Digital Media and Print Sector will continue to co-exist 

Newspapers need to rethink strategy to keep pace with digital platform

MUMBAI, March 26, 2015. Digital media and print sector are here to stay and would continue to co-exist in the Indian market for a long time. This could be deduced from the fact that the circulation of newspapers was still in the positive zone and was growing from strength to strength and the print media continues to have the lion’s share of the ad spend pie. Digital media was also gaining ground quickly. The need was to rethink strategy and tactics for the print media for it to be at par with the digital platform, which was evolving at a fast rate. 

This was stated here today by the panellists deliberating on ‘Redefining Traditional Paradigms: Digital Media and the Print Sector’ at FICCI FRAMES 2015.

Mr. Anant Goenka, Wholetime Director, The Indian Express, was of the view that digital platform had opened  a myriad of opportunities for the market and had the ability to reach a wider audience and penetrate the interior of the country,  while newspapers had a loyal readership base and the regional newspapers were growing steadily and do not look to be fading out in the near future. He added that innovation and original content creation was the key to success in both spaces.

Mr. Sachin Kalbag, Editor, Mid-Day, said that online medium provides a platform to a media house to build upon a story, which was carried in the newspaper,  throughout the day by using social media platforms, mobile apps and other digital medium. Digital platform could ensure that the stories were being discussed during the day and not forgotten after being read in a newspaper. 

Mr. Nidheesh Tyagi, Editor, BBC Online, said that newspapers have enjoyed an indispensable position but were now at a tipping point and there were indicators that showed that consumers were shifting from newspapers to the digital platform. Newspapers had “stiffness” and it would be a challenge  to compete with the digital medium, which was faster in dispensing news. 

Mr. Vinay Maheshwari, Senior Vice President, Sales, Market Development & Brand Marketing, Danik Bhaskar Group, felt that the two mediums would co-exist and one would not cannibalise the other. The two mediums enjoyed a very different genre of readership and audience. However, he added that newspapers still have the advantage of being affordable by all. But the Internet was catching up fast as it was also now being considered a serious business.

While speaking about the ad spend Mr. Shripad Kulkarni, CEO, Percept Allied Media, said that print and television had a greater advertisement share than digital. However, he pointed out that digital had emerged as one medium, like no other, which was able to affect both print and television.  He added that newspapers could well co-exist in future with digital but there was a need to rethink strategy and recalibrate. It was essential to rethink about distribution, content and monetization of content of print media for its sustainability.

The session was moderated by Mr. Pradyuman Maheshwari, Editor in Chief & CEO,mxmindia.com.

FICCI Women in Media Forum launched at FICCI FRAMES

If you do well as a woman, be prepared to be hated: Barkha Dutt

MUMBAI, March 26, 2015: The ‘FICCI Women in Media Forum’ was launched here today during FICCI FRAMES 2015. Keynote speaker Barkha Dutt, Consulting Editor, NDTV, held the audience spellbound as she described her journey as a successful media executive, now about to embark on her own entrepreneurial venture.

She began with an acknowledgement of her mother’s role as a media person three decades ago, in shaping her. She recounted how her mother, as a 19 year old, was refused a job as a reporter at the Hindustan Times. She was told there was no space for women, and when she insisted, was asked to report on flower shows in Delhi. But her mother persisted and went on to head the Investigative Bureau of the Hindustan Times. “When I reported on the Kargil war, many people thought I was the first woman, but that role belonged to my mother,” Barkha clarified. During the 1965 Indo-Pak war, when the senior Ms Dutt was denied an opportunity to go to the front, she took leave and reached there on her own. She sent her despatches to her paper, and the paper had no choice but to publish them. “Such strong role models make a difference in your life,” said Barkha.

Barkha spoke of her own experience during the Kargil war. She too was denied permission initially but finally allowed after repeated pleading. But her travails did not end there. She had to deal with the Army. The Army tried to dissuade her from entering the “all male domain”, saying that there would be “complications” since there were no toilets for women. “This is war. I will do what the men do,” was her simple response. But she disclosed that today, at 43, she is not as uncomfortable with the gender tag as she was at 26, although she worked hard to resist it. She recalled how during the Kargil war, the journalists got close to a group of soldiers who saved them. When the soldiers left for battle, not knowing whether they would return, her male counterparts had no problem shedding tears during their goodbyes; but she was petrified of being called ‘girly’. “I would not even cry off camera. That was my first realisation that those who shrug off gender grapple with it in subliminal ways.”

“But we can’t hide from gender anymore.” What Anushka Sharma shared with her a few days ago was a case in point. The actor informed her that even today, a young man is paid much more in the film industry than established women. This is ironic during a year in cinema that was the year of women. “We also have ourselves to blame, we are uncomfortable to ask for more,” felt Barkha. Citing a recent UN study on depiction of women in the film industry, she informed the house that India did very well in sexualising women on screen. “How can it be that a woman can only be either a Tulsi with sindoor in her maang or an item number?” she argued.

Today, only nine per cent of film directors are women, and 15 per cent are producers. “If you do well as a woman, be prepared to be hated. You will be scrutinised for every word that comes out of your mouth, even for your weight.” She ended by voicing dismay over how even trained, brilliant women like Indira Nooyi are expected to fulfil the conventional role of a wife and mother at home. “Unless we push men into equal parenting, equal householding, we will not be able to rise.”

Earlier, Ms Jagi Mangat Panda of FICCI welcomed the gathering and described the ‘FICCI Women in Media Forum’ as another milestone for FICCI FRAMES. “Media is the most progressive business, a tool for gender sensitisation.”  However, she felt that media today is still as gender insensitive as any other sector. She called for close examination of the depiction of women in TV. The Forum will be a platform for exchange of knowledge and ideas between women in media both nationally and internationally. It will aim to represent women to relevant policy makers on issues pertaining to employment terms and practices in the media and entertainment sector.

Don’t ignore the numbers, say investment experts to filmmakers

Don’t ignore the numbers, say investment experts to filmmakers

MUMBAI, March 26, 2015: A panel discussion on ‘Making the Impossible Possible: Dating and Investor and Getting Funded’, on the second day of the FICCI FRAMES 2015 saw the participants focussing on the key value drivers that investors look at. The discussion, moderated by Mr Girish Menon, Director, Transactions and Restructuring, KPMG India Pvt. Ltd, centred on finding money to release small, medium and regional cinema at a profit. The participants were Mr Saurabh Srivastava, Co-founder and past Chairman, NASSCOM, IVCA and TIE and Co-founder, Indian Angel Network; Ms Padmaja Ruparel, CEO, Indian Angels Network; Mr Gautam Patel, MD, Zodius Capital; Mr Sanjay Nath, Blume Ventures; and Ms Nandini Mansinghka, Founder, Idyabooster.  

Mr Srivastava spoke about how the success of investment in technology can be replicated in entertainment. “It’s all about venture capital,” he suggested. Today the manner in we communicate or travel, or even access healthcare and education has changed dramatically from a few years ago. This change has happened “because we found a way to finance innovation.” The old paradigm of low risk funding does not apply to innovative technology which is high risk. So new investment models that fund several innovations at a time with high annualised returns came into the market and that made Google, Facebook and Twitter possible. That hasn’t happened with movies because the dynamics of the investment structure are flawed. “The success rate is low because if you have a scenario where you cannot take it to enough people, then a movie that could make money will not, and people will not take risks.” In his opinion, this will change with the new technology that will disrupt how movies are made, distributed, and what screens they are made for.

Ms Ruparel shared her experience of two decades in the entrepreneur ecosystem. When she started, angel investment did not have the foothold that it has today. Today start-ups get a lot of backing. The work was hard, but it has brought them success. What worked for them was to leverage the expertise of “like minded people with different domain expertise to bring complementary strength.” They brought in huge value and created a mechanism where start-ups were able to thrive. Dropping costs and new technology are enabling content to get aggressive, which is what angels and venture capitalists look for. The good thing is that entertainment has its own chutzpah,” she added.

Mr Nath agreed that the investment climate has matured with the new disruptive technology. Highlighting the challenges, he said that there is a gap between media and entertainment executives and venture capitalists. E-commerce, on the other hand, is more investor friendly. “Companies are easier to evaluate because of the transactions. Content companies haven’t got funded because of monetisation.” Getting around monetisation will be a huge factor, he felt. He also saw a similarity in the movie or entertainment business and venture capitalism. Both are a ‘hits’ business. They talk to almost the same crowd, but there is a chasm in the way investors think, because the objective of investment is to make money.

Ms Mansinghka described her work as looking for a way “to reduce the entry barrier for people to invest in creative projects.” According to her, the challenges are that funding levels are higher, production houses are unwilling to experiment, and there is a differential in the primary objective of producers and investors. “When you go and pitch for money, you have to talk about numbers.” Without a change of mindset, investors will not come on board. She also felt that mere passion is not enough. “There has to be a business person who knows how to run this as a business that makes money.” Mr Srivastava agreed. “The risk-reward scenario needs to make sense.” Investors are willing to take risks; those investments that succeed should bring in good returns. “Position yourself as a savvy filmmaker. Don’t look at 10 million, see what you can do for one or two million.” he advised.

मिजवान फैशन शो में स्टार्स के साथ उनके माता पिता करेंगे रैम्प वॉक।

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​मिजवान एक छोटासा गाव जो की उत्तर प्रदेश में है इस गाव में कवि कैफ़ी आजमी जैसी सख्सियत का जन्म हुआ उन्होंने अपनी कला से सारे देश में नाम कमाया। वे अपने गाव  प्रति कटिबद्ध रहे ,  हर एक बच्चे को अच्छी शिक्षा मिले उसके लिए काम करते रहे वे यह मानते थे की अगर लड़की सीखे तो सच्चे तौर पर भारत की प्रगति होगी। अब देखे तो मिजवान एक मॉडल गाव बनगया है यह सब  कैफ़ी आजमी साहब के मेहनत से ही हुआ है। 

​इस साल ४ अप्रेल २०१५ को ५ वा सालाना मिजवान फैशन शो होने जा रहा है ,और इसकी थीम "मिजवान - द लिजेंसी" यह है ​इसे मनीष मल्होत्रा सूत्रधार होगे। यह फैशन शो कैफ़ी आजमी और उनके अच्छे विचारो की याद में आयोजित होगा। 

शबाना आजमी जो की कैफ़ी आजमी की बेटी है वे अपने पिता की विरासत  बढ़ाते हुए यह विरासत उनकी गॉडडॉटर नम्रता गोयल को बढ़ाने दी है। इस फैशन शो में बच्चो के साथ माता या पिता रैम्प वॉक करेंगे यह खास तौर पर बच्चियों के सक्षमीकरण के लिए किया जा रहा है। इस फैशन शो जय बच्चन समेत अभिषेक बच्चन तो जावेद अख्तर संग फरहान अख्तर तथा अनिल कपूर के साथ सोनम कपूर रैम्प वॉक करेंगे और यह जोड़िया इस विरासत और फैशन शो की शोभा और ज्यादा बढ़ाएंगे।  

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The "Mijwan" Legacy Lives On !

Kaifi Azmi was a colossus of our times who marched across our nation’s canvas of art and culture. He was a rare poet who practiced what he preached and worked to empower Mijwan a tiny village in Eastern UP where he was born.

From his tireless commitment to the betterment of his village, rose his  passionate determination to ensure a right to education for every child. He believed India can make real progress only when the girl child is placed at the center of development and is guaranteed equal opportunity to education health and employment. From a village frozen in time ,Mijwan has been transformed into a model village.

This year on the 4^th April 2015, as we celebrate the 5th year of the Annual Mijwan fashion show by Manish Malhotra, our theme -MIJWAN - THE LEGACY epitomizes the continuing realization of Kaifi Saab’

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s vision and the wonderful legacy of hope and empowerment for the assured future of all, particularly the underprivileged.  

This is the legacy bestowed upon us. This is the legacy we must nurture, celebrate and fulfill.In Kaifi Sahebs words

Koi tto sood chukaye

Koi tto zimma ley

Us inquilab ka

Jo aaj tak udhaar sa hai...

His daughter Shabana Azmi has been carrying forward her father's dream and in turn her goddaughter Namrata Goyal continues to help in its realization. It is only befitting that this year’s show will have parent child couples from the Film Industry walk the ramp for the empowerment of the girlchild. Jaya and Abhishek Bachchan, Javed and Farhan Akhtar, Anil and Sonam Kapoor are a few legacy pairs that will be walking the ramp for the show.​​

Shoojit Sircar talks about the characters in his quirky family drama,Piku

As the trailer of Shoojit Sircar's Piku is out today,the director of Vicky Donor fame, talks about the characters in his quirky family drama, their eccentricities and the stars that brought them to life -

PIKU - Piku is a working girl in a cosmopolitan city. An architect by profession, Piku is a simple, independent and strong girl from Delhi who lives life on her own terms and is yet grounded and rooted to what matters most - family...and in this case...her father, who she looks after.Piku is the kind of girl who doesn't shy away from responsibilities .The film takes audiences through the ups and downs and everyday problems she faces with her father.I was very clear when Juhi and I were working on the script that Deepika was Piku ,there could be no better actress to essay this role.

BABA - Bhaskhor Banerjee is retired and spends most of his time obsessing about age related issues . He is stubborn, dramatic and comes with his own set of problems...he has very specific, but unconventional, likes and dislikes and fixed idealogies.He is not a man who enjoys socialising.Baba is not the hero here, but the film takes a look into his household .Mr.Bachchan is a legend and to have him play an eccentric role such as Mr.Banerjee was awe inspiring.He is a child on the set and is open to experimenting with something that holds merit.Audiences will be surprised to see him in this avatar.

RANA- Rana is the outsider who has nothing to do with the Banerjee family but gets entangled with them and all their drama.He is the owner of a taxi service who comes with his own quota of problems and then happens to get some more, when he finds himself entagled in the Banerjee family and how things take a funny turn. For Rana we needed an actor who was restrained and yet brought comedy into a frame .Irfaan is not only one of the finest actors we have in india but has also made his mark internationally.We approached Irfaan even before writing the script and I told him I am writing something for you.

‘Piku’ is a roller coaster ride of a crazy father-daughter relationship essayed by Amitabh Bachchan and Deepika Padukone with Irrfan Khan top lining the cast, in a pivotal author backed role. ‘Piku’ also marks coming together of Shoojit Sircar, Ronnie Lahiri and Juhi Chaturvedi, the team that had scripted Vicky Donor.

"Teaming up with Juhi and Ronnie yet again on this film gave me a huge kick. We make a solid team and have lots of fun working together" says Sircar.

PIKU produced by MSM Motion Pictures,Saraswati Entertainment  and Rising Sun Films will release  8th May 2015.

NH10 hits the box office jackpot

In an industry like Bollywood, it ideally shouldn't have gone past the first narration but a young female star not only produced that idea but has backed the film till its release. And Anushka Sharma's gamble has paid off and how! The Navdeep Singh-directed NH10 has been cruising at the box office emerging as a big winner.

Released on Friday the 13th of March, NH10 has gone on to collect Rs 20.6 crore in its first week and a further Rs 5.23 crore in its second weekend taking its total 10-day collection to a fantastic Rs 26 crore. That makes the low budget film, produced under Anushka's Clean Slate Films banner, a hit and beyond! And when you add the 1 million USD overseas collection to it, the picture gets rosier.

Says Anushka: "I was always confident about NH10 scoring big with the audiences. Conventional wisdom might make it sound dark and violent, but it also connects emotionally and so well made that everyone could get into Meera's shoes and spend that nightmare of a night out there. The box office jackpot will only inspire us to continue on the same path and make films like NH10."

KASHISH welcome National Award for Ravi Jadhav’s Mitraa

Film had won Best Indian Short Narrative Film Award at KASHISH 2014

KASHISH Mumbai International Queer Film Festival welcomes the National Award for Marathi director Ravi Jadhav’s short film Mitraa. Jadhav’s film had won the Best Indian Short Narrative film award at the fifth edition of South Asia’s biggest LGBT film fest in May 2014.

"It is truly momentous for the LGBT movement that a lesbian-themed film has won the National Award. And we are more so thrilled because the film won the Best Indian film award at KASHISH 2014 too, which goes to show that our festival recognizes and awards excellence in cinema", said filmmaker and festival director Sridhar Rangayan.

Mitraa tells the story of a lesbian protagonist in the newly independent India in 1947 and is based on Vijay Tendulkar's play Mitrachi Goshta

The KASHISH 2014 jury while awarding Mitraa had said that the film was a ``journey of a woman’s self-discovery and her sense of freedom against the backdrop of modern India’s freedom from the Colonial rule, thereby linking her destiny with her nation’s. A beautiful, thoughtful & tasteful cinematic transformation of a piece of literature on to celluloid.’’

Ravi Jadhav  said at KASHISH 2014, “I’m truly honored with the award and response I have got for my film MITRAA. I want to send out a strong message to those who are gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender - you are not alone. Your struggle, for the end to violence and discrimination, is a shared struggle. Today, I’m also with you through my film. Tomorrow world will be!!!

KASHISH also programmed Mitraa at several international LGBT film festivals including Chicago South Asian Film Festival (Chicago, USA), Iris Prize Festival (Cardiff, Wales, UK), Prague Bollywood Festival (Prague, Czech Republic), Homochrom (Cologne, Germany), Cinema Queer (Stockholm, Sweden), Glitch Film Festival (Glasgow, UK); as well as in India at KASHISH Forward at IIT, Mumbai and Best of KASHISH at Gujarat LGBT Pride Festival, Baroda.

Rangayan, whose film Purple Skies, a documentary on Indian lesbians, bisexuals & transmen, was recently screened on National Network Doordarshan, added, ``Finally same-sex loving women's sexuality is coming out of the closet in India and is being recognized as an important national issue.’’

KASHISH also welcomes the national award for the best actor to Vijay Sanchari for his role in the Kannada LGBT themed movie 'Nan Avanalla Avalu' in which he acted as a woman trapped in a man’s body. The Kannada movie is based on the autobiography of transgender writer and activist Living Smile Vidya. 

``It a proud moment for queer portrayal in Indian cinema and we hope this will encourage a lot more filmmakers to make sensitive mainstream films on LGBT lives,’’ said Rangayan.

KASHISH Mumbai International Queer Film Festival

The sixth edition of KASHISH Mumbai International Queer Film Festival, scheduled to be held between May 27-31, 2015. South Asia’s biggest and India’s only mainstream LGBT film fest will be held at two venues, Mumbai’s iconic art deco Liberty theatre and Alliance Francaise de Bombay.

Voted as one of the Top 5 LGBT Film Festival in the World, KASHISH Mumbai International Queer Film Festival is South Asia's biggest queer film festival and the only LGBT film festival in India to be held in a mainstream theater.

Founded in 2010, KASHISH is held over 5 days at two venues. The festival this year will be held at Liberty Cinema and Alliance Francaise in South Mumbai. It is the only Indian LGBT festival to be held with approval by the Information & Broadcasting Ministry, Government of India.

THEME: ‘REACHING OUT, TOUCHING HEARTS’

The theme of KASHISH 2015, 'Reaching Out, Touching Hearts', reflects the urgent need for all of us to reach across barriers and boundaries, reach out to everyone - parents, families, friends, colleagues and peers.

An equal society without stigma and discrimination is a shared responsibility.

The Indian LGBT movement is at a crucial time in its history, where it is fighting an unjust law - section 377 of the Indian Penal Code - that criminalizes the community. It is important to broad-base this struggle and build alliances across race, class, caste, religion, sex, gender identity and sexual orientation to challenge prejudice, change attitudes and create a society that allows each person to live with love and dignity

​ ​ The ​Hollywood​ director John Woo sent an appreciation mail to Rajkuamr Hirani.

The director John Woo is very well known for his direction of films like Face Off, Broken Arrow and Wind Talker.

John Woo and Rajkumar Hirani had met last year at the Beijing International Film Festival, where both were part of the jury. During their meet there, they had spoken about each other’s work at length. 

John Woo is one of those directors who does not believe in phones. He only communicates with people via mail. Since their first meeting in Beijing, they have been in on and off in conversation with each other.

While Rajkumar Hirani was in China for the launch of PK, he had sent a mail to John so that they could meet up, but as the director was out of town they could not catch up.

Rajkumar Hirani was surprised when he later received a mail from John. It was a very long letter where he told Raju that he had watched PK and he liked it a lot.

He wrote everything from what he likes to what he thought of the film.

Rajkumar Hirani confirms the news and adds, "It was heartening to receive the letter from John. When we met last year, we discussed PK. I am very glad that he liked the film. "

FICCI FRAMES 2015 gets under way in Mumbai

Next phase of auctions for FM Radio to add another 1000 channels

Challenges posed by creation of new media platforms, content diversification, new business and revenue models will be addressed upfront, says Govt.

 3-day FICCI FRAMES 2015 gets under way in Mumbai

MUMBAI, March 25, 2015. The government has held out the assurance that it would address upfront the challenges before the media and entertainment sector such as emerging technologies giving way to new media platforms, great diversification of content, industry trying out new business and revenue models and the fact that today every youngster was keen on launching mobile apps.

 

“These are exciting times for the media and entertainment sector,” said Mr. J S Mathur, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India, at the FICCI FRAMES 2015 convention that got under way here today. Mr. Mathur, however,  cautioned that exciting times always come with challenges and assured a packed house that the new government was  trying to meet these challenges.

Speaking about the Government’s vision for a digital India, Mr. Mathur said, “After the limited phase 1 and 2 of digitisation, the rollout for phase 3 and 4 that is going to cover the entire country, including rural India, was a major step forward with tremendous stakes for all stakeholders.” He called upon the industry to work together to ensure that the consumer gets the best out of this new development, while seeing that stakeholders also get their due.

Mr. Mathur also informed the gathering that FM radio expansion has received government’s approval. The first batch of phase 3 of radio e-auctions has been rolled out, covering 69 cities and 135 channels. The next phase will add another 1000-odd channels spread across the length and breadth of the country.

On the occasion, FICCI-KPMG report was also released by the dignitaries present at the inaugural session.

Dr. Jyotsna Suri, President, FICCI, said that FICCI urges the government to undertake some critical initiatives towards the sector’s growth. These include expanding the net of co-production audio-visual agreements to include more countries in our outreach – after all India’s Foreign Direct Investment regulations permit 100 per cent FDI under the automatic route in film production; augmenting screen density in the country; bringing the process of broadcast digitization to an efficient closure; a re-invented film commission to take over the process of Single Window Clearances for shooting which should aim to work in a seamless fashion with state governments; and finally the process of subsuming all entertainment taxes into GST. With these in place, India will be unquestioningly at the centre of the global media and entertainment “movement”.    

Mr. Ramesh Sippy, Co-Chair, FICCI Entertainment Committee, said that the M&E sector has grown substantially over the years and holds a lot of promise for the future. Highlighting some of the initiatives that FICCI had undertaken to promote the sector, he said that co-production have been signed with China and Canada; a proposal had been  sent to the I&B Ministry and Prasar Bharati to start dedicated channels for kids; a proposal has been moved for setting up National Centre of Excellence for Animation and Gaming in PPP mode; need to reduce tax on royalty; urging the I&B Ministry to push forward the Cinematograph Bill in Parliament; subsuming all entertainment taxes into GST  in April 2016; proposal to making India a teleport hub and  creating awareness amongst production houses to use the co-production treaties already in place with the UK, Italy, Australia, Canada and China.  

Mr. Kamal Haasan, Chairman, FICCI MBEC South, said that for the Indian M&E industry to grow the need was to penetrate the rural India which is home to two-thirds of the population. The media sector cannot afford to be complacent at this stage, and there was a need for innovative thinking, generation of quality content and refurbishing of businesses to stay relevant in the market. He said that all M&E platforms were now merging and the sector is one fraternity.

Mr. Harit Nagpal, CEO & MD, TataSky, said that there was a need to take the production centres to small cities and rural India where the talent was in abundance and informed that a rural entrepreneur scheme was already in place across the country. Creating new professionals and promoting rural entrepreneurs would help in bringing forth innovative ideas and a new wave of thinking which the M&E industry lacks currently owing to various governmental restrictions. He added that now was the time for the industry to do things differently and do different things.

He stated that India should look towards self-regulation in the M&E sector and in case of any violations, the guilty party should be penalised and in grave issues the government could also consider cancelling of the license. He added that like any other industry, the entertainment industry was also one of the drivers of the economy and a source of employment generation, hence it could lead India to the next level of economic empowerment if the government and the industry pushed the sector in the right direction.

The audience was also treated to an interesting dialogue with Mr. Aamir Khan, Actor & Producer, who took questions from NDTV’s Editorial Director, Ms. Sonia Singh. The actor disclosed that he never looks at the ‘business aspect’ when he is working on a film. He simply gets immersed in the story. “Indians take to hardware very quickly,” he said, referring to the rapid sales of the latest phones and computers. “However, the issue lies in software.” What he meant is that regardless of the best material objects that people own, they ultimately need to learn how to use them well, so that society as a whole benefits and moves forward.

 

Mr. Khan was also of the view that the media and entertainment industry has a large role to play in the social evolution of the country. “Sure, our job is to entertain, but does it stop there?” He felt that his industry should introspect about the content they are creating, to influence minds and infuse in young India with qualities that we can all be proud of. In his opinion, there is a huge opportunity for the media to transform India, more important than money and numbers. Being obsessed with numbers can stifle creativity.

He said that he was against ban of any kind on content and was happy that the I&B Minister clarified that his ministry does not have any list of words that should or should not be used. The statutory board is a Certification Board, not a Censor Board, and its role is to certify, he added.

 

Dr. Arbind Prasad, Director General, FICCI, proposed a vote of thanks.

FICCI Media division 

Dibakar Banerjee and Sushant Singh Rajput to launch a fashion line inspired by DBB

Sushant Singh Rajput and Dibakar Banerjee are all set to launch a fashion line which is inspired by the era Detective Byomkesh Bakshy is set in.

Dibakar Banerjee's Detective Byomkesh Bakshy is set in the 1943 of Calcutta. The film has Sushant Singh Rajput playing the title character.

The director has made it a point that each and every nuance of the film has been imbibed into the 1940's.

So much so the team came up with an idea of creating a fashion line which would be a fusion of glamorous and modern styling.

The fashion line will be called  'NOIR 43' and would be launched on 26th March in Delhi.

Sushant and Dibakar are originally from Delhi and are eager to be back in the city.

Dibakar shares, "the 40s in calcutta were a time of change.  Politics, war,  crime.and the independence struggle were the scene .  films were breaking new grounds in fashion. on the streets there were bengalis, english, americans, chinese, armenians, afghans and many other jostling for a share of the adventure. out of this came the unique calcutta attire. dhotis mixed with jackets. war surplus overcoats. army uniforms set the style. girls were getting out into the open. american GIs were giving the city a taste of swing and jive. the japanese were bombing and the city switched off its lights in total blackouts. out of that came noir - the dark, edgy and cool world of Byomkesh as he stalked a criminal genius. NOIR 43 takes its inspiration from this exciting and slightly dangerous world and brings back the glamour of 43."

Goldie Behl to collaborate with Bhushan Kumar!

Producer Goldie Behl joins hands with T-Series to co-produce a family drama to be helmed by filmmaker Mohit Suri.

Known to back strong content , producer Goldie Behl is all set to start work on his next, a family drama. Goldie, under the Rose Movies banner will co-produce the film along with T-Series.

The untitled project will be directed by Mohit Suri and will be based on a relationship between a father and son. The project which is still in a preliminary stage will feature a stellar cast,however, the makers remain tight-lipped about details at this stage.

Hunterrr crosses 7.20 cr in 4 days at the box office

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Phantom Films’ Hunterrr has been receiving widespread appreciation and praises from all quarters.

Written and directed by Harshvardhan Kulkarni, Hunterrr has a stellar cast with outstanding performances delivered by Radhika Apte, Gulshan Devaiah and Sai Tamhankar.

The film has received a tremendous response and this is visible in its numbers at the box office.

It opened at 1.55 cr on Friday.

There was a huge growth on Saturday with a collection of 2.03 cr and a further growth on Sundaywith 2.15 cr.

The total weekend collections were 5.73 cr.

Monday recorded a collection of 1.48 cr, almost equal to the collections of the opening Friday.  

In 4 days Hunterrr has crossed 7.20 crore at the box office.

For a small film as Hunterrr that has been made on a slim budget, it is doing extremely good business and is already in profit.

Hunterrr is constantly growing due to strong positive word of mouth.

Mr X’s romantic best song “Tu Jo Hain” goes viral

The first song video from Vikram Bhatt’s Mr X, the much awaited romantic thriller “Tu Jo Hain” garners great response as it goes viral with a  5million count in 5 days! Featuring Emraan Hashmi and the gorgeous Amyra Dastur, the song has surpassed all records across platforms i.e. streams, radio and views on YouTube, with an ever increasing count. 

“After a long time my fans will get the best of me in Tu Jo Hain. Amyra is a very talented actor and together we have created magic in the song. Ankit has sung it beautifully and it’s on loop on my playlist. I hope my fans enjoy it as much too” says Emraan Hashmi

The beautifully crooned and composed song by Ankit Tiwari with lyrics of Mohnish Raza showcases the passion and chemistry between the couple which is a must watch. Emraan also believes that this song is his romantic best!

Emraan and Amyra’s sizzling chemistry in the song combined with Ankit's soul-stirring voice makes you eager to listen and watch the song.

Team of Hunterrr to hold an open forum on the film

For the first time ever, a Bollywood film is holding an open forum where people can discuss the film in depth.

The team of Phantom Films’ Hunterrr is holding a special screening of the film, tomorrow at a suburban theatre.

The screening will be followed by a session where people can come and discuss every aspect of the film, debate over it and can put forward their point of view on the film and the subject it talks about.

The entire team of the film, the producers; Vikas Bahl and Vikramaditya Motwane, the director Harshvardhan Kulkarni and the lead actors; Gulshan Devaiah and Radhika Apte will be present at the event.

They will be open to all questions on the film and the subject it addresses.

After a film releases it is discussed by people and the media at length. Various aspects of a film, from its story and script…to the actors, direction and cinematography are discussed.

So this is an opportunity for people to discuss all this with the team of the film itself.

This is a unique concept and has never been done before. It is an excellent platform for all those who have something to say about Hunterrr as they can come and put forth their views.

Hunterrr is a coming of age film of a young guy and openly talks about sex that is such a taboo topic in India. It has been receiving praises from all quarters.

The film has been appreciated all across and is showing a constant growth at the box office. It’s first weekend collections are 5.73 crore.

Kangana Ranaut's 1st blog, which she has started on her birthday

At 16 she was just agirl who was trapped in a stranger’s body, more often than not that body seemed possessed by alien forces like menstrual blood, cramps, stretch marks, acne, shameful desires and regretful deeds. Neither did she want that body nor that person.

At 19 the seed was bursting and an artist was trying to sprout from it, did it make it?Did it not? That seed might have not made it and many others after that didn’t either but one seed eventually did, the price and the pain both were unbearable.

At 23 when she looked into the mirror she was faced with a bundle of contradictions, she contradicted herself but she didn’t lie not even to herself.  Her honesty was endearing and for the first time I liked her.

At27 I ‘d fallen madly and deeply in love with the mountainwoman who speakswith clouds and butterflies.

I can’t wait to grow oldand meet her when her eyes will sparkle with wisdom and her voice will quiver with kindness and here another thought hits me, how much more time do I have with her?

Time is slipping from my hands just like sand does and I know one lifetime won’t be enough for us.

Can I close my eyes and breath this beautiful spring day in and let it flow through my blood and make it a part of me?Can I stay in this moment for a little longer before 27 deserts me like a lost love affairand before 28 conquers me like a conquest.

Kangana Ranaut.

 LINK

Rajkumar Hirani receives a standing ovation at Warwick University

Rajkumar Hirani received a grand standing ovation on his recent visit to Warwick University in London. The multifaceted director was invited to take a session at the university on any subject related to film-making, and he chose to talk on film editing.

He feels that editing as a profession has always been undervalued; however it is of key importance and plays a strong role for every film. He had gone there to underline the importance and the need of good editors. 

He believes that it is essential to understand the requirement of good editors in today’s cinema. Even students who are planning their career into film-making, need to grasp basic technicalities of film editing. An editor can completely take over the film and use his creativity to give a perfect direction.

Rajkumar Hirani who is also a trained editor at FTII feels that editing gives a complete new vision to direct a film. According to him, directing a film gets more exciting when you have the sensibilities of basic technicalities related to films.  

He had a wonderful session with the students and was delighted that he got an occasion to share his experience with all of them. 

Rajkumar Hirani shares, "‎Editing can either enhance or ruin the film. It's almost as important as script writing. When the management requested me to pick a topic, I chose to underline the importance of editing."

He further adds, "I was delighted by the enthusiasm and response of the students."

Face of Fear , Gabbar is Here

Pachaas-Pachaas kos door jab koi rishwat leta hai.. to sab khete hai mat le varna Gabbar aajayega. ‘Gabbar is Back’ this year but in an all new avatar, redefining bad as the new good this summer.

                                                                                                                                                                                
Launching action maelstrom Akshay Kumar as Gabbar, this high octane action film is an entertainer with substance. An aam aadmi denied justice created Gabbar – a man who set out on a fierce and ruthless path to fight corruption.

Revisiting the face of fear with Bollywood’s most intimidating villain - Gabbar Singh and his famous dialogues, a 360 degree promotional drive was launched to touch the daily lives of the aam junta. Grossing a phenomenal 1 Million touch points across 15 cities pan India, this teaser piqued curiosity across the nation.

Asking all his fans to join this fight, Akshay Kumar said, “Gabbar is an iconic villain in the Indian film industry. I am extremely honored to have been able to play his namesake in “Gabbar is Back”. In our film ,Gabbar is the personification of a thought that  represents the power of the common man. I wanted this thought to reach the aam aadmi across India . I want to thank the millions of people who have responded to the campaign and we hope to have many more join Gabbar's fight against corruption with this film.”

For the first time ever, a film was promoted by using unconventional mediums that directly reach out to the aam aadmi like LPG cylinders, dabbawalas, public transport and local hangouts like chai stalls and pan shops. This camping thrived on reaching out to the masses and each branding element was customized and integrated with witty Gabbar Singh dialogues like at a Chai Stall – the copy reads Chai Piyo, Chai Paani Nahi or at a petrol pump where the messaging is Corruption Gaya Tel Lene. Social media was set buzzing with interesting memes, contests and 4 motion teasers with the first teaser alone garnering over 5 lakh views on day 1 on YouTube.

Produced by Viacom18 Motion Pictures, Sanjay Leela Bhansali and Co Produced by Shabinaa Khan -  Gabbar is Back releases on May 1, 2o15.

Kundan Shah’s P Se PM Tak to release on 22nd May 2015.

Kundan Shah, the director with a cult status, is coming with his next film P Se PM Tak which is a PEN India production and is being slated for 22nd May 2015 release.

Dhaval Jayantilal Gada (PEN), who has produced Udaan, show with the highest TRP on Colors, and Dil Ki Baatein Dil Hi Jaane that will mark return of Ram Kapoor and Gurdip Kohli, presents P Se PM Tak , a political satire directed by Kundan Shah. Produced by Kushal Kantilal Gada (currently working on Kahaani's sequel Kahaani 2), and Reshmaa Kadakia.

The Film Star Cast includes : Meenakshi Dixit, Indrajeet Soni, Bharat Jadhav, Yashpal Sharma, Aanjjan Srivastav, Deepak Shirke, Akhilendra Mishra, Mushtaq Khan, Aanand Kale, Vedish, Prerna Wanvari, Chinmay Jadhav, Geetanjali Kulkarni, Virendra Saxena, Upasana Singh, Pandharinath Kamble, Sanjay Dadhich .

The other credits are as follows  -  Executive Producer: Rajni Acharya, Story: Kundan Shah & Vijay Desai, ScreenPlay: Kundan Shah, Alpesh Dixit & Sanjay Sharma, Dialogues: Vedish, Alpesh Dixit, Vijay Desai & Sanjay Sharma,  Music: Jatin, Lyrics: Vinoo Mahendra, Cinematography: Rajesh Joshi, Sound Designer: Manoj Sikka, Editors: Javed Sayyed & Aseem Sinha, Distribution Head – Pen Ravichand Nallappa, Visual Promotions: Trigger Happy (Amit Chandrra, Mukul Misra), Publicity Designed by: Rahul Nanda & Himanshu Nanda, Associate Directors: Ashok Karlekar & Indraneel Kaul, Art Directors: Alok Halder & Mrinal Das, Costume Designer: Roopa & Arun Sharma, Choreographer: Longinus, Casting Director: Kabir Kapoor, Production controller: Gurudas Pai, Distribution Team : Ajay Bulani & Amit Ghorpade, Marketing Team: Sanaa Dhadli & Mita Choudhary.