HYDERABAD INFOTAINMENT

Actors don different avatars to keep buzz alive

2009-01-27T01:11:00.000-08:00

By M H Ahssan

There was a time when actors were bigger than the characters they played — Amitabh Bachchan never altered his hairstyle and Rajesh Khanna never changed the way he delivered his dialogues. But today, actors are not only willing to take the risk of soaking into the character but also use multiple looks in a single film to create a buzz around it.

Take for example the 2008-blockbuster Ghajini. The success of the track Behka came from the fact that Aamir Khan showed up in six different avatars. A few weeks earlier, King Khan didn’t disappoint when he alternated between Simpleton Suri and Romeo Raj in Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi. Though unlike Ghajini, the varied looks here formed an integral part of the script.

Whether a marketing ploy or as an important part of the storyline, the trend is here to stay and one expects to see at least a handful of films take it forward in 2009. The most talked about of which is director Ashutosh Gowarikar’s What’s Your Rashee, where Priyanka Chopra is likely to be seen in 12 different avatars, each of which represents one rashee or sun sign.

Closer on the calendar is Madhureeta Anand’s Mere Khwabon Mein Jo Aaye that has Randeep Hooda in 18 iconic characters, including that of Elvis Presley and James Bond.

Anand, who came up with the idea while writing the story accepts that it is the USP of the film but assures that it isn’t a PR strategy to sell the film. “My film is about a simple woman who has an imaginary friend Jai and how he empowers her imagination. Jai is her fantasy and therefore takes on the form of the popular icons.” The director, who closely worked with the costume department on Hooda’s looks, says, “It isn’t easy to come up with 18 variations of one face. In a lot of ways, it was creatively liberating for the artistes as well as the actor.”

Southern siren Asin Thottumkal, who is filming for Vipul Shah’s London Dreams, agrees. “I play a split personality — as one character I’ll be wearing a salwar kameez and as the other, you’ll see me in a grunge look. It sounds mad but it gives us actors so much space to experiment.”

Designer Ashley Rebello who has worked on both of Thottumkal’s looks narrates how it took time to get her rocker look right. “The first time around she reminded us of Ghajini. So we gave Asin kohl eyes, tights, dresses and loads of accessories.”

The makeup artistes, hair and costume stylists feel that finally, this phenomenon has led the industry to recognise their potential. Arjun Bhasin who put together Aamir’s looks in Behka, says, “We have to think of what will look good on the actor and also make sure the director likes it. Ghajini was especially a challenge as we had to portray Aamir in a way he never has looked before.”

The audience no doubt loves to see the stars in more than one avatar. Director Murgadoss, who added the track in Ghajini only for the benefit of the Bollywood audience, explains why the trick works: “We knew the response to the song would be fabulous. After all, people get to see their favourite star six times over.” To put in simple words, it’s full ‘paisa vasool’.

Are non-film music albums dying out?

2009-01-06T01:35:00.000-08:00

By Ruchika Kate

Acclaimed singers like Sonu Nigam, Shaan, KK and even Asha Bhonsle have come out with independent music albums that have been popular with audiences. But these non-film albums are now on the decline and many blame Bollywood for the downward trend.

Some allege that artists and albums are not promoted well, while others say Bollywood music has completely overshadowed independent music.

'Albums are dead. It doesn't make sense to waste nine good songs on a box of plastic when people will only listen to what TV offers them. I think I should do films now,' said Rabbi Shergill, whose song 'Bulla ki jaana' topped popular charts.

Some of the other non-film songs that did great business over the past years include 'Tanha dil' -, 'Ab ke saawan' -, 'Dhoom' -, 'Tu' - and 'Bheegi bheegi raaton mein' -. But such albums have now taken a backseat.

'The main reason for the diminishing presence of non-film albums is that our country is very Bollywood-centric,' said Sachin Gupta, the in-house composer of Tips Industries Ltd.

This trend has accelerated the pace of musicians and even lyricists heading towards the Hindi filmdom and expressing their creativity through movie songs.

'It isn't that I don't want to do a non-film album. I love doing albums because I get more creative freedom and there are no constraints or limitations of the storyline,' said lyricist Prasoon Joshi, who has penned the lines for songs like 'Dooba dooba' - and 'Man ke manjeere' -.

'But the problem is that the market for private albums is shrinking. People now are more inclined towards film music. So that's why I now try and find my expression in Bollywood songs,' he added.

Along with the popularity of film music, singers cite inadequate publicity as a major reason for the failure of non-film albums in the Indian market.

'Independent or non-film albums are not promoted the way they should be. It's sad that channels don't even give them enough airplay,' said pop artist Shibani Kashyap, who became popular with her song 'Ho gai hai mohabbat'.

'Even music companies today feel that investing in a non-film album is a losing proposition and not commercially viable because most music channels play Bollywood numbers.

'It was very disappointing to see that even an album by legends Asha Bhonsle and Ghulam Ali saw very little airplay and there was hardly any promotion visible on TV,' she added.

So what can remedy the situation?

'I have done 17 albums last year and I'll keep doing that because you never know what clicks with the audience. If we stop churning out albums then obviously the segment will die. So we need to keep trying to revive it,' said Sachin Gupta.

'Along with implementing sufficient promotional tools for the albums, I feel there should be a channel dedicated to only non-film albums. We need dedicated space to revive them,' suggested Shibani.

Deepika Padukone turns 23

2009-01-05T02:59:00.000-08:00

Change was Buzzword for TV Industry in 2008

2008-12-29T03:17:00.000-08:00

By Radhika Bhirani

Change, they say, is the only constant in life. The saying may not have been true for India's Rs.226 billion/ Rs. 22,600 Crores television industry for the past seven years but it certainly seemed apt for 2008.

A nearly month-long workers' strike, the end of long-running serials from TV tycoon Ekta Kapoor like "Kasauti Zindagi Kay", "Kahaani Ghar Ghar Kii" and "Kyunkii Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thhi", the success of new channels...the TV industry had a lot of surprises and shocks during the year. And all these marked a departure from set norms.

The strike by the apex body of cine workers, the Federation of Western India Cine Employees (FWICE), was for a hike in wages. They failed to reach a settlement with the producers' association and viewers had to bear the brunt by watching re-runs of shows.

According to Keertan Adyanthaya, general manager and executive vice president of STAR Plus, the strike had a significant impact on the industry.

"Thanks to the strike, producers are today looking beyond Mumbai to produce their shows as they realize the futility of putting all their eggs in one basket. The broadcasters have come together for the first time and have taken a united stand against an arbitrary increase in costs," Adyanthaya told IANS.

"The strike was of no benefit whatsoever and everybody ended up losing - the federation lost wages for three weeks, producers had to incur costs on standing sets and broadcasters lost advertising revenue because of repeat telecasts of programmes," he added.

Prior to the strike, the industry witnessed a flutter when Ekta's long running saas-bahu sagas ended.

New entertainment channels like NDTV Imagine, 9x and Colors brought in a breath of fresh air for viewers by offering more variety and meaning in their content and older channels - STAR Plus, Sony and Zee TV - tried to regain their popularity by revamping their programming content.

Said Tarun Mehra, business head of Zee TV: "It has been a great year. Numerous channels were launched, the viewers were spoilt for choice and every existing channel worth its salt kept churning out content that was palatable for its viewers."

New shows like "Balika Vadhu", based on the evils of child marriage, brought about a change in subject and also introduced a child actor as a protagonist in mainstream television shows.

Also, "Saat Phere", "Kasammh Se" and "Teen Bahuraaniyan" of Zee lost out to new concepts like "Mohe Rang De", "Radhaa Ki Betiyaan Kuch Kar Dikhayengi", "Jasuben Jayantilal Ki Joint Family" and "Uttaran" being telecast on new channels.

Most of these shows have drifted away from the typical saas-bahu sagas that the older channels have sworn by. Even the established channels were forced to end their top shows to introduce fresh concepts with shows like "Sapna Baabul Ka...Bidaai", "Santaan" and "Raja Ki Aayegi Baraat".

"In terms of quality, each channel is trying to raise its standard of programming. Also, all of them want their good share of the viewership pie and so they are trying to adjust their programming strategy accordingly," Ashwini Yardi, senior vice president and content head of Colors, told IANS.

SAB TV also tried to strengthen its position with new comedy shows like "Lo Ho Gayi Pooja Iss Ghar Kii", "Main Kab Saas Banoongi", "Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah" and "Jugni Chali Jalandhar".

This year, the TV industry also witnessed an overdose of reality shows with nearly all channels hosting at least one. Most shows like "Ek Khiladi Ek Haseena" on Colors and "Zara Nachke Dikha" on STAR One tried to make their presence felt by spicing up their content.

"Every channel tried different formats of reality shows. We tried showing stunts through 'Fear Factor', then 'Bigg Boss' and even 'Ek Khiladi Ek Haseena' was different in the sense that we brought in cricketers. Even though there is an overdose of it, reality shows are here to stay," said Yardi.

Another significant alteration in primetime television was the return of mythological epics - "Mahabharata" and "Ramayan". They made a comeback on screen in a digitally enhanced avatar with Ekta Kapoor's "Kahaani Humaaray Mahaabhaarat Ki" and Sagar Arts' "Ramayan". There were also additions like "Jai Shri Krishna" and "Sai Baba".

Bollywood also marked its presence on the small screen by stars hosting quizes and talk shows. While superstars Shah Rukh Khan and Salman Khan hosted "Kya Aap Paanchvi Paas Se Tez Hain" and "Dus Ka Dum" respectively, others like Shilpa Shetty and Akshay Kumar hosted "Bigg Boss" and "Fear Factor: Khatron Ke Khiladi" respectively.

Even veteran actors Jeetendra and Hema Malini have joined the bandwagon by becoming judges on the newly launched show "Dancing Queen". A string of others like Hrithik Roshan, Sushmita Sen, Karisma Kapoor, Raveena Tandon, Sonali Bendre, Arjun Rampal and Farhan Akhtar also plunged into the medium.

Apart from the new shows that were launched in 2008, the year witnessed the launch of a bouquet of channels offered by production house UTV Global Broadcasting Limited (UGBL). The company began youth channels Bindass and Bindass Movies, international movie channel World Movies, mainstream Hindi movie channel UTV Movies and two news channels UTV News and UTVi.

In the entertainment category, the year also saw the launch of various regional channels, including two by Rupert Murdoch's STAR. It launched STAR Jalsha and STAR Pravah to cater to the Bengali and Marathi viewers respectively.

This apart, STAR has joined hands with parliamentarian Rajeev Chandrasekhar's company Jupiter Entertainment Ventures for a joint venture - STAR Jupiter Entertainment Television targeting south India.

INX Network launched NewsX in March and announced plans for nearly nine regional channels.

Youth channels like Bindass, MTV and Channel V also saw an upsurge in viewership thanks to adventure reality shows like "MTV Roadies", "MTV Splitsville", "Cash Cab" and "Dadagiri".

In November, "reality TV" assumed a different meaning when the terror attacks struck Mumbai.

The 60-hour bloodbath that claimed over 170 lives provided for continuous feed of grim, sensational images, survival stories and political discussions across not just national but also international news channels. People remained glued to their TV sets, leading to a spurt in viewership of Hindi news channels during that time.

All in all - 2008 proved to be an eventful year of change for the TV industry.

Rewind 2008: HIGH-VOLTAGE DRAMA OFF-SCREEN

2008-12-26T22:12:00.000-08:00

By M H Ahssan

Spats, political drama, fan wars and a star debut overtook show business in Tollywood. HNN rewinds to the year that was.

Drama – there was no dearth of it in Tollywood this year. More than films, there were other issues that took centre stage in the Telugu film industry. A political tsunami engulfed the stars, who were either busy floating their own party or supporting existing ones. A political divide like this was never seen before in the industry.

STAR POLITICS
Mega star Chiranjeevi's political plunge saw family members –– Pawan Kalyan, Nagababu and Allu Aravind ––getting busier by the day. While, Nagababu known for his managerial abilities, saw a sudden spurt in his acting career (he acted in more than 20 films this year), actor Pawan Kalyan got busy managing Yuvarajyam, the youth wing of Prajarajyam (with the nightmare of his divorce behind him). Not to be outdone, the Nandamuri clan united for a political cause –– Balakrishna, Jr NTR and Kalyan Ram –– declared their support to Telugu Desam and Balakrishna was the star attraction at TDP’s Yuvagarjana. The sudden influx of stars into the political arena pushed the Congress to woo the remaining stars. At the Nandi Awards, actor Nagarjuna, Krishna and Mahesh Babu made their political allegiance obvious and other stars like Rajasekhar, Jeevitha and Srihari have sent feelers to the Congress, we hear.

FAN WARS, CRICKET & SON-RISE
The year also saw a fan war between actor Rajasekhar and Chiranjeevi, with the mega star apologising in public on behalf of fans who attacked Rajasekhar. This was a first! On a pleasanter note, Manchu Vishnu bought a stake in the ICL and the year also saw the most memorable son-rise, that of Naga Chaitanya.

NOT A SINGLE FILM
The biggest surprise of the year comes from Mahesh Babu –– the star did not shoot for a single day the whole year and had no release either. Disturbing silence!

FREAK ACCIDENT & A PASSION CRIME
River Godavari, where umpteen films are shot each year, turned into a watery grave for a junior artist while performing a stunt for the film Baladoor. The accident in March opened a can of worms but the issue died a slow death.

Towards the year-end the murder of Bhargavi, the second lead actress in the hit film Ashta Chemma, shook the industry, once again highlighting the struggles of upcoming actors and the downside of glitz and glamour.

Krisshwa the first Bhojpuri Superhero

2008-12-26T03:15:00.000-08:00

By Giridhar Jha

BHOJPURI cinema hero is flying high. Well, literally!

Forget the country bumpkins in dhotis riding bullock carts on dusty roads as leading men of the cow belt cinema.

It has its own Superman now.

If Krissh was the first flying superhero of Hindi cinema, he will now don the avatar of ‘ Krisshwa’ for Bhojpuri films.

Vinay Anand, nephew of Bollywood actor Govinda, is playing Krisshwa in a forthcoming Bhojpuri film called Jaade Mein Balmaa Pyara Laage that will release in February.

Krisshwa is a desi ( indigenous) superhero modelled on Hrithik Roshan’s title role of Hindi blockbuster Krissh . Just like Krissh, Krisshwa flies and also rescues a damselin- distress — Mona Lisa, who plays the female lead in the film.

Anand insists his latest flick is not a copy of Rakesh Roshan’s superhit film. “ We have not plagiarised the theme of Krissh ,” Anand said.

“ We have only retained the look of the mask- wearing character.” Apart from the lead pair, Bali, Gurlin Chopra, Dev Malhotra and Sambhavana Seth also play stellar roles in the film which is produced by Mukesh Kumar.

Anand said he was pleasantly surprised when he was first told about the character and its look.

“ This is an entirely new concept in Bhojpuri films,” he said. “ I am confident this movie will turn out to be a blockbuster in the Bhojpuri cinema like Krissh became in Bollywood.” Anand, who has acted in a few Hindi movies such as Tabu- starrer Aamdani Atthani Kharcha Rupaiya , T. Ramarao’s Soutela and Rajat Rawail’s Dil Ne Phir Yaad Kiya , said the idea behind creating a Superman- like character was to introduce the Bhojpuri cinema audience to a different kind of entertainment.

“ We have used a lot of special effects in the film, which the Bhojpuri audience has not seen before,” he said. “ I firmly believe that they should also have exposure to variations in their films.” Being made under the banner of MKG Films, Jaade Mein Balmaa Pyara Laage is being directed by Mukesh K. Dev.

The film, however, does not revolve around the Krissh- like character alone. “ This character appears in different sequences which, I am sure, will appeal to the audience,” Anand said. “ I am not supposed to reveal more about the film before it is released.” Anand, who has acted in about 20 Bhojpuri movies over the past three years, believes that the audience in Bihar, in particular, will relate more to the character, who symbolises the triumph of good over evil.

“ The character annihilates criminals and raises consciousness of the common man to fight for their rights.

He is like someone that the crime- prone Bihar needs,” the actor said.

Though Krisshwa will be the first Bhojpuri superhero, Jaade Mein Balmaa Pyara Laage is not the first tryst of the Bhojpuri audience with a superhero. Last year, they had the experience of watching Spiderman 3 dubbed in Bhojpuri.

Popular Bhojpuri star Ravi Kissen had dubbed the dialogues of the lead actor, Tobey Maguire. The dubbed version of the Hollywood film was released in Bihar and many other Bhojpuri- speaking places across the country.

Kissen was so inspired by his Bhojpuri dubbing for the film that he announced to make a film in which the main protagonist would be a physically challenged man who would fly like Spiderman with the blessings of Lord Hanuman.

“ The superhero of my film will not be seen in an underwear over his costume.

He will rather fly in a dhoti because he has to be the Bhojpuria Spiderman,” Kissen had said.

Kissen’s ambitious venture is yet to hit the screens. Anand has pipped him to the post and is ready to fly high as Krisshwa.

Incredible India on an Online Overdrive

2008-12-26T03:09:00.000-08:00

By Pratul Sharma

The Tourism ministry will launch an online media campaign to attract foreign tourists who have been shying away from coming to the country after the 26/ 11 terror attack.

The ministry decided to launch the campaign on country- specific web portals after the success of hosting video clips of Incredible India on popular website YouTube . The campaign will promote India as a safe destination.

The government, which has already announced 2009 as Visit India Year, believes the next year would be tough for the industry, which is feeling the heat after the terror attacks in Mumbai and the recession.

The move came after major players in the tourism industry asked the government to aggressively market Brand India abroad. Officials said the online campaign will be comprehensive, covering major portals and websites in the countries that register the maximum visits in India.

“ This year, the thrust has been on selecting region- specific portals. Some of the portals which will be featured in the current campaign are project India as a safe destination MSN , Yahoo, Google, orange. fr , t- online, libero.com, baidu.com, zuji.com, news. com. au, khaleejtimes.com, wallstreetjournal.com .

The campaign will stress on how large India is geographically and would highlight its varied products,” said an official.

The ministry currently has seven international media campaigns running in Europe, Americas and Asia Pacific.

Some of the important publications covered under the print media campaign include the Financial Times , Economist and Sunday Magazine in Australia; China Daily; News Week Asia, Nikki Business Magazine in Japan; Sunday Times in the UK; Le Monde in France; Geo Magazine in Germany; Travel & Leisure and Conde Nast Traveller in the US; and Proxima Viagem in Brazil.

Under the Visit India Year, foreign tourists would get free holiday packages for 2010 and 2011. The ministry is also working on special packages on rural India, eco- tourism, and adventure tourism.

Officials claimed the tourism offices overseas have also been advised to liaise with the media and travel trade in their respective regions and examine the possibility of organising familiarisation tours to Mumbai and other regions of the country.

Sonali Bendre in Tears Over Gender Bias

2008-12-23T22:28:00.000-08:00

By Priyanka Gill

Promoting female contestants aggressively on reality TV music shows seems to be the new mantra for celebrity judges on the small screen. While Himesh Reshammiya has been going on with the line that the winner of Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Challenge 2009 has to be a girl, the latest to join the club is Indian Idol ’s judge Sonali Bendre.

An upset Sonali broke down in a recent episode when a favourite female contestant of hers, Shini Kalvint from Gwalior, was voted out. Sonali, who has been rooting for girls from the beginning of the show, was visibly upset when Shini and another contestant Bhavya landed in the unsafe zone during the elimination round.

When Shini was ousted, Sonali went up to her and said, “ I think there is a problem with the Indian audience who suffer from serious gender bias. It’s extremely difficult for a married woman to make it to a reality show and Shini had courageously come so far. If the audience cannot offer support, then we must eliminate all the girls and have only boys on the show.” In the previous season of Indian Idol , judge Alisha Chinai had expressed her desire to see a female contestant as winner, but she was not as aggressive as Sonali. “ Looking at the audience verdict, I feel sad. I wonder why I accepted being a judge on the show as I cannot handle this ( gender bias),” Sonali added.

Though encouraging Indian voters to support girls is a good idea, considering no female contestant has ever won a reality music show yet, insiders insist the reason lies elsewhere. “ Television has always been dominated by its female viewer base. And with the staple saas- bahu formula becoming obsolete, reality TV is trying to capture this loyal viewer base by promoting female contestants. These producers are not at all concerned about promoting women.

For them, it is a matter of boosting TRPs,” said a TV producer.

You somehow feel there might be some truth in that charge watching Reshammiya on Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Challenge 2009 . Last season, Himesh’s favourite contestant was Aneek Dhar and the composermentor never seemed interested in promoting girls. Kolkata boy Aneek, who came into the show as the winner of the Bengal edition of the show, went on to win the programme.

This season, Himesh has been promoting Vaishali, winner of Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Marathi , who belongs to his Rock gharana — one of the groups in which contestants have been divided. Seconding Himesh is Shankar Mahadevan whose Lakshya gharana has a strong battalion of female singers. On the other hand, Pritam Chakraborty of Dhoom gharana and Aadesh Srivastava of Jai Ho gharana are rooting for boys. No prizes for guessing that promoting males is their best shot at lifting the trophy.

Sanjay Upadhyay, head of Fiction Programming, Sony, rejects charges that girls are being promoted to pull the female audience base. “ Our channel wants to create history by having a female winner on Indian Idol . That doesn’t mean we are promoting the girls needlessly. They are getting votes on the basis of their talent,” he said.

Film Review: Ghajini

2008-12-23T22:16:00.000-08:00

By M H Ahssan

Save the climax, the Hindi version follows the Tamil original. The remarkable difference is how the marketing genius of Aamir Khan has turned eight pack abs and buzzcut with scar into style statements.

On the face of it Ghajini is an oft-repeated tale of the hero seeking revenge on the killer of his lady love. What makes it different then? The plot contrivance of anterograde amnesia i.e. short term memory loss. Our hero Sanjay Singhania (Aamir Khan), after being violently hit on the head, can only recall incidents that have happened less than 15 minutes ago. This allows for some experimentation in story-telling, play with images and editing as the action moves back and forth in time. It also helps the director in developing new modes and strategies of bumping off the bad guy. So Sanjay uses various devices--Polaroid camera, tattoos on his body, elaborate maps and messages on the wall--to help him in remembering that he has a major goal to accomplish.

For much of this, filmmaker A.R. Murugadoss needs to sincerely thank Christopher Nolan’s Memento right down to the inscription on the hero’s chest "Find Him…Kill Him". Where Murugadoss strikes a different note is in the elaborately played out comedy of errors love story wherein you have a fledgling model with a heart of gold, Kalpana (Asin), claiming to be the girlfriend of Sanjay who, of course, doesn’t even know what she looks like.

The other obvious departure from Memento is the song-n-dance. My friends from the South swear by the original soundtrack by Harris Jeyraj but my ears haven’t quite tuned in on the Tamil original yet. What works for me are two songs specifically, Guzarish and Behka. The songs have been shot in what we Northerners identify as quintessential Tamil idiom—as stylised set-pieces in kitschy colours. Two of these have been directed music video style by hotshot ad filmmaker Ravi Udayawar (remember his Dooba Dooba?)

Save the climax, the Hindi version follows the Tamil original, shot for shot, cut for cut, character for character, actor for actor. The villain is the same, and so are the heroine and the Inspector investigating Sanjay. Even the name of the mobile company that the hero works for --Airvoice -- is not changed. The differences are minor. The hero is 1975 born in Hindi, 1976 in Tamil. He is Singhania in Hindi, Ramaswamy in Tamil. He keeps the Polaroid camera on the right side, not the left as in Tamil version. The nerves and brains opening credits are similar, so is the first killing with blood dripping from the tap (though in Hindi you hear the sound, and don’t see it graphically as you do in Tamil). Why, even some props stay—the fan cooling off Asin in the makeup room and isn’t she reading the same Mario Puzo in both the versions?

The remarkable difference is how the marketing genius of Aamir Khan has turned eight pack abs and buzzcut with scar into style statements. But beyond the gimmickry, this surely is Aamir’s most physical performance yet. His presence is like that of a tormented animal--full of grief and rage. However, it’s not Aamir beating the pulp out of the goons that works for me. He is still at his best when he uses his face and registers fleeting expressions thereon. The haunted and hunting look in his eyes stands out. My favourite is the scene in the bus when he looks lovingly at Asin and says those three words. It is never quite as romantic and heart-stopping a moment in the Tamil original. The other Aamir touch is using Sunil Grover who plays Ruk Ruk Khan in Kaun Banega Champu in one of the comic scenes. Now is that another jab at SRK? Go figure out for yourself.

Asin’s act does not change at all from the original, but her wardrobe does entirely.Her character Kalpana is the kind that reaches out to the crowds--nice, warm, effervescent and vulnerable, a woman after every man’s heart. Moreover she is pleasing to the eye and cries in a manner that the mascara in her eyes and makeup on the face does not get washed away. In one phrase, she is 'eminently suitable' to be the next heroine of consequence in Bollywood.

The weak links are the zero presence Jiah Khan as the medical student who helps Sanjay in his mission and Pradeep Rawat as the villain with a horrible wannabe Haryanvi accent. The second half becomes way too prolonged and the climax, which am told has been changed entirely (and which I could not see in the bad, scratched out DVD I had procured of the Tamil version), leaves one dissatisfied. The effort to tie up all the loose ends jars and the end is way too safe. An edgy, far more treacherous end would have been more in order.

Hot property - Asin Sharma

2008-12-12T23:44:00.000-08:00

By M H Ahssan

Southern import Asin comes clean on controversial reports about her equation with Ghajini hero Aamir Khan. An informal chat with HNN recently in Hyderabad.

What kind of response have you been getting after the promos of Ghajini?
The responses have been very good. People are now waiting for the film to release. A debut opposite Aamir Khan is an absolute dream-come-true. Though I have done many films down South, this is like a baby step for me. Not only the film is my first venture with a superstar, it is being directed by Murugadoss and has music is by A R Rahman. It is a dream team.

How comfortable are you with Hindi?
Quite comfortable. Though I have been born and brought up in Kerala, I have gone to a Naval Indian school where I have been exposed to Hindi. Many of my teachers were North Indians, so since childhood I have been speaking the language. Ghajini was shot in sync sound, and thankfully my Hindi was good, I had no problems.

A heroine of an Aamir starrer isn’t left with much to do in the film. What is your take on that?
But as Aamir’s heroine I am sure I will get fabulous exposure both nationally and internationally.

There were reports that before filming a romantic scene, Aamir went on long walks with you.
(Cuts in) I don’t know from where such reports originate. I was comfortable doing all types of scenes with him.

Weren’t you upset with your hero for not letting you speak to the press?
That’s absolutely untrue. I was completely shocked when I read this report.

Didn’t you want to clarify your stance then?
As I said, initially I was surprised. After that I laughed it off.

So, how was it working with the perfectionist Aamir?
Oh, he’s a very supportive and encouraging co-star. The media refers to him as a perfectionist in the negative sense, but I find him absolutely dedicated, passionate and focussed on his work. At the same time, he is extremely down-to-earth without any airs about him. He lets the director be the captain of the ship.

Having been part of the Tamil version of Ghajini, what difference do you find between the two heroes?
Both of them have brought their own techniques to the role. Surya has portrayed it in a different way. However, I think we should wait for the film to release before discussing this further.

Did you feel a sense of deja vu while performing as you had been there, done that?
Character-wise, there isn’t anything different between the two. In both the versions, my name is Kalpana, a girl from a lower-middle class family. She is a struggler in an ad firm, one of the model types who to wants to make it big in the ad industry. Though the character is the same, shooting for the film was a new experience because we have made a few changes in the climax, tweaked it a bit and added new action scenes. Also, except for the director, the entire technical crew was new for me.

Kalpana doesn’t seem glamourous...
No, she is not at all glamourous. A girl-next-door type, she is completely a non-Bollywood kind of a heroine. But the role is so good that I didn’t think twice about doing it.

You star in London Dreams opposite Salman Khan.What would you say is the difference between the two Khans?
On the contrary, I find a lot of similarities between the two. Both of them are cool to work with, only Salman is more spontaneous. Even Ajay Devgan is a pucca professional. He is quite a prankster and the three of us had a great time. In fact, it was one of my best outdoor shoots.

We heard you had signed a film with Akshay Kumar?
No. Right now, I have only London Dreams.

Are you doing any South films or are you looking at establishing yourself in Bollywood first?
I would like to do films that excite me. Language is not a barrier. Right now, I haven’t signed any films in the South, though. My immediate commitment is to London Dreams, for which we will be shooting in Mumbai. A major portion of the film has already been shot and only a few scenes and songs are remaining.

You are endorsing many brands from Colgate to Tanishq?
Yes, so far I have endorsed around 60 brands. I started my career with ads. And films were a natural progression. Besides the Colgate commercial, which I have shot with Saif Ali Khan, I had done the Miranda ad with Zayed Khan. Soon, I will be shooting for a Tata Sky ad too.

With Aamir Khan?
(Laughs) I don’t know.

The Crusader - Prasoon Joshi

2008-12-12T23:36:00.001-08:00

By M H Ahssan

His pen weaves magic with words. But that’s only the result. The real McCoy, says Prasoon, is the thought that motivated him to become a lyricist in the first place. He is on a winning spree. Prasoon Joshi’s widely-publicised poem on the 26/11 war on Mumbai has won him hosannas galore for its heartfelt verse and depth. But Prasoon Joshi dismisses our request to comment on the tragedy.

“I have already spoken so much to the newspapers and channels. I wrote that poem because I could not sleep that night. When it was aired, everyone else wanted to use it too."

We are ensconced in the conference room of McCann Worldgroup India, the ad giant of which Prasoon is the Regional Executive Creative Director (Asia-Pacific). Out from a long meeting, Prasoon is in customary articulate mood as we shift topics to Ghajini.

“Ghajini is a hardcore mainstream action thriller. At first thought there is little in it by way of romance, but I thought that there was a big angle!” smiles the writer. “The role of music and songs here is different from that in most of the films that I have done. There are cases where the songs actually lend pace as the story moves through them, while other come as a relief in the high action and drama.”

What was the brief that he received? “The story was shared with me and I also saw the original,” notes Prasoon almost dismissively. “All I can say is every song here is completely situational with no scope for philosophy. I have been less of a poet here than in a Rang De Basanti or a Taare Zameen Par wherein the songs were the soul of the films.”

Since this is his first action film, how was the experience? “Writing plain commercial stuff was challenging, though I think I have got the hang of it now,” replies Prasoon. “Two songs are romantic and three are about having fun, so there is no pathos anywhere. I always like to express some philosophical thoughts in my songs, but this time I explored a lighthearted side and I think I enjoyed it. A little bit of yourself always seeps into the work you do, but I have tried to avoid that as well as any hangover of my older films. I have let the character dictate everything. Like when the hero is overwhelmingly grateful to God and cannot believe that his good luck for getting a perfect girl, he sings Kaise mujhe tum mil gayi / Qismat pe aaye nahin yakeen.” In another case, we used the word “Lattu” meaning a top and also going mad over someone.”

How does he look at his evolving friendship and association with Aamir Khan? How did it begin? “I met him for the first time during my Thanda Matlab Coca-Cola campaign. We instantly clicked from the beginning, which was probably because we have so much in common. He was appreciative about my work and so was I about his. As a published poet, I have always been duly proud of my work, and he has the same pride in his work too. And so we developed a huge respect for each other that grew enormously after Rang De Basanti, for which he insisted that I pen the dialogues. I was already doing Fanaa due to my equation with Aditya Chopra and Kunal Kohli and it was a coincidence that Aamir was doing that film too. The songs clicked in a big way in both cases and then of course came Taare Zameen Par.”

Prasoon pauses and then goes on thoughtfully, “Aamir is a refreshing surprise for someone who is in the thick of stardom. He’s down-to-earth, aware, sensitive, well-read and well-informed. He’s concerned about issues. Aamir and I spend time together when off-work, which is very necessary to have a deep comfort zone and do quality work together. Relationships don’t happen with me overnight. Aamir too does not warm up easily, but once he does, he commits completely. His love for poetry is exemplary. I wrote a 7-minute long title-track for Taare... and he refused to cut even a line of it. It’s the same with Rahman and I - we have an off-work bond too. Like Rahman just called me for nothing in particular when he landed in Frankfurt yesterday.”

Prasoon adds, “It is very important for me to respect someone with whom I work regularly.” But is it necessary to work only with Rahman and Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy and not look beyond to the other composers? “Well, I have my own way of working, though I am very fast. If needed, I could do 12 films a year, but I have to look after my ad side too. That restricts my quantum of work, but let’ see...” says the lyricist who is now doing Dilli 6, London Dreams and a small message-oriented film for which he is writing only the theme song, as he had done in his debut film Lajja seven years ago.

Talking about S-E-L, we wonder what he thinks of the fate of the music of Thoda Pyaar Thoda Magic. “There were good songs in that film. I am upset that music in films has grown to be so dependent on the fate of the movie,” he says intensely. “This is wrong. The audience has to differentiate between a film and its music, especially in this country where there is very little music industry outside cinema.”

What is the solution to this, because in the pre-television promos days commercial flops like Mera Naam Joker, Satyam Shivam Sundaram and Umrao Jaan recorded phenomenal sales and success? “Yes, I guess marketing strategies need to be changed. The music should release sufficiently early to grow on its own steam and maybe it should be promoted differently. I respect our audience - it still believes in good music.”

Prasoon would rather not comment, however, on the abysmal levels to which some current film music and lyrics have sunk, and shrugs when we mention that TZP was probably the last Hindi film with completely meaningful lyrics. “I think that the problem begins when we forget that one reason why we wanted to first come into a profession when we were young,” he says. “As success comes, we create a paraphernelia around us. We work more because we have to maintain things like an expensive car or a facade. With this come in the fears and thus the change in attitude and the reduction in happiness. I still remember that my reason to do both ads and filmwriting was because I wanted to make a difference to people’s lives in my own way. If Shailendra wrote a O basanti pawan pagal I wanted to do something as excellent in my timeframe and context. For me, my work has never stopped being a search for ways and means to express something to the people.”

Rahman Nominated for Golden Globe

2008-12-12T23:29:00.000-08:00

By Bharathi Dubey

British director Danny Boyle's film 'Slumdog Millionaire,' about a Mumbai teenager's rags-to-riches story has received four nominations for the 66th Golden Globe Awards, with music director A R Rahman being nominated for Best Original Score.

"It is good to hear about all these nominations," Rahman told reporters on the sidelines of a press conference. "I always feel that I am just one of the elements and then combining it with other elements it becomes something else. So with the same instinct I had done the music in two to three weeks," he said.

The film has bagged nominations for Best Picture-Drama, Best Director for Boyle and Best Screenplay for writer Simon Beaufoy at the awards that would be announced on January 11 in Los Angeles.

Boyle's film is based on the book 'Q and A' by Indian author Vikas Swarup. It details the story of a slum-dweller Jamal, who wins twenty million rupees at a reality game show 'Kaun Banega Crorepati', the Indian version of US TV show 'Who Wants to Be a Millionaire'.

The film was extensively shot at various locations in Mumbai, including the Victoria Terminus, which was hit by terrorists last month.

"It is wonderful, wonderful news obviously for everybody in Mumbai who helped make this film. There are lots of people, who worked in the film for a tough couple of weeks," director Danny Boyle told a TV channel.

Earlier this week, the film also won two awards from the Los Angeles Film Critics Association - Best Director for Boyle and Best Music for Rahman. It also won the runner-up prize for Best Cinematography for Anthony Dod Mantle.

'Slumdog Millionaire' is expected to be a strong contender for the Oscar race as Golden Globe are often assumed as a key indicator to the Oscars.

The Golden Globe Awards are held annually by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) in the US and the ceremony is scheduled to be held on January 11, 2009.

Heroism In Telugu Cinema

2008-12-12T23:06:00.000-08:00

By M H Ahssan

The Superhero season may have caught up in Hollywood and Bollywood today, but it was there in our own Telugu cinema from the longest time. Surprised? No, no-we might not have a Superman or a Krrish or even a Hulk per se. But just think, what is it that these so-called superheroes can do that our Tollywood stars cannot in their movies?

Chiru, mega-star Chiru. How did he earn such a huge title? Was it self-conferred? No, it was given to him with love from millions of Telugu movie fanatics who were convinced of his 'mega-hero' status. Not less than a Superhero, if not more. The movie 'Alluda Majaka' was titled aptly. The people who first designed a tractor might not have thought it possible, but in Telugu Superman Land, anything goes. The boy-next-door character of Chiranjeevi raises the tractor above the ground and flies with the tractor. Hey, but what can you do when you don't have a bike with you-a tractor will always serve the purpose.

NBK fans who watched Vijayendra Verma will accept, acknowledge and agree with this statement. Remember the scene when Balayya jumps over a truck in pursuit of the evil men aka terrorists? Well, Hrithik does it Krrish, but big deal-he needs a mask and a cape and 'Superhero' Status. But our Balayya is a normal army man in the movie, and still manages to 'fly' over things 10 feet wide. How's that for Heroism? In another instance, army-man Verma flies from India to Pakistan using a Parachute and even lands right in front of the terrorist's place-Supreme Navigation.

The biggest hit in recent times, Pokiri has Mahesh fighting 50 or more armed men, including Prakash Raj, but he succeeds in ripping each one of the 50+ goons apart, without a single scratch on himself. Hearing this, Hollywood Superhero Hulk became ashamed of himself, for, even though mana Mahesh is 6 feet, possibly 150 lbs, Hulk in form is at least 10 feet taller and 500 lbs heavier and does the same thing with more effort than our Pokiri.

For Superman, Kryptonite is lethal but for our heroes, nothing is. May be a bullet won't bounce off their eyeballs like Superman's does, but even a bullet goes deep inside their heart/stomach/lungs/kidneys/limbs, things just function normally. NTR even proposes marriage in the end of the movie Aadi, two bullets down. Who cares about bullets, let's get married first.

Spiderman might have stopped a train in the movie Spiderman Returns, but look at the tremendous amount of effort, time and energy it took him. Maybe the author should take a cue from Balayya and endow poor little Spiderman with some more powers.

In Palnati Brahmanaidu, NBK stops a train in 10 seconds flat. How? Simple, he tells it to stop and signals with his hand and plays with it-the sad little train moves back and forth with Balayya's hand signal. 'Cheti Saigala thoti train apesta', NBK told Spiderman. The poor fellow tried to commit suicide by jumping off the 50th floor of a building, unfortunately for him he couldn't-his stupid webs cushioned his fall. Tough luck, spidey. He does the same thing with a chair in the enemy's den-the chair is at NBK's mercy.

Kondaveeti Donga with Chiranjeevi or Takkari Donga with Mahesh Babu is an imitation of cowboy movies; similarly Superman starring NTR (yeah, yeah it's true) is, obviously, an imitation of the original Superman. And then there are many more such imitations. But Tollywood makers should realize that we don't need to copy from them. Because as far as Heroism is concerned, they should take tips from us. Our regular Telugu movie hero should at least have the following qualities:

He should be able to bash 50 to 100 men without injury to himself. If, in case, injury occurs, then the hero should be able to do the following things effortlessly-eat, sleep, bathe, get married, dance, sing, beat up another 60 men for fun, hit the discos, consummate his marriage, change his costume and if there is time, go to a doctor.

He can have several powers like being able to control vehicles, command electronic appliances and talk to animals (like St. Francis of Assisi).

He should, absolutely should be in a mood to do a little jig after saving the heroine from 25 to 60 goondas. (Fight ninchi cut cheste Ooty/Switzerland velli song esi ravali).

He can outsmart villains in events like car chases, truck chases, etc., and manage to make a clean getaway.

These are the minimum qualifications. Extra talents will earn him some brownie points. And they don't really carry a Superhero tag-that just shows that the normal Telugu man is expected to possess the above powers, if not more. But for Hollywood and now Bollywood, they need a separate costume, a tag and constant encouragement. Do our heroes get any thanks at all? Does anyone write articles about them and win Pulitzer prizes? No! But they still don't complain. They dutifully destroy buildings, save helpless damsels, fight and injure hundreds of men in a movie among other things. They are not aliens like Superman, haven't been bitten by a bug like Spiderman, and were not blessed with Super powers by an alien like Krrish-none of these. They came up the hard way-the fertile imagination of the writer and commercial successes one after another.

Superheroes are a recent trend in English literature and cinema. But for India, all the Hindu Gods possess powers that would shame any Superhero. Hence the initial mythological movies had only superheroes. Then came the independence leaders and social leaders; right now we have Idiots and Pokiris and Factionists (Indra, Narasimha Naidu, Aadi, etc.,) who rule the Telugu Land and are empowered with qualities that heroes across the AP border haven't even heard of. Hail the Telugu Superhero!

Film Acquisition Costs Hits Three Digit Mark

2008-12-12T23:02:00.000-08:00

By Payal Sharma

Corporatisation has set the cash registers ringing for the Indian film fraternity. As newer streams of revenues opened up, movies started grossing in the range of Rs 100 - 120 crores, which was unheard of before.

While a couple of years back, it took almost 15 films to rake in a total of Rs 100 - 120 crores in collections, last year saw an Om Shanti Om being snapped up for a staggering Rs 70 cores. While it left many in the industry agape, there's no denying the fact, that it was a smart business move on the producer's part.

Within the last one year, the dynamics of the business have changed yet again and how! Five films namely Om Shanti Om, Welcome, Race, Singh is Kinng and Ghajini were fetched in the range of Rs 60 - 90 crore.

What’s more, films like Kites and London Dreams have an astronomical asking price, which is above the Rs 100 crores mark. The latest to join the league is the Salman Khan starrer Veer, which has an asking price of Rs 150 crores. While it’s difficult to say which movie will beat this, one thing is clear that after box office collections touched the three digit mark, acquisition costs have slowly but steadily crept up there too.

A reason that may have contributed to the high price of London Dreams was the payment made to its old producer Param Jeet Singh. On the other hand, Rakesh Roshan’s Kites is seeking a three digit price as the movie has the potential to be exploited in international markets too.

Nevertheless, one thing is clear that the foremost factor that has potential to take the acquisition price of movies skyrocketing is the star cast. So while Hindi film industry economics are a changing, let’s ponder over whether all this is for real or just hype and hoopla…

An industry professional says, "Kites and London Dreams have been fetched in the range of Rs 100+ crores. From now onwards, in any given year there will be four – five big star cast projects that will command high prices and companies will acquire or produce such movies to balance their movie portfolio."

In the case of films like Om Shanti Om, Welcome, Ghajini and Race, which were acquired at high prices, the cast and crew (read actor, director) were signed for a relatively cheaper fee. Hence the moolah these movies fetched from distributors went as table profits to the producers alone.

However, the stakes are now higher. The mantra seems to be to make hay while the sun shines as the industry becomes bigger in terms of investments and recoveries. The fees of producers, directors and actors alike have multiplied manifold hence making it an expensive proposition to sign talent. It’s no wonder then that film acquisition costs are on the rise and have almost doubled in just one year’s time.

The three digit price that a corporate now acquires a film for entails the cost of production, actor's fee, (which is generally double the cost of production), director's fee (which is a little lesser than cost of production), producer's table profit and P&A (print and advertising) costs.

While there has been a steep rise in movie acquisition prices, does the Indian market support such recoveries? On the one hand, companies can recover most of the cost by selling various rights to others or by distributing the movies themselves. However, only time will tell whether costs are entirely recoverable and which model is more profitable.

"These costs are based on projections and also in anticipation of the industry’s rapid growth. When these big movies release after a year, many new revenue streams will open up and one can hope these costs will be recoverable," says an industry professional on condition of anonymity.

Producer Mukesh Talreja adds, "If one looks at the broader picture, studios have a slate of films and hence they can amortize cost. While handful movies may do well and help in recovering monies, the others may fare averagely and yet some others may bomb."

Most senior professionals feel that the prices floating in the market are so high that it is difficult to succeed in the long run. While there is no shortage of funds, the problem arises due to lack of viability in this price structure.

Is a correction on the cards? Inox vice president programming and distribution Utpal Acharya opines, "A correction is bound to happen at two levels - at the talent level and at the sub-distribution level. Actors like Aamir Khan, Shah Rukh Khan, Akshay Kumar are turning producers and demanding a share in IPR. As time passes, their indent towards production is bound to be more than acting. This will therefore reduce the outlay towards their fees and simultaneously the emerging new talent will charge affordable prices, hence costs will go down. On the other hand, at the sub- distribution level, individual buyers will find it difficult to compete with unaffordable prices. Therefore corporates will either open their own distribution offices or align with strong local distributors on partnership, JV or commission basis. Ultimately, as a result of this, the major risk and profit will remain with the main buyer or producer."

Now that the gross business and acquisitions costs of movies have touched the three digit mark, is it likely that the cost of production (excluding actor and director fees) is also slated to fall in that bracket? "The time is still far away when a movie's production cost hits a three digit mark in India. Moreover, it doesn't make sense to make expensive movies for the sake of it, without having sensible content to substantiate it," says White Feather Films managing director Sanjay Gupta.

Keeping the current scenario in mind, it will be interesting to watch how various film companies recover investments in these films and the areas that will reel under the ripple effects of high costs.

Bollywood Turns to Romantic Comedies

2008-12-12T22:57:00.000-08:00

By Nilesh Mathew

The romantic comedy genre in Hindi films is increasingly catching the fancy of filmmakers. The latest movie to explore this genre is Abbas Tyrewala's debut film Jaane Tu... Ya Jaane Na.

What's more, as many as 10 other romantic comedies are in the offing. Some of them being Tips' Kismat Konnection, Yash Raj Films' Bachna Ae Haseeno, Pritish Nandy Communications' Ugly Aur Pagli, Rajkumar Santoshi directed Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani, Tarun Mansukhani directed Dostana, Milap Zaveri directed Jaane Kahaan Se Aayi Hai, Ashutosh Gowarikar directed What's Your Rashee, Sabir Khan directed Kambakth Ishq and Sajid Khan directed Housefull.

While this is not a genre that hasn't been explored before, the fact remains that the number has surely been on the rise. Now, with 10 such films in this genre that are in various stages of production, it is almost like romantic comedies are being looked upon in a new light.

Director Siddharth Anand, who explored this genre with his debut film Salaam Namaste, is now revisiting it with Bachna Ae Haseeno. "Many attempts are made to make romantic comedy films, but most of them turn out being love stories. The romantic comedy genre is still in its nascent stages in India," Anand opines.

Percept Picture Company has recently acquired Ranvir Shorey and Mallika Sherawat starrer Ugly Aur Pagli. Seconding Anand's opinion, Percept Picture Company joint managing director Shailendra Singh said, "There has been a dearth of romantic comedies in recent times."

An advantage that romantic comedies as a genre has over others is that these are easy to execute for the cast and crew, are shot mostly at real locations, are not too heavy on the producer's pocket, easy for distributors to sell and even draws in audiences without much difficulty. On the other hand, casting for a thriller, action, historic or super hero film leaves limited options.

If one were to put an estimate to the total cost of all the films, which are being made in this genre currently, it would easily be Rs 2.5+ billion (Rs 250+ crores). With investments of this tune, the recovery that this genre is likely to bring is anyone's guess.

"It is always easy for a distributor to sell romantic comedies. Such films draw youngsters with high disposable income to theatres easily. It may be argued that in totality youngsters comprise a small section of the audience, but no genre of film is universal any longer," says Inox vice president programming and distribution Utpal Acharya.

Writer and debutant director of Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na - Abbas Tyrewala says, "Whenever a film of a particular genre succeeds, many filmmakers start exploring that genre. My film is releasing in the phase when romantic comedies have become popular, but this genre was not very popular when I wrote this film five years ago. So I think I just got lucky that the time period in which Jaane Tu... Ya Jaane Na is releasing. People have shown a lot of interest in these films."

With plentiful younger filmmakers and actors marching into the industry now, one will witness a range of true blue romantic comedies being made.

Writer Milap Zaveri who is debuting into direction with a romantic comedy Jaane Kahaan Se Aayi Hain is of the opinion that such films are a safe bet and the most identifiable form of filmmaking because everyone goes through a phase of romance in their lives.

Surprising is the fact that filmmakers like Rajkumar Santoshi and Ashutosh Gowarikar, who have until now not been associated with this genre, are now attempting at making such films.

With romantic comedies hogging the attention from filmmakers and audiences alike, the pertinent thing to be kept in mind here is that the film's story and the humour should be universally relatable.

Home Video Tap Alternative Content Expansion

2008-12-12T22:56:00.000-08:00

By M H Ahssan

At a time when physical sales of film DVDs and VCDs may not be raking in the required moolah, home video companies are now exploring the possibility of alternative content.

In a sense this more recent foray of home video players in this new section expands the already existing market, considering that till date it has only been film related products that have been sold on these formats. Companies like Shemaroo Entertainment, Big Home Video and Excel Home Video Entertainment have already begun exploring the avenues.

The meaning of such a move by home video players indicates that there is a possibility of exploring this space further and perhaps a more streamlined revenue source exists within this sub market. Since this new sub market will not result in the cannibilisation of the existing film related home video segment, it will mean that the prospect of new consumers interested in alternative content will and can be explored.

Speaking to Businessofcinema.com Shemaroo Entertainment vice president Hiren Gada said, "With the increased player penetration and acceptance, we think that the audience is now ready to move beyond films on home video. So we thought of the segment of alternative content. This includes everything from edutainment to health, fitness, spiritual and even cookery."

If this new wave of introducing alternative content pays off, it could mean a bout of new life to the home video market. In a sense it is a rational move by home video players to explore the avenue of alternative content, as it is only the next obvious step. Opining the same Excel Home Video Entertainment CEO Roby Abraham said, "Such content has always been available. Remember in the VHS days the fitness videos were a rage and were doing really well. This is just being introduced in India now. It is but a natural step."

Looking at this exploration it can be said that the players attain a sense of completeness and provide a gamut of options. However, what remains to be seen is if there's revenue in such exploration, since no analysis of the market size or estimated growth is available.

Gada added, "Seeing if this segment is profitable to a desired level is still to be explored. For us it is less than six months old and we have hardly any products in the market, so to that extent it is hard to say. We started this as an initiative to broaden the market. I don't know where the market will be and size of it, but it is a good segment to be in."

Alternative content is acquired at a cheaper rate than most film content is, however since this sub market is new and is still being explored, so are the returns. The lack of promotion and dumping of such content in short frequency of time further hampers the kind of revenue this segment stands to make. But soon that stands to change with planned efforts being made by companies like Shemaroo and Big Home Video.

While some of the content is lapped up instantly, some still rest well on the stands, boiling down to the age old cliché 'good content sells.' Validating it, Abraham said, "Sometime back we released a series of Discovery Channel videos, the business we did with that was not that great. But then on the other hand we did the same for videos of the BBC Series, which did really well."

Gada added, "The response is bound to be mixed; everything doesn't sell or is not that big. While some do good business, some are not so good. But then even in the film category, films typically have a have a spurt sale for a few months when it is released and then capers down because another film comes up."

With no actual reports on market growth, size and prospect, one needs to find out the kind of revenues that this content is making for the players. This would further aid in ascertaining if in reality this is a good segment to be in and is worth exploring. While on one hand completeness is attained, profitability and long term revenue is still an aspect of which very little is known.

In the coming months one will see content like Rhyme Time in Toyland, Shelly Duvall's Faerie Tale Theatre Premchand's works like Kafan being launched by Shemaroo. On the other hand, a few other players are still calculating their entry into this new segment and acquiring the right kind of content.

'Super Hit' phenomenon: Legit or Propaganda?

2008-12-12T22:50:00.000-08:00

By Sonal Ghosh

If you know the Hyderabad film business (read Tollywood), you are well acquainted with all the innovative marketing that has been making inroads into the industry. One look beyond conventional promotions and a different line of promotional action is being staged. The effort to draw audiences to theatres has never been so streamlined.

This is happening at a time when more films than an audience can chew are being released. The choice at any given weekend is endless and this makes it difficult to garner footfalls in theatres.

While an interesting mix of ideas has emerged for the pre-release marketing strategies of movies, there is little innovation for the post-release strategy. A simple solution that has surfaced is declaring the film a success and affixing tags such as "Hit", "Big Hit", "Super Hit" and "Blockbuster" and topping this with excerpts of critic ravings.

The result is that now there is a thin line between what you call strategy, gimmick, actual projection and perception. Nevertheless, if the tags affixed are really genuine, then is there an explanation for the short run that most of these films have at the box office? Is the time far when audiences become immune to such advertisements? What thought goes behind planning and placing such ads?

To better understand this, HNN speaks to industry professionals about this lesser known game.

Raksha Entertainment MD and Balaji Motion Pictures CEO Ramesh Sippy - "It is a hoax. Such ads help fetch good prices for satellite and home video rights for movies, help to mount next productions on grand scale and gratify stars of the movie. They are published to catch the eyeballs of the industry and therefore seen in Bombay only; it is not allowed to be put in Delhi. Moreover from my experience in distribution I know that it takes at least 48 hours to accumulate worldwide collections of any movie, so if some companies publish their three-day box office collections ads on Monday itself which is the fourth day, I do not know how they manage to accumulate data so quickly."

Studio 18 vice president marketing distribution & syndication Priti Shahani - "It will not be correct to call this a marketing gimmick, in that respect then everything a company does is a gimmick. Such strategies are for perception building, which is also a tool like any other to draw audiences to theatres. There are two ways of looking at this--Qualitative Strategy which includes good reviews and appreciation from critics and audiences and Quantitative Strategy which includes box office collections for the film trade."

"Both start three days after the movie release and last for two weeks depending on the quality of the movie. Qualitative impacts the overall collection although it is small, because most collections are drawn within three days or a week and quantitative is for the industry and has little impact on the audience," Shahani adds.

Cinemax senior vice president Devang Sampat - "Most of these campaigns are to pull audiences' attention. The industry needs a fixed formula depending on how much a movie contributes to the entire industry and everybody in the chain, in order to declare it a hit or a super hit. Simply because a film recovers its money for a producer or distributor, does not mean that it is a hit. According to me, a film like Phoonk is not a hit per se. Its distributors and producers made money, but how much money did the exhibitors make? On the contrary, Race made money for an exhibitor, but I don't know how much money it made for others involved. There are very few movies like Bheja Fry, Jodhaa Akbar, Jannat and Jab We Met in which everybody involved makes a profit, audiences appreciates it and are genuine hits or super hits too."

Big Music and Home Entertainment CEO Kulmeet Makkar - "When a film is declared a hit, it means that either the film has made good money and has managed to get good reviews from critics. It does not necessarily mean that the audience has liked the film."

Reliance Entertainment chief marketing officer Saurabh Varma - "Most companies do not plan a post release marketing strategy, so the easiest thing is to put out reviews or banners stating hit/super hit, which are basically no- brainer strategies and done more with the intent of perception management. Nonetheless, a film can be declared so based on different perspectives, but by and large, price of a movie and its recovery remains the main criteria for such a declaration. Also every film has a certain market and if it is liked there, then it is termed hit. Most audience reactions shown are of Bombay city and Bombay territory, which undoubtedly is most important but does not represent the entire country's audience's reaction."

Media & Entertainment research company Ormax media director and ex-Sahara Filmy business head Shaliesh Kapoor - "The definitions of a hit and super hit film have changed drastically. The perspective has very clearly shifted from consumers to business. If a movie's business is good and it is declared a super hit, it does not necessarily mean that the audience has liked the film. Singh Is Kinng and Jab We Met are classic examples of this; Singh is Kinng is a bigger hit on paper but Jab We Met has more likeability. There are very few films like Om Shanti Om which achieve both- good audience response and good business."

"Such declarations may be based on certain data and this can be spun in different ways- A film may be a hit in Bombay and a flop in rest of India, so this doesn't stop them from saying the film is a hit and unlike insurance company ads, these movie ads do not have to put an asterisk mark saying 'In Mumbai only'."

"A company declaring its film a hit is a trick of the trade and a fantastic marketing tool. But chances are that a layman may feel cheated and shortchanged. If a movie like Kismet Konnection is declared a super hit it may be because the film got a 60-70 percent opening which, not many movies are fortunate to get now," adds Rajani.

Whether a company strategises to make money by deceiving audience or deceives audience of the money made, one thing is certain and known to one and all that this will not last for long. This may perhaps be the prime reason why most producers and distributors misuse these tags blatantly to make their buck, rather than using it discreetly.

It is sad how the "Silver Jubilee" and "Golden Jubilee" system of ads which "ran successfully all over" for decades, has given way to a deceitful style of moderating and projecting a movie's success. But one can only hope for a coherent system to emerge sooner than later from high fliers of the industry.

The Show Must Go On

2008-12-12T22:40:00.000-08:00

By Smrithi Komal

Will it survive despite the onslaught from cinema and TV?

Make a mental note of the plays staged in Hyderabad in the recent years and think how many were well attended. Obviously, those that had participation of personalities and television had an edge in drawing the crowds. Whether this is a healthy sign is a topic that's been discussed. But why not try to put things in perspective? Qadir Ali Baig Theatre Foundation did just that.

Celebrating Theatre is a series that the foundation intends to carry forward giving theatre lovers a chance to meet, put forth their views and interact with renowned theatre personalities. The first sessions saw veteran theatre personality and filmmaker M.S. Sathyu, who is also the national director of the theatre foundation, open the debate `Theatre and Cinema: Complementing or Conflicting?'

Sathyu drew from his experience over the last five decades and ably refrained from being preachy on the need for good theatre. Citing the recent example of Aap Ki Soniya, starring Farooque Shaikh and Sonali Bendre, staged in the city, Sathyu felt "there's no harm if people come to see a play to see an actress like Sonali Bendre. In turn, they would also witness theatre." Nevertheless, he highlighted the truth that very few actors straddle the diverse worlds of theatre and cinema. "Naseeruddin Shah is an example. But most others who moved to cinema have not continued to pursue theatre. The National School of Drama spends at least a few lakh rupees training each of its students. It's deplorable that most use NSD as a stepping stone to television and cinema," he said. Despite this, Sathyu feels that theatre will continue to thrive. "The reading habit hasn't died down due to television and cinema, and this is true for theatre too."

Is theatre being relegated to five-star hotels and an elite audience? Rather than elite, Sathyu asserts that theatre has a `limited' audience. And five-star venues are a recent development. "Theatre groups that perform at Prithivi in Mumbai have no added frills. Actors and directors pay for the transport and are paid a token sum of Rs. 100 per performance. A few decades ago, this amount used to be Rs. 10. Theatre was and is an activity that actors take up with passion," he cited, adding that even those like Shabana Azmi and Javed Siddiqui accept this sum with pride.

Sathyu highlighted the need to have continuous performances to develop a strong theatre culture. "The show must go on, even if only 10 people have turned up to watch the play." Most importantly, he felt there was a need to make Hyderabadis purchase tickets and arrive on time for the shows. "At Prithvi, no one requests for free passes." He also cited the example of Bangalore that has now regularised play timings. "The play begins on schedule and no one is allowed to enter once the play has begun, even if he is a VIP." Addressing queries from the audience on the need for Urdu and Telugu theatre, Sathyu felt that Hyderabad has scope for both. "Mumbai is an example where Gujarati, Marathi, Hindi and English theatre co-exist successfully," he said.

The evening also saw the screening of Sathyu's film Garam Hawa, India's official entry to the Oscars in 1975.