub segments.

·         UTV Bindass is a leading youth channel and has developed a strong following with its many new show formats, integral focus on music and innovative campus programs. Bindass has brought a stream of hit shows to young audiences, including Shakira, Sun Yaar Chill Maar, 3^rd Degree, Dadagiri, and also initiatives like Campus Attack, Bindass Buddies and the I Change movement that inspires change on key youth issues.

·         UTV Action caters to male audiences looking for mainstream Hollywood action movies in Hindi, and is known for marketing initiatives that get audiences talking, ranging from mass skydiving to fantasy cricket games. UTV Action also offers Indian advertisers an alternative to cricket to reach the elusive male viewer.

·         UTV Movies celebrates the passion for Bollywood, offering more than 450 hit Hindi movie titles, including the latest blockbusters including Guzaarish, No One Killed Jessica, Tere Bin Laden, Kartik Calling Kartik, Aisha, and LSD – Love Sex AurDhoka& Kites. Jeeyo Bollywood –to live Bollywood – is the channel’s brand philosophy.

·         UTV Action Telugu carries forward the success of UTV Action and offers Telugu-dubbed Hollywood action blockbusters within three months of its Indian television premiere, and now has a library of over 250 titles that is expanding to meet a growing demand from the Andhra market.

·         UTV World Movies offers India audiences looking beyond Bollywood and conventional Hollywood a feast of world culture through critically acclaimed movies from 40 countries around the globe. Through distribution partner Shemaroo, the channel has also released over 30 titles on home video.

·         UTV Stars is a leader in the Bollywood Entertainment genre, a co-presenter of top events in India’s fashion world, and the ‘intimate insider of Bollywood’. Endorsed by a prestigious line up of industry bigwigs, the channel features unique shows like Live My Life that allows fans to live like their favorite stars for a day, news and feature segments on the most watched Bollywood stars.

·         ESPN has a presence in India through ESPN STAR Sports (ESS), ESPN’s joint venture with STAR that broadcasts under the leading ESPN, Star Sports and STAR Cricket channel brands. ESS showcases a variety of premier sports from around the globe and broadcasted the Cricket World Cup in 2011.

Disney Media Distribution distributes more than 30,000 hours of programming in multiple languages to over 1,300 platform partners in 240 territories worldwide. DMD works closely with Indian broadcasters to provide dubbed content in local languages that appeal to local audiences and is the exclusive regional distributor of Disney Channel, Disney XD and Hungama TV. In 2010, DMD signed a multi-year agreement with Sun Distribution Services for channel distribution of Disney Channel, Disney XD and Hungama TV, taking Disney content across multiple platforms including Cable TV, Direct-to-Home (DTH) and IP-TV.When it comes to local content productions, UTV Productions hascreated some of the best known properties such as the dance reality show Dance India Dance, business reality show The Assignment and daily soap Dil se di dua…SaubhagyavatiBhava. In the south, UTV Productions is known for popular regional language shows such as RakthaSambandham, Athiradhi Singer, Amman and Deala No Deala.

DISNEY INTERACTIVE MEDIA GROUP (DIMG)

Disney understands how technology plays a pivotal role in making its entertainment more compelling and in extending its reach in the Indian market.With the addition of UTV’s Indiagames, one of the country’s leading gaming companies, to its portfolio, DIMG and UTV combined representsone of India’s leading publisherin mobile content.

Known for its immersive, connected, interactive experiences across console, online, mobile and social networks, DIMG hasproduced a portfolio of popular digital content, such as Where’s My Water?, the worldwide #1 game on the iTunes App Store, and hit games like Aladdin (India’s most purchased mobile game with over 7.5 million downloads), Jungle Book, and Disney Cricket. DIMG also manages Disney.in, disneyxd.in and hungamatv.com, which are consistently among the top websites for Indian families and kids.[6]In 2010, DIMG launched Club Penguin along with a localized rupee payment gateway, and it is now the largest virtual world in the country.UTV’s Indiagamesdevelops and publishes content for all major technology platforms and distributes content to mobile operators in over 75 countries. UTV has also developed new interactive services such as Audio Cinema, DivyaKathayein (devotional content on mobile in 7 languages), and UTV Digital Studio and Music with a library of over 15,000 songs.

STUDIO ENTERTAINMENT

Bringing together the best of both worlds, Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures and UTV Pictures represent one of the leading film studios in Indiameasured by box office, with full capabilities to produce high quality Disney and UTV branded films locally as well as distribute international releases from The Walt Disney Studios, Pixar Animation Studios and Marvel Studios.

Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures distributes films under Walt Disney Pictures, Walt Disney Animation Studios, Pixar Animation Studios, Disney Nature, Touchstone Pictures, Dreamworks and Marvel. The Studio’s recent box office successes include Cars 2 and Pirates of the Caribbean 4, which are also the biggest animation and live action title of all time in India. In 2010,Prince of Persiabecame the highest grossing western film in India, and Disney’s first live action Hindi feature Do DooniChaar won 11 Industry awards including the National Award for Best Film.UTV Motion Pictures as a dominant player in Bollywood in the past decade has created, developed, filmed, distributed and marketed some of India’s most successful films, such as Swades, Rang De Basanti, No One Killed Jessica, Rajneeti, andDelhi Belly.

The magic of the big screen is transported into Indian homes through Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment (WDSHE), which allows for a greater access to the rich library of titles under Walt Disney Studios and UTV Motion Pictures through rental and sell-through home entertainment markets worldwide, as well as introducing them directly to consumers through retail channels. In India, Disney’s most popular Blue-ray and DVD titles include Up, Tinker Bell, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, The Lion King, Jungle Book, Pirates of the Caribbean 2(the highest selling DVDs of all time in India), as well as select UTV Motion Pictures blockbuster titles, like Raajneeti and Udaan.

Offered under the Disney Live! and Disney On Ice brands, Disney Theatrical Group (DTG)in partnership with Feld Entertainment has brought a number of family-friendly shows including The Mickey Mouse Show to New Delhi and Mumbai, building relevance with Disney’s beloved characters and stories with once-in-a-lifetime stage performances.

DISNEY CONSUMER PRODUCTS (DCP)

Disney is the largest retail character licensor in the world with US$28.6 billion in character merchandising retail sales globally in 2010.Disney Consumer Products (DCP)works with over 90 licensees across all categories inIndia to develop Disney franchises into everyday product opportunities for consumers of all ages and lifestyles. In November 2010, Disney and Net Distribution Services announced a multi-year E-commerce agreement, to sell authorized Disney branded products on disney.in/shopping, extending DCP’s reach beyond large cities and making a compelling Disney merchandise collection online and just a few clicks away.

DCP’s lines of business include: Disney Toys, Disney Fashion & Home and Disney Food, Health & Beauty (FHB), Consumer Electronics, Stationery, Publishing and Retail Sales and Marketing (RSM). Disney Publishing Worldwide (DPW), also the biggest publisher of children’s books in the world, has over 500 titles published through local licenseesand runs a growing direct retail business with over 120 titles.

DISNEY DESTINATIONS INTERNATIONAL

When Disneyland debuted in Anaheim, California, on July 17, 1955, Walt Disney created a destination built around unique storytelling experiences and ushered in a new era of family entertainment. Disney Destinations is part of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts and encompasses 11 theme parks at five of the world’s leading family vacation destinations- Disneyland Resort, Walt Disney World Resort, Tokyo Disney Resort, Disneyland Resort Paris and Hong Kong Disneyland.  In India, the team is responsible for the promotion of the Anaheim, Orlando, Hong Kong and Paris Parks and Resorts as well as the Disney Cruise Line and represented by AviaRepsbased in Mumbai. 

DISNEY’S CORPORATE CITIZENSHIP

Being a good corporate citizen is a time-honored Disney tradition everywhere around the world. Disney plays an active role in the communities where its employees work and live. In India, Disney’s corporate citizenship efforts focus on three key areas: Compassion, Conservation, and Creativity. In 2011, DisneyVoluntEARs contributed more than 3,000 hours of service through key projects, including nature conservation at Sanjay Gandhi National Park, Chennai, with Exnora Green Pammal that works with 17,000 households; a public park redevelopment in New Delhi that benefitted over 1,200 families; and also by participating in key community events like the Mumbai Marathon for the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

A Timeline of The Walt Disney Company in India

- 1901: Founder Walt Disney born.

- 1923: Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio founded. Renamed The Walt Disney Company in 1986.

- 1928: Walt Disney creates Mickey Mouse.

- 1929: Disney’s consumer products business begins with the first Mickey Mouse writing tablet.

- 1955: Disneyland opens in Anaheim, California, USA.

- 1983: Disney Channel launches in the USA.

- 1983: Tokyo Disney Resort opens - the first Disney theme park outside of the USA.

- 1990: UTV incorporated.

- 1992: Launch of Satellite TV in India, UTV commissioned for 10 shows.

- 1994: UTV gives India its first daily soap, ‘Shanti’.

- 1996: Disney acquires Capital Cities/ABC.

- 1996: News Corp acquires strategic stake in UTV. WarbugPincus makes first media investment in Asia with UTV.

- 2004: The Walt Disney Company (India) founded with its head office in Mumbai.

- 2004: Disney Channel, Playhouse Disney Programming block and Toon Disney launch in India.

- 2004: UTV launches Hungama, India’s first local kids channel.

- 2004: UTV launches India’s first Movie Studio with ‘Lakshya’ and ‘Swades’.

- 2005: UTV goes public on NSE & BSE.

- 2006: Disney acquires Pixar Animation Studios.

- 2006: Disney acquires Hungama TV India from UTV and a stake in UTV.

- 2007: UTV co-produces India’s first crossover film ‘The Namesake’.

- 2007: UTV acquires Indiagames.

- 2007: UTV launches Bindass.

- 2007: Toon Disney rebrands to Jetix.

-2008:  Disney further increases its stake in UTV.

- 2008: UTV launches UTV Action, UTV World Movies and UTV Movies.

- 2008: UTV enters the interactive and digital space.

- 2009: Disney acquires Marvel Entertainment.

- 2010: Jetix rebrands as Disney XD.

- 2011: Playhouse Disney relaunches as Disney Junior India.

- 2012: Disney acquires controlling interest in UTV.

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[1] Fortune Blue Ribbon Companies 2011 http://money.cnn.com/2011/03/02/news/companies/most_admired_intro_short.fortune/index.htm

[2]Interbrand 2010  http://www.interbrand.com/en/best-global-brands/best-global-brands-2008/best-global-brands-2010.aspx

[3] Landor Breakaway Brands® study http://www.landor.com/index.cfm?do=thinking.article&storyid=821&bhcp=1

[4] Forbes Worlds Most Valuable Brands 2010 http://www.forbes.com/2010/07/28/apple-google-microsoft-ibm-nike-disney-bmw-forbes-cmo-network-most-valuable-brands_slide_21.html

[5] Source: Television Audience Measurement India (TAM India) – most widely TV accepted audience measurement system in India.

[6]Based on rankings by independent third party online tracker and rankings- www. alexa.com